Design Thinking as an Innovation Engine

A Crying BabyIn his book "Hit Refresh", Satya Nadella (now, CEO of Microsoft) talks about the interesting incident when he was getting hired into Microsoft. In Year 1992, when Nadella, went through his first round of interview, he was posed a question by the recruiting manager Richard Tait that "Imagine you see a baby laying on the street, and the baby is crying. What do you do?"

Nadella quickly replied, "You call 911." 

As Tait walked Nadella out of his office, he put his arm around Nadella and said, "You need some empathy. If a baby is laying on the street crying, you pick up the baby."

Nadella still got a job but the lesson of "EMPATHY" and he would take this lesson throughout his career at Microsoft.

Empathy is formally defined as "the ability to understand and share the feelings of another."

Renewed Interest

The word "Empathy" is coming back to center stage recently and this empathy is towards customer needs and the kind of the experience they would love to emmerse themsleves into. The process of Design Thinking has this empathy at its core.

There is a renewed interest in Design thinking by companies in Software Engineering, Healthcare industry, Automotive industry and other industries who are proactive in taking their User Experience & Engagement to a next level and use that as competitive edge in the overcrowded market.

Design thinking is a method for resolution of problems in a practical, creative and Emphatic way. Let us look at the crux of this practice.

A)   It is Different from a normal Problem Solving method

Normal “Scientific method” is more about the coming up with a hypothesis/theory resulting in model supporting by stats/facts. However, Design thinking goes one step ahead by considering “emotional” aspect of the problem along with traditional ways of designing. It not only considers the stated issues by a user for a particular product, but also throws a light on non-stated problems which helps in discovering the intangible underlying issues which cannot be uncovered by using pure maths/physics based approaches. This method brings in “Human-Centric Point Of View” and has “Empathy” to its core. Constructive and practical solution is the aim of Design thinking.

A normal PROBLEM SOLVING results in Answers but Design Thinking results in “New Possibilities” and Solutions. Following simple example will help in understanding this better.

B)   Main 3 Ingredients of “Design Thinking”

Following three factors are vital in using this method which results in what is referred as PREDICTIVE INNOVATION

1. DESIRABILITY (About People)

• Tries to answer the question “What your User want?”
• This is #1 and most overlooked area
• Answer to this question will generally result in

① Value Proposition,

② Customer Relationship and

③ Customer Segments

2. Viability (About Business)

• Tries to answer the question “What can be sold in the market?”
• Lot of companies start from here but this should come after “Desirability”
• Answer to this question will result in

① Cost Structures

② Revenue Streams

③ Channels

3. Feasibility (About Technology)

• Tries to answer the question “What is possible with Today`s Technology?”
• This is point where one should make best use of the Digital innovation both in Software and Hardware to our disposal. This is the right way to become digital (if required)

・Answer to this question will result in

① Key Partners

② Key Activities

③ Key Resources

C)    The meeting points and the Core innovation

As indicated in the figure below,

1.    The area where Desirability and Viability meet results in EMOTIONAL INNOVATION and helps in branding, marketing and Relationships.

2.    The area where Viability and Feasibility meet results in PROCESS INNOVATION

3.    The area where Desirability and Feasibility meets result in FUNCTIONAL INNOVATION

4.    And as a whole, this activity results in “Most Valuable Design and Innovation” at its core.

D)   5 Main steps in Design Thinking

Main Five steps in design thinking are broadly divided into

1.    Problem

• Empathize with the user situation and problem
• Define the problem

2. Solution

• Ideate based on the inputs
• Prototype as early as possible
• Test the prototype with use
• If it meet and solves the problem, implement is vision in full scale.

There are whole set of tools (will explore in other post) on how to go about actually engaging with a client who intend to solve their problems and want to bring the Customer-Centricity, User Experience and Engagement to the core of the their business. By using Design Thinking, an enterprise can get started on their journey towards Innovation, rather Predictive Innovation.

You might have your own views/experiences around Design Thinking, it would be great to hear those and to take this discussion beyond this forum too.

GoogleMap pins for Fuji Five Lakes

One of the route options to visit Fuji Five Lakes fromTokyo.

I have marked specific places where we happen to visit by road.

https://goo.gl/maps/DPg5VKVynap

What is your true Nature ?

What is your true Nature ?

