-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
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
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
Annie L'Huillier was unreachable on the morning of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Physics.
The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences tried reaching L'Huillier to tell her she was one of the 2023 physics laureates. However, her phone kept going to voicemail.
Luckily, they were able to reach L'Huillier's husband. He explained that she was teaching a class on atomic physics, but she would have only a very short break just before the announcement.
During the break, L'Huillier picked up her phone and received the news about the physics prize, but she cut the call short to return to her students. Before going back to class, she turned her phone off again.
When she returned to the class, she told the students she would have to finish a few minutes early but did not give a reason.
L'Huillier ended the lecture only five minutes before the 11:45 physics announcement and left the room. Suspicious, her students decided to stay and watch the physics livestream in the lecture hall.
When L'Huillier's name was announced, her students broke into cheers. Annie L'Huillier's dedication to her students and her passion for teaching atomic physics is truly admirable. Her students must have been thrilled to witness their teacher's moment of recognition during the Nobel Prize announcement. It's a testament to her commitment to education and her contributions to the field of physics.
Courtesy Photos: Nobel Prize.org
Anne L'Huillier teaching her atomic physics class on 3 October; Anne L'Huillier taking a call with Nobel Prize Outreach on 3 October; Anne L'Huillier's atomic physics class cheering as her name is announced during the 2023 physics announcement.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Congratulations Varun on getting perfect score in Math and 770 in the English section (Aug 26, exam) . It is all his hardwork and he made it happen for yourself.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Alex C got a perfect score (1600) in SAT. Not surprising at all. I have been working with him last 1.5 years and he was consistent in his preparation despite his summer internship. Winners find a way to make it happen.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly."
-Karthik Gurumurthy
This is a personal message from 2022 chemistry laureate Carolyn Bertozzi to all young researchers on why to aspire for a career in science:
”I would want to share with them how a life in science is incredibly rewarding. It is rewarding because it is creating. You are discovering knowledge and gifting that to humanity for all of prosperity. Because once you learn something no one can take that way. It is not an object. It is in intellectual currency that will be shared throughout the generations. And you created that. It has a permanency that ironically a physical object doesn’t have. You can paint a painting, but eventually it will fade. But knowledge doesn’t fade. Knowledge stays with us forever and it becomes the foundation for the next generations.”
Courtesy: Nobelprize.org
-Karthik Gurumurthy
89 years back, the world lost one of the greatest scientists:: Marie Skłodowska Curie.
Photo: Courtesy: Nobelprize.org
Curie dedicated her life to science. She was the first woman to be awarded a Nobel Prize, the first person to be awarded twice and is still the only person to receive the prize in two different scientific fields.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Lovely, authentic, humorous, inspirational and insightful commencement speech by star tennis player John McEnroe at Stanford. He talked about the epic Wimbledon Championship match in 1980. Though he gave everything he had, he lost to Borg in 5 sets, 1–6, 7–5, 6–3, 6–7(16–18), 8–6. He said: "I once had the privilege of meeting the great Nelson Mandela. He told me he listened to that match on a tiny radio from his prison cell on Robben Island, and that the whole prison hung on every point of that match. That we get, we gave Mandela a brief respite from the excruciating hell of 27 years of political imprisonment meant more to me than any award I've ever won."
So winning isn't everything. The journey and the effort were more important.
You can listen to the whole speech here.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Srividhya scored perfect score and Harsh's score improved by 270 points.Very happy about the same...Made my day!!Thank you God!
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Ghez was born in New York City in 1965 and grew up with a passion for science and math. After earning degrees in physics and astronomy at MIT and Caltech, she began studying the stars at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii.
It was there that Ghez made her most significant discovery: using a technique called adaptive optics, she was able to capture the first-ever images of the black hole at the center of our galaxy. This breakthrough helped confirm the existence of black holes and opened up new avenues of research into their properties and behavior.
Ghez has continued to push the boundaries of our understanding of the universe, using innovative techniques to study the motion of stars and other celestial bodies. She has received numerous awards and honors for her groundbreaking work, including the prestigious MacArthur "Genius" Fellowship and the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2020.
But perhaps most importantly, Ghez has served as a role model and mentor for countless young women and girls interested in pursuing careers in science and technology. Her dedication, intelligence, and passion for discovery are an inspiration to all of us.
Did you know that Astronomer Andrea Ghez is the 4th woman to ever receive a Nobel Prize in Physics for her work on the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way?
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Rasika Sriram got admission with good scholarship at University of Florida and University of Miami. Yayyy! Made my day!!
