Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Life is like a game of chess. You play this game with a partner called God (Existence). One way of looking at the game is that after ever move of yours, God makes a countermove. But, you can see it in another way too. After every move of God, you can make the countermove. God's move was that Milton became blind; but Milton's countermove was to write one of the greatest work-Paradise Lost. God's move was that Beethoven became deaf; but Beethoven's countermove was creating some of the world's greatest symphonies.

Legends like Helen Keller and Albert Einstein are living testimonies to those who made countermoves. For every choice, there is a consequence. True! But also remember, for every consequence, there is a counter choice. Be a choice maker and move ahead in life.

Every moment of life offers innumerable choices. For every choice I execute, I invite a consquence. While I have control over my choices, I can only have expectations over the consequences.

While I have a choice over choice, I am actually without choice about the consequence. While choices are born out of my intelligence, consequences are feedback from existential intelligence, which is the conglomeration of inflinite forces known, unknown and unknowable. My microscopic intelligence operates out of the date at my disposal, while the macrocosmic intelligence operates out of Universal data.

Life Progresses in the framework of choice.consequence-choice cycle. I execute a choice ( I lead my life). Of course, the consequence of my choice is not to my control ( I am being led). But again, how I respond to thse consequences are once again my choice and that is in my control. My choices are my self-effort (x-axis). The consequences are my destiny (Y-axis). My future is neither completely controlled by consequences nor is it independent of my choices, but it is a resultant diagonal in the XY graph. Life is not Self Effort vs destiny , but it is self effort plus destiny.

So, I will use my intelligence to execute choices. Surrender the same intelligence to the existential intelligence by faithfully accepting the consequences. And again use my intelligence to execute counter-choices to those consequences. On a yellow wall when I paint the blue, I will neither find the yellow not get the blue, but a resultant green. However, if I continue my self effort of painting the blue long enough, the wall will eventually turn blue.

So, if I don't get what I want in life, which I sometimes won't: I will not lose my heart.  Unintended consequences are life's way of showing  the possibilities I haven't thought about. Unintended consequences are existence's way of telling me that it has a different plan for me... a plan larget than what I intended.

I will use the framework of choice-consequence-choice and keep progressing in life. Life is an 'I' plus "God' project, and not an 'I' versus 'God' project. 

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Picture two distinct paths to success. Champions, with their laser-like focus, concentrate intensely on singular goals. They keep notepads by their bedside, capturing midnight inspirations, and invest extraordinary energy in pursuing their dreams. Like skilled archers, they aim at one target with unwavering attention.

But this isn't just about concentration - it's about the source of motivation. While most chase external rewards like money and possessions, champions draw power from within. They're driven by their dreams and passions, creating a motivation that never runs dry until the goal is achieved.

As Nido Qubein wisely observed, "Nothing can add more power to your life than concentrating all of your energies on a limited set of targets." This principle separates champions from others. When faced with challenges or physical pain, they don't ask "Why me?" Instead, they remember their carefully constructed vision and press forward.

The difference is stark: temporary motivators like rah-rah pep talks might spark short-term enthusiasm, but champions tap into deeper emotional wells. They understand that sustained concentration combined with intrinsic motivation creates unstoppable momentum. Their success isn't about sporadic bursts of effort - it's about maintaining unwavering focus on their vision, day after day, until achievement becomes inevitable.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

As much as  we do communication with the world outside, the quality of communication with our own self is is equally important. It is by the quality of communication we have with our own self, our conscious mind trains our subconscious mind to believe in something. Prayer, in fact, as much a communication from your conscious mind to your subconscious mind,as much as it is between you and you God. You derive maximum benefit from this system of self-communication, also called autosuggestion, by holding a given thought in your mental focus and by excluding all other thoughts, by repeating it in a relaxed state, constructing it with positive assertions, visualizing it happening in your life as you verbalize, making it progressive, adding emotional content, and communicating in the present tense.

One such communication that  can have a holistic impact on your life is, " Day by Day, in every way, I am becoming, Most and more, healthy, wealthy, loving, blissful and spiritual.

