"The Luck Factor"

Hi All,
Writing after a very very long gap, been very busy with life. i found this really nice piece of writing somewhere, posting it here for a great reading:

I set out to examine luck, 10 years ago. Why are some people always in the right place at the right time, while others consistently experience ill fortune? I placed advertisements in national newspapers asking for people who felt consistently lucky or unlucky to contact me. Hundreds of extraordinary men and women volunteered for my research and over the years, have been interviewed by me. I have monitored their lives and had them take part in experiments. The results reveal that although these people have almost no insight into the causes of their luck, their thoughts and behaviour are responsible for much of their good and bad fortune. Take the case of seemingly chance opportunities. Lucky people consistently encounter such opportunities, whereas unlucky people do not. I carried out a simple experiment to discover whether this was due to differences in their ability to spot such opportunities. I gave both lucky and unlucky people a newspaper, and asked them to look through it and tell me how many photographs were inside. I had secretly placed a large message halfway through the newspaper saying: 'Tell the experimenter you have seen this and win $50'. This message took up half of the page and was written in type that was more than two inches high. It was staring everyone straight in the face, but the unlucky people tended to miss it and the lucky people tended to spot it. Unlucky people are generally more tense than lucky people, and this anxiety disrupts their ability to notice the unexpected. As a result, they miss opportunities because they are too focused on looking for something else. They go to parties intent on finding their perfect partner and so miss opportunities to make good friends. They look through newspapers determined to find certain types of job advertisements and miss other types of jobs. Lucky people are more relaxed and open, and therefore see what is there rather than just what they are looking for. My research eventually revealed that lucky people generate good fortune via four principles. They are skilled at creating and noticing chance opportunities, make lucky decisions by listening to their intuition, create self-fulfilling prophesies via positive expectations, and adopt a resilient attitude that transforms bad luck into good. I wondered towards the end of the work, whether these principles could be used to create good luck. I asked a group of volunteers to spend a month carrying out exercises designed to help them think and behave like a lucky person. Dramatic results! These exercises helped them spot chance opportunities, listen to their intuition, expect to be lucky, and be more resilient to bad luck. One month later, the volunteers returned and described what had happened. The results were dramatic: 80 per cent of people were now happier, more satisfied with their lives and, perhaps most important of all, luckier. The lucky people had become even luckier and the unlucky had become lucky. Finally, i had found the elusive 'luck factor'. Here are four top tips for becoming lucky: 1) Listen to your gut instincts ^ they are normally right. 2) Be open to new experiences and breaking your normal routine. 3) Spend a few moments each day remembering things that went well. 4) Visualise yourself being lucky before an important meeting or telephone call. Have a Lucky day and work for it. The happiest people in the world are not those who have no problems, but those who learn to live with things that are less than perfect.

Hugs

Adi

For those who missed Khalid's Review of NO SMOKING

Hi All,

Writing after a loooooooooooong Gap. I was so lazy all these days, busy with business. Anyway, the recent Blah Blah Blah between Anurag Kashyap and Khalid Mehmood made me so curious about NO SMOKING. No I will not give you any more review of this Movie, actually I am in a dilemma. If I say I did not even understand the movie at all, I feel guilty of not being a part of neo intelligent system bashing CULT. If I say It was a classic movie and a great effort by Anurag, I will again feel guilty as it was a loser at systems barometer.

Anyway, whatever, but I really loved the way Khalid took his revenge, so this is here again who missed what actaully he wrote in his review:

No Smoking Cast: John Abraham, Ayesha Takia, Filter Tips, Ash TraysDirection: Sir Anurag KashyapRating: *

Great, wonderful, superb, just too creative for words. Sheer genius. Now, we must all stand up, salute and go wah-wah-wah for Anurag Kashyap, who writes blockbuster blogs and classic movies. He’s genius, maan, pure genius. He’ll make a Kaagaz ke Phoolpatti yet. Or at least an Anurag India. Or how about a Kashyap-e-Azam?
I mean he pays homage to the director of Cabaret (Bob Fosse) when he makes a woman sing in the voice of Adnan Sami. Shudder. Kashyap reads and sees movies, you know, so he’s very knowledgeable. He can even say critics are something that go down the flush every morning, that they are seven-letter-words beginning with F and ending with S. But aren’t we all?
Aaah, so lovely, beautiful, Kashyap has now written and directed No Smoking. In this John Abraham, with his Gulzar-like stubble, smokes ciggies, bathes in a tub, visits a weird Undergroundpur for a cure (for smoking, not bathing sillies) and argues with Ranvir Shorey who plays cross-eyed, a first in cinema history – an actor goes kaania, bhenga, whatever.

