Social Media Marketing

When I was 21

 Another ‘good’ year,  or is it?

A stressful month, painful week, draining last few days…. has finally brought me to a not so energetic weekend.

Duh!

It’s 6am IST on a Saturday and I am awake writing a blog…. So take a wild guess!

But yes, I had few other realizations of f late about people and life. They don’t change, they won’t change…. Either we learn to adapt or we learn to let go.

I usually have been habituated to working with a big team professionally and have an extremely choosy few friends. And it’s true what they say. Our friends teach us more than anyone else of things that could be played and done right to socialize. I have been lucky and in awe of few such friends of mine to whom I might not have mentioned this to, but have helped me a lot to gain control of myself and my social life over these years.

Today I understood when Sinatra started by singing when I was 21 as I missed being 21 a lot, when it was a very good year … remember!

 Those who probably knew me two years back, if they wind up discussing with someone who knows me not from yesteryears, would sense they are discussing of different individuals. I changed… for some reason, i changed. Became more calm, more patient and more socially acceptable and human.

So today, I fall flat and confused when I am questioned for being too calm and non-aggressive and on the other when I know how hard I have worked for it.

So what am I to do? Where am I to go from here….

I come from a middle class orthodox family, valuing teachings of the great more than life. I do not obviously abide by those at the same level but I respect the learning’s in every form of practicality in life today.

The quotes and learning from the holy books of Gita, Ramayana, Bible and great leaders and my personal influencers like Mother Teresa, Swami Vivekananda have shared their wisdom across the globe. When I read through them, I feel so shallow in my life of doings.

I have always found peace when I was able to lend a helping hand to someone really needy, be it education, physical help or bringing smile through words of humor. I have lost all that today in the rat race of life.

Recently I received a letter where I have been nominated for Rashtriya Gaurav award (I thank them for my nomination) for my contribution to various NGO’s over the years, but strangely I did not fill up my nomination, because there is so much more to do…… so much of void to be filled, my work has not even begun.

I am not trying to preach like the great influencers, trust me I do not have that audacity anymore. I am merely like a candle in front of the mighty sun, running confused and with chaos on what is to be done more, better and positive…..

The great words from Gods and legends have taught me to just keep pursuing my work and not bother.  But today the days and weeks seemed to be either hooked up on monotonous ideas which itself cracks the point of having ideas or no learning and loads of zero value addition routine tasks or chasing god forsaken numbers or planning them and with nothing coming in return from any of these that could be worth valuing; “TIME” seems to ask me, are these days even going to be worth remembering?

The answer I get is a simple no!

So today I ask my friends who have either massively or in any other way, impacted a positive way of life in me, how do they do it? …

To name a few: Anand P (A humble guy & a master & wizard on traditional High quality education), Amit R (Very helping & his PR skills are better than SRK’s), Ajay K (The most modest, sincere & humble being) who have been my very close friends since decades and of course there are many others who have added and impacted at some level or the other as excellent friends: Beta, Chinki, Kishore, Prakash, Bala, Hari bhai, Sagar, Chintan, Akshay, Prasad, Deva, Mani, Chini, Ankur, Venky and there are those whom I can’t mention owing to uncanny reasons…..

or do they too miss being 21….. Come on fellas, give me your comments…

Quotes from Holy books and some of my personal great influencers:

 “There is neither this world nor the world beyond nor happiness for the one who doubts.” 

“ Karmani ave adhikars te: –you have the power to act only; ma phalesu kadachana:–you do not have the power to influence the result; ma karmaphal hetur bhoo: –therefore you must act without the anticipation of the result; ma sangostu akramani: –without succumbing to inaction; ” 

“Anything that brings spiritual, mental, or physical weakness, touch it not with the toes of your feet ”

“I will deal with them according to their conduct, and by their own standards I will judge them” 

“I do not pray for success, I ask for faithfulness”

 

Image Source: AnanthV

When something cold comes in contact with something hot, the heat is transferred to the cooler object till they both reach a balanced temperature……..

In real life, that translates to the fact that when something impactful comes in tune with something less or a lot less powerful, all the great force does is keep giving and it gets nothing in return.

Eventually, it turns cold too………… and life continues without impact and actual societal growth.

That is what the law or rule of science states. Indirectly. So is that how the world was suppose to function?

It is very true to say that all great or at least the majority of the most brilliant scientists have had a powerful spiritual force and a philosophical side.  So whenever we look into any of their mind boggling theorems, we can take a part of our life and draw inferences from that too.

