Did you ever have a teacher, a leader, a friend, a coach, or an adviser who believed in you when you didn't believe in yourself? One who stayed with you regardless? Not someone who was soft and permissive with you, someone who gave in to you, but someone who would neither give in to you nor give up on you. Someone who saw you in terms of your potential, not your present behavior.
Bhagavad-gita As It Is says:
“Some look on the soul as amazing, some describe him as amazing, and some hear of him as amazing, while others, even after hearing about him, cannot understand him at all.” Bg 2.29
Gita Coaching is based on a principle that every one of us has an amazing potential, which is presently not fully utilized. Gita Coaching service will assist you in releasing this potential, for your own benefit, and for the benefit of the people around you.
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Wednesday, March 28, 2007
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
How Leader Thinks
Great leaders think deeply. So many bad decisions and mistakes were made because we didn't take time to think deeply about the consequences. So stop and think, draw out your inner wisdom. Or, if you are transparent enough, listen to the Supersoul within your heart.
The essence of leader's deep thinking is his sincere desire to serve people and help them get the greatest lasting benefit in this lifetime.
The essence of leader's deep thinking is his sincere desire to serve people and help them get the greatest lasting benefit in this lifetime.
Junk Mail
Do you ever get junk mail in your post box? You probably do. Do you ever take a look at it? Probably not. I heard from an expert that we can learn from these letters how to market our own products and services. So junk mail becomes a source of ideas for our success.
Worship
Instead of worshiping GOD, modern people worship DOG. They also worship their tongue, belly and genitals. By worshiping their tongue, etc., they will be born as a dog in their next life.
Monday, March 26, 2007
An Excellent Question
What can I do today to maximise my spiritual advancement and my contribution to the world's spiritual upliftment?
Improvement Feedback
I don't like to take bad (improvement) feedback because it's unpleasant. However, this very feedback may be the key to my success. I need to be open and listen. Maybe Krsna speaks to me through others.
Nonenvious
To appreciate others effectively, one must be nonenvious. To correct others effectively, one must be even more nonenvious.
Monday, March 19, 2007
Thinking of You
There is a joke that says: "When you are in your 20s, you are very concerned about what people think about you. When you are in your 30s, you don*t really care that much about what people think about you. And when you get into your 40s, you discover the real truth: Nobody was even thinking about you at all."
Thursday, March 15, 2007
"To Stop" List
This is a "new" personal improvement tool I have learned from my friend Marshall Goldsmith, a prominent executive coach.
Of course, this you can also find in Srila Prabhupada's teachings: give up all that is unfavorable for your spiritual success.
Here are some highlights from Goldsmith's recent article, customized a bit.
A famous management teacher once said:
“We spend a lot of time teaching leaders what to do. We don’t spend enough time teaching leaders what to stop. Half the leaders I have met don’t need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop.”
How true. Think about your organization. When was the last retreat or training session you attended that entitled, The Mistakes Our Top People Do - That We Need to Stop Doing Now? When was the last time your superior delivered an internal talk, designed to motivate people he serves, that focused on his negative traits and his efforts to stop his destructive behavior? Can you even imagine your leader (or immediate supervisor) admitting a personal failing in public and outlining his efforts to stop doing it?
Probably not.
The funny thing about stopping some behavior is that it gets no attention, but it can
be as crucial as everything else we do combined. We lose this common sense in the environment of an organization where there is no system for rewarding the avoidance of a bad decision or the cessation of bad behavior.
The way we measure success is largely based on what we’ve done, what numbers we’ve delivered, what increases we have posted against last year’s results. Even the seemingly minor personal goals are couched in terms of actions we’ve initiated, not behavior we have stopped.
It might be advantageous to change this. All that’s required is a slight tweak in our mindset, in how we look at our behavior.
Get out your notepad. Instead of your normal ‘To Do’ list – start on your ‘To Stop’ list.
Of course, this you can also find in Srila Prabhupada's teachings: give up all that is unfavorable for your spiritual success.
Here are some highlights from Goldsmith's recent article, customized a bit.
A famous management teacher once said:
“We spend a lot of time teaching leaders what to do. We don’t spend enough time teaching leaders what to stop. Half the leaders I have met don’t need to learn what to do. They need to learn what to stop.”
How true. Think about your organization. When was the last retreat or training session you attended that entitled, The Mistakes Our Top People Do - That We Need to Stop Doing Now? When was the last time your superior delivered an internal talk, designed to motivate people he serves, that focused on his negative traits and his efforts to stop his destructive behavior? Can you even imagine your leader (or immediate supervisor) admitting a personal failing in public and outlining his efforts to stop doing it?
Probably not.
The funny thing about stopping some behavior is that it gets no attention, but it can
be as crucial as everything else we do combined. We lose this common sense in the environment of an organization where there is no system for rewarding the avoidance of a bad decision or the cessation of bad behavior.