Too in-depth man, too in-depth, puffing, driving, the sex act, the sex act, fingers being chopped. Kcuf, kcuf.. what’s happening out here? You can’t make out, you don’t care, and you’re fed up of the affectations, the self-indulgence, and the fact that you even bothered to see this Dhumrapan Nishedh bandhi which tells you about Socrates, Plato and then goes Do be Do. I swear on Sinatra’s head. Hey, Kashy actually hears retro-music and wants us to know. Niiice.
Gee, the movie’s so unusual, unconventional and daring. It’s an original guys, original. Get me a double whisky yaar. Gotta celebrate. It’s so very much like Stephen King’s story Quitters’ Inc. which featured as a part of the Cat’s Eye horror movie way back in 1985. What to do Sir Genius? We Idiotic Reviewers, FOOLS, Scum of the Earth, watch DVDs too.
And yes, we actually say Abraham sir still has to LEARN the Ka Kha Ga (read A B C) of acting, Ayesha Takia has to stop looking plump.
Sir Kashyap, your genius is blinding. Thank you for Quitters’ Inc which you have set in Mumbai and Siberia. And if you ask me, at this very point, I don’t want to quit smoking. I want to quit Kashyaping. See a Bhojpuri or a Blogpuri movie. Just don’t do this to me sir, please, don’t. The rest of the world needs your brain. Ulp, I don’t.

Honestly, I am still trying to figure out the movie despite being a movie buff myself.

Hugs

Adi

Apne Kheto Se Bichadne Ki Saza Paata Hu.....

Posting after a long Gap. Been very busy with work and everything. Writing just to share the pain of not been able to get Harsh into a decent school. I classify schools in three categories:

1. Life Style School: meant for upper strata of society. Monthly Fee ranges around monthly salary of a middle class Indian.
2. Govt. aided Public School: These are the most sought schools, most of the missionaries schools comes under this. The fee are very low as these schools gets grant from Govt.
3. Govt. School: No one dares to enter into these except lower class public of India.

I will not go deeper into the details of these schools. I tried for 2nd category and found out that as usual everything is bribed and before I could bid for my child's place someone other had won the auction with a higher bid.

I am from a very small hamlet of Rajasthan and I never faced these kind of situation ever. These are the big city's blues and one has to face it. But frankly speaking what do I do, I offered bribe to the concerned authority to my maximum capacity but for them I was not able to get into the merit.

ADi

"Quit India"

"Quit India" I first came across in my history books while in school. Then second thought came acroos reading this magazine, I shrug it off as I love my country. Once somewhere in his album the music god "Rehman" said "do not accept CHALTA HAI attitude, fight for your right". Then came RDB [Rang De Basanti], my other god "Aamir" said let's change it our way.

I was totally overwhelmed, but somewhere deep in my heart I am really being overpowered by a mere thought "QUIT INDIA", here is yet another reason:

Yesterday my wife called me up on my mobile and informed me that the post man was there and had informed that there is a big parcel for us and since it is heavy he will not deliver it and I will have to collect it from post office for myself. I thought "Chalta hai" and went all the way [20 Kms far] to post office, after explaining to five peoples, I was sent to "saab". He informed me very calmly "Come tommorow", I said, sir I travelled 20 Kms to collect it so please deliver it today. He looked at me and said we have staff problem and there is no one to find out where your parcel is so come tommorow. Post office premices was not too big, I noticed my big parcel lying there. I requested once again to tobbacco chewing "Saab" pointing to my parcel, he said so what, but there is no one to deliver it to you. I explained, I will pick it up and give me the signing slip and will do the formalities. Here one other fellow, barked "Saab has already told you to come tommorow, so why you are arguing". Two of the staff were sitting outside, killing time. I came out and explained them, one of them laughed and told me "Saab is in good mood, thats why he told you to come tommorow otherwise it takes a week time". I was feeling weak, I came back home. Next day I again travelled back to post office, After few usual hassles the parcel was given to me. Here I thought about RDB and my god "Aamir" and thought about "let's change it our way". After taking delivery of the parcel, I getly asked for the complain book. "Saab" stared for few moment and gave me nod and said "yeah, we do have one". He forwarded it towards me and offered me a pen and said "See young man, here is the complain book and you are free to lodge anything you want but remember now onward you may miss many of your mails and many may get lost in transit, and many may not reach you at all. We will not be responsible for anything". The words were so gentle but had a threat in it, I thought for a second and got his point. I dropped the idea of lodging a complain, and gave back the pen and book to "Saab". On my way back I heard them Laughing "Saal, shikayat karega."

Dear GOD, the thought of QUIT INDIA is over powering my inner love towards my motherland. Lets see how may days, weeks, months, years I can resist myself.

Hugs

ADI

"First day in School"

I consider this a classic picture, it was Harsh's first day in school. After few very doting years under family umbrella, he wents out to the world. You can see the expressions, the innocence and the wide eyed "Here I come attitude". I can not visualise my own first day in my school but I can say surely anyone can relate their own with this classic picture.

