Story Of The Day – Page 3 – Management T̶h̶i̶n̶k̶e̶r̶ Linker

Five Minute Journal: Know What Type is Your Bad Boss!

Quote of the day: [bctt tweet=”Life is either a Daring Adventure or Nothing at All! – Helen Keller” username=”mohitsawhney”]

I am grateful for…

..the timing of my next career move. It just couldn’t have been any better than this (at least, that’s what I think!). Thank you, God for that! In a world where we are habitual of complaining when things don’t happen in harmony, I’m glad I recognize and appreciate the glory bestowed by God when it all played out so beautifully and in synchronization. It’s unbelievably bizarre and somewhat surreal. Thank you!
..Walking down the hallway of the office yesterday, I met this guy who was frustrated with his Boss. Well, nothing unusual there, most people are! However, in talking to him, a clear distinction emerged among Bad Bosses. There are two varieties that one has to watch out closely for: There are ones who are nasty because they have an evil, vicious, and cleverly designed nefarious strategy, and then there are the others, who are nasty because they don’t know any better. Understanding this subtle difference can help you determine which type of Bad boss are you dealing with (God forbid, but Shit does Happen!). This will make a huge difference in the way you would deal with them and emerge a winner.
..Read an article where the writer had written at the cross-section of politics and economy. The article was about how Jet Airways, which is in dire straits at the moment, is not being given a preferential treatment. This is unlike what happened in the case of erstwhile Kingfisher Airlines. Kingfisher Airlines eventually couldn’t survive the bail outs and the loans it was bestowed upon by Big brothers (nexus of Banks and Political parties). Anyway, besides it being a nice article, the LIGHT BULB moment for me was that I also have a similar style of writing – at the cross section of personal and work lives. Thanks for igniting in me the light once again to write in my own unique style and be of some service to myself and the society.

What would make today great?

..I have realized that some of the really important personal tasks keep living in the To-Do lists. This happens when others are driving their priorities through you and you yourself are not focusing enough of what’s important to yourself. I am planing to pick up one such long overdue and yet very important (almost life altering potential) task today. Amen.
..Fill my emptying fuel tank. All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy. Not only dull, but also tired and demotivated. Having you foot on the accelerator all the time is not a winning strategy when you are running a long race. It’s important to regularly stop – to check the tires, fill the gas and then continue the journey. My tanks are emptying too – To start with, gotta get myself a new pair of glasses (One I have is on the verge of breaking and besides I guess I need another one for farsightedness. Isn’t it funny, I’ll be farsighted and nearsighted both at the same time!
..In Business, it is common practice to make well thought out investments to reap greater returns in future. Not so common when you are offering your services i.e. when you are an Employee. What investments are we talking about for salaried people, most would say. You’re getting it all wrong. No matter which industry you work, in order to remain relevant in the ever changing job market and disruptions happening in business worlds, one can’t ignore investing in oneself – upgrade/ enhance/ diversify your skill set alongside your current job. There will never be a perfect time. Enough of the build up (word for it is “circumlocution”), I am enrolling for the PgMP certification today.

Daily affirmations. I am …fearless!

Amazing things that happened today…

..Back in touch with my batch mates from St. Stephen’s. Quite a bit of catching up to do though. Well, not only about the years that have passed in between. Honestly, I just wasn’t present most of those 3 years to know much about them back then. There’s always a first time.
..Glad to have done with my glasses – a new frame for my old glasses. Not bad at all. Feel accomplished.
..Ended up having some much much needed time with self as I was working from home today. Or, perhaps I feel so now that I have had a mug or two of the Bira Extra Strong Beer.

How could I have made today better?

..Schedule. Morning Ritual. Missed you. If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.
..Baggage. Could have dropped it. Made a fresh start. Even more so, because it’s getting heavier.
..Could put more intention into the mix of things. More laughter. Smile. Love. After all, I can!

5-Bullet Friday: Unbelievably Simple Ways to Building Rapport!

Hi All!

Here is your weekly dose of “5–Bullet Friday,” a list of what I’m enjoying or pondering.

What I’m reading — The 5AM CLUB by Robin Sharma. Read a few chapters and although I am not too fond of non-fiction being written in fiction format, the book has some good takeaways. Reason I bought this book is not hard to guess – I am moving toward getting up at 5AM, and having a much greater control over my mornings.

What I’m watching — Video on Building Rapport by Tony Robbins. It has amazing insights and powerful methods on building rapport. For example: having your palms casually placed and facing the roof, during an interview can increase your chances of being through by over 50%!

