-Karthik Gurumurthy
Let's remove the "what ifs" and "buts" from our thoughts and words....three things we need to remind ourselves if we want a vibrational existence:
*Stop talking about other people.
*Stop focusing on our problems.
*Stop waiting for outcomes of your prayers. Pray and let go and they will be answered.
Your energy matters.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Jackie Chan responded to a journalist's question about whether he is satisfied with his life with these wise words:
"You know, I once heard very wise words:
Your hard work is the dream of every unemployed person;
Your restless child is the dream of everyone without children;
Your small home is the dream of every homeless person;
Your little capital is the dream of every debtor;
Your poor health is the dream of every patient with an incurable disease;
Your peace, your peaceful sleep, your accessible food is the dream of everyone in a country at war.
You must appreciate everything you have. After all, no one knows what tomorrow will bring."
We should be appreciative for everything that we do have and never lose sight of that.
We should always practice positivity—-believe that anything is possible and always carry a positive and hopeful attitude.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
" Remove expectations from people and you'll remove their power to hurt your feelings."
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Based in Kennington, The Kia Oval has been the home of Surrey Cricket Club since 1845, a stadium iconic the world over for its history and unique gas-holders that have overlooked every game played at the ground since 1853. Oval has also staged International cricket since 1880 and was the ground where the Ashes were born in 1882.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Contentment comes from having a positive attitude. It means
Your circumstances and your contentment are not related.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
I have been following Ashwin Youtube channel right from the covid time and couldn't wait to get my hands on the Ashwin's new book " I have the streets" Since it would take some time for the book to be delivered home, I ended up getting the Kindle version. It took Ashwin four years to complete this work.
I could relive some of my childhood days with this book. Back in the 80's I went through the similar path of street cricket followed by Cricket coaching with different folks such as PK Dharmalingam Sir, CB Selvakumar Sir, NGautam Sir until it came to a complete stop when I was told about Flat foot. However, I decided to go into academic path playing lower division cricket with Magnet CC until I left to US for Grad school.
While reading the book, I felt as if Ashwin was chatting with us through his Youtube channel sharing in detail about his parents, Thatha, Ramakrishnapuram Friends, his Cricket coaches (WV Raman, Sunil Subramaniam, CK Vijayakumar, D Vasu), his relationship with Ani (Aniruddha Srikkanth). The fun part of the book was his ability to recollect all finer vivid details as if it happened yesterday and makes the reader sync with them as if they are the ones going through this. Maybe he had a habit of writing diaries or must be having a great memory to remember the intricate details which made the book reading fun. Ashwin is candid with regards to sharing his thought process and doesn't go to preachy mode. However he still makes it clear on how his thought process evolved over a period of time. It was interesting to see how people made judgement about him/character/cricketing abilities with few sample set of data. I can relate a lot to his experiences and had lot of "Aha" moments. I loved the part where he says a batsman can try anything inside the net practice and bowlers were not allowed to try different things, he insists that bowlers are not bowling machines
Reading the book tells us why Ashwin is special.. The amount of time he spends overcoming his weaknesses and the amount of time he spends thinking through different scenarios and adopting a game plan/strategy is simply the reason why he is miles above the rest. He constantly questions status quo and that seems to be the reason why he is exceptional. He doesn't bog down or give up and always asks questions (very inquisitive). For a few people they had taken it personally and given him the hard time. However there are few like WV Raman who knew how to leverage him and bring the best out of him. Putting him through a drill of various speeds of bowling grip, approach the wicket at various speeds, use of the crease. "Never allow the batter to cut or drive through covers." Line, not length. Great piece of advice for an off-spinner. The ups and downs of being in the team as he reaches the pinnacle. This book goes in depth till the World cup 2011 win and am not sure if there is going to be a second book which goes over his illustrious test career. This book is authentic, and the writer has made genuine attempt to share his thoughts and not force feed anything. In that way, I felt connected with the way he thinks.