"Dogs and Indians are not allowed"

Dogs and Indians are not allowed; I heard this phrase for the first time in a Hindi movie titled “Mard”, then I came to know that in colonial era many British Raj offices and clubs used to have this board outside their gates. Now I want to put this board outside my Webstore, but eBay policies stops me from doing this. Well you might find it strange but I really feel like putting this board outside my webstore and I have strong reasons to back my feelings, and here is why:

Roughly 10% of my total gross sales come from resident Indian buyers, 75% are westerner and 15% are Non Resident Indians. Now first 10% of sales seldom get completed as many of the buyers are new to online buying and are very cautious, and I take it very normally as being an Indian myself, I Understand their psyche. 75% of sales which comes from my western buyers, and I don’t have single instance where a sales goes uncompleted, and based on my personal experiences I can easily conclude that the morality is very high among westerner, they are very honest and simple. Now the remaining part the 15% which comprises of NRI’s [Non Resident Indians], they feel they are the supreme, no matter they are filling gas at some remote station of US of A. They consider every Indian product as cheap and every Indian person a cheaper. Their modus operandi is very simple, they will buy something from you store after a good bargaining, they will pay promptly and you feel it was a good dream sale. But this dream turns to a nightmare when you get a mail telling you that the product is not good and quality is very poor and they want their money back otherwise they will complain to PAYPAL or eBay authorities and threatens you to put a negative remark on your feedback page, and you succumb to their blackmailing. Latest entry in this list is Maansi Shah from US of A. She did the same thing. She wanted a sari for some marriage party and contacted me, and closed a deal on my eBay webstore. She got her sari, she wore it to party [One of my other client in same area told me this later] and after the party was over she lodged a complain with me that sari is very cheap and wants her money back, I succumbed to the blackmail and refunded the money. This is my 28th bad experience and I very strongly feel that eBay should allow me to put a board outside my webstore that, “ DOGS AND INDIANS ARE NOT ALLOWED”.

Flying High...

Well I remember Tudu [my Guru] gave me this book and it taught me the strength of my thoughts, ideas and mind. today I expanded my horizons little more and started my operations in Australia, just remembering the time. " you are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true". Now reached almost worldwide and the new idea has born "Dress Code", will tell you more about it later.

ADi.

"Home Alone"

Few days back I visited my native place for some reasons. “Jalore” a remote hamlet of colorful Rajasthan, the place I was born and brought up at. I do try to visit once in a year as my parents still lives their and besides it, I am very sentimental about the place as I feel my roots are their.

This time it was very painful as we have been forced to vacate my ancestral home due to a family feud. The home to which I am attached very emotionally, the streets I played in, the aura and smell I breathed in, everything was like snatched. I really felt pity about how our social values are weaved into, where we are taught to be greedy about land and property.

Touchwood somehow I feel my parents have not inherited me with this teachings. I was amazed at the fact that everyone except us [ the sufferer ] were taking note of their own interest over a few yard of extra land or property they are going to get, nobody concerned about the trauma we are going under.Anyway, we moved to the outskirt of the town. We are trying to adjust ourselves their and hopefully it seems everything happened for better

The Success Beans

A major part of the process of achieving success and living the kind of life that you dream of is to give. Many people think that to get what you want you have to take it. There is a universal truth though that the true path to get what you want is to give. When you give, you get. What you sow, you shall reap. If this is true, then what is it we must give? I’ll show you the way...