Resource I’m excited to explore — A friend of mine gave this e-book to me: The Creative Writers Workbook, by Catchy Birch. Thanks Adi for this for it seems like an unexpected treasure for me. This book is simple read with many cases studies to illustrate the point that writing and creativity can be mastered by consciously working towards it. That there is no point waiting for the right moment to come when you will get into the mood. Do things that cna set the mood for you today and everyday. It will help remove the obstacle biggest of which is the fear of ‘getting it wrong’.

I have read a couple of chapters and can’t wait to read the rest of it. Here’s an extract from the book:

Karen, one of my students, set herself that very task. She has two young children and works part-time as a computer programmer. As a teenager, she wrote short stories and poetry. For years she had been trying to find time to do this again, but somehow it had never happened. After discussing this in class she agreed that ten minutes a day would be considerably better than nothing. She decided to spend ten minutes of each lunch-break writing (in her car to make sure she was not disturbed). She used an old A4 diary for the purpose and filled a page each day. By the end of six months she had written over 80,000 words, which she is currently crafting into a very promising novel.

I’m looking forward to: applying the technique Tim Ferriss professes instead of doing the new year resolutions. Forget New Year Resolutions. Conduct a ‘Past Year Review” instead. Read this post for more.

Quote I’m pondering. ..In fact not just pondering, this quote was enough to give me to get up and get going on a cold winter morning (and I mean not just literally!)—

“It’s not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer could have done them better. The credit belongs t othe man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives to do the deeds; who errs, who comes up short again and again because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strives to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement. and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.”

(- Originally from Theodore Roosevelt, mentioned in The 5AM Club by Robin Sharma.)

And, as always, please give me feedback. Which bullet above is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Let me know!

Have a wonderful weekend, all!

Mohit

Which Are The Moments That Make You Happy?

“What should I do?”

Shouted Tanav, my 10 year old son.

It seemed as if whatever Deepti, my wife, was answering was falling on deaf ears..

In fact, it was worse. Every time Deepti suggested something to do to him, it was met with a loud “No!”, “No!”, “No!” and then the set of same questions came yet again:

“What should I do?”

The dramatic effect soared greater heights with every new iteration. Deepti’s attempt at maintaining calm was fading away. Tanav was on a roll (well, literally) on the floor, and the overall audio-visual effects accentuated the impact!

As you can guess, the situation was soon out of control.

That’s a common story at our home. Every other day these questions set come back. And, I don’t recall even once when any of the options presented by me or Deepti have been received in a welcoming way. Not once.

“Why’s that?”, I have often wondered, but never have I found a convincing answer!

But I have kept searching for the answer. They say, “What you seek is seeking you!” and I finally found the answer in an unusual way, and without even realizing it.

What happened is that I myself ended up being in a situation where I didn’t know what to do. With my life.

Deep down within myself, I ended up shouting out the same set of questions:

“What should I do?”

I asked friends too. And each time someone advised, I too, like the kids, was infuriated and shouted, “No!”, “No!”, “No!” and, before long, the set of same questions came yet again, and again and again.

I was trying to find what was the right thing for me to do. However, I couldn’t find any help with that!

It was yet another meanigless morning. I was struggling to even find a reason to get dressed for work. The sameness of my days was haunting me so much that I was tempted to ask myself, “Is it yesterday or today?”

I paid little heed to the words emanating from the kitchen. It was Mom, who has a habit of singing old, long lost phrases while working in the kitchen:

Kiya karo kuch kiya karo udhaed kae bhi siya karo. (Hindi)

Do Something. Anything. Even if it means to unstitch a cloth only to stitch it again. (English translation)

Although I had hardly paid any attenton to that, but I believe that phrase had a seminal impact on my ‘decision’ in the evening.. a decision to do something.

I decided to stand for the position of President and VP-Education for our Toastmaster’s club. Something that was out of my comfort zone – a stetch goal but not an unrealistic one. I felt better. Happier.

I considered why I would be the right person for the job. How will I serve the members. I prepared a speech. (You can find the speech here!) I did this. I did that. I had a purpose. I was busy working toward that.

I understood the way out of the situation when you don’t quite know what to do. In that sutuation, no matter what anyone suggests to you- your boss, your spouse, your friend, you will never find happiness in that.

Even if.. the suggestion came with the best of intentions.

Even if.. it was the right thing for you to do.

Even if.. it was the most fun thing to do.