Kudos, Ashwin and Siddharth Monga. I am waiting for R. Ashwin to continue his wizardry to break 600 , 700 and 800 wickets for India. If he is given the opportunity , I know it is a done deal for him. God only knows if the selectors support him as much as Aussies support Nathan Lyon or Eng supporting Anderson. Ashwin has interwoven lot of Kutty stories in this great book. Strongly recommend if you are from Madras or if you like Cricket or Ashwin or all of the above.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Water does not resist. Water flows. When you plunge your hand into it, all you feel is a caress. Water is not a solid wall, it will not stop you. But water always goes where it wants to go, and nothing in the end can stand against it. Water is patient. Dripping water wears away a stone. Remember that, my child. Remember you are half water. If you can’t go through an obstacle, go around it. Water does. ~Margaret Atwood
We are actually 70% water."Be water, my friend!" says Bruce Lee
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Little nuggets of wisdom can be found all around us if we keep our eyes and ears open to the possibility. Roger that!
The main take aways from Roger Federer’s commencement speech are:
i. Effortless is a myth:
Talent matters but talent has a broad definition. Most of the time it’s not about having a gift but having grit. Discipline, trust and patience are talents. Embracing the process is talent. Managing your life is a talent. Developing and working on these abilities is key to success.
ii. It’s only a point:
The best in the world know they lose again and again and have learned to deal with it. You move on, be relentless, adapt and grow.
iii. Life is bigger than the court.
Life like tennis is a team sport. Your success depends on your team, your family, your friends, your rivals. These influences shape you in who you are and to become the best version of you.
iv. He won 54% of all the points he played, yet he won 80% of all the matches he played!
v. Even a small, but consistent, performance edge at a micro-scale integrates to a much bigger macro-scale advantage over a period of time.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
It feels like there is never enough time in the day to achieve everything we want to. Work, family, the daily rituals of life, getting through a to-do list sometimes seems impossible. We're living during a time when most people around the world glorify productivity. Being busy is almost considered a virtue, but it's worth asking ourselves why this is and how we can overcome it. There are a couple of problems with this excuse. The first is that we do make time for things that are important to us. Actually, it's a really interesting test of your personal values to see what you spend time on. Another problem is that we are often more engaged in meaningless actions instead of productive activity. Productivity and time management research demonstrates that we spend a significant amount of time answering emails that are reactive and less time in deep work or working without distraction on creating something, depending on your field of work, that could mean writing, connecting with clients etc.
Creating habits is more than just being motivated to do so, it requires discipline. I have a good friend who is an executive coach and business school professor who always reminds people that motivation is just one part of the equation. Discipline is key to building sustainable habits. Discipline really means a sustainable plan of action for you. Have you ever gone to a seminar or workshop and been so inspired to change your behavior at work only to have that wane once you get back because of the regular cadence of your job? That's because you needed a plan. A plan to build habits and I'm going to suggest four key things to help with this plan. Develop a regular practice for reflection and learning. Be prepared to fall off the wagon. Connect with others, and know your purpose. How can we build commitment in a way that is sustainable?
Number 1, have a regular practice for reflection and learning. Are you familiar with the scientific method? Scientists develop hypotheses, design experiments to test these hypotheses, evaluate the results, and then make adjustments to their hypotheses and complete the whole process over and over again. This is how scientists learn and actually it's how adults learn too. Models of adult learning suggest that the way we absorb and integrate new knowledge is that we take in new information, we test it out, we evaluate the results and we adjust. In this context, we can think of creating a meaningful plan as engaging in the scientific method, we need a regular, consistent and easy way to follow experimentation and learning. Learning is hard. What I find is helpful for reflection is to structure it. I typically think about reflection in four steps.
The first thing I'm trying to do as I reflect on something is to identify some if-then cause-effect relationship. When I look back at this meeting, or I look back at this project or I look back at this situation or events or whatever, I want to digest my feelings. I want to see if I miss something, all that. But then I want to, at the end of that, see if I can pull away some generalization, some lesson for myself. Then what I want to do is provide the argument for why I believe that lesson. If I think in this situation that instead of talking, I should've listened. Why? What's the outcome that would have produced? Listening more makes people trust me more. There's a potential generalization. Why do I believe that might be so? What's the argument for that? If I was going to try to convince my colleague to listen more in order to foster trust. What would I say to make them believe that to be true? What happened in this experience that led me to believe that? Is there anything else in my life that makes me think that's a good lesson? What's the lesson? Identify not just moods, feelings, etc. But what's the lesson and then what's the argument for that lesson?
