Design Your Life - Design Thinking

You might have heard of the term Design Thinking. Leading brands across the world, including Apple, Google, Nike, Pepsi, and Samsung, have adopted Design Thinking. Design Thinking is even being offered as a subject at some top universities around the world, including Harvard, MIT, and Stanford. But what is all this about? Why is it taking the corporate world by storm? And why do I want to know more?

What is Design Thinking, anyway? 

There are many definitions, explanations, and even myths doing the rounds, about design thinking. Some say it’s just the next bubble, and conventional methods are the way to go. Some believe that in this fast-changing age, conventional methods need to be replaced with design thinking. And, some swear by it and believe it is the solution to everything. 

Let’s see what it is.

Design Thinking is an ideology and method of creatively solving complex problems, with a highly people-centric approach. Design Thinking fosters creativity and innovation, encouraging us to consider alternative solutions by removing pre-existing blinkers. The entire process helps in challenging assumptions and exploring new pathways and ideas.

Okay. Problem-solving. Different approach. Great for corporate leaders. Why should I care?

Because Design Thinking is for everyone; World Leaders, Corporates, Businessmen, Teachers, Parents, Students. EVERYONE.

• Designing is about problem-solving. 
• Design involves defining the outcome and crafting the process to reach that outcome.
• Design is People-Centric. It starts with empathy.
• Design can be fluid, and constantly evolving.

How do I Start with Design Thinking?

There are many ways, but let’s start with a basic 5-Step Process, which you can start implementing starting right away.

1. Empathize: It is important to be empathetic and understand the needs of your team. Design thinking should start with the end-users in mind; Creating a framework where you build empathy and inclusiveness.
2. Define: The emphasis should be on identifying and defining the core problem and then reaching the best solution. Design thinking helps you to develop a solution-centric mindset, as opposed to a problem-centric one.
3. Ideate: Create a lot of ideas in ideation sessions. Brainstorm all kinds of possible solutions, while being open-minded about all ideas. Think out of the box and keep jotting them down. Eliminate during the next step.
4. Prototype: Prototype like you’re right. Test like you’re wrong. Simple. 
5. Test: Learning from continual testing is your key to Design Thinking. At every step of the way, you create more certainly and think again, relearn, revise and restart to realign. You won’t go too wrong if you test early and keep testing regularly. It’s the best safeguard.

The key point to remember is, Design Thinking is not a linear process. Be Creative. Focus on People. Focus on Your Solutions.

Behaviors That Create Success & Happiness

·         Give yourself permission to say YES only to the things that lift you up.

·         Take time to evaluate, plan & be proactive with your journey in life, so you’re directing your own destiny.

·         Practice being patient and at peace with the “Grey Areas” in life, remembering uncertainty is the breeding ground of new possibilities!

·         Put in place daily life-affirming rituals & reminders to keep you focused on your goals & what’s most important to you.

·         Be conscious of what’s going on inside your mind. Practice loving self-talk.

·         Wear “Solution Eyes” each day, look beyond issues with intent to see the positive way forward.

·         Even if you feel fear, step forward & give life a go.

·         Practice gratitude, it’s the energy that will magnetize more of the good things into your life.

·         Prioritize your health. Your body is the vehicle that carries you through life. It needs you to take care of it so it can do its job.

Importance of Discipline

Discipline means training of the mind and character. It is obedience to rules and an orderly behavior. It also refers to the practices involved in to regulate the human behaviour accordance to a set of pre-determined rules.

There is a need and importance of discipline in our society and particularly in our life. In our home, in office and everywhere in this world discipline brings order.

The absence of discipline brings disorder and chaos. There are some rules that control our activities. If we do not respect these rules, our life will be like a boat without the boatman. If we do not obey our parents at home, our seniors at work, we can imagine what will happen. So it is important that we understand the need for discipline, so that everybody can be proud of us.

Discipline in work place is a type of training in which individuals are subject to regulations designed to mold behaviors. It is necessary to instill disciplining program at work place in order for individuals and the organization to move forward. An effective regimen will help improve workplace performance, provide a safe and honest environment conducive to production.

Disciplined environment helps put both management and employees on their best behavior.

Efficiency is tied to a disciplined organization. Staff members must discipline themselves in working in a timely manner to produce quality output. Discipline requires concentration, time management, and orderliness, which all contribute to efficient labor.

Peacefulness ensues when you have a workplace that is committed to values of a concentrated regimen.

The environment that exists in organizations which do not issue specific guidelines for behavior is frequently impulsive, erratic and uncertain. It is extremely difficult for management to effectively lead workers under these conditions. A disciplined facility, however, encourages a pleasant environment that promotes good management and employee relations.

Discipline helps to produce an honest environment in which everyone is treated fairly.

A disciplined environment is necessary to provide a secure workplace.

