Searching for that thing. . they call it motivation!

Namaste,

Motivation is the driver of effort. Continuing with my chain of thoughts over the last 2-3 weeks, I think that effort, being the distinguisher of men, can be analysed on one more dimension. The dimension that drives the effort itself, the concept of motivation. Motivation is an awesome force, it makes you produce a fantastic effort, at times surpassing your own expectations.

Dont want to analyse the term and concept so much, but rather want to communicate the constant search for motivation that seems ingrained in me. Over the years, I have accumulated multiple perspectives of life and the approaches people take to achieve what they want. For many of us, even deciding what we want seems to be a question unanswered. Yes, we want the similar objectives of wealth, health and prosperity. But where do we see ourselves in 20 years - professionally, personally, individually. What can be different about our vision of ourselves, that can drive some motivation in us to make that extra effort, rather make that unique effort for that unique vision of success in life.

I have always believed that motivation is an attitude, it applies to all aspects of life. More for some, less for others. For the many of us, its easier to think of motivation in terms of our careers, or our hobbies. BUt isnt there motivation in making and maintaining relationships, in setting up a house (and a home), in living life in a house, in being with your companion and friends, in doing all the random the things that give you pleasure. It takes motivation to excel and enjoy in any of these, but is there a sum of all these parts that can be knownm understood, sustained and grown. I dont have an answer to the question, but maybe be thats the determination I need. To find the answer to the big picutre, to know the sum of all parts. Dont know if the answer will be satisfactory, but the hope in the search for it, there are different perspectives that I learn - and one of them might just define my life.

Hmm. .. or can I upfront define that one thing I want to do, and then everythign else can surround that. That seems equally plausible, and to a great extent, more proactive. The only hitch being how do you I decide on the one thing I can devote my life to! Hmm. . its an interesting thought. Will call it a blog with that.

Do you have that one thing in your life? If you know it, I suggest you start thinking about doing everything you can about it.

Cheers,
Satish

Monday to Friday!

Hi there,

Think it is something that a whole lot of us share in common. Going from Monday to friday, waiting for the weekend, and lo behold, before you know - it runs past you to get you into another working week. And then you start on Monday, thinking the week would be so long, but the five days pass you by, and probably Friday afternoon you realise that there is not much that has happened in 5 days.

Hmm. .. to me, life seems to be making progress through these small steps called weeks, further broken down to days. So when you try to look at the big picture, one wonders what he could do to make one week different from another. Often times, each day seems the same, and so you try to make it different. Either by calling up that old friend, or mailing him/her - or trying to read a little more of a good book lying in your room, or as it is sometimes for me, trying to cook something different or taking a breather for regrouping myself under the blue sky and stars.

But during the week my thoughts keep returning to work, since I pretty much beleive its integrated into my life more than anything else. And I do wonder about how satisfying my work has been, more so for myself than anyone else. A part of that satisfaction is also the value it generates. And the only applicable parameter of measuring that seems to be the integrity and depth of your own effort. THe thought that goes into that effort, and if you have given it your best as against just doing it because it needs to get done. Capability and knowledge help to leverage on good effort, no doubt, but I think my belief in human effort surpasses most other talents of the human mind. As long as people make a genuine effort to think and act, you tend to appreciate their involvement. I think this thought continues from my last blog, and just reiterates the point.

Thats enough for a Tuesday morning. Just wanted to also send out a thought for all those friends of mine, who are getting along with their own setups of life. Here is wishing each of them a wonderful holiday season and a new year coming. If you are reading this, do drop me a line and I will surely respond earnestly.

Cheers,
Satish

Effort

Vanakkam,

I know the title of the blog might tend to people off, or draw the curious onlooker to test waters with the first few lines. But for the lack of a better phrase to communicate the central message of my thoughts at the moment, I choose to retain the word at the centre of it all.

Was reading about some of the memorable Asians known around the world, and the list seemed fairly interesting, incomplete and diverse. For a reason imbibed in me by education, I was looking for similarities or patterns among the 10 individuals mentioned - and frankly couldnt really find any. The mental gymnastics although set me thinking about what qualifies these people so they are remembered after years of their most prominent times (sometimes for the wrong reasons) and if I could find those reasons, could I possibly emulate them or at least draw some inspiration.

And the answer lay in this one word - effort. To me, the effort made by these men rises them among men of equality. Talent, determination, intelligence, persistence, courage and other things probably are as important, but the true lever for each of these forces has to be the effort made by these men. Whether it be Myanmar's Suu Kyi or India' Gandhi - China's Mao or Singapore's own Lee Kuan Yew - or the hundreds of other inspriational people we know - without their effort at being what they wanted to be, there realyl wouldnt have been much. Stephen Hawking comes to my mind as an epitome of this - makign an effort. But probably no less is the effort of that granny in the village, who tries learning to read at age 70. So then if effort is the qualifier of men, why arent all men equal.

That is where the many other things become significant. What are you making an effort for. To build a home or to rent a condominium - to turn around a company or get a good-paying job - to make sense of love or to be in a relationship - to be keen or to get along. Whatever it is that makes you tick, I think the objective and the quality of effort go along with the definition if you had to use the concept as a differentiator among people. probably that explains why being more careful about our hygiene or being more fashionable also makes us happy. Its not about just the consequence of the choice, its the choice itself that matters. We choose to do some things a certain way, and thats our effort at life. Our effort at ourselves. And the results make us the unique individual that we are. The sum of many parts, which no one person can comprehend - our individuality remains elusive to most of us. And rightly so, else what would be the point of waking up a new day - making a new friend.

Hmm. . guess have blabbered enough. Just thought I will put thought on some silicon before I went to sleep. As I log off for now, am feeling an awesome sense of time, like I am floating in it at the moment, but I know I will be riding a force when I wake up tomorrow. Wanting to get to work, and moving things a little further and living my life a little more. Wanting to be with a few people more than others.

so much for an effort :)

cheers,
satish

Where to lunch?

Hi there,

Am in the middle of the mass internal mail chat, the objective of which is to decide where to go for lunch. Its quite interesting how a group of relatively intelligent people get stuck in deciding where to go for lunch. And dont tell me it has not happened to you. The idea simply is that its something we dont mind being civil about and hence letting another person decide. Nevertheless, you have few individuals coming up with a craving for something, or suddenly someone just decides to go to same old place since its comfortable and known. One such place for me and my colleagues is China Square. I guess and hope we are not going there today :)

Anyway, have just finished 6 months at my current firm, and it definitely seems longer than that. And yet time seems to have flown past. Have lived 6 months more of my life, doing a job that sounds better than it is. Well, thinking about it a little more, the work ispretty cyclical - so you have times when you feel great about it and at other times, you wonder if you were born to do this.

But this experience also has reiterated my belief that the people and co-workers contribute a lot to your feeling good about the workplace. And its not them as individuals, but together as a group. And hence the group chemistry takes precedence over individual comfort factors. Well, just know that all this is never existent by itself and so every single one of us, has to try to make it happen.

By this time I think everyone has got hungry, so we are gonna leave and take a vote in the lobby. So lets hope the vegetarian me gets some consideration :)

cheers,
satish