Interview with Narayana Murthy's kids.......

ON A NEW ROAD AHEAD

N R Narayana Murthy is the proud father of an entrepreneur in the making and passionate research student. When he stepped down as executive chairman of Infosys, Akshata Murty (26) and Rohan Murty (22) flew down from the US to be part of the occasion. R Raghavendra and Srikala Bhashyam caught up with Murthy Juniors to understand how the making of Infosys and NRN have shaped their lives.

THE TURNING POINT

Akshata: We never felt we were celebrity kids. Our father was travelling a lot and we didn't really know what Infosys was about. I left India when I was 18 to do my undergraduate course. I think it was in 1999 that Infosys was listed on Nasdaq and got an international flair to it. People started recognising me. That was a very new thing, never ever what I thought life would be. Over the years, it has definitely become different. Very different from my friends' lives. That is good and bad and easy and tough.

Rohan: For me it was very different. I went to Bishop Cottons here. For the first few years, I took a bus to school. The next few years, I went by van and later by autorickshaw. Suddenly, in the 9th or 10th standard, my parents started insisting that I need to go by car. I understood why because newspapers would write that this much money was made and so on. It restricted my freedom. Some teachers began to treat me differently. I didn't quite like that. It's different perhaps if you had grown up with it. For me, it was quite at a late stage. Over the years, it (press coverage) increased and I felt I need to go like Akshata has.

Were you compelled to study in the US?
Akshata: I didn't want to do engineering and I was really passionate about history and arts. There are some great schools in India but also some great schools in the US. I figured it would be a good thing to go. Nobody forced anybody. It obviously had worked for me and so I was sure it would work for Rohan too.

Rohan: My decision to go abroad was because of Akshata (influence). I was very short sighted. I thought I would be away from home, fast internet, nobody can tell me not to play computer games. I was very keen on computers. I started programming when I was in the 4th standard. I had a group of friends in school who were real hackers. We were all very passionate about computer science. I was clear in school itself that I wanted to do PhD. So I thought it was a good option to go abroad.

Anything you missed while growing up?
Akshata: When we were really young, my parents wouldn't let us celebrate our birthday because they believed that on our birthday, you have to donate money to the less privileged. But when Infosys was small, we used to celebrate Infosys' birthday with cakes. And we always wanted to be the ones to cut the Infosys cake. We never celebrated our birthday except on my 18th birthday because I was leaving for the US. It was more of a goodbye party.

Rohan: I never celebrated my birthday.

Akshata: But we never felt our parents ignored us even though they were so busy. Sudha aunty (Kris Gopalakrishnan's wife) was such a good friend and we (Infosys) were such a close community. We were a family and we really loved that. Because of the expansion, it's hard to have that same intimate feeling. I do miss some things like buying cutlery, stationery for Infosys.

MURTHYS AS PARENTS

Rohan: My mother was largely responsible for the first half of my life because my dad was always travelling. Earlier, I was not a very academically- strong student. More than my parents, my friends played a big role. I had friends who were all toppers. It was peer pressure and suddenly you also begin to study well. My parents never pressured me to study.
I joined BASE after my 10th standard because all my friends joined. After two months I realised it was not what I wanted to do.
I visited IIT Kanpur because my friend was studying there but somehow I felt it was not for me. I told my dad that I don't want to do (IIT). He said OK.

Akshata: I am so glad he did it. In India, you have to work so hard and you miss out on your childhood and I am glad that we didn't have to run that train.

Rohan: What I found was people were doing it because their parents were telling them to do it though they were good at many other things.

Akshata: People like us are fortunate that we weren't under pressure to do things. In my family, including my aunts and uncles, I am the only non-science graduate.

Rohan: When I picked computer science, I was fascinated. There is no question of asking my parents what I should do. It is more of telling them this is what I am doing. Of course, my dad has to be involved if I require a new computer. Even while doing PhD, it was I who decided.

Akshata: Rohan is more independent than I am. I was a normal kid, asking parents what to do. Because of the circumstances (parents being extremely busy), Rohan had to become more independent.
I can't make a serious decision in my life without my parents signing off.

VALUES IN LIFE

Akshata: I can never remember a time when I felt like I could do whatever I wanted with money. We always had what we needed. Books, anything to do with school, we had it. I didn't eat at Indian restaurants in the US initially because it was expensive. I somehow felt if I ate out, Rohan's coming would be affected.
Once when I was in the 2nd standard, I wanted to be part of a choir, and we had to buy an outfit to be part of it. I came home and told my mother about the dress and she said OK. But I knew that it was not 100% OK. I decided that there was no need to be in the choir.

Rohan: It was nothing like that for me. I never felt that I should economise for anybody. The only time I wanted money was to buy candy in school. We have never got pocket money, even till date. Those days, my mother gave me Rs 5 and made sure I was accountable for everything I did with it. So I have never once felt that we were swimming in money.

INFOSYS IMPACT

Does the size of Infosys ever hit you?
Rohan: We never felt like it's our own company. But most of the time, our parents spent so much time, I definitely view it as a sibling. I might not know the exact details of how many people Infosys hires. To me all those things make no difference.

Do you talk of Infosys at home?
Akshata and Rohan: Noooo... I mean, we talk of specific occasions in Infosys like when all the employees got watches. Not even once have we spoken about things like market capitalisation of the company falling or rising.

What opinion do you have each time you read about Infosys?
Rohan: I have never had an opinion on it, whether it's the first time or the 'n'th time... I have never felt it's too little or too much. The only time I feel a pinch is when my name appears somewhere and I don't want that.

Akshata: I think Rohan faces more of the brunt on that (Infosys' publicity). There have been both good and bad things in the press. But there have been many times when I have been upset about what people have said about Rohan and wanted to write back. I just wish that people understand who we are (as independent individuals), before they look at us as our parents' children.

Rohan: The other day, I visited my school (Bishop Cottons). Whenever I come home, I visit my school. I am very attached to it because I was there for 14 years. Usually I go and teach a class on interesting research problems in computer science. I have received so many accolades in schools and won several awards. When I walked into the class where my teacher was teaching, she introduced me by saying, "Oh, you obviously know who his father is...'' I told her that you have taught me here for 14 years and it is extremely unfortunate that the way you choose to remember me was like this. There are so many things that she could have said, which I have achieved in school on my own. But it was very unfortunate that she chose to introduce me to my juniors in that way.

Akshata: There is so much hype around an individual that its hard unless Rohan and I do something more breathtaking than my dad. Only then will this stop. We have understood that this is a fact of life. It's much harder for him (Rohan) because he is also in the same field. I just do my own thing. This is one reason why I like to live in the US.

Rohan: There are many traditional business houses in India where you inherit everything and the son steps in, etc. Obviously that's not the case here. It's not what I want to do. On the other hand, it is not something that I can't completely disconnect from. And this is the grey area for me and I don't know which way to go. It is very frustrating because when you are between 15 and 21 years old, most people want to achieve things on their own. In my case, I always feel that whatever I do should be independent of my parents.