Give Others Your Honesty: The world we live in has a simple rule that most follow: Lie when you have to. Unfortunately, this may make some people wealthy but it make us humans poor. To achieve success is to become wealthy not only in money, but in character. To be successful, truly successful, is to be able to attain your goals and keep your character at the same time! “Honesty is the most single most important factor having a direct bearing on the final success of an individual, corporation, or product.” Ed McMahon Mister McMahon is right, though others will tell you otherwise. Some people will say, You have to bend the truth to get ahead. Not true. Some of the most successful people who have ever lived where honest people. How about you? Are you honest in all things? The problem with little lies is they become big ones. Lies spin out of control. You get caught in one lie and you lie to get out of it.
Give Others Your Respect: Most of the time we give people respect based on what they have done or what they have accomplished. We gauge whether or not they are worthy of it based on what we know of what they have achieved or who they know or are related to. But I believe we should have a higher standard: We respect people not for what they have done or for who they are related to or for what they can do for us. Instead, we respect people for simply being. What would happen in our world, in our company, and yes, even in our families if we started with respect for everyone else rather than making them earn it? I think we would see that most people would live up to the respect that we give them!
Give Others Your Vulnerability: We are taught to be strong. And yes, we should be strong. But we have also embraced something that I think keeps us from having the kind of life that we long for. It is an idea that keeps us from experiencing the kind of relationships that would bring deep meaning to us. It is the idea of vulnerability. But Chris, make yourself vulnerable and people will step all over you! It is true that this will happen. But I have also seen that most people will be drawn to you. They will help you. They will open up to you. You see, we are all broken people inside. We all have secrets. Yet everyone plays the poser. When one lets down their veil, others soon follow and we all win.
Give Others Your Care: Too many people are running around this old earth not caring about others. Take the time to show people you care. Listen to them. Empathise with them. Love them. Now, I don’t mean that you have to go around hugging everyone that probably wouldn’t fly in corporate America anyway but we can take some time to step back from business and be human! And I have found that when we do so, our business succeeds as well!
Give Others Your Passion: There is nothing this world needs more than passionate people. And people need passionate people. Living in this day and age can be tiring. The hustle and bustle of it all can wear you down and tire you out. Give your passion to others and fire them up. Don’t just be humdrum be excited. Give people all the energy you can muster up. And you will find that energy reciprocal. They will get energised and passionate. This in turn will fire you up more when you are already charged and get you going altogether when you don’t feel like moving at all!
Give Others Your Experience: We all have areas that we excel in and they are usually areas that we have experience in. One of the things we can do to make our lives more meaningful and be of utmost help to others is to show them the way through the experiences we have. Sometimes it will be what they should do: Shortcuts to take, people to meet etc. Sometimes it will be what they should not do: Shortcuts not to take and people toasty away from! Whatever it is, we can be of service to others by giving them our experience and ultimately it will make us all better!
Give Others Your Help: All in all, what we want to do is to help others. Zig Ziglar says that if we will help others get what they want, we will in turn get what we want. If we want to be successful, we should consider ourselves servants of other people. What can we do to help them and make them better? This is the true path to greatness and success, not only in business but in life! [ Got this good article somewhere posting for a recurring read]

On the Cofee Table with "GOD"

God: Hello. You called me.
I, Me, Myself: Called you? No, who is this?
God: This is God. I heard your prayers. So I thought I will chat with you.
IMM: Sure, I pray. Just makes me feel good. Actually, am busy now. In the midst of something, you know.
God: What are you busy with? Ants are busy, too.
IMM: Don't know. But I can't find free time. Life has become hectic. It's rush hour all the time. God: Sure. Activity gets you busy. But productivity gets you results. Activity consumes time. Productivity frees it.
IMM: But I still can't figure it out. By the way, I was not expecting YOU to buzz me on instant messaging chat.
G: Well, I wanted to help you resolve your fight for time by giving you some clarity. I wanted to reach you through the medium you are comfortable with.
IMM: Tell me, why has life become so complicated?
G: Stop analysing life. Just live it. Analysis is what makes it complicated.
IMM: Why are we then constantly unhappy?
G: Your today is the tomorrow that you worried about yesterday. You are worrying because the act of worrying has become a habit. That's why you are not happy.

IMM: But how can we not worry when there is so much uncertainty?
G: Uncertainty is inevitable, but worrying is optional.
IMM: But then, there is so much pain due to uncertainty.
God: Pain is inevitable, but suffering is optional.
IMM: If suffering is optional, why do good people always suffer?
God: Diamonds cannot be polished without friction. Gold cannot be purified without fire. Good people go through trials. With that experience their life becomes better, not bitter.
IMM: You mean to say such experience is useful?
God: Yes. Experience is a hard teacher, though. She gives the test first and the lessons afterwards.
IMM: But still, why should we go through such tests? Why can't we be free from problems? God: Problems are Purposeful Roadblocks Offering Beneficial Lessons to Enhance Mental Strength. Inner strength comes from struggle and endurance, not when you are free from problems.
IMM: Frankly in the midst of so many problems, we don't know where we are heading.
God: If you look outside you will not know where you are heading. Look inside. Looking outside, you dream. Looking inside, you awaken. Eyes provide sight. Heart provides insight.
I Me Myself: Sometimes I ask, who am I, why am I here? I don't know the answers.

God: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be.

IMM: Sometimes not succeeding fast seems to hurt more than moving in the right direction. God: Success is relative, quantified by others. Satisfaction is absolute, quantified by you. Knowing the road ahead is more satisfying than knowing you rode ahead.
IMM: Sometimes I ask, who am I, why am I here? I don't know the answers.
God: Seek not to find who you are, but to determine who you want to be. Stop looking for a purpose as to why you are here. Create it. Life is not a process of discovery but a process of creation.
IMM: How can I get the best out of life?
God: Face your past without regret. Handle your present with confidence. Prepare for the future without fear.
IMM: Sometimes my prayers are not answered.
God: There are no unanswered prayers. At times the answer is NO.
IMM: Thank you for this wonderful chat. I'll try to be less fearful.
God: Keep the faith and drop the fear. Life is a mystery to solve, not a problem to resolve. Life is wonderful if you know how to live