What does being successful mean ?

Yesterday night I was just thinking that Am i successful ? The inner voice replied , no you are not . I thought why , and the answer came that What have you done in life so as to be called successful . I said right. At that moment I started searching the list of successful people and top three results (Bill Gates , Warren Buffet and Steve Jobs) made me to ponder more into the subject that what does success really mean ? So in this post I am going to give my views about success .
I always wonder that why does it happen that a more affluent person is also regarded as more successful . Just thinking that why in the list there is no mention of persons like Mahatma Gandhi (contributed in the freedom of nation) , Nelson Mandela , Albert Einstein (whose discoveries changed the world) , etc. I searched further an found their names in the most influential persons but not in successful : What the fuck !!
I simply define success in one line "A person is successful if he/she is satisfied with the life he/she has lived" . Thats it . Nothing to do with wealth , etc.

Lots of points that I want to make here have already been mentioned in my earlier post  
Who will cry when you die

Today Everybody is saying that world is continuously developing , but is it ? Does development mean shifting from 2 room flat to bungalow, from cycle to car , from using Nokia 1100 to Samsung Note , or is it something else because according to statistics that as the world is involved in so called development , there has been continuous increase in mental tension, suicide cases, etc. So what is real development, In my view "Development of a region or country shall be attributed not to GDP , etc but to the increase the number of persons who are satisfied with their living standards" . If this number is increasing , then we are developing else we are going backwards and to talk reality , I believe we are going backwards.
With the development , dissatisfaction comes. Today , everyone is wanting more and more and adhering to unfair means as well for that purpose . The rate of corruption is increasing throughout the world , and who is to blame ?? the persons who are actually involved in corruption?. Well I believe that the far bigger reason is the road on which the so-called modern societies are walking where being affluent is regarded as the only means of being respectful .

For example, The day I decided to leave the lucrative job at RBS and go into teaching line, the first question that was asked to me "How much are you getting paid as a lecturer" , and when I replied that it is less as compared to what I am getting at RBS , 90% started laughing , maybe not on my face but behind my back for sure.Many said "kahe pagla gaye ho , chutiyaap kar rahe ho , etc." Well , nobody has to listen what makes me happy or what are my aims in life, and I started wondering that is money everything ?
Another example , today the first thing that a parent looks while looking for life partner for his son/daughter is that how much the groom is earning or how much dowry can be given, all other things like the nature, compatibility, humbleness, politeness are rated secondary .
Isn't the concept of money overrated.


Thus , its a time of introspection and we shall analyze and ask our heart that what are the things that brings smile to our face in reality , if its money , then One shall go for earning it but if its something else then one needs to rise above the dogmas of society and shall try to pursue it.I will recommend one book "Small is beautiful" by E.F. Schumaker if you liked my post.

"Do not work for money but make money work for you" from Rich Dad Poor Dad

Learn to take responsibility of your life

I believe that all of us must have heard or uttered the phrases similar to "My life is like this beacuse of him blah ... blah .."
But is it really true ? The first response that jumped from my mind is YES but still some part of my mind kept on saying that it cannot be true , so I have no other option except to think more deeply and here I am going to share my feelings.
One shall learn to take the responsibility for his own actions and the consequences. The person who is not able to do that , is revealing to the world that he is a man who is so powerless that he cannot take the responsibility of the things and events happening in his own life , how can we expect him to lead others ? Even if you believe that something such has happened , it is only because you have permitted that person to interfere with your life.
It is the human nature that one wants the credit for something good that he has done and blame others if things do not turn out as expected. In any case , you are the one who has taken the actions so whether the results are fruitful or fruitless , responsibility is entirely yours and not of anyone else. That is why I always use to say "suno sabki karo mann ki".
Similarly one has a habit of criticizing others , but folks remember, "Our opinion of others depends less upon what we see in them than upon what they makes us see in ourselves." Lemme explain , for example
If one says that he/she is selfish or jealous , that means the speaker knows that what is selfishness and the only way of knowing it is this that the speaker himself has acted with selfishness in one or more circumstances. Thus saying about one's character reveals more about yourself than about the other person you are talking about.It is similar to when you point finger at somebody, more fingers are pointed towards you only.
That is why , Abraham Lincoln said "I do not like that person , I ought to know him  more."
Folks, if you agree even to a little extent with my views , go back and analyze your life closely and you will find that whatever you are in life today is mainly due to your actions only and not of anyone else.

