Diwali Greetings



It is the festival of lights. Itz said that the festival brings in joy and good fortune for everyone. But this year, this time, there is darkness and disappoinment everywhere.

First, it was the massive earthquakes in India and Pakistan.This was followed by the
train accident in India.And just a few days before Diwali, innocent people were killed in 3 bomb blasts in the capital city.

At home town too,it has been raining heavily.
I am at home for Diwali after quite some time ...but the feeling is different this time.Reading the newspaper, watching the news on TV about all these incidents makes one uncomfortable...Somehow,there is disappointment in the air.

I just hope things improve from here.Anyways,have a safe and Happy Diwali.!

It's a Flat World



I wanted to read this book as a lot of the seniors in my office had been talking highly about it.The company library got a copy and I was the first one to get hold of it.Itz an interesting book and makes one wonder how true Thomas L Friedman's views are.The author analyzes the progress of globalization in the early twenty-first century. The principal theme of this book is the "flattening" of the world, a metaphor for the global leveling of competition and capability through globalization

Do read this book.

A few snippets from the book:

In 1492 Christopher Columbus set sail for India, going west. He had the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. He never did find India, but he called the people he met ''Indians'' and came home and reported to his king and queen: ''The world is round.'' I set off for India 512 years later. I knew just which direction I was going. I went east. I had Lufthansa business class, and I came home and reported only to my wife and only in a whisper: ''The world is flat.''

When the world is flat, you can innovate without having to emigrate. This is going to get interesting.

The 10 Flatteners
How did the world get flattened, and how did it happen so fast? It was a result of 10 events and forces that all came together during the 1990's and converged right around the year 2000

(1) 11/9 -Global capitalist unification:The fall of the Berlin Wall (9th November, 1989) and the advent of PCs and Windows software have produced a global unification under the auspices of capitalism .


(2) Internet-email-browser confluence:The confluence of the Internet, email, and web browsers, together with the "overinvestment" in optical fiber that occurred during the dot-com bubble, have produced a new template for economic activity .

(3) Common Web standards::The extension of common Web-based standards has become operational.(From these first three "forces" results what Friedman calls "the Genesis moment for the flattening of the world" .)

(4) Collaborative communities:Self-organizing collaborative communities are evolving, e.g. Apache, Wikipedia.

(5)Outsourcing:Outsourcing has become common (this was given a spur by the opportunity given to India by Y2K demands for programming, and far from impeding globalization's development, the dot-com bubble’s implosion in fact "turbocharged" it

(6)Offshoring:Offshoring, i.e. moving factories to different locations.

(7)Supply-chaining:Supply-chaining ("collaborating horizontally — among suppliers, retailers, and customers — to create value" , of which Wal-Mart serves as an example .

(8) Insourcing:Insourcing (i.e. servicing supply chains, "third-party-managed logistics" .Read the example of UPS.They have a Toshiba service station at home.

(9)In-forming:By in-forming Friedman means "the ability to build and deploy your own personal supply chain — a supply chain of information, knowledge, and entertainment" , and Google is taken as an exemplification of these possibilities ("Google is like God.God is Wireless,God is everywhere,and God sees everything.Any questions in this world,you ask Google" says Alan Cohen, VP of Airespace .

(10)Amplifying technologies, or "steroids":By "steroids" Friedman means amplifying technologies like increased computing speed, file sharing, additional devices, and especially wireless.

The Pillars of Self Mastery

Yesterday, I received an email from a friend with the above title.There was an attachment, a slide show that had some inputs taken from Robin Sharma's books.The tips were on how to get disciplined,stay focussed and achieve self mastery!.
Some of the tips that I liked and got me thinking:


-Set aside one hour every morning for personal development matters. Meditate, visualize your day, read inspirational texts to set the tone of your day, listen to motivational tapes or read great literature. Starting the day off well is a powerful strategy for self renewal



-To enhance your concentration and power of focus, count your steps when you walk. This is a particularly strong technique. So many people allow their minds to be filled with mental chatter. All peak performers appreciate the power of a quiet
clear mind which will concentrate steadily on all important tasks.


