Tag: calm

Post pandemic-Talent acquisition.

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

As unlikely as it may seem, but this worldwide lock down/ slow down necessitating a  reassessment of priorities at global, national and organisational levels will eventually impact the way we go about our lives in a more permanent way- in many ways, then one can imagine for now! This short piece is trying to see what will possibly change when it comes to organisations as they seek talent to meet the new challenges that seem to gather over the horizon ahead!

Depending on where you are on the world map now, either you have emerged out of a local lock down, or are in one in or will be entering into one! Likewise businesses have either started to count their damages, are trying to mange the situations day-to-day basis and doing the best they can for each instance or they are coming up with a business continuity plan to brace for the lock down coming their way! In all these factors, if there is any common thread that runs through (irrespective of the nature of business), it is – The Talent that the business has – the Intrinsic talent pool that an organisation has or that it is planning to build as soon as the situation becomes normal! This will be critical and vital not only for reclaiming business positions and accelerate growth but also to endure a stronger and much formidable resilience for organisations in times ahead when something like this hits next! So what can we expect- well read on…

Automation will get cautious- As strange as it may seem, but this will be a fact, organisations will be forced to look again at the human element and strike a balance between automation and availability of skilled and talented people to ensure that the show goes on even during tough times! Vocations like medical research, pharma research, doctors, paramedics and all businesses that are centered around people and have people at the core of their strategy would have by now understood one thing clearly- no matter what your balance sheet says- If you don’t have the right people during a crisis the balance sheet will continue with a same story which can eventually ending up writing off the business completely off the business horizon!Businesses and Organisations that have anything and everything to do with people- will have to switch their age hold talent acquisition strategies and ensure they have the right balance of experienced- amateur- bright stars and eccentric people at the right time and at the right places within the organisation! This may be an additional burden on the balance sheet of the organisation- but this is the only thing that will stand between the existence and wipe out of the firm!

Methodology of Talent Acquisition- This factor will also see a change, globally where we have a blend of hiring strategies which range from in-house talent acquisition teams to outsourced agencies which can use online -preset forms and test banks to filter and assess talents- well  you will be and should be surprised as these things will change a big deal and no matter who says what- the good old personal interview will be back to the forefront with the only aim of cross-checking and being sure completely that the hiring is right and this is what is needed-especially with regards to personality attributes! The essence of Human connect will be at the forefront, certainly this will also depend on how technically or even in general the interviewer is skilled to be able to make the best use of this opportunity- but well that’s a different story in itself! This person- to person connect will be to check more on the soft skills and other personality attributes more then the technical ones’ because technical things can always be trained and made good but if you have someone who wilts under pressure- well the the kind of investment needed to make that change- is simply beyond the investment capacity of an average organisation in times like these! Moreover as said earlier,the whole space around talent scouring will be wrapped around hiring personalities and attributes who can display specific behaviors whenever crisis hits next for the organisation so that the business runs as smoothly as possible with minimal or no disruption! Need a proof- well even in these times – just see around and think about two to three professions which are holding the fort for humanity- Law enforcement, healthcare workers  and aviation warriors- now what is common to all of them being selected into the profession that they have chosen- yes you got your answer- tough selection measures and training , training and training for instances like the ones’ that are unfolding right now! Trust me, if you run a big business and are always talking about the next 100 million dollars, it is professional attributes shown by these warriors that you want your team members to have! The whole selection process will move ahead to analyse and seek attributes that show steady resilience, patience, calmness and an ability to perform under pressure, certainly technical skills as demanded by a task will be of importance as well- and one more important thing- workplaces will become quieter- essentially you will be seeking people who are soft spoken, speak less and when they do speak- they wrap it up! Days ahead will be difficult for social butterflies in the office environments! 

The Turbulent talent pool- Two things discussed above become possible when we have the necessary  pool available from the immediate society. This fact brings to the forefront the quality of education and the state of educational facilities in a given society. Societies and nations where the quality of education and infrastructure is ready to rapidly develop and embrace new topics and add that to the skill set of the future professionals will see a better fit into the industry demands and this will provide the much needed edge over other competing markets ad players to emerge as a leader ion a given sector! This will also bring about a much needed change on how campus hiring are done and this will impact on how institutions are selecting aspirants for specialized courses- all in all, it will be certainly a step in the right directions- however, as the onus will  squarely shift to quality over quantity- everything in the value chain from education to campus hiring to final placements – the total cost of talent acquisition will see a rise and yes- this will again translate into a new way that organisations would like to operate in the future..which takes u to the next point!

