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Select Quotes from Mastering Self with Life Mantras People are of 3 types. First ones gather energy from the world to fight with their family members (Forgive them for they carry emotional baggage). Second ones gather energy from their families to fight with the world (most of us belong to this category). Third ones, a rare species gather energy from their families and the world to fight with themselves to become better and better human beings. v   Some are stuck with dependence, some want just independence and some have learnt the art of interdependence. v    You can be in a relationship all the time, sometimes with nature, sometimes with people, sometimes with God..........but don't forget to relate within. Happy Living. v   My fellow passenger looked very sophisticated and educated. So I asked him, from where have you done your schooling and college? He replied, I matriculated from Saint Suffering School and then went to the College of Frustration Studies and d

 Ekaterina Feoktistova  is hardly 23 and has a strong command on French and English (and of course Russian). She studied languages at Belgorod State University for 5 years. While working, she realized that being just an interpreter isn't enough for her so she joined her Masters in Moscow State University with specialization in Public Relations. Her areas of interests are PR in Social Media (also called Cyber PR) and Social Media Marketing. She works as Social Media Specialist at PR Project, a Russian PR agency and is responsible for the blog and Facebook page to begin with.The quality which I most appreciate in Katya is that she has gathered more than 6 years of part time work experience (as an interpreter) along with her academics. Presently also she is managing academics (pursuing a Masters in PR from Moscow University) and a full time job. She has quite an unusual photo added to her profile (with an informal pose). Well if you are tactful and know your limits, getting a lit

The Art and Science of Living (and Journalism ) Prakash was part of the launch team of Webduniya (Webworld), India’s first Hindi website. Presently he is the Head of Madhya Pradesh Bureau of a new Hindi news channel to be launched soon. He also posts frequently on Facebook in Hindi (ironies, satires and what not, 5,000 plus friends) and gives preference in replying to the comments posted in Hindi even if they use Roman script. Prakash recently wrote on Facebook, “In our day to day life, we are constantly using products and services created and innovated by others and our life is so comfortable because of sacrifices and efforts of so many people, living or dead. How dare we can be ungrateful?” So true and touching (Are we not ungrateful pigs very often?) Prakash being much older to me, I address him as Prakashji (ji being a symbol of respect in Indian culture, but for readers convenience, I will leave out the ji) He is such a balanced person, successful in all the roles he plays, he de

(Dedicated to my school classfellow Amit Gupta, who became my soul friend and like a family member) What exactly is stereotyping and why do we do it? A stereotype is a popular belief about specific social groups or types of individuals. Stereotypes are standardized and simplified conceptions of groups based on some prior assumptions. In some ways stereotyping is done to simplify the process of judgment or decision making. For example there is a stereotype that Americans like straightforward talk and informality. This knowledge may be helpful in dealing with Americans but one needs to be cautious that 100 % Americans are not like that. So before stereotyping, one needs to observe and take time in drawing conclusions (and crosscheck the stereotype before applying the stereotype). The rise of feminism has been basically against stereotyping of female roles in society; for example a female should take care of housework, females need not study too much, females are not suitable for

Why do we assume so much in life and end up making a fool of ourselves? Is it the human tendency to make quick judgments or is it the tendency to make our judgments easier by assuming unavailable information? Why do I (and all of us) make an ass of you and me by assuming? Why do we have so many pre-conceived notions? Why can’t we have an open mind to things? Is it because of our beliefs and value systems or because of cultures and subcultures we live in? Having an open mind to things can solve half of the human conflicts but easier said than done. It is same as saying, “If all religions became tolerant of each other, we shall have peace on earth.” A monumental task, sounds utopian….. Are assumptions necessary at times? What assumptions do we make and why do we make them?" Are our assumptions reasonable or unreasonable? Are they based on any evidence other than how we feel or our own opinions? According to www.criticalthinking.org , “an assumption is something we take for g

What a piece of work is Man How noble in reason How infinite in faculties In form and moving How express and admirable In action how like an angel In apprehension, how like a god The beauty of the world The paragon of animals! Shakespeare You wake up in the morning, already stressed for another day at office or business. The rush begins. After hurriedly doing the morning ablutions, you probably think of the plan for the day, important tasks at home and office, worried about what all can go wrong (We apply Murphy’s Law; whatever can go wrong, will…by constantly thinking negatively and worrying). The commuting takes another huge part of your energy and you reach office already tired. The intense pressure begins and the race continues through the day. Then there is another round of irritating commuting (it can be a major harassment in metros of developing countries with traffic jams, chaos and indiscipline adding to chaos). You reach home, burnt out looking

Warning If you consider yourself highly intelligent, you can continue (otherwise you are heading for a tough time.) I thought I was intelligent, till I came across the two S’s of my life (Sri Aurobindo’s writings and Sandra Garcia’s Blog). Well, now I have serious doubts, whether I am intelligent enough. Sandra is based in South Africa and has an interesting group on Linkedin called “The Pythagoras Portal” (a blog also with the same name). As stated in the group profile, “The purpose of this group is to produce a testing ground for the new scientific theories, that are received from spiritual communications.” She can discuss meteors, transcendence and cancer with equal ease while I take few minutes to adjust my brain’s settings for the new topic. I address Sandra as the ‘Lady Einstein’ as I have to work very hard to understand the discussions on her group. In any case mixing science with spirituality is like mixing country liquor with whisky and makes for a heady combination. Besides

Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head. – Euripides If only we had the wisdom to take the right action, half of the problems we have, would not have been created in the first place and the rest we would be able to resolve successfully. How can we develop wisdom. According to Confucius, we can develop wisdom by reflection (which is the noblest and hence the best), by imitation (which is easiest) and by experience (which is most difficult and makes us bitter). As a leader we have to constantly take tough decisions, decisions in new areas and decisions at the drop of a hat in emergencies at times. Often after taking a decision, we have a self doubt (called cognitive dissonance in management), whether we have taken the right decision or not. How do we take wise decisions which minimize the self doubt, which are quick yet right and appropriate to the situation? How do we reflect (as Confucius says) to take the noblest decisions which we do not regret and feel proud of? A

The universe is pulsating with limitless information, which comes to us at conscious and unconscious levels in various ways. We may receive information through our senses, dreams, intuition and divine. What are the barriers which stop the natural flow of this information? Are these barriers internal or external? How do we break these barriers? These are some of the questions which come to our mind as we grapple to use our intuition to make decisions. We must struggle with forces such as fear, negativity, illness, stress and lack of faith in higher consciousness, which act as barriers. The best tool we can use to break and destroy these barriers is spirituality. Once we are able to do that our decision making (one of the most critical skills for leadership) becomes very easy and natural. In the beginning of our spiritual journey, more and more questions arise in our mind, and then we receive few hints at answers, later we start receiving complete answers and over a period of time a stro