“Why?” you’d ask.

Well, simply because it was their decision and not yours! That’s it!

The only way out of the situation is to decide yourself. Do listen to others, but then (and don’t delay too much!), after all, decide yourself – it’s fine if that decision is impeccably right, or downright wrong. Decide to do something. Decide to not do something. But decide. And yourself.

“Why?” you’d ask again.

Because more than the coutome, you will be happier that you decided: Something. Anything. Doesn’t matter if it’s right or wrong. Whether it will succeed or fail. It’s your’s after all. That’s why you will cherish it.

After the election process was done, I achieved my goal of being a part of the Executive committee for the club.

I reached home and shared the news, “Know what sweetheart, I am the VP-Education for this term“. Of course everyone at home cheered.

A little later, Dinky, my wife asked me, “Are you happy?“

I said, “Yes I’m happy I am the VP-Education! But I’m even more happier for the moment when I decided I want to be so!“

Coincidently, I held that position before as well, but that time it was just offered to me and I took it. The happiness didn’t last a day. It was all over even before it started. This time is different though. It’s my baby. I love it.

As for my real babies, I had barely finished writing this blog, when Sohana, my 5 year old daughter asked, “What should I do?”

I put my laptop aside and said “Well, as for me, I have decided to go out for a walk, may be you can decide something to do too!”

Next thing I see is that Sohana and her brother are wearing their jackets and boots to step out in the chill to play in the park.

I have my script ready for times to come when this question would be asked.

“Well, as for me, I have decided to ___, may be you can decide something to do too!”

Only pre-requisite: Be upto something yourself too. Soon, it will rub off on them. Fill the ____ with what you have decided to do at the time. Such as:

___ : write a poem for family

___ : read Becoming by Michele Obama

___ : go for a morning walk

I thought they might be perplexed with that response. To which I would simply respond, “It’s okay sweetheart. Now Decide. Commit. Believe. Act.”

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When Was The Last Time You Did Something For The First Time?

Find something to do. Anything. Be of use. Serve. Act. Mantra to live a happy life.

The years’ that go wasted are the only ones that add up to our old age.

I decided to stand for the position of President and VP-Education for our Toastmaster’s club. Definitely it is out of my comfort zone. But then, opportunity for growth doesn’t sit in the comfort zone, does it?

This was indeed the first time I intentionally decided to stand for these positions. Although, I have been VP-Education and President earlier, but that was more of a by default selection for a declining club. Not my decision. (Someone else’s decision will never hardly ever make you happy! Read more on that here!)

So, this is something new I’m up to. For some, this may be a big deal, for some not so. Doesn’t matter. It’s enough to nudge me into some anxiety which is often the predecessor to the creative thinking process.

If one stand for the EC (Executive Committee roles), one has to give a short (2 minutes) speech to convince the members to vote for them.

Here are the scripts for the speeches I prepared for the two positions (of course to be given in the Toastmaster’s style with the body language and voice modulation)

Part 1 – Script: President Campaign Speech

How many of you have had an out of body experience?

Well, I had one yesterday.

Actually, I was supposed to prepare a two minute speech on Why should I be the President. In other words: Why should anyone vote for me?

In order to do so, I thought let me forget about everyone else, and see if I myelf would vote for this guy called Mohit Sawhney!

So, I stepped out of my body and carefully considered the following:

Does he put his heart and soul into whatever role he plays – in his speeches, during his evaluations, other roles he plays, The Scoop magazine..?
Are interactions with him enagaging and uplifting?
Does he bring something new to the table?

Since I got some promising answers, then further considered the following additional questions:

Has he any noteworthy achievements?
Is he committed to make everyone’s experience a delightful one?
Is his own value system aligned with that of Toastmasters: Respect, Integrity, Service, Excellence?

You seem curious about the answers I got. Well, but today, my answers aren’t as important as yours!

Vote for Mohit if you think you have enough reasons to believe that you’d answer in a YES to all of these questions.
Vote for Mohit if you believe he would be justify the role of the President.

Part 2 – Script: VP- Education

Since I was having an OBE experience (which is not easy to come by!), I thought I’d use the opportunity to consider a difference aspect:

If there is one reason I wouldn’t vote for Mohit, what would it be?

Instantly came the reply: There isn’t anything too great about him!

He seems to be having his own fears and vulnerablilities. He seems to be unsure and still on his own journey of self discovery.

Well.. then I thought a bit further and asked myself: Is there anything wrong with that?