Lean, Mean and Agile- A certain outcome that we all will witness is that businesses will become leaner- they will use a balance (of course will depend on the business as well). Irrespective whether they are process centric or people centric- they will work towards striking a balance between process automation and number of people (the whole idea will be to ensure every business has just enough and just the right people at the right levels and places)- This will over ride factors like age, gender and will solely rely on talent, skills, competence and experience that is needed and what one gets to the position! Organisations will want to move towards an ongoing arrangement with majority of workers – read variable term contracts and will only have critical and fixed assets as part of full time contracts- this will create a pattern wherein people will have to earn their way into a secured access to income- which will be completely driven upon individual competence and skill requirements of the employer! Finally many businesses will build in business resilience through managing and developing robust BCPs (business continuity plans) which will not only be multi-location but also will be across continents and will depend on the nature of business and importance of its operations!

The dilemma  of the talent!- Even as we discussed the various aspects about what scenarios may emerge- one important aspect and perhaps the most important one- The Talent! The talent- who is part of the societal fabric and during this pandemic- is up to something- either neutral and calm, anxious and nervous- or angry and frustrated- reactions can occur in many hues and colors! What exactly an individual has dealt with will go a long way to reinforce some belief systems that they have, while other may get broken apart and yet in few cases new belief systems may emerge-now which of them are right and wrong- is a very complicated call- and solely depends on the individual in that place- one person’s nectar can always end up being anothers’ poison! As businesses engage and start to interact with the talent available around- more and more interviews will end up leavening the interviewer drained and choked (unless they are skilled and wise enough) to know how to engage and deal with people as they emerge from a 21 day hibernation! The talent walking into the Interview room will be wearing layers and layers of psychological protective gear and unless the interviewer does not use the skills of interviewing which are able to build a connect with the talent across the table (possibly over a cup of coffee)- there will be instances of good talent being lost and incorrect talent getting hired! This would have been happening in the past too- but with the changed dynamics of businesses world over- these mistakes now- will end up doing far more damage then ever before! 

Well, knowing the limitations of a blog, I will leave you here, so that you may be able to reflect upon your own work arena and irrespective whether you hire talent or you are the talent- this is the time where, you must be aligning your future with clarity more then ever before- hopefully the isolation that you have already come out of , or are into or will be getting into one, will help you to do a comprehensive navigation check for your professional and personal life and by the time you are ready to rock again- you should be clear about the music you want to dance to and the discotheque that you want to be at!

Ciao for now, I will leave you here and will be back soon with another interesting piece with a more generic topic! Keep guessing! Like always should you want to suggest a topic, reach out to me and drop me a message! 

The complete circle!-A journey from Lockdown to Meltdown to Rising of the Phoenix.

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

Even as I muster enough courage to share with you; as I see the things- as they unfold- by the time I complete this article, there will be more hundreds of positive cases across the world- most of these people will survive and few of them will not be able to make it through it! This senseless loss of lives, coupled with an economic crisis unlike ever before- is in a way preparing humanity for something, that we have never been ready for and in all probability, every few years these instances may come back haunting with different scales and intensities as the world tries to re-adjust to a new order- An economic and geo-political order! This quick piece is to try and imagine how the next few months will unfold and possibly provide an anchor hold so that we know which way to steer the ship of our lives as we begin to move!– So let’s go!

By the time I am writing this article, China from where all this began, is already more or less back to normal- which implies that production lines are buzzing, people are working and it is a normal day in the nation! Well, I don’t have anything personal against them (apart from the tense diplomatic connect that India and China have always had), but being an Indian we need to take care and watch our neighbors! This pandemic is a classic case wherein a neighbor decided to do “pest” control which has gone horribly wrong and who these “pests” are; perhaps only time will tell- or may be the world may never know!  So as the instance moved ahead- the global community saw the initial stages as an internal matter of China and felt relaxed –To an extent that even WHO took time to go through the processes of definition – whether it should be an epidemic or a pandemic and by the time all these great leaders and wise people with all the cutting edge resources at their disposal realized what was unfolding- it was too late and eventually every member state of the UN finally has been hit by this pandemic! 194 nations have confirmed cases on their territories! This scale has never been the case earlier ever in recorded human history! This brings us to the next stage- The Lock Down

The concept of lock down is not new, during wars this is the first step that every nation will initiate so that all available national  resources of a nation are used for the defence or for attacking the other nation as the case may be! Makes sense- but with this pandemic – this decision- kept getting delayed- we may never know why!- and even as people were aware – to a reasonable extent that the virus was very aggressive and contagious with a greater affinity to the older or medically compromised population– nothing was done to flag it off- just imagine- with the first cases coming to light somewhere as early as December- even until March second week- international flights were operating! I mean which world leading organisation in the right frame of mind would not have instructed the IATA and ICAO to ground all airlines worldwide in February 2020 itself? Why drag it to such a point. To add to this- This initial delay also cascaded into allowing communities within nations to roam around their land- with no concern and  it was these two basic acts of neglect and disregard that have brought the world order to the stage where we are today! The lock downs also as matter of scientific validation  are effective only when they are done with some reason- like cases being reported from an area may be a borough, town or a city- in those cases lock down makes sense- but when you have not been able to manage a planned approach- panic sets in (even if you are a government) and you will take irrational steps which translate into nation wide lock downs! These in turn end up doing more damage economically – which far outweigh what the Virus could have done even in a worst case scenario! Especially when the Virus has a mortality rate less then 3%! Stage is set for the next step- The Meltdown!