Day by day: Growth is an everyday affair and not a 'once in a way' affair. Every today has to be better than yesterday and every tomorrow should be improved upon today. 

In every way: Growth has to be multidimensional. Success in one role is no compensation to being a failure in another role. It is not enough being a one-role wonder. The focus is on being a holistic wonder.

I am becoming: Live with verbs and not nouns.  Instead of I love you- I am loving you, instead of I like growth- I am growing, instead of I have learnt- I am always learning, and instead of I have arrived- I keep arriving..life is flowing and so shall we. Living has be in persent continuous. So, I am becoming..

Most and more: Contentment doesn't mean I settle for less. Contentment only means I will enjoy what I have with no regrets or complaints. You draw abundance in all forms by being abundant-conscious. Spell life as M. O. R. E. You deserve Most and more.

Healthy, Wealthy, Loving, Blissful, Spiritual: All that we need to achieve can only be achieved theough this vahicles called body-so healthy; financial abundance in the hands of a good human being will build a better so world-so wealthy; the emotional need is to love and to be loved- so loving; divinity waits at the door of a human soul, and what's not happiness cannot be God- so blissful; and a human being alone can self realize the divinity within- so spiritual. Only in fulfilling all these five needs the life of a human being is complete.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Every event that we encounter in life offers infinite learning possibilities and it is up to us to discover from it, its intrinsic motivation. If we learn from the event it becomes an experience and our maturity expands; else the event simply passes by meaninglessly.

Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do with what happens to you. Even insignificant events when translated into a learning opportunity can create experiences that are very significant to your life. Life is something of what happens to you and everything else of how you respond to it.

Our maturity level is always one rung below the new events that we encounter in life. If we learn from them, we mature from them and we move ahead to take the next assignment of life. If we just go through them by theing upset, worried, tensed, scared and disturbed, then we have learned nothing from them and similar events will keep repeating themselves until we learn the lessons they had to offer us. The very purpose of any event that we encounter in life is to provide us with the maturity that is needed for us to take the higher assignment from life.

Life always gives the test first and then the lessons. When people spend months, sometimes years and in many causes an entire lifetime getting upset, worried, tensed, scared and disturbed for the same reasons, encountering similar events. It becomes so evident that life is struggling to teach a below average student who is refusing to learn anything from the procession of events he has been bumping into. Growth is caught, not taught. The school of life uses experiences as its teacher to help us mature but if we refuse to catch growth, we then put even life into a helpless situation. The secret is to"experience and one will know"

-Karthik Gurumurthy

After three centuries of foreign rule, in a matter of decades, everything changed through one Mahatma Gandhi. For centuries they were enslaved, and in a matter of decades, everything changed through one Nelson Mandela.

The very fact that more people from Generation Y are taking up Yoga, meditation and God than Generation X, is evidence that the trend is in that direction. 

When a certain critical number achieves certain awareness, this new awareness gets communicated from mind to mind. A thought level entrainment happens.

When only a limited number of people know of a new way, it may remain the conscious property of these people. But there is a point at which if even one more person tunes into this new awareness, a cosmic field is strengthened, so that this awareness is picked up by almost everyone. 

Humanity at that point will go through a dramatic and collective shift in consciousness. It will happen when a shift is reached in the critical mass, when a certain number of spiritually awakened individuals happen. Quantitative change brings about a qualitative transformation. Whether it is ideas or products or behavior..at the point of critical mass, it just spreads like a virus..as if a spiritual epidemic has happened. 

The point of critical mass is that magic moment when it all begins to spread like wildfire.everything changes all at once.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Expectations are born from the conditioning of your past and the resultant reactions that are projected into the future. For example: You always admired your mother for your discipline. And now you are married. Now you expect your wife too to be disciplined, because you benchmark her with your mother. But your newly wedded wife, on discipline, never makes the grade. So, you are dissatisfied with her and she is frustrated with you.

