Indian Railways – The Joys of travelling without a reservation
India's largest employer and the 9th largest employer in the world with 1.4 million employee, Indian railways employers more than our armed forces (1.3 million) but has…
THE JOURNAL
Life Experience
The Trio
Keep Walking Verdant rolling hills, a well-made road ending in a cul-de-sac at a mountain temple, strolling peacocks and lush greenery — this depicts the path of 8–10…
The Parking Incident
How our ego has the tendency to blow things up and why reigning it in is important! Famished and in desperate need of a byte to eat after a long drive, I stopped at…
Make your life the best it can be!
Excerpt: Don’t carry your music to the grave. Don’t carry your music to the grave. Imagine buying a state of the art computer. 32 GB RAM, Graphics Accelerators,…
Extrinsic Motivation Can Kill Intrinsic Motivation!
Yes, let me give you a few examples. My wife counsels would-be suicide victims. She does it out of her inner calling to help people. Hearing the good work that she did,…
5 Things to never forget!
My 5 things that one should never forget: What he/she is blessed with: Foundations - A healthy body, a nurturing family and a happy childhood -not everyone is blessed…
The Tale of Two Teachers — Who is the real one?
When Teacher turns cheater! My wife paints beautifully. She experiments with colours, the kind of paintings, the subjects and the sizes. I asked her, where did you learn…
The One Question to ask yourself everyday
If I were to die today, would I die happy or regretful? we take life for granted. The irony - we prepare ourselves for the vicissitudes of life. We save, buy health and…
The biggest problem we have right now!
The biggest problem surrounding me is how we pay too much heed to others’ opinions. The biggest problem - Listening to others! Let me tell you a story: Once, a man…
Keep those Dopamine hits coming!
Start your day with the toughest task! When we achieve, our brain releases dopamine. It is released during pleasurable situations and increases the urge for achieving…
The night is the darkest before dawn
Life is about holding on. Not losing your nerves. Simply waiting it out if much cannot be done. Toughen up. Bad times can never outlast us. It was my first month at…
The Best Thing About Life!
The best part about life is that it goes on......no matter what happens! The magic of this wonderful journey called life, is in, The twists & turns that come our way The…
The 4 values for a valuable Life!
There are 4 values that i would like to write about: Caring: When you start caring, you place others above you. The recent floods in Chennai proved that, no matter how…
What can adults learn from children?
Fake Actions, but Real Emotions! I was invited to join a tea-party. Hand-painted cups, the best quality tea, full cream milk and sugar cubes. The location was beautiful,…
Life of an Engineer!
Engineering isn’t just a degree. It actually is a rite of passage that prepares you for life. It is an approach, a thought process, a foundation that actually prepares…
What made me select an unlikely candidate for a job!
A student with papers pending and a less than stellar overall score - definitely a candidate for rejection. Right? In this case it wasn't - let me tell you why: The…
Ignorance is Bliss!
I was at a temple the other day. As is the custom and a kind of meditation, we go around the diety multiple times - circumambulation! I noticed a group of kids entering…
True Leadership: What makes a leader, a leader?
Leadership is in the little actions. The small gestures. The ‘minor’ touchpoints that present themselves throughout the day. Small gestures have a big impact! Amazing…
The One advice from my Mom that has helped me always!
"The night is the darkest before dawn” This seemingly innocent sentence from my mother has been my guiding light through dark times in life. It taught me that Life is…
13 Basic Lessons For Life!
What are the 10 basic lessons that people should remember throughout their life? Thanks for your request! My observations from the journey that is Life: Life is lived…
Just Let Go!
3 Powerful words that go a long way in helping you live! Just Let Go! We all carry a tremendous amount of guilt, anger, ego, complaints, expectations and perceptions…
Live the role!
How a real life incident taught me an important lesson! A group of nervous-looking girls, in their early teens, stood at the end of the stage. Waiting for their chance…
The Tale of Two Teachers — Who is the real one?
A life experience that proves that one’s actions speak louder than their titles do! My wife paints beautifully. She experiments with colours, the kind of paintings, the…
The lively story of Death!
Stop Compromising, Start Living! Death is such an amazing thing. We all know that it is at the end of the tunnel that we are in. There is no guarantee whether you will…
One little advice that may change the way you see the world
Everyone around you is fighting a set of battles, everyday. For a moment observe what is happening within you. A thousand thoughts running helter-skelter. A hundred…
10 Things to consider before you take a decision!
Speed isn’t everything — a decision well-taken saves a thousand needless ones! We take decisions all the time. As for the decisions that have repercussions, sometimes we…
Ignore advice from those who don’t walk the talk!
Not all advice is beneficial, or even applicable. You choose. Let me start off strong here: Do not take the advice of individuals with whom you would want to trade…
Leadership: 6 steps to ensure ‘Work From Home’\u200b works!
We, as leaders, have to enable our teams — get ready for the magic! Bharath Kumar Balasubramanian Mar 12 · 4 min read Working from home has never been needed as it is…
Don’t carry your music to the grave
You wouldn’t waste money or food, then why would you waste your potential? Bharath Kumar Balasubramanian Mar 13 · 2 min read Imagine buying a state of the art computer.…
5 Actions that i employ for longer ‘Deep Work’ states
In this age of social media, where our attention spans have dropped drastically, getting into a state of ‘Flow’ wherein you are able to focus on a task for longer…
The Most Important Promise to Keep
The promise that you should definitely keep is the one you make with yourself! We are all born equal. Our decisions in life have led to where we are today. We have…
The 7 Traits That I Learnt From my Best Bosses
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10 Customer Centricity basics that Walt Disney & Disneyland taught me
It is no longer Customer Experience, it is Customer Delight! I remember my Walt Disney experience. Vividly. I had a great time when I visited the park on the outskirts…
A Merry-Go-Round called Life
Excerpt: Life is a merry-go-round. When the music stops, our time is up. We get off the journey of life, the greatest ride ever. When the music stops, make sure you get…
True Leaders Inspire Through Their Actions!
Leaders, your teams mirror you. From the way we dress to the brand of Green Tea that we drink, we subconsciously affect the behaviors of those whom we lead, interact and…
What a 7 Rs. (10 Cents) 'Chai' can teach about Customer Centricity!
The chaiwaala (tea-seller) who cares. A hastily-put together tea shop. Made of advertisement banners, construction tiles and bamboo poles. A smiling old man. An earthen…
Say 'No' to the unimportant things, so that you can say 'Yes!' to the important ones!
Excerpt: Say NO to the unimportant things and say YES to the important things! I had a tough time saying NO. I am sure all of us do. We love to be the knight in shining…
The surprising source for my work ethics!
Excerpt: How our parents influence our attitude towards life and work. ow our ethics and integrity is shaped by our upbringing. This article took me down memory lane to…
Why you should call Bull***t on unnecessary commitments
Excerpt: How we fall into the trap of unnecessary commitments.Why letting go of such commitments is necessary to win. This is explained using a life experience. Say No.…
The Problems with Growing up in a dysfunctional family
Dysfunctional families create long-term issues in children. These effects rarely get corrected and manifest in one form or the other later. The children, even as adults,…
Thank God For Challenging Days!
There is plenty of learning from challenging days and situations If your day has been easy - I can safely assume that you will not have been challenged. You wouldn't…
The Small Things Matter!
The smallest of gestures have the biggest of impact! The little gestures and the actions are the ones that truly matter. We underestimate the value of the little things,…