-Enhance your will-power. You must first exercise it and then push before it gets stronger. When you are hungry, wait another hour before your meal. When you are labouring over a difficult task and your mind is prompting you to pick up the latest magazine for a break , curb the impulse. Soon you will be able to sit for
hours in a precisely concentrated state. Newton had a remarkable ability to sit quietly and think without interruption for a very long period of time. If he can develop this so can you.


-Be careful about your reputation. Never do anything you wouldn’t be proud to tell your mother about. Have fun always but temper it with common sense and prudence.


-Spend time with Nature. Natural settings have a powerful effect on your senses which in turn will lead to a sense of renewal, refreshment and peacefulness.


-Always remember the key principle that the quality of your life Is the quality of your communication. This means the way you Communicate with others and more, importantly with yourself. What you focus on is what you get.


-You sow an action, you reap a habit.You sow a habit, you reap a character.
You sow a character, you reap a destiny.The essence of a person is his character- make yours unique, unblemished and strong.


-Read the biographies of the world’s leaders and learn from their habits,inspirations and philosophies. Cultivate the important practice of active role modelling.


-Develop the essential habit of punctuality for it is most important for high scess. Punctuality reflects discipline and proper regard for others. Without it, even the most sophisticated person appears slightly offensive.


-Winners do the things that less developed people don’t like doing even though they also might not enjoy doing them. This is what strength of character and courage is all about.


-Each day, do two things that you do not like doing. This may be the preparation of a report you have been putting off or shining your shoes. It does not matter how small the task, just do it! Your personal power will increase and your productivity will soar.

10 myths & facts about working in the Indian IT industry

You can read the complete article here.
(http://in.rediff.com/money/2005/oct/27myths.htm). I kinda agree with most of it.

Myth #1: Company A has offered more salary than Company B, so it is better than Company B

Myth #2: Let me join Company A. If I don't like it, I will leave it and find a better job elsewhere.

Myth #3: Infotech work is more of 'a routine job.' No high-end work gets done in India.

Myth #4: Only product companies do exciting work.

Myth #5: The Indian IT industry cannot offer the kind of job requirement I am looking for

Myth #6: I received a mail from a placement service saying that the job openings it has matches my profile.

Myth #7: Working abroad is better than working in Indian companies.

Myth #8: Management ladder is a much better option than technical ladder

Myth #9: I am working abroad. If I relocate and work in India I won't get the same job satisfaction.

Myth #10: My satisfaction with the Indian IT industry is not in my hands

Why Queen's ?

When the Queen's MBA for Science & Technology class of 2006 students were welcomed a survey was done.It was found that the students take more than two years thinking about taking an MBA before starting the program. Most of their research is conducted online yet more than half came to campus for a visit, which is particularly noteworthy given how far they are coming from.

Why did they choose Queen's? The main reasons continues to be the fact it is a 12-month program, along with the reputation of the program and the School of Business:

Of the above 12 factors, what were the three most important in your decision to attend Queen's?
#1 12 months
#2 Reputation of MBAst program
#3 Reputation of Queen's School of Business
#4 Career Support
#5 Reputation of Queen's University
#6 Team-based learning model
#7 Curriculum
#8 Faculty
#9 Learning facility
#10 Learning technologies
#11 Science & Technology focus
#12 Interest-free bank loan


-This year's students continue the tradition of having exceptional qualifications with an average 6.6 years of work experience and GMAT score of 660.

-The incoming class consists of 62 students from ten countries including Brazil, China, Czech Republic, France, India, Portugal, Seychelles, United Arab Emirate, and the United States, as well as across Canada. Fifty per cent hail from outside Canada.

-Ranging in age from 24 to 46, the students come from academic backgrounds in Engineering, Computer Science, Environmental Science, Genetics, Information Technology, Pharmacy, and Kinesiology and Physical Education.