Even before the pandemic set in the world all across- was jittery with massive trade wars compromising and threatening billions of dollars in the global market, with workers being laid off on an ongoing basis in developing worlds and with this getting more and more unpredictable , it was perhaps time that the world was racing ahead towards an economic re-boot! The whole promise of digital economy, again a core element of the global narrative (don’t forget digital money is no real money- it is just an electronic interface which is showing you a number which is being honored as long as the state is allows it!)and its aggressive push was always looking out for a big and bad excuse and this instance happens to be a perfect alibi! Confused- well, let me keep it simple- right now- if all citizens of any nation were to Q up and decide to withdraw all their money at one go , same time- any and every nation will simply fail as it will never have those many paper bills to provide everyone with what is being withdrawn! It is as simple and complicated as this! So what we can now expect in the days and months ahead? well read on…

The Meltdown stage will see many rapid developments, based on the laws of each nation- one common thread that you will eventually see coming out after this carnage will be that every sector (any sector for that matter) will be left with lesser then 5 or maximum 10 global players for those sectors. These will be the ones’ who will decide how they will shape their products and services from their respective zones and align them to the new ways that already have been planned by respective governments- most of them will wear a cloak of opaque transparency- you will be able to see only if you know what to look for! These business arrangements will then be the foundational step of humankind as a global community starts to play role to the larger conformity bias of the new developed and evolving societal order and those who will be found to be outliers will either be ejected or eliminated and that’s for sure- the people running these systems will want to run the way they have planned it and irrespective of the government’s will have and have always had the power to over-ride and manipulate governments the world over!These large scale behavioral changes brought about in human societies across will tend to shift focus of people from being the careless consumers that we have been for some time now to more mindful and responsible consumers- so as the dip in consumption happens- we will move into a space of rising costs of services and products- to meet custom needs and infrequent purchases! How this gets played out will depend on the type of government that each  nation has-more importantly in the garb of the pandemic- almost all nations have executed their own acts which in turn have given immense powers to the government of the day and power- is a double edged sword! During this stage of Meltdown- Human behavior will see alterations like never before- remember these lockdowns have been closer to 21 days and 21 days is the magic number to alter human habits- people will end up being more anxious- stress prone- resilient- calmer- aggressive- confident- depressed- all of these and many more such hues will emerge depending on how an individual is placed within a start of the society and what is the intrinsic strength that one has to deal with these global showdowns! Towards the end of the meltdown- when the conqueror and the vanquished become clear on the horizon- the remnants of this episode will begin to piece together the path ahead and it will be the proverbial Rising on the Phoenix that will follow next… 

The proverbial rising of the Phoenix will be slow, planned and designed to ensure that only those who qualify to be within the scheme of the things will be held on to- others who have not been able to conform to certain standards will be left out to defend for themselves ( In this will lie the seeds of the  next great global crisis!). In the following months, people will want to naturally break free and travel (because that will be the natural psychological trigger – which will help people again believe that they gain have regained control- there will be surging rush to travel (but all these travels will be majorly restricted to domestic arenas) and even as airlines companies merge and continue to be on borrowed time- as it were- the initial three- six months will see this- the really challenge will start after that as few sectors will be buyout- globally- which will be finance, travel, wellness,  healing, spiritual tourism,tourism and hospitality- leaving these aside practically everything to do around the consumer side- whether it is the FMCG or the FMCD or even the Automobile sectors will all see a downward spiral with an apparent no end to their crisis- A criss which has on a way of their own making!  Workers will have to make a choice to either seek monetary security and give up on aspirational attributes and agree to live life in a prescribed manner or create affluence by being a disruptor and challenge the establishment on an ongoing basis. Apart from this self-employed and  the business class will have toe sure they remain agile and nimble for overcoming all and any challenges that may come up  (which will indeed) with unpredictable speed and timing– this will be vital as businesses will be then necessitated to comply to fall and align with specific groups and sub-groups of the new business order (which will be sold to them as the the concept of “ease of business”) Altered behaviors will create a further rift between the affluent elements and class of the society and the deprived and the so- called middle income group will have to take call to either move upwards or decide to stay low! The whole world will seemingly move to a two class society based on economic affluence! Compound this with growing digitisation through digital currency and digital surveillance (which will be told is necessary because of what has happened) will be the final nail in the coffin of individual liberties world-wide and whether the governments of the day say it or not- Big Brother will always be watching you! I won’t dig deeper into this aspect because it will take us to another topic – which we will discuss some other day or other time!

