Enlarge. Excel. Evolve.

32 Inspirational Stories  (from 6 countries) of Ordinary People  who Achieved Extraordinar y Success (with 32 Success Mantras) About the Book Prologue This book is about stories of ordinary people who went on to do extraordinary things. The objective is clear and razor sharp: to inspire readers especially who belong to the blogging community . We have included stories of people who talk about their challenges at various stages of life and how they overcame these challenges to become successful. Readers can co-relate with their own struggles and draw inspiration from these real-life situations. Building Global Bridges You might be wondering why we chose thirty two people across six countries. The human story has the same vulnerability everywhere and people go through similar struggles, experiences, emotions, successes, failures; it’s the same roller coaster rides. From USA to Africa, from Australia to India, we have the same longing for love and belon...

  She was his Nirvana  “In the emptiness, you will find all that you desire, and all that you deserve”, she said and smiled. “Will I also find unconditional love there?” he asked. “When you will send some, it will bounce back double in size”, she answered. She was a little sage indeed. ---------------------- “I am Serendipity” “Ms Wisdom, where do I find serendipity?” he asked her. “Chant the mantra, ‘I am serendipity’ and become serendipity in someone’s life. And then”, she paused. “And then what?” he was bit by the curiosity bug. “And then watch the dance of the Universe. Watch the flow of serendipity”, she smiled her mystical smile once again. --------------------- “A Quantum Leap” “Enough of step by step progress. I wish to take a quantum leap now”, he told the little sage. “I always take quantum leaps. And the Universe too leaps by my side matching my rhythm”, she answered and then jumped. She was a Zen story. She was a beautiful Zen story. --------------------...

I was recently invited to speak on, “What best mentors do?” to a group of mentors / facilitators from Argentina who had come for a training program at School of Social Entrepreneurship India.  The session was organized at the scenic Zorba The Buddha, which is an oasis in itself in the Delhi NCR region. I divided my session into six parts viz. Mentoring Styles Understanding Expectations Asking Powerful Questions Deeper Engagement Monitoring Mentee Performance Pillars of Mentor Mentee Relationship A) Mentoring styles I began with a discussion on the five major mentoring styles:- 1) Challenger- The mentor pushes the mentee and asks hard questions. 2) Cheerleader- The mentor encourages and even in case of a mistake points out to the mentee the learning from the mistake 3) Educator- The mentor teaches/ trains the mentee after understanding the mentee’s deficiencies. 4) Ideator- The mentor encourages and pushes the mentee to ideate, dream and brainstorm. ...

And Why I Champion the Cause of Introvert Empowerment In a previous blog post (which went viral), “ How Introverts like Guy Kawasaki and Pete Cashmore are changing the rules of the game with Online Branding ?”, I shared my journey and how Susan Cain’s book “Quiet” changed my life forever. Interestingly, Susan also points out that introversion has three cousins, “shyness, sensitivity and seriousness”. Yet these three traits of introverts are often misunderstood and need a perception correction. Let us take a look at how introverts are misunderstood and what they can do about it. Myth / Misunderstanding 1- Introverts are often Nervous Fact-Introverts are Shy Recently when I was invited to speak at a public platform for 2 minutes, I began with a dose of humour, “It takes me 2 minutes to settle down with a new audience. By the time I will settle down, my time would be over”. Introverts are shy and tend to act as extroverts (in speaking, mentoring etc) when the...

Life is unfair” , we all would have uttered these words at some point of time in our lives. In spite of being equally competent, many of us lose out at the workplace because we are/ were :-  not educated at a premier b-school or  educated in a small town or  gentle/ unassertive nature or  introvert or  from poor / middle class family with no connections or  are physically challenged or  suffer due to gender stereotypes and so on. Playing at a Level Playing Field Here is an empowerment tool, which will put you at par or may be ahead in the career race. A book which guides you how to share your KVP (knowledge, victories and passions) to create a brand which helps you overpower your weaknesses. Here are a few examples of the value of personal branding:- A CXO who was expecting to become a CEO was disappointed when his organisation recruited someone else. Thanks to his personal branding and frequent speaking assignments at conferences, ...

“Honesty and Ethics” are talk of the town (or India rather) these days after PM Modi’s surgical strike on black money. Corruption and dishonesty has gone into the roots of Indian systems and cleaning the system is not going to be an easy job. Yet PM Modi has demonstrated that when there is a strong will backed by action, nothing is impossible. The book ‘The Ethical Doctor’ (by Dr Kamal Kumar Mahawar) also talks about cleaning and improvising the Indian medical system. The book has a fine balance between diagnosis and treatment. It goes into the details of what ails the Indian medical system and what actions are required to treat the system of its ills. Right in the author’s note in the beginning, Dr Kamal points out, “Declining values and corrupt practices are eating the heart of Indian society and its institutions. Doctors subscribe to the same value systems.” Here are some of the key topics discussed in the book:- Cuts and Commissions - The book takes a detailed look into the cut...

The Story of 6 Years on Twitter It was November 2010. I had been reading a lot about Twitter  (in Indian newspapers)  especially what celebrities were tweeting. Twitter had captured my attention and I decided to “ Join the conversation ” as Twitter calls it. “Wouldn’t it be a great idea to learn from the most successful people in India and abroad and that too straight from the horse’s mouth?” I wondered. Learning from the best I was right. From the best journalists to the most influential authors, speakers and coaches across the globe, almost everyone is active on Twitter. Twitter turned out to be the platform of the smart people. It was neither the kiddish Facebook nor the ultra formal LinkedIn. It was semi-formal, concise and was like an ocean in terms of the mystery and learning. I had always been blessed with a mentor at the workplace and I had realised that the fastest way to grow professionally is to learn from the best brains in the industry. As I evolved from ...

Storytelling is an art which has the backing of science, neuroscience to be precise. All that we remember from our childhood are stories (incidents /anecdotes). As soon as the word ‘story’ comes, even our tired brain gets alert ready to listen and retains it in memory. Even at the end of a working day, when we are too tired to scan data, we are still willing to read a story. What makes stories so powerful? Here are the 7 reasons from neuroscience:- 1) The Shared Experience and Neural Coupling The listeners connect to the story through their own ideas and experiences because of neural coupling process. Hence a story connects most with the reader when a story or its parts makes the reader feel that it is his / her story. We relate and relive the sensations described in the story, be it fear, pleasure, guilt and so on, creating a shared experience between the story narrator and audience. When we hear a story, we try to relate it to one of our existing life experiences. Dur...

During the first half of my life, I often told limiting stories to myself. During second half, I wish to share inspiring stories with the world.   As an Inspirational Storyteller, I assist deeply passionate entrepreneurs and intrapreneurs share stories (of themselves & their organisations) which inspire action, connect emotionally and build reputation. Let me share my journey from "limiting stories" to "inspiring stories" and some interesting stories from my life.   Childhood and Youth I used to wear -6 spectacles in Class 1, and my doctor had told me to quit studying after Class 10th. But I loved books, research and writing. Life left me with no option but to prove the doctor's warning wrong.   I continued my studies upto PhD and later ventured into online marketing & digital storytelling. The spirit of winning against odds became a part of my life thereafter. My parents supported me in my decisions and sto...