INTEREST IN POLITICS

What do you think this country needs most?
Akshata: I have been thinking a lot in the last month since I have been in India. I finished my MBA and travelled to China, Japan and Hong Kong and then came for Infosys' 25th year celebration. I have been reading and thinking a lot about why can't India be a China, a Japan or a United States? The one word to describe the reason for this is discipline. We don't have discipline in anything we do. It's as simple as not standing in line when you are getting into an airplane or a bus. It's as complicated as evading your taxes. We really need to look at ourselves as a community and stop looking at ourselves as individuals.
There are two things that I am really struggling with. One is, do I want to get into politics? People like us have seen what's out in the West and because of our upbringing in India, we are fortunate to get the best of both worlds.
Someone like me who comes from a privileged background can institute some sort of discipline into the system. I am not looking at politics as a career but as an effective means to institute policy change for a wide range of matters.
I really commend what my mother does. But her work is not about policies. She doesn't have that kind of power. Sometimes I think whether it makes sense to have some sort of revolution, where you have people who think differently. They must not look at it as a way to substitute their own pockets. I dream of that sometimes. Having read Discovery of India by Jawaharlal Nehru and My Experiments with Truth by Mahatma Gandhi and Kasturba's life, I wonder where such phenomenal leaders are today. I just saw that movie Rang de Basanti, which talks about corruption that exists in our society. I feel very strongly about politics.
There is also this other side of me that is fascinated by entrepreneurship, which is why I went to Stanford. Although it could be nothing in the realm of technology, I do dream of starting my own company. Whatever I do, I know for a fact that it will involve India.

Akshata: The short answer is yes because he thinks differently and he is what we need from a thought perspective. But he can't implement it. It's not because some politician would not let him but because the system will not let him do it.
That's why I feel that politics is not for him because he is so action oriented. One can then ask why I think of politics. I feel I'm younger and we need young people to come up and do something.

Rohan: I am not interested in any of those things. I have 4-5 years left in my PhD. One of my interests is higher education in India. My perspective is limited to computer science. We almost never see a top quality research paper coming from India. Also, going into science is still not considered a good career option. So I would perhaps be interested in improving the research scenario in India, especially research in computer science. Of course, research should not be restricted to this subject. It should span all domains. Periodically, I revaluate my career. Right now I want to study.

UNLIKELY TO JOIN INFOSYS

Have you ever felt like joining Infosys?
Akshata: There have been times when Infosys has come to our university to recruit and I have helped them by giving my suggestions about the recruiting pattern at business schools. But it has never even been a thought for me to join Infosys.

Rohan: No, not me. I have never thought of it either.

FATHER'S RETIREMENT

What were your first impressions of your dad retiring?
Rohan: Well, it's a rule that you have to retire when you are 60. So, even if he said no, he had to retire as per rules. I'm least bothered that he is retiring. Even if he sits at home for the next 20 plus years, it is still fine because he has done enough. So it's time for me to stop worrying about him and think about what I need to be doing. Dad will find something to do.
I was discussing this with Mohan uncle (Mohandas Pai, HR-head of Infosys) the other day that my father has lived the last 20 plus years of his life on planes. He is almost never been on land. He comes to Boston on work and I meet him for lunch and he takes the evening flight back. He is always like this. There is a joke that there is perhaps an airplane seat in Infosys because that is the only seat where he can sleep on.
I'm told his calendar is booked out right through 2007-08. So retirement technically means that the few days that he is in Bangalore, he is likely to stay home rather than go to work.
I actually tell my dad that he should do a PhD. I have been talking to him about it for the last two years. He is very interested in getting into computer science. But obviously he cannot do it because of his age. More than that, he likes being in an academic setting where there are students. It is different being a student. I believe that a couple of business schools in the US have offered him teaching assignments. But I still tell him to do a PhD. I even tell my mother to do a PhD.

Akshata: Rohan wants everyone to do a PhD.

Rohan: No, that's not true. I know that my mother would thoroughly enjoy it. She was at Harvard two years ago for some seminars and lectures. She stayed in the undergrad doms (dormitory) and she really liked it. She is a great history buff. So I keep telling her to look at a PhD in history.

Akshata: I have a different take on this. My parents have been through enough. They have left a lasting impression on us.

Source: e-mail

Old Carpenter

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer- contractor of his plans to leave the house- building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end a dedicated career.

When the carpenter finished his work the employer came to inspect the house. He handed the front-door key to the carpenter.

This is your house, he said, my gift to you.

The carpenter was shocked! What a shame!

If he had only known he was building his own, he would have done it all so differently.

We do the most of the things having such thoughts in our mind. But we only realize when it comes back to us.

So it is with us. We build our lives, a day at a time, often putting less than our best into the building. Then with a shock we realize we have to live in the house that we have built. If we could do it over, we'd do it much differently. But we cannot go back.

You are the carpenter. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Life is a do-it-yourself project, someone has said. Your attitudes and the choices you make today, build the house you live in tomorrow. Build wisely!

Discover the 90/10 Principle

Author: Stephen Covey

It will change your life (at least the way you react to situations).
What is this principle? 10% of life is made up of what happens to you. 90% of life is decided by how you react.

What does this mean? We really have no control over 10% of what happens to us.
We cannot stop the car from breaking down. The plane will be late arriving, which throws our whole schedule off. A driver may cut us off in traffic.

We have no control over this 10%. The other 90% is different. You determine the other 90%.
How? ……….By your reaction.

You cannot control a red light. but you can control your reaction. Don't let people fool you; YOU can control how you react.

Let's use an example.
You are eating breakfast with your family. Your daughter knocks over a cup of coffee onto your business shirt. You have no control over what just happened.
What happens next will be determined by how you react.

You curse.
You harshly scold your daughter for knocking the cup over. She breaks down in tears. After scolding her, you turn to your spouse and criticize her for placing the cup too close to the edge of the table. A short verbal battle follows. You storm upstairs and change your shirt. Back downstairs, you find your daughter has been too busy crying to finish breakfast and get ready for school. She misses the bus.

Your spouse must leave immediately for work. You rush to the car and drive your daughter to school. Because you are late, you drive 40 miles an hour in a 30 mph speed limit.

After a 15-minute delay and throwing $60 traffic fine away, you arrive at school. Your daughter runs into the building without saying goodbye. After arriving at the office 20 minutes late, you find you forgot your briefcase. Your day has started terrible. As it continues, it seems to get worse and worse. You look forward to coming home.

When you arrive home, you find small wedge in your relationship with your spouse and daughter.

Why? …. Because of how you reacted in the morning.
Why did you have a bad day?
A) Did the coffee cause it?
B) Did your daughter cause it?
C) Did the policeman cause it?
D) Did you cause it?
The answer is “D".

You had no control over what happened with the coffee. How you reacted in those 5 seconds is what caused your bad day.

Here is what could have and should have happened.

Coffee splashes over you. Your daughter is about to cry. You gently say, "Its ok honey, you just need to be more careful next time". Grabbing a towel you rush upstairs. After grabbing a new shirt and your briefcase, you come back down in time to look through the window and see your child getting on the bus. She turns and waves. You arrive 5 minutes early and cheerfully greet the staff. Your boss comments on how good the day you are having.
Notice the difference?

Two different scenarios. Both started the same. Both ended different.
Why?

Because of how you REACTED.

You really do not have any control over 10% of what happens. The other 90% was determined by your reaction.

Here are some ways to apply the 90/10 principle. If someone says something negative about you, don't be a sponge. Let the attack roll off like water on glass. You don't have to let the negative comment affect you!

React properly and it will not ruin your day. A wrong reaction could result in losing a friend, being fired, getting stressed out etc.

How do you react if someone cuts you off in traffic? Do you lose your temper? Pound on the steering wheel? A friend of mine had the steering wheel fall off) Do you curse? Does your blood pressure skyrocket? Do you try and bump them?

WHO CARES if you arrive ten seconds later at work? Why let the cars ruin your drive?
Remember the 90/10 principle, and do not worry about it.

You are told you lost your job.
Why lose sleep and get irritated? It will work out. Use your worrying energy and time into finding another job.

The plane is late; it is going to mangle your schedule for the day. Why take outpour frustration on the flight attendant? She has no control over what is going on.

Use your time to study, get to know the other passenger. Why get stressed out? It will just make things worse.