Isn’t it okay to be fearful, as long as you have the courage to face up to your fears.

Isn’t it okay to be vulnerable, as long as you have the integrity to stand up to your true self!

… and isn’t it okay to be unsure, as long as you keep taking risks to grow yourself and people around you?

I leave the decision up to you. And I leave you with this quote from Zig Ziglar:

You don’t have to be great to start,

but you have to start to be great!

It’s quite an experience to see the Elections at Toastmasters clubs. It give the flavor of a real (government) election. Late entrants, secretive talks, some expected and a lot of unexpected winners, sadness in the eyes of the one’s who lost and “Of course I won. I’m the best, after all!” written all of the winner’s faces.

The best part of the Toastmasters election process is that the results are declared there and then. One doesn’t have to wait and see the twists and turns as the votes are beingcounted. That quick result takes care of the anxiety levels to an extent.

When I reached home and shared that I am the VP-Education, of course everyone cheered. Dinky, my wife asked me, “Are you happy?“

I said, “Yes I’m happy I won! But I’m happier for that moment of time when I decided I’d stand for the position.“

It is in the moment’s of decision that your destiny is shaped – Tony Robbins

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When You Answer Life’s Important Questions..

I am so excited to be on Editor’s page of The Scoop, our Toastmasters club’s magazine. After all, this has been a long and somewhat lost dream. This is certainly BIG for me to be the editor!

In the editor’s note, I share what sowed the seeds of becoming an editor in my mind long back. Sometimes, we get clues about what we want to do in the most unusual places and unexpected times. If you are still looking for what you are meant to do, pay attention to these times. Because teacher appears when the student least expects it.

Read on for full story…

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Do What You Say!

Say what you do.

Do what you say.

A harmonious life

isn’t too far away.

“Don’t play on the phone.

Don’t shout, don’t fight!”,

said I, while talking on the phone.

And was I polite?

Kids are either on the tab

or fighting or crying..

Boss is bad, ..no one understands.

…every moment, I’m dying!

Either they’re all insane,

or may be..,

just may be,

I’m doing something ‘not right’?

I thought all day,

..even sat to pray.

When I slept,

“He” showed me the way,

“Say what you do

Do what you say

A harmonious life

isn’t too far away.”

All this while,

I was looking outside.

Practicing this mantra,

brought ‘peace’ to my life.

Just say what you do

Do what you say

A harmonious life

really isn’t too far away!

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What Is Your Happiness Score?

“My boss is unnecessarily complaining about my work. It’s painful!”

“My boss asks me to do the things exactly as he wants. Why can’t he understand that I’m not him?”

“I am sitting idle since last 2 weeks since I have joined the team. I feel so unwanted!”

These are some real life dialogues from my interaction with people just last week. Many if not most people in the corporate world are unhappy with their work life. And since work life is a large part of your overall life, they’re unhappy in their life in general too!

Lot of them don’t even realize that something is going seriously wrong with them, until it is too late. They know it only when they have developed serious anxiety issues, stress or even depression.

John Lennon knew the purpose of life when he was 5 years old, and yet so many of us as mature adults keep forgetting that.

In the classroom, the teacher had asked the little John Lennon, “What do you want to be when you grow up?“

His reply, “Happy!“

Teacher said, “You didn’t understand my question, John.”

to which John said, “You don’t understand life, Teacher!”

Life’s purpose is to be happy. And it begins where we are at – at home and at work. We spend a considerable part of our life at work. So, we must know how we’re doing on our happiness levels and whether we need to do something about it.

With that in mind, we created a system –Your Happiness Score(TM) – and tested it as well for months! We have seen the Happiness levels increase significantly every time we use this system, consistently on a daily basis. This is based on the 5 keys to being joyful at work (French: joie de travailler):

Rate yourself on a scale of one to five on each of the following happiness keys :

