Motivation

அன்ன சத்திரம் ஆயிரம் வைத்தல்
ஆலயம் பதினாயிரம் நாட்டல்
பின்னருள்ள தருமங்கள் யாவும்
பெயர் விளங்கி யொளிர நிறுத்தல்
அன்னயாவினும் புண்ணியம் கோடி
ஆங்கோர் ஏழைக்கெழுத்தரிவித்தல்.

நிதி மிகுந்தவர் பொற்குவை தாரீர்!
நிதி குறைந்தவர் காசுகள் தாரீர்!
அதுவுமற்றவர் வாய்ச்சொல் அருளீர்!
                   - மஹா கவி பாரதியார்

"வறியார்க்கொன்று ஈவதே ஈகை மற்றதெல்லாம்
குறியெதிர்ப்பை நீரதுடைத்து"
"The only gift is giving to poor;
 All else is exchange"
                   - Thiruvalluvar

                                    - Girija Karuna

10. Wizkid

Dear Arunaities and upcoming students,
 
Read the linked Document wizkid.doc CLICK HERE:   This is part of motivational series and more will follow..... At the young age of 14, he is mastering computer applications, earned Microsoft/CISCO certificates one after the other  and doing his MCA by distance education. Well done Suhail!! the story goes on.... This inspirational article is to motivate the young kids of afa to whom there is bountiful opportunities.

- Posted by T. Baskaran

-:-:-:-:-:-:-

9. Winner Vs Loser

- Posted by Deenadayalan Aswath

8. உங்கள் எதிர்காலம்!

 - posted Suthakar TR

ஒரு நகரத்திற்கு ஒரு சட்டமிருந்தது. அதன்படி யார் வேண்டுமென்றாலும் அந்த நகரத்திற்கு ராஜாவாக வரமுடியும். ஆனால், அந்தப் பதவி ஐந்தாண்டுகள் மட்டுமே! ஐந்தாண்டு முடிந்த அடுத்த நாளே மன்னனை ஆற்றின் கரைக்கு மறுபுறம் உள்ள காட்டில் விட்டுவிடுவார்கள்.

அந்தக் காட்டில் மனிதர்கள் கிடையாது. வெறும் கொடிய விலங்குகள் மட்டுமே! மன்னன் காட்டிற்குள் நுழைந்தால் போதும்; வனவிலங்குகள் கொன்று தீர்த்துவிடும். இந்த சட்டத்தை யாராலும் மாற்ற இயலாது. இந்த நிபந்தனைகளுக்கு ஒப்புக் கொண்டவன் மட்டுமே அரியணையில் அமரப் பொருத்தமானவன். ஆக, மன்னனாக முடிசூட்டிக் கொண்டவனின் தலையெழுத்து, ஐந்தாண்டுகளுக்குப் பின் கட்டாய மரணம்.

இந்தக் கடுமையான சட்டத்துக்கு பயந்தே யாரும் அந்தப் பதவிக்கு ஆசைபடாமலிருந்ததால் அந்த அரியணை பெரும்பாலும் காலியாகவே இருந்தது. இருப்பினும் ஒரு சிலர் 'எப்படியிருந்தாலும் சாகத்தானே போகிறோம்; மன்னனாகவே மடியலாமே!' என்று பதவி ஏற்பதுண்டு. அதிலும் பாதி மன்னர்கள் இடையிலேயே மாரடைப்பால் மரணமடைவதுமுண்டு.

இப்படி ஒரு மன்னனுக்கு ஐந்து ஆண்டு ஆட்சிக்காலம் முடிந்தது. அன்று ஆற்றின் கரையைக் கடந்து காட்டிற்குச் செல்ல வேண்டும். அவனை வழியனுப்ப நாடே திரண்டிருந்தது.

மன்னன் வந்தான், அவனுடைய சிறப்பான ஆடைகளையும் நகைகளையும் அணிந்து, முடிசூடி, தங்க வாளேந்தி வைரங்கள் மின்ன மக்கள் முன் நின்றான். மக்கள் வாயைப் பிளந்தனர் ''இன்னும் அரை மணிநேரத்தில் சாகப் போகிறான்; அதற்கு இவ்வளவு அலங்காரமா!''

