Reactions vs response

At a restaurant, a cockroach suddenly flew from somewhere and sat on
a lady. She started screaming out of fear. With a panic stricken
face and trembling voice, she started jumping, with both her hands
desperately trying to get rid of the cockroach.

Her reaction was contagious, as everyone in her group also got
panicky.

The lady finally managed to push the cockroach away but ...it landed
on another lady in the group.

Now, it was the turn of the other lady in the group to continue the
drama.

The waiter rushed forward to their rescue.
In the relay of throwing, the cockroach next fell upon the waiter.

The waiter stood firm, composed himself and observed the behavior of
the cockroach on his shirt.
When he was confident enough, he grabbed it with his fingers and
threw it out of the restaurant.

Sipping my coffee and watching the amusement, the antenna of my mind
picked up a few thoughts and started wondering, was the cockroach
responsible for their histrionic behavior?
If so, then why was the waiter not disturbed?
He handled it near to perfection, without any chaos.

It is not the cockroach, but the inability of the ladies to handle
the disturbance caused by the cockroach that disturbed the ladies.

I realized that, it is not the shouting of my father or my boss or
my wife that disturbs me, but it's my inability to handle the
disturbances caused by their shouting that disturbs me.

It's not the traffic jams on the road that disturbs me, but my
inability to handle the disturbance caused by the traffic jam that
disturbs me.

More than the problem, it's my reaction to the problem that creates
chaos in my life.

Lessons learnt from the story:
I understood, I should not react in life.
I should always respond.
The women reacted, whereas the waiter responded.

Reactions are always instinctive whereas responses are always well
thought of, just and right to save a situation from going out of
hands, to avoid cracks in relationship, to avoid taking decisions in
anger, anxiety, stress or hurry.

The WHY factor

Great Leaders, companies and even innovators always start with the WHY and then the HOW and lastly the WHAT.  This inside out model is unconventional compared with the conventional outside in model where we tend to focus on WHAT needs to be done.  HOW it has to be done and lastly WHY it has to be done.

Great companies like Apple have a very strong WHY which inspires the HOW and then the WHAT is the end outcome.  For example, Apple's WHY is to `Think different', this is its compelling reason for existence and this inspires the HOW which is to create innovative, easy to use computers and lastly WHAT happens at the end.

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Sharpening your axe III

Sharpening the axe is an activity.  You too can sharpen the axe of your life.

Here are examples of axe-sharpening activities:

o  Read a book every day;
o  Get out of your comfort zone by changing jobs.  A new job forces you to learn;
o  Have deep conversation with ome one your find interesting.  Sharpen your axe through that interaction;
o  Pick up a new hobby.  Stretch yourself physically, mentally or emotionally;
o  Study something new;
o  Overcome your fear you have or quit a bad habit;
o  Have a dily exercise routine or take part in some competition;
o  Identify your blinds spots.  Understand, acknowledge and address them;
o  Ask for feedback and get a mentor;
o  Learn from people who inspire you.

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Sharpen your axe II

So, what is exactly is sharpening your axe?  It simply means increasing your personal production capacity by daily self care and self maintenance.  Most people fail to understand what it means and mistake it for taking a break or vacation.  If you are overworking yourself and your productivity drops, take a break.  However that isn't sharpening the axe - that's putting the axe down.

When you put down a dull blade and rest, the blade will still be dull when you pick it up. The woodcutter does need downtime to rest, but it is not `sharpening the axe'.  The woodcutter only becomes more productive by sharpening his blade, analyzing new wood cutting techniques, exercising to become stronger, and learning from other woodcutter.  That is what is mean by sharpening the axe.

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Sharpen your axe

A few years ago there was a story of a woodcutter who asked for a job with a timber merchant.  He got the job with a good salary and a decent work conditions.  And so, the woodcutter was determined to do his best for his boss.

His boss gave him an axe and on his first day, the woodcutter chopped down 15 trees.  The boss was pleased and said, `Well done, good work!'

Highly motivated, the woodcutter tried harder the next day, but he only could bring down 13 trees.  The third day, he tried even harder, but he was only able to bring down 11 trees.  Day after day, he tried even harder but he was only able to bring down a small number of trees.

He apologized to the boss claiming he could not understand why.

`When was the last time you sharpen your axe?' the boss asked.

`Sharpen?  I had no time to sharpen my axe.  I have been too busy cutting down the trees.'

He sharpened his axe and immediately was back to felling 15 trees a day.  And since that, he begins the day by sharpening his axe.

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Happy Valentine

Happy Valentine Day.
It is just another day in the year.
What is so special on this day?
If there is a need to express your love, it can be on any day.
However it is a day for courting guy to express his love to his beloved.
Valentine Day is a special day for wedding anniversary due to its significance.
Valentine Day is not only exclusively for couples, it is also for friendship as we have friendship love, family love just to mention a few.

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Chinese New Year 2013

It is the time of the year again when celebration is everywhere.
Chinese New Year for 2013 is just round the corner.  As usual, there is always last minute shopping and the rush for tickets back to hometown. There is an urge to indulge in good food during the Chinese New Year.
We should always remind ourselves to eat in moderation and cultivate the habit of eating healthily.  Reduce the intake of salt is always the key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

May every step in the Year of the Snake bring us closer to health, happiness and prosperity.

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