Journey of Excellence

“What differentiates Excellence from Perfection?” was the inquisitive question posed by our senior one day. As we floundered for words, she remarked jovially, “In excellence, you are perfect! In perfection, you aren’t excellent!”

We chuckled at the witty paradox but as I pondered over later, the remark seemed to carry much worth than meets the eye.

English Oxford’s Dictionary defines Excellence as “the state of being extremely good” and Perfection as “extremely good, exact and accurate with no faults”. In daily usage, both these words are used interchangeably and mean similar. One can say, “You are excellent!” or “You are perfect” to mean the same. But do they really? Well, delving deeper behind the words would dig out the difference and careful contemplation would clearly cut the two in different connotations.

Renowned author Thomas Greenspoon put it so excellently when he quipped: Excellence is openness to being wrong; Perfection is to be right. Excellence is a journey; Perfection is a destination. Metaphorically, perfection is like climbing the mountain’s peak. Excellence is climbing the same peak and looking forward to more peaks!

 Let’s exemplify the traits: Mr. P has been recently promoted to an elite position in a company. He adopts perfectionism in his ways and wouldn’t allow even a fleck of fault in any work. Even one innocent error is intolerant and could seriously jeopardize the committer’s position. He perceives his methods as perfect and his arrogance wouldn’t allow anyone to alter them. As days go by, his passion for perfection turns into obsession, and gradually many workers resign on account of such rigidity and red-tapism. Eventually, Mr. P, the perfectionist, too gets relegated to lower ranks.

Replace Mr. P with Mr. E, who, embraces the mantra of excellence and espouses the need for continuous flexibility and improvement. For him, an error enlightens the path of progress and pushes one to excel even more. People around him are at ease and are quite open to discuss novel ideas and new methods. Thus, the company’s principle of excellence paves the way for efficiency and effectiveness.

The above example elucidates how Excellence, if truly and earnestly espoused, can triumph over Perfection! In excellence, there is room for improvement and progress unlike in perfection. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that Perfection is arriving at a place and thinking the journey is over; Excellence is arriving at the same place but thinking the journey has just begun!  

The above concepts hold very well in every wake of life. To overcome a challenge successfully, the concept of excellence and not perfection should be adopted.

For professionals like layers the oceanic restructuring of laws and regulations are new challenges. For medical fraternity, the mighty challenges might be to triumph over new diseases and viruses to make a fitter world to live in. Such challenges in the ever-changing economy and society need to be confronted bravely and wisely. Likewise, everyone has their own personal challenges to overcome.

Striving for excellence should be the emphatic philosophy if we intend to excel in our respective arena. As a conclusion, mark the famous saying by author Salvador Dali: Have no fear of perfection-you’ll never reach it. Strive for excellence. Because, as aptly aforesaid, Excellence is a journey...

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Junk Food Invasion!

As I strode into a small hotel near my office, the delicious aroma around me increased my appetite. I inhaled deeply and breathed in the sweet, sour and spicy ambience of the hotel. Without flipping through the menu, I ordered a simple poori-bhaji with some salad. As I sat on my table, waiting for the dish, a sudden raucous laughter fell in my ears and I turned around to see a group of teenagers sitting beside me, chatting loudly. I felt weird, not because of their talking but because of the bizarre combination of food they were having: Noodles, colorful packets of chips and cans of soft drinks! 

I couldn’t help but wonder as to how, over the past few decades the junk foods have successfully infiltrated every nook and corner of the world. There has been a drastic food evolution since the advent of the junky eatables! Believe me it’s quite similar to an alien invasion over earth!

Junk food or fast food has almost zero-nutritional value and is known as “eatable enemy” for our health. Talking about junk foods instantly paints appetizing images in our mind: The gol-gappas, kachoris, samosas, vada-paos, paw-bhajis, aloo-tikis, hamburgers, rolls, chips, pakoras, momos and so many frizzed soft drinks. And yes, one cannot forget the three “P”s boasting itself in the top of every food list. Of course, I am talking about: Pizzas, Pastas, and Patties! They definitely sound like deadly missiles ready to explode out their toxics into our belly!  Whether it be any occasion – birthdays, anniversaries, get-togethers or festivals – these junky dishes always stay in the limelight and are the favorites for junksters (oh sorry, youngsters!)

Gone are the days, when the above foods were considered only as starters or snacks, but now they have gradually managed to promote themselves into the main course! Have you ever considered the reason for them being so influentially famous in the food arena? Well, given the simplicity and ease of preparing them, given their saucy and spicy taste, and given today’s trend of glamour and glitz, they have certainly ruled over the other so called nutritious food stuffs.

