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November 2007
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December 2007

Mission Statement

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Merry Christmas to all of you. I had a long chat with my senior associat couple of days back about the importance of good habits and the importance of defining our own mission statement.


Why are you here? What is your purpose in life? What is your life’s mission? What do you wish to accomplish? Where would you like to go? How can you help?

Life is short, and life is FAST… We are all on this sphere of electrons, protons, and neutrons spinning …at outrageous speeds. The circumference of the Earth at the equator is approx 25,000 miles. The Earth rotates in about 24 hours. Therefore, if you were to hang above the surface of the Earth at the equator without moving, you would see 25,000 miles pass by in 24 hours, at a speed of 25000/24 or just over 1000 miles per hour.Multiply by cosine of your latitude to see how fast the Earth is rotating where you are. Also, factor in that Earth is also moving around the Sun at about 67,000 miles per hour…for a complete cycle of 365 days and only God knows how many miles. heh.

Needless to say, we are moving through our life at an incredible pace. So, it would be be wise of you to find your optimal purpose as soon as you possibly can.

Check out the Franklin/Covey Mission Statement Flash Tutorial

I highly recommend checking it out. It can become fairly comprehensive. I came up with a one sentence statement that has defined my role in life…

“To have a positive, profound effect on as many people as possible.”

So, sit back for a minute, close your eyes… and imagine your life, so far, and visualize your life’s stages backwards… back through your last few jobs, college, High school, your youth… all the way back to your birth…

think about that for a minute… then… think BACK before your birth… when you were once again part of the Cosmos. Go back to a time where God came to you, and asked you ” Would you like to go on a mission to Earth, to help the world?”

What would you say? What would your mission be? How could you help?

Think about that, my friends… create a better self… create a better fate… create a better world…

Strive for Excellence in everything you do.


Invisible Fences

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I'm sitting here at Barnes and Noble waiting for my student. I am currently reading Dr. John C. Maxwell "Winning with People"

After reading couple of chapters, I thought about why we play small. Why we avoid change. Why we don't innovate. Why we refuse to accept the call on our lives. To be remarkable. My answer: Invisible Fences.

Here's what I'm talking about: I took a drive out to Laguna Beach earlier today. To breathe. To renew. To think. I saw a sign in my students house about some kind of Invisible Fence. I guess it's some system that sets an invisible boundary that the dog can't get past. The dog eventually becomes conditioned so that even when that fence is gone, it will not run beyond it. The dog sets up imaginary limits that determine its reality. We're like that too.


We adopt negative beliefs and false assumptions and sabotaging fears from the world around us as we grow up. These become our Invisible Fences. We think they are real. When we bump up against them at work (and in life), we retreat. We believe the boundary is true. So we shrink from all we are meant to be/do/have. The illusion seems so vivid. But it's not. Please remember that.

So today, question your Invisible Fences. Bring some awareness to them. Challenge them. Pin them down. So that when one confronts you, rather than running away from you, you exercise the force of will and talent of heart to run through it. Get the job done..See you at the top.


One step at a time..

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Small steps are big steps. Little decisions can, over time, cause stunningly wonderful results. Tiny changes lead to real and sustained transformation. It's all about evolution rather than revolution. I know you know that. Yesterday, I got a chance to listen to Tony Robinson. His whole emphasis is on the way how 2 percent of people think differently (Taking ownership) compared to 98% of the population (employee mentality) which makes all the difference. Yesterday my weblog was about 'leaving a footprint'. Today the journal is about taking one step at a time.

It's so exciting to me to think that-this very day-can serve as a springboard to an extraordinary professional and personal life. One decision you make over the coming hours could be the giant leap that launches a tidal wave of greatness that leads you to a place well above your boldest dreams. Remarkable isn't it, this thing called choice? And everyone of us can exercise it. Yes, every single one of us.

No decision is unimportant. Every action leads to a reaction. Each move we make creates a consequence and ripples across our destiny. Getting up earlier when you feel like sleeping is the giant leap that begins a new habit called early rising. Coming up with a better way to think/feel/behave at work is the giant leap that creates a new inner pathway called excellence and mastery. Treating people with more respect/kindness and understanding is the giant leap that will soon install a routine called humanity. That little first step sends a clear signal to life that you want to change and have the courage to make the first move.

The first move is always the hardest. Everything's easier after that. Step by step, changing and elevating your game gets easier. You become more confident. The new habits and internal pathways become more familiar. And you-almost invisibly-become greater. And more brilliant. And more of the person you were born to be. Told you it's exciting.


Leave your footprints

Just read a Harley Davidson ad. The main line: "Leave Behind Shoes No Man Can Fill." Love it.