The world which we experience  is actually meeting point of two universes.

1st Universe is a Matter Universe of which our material body is a part of. You sensory , action organs are part of this. Even your mind and emotions are part of this. Your Work, play and anything physical, is part of it.

2nd is a Consciousness Universe of which our Soul/Spirit/Super Energy we experience is part of. Your inquisitiveness beyond your body and mind is in this realm. We can name it anything, but “what enters your body from when you found your place in your mother’s womb and what leaves when you die” it is that...

Matter Universe is governed by law of a.matter, b.Space and c.time.
If we see this with th help of an eg:
Take any living or non living object,
a: it cannot travel faster than speed of light(law of matter controls motion),
b: will be limited to 3 dimensional existence & can exist at one place in one time(law of Space) and
c: will exist for finite amount of time(law of time). Everything that exists around is confined by the cycle of time. Moon, Sun, our body, living or non living.

However, our soul belongs to Consciousness Universe which is not governed by laws of matter, Space and time. Consider Consciousness as an unbounded, formless, eternal and infinite source of Energy and it’s very nature is freedom. Our soul is a simple subset of this super energy. Hence we have a feeling or craving of freedom brimming inside us all the time.

If you are still with me 🙂, it is considered that since Consciousness Universe is eternal, Matter Universe is born out of it during Big Bang. Hence since body is a product of matter Universe, it is unable to confine or limit the soul inside you which is a product of Consciousness Universe, whose eternal nature is “freedom”.

Everyone tries to find this freedom by various hobbies, habits, play, relaxing, exercising, reading, music , art forms, surfing, interests, passions and countless things which make them forget their Matter Universe in their daily lives.

This is the same feeling of vastness, limitless-ness which is invoked when u see some endless oceans, huge mountains, thick forests, grand waterfalls etc which gives u an impression that there is something far bigger beyond your meager body and that grandness/unconfinedness and freedom is par of you.

And that’s you, in your original Nature
“ Freedom” & “ Part of that Pure Super Energy” and that is what you are here to know. This Pure Energy is in its purest form and always is a sense of bliss, balance and ecstasy. You bring a cell if it can relate to these characteristics in your natural form.

The part of Consciousness is in you. The Universe is you and You are the Universe. Or as some have started saying recently “Universe is experiencing itself through you” or “You are the Universe experiencing itself” !

All is true just different ways of seeing the truth!

Questions kids ask

https://youtu.be/gSj5V4Xlt84

Future of Education

https://youtu.be/nLtUl2CP8ak

What is best diet for human beings

https://youtu.be/0z03xkwFbw4

Source: TED

Biggest mistakes by companies are making in Digital right now !

Companies are spending billions on Digital and much of it is wasted.

Three Big Mistakes are being done
1) No clear strategy, taking a journey without a clear map, not decided where they want to reach
2) Not putting the user at the center of their strategy. Focus on users with right kind of insights is missing.
3) Not moving fast enough. Legacy company either move too slow in terms of taking actions in the market. That may be due to decision making, legacy way of looking at market that means trying to take the old play book and taking it online. That`s not digital

What can be done ?
Need to ask "what we can do today which we were unable to do it earlier due to lack of digital Technology" "What Digital tools we can use today, to do our job more efficiently ?", "What new doors can be opened with current toolset ?"

Way to go ahead to become a leader
- To re-imagine what is possible now with new Digital Technologies.
-  Re-Engineering is a good start but not a road map to become a leader.

The only way is
1) Start to Re-imagine your position
2) Re-imagine the Art of possible
3) Take a white sheet, where do we stand, what we can do with our capabilities

Art of the possible is the window to open up whole new possibilities.

Gives CEO/Executive a view which enables them to
- "Look around the corner, to see whats coming, and say "That`s where we need to go", "That`s where we want to win."

This ultimately translates
- In scale to real market leadership
- To Unlock new ways to make money in newer ways
- Top-line rapid growth
make you a leader than a laggard

The Art of possible - 10 Principles

Came across some good piece of information which might be useful for customer strategy.

Ten principles are at the heart of any effective customer strategy. Based on long-standing practice and observation — along with a recent global survey of 161 executives and interviews with key players in eight industries — these principles show how companies can position themselves for future customer success.