Ramadan the month of Fasting

“O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may guard against evil.” The Holy Quran, 2:183

Ramadan is a month of fasting and prayers. The fast consists of total abstinence from food and drink from dawn to dusk. There is, however, a greater significance to fasts than mere abstinence from eating and drinking. The real objective of fasts is to inculcate in man the spirit of abstinence from sins and of cultivation of virtue. Thus, the Qur'an declares that the fasts have been prescribed with a view to developing piety in man, as is clear from the verse quoted. 

One of the primary benefits of fasting in Ramadan is a spiritual purification, the essential goal of Spirituality. Although we tend to think of the mind, body and spirit as separate components, in reality they are all connected and interrelated, and improvement in any one naturally effects improvement in the others as well. 

Fasting in Ramadan purifies the mind, body and spirit, leading to greater clarity, sensitivity and health.

Ramadan is not just about fasting or staying hungry and thirsty for one month, but much more. This is the month of piety and devotion. It’s main purpose is to learn self-control and strengthen willpower. Ramzan is the month in which we should guard against all temptations and evil.

Fasting is not for the stomach alone, it’s for the tongue too: one must not utter anything harsh — in anger, malice, spite or cruelty. Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink."

Fasting is for the eyes: one must guard oneself against being attracted towards evil and to raise one's voice if one witnesses oppression.

Fasting is for the body: one must not indulge in wrongful and illegal acts.

Fasting is for the heart and the mind: to remain engrossed in remembrance of God and spirituality and to increase one’s faith in God and remain steadfast.

Ramadan is the month for charity: for giving zakat and helping those who are needy.

However, Almighty does not want the people who are fasting to be inconvenienced either and in case one is sick or traveling, one can make up for it later by fasting.

If, as in my case, one can’t fast because of medical advice, one should offer the less privileged the meals that they would themselves have in the morning and evening, or give them the money to buy those meals with.

Hasan

Personality traits of Powerful Leaders

When executives identify admirable leaders, they often underestimate their struggle with certain elements of their personality. In truth, most effective leaders had to work hard to manage their personality traits to get where they are today.

Leaders who transform businesses or communities source and wield incredible power to get things done. In the context, “Power” is defined as a “leader’s ability to inspire, mobilize and lead people towards remarkable success”.

But not all leaders can source and wield power. A title or a position can only go so far. So, what makes some leaders more powerful than others. There are countless personality traits that distinguish us from one another, some inherited while others are learned. According to recent research, powerful leaders possess five “innate” traits that help them source and wield power. They happen to possess these traits to a greater extent than the relatively powerless.

Relentless Focus

Powerful leaders seldom get distracted from the direction they want the organization to go towards. With a firm belief in their vision, they can focus their energies and efforts in a single direction to create momentum.

Sensitivity towards Others

Powerful leaders tend to be extremely empathetic towards others. Being sensitive doesn’t necessarily mean they act in a friendly fashion by agreeing to others views and opinions. Rather, powerful leaders are keen observers of human behavior. They are very strategic in letting sensitivity influence their decisions.

Endurance

Many powerful leaders have enormous ability to work grueling hours. Depending on industry type, the average hours worked per week is generally between 60 and 65. Research shows that to be a powerful leader one must have both physical and mental endurance.

Resilience

Powerful leaders can tactically navigate complex situations, thanks to their resilient personality. They can skillfully pitch the same idea using different tactics. While sometimes ‘resilience’ carries a negative connotation, powerful leaders consider it as a necessary characteristic. It provides them with the capacity to change course, rather than clinging to ideas that are not working.

Submerging One’s Ego

Leaders who transform businesses and communities are very good at building alliances and networks of friendships. They do so by having a knack for adapting their behavior to the needs of the occasion even when their ego gets in the way. In order to gain greater power and critical resources for their vision, powerful leaders can submerge their ego in situations that demand restraint. At the same time, powerful leaders can also engage in constructive conflict very artfully if it is in the best interest of the organization. You won't always find them pliable. They will fight for their ideas.

“Powerful leaders are like coaches of a winning team. They are perfectly comfortable not being at the podium”

“SHEEPLE” MENTALITY

Is there really such a thing as “SHEEPLE” mentality — a tendency by vast majority of us to follow along mindlessly and without resistance? What's more unpleasant to see than the herd spirit in humans? The manipulation led to the stage when humans behave like dumb sheep. Many times, you may have wondered what the hell you were doing or how the heck you had got amongst a gang of seemingly idiots. A new research published shows that humans really flock like sheep and birds, subconsciously following just a bunch of individuals. Just 5 % of the crowd may herd, like cattle, the rest of 95 %.

“If the freedom of speech is taken away then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” -George Washington

Think about how entire populations follow enigmatic leaders, for better or for worse. While Hitler certainly was not loved by all Germans — and not all Germans were members of the Nazi Party — he certainly managed to captivate the vast majority of the German people, who followed him as he led a conquest of the European continent that caused the deaths of tens of millions of people and destroyed entire nations.

We tend to follow what other humans are doing. What’s more, down through human history, we have built institutions and recreations that feed into our crowd mentality, to provide us with “that dangerous, fascinating thrill.”