How big a life are you living? How bold a dream are you dreaming? How remarkable a person are you becoming? And, how large a footprint will you leave behind - such that the generations who will follow you will know that you've been here? And made your mark.


Wachler Vision Institute gets it

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Last week, I was in Beverly hills to meet Dr. Boxer Wachler (to see whether I qualify for Lasik surgery). I have heard lot of great things about him and the institute. First time to Boxer Wachler Institute . I'm nicely impressed. They just get it. How to wow a customer. How to give great value for my investment. How to be unforgettable.

I got one-on-one evaluation from the expert himself and he gave his patients the contact information. Unlike other places where you are one-among zillion customers (assembly lines), here you get undivided attention from the specialist itself. No pushing..No cajoling..

The best businesses walk in the customers' shoes. You know that yet it's so easy to forget. The best go the extra mile, get the details right and find a place in your heart. And once they do, a bond of trust gets forged. That lasts a long long time.


Nuggets from my coach

Today we got a chance to listen to my coach. Even though it was late for him in NJ, he poured his heart out and he covered specifically more about taking ownership of what you have versus having victim mentality. He also emphasized on having the sense of urgency as there is no guarantee for tomorrow. This is what I got out from what he shared.

Realize that you, and you alone, are responsible for your own worth. Nothing anyone can do, say or think will change your value as a human being. Only you have the power to do that. It is impossible for anyone to reject you unless you let them, because rejection occurs in your own mind.

Believe in what you're doing. That will make rejections the other person's problem, not yours.

There are no extra people on the planet. We all have gifts, resources and capacities that make us special. And with gifts come responsibilities. To use them. To refine them. To make them brighter so we create more value.

To forget the burden on you to be great is to neglect the call on your life. And no failure could be bigger than that.

He finished the conference call emphasizing the importance of a daily tracker to monitor how closely the goals and actions match. Thanks coach for all that you do to let us move one step closer to the goals.

-Karthik Gurumurthy


Who you are when nobody's looking

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Life's counter-intuitive. The things that we most resist carry the seeds of our greatness. The stuff that makes us feel uncomfortable makes us stronger. And the things that are hard to do help us get to our authentic power. Difficult is Good.

Wowing a customer when you just can't smile another smile makes you more powerful. Being honest when it's easy to lie builds your character. Being excellent on a job/project/task when no one's watching grows self-respect and inner resolve and personal honor. The hard stuff is the great stuff. It's the very building blocks of a brilliant life.

The easy road gets you to a place called disappointment and regret. Doing what you know you are called to do is the secret of success/mastery and inner peace. Our mentors once said: "the price of discipline is less than the pain of regret."


Shake it off and Step up

-Karthik Gurumurthy.

Yesterday I got a chance to do yoga and it was reinvigorating and I was amazed at the quality of the workout - talk about total body!

The instructor Betsy insisted on shaking it off after we do any kind of stretch or position. When she said "Shake it off", it reminded me of the story Bill Hawkins narrated in the recent leadership CD.

"A donkey fell into a well. The farmer came along and really had no way of helping him. He decided that he would just bury him.

He started shoveling. At first you could hear the donkey screaming, then nothing. It was amazing. The farmer and his friends would throw dirt on him, he would shake it off and then step up. Everyone saw this and started putting more dirt. He would shake off the dirt and step up. Eventually he just stepped out of the once empty & dry well."

Life will throw dirt at you... you can be sure of that. SHAKE IT OFF and STEP UP. Use those obstacles as stepping stones.


What is your burning desire?

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I try to write journal everyday about what I learnt that day! I read once a great quote that says...

"If your life is worth living it's worth recording." - Tony Robbins

I take some time in the morning to reflect on my day gone and the day that is about to happen. I ask myself a series of questions so as to push myself to reflect and keep me on my life path.

One question that I asked yesterday to myself is "What's holding me back?". What are the obstacles that are keeping me from living the absolute perfect life that I have envisioned for myself. In my answer I discovered that the main challenge I had was staying 100% focused on every aspect of my life. What I needed to find was a reason to have laser like vision that will keep me on track.

What is it though? Is it the need to have lots of money? The need to have lots of material items? The need to spend more time with the family back home? The need to have power, be in a high position? After I really thought about it, I closed my book and found it. There on the inside cover was one of my favorite pictures of my family.

If making the best life for my future children, creating abundance for them and become a father that they can look up to with unwavering pride isn't enough then I am in trouble.

I have found my purpose, I have a reason to fire up the laser! What is yours? What is holding you back and what do you need to do to stay on track. Find that reason that makes you excited, that gives you that feeling in the pit of your stomach! Do it now. Every day wasted is simply another day that could have been a building block in your ulitmate life!

Today's picture is my passion... well at least taking care of them is the first and foremost thing for me.