[5-Bullet Tuesday] When was the last time you tried something for the first time?

Hi All,

Here’s your weekly dose of “5-Bullet Tuesday”, list of things I’m enjoying or pondering.

What’s something new I tried–

I overhear mom’s hysterical expression from the living room. The audience poll has given an incorrect answer for the contestant, she tells me when I enquire.

She’s fully engaged watching Kaun Banega Crorepati.

We recently bought a fire stick bidding adieu to the old set top box. End of an era!

Everyone at home was dead against the idea. Our audiences too had given us a clear mandate against this choice.

Browsing on the fire stick and watching stuff on apps will be difficult.

Particularly mom may not be comfortable ever with this new way of surfing!

But we gave the idea a chance.

It’s just been few days and everyone at home is super happy with the decision. So much so that we feel stupid to have waited so long.

Play old Hindi songs on YouTube, mom gives a voice command to the remote and in no time Ramaiya Vastavaiya starts playing.

What Movie I watched —

Sukhi, is not too Sukhi. Played by Shilpa Shetty, Sukhi is a homemaker dutifully performing her role as a wife, mother and daughter in law.

But at what cost? She’s not the same Sukhi she was before her marriage. She is bullied by her husband, and even her daughter. The only person who somewhat understands her is her father in law.

Basically, her entire being is gradually being killed. Death by a thousand cuts. Without she even realizing it!

She is not even close to the bindas badass she always wanted to be. Infact, she’s being taken for granted. Thankfully, the decision to join a school reunion changes it all for her, and those around her too.

A great family movie everyone in family enjoyed together from beginning to end.

Music I’m listening to–

Beatles are still at it. All four of them! Yes, even though two of them are long dead – John Lenon (died 1970) and George Harrison (died 2001)

Listen to the song made from the old tapes of John Lennon himself. ML (machine learning) and AI (artificial intelligence) has made it possible, but yes tech alone wouldn’t do it. Its only with the efforts of the two who are still alive – Paul McCartney (aged 81) and Ringo Starr (aged 83). What’s in an age?

(38) The Beatles – Now And Then (Official Music Video) – YouTube

Word I’m pondering —

The word passion originates from the Latin root word, patior, which means to suffer. It very connects with the test of painful practice as being a true test for whether you are passionate about something or not.Passion is derived from a Latin word meaning to suffer | Latin words ...

(As covered in the last week’s story, painful practice is when one continues enduring ones work despite it being hard to the extent of being painful.)

What I learnt about people at workplace –

Carla Haris, in her book Expect to Win, says that there are two types of people at workplace – one, who are politically focused and second, those who are work focused.

The key is to understand your own type and then align yourself with a boss who is of same type as you. If your work focused, you won’t thrive if your boss is politically focused. She may still value you however chances are that she won’t reward you enough unless you are both of same type. Make your next move accordingly.


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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…


If you like this post, then show the love by sharing it with friends and family. The best part of writing a blog is the discussion that follows, so do register your thoughts and views below.


 

If I Can Write, You Can Too!

Yes, You Can!
Yes, You Can!

I love to write blogs in my free time.  Well, actually, there is no free time in life.

Don’t you hate it when someone pings and says , Are you free?”

(Yes, I’m completely free. I was just waiting for you to ask. Thank you so much!)

One has to make time for everything one wants to do.

Haven’t called your good old college chums in years?

You didn’t have the time? Well, reality is that you didn’t make the time. Possibly because it was way down on your priority list.

It’s life. It happens. No need to feel guilty about it. If you wanted to call, you would have.

The point is, if you want to write, then all you need to do is make time for it. And if you are able to do just that, then congratulations! You are already a writer!

I am happy to share my writing process with you. Your’s could already be or could end up being better than mine. Please share with me if it isn’t too confidential.

My Six Step Blog Writing Process:

1. Capitalize on Your Trillions. There are trillions of thoughts that run through our mind each day. All I do is be conscious of these and not let all these thoughts just come and go. I draw a vertical line on my notepad to capture some of these ideas as the day progresses. I call this notebook section ‘—live streaming—‘!

2. Bring it Down to a Title! These are still many random ideas and thoughts. One can’t possibly use and write about everything. I capture over a couple dozen such thoughts per day. I let these thoughts play together in my head generally in the alone time. The time when I am taking a walk or driving alone. After some playtime, I pin all these down to a “theme”, followed by a “title”.  

3. Speak it Out. Crazy as it may sound, but it works! Don’t prepare before your recording. All the madness automatically arranges itself in a beautiful fashion. The relevant ideas crystallize and the unimportant filter out. Fresh new ideas add! It’s like magic!

4. Use Your Toolkit.  I use many tools. One Note, Mind-mapping tools like IDEAS i-Phone app, Quotes app, InStatus. Use whatever works for you but don’t get carried away or go overboard. If a journal does it for you, that’s perfect too. This is just to help add toppings on top of your pizza when it is ready.

5. Let it Cook! Don’t do anything for a while about this. May be go to sleep. I do that and when I get up, I play my recording and write it down verbatim. While I was asleep, my subconscious mind had done a lot of processing on its own.

6. Garnish ItYour pizza is now ready. Add the toppings. Read it like someone from your audience was reading it. Request someone else to review it. I ask my wife. She always beings in a different perspective! Add some quotes and images.

That’s it!

Press the Publish button. Post the link on Facebook and Twitter!

Celebrate and be thankful for each like and each comment you get.

Consider the feedback but don’t kill your self  or your blog over it.

Many people stop writing after one critical comment. Worse still, many people who get wonderful feedback think this writing was their life’s masterpiece. So, even they stop writing!

Remember, this is just the beginning and there is no end…!

Well, that’s it. Welcome to the club. The Blogger’s Club!

Hope you like this post. I am so looking forward to hearing about the method you use in your writing.

Until then, keep writing..!