“If people are good only because they fear punishment, and hope for reward, then we are a sorry lot indeed.” -Albert Einstein

We take this need of ours to be socially accepted and apply it to violent and destructive mob mentality such as riots, gangs and the mother of all mob mentality, war? Take military groups for instance. They are taught to be the ultimate conformers. Dress alike, look alike, walk alike, do what you are told when you are told and never question your “superiors”. For this they are called heroes, given guns and are encouraged to murder and torture their fellow human beings. The reward centers in their brains are going off the chart. So much so, that they will commit acts they never knew themselves capable of.

“I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion.”

-Alexander the Great-

Fashion is another example. Remember the checked bell bottoms, side burns of the seventies? We roll our eyes and laugh at those styles today, but are our current styles really any better? Are we really any better at determining what is attractive now? Think of the current trend of wearing baggy jeans half way down your butt and a baseball cap worn sideways. Is that really attractive?

Yet millions of people dress just like that and are considered to be very stylish. Are our own ideas of beauty any less weird? Women, who appear to be on the brink of death by starvation, massive breasts filled with saline, huge lips filled with collagen: are these things truly more beautiful?

“Life is like a game of cards. The hand you are dealt is determinism, the way you play it is free will.”

-Jawaharlal Nehru-

There is a little more science to explain why people will act in ways that go against their basic morals and beliefs. When people are part of a group they can deindividuate, (lose their self-awareness and sense of individuality), and get caught up in the emotional excitement and indulge in behaviours they would not engage in alone. They may not feel personally responsible for their violence as they perceive the violent action as “the group’s”. The bigger the mob, or group, the more they can lose their self-awareness.

“Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” -George Orwell

So, does this mean we are doomed to act like thugs and behave like violent sheep? Can we think for ourselves and not follow the pack? Yes, we can and it is easy. Being aware is enough. Know that when you refuse to conform your brain is going to alert you with “Error! Error! Undo immediately and reward me!”

Be aware that this is the reptilian part of your brain kicking in from days when conformity to the tribe was literally a life or death choice. It will pass. Very quickly. So, go ahead and be a rebel! Next time you are at a not so great event and the multitude leap to their feet to applaud, just sit there. Will people stare? Maybe, so what? Do you want to be manipulated by the crowd? This crowd or any crowd?

“It is no measure of health to be well adjusted to a profoundly sick society.” -Jiddu Krishnamurti-

Your life is a battle. Here are some ways to win

Every morning when you wake up, a battle begins. “The real battle is within yourself.” 

It’s a battle between forces that want you to become the best version of yourself and others that want to drag you down to become the worst version of yourself.

These forces (some are internal, others are external) are always at war with each other, trying to win your soul to join them. And every day, through your choices and actions, you’re strengthening and supporting one force or the other.

Thinking of your life as a battle might seem a bit exaggerated and confrontational. However, it’s a powerful metaphor that can help play a critical role in your personal development and improvement.

When you’re in a battle, there are two possible consequences: either you win or you lose. No one wants to be a loser, so here are some ways to help you succeed every day:

PREPARE DURING THE NIGHT BEFORE YOUR BATTLE

No army in its right mind would blunder into a battlefield without a plan. Similarly, if you want to win the battle of life, you have to plan for it, day by day. Ask yourself, “What would make tomorrow successful?” The more detailed you are in your planning, the more prepared you’ll be to win.

BEWARE THE LITTLE MISTAKES

In every battle, there are consequences for making the wrong move. Similarly, in the fight for your soul, there are consequences for the slightest mishap. If you think that checking your phone first thing in the morning is harmless, you’ve lost the battle for your focus over the next 3–4 hours. If you eat that donut for breakfast, you’ve just lost the battle for your energy level once the sugar rush is over. Be careful.

WAR IS ABOUT TRICKERY

In battle, sometimes you need to fool your enemies to win. Similarly, sometimes you need to fool yourself to make better and smarter decisions. For example, you can say to yourself that you’re only going for a 5-minute walk in the morning but, once you’re out of the door, stretch that walk into a 30-minute walk or jog.

LEARN FROM OTHERS

The smart general is the one who realizes that he’s not that smart and there’s always somebody out there who could teach him or her something new. If you’ve been struggling with a bad habit for a long time, look at how others have overcome that habit and learn from them.

DON’T DESPAIR IF YOU LOSE

Some battles are won and others are lost. Lick your wounds when you lose a battle and get up and fight for your best self again the next day.

AND DON’T BE ARROGANT IF YOU WIN

Just because you had a fantastic productive day today doesn’t mean you’ve mastered yourself forever. Be grateful. Be humble. And strive to work harder. It’s never over until it’s over.

HAVE FAITH

Facing the battle of life can be challenging, especially with so many factors at play. Focus on what you can control and have faith that the rest will be taken care of.

At the end of each day, ask yourself: Did I win the battle of life today? If you did, be thankful and maintain your performance. If you didn’t, be humble and learn how to be better next day.