Freedom – If your boss wants you to do something “exactly like he wants!“, it doesn’t look like a place where you are getting enough creative freedom. Moreover, you don;t know what’s in his mind. The only way I can create something exactly like someone else wants it is when I am him. Which is usually not the case. Although reviews and feedback is alright, and is required for improving the deliverable further, but there is a thin line of difference between constructive feedback and forcing someone to being someone they are not! This thin line is quite significant to determine you happiness score.
Connectedness – “Don’t speak with Gopal and if you do take me along!“, my boss says. Well, that itself is a cause for concern. Being connected to people in the team and outside too openly is important to your being. You should be able to talk to everyone without any fear, openly. You should be able to bring up the ‘elephants in the room’, without mincing words. How are you doing on these things. Are you able to discuss matters of significance with your team? Connectedness is a human needs and plays a key role in our happiness levels.
Interesting Work – “Just do it because I say so!“, says your boss. Well, that’s not what makes the work meaningful for me. I want to know the reason why we’re doing it, what value am I adding to whom in the process. The bigger picture of the impact my work creates to a larger cause to the society, community or industry is what determines whether the work will be interesting to me or not.
Being of use – “I am on the team for two weeks without anyone asking me to do anything!“. This is commonplace at work, and it creates a havoc in the minds of people who are sitting idle. We humans enjoy being useful and being idle only makes us feel worse. We may not believe it but it is true. If you’re sitting doing nothing, its not at all a good news. It i a serious cause for concern. Take some action if that’s the case or quit such a job. Believe me, you’d be better off.
Well Balanced Life – “I come back so late that I don’t see my children during weekdays!” Well, is that worth it? I don’t think so. There is talk of the work life balance changing to work life integration, with the technology tools and changes in the work arrangements. But whatever we call it, we ought to do things other than just office work. Getting up in the morning, listening to some light music, some yoga or exercise, morning prayer with family, reading something different, attending to family functions and conferences, pursuing your hobbies, spending time with family making memories.. those things ought to be part of your life too. You can’t wait for the retirement to do all that. Life is a gift and we must live a portfolio life which is a mix of all of these things.

Well, not that you have rated yourself on 1-5 on each of the above parameters, add up your individual scores and determine your Overall Happiness Score. The maximum your Happiness Score can be is 25 and the least is 5.

If your score is between:

5 – 12: Situation is alarming and you need to take some steps today. Talk to someone you trust and make a decision. It could be as drastic as moving out of the project, organization or even that career.
12-18: It’s concerning but you can possible do something to increase the score. Look at the areas where you are really low and see what can be done to address those areas. Continue to do what your doing on areas where your individual scores are good.
18-25: Congratulations! You’re doing well. Your life is under control. At these scores, all you have to do is manage your scores in days to come, so they don’t come down.

Some people would ask, “What about Money? Fame? Parties? .. Don’t they bring happiness?”

Well, most of these would bring instant but temporary happiness, which often leads to long term distress. Of course we need money to sustain ourselves, but beyond a certain point, money won’t add to one’s happiness. For lasting joy, one must focus on things beyond these material things.

Well, that’s what I think. What about you?

Are there any other parameters you would consider to come up with the Happiness?

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My Biased Opinion of My Son’s First Ever Public Speech!

“The next speaker is Tanav Sawhney.“, said Shreya, the Gavelier of the Day.

Tanav, my 9 year old son, emerged from the chair, walked in a confident gait, wearing his hat, and took the place to start the show.

He noticed that the Gavelier had not invited him on the stage with the formal title and speaker name format. It was supposed to go in this case like, “The King of Pop, Tanav Sawhney. Tanav Sawhney, The King of Pop“

But that didn’t deter him. In fact, he said it himself and proceeded with his speech: “The King of Pop, Tanav Sawhney. Tanav Sawhney, The King of Pop”

He was loud and clear.

He started by asking the audience, “Do you know who is the King of Pop?“

(Technique 1) Surprisingly not many people knew that, but isn’t that such a great technique to start the speech – by starting with a question to get the audience’s brain to start exercising. It brings such a great engagement from them.

Tanav remembered all the techniques I had told him at different points when he was preparing the speech.

(Technique 2) First ten seconds in the speech are the key – the audience will decide if they want to stay with you or leave you, in those ten seconds.

Tanav had been able to grab the attention in those ten seconds. There was so much he did in that time – seemed such a natural progression.

There was pin drop silence when he was speaking. The audience was all ears. They had decided to stay with him. His question was followed by him saying, “For the next 2 minutes, I am Michael Jackson!”

Bold statement. Requires a lot of confidence to say that you will step into the shoes of the King of Pop.

(Technique 3) Entertain the audience.

Right after that claim, Tanav did a spin around but acted like he fell. That might have disappointment the audience a bit because they had made up their minds to see something great.

But it was part of the plan to fall, only to get up. “Let me try again.“, he announced as he wore his hat.

This time around, he was able to spin around, jump up and land on his toes. He remained in that pose for a few seconds.

Audience was all cheers.