Let me give you an example of a diet of today’s youngster:

Breakfast:         Bread-butter-jam/Milk/eggs/pickle/sweet/bhujia (in home)

                         Kachori/Samosa/Sandwitch/one glass of juice/omelet (outside)

Lunch/Dinner: Roti/Rice/Potato dish/paneer dish/Dal/papad/salad (in home with less gravy)

Noodles/Pizza/Pasta (red sauce, white sauce)/Dosa/a much spicy potato dish/a much gravy   paneer dish/Fried rice/Dosa (outside)

 Now you are probably frowning. The diet which I have just written sounds a little healthy if not entirely junky. And obviously enjoying our meals once or twice in a week in hotels or restaurants is not a crime.   Alright, I agree with you. But that’s not where I want to throw light. I just want to impress upon the fact that there is a crucially important ingredient which is missing and I have deliberately excluded it from the above diet! It’s the vegetables. (The veggies may have noticed).

Again, one may argue that vegetables are not entirely avoided by the youngsters and they form a necessary part of daily diet. And again I will agree. Coriander leaves (dhania patta), Mint leaves (pudina), cabbage (patta Gobi), and peas (matar), cauliflower (phul-gobi), spinach (palak) are some of the common vegetables liked by everyone of every age. They obviously make some of the delicious dishes like dhania chutney, pudina chutney, and the evergreen matar paneer!  But what if I roll out the names of bitter gourd (karela), jack-fruit (katahal), Fenugreek leaves (methi patta), ridged gourd (torai), pointed gourd (parval), chulai patta (china spinach), Tlyme-leaved Graliola (brahmi) and so many others? Believe me most of today’s teens haven’t even heard the names! And speaking of karela and methi, the teens will undoubtedly wrinkle their noses in disgust if you ask them to eat these as if they have been given some sort of bitter punishment! 

I am not entirely against the junk foods. We all love junk foods one way or other but we should definitely set a limit on its intake and focus more on the nutritious vegetables and fruits.

Youngsters are full to brim with energy, enthusiasm and have passionate desire to secure a respected position in today’s competitive world. But let me tell you that most of today’s youths, though well-informed in diverse areas, are woefully ignorant in a particular field. Oh yes, it may sound weird: a youth may be a genius minded fellow, having secured All-India-ranks in so many sophisticated degrees but if you ask this youth that what is the current market price of tenga-palak, pudina patta, brahmi saag or even the famous potatoes and onions in the local area, I’ll bet you will definitely expect a completely confused look on his face!

The increasing urbanization of society and the hustle-bustle of fast-moving city life have somehow made the youths uncaring and indifferent towards their diet. The easy availability of junk foods and the attractive advertisements done by the food vendors are the common influential factors. Obesity, High cholesterol, lung diseases, Gastric problems, increased levels of blood pressure and sugar, weak liver, poor concentration and even depression are the ill-effects. Of course, one may debate that today’s youths are gradually inclining towards the fitness centers, gyms and are getting health-conscious. Definitely a healthy trend among the youths, I agree. Still, the junk-food problem remains a pervasively serious issue.

Having said about the irresistible eatable enemies, I am planning to stomach a spicy-creamy, tasty (yet junky) red sauce pasta dish, tonight! Cannot resist! Can You? 

Superstitions – Good luck versus Bad luck?

As I walked past a shopping mall, my eyes fell on the heavy discounts it offered on various essential products. I immediately called my shopaholic aunt. (Well, who wouldn’t take such benefits, if not her?) And, obviously, she rushed to the shopping mall only to return home midway as if an emergency had prevented her! 

Well, her emergency turned out to be a cause of astonishment for me. “I forgot that it’s ‘Shanivaar’ (Saturday).” She said, “So no new items!” Her illogical belief amuses me and provokes me to think: How, in the present era of illuminating scientific developments, the shadow of superstitions still hovers over the minds of modern people?

Superstition – The oxford dictionary describes it as “the belief that particular events bring good luck or bad luck and that cannot be explained by reason or science”. Now, if you think it as a “cause & event” analysis, then a new, practical definition would come up: a particular, seemingly ordinary event that has the immense potential to cause an exaggerated, illogical and comical behavior in a person!