Then the next step is what I think of as complexities. What are the boundary conditions, when might be hard to do this, when might it not work? There are always limitations. Nothing is always true. Things are usually true, often true, or sometimes true, true under some conditions. What are the conditions under which this lesson holds?
Then the last one is implementation. What am I going to do differently now that I appreciate this lesson? What is the behavior practice saying? What am I going to do differently so that I remember to use this lesson rather than forget about it? When I think about reflection, what's the lesson? What's the argument for the lesson? What are the limitations? What am I going to do to make use of this rather than leave this behind and forget about it? The second is to be prepared to fall off the wagon and have a plan. Part of the reason this is so interesting to me is because I have always been really good at setting a great big goal, getting excited about it, breaking it down into daily goals. Then I miss one's day, maybe I wasn't feeling well or I was preoccupied, or whatever. I think well, missed that day might as well give up. We actually need to have a practice for what happens when we aren't achieving our smaller goals. Is it because we didn't set the right goal to begin with? Maybe we need to course correct or did we simply have a bad day and we need to forgive ourselves and think about tomorrow as a fresh start?
Research on fresh starts show that they do matter. They matter for motivation and commitment to our goals. Decide whether your practice needs to change or if you just needed a break, either way, you can keep going. The third is to connect with others. You might have heard it said that if you share your goals with others, you're more likely to achieve them. This is true. Making a commitment to others holds us accountable. It's why gym buddies are such a good idea. It's easy to skip the gym if it's just you. It's harder to tell your friend who's already in the car and headed to the gym that you're going to leave her hanging. Growing as a leader is an individual journey, but it is not an isolated one. Other people are on leadership growth plans of their own and creating these connections can be so helpful. When I was completing my leadership coach training, I found that my commitment to my own practice of leadership growth felt like it took off because I had this group of like-minded people to talk to, share ideas with, and to go to for advice. The fourth is keep the big picture in mind. What is your purpose? Don't get scared by the word purpose. I don't mean you have to write a treatise on your reason for existence. I simply mean know why you're interested in developing as a leader. Why is this journey important to you? What are you hoping to accomplish throughout it? Why is a powerful concept and having that big picture goal in mind can be a powerful way to help us stay committed to our daily exercises. Growing as a leader requires commitment. That means we have to build sustainable habits that will help us stay on track while we grow, create a practice for experimentation and reflection, course correct and use a fresh start when you course correct. Connect with others who want to grow as leaders and know your why for choosing to focus on your own leadership growth.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Yesterday I got updates from three of my students. By God's grace and their deliberate and persistent hardwork, One got into UPenn, another one to Columbia and the third got into Cornell. I wasn't surprised by these updates as all of them worked really hard to make this happen.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
To wanderlust's insistent call, a traveler takes heed,
Beyond the map, a world enthrall, a tapestry to read.
New lands unfurl, with sights unseen, where senses come alive,
From bustling streets, a vibrant scene, to mountains reaching high.
A tapestry of cultures weave, in languages unknown,
With open hearts, the travelers receive, a kindness they have sown.
The compass spins, a lesson taught, not just where we may roam,
But self-discovery, dearly sought, a journey found in home.
For wanderlust unlocks the mind, with every winding trail,
A broader view, a heart more kind, a spirit that won't fail.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Received great update from my student Harsh. His score improved from 1230 to 1490. An amazing improvement. He really worked hard, incorporated all the changes and made it happen for him. So happy for him!
-Karthik Gurumurthy
The birth place of Vasco Da Gama, one of the most famous explorers during the Age of Exploration. His discovery of the sea route to India around Africa in 1498 set up a new trade route between Asia to Europe and is considered the beginning of global imperialism and colonialism.