1. Master the art of the possible. The most successful companies continually experiment with innovations that make life better for customers. That doesn’t mean asking your customers what they want; rather, you must develop your own informed judgment about what new technologies will appeal to your customers at just the right time, in just the right way, so that customers become more loyal to you. This is particularly important for digital and mobile technologies, which continue to fundamentally affect the ways people interact with the types of products and services they favor.

2. Know your customers at a granular level. Leading companies are moving beyond traditional quantitative segmenting. To raise your own customer analytics ability, thoroughly define your market and customers. Deepen your knowledge by applying techniques such as mapping the customer journey. Seek out data from a variety of sources at the most granular level; for example, activity tracked by the Internet of Things, real-time interactions with your own Web and e-commerce sites, social media, and online communities such as customer advocacy councils.

3. Link your company’s customer strategy to its overall identity.  Every successful company has a strong value proposition that distinguishes it from rivals. To deliver this, it must develop and deploy a group of interrelated, distinctive capabilities. All of these must work together across the full portfolio of products and services. Linking your customer strategy to your company’s value proposition means aligning the emotional elements of your customer strategy, and all customer touch points including pricing, with the strongest capabilities your company has. Apple has mastered this. It offers customers a sense of superiority, grounded in an intuitive experience and beautifully designed devices. Everything Apple does reinforces these attributes. It sticks to premium pricing and high margins, creating an association with status on which the company has refused to compromise.

4. Target customers with whom you have the right to win.  When your company has a strong identity, you don’t need to claim the right to compete in every marketplace — only in the categories where you are reasonably confident of winning against competitors. You can and should branch out to other customers and markets, but those new customers and markets should be reachable with the same capabilities that gave you an edge with your core base. The Trader Joe’s grocery chain has a right-to-win customer strategy that provides a clear example of this principle. From the start, instead of trying to reach a mass market, the company built a devoted following by providing budget-friendly products for health-conscious and diet-conscious shoppers. 

5. Treat your customers as assets that will grow in value.  Building great customer relationships is a long-term game. It goes against many common practices, such as tracking the short-term return on customer acquisition investments. It even goes beyond quantifying the lifetime cost of a customer relationship, though that’s an important first step. You can build on this quantitative understanding by analyzing your customers’ paths to purchase, which will give you the insight you need to expand and tailor your customer relationships and to invest in meeting the evolving needs of your customers. The results of this analysis, particularly when customer data is included, can affect every aspect of your customer relationships, including the emotional attributes of your brand and the consistency of your pricing.

6. Leverage your ecosystem.  Your company’s relationships extend to suppliers, distributors, retailers, industry associations, institutional partners, and government agencies. You can leverage this ecosystem to engage your customers in new ways. A broad ecosystem can reveal what else is of interest to your customers, opening up new ideas for product and service offerings and growth opportunities. Crucial to this approach is developing brand ambassadors. These advocates promote your brand to win over new consumers for you. Companies such as Lego, Harley-Davidson, and BMW, whose enthusiastic customers communicate regularly with one another, are models of this principle.

7. Ensure a seamless omnichannel experience. Consistency across channels will be critical during the next three to five years, because customers are getting to a point of taking it for granted. They expect to be able to hop between call centers, websites, mobile apps, retail stores, and sales calls, getting the same experience at each stop. This raises the bar for every part of the organization. Apparel startup Bonobos adapted its omnichannel approach after a close look at customers’ expectations. Initially, Bonobos was a Web store designed to help male shoppers find pants that fit. Now it offers a “guideshop” where shoppers can try on clothes with the help of a guide who then places an order for them. This multichannel strategy meets customers’ needs and streamlines costs because Bonobos doesn’t need to set up stores that carry full inventories.

8. Excel at delivery. The physical delivery of products and services is critical to keeping your customers happy. Whether or not you compete directly with Amazon, you are affected by its delivery innovations. These include recruiting individuals to do on-demand delivery, experimenting with drones, and signing up the U.S. Postal Service to handle Sunday deliveries. You can emulate some aspects of Amazon’s practices, even if you don’t deliver nearly as high a proportion of merchandise directly. You can tailor delivery options on the basis of margin, brand positioning, and customers’ value expectations — while staying in step with technological advances. The use of relevant metrics, including customer experience, cost, and productivity, can help ensure high-quality delivery without sacrificing profitability.

