Thought 195: The holistic approach to life (Continued)

Part 11 - Contribution To The Society

- Do not always be too concerned about your comforts only. Get concerned also about those less fortunate than you

- Give into the society at least a part of what you have taken from it. You will soon realize that there is more pleasure in giving than in receiving

- Join a charitable or a philanthropic organization to render some service to the society. Set apart one evening at least in a week for this service.

“Quitters never win. Winners never quit”

“We never plan for failure. We only fail to plan”

“Have a role model. Convert your weaknesses into strengths – and then win”

Thought 195: The holistic approach to life (Continued)

Part 10 - Moral Values And Principles

- Remember, "Good reputation is some thing that has to be earned but honor is something that must not be lost"

- "Forget injuries but never forget kindness"

- "Forgiveness warms the heart and dulls the sting"

- Never say one thing and mean another

- Have some values in life. Write them down for clarity. Commit yourself to them.

- Values should not be compromised or diluted. They should be guarded jealously

- Defend your values even if such a defense may cause you suffering. This suffering gives you moral courage and strength of character, which are extremely valuable

- When there is a conflict between "being right" and "being happy"

* "be right" where values are concerned

* "be happy" in every thing else - they are all negotiable

The holistic approach to life (Continued)

Thought 195: The holistic approach to life (Continued)

Part 9 - Managing Your Life (Continued)

- Good managers do not repeat a mistake. They may make a new mistake

- Have goals and write them down

- You are "Managing" your life or family or your business, if you set goals and set about to achieve them. A sense of purpose will then guide all your efforts. Otherwise, you merely, "Run" your life, or family or institution, without any direction. You become rudderless

- Set yourself some goals and use your resources wisely to achieve them. Remember, "time" is your most important resource. It is a non-renewable resource and therefore, has to be used efficiently. Any minute spent in doing a non-essential task, is lost to you irretrievably and your resource is depleted to that extent and becomes unavailable for the use of essential tasks.

- It is easy to manage prosperity. Not much thinking or effort is needed. It is far more difficult to manage adversity. The ability to manage adversity is the real key to success

- Every thought, decision and action has consequences. It is unrealistic to expect to escape consequences after a decision or action. They are inescapable. No one is exempt from this rule

- Maintain an efficient information system. "Your decision is only as good as the information you possess".

- Update yourself constantly. In this technological world, you can quickly become obsolete. Obsolete ideas and persons will be left behind, while the world moves forward

- There can never be an output without an input. Input is in your control - output is not. Therefore, it is futile to worry about the output. If you have to worry at all, it is better to do so about the input

- Efficiency equals output over input and can never be greater than one. That is, the input has to be greater (or at least equal to) than the output. This is a fundamental law of Nature

- A good manager has not only to be efficient but has to be effective as well

- To be effective, you have to be aware of the right things to do

The holistic approach to life (Continued)

Thought 195: The holistic approach to life (Continued)

Part 8 - Managing Your Life

- Never get locked on to "Trivia" or "Noise". Always zero in to the signal. "Vital few" should always get precedence over "Trivial many"

- Attempt "Excellence". Excellence and Quality are closely related. Do not, however, expect ideal solutions, situations or behavior. It is unrealistic to do so. Remember, there is no ideal gas or perfect vacuum or absolute temperature in the real world

- You may not like some things or certain people. Do not develop strong prejudices against them. It is poor management to do so. It is good management to keep an open mind. You can turn every situation to your advantage. This is good management

- Be objective in every thing. Learn to come out of the frame and then, look at the picture

- Learn to think and encourage the habit of thinking in people around you

- Do not act and think. First, think and then, act

- Be a team player. You have to learn to be a follower first, if you want to be a leader

- Remember, every one makes mistakes - including you. Making a mistake is not a crime. To err is human. Some of us are more human than others

- Do not defend a mistake. Own it gracefully and honestly

- Learn from your mistakes. This experience is very valuable. Remember, "years make age and mistakes make experience"

Thought 195: The holistic approach to life

Part 7 - Stress Relief

- Meditate twice a day

- Keep your mind and surroundings clean. Cleanliness is godliness

- Listen to soothing or melodious music. Music with a fast beat can generate turmoil in the mind - it does not sooth or relax

- Physical exercise relaxes you very efficiently

- Make conscious and persistent efforts to banish anger, tantrums, prejudices, anxiety, jealousy, hatred and greed. They never solve any problem. On the other hand, they create problems and therefore, stress for you.

- Stop negative thinking as soon as you become aware of it. Identify "NARK" thoughts and cancel them as soon as you identify them

- Be humble, sweet, cheerful, enthusiastic and relaxed. Yoga can relax you quickly and efficiently
- Goals remove vague fears and anxieties. Any stress management program involves goals and their achievement

The holistic approach to life (Continued)

Thought 195: The holistic approach to life

Part 6 - Dealing With Problems

- Problems are inevitable and are a constant feature of every life. There are no exceptions. No one is exempt

- What is inevitable must be accepted calmly. The calmer we are, the easier it is to deal with problems

- Solving a problem does not leave a vacuum behind. A new problem instantly occupies its place

- Never run away from any problem. If you do, it chases you. If you face it squarely, it usually runs away

- As soon as you encounter a problem or you are able to identify one, the first thing that you should do is to classify it into:
* Vital or Trivial

* Clean or Dirty

- Vital problems should always obtain priority over all others

- "Clean Problems" have ready solutions. "Dirty problems" have to be cleaned before they can be solved

- Until you are able to solve the dirty problems, try to peacefully coexist with them. Frequently, "time" can solve or at least, subdue the intensity of such problems. Panic on the other hand, can intensify their severity

The holistic approach to life (Continued)

Thought 195: The holistic approach to life

Part 5- Dealing With Circumstances

-Nothing remains static in this world - much less circumstances. Do not despair or panic, if they look dark or menacing right now. They will not remain like that for long. In Nature, things get cycled constantly - for instance, night is followed by day is followed by night and so on.

- Do not imagine that future also will be equally as dark. It is this feeling that causes untold and unnecessary suffering. This is virtually the "living hell" that people frequently experience. This is one more self-defeating option on your agenda. This is totally avoidable

- It is not the situation per se which causes the trauma. Rather, it is our perception of it that often causes stress. Cultivate healthy and positive thinking.

- You are never defined by your circumstances. You are always defined by the way you react to them

- You can do little to prevent an event after it takes place. You cannot wish realities away. Accept realities as they are and deal with them on that basis

- Forget yesterday. Plan for tomorrow. Live happily today. You cannot do better than that. Life is meant to be enjoyed, not suffered through

- "Tough times do not last but tough guys do"

The holistic approach to life (Continued)