(Technique 4) Educate the audience

Information and value bombs dropped all through Tanav’s 3 minutes and 10 seconds speech.

Tanav continued with sharing more information about Michael, his full name, his love for pets and his rather unusual pets – a chimpanzee, and a python, him being the first black artist to come on MTV, the Queen of Pop, his love for humanity, his most selling albums and so on.

There was bags full of information for the audience to go back.

(Tehcnique 5) Tantalize the audience.

While there was so much shared in Tanav’s speech, there was so much more for audience to go back and research on their own. Tanav’s speech was like a trailer for the audience’s mind to be at work even after the session has ended.

I can say with certainly that a few will definitely look up on Youtube and Google and learn and enjoy Michael’s songs.

And Tanav did complete justice to the trailer – He sang as he had mentioned about the most selling albums and even danced, showing his own love for the greatness of Michael and inspiring the audience to find out more.

(Technique 6) Play the part with all you’ve got and enjoy.

You learn best in moments of enjoyment.

Tanav sprinkled humor in his speech throughout. Like when he asked, “Do you know what is MJ’s python’s name?”

Then added, “It’s Madonna, the Queen of Pop!”

Hilarious.

The way to entertain the audience is to enjoy the speech yourself. Tanav was thoroughly enjoying the act such as when he acted like MJ’s chimpanzee and python, when he danced and on it goes.

His use of props – the MJ Hat, the black armband and even the choice of his dress showed that he is here to perform. Just like Him.

His moving from one place to the next when he shared MJ’s three most selling albums was very impressive – very experienced speakers forget that so often. He used the stage with such perfection when he pointed to three different places while mentioning, the people who are dying, the children in pain and people living in poverty.

Hat’s off!

(Technique 7) Give them something original. Something novel.

Tanav said, “His full name was Michael Joseph Jackson.” and then he added, “He is called MJ in short form, but I think he should be called MJJ..“

The way Tanav emerged out of Michael’s body, and said, “I was trapped inside Michael for so long.”

With all the above going on in a ~3 minutes speech, it’s easy to forget the overall message the speaker wants to convey.

(Technique 8) There must be a single clear overall message for the audience.

As Tanav emerged out of Michael’s body, he said, “I am Tanav. I also want to help the people who are dying, the children in pain and the those living in poverty”

Then he urged the audience, “You also please help them, and be like Him and me.“

I write Him in capitals because I feel the way Tanav said it, there was a double meaning in that, he meant not only Michael but also God Almighty himself. Tanav had pointed up above as he had said “Him”.

Something even he may not be able to understand himself also being a nine year old, but he will realize it as he grows.

(Technique 9) The last ten seconds are the final key

Tanav was at peace as he said “..be like Him and me.” His eyes slowly closing peacefully, and his arms and head stretching upwards and then back.

He remained in that pose for a few seconds before he said, “Thanks.“

That made every soul in the audience believe in Tanav’s message.

He received the audience’s standing applause with such grace and then moved out of the stage with a moonwalk.

Video is attached. Please write your unbiased opinion in the comments below.

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If Toastmasters Was A Person..

On 13th June 2013, I took the first step.

Never could I imagine this step would end up being one of the best one of my life. After all, it wasn’t a big deal going to attend a Toastmasters club meeting as a guest.

Couple of meetings and something in it looked nice. I didn’t exactly know what it was but it was enough for me to decide that I would join as a member.

With each meeting, I sensed something was going right. Still not sure where it would take me but it was enough for me to keep going the path. I was enjoying each step and learning along the way. So, I kept going.

It kept getting better. Today, after being in a relationship with Toastmasters for 5 years, I sometimes think if Toastmasters was a person, she would be

Kind – After all, Toastmasters is the only place where I learnt that there is a way to give feedback to transform lives without being rude or angry!
Empowering – Toastmasters lets me try out my wings, with all sincerely, without mocking, or laughing or shaming!
Open– Toastmasters is the epitome of openness – It welcomes people and ideas from diverse professions, ages, religions…!
Curious– Toastmasters encourages me to have that childlike quality to know more, do more and be more, always!
Running her own race– Toastmasters teaches me to compete with only one person – myself, and be the best version of ‘me’!
Joyful– Toastmasters validates for me that we certainly learn best in moments of enjoyment!
and let you Be – Toastmasters lets you be! It doesn’t force you to change, or to be someone else. There is something very special about letting one be!

Above qualities are also the qualities I look for in my friends. If Toastmasters were a person, it would certainly be my best friend!

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