My father has always been honest and transparent. "The problem with you is that you never tell me the whole stuff about your life?", the wife complains to her husband. "Look at your brother's handwriting- it  is a piece of art, and look at yours, "the mother nags the daughter: "In my earlier organization we never used to operate like this." complains the new General manager. "In US we don't have these issues," cries the US return professional about India.

Espectation isn't a problem but benchmarking expectation is. 

You give your mother a '10 on 10' on discipline and hence you are not satisfied with your wife, who is hovering at 4 or 5. Hey, please understand for her 5 is her 100% score- for her nature, temperament, upbring and conditioning she will never make beyond 5 on discipline. This is her and this will be her. There must be some other quality on which your wife must be a perfect 10 and your mother won't make the necessary grade. The husband may be never as transparent as your father, but he may be very selfless in financially aiding the family. The daughter may outperform the son in singing. You believe in growth prospects here than the previous organization, and that's why you are here. After all, India doesn't have some of the issues that the world has.

No one is inferior to others on all counts, and no one is superior to the rest on all measures. We all have our plusess, and we all have our weaknesses. No one is zero defect. No one is all defect. Stop focussing on isolated qualities. Start relating to the whole being.

However there is a twist in the tale- when I am dissatisfied with others it makes me unhappy, but when I am dissatisfied with myself it helps me grow. When I benchmark others with my expectations, it leaves me dissatisfied with others and thus affects my happiness. When I benchmark myself with my expectations, the dissatisfaction created propels my growth and development.

So, on all matters rate the world on '5' and rate yourself on '10' -Not that the world is any less capable or you are super-human, but because..Without happiness there is no life. So, expect less from the world. Without dissatisfaction there is no growth. So, demand more from yourself.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Love that is devoid of happiness is very possessive. Anybody who is in love, but is not happy in life, cannot leave you happy in life. Anybody who is in love, but is not happy in life, cannot leave you happy in life. 

In the possessiveness drama that love plays out, love turns out to be a pain. And for a person who knows to be happy in life, love is felt. There will be humor and ego doesn't get provoked that easily!

If you are happy in life, even in worst situationm you will be able to move on..You will re-anchor yourself to happiness quickly.

Once happiness becomes, the rootedness, the anchor, love will become a byproduct. Love will be felt; you don't have to separately embrace it. Love emanates as a fragrance on its own from a happy person.

So, look at any relationship through the spectacles of happiness, love will blossom on its own accord. 

So, should we not anchor ourselves on happiness?

When you become a happy spouse, you create a happy marriage and can love be far away?! When being with you for your children is the happiest experience, guiding them will not be difficult. If home can become the happiest place..

A lot of you look forward to being with your friends, because that's probably the happiest relationship for you.  What if you have a way by which you can make learning a happy experience. If you are a happy teacher and you have happy ways to teach, then learning becomes a happy experience.

When life is lived through the spectacles of happiness, love is taken care. You don't have to do anything exclusive for that. So, anchor your life to happiness, love will follow.

If we can bring about this one shift in our lives, to see life through the spectacles of happiness, this world will be a better place to live in.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

"Try to spend 15 minutes everyday in a public setting and just observe people. So witness your thoughts while doing so. Measure if the number of thoughts about the people you see goes to zero. This takes time, but when you achieve that you gain the skill of "non -judgmental mindset". You see things as is. An important leadership skill to be demonstrated if you want to be of best use to the people around you."

-Karthik Gurumurthy

You are not needed in someone's life after a period of time; both professionally and personally. Understanding this will help one practice detachment. Do your best and be ready to move on. You are no longer of use. That's not betrayal, that's growth!

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Consistent effort over a period of time even when no one is watching you will lead to overnight success.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

"Look forward to rejection. Your mindset when you handle rejection empowers you and differentiates you from the rest. How you handle the situation when your best prepared idea gets rejected infront of the whole crowd? You have to experience it to truly grow. Mindset matters."

-Karthik Gurumurthy

When we face tough times in life, we often think of quitting the situation as we feel that’s the easiest thing to do. But tough times gives us an opportunity to unleash our potential.We go through so many challenges but at the end we get lot of learning’s in the process that are necessary for our personal growth. No matter what the situation is , one must keep going and have faith that things will work out for our best.

