Instead I tried sharing 30 lessons I learnt which are helping me enrich my life. I really hope it inspires you just like it does to me.

1. Don’t waste your precious life sleeping off. Be an early riser. Like Vijay Mallya says – Only prostitutes make money in bed.
2. Exercise. Because Robin Sharma says – Those who don’t think about exercise early in life will be thinking a lot about illness late in life.
3. Try and say YES more often.
4. Don’t expect everything to be perfect before you start. Make the go and improvise as you go along.
5. Be proud of whatever you are in life. Don’t let any job be too small for you. Take pride in your work and be confident.
6. Travel. Get out of that pond. Go explore the world.
7. Drop the “I know it ALL” attitude. You don’t and you won’t.
8. Learn to be a student all your life.
9. Shit happens. The challenge is to either not be IN it or GET OUT of it. And most importantly don’t be the one creating it.
10. Relationships matter. EARN, RESPECT & MAINTAIN them.
11. Plan to use your weekends constructively or creatively. Learn a new skill. Pursue your hobby. Often, what you do on the weekends determines your attitude in the week.
12. You should be an expert. Pick a subject and try to learn everything you can about it. It adds a lot of conversation value.
13. No matter what field of work you are in. Be aware of current affairs.
14. Be a SPONGE. Absorb great stuff from your surroundings. See art, watch good movies, listen to music that stimulates you.
15. Be surrounded by smart, intelligent people. You may feel dumb in their company, but with the right people the learning experience is awesome.
16. Maintain a personal journal. Even if you don’t manage to write everyday, write when the heart wants to. Write because you want it all out of your head. Write because it will make you feel better.
17. Be MONEYWISE. Get a hold on your finances early on. Get good advise on investments. Stop leakages – late fees, interest charges. SAVE.
18. Being FRUGAL helps. But once in a while learn to splurge. you ain’t taking any of that money up with you.
19. REMEMBER: It’s not DONE till it’s DONE.
20. Control – Tongue & Temper.
21. Family – God gifted. Friends – you choose. So pick wisely.
22. Let every defeat give you more than it can take away from you. Learn something and move on.
23. Besides death don’t let anything put you down. Like the brand says – Keep Walking.
24. Set yourself some Goals. Having goals gives our lives purpose and meaning and direction.
25. Identify your mentors. Guides for life. Get inspired by them. Learn from their lives, their talks and their actions.
26. Don’t EXPECT miracles. MAKE them happen.
27. Not everything will be gifted to you. So if there is something you desire/deserve – ASK FOR IT.
28. Develop a helpful nature. People appreciate the unexpected support and will remember it.
29. Don’t SULK. Have a supportive family, strong partner or just great friends who will let you cry it all out.
30. I couldn’t think of point #30 but didn’t want to close the post on 29, so bear with me.

What’s your inspiration? What’s it that keeps you ticking? Please share your thoughts in the comments area.

On Saturday, I attended TEDx Gateway at Mumbai. They managed to put together an interesting mix of 16 speakers. I don’t think I made enough notes to write on each one. And then some were just not worth the time.

So here are some quick takes from the awesome ideas and thoughts that were presented at the conference.

Simplicity is the key

Rahul Panicker is developing a low-cost infant warmer which can work with or without electricity for rural areas of developing areas. Now, this warmer needs to be heated to a certain temperature for it to be effectively warm enough for the baby. And Rahul faced one problem, he saw that most mothers for safety measure decided to heat it to a few degrees less than prescribed just to be on the safe side. So to avoid this judgmental call which these mothers took, Rahul struck on an idea whereby he decided to have a heat sensitive sign on his warmer. If it was a smiling face the warmer was heated perfectly but if there was a frown it means that it yet needs to be heated.

No effort on training the mothers on the importance of being at the right temperature and so on. Make it simple and they’ll do it just the right way.

Solutions should adapt to local needs

Srini Swamitnathan teaches the 2nd grade class in a Dharavi Municipal School. Most students at this school were used to teachers who would beat them or scold them. So Srini had a tough time having these kids to open up and accept the education he was there to share with them. Srini took this as yet another corporate challenge and tried to understand what they wanted and how can school be fun for them. After lot of interaction and fun times with the children he innovated his teaching styles. Children learnt at every step. On the floor, at the switch board. Students were appointed as weathermen to share the weather every morning. Lessons were not just read but enacted with all the drama needed. It was fun to see his mobile whiteboard which we put on like an apron and walked around the class. And students interacted by marking keywords on this board.