Shall changes in the Constitution to be made to give Sachin Bharat Ratna

Today , one of the discussions is going around us that whether Sachin shall get Bharat Ratna Award or not. So why shall I be left behind. So I decided to give my views as well . To begin with I would like to produce a list of all 41 award winners.
List of all Bharat Ratna awardees so far:
1.    Late Pandit Bhimsen Gururaj Joshi in 2008 : Karnataka
2.    Kumari Lata Dinanath Mangeshkar in 2001 : Maharashtra
3.    Late Ustad Bismillah Khan in 2001 for contribution in the field of Arts : Uttar Pradesh
4.    Prof. Amartya Sen in1999 for Literature & Education : United Kingdom
5.    Lokpriya Gopinath (posth.) Bordoloi in1999, for Public Affairs : Assam
6.    Loknayak Jayprakash (Posth.) Narayan in 1999 for Public Affairs: Bihar
7.    Pandit Ravi Shankar in 1999 for his contribution in the field of Arts : United States
8.    Shri Chidambaram Subramaniam in 1998 for Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
9.    Smt. M.S. Subbulakshmi in 1998 for her contribution in the field of Arts : Tamil Nadu
10.    Dr APJ Abdul Kalam in 1997 for his contribution in the field of Science and Engineering : Delhi
11.    Smt. Aruna Asaf (Posth.) Ali in 1997 for her contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Delhi
12.    Shri Gulzari Lal Nanda in 1997 for his contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Gujarat
13.    Shri JRD Tata in 1992 for his contribution in the field of Trade & Industry : Maharashtra
14.    Shri Maulana Abul Kalam Azad in 1992 for his contribution in Public Affairs : West Bengal
15.    Shri Satyajit Ray in 1992 for his contribution in the field of Arts : West Bengal
16.    Shri Morarji Ranchhodji Desai in 1991 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Gujarat
17.    Shri Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Delhi
18.    Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel in 1991 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Gujarat
19.    Dr. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedakr in 1990 for his contribution in Public Affairs : Maharashtra
20.    Dr. Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela in 1990 for his contribution in Public Affairs : South Africa
21.    Shri Marudur Gopalan Ramachandran in 1988 for contribution in Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
22.    Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan in 1987 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Pakistan
23.    Shri Acharya Vinoba Bhave in 1983 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Maharashtra
24.    Mother Teresa in 1980 for contribution in the field of Social Work : West Bengal
25.    Shri Kumaraswamy Kamraj in 1976 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
26.    Shri V.V. Giri in 1975 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Orissa
27.    Smt. Indira Gandhi in 1971 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
28.    Shri Lal Bahadur Shastri in 1966 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
29.    Dr. Pandurang Vaman Kane in 1963 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Maharashtra
30.    Dr. Zakir Hussain in 1963 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Andhra Pradesh
31.    Dr. Rajendra Prasad in 1962 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Bihar
32.    Dr. Bidhan Chandra Roy in 1961 for contribution in the Field of Public Affairs: West Bengal
33.    Shri Purushottam Tandon in 1961 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
34.    Dr. Dhondo Keshav Karve in 1958 for contribution in the field of Social Work : Maharashtra
35.    Pt. Govind Ballabh Pant in 1957 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
36.    Dr. Bhagwan Das in 1955 for contribution in Literature & Education : Uttar Pradesh
37.    Shri Jawaharlal Nehru in 1955 for contribution in the field of Public Affairs : Uttar Pradesh
38.    Dr. M. Vishweshwariah in 1955 for contribution in the field of Civil Service : Karnataka
39.    Shri Chakravarti Rajagopalachari in 1954 for contribution in Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu
40.    Dr. Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman in 1954 in Science & Engineering: Tamil Nadu
41.    Dr. Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan in 1954 for contribution in Public Affairs : Tamil Nadu.
Before giving any thoughts , I will like to say that the only thing that shall be kept in mind before giving the award of this much reputation.
    Has he/she done so much for the country that the person deserves the award .
After thoroughly looking at the list , the first thought that came in my mind is that there are many names on the list (at least 50%) who I personally feel is less deserving than Sachin.(No harm feelings for anybody). One of my friends said “What has sachin done so special , he plays cricket for money, you stop giving him money , he will stop playing cricket .”
Well said , my friend but in that case why Lata Mangeshkar has been given an award ,what has she done so great for the country except singing some great songs that still echoes in our ear like some of Sachin great innings lies visible to us. As far as what Sachin has done so great , everyone knows . It will be waste of time to discuss on that how he makes every Indian forget the differences of rich-poor, religious differences and just give them the chance to celebrate the Indian  Victory, etc, etc , …
So , the other problem that is being created is that the  Constitution does not permit it.Acoording to it “Bharat Ratna is the highest civilian honour, given for exceptional service towards advancement of Art, Literature and Science, and in recognition of Public Service of the highest order.”
In it there is no mention of sports. So even if a person is a legend in sports but if he belongs to India , he is not eligible to receive the highest civilian honour. What the fuck !! Just because the persons who framed the Constitution at that point of time does not thought of sports , does it mean that  it will not appear again in  future. As far as I know , this clause is not under the clauses that cannot be modified at any cost . Every year so many changes are being made to the constitution , what problem can this change create ??  I do not think any. Even the public will welcome it .
To be honest , till now I have got no plausible reason why Sachin Tendulkar shall not be given this honor . If anybody has , do tell , I will love to listen to his viewpoint…