The mistakes that destroy the Profile of a Leader

As with most popular sayings, there is some truth in the adage, “Great leaders are born, not made.” To some extent, the capacity for great leadership is innate. However, learning how to be a more effective leader is within everyone’s grasp – whether you lead multiple teams, an entire company or just one staff member.

Effective leaders periodically take stock of their personal strengths and shortcomings. They ask:

What do I like to do?

What am I really good at? 

What are my areas of weakness, & what do I dislike doing?

Knowing your areas of weakness does not make you weak; on the contrary, it allows you to delegate to others who have those abilities, in order to achieve the common goal. Rather than clinging to the false belief that they can do it all, great leaders hire people who complement, rather than supplement, their skills. Working on your areas of weaknesses will improve your leadership ability – and recognizing them makes you more human.

“It takes a village to raise a leader” says an African proverb. While theories on leadership contribute to varying attributes that enable an individual to become a leader, it is acknowledged that a leader has to be adequately cautious if he or she has to sustain the leadership over a long period. Right from the moment of assuming a leadership role, one would feel the winds of challenge from all directions of their operational universe. Therefore, the leader has not only to face these challenges with courage and conviction but ensure that their leadership profile is sustained without loss of esteem or repute.

It is seen that the following factors do contribute to the downfall of a leader to a large measure.

Not providing the full picture

Nature abhors a vacuum and so do most employees. Being asked to do X without understanding the context or how it feeds into Y is both disorienting and disheartening. It’s difficult to give your best effort when you don’t know to what end it's being applied. Bad leaders don’t think about building buy-in and fostering an atmosphere where information flows freely and each employee knows the goals his or her work contributes to. If you withhold the big picture from your team, expect them to withhold outstanding work from you.

Not acknowledging effort

Everyone has an ego and a good leader understands the need to stroke the ones on her team. Don’t wait until it’s crunch time and you need a herculean effort from them to dole out the praise -- they’ll be skeptical of your sudden magnanimity and rightly so. If you want great work in the future, acknowledge the great work they’ve given you in the past. Poor leaders under-praise or wait until their team is already thoroughly deflated before handing out hasty compliments.

Failing to steer the ship

There’s a difference between providing hands-on direction and micro-managing, but that balance is difficult to strike and recognizing it comes from experience. Unfortunately, many new leaders embrace a laissez-faire approach to leading a team in hopes of not appearing too meddlesome and nit-picky. While their desire not to interfere comes from a good place, working for a boss who doesn’t step in to fix dysfunctional team dynamics, who hesitates to make tough calls and who isn’t willing to get down in the trenches with his or her team when needed is a guaranteed motivation killer. Who can feel good about working for a leader who doesn’t want to lead?

Celebration of Ego

A leader is like the nucleus of a system and his power and impact radiates throughout the entire universe of his influence. The moment the leader starts celebrating the ego, this power of radiation and influence slowly decreases. He is seen as a unique identity in the universe. The members of the universe see him as one to celebrate, as one to admire, as one to be idolized and one different from their own emotional circle. This creates duality between the system and the leader, thus distancing the followers from any belongingness to the nucleus. This separation increases over a period of time raising questions about his relevance to their emotional and social needs in the system and for the system. Further, most leaders while celebrating their ego, look down upon others in the team, while assuming a heroic profile of their own selves.

Failure to Reach out

There is a general tendency for the leaders to climb up the ladders of power and superiority, oftentimes stepping over the shoulders of his followers. Over a period of time, the leader starts assuming that the value of their leadership relates to the positions they hold. They also start thinking that there has to be a meteoric rise in their leadership profile at any cost and therefore they engage themselves in performing some personal or professional gimmicks. Such things have a limited and transient value. The followers see the absence of genuineness and credibility in the emerging roles of their leaders and this slowly leads to trust deficit. The leaders fail to respond to the social consciousness of their universe. The absence of touch with the base from where they have grown and their declining credibility is indeed a strong threat to the sustenance of their leadership profile

Lack of authenticity

In many cases, there is a huge gap between the words, actions and performance profile of the leaders. They lack authenticity. They tend to generate a fake populism around themselves through illegitimate means and with the help of non-credible volunteers servicing them for a short period for their own personal gains or an agenda. They try to generate a myth of an aura around them which really doesn’t exist. The world around them realizes in a short time the absence of authenticity in their behaviour and leadership. This slowly corrodes their leadership profile and they are driven to self-pity.

Poor knowledge- base

A leader has to be current and relevant if they have to impact the team they lead. If they are not aware, sensitive meaningfully responding to the knowledge dynamics, not only in their own field of operation, but to the general global dynamics, they would be considered as irrelevant and not good enough to lead, however charismatic and modest they are. As such, a good leader is sensitive to the futuristic perspectives and has to lead the system to a purposeful future. Use of impressive language that mesmerizes people can help for a short duration to popularize one’s image, but people do see the leader as a man of action and an epitome of knowledge.