Queen's School of Business Delivers Innovation

An old one from the Access MBA archives.
Shannon Goodspeed (Currently the Director of the MBAST program)a few years back had given an interview to Access MBA.She was the Associate Director of Queen's School of Business then.A few of the prospective students might find this information useful.


Could you give us a brief overview of your MBA program?

Queen's has a 12-month fulltime intensive MBA program aimed at people with a background in technology or the sciences who want to move into management positions in any field.The program is small and elite, with a maximum of 78 students admitted each year. A core element of the program is the emphasis on teams. Everyone is placed in a team of five to six fellow students at the beginning, and they work together for the entire 12 months. Teams are created to maximize diversity – educational and work background, gender, nationality, etc. – which Queen's has found maximizes the learning and output of each individual, and it mimics the way workplaces operate today. The small class size delivers an intimate environment where students, professors, recruiters and the administrative team get to know each other well.


What are the characteristics you are looking for in a candidate?

We're looking for a candidate who is knowledgeable about the Queen's program – and about themselves. They understand why they're doing an MBA, although they don't necessarily know what they will do with it. We like people who have an open mind about where they will go after graduation. For example, a student could enter the program saying they want to be in high tech, but then go into investment banking. We think that's great. They're here to think about their future, plan for it, work hard throughout the year, take full advantage of the services from the career placement office, talk to professors – all geared to molding their re-entry into the workplace.
We also look at a candidate's ability to work in teams. They need to understand that they will take on different roles in their teams throughout the year – from leader to follower.


What makes your MBA stand out from programs offered by other business schools?

First of all, every student has an academic or work background in engineering or the sciences. They come to Queen's with strong quantitative skills, so we can move them quickly into the higher-level areas like strategy and leadership.
At Queen's we pay incredible attention to the details of students' learning. We don't just pay “lip service” to “customer service.” We have dedicated team rooms, so students never have to look for a room to have a meeting. Every student has their own desk and telephone in their team room, and their name on the door. We deliver all their materials right to students – there is no searching online for books, or standing in line at the campus bookstore. We've given every piece of this program careful thought – small details that make it a great experience. And that experience stays with graduates forever. I just heard from an alumnus who graduated six years ago who is an investment banker in Boston. He was just married, and every member of his MBA team flew in from around the world to attend the wedding. That example gives a sense of the strong bonds students develop, and how powerful the team experience is.


Could you describe the structure of your program?

Queen's MBA for Science & Technology is divided into four carefully designed stages. We start with management fundamentals, then move to business functions, then drill down into strategic integration, and finally offer the management concentrations, where students pick from a number of options to round out their year. Those options are marketing, finance, new ventures or strategy.

Following each stage we have a “CAP” Week – Career Advantage Program – which assists students with everything from resume writing, to networking, to mock interviews, to industry research, just to name a few.


What business areas do your students generally enter after graduation?

Although students share a common background in engineering or the sciences, there is a wide range of areas they go after graduation: finance, new ventures or entrepreneurial pursuits, high tech, biopharma, and marketing.

You can also find the interview here

An Interview with the Indian Blogger

A journalist from 'The Hindu' newspaper was writing an article on Bloggers in Hyderabad.During a google search, she happened to notice my blog.She contacted me and emailed a set of questions asking for responses. Here were my responses.

What inspired you to start blogging in the first place?

I have always loved writing. I use to write articles in school and college. Later, when I started working, I would write a piece and email it to my friends to share my views.Around late 2002, I got introduced to the world of blogging. I was in the United States working on an assignment that time.There were a lot of things there which I liked and felt like sharing with my folks and friends back home. I started blogging and got addicted to it! :)


How would you characterize your 'Fight to my Flight'blog?

I would characterize my blog as a Business School Applicant blog – One that contains tips, inputs and talks about my journey towards a B school.