Now you know the 90-10 principle. Apply it and you will be amazed at the results. You will lose nothing if you try it. The 90-10 principle is incredible. Very few know and apply this principle.
The result?

Millions of people are suffering from undeserved stress, trials, problems and heartache. We all must understand and apply the 90/10 principle.
It CAN change your life!!!
Enjoy….

Visualise your Goal

The Catalina Island is twenty-one miles away from the coast of California, and many people have taken the challenge to swim across it.

On July 4th 1952, Florence Chadwick stepped into the water off Catalina Island to swim across to the California coast. She started well and on course, but later fatigue set in, and the weather became cold.

She persisted, but fifteen hours later, numb and cold, she asked to be taken out of the water.
After she recovered, she was told that she had been pulled out only half a mile away from the coast. She commented that she could have made it, if the fog had not affected her vision and she would have just seen the land.

She promised that this would be the only time that she would ever quit.

She went back to her rigorous training. And two months later she swam that same channel. The same thing happened. The fatigue set in, and the fog obscured her view, but this time she swam with faith and vision of the land in her mind. She knew that somewhere behind the fog was land.

She succeeded and became the first woman to swim the Catalina Channel. She even broke the men's record by two hours.

SUCCESS PRINCIPLES

When you set your goal, keep pressing on even when you are tired, physically and mentally, and even though there are many challenges ahead.

Keep the vision of your goal crystal clear before you and never, never, never… give up!

See the reaching, commit to it, and you will surely see your goal realized.

Take time to enjoy life

A group of working adults got together to visit their University lecturer. The lecturer was happy to see them. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life.

The Lecturer just smiled and went to the kitchen to get an assortment of cups - some porcelain, some in plastic, some in glass, some plain looking and some looked rather expensive and exquisite.

The Lecturer offered his former students the cups to get drinks for themselves. When all the students had a cup in hand with water, the Lecturer spoke: "If you noticed, all the nice looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. While it is normal that you only want the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress. What all you wanted was water, not the cup, but we unconsciously went for the better cups. Just like in life, if Life is Water, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. They are just tools to hold/maintain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. If we only concentrate on the cup, we won't have time to enjoy/taste the water in it."

Sent by: Karthick Rajendran

Get Inspired!

Source: Received through e-mail.

^*^Ten Rules For A Good Day^*^

1. TODAY I WILL NOT STRIKE BACK:
If someone is rude, if someone is impatient, if someone is unkind...
I will not respond in a like manner.

2. TODAY I WILL ASK GOD TO BLESS MY "ENEMY":
If I come across someone who treats me harshly or unfairly, I will
quietly ask God to bless that individual. I understand the "enemy"
could be a family member, neighbor, co-worker, or a stranger.


3. TODAY I WILL BE CAREFUL ABOUT WHAT I SAY:
I will carefully choose and guard my words being certain that I do
not spread gossip.


4. TODAY I WILL GO THE EXT RA MILE:
I will find ways to help share the burden of another person.


5. TODAY I WILL FORGIVE:
I will forgive any hurts or injuries that come my way.


6. TODAY I WILL DO SOMETHING NICE FOR SOMEONE,
BUT I WILL NOT DO IT SECRETLY:
I will reach out anonymously and bless the life of another.

7. TODAY I WILL TREAT OTHERS THE WAY I WISH TO BE TREATED:
I will practice the golden rule - "Do unto others as I would have
them do unto me" - with everyone I encounter.


8. TODAY I WILL RAISE THE SPIRITS OF SOMEONE I DISCOURAGED:
My smile, my words, my expression of support, can make the
difference to someone who is wrestling life.


9. TODAY I WILL NUTURE MY BODY:
I will eat less; I will eat only healthy foods. I will thank God for my
body.

10. TODAY I WILL GROW SPIRITUALLUY:
I will spend a little more time in prayer today: I will begin reading
something spiritual or inspirational today; I will find a quiet place
(at some point during the day)!

~*~ Instructions For Life ~*~

01. Give people more than they expect, and do it cheerfully.

02. Memorize your favorite poem.

03. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have, or sleep all you want.

04. When you say "I love you" - mean it.

05. When you say "I'm sorry" look the person in the eye.

06. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.

07. Believe in love at first sight.

08. Never laugh at anyone's dreams.

09. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt, but it's the only way to live life completely.

10. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.

11. Don't judge people by their relatives.

12. Talk slowly but think quickly.

13. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, "Why do you want to know?"

14. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.

15. Call your mom.

16. Say "Bless you" when you hear someone sneeze.

17. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.

18. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; Responsibility for all your actions.

19. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.

20. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.

21. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.

22. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, their conversati onal skills will be as important as any others.

23. Spend some time alone.

24. Open your arms to change but don't let go of your values.

25. Remember that silence is sometimes the best answer.

26. Read more books and watch less TV.

27. Live a good, honorable life. Then when you get older and think back, you'll get to enjoy it a second time.

28. Trust in God but lock your car.

29. Do all you can to create a tranquil, harmonious home.

30. In disagreements with loved ones, deal with the current situation. Don't bring up the past.

31. Read between the lines.

32. Share your knowledge. It's a way to achieve immortality.

33. Be gentle with the Earth.

34. Pray. There's immeasurable power in it.

35. Never interrupt when you are being flattered.

36. Mind your own business.

37. Don't trust a man/woman who doesn't close his/her eyes when you kiss.

38. Once a year, go someplace you've never been before.

39. If you make a lot of money, put it to use helping others while you are living. That is wealth's greatest satisfaction.

40. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a stroke of luck.

41. Learn the rules, then break some.

42. Remember that the best relationship is one where your love for each other is greater than your need for each other.

43. Judge your success by what you had to give up in order to get it.

44. Remember that your character is your destiny.

45. Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon.

Management Lessons!

............ .JUST LAUGH THEM UP.....

MANAGEMENT LESSONS
************ ********* ****
Lesson Number One
************ ********* ****
A crow was sitting on a tree, doing nothing all day. A small rabbit saw the crow, and asked him, "Can I also sit like you and do nothing all day long?" The crow answered: "Sure, why not." So, the rabbit sat on the ground below the crow, and rested.
All of a sudden, a fox appeared, jumped on the rabbit and ate it.

Management Lesson:

To be sitting and doing nothing, you must be sitting very, very high up.

************ ********* ****
Lesson Number Two
************ ********* ***
A little bird was flying south for the winter. It was so cold that the bird froze and fell to the ground in a large field. While it was lying there, cow came by and dropped some dung on it. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, it began to realize how warm it was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate. Following the sound, the cat found the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him!

Management Lessons:

1) Not everyone who drops shit on you is your enemy.
2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
3) And when you're in deep shit, keep your mouth shut!

************ ********* ****
Lesson Number Three
************ ********* ****
A turkey was chatting with a bull. "I would love to be able to get to
the top of that tree, but I haven't got the energy," sighed the turkey.
"Well, why don't you nibble on some of my droppings?" replied the bull.
They're packed with nutrients."
The turkey pecked at a lump of dung and found that it actually gave him enough strength to reach the first branch of the tree.
The next day, after eating some more dung, he reached the second branch.

Finally after a fortnight, there he was proudly perched at the top of
the tree. Soon he was promptly spotted by a farmer, who shot the turkey out of the tree.

Management Lesson:

Bullshit might get you to the top, but it won't keep you there.

50 Common Interview Questions and Answers

50 Common Interview Questions and Answers :
Review these typical interview questions and think about how you would answer them. Read the questions listed; you will also find some strategy suggestions with it.