Developing a coterie

After reaching a certain level of leadership, leaders of all kinds - professional, political or otherwise tend to develop a coterie around them. This inner circle, most often, not only clouds the radiance of the power and the image of the leader but articulates the messages to its own advantage – thus distorting the profile of the leader. Every member of the coterie, interpreting the power and message of the leader in their own way, the real leader is lost to oblivion. Further, the coterie uses their influence to design their own leadership strategies for their future, thus corrupting the leadership profile of the person to whom they render their service. Evidences of corrupt practices of the members of coterie having destroyed the star profile of the real honest leader are not far from few.

Failure to deliver social justice

Leadership is an exercise in delivery of social justice. Equity, equality, proportionality and justice are the foundations in which a leadership is structured. A leader who fails to ensure the above and encourage polarization of thoughts, convictions, practices becomes an eye-sore to the deprived. As the above are linked to the emotional content of human existence, the leader who doesn’t deliver social justice is emotionally rejected by the society. It is absolutely impossible for a leader to catch up with the missing links of his leadership once this emotional distortion is brought into the social structure. And it is true of all professional and operational edifices of leadership.

Ineffective change management

A leader is essentially a change leader. He smells changes much before they happen and takes steps to articulate the direction of flow of his policies and actions in the emerging directions. Failure to smell change and take decisions well in advance puts him in a race to compete with others. This would require more energy and time, which is critical in the management of leadership profiles. The challenge for a real leader is not only to be a part of the change, but to lead the team towards the change. The wise leaders are those who lead the change.

In a highly competitive world where leadership profiles in all domains are under constant challenge, a competent leader should be conscious of the above challenges that he would be continuously facing to save his role.

Hasan Latifi

Why Quitting Is Sometimes Your Best Move

Winners never quit and quitters never win. So, the saying goes. Inspiration hits via motivational quotes remind us quitting is not an option. The difference between winning and losing is never quitting. Losers quit when they’re tired, winners quit when they’ve won. And on it goes, down the slippery slope of disappointment and failure. Clearly, quitting is the not your best move. Except sometimes, when it is. Certainly, there are times when quitting can be a good, like giving up some bad habit. Quitting something can be the first step towards the road to success.

Neil Sheth (Founder of Only Way Online) quit his job as a successful investment banker in Goldman Sachs in London.

Sarah Grove (Co-Founder at Raw Food Magazine) who quit her job as a kiteboarder to start a successful online health food magazine.

Catherine Wood (Founder & Head Coach of Unbounded Potential) who quit her job as an economist for the federal government to become a life coach.

Mark Zuckerberg (Founder & CEO – Facebook) left his studies at Harvard to focus on a little website he and some friends were working on, a site called Facebook. 

All these people are quitters, and all these people are happier, and more successful because of it.

The question to ask yourself

Of course, quitting isn’t for everyone, and at times it can be hard to know if quitting something is even the right decision. To help determine whether quitting something will be beneficial, it is important to ask yourself this very crucial question: “Is what I’m doing helping me get to what I want most?”

Time, ultimately, is finite. So, if you have something you strive towards, or something you dream of doing or having, there is a risk that your normal 9-5 job isn’t helping you but hindering your progress and taking up valuable time. That said, quitting does not need to be as drastic as it sounds, you could consider it to merely be you changing your direction. Indeed, some successful people stress the importance of building bridges, instead of burning them, staying in touch with the people you worked with instead of moving on from them.

The significance of the question

Life, and the world is full of distractions. Unless you’re not fully focused on your goal, it can be easy to lose track of it, or run out of time to meet your goals in life.

Have you ever had to cancel something you were looking forward to because work got in the way?

Or put aside time to do something, only to discover that you filled that time doing other, less important things?

You might have even dropped something you were enjoying because you had already put a lot of time into something you weren’t enjoying, but didn’t want to see that time wasted. This is an example of sunk cost bias, the mistaken belief that something is worth sticking with just because you invested a lot of time into it, even if you didn’t like it, or enjoy doing it.  It is the cause of many bad relationships, hurt feelings, bad books read, and years of wasted time.

The benefits of the question

The above question allows you to take a step back and fully assess what you’re doing. In asking this question you’re also asking yourself:

·         “Why am I doing this?”

·         “Is this adding value to my life?”

It makes you ask yourself what your goal is, and whether what you’re doing is working towards that goal. If the answer to those questions is yes, then fantastic! You’re doing great!

If the answer is no, then maybe you should ask yourself is what you’re doing worth doing if you want to achieve your goal.

There is a much-debated theory that suggests it takes 10,000 hours to truly master something.  If this is true, if your goal is, for example, to learn a new language or instrument, then you could be losing a great deal of that time doing something that doesn’t contribute to it at all.

The question reminds you of your true purpose, whatever it may be, it brings it back in focus, and once it is, you’ll be able to better understand how to reach it. To strive for it, and if necessary, quit or drop some unnecessary things to achieve it.

There are times when quitting is sometimes your best move. Here are some reasons why.

1. It saves a lot of unnecessary pain.

If you persevere with that soul-sucking office job, or that college course that someone else chose for you, it’s prolonging the pain. You know it won’t end well so why put yourself through it.