தான் செல்லவிருந்த படகைப் பார்த்துவிட்டு சினத்துடன் கூறினான், ''மன்னன் செல்லும் படகா இது! பெரிய படகைக் கொண்டு வாருங்கள்! நான் நின்றுகொண்டா செல்வது! சிம்மாசனத்தைக் கொண்டு வாருங்கள்!''

கட்டளைகள் பறந்தன; காரியங்கள் நடந்தன! சற்று நேரத்தில் அலங்கரிக்கப்பட்ட அழகான படகு ஆற்று நீரைத் கிழித்துக் கொண்டு மறுகரை நோக்கிப் பயணித்தது.

மக்கள் திகைத்து நிற்க, மன்னன் கையசைக்க பயணம் தொடர்ந்தது.

மிகவும் அதிர்ச்சியடைந்தவன் படகோட்டியே! காரணம், இதுவரை அவன் மறுகரைக்கு அழைத்துச் சென்ற எந்த மன்னனும் மகிழ்ச்சியாக சென்றதில்லை. அழுது புலம்பி, புரண்டு, வெம்பிச் செல்வார்கள். இவனோ, மகிழ்ச்சிக் களிப்பில் பொங்கி வழிகிறான்.

படகோட்டி பொறுத்துக்கொள்ள முடியாமல் கேட்டான் ''மன்னா! எங்கே செல்கிறீர்கள் தெரியுமா?''

''தெரியும் மறுகரைக்குச் செல்கிறேன்!''

''அங்கே சென்றவர்கள் திரும்ப இந்த நகரத்திற்கு வந்ததில்லை தெரியுமா?''

''தெரியும். நானும் திரும்ப இந்த நகரத்திற்கு வரப் போவதில்லை!''

''பின்னே எப்படி உங்களால் இவ்வளவு மகிழ்ச்சியாக இருக்க முடிகிறது?''

''அதுவா! நான் என்ன செய்தேன் தெரியுமா? ஆட்சிக்கு வந்த ஓராண்டு முடிவில் ஆயிரம் வேட்டைக்காரர்களைக் காட்டிற்கு அனுப்பினேன்; அவர்கள் கொடிய விலங்குகளை வேட்டையாடிக் கொன்று விட்டார்கள்!

இரண்டாமாண்டு முடிவில் ஆயிரம் விவசாயிகள் சென்றார்கள்; காட்டைத் திருத்தி உழுதார்கள்; இன்று ஏராளமான தானியங்கள் காய்கறிகள்.

மூன்றாமாண்டு முடிவில் ஆயிரம் கட்டடக்கலை வல்லுநர்கள், தொழிலாளர்கள் சென்றனர். இன்று வீடு, வாசல், அரண்மனை, அந்தப்புரம், சாலைகள் எல்லாம் தயார்!

நான்காம் ஆண்டு முடிவில் ஆயிரம் அரசு அதிகாரிகள் சென்றனர். நிர்வாகம் சீரடைந்தது. இந்த 4000 பேரும் தங்கள் மனைவி, குழந்தைகளுடன் சென்று அங்கே வாழ்கின்றனர்.

இப்போது நான் காட்டிற்குப் போகவில்லை; என்னுடைய நாட்டிற்குப் போகின்றேன்! சாகப் போகவில்லையப்பா, வாழப் போகின்றேன்! அதுவும் மன்னனாக ஆளப்போகிறேன்! உனக்கு ஒருவேளை அரண்மனைப் படகோட்டி வேலை வேண்டுமென்றால், இந்தப் படகோடு இப்படியே வேலைக்கு சேர்ந்து விடு!'' என்றான் மன்னன்.

ஒரே ஒரு கேள்வியை மட்டும் எடுத்துக் கொள்ளலாம்.

மன்னனின் வெற்றிக்குக் காரணங்கள் யாவை?

பல காரணங்கள் இருந்தாலும் குறிப்பாக இரண்டினைக் கூறலாம்.

ஒன்று: ஐந்து ஆண்டுகளுக்குப் பின் உயிர் வாழவேண்டும்; அதுவும் மன்னனாகவே வாழவேண்டும் என்று முடிவு எடுத்தது.

இரண்டு: அந்த முடிவினை அடைவதற்காக திட்டமிட்டு உழைத்தது!