9. Reorganize around the customer. Your organization should be “fit for your customer," designed to make it easy to deliver a great customer experience. Redesigning your organization might involve changing decision rights, shifting roles and responsibilities, establishing new teams, and aligning incentives, norms, and practices – always with your preferred customer groups and value proposition in mind. You may need to take the building blocks of your organizational DNA — the structures and processes of the existing company — and wire them differently.

10. Match your culture with your customer strategy.  A relevant culture is a bigger advantage than ever for customer-facing companies. You might feel that your embedded cultural inhibitors hold you back. Don’t try to fix these problems directly; focus instead on the few critical behaviors that exist in your organization in which people are doing well for customers. These might include mobilizing a cross-functional team to help a customer solve a problem quickly, saying no to a potential deal with a customer with whom you don’t have a right to win, or starting meetings by explicitly asking how it is relevant to the customer strategy. Then help spread these behaviors through the rest of the company.

Oze National Park - Main Coordinates

(For future reference)
Drive to this location (Approx 200 Kms from Tokyo) :


This is a parking area where you need to park your car and buy tickets for minibus/van taxis. This you will get at the entrance of this parking area. You can take your car ahead  till the start of trail only after 10th October. They say Autumn are early (early October) here as compare to Tokyo.



Parking Location & Taxi Stand:
https://goo.gl/maps/a5iLzYLaZkv
〒378-0411 群馬県利根郡片品村戸倉７６６
0278-58-7263


Then Taxi till near the trail: The point till where the Taxi/Van or Mini Bus will take you to where the walking trails will start. I think the charges were 700 or 900 Yens/Adult. Lesser for kids.

 If you are more than 9 members, while coming back, take only 9 tickets which is the max capacity of the vans (A Kids ticket can be exempted). We were told this later though :)
Taxi Terminal Location:
https://goo.gl/maps/1A341fCkso72
〒378-0411 群馬県利根郡片品村戸倉
0278-58-2111

A short walk (100 mtrs) and the exact trail starting point
From the Taxi stop, you walk to this point from where the trails start. This is also the point from where the taxi tickets can be bought. Taxi is the only option till 10th of October. After this time, it is opened to normal vehicles and Even private cars can travel to this point. In case of only taxis,  last taxi taking back to your car park is at 17:15. There is a small refreshment area here.
Start of Trail Location:
https://goo.gl/maps/UCfFSPJpcpR2
〒378-0411 群馬県利根郡片品村戸倉８９８−２５

Which Trail of Kids/Others:
For kids : Looks for the left side mark when you start your trail. There are three such markers. The destination would be around here : https://goo.gl/maps/pzEaj7Hr5vm.  Following trail is easy. It is 3.3. Kms one side and starts with a decline till you start walking on wooden pathways. Only while coming back kids will realize that there is an ascent. Take breaks in that case. Otherwise they will enjoy the route. Also there are bells on the way to notify beers the human presence. Do that and kids will have something to enjoy. Also just before 0.5 to 0.7 km there is a sitting benches in a corner where you can have your snack break.

As soon as you complete this 3.3 kms, there is an open camping area, place to live (like Dorm log houses which required prior reservations). There is a small caffe and food place too here for refreshment. Toilets too. From here you can explore more go in the direction of lake, which can take some time. Take a call based on how much time you have more to return back.There are longer trails of 7 kms from there and deeper for several kms. Would suggest to explore only if you are staying there.

Onsen while coming back:
If you area fan of Onsen, the locals swear by this onsen. Its a beautiful rotenburo included too surrounded by small mountain styled trees overlooking the mountain ranges. Small flowers too as in the name :)
Hananoeki Katashina Hanasaku Hot Spring
1113 Hanasaku, Katashina-mura, Tone-gun, Gunma-ken 378-0408
0278-20-7111
https://goo.gl/maps/3orQnjqKGqj

Hope you find this info useful.

ウチエ株式会社 シャワースカール C (Quality Shower chair in excellent condition for Sale)

お疲れ様です。

最近うちのぎりのお母さんが来日した時かったシャワー椅子です。
一回も使ってない状況です。
状況としてはほぼ新しいです。新品として考えてください。
アマゾンジャパンで買いました。
売値：50,000 円です。

写真で箱で包んだ形で着払いできますので、ご興味があるかた
090-6490-1156まで連絡ください。

Bought a high quality Shower Chair for my mother in law but did not get opportunity to use it even once.
The shower chair is in extremely good condition and consider it as new.
If anyone interested and in search for your family member or friend, please contact to my Japan number 090-6490-1156.
I would be able to pay on delivery parcel in  a box as shown in the pictures.