2. It creates space for the right fit.

Ending the pain of what’s not working allows you free up space and energy to attract the things that are meant for you. It’s saying no to what you don’t want so you can say yes to the things you do.

3. It makes you more committed in the long run

It’s not easy to quit something. It takes courage to make the decision and commit to what you really want next. This shows commitment to your vision; it’s not staying stuck or safe.

4. You refocus and change direction

When you stumble, it just means oops, detour. There’s no quitting, just some tweaking and refocusing in a new direction.

5. It’s a positive move

Quitting tends to be seen as a negative thing, ending in disappointment. But it can be freeing and energizing, propelling you on to the next chapter with more speed and renewed inspiration.

6. It’s courageous

It takes courage to step up and take ownership of your decisions and actions, even when they haven’t turned out as planned. If something doesn’t feel right and is making you unhappy then identifying this is a big step towards moving past it.

7. It doesn’t matter what others think.
I’m sure you know at least one person who stays in a job they don’t like or a relationship that’s no longer working because it’s easy. It’s not easy admitting you have made a wrong choice but at least you’re brave enough to do something about it.

Sometimes carrying on can be the best thing to do. Quitting isn’t always the best option and it’s not something you rush into. But it doesn’t have to end in disappointment. I’ve quit giving myself a tough time over quitting. I never quit, I simply course redirect and keep my eye on the destination.

Hasan Latifi

Rewire your brain for success!

We all have habits, some good and some bad. Habits are difficult to form, especially good ones. Research shows it takes 66 days on average to form new a habit however this is a conversation for a different day.

Today I want to talk about rewiring your brain to help you live a happier, more fulfilling life, whatever that may mean to you. It is within reach and you can start right now. There is a 4-step process that was created by Dr. Jeffrey Schwartz. He helps his patients who suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder without drugs, instead he teaches them to rewire their brains. He uses the 4-step method with them and believes it can be used in several different situations, life, business and work. This is because it has been scientifically proven that the brain can be altered through changes in our behavior.

Re-label:

Re-label bad thoughts as false messages. This is you recognizing they exist and consciously doing something about them. Don’t act upon them or any urges and accept that it is just a false message your brain is sending you.

Re-attribute:

Think about why you’re thinking these thoughts, where are they coming from? Chances are, you will realize that these are coming from false beliefs and these thoughts are wrong and your brain is sending you false messages.

Re-focus:

This is where you change your thoughts and in turn, change your behavior. This is the hardest step because you’re essentially forming a habit, you want to get to a stage where you’re doing this subconsciously without having to think about it and force yourself to do it. This is also where the brain chemistry starts to change, you’re in control of your thoughts and you’re not letting your brain run on autopilot. Habits are hard to form and they take time, see above, however they are well worth your efforts.

Re-value: 

Now that your consistently changing these ‘useless’ thoughts, everything starts to come together. Negative thoughts are coming in (they inevitably always will) and are getting booted out as ‘useless’ things should be and you’re replacing these with positive thoughts. Now you’re much happier because you’re in control of your thoughts and as mentioned before, this allows you to take control of your behavior’s.

It takes practice to rewire the brain, one of the most amazing things about the brain is that it can’t distinguish between a real event or an imagined one. This can obviously work with you or against you depending on your thoughts. Think abundance thoughts regardless of your situation and you’ll live a happier life filled with success. We can do this by consistently training our thoughts through the 4-step method mentioned earlier and this allows for expansion of the number of branches and synaptic connections in our Hippocampus. The Hippocampus is part of the limbic system, which deals with the functions of feeling and reacting. It is also one of the few places in the brain where new nerve cells are generated. Negative experiences and stress as we know releases cortisol and in turn shrinks the Hippocampus area in the brain. This is all bad news for someone who has negative thoughts all the time or even has a negative circle of influence around them.

Some extra tips to keep you from self-sabotage:

Control your environment:

Don’t watch negative news stories, don’t spend time with ‘negative Nancy’s’. Limit time spent in situations where you’ll be exposed to negativity.

Change your language – change the words you use:

Words you use have a very real effect on your brain – we’ve all heard about positive affirmations and how they have a very real impact on your mood and therefore your day. Negative words do the opposite, so next time someone asks you how you’re feeling, even if you’re not feeling great, you need to say you’re feeling great!

Begin and end your day with gratitude:

Some professors have suggested to have a gratitude journal that you write in everyday which is a great activity but I feel that is too much effort for a lot of people but as we now know thoughts and words also have a profound effect on our wellbeing. Think about 3 things your grateful for every morning and night, say it out loud. You need to believe it so focus on smaller things in the beginning. The more you practice this the more it will open your eyes to the positivity around you. There really is an abundance of it!

The brain is amazing, genuinely one of the best, most adaptive supercomputers in the world. Think about how when someone becomes blind, there other senses have much higher sensitivity than someone with all of their senses. This is all done by the brain. Take control of your thoughts, every time you feel yourself focusing on something negative change your thoughts straight away. Use the 4-step process above to start living happier, more fulfilling lives.