The Monument to the Discoveries is an imposing tribute to the bravery and innovation of the explorers who took to the seas in search of new horizons. It was built in 1960 to commemorate the 500th anniversary of the death of D. Henrique, the Navigator.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Got some awesome updates from students.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
3 of my students got accepted at UCLA today. Go Bruins!
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Got an update from Srividhya that she got accepted at NYU..Yay!
-Karthik Gurumurthy
India clinched a hard-fought victory over England at Ranchi, winning the fourth Test by five wickets and taking an unassailable 3-1 lead in the series. The match was a captivating battle, with both teams showcasing their talent.
Key Highlights
Overall it was a great match to watch which is a good advertisement for the test game.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
You have heard the announcement havent you. There is a lump in my throat even as I read the words. 'Golden voice Ameen Sayani no more'.
What an influence he was on those of us who grew up in the 1960s to 1980s era! Binaca Geetmala! Bournvita Quiz Contest! What felicity and elegance of expression! Learnt all the lovely Hindi film songs listening to his presentations. Used to wait every week to listen to the lively insights he gave in his sonorous voice. His memories will continue to crop up ,each time we hear a song. Atma Shanti
End of an era.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
The Joy of living in Southern California.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
You don't know your great grandfather's face and many from the past. They didn't know that you will exist after few years. You will be forgotten. Do not take things to your heart and spoil your short stay here. If people makes sense collaborate, if not ignore, if f you are forced to, adjust and adapt. Do whatever is truly possible that will hold your peace of mind intact. Lead a peaceful life. It's all in your mind.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
"Whenever you wait for something to happen you are truly not in the present and keep thinking of the future. This is a state that is working against your success. You have to emulate a personality of creativity and stay present to achieve any of your desire.
Think of the things you wait for right now in your life, and stop waiting for it. Stay present and work assuming whatever you want is already there.
Waiting, pulls you down. Stay present."
-Karthik Gurumurthy
"You can never be better than your thoughts. What you carry within defines your true well-being."
-Karthik Gurumurthy
When we do our best with what we have we get better. We should never let what we don’t have or can’t do keep us from using what we do have and can do.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Dr. Louis Brus delivered his Nobel Prize lecture today at the Aula Magna, Stockholm University. He was introduced by Professor Heiner Linke, Member of the Nobel Committee for Chemistry. He was awarded the Nobel Prize this year for his work in Quantum dots.
“We’re all trapped by our educational backgrounds. You come out of school knowing a certain field but you don’t know about any other fields of science. That limits what you can do for sure. The way to combat this is to every day learn something new. I tell my grad students that the greatest skill they have is to continue to learn by themselves after they have left graduate school. Most of the things I have used in my life are things that were invented after I left graduate school and I had to keep learning just to keep up with the field.”- Louis Brus
You can watch the entire lecture here.
Continuous learning is the key to staying relevant in an ever-evolving world. Louis Brus's perspective resonates deeply – the ability to adapt and acquire new knowledge independently is indeed a priceless skill.
It's fascinating to hear about Louis Brus's emphasis on continual learning beyond formal education, especially in a field as dynamic as science.
It reinforces the idea that success isn't just about innate genius, but about a commitment to growth and staying curious.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
From a young age, I've harbored a deep desire to become a valuable member of society. I believe that each of us has a unique purpose and the potential to make a positive impact on the world around us. As I look ahead to this new chapter, I encourage all of you to consider how you too can become valuable members of society. It's not about fame or fortune, but rather about the lasting impact we leave on the lives of others.
As I step into my 50s, I am filled with gratitude for the journey thus far and excitement for the adventures that lie ahead. My wish is that each of you embarks on your own journey of becoming a valuable member of society, leaving a legacy that shines brightly for generations to come.
Thank you for being a part of my journey, and let's continue to inspire and uplift one another.
For my birthday, I have shared a list of lessons to document on the lessons I have learned over the years.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
18262 days in this planet. and starting 18263rd day here. Thankful to amazing parents, wife, brother, teachers, friends and family for being there throughout this journey. My journey would have ended in 3176 days if not for all the Blessings and prayers from parents.