Time utilization

This is the area where most of us fails. Everyone must have heard or uttered the phrases  like "I am short of time" , "24 hours in a day is not enough for me ", blah blah .., Is it actually true,  ? My brother always use to say "Ankit, Always Remember that a busiest person has the most time". I have always wondered that what he means by this statement but after a close look at his life I have understood what message he tries to convey to me. He is a person who is acheiving new milestones every now and then in his career and yet his life is not devoted to work only, he is an excellent badminton player , a very adventurous person at heart who has done all kinds of adventure sports , watches lot of movies, etc.Many a times, I become jealous of him, from where in the hell he gets time for everything. 

God provides us with enough time that if we utilize it in a proper manner then we will never fall short of time.The problem is not of  less time , but the problem lies in time management. Don't believe me , then look at the following :

Here are the calculations for a typical week:

Total available hours 24 hours X 7 days = 168 hours
Minus Average sleep 7 hours X 7 days = 49 hours
Total waking hours = 119 hours
Average time at office or study@IIT 8 hours X 6 days = 48 hours(maximum)
Average time commuting 2 hours X 6 days = 12 hours
Total work time = 60 hours
Total work time as % of waking hours 50% approximately
Free time available after accounting for work time and sleep time = 59 hours.
(calculations are not mine , it is copied from a website).

Are these 59 hours not enough to do all kinds of work. In my view, it is.Thus, time availibility shall never be an issue. Issue is that how we utilizes the time. What we do in these hours impact our life. My leadership guru Robin Sharma wrote "I agree you are busy, so are the ants, its more important what you are busy about."A research at Harvard University proves that "What we are in life is only due to 20% of our activities". I looked at my life , and I concluded for me, even 20% is too much. What I am is mainly due to studies , and I have not devoted not more than 10% of my entire life on studies. So , where would I have been if I would have devoted 20% of my life on studies (?..... only God knows).

In many case , the heart of the problem lies in procastination.It is one of the most dangerous  habits of life and a very common one too. We all devote too much time on things that do not matter to us all for various reasons. For e.g. Nowadays , I am devoting a lot of time on my project , but  am I really interested in that, No, not at all.In future , I do not have any plan to go into technical field, I know this, but still I am devoting my time in it. I have to agree that I am a fearful person. Why is Bill Gates so great ? It is not only due to his great brain, but the greater reason is that He is mentally so strong that he decided to quit school, (A person having such great mental strength is bound to acheive new heights of  success). He knows what he wants to do in life and devoted time towards it instead of wasting it in activities that do not matter to him at all. Imagine that if everyone of us can display this kind of courage and time utilization then what will be the face of World after 20-30 years. No one can even dream. It is very important that "We shall not schedule our priorities but instead schedule our priorities."

The day I have properly utilized my time , I have a goody goody feeling in my heart and feels satisfactory before going to bed. I am sure that must be the case with many of You. So , ask your heart that what you want to do in life and manage your time accordingly , from this moment only.

Be the Change You Want to see in the World

Be The Change You Want To see In the World , one of the most powerful quotations of all time. The wisdom in the quotation is timeless; it is as applicable today as it was in the time of Gandhi when he uttered those words.

As it is said that “The only thing that is constant is the change”, everyone around us talks about that in the world this should be changed, this should be done in that manner, etc, etc. Everyone in India is complaining about politics, corruption, etc. but how many good people are entering into politics. Martin Luther King rightly said that ‘All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing’ and this is happening today. The good persons are doing nothing except complaining between friends, family members, etc.

However, not all have realised that for change to take place, they must first change themselves. Do not seek without what we can find within. If we start out with the perception to change the world, then we would fail badly. But if we start by changing ourselves, the change in the world would come naturally and inevitable.