1. Tell me about yourself:

The most often asked question in interviews. You need to have a short statement prepared in your mind. Be careful that it does not sound rehearsed. Limit it to work-related items unless instructed otherwise. Talk about things you have done and jobs you have held that relate to the position you are interviewing for. Start with the item farthest back and work up to the present.

2. Why did you leave your last job?

Stay positive regardless of the circumstances. Never refer to a major problem with management and never speak ill of supervisors, co- workers or the organization. If you do, you will be the one looking bad. Keep smiling and talk about leaving for a positive reason such as an opportunity, a chance to do something special or other forward- looking reasons.

3. What experience do you have in this field?

Speak about specifics that relate to the position you are applying for. If you do not have specific experience, get as close as you can.

4. Do you consider yourself successful?

You should always answer yes and briefly explain why. A good explanation is that you have set goals, and you have met some and are on track to achieve the others.



5. What do co-workers say about you?

Be prepared with a quote or two from co-workers. Either a specific statement or a paraphrase will work. Jill Clark, a co-worker at Smith Company, always said I was the hardest workers she had ever known. It is as powerful as Jill having said it at the interview herself.

6. What do you know about this organization?

This question is one reason to do some research on the organization before the interview. Find out where they have been and where they are going. What are the current issues and who are the major players?

7. What have you done to improve your knowledge in the last year?

Try to include improvement activities that relate to the job. A wide variety of activities can be mentioned as positive self-improvement. Have some good ones handy to mention.

8. Are you applying for other jobs?

Be honest but do not spend a lot of time in this area. Keep the focus on this job and what you can do for this organization. Anything else is a distraction.

9. Why do you want to work for this organization?

This may take some thought and certainly, should be based on the research you have done on the organization. Sincerity is extremely important here and will easily be sensed. Relate it to your long-term career goals.

10. Do you know anyone who works for us?

Be aware of the policy on relatives working for the organization. This can affect your answer even though they asked about friends not relatives. Be careful to mention a friend only if they are well thought of.

11. What kind of salary do you need?

A loaded question. A nasty little game that you will probably lose if you answer first. So, do not answer it. Instead, say something like, That's a tough question. Can you tell me the range for this position? In most cases, the interviewer, taken off guard, will tell you. If not, say that it can depend on the details of the job. Then give a wide range.

12. Are you a team player?

You are, of course, a team player. Be sure to have examples ready. Specifics that show you often perform for the good of the team rather than for yourself are good evidence of your team attitude. Do not brag, just say it in a matter-of-fact tone. This is a key point.

13. How long would you expect to work for us if hired?

Specifics here are not good. Something like this should work: I'd like it to be a long time. Or As long as we both feel I'm doing a good job.


14. Have you ever had to fire anyone? How did you feel about that?

This is serious. Do not make light of it or in any way seem like you like to fire people. At the same time, you will do it when it is the right thing to do. When it comes to the organization versus the individual who has created a harmful situation, you will protect the organization. Remember firing is not the same as layoff or reduction in force.

15. What is your philosophy towards work?

The interviewer is not looking for a long or flowery dissertation here. Do you have strong feelings that the job gets done? Yes. That's the type of answer that works best here. Short and positive, showing a benefit to the organization.

16. If you had enough money to retire right now, would you?

Answer yes if you would. But since you need to work, this is the type of work you prefer. Do not say yes if you do not mean it.

17. Have you ever been asked to leave a position?

If you have not, say no. If you have, be honest, brief and avoid saying negative things about the people or organization involved.

18. Explain how you would be an asset to this organization.

You should be anxious for this question. It gives you a chance to highlight your best points as they relate to the position being discussed. Give a little advance thought to this relationship.

19. Why should we hire you?

Point out how your assets meet what the organization needs. Do not mention any other candidates to make a comparison.

20. Tell me about a suggestion you have made.

Have a good one ready. Be sure and use a suggestion that was accepted and was then considered successful. One related to the type of work applied for is a real plus.

21. What irritates you about co-workers?

This is a trap question. Think real hard but fail to come up with anything that irritates you. A short statement that you seem to get along with folks is great.

22. What is your greatest strength?

Numerous answers are good, just stay positive. A few good examples: Your ability to prioritize, Your problem-solving skills, Your ability to work under pressure, Your ability to focus on projects, Your professional expertise, Your leadership skills, Your positive attitude

23. Tell me about your dream job.

Stay away from a specific job. You cannot win. If you say the job you are contending for is it, you strain credibility. If you say another job is it, you plant the suspicion that you will be dissatisfied with this position if hired. The best is to stay genetic and say something like: A job where I love the work, like the people, can contribute and can't wait to get to work.

24. Why do you think you would do well at this job?

Give several reasons and include skills, experience and interest.

25. What are you looking for in a job?

See answer # 23

26. What kind of person would you refuse to work with?


Do not be trivial. It would take disloyalty to the organization, violence or lawbreaking to get you to object. Minor objections will label you as a whiner.

27. What is more important to you: the money or the work?

Money is always important, but the work is the most important. There is no better answer.

28. What would your previous supervisor say your strongest point is?

There are numerous good possibilities:
Loyalty, Energy, Positive attitude, Leadership, Team player, Expertise, Initiative, Patience, Hard work, Creativity, Problem solver

29. Tell me about a problem you had with a supervisor.

Biggest trap of all. This is a test to see if you will speak ill of your boss. If you fall for it and tell about a problem with a former boss, you may well below the interview right there. Stay positive and develop a poor memory about any trouble with a supervisor.

30. What has disappointed you about a job?

Don't get trivial or negative. Safe areas are few but can include:
Not enough of a challenge. You were laid off in a reduction Company did not win a contract, which would have given you more responsibility.

31. Tell me about your ability to work under pressure.

You may say that you thrive under certain types of pressure. Give an example that relates to the type of position applied for.

32. Do your skills match this job or another job more closely?

Probably this one. Do not give fuel to the suspicion that you may want another job more than this one.

33. What motivates you to do your best on the job?

This is a personal trait that only you can say, but good examples are: Challenge, Achievement, Recognition

34. Are you willing to work overtime? Nights? Weekends?

This is up to you. Be totally honest.

35. How would you know you were successful on this job?

Several ways are good measures:
You set high standards for yourself and meet them. Your outcomes are a success.Your boss tell you that you are successful

36. Would you be willing to relocate if required?

You should be clear on this with your family prior to the interview if you think there is a chance it may come up. Do not say yes just to get the job if the real answer is no. This can create a lot of problems later on in your career. Be honest at this point and save yourself uture grief.

37. Are you willing to put the interests of the organization ahead of your own?

This is a straight loyalty and dedication question. Do not worry about the deep ethical and philosophical implications. Just say yes.

38. Describe your management style.

Try to avoid labels. Some of the more common labels, like progressive, salesman or consensus, can have several meanings or descriptions depending on which management expert you listen to. The situational style is safe, because it says you will manage according to the situation, instead of one size fits all.

39. What have you learned from mistakes on the job?

Here you have to come up with something or you strain credibility. Make it small, well intentioned mistake with a positive lesson learned. An example would be working too far ahead of colleagues on a project and thus throwing coordination off.

40. Do you have any blind spots?

Trick question. If you know about blind spots, they are no longer blind spots. Do not reveal any personal areas of concern here. Let them do their own discovery on your bad points. Do not hand it to them.

41. If you were hiring a person for this job, what would you look for?

Be careful to mention traits that are needed and that you have.

42. Do you think you are overqualified for this position?

Regardless of your qualifications, state that you are very well qualified for the position.

43. How do you propose to compensate for your lack of experience?

First, if you have experience that the interviewer does not know about, bring that up: Then, point out (if true) that you are a hard working quick learner.

