Striving towards Excellence

Discovering your purpose is exciting and obviously life transforming. Once you understand that you were uniquely engineered for excellence to be just who you are, then it would make sense that you would have a specific purpose. Think about it, what object has ever been uniquely designed and produced without purpose in mind for it? The aeroplanes was designed and produced to help people travel faster, farther and with more comfort. The cell phone was designed and produced to increase our ability to communicate. Soap operas, I've been informed, was designed and producing tears in eyes. Just kidding...:)

But, you get the point. Everything was designed and produced for a specific purpose and often, such as my last example, it may have related and surprisingly additional purposes to its original primary intent. The bottom line is that nothing was designed and produced without value and a purpose. Most importantly is that you grasp your value and purpose.

Each of us was indeed designed and created for a specific purpose and to fulfil a specific assignment or calling. We all have an emotional guidance system that tells us what we truly want but fear often gets in the way. You have your own inner GPS system that directs you to your true calling in life.Combined, it is often referred to as your Life Purpose. Consequently, your Life's Mission is to find, pursue, and fulfil your Life Purpose. The success of your life, therefore, will be directly related to the success of your mission.

by Karthik Gurumurthy

Listening makes people feel special. Listening shows respect. Listening allows you to gather the data that will improve everything you do. Last weekend in San Jose,  I got a chance to be around NFL- football player Marshall Johnson who used to play for Baltimore Colts about 30 years ago. I have not seen any person who is so down-to-earth and listens to every word you say. I felt like million bucks just staying around him. I guess what I'm suggesting to you is that brilliant performers are brilliant listeners.
 
Today, just for a day, make the decision to listen carefully. Don't interrupt. Don't rehearse your answer while the other person is speaking. And don't even dare to check your email or search for text messages while another human being is sharing their words. Just listen. Just hear. Just be there for that person.

Everyone has a voice. And we all crave to be heard. Just watch the great things that unfold when you do that.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I was in the bay area last weekend sharing the business plan, spinning the dream; met copious amount of people. Both dreamers and pretend-dreamers.

Lot of them were upset about what is happening in the economy, frustrated about the uncertainties in the job. But how many of them dare to do something different? You might think that the uncertainties in the economy would have given some truth lessons to try an alternative route, have a backup plan. I love Kanti Gala's favorite quote "Dig the well before you are thirsty". So true, isn't it? We sometimes live in a microwave society where we need stuff instantly. 2-minute noodles.

If somebody has enough noodles up there, they would know hard work precedes success.

Success is always a process. My mom made a south Indian dish and it tasted so good. She has mastered the art of making it. I was asking her "How do you do this? When I put all the ingredients together, I do not see the same result and it doesn't taste the same. How come? She replied calmly with lot of conviction, "It is a process. I had messed up enough and have tried it enough to know how to make this. I am still striving to make this better." I have noticed lot of people look at the end product and look for the miracle pill combination. I have noticed the same trend after a nite owl when the business owners surround the speaker and ask, "how many presentations did you do to get the success you have attained"? People love to hear the magic numbers so that they can incorporate that in their plan of action. What I learned listening to my mentors Bijon and Mita, TD and Suparna, is you do enough to make it happen.

Sowing always comes before reaping. There is a lagtime between sowing and reaping. You always sow more than you reap. How can I apply this principle everyday?

The very thing you most want to see more of in your life is the very thing you need to give away.

Want more credit for all you do and who you are? Be the one who gives credit to others. Spread it like California wildfire.  Give away what you most want. This will create a space in the minds and hearts of all those around you to give more credit.

Want more understanding from other people? Be more understanding and give that out to other people.

Want more loyalty from other people? Be the most loyal person you know. Watch what happens.

Want more love? Give more love.

I strongly believe life wants you to win. Most people just get in their own way and sabotage their success. They let their fears keep them from greatness. They let their limitations become their chains. They become their own worst enemies. To get all that life wants for you,give out what you most want to see come back. It's great life that is in store for you. Just go out and get it.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

One of the best ways to find the solution to an issue or challenge you are facing is to ask the right questions. The right question always leads you to the correct answer. Questions matter.

In business, encore performers are brilliant at getting to the right question. The one that gets them to the place they need to get to and offers them the missing piece they need to find. And in life, asking yourself a powerful question will allow you to step into a whole new set of possibilities that you may have missed while you were locked into an old way of seeing things. 

Here are the five questions that I pondered about when I went for a morning walk with my parents today morning. I suggest you write them down and then find some time today to answer them in your spare time.
 
1. Where am I cutting corners?
2. What would I do if I knew I could not fail?
3. What am I resisting?
4. What can I be grateful for?
5. How do I want to be remembered?

My mentor TD loves to quote Einstein on this, 'Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting the different result'. Let us make the necessary changes to move on ahead.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

This day is so very special. Sure, it arrives like all the others. Looks the same. Might even feel the same. But it is unique. It will never come again. Time is like that. Comes with full of promise and leaves before you know it. What you do between today's sunrise and sunset is creating your destiny, your future, your legacy. And a single choice you make today can change your life over the coming months if consistently acted upon.

Time is the scarcest resource. Use it well and life sends you the extraordinary. Waste it and your heart feels empty. And your life looks hollow.

This day is special. Honor it. Do something great today. I know you can. Will you?

-Karthik Gurumurthy

For the long weekend, I had bunch of tasks I had planned to complete. Few of my plans got changed and I felt the need to take it easy. When Shobana reminded me about my task list, I said we can get it done later.

Shobana is a strong advocator of getting it done NOW. Thanks to Shobana..I did complete most of the tasks which I had planned for this weekend.

Procrastination destroys potentially great lives. Doing what you know you need to do now – now - is a brilliant strategy to strive towards excellence. Leadership is all about doing what is right versus doing when it is convenient. It's about aligning your daily actions with your deepest core values - and highest goals. And please remember: one of the things that define a leader (and everyone has the opportunity to show leadership behavior each day) is that leaders do the things that mediocre performers don't like doing - even though they don't like doing them either. But their commitment to their excellence is far stronger than the strength of their immediate impulses.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I would like to share a great message from one of the greatest coaches in Basketball history. I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.