以上

Ayurved Documentary

https://youtu.be/feTiygXQyq0

Internet Cable under sea

https://youtu.be/H9R4tznCNB0

Sparks of blissful-ness

Life's most blissful moments are those when we forget ourselves and get completely immersed into 'something''.

i.e when we are not thinking about "I", the "Ego - both good ego or bad ego", when we are in a condition of selflessness, when you are absorbed in something other than 'you' , outside you, doing for someone outside you. It can be for or with a person, doing an activity, perusing a goal or anything which captures all our attention to its fullest energy, without us realizing the highest level of engagement.

I am sure all of us had such blissful moments.
It's not about that 'something' outside, it's about 'selflessness'. 'Forgetful-ness of 'self'

Think ! Think about those sparks.
The blissful-ones.

What Humans did with Language

70,000 years ago, accidental genetic mutations changed the inner wirings of the brains of the humans separating from animals and taking us towards "Cognitive Revolution".

Then we slowly developed Language. Language was not new since animals could also communicate in subtle voices. But the way humans used it is bit different and mastered communicating complex things.

Language was basically used for
1) Sending the danger and food opportunities
2) Gossiping since humans are primarily a social animals. Social cooperation is our key for survival and reproduction. Knowing danger and food was not enough, it was important to know who hates whom, who loves whom, who is honest and who is cheat was equally important.
3) Ability to transmit information about things that dies not exist or without even seeing, touching and smell. Legends, myths, gods n religions are result of these.

- Sapiens, A brief history of Mankind

Rumi' world view

800 years ago, Rumi, the beloved mystic poet(Year 1203-1273) had an interesting world view. This was the time when lot of Islamist Sultanate were being constantly invaded by Mongol rulers. In one of his famous poems he expresses world as "The gathering of lover" in following poem:

This is a gathering of Lovers.
In this gathering
there is no high, no low,
no smart, no ignorant,
no special assembly,
no grand discourse,
no proper schooling required.
There is no master,
no disciple.
This gathering is more like a drunken party,
full of tricksters, fools,
mad men and mad women.
This is a gathering of Lovers.

Satisfaction and contentment

"You should never be satisfied,
but you should always be content"

Sounds paradoxical ?

If you are satisfied, there will be no motivation to do anything more, you will feel crippled.
If a businessman is satisfied, he will not be able to do business longer, if a sportsman is satisfied, he will never excel, if a student gets satisfied, he will never get the marks he is targeting.

If at this moment, if you are short of your goal, take a note of that gap and try better, but be content with the efforts so far. Find contentment in efforts you have already done.

Though you might have not reached the goal but do check that you are also not where you started either. Appreciate that distance you have already covered.

Philosophical meaning behind Krishna's name as "Madhusudhan" one who has killed the Madhu or Honey :

Madhu or Honey is an end result of endeavor of endless number of bees, all through days, nights and months, the end product is Madhu. It is not one individual. Thousands of bees coming out and going in same Beehive. Each bee visiting each flower and in each flower a wee-bit of honey in the bag they have. When the bag is full, the bee comes back and stores honey in the beehive and slowly the honeycomb is full. Hence honey is end result of continuous efforts.

From the honeycomb of your mind and intellect, millions of bees are constantly going out visiting every flower, the sense objects and in their contact they gain a wee-bit of honey which is "Karma phalla" I.e result of that amount of effort, giving birth to either negative or positive tendencies in you. All these tendencies are stored away in Tendencies you develop as a beehive. Constantly thousands of thoughts are moving out, thousands of it turn back after contact with outside world. This contact of the individual in the world outside is called "Karma". The Karma phalla in total is stored away beehive of tendencies.

Sometimes the beehive of tendencies turn into greater negative pattern or obscures the right vision of life. Then such a demon in your personality obstructs your path in moving ahead and brings all kind of obstacles.

Krishna is symbolically called MadhuSudhana who can kill this demon which means once you wake up to "that plane of consciousness", all demon like tendencies are destroyed. That is when you know that you are beyond a mere body & mind and REAL you is a part of a bigger SELF, then suddenly this demon is destroyed.

