An experiment to express insights, ideas and stories in exactly 100 words.
A novice painter once put his first painting at a busy cross road for people to mark mistakes. End of the day, the painting was full of cross marks! Next day, he made the same painting and displayed at the same cross roads. This time, he kept colors and brush there and requested people to […]
The coach felt the undercurrent. There was a visible problem between the two teams who were trying to kill each other’s morale before the big game. One day, the coach gathered both teams in one room. He then drew two lines on the board; one longer than the other. When one of the captains was […]
In that leadership workshop, the trainer and the participants were discussing about the importance of humility in life and leadership. Some people defined humility as ‘modesty’ while others said it was about ‘seeing the self as a means to an end and not an end in itself.’ After listening carefully, the trainer said, “Humility is […]
Alfred Nobel once read his own obituary that described him as a “Merchant of Death”. When Nobel’s brother died, a newspaper reported Nobel’s death by mistake. Because Nobel had invented dynamite, the obituary described him as someone who found ways to kill more people faster. “Is this how I really want to be remembered?” he […]
My one year old son seems to be in a perennial state of happiness. His playful presence and vibrant energy makes everyone around him happy. He knows how to make the most of simplest of things. “What’s his secret?” I was thinking to myself when heard I this wonderful story from a friend. A man […]
One definition of happiness is ‘ability to live life on your own terms.’ But sometimes, we define our happiness based on what others do, and then we try to ‘catch up’ with them compromising our own core values. Aristippus, a Greek philosopher gained a comfortable position in the Kingdom through constant flattery of the King. […]
Driving to the office everyday is a very humbling experience. Just a few kilometers on the bustling highway, there is a crematorium with two chimneys emitting light-grayish fume. Passing through a cemetery or crematorium, I come face-to-face with mortality. We are all going to die – and that itself should be a powerful provocation to […]
Day-to-day work can sometimes feel boring, but we need to adjust the lens we use to see our work and focus on ‘purpose of the work.’ Two workers were toiling outside of a huge new structure. The first one was exhausted, disengaged and uninspired. “What are you working on?” asked a passerby. “Cutting some stones!” […]
Mark had joined this new company only a few months back, but he felt frustrated. He looked at problems from a very different point-of-view than his boss resulting in strong debates over solutions. One fine morning, Mark put up his resignation. “Why?” asked the boss. “Because my thought process is very different than yours”, replied […]