44. What qualities do you look for in a boss?

Be generic and positive. Safe qualities are knowledgeable, a sense of humor, fair, loyal to subordinates and holder of high standards. All bosses think they have these traits.

45. Tell me about a time when you helped resolve a dispute between others.

Pick a specific incident. Concentrate on your problem solving technique and not the dispute you settled.

46. What position do you prefer on a team working on a project?

Be honest. If you are comfortable in different roles, point that out.

47. Describe your work ethic.

Emphasize benefits to the organization. Things like, determination to get the job done and work hard but enjoy your work are good.

48. What has been your biggest professional disappointment?

Be sure that you refer to something that was beyond your control. Show acceptance and no negative feelings.

49. Tell me about the most fun you have had on the job.

Talk about having fun by accomplishing something for the organization.

50. Do you have any questions for me?

Always have some questions prepared. Questions prepared where you will be an asset to the organization are good. How soon will I be able to be productive? and What type of projects will I be able to assist on? are examples.

And Finally Good Luck

Source: ProgrammerWorld.net

Nice thoughts

1. If you want your dreams to come true, don't oversleep.



2. The smallest good deed is better than the grandest intention.



3. Of all the things you wear, your _expression is the most important.



4. The best vitamin for making friends ....B1.



5. The 10 commandments are not multiple choice.



6. The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.



7. Minds are like parachutes... they function only when open.



8. Ideas won't work unless YOU do.



9. One thing you can't recycle is wasted time.



10. One who lacks the courage to start has already finished.



11. The heaviest thing to carry is a grudge.



12. Don't learn safety rules by accident.



13. We lie the loudest when we lie to ourselves.



14. Jumping to conclusions can be bad exercise.



15. A turtle makes progress when it sticks its head out.



16. One thing you can give and still keep ...is your word.



17. A friend walks in when everyone else walks out.



AND FINALLY...



18. The pursuit of happiness is the chase of a lifetime!

Quotes on beliefs:

=====================

Shuchi Gupta

"So if you have a dream then just believe that you can achieve it no matter what. Even when you can't feel deep in your heart any words of encouragement, just believe in your dream and your heart will finally show you the way."



=====================

Jaye Miller

"Believing in yourself is not for you; it's for every person who has touched your life in a significant way and for every person your life will touch the same way five minutes from now, or five centuries from now."



=====================

Eric Allenbaugh

"You are in charge of your feelings, beliefs, and actions. And you teach others how to behave toward you. While you cannot change other people, you can influence them through your own behaviors and actions. By being a living role model of what you want to receive from others, you create more of what you want in your life."



=====================

Yanni

I believed that anything was possible, or at least because I didn't put together everyone else's 'facts' and believe that winning was impossible."



=====================

Brian Tracy

"When you develop yourself to the point where your belief in yourself is so strong that you know you can accomplish anything you put your mind to, your future will be unlimited."



=====================

unknown

"When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable."



==========================


Adlai E. Stevenson:

What do I believe? As an American I believe in generosity, in liberty, in the rights of man. These are social and political faiths that are part of me, as they are, I suppose, part of all of us. Such beliefs are easy to express. But part of me too is my relation to all life, my religion. And this is not so easy to talk about. Religious experience is highly intimate and, for me, ready words are not at hand.
speech, Libertyville, Illinois, May 21, 1954


=====================


Alfred Korzybski:

There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking.


=====================


Anatole France:

To accomplish great things, we must not only act, but also dream; not only plan, but also believe.


=====================


Andre Gide:

Believe those who are seeking the truth; doubt those who find it.


=====================


Anne Frank:

In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death.


=====================


Bertrand Russell:

What a man believes upon grossly insufficient evidence is an index into his desires -- desires of which he himself is often unconscious. If a man is offered a fact which goes against his instincts, he will scrutinize it closely, and unless the evidence is overwhelming, he will refuse to believe it. If, on the other hand, he is offered something which affords a reason for acting in accordance to his instincts, he will accept it even on the slightest evidence. The origin of myths is explained in this way.


=====================


Buddha:

Believe nothing just because a so-called wise person said it. Believe nothing just because a belief is generally held. Believe nothing just because it is said in ancient books. Believe nothing just because it is said to be of divine origin. Believe nothing just because someone else believes it. Believe only what you yourself test and judge to be true. [paraphrased]


=====================


Charlotte Perkins Gilman:

Habits of thought persist through the centuries; and while a healthy brain may reject the doctrine it no longer believes, it will continue to feel the same sentiments formerly associated with that doctrine.


=====================


Demosthenes:

Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each man wishes, that he also believes to be true.


=====================


Edith Hamilton:

Faith is not belief. Belief is passive. Faith is active.


=====================


Frank Lloyd Wright:

The thing always happens that you really believe in; and the belief in a thing makes it happen.


=====================


G. K. Chesterton:

It is not bigotry to be certain we are right; but it is bigotry to be unable to imagine how we might possibly have gone wrong.


=====================


George Orwell:

Myths which are believed in tend to become true.


=====================


Hannah Senesh:

One needs something to believe in, something for which one can have whole-hearted enthusiasm. One needs to feel that one's life has meaning, that one is needed in this world.


=====================


Isaiah Berlin:

Only barbarians are not curious about where they come from, how they came to be where they are, where they appear to be going, whether they wish to go there, and if so, why, and if not, why not.


=====================


Mark Twain:

In religion and politics people's beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second-hand, and without examination, from authorities who have not themselves examined the questions at issue but have taken them at second-hand from other non-examiners, whose opinions about them were not worth a brass farthing.
Autobiography, 1959


=====================


Michael Korda:

To succeed, we must first believe that we can.


=====================


Pearl S. Buck:

I feel no need for any other faith than my faith in the kindness of human beings. I am so absorbed in the wonder of earth and the life upon it that I cannot think of heaven and angels.


=====================


Pearl S. Buck:

When men destroy their old gods they will find new ones to take their place.


=====================


Philip K. Dick:

Reality is that which, when you stop believing in it, doesn't go away.


=====================


Ralph Waldo Emerson:

Belief consists in accepting the affirmations of the soul; Unbelief, in denying them.


=====================


Ralph Waldo Emerson:

A person will worship something, have no doubt about that. We may think our tribute is paid in secret in the dark recesses of our hearts, but it will out. That which dominates our imaginations and our thoughts will determine our lives, and our character. Therefore, it behooves us to be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming.


=====================


Robert Fulghum:

I believe that imagination is stronger than knowledge -- myth is more potent than history -- dreams are more powerful than facts -- hope always triumphs over experience -- laughter is the cure for grief -- love is stronger than death.


=====================


Sydney J. Harris:

An idealist believes the short run doesn't count. A cynic believes the long run doesn't matter. A realist believes that what is done or left undone in the short run determines the long run.


=====================


Thomas Jefferson:

The day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus by the Supreme Being in the womb of a virgin, will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter.


=====================


Thomas Jefferson:

Ignorance is preferable to error, and he is less remote from the truth who believes nothing than he who believes what is wrong.


=====================


Thomas Wentworth Higginson:

All ... religions show the same disparity between belief and practice, and each is safe till it tries to exclude the rest. Test each sect by its best or its worst as you will, by its high-water mark of virtue or its low-water mark of vice. But falsehood begins when you measure the ebb of any other religion against the flood-tide of your own. There is a noble and a base side to every history.


=====================


Voltaire:

As long as people believe in absurdities, they will continue to commit atrocities.


=====================


William Robertson Smith:

Belief in a certain series of myths was neither obligatory as a part of the true religion, nor was it supposed that, by believing, a man acquired religious merit and conciliated the favour of the gods.

=====================

A little story...

A great note for all to read.
It will take just 37 seconds to read this and change your thinking.