Stone in the middle of the road

There was a king who ruled his kingdom wisely. He spent his time trying to improve the lives of his subjects. One day the king decided to see for himself how people lived in his kingdom. Early one morning, dressed as an ordinary citizen, he secretly mounted his horse and rode into town. The citizens were still not out in the streets. The king stopped at one place where the dirt road was narrowing somewhat. He tied his horse by the side of the road and then dug a hole right in the middle of the road. Therein he placed a metal jar wrapped in a piece of cloth. Then the king brought a stone that was lying on the side of the road and placed it on the hole, completely covering the hole. The king then mounted his horse and went up a nearby hill. Hiding behind a tree, the king looked down at the stone in the middle of the road.

The Farmer

A farmer was the first to appear. He was driving his cart with fresh-produce for the vegetable market. He saw the stone in the middle of the road and thought to himself, “It looks like this stone has been lying here in the middle of the road for some time but the people here are not bothered about removing the stone to one side. Each person thinks only for himself. People here are so lazy!” And the farmer carefully drove past avoiding the stone.

The Policeman

A little while later, a policeman was seen walking down the road. He was looking smart in his impressive police-uniform. He was walking and looking at the headlines in the newspaper. He tripped by the stone and very nearly hit the ground. He thought about the carelessness of the people, spoke some angry words and went away.

The Milkmaid

Then a milkmaid came along, singing aloud to attract the attention of the residents in nearby houses. She had one milk container on her head and another she carried by her side. Making her way down the road, looking to the left and now looking to the right.

Her foot hit the stone and she lost balance. The milk container on her head fell to the ground spilling all the milk. The milkmaid said that the people of this town are so thoughtless. How can they leave such a big stone in the middle of the road and not worry about it? Don’t they know that people can get tripped by the stone! She collected her milk pot and went away.

The Merchants

Some merchants came down the road driving their horse-cart at high speed. One wheel of the cart hit the stone and some goods fell on to the road. Looking at the stone in the middle of the road, they said the people here are so useless. Who knows for how long this stone is lying in the middle of the road but no body takes any notice of it! No one takes the trouble to remove this stone from the middle of the road! Mumbling some swear words the merchants collected their goods and drove away.

The Brahmachari (student)

A newly qualified Brahmachari (student) came walking down the road. As soon as he saw the stone in the middle of the road, he remembered the lessons he was taught by his Guru (teacher). His Guru had taught him that his first duty is to himself. If ever his life was in danger, then he must try everything possible, to preserve his life. Higher than that is the duty to his family. If ever it became necessary to give up his life to save his family, then let it be so. Higher than that is his duty to the community. If he has to sacrifice his life, and sacrifice his family for the good of the community, then the interest of the community comes first. Higher than that is the duty to the nation. If it calls for the sacrifice from the individual, his family and his community for the good of the nation, then the interest of the nation takes precedence. Higher than that is the duty to the whole of humanity.

The Brahmachari immediately removed the stone from the middle of the road. There underneath the stone he saw this bundle wrapped in a cloth with a hand-written note fastened to the cloth. The note read:

“ This stone was placed here by your king. Whoever takes the trouble of removing the stone, thereby thinking about the good of the people, can keep this metal jar and its contents. And the king would like to meet this person.”

The Brahmachari opened the metal jar and was amazed to see that it was filled with gold coins. He was very pleased.

Next day the Brahmachari went to meet the king. The king could make out the good character of this Brahmachari. He was noble-minded and unselfish. The Brahmachari would give rather than take. A person with such charitable heart is a credit to the human race.

The king made the Brahmachari his chief minister who helped the king rule the kingdom for many a long years.

And the example set by the Brahmachari taught a valuable lesson to the citizens of this kingdom. They changed their attitude from ‘taking’ to ‘giving’. This attitude they applied in their personal life, family matters, community affairs, and in their national life. Now every body was so courteous, so very thoughtful and caring for the needs of others. The kingdom prospered and became a veritable heaven on earth.

7 wonders of the world !

Anna was a 9-year-old girl from the small village.  She finished attending elementary school till 4th grade at her village.  For the 5th grade onwards, she will have to get an admission in a school at a city nearby.  She got very happy knowing that she was accepted in a very reputed school in a city.  Today was the first day of her school and she was waiting for her school bus.  Once the bus came, she got in it quickly.  She was very excited.