Always believe that there is a super natural force which is working and giving us strength to face the tough time. People become emotionally and mentally strong when they face so many difficulties and challenges in life . We grow when we face challenges.

So embrace this life, be grateful to be alive and just keep going.

Tough situations build strong people in the end.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

In every beginning is the end; but doesn’t every end also promise a new and better beginning?

When I was 16 years old I declared, “I am already feeling bad that this Gobi Manchurian will soon be over. It upsetted me so much that I cannot get myself to start eating!” Everyone at the table had a hearty laugh and gave me hard time. However, there was undoubtedly a universal truth in what happened.

Indeed, in every beginning is the end. At the start of life, when one is born, the only surety is that life will end one day. The rest is all shrouded in a mystery to be unfolded as life goes on. The fear of ending is experienced in so many, much smaller things as well.

Whenever you sit down to read a good book or watch a movie you’ve been looking forward to, do you not dread that it will end soon? The ending of a good book or movie, if you have genuinely been caught up in the magic, leaves you bereft and empty for a while. I feel like the younger self with Gobi Manchurian each time I have a good book in my hand. I pile up such good reads at my bedside table, looking at them as a promise of many hours of delight that I would rather hoard than end. The same goes for great movies of which I plan to watch but keep putting off, happy to look at the accumulated treasure. 

Our best bet would be to see life as a series of small cycles of beginnings and endings. When one book, movie, experience, job, relationship, or even a Gobi Manchurian ends, another is almost always waiting for us ahead. Meanwhile, the pleasurable experience we just underwent for each cycle leads to further growth and evolution, making us better, stronger individuals and souls. When one assignment ends, one needs to switch anticipation towards looking forward to the next. Some people are smart enough to realise when an ending is near, and instead of waiting for and dreading it, they find the strength within themselves to end a cycle, so that another may begin. Creative destruction leads to fresh, more promising beginnings.

And so, if in the beginning lies the end, it is important to understand that in every end, there lies a better, more promising beginning. The end of childhood is the beginning of a promising adult life;  the end of novelty in a friendship can lead to a new cycle of maturity, the end of one assignment means you move onto another with more value addition.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

“We tend to forget that happiness doesn’t come as a result of getting something we don’t have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have.”

-Karthik Gurumurthy

1. Be silent - in the heat of anger.
2. Be silent - when you don't have all the facts.
3. Be silent - when you haven't verified the story.
4. Be silent - if your words will offend a weaker Person.
5. Be silent - when it is time to listen.
6. Be silent - when you are tempted to make light of holy things.
7. Be silent - when you are tempted to joke about sin.
8. Be silent - if you would be ashamed of your word later.
9. Be silent - if your words would convey the wrong impression.
10. Be silent - if the issue is none of your business.
11. Be silent - when you are tempted to tell an outright lie.
12. Be silent - if your words will damage someone else's reputation.
13. Be silent - if your words will damage a friendship.
14. Be silent - when you are feeling critical.
15. Be silent - if you can't say it without screaming.
16. Be silent - if your words will be a poor reflection of your friends and family.
17. Be silent - if you mayhave to eat your words later.
18. Be silent - if you have already said it more than one time.
19. Be silent - when you are tempted to flatter a wicked person.
20. Be silent - when you are supposed to be working instead.
21. Be silent - when your words do not do any good to anyone including yourself.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

If you are reading this, it is for you.

May you never be eclipsed by anyone or anything.

May you and your loved ones be healthier and safer than ever before.

May you be blessed with the best that life has to offer.

May you follow your inner guidance and knowing before you make any choice.

May you always have your back.

May you always be aware that the Universe has your back too.

May you always find what you seek.

May you be blessed with an inexhaustible amount of energy.

May you choose to receive with ease.

May kindness, gratitude, peace and calm be your status at all times.

May happiness, success and prosperity seek you instead of the other way around.

May nothing that is unpleasant be anywhere within the range of a thousand miles around you.

