Pile On Motivation

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Category: Self Help

  • “Stress” v/s “Passion” – The Simon Sinek Way

    In our work lives we all search for fulfillment but rarely find so.

    There are occasions though wherein at the end of the day we feel fulfilled but we find it very difficult to articulate the exact reason as to why we feel good at times and not at other times.

    After having slogged for long hours at work we sometimes feel fulfilled yet sometimes very stressed out.

    The following quote from Simon Sinek is so clear and crisp that I was able to very well relate to the same , hope this spreads motivation around as well.

    “Working hard for something we don’t care about is called Stress. Working hard for something we love is called Passion.” — Simon Sinek

     

  • Definition of “Success”- The Simon Sinek Way

    Another crisp and crystal clear Simon Sinek quote that is not only inspiring to the core but very realistic as well..

    We all dream to reach a destination but only when we realize that what we have dreamt has translated to reality is when we realize SUCCESS.

    “Success is when reality catches up to your imagination.” — Simon Sinek

  • Difference between “Vision” & “Goal” – The Simon Sinek way

    What fascinates me about Simon Sinek is the ease with which he articulates his thoughts and make them sound so real. This is precisely the reason his thoughts resonate with me.

    One such example is his difference between Goal and Vision.

    The difference between vision and a goal is the finish line.

    A goal is 26.2 miles. You can simply count the metrics and know when you’ve completed your goal.

    A vision is having a crystal clear sense of what the finish line looks like, but no idea of how far away it is.

    — Simon Sinek,

     

  • “Why Discovery for Individuals” – Steps

    “Find Your Why” is Simon Sinek’s follow up to the best seller named “Start with Why“.

    This book teaches individuals as well as groups to find out their respective WHYs in their lives.

    In this blog we will focus on a high level overview of the why discovery related to individuals.

    Finding our WHY is the recipe to achieve fulfillment in our lives. This in turn would enable “Oxytocin“(the fulfillment chemical) to flow through our veins. Once we realize our WHY we can channelize our energies in the right direction to unleash our best in our personal lives as well as work lives.This would enable us to lead a life free of depression wherein we would try and make ourselves a better version of ourselves rather than comparing ourselves with the rest of the pack.

    Realization of WHY cannot happen in silos and would need the help of our acquaintance(s) who are willing to help us and give constructive feedback. This process would take anything between 6 minutes to 6 hours.

    Finding an acquaintance with child like inquisitiveness , one who is a great listener who knows the importance of realizing a WHY is the first most important step  to be taken by an individual in order to realize the WHY.

    In Summary this process would involve the following steps:

    1. Find an acquaintance who can provide unbiased feedback. The person should have the ability to ask open ended questions and should be a great listener.
    2. The individual whose WHY needs to be discovered should be able to SHARE ALL STORIES that can help bring out important themes and patterns from them. These stories and related facts can be unraveled by asking open ended questions and assimilating all important findings that emanate from the stories.
    3. IDENTIFICATION of THEMES from these stories is needed in order to zero in on the WHY of an individual.
    4. All the identified themes from the shared stories would be able to connect the dots and form a WHY statement in the following format:

              TO___________________________________(this blank is related to the contribution of the individual towards the lives of others around him/her) SO THAT______________________(this blank is related to the impact produced by the contribution)

    This is a very high level overview of the WHY discovery of individuals especially for those who have not had the privilege of reading “START WITH WHY” and “FIND YOUR WHY”.To me these books are quintessential for individuals who want to soul search and find a meaning for themselves in their lives in order to make a meaningful contribution to the society.

    Pile on motivation!!

  • Simon Sinek Leadership Lesson – “True Leader is one who shows the destination”

    What makes Simon Sinek’s leadership lessons easy to understand is the fact that we can easily relate to them in our daily work lives.

    One such lesson is when he says “Great leaders show followers a destination“.

    This does resonate with me since this has a relation with our human brain as well. When the destination is clear or a semblance of it is imprinted in the mind of a follower , the human mind is creative enough to reach the destination even if obstacles come in the way of the destination.

    True leaders who walk the talk and are “hands on” are willing to slog it out with the followers when they see their team members struggling to find a destination.

    As opposed to this , there are other leaders who feel insecure by the day and for lack of subject matter knowledge , make the destination deliberately confusing to the followers. A hazy destination confuses the human mind and inhibits the use of creativity. Traditionally these are leaders who are leaders only because of their rank/position and lack true respect from followers.

    As per Simon Sinek , the leaders , who are able to show their followers a destination , are the ones who are able to get the best of their team members and in turn the followers are willing to give their blood sweat and tear & are able to unleash their true potential. This results in insanely productive outcomes.

    This being said it must be said that such  leaders are very rare to get and want of such leaders makes our workplaces so suffocating. Most of the times in the presence of micro-managing leaders , who themselves are not clear of the destination , lack the true subject matter knowledge and intrinsic sense of motivation , workers get frustrated and tired of doing mundane work wherein their creativity and accountability are not put to test.

    We all are in search of such leaders who would make us feel safe , have courage and guts to show their followers the destination…..

    Pile on motivation!!

     

     

     

  • Serve those who serve others to achieve fulfillment

    For those who have not yet watched this video of Simon Sinek , this is a must watch.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=8QX6pkSityQ

    Please listen to this video very carefully and would have witnessed something extra special.

    Simon Sinek narrates his experience of getting stuck up in Afghanistan , after having lost all hopes of returning back to his home.