My article today is about one of the NGO’s.

I have always supported those less fortunate or less privileged in every aspect of life. But there are always exceptions in life and in these cases, such that, many a times, the good forces get taken advantage of by those less fortunate.

One such voluntary organization recently lost many a good volunteers and would keep losing more if the heat is only taken every now and then…….

I took a stand few days back in one such issue and fought for those who had come for a cause and got no satisfaction in return. The people who had come to help for the sake of helping the needy were taken for a ride….. by both those who were taking the energy and those who were the channel for the transfer of this heat and force…. It was an NGO and its so called, less fortunate members.

One has to understand clearly…… very clearly…..

Everything in life has to be two way.

If you need the heat, you also need to channelize and tune in enough support for the charge to remain and the power to be stable at least, if not growing. Or else, eventually, the power loses its charm on you and itself. The sad part is, people realize that only after the loss… but by then it is too late…..

The great Master and guide, Swami Vivekananda had once said, do not feel great that you helped someone, but feel huge that you got an opportunity to extend your services.

But I guess that has been used and abused by those who have taken the good heart and the good souls for granted in their life.

Trust me when I am saying this, I have seen big time NGO’s and voluntary organizations treating their members and volunteers as if they were doing some obligation by letting them contribute their time for the good of the few. At the same time when those less fortunate also take undue advantage of these good souls.

This article is for all those who have sailed on both the sides and also for those who have never been a part of the so called societal issues as they were busy crunching numbers at workplace, so fall into the hardworking, successful and happy souls of society category so to speak.

Someone told me few days back, things are a lot less worthy today as compared to their value before because the world has shrunk. I don’t believe that is true.

I say, the world has not changed a bit…. The only thing is…. Today, there is just less in it! Because so much has been taken over and over again…. We keep losing those with a heart to make a difference to the number crunching world of their own too fast off late.

Why, because, so much has been taken in and out of it that there seems to be a dearth of thinkers and philosophers today. And the way things are moving…. The world probably won’t remember them too.

I recently came across few organizations who fancied abuse of higher power at the cost of the talent, skills and most importantly the good heart of those who came there for a cause. The cause that seems to be forgotten by these NGO’s i.e. to extend a helping hand.

The bottom line being, if we need some positive charge out of life and when we can see it being delivered to us by someone, take the charge and win the confidence of the one giving the force to you. As his/her heart is like a Nokia battery, it runs for long, but you just keep using it…. It eventually dies off. Then…. Even if there is balance, there is no call taken, no voice heard, no network established…. As there is no life then left…..

So take and give…. Do not follow the principle of cold to heat and striking a balance… but create a bubble of energy around such that you rise to the level that you and the force gain the original level of energy possible….

Is that possible…. Why not… we are humans… we are not object of physics.

Like the amazing quote by Edmund Hillary to Mt.Everest goes:

I will conquer you again Mt.Everest. Because as a mountain you cannot grow…. But as a human… I can!!!

So grow and watch the world grow with you… if there is less in it…. Contribute being one… so that the charge never dies off…………….

As always…. Let me know your views and comments

Be well 

Ananth V

image source:www.ua.com

Interpretations Of the Technical Mind: “BE MORE AMBITIOUS “

Hello There,

I am Ananthanarayanan.V.

The Article here speaks about me pondering on my 25 ^th birthday this year for just one word that has been driving me at times to the edge of my life with great strength and it is what we term as ” PASSION “. Passion, would be a very subjective term as it means different things for different people, so I was looking at its closest synonym. Passion, is anything that can drive one to an extent to which all that is visible is to achieve and acquire that which is desired. I just turned an 180^◦ from my chair and I saw my company’s Logo, that read ” BE More Ambitious “. I kept repeating that word and bingo, it hit me that passion for any technical individual is pure ambition. Ambition to become famous, acknowledged, acquire Higher Skills, tremendous growth, more and faster growth and it all screamed of one word : The Rising Moolah! Let’s face it, at the end of the day if we cannot turn our skills, ideas, concepts to creating and converting it into money, how much use is the extra Drive within us. I had participated in a discussion forum few months back referred to as ” Genesis of the Human Mind “, this heading now keeps screaming to me about the major vote for our debate where we spoke about giving back and thus winning in the long run, for a permanent recognition in the market. So it was Philosophy and Market Capitalization combined. Hey, we are entering into a new era of realization, aren’t we?