Two men, both seriously ill, occupied the same hospital room.
One man was allowed to sit up in his bed for an hour each afternoon

to help drain the fluid from his lungs.

His bed was next to the room's only window.
The other man had to spend all his time flat on his back.
The men talked for hours on end.
They spoke of their wives and families, their homes,

their jobs, their involvement in the military service, where they had been on vacation.

Every afternoon when the man in the bed by the window could sit up,
he would pass the time by describing to his roommate all the things he could see

outside the window.
The man in the other bed began to live
for those one-hour periods
where his world would be broadened and enlivened
by all the activity and color of the world outside.

The window overlooked a park with a lovely lake.
Ducks and swans played on the water
while children sailed their model boats.
Young lovers walked arm in arm
amidst flowers of every color and
fine view of the city skyline could be seen in the distance.

As the man by the window described all this
in exquisite detail,
the man on the other side of the room
would close his eyes and imagine
the picturesque scene.

One warm afternoon the man by the window described a parade passing by.
Although the other man couldn't hear the band -
he could see it in his mind's eye
as the gentleman by the window portrayed it with
descriptive words.

Days and weeks passed.

One morning, the day nurse arrived to bring water for their baths
only to find the lifeless body of
the man by the window,
who had died peacefully in his sleep.

She was saddened and called the
hospital attendants to take the body away.
As soon as it seemed appropriate, the other man asked if he could be moved next to the window.
The nurse was happy to make the switch, and after making sure he was comfortable,
she left him alone.

Slowly, painfully, he propped himself up on one elbow to take his first look
at the real world outside.

He strained to slowly turn to look out the window
beside the bed.

It faced a blank wall.

The man asked the nurse what could have
compelled his deceased roommate who had described such wonderful things outside this window.

The nurse responded that the man was blind
and could not even see the wall.

She said, "Perhaps he just wanted to encourage you."


Epilogue:

"There is tremendous happiness in making others happy,
despite our own situations"
"Shared grief is half the sorrow, but happiness when shared,
is doubled"
"If you want to feel rich, just count all the things you have
that money can't buy"
"Today is a gift, that's why it is called the present."

What is jealousy and why does it hurt so much?

Jealousy is comparison. And we have been taught to compare, we have been conditioned to compare, always compare. Somebody else has a better house, somebody else has a more beautiful body, somebody else has more money, somebody else has a more charismatic personality. Compare, go on comparing yourself with everybody else you pass by, and great jealousy will be the outcome; it is the by-product of the conditioning for comparison.

Otherwise, if you drop comparing, jealousy disappears. Then you simply know you are you, and you are nobody else, and there is no need. It is good that you don’t compare yourself with trees, otherwise you will start feeling very jealous: why are you not green? And why has God been so hard on you — and no flowers? It is better that you don’t compare with birds, with rivers, with mountains; otherwise you will suffer. You only compare with human beings, because you have been conditioned to compare only with huma n beings; you don’t compare with peacocks and with parrots. Otherwise, your jealousy would be more and more: you would be so burdened by jealousy that you would not be able to live at all.

Comparison is a very foolish attitude, because each person is unique and incomparable. Once this understanding settles in you, jealousy disappears. Each is unique and incomparable. You are just yourself: nobody has ever been like you, and nobody will ever be like you. And you need not be like anybody else, either.

God creates only originals; he does not believe in carbon copies.

A bunch of chickens were in the yard when a football flew over the fence and landed in their midst. A rooster waddled over, studied it, then said, “I’m not complaining, girls, but look at the work they are turning out next door.”

Next door great things are happening: the grass is greener, the roses are rosier. Everybody seems to be so happy — except yourself. You are continuously comparing. And the same is the case with the others, they are comparing too. Maybe they think the grass in your lawn is greener — it always looks greener from the distance — that you have a more beautiful wife.... You are tired, you cannot believe why you allowed yourself to be trapped by this woman, you don’t know how to get rid of her — and the neighbor may be jealous of you, that you have such a beautiful wife! And you may be jealous of him....

Everybody is jealous of everybody else. And out of jealousy we create such hell, and out of jealousy we become very mean.

An elderly farmer was moodily regarding the ravages of the flood. “Hiram!” yelled a neighbor, “your pigs were all washed down the creek.”
“How about Thompson’s pigs?” asked the farmer.
“They’re gone too.”
“And Larsen’s?”
“Yes.”
“Humph!” ejaculated the farmer, cheering up. “It ain’t as bad as I thought.”

If everybody is in misery, it feels good; if everybody is losing, it feels good. If everybody is happy and succeeding, it tastes very bitter.

But why does the idea of the other enter in your head in the first place? Again let me remind you: because you have not allowed your own juices to flow; you have not allowed your own blissfulness to grow, you have not allowed your own being to bloom. Hence you feel empty inside, and you look at each and everybody’s outside because only the outside can be seen.

You know your inside, and you know the others’ outside: that creates jealousy. They know your outside, and they know their inside: that creates jealousy. Nobody else knows your inside. There you know you are nothing, worthless. And the others on the outside look so smiling. Their smiles may be phony, but how can you know that they are phony? Maybe their hearts are also smiling. You know your smile is phony, because your heart is not smiling at all, it may be crying and weeping.

You know your interiority, and only you know it, nobody else. And you know everybody’s exterior, and their exterior people have made beautiful. Exteriors are showpieces and they are very deceptive.

There is an ancient Sufi story:

A man was very much burdened by his suffering. He used to pray every day to God, “Why me? Everybody seems to be so happy, why am only I in such suffering?” One day, out of great desperation, he prayed to God, “You can give me anybody else’s suffering and I am ready to accept it. But take mine, I cannot bear it any more.”

That night he had a beautiful dream ÿ beautiful and very revealing. He had a dream that night that God appeared in the sky and he said to everybody, “Bring all your sufferings into the temple.” Everybody was tired of his suffering — in fact everybody has prayed some time or other, “I am ready to accept anybody else’s suffering, but take mine away; this is too much, it is unbearable.”

So everybody gathered his own sufferings into bags, and they reached the temple, and they were looking very happy; the day has come, their prayer has been heard. And this man also rushed to the temple.

And then God said, “Put your bags by the walls.” All the bags were put by the walls, and then God declared: “Now you can choose. Anybody can take any bag.”

And the most surprising thing was this: that this man who had been praying always, rushed towards his bag before anybody else could choose it! But he was in for a surprise, because everybody rushed to his own bag, and everybody was happy to choose it again. What was the matter? For the first time, everybody had seen others’ miseries, others’ sufferings — their bags were as big, or even bigger!

And the second problem was, one had become accustomed to one’s own sufferings. Now to choose somebody else’s — who knows what kind of sufferings will be inside the bag? Why bother? At least you are familiar with your own sufferings, and you have become accustomed to them, and they are tolerable. For so many years you have tolerated them — why choose the unknown?

And everybody went home happy. Nothing had changed, they were bringing the same suffering back, but everybody was happy and smiling and joyous that he could get his own bag back.

In the morning he prayed to God and he said, “Thank you for the dream; I will never ask again. Whatsoever you have given me is good for me, must be good for me; that’s why you have given it to me.”

Because of jealousy you are in constant suffering; you become mean to others. And because of jealousy you start becoming phony, because you start pretending. You start pretending things that you don’t have, you start pretending things which you can’t have, which are not natural to you. You become more and more artificial. Imitating others, competing with others, what else can you do? If somebody has something and you don’t have it, and you don’t have a natural possibility of having it, the only way is to have some cheap substitute for it.