    During that moment of hopelessness he like ordinary humans became obsessed with his own goals and forgot about the principles of leadership he energizes people with.

    This real life experience when his back was against the wall , leading up to the magical realization that dawned on him , is a true treat for people who are seeking inspiration and motivation.

    The very fact that serving those who serve others can act as a panacea and result in fulfillment is something that Simon realized through his life experience and is sure to inspire more and more of his followers.

    Pile on motivation!!

     

  • The Art of Storytelling – The Carmine Gallo Way

    The Storyteller’s Secret is the third book of Carmine Gallo that I have read after Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs, Talk like TED.Like the first two, I have found this equally fascinating.

    This book is a must read for those who are looking to overcome stage fright , public speaking as well as those who are into selling.

    As is evident from this as well as his previous books, storytelling has always been an art not science and needs the storyteller to understanding the working of the human brain with precision.

    The stories of great presentations , the preparation before the presentations , the effort made by the presenter in trying to influence the human brain goes a long way in conveying the message that for passing on a simple message in an easily understandable way needs lot of complex planning and preparation.

    The following are the concepts related to engaging presentations, storytelling that deeply appealed to my senses. All these it must be said have deep rooted relationship with neuroscience and ability to understand the working of the human brain. Thus storytelling is still an art using scientific techniques leaving nothing to chance.

    ü  Neural coupling —– This is what happens when a message from a storyteller is able to engage the listener and his brain (emotional side of it) is tightly coupled with the idea presented by the storyteller. It is similar to resonance that happens when the natural frequency matches. Once a listener is neutrally coupled the job of the storyteller in conveying his message becomes a lot easier. As a result of neural coupling an emotionally charged event gets triggered in the brain that gives rise to excitement in the mind of a listener driving away boredom.

    ü  Heart sing —- This is a concept coined by Steve Jobs wherein the presenter or storyteller has to connect with the audience in such a way that would make the heart of the audience sing with the message conveyed by the presenter.

    ü  Mood contagion happens when the mood or magic created by the storyteller spreads like a disease amongst the audience and becomes contagious wherein the audience remains engaged with all eyes and ears enjoying the presentation.

    ü  Amygdala “Post It” notes – Amygdala is the region of the brain that releases dopamine, the chemical that gives us happiness. The message of the presenter when conveyed in a desirable manner  gets registered as a “Post It” note in the brain region named Amygdala and causes the release of dopamine which makes the listener not only relate better but carry the message with him/her after the presentation.

  • 5 Leadership Lessons, a masterclass – The Simon Sinek Way

    The following link has a recent video of Simon Sinek that I came across recently. The practicality of the 5 principles conveyed via this video fascinated me and enticed me to share this with a broader audience group to spread the word around.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=CZx4DTglHJc

    Here are the 5 leadership principles, which if practiced as well as preached would not only help groom and create leaders but would also make workplaces a better and safer place for employees

    1) Go after things that you want to achieve in life without coming in the way of others – Human beings are very creative, when given a destination we are so obsessed that we devise ways to reach the destination through different means. This thus means that different people can have different ways to reach a destination but while doing so we should not cross our paths or come in between others paths. This would enable creation of a blue ocean strategy so very important for modern day leaders.

    2) Take full accountability for your actions – This is also known as internal locus of control wherein we as leaders should not only take credit for any good done but also take responsibility for any wrongdoing without trying to find scapegoats. Easier said than done since this is where most modern day leaders are lacking, they want to take the easier route of escaping when the chips are down leaving their subordinates to the mercy of others. This is where we need to correlate parenting with leadership wherein just like we cannot desert our trouble children we need to make our subordinates/employees feel safe.

    3) Help the ones to the left and right of you – A competent leader who leads by example is obsessed with helping the ones to the left and right of him/her who need help and support. A leader can inspire and get people who believe in what they believe only when a leader practices selflessness and helps people to secure their trust. In such a scenario the subordinates would give their blood, sweat and tear for such an inspirational leader. In the modern day, the leader is so obsessed with I that WE seldom captures his imagination.

    4) Practice being the last to speak – This is an amazingly difficult quality that most inspirational leaders have.Aside from being great listeners , an inspirational leader by virtue of being a subject matter expert knows when to step in and when to give others a chance to speak and express their opinions to feel empowered.The example of Nelson Mandela given by Simon in his video stands out as a great case study for aspiring leaders.

    5) Leadership by position is temporary – A leader is given all benefits , perks , allowances when in power , but this is not something that would be eternal.A manipulative leader may enjoy the best of benefits , perks , power , position but the day the power is taken away he/she would be grounded to reality and would cease to have the support of followers.This is why it makes all the more sense to inspire and lead and make followers rather than be manipulative and force people to follow.An inspirational leader does not need power or position to earn respect of sub-ordinates they become their followers for life.

    Hope these lessons would be able to encourage the leaders of the modern era to make the world a much better to live and work for subordinates/team members/employees seeking inspiration and motivation to make it big!!

    Pile on motivation!!

  • Welcome post for motivation preachers and seekers

    Welcome post for motivation preachers and seekers

    By means of this first post would like to mention that this blog site is for preachers and seekers of motivation.In the hustle and bustle of our daily lives each one of us look forward for that shot of motivation and inspiration to re-energize ourselves in order to carry on our daily chores. With lessons learnt from numerous self help and motivational best sellers let us prepare ourselves to embark on the journey towards fulfillment.