Panchasheel

As I wrap up my stint in Bangalore and move onto next phase of my life, I decided to write a blog that summarizes all my learning in this beautiful place. As with any first draft, I had many points to capture. But to communicate effectively, we need to prioritize and hence decided to bring it down to top 5 areas. These are in no specific order and am highlighting the essence (most of these points are captured in detail as part of my various blogs).

Happiness:

·        Happiness is state of mind. We could either let it be influenced by external factors or keep it in control, despite the external factors. It’s a choice. I have seen many people whose morning is wrecked as they came across a bad motorist or auto guy on their way to office. It’s a personal choice if we are willing to let a stranger on the road to determine our happiness quotient.

·        Happiness is always lost because we are haunted by memories of the past or worries of the future. It is best experienced by staying in the present. We experience more fears in our mind than are present in reality. Life has a way of working out itself. Let’s trust life and be happy in the present

·        Happiness is not in a distant future. We can never achieve it by linking to a goal achievement. Happiness is about embracing what we have. Not striving for a future goal. To feel happy, we need to look within, not outside.

·        Best way to be happy is through pursuing your passions. Do not wait for an opportune time when you can pursue them. Start them today.

Strengths:

·        Each one of is a Genius. Unfortunately, we need to unlearn significantly to resurface our Genius.

·        Many of us are completely unaware of our strengths. We depend upon our managers and others to define our strengths. In majority of the cases, we articulate skills (project management, people management, etc.) as our strengths

·        We are the best people to recognize our own strengths. Look at those set of activities that excite you; that you look forward to do again and again, and more importantly, when you lose sense of time while engaged in them. They will give you a great insight into your strengths. Similarly, those activities that you dread to do, wish you could delegate to others and where time does not move at all, are the ones that would give insight into your weaknesses.

·        Learn about your strengths and continuously move your job/assignments towards areas that play up to your strengths. You will be set for success.

Change:

·        We are living in a world that is constantly changing. The world that we knew five years back was not the same that we are living in today, and with the pace of change, the world five years hence will be very different.

·        Earlier, Innovation was key to differentiate the company and maybe, capture market share. Today, Innovation is critical for survival. If a company is not innovating, it will not survive long.

·        We need to get comfortable with change. Embrace it. No point fighting it. The best way to embrace change is to keep an open mind and be willing to learn. Do not rest on your expertise as the area where you are expert on, may not be relevant tomorrow. Constantly learn.

·        Best way to keep an open mind is to learn more about ourselves. We always see the world through the lenses that we have in our mind. These lenses are developed based on our own experiences. More we build awareness (through close self-observation) of these lenses, better our ability to understand a different point of view and experience the world in a new way.

Balancing Life:

·        We always talk about work-life balance but it tends to indicate that work is not part of life. Infact, the time where we spend most part of our active life tends to be not defined as life and that’s irony.

·        I tend to see it, not was work-life balance but, as balancing life. Balance life to meet various needs of our life – Intellectual Needs, Emotional/Social Needs, Physical Needs and Spiritual Needs. Each one of us may have a different proportion of these needs (and that’s completely fine). It’s important to examine where the needs in the ratio of our desires being met.

·        While looking to meet these needs, it’s important to determine where they would be met. For example, it is not necessary that all intellectual needs are met in office. Maybe they are met at home or through a hobby. Emotional needs may be met at office due to close friend circle. Hence, be open.

Right Brain:

·        We have seen Industrial age that saw prevalence of people physical abilities. Information age saw the emergence of left brain. High analytical and quantitative abilities were required and Computer Engineers, Chartered Accountants, MBA ruled the roost.

·        We are now seeing emerge of Imagination Age. With Information age, information is ubiquitous and with globalization, the costs have come down. Today, Design of the product is becoming critical in its success. Innovation is critical to survive. So, Imagination age requires people who can think very differently and are willing to challenge the pre-conceived notions.

·        This requires people with right brain – people who can bring in creativity, imagination to the fore. So, maybe, we will see emergence of Arts over Science in the future.

·        Best way to help children succeed in imagination age is to enable them to further build on the curiosity and encourage them to try different things. Let them pursue their passions and do encourage them to try out arts – paintings, crafts, music, dance – whatever interests the child.

·        Best way for us to succeed in imagination age is through unlearning and relearning. Having an open mind and willing to explore solutions outside the conventional zone.

I think the above panchasheel would help provide insight into many aspects of our life that we could explore differently. Which of the above areas interests/intrigues you the most? Why? Answering this question could be a starting point for your self-exploration and a better understanding of your own self. Happy Journey!!