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
I am thankful and blessed to work with talented students who brings the best out of me and I try to do the same as well for them. There are times where things don't go the way they wanted and get upset.
When you get frustrated and want to give up, or maybe ask yourself “what am I doing” or “why am I doing this” always remember there’s more to what you’re doing than just the immediate results that you can see. When you get frustrated and think “why am I doing this?” I hope you’ll remember that some of the reasons you’re doing what you’re doing you will never fully realize because the impact that you’re making cannot be fully measured, or even recognized in this life. I hope this message encourages you to do one more thing one more time; plant one more seed one more time. See the best that is ahead of you not the worst that is behind you or around you.
Life is full of distractions, disappointments, and defeat … but life is also full of opportunities, victories, excitement and hope if we focus on what we want next not on what we have now. When you get frustrated read this message or even better write your own message of hope, excitement and anticipation. When we have our final conversation and take our final breath hopefully we will be proud of ourselves. Not an arrogant, egotistical kind of pride … but a peaceful acknowledgement that we fought the good fight and did not give up.
We should never give up regardless of how hard or how long the race is because we may be the only reason that others don’t give up. When we finish our race we should be at peace knowing that we overcame challenges and distractions and made a positive difference in the world.
Our patience and perseverance may be the lifeline and the example that keeps another person from giving up on their dreams. The seeds that we plant today will provide comfort for others today and may provide comfort for others generations from now. Keep planting good seeds, expecting a good harvest. Be the best example you can possibiy be.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Everytime you think about a negative event from your past, your body produces the exact same chemicals in the body as when it happened. That means you relive the experience hundreds/thousands of times simply because you haven't let it go. Move on. It is not worth it.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
“In some of our relationships, we might experience a complete emotional dependency on someone. We spend irrational amounts of time thinking of other person’s needs, opinions and feelings. Our own priorities get cornered, as we give complete control of our emotions and decisions to them.
We even start relying on them to feel loved, and this is unhealthy for both of us.
Have you ever felt your mind getting emotionally attached to someone? Does someone constantly live on your mind? And do you get disturbed with the slightest change in that person’s behavior?
Our emotional dependence on people is riskier than we realize, and it can turn into a deep addiction. When the mind becomes attached to someone’s behaviors, we will need them to be our way. We constantly seek their love, presence, opinions and approval. Not getting even one of these makes us insecure.
We are actually emotionally powerful. We need nothing from anyone. Let us be with people for who they are, not because they can offer emotional comfort.
This is true to some extent. I attend to people neglecting my own interests. I don't do it for approval.
Maybe, being the eldest child I was instructed differently. I was always a big brother. The eldest child of my parents. Probably they made me make others a priority. Always. Though they never actually said it. Usually, I don't like to disappoint people. So I become the 'go to' person for all duties and responsibilities.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
I am fortunate to work with young adults in helping them in Prep for SAT/ACT / MCAT tests. I am also work with organizations in their Agile transformation efforts as an Enterprise Agile Coach. Even though the work involved is totally different, I see a parallel in both the roles.
Sometimes when the results are different from what's expected, we pause and find out what is the root cause of the issue?
Why don’t people perform? It is almost always for one of these reasons:
1. They don’t know what to do.
2. They don’t know how to do it.
3. They don’t want to do it.
4. They can’t do it.
Expectation without proper education equals frustration. Good leaders have the ability to assess abilities. An effective leader knows both what a person is capable of and what training and the education they need to succeed.
But training and development aren’t a panacea. If you’ve got the right person in the wrong role they won’t succeed.
Specifically, it is a matter of fit. The person fits the role. It isn’t an exact science, an either/or. However, when someone who is conscientious struggles performing even after they’ve receive the necessary training, it is likely a fit problem.
Are the right students in the right classrooms and even in the right seats? Are you assuming a student is a poor performer when in reality, her or she is just in the wrong classroom?
Willingness and ability aren’t the same thing. Understanding the nuances of people and performance are an important skill for leaders.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Before the game of life is over, I want to know I have done someting truly great, that I have made a positive impact of people who worked with me. I do not aspire to become as wealthy as Jeff Bezos, as famous as Napoleon and conquer many nations, but I do want above all else, to feel that I have been an addition to this world of ours. I should like the world, or at least my native land, to be proud of me and to sit up and take notice when my name is pronounced and say, "There is a man who had done a great thing." I do not want to have passed through life as just another speck of humanity, just another cog in this amazing world. I want to be something greater, far greater, than that. My desire is not so much for immortality as for distinction while I am alive. When I I leave this world, I want to know that my life has not been in vain, but that I have, in the course of my existence, done something of which I am rightfully proud. Success to me is how many people are better off because I lived (quoting Bill Britt).