Hasan Latifi

If you do not create change, change will create you.

“If you do not create change, change will create you.” ~Unknown

Transition, growth, downsize, upscale, mergers, recruitment, relocation, review, improve, new, etc. all these words denote change……….and change is hard. Whether it is in your personal or professional life it advocates a departure from the familiar to strange and untested waters. This is often scary as it evokes a feeling of vulnerability - a place where we are not in control of the outcome and as such are reluctant to venture into. We are often resistant to change, and we don't realize that change itself is constant.

No matter what your focus is, change will come. The question is whether you recognize the need for change and whether you are willing to make the changes necessary.

In order to grow or progress, there has to be some measure of change in your current circumstances and/or situation. Stagnation is not a horizontal line, but rather a downward spiral backwards birthing regression, depression, reduction, redundancy and retreat. Any movement in your circumstances is precipitated by change. The results of the change will largely depend on your understanding the process, accepting it, planning it and flowing with it, thereby yielding to a growth and a positive effect in your favour.

Once you finally come to terms with the idea of change, your next step will be to determine whether you will actually do what it takes to effect the change and to obtain the results you long for, or whether you are content to stay where you are – in a safe yet stagnant environment.

I have been embracing change since a young age. During my life I have lived and travelled in different countries and lived in over ten apartments, changed three schools and about five different careers.

At first it is a bit difficult and annoying, but after a while you get used to the change so much that if it doesn’t come for a while, you end up moving the furniture at home in order to feel something changing.

Changes connected with moving from country to country impacted my personality. Thanks to them I became more flexible and open-minded. Now I understand cultural differences and appreciate diversity.

Each of the career shifts brought knowledge and new experiences. As a result, apart from the professional experience I learned how to resolve conflicts with difficult colleagues and how to work with unbearable bosses.

Career related changes brought self-confidence. All those changes led me to the realization of what I wanted to do with my life.

In general, when looking back, I realize that all the good things in my life are the results of changes that occurred in the past.

People usually avoid changes and prefer to stay in their comfort zones, but I am true believer that once you get the courage and take the first step to change, your life will become much better.

The first and the most important step is to ascertain whether it is time to change.

How do you know it is time to change?

a)     When things that used to work do not work any more
b)     When you no longer have the grace to do what you do, how you do it and when you do it.
c)      When what you do is no longer relevant or effective
d)     When you begin to see options

Below are just few benefits of change:

Personal growth - You grow and learn new things every time something changes. You discover new insights about different aspects of your life. You learn lessons even from changes that did not lead you to where you wanted to be.
Flexibility - Frequent changes make you easily adapt to new situations, new environments, and new people. As a result you do not freak out when something unexpectedly shifts.
Improvements - We all have things in our lives we’d like to improve—finances, job, partner, house, etc. All of us know that nothing will improve by itself. We need to do things differently to make that happen. Without change, there’d be no improvements.
Life values - From time to time changes make you re-evaluate your life and look at certain things from a different perspective. Depending on what the change is, it may also reinforce your life values.
The Small changes - Often, we give up because we cannot accomplish the difficult task of making a huge and immediate change. That is when small changes become extremely valuable. One shift at a time, small changes will eventually lead you to the desired big one.
Strength - Not all changes lead you to pleasant periods of life. Unfortunately, we do not live in fairy tale and sad things happen, too. Overcoming the tough period will make you stronger.
Progress - Changes trigger progress. Things move forward and develop because of the them.
Opportunities - One never knows what each change may bring. When you turn from your usual path there will be plenty of different opportunities waiting for you. Changes will bring new choices for happiness and fulfillment.
New beginnings - Each change is a turning page. It is about closing one chapter and opening another one. Changes bring new beginnings and excitement to life.
Sustaining the change - Keep moving forward, follow the plan and stay focused. No matter how winding the path, deep the challenges…. keep the end game in mind!

So next time you get the temptation to avoid or resist the change, aim instead to initiate the ones that will lead you to where you want to be.

And remember—if there were no change, there would be no butterflies!


Hasan Latifi

Happy New Year!!!

Let new beginnings signify new chapter filled with pages of success and happiness, written by the ink of hard work and intelligence.

May the New Year bring us more wonderful opportunities to work together.

Happy New Year!!!

Look at your list of Goals, using the SMART mnemonic.

Make sure your goals are:

S – Specific. This means your goals include systems for achieving them. You have specific actions that can be carried out that work toward your larger goal.

M – Measurable. This means that the changes you see once the goal is reached is noticeable. You will feel different, because you are healthier, because your family or social life has improved, because you are performing well at work, etc.

A – Achievable. This means that the goal is realistic and can be reached. There are benefits to aiming high, but you don’t want to aim so high that you become disappointed and discouraged from making any changes at all if you can’t reach the goal you set.

R – Relevant. This means that there is a real need for your goal. You have been unsatisfied with a certain area of your life for some time, and you have a strong motivation to want to change it.