May you shine and keep shining like the brightest star in the Universe.

May your day today be as awesome as you choose to BE.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

At the end of the day, I just want to be proud of the person I have become. I want to be proud of the love I gave — of the way in which I risked my heart despite the things it had been through.

I want to be proud of the effort I showed those I cared about, I want to know with a ruthless certainty that I showed up as much as I could, that I made people feel seen, that I made those around me feel less alone in this chaotic world.

I want to be proud of my life — of the way I healed, of the way I made mistakes and learned from them, of the way I felt everything even when it wasn't convenient or comfortable. I want to be proud of the way I grew, of the way I let go, of the way I pushed myself to be a better person.

At the end of the day, I just want to be able to say without hesitation that I lived my life, that I did not just take a back seat to my fear, or to my flaws, or to whatever hardships came my way.

I want to be able to say that I am proud of the way I survived. I want to be able to say that I did not take one day for granted, that I truly gave it my all.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Whatever thoughts are concentrated upon, those thoughts become powerful. It is like the growth of a seed. When a thought, a positive thought, is planted in the mind and it is concentrated upon, it becomes like sunlight adding energy. The more the concentration on them these thoughts begin to grow.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

"This is the beginning of a new day.

You have been given this day to use as you will.

You can waste it or use it for good.

What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it.

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind... let it be something good."

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Wisdom is the application of knowledge..the secret of transforming the knowing into the doing. Your ability to success is a direct reflection of your ability to try.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

This calls on us all to change a deeply ingrained behavior. Most of us have grown so accustomed to our judgments that we often aren't even aware that we have them. Giving up judgmental attitudes requires that we replace them with some other attitude. The best attitude to cultivate and the one that changes everything and everyone- you and all of the people formerly judged- is gratitude. Having an attitude of gratitude is what allows us to see everyone on our path as necessary and an opportunity for us to express unconditional love. You see, judgment and love cannot coexist, and we're expressing one or the other almost all the time. Our judgments of others reveal how we feel about ourselves. They are often quite subtle, and it is so easy to deny them because we think we couldn't possibly have those qualities we see in others. Judgments absolutely undermine every experience we have, whether at home, with friends, or with strangers. This may be difficult to comprehend, but judgment is always fear-based, and until we acknowledge the existence of that fear and understand its root, we will not likely get free of our judgments.

My Grandmother, my mother were the people who practiced unconditional love. When I embrace the practice of unconditional love- seldom an easy exercise, I might add- I able to see how similar I am to those around me, and my habit of judgment lessens.  Please note the word "Habit".  Judgment does become a habit, and so can unconditional love, thought it is more difficult to practice. A tool that has worked for me (when I remember to use it) is to express a statement of unconditional love out loud every time a judgmental thought crosses my mind. Try it next time when you find yourself gripped by judgment. As soon as you catch it, state your unconditional love. It works!

If we choose to see the good in others, which is abundantly there, we will help to increase it in them, in ourselves, widening the circle of good with every glimpse. The choice to see the good is always available to us. It is a mindset we can practice to the benefit of all.

As long as we sit in judgment of someone, we cannot experience peace. With every judgment we make, we hurt all our relationships. What we do to one, we do to all. Everytime we allow our thoughts to be guided by the ego rather than by the wisdom that is also available, we add to the disharmony of life, a disharmony that gets played out over and over until it imprisons all living beings. 

Think about how you feel when you are criticizing someone. Ashamed? Embarrassed? Small-minded? Hopeful that no one else heard you? That's no good. An excellent way to avoid these feelings is to quickly review what you are about to say before you say it. If it leaves you with a yucky, uncomfortable feeling, don't say it.

Our criticisms always reflect how we feel about ourselves; they mask our fear that we don't measure up. The irony is that  every time we sit in judgment of someone else, we strengthen the very feelings of inferiority that we are trying to escape or deny or project into someone else. This behavior becomes a vicious cycle. We criticize, we feel ashamed, we criticize again in the hopes that undermining the person will elevate us and give us relieft from our insecurities.  Does it ever really work? Does it make us feel better about ourselves? No! So Why do it?