Once the bus reached to her school, all students started going to their classes.  Anna also made it to her classroom after asking fellow students for direction.  Upon seeing her simple clothing and knowing she is from a small village, other students started making fun of her.  The teacher soon arrived and she asked everyone to keep quiet.  She introduced Anna to the class and told that she will be studying with them only from today.

Then the teacher told the students to be ready for the surprise test now!  She told everyone to write down the 7 wonders of the world.  Everyone started writing the answer quickly.   Anna started to write the answer slowly.

When everyone except Anna had submitted their answer paper, the teacher came and asked Anna, “What happened Dear?  Don’t worry, Just write what you know as other students have learned about it just a couple of days back”.

Anna replied, “I was thinking that there are so many things, which 7 I can pick to write!”   And, then she handed her answer paper to the teacher.  The teacher started reading everyone’s answers and the majority had answered them correctly such as The Great Wall of China, Colosseum, Stonehedge,  Great Pyramid of Giza, Leaning Tower of Pisa, Tajmahal, Hanging Gardens of Babylon etc.

The teacher was happy as students had remembered what she had taught them.  At last the teacher picked up Anna’s answer paper and started reading.

“The 7 Wonders are – To be able to See, To be able to Hear, To be able to Feel, To Laugh, To Think, To be Kind, To Love!”

The teacher stood stunned and the whole class was speechless.  Today, a girl from the small village reminded them about the precious gifts that god has given us, which are truly a wonder.

Moral:  Value what you have, use what you have, trust what you have.  You don’t always have to look away to find an inspiration.  God has given you all the strength to reach your goals.

4 Types of People and How should be your attitude towards them ?

4 Types of People and How should be your attitude towards them ?

People can be categorized in following 4 

1. Happy people
2. Unhappy people 
3. Virtuous People engaged in good acts
4. Wicked People engaged in demonic acts

How should be our attitude towards each ?

With Happy People:

Friendliness with all those who are happy

If you are not happy with happy people you become jealous. But if you are in tune with you, you are also happy. 

With someone who is unhappy :

Compassionate with Unhappy people. If you are friendly with unhappy people, you become unhappy too. Have compassion or empathy with such people. If you are also unhappy with them, you will be of no use to them and you can't even bring happiness in their lives. Don't say "Oh poor people, see what happened with you", you push them down with this. Imagine w friend if you in this stage, don't pity them, or don't make their belief more strong about the cause of Soweto with them. " oh this shouldn't have happened with you" will not happy, you need to help them to awaken them and make them aware worst could have happened na drains them out from that situation.

With Virtuous: 

Be delightful with people engaged in good acts, become one with them, competition and jealousy will go away. People try to find fault if someone does good. Sense of criticism develops. Don't find fault if someone is trying to do good. Feel happy and inspired if someone does good.

With Wicked:

People who do demonic or bad acts, Ignore them, brush it off, not even worth considering about them. We do opposite. We overthink on whoever does wrong and ignore good. Popular Media is all filled by such news only. If you think the person is open to learn, not just ignore and educate out of compassion. If you overthink about "they are imperfect, they are imperfect", it sticks to you. The fact remains everyone of us has some kind of imperfections.

If this principle is understood well, it can make you navigate day to day life interactions with peace.

Signs of Disturbed mind & Solution to it

5 signs of a disturbed mind

1. Sadness
2. Bitterness 
3. Restlessness in body
4. Lack of coordination in body
5. Irregular breathing

When we are happy and excited, we are more aware of incoming breath, inhale and when we are sad, the exhaling is prominent or big sigh. Imbalance of breath.

Question: How do you get rid of the above ?

Answer is : JUST DO ONE THING

Boredom comes,Restlessness surface.

Restlessness and boredom take you to peak from where comes the clarity. This is the only solution. If our mind has choices, the mind's vitality is lost and we lack energy. Divided minded is weak but single focus mind is a force and strength and this brings bliss, joy. This improves the whole life. Divided mind is the cause of fear and misery too. Try keep two thing or too many things, it will not get done. So commit to ONE. It can be anything you can think of, but ONE is the key. 

The great thing is you already know this principal by your past experiences.