There’s something about milestone birthdays that make us reflect. And as great as it is to look back and be grateful for all the experiences that have shaped who I am today, I’m even more excited to look forward at what’s yet to come. You see, if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that every day is a gift. We only get one life, and it’s up to us to decide how to spend our time. Working on making each day count for making a positive impact to make sure dash counted for something good. Don’t let people scare you. 50 is amazing!
I have more life experience than ever before.
I know myself better than ever before.
I have more meaningful relationships, and a purpose that drives me to get up and be excited about my work.
I have no idea what aging gracefully means, but aging happily is pretty sweet.
My wife Shobana was so thoughtful and kind to reach out to my long list of students and created an amazing video which made my day. I can't imagine the amount of work that went for creating that. It was lovely to see students from different timelines joining hands. Awesome to see everyone. Thank you, Shobana. It was the best Birthday gift, ever.
Spending time with my mom, son and wife. What more can I ask for? I do miss my dad, though. But I know he is there with me all the time guiding us every step on a day-to-day basis.
My advice is don’t get so busy with life that you forget to live. Spend your time wisely and invest in the things and people worth your time and energy.
As I step into the second half-century of my life, I carry these lessons close to my heart. Hoping they resonate with you too.
Thankful and feeling Blessed for everything. I have been blessed abundantly in every facet of life. I couldn't have asked for more.
When I was born 50 years ago today, my parents certainly rejoiced in the gift of my life. Today, I know that what I most desire—for my life to have significance, to add value, to be coherent—is not an achievement but a gift.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Helen Tupper and Sarah Ellis shared yesterday in HBR about how to be an agile learner.
What is learning agility?
Learning agility is the skill of learning from experiences so you can succeed in new situations. For example, a leader with learning agility can successfully transfer their talents across different parts of an organization. And individuals with high learning agility become the trusted “go-tos” for high-profile projects and high-impact positions. An agile learner can successfully navigate two different types of newness: complex work with no blueprint and situations where they have no previous experience. Where some people struggle with the high levels of ambiguity that newness creates, agile learners take advantage of the opportunity and succeed in situations where other people might stall.
Agile learners are adept at empathizing with and even anticipating different perspectives. By putting themselves in other people’s shoes, they can connect dots, spot and resolve potential conflicts, and zoom out to see the bigger picture. Rather than waiting to be told a different point of view or that something won’t work, agile learners seek out dissenting opinions and are open-minded in their approach.
Agile learners have high levels of self-awareness. They understand their impact and seek insight on how they can improve. They are specific about the support they need and confident enough to ask for help from others so they can be at their best. They see learning as a constant and are proactively curious about the world around them, borrowing brilliance from different people and places.
Questions to ask ourselves about our learning agility:
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Another exciting update from Aarathi. Aarathi's score improved tremendously in her November exam as compared to August. I am so happy for her as she worked hard to constantly improve and adapt. Wishing her grand success to get admitted to school of her choice.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Got an update from Sreesh few minutes back that he got a perfect score in Math and 760 in the English section of SAT. This was not a surprise at all as he was working hard, being consistent and did everything I recommended. Success is predictable. Thank you, God, for all your Blessings.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Harini got a perfect score in her SAT. Just received an update from her and her parents. Success is a planned event. She worked hard for the last several months and made it happen. Happy for her.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Gratitude is powerful. Instead of dwelling on past misfortunes, let's reflect upon the GOOD in our lives.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this year was awarded jointly to three scientists who revolutionized the field by discovering and developing quantum dots:
Their Contributions:
These three laureates were jointly recognized for their pioneering work on quantum dots, tiny semiconductor particles with unique optical and electronic properties. Their independent discoveries and subsequent advancements in synthesizing and manipulating these particles opened up a wide range of potential applications across various fields.
Their collective work on quantum dots has had a profound impact on diverse fields, and their ongoing research holds immense promise for future advancements in various technologies, from energy generation and healthcare to electronics and communications.