I will cut my thoughts here for now, but the key takeaways, are somewhere mentioned above and hidden away in plain sight for you to think further and reflect upon; based on who you are what is that you want to alter, how and why and ensure that you will be able to stay relevant for the times ahead! This pandemic was the excuse that the member states were waiting for a re-boot- a re-boot to set new rules of engagements with each other and flex muscles at that level. Needless to say, we will be impacted at the levels where we are and we will need to choose how we flex and make the most of the emerging stations without breaking or exhausting ourselves- intellectually, emotionally and physically!

Given the limitations of a blog; I will leave you here with these thoughts for now, grab a drink and see how you lived through the Lockdown- how the Meltdown is impacting you and How you are preparing for the phase when the Phoenix begins to rise over your horizon and what you will do about it to ensure you ride the right wave and stay afloat for long times to come and prepare yourself for the next crisis- which at this very moment is being developed! More on that some other time!

Ciao for now, Stay at Home, Stay Safe, Always keep Social Distancing and importantly stay wise and don’t get killed by dumbness! Will catch up soon with another piece!

 

The unavoidable outcome of a Pandemic-WFH to AAH!

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

Hello there, yes we are at war- with something that we can’t even see with our naked eyes! Well call it rule of nature or whatever you may like to- The fact always has been that wars and enemies emerge from unseen blind quarters within or outside! Today, I want you to think around what is developing behind the smoke screen of the pandemic- sure enough- the pandemic is real people have risked themselves and have become history- but there is more in store and for what is in store- not everyone needs to die necessarily- but the changes over the horizon will be no less then having a rebirth! This piece is about what the unseen and unavoidable fall out of this chaos will be for the next 12 months at least- beyond that- well let your wisdom guide you!

So wherever you are on the world map right now- If you have been one of those lucky one’s to get a reprieve from travelling to work and are soaking in the windfall time with your family or pursuing your hobby or plain speak- something that you like to do (rarely that is possible when you are at work!); be wise and stay cautious! If you have not got that call from your boss, that client of your’s and if you did not get a chance to wear that mask and do a quick trip to your office like a super-hero to save the day- well you know what chances are your Work From Home (WFH) will eventually plateau out to a Always At Home (AAH) scenario pretty earlier then you would have thought! Yes! you read it right- you don’t trust me- well, no problem- drop me a mail around September 2020, then we will have a chat! Now don’t get scared- here’s what you need to understand and take charge of to ensure you stay relevant through your absence!

People tend to forget the age old maxim- “Your absence must be just enough so that your value (if any at all) must be realized- but your absence must be not so long that people learn to live without you and move ahead!” This is the space where the risky WFH is treading on- We live in times where interpersonal skills among people in work environments are already substantially screwed and messed up- if there is anything important that we talk with co-workers even as we work- it is about the third person- whether that third person in the context and content is a team member, your client or the classical corporate bitching session that has no end! I read somewhere- what people have started to realize is how shallow the entire corporate experience has been- once everyone has been packed to their homes-for their WFH- the realization has dawned that- the only thing that always mattered was the responses to the mails, the quick chats of under 3 minutes with clients and action planning and getting work done for that day! Everything else suddenly has started to seem to unwise- dumb and completely useless! Well, realization of all this is good for you as a worker- the problem here is even your employers now have started to realise- how dumb they have been to get sold to your personal charisma- your high value degrees and much hyped and eternally eroding experience(of course- there are a few exceptions- and this is not about them!)

Yes, folks, even as you think you have been smart to convince your employer for a WFH waiver and you are possibly working as you binge on a some movies and web series even as you work! Employers world wide right now are unleashing the complete available power of AI (Artificial Intelligence) – something that you, would have contributed to- knowingly and unknowingly (knowingly if you have bee a software and systems developer and unknowingly- if you have left a great digital imprint of your existence on the planet to provide ample data points to study behavioral and capability patterns)- and this is what can possibly make you technically redundant!

Well, there is nothing wrong and right about this – It is about knowing what we have done to ourselves as human beings!– First, we built capabilities through enveloping our intelligence- next we misuse and abuse them to sub-serve ourselves and for those who we work for – whether employers or society and finally we play dumb and under the garb of automation end up making ourselves redundant! What is happening to the service sector today- is what had happened to the manufacturing sector thirty years ago with the advent of robotics and CNC (Computer and  Numerically Controlled) programmable machinery, and as humans guess what- We failed to remember what we should have learnt from that instance- We should have could have set a limit to our levels of procrastination and laziness which have in a way led to the need and urge to seek more and more automation! Automation from an innovator’s point was always designed to make things easier for difficult situations- now that has been extended to manage dumb and repetitive tasks (that’s what I asked in a previous article- Does your designation define your incompetence!)