The blog ( http://eklavya-mba.blogspot.com ) was started in late 2003 when I decided to go for an International MBA after working for 4 yrs in the corporate sector.


Did you at any rate set out writing the blog because you wanted to make entries about business prospects, your own career choices etc?

Yes, this blog was to decide on my career choice – To do an MBA. Blogging about the experience helped me confirm my decision. Quitting job after 5 yrs of work ex and going back to school is not an easy decision! So, as I blogged, I made sure that a Management education was what I really wanted to do!

The primary reason for creating this blog
a) The blog would help me track my progress and would always remind me of ultimate goal – Get into an B school. Hence, the title ‘Fight to my flight’
b) It’ll be a source of information for any person aiming to get into a B school. One could get some inputs from here or contact me if for anything that he/she needed.


Are business bloggers prone to hazards?

Depends … Bloggers might be prone to hazards because they can write something and this might impact someone somewhere.In Blogosphere,news spreads like fire. In the west, there have been cases where employees have been fired because they wrote something against the company.


Do business bloggers face similar risks of putting their employers in jeopardy?

A lot of bloggers write what they want –complains, greviances,views etc- but they remain anonymous –simply because they want to avoid controversies.The other magic rule one should follow for blogging - ‘Don't write anything you wouldn't want your boss or your mother to read.’


Do you use your blog to vent your grievances? And do you feel the need to update your blog frequently? Does this bog you down?

Not really.I don't blog to vent my greviances!.But yes, there are times when I feel I need to make a point or state something..So,I just get back home, log in to my laptop and write my feelings.It helps me relax and later I analyze the contents on the blog–'Did I get carried away by the moment or was I really analytical that moment?' To me, a blog is like a diary. It reflects my state of mind. Ask a blogger if he has changed over the years- his blogs would do the talking.!

I never get bogged down by Blogging. It is a almost a daily ritual for me.Over a period of time, Blogging has helped me relax, get creative, help me pen my thoughts better and introduce me to folks who share similar opinion as mine.

Economic Times carries an article on Education Loans .
Read it here
( http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1269466.cms )

Future of IT Profession

I was reading the Garner report on 'Future of IT profession' researched by Diane Morello. Here are the key findings.(If you need the complete report, send me an email.)



By 2010, IT professionals will need to possess expertise in multiple domains. Technical aptitude alone will no longer be enough. IT professionals must prove they can understand business realities — industry, core processes, customer bases, regulatory environment, culture and constraints. Versatility will be crucial.

Key Findings
• Four megaforces — global sourcing, IT automation, consumer IT and business
reconfiguration — will reshape the future landscape for IT professionals.

• "Versatilists" — people whose numerous roles, assignments and experiences create
synthesized knowledge and context that fuel business value — will emerge.

Predictions
• By 2010, the IT profession will split into four domains of expertise: technology,
information, process and relationships (0.7 probability).

• By 2010, six of 10 people affiliated with the IT organization will assume business-facing roles (0.7 probability).

• By 2010, 10 percent to 15 percent of IT professionals will drop out of the IT occupation (0.7 probability).

Recommendations
• IT Professionals: Choose the area of expertise that best suits you. Learning and
relationships fuel growth.

• Employers: Develop growth paths and career opportunities for the four domains of
expertise and bolster those domains with identification and reward for versatility.

What is common to Jacque Kallis (SA cricketer),Oscar Wilde (a famous writer) and me? Well,Thatz for you to figure out.!

But trust me;if GOD brought me down to this earth for a specific purpose,I'll make sure I complete the task assigned by him to me.
Take care people and have an awesome sunday!

I,for sure will have one today.:)

Subroto Bagchi- Building a great career in IT



Yesterday, I got a chance to hear Mr Subroto Bagchi, COO of Mind Tree consulting addressing a set of young IT professionals on the topic "Building a great career in IT". The speech was extremely informative and interesting.I wanted to jot down all the points of his speech but couldn't.(I was so involved in the speech!)

