Self Esteem

One of the key things that a Rainbow Creator does is to be happy with Self. Rainbow Creators have a great self esteem, they are happy with who they are. I happened to read this story by Novoneel Chakraborty from India who details about a conversation between the sun and the wind about a rose and a thorn. It is a great story about Self Esteem.


What Are You Looking At?

"It always happens this way', the Sun told the Wind."What does?" The Wind, as usual, was curious."Thorns and roses - they always co-exist.""But their outer self is in such irony to the inner self."The Sun gave the Wind a blank look.Surmising the hint, the Wind chose to clarify further.

"Yesterday when I was blowing, I overheard the rose talking to itself…

"THE ROSE: "I don't know why the hell people smile when they see me. I look so pathetic. All my life I simply exist being a sharp and pointed thing, good for nothing except hurting people. Or maybe they feel better about themselves after seeing my silly and ugly existence!"The Wind sighed and continued. "I overheard the thorn too..

"THE THORN:"I don't know why people are afraid of me. Some even ask their children to maintain a safe distance from me whereas I think I am one of the most beautiful things ever created. My petals, my design, my color, my softness, my aura, my romance...where else would they get such an austere mix? And yet...still, I thank God for the way he made me and no matter what others think or do to me, I would rather prefer to remain happy forever as in the end there are so few things in this world which are as beautiful as I am."

"So", this time the Sun sighed, "the rose is unhappy for it assumed itself - probably looking at the thorn all its life - to be just a thorn and thus ignored the happiness that it deserved all these years. While on the other hand the thorn assumed itself to be a rose and thus enjoyed happiness ever since."The Wind nodded."It always happens this way", the Sun said."What does?" asked the Wind.

"Happiness can definitely follow us wherever we go and whatever we do ... only if we know what we are and what actually we are looking at." -

China and Myanmar

Tragedies in both countries.Watching the television made me very sad. Chinese officials have responded very well but in Myanmar, the aid work has not been great.Hope we can all pray for speedy relief and God's kindness to the affected people.

Image

By design NOT by accident

I have been reading this book by Clive Chajet and Tom Shachtman. Dr. Venkata Majeti was kind enough to let me have it and I have been enjoying the book very much.

There is always a question I am asked - can we live our life by design and not by default.
I have been reading this book that shows us how we can shape corporate image by design. A company’s image is indeed a vital corporate asset and can make all the difference in a competitive marketplace. We live in a world full of business images. McDonalds, Apple, IBM, Dell, Singapore Airlines.

A Company’s image is what is perceived by its various audiences. A Company’s identity is what it chooses to shape those perceptions. One learning point from the book – corporate images must reflect reality not distort reality, if they are to positively impact its audiences.

I am sure we can shape our life but that is always going to be the reult of our actions, what we chhose to DO.

Akbar - the Rainbow Creator

I saw the Hindi film Jodha Akbar starring the Hrithik Roshan and Aiswarya Rai Bachan. Ironically it was a Bahraini friend who had asked me to see the film. It was well worth it.

Set in the sixteen century, the film is the story of the greatest Mughal emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar and the fiery young Rajput princess, Jodhaa. The epic romance begins as a marriage of alliance between two cultures and religions for political gains.

Little does the great Emperor know that this political journey transforms into a journey of love, one of understanding the human spirit and the common man. In the current context where it is increasingly becoming difficult to find politicians who understand what public service is, the great emperor Akbar shows what greatness is all about – respecting diversity – different cultures, religions and ethnicity.

His success despite his inability to read or write is clearly attributed to emotional intelligence. That one single competency that led him into the history books as one of the greatest Mughal emperors of Hindustan. He was a devout Muslim but still was the favourite among the largely Hindu population. The story of love with music by legendary A.R. Rahman is beautifully filmed, needless to say I learned so much from this film.

Change starts with YOU

I had the opportunity to work with a large organisation in the Middle East. The goal of the programme was to create Rainbow Creators. It was not about having everything to change but to recognise what each individual could do. Change starts with each one. Personal Accountability starts with everyone.

We had an interesting exercise - A STOP DOING LIST before working on a START DOING LIST.

Try it for yourself and reflect on both the lists.

All Roses Have Thorns....

Even a perfect life may have conflict. But don’t let conflict turn your life upside down. Instead, find a way to manage the conflict without hurting any party like arranging roses in a vase without cutting yourself.

Don't Compare

Don’t compare yourself with others. Don’t compare your beauty, success and luck with theirs, but you can take that as an inspiration to improve yourself to be the best you can be.