I think this was so important for Srini to not just bring his learnings into a new environment but instead spend time learning on what’s needed and build solutions which fit it the best.

It’s not technology always

Arvind Gangaram Talekar, represents the Nutan Mumbai Tiffin Box Suppliers Charity Trust of Mumbai. Of the many secrets he revealed about the Dabbawala it was very interesting to note that they have a failure rate of just 1 in 16 million transactions. And this is completely without the use of any technology in their operations. Hats off! And a great learning to see that not all processes or problems can be solved with technology.

Introduction to Behaviour Architecture

Satish Krishnamurthy from final mile spoke about Behaviour Architecture which is founded on new sciences like Behavioural Economics and Cognitive Neurosciences.He shared a project his company worked on which helped minimize the number of accidents due to trespassing at railway crossings. Railway boards have spent a lot money trying to tell people not to risk their lives by crossing the railways lines but to no avail and death numbers are only on the rise. Final Mile attempts to influence the trespasser’s behaviour through various warning signs, sounds and symbols just as he/she is about to make the decision to walk across the track.

A very interesting and enlightening session indeed and I really hope you can see this video online once the organisers manage to put it up.

Interestingly I also got an opportunity to chat with Biju Dominic, the co-founder of Final Mile and he shared some interesting projects they were working on which include a corporate client who wants their employees to follow more road safety like wearing seat belts, following speeds limits. Final Mile does not engage only with corporate clients but also takes up social causes with a mission. The team is currently working on a project to help minimize spitting at public places.

Behaviour Architecture seems like a very interesting topic to me and I am hoping to pick up a book on the same subject very soon. Let me know if you’ve got any title recommendations.

A face to the many twitter handles

The TEDx event also gave me the chance to meet many of the twitter handles I have been interacting with over the past few months or weeks. So there was Mysti, Sengupta, Media_Reveries. Also it was nice catching up with Netra and Rohanbabu. Aviraj and Inkv – nice meeting you too.

As a consumer, I think we aren’t yet getting brand loyal when it comes to booking an AC cab. You just dial, and take the first can available to take you from A to B. Open and shut case. But how does the operator start getting customers to dial only their services during non-peak hours.

So I did some thinking and thought of a few things which might make an operator the preferred choice of AC cab.

Loyalty Club.

Book an x number of trips in the month and you could get a gift voucher or an exclusive discount coupon on your next trip. I am sure quite a few brands will want to sponsor it.

Priority Customer.

You get priority over the non-members during peak hour bookings. You get a 30 min free wait. And some more freebies can be bundled.

Make the drive an experience.

I’ve seen in-cab magazines. How about offering a bottle of water [make it paid]. Mouth fresheners etc. Can a new snack brand offer a free sample pack for the try.

Cab quality.

Ensure the AC cab is not going the ‘kaali-peeli’ way. It should be clean, smell nice and please no cockroaches under the seat, please. And yeah that AC better work at the best level.

Drivers, please suit up.

Ensure a quality check on the drivers. Do they smell like straight from a no-bath zone. Are they chewing too much of that masala making the cab smell like a paan factory.

Make a noise.

I don’t see the cab companies advertising. I didn’t know there was Easy Cabs and Star Taxi in Mumbai until I happen to see them on the road and had to make a quick note of their numbers. What’s keeping them away from advertising or building a brand name. At least the multi-city ones will be able to spread the ad costs across a larger fleet.

What’s your experience with AC cabs been like? What are the features you think would make you loyal to a brand?

Logged into your MSN or Google Chat, seen a friend who you never chat with. Why? because he never says hi or never sends an email. Give it a second thought. When was the last time you initiated conversation with a long lost friend. Or posted something on the facebook wall of a friend who’s been lost – probably caught up in his busy life. Not that you are ‘vella’ but hey you are on facebook anyways, so drop him/her a line and make them smile.

Go ahead  – BE THE FIRST ONE. MAKE A MOVE.

Read more. [My Shelfari book shelf]

Listen to a new genre of music. Move on from the Hindi film soundtracks and my current list of trance. I don’t know – maybe jazz, piano recitals.

Experience more audio books. I am currently listening to Timothy Ferris – The 4-hour Workweek

Watch/appreciate cinema beyond the block-busters. Also catch up on my pending list of photography related talk-shows and documentaries.

Travel more. See, soak and enjoy new environments.

Exercise the brain – probably start solving Sodoku, play poker.

Re-enter the kitchen - haven’t done this in a while but I know it’s fun and I love it.

Rise and shine earlier in the day. A continuous effort.

Get better at money management. Identify right channels and invest wisely & regularly.