So what next, well as humans we can do only one thing what we are best suited to do- turn the circumstances to our advantage- understand and differentiate from what is meaningful and what is meaningless!– I will tell you what- here’s simple test- If what you can do- can be done by anyone else- Well then you are in trouble and you need to course correct your life and skill sets now- to stay relevant and stay alive! another step you can think around this is – Can anyone do what I do the Way I do It- here if you have answered NO- Well, then Congratulations- No matter how much automated the world becomes- You are and will always remain to be one of those human beings who have been and continue to be “Human” in the essence of the word by simply being “Who You Are” and that is how it is supposed to be and this is what each one of us should aspire for ourselves to be! Always remember, every time that stepped back and gave away the control to technology- technology has come back seeking more and more and there will be really no end to it- The only way to subvert this, is to ensure we are smart enough to limit and know what we should, can and need to automate and to what extent!

I leave you at this point- Take a pause and reflect- What is the essence of being an human mean to You and more importantly Being You – whats is that helps and harms you! Importantly also Know what is the relationship that you share with automation- Who is the Master and who is the Slave and what are you going to do about it- so that in times to come that equilibrium stays the way You want it to be and that’s how it should be!

Stay wise, have an awakened weekend ahead and stay who You are and stay Relevant!

 

The real essence of saying “I”

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

Well folks, for a Sunday  quick read, I thought this would be a great topic, a topic which will help you get some space for yourself and importantly this should help a big deal the next time, you picked up the phone and introduced yourself or told someone that , It was “I” and “My” team who got this done!” well this piece is about the “I” hidden within you and each one of us and an attempt to gauge who this “I” really is!

I am sure you too would have observed and come across people who have, time and again told you stories about what they had done, and the story more often then not goes on with an opening like, “I had then said that or done that or I did this and that” etc. So who is this “I” the central character in the multitudes of the stories that unfold- at times this “I” seems to be different for different people and at times this “I” also contradicts preset behaviors from earlier times and surprises everyone by doing something which at times also ends up stumping the “I” eventually! So how and what is all that goes around with this “I” and what role does it play and what is it’s relevance!

Let me take a case in point, to try and simplify, if I have not confused you enough as yet! Consider this, you wake up on a Monday morning, you rush through your morning chores, drop your kids to school (if they are still young! If they are grown up- they would be ideally coming into the house as you leave for work!), reach your work area- you speak with your peers, junior and seniors and all those who matter through the day- some of this chatter is meaningful and tons of it borders on things, people and aspects which really don’t make sense! (for either they- the people don’t care that you discuss about them or your discussing them doesn’t change anything for them or anything regarding them with the framework of the universe!). Once you have done this then you head back home to resign yourself to the safety and comfort of the nest that you relate yourself with as your own! and then finally you say- I have had a great, hectic day! In all this hectic run-around of the day, “I” was always there making its’ presence felt during meetings, taking decisions and utilizing power and position to influence outcomes at home and work by virtue of who you are assigned to be and the “I”within takes charge! But somewhere in all this, the true essence of “I” gets lost and the lost essence is more about seeking your true inner self and knowing who You are hidden away within the I!

I am not too sure, how much of what you are reading is making sense to you at the moment, but trust me, once you realise the true essence of  the “I” within you, it will set you up for a completely different level of yourself!

As you rushed through you daily chores; the “I” was squeaking and guiding you from time to time to act and say something differently; perhaps it was the choice of words in your sentence, perhaps it was the way you conducted yourself, perhaps it was about something that you did;- which you would have not wanted to do at all!- this subtle conflict is something that goes on within each one of us- but of course, with the mad rush to rush through our lives ever increasing with our complicated lives; this subtle voice, tends to change into whispers and fade away into nothingness by the time we realize the extent and impact of what we have silenced!

If you think about for a moment (trust me you need only your drink and an open space to think around this!), the “I” which defines you- at least what you think – defines you has got severely entrapped into the definitions limited to your business cards, family name and social titles ushered to you- certainly nothing wrong with all this- all well earned and well deserved- but what all or any of these can’t and will never be able to impact and alter is the truest essence of the intrinsic “I” within you- this my friend is at the heart of the matter!

In the times that we live in, the real “I”, (you may call it your soul, your connect with the almighty, your elevator to tap the vast power of the Universe; well you may like to give it any shade of higher intellect and I would be happy with that!) is often miles away from the “I” that enacts your soul in the settings of the world to achieve specific ends- whether that is to relate to the relations that you manage, work, peers, social presence and influence that you want to exercise– well almost anything around you- any interaction that you do with this entrapped “I” will eventually come back haunting you sooner or later once the point of divergence goes beyond a pint of no return!