Throwing light on above, consider a group of superstitious interviewees who are anxiously hurrying for an interview, praying that the entire day fares well.  Suddenly, out of nowhere, a black cat crosses their path-Alas! Bad luck! The obvious reaction of interviewees: startling body language changes signaling an inauspicious start like abruptly skidding to a stop, lots of gasps, groans and gesticulations, a sudden increase of anxiety attacks and no matter how late they might be they wouldn’t cross the path until someone other crosses it! By the time they resume, their already tensed mind is peppered with negative thoughts! (Well, as for that ominous black cat, it may feel itself as a feared creature!)

Keeping intact the above situation let me replace the cat with an elephant! Wow! Good luck! The obvious reaction – Body language changes signaling auspicious start like the sudden friendliness and respect towards this creature (the symbol of Lord Ganesh), anxiety evaporates instantly replaced by a sudden upsurge of faith! And, by the time the elephant moves on, one could see the interviewees in a much better mood than they had been minutes before (probably thinking that now no force could stop them to pass an interview!)

Like above there are numerous occurrences of superstitious force playing around us in our everyday life ranging from comical to ridiculous to even unhygienic, all being the products of old traditions, customs and long followed religions. Seeing a peacock (good journey), eating curd with jaggery before a journey, breaking mirrors (bad omen), sneezing before you leave your house (bad day, do watch out!), opening umbrella inside the house (probably you won’t get married!), lizard falling on head (death is looming overhead!), dogs howling in the night (death is stalking nearby!), standing under a peepal or banyan tree (evil spirits may possess you!), hanging lemon and chili in the entrance of your shop to ward off evil spirits (or even hanging them around your neck in some parts of India!), hiccupping (someone is thinking about you!) not bathing or not changing clothes for days or even months (seriously unhygienic!), deeper the color of bride’s mehandi, deeper the love of the groom (no doubt, today’s brides are using cosmetic products to darken the color of their mehandi!). Foregoing were the few instances of human idiosyncrasies!

From a demographic perspective, one may confidently argue that today’s modern societies or young generations are impervious to the sway of superstitions, owing to growing awareness, education, literacy hike rates, information explosion and rationalized thinking, unlike the socially and economically backward strata of societies. But that remains a debatable issue. On meticulous scrutiny, you may elicit that even the ultra modern section of the society, sometimes, do become the servitudes of superstitious forces. 

Oh yes, in simple terms, compare it with a low tide and high tide catalysts – During normal, low tide- uneventful-days, these people do not care so much about good or bad signs greeting them now and then.  But during high tide-eventful-days –  like a wedding event, inauguration ceremony, exam day or result day, social event, going for an interview or first day at job – the same category of people are, all of a sudden, more prone and receptive to good or bad omens, overacting, overreacting and overdoing things, often resulting in human folly!

You may have found the above instances of superstitions as generally innocuous, harmless and inoffensive. However, on a serious note, one cannot deny the heinous and evil forms of superstitions prevalent in our country. The ancient India witnessed wicked practices of Sati-pratha, witch-hunting, black magic, girl child-abortion-murder, castration, widow-ignominy, animal and human sacrifices to Gods, and many more that have been majorly curbed, thanks to the crusaders and social reformers like Raja Ram Mohan Ray and Swami Vivekananda. 

But shamefully, headlines of these malevolent practices still crop up in various parts of India resulting in unnecessary killing of innocents and adding to social stigmas and human despondency. The obvious reasons: sheer lack of education, woeful ignorance, false beliefs which are deeply rooted in minds and human bigotry. Serious contemplation by the government, pragmatic methods of disseminating education and awareness is needed to suppress such practices.                             

Scientifically speaking, superstition is not the causative factor to bring any good luck or bad luck. So what does? Well, it is our thoughts, our disposition and our interpretation of events that really counts. Interestingly, if we think any event to be a good omen then we are right and if we think it as a bad omen, then also we are right! The simple logic, though hard to follow, is – Our way of thinking is the very seed that blossoms into good luck or bad luck! As goes the famous adage – “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”        

Turn your life in 10 minutes!

My dad once told me: “You can apply the 10 minutes mantra to turn around your life in a tremendous way.”

 I didn’t understand at first. “What’s the big deal in 10 minutes?” I asked.

“There’s indeed a big deal about it. 10 minutes, believe me son, can create a marvellous difference in our life,” my dad offered wisely.

“Elaborate please, dad,”

“I’ll tell you. But first, you’ve to get up tomorrow at 6.00 am.” My dad conditioned. I agreed.

Next day, as I woke up at the agreed time, my dad came to my room.