Before the game is over, I want to know that during my life I have brought great happiness to others. Friendship is one of the best things to the world, and I want to have many friends. But I could never die fully contented unless I knew that those with whom I had been intimate had gained real happiness from their friendship with me. We all want much happiness in our lives, and giving it to others is one of the surest ways to achieve it for ourselves.
Before the game is over I want to have visited a large portion of the globe and to have actually lived with several foreign races in their own environment. By traveling in countries other than my own I hope to broaden and improve my outlook on life so that I can get a deeper and more complete satisfaction from living.
Before the game is over, I would like to live life to the fullest giving my best everyday.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Whenever we meet friends or family, we make it a point to meet one family at a time. We try our best not to meet many families at the same time.Sometimes due to time constraints we might have done it but we try not to do that anymore. We seldom invite anyone for the sake of meeting them but we always wanted to give them undivided attention.
There’s nothing quite like it to unburden yourself. To know that you are being listened to. To feel that you are special. Many a memory is made up of meaningful conversations with significant others.Everyone has a special story to tell and I have learned a lot from the 1:1 conversations as opposed to having many extroverts completely take over the conversation and you never get to hear from the quieter people who wanted to share a useful nugget or a funny situation.
It is at these times that we learn to still ourselves to listen to the other. To give him/ her the gift of our undivided attention. It is when we learn how our lives can make a difference to other lives.
If we pay more attention to others, someday, in the future, someone will tell us how our attention and words made a difference.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Good win, Ashwin!
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Good morning, Good night, All the best … Sometimes greetings become mere words, without any feelings created. We can wish people perfectly with an All the best, even though internally we doubt their ability.
Greetings are not mere words but high-energy blessings, where we firmly believe only nice things should happen with the other person.( nowadays people greet with words like morning,night omitting the word good forgetting it is used for a reason).But at times, we say it so casually that it remains a phrase, with no feelings attached.
Greet everyone enthusiastically when you meet them ,it is an opportunity to create and radiate pure energy.
Radiate goodness to everyone, every time. Even if someone does not acknowledge, sustain your beautiful quality.”
-Karthik Gurumurthy
I love this picture not just they are tennis fiercest rivals of all time. To see your greatest rival cry tears of sadness is the ultimate respect. There will never be another rivalry like this duo.Two men demonstrating the strength to be authentic. To be truly as you are, where you are. It's so obvious what this moment means to these two. Their powerful emotions clearly, courageously on display for all to see. How often do we hold ourselves back from being our authentic selves because we feel "it's not allowed." When was the last time you felt strong enough to be authentic? It disrupts and destroys all myths about masculinity, competition and vulnerability.Being vulnerable in front of others always shows one's inner strength and character.
Men are expected not to cry.
Men are expected to be tough.
Men are expected to destroy the competition.
Nothing about the raw emotion of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal follows any of those outdated, damaging and dangerous rules of toxic masculinity.
They are openly crying.
They are holding hands.
They are competitors on the court and compassionate comrades who respect and revere one another.
Possessing both masculine and feminine traits is the sign of an evolved person. This really warms my heart.
And I hope that we are continuing to move towards a world that evolves beyond the gender binary "masculine" and "feminine"; one that isn't so desperately set on putting people into boxes and telling them that who they are, what they feel, who they love and how they live is "wrong" or "right" based on how the world has gendered them.
Until then, I implore more and more leaders to show up fully in all of their *human* traits — regardless of gender — so we can embrace, learn from and love them wholly. Bow and respect to both Federer and Nadal..
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Few people in this world set such a high example for character, class, sportsmanship and pure love for the game of tennis. It was a pleasure watching you compete all these years and you are true definition of an amazing human being on and off the court. Even RF's Retirement Speech will become one of the Greatest Retirement Speeches of All Time! You will be missed, Roger!!
"I am 41 years old. I have played more than 1500 matches over 24 years. Tennis has treated me more generously than I ever would have dreamt, and now I must recognize when it is time to end my competitive career.”- 20 time Grand Slam champion Roger Federer who announced his retirement from tennis"- Roger Federer
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Integrity is the most attractive aspect of a human being. When you truly display integrity in all your relationship, you are undisputable. Never manipulate people for any reason. True leadership and integrity go hand in hand.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
When you focus on the "Problems", your "Goal" will stop appearing, and
when you focus on the "Goal", your "problems" will stop appearing.