-Karthik Gurumurthy

If you quote something in Latin, it looks profound. Jokes apart, what does, ' Cogito, ergo sum' means? "As you think , so you are. Our thoughts determine who we are, how we perceive ourselves, physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally; how we perceive others; and how we plan for and experience our lives on a daily basis. Our thoughts are everything. Nothing exists without our first thinking it.  "And if I don't like what I am, I need to be willing to change what I think,"

We live as though we can't help how we think. But we can. The negative thoughts we have were created by us; they are nurtured by us and can only changed by us. There is only one thing standing in the way of making this change: ourselves.

There is a process for changing how we think. The first step is to be willing to give up a familiar patten of thinking, and this is a step that many people stumble over. In fact, many of us don't even recognize that our thoughts are negative. We think they simply are. But once we become aware that a pattern is not working for us, the first step is to be willing to change it.

The second step is to envision yourself in a new circumstances, fulfilling a new role perhaps, at work or at home or among friends. Envision yourself in a detailed way. Envisioning helps us to grow into who we want to be.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Acceptance will keep you emotionally tranquil. Non acceptance will create those emotional agitations within you. When something is happening or about to happen not the way I want and I accept it, it becomes tolerance. If we don't accept it, it becomes anger.

What is fear?

Fear is,- When I don't know what I am going to face or what is going to happen -facing uncertainty causes fear in me.When somebody goes trekking in Himalayas, even there also they face uncertainty. When someone goes for whitewater rafting they also face uncertainty but there you won't call it fear you call it adventure.When you are facing uncertainty and you are not able to accept it, then it is fear. When you accept it, it becomes an adventure.

When do you feel jealous? Somebody has something that you don't have or somebody is able to produce the results you are able to produce and you are not able to accept it, it becomes jealousy. When you are able to accept it, it becomes an inspiration. Somebody has something that I don't have and am willing to accept it, it inspires me to realize, "One day I will also have it. "Somebody is able to produce the results that I am not able to produce you study their life and get inspired. Then you know what is humanly possible?

Somebody has hurt you, you are not able to accept it, it becomes hatred. Somebody has hurt you, you are able to accept it- it becomes forgiveness.

Something when handled with non acceptance becomes a negative emotion. Something when it is handled with acceptance, becomes a positive emotion. That is the emotional equation of life.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Many of us acquired the habit of interfering in other people's affairs early on in life. We heard our relatives speaking critically about their friends or other family members or neighbors, for their actions or opinions. Obsessively watching the behavior of friends, family or even complete strangers and longing to change or control their behavior is a great catalyst for inner turmoil. This goes hand in hand with the misguided idea that we can change anyone but ourselves. You can spend years trying to change a spouse or some other friend, but what a relief to finally learn that the affairs of others are not ours to control or even to judge. Being in charge of ourselves is enough.

It is worth repeating: We are not in charge of others! Not their behavior, their thoughts, their dreams, their problems, their successes, or their failures.

Let's celebrate the fact that we are in charge of no one but ourselves. It relieves us of a heavy burden, and  a thankless job, one that never blesses us. Taking control of every thought we have and every action we take, and being willing to relinquish the past while saving the present, will assuredly keep us as busy as we need to be. Doing these things, and only these things  is why we are here. It is only when we live our own lives and manage our own business, freeing others to do the same, that we will find the peace we seek and so deserve.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Figure out what's important to you. Adults can help you do that, but presumably adults have good adjustment to determine what is important and what is not important, what is true and what is false, what is a worthy pursuit and what is a mere  distraction. Society owes kids a road map that shows them what is important.

That said, learning is a very personal thing. You have to learn by working, reading, rereading and sweating. You can watch cricket or football all day, but the only way you'll get better at a sport is by working at it. Likewise, the only way you mind will improve is if you work at it. Nobody else can do that for you, and nobody else can be blamed if you don't work hard enough to achieve that. I would  tell kids this cold, hard reality: You can't blame your parents, teachers, or government for anything.  Don't look in the mirror and whine. You either make the choice to spend each day wisely, preparing yourself for the future, or you don't. Success is hard to achieev, and it can be frustrating, but it's worth it.