அந்த மன்னனுடைய வெற்றிக்கு மட்டுமல்ல; நாம் அனைவருமே வெற்றி பெறவேண்டுமென்றால் நமக்குத்தேவை ஒரு இலக்கை நிர்ணயித்தலும் அதற்காக திட்டமிடுதலும், திட்டமிட்ட பின் வெற்றி பெறும்வரை கடுமையாகவும் புத்திசாலித்தனமாக உழைப்பதுமே.

இப்போது நீங்கள் என்ன செய்கிறீர்களோ அதுதான் உங்கள் எதிர்காலம்!

இப்போது ஒருவன் கடுமையாக உழைக்கிறானே அதுதான் அவனுடைய வருமானமாகப் பின்னால் வரும்!

இப்போது ஆழ்ந்து படிக்கும் மாணவனுக்கு அதுதான் தேர்ச்சி என்று ஒரு எதிர்காலத்தைக் கொண்டுவரும்.

அப்படிப் பார்த்தால் எல்லாமே இப்போது நாம் செய்வது செய்து கொண்டிருப்பதுதான் நம் நாளைய வாழ்வைத் தீர்மானிக்கிறது. அவை ஒவ்வொன்றையும் திட்டமிட்டு சிறப்பாகச் செய்தால் நம் வாழ்க்கை எவ்வளவு மேன்மையாக அமையும்!

எந்த ஒரு செயல் செய்வதற்கு முன் திட்டமிடுங்கள், அந்த திட்டத்தை செயல் படுத்துவதற்கு முன் பலமுறை யோசியுங்கள். நன்றாக இருக்கும் என்று நாம் உணர்ந்த பின் அதை செயல்முறை படுத்துங்கள் பின் வெற்றி நமக்கே!

இன்றைய பொழுது இனிய பொழுதாக அமையட்டும்! வாழ்த்துகள்!!

7. Smartness

- posted by B Ramamoorthy : Sep 1, 2010

There once lived a great mathematician in a village outside Ujjain . He was often called by the local king to advice on matters related to the economy. His reputation had spread as far as Taxila in the North and Kanchi in the South. So it hurt him very much when the village headman told him, "You may be a great mathematician who advises the king on economic
matters but your son does not know the value of gold or silver."

The mathematician called his son and asked, "What is more valuable - gold or silver?" "Gold," said the son. "That is correct. Why is it then that the village headman makes fun of you, claims you do not know the value of gold or silver? He teases me every day. He mocks me before other village elders as a father who neglects his son. This hurts me. I feel everyone in the village is laughing behind my back because you do not know what is more valuable, gold or silver. Explain this to me, son."

So the son of the mathematician told his father the reason why the village headman carried this impression. "Every day on my way to school, the village headman calls me to his house. There, in front of all village elders, he holds out a silver coin in one hand and a gold coin in other. He asks me to pick up the more valuable coin. I pick the silver coin.
He laughs, the elders jeer, everyone makes fun of me. And then I go to school. This happens every day. That is why they tell you I do not know the value of gold or silver."

The father was confused. His son knew the value of gold and silver, and yet when asked to choose between a gold coin and silver coin always picked the silver coin. "Why don't you pick up the gold coin?" he asked. In response, the son took the father to his room and showed him a box. In the box were at least a hundred silver coins. Turning to his father, the mathematician' s son said, "The day I pick up the gold coin the game will stop. They will stop having fun and I will stop making money."

The bottom line is...

Sometimes in life, we have to play the fool because our seniors and our peers, and sometimes even our juniors like it. That does not mean we lose in the game of life. It just means allowing others to win in one arena of the game, while we win in the other arena of the game. We have to choose which arena matters to us and which arenas do not.

6. Are You Listening

- posted by B Ramamoorthy

If you were asked “Who taught you how to speak, read, and write?”
you’d probably be able to list a whole series of people who helped you develop those important and much used communication skills. But what if the question was: “Who taught you how to listen?” If you’re like most people, the answer would be “no one.”