I am sharing a small film with you . Please see it, it is very inspirational. the boy may not know the above quotation by Gandhi or wouldn’t know that he was applying what Gandhi mentioned about being the change. It was a natural instinct that we often see in children; the ability to see things in a simple manner. We adults often complicate things while trying to come out with the best solution. He started out to be the change and in the process, he inspired others to follow suit.

Watch the Video

Starting to be the change we want to see in the world, we would also inspire change in the world which comes from within each individual. Children are our best hope of positively influencing the world to love and care for each other. To put aside differences and to focus on the similarities. Before that, we are still the prime influencing force affecting not only our children but the future of the world that they will be living in.
We must be the change we want to see in the world.

Who will cry when You Die revisited

This is the name of the book by my leadership guru Robin S. Sharma . It is a must read book but here I am not to discuss the book but give my thoughts on the above line .
After reading this line , my heart and mind went into deep thoughts. I asked to myself , Who Will cry when I die ?
At first instance it seemed to be a very simple question but later on complete analysis , I was surprised that it is a very thinking question. So I will like to discuss my thoughts on this matter.
I started thinking with what I am doing now ?? Here by I , I  am referring to majority of today's generation from my perspective.
Take a look at our own generation, especially those of us who have migrated to big cities in the search of big career/money, I have achieved money, career , etc. but still  I feels lonely (and hence, to fill the void in the real world, created virtual identities on platforms like Orkut, Facebook and Twitter or write blogs – sharing ideas while doing really nothing),
We are earning quite decent enough money and live a life of luxury dining in Mac D, pizza hut , etc or shopping and watching or teasing girls(only for guys) in the big malls that keep opening somewhere or the other almost every day.
Let us ask ourselves a simple yet highly disturbing question. After all the education that we have got, exactly how many individuals are going to benefit from our lives or our careers? I think not many. And in most of the cases – even zero. Alas, we do not have time for our parents back home, how are we supposed to have time to do good to others? We are a generation for which success is defined simply in terms of our pay packages and nothing else.

Isn’t it weird that the more the society invests in educating an individual, the less useful he seems to become for the society itself? So, it turns out that a person leaving a simple life may be far more important to the society than the people who have gone to big institutions, have invested lakhs in their higher education and are earning big money for themselves. Why, simply Because his life is not only His life because He is a social person. Whose fault is that? Education? Or society’s? It’s upto the readers to think and decide.

Coming back to the original point, since ours is a generation immersed completely into the race of blind money-making and self-gratification, isn’t it an apt to ask – Who will cry when we die?

Family? Not sure. 30 years from now, many of us will be so cut off from our families back in our home towns, that it seems unlikely that our deaths will be bringing any real loss to them. Parents will already be long gone, and children will most probably have flown off to distant shores like we have in search of even greater money making success.

Colleagues from our offices and our friends of college? Are you kidding me? There may be some friends but for majority I can directly say No. Even for those few friends I have a lot of doubt to be honest.(No offense to any of my friends but I am thinking of a period after 35-40 years or probably greater.) Ours is a generation of job switchers and continuous migration. By the time you become friends with your colleagues, either you have moved on or he has. Sure, a few will obviously hang on with you for life through phone or virtual platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Orkut, but can interacting on these platforms really compete with the face-to-face interactions that people in small places have over a home-made or road side hot cup of tea? Leave crying apart, colleagues and friends will be so busy with their office work; they will probably not even have enough time to think about you. Even the place that you are working in will be filled up by some new guy even before your funeral pyre has lost its heat. The world has become a fast moving place not only in life, but in death as well, you see.

Why is that so? May be because we were so engrossed in making success out of our lives that we forgot to devote some part of it to genuine everyday causes that would have connected the society better on an emotional level. What we did instead was that we shopped and shopped and shopped, we dined in great places (which often charge more for the ambience rather than the food itself), we purchased costly cars and other gadgets - and wrote blogs - and ultimately surrounded ourselves so much by these similar things that the real people from the real world were seldom able to have a chat and say a genuine, warm hello to us face to face. 

And things to which we gave our time, cars, gadgets, shopping, dining, blogs, work, offices, money simply do not know how and why to cry. People know that, and people is what we forgot to really connect with on a more genuine and humane level.
To be frank, We are living in an Age where we have lost touch with humanity and people and we have to accept it . So , I request you to think that what impact will your life have on the generations that follow you . Do not give a chance to yourself to say or regret; "I could have been that kind of a person but never was ."
Discover yourself , reflect on yourself and think that after death , how you will like to be rememebered and start acting accordingly. As Mahatma Gandhi said , "Be the change you want to see and the world will change."
     Remember that when we were born , "We cried , while others rejoiced, why not live our life in such a way that when we die , we rejoice while others cry."