The way we measure success is largely based on what we’ve done, what numbers we’ve delivered, what increases we have posted against last year’s results. Even the seemingly minor personal goals are couched in terms of actions we’ve initiated, not behavior we have stopped.
It might be advantageous to change this. All that’s required is a slight tweak in our mindset, in how we look at our behavior.
Get out your notepad. Instead of your normal ‘To Do’ list – start on your ‘To Stop’ list.
Be Proactive
Our behaviour is a function of our decisions, not our conditions. The ability to subordinate an impulse to a value is the essence of being proactive.
I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday.
It’s not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us or helps us.
What matters most is how we RESPOND to what we experience in life.
It is inspiring to realize that in choosing our response to circumstances, we powerfully affect our circumstances.
Look at the weaknesses of others with compassion, not accusation. It’s not what they’re not doing or should be doing that’s the issue. The issue is our own chosen response to them and what WE should be doing.
We are responsible for our own effectiveness, for our own happiness, and ultimately, for most of our circumstances.
I am what I am today because of the choices I made yesterday.
It’s not what happens to us, but our response to what happens to us that hurts us or helps us.
What matters most is how we RESPOND to what we experience in life.
It is inspiring to realize that in choosing our response to circumstances, we powerfully affect our circumstances.
Look at the weaknesses of others with compassion, not accusation. It’s not what they’re not doing or should be doing that’s the issue. The issue is our own chosen response to them and what WE should be doing.
We are responsible for our own effectiveness, for our own happiness, and ultimately, for most of our circumstances.
The Pillar of Success
There is a famous saying that "failure is the pillar of success." In spiritual life especially, failure is not discouraging. Krsna very clearly states that even if there is failure, there is no loss either in this life or in the next. One who takes to auspicious line of Krsna conscious spiritual culture is never vanquished. But in life, there are chances of failure.
A great sage Visvamitra Muni also failed, failed for the time being. But Krsna says that this failure is not unsuccessful. Especially in spiritual life, the failure is not discouraging. Krsna says that even if one fails in completing his spiritual course, still there is no loss on his part.
Failure is the pillar of success, but generally speaking, to paraphrase it, it means that we should learn from our mistakes. And that is success. If we learn from our failure and try to rectify it, that is success.
Even if you did something improperly, do not be discouraged. As in the material world sometimes failure is considered as a pillar of success, similarly in the spiritual life the same principle can be applied. So don't be disappointed. If you fail, try to succeed again.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. If at first you don't succeed, ask yourself - why!
A great sage Visvamitra Muni also failed, failed for the time being. But Krsna says that this failure is not unsuccessful. Especially in spiritual life, the failure is not discouraging. Krsna says that even if one fails in completing his spiritual course, still there is no loss on his part.
Failure is the pillar of success, but generally speaking, to paraphrase it, it means that we should learn from our mistakes. And that is success. If we learn from our failure and try to rectify it, that is success.
Even if you did something improperly, do not be discouraged. As in the material world sometimes failure is considered as a pillar of success, similarly in the spiritual life the same principle can be applied. So don't be disappointed. If you fail, try to succeed again.
If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. If at first you don't succeed, ask yourself - why!
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Getting Better
I have given up my attempts to make "new year resolutions". I used to think I am going to get better from Janamstami, from Gaura Purnima, from this Ekadasi, that Ekadasi, from next Monday. It didn't work.
Now I try to get better - one day at a time. It works better.
It helps that I write to my coach all the things I want to change and all the results I want to achieve. It increases my awareness throughout the day. And this helps me become more attentive to opportunities for moving forward in achieving my goals - when they come.
To increase your capacity for getting better, make yourself a promise and keep it. Work on your habits and your behavior diligently, and you will get better. Act in such a way as to attract the attention of good people and spiritual people.
Pray regularly for help and your prayers will become more powerful and more effective.
Now I try to get better - one day at a time. It works better.
It helps that I write to my coach all the things I want to change and all the results I want to achieve. It increases my awareness throughout the day. And this helps me become more attentive to opportunities for moving forward in achieving my goals - when they come.
To increase your capacity for getting better, make yourself a promise and keep it. Work on your habits and your behavior diligently, and you will get better. Act in such a way as to attract the attention of good people and spiritual people.
Pray regularly for help and your prayers will become more powerful and more effective.
Monday, March 12, 2007
They Are Confused
When we hear what we don't want to hear, our first reaction is, "They're confused. They don't understand, the problem isn't me, it's them."
It's hard to realize that sometimes other people can see things in us that we can't see ourselves.
It's hard to realize that sometimes other people can see things in us that we can't see ourselves.
Superintelligent
If you would be superintelligent, how would you solve your problems and achieve your desired results?
Friday, March 9, 2007
Mobile Options
If you have a mobile phone, there is an "Options" feature in many parts of the menu.