That’s truly ironic because, on average, listening is the part of communication we engage in the most (40% listening, 35% speaking, 16% reading, 9% writing),and it’s the one for which we typically receive the least training. Therefore, it’s the form of communication that most of us are least proficient at … a critical leadership skill that too often is ignored. So, why do we pay so little attention to listening? Two reasons:

1. We assume that because we hear well, we also listen well. But that’s not necessarily true. Hearing is the mechanical (physiological) function of receiving sounds. Listening, however, is an interpretive function which involves turning those sounds into meaning. The two are very different.
2. We see listening as a passive rather than active activity. And in today’s fast-pace, quick-fix, take charge business environment, being passive is viewed as being weak. But wrong again! Effective listening is an active process that requires skill, discipline, and practice.

What can you do to be become a better listener? Here are just four of the many simple and effective tips:

1. Fight the urge to interrupt or finish a person’s sentence.
2. Tell yourself, “This is the most interesting thing I’ve ever heard!”
3. React with facial expressions, head nods, and posture to indicate you’re processing what you are being told.
4. Wait until the person finishes speaking, then say, “Here’s what I think you said.”   Summarize. Then ask, “Did I get that right?”

Make a commitment to start doing these tips TODAY. They will make a positive difference for you.

 Are you listening?

5. Unlocking Your Creativity - By Brian Tracy

Creative thinking can be stimulated by two things; intensely desired goals and pressing problems. Your creative capacities need something to hone in on and your job is to provide it.

A Continual Stimulus for Ideas - Intensely desired goals, clearly defined with detailed plans for their accomplishment act as a continual stimulus for ideas to achieve them.

Visualize Your Goals - To trigger your imagination, write out a clear description of your ideal end result or goal. Be clear about the goal, be flexible about the process. Think about it, visualize it as realized over and over. Project your mind forward to the picture of the realized goal and then look back to the present.

Define Your Goals Clearly - Think on paper. Make a plan and then work on the plan, updating it, changing it, adding to it as you think of new ways to work toward the goal. The more clearly defined and keenly desired your goals, the more of your natural creativity will be released for goal attainment.

The Proper Approach to Problems - The second stimulant to creativity is pressing problems. The key to idea generation when you face a problem is to approach the problem confidently, expectantly, with the attitude that there exists a logical, practical solution just waiting to be found.

The most creative people have a relaxed attitude of confident expectancy that causes their minds to function in original and imaginative ways.

Diagnose Your Problems Accurately - Define your problems clearly in writing. Accurate diagnosis is half the cure. Sometimes you will find that you are dealing with a "cluster problem," one that is made up of several smaller problems. Your job is to sort them out and then go to work on each one separately.

Break Up the Clusters - In many cluster problems, there is a core issue surrounded by a lot of symptoms. Creative thinking requires that you separate the core issue, and then focus on resolving that before worrying about the smaller problems.

Action Exercises

Here are two things you can do to stimulate your creativity.

First, be absolutely clear about your goal. Write it down and make a plan to achieve it. Think of different ways you could accomplish it.

Second, define your problems clearly and then make a list of all the possible solutions to your problem. Take action on at least one idea immediately.

4. Attitude

4.1. Right Attitude @ Work

- D. Selvaraj

Attitudes are appraisal statements relating to objects, people or events. They exhibit how one feels about something. Attitudes involve emotions and are relatively stable. Attitudes are the product of a related belief and value (BELIEF+VALUE=ATTITUDE). Behavior is the external manifestation of attitude.

when you are at work, your positive attitude is accepted and respected. A positive person makes the work more satisfying and pleasurable for everyone. Both positive and negative attitudes travel quickly in the work place. Working near a person with a positive attitude is an electrifying experience. A positive work environment is the root cause for better productivity with fewer mistakes. A negative attitude is an obstruction. Attitude is more vital than other performance factors because it leads others to higher levels of accomplishment. Positive attitude can make first-rate results possible.

Generally, an attitude problem exists if the person shows some of the following behaviors:

• - Constant or persistent ridiculous remarks about the company, the boss and work.
• - Disobedience and refusal to follow the supervisors’ instructions.
• - Excessive socializing and being away frequently from workstations.
• - Aggressiveness to argument and finding issues to argue.
•    Poor quantity and quality of work.
• - Comments or activities that can be categorized as sexual harassment.

A sincere attempt can be made to improve or change attitudes by implementing or executing following tips:

A. - Dealing with Boss

- Get along with your boss. Dealing with your boss is the art of persuasion or conviction.
- Learn his way of working and adjust accordingly.
- “It is better to be known for making honest mistakes”. When you make a mistake-accept    it. Explain to your boss and assure him that you will correct and improve before he tells.

