Author: anandnataraj

Entrepreneur, Blogger, Traveller, Pet Lover, Networker, Social Drinker, Party Animal, Movie Addict, Startup Enthusiast, Organic Gardner, Avid Reader....

Secret for Success


A young man asked Socrates the secret to success. Socrates told the young man to meet him near the river the next morning. They met. Socrates asked the young man to walk with him toward the river. When the water got up to their neck, Socrates took the young man by surprise and ducked him into the water. The boy struggled to get out but Socrates was strong and kept him there until the boy started turning blue. Socrates pulled his head out of the water and the first thing the young man did was to gasp and take a deep breath of air. Socrates asked, ‘What did you want the most when you were there?” The boy replied, “Air.” Socrates said, “That is the secret to success. When you want success as badly as you wanted the air, then you will get it.” There is no other secret.

A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment.

Just like a small fire cannot give much heat, a weak desire cannot produce great results…

Finally made it to Isha Foundation


Being a great admirer is Jaggi Vasudev’s speech and hearing about people’s experience about the benefits they gained thru isha’s yoga practices and the mental rejuvenation… I wanted to visit the place for more then 5 years now…

Since I’m undergoing a heeling process and didn’t get out of home for long, my uncle took me to Veliangiri Malai… It was a 30 KM drive and half way we got a call from a guest who was planning to visit us…

So we thought we can just visit the temple and return… Because of the fuss we just went to dhyanalinga and couldn’t make it for mercury lingam and missed a great opportunity to listen to sadgurus speech…

After meditating for 15 min in a very silent atmosphere gave real rejuvenation… I wanted to spend more time out there explore more… Unfortunately we had to return to meet the guest… After some shopping we headed back home only to get a call back from the guest that they are not making for the day…

Overall I’m very fascinated by the voluntary participation of high profile people… I always wondered how sadguru made people volunteer and work with high ownership… It is time to research more about him and his skills…

Importance of self-discipline


During the 1960s, psychologist Walter Mischel conducted “the marshmallow test” with four-year-olds in the preschool at Stanford University, to assess each preschooler’s ability to delay gratification. Each four-year-old was given one marshmallow. They were told that they could eat it immediately or, if they waited until the researcher returned in 20 minutes, they could have two marshmallows.

Some kids in the group just couldn’t wait. They gobbled down the marshmallow immediately. The rest struggled hard to resist eating it. They covered their eyes, talked to themselves, sang, played games, and even tried to go to sleep. The preschoolers who were able to wait were rewarded with two marshmallows when the researcher returned. Twelve to fourteen years later these same kids were reevaluated as teenagers.

The differences were astonishing. Those who had been able to control their impulses and delay gratification as four-year-olds, were more effective socially and personally. They had higher levels of assertiveness, self-confidence, trustworthiness, dependability, and ability to control stress. Their Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) scores were 210 points higher than the “instant gratification” group!

A key difference between successful people — leaders — and those who struggle to get by, is self-discipline.

As Confucius wrote, “The nature of people is always the same; it is their habits that separate them.”

Tips to reduce stress at work


1. Improve your time management and organization skills

Of the many things you can to in this area the best ones include getting a to do list that works, learning to say “no”, asking for help when you need it, and stop setting unrealistic goals for yourself.

2. Relax and breathe deeply.

Whether you are feeling overwhelmed by the amount or work you have to do or if someone is “in your face”, a good thing to do is to “breathe through your nose”. You can’t get as worked up if you force yourself to breathe through your nose. Your body simply can’t maintain the same level of energy without that extra oxygen you get when breathing through your mouth.

3. Take more breaks from your work.

Even a five-minute break will help. Get away from your desk. Go for a walk – outside is better, but up two flights of stairs and back down is good too. Getting more exercise in general will help you reduce your overall stress levels and that will make it easier to reduce your stress level at work.

4. Lighten up.

Smile more. We all know laughter reduces stress. You will be amazed at how much more pleasant the people around you are when you make an effort to be pleasant yourself.

5. Learn to listen better.

Rather than getting upset when others disagree with you, listen actively and find the areas of agreement. Be assertive and stand up for yourself, but don’t be rigid.

6. Fix your environment.

Make whatever adjustments you need to the lighting, temperature, noise level, and other controllable factors in your office.

7. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Realize that there are some things that just aren’t worth worrying about and there are some things you just can’t change. Don’t waste time stressing over the things in either category.

8. Get more sleep.

This is another of the things you can do to reduce your overall stress that will have benefits at the office as well. In addition to reducing your stress, it will increase your energy level and your ability to concentrate.

9. Find a mentor

If not a mentor, a friend will do. Having someone to talk to can take a lot of stress off you.

10. Spend more time with optimistic people.

Negative people will pull you down to their level. Choose to work with people who have a positive attitude instead.

Hell or Heaven – It is the way people treat each other….


Rabbi Haim of Romshishok was an itinerant preacher. He traveled from town to town delivering religious sermons that stressed the importance of respect for one’s fellow man. He often began his talks with the following story:

“I once ascended to the firmaments. I first went to see Hell and the sight was horrifying. Row after row of tables were laden with platters of sumptuous food, yet the people seated around the tables were pale and emaciated, moaning in hunger. As I came closer, I understood their predicament. Every person held a full spoon, but both arms were splinted with wooden slats so he could not bend either elbow to bring the food to his mouth. It broke my heart to hear the tortured groans of these poor people as they held their food so near but could not consume it.

Next I went to visit Heaven. I was surprised to see the same setting I had witnessed in Hell – row after row of long tables laden with food. But in contrast to Hell, the people here in Heaven were sitting contentedly talking with each other, obviously sated from their sumptuous meal. As I came closer, I was amazed to discover that here, too, each person had his arms splinted on wooden slats that prevented him from bending his elbows. How, then, did they manage to eat?