Maybe you have noticed that when you started using your mobile phone you didn't use that feature, or were not sure how to use it. After some time, you learned how to use it and now you are using it regularly, perhaps sometimes regreting that you didn't start using it earlier.
Similarly in life, we have many more options than we see. We need to develop a skill of exploring and taking advantage of all the options that are available for us.
When trying to find solutions to daily challenges you face, ask yourself regularly:
Did I try everything I can? What else is possible? Are there any other options?
This will help you expand your horizon and find better solutions to problems you want to solve and results you want to achieve.
Maybe you have noticed that when you started using your mobile phone you didn't use that feature, or were not sure how to use it. After some time, you learned how to use it and now you are using it regularly, perhaps sometimes regreting that you didn't start using it earlier.
Similarly in life, we have many more options than we see. We need to develop a skill of exploring and taking advantage of all the options that are available for us.
When trying to find solutions to daily challenges you face, ask yourself regularly:
Did I try everything I can? What else is possible? Are there any other options?
This will help you expand your horizon and find better solutions to problems you want to solve and results you want to achieve.
Wednesday, March 7, 2007
It's Not About You
I read this in one book some time ago.
IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. The purpose of your life is greater than your own personal fulfillment, your career, or even your happiness. To know why you exist, you must first know the One who created you and the purposes for which you were created.
The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point - ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like: What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose.
Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won’t discover your life’s meaning by looking within yourself. You’ve probably tried that already. You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for. If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn’t be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner’s manual could reveal its purpose.
Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and is doomed to failure. You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose.
- Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life
IT'S NOT ABOUT YOU. The purpose of your life is greater than your own personal fulfillment, your career, or even your happiness. To know why you exist, you must first know the One who created you and the purposes for which you were created.
The search for the purpose of life has puzzled people for thousands of years. That’s because we typically begin at the wrong starting point - ourselves. We ask self-centered questions like: What do I want to be? What should I do with my life? What are my goals, my ambitions, my dreams for my future? But focusing on ourselves will never reveal our life’s purpose.
Contrary to what many popular books, movies, and seminars tell you, you won’t discover your life’s meaning by looking within yourself. You’ve probably tried that already. You didn’t create yourself, so there is no way you can tell yourself what you were created for. If I handed you an invention you had never seen before, you wouldn’t know its purpose, and the invention itself wouldn’t be able to tell you either. Only the creator or the owner’s manual could reveal its purpose.
Many people try to use God for their own self-actualization, but that is a reversal of nature and is doomed to failure. You were made for God, not vice versa, and life is about letting God use you for his purposes, not your using him for your own purpose.
- Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life
Tuesday, March 6, 2007
Gardener
Several times I was thinking what metaphor would best describe a leader, a preacher or a coach. While these are not exactly the same occupations, they do have something in common - they help people grow and develop.
While reading an interesting leadership article in the Leading News e-newsletter today, I thought of a gardener, one who regularly waters the plant and removes the weeds. This seems to be the important role of anyone who tries to help other succeed in their chosen areas.
Like living plants, people require regular care and feeding. We can be an attentive, encouraging, and challenging assistant in people's development and this will help them become successful.
We can be an active source of support, reminding people of what qualities and behaviors they are trying to strengthen.
What action steps am I taking every day to become an even better gardener who helps people grow?
While reading an interesting leadership article in the Leading News e-newsletter today, I thought of a gardener, one who regularly waters the plant and removes the weeds. This seems to be the important role of anyone who tries to help other succeed in their chosen areas.
Like living plants, people require regular care and feeding. We can be an attentive, encouraging, and challenging assistant in people's development and this will help them become successful.
We can be an active source of support, reminding people of what qualities and behaviors they are trying to strengthen.
What action steps am I taking every day to become an even better gardener who helps people grow?
Friday, March 2, 2007
Excellent Questions for Excellent Life
Over the years I have discovered and used a powerful personal improvement tool - excellent questions.
Questions we ask ourselves all day long affect the way we think. Our thinking affects our actions, and our actions affect our results.
If you want better results in your life, try consciously choosing the questions you ask yourself all day long. Replace the counter-productive ones with the excellent ones.
For example, instead of asking "why THEY are not perfect", ask youself "how can I improve".
Sounds simple, but believe me, it makes a HUGE difference. It did for me.
I have a whole folder with files that contain powerful questions, and I would be happy to share them with you.
You may contact me on akrura@gmail.com
Questions we ask ourselves all day long affect the way we think. Our thinking affects our actions, and our actions affect our results.
If you want better results in your life, try consciously choosing the questions you ask yourself all day long. Replace the counter-productive ones with the excellent ones.
For example, instead of asking "why THEY are not perfect", ask youself "how can I improve".
Sounds simple, but believe me, it makes a HUGE difference. It did for me.
I have a whole folder with files that contain powerful questions, and I would be happy to share them with you.
You may contact me on akrura@gmail.com
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