B - Dealing with Superiors

• - Develop effective and meaningful relations with superiors. Respect the position.
•    Keep brief. Speak with facts.
• - Ensure assigned jobs are completed in time. When in doubt assume personal    responsibility.

C - Dealing with Subordinates

• - Make use of their talents for achieving department’s goals or targets. Ensure cordial    relationship with subordinates.
• - Provide proper guidance and constructive feedback. Help them to improve management    skills, because skills are like axes. If we don’t spend time sharpening them, they    become rusty and useless.
• - Allow subordinate to deliver his message completely. As Alex Park says “there is no    bigger respect you can pay a subordinate than to hear his point of view”. Share    information which affects their work.
• To conclude, attitude is little thing that makes a big difference. Attitude is a mindset. Our life is a reflection of our attitude. Our attitude defines our life. A cheerful, positive attitude will help us to face unpleasant situations with optimism and hope. Remember, that it is the attitude , not only the aptitude that decides our altitude!

4.2. Watch a PPS about Attitude

CLICK Here to the file informing about "Attitude"  - Baskaran S

3. Goal Setting

This goal setting program is from Dr. Dennis Waitley.  Very clever way to organize your thoughts and it puts real power into what you do and the focus we need comes automatically.  Harvard University says that ’80 % of goals written on paper are achieved!”  Incredible!

Goals: Why and how to set 'em & get 'em

Why does everyone talk so much about setting goals?!  And, why do so few actually set them? They set them because all successful people set goals, that is how they got to be successful, and almost all unsuccessful people do not.  The reason so few do it is summed up in what Henry Ford said; "Thinking is the hardest work there is.  That is why so few engage in it."

About 2,000 years ago, Great Caesar had a goal firmly in place in his mind to conquer the British Islands.  When he heard grumbling and fear in the campfire talks at night, he did not retreat!  He did not give into the negative thoughts that they might be beaten.  Instead, because of his firm vision and passion to win, he sent men out to the ships and had them set on fire in sight of the soldiers on shore!  The goals and aspirations of the soldiers changed immediately to winning and taking Queen Bodacia's ships or they would never see home again!  The Romans were victorious and we can learn from Caesar.  Have a firm vision of the goals in your mind, then lay out a plan to attain the goal, then let nothing other than legal and moral considerations alter you from your path!  And, as Winston Churchill said in his shortest speech, and perhaps the greatest, "Never quit!  Never, never, never, never, never, never, never, never!"

Happiness, joy and success are not a destination, but a journey to be enjoyed.  Success is often defined as the progressive realization of one's worthwhile goals.  Great definition.  Here's how to get them, according to Dr. Denis Waitley, psychologist.

To set goals, divide your life into the most important categories first.  For example Financial, family, spiritual, physical, mental.  Financial has to do with earring and KEEPING money.  Family times are one of the two areas you will think about when you are old.  No one at the old folks’ homes says "Damn, I should have spent more time working at the office."  They wanted to spend more time with the family.  Spiritual is one of the two areas you will think about when you are old. Physical goals may be to gain or lose 10 pounds or play a better game of golf.  Mental goals may include learning a trade like selling, learning computers, the Internet or becoming a pilot.

How to do it?  Simply follow the chart.
 
GOALS      Roadblocks      Possible solutions      Start date      End Date      So what?
___________________________________________________________________

Your chart may be 500 items long over two years.  Great!  The man with 500 reasons to get a sale tonight is more likely to sell than a man with only one reason.

You will need a three ring style binder and many sheets of paper, as you will find lots of things you would like to accomplish in this life, and one of God's little jokes is "You can do anything you really want to do!"  The key word here is "Really."  For this program, write down EVERYTHING that comes to mind that you would like or want as goals.

Write the goals in the space provided, listing them one under the other on the left.  Under roadblocks list the reasons you don't already have what you want under the goal list to the left.  Possible solutions take up many lines of writing, and the more you can think of, the better the quality of the thought.  Circle one, two or three or more of the best.  This is an important step in deciding what to do, which overcomes procrastination, doubt and fear.  Start date. Duh.  When will you start?  End date.  When will the task be completed?  So what answers the deep question of "Is all this worth it to me?"  One unhappy doctor said a 16 year old boy decided to become a doctor, and he was unhappy with the decision the rest of his life because he did it for his parents, not himself.