The Sun is shining on the day so brightly so your day is also going to shine the same way. Let us focus on the right stuff.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Thank you to parents, teachers, students, colleagues for showing the light every step of the way.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Happy 50th Anniversary to Dad and Mom. Cannot thank them enough for everything you have done and continue to do for us. All the good things that Aravind and I have gotten is all because of your Blessings and Prayers. We are so thankful that we were born to the most amazing parents.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
In my twenty plus work experience, I have had the opportunity to work with amazing organizations and great leaders. What I have observed with the top leaders is they focus primarily on the growth and well being of the team and the communities to which they belong. They always put the needs of others first and help their people develop and perform at a very high level.
I have also witnessed so called average positional leaders sharing lofty big dreams but doesn't necessarily back it up with the action/ strategy to make that happen. To develop leaders, one needs to start from the ground-up. What separates average companies from the great ones is their ability to build a leadership culture through out their organization that cultivates great leaders.
"a true leader is not the one with the most followers but the one who creates the most leaders."
-Neale Donald Walsch
-Karthik Gurumurthy
CFO asks CEO: "What happens if we invest in developing our people and then they leave us?"
CEO: "What happens if we don't and they stay?"
"Train people well enough so they can leave. Treat them well enough so they don't want to."- Sir Richard Branson
-Karthik Gurumurthy
So glad I went with my family to watch this wonderful movie on the first day of movie release(It is actually first day first show). Totally worth it and more.
#RocketryTheFilm #RocketryTheNambiEffect is an Amazing Achievement by @ActorMadhavan and his team on the life of legendary rocket scientist #NambiNarayanan . What a great tribute ! #Maddy lived the role & deserves all appreciation. Kudos Team 🏆🤠💐
-Karthik Gurumurthy
"Often in life, we forget the things we should remember,
and remember the things we should forget."
-Karthik Gurumurthy
The most convincing sign that someone is truly living their best life, is their lack of desire to show the world that they're living their best life. Your best life won't seek validation.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Not everyone is meant for everything. It's completely OK to tell no to things that doesn't makes sense to you. Actually it's a strength if you identify things that doesn't interest you. You will understand everything that is happening around it doesn't mean you have to do all of that. You understand them because of your common sense. That's all. So step back, focus on things that you love the most and allow the rest to be taken care by others. No hard feelings.Keep on Keeping on..
-Karthik Gurumurthy
This Solar Car is called LightYear 0, you don't have to charge it for 7 months... This will be game changer for locations like Madras where I grew up and places like California/Phoenix that has Sun all around the year. Incredible!!
Picture Courtesy: LightYear.One
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Found this insightful short story in "Happiness Trap" by Dr. Russ Harris.
A mother decides to take her two kids to a fantastic Zoo which happens to be 2 hours drive. One kid has only one aim: to get to the zoo as fast as possible. All the way there he's sitting on the edge of the seat, in a constant frustration, every few minutes whining "Are we there yet?" " I am bored". "How much longer?"
Second kid has two aims: to get to the zoo as fast as possible and to appreciate the journey. So, this second kid is looking out the window noticing all the fields full of cows and sheep, watching in fascination at the giant trucks and waving at friendly pedestrians.
Now, if the car breaks down half-way and the kids never reach the zoo, then which kid had more rewarding journey? and if the car makes it to zoo, both kids will have a great reward - but still, only one of them has enjoyed the journey.
Living in the moment, appreciating where we are rather than focusing where we are not is the key to avoid happiness trap.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Marshall Goldsmith provides a powerful guide for anyone seeking a higher purpose in their personal and professional life.
Goldsmith draws on his experience as a world-renowned executive coach to provide practical advice and exercises aimed at helping readers live a life aligned with their overarching purpose, regardless of the eventual outcome.
Taking inspiration from Buddhism, Goldsmith reveals that the key to living an earned life, unbound by regret, requires committing to a habit of earning and connecting that habit to something greater than the isolated achievements of careerism.