As I watched, a man picked up his spoon and dug it into the dish before him. Then he stretched across the table and fed the person across from him! The recipient of this kindness thanked him and returned the favor by leaning across the table to feed his benefactor.

Moral: “Heaven and Hell offer the same circumstances and conditions. The critical difference is in the way the people treat each other”.

10 Reasons To Date An Entrepreneur


1 – Their sense of possibility.  To date someone who accepts no limitations means that there is no end to how much they are capable of loving you.

2 – They see things in ways that others don’t and understand the power of thought and faith to offer an entirely fresh and inspiring view of a challenging situation.

3 – They know the true meaning of commitment and persistence to an idea – a love – far bigger than themselves.

4 – They attract and draw into their world new people, experiences and opportunities that make every day of being with them a continual adventure.

5 – Their vision for the world extends to a vision of long-term relationships and family life no less important than their cause, but as equal to and intrinsic to working together to contribute to the betterment of humanity.

6 – They have seen failure and know that it is never what defines a man or a woman.  It is their ability to get back up, with integrity, humility and service to a higher cause that builds the character and loyalty necessary for life-long commitment.

7 – They are passionate souls with tonnes of energy and a great love and lust for life…..and we know how important that is for the more, erm, intimate areas of a relationship…..!

8 – They know the value of partnership in getting things done, the power of teamwork necessary to build something of mutual value.

9 – They know how sometimes you just have to hang in there, work really hard and keep trusting the original love for the vision/person and what drew you to it/them in the first place……and it will turn out with way more blessings than you can imagine.

10 – They are visionaries who understand the power of love over fear.

Wanted Pre-Sales & Business Analyst


Cogzidel Technologies Pvt Ltd is looking Pre-Sales & Business Analyst for itz Chennai office with following Skills;

Desired Skills:

  • Engineering or Graduates – with min 1year experience in Presales or business analyst roles…
  • Excellent interpersonal relationship building skills & Analytical skills…
  • Advanced computer knowledge – PPT, MPP & other Microsoft tools. Exposure in using CRM tools…

Job Description:

  • Ability to understand and capture business & technical requirements…
  • To respond to RFP and RFI…
  • Ability to Make quick online research and respond to client’s questions over the call…
  • Responsible to prepare for meetings and tailoring communications to address business needs of potential clients…
  • Responsible for providing feedback from the customer to the development team on any project related queries…
  • Liaison with Customers and Development team to understand details of project requirement & design and communicate information back to sales organization…
  • Production of responses to Requests for Information and Requests for Pricing…

Please email your resumes / reference to anand@cogzidel.com…

Impressive THANKSGIVING from Pinterest Team


Read ThanksGiving email sent by PINTEREST team and it is really impressive and motivating…

Two years ago, I was sitting with my family on Thanksgiving Day trying to come up with a name for a new website I’d been working on with my friends Paul and Evan. My girlfriend Divya (now my wife!) suggested “Pinterest” after watching a commercial starring The Most Interesting Man in the World. Four months later, we sent an email to our friends and family to try out Pinterest.

It has been rewarding and exciting to watch Pinterest grow from a site used by just a few dozen friends, to a community with millions of creative and passionate people. It’s humbling to see people using Pinterest to redecorate their homes, plan family dinners, or just find a little daily inspiration.

As our team here in Palo Alto heads home for Thanksgiving, we wanted to say a big thank you for joining Pinterest during these early days. We know there have been bugs and hiccups. There are times when the site is slow, or an occasional pin goes missing. These are problems that we experience first-hand, and we’re working hard to get them fixed.

Despite growing pains, we’ve been amazed by the ever- upbeat and positive Pinterest community. We know there’s a lot of work ahead of us, but we’ve never been more excited or optimistic. We hope you’ll continue sending us your suggestions and inviting your friends.

From everyone here in sunny Palo Alto, thanks!

🙂

– Ben & the Pinterest Team

Missing Chennai Rains


For someone who hails from Chennai can understand the importance of rains… I’m fond of rains for many reasons;

  • I’ve seen the impact of water shortage during summer…
  • I use to get 2-3 days of holiday during my school due to rain…
  • My college will become an island and it would stay like this for at least a month or two… I’ve even travelled in a boat once… We see kids fishing during this time…
  • Rains make city look green as all the trees and plants will be covered by smoke and dust… It makes mind fresh

Though rains in Chennai paralises our life due to water logs, tree falls, drainage overflow, bad roads et more… I still love rains because it of lots of nostalgic memories where we use to stock snacks and play indoor games, adventurously driving my car on flooded roads etc…

I don’t remember a time where I stayed away from Chennai during November when it normally rains… Even during 2008 I went to Chennai and 26/11 Mumbai shoot out happened then… I was watching TV coverage whole day as it was raining heavily outside…

This is the first time I’m away from the City and November rains… I really miss Chennai Rains :((…

Ashamed being Tamilian for banning DAM 999


When i came to know TN government has banned releasing the movie DAM 999, I was deeply shocked and ashamed for my state governments act… It makes no sense to ban a movie assuming it might be influenced by Keralites… Even if the assumption goes Right; who are Keralites?? aren’t they Indians… Again it is bonanza time for politicians for getting an opportunity to polarise our country…

It is very sad to see we have not integrated as a nation… We are always exploited by our political bosses who want to polarize the nation… It is sad that we still don’t have a common Indian identity which makes us all proud… We don’t have common festivals like THANKS GIVING…

I personally don’t endorse the state governments act which i voted to power… I wish our leaders watch this video on Nation building…