I hear that Jim and Nancy Smith had a great time in Europe this summer. It’s so great when a couple finally gets a chance to really live it up. They went everywhere and did everything. Paris, Rome... you name it, they saw it and they did it.

But it was so embarrassing coming back home and going through customs. You know how custom officers pry into all your personal belongings. They opened up a bag and took out three wigs, silk underwear, perfume, hair coloring...really embarrassing. And that was just Jim’s bag!

Just look inside your bag and you will find so many artificial, phony, pseudo things — for what? Why can’t you be natural and spontaneous? — because of jealousy.

The jealous man lives in hell. Drop comparing and jealousy disappears, meanness disappears, phoniness disappears. But you can drop it only if you start growing your inner treasures; there is no other way.

Grow up, become a more and more authentic individual. Love yourself and respect yourself the way God has made you, and then immediately the doors of heaven open for you. They were always open, you had simply not looked at them.

Value of Professional

Ever heard the story of the giant ship engine that failed? The ship's owners tried one expert after another, but none of them could figure but how to fix the engine. Then they brought in an old man who had been fixing ships since he was a youngster. He carried a large bag of tools with him, and when he arrived, he immediately went to work.

He inspected the engine very carefully, top to bottom. Two of the ship's owners were there, watching this man, hoping he would know what to do. After looking things over, the old man reached into his bag and pulled out a small hammer. He gently tapped something. Instantly, the engine lurched into life. He carefully put his hammer away. The engine was fixed!

A week later, the owners received a bill from the old man for ten thousand dollars.

"What?!" the owners exclaimed. "He hardly did anything!"

So they wrote the old man a note saying, "Please send us an itemized bill."

The man sent a bill that read:

Tapping with a hammer ......................... $ 2.00
Knowing where to tap ......................... $ 9998.00


Effort is important, but knowing where to make an effort in your life makes all the difference

Ten things God won't ask:

1...God won't ask what kind of car you drove;
He'll ask how many people you drove who didn't have transportation.

2...God won't ask the square footage of your house,
He'll ask how many people you welcomed into your home.

3...God won't ask about the clothes you had in your closet,
He'll ask how many you helped to clothe.

4...God won't ask what your highest salary was,
He'll ask if you compromised your character to obtain it.

5...God won't ask what your job title was,
He'll ask if you performed your job to the best of your ability.

6...God won't ask how many friends you had,
He'll ask how many people to whom you were a friend.

7...God won't ask in what neighborhood you lived,
He'll ask how you treated your neighbors.

8...God won't ask about the color of your skin,
He'll ask about the content of your character.

9...God won't ask why it took you so long to seek Salvation,
He'll lovingly take you to your mansion in heaven, and not to the gates of Hell.

10...God won't ask how many people you forwarded this to,
He'll ask if you were ashamed to pass it on to your friends.

IN
Happy moments, praise God.
Difficult moments, seek God.
Quiet moments, worship God.
Painful moments, trust God.
Every moment, thank God.

Always Dream......... It will become True....!!

Dream...
And as you dream,
Remember...
That only you can make
Your dreams come true.

Reach...
And as you reach,
Remember that...
Success takes time,
Devotion,
And sometimes a little
Disappointment.

Believe...
And as you believe,
You will find
Reaching gets easier,
Setbacks get
More manageable,
Life becomes
More meaningful.

There's a wonderful dream
Waiting just for you...
I know you can make it come true.
Have a Great Day Ahead!

Dream...........makes all things possible

Hope..........................makes all things work

Love ...........................makes all things beautiful

Smile..............................makes all above work possible

"Strength Is Life, Weakness Is Death"

Motivational and Inspiring Quotes about Life

Attitude:
There are two kinds of people in the world: those who make excuses and those who get results. An excuse person will find any excuse for why a job was not done, and a results person will find any reason why it can be done. Be a creator, not a reactor.
-- Alan Cohen, A Deep Breath Of Life

You can't have a better tomorrow if you are thinking about yesterday all the time.
- -Charles F. Kettering

· Cherish your visions; cherish your ideals; cherish the music that stirs in your heart, the beauty that forms in your mind, the loveliness that drapes your purest thoughts, for out of them will grow delightful conditions, all heavenly environment; of these if you but remain true to them, your world will at last be built.."
-- James Allen, 1864-1912, British-born American Essayist, Author of "As a Man Thinketh"

· The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.
-- Alvin Toffler

· What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change and the REALIST adjusts his sails.
-- Author unknown

A great many people think they are thinking when they are merely rearranging their prejudices.
-- William James

In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It goes on.
-- Robert Frost

Confidence :
No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.
- -Eleanor Roosevelt

Courage :
The hardest challenge is to be yourself in a world where everyone is trying to make you be somebody else.

-- E. E. Cummings

Many of our fears are tissue-paper-thin, and a single courageous step would carry us clear through them.
-- Brendan Francis

Friendship:
· It is the first law of friendship that it has to be cultivated. The second is to be indulgent when the first law is neglected.
- -Voltaire

· A new friend is like new wine; when it has aged you will drink it with pleasure.
- -Ecclesiastes 9:10

Love:
· Talk not of wasted affection; affection never was waste.
-- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

· There are countless ways to express love. Be creative!
-- Stephen C. Paul and Gary Max Collins.

Miracles:
There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.
-- Albert Einstein

Persistence:
Your persistence is your measure of faith in yourself.
"There are some people, who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.
-- Douglas Everett, American Hockey Player

Success:

If you want to be successful, it's just this simple: Know what you're doing. Love what you're doing. And believe in what you're doing.

-- Will Rogers

When you reach for the stars, you may not get one, but you won't come up with a hand full of mud, either."

-- Leo Burnett

· The future is simply infinite possibility waiting to happen. What it waits on is human imagination to crystallize its possibility.
- - Leland Kaiser

· The first step toward success is taken when you refuse to be a captive of the environment in which you first find yourself.
-- Mark Caine

· The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.

-- Eleanor Roosevelt

· The people that get on in this world are the people that get up and look for the circumstances that they want; and if they can't find them, they make them.

-- George Bernard Shaw

· Life is a series of experiences, each one of which makes us bigger, even though sometimes it is hard to realize this.

- - Henry Ford

· The best way to predict the future is to create it!

-- Jason Kaufmann

· Everything you do can be done better from a place of relaxation.

-- Inneractions by Stephen C. Paul and Gary Max Collins .

· Remove the rock from your shoe rather than learn to limp comfortably.
-- Inneractions by Stephen C. Paul and Gary Max Collins.

· The point of life is not to be married or single - it is to be. We are human beings, or humans being. It does not matter so much what lifestyle we choose - it's what we make of the opportunities to grow, that counts.
-- Alan Cohen, Rising in Love

"I have three visions for India!" - Abdul Kalaam

"I have three visions for India.
In 3000 years of our history, people from all over the world have come and invaded us, captured our lands, conquered our minds. From Alexander onwards. The Greeks, the Turks, the Moguls, the Portuguese, the British, the French, the Dutch, all of them came and looted us, took over what was ours. Yet we have not done this to any other nation. We have not conquered anyone. We have not grabbed their land, their culture, their history and tried to enforce our way of life on them. Why? Because we respect the freedom of others. That is why my first vision is that of FREEDOM.

I believe that India got its first vision of this in 1857, when we started the war of independence. It is this freedom that we must protect and nurture and build on. If we are not free, no one will respect us.

My second vision for India is DEVELOPMENT. For fifty years we have been a developing nation. It is time we see ourselves as a developed nation. We are among top 5 nations of the world in terms of GDP. We have 10 percent growth rate in most areas. Our poverty levels are falling. Our achievements are being globally recognized today. Yet we lack the self-confidence to see ourselves as a developed nation, self- reliant and self-assured. Isn't this incorrect?

