Reader's World

A shift in paradigm is basically a change in the one way/normal way of thinking or doing things. Thus, understanding why some things happen not because its normal but there are reasons for which they happen. A quick one; Steve Covey in his book "Seven Habits of Highly effective people" cited a good example from a mini paradigm shift he experienced. He was waiting for a bus with others at a subway in New York. Some were reading news papers, some lost in thought and others resting with their eyes closed. It was a calm and peaceful scene.Then suddenly a man and his children entered the subway car. The children were so loud and rambunctious that instantly the whole climate changed. The man sat down next to Steve and closed his eyes, apparently oblivious to the situation.The children were yelling back and forth, throwing things even grabbing people's papers. It was very disturbing and yet their dad did nothing. It was difficult not to feel irritated and unbelie...

There are times in our lives when we put all efforts in to have things work out for us and they just seem not to fall in their right places. When we face such struggling times, do we sit back giving up or we keep trying. Life is such a way that whatever situation you may find yourself in at any point in time, someone somewhere is also going through a similar situation if not exactly the same. Strangely and funny enough, many people blame others for their misfortunes rather than checking what got them there in the first place. Sometimes ago while going to town, I instinctively decided to count the number of beggars with one disability or another that I come across on the street. This was going on well till a shocking experience I had with one of the beggars. I immediately lost track of the counting as I tried to take in the reality of what unfolded before me, then it dawned on me that even in the disabled people’s world, there are classes. While you have those who are genuine...

Naturally, as humans, the thought of having to fail or the desire not to fail affects our lives one way or another as well as the decisions we make. If you are asked; “have you failed before?” What would be your response? How bold and sincere would you be to admit having failed at one time or the other or would you rather go with the group of people who claims “I have never experienced failure in my life”? Most at times, we focus on the negative effects it brings us such as frustration, anger, disappointment, shame, amongst others to an extent that we get restrained from going all out on what we intended doing. According to Albert Eistein “Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new. This then implies that it is ok to fail but what matters is how we handle that failure. The likelihood of failing especially when starting out something new is usually high, but it must not end there. We should be encouraged to do it better at every attempt rather th...

According to Jim Rohn  “ If you don’t design your own life plan, chances are you’ll fall into someone else’s plan. And guess what they have planned for you? Not much”. This statement is quite deep yet majority fall prey to it. Many of us think life is automatic so we focus on living only a day at a time. We follow our daily routines without checking if we are on course with the goals we have set for ourselves. We end up allowing people to put us in their plans which we might not fit into. Regrettably we find out too late or only when we have wasted enough time trying to fit in. Do you have a short term and long term plan? I believe the answer will be a chorus YES. It is good to know we have a plan but it doesn’t just end there. Astoundingly, most people don’t even have a plan, whether in terms of career, marriage, or education amongst others, and for those who have, I am sure majority only have it on mind. Now let me give you a scenario. A story is told of a you...

In his book ''Path to Leadership'', Lord Montgomery(1961) described a leader as ''one who can be looked up to, whose personal judgment is trusted, who can inspire and warm the hearts of those he leads, gaining their trust and confidence and explaining what is needed in language that can be understood''. What comes into mind when we hear the word asset? What are the major things that enhance the growth of organisations -- especially after visions and missions are clear, targets are set, team-members in place and all other things set and ready to go? Most organisations are collapsing whilst others are crawling, even though they have the business plan at their fingertips. Some of them are also blessed with skills in implementing the plan but get stuck halfway. In all these, they forget or overlook and maybe do not look out for the excellent and most useful asset that any organisation can dream of, and that is not just a leader but an excellent one. ...

According to Vince Lombardi ‘‘the difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will”. How do YOU define success? In your view it might be the wealthiest person you know, those with the educational qualifications, or even your mentors. Every individual has their own way of characterizing who is successful: it may be the personality or their professional feat. I believe success is YOU and ME, and success is a journey. Many times in our lives we are often tempted to look on others as being successful without actually looking inward to count our wins too. Most of us have been through very hostile hurdles in our lives before we got to where we are now, and one of the very common definitions of success is the accomplishment of a predetermined goal; so if we have set out goals in our lives to overcome obstacles that show up on our way, and we were able to overcome them, I believe that such a win in itse...