So whats the plan you may ask me around now! Well, keeping it to the limitations of a blog, that I have here (and avoiding to dig deeper and drown into philosophy), let me decode the lesson for you right away! The real essence and the real magic of your “truest I” is the fact that – it is Your Soul- Your very Intrinsic reason – The purpose – The “Fundamental Why” of why you exist! The only way that you can progress on the charts and metrics of your Soul is to allow this inner self to govern and guide your perceived and projected self as you engage and move around the world! Given the level of diminishing intelligence around, you will come across shades of engagement ranging from being dumbfounded to utter disbelief to gross disregard to all that you go to do with the intrinsic power of your true self! However, once you don’t allow this to impact you and  you overcome this, it becomes easier and lighter for you to progress and move ahead!

Our  real “I” is always kind, compassionate, mindful and non-judgmental and is more of an universal grand-dad who keeps a watch and says, “Well okay dude, you are doing just fine, keep going I am here within and I will pinch you the moment I think you are trying to be more loyal to your perceived self ( as seen by the society) rather then being who you really should be! This, my friend, is the long and short of it! It is about being aligned and in-sync with your soul always and all the times, social compulsions, positions will come and go, what is important is being able to steer clear and know when to strike a balance between your real self and your perceived self! Always remember one thing- No matter who says what- the only individual who will ever recognize and appreciate your soul is the you and your discerning mind!

I will leave you with these thoughts for today and hope as you sip your drink and feel content with it! As you walk into your work area on Monday morning and for all times in the future- May you carry along with you- within yourself – The True “I” and ensure that you stay incrementally ahead of the perceived “I” all times!

Ciao for now! Will be back with another piece soon! Stay Soulful and Stay Present!

What travel type are you?

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

In an era where airplane tickets are as affordable as a buffet at five star property and with more and more people then ever before living by the maxim of “Soaking in Today”, it’s no wonder that after food, travel happens to be the biggest indulgence! This piece is about, trying to understand why people do what they do as they travel and how we can find our zen as travelers!

One primary reason, that the very thought of “travel” uplifts our soul and mind (in most of the cases) will be largely because of the hard wiring that exists within us through evolution of earlier being nomadic wanderers, hunters and food gatherers moving from one region unto the next with a view of surviving- it is these journeys eventually made us reach shores and lands of promise- along river basins, coasts, flat lands where opportunities flourished to provide longer sustenance and dependability so that civilizations can be born and foundations of modern day human societies could be laid!

Sure enough, as the wise people have always said, “Travel makes you wise”- The reason behind this statement was in a very compelling context of bygone times though! Those were the times when long voyages were only possible if they were funded by Kings or if you were a wealthy trader who had a liking to know what existed beyond and wanted to use that first movers advantage to get your hands on some eccentric stuff which could mean a great profit in the courts of the kingdom! Then there were again a few select dedicated travelers through the ages who were seeking the divine truth through pursuing theosophical teachings and soaking in what life means across cultures and belief systems around the yesteryear civilized world! Irrespective of what was the reason of travel then and who you were, the chances were that even if you were a sail boat oarsman in those times, you had an IQ and physical strength of even the most revered scholar or a Harvard MBA of today! This is one reason why you will find that the whole of documented history of the known world is a knowledge repository that has survived the ravages of time and upheavals – courtesy of these great people! You can call them scholars and geniuses who importantly knew-“When to travel,”Where to travel”, and “Why to travel”!

Our modern life has been a blessing and a curse in disguise, blessing because I can be sitting right on my chair, use a few applications that are available in the market and zoom onto my  favorite street  or beach front or a mountain range, literally any place around the world and see the views and soak into the virtual feeling of being there- right from the comfort of my home! Sure enough, nothing beats the actual and real feel and this is where the actual story begins!

When you travel around and observe the modern day travelers,what do you see? Who are they, or at least who do they seem to be? Well, I will make this simple for you, you have possibly seen these focused travelers– these are the people who travel to their relatives to return the compliments and accept every wedding invitation (as if the wedding will not happen if they didn’t make it!), then you have those time bound family vacation travelers who will hit the same airport or rail head, around the same time of the year- complain and compliment about what changed at the terminal and in the cabin or the railways carriage and visit the destination have alive- half dead (because in that one year- gross disregard to health will take its’ toll- with the dragging of all those heavy bags which just keeps on growing in weight every year- for no real sensible reason!). Next you have those corporate hot shots who are always moving around the terminals like they are on a MI6 mission to save the world and always drowned into themselves and struggling with their bags or the laptops that come along with them as extended parts of their physical being! So, now the million dollar thought- think about it- are they really travelling? in the real sense of the word? 

