Sir Ernest Shackleton was an Irish polar explorer who led three British expeditions to the Antarctic. He is best known for what is now called the Endurance Expedition. The expedition more than justified its name. It was a true test of endurance. In August 1914 Shackleton set sail with a crew of 28 men and […]
Decisions
Beyond Limitations
One talks about not letting one’s limitations determine the size of one’s sky. Like you, I too have heard the stories. I too have been inspired and impressed. To my own limited extent, I too have tried to emulate them in my own life. But no other story has impacted me as much has this […]
Not Enough Time
The Pareto principle (also known as the 80–20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. Italian economist Vilfredo Pareto, observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% […]
Against Hopelessness
A short while ago I was reading a fellow blogger’s reasons for why she has posted nothing for almost three weeks. Of the ten reasons she cited, one of them was the climate of hopelessness and dejection she imbibes from the world around her- news, social media, Facebook updates and posts from other bloggers. It […]
Hippocratic Oath
I read a post by a fellow blogger today. It reminded me of an incident which might have turned out as hers did. My son was two and a half at that time. He and I were both suffering from viral fever. We had both been running a temperature for two days and were both […]
Fragile
Raman’s heart sank as he feverishly searched his pockets. With rising trepidation, he turned his bag inside out- another blank. He ran his classroom and searched there. He even lay flat on the floor and peered under the ancient wooden cupboard. Almost hysterical now, he asked all his friends, begging them to end the cruel […]
Come Alive
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive then go do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive. ~ Dr. Howard Thruman I have met hordes of people who would have a fit if you repeated the above quote in their hearing. There are also […]
Look Before You Leap
I was in the seventh grade. My class teacher was this stunningly gorgeous girl called Celine. We called her Miss Celine and loved her madly. She had her own voodoo. She made sunshine her personal accessory. When she swished into the class in the morning, tripping along briskly, she would be glittering with sun beams. […]
Timeless Skills
In the past twenty years, the world has transformed. Communication has been the key to this transformation. It has shrunk the size of the world to amazing extent. Who could have thought that you could see people in real time from half way across the world? Who could have thought that complicated operations could be […]
Off The Shelf
Off the shelf solutions are convenient. They are cost- effective instead of being cheap. To the naked eye, the former is merely the politically correct way of saying the latter. Actually, there is no other difference between the two. Off the shelf apparel, business solutions, software… they are all cheaper and very convenient to use. […]