User talk:Purnima Varadrajan

Play in Adversity
Taking an opportunity into hand is nothing to be talked about. Playing when an opportunity opens up is also not uncommon. But playing in adversity ? Playing when in a unfortunate situation ? Why can’t we do it ?

Is it so difficult to take the adversity as a disguised opportunity. I read some where that most opportunity are missed as they come disguised. So why not adversity be one of the disguised opportunity.

It reminds me of a story narrated by Azim Premji, ‘There once was a donkey which accidently fell into a old, dried up, open well. The people around, surrounded the well and could do nothing about the donkey in the well. The donkey also tried to climb up and failed. It wayened and cried. After few days the people around decided to cover the well with dust / sand and stones to put an end to the donkey’s missing. They started throwing all possible things into the well. Every time a layer of dust accumulated in the base of the well, the donkey took one step up. Finally instead of getting burried in all the sand and dust the donkey climbed up and out of the well.

Can we as human beings take advantage of adversities ?

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Spiral Limits!
The difference between limitation and shortage is very simple. Limitation is set by ourselves and shortage is set by the outside. If we decide not to spend more than X amount, its a limitation, but if, what we want to buy is not available or available in less quantity then it is shortage.

But the limitation, I am talking about is not the quantitative one. All of us have the habit of limiting our selves and then concluding it is shortage. The limitation can be for an individual or a company.


 * We limit our knowledge because we have no time
 * We limit our progress because there is no opportunity
 * We limit our imagination because we have no space for it.
 * We limit our vision because we have short site :-)

Leaving reasons apart why do we limit ourselves? Because we all do spiral working and spiral thinking.

Program or growth is only one area or direction. Of course it is sensible to stick to your core competency or specialized area, but what stops us from alternatives and what stops us from knowing the other open avenues

This thought process was initiated by R K Misra, founder of changeindia.com. I was hearing him talk and he, a chemical Engineer make his first big money by importing RVs (mobile homes) into Japan.

What is important is not going spiral. I am from a finance background and was going great but spiral. But i stopped one day to realize how this growth is limiting me. That is when I broke away from it to ripple.

No, not that I mean leave what you are doing to come out of spiral thinking or working. I mean work or think in ripples. Give yourselves more space and more option. Just dont look at only one area at a time. If you are in IT does not mean you should not know how a restaurant profits or how the China market mass produces, or how the Indian Retail boom just began. Think or work in RIPPLES!

[Purnima Varadrajan]

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No-nonsense me?
Though it is registered, I dont know when, I have been called a no-nonsense person by many. But I think it is of late I have started taking note of it when people say it to me. To top it all I have started claiming I am a no-nonsense person. Yesterday it came up again.

Me and my friend were debating a topic yesterday and at the end of it he said ” this is the best part of you, the no-nonsense, YOU”. The result this post.

My friends used to call me Princess Leia (A character in Star Wars movies who was tough, no-nonsense yet delicate and romantic). I dont know why, it just occured that I should check if there is any negativity attached to this ‘no-nonsense’ word. Dictionary meanings say :no-nonsense person is one who : does not tolerate irrelevancies; is direct, is efficient and practical: also marked by or showing deep sincerity or seriousness.

I know I am all of these, so no negativity. But it was funny to read that sincerity and seriousness are together. You have to be serious to be sincere? Or only the sincere ones are serous. or is it you can be either sincere or serious? Noway! I am lost. But I know that there is a very thin line between no-nonsense and arrogance. Take one step ahead from no-nonsense you can go to the land of arrogance. I generally stick to ‘no-nonsense’. So conclusion : A lot of respect and trust i have earned is because of the no-nonsense’ me.

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Decide Vs Choose
I learnt some thing very beautiful today. I don’t know if any of us would have taken the trouble to analyse the difference between deciding and choosing. We always use these words as if they are synonyms. But if we realise the difference we can live a better life. Lets go word by word..

Decide: When we have two options we discard one over the other. But you know what, we actually kill the other option. It feel proud to say ‘ I took a decision’. When we decide we base our decision on certain considerations. Our decisions are related to a favorable situation or condition. So when the situation changes the same decisions become wrong. To take an example: You decide to take up one job and discard the other because the office was nearby and may be because the position was good. But what happens if the office shifts to another city or after some time the same position feels stupid. Your considerations change. So you resent your own decision. You are unhappy in the same situation which made you happy earlier. You hate your own decision. This is the result of every decision. So actually the situations take the decision for you. You have no control over your decisions.

Choice: Choice is something which you choose, out of one or many options. Even in this case there are considerations, but the choice is yours. In this case you don’t kill the other options. You make choice because you wanted or you desired for it. Take the example of the same job. If you choose to work for a company because of its vision or lets say because of its leadership, then you have made your choice. No matter what changes happen you are still pleased with your choice. In this case you make the choice. You are in control.

It sounds a little confusing? Think a little and the vision will get clear.

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Just move the mountains!
I happen to hear a very impressive story, from our very own Panchatantras. If anyone can get an essence of it and if anyone follows it, success will surely be at their door steps.

There was once a very powerful Yogi who was very proud of his powers. He once decided to get the power to move the mountains. So he started his ‘penance’near the mountain. He soon was disturbed by a very ‘ordinary man’, who was impressed seeing the ‘yogi’. He asked the ‘yogi’ about his ‘penance’. When the ‘yogi’ explained he was thrilled. He wanted to move mountains too.. He pleaded the ‘yogi’ to teach him ‘mantras’ so that he can move mountains. The ‘yogi’ laughed at the foolishness of the ‘ordinary man’. He told him that it is too complex to learn.

The ‘ordinary man’ was not ready to give up. He pleased the ‘yogi’ to teach him a simple ‘mantra’. The yogi’ told him to say ‘ go here’ and ‘go there’. The ordinary man left happily. The ‘yogi’ carried on with his penance. Days went by. Months went by….

One day the ‘yogi’s’ penance was disturbed again, he opened his eyes to see that the mountain had moved. He also saw the ’sea’ the ‘trees’ all moved from here to there. It was then he saw the ‘ordinary man’ chanting the mantra ‘go here’ ‘go there’ and the entire world moved…..

What a great insight if you get the essence of the story. The importance of doing the smallest things right. Giving 100% to what ever we do. Whether it is doing our jobs or living do we ever do it 100%? I think each one of us can move mountains, all it takes is to say ‘go here’ and ‘go there’ with full dedication and desire to actually move the mountain.

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