Certainly they are not, sure enough if you are on a office assignment, no one expects you to go shopping or sight-seeing- but how about even getting that 10 minute break to know where you have landed- what’s the culture of the place like- who are these people who reside here?- what is that drives them and what is that they enjoy and need the most? This missing human connect which is the million dollar essence of travel has all but gone away for a toss and whatever little chances are there to understand fellow humans, cultures and places that we visit has been taken away by those senseless and limitless self-indulging and self-obsessed selfies that you see standing out menacingly all over the digital landscape! Of course all hope is not lost, not everyone has lost the old and intellectual charm of traveling and when you get to see these wise souls at airports or at travel exchanges, you will feel uplifted by just seeing them and when you speak with them, the knowledge that flows and the story of the one day adventure that they had during the last hike or beach ride or rock climbing or walk in the old market place or the local dish that they had simply baffles you- because your may have traveled the sector many times; but these wise people travel once and they do it right!

So what’s the point here, well simple, travel in the essence of travel, whether you travel all by yourself or tag along a few friends, or your family along, let that travel be compelling, enriching and something that adds value to the lives and knowledge of those who are along with you and also to the people whom you meet and interact with through the course of your journey and when you make it to the destination and back! Let there be videos and snaps that tell as troy that soak about a narrative, a learning that you picked up rather then that mindless grin which you can anyways see while your brush you teeth everyday morning!

Like mindful living, mindful travel can do wonders, it can help you come up with the next big idea or it could help you overcome a life challenge- well who knows for that’s the real magic of travel when its done in the true essence of it! I normally don’t preach on what people should do or not do (they are the best judge to know what works for them or otherwise!), but one thing that I can share as an experience is that when you travel hands free with as minimal luggage as possible and have a vision and a camera that is always pointed away from you and into the journey and places and people around- you will end up capturing stories that can inspire and motivate and uplift you when you spend time and come back to them when you need them! 

I will leave you here, with your thoughts on travel and something to plan this weekend for a wonderful travel for some other weekend the future! Whatever you choose, a mountain range or a beach, a metro city or a quiet village- let there be a purpose, a plan and a learning that enriches you and everyone that you come across in the future by virtue of the travels that you undertake! Always remember if you have got  the 5 senses, make use of them and there is nothing that compares with travel when it comes to rejuvenating these 5 senses of being human in the true essence of it!

Ciao for now, Travel Safe and Travel wise! remember no pulling of bags and senseless grins on those spooky selfies!  

 

Do not burn the lighthouse down!

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

Every sailor and every captain who has sailed oceans- especially when the ocean have seemed to have a mind of their own; knows the value of a Lighthouse! This article takes a cue from these real life lighthouses that we are aware about and tries to connect with the lighthouses that are around us and within us! So here we go!

The lighthouse is the custodian of coasts/land which may or may not be welcome the way an ocean vessel needs it, but it certainly is the promise of land and a welcome change for the ocean warriors who seek refuge to gather strength- regroup and venture out again into the ocean to tame it the way the desire to do so!

Each of us, literally each one of us has a lighthouse within us. We normally refer to our lighthouse in many different ways- for some it is their soul, for few others it is their “my feeling” and for some others is is “my heart says” whichever manner you get that connect, believe me that is a true sign that you are connected and hardwired with your internal lighthouse!

Increasingly our world has become more complicated and decisions are rarely simple as they appear to be! A simple incoming call received by you for a product sale could end up a sales career for that tele-caller , you would have had the right and reason for your “no” but the same has it’s unwritten and invisible ramifications all over, this is how our times are intertwined with everyone else. Our lighthouse within, then needs to be more just and more fair in being able to guide us to ensure that we have a shoreline which is always pristine and does not end up a shore dotted with shipwrecks of myopic decisions!

Irrespective how severe the storm is or how inclement the weather is to the sailor, the lighthouse continues to beam a ray of hope and a promise of safety through the storm. Likewise no matter how sever and hopeless the societal strife may seem to be- do not doubt ever the spirit of human ingenuity and the hard wired survival instinct that is so deep within each one of us. Every time societies have been tried to be distorted by unwelcome narratives- something within- Our lighthouse within and our guiding values have ensured that we prevail over the circumstances and emerge as more aware and grounded individuals and societies. The world over- people residing in sever climatic conditions or areas seem to be always more humble and down to earth with a warm smile that radiates and welcomes one and all from their soul. This is what nature teaches us and this is what we can all learn- stay humble and stay grounded.As earth turns and zips across the Sun each day- we are moving ahead with no clock to turn back and correct our wrongs in the context of the bygone time!

My engagements with clients and friends who have discussed their challenges with me as they march ahead to achieve success has always highlighted one aspect- That they all believe in this source within themselves! It is the level of belief that borders on superstition and some unknown force that always keeps an invisible cloak over and around them to ensure they keep walking ahead- sometimes slowed down- sometime paced up- but what is important is that the journey continues! All this becomes possible because they turn inwards and are constantly listening to the voice within and are course correcting in the direction of the beam of their ever strong Lighthouse!

In these turbulent times, buckle up, take a break, hold that cup of coffee and tune into the frequency of the lighthouse within you and course correct the journey of your life! This is the only one that each one of us has, it’s never too late to re-boot and surge ahead!

