I've found that instead of creating a normal to do list for the New Year, creating two opposing lists helps focus your mind on the right priorities and away from those that wear you down. One list of five items that you dreamed of doing but never had the time or focus to properly attempt it, and a second list of five items that you do not want to repeat in 2010.

The idea behind the 5 items lists revolves around the one constant in all our lives: time. Each day and every year we only have so much time to employ, we must choose where we apply that time: toward solutions and our dreams, or toward unfruitful efforts and unrewarded exertion.

Our minds often wander in familiar territories even when you know deep in your heart that your efforts are fruitless. It is these types of unfruitful efforts you need to abandon in 2010.  Effectively allocating your 1440 – the minutes in a day, a God given resource to make the things you choose happen – is something we should all strive for on a daily basis. There is only a limited time in each day, so you should take the steps to focus your efforts away from unfruitful or mistaken directions and toward more productive areas.

May your 2010 be a bright new beginning for you.  I wish you all the best and much more happiness throughout this New Year.

        

Let me tell you a story where I was reminded again about the value of abandoning in search of adapting to new realities. Last week I was in Kerala visiting my mother during the 2009 Christmas season. There I noticed a bird's nest outside one of our windows; tucked way inside a Jasmine vine. I watched very curiously how hard this bird - a parent to be - was working to make a home for its future family. Unfortunately when others started observing the nest, there was much traffic around the Jasmine and finally the bird left and abandoned its painstakingly created, almost completed nest.

I was very saddened to have missed the busy bird outside my window. More importantly I was thinking about all that effort this small bird put into building that nest which will now no longer be the home of its future family. At the same time I was comforted by the thought that this bird must have found a better place to raise its family. Nature has given it the wisdom to abandon certain things that was no longer good for it, and instead to begin a new search for better opportunities. I didn't see any counseling sessions or committee meetings around the nest prior to when my bird friend made its list of things NOT to be done. I suppose what took place was a quick instinct.

A small bird showed us that it can quickly adapt to the changing environments, but often humans chase after things that they really know in their mind is fruitless. If we too can only channel all those wasted energies into making new nest for our families, we too will certainly share this New Year with more health, more wealth and more happiness in enjoying our lives with our families.

        

This is part 2 of a series on India’s rise in the world economy.
You can view part 1 here. 

Developing and Sustaining your Vision

There is a an inner light within you as well, like that of Gandhi, George Washington and other great leaders; a light yearning to give you once again a new dream, a new vision for your future. But if you are too busy thinking about your daily priorities and no time to look within, your inner light will not be able to shine for ...

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How to secure your future and build prosperity within India’s rise in the world economy.

I remember learning in my first year of college in USA about American Independence and the war thereafter with British kingdom. “The British are coming, the British are coming” is what they used to yell at others in the town square when someone spots a British enemy in the red coat uniform. Fast forwarding 200 years, the sounds that echo in the town squares of corporate America is no longer about the red coats and British, but it is rather about India and China. It is no longer a war for possessing land masses with boundaries rather it is for possessing world market places with no boundaries. Many products and services from India have found their esteemed place in the world economy.  In today’s interconnected and interdependent world economy there are many other opportunities yet to be conquered by Indian businessmen. Yes, this is our era, the right time for India to be a star in this new world economy. The fact is that, the echoes of “India is coming, India is coming” is not received as a threat as the British once were; but instead is received by the modern world as a relief for many ears of corporate America.

"... for many American companies to remain competitive in the world market place, they must have an Indian partnership in their corporate strategies."

America and other western countries consider India as an important partner for them in today’s world economy. We see the evidence of that in the increasing number of MNCs that are still coming to India in their race to get their foot in the door.  We are the brainpower behind many high technologies in this world. We also have a high number of English speaking professionals that the westerners can communicate with.  Our industries are cost effective as well. We have come to the world where for many American companies to remain competitive in the world market place, they must have an Indian partnership in their corporate strategies. Wow, something that our leaders who fought for our independence could not have envisioned in 1947, or did they?

Where do we go from here? How can you as an Indian professional or Indian business person can find your individual place in all these progress whether they are in the world seen or within our own country? How you as an individual can also secure your future within India’s bright future in this modern world economy?   My 7 step approach:

1. Be a professional. Learn more 21^st century skills
2. Move-up in your company to a leadership position
3. Begin networking with people in the know
4. Plan on starting a new business or expand your existing business
5. Train your mind to make good adaptive decisions
6. Tune to world and India business news
7.  Seek out a mentor or a business support group

• If you do not have a mentor or a support group to guide you navigate this often uncharted terrain then sign up to my forthcoming podcast.

I look forward to talking and communicating with all of you readers on these steps and other ideas in the course of the next several weeks. I believe there is an even greater potential for India and India’s businesses than the impressive accomplishments of the present, and I look forward to speaking to you on how we can individually bring ourselves to demonstrate and reflect that inborn potential.