Anyway, I scribbled something on random sheets of paper and later tried to put it all together. Below mentioned are those points.BTW,Mr Bagchi has started writing for the Times of India(TOI) for the past few weeks.You can read his TOI articles here.

Here is a summary of what he talked about.

-How ppl choose their job ( Influence of relatives,need for doing a SWOT analysis,Focus should be on learning)


What an Indian IT individual can do in

PHASE 1:The Initial few years i.e 1-3 yrs of his career

- First few years of job are critical (One has got to learn.)
Learning by doing
Learning by observation
Learning by reading
Learning by networking
Learning to learn

-It is time to break the stereo types.
Mr. Bagchi talked about a Bell Lab model.I googled and got this speech of his which explains the Bell Lab model.

The focus of an individual should be on.:
1) Initiative
2) Self Management
3) Networking
4) Leadership
5) Followership
6) Show and tell
7) Organization Savvy
8) Self Management
9) Team Work

Mindset usually found in this phase (something on which we need to work upon):
-Putting money above all else
-Obsession with "batchmates" syndrome.
-stereotyping "technically challenging work"
-Poor focus on written and communication skills
-Poor understanding of ruse
-Inadequate attention to health.
-Slow understanding to work life
-Poor understanding of work ethics.


PHASE II- Next 3-5 years

The IT individual should concentrate on building
a) Customer Knowledge
b) Process Knowledge
c) Business Knowledge
d) Knowledge Management

Key organization expectation: Footprint.
The organization would like to see how much potential you have.

PHASE III:Next 5-10 years

- Time to reasses the initial SWOT analysis
- Time for peer feedback on "Who I am"
- Time to creatively destroy the comfort zone - Explore new geography,domain,role,
New Learning must be the driver
-Time to create a serious passion outside of work,socialize career ambition
-Time to seek a mentor.

PHASE IV :Beyond 10 years
- One should be good at
a) Managing resources
b) Managing Technology
c) Managing Complexity
d) Rain Making ( generating more biz)

He then went on to talk about customers feedback on Indian IT professionals.
Here are a few.

The young IT individual:
- Do not understand business
- Do not communicate well (written and oral)
- Are not stable (higher studies,work, technology etc)
- Expensive and likely to "outpay" themselves.

2005 EMBA Rankings


Late yesterday, BusinessWeek magazine ranked Queen’s School of Business #1 in Canada for both its executive MBA program and its open enrollment executive education programs. This comes just one year after the influential business publication ranked Queen’s #1 among international full-time MBA programs. In addition to leading the nation in all three programs, Queen’s has also placed well internationally, scoring #10 in the world for open enrollment executive education and #21 in the world for executive MBA


In making BusinessWeek’s Top 10 list of open enrollment executive education providers, Queen’s joins some of the world’s best-known, most prestigious business schools. The Top 10:

1. Harvard University
2. INSEAD (France)
3. IMD (Switzerland)
4. Stanford University
5. London Business School
6. University of Michigan
7. Columbia University
8. University of Pennsylvania
9. Northwestern University
10. Queen’s University

During an online chat hosted by BusinessWeek surrounding the rankings, a representative of the magazine said: “From our research, we found that companies appreciated the way that Queen's was able to adapt to current issues, as well as use various business models and teaching methods."

The complete results of BusinessWeek’s 2005 business school rankings are now available online by clicking here and will be published in the magazine’s next issue.

Happy Dussehra and Durga Puja




Color everywhere.
Delicious sweets.
Awesome food.

The mood is energetic.
The ambience is electrifying.
Durga Puja is BIG in the eastern part of India.

As I have spent most of my childhood and worklife in south India,it had been more than 10 years since I had been to this part of the country during the festive season.
And this time,when I am at THE place,I made sure that I didn't miss the action.

Along with my family, I visited close to 25 pandaals.
The picture that you see is the one of Godess Durga on a chaandi (silver) background.
There were a few golden ones too! Gold, Silver...Decorations.Durga Puja celeberations is something that you should not miss if you are in India.