I have a THIRD vision.
India must stand up to the world. Because I believe that, unless India stands up to the world, no one will respect us. Only strength respects strength. We must be strong not only as a military power but also as an economic power. Both must go hand-in-hand. My good fortune was to have worked with three great minds. Dr. Vikram Sarabhai of the Dept. of space, Professor Satish Dhawan, who succeeded him and Dr.Brahm Prakash, father of nuclear material. I was lucky to have worked with all three of them closely and consider this the great opportunity of my life.

I see four milestones in my career:
Twenty years I spent in ISRO. I was given the opportunity to be the project director for India's first satellite launch vehicle, SLV3. The one that launched Rohini. These years played a very important role in my life of Scientist.

After my ISRO years, I joined DRDO and got a chance to be the part of India's guided missile program. It was my second bliss when Agni met its mission requirements in 1994.The Dept. of Atomic Energy and DRDO had this tremendous partnership in the recent nuclear tests, on May 11 and 13. This was the third bliss. The joy of participating with my team in these nuclear tests and proving to the world that India can make it, that we are no longer a developing nation but one of them. It made me feel very proud as an Indian. The fact that we have now developed for Agni a re-entry structure, for which we have developed this new material. A Very light material called carbon-carbon. One day an orthopedic surgeon from Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences visited my laboratory. He lifted the material and found it so light that he took me to his hospital and showed me his patients. There were these little girls and boys with heavy metallic calipers weighing over three Kg. each, dragging their feet around. He said to me: Please remove the pain of my patients. In three weeks, we made these Floor reaction Orthosis 300-gram Calipers and took them to the orthopedic center. The children didn't believe their eyes. From dragging around a three kg. Load on their legs, they could now move around! Their parents had tears in their eyes. That was my fourth bliss!

Why is the media here so negative? Why are we in India so embarrassed to recognize our own strengths, our achievements? We are such a great nation. We have so many amazing success stories but we refuse to acknowledge them. Why?
We are the first in milk production.
We are number one in Remote sensing satellites.
We are the second largest producer of wheat.
We are the second largest producer of rice.
Look at Dr. Sudarshan, he has transferred the tribal village into a self-sustaining, self driving unit. There are millions of such achievements but our media is only obsessed in the bad news and failures and disasters. I was in Tel Aviv once and I was reading the Israeli newspaper. It was the day after a lot of attacks and bombardments and deaths had taken place. The Hamas had struck. But the front page of the newspaper had the picture Of a Jewish gentleman who in five years had transformed his desert land into an orchid and a granary. It was this inspiring picture that everyone woke up to. The gory details of killings, bombardments, deaths, were inside in the newspaper, buried among other news.

In India we only read about death, sickness, terrorism, crime. Why are we so NEGATIVE ? Another question: Why are we, as a nation so obsessed with foreign thin gs? We want foreign TVs, we want foreign shirts. We want foreign technology. Why this obsession with everything imported. Do we not realize that self-respect comes with self-reliance?

I was in Hyderabad giving this lecture, when a 14 year old girl asked me for my autograph. I asked her what her goal in life is. She replied: I want to live in a developed India. For her, you and I will have to build this developed India. You must proclaim.
India is not an under-developed nation; it is a highly developed nation.

Do you have 10 minutes? Allow me to come back with a vengeance. Got 10 minutes for your country? If yes, then read; otherwise, choice is yours.

YOU say that our government is inefficient.
YOU say that our laws are too old.
YOU say that the municipality does not pick up the garbage.
YOU say that the phones don't work, the railways are a joke,
The airline is the worst in the world, mails never reach their destination.
YOU say that our country has been fed to the dogs and is the absolute pits.
YOU say, say and say.
What do YOU do about it?

Take a person on his way to Singapore. Give him a name - YOURS. Give him a face - OURS. YOU walk out of the airport and you are at your International best. In Singapore you don't throw cigarette butts on the roads or eat in the stores. YOU are as proud of their Underground Links as they are.

You pay $5 (approx. Rs.60) to drive through Orchard Road (equivalent of Mahim Causeway or Pedder Road) between 5 PM and 8 PM. YOU comeback to the parking lot to punch your parking ticket if you have over stayed in a restaurant or a shopping mall irrespective of your status identity.

In Singapore you don't say anything, DO YOU? YOU wouldn't dare to eat in public during Ramadan, in Dubai. YOU would not dare to go out without your head covered in Jeddah. YOU would not dare to buy an employee of the telephone exchange in London at 10 pounds (Rs.650) a month to, "see to it that my STD and ISD calls are billed to someone else." YOU would not dare to speed b eyond 55 mph (88 km/h) in Washington and then tell the traffic cop, "Jaanta hai sala main kaun hoon (Do you know who I am?). I am so and so's son. Take your two bucks and get lost." YOU wouldn't chuck an empty coconut shell anywhere other than the garbage pail on the beaches in Australia and New Zealand. Why don't YOU spit Paan on the streets of Tokyo? Why don't YOU use examination jockeys or buy fake certificates in Boston? We are still talking of the same YOU. YOU who can respect and conform to a foreign system in other countries but cannot in your own. You who will throw papers and cigarettes on the road the moment you touch Indian ground. If you can be an involved and appreciative citizen in an alien country, why cannot you be the same here in India?

Once in an interview, the famous Ex-municipal commissioner of Bombay, Mr.Tinaikar, had a point to make. "Rich people's dogs are walked on the streets to leave their affluent droppings all over the place," he said. "And then the same people turn around to criticize and blame the authorities for inefficiency and dirty pavements. What do they expect the officers to do? Go down with a broom every time their dog feels the pressure in his bowels?

In America every dog owner has to clean up after his pet has done the job. Same in Japan. Will the Indian citizen do that here?" He's right. We go to the polls to choose a government and after that forfei t all responsibility. We sit back wanting to be pampered and expect the government to do everything for us whilst our contribution is totally negative. We expect the government to clean up but we are not going to stop chucking garbage all over the place nor are we going to stop to pick a up a stray piece of paper and throw it in the bin. We expect the railways to provide clean bathrooms but we are not going to learn the proper use of bathrooms.

We want Indian Airlines and Air India to provide the best of food and toiletries but we are not going to stop pilfering at the least opportunity. This applies even to the staff who is known not to pass on the service to the public. When it comes to burning social issues like those related to women, dowry, girl child and others, we make loud drawing room Protestations and continue to do the reverse at home. Our excuse?

"It's the whole system which has to change, how will it matter if I alone forego my sons' rights to a dowry." So who's going to change the system? What does a system consist of? Very conveniently for us it consists of our neighbors, other households, other cities, other communities and the government. But definitely not me and YOU. When it comes to us actually making a positive contribution to the system we lock ourselves along with our families into a safe cocoon and look into the distance at countries far away and wait for a Mr. Clean to come along & work miracles for us with a majestic sweep of his hand or we leave the country and run away.

Like lazy cowards hounded by our fears we run to America to bask in their glory and praise their system. When New York becomes insecure we run to England. When England experiences unemployment, we take the next flight out to the Gulf. When the Gulf is war struck, we demand to be rescued and brought home by the Indian government. Everybody is out to abuse and rape the country. Nobody thinks of feeding the system. Our conscience is mortgaged to money. Dear Indians, The article is highly thought inductive, calls for a great deal of introspection and pricks one's conscience too....I am echoing J.F.Kennedy's words to his fellow Americans to relate to
Indians.....

"ASK WHAT WE CAN DO FOR INDIA AND DO WHAT HAS TO BE DONE TO MAKE INDIA WHAT AMERICA AND OTHER WESTERN COUNTRIES ARE TODAY"