Lovely Talk on the 'Psychology of Winning' Denis Waitley

 It's a lovely talk on the psychology of winners - well prepared, well presented, with humour, stories, experiences, putting himself as an example and well delivered. I made a bunch of points from it but the key is these five principles he puts out. It's a 1987 talk and we can see the innocence of those days come through.

The five principles he talks about are 

1) Self awareness - seeing yourself through others eyes (would others like a partner like me, a team mate like me, a son like  me, an employee like me), break daily routines, meet new people.

2) Self esteem - that deep down feeling of worth/value (internalise your own standard, value, do not compare with others, don't fear rejection, treat failure as learning, learn to take compliments, project value, that feeling that there's no ceiling, take stock, monitor self talk, communicate value))

3) Positive self control - taking control on your life by the choices you make, there's no freedom without responsible action, winners make things happen, you become what you think about, decide to come through (not choke), focus on a fixed outcome, control your time) 

4) Positive self image - set goals because a goal is an image of you in that goal, your goal is how you see yourself, your self talk and self image is important, when you have targets it becomes your dominant thought, goals should be out of reach and not out of sight, get a little better every day, use positive talk like 'what to do instead of what not to do, set goals for all major areas, visualise, learn skills needed)

5) Positive self-expectancy - its self prophecy, you get what you expect, mind over muscle, menu etc, bring on extreme positive, look for opportunities in a crisis, maintain an upbeat outlook, associate with winners, expect the best from others)

Thought for the Day - The Last Three Steps

There is a famous quote that I remember from the movie 'The Walk' in which high wire walker Phillippe Petit (it's his story) says something like - 'most wire walkers die in the final three steps. They think they have arrived but they have not.'

It is true for most things. 

You reach the final, almost reach the end, and take your eyes off the last three steps - with disastrous results. You fall, you lose, you fail. 

The question then is this - why do we take our eyes off the last three steps? 

Most  times it's because we move from process to 'hope'. We 'hope' we will get there without our effort. Instead of keeping our eyes open, being aware and following process we close our eyes and hope. 

Why do we 'hope' in the big moments? The final, the last three steps, the last over.

We hope when we fear looking at reality - at the target, our goal, our desired outcome. The fear of the possibility of losing makes us take our eyes off the target and rely on hope. And when we take our eyes off our target, we miss seeing areas where we can slip up. And that's exactly where we slip up.

A match. A high wire walk. A project. Anything. If we take our eyes off, if we cannot address the grey areas and hope, if we fear losing more than desire winning, we will fall, we will fail, we will lose. 

Like they say, there's many a slip between the cup and the lip. So do not leave important stuff to hope. Keep your eyes open when you get to the last three steps. Hold your fear, force yourself to look at what you want, and go for it with your eyes open.

You might still lose. But at least you have tried to win - not tried not to lose. You have given yourself a fair chance to win. 

Thought for the Day - Why We Escape the Present

Seems like we can't hold the present which is why we run away from it into the past or the future. That way life is always less experienced fully, always vague and cloudy. If the mist goes away, we have to see reality as it is, which we do not want to see perhaps. 

Being present forces us to see things as they are. Being present is about clarity. Being present is not wanting things as we want them to be. Being present is being adaptable to the situation in front of you. 

Scary. Surely.

Easier to fall back on the past and cling on to the known. Easier to hope that things will somehow turn out ok without having to deal with them. Easier to curl up in the cosy blanket of the past, dreaming of stuff.

When we stop running away from the present, we can be present. And when we are present, we can deal with life as it shows up - minus hope, minus clinging to the past - as it is. That's the best way to deal with anything in life. With the clarity of being present. All else falls away except what needs to be addressed and nothing else.

Being present brings clarity to decision making. It makes you aware of what to address and what not to address. It shows the path of least resistance. With the least effort. 

Practice it. Be present. Fully. There's nothing to be scared of.

Curatorial Walk on Indian Miniature Paintings at Salar Jung Museum

On July 25, there was a curatorial walk on Indian Miniature Paintings conducted by Shailka Mishra, Jagdish and Kamla Mittal Museum of Indian Art, Hyderabad. The walk was organised by the Salar Jung Museum and Mukhtyar, who started off as a heritage enthusiast and is now a affable heritage walk leader, sent me the information. I thought I might attend it, Salar Jung Museum is too vast to cover and comprehend in one go and it makes sense to look at sections separately under the guidance of an expert. I asked Anjali if she wanted to come along and she did. Just the museum ticket and nothing else.

We bought the ticket and parked. I could not resist taking a picture of Salar Jung III's statue outside and then his picture inside. At one time this entire length of the road outside the Salar Jung Museum was part of the Dewan Deodi and one wonders how it disintegrated into those small crowded buildings.  

The Salar Jung Museum educational curator Joyoti introduced a small crowd to Shailka who then took us through the miniatures section - starting with the Mughal period miniatures, then Deccani, Pahari, Rajasthani, Malwa and other regions. Some interesting pictures of a wine making process similar to the one we see in Italian movies, one about a boy shooting arrows at a female (wonder why), royal couple listening to music and getting a little cosy etc.

There were portraits of Shahjehan, Jahangir, Akbar, Asaf Jah 1, paintings of scenes, of Krishna, of Hindu Mythology and many others. She pointed out to the work of certain artists who had their unique style.  She conducted the walk fro about 45 minutes and wound up. 

Not too many walk ins. Anjali also wandered off and was later found drinking Pepsi in the canteen. We headed back home after.

A Lovely Gift From My Sister Lakshmi

I got a surprise gift from my sister Lakshmi today - a lovely toy Rolls Royce that cost 1500 bucks. It's so appropriate considering I gifted my pal Koni a toy auto and a toy bulldozer the other day for his birthday. 

I was telling my pal Vasu when we went to buy toys for Koni that I wanted to start my mini toy collection and lo behold - the toy appeared. Someone up there is listening (unlike the government).

 

Have to name it now. Doors open, bonnet opens, lights go on and off. Just as I thought I would buy myself something like this.

Thanks Chanti for such a lovely gift  (that's what we call my sister at home).

Moazzamjahi Market - Slowly Disappearing

Saw Moazzamjahi Market today and realised it's slowly disappearing from view. The Metro has cut right in front of it so any front view of the majestic building is pretty much gone. 

And if that's not bad, a huge concrete structure is coming up behind dwarfing it.

Can see the difference between the two pics. I leave the rest to your imagination.

Thought for the Day - Being Present and Being the Witness

It's a thought. Is being present the same as being the witness? Or does one help the other? I always considered them as different things. But then I thought, there could be a connection worth exploring.

Photo courtesy - Diksha

Being present to me meant keeping thoughts of the past and the future away and staying present to what's happening 'here and now'.

Being a witness to me meant watching my actions and thoughts as if I were watching them and was not the doer. Keeping a distance from the doer.

But then, if I am the witness, I am detached. I am watching the present moment without any attachment. There is no fear attached to the present moment and I can stay present with no effort. 

Just a thought.