T – Trackable. This is similar to measurable, but means that you can assess your progress throughout the process. Have you made a schedule and are you following it? Are you progressing gradually? Are you getting along better with your loved ones? 

Marketing Executive

Why Discipline in Life is extremely important?

You surely have every reason to blame that one term and aspect of life being forced upon you time and again. Many of you even tend to see it as the recipe for a restricted and circumscribed life. What if you try experimenting with it for a change. You need not cut upon the fun and frolicking and still could be a well-disciplined person. What you do not realize is that coming down to the level of guiding your own self is not a very difficult task to perform. The only difficulty that arises in such a situation is the lack of will power that you exhibit. Once the determination to have a better control over yourself is achieved, nothing would deter you. Maybe all you need is a little encouragement and the reasons as to why should you adopt the prime virtue of self-discipline.

Makes you self-aware

Once having honed the skills of being self-disciplined, you become more aware and knowledgeable about yourself. You get to come into terms with your strengths and weaknesses and work upon them as per the demand of the situation. That enables you to get rid of the characteristics of your personality that has been debarring you from moving ahead in life. There then comes a point when you stop depending on other people to judge you better. You become your best critic.

However, you have been, but bringing forth discipline in your life would definitely put you in a better position and not worse. It can be worth a try given the various benefits that it is capable of.

To be a Multi-tasker

There need not be any compromising on your part to become disciplined. Being the latter only makes you capable of having the best of both the worlds. This is what self-control, another term for discipline, is all about. You can be an efficient person, acing your work and at the same time be excelling in extracurricular activities, say sports or dramatics. All that you need to do is pay equal attention and space to both the domains in your life without letting either of the two surpass the other. This might take some time to develop, everything takes time.

Helps you become active

Picking on the traits of a disciplinarian, you would start realizing that life is not about sitting and waiting for an opportunity to knock at your door. The hours, days, weeks and months of sitting and brooding would bring you no good. It is then that you become active and take charge of your life. You would, in turn, become a better and improved version of yourself as you dismiss the prolonged laziness that had been deterring you since long from making a step towards your dream.

To master your emotions

Discipline is not only about the embodiment of good v/s bad or following the morally correct path of life. It also becomes one of the modes of achieving control and mastery over your senses. In the face of a problematic situation you need to keep your anxiety and all the negativity in your mind, at bay (aside). Letting your emotions overpower you would leave you drained and overwhelmed. And, that becomes one of the prime reasons for failing in the various challenges put up by life upon us. You certainly wouldn’t want failure mocking at your face over and over again. You learn not to continue being a cry baby or an angry young man.

Knowledge of good v/s bad

Making choices is one of the most empowering as well as debilitating power that humans have been bestowed with. You can either make a good choice and opt for a better today and tomorrow or make a bad one and go down the pit-hole. Grasping a disciplined self would assist you in differentiating between what is righteous and what against the codes of nature, law and civil society. After realizing that you are heavily drunk, you may choose to drive by yourself or hire a taxi. That one decision can make all the difference.

Makes you understand excess

There has to be a pause and a full stop to anything and everything, depending upon the harm and destruction that it is bringing to your life. Following a disciplined lifestyle allows you to judge the excesses that you have been lately indulging in. It is then that you take a step back and the much-desired balance comes in again. If you let yourself be swamped by the excesses of about anything, then you’d be inviting great mismanagement in your life. This may sound cliched but is indefinitely true-while being disciplined helps you refrain from cutting short on excess, it also abreast you with the total absence.

Makes you alert

Another advantage of being a self-disciplinarian is that it teaches you to be alert and in your senses. There is a mechanism that kicks in making you capable of being more cautious. It helps you keep yourself in check and prevents you from indulging in anything nonsensical.

Retreat from the path of shortcut

All your life you have been looking for one or the other shortcut which would help you achieve your goal with considerable ease. But, that path might just lead you to some totally different zone, the one which you never thought about. Everything mysterious and unknown need not be good. On the other hand, if you put in the required amount of hard work in a task, then the fruit you’d receive out of it will not be temporary or misleading. You will be able to derive true success if and if you understand the essence of discipline in the form of hard work involved in it. No matter how philosophical it sounds, but by the end of the day, you need to resort to this.

To learn the value of time

Time waits for none. All of us have grown up listening to this proverb coming from our elders, be it at home or school. But, did we really adhere to it? There ought to be a time table for everything that we do. Putting yourself into the manner of sticking to a timetable or in many cases deadlines will make you value the importance of time in your life. It will be a better and channelized life then.

Bottom of Form

To make yourself a better performer, being motivated and fully dedicated to your task is extremely imperative if you are looking forward to being better in your field. No matter how big or meaningless the work seems to be. Be it a hosting a friend’s birthday party or making a presentation, you need dedication everywhere. Taking things casually on the professional as well as personal front can prove to be significantly bad. Of course, no host would like it if he gets to hear bad feedback for the party that he arranged. You require to be focused and dedicated in all walks of your life. That is one of the key points of the importance of discipline, for it teaches you to be a better performer.

Hasan Latifi

Marketing Head