That's it.  I challenge you to perform this exercise once a month for a year and you will find you will be absolutely amazed how much you can accomplish!  You need to put down a few extravagant goals, not just for the extravagance, but for what the lofty goals will make of you over the next few months!  When you have a real desire to accomplish many things, little problems like procrastination disappear.  Wasting time discussing trivial things is gone.  You can see the bigger picture and feel a new power inside yourself, urging you on, helping with decisions, getting more done!

Some will tell you this might be impossible, but remind them Napoleon said "Impossible is only found in the dictionary of fools."

As an example, you might write down a new car under goals.  But, "New car" does not shake the subconscious into action.  A brand new Grand Cherokee, V8 with all leather interior, with tape player and CD, AM, FM always make more of a distinct impression.  See, feel and experience the goal emotionally as though you already have it.  Get pictures of it to remind and spur you toward it.  Remember, "Anything the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve."

Now you will discover the secret of goal setting in motivation.  M=SI times G.  Motivation is equal to the Self image of the person (Read, build yourself up in your self talk, avoid negative people) Times the value of the goal.  If the goal is a 10 but the self image is a 1, that person only has a 10% chance of getting the goal.  If the self image is 10 and the desire for the goal is 10, there is a 100% chance of hitting the goal.

Set some goals with your spouse or best friend.  Most people spend more time planning family vacations than they do planning their life.

Have fun with it and Good Goal Setting!

2. Team Work

- Baskaran Seetharaman, May 15, 2010

An Excellent example of Cross functional Collaboration.
 
There was a farmer who grew superior quality, award-winning corn in his farm. Each year, he entered his corn in the state fair where it won honors and Prizes.
 
One year a newspaper reporter interviewed him and learned something interesting about how he grew his corn. The reporter discovered that the farmer shared his seed corn with his neighbors.
 
"How can you afford to share your best seed corn with your neighbors when they are entering corn in competition with yours each year?" The reporter asked.
 
"Why brother" the farmer replied, "Didn't you know? The wind picks up pollen grains from the ripening corn and swirls it from field to field. If my neighbors grow inferior, sub-standard and poor quality corn, cross-pollination will steadily degrade the quality of my corn. If I have to grow good corn, I must help my neighbors to grow good corns."
 
The farmer gave a superb insight into the connectedness of life. His corn cannot improve unless his neighbor's corn also improves. So it is in the other dimensions and areas of life!
 
Those who choose to be in harmony must help their neighbors and colleagues to be at peace. Those who choose to live well must help others live well. The value of a life is not measured by how long one lived it is measured by how many lives it touches.
 
Lessons to Learn from this Story: Success does not happen in isolation, it is most often a participatory and collective process. So share the good practices, ideas and new knowledge with your team members and colleagues.

Enjoy team work.

1. Practice Ignoring Negative Thoughts

Posted by Baskaran.S, DUBAI, UAE - 21 Mar, 2010

It has been estimated that the average human being has around 60,000 thoughts per day. That's a lot of thoughts. Some of these thoughts are going to be positive and productive. Unfortunately, however, many of them are also going to be negative—angry, fearful, pessimistic, worrisome. Indeed, the important question isn't whether or not you're going to have negative thoughts — you are—it's what you choose to do with the ones that you have.

In a practical sense, you really have only two options when it comes to dealing with negative thoughts. You can analyze your thoughts —ponder, think through, study, think some more OR you can learn to ignore them—dismiss, pay less attention to, not take so seriously. This later option, learning to take your negative thoughts less seriously, is infinitely more effective in terms of learning to be more peaceful.

If you have a thought from your past, "I'm upset because he scolded me for no fault of mine" you can get into it, as many do, which will create inner turmoil for you. You can give the thought significance in your mind, and you'll convince yourself that you should indeed be unhappy. Or, you can recognize that your mind is about to create a mental snowball, and choose to dismiss the thought.

The same mental dynamic applies to thoughts of this morning, even five minutes ago. An argument that happened while you were walking out the door is no longer an actual argument; it's a thought in your mind. This dynamic also applies to future-oriented thoughts. You'll find, in all cases that if you ignore or dismiss a negative thought that fill your mind, you become more peaceful.