I will leave you with these thoughts for now and will catch up soon with another thought, do keep those mails coming in with your views and ideas on what you would want me to discuss next here with you! Write in to me at parimal.aluri@simplifylives.com.

Until next time, take care and stay safe! Don’t get killed and don’t kill anyone!

Empathy is the Soul of Humanity!

~ Parimal Aluri ~ 1 Comment

Since time immemorial, displaying empathy towards other fellow humans and towards animals have been regarded as one of the finest and noblest abilities- which were of immense value when it came to judging personality attributes among the noble and kinsmen!

Well, I don’t want to use up more words to further elaborate on the above premise; multitude of  books and volumes have been written by scholars and historians to suggest this- at times directly in poetic expressions of art or paintings and at time subtly through dossiers of history as they witnessed things unfold in front of them!

Empathy- the ability to empathize with another- being able to underline, appreciate the other person’s/ animal’s feeling (this has a challenge of Himalayan proportions), like any virtue, empathy when practiced right, liberates and ignites the soul!

Join me further to appreciate what this empathy stuff is all about!

Have you seen kids- yes, the one’s in a day care- speaking/blabbering to fellow babies- in a language that has no science- rules- rights and wrongs- yet these fun bags connect with ease – so what’s happening here- well ask any child psychologist and they will come up with theories and research stuff about how human mind is being wired as it grows and all that stuff- well all of that certainly is valid, but alongside what also happens is that- these angels are feeling and thinking beings – yes in that order, feeling first and then thinking. Therefore, even in their little mischievous pranks no one gets killed, neither hearts are broken, nor are friendships lost!

This is fundamental to being human- being able to relate to the other’s feelings and appreciating the rainbow hues of all emotions and then responding (not reacting) to the shades with a shower of emotions that reciprocates and completes the emotional canvas!

As humans we are Feeling Machines, which with time have been turned into Thinking Menaces! There is nothing wrong with being a thinker- the challenge with thinking is that thinking is acquired and acquired through influences and at this stage that thinking branches off into good thinking and not-so-good thinking! Emotions and feelings are raw- hardwired and more often then not carry a genetic fingerprint of values and emotional hues that one would have acquired through ancestral heritage- of course these too experience and alter changes with changing environments, but empathy- like a few other virtues is intrinsic and is beyond the realm to be impacted by outside factors and be influenced to a substantial degree to be turned into something else!

As you grew up, did you experience the hues of emotions- friendship, love, anger, pride, sadness, all of them seemed so obvious and have touched each one of us at some or the other time in one way or the other- so where was empathy in all this- well it was there- as it always will be- around your soul- the last defence that shields you from onslaught of manufactured emotions and thoughts that keep on barging into you ceaselessly! (Thanks to growing up!)

When was the last time as a grown up, you took time to empathise and understand what the screaming boss is going through, when was the last time you looked into the eyes of your child and laughed at the funny joke crafted by the kid, when was the last time when you said- it’s ok to lose and ok to buy some peace rather then go on with a maddening race with no finish line and no sense of achievement that can fill  your soul- well the chances are- if you are still high on your hormones- this all would seem bullshit and nonsense- but if you have been scarred by time and healed by it- you would know immediately what I mean here!

End of the day, your intelligence will fade away in front of any powerful emotional surge that reaches out to you- as long as you have a beating heart and a soul that is able to relate- feel and share the emotion being received- this, my friend is what Empathy is all about.

This is indeed a fundamental intrinsic attribute to a beautiful soul!

Choose any religion on the face of the earth, next to the concept of The Supreme Power as called by respective religions, stands without doubt the value of being “Empathetic” to fellow humans. There must have been and there is a good reason why the wise people had it this way.

Empathy is a virtue which provides nourishment to the soul, to the very existence of our being and gives a purpose to the soul’s journey in a  specific manner- the degree of empathy displayed makes one a seer or a warrior- everyone right in their own space, even the warrior is driven not by hate towards the enemy but ironically the love and empathy towards his immediate clan!

As long as humans have a beating heart which is complete with values of empathy with or without intelligence (certainly helps with intelligence), there will be hope, hope against all the odds that come our way- individually or collectively. As long as societies/ nations have a few good leaders leading with an emphatic vision for the larger good- a collective future that is realistic and all-inclusive (rather than an utopian promise which feeds on greed-driven by agenda of a few that shreds p[principles and emotions on the way!)- there will always be hope and Humanity will prevail!

For someone like me- who has spent time reading people- appreciating them (no judgement, no prejudice) just taking in all the hues of the rainbow, it is an amazing canvas that is painted all around- an empathy filled soul can always see beyond the obvious and work together for a future that rewards all!

Empathy is indeed an elixir of a beautiful soul! Here’s celebrating your soul as I sign off now!