Wishing you folks a very Happy Dussehra and Durga Puja.!

South Asia Quake Help

Itz a sad event!:(. Thousands of life impacted in India,Pakistan and Afghanistan by an earthquake.The Quake Help blog shares news and information about resources, aid, donations and volunteer efforts after the Earthquake of October 8th, 2005.

http://quakehelp.blogspot.com/

Queen's MBA prof named best lecturer

In a search that began last fall for a 'different kind of idol', Toronto-based TVOntario program, "BIG IDEAS", began looking for the province of Ontario's best lecturers; seeking those professors whose classes were not to be missed.

Tony Dimni,a Prof at the Queen's School of Business management accounting is selected among the top 30.
The contest elicited a great response with 258 individual nominations sent in
by students and faculty from across the province. Upon review of these submissions by "BIG IDEAS" producers, the best 30 were selected according to clarity & coherence, energy & performance, and confidence & authority.

BIG IDEAS is now continuing their best lecturer contest, narrowing the field of 30 down to the top 10, billing this as ‘TV with a high IQ’. The top 10 contestants selected by the jury will be asked to give special lectures which will be taped by TVO and will air on BIG IDEAS in the fall of 2005.

"When you want something , all the Universe conspires in helping you to achieve it"-The Alchemist

I have always believed in this and here is one more reason to prove that.
For the past few months, we have been planning for the 1st Alumni Meet of our high school. I ,the General Secretary of the association had been working hard to get the funds.The approach a simple one - Asking for initial seed money and contributions for the alumni.A contribution of a few thousand rupees would come every now and then, and we were slowly inching towards our goal.

A couple of weeks back, we realized that a famous venture capitalist (rumor has it that he has close to 14 companies!!) is also from our school.One of the alums contacted him and the Big Boss informed us that if we could provide him a cost estimate, he’d get sponsors for the event and thus make our life simpler.

We were reluctant to get the event sponsored. Primarily, bcoz then we would have to have the sponsors banners displayed everywhere, keep repeating the sponsor’s names on the stage every now and then and there’ll be a lot of running around to get the cash from the sponsors.We(the Core Organizing team) still made the Costs Estimate and gave the Big Boss the proposal. As a side note,in the proposal,we also mentioned why we why we shouldn’t be having a sponsor.I sent an email to the Big Boss yesterday night.We were kind of aware that he might not like our point of view.

Today morning, when I was in a meeting..around 09.30 am.. I got a call from another alum indicating that the Big Boss liked our views(for not having a sponsor) and has decided to personally some part of the event.He has agreed to give Rs 1 lakh to the alumni association! And that out of his own pocket!All he wants us is to spend the money wisely.

Wow ! Super ! Wonderful ! The alum group has been buzzing with the this talk.
I was speechless and perhaps unprepared for this !! The big boss has made life simpler for us ...but at the same time, the expectations have gone up.There are going to be a series of meeting now as to how the evening should be made a ‘memorable’ one!

Who stole my employee?




Arup Gupta,President America operation quits TCS
Infosys HR head Hema Ravichandran quits Infosys.
Vivek Paul,Vice-Chairman and Chief Executive Officer quits Wipro.
Basab Pradhan,vice-president and worldwide sales head quits Infosys



The "Desi" (Indian) companies are loosing their key professionals.The software engineers in these organization have always been impressed by the leadership exhibited by these key professionals... and when one sees these folks moving out,he is bound to get disturbed.

My friend and I are working on a paper presentation to list out the reasons for high attrition in the Indian IT sector.This is a 3 month project (which we are doing solely bcoz of our interest in Indian IT sector)where we survey/interview about 300 IT Professionals in different companies asking them why they opt for a change.!Keep watching this space.