“What’s the time?”

“6.00 am” I replied.

“Okay, so before you can follow the 10 minutes mantra, you have to follow the art of being aware about the clock,”

I was confused. My dad continued, “Look at the clock. It’s 6.00 am. Now within 10 minutes I ask you to do the following: Arrange your bed and your table; drink two glasses of water, wash your face and brush your teeth. But keep looking at your clock while doing these. That’s it”

“Well…Okay,” I said, thinking what could be the catch my dad wanted me to capture.

I began and started doing all he asked. All the time, I kept glancing at the wall clock. Finally after 10 minutes (or 30 seconds earlier to be exact) I had finished it all.

“Well done, boy. You have turned around your life!” My dad praised, patting on my back.

“What?” I was astonished and puzzled, unable to grasp, and asked earnestly “I didn’t get you, dad.”

 “Think, son, think!” My dad urged, “Recall your earlier days. How did your day started off?”

I racked my brains and pondered over. Usually, I wake up at 6.00 am. Then, I wander off, yawning lazily and even sleep for some more minutes or sit idly on my chair, my thoughts in thousand directions. And, by the time I finished the above activities, it was already past 7.00 am.

“And today, it’s just 6.10 am” my dad said as if he read my mind.

“Yes!” I exclaimed, starting to understand.

“So what made you do it?” my dad asked.

I thought. What made me do it? Because my dad told me to do? No, no; there was more to it. And then it hit me:

“The art of being aware about the clock!” I almost shouted.

“Yes and also ten minutes.” My dad said, smiling at my wonderstruck face.

My dad explained: “By setting your eyes on the clock and thinking about 10 minutes, your mind got focused in that span of 10 minutes. It was just like a deadline or a due date. The “10 minutes” deadline kept your mind in the present; in the “now” and prevented you from wandering off.”

I was impressed. Just a matter of meagre 10 minutes had such a mighty effect! I had completed all those routine activities on time.  Now, I felt I have so much time ahead (as compared to 7.00am, it was just 6.10 am!). With so much time saved, I could work on creative and productive activities, instead of loitering around aimlessly. Time was, indeed, the most precious thing on earth.

 A question piqued my curiosity, “Dad, why only 10 minutes. Why can’t we divide our activities into 1 hour slots?”

“Good question,” my dad said, “we can. But shorter the time, more productive you will get; Imagine, if I told you to do those routine activities in 1 hour? Your mind will make your actions slower because you’ll think you have enough time to do it. Even if an activity takes 1 hour, you can segment it into 10 minutes slots.”

“Give an example,” I was eager to know more.

“You can, for instance, segment your workout time,” my dad resumed. “10 minutes- warm-up; 10 minutes- stretching and 10 minutes-yoga,”

“Really amazing, dad; this 10 minutes stuff can make your life on a roll! Instead of long bouts of inactivity, once can benefit from the short bursts of creativity!”

“Yes. The 10 minutes stuff is just an idea. You can also make it 15 minutes or 20 minutes but not longer than that.” My dad paused and continued:

“The 10 minutes mantra can be applied in every aspect of life. A student, a professional, a businessman or anyone can apply this simple but successful technique. Take an example of student. The student can allot 10 minutes time for a topic. After that, he/she can take 2 minutes rest and resume for another ten minutes. He or she can also take time off and read a good book for 10 minutes or allot just 10 minutes for walking. All a student has to do is to be aware of the clock.

Elaborating it further, we humans have a tendency to keep on delaying small things. We know we have to pay bills on time, and still we delay it beyond the due dates. We are aware that our bike’s tyres need to get pumped, yet we don’t care to stop by the car-shop we pass every day. We promise ourselves to go to a temple on a particular day, yet we never seem to keep our own promise on time. Why? Because our mind wanders off and deems such things as unimportant. If we vow to take just 10 minutes or 20 minutes of our entire 24 hours, we would never procrastinate and our life will be million times better.”

My dad concluded: “The 10 minutes, if followed consistently, can have a tremendous effect in anyone’s lifestyle. Procrastination and Idleness will vanish away replaced by focus and intensity. People will tell you they are short of time. No time for the loved ones, no time for pursuing their dreams, no time to eat, no time for their health as if they are the most busiest people on earth! It’s the lamest excuse one can give.

The 10 minutes mantra can keep us organized, keep our otherwise disoriented thoughts in check, balance our life fruitfully and help us to have enough time in our hands. So follow this 10 minutes mantra and see your life turn around at a miraculous pace!”