Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I just finished reading the HBR article" If You’re Not Outside Your Comfort Zone, You Won’t Learn Anything" by Andy Molinsky. 

• Get real with yourself. Stop making excuses! When you turn down that big presentation, is it really because you're "too busy," or are you just scared? Being honest about what's holding you back is step one.
• Make it your own: Nobody struggles with everything all the time. Maybe you're cool with small group chats but freeze in big crowds, or you rock at networking when it's about your favorite topic. Use these little comfort zones to your advantage! Like if loud networking events make you queasy, try meeting people for coffee instead.
• Just dive in- Eventually, you've got to take the plunge. The author shares how his public speaking professor made everyone ditch their notes mid-course. Sure, everyone freaked out, but guess what? They all managed fine, and actually spoke more naturally without the crutch of notes.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Most of us living on earth today will not win a Nobel Prize, Magsaysay award or a Medal of Honor. Most people will not receive a lifetime achievement award, invent something groundbreaking, or change the landscape of the world. For most of us, things like getting married, making a lifelong friend, having a child, buying our first home, or retiring are large moments in our lives.

For all of us though, it is not the moment that we receive that final reward that makes up the significance. Progress is not achieved in large, momentous occasions. We are not defined by those big moments in life. We are shaped by the 100,000 moments we experience, not the 1. In every moment, you have an opportunity to make an impact, and it is significant. In order to move toward those large goals, you have to put together thousands of great moments.

Don't wait today for that significant thing to happen in your life to feel as if you've made progress. Make every moment count today. It is in those 100,000 moments that you will shape your progress in this life. Significant progress is made in what some would call "insignificant" moments. Make them count and make it happen.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

When giving feedback, you might assume your role is to tell your employee what you see, but it’s far more effective if you engage in a two-way conversation. Start by asking questions about their strengths. For example, you might say, “Tell me about a time this month that you felt energized,” or, “What have you learned about yourself from working on this project?” Asking employees to look back on these moments helps you better understand what it took to get there — and what it will take to get there again. When employees hint at a challenge, try to draw out their concern. You might ask questions like: “What outcome are you trying to achieve? What have you tried so far to get there? How have you handled similar challenges in the past?” Then, help them shape the path forward. Let the employee offer ideas about next steps but steer the conversation and offer concrete feedback. Close with questions like, “How do you think you’ll act on this?” and “What would happen if you tried this?” The best feedback helps your employees understand and build upon their strengths — and perhaps even see themselves in a new way.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

• Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
• When in doubt, just take the next small step.
• Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
• Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and parents will. Stay in touch.
• Pay off your credit cards every month.
• You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
• Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
• It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
• Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
• When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
• Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
• It's OK to let your children see you cry.
• Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
• If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
• Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
• Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
• Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
• Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
• It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
• When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
• Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, and wear the fancy clothes. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
• Over prepare, and then go with the flow.
• Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple or blue or green.
• The most important organ is the brain.
• No one is in charge of your happiness but you.
• Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
• Always choose life.
• Forgive everyone everything.
• What other people think of you is none of your business.
• Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
• However good or bad a situation is it will change.
• Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
• Believe in miracles.
• God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
• Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
• Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
• Your children get only one childhood.
• All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
• Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
• If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.
• Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
• The best is yet to come...
• No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
• Yield.
• Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift."

-Karthik Gurumurthy

Do you have too many meetings to get your work done? If you never seem to have enough time to tackle your big projects, rethink your to-do list. Break down big assignments into bite-sized tasks you can complete when you have a few minutes (even if it’s a short break between meetings). Keep a list of these small tasks and use it as a guide for making incremental progress on the work you’ve been putting off. Ticking off even one or two items will bring you closer to the finish line. If you’re still struggling to get things done, set aside a few hours by adding “project time” to your calendar as a recurring event. For example, you could reserve an hour or two each morning for focused work. Try to protect these blocks of time and use them for the important tasks you can’t get done otherwise.

-Karthik Gurumurthy

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I cannot claim this as my own writing; the website attributed it to the world famous "Unknown". I did enjoy the moral of the story. I hope you do too.

A psychology professor walked around the stage while teaching stress management principles to an auditorium filled with students. As she raised a glass of water, everyone expected they’d be asked the typical “glass half empty or glass half full” question. Instead, with a smile on her face, the professor asked, “How heavy is this glass of water I’m holding?”

Students shouted out answers ranging from eight ounces to a couple pounds.

She replied, “From my perspective, the absolute weight of this glass doesn’t matter. It all depends on how long I hold it. If I hold it for a minute or two, it’s fairly light. If I hold it for an hour straight, its weight might make my arm ache a little. If I hold it for a day straight, my arm will likely cramp up and feel completely numb and paralyzed, forcing me to drop the glass to the floor. In each case, the weight of the glass doesn’t change, but the longer I hold it, the heavier it feels to me.”

As the class nodded their heads in agreement, she continued, “Your stresses and worries in life are very much like this glass of water. Think about them for a while and nothing happens. Think about them a bit longer and you begin to ache a little. Think about them all day long, and you will feel completely numb and paralyzed – incapable of doing anything else until you drop them.”

The moral: It’s important to remember to let go of your stresses and worries. No matter what happens during the day, as early in the evening as you can, put all your burdens down. Don’t carry them through the night and into the next day with you. If you still feel the weight of yesterday’s stress, it’s a strong sign that it’s time to put the glass down.