The Blog Search

Searching for a blog on any particular topic.
Life made simple.
Try the Google Blog Search.
And you'll love it !! :)

I just finished reading the book-The Monk who sold his Ferrari.A nice book, it talks about finding the meaning of life and working towards achieving it.Itz a story of Julian Mantle, a lawyer forced to confront the spiritual crisis of his out-of-balance life. He travls to India, meets the saints and discovers powerful, wise, and practical lessons that change his life.

Here is a blog that talks about the learnings from the book.Robin Sharma, the author,is visting India to give a series of talk on leadership.

Some of the quotations in the book hit me hard.
Here are a few:

Wage war against weaker thoughts that have crept into the palace of your mind. They will see they are unwanted and leave like unwelcome visitors.

Everything is always created twice first in your mind then in reality.

Act as if failure is impossible, and your success will be assured. Wipe out every thought of not achieving your objectives, whether they are material or spiritual. Be brave, and set no limits on the workings of your imagination.
Never be a prisoner of your past. Become the architect of your future.
You will never be the same.

When you control your thoughts, you control your mind. When you control your mind, you control your life. And once you control your life, you become the master of your destiny

We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual
beings having a human experience.

The quality of your life will come down to the quality of your contribution.

The best time to plant a tree was forty years ago. The second best time is today.

Nourish your spirit. Do the things you fear.

Sure I am that this day we are masters of our fate, that the task which has been set before us is not above our strength; that its pangs and toils are not beyond my endurance. As long as we have faith in our own cause and an unconquerable will to win, victory will not be denied us.

One must not allow the clock and the calendar to blind him to the fact that each moment of life is a miracle and a mystery.

Self knowledge is the stepping stone to step mastery.

Every second you spend thinking about someone elses dream, you take time away from your own.

The purpose of life is a life of purpose.

What really separates people who are habitually upbeat and optimistic from those who are consistently miserable is how the circumstances of life are interpreted and processed.

Its only when you have mastered the art of loving yourself that you can truly love others.

You will never be able to hit a target that you cannot see.

Always declare your goals to the world. Once you make your goals known to the world, there will instantly be pressure on you to work towards its fulfillment, since no one likes to look like a failure.

Courage gives you the self control to persist where others have failed.

The only limits on your life are the ones that you set yourself.

Fear is nothing more but a mental monster you have created, a negative stream of consiousness.

It is not what you will get out of the books that is so enriching. Its what the books will get out of you that will ultimately change your life.

You sow a thought, you reap an action.
Reap an action, you sow a habit.
Sow a habit, you reap a character.
Sow a character, you reap a destiny

One must never live in the thick of thin things.

Wage war against the weaker thoughts that have crept into the palace of your mind.

They will see that they are unwanted and leave like an unwelcome visitor.

When you control your thoughts, you control your mind. When you control your mind, you control your life. And once you reach a stage of being in total control of your life you become a master of your destiny.

Time slips through our hands like grains of sand, never to return.

Failing to plan is planning to fail.

Having the courage to say no to small things in life gives you the power to say yes to big things.

The most productive people in this world have cultivated the habit of doing things that less productive people don’t like doing, even though they ( more productive ppl) too might not like doing them.

Laughter opens your heart and soothes your soul. No one should ever take life so seriously that they forget to laugh at themselves.

Don’t accept a life of mediocrity when you hold such infinite potential within the fortress of your mind. Dare to tap into your greatness. Its your birthright.

Act as if failure is impossible and your success will be assured.

The quality of your life will come to the quality of your contribution.

Your life moves to a magical dimension when you start striving to make the world a better place.

Happiness is a journey, not a destination.

Hope for what will appear in your future is what gets you out of bed in the morning and what keeps you inspired through your days.

Today is the day to enjoy the fruits of your efforts. Today is the day to seize the moment and live a life that soars. Today is the day to live from your imagination and harvest your dreams. And please, never, ever forget the gift of family.

Life dosent always give you what you ask for it, but it always gives you what you need.

Your genius will shine and happiness will fill your life the instant you discover your higher purpose and then direct your energies towards it.