So where am I going with all this. I started with the word, Passion. Went on to the Logo with a slight shift from my usual seat and looked around and Devoured the meaning of our Logo, connected it to the dots of growth and finally touched the humble act of ultimate gain which I refer to as ” GIVING “. This is how we, Humans evolve slowly from the basic needs to the most powerful form of all beings and becoming what I would love to really be ” IMMORTAL “. The easiest way to become immortal is by forming an institution and then making it grow as the kindest and the biggest thirst of any human being is ” KNOWLEDGE “.

How do I come to that conclusion?

Who is richer, Bill Gates, Warren Buffet or Swami Vivekananda. I am not a spiritual leader who is going to give you a series of quotes and Prove what is Universally true. I am a technical person, so I will go for my traditional use of formulas to prove What is true.

Richness = Gains – Sacrifices, so we have Gains and Sacrifices on either side.

What did Bill gates and Warren Buffet acquire, tons and tons of money, fame and respect with some raised eyebrows. Now what are they doing : Giving back to the world as much as they can. And what did the swami do, took nothing and kept giving and what did he get, Immortality. He has been worshipped for generations and will be for centuries to come. SO will, the Mahatma and Mother Teresa. What did these people have : Money – No, A stylish and rich life – No, Respect – Yes, Admiration – Yes, Influence – The greatest. I met few foreigners in Singapore last month and we were talking about the power of the mind and they asked me where I was from, when I said India they immediately said : Oh! From the Mahatma’s land. So what makes the world drop everything and go on a hunger strike with the tiny looking fragile being, what makes the most so referred to as rich and powerful quiver in front of the swami and bow in front of his teachings and what makes the presence of Mother Teresa so truly powerful. It is their act of giving as much as one can without expecting a smile in return. So who has won the game of the three, those who acquired it all and now are giving it all back or those who have been constantly giving and leaving their prints in our mind, body and soul forever. So here the sacrifice made has won because of the credibility status it has gained. For the statements made by these great and in real terms powerful people is what we call as not INFORMATION, but pure ” KNOWLEDGE “. SO the Swami won.

So what has this to do with my company’s logo. Everything. As I read the logo my Intellect started calculating all the gains I have made in the last 1 year in the organization. What did my Balance sheet show me. There were no Liabilities, though my tax deductions seem to say otherwise. Just kidding. So what have I gained. Am I glad about the performance benefit given to me. My smirk from the face flew away and my mind was calm. In the 1 year with this organisation, that I have been associated here I have acquired tons of laminated cards and greeting cards and personal emails in scores from students at the end of every batch expressing their ” THANKS “. It was just one word that we use so casually most of the times that made me feel weak in my knees and so emotional. In reality was I being a Mahatma or a Swami, Oh dear god! Even thinking something like that would be a Capital Crime. I am just like a candle in front of the Sun. I have been just like any other ordinary person purely driven by the passion of My field and my desire to grow really fast and as a wise man once said, The easiest way to Success is to perform at least three times your level. So I did all this just being motivated to grow bigger and higher in career and prospects. And I gained so much in return. So much more. SO every institution which runs and succeeds with pomp and style, it’s actually a celebration of the People, the masses and those who have applied this knowledge derived from our esteemed fellow brothers and sisters imparting that knowledge to them for their personal growth and the society’s growth in general. So now let me sum up all this talk and take only the BIG words and try putting it together.

Greatness, Reach, Spreading, Generous, Institution, Influence, Act, Ponder, Giving, Money, Richness, Fame, Immortal, Service, Value and knowledge.

Any institution which is built on the foundation of giving, any individual who ponders & thrives on the belief of innovating at any cost and any organization with true values of being a pure service sector to the society will immensely grow through the act of generous giving with a true mission statement, will spread out the good word and stay alive for generations and be referred to as A POWERFUL MOVEMENT and thus grow up to be finally above all fame, money and power and be IMMORTAL.

So at the end of this discussion, the conclusion is :

To Grow rich and powerful and influence the world all we need to do is drive ourselves with pure passion and ambition and strive for our growth as Experts by spreading what we have gained and just simply – ” BE MORE AMBITIOUS “.

If all of this sounded too philosophical to you then I have achieved my goal as spreading of any good thing today in this modern era which is otherwise so consumed by ” greed ” is in our term referred to as being ” PHILOSOPHICAL “. So let’s all get more philosophical and grow by Innovation ,Intelligence and Impact and just get IMMORTAL.

Be well