Ultimately you make the choice, and in the end, you either pay for your choices or reap the rewards of your choices. 

-Karthik Gurumurthy

" Exactly 8 years back, BITS Pilani-Stanford Grad Sabeer Bhatia launched hotmail.com. Sabeer Bhatia‘s idea was to offer a service that could provide an E-mail link anywhere in the world. For free. In 18 months he converted $2,000 and an idea into Hotmail-a million-dollar corporation. Prior to starting Hotmail, Sabeer worked for Apple as a chip designer. In 1998, Bhatia’s Hotmail had 10 million sub­scribers worldwide growing at 60,000 per day. Hotmail was acquired by Microsoft for a sum of 400 million dollars making Bhatia, one of the quickest millionaires on the block."

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I  traveled across the world to come to this country to pursue my grad school dream. I am thankful for the opportunity to come here and interact with great scientists, Professors, researchers and peers here.  America is a land where folks all over the world congregate and you get to learn from folks from all over the world. However, I find one thing very strange. Bunch of folks from  a certain part will still meet and talk only with the same part here. My personal recommendation is to try new things.Don't restrict your lives.  Don't live encapsulated in a cocoon just with people like you, who speak the language or look the same, or sing the same song or worship the same way, but constantly explore new ideas and new experiences. 

-Karthik Gurumurthy

• Don't  get down when your life takes a bad turn. Out of adversity comes challenge and often success.
• Don't blame others for your setbacks
• When things go well, always give credit to others.
• Don't talk all the time. Listen to people who have been there and done that and keep an open mind to learn from them.
• Don't brag about yourself. Do your work and let others point out your virtues, your strong points.
• Give someone else a hand. When a friend is hurting, show that friend you care.
• There's power in Prayer.
• Success comes in the "cans", not "cannots".
• Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you. The smarter the people, the more you can accomplish. 
• Integrity matters around the clock. The same goes for humility.
• Do the right thing. There are values that everyone knows but many disregard when it comes to business. Behave ethically. Work hard. Respect others. If you embrace this approach, it will make your reputation.
• Always over-deliver. Never do just what the boss asks, always do more.
• We can only make ourselves indispensable through service and achievement.
• Worrying is like a rocking chair, it keeps you busy but it brings you nowhere. 
• Your reputation and integrity are everything. Follow through on what you say you're going to do. Your credibility can only be built over time, and it is built from the history of your words and actions.
• Respond to people in a timely manner; this shows respect and responsibility.
• Take on additional responsibility whenever and whereever possible.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

In her wonderful book, The Wealthy Spirit, Chellie Campbell describes how, when she was a girl, her mother taught her to play "The Glad Game." On days when Chellie came home from school complaining about something- a bully on the playground, a harsh teacher, a skinned knee, or difficult homework- Chellie's mom would hug her, kiss away her tears, and then suggest, "OK, enough complaining. Let's play 'The Glad Game.'"

"The Glad Game" is another name for a Gratitude List. "The Glad Game" helps you focus on what's right in your world today, instead of what's wrong. Chellie's mom was a very wise woman, teaching her that no matter what your troubles, there are still plenty of things to be grateful for: a sunny day, good food to eat, a loving family, a house to live in, a family pet to love, a handful of friends to enjoy, and much, much more.

Chellie would follow her mother's suggestion:

• "I'm glad I have you as my mom."
• "I'm glad the weekend is almost here."
• "I'm glad I have some nice clothes to wear to school."
• "I'm glad I don't have to share my room with my sister anymore."
• "I'm glad I get to watch TV when I finish my homework."
• "I'm glad we have pie for dessert."

Playing "The Glad Game" is a terrific way to change your attitude in a hurry. We all slip into self-pity once in a while... after all, we're only human. The important thing is to cut the pity-party short and shift into gratitude. An attitude of gratitude will get you much farther in life than complaining and self-pity.