If you enjoyed reading this blog, do check out Robin Sharma’s – 62 WAYS TO MAKE 2010 YOUR BEST YEAR YET.

And of course do share your thoughts in the comments area on how you plan to make 2010 a great year.

If there is something which makes my mom happy for sure is my twice a week trip to the temple. Of this the one made on the weekend involves a little wait thanks to the queue at times. While standing there it’s rather interesting to see the impatience people experience and at times even express so strongly.

One one such relaxed evening I was at complete ease in the temple. I watched as devotees walked in – some joined the queue and the impatient ones did their “distant darshan” and went away. And then there were the smart-ass types who thought they could did a little chiggy-wiggy to skip the line and reach the lord first. Why? I asked myself.

Humans. We don’t wait our turn to meet lord in the most honest way – so how are we expected to be honest and wait for our turns to get lord’s gift. Let’s be fair to him – let’s give him the time to thank him for what he gives us today and what he plans for our future. Let’s try and be with him when we pray rather than worry if the car is going to be towed away or am I going to miss that call while I am in the temple.

Wishing you all a very happy diwali – one which can get you closer to the lord. Cheers!

Back from our summer holidays, excited we fight the laziness and manage to attend the first day of school. Only to be disappointed that our the friend is no longer in the same class.

The smell of new text-books, those gleaming freshly sharpened pencils, the absolutely clean pages of the notebooks waiting to have their Chapter 1 written in them. Upset that mummy didn’t buy you a new compass box, while your friends got one from the trip to Singapore/Dubai.

But you never missed an opportunity to show-off the latest ware collected during the vacation. That Sheaffer ink pen your “mamaji” gifted you while at nani’s place. Or that Japanese compass-box which had multiple buttons and was made like a Swiss knife with everything fitted into it.

Visit to the Bata store to pick up your pairs of gum-boots or white canvas shoes which you wish didn’t have to be worn during the rains.

First period of the language was spent writing the season favourite – “How I spent my summer vacation”. And of course we had to do this in local languages also.

Got upset when you learn that your favourite teacher was no longer around.

Wondered if this year you would get to share the desk with that cute girl you attempted talking to last year – Or be stuck with the class bully.

And then as days passed, the home-work would increase and the excitement was over, you would sleep every night with the prayer that it may pour all night and school would declare a holiday tomorrow.

Did the new year of school excite you? Do you have a child-hood memory from those days? Would love to hear it, leave your thoughts in the comments area.

1. Somethings don’t change. I’ve realised that not everything can be changed as per your wants. So when I hit the wall, I am not going to bang my head against it in the hope of breaking it down. I am going to look around and find an alternative path to move forward. If that fails then I am going to bring in the tools needed to break through the wall.
2. Voice my opinion. There is nothing worst than not having expressed your opinion at the Right TIME among the Right PEOPLE. So, to hell with that lack of confidence, if I have an opinion I am going to share it – boldly and with complete belief.
3. Don’t just push, but push the right mountains. There is A PROBLEM and then there IS A ARE MANY solutions. And the winner is one who can identify which given solution will solve the problem.
4. Not efforts but results will count. This one comes from my boss – “Don’t tell me what you did. Tell me if the objective has been achieved”. Fair enough, in the ruthless jungle we live in, it’s not about efforts but about results (most of the time).
5. And lastly I will believe this year that a “fit-waistline” is achievable and pregnant men don’t look nice – So I am going to work hard to ensure that little fat tummy is back in good shape.

Did 2008 teach you any lessons, and what are the thoughts that you bring into this New Year. Would love to hear you speak in the comments area.

We may find many talented teachers out there to teach us everything that we probably want to learn in this life time. But only a good student and a positive spirit can help absorb all that the teacher has to offer in terms of the learnings and lessons of life.

So, the next time you are a student (We all should be students all our life) charge up yourself to take in more than just what your teacher intends to share with you. Learn with an attitude that nothing is difficult for you.

As somebody mentioned at the ceremony that the future will not see the lack of talented teachers, but the absence of dedicated students.

The Germans and British no longer believe anything you say in an ad,” he said. That makes advertising pretty pointless. You have to think of how you’re going to reach people in different ways.
- Dell CMO Mark Jarvis in Dell’s Hearing Test

People don’t buy what they need. They buy what they want.
- Seth Godin in “What Every Good Marketer Knows”

Life is like photography. You use the negatives to develop.
- Unknown

Dream is not what you see in sleep. It is the thing which does not let you sleep. – APJ Abdul Kalam

Read the first post here.