With illuminating stories from Goldsmith's legendary career, this book provides a roadmap for ambitious people seeking to close the gap between what they plan to achieve and what they actually get done, and to avoid the trap of existential regret that reroutes destinies and persecutes memories.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
If you expect your team to implement continuous learning as a behavior, you must exhibit the behavior first. Always lead by example. This includes everything, from professionalism to integrity to passion to everything.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Don't waste time by judging people. Everyone behaves a certain way because they like doing so. That's all. Don't wear a Sherlock hat and start investigating every behavior and come up with theories to prove someone right or wrong. It's called waste of time.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
An absolute blessing to have had the privilege of meeting this amazing Uncle in Cleveland Thyagaraja Aradhana many many years ago,. Getting to know him and getting connected with mostly through Facebook. In this world of social media, one of the biggest boons for many of us was to have connected with Dr. Ramamurthy mama (Uncle)
What is special about this Uncle?
He is the beacon of light who uplifted our spirits everyday with Facebook posting, always with positive messages that made everyone feel that he is family and that he is genuinely and truly caring for us, cheering for us, comforting us, complimenting us.He made every single person in his presence feel that they were the most important person to him. He treated everyone around him with unmatched kindness, affection and love. He was very proud of Kallidaikuruchi, where he hailed from. He was a connoisseur of all genres of music, South Indian cooking and English literature (a Great PG Wodehouse fan!!)
.. the excruciating pain of losing you feels very much akin to having lost my own dad for you always extended that unconditional love to each and every one of us just like a dad would. With a very very laden heart we all bid our adieu to you .Will take a break from Facebook for sometime ...
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Found out from Yamuna that she just got notified that she is an NMSQT Finalist...Yay!! Very delighted for her.Happy!! Thankful!!
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Understand that every person who has shown up in your life arrived to help you become the person you are currently now.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
“The fool wonders, the wise man asks”
The above quote is from former British Prime Minister, Benjamin Disraeli. For me, its closest modern equivalent is, “The only stupid question is an unasked question.”
While I prefer the more elegant phrasing of Mr. Disraeli, I applaud the sentiment behind both. Even though at times it can be brutally difficult to admit you don’t know who someone is, what something is, how to pronounce something, how to do something, etc, you stand a far better chance of being well thought of—and, more importantly, learning something new—if you’re willing to ask the question.
Given this, what are some things you can do to feel more comfortable asking questions?
• First: Don’t confuse ignorance with stupidity. Just because you don’t know how to conjugate French verbs or tie a half hitch slipknot doesn’t mean you don’t have mastery of numerous other skill sets and bodies of information.
• Second: Point two flows naturally from point one: don’t apologize for your ignorance. We all tend to do this and it doesn’t serve us, or our listener. Instead, it diverts attention from getting the question answered into massaging one another’s egos. Stay on task; just ask the question. If your listener expresses surprise at your not knowing, don’t feed into it. Agree and add, “Yes, I don’t know. Can you tell me?”
• Third: Remember that everyone loves being an authority. While your boss or your colleague or your date may be surprised by your not knowing something in the moment, this will quickly be superseded by the satisfaction of getting to be the authority.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
The most precious space is not the land you have but it is your brain. Do not waste it by polluting it with unnecessary thoughts and outdated information. Use it wisely.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
As a kid you were enjoying life as you did not associate ourselves with any image or identity. As you grew you started enjoying the image that you created. Later you wanted more of it. In the pursuit of the identity you lost all the enjoyment in life.
Lose your image. Become null in your head. Enjoy life. The heavy lifting that you are doing right now is temporary and you will retire. People will forget you. Don't look back and feel bad.
You can do your job with 100% efficiency without mentally associating yourself with stuff that boosts your ego. Do and move on.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
Found out today that Amita Satish (who got an outstanding score in SAT last year) got accepted in Purdue and UTexas, Austin for Electrical Engineering (Fall 2022)...Always driven, setting high standards of excellence this is no surprise at all. Wishing her outstanding success and more good news to follow from Amita..Watch out for Amita! She has not only big dreams but an amazing work ethic to make her dreams happen! Fortunate, Blessed and honored to work with these kids!!
-Karthik Gurumurthy
What a way to start the New Year !!Found out that my student Joshua Oommen (who aced the MCATs last year) got accepted at Loma Linda University for Med School. So happy for him!! It is wonderful to observe this kid from high school days to take the journey of Med School student. I can already visualize him extremely successful in his chosen field and lead a life of significance.
I am extremely thankful to work with lot of talented kids over the last 20 + years but there are few who stand out and make you feel like million bucks because your paths crossed. That's the kind of feeling you get when you work with Joshua. I wish him outstanding success in his chosen journey.
-Karthik Gurumurthy
In a world when you can be anything, be the person who ends the meeting early. Whatever you want to say it, say it quickly like a twitter message. Like my dad always used to quote "Brevity is the soul of wit"..Shorter the meeting, sweeter and happier everyone is..