What's Your Morning Tech Routine?

Some people get their news from the TV and some from radio. Some folks still catch up with the world by reading the morning paper with their coffee.  I tap into Google Reader and Twitter before even getting out from under the blankets. Everybody has a morning routine, and most of us in the tech industry have a morning routine of getting in touch with the rest of the world.

I can't remember when I last used an alarm clock, or staggered out of bed to check the computer first thing. These days, my iPad is my alarm clock and first form of contact with the rest of the world. After turning off the alarm, I start skimming Google Reader, Flipboard (my fav app on iPad) and Twitter to see if there's any news afoot.

Once I reach office, open my office laptop and check my personal email first, to see if anything urgent is happening. Then I check work email and go through that for quite some time. I'll open Facebook, Google+ and Twitter which I leave on and let streaming alongside my work all day.

11.11.11 is Almost Here

Does it mean End of the world or Beginning? Neither

But lets make it a day to realize where we stand and determine how we wish to transform in Life.

Born in 80s - The last SANE Generation

We did not have Play stations, 99 television stations, flat screens, surround sound, mp3s, iPods, computers, cell phones and the Internet, ...but we had time to rest our head on our grandmas lap and listen to bed time stories, we had time to sit and watch chitrahar, rangoli, and saturday evening movies with our relatives and neighbours. We knew the music before the news at 7 in the radio.

Some nostalgic memories:

• The first who've played video games, saw cartoons in color
• The last to record songs of the radio on cassettes
• Knew the connection between a pencil and cassette and the pioneers of VCR, walkmans and chatrooms.
• The generation of the doordarshan, street cricket, kite flying, wwf and paper boats
• The first family car was a Fiat or an Ambassador. This often had to be pushed by the entire family to get going
• Camlin geometry box & Natraj/Flora pencil were our prized possession
• Jumbo Circus have held our breath while the pretty young thing in the glittery skirt did acrobatics, quite enjoyed the elephants hitting football, the motorcyclist vrooming in the Mautka Gola and it was politically okay to laugh your guts out at dwarfs hitting each others bottoms
• Knew that Indira Gandhi was somebody really powerful and terribly important. And that's all we needed to know
• If we wanted a cycle, had only one option: BSA SLR
• Most of the house had the 'almirah' made by the famous Godrej company. Mothers would lock up their jewelery in here and this also provided for the only full length mirror in the house
• Giant Robot, the cartoon that aired on Doordarshan ever Sunday, Prannoy Roy who gave us the news through "the world this week"
• Random ads that used to be on tv and the song went like this "Vicco Turmeric, Vicco cosmetic, Vicco turmeric ayurvedic cream " and "Washing powder Nirma, Washing powder Nirma Doodh si safedi, Nirma se aayi". The first washing machine ad went like this "It rinses, it washes, it even dries your clothes - Videocon washig machine!"
• A reel of 36 exposures was valuable hence it justified the half hour preparation, setting and posing for each picture. Therefore, we have atleast one family picture where everyone is holding their breath and standing at attention
• Adjusting very long pole with a funny antenna on roof top for cricket matches
• At school some of us used to participate in elocution competitions, typically memorizes a poem/chapter from an English author they have no connection with and gets up in front of everyone to recite random poem/chapter verbatim.

Sometimes these memories make me think that People were very happy and satisfied with small small things then!

To add, Doordarshan our only channel then used to start with the following signature, which would make the later generations go to sleep if listens today.

and "Hamara Bajaj" ad

Change Your Thoughts to Shape the Life You Want

1. Make an appointment with yourself - Take a morning or afternoon off to think about your life. If this sounds scary to you, this is one of the first places to change your thoughts. This is fun. What you can dream, you can craft a plan to achieve. Find a quiet place with no distractions such as the library, sitting in your bed, or sitting in your car.

 2. Daydream - During your appointment with yourself, think about areas in your life in which you want to make a change. Areas to consider:

·         Business/Career

·         Relationships

·         Finances

·         Home

·         Physical Health

·         Spiritual

·         Leisure

3. Write Your Dreams Down - Write out what you want to change. Maybe there is only one area you want to change. Don't feel like you have to change everything. But if there is something that could improve the quality of your life, write it down. Don't worry about whether it is possible. Assume that anything is possible.

4. The Action Plan - For your top changes, write out some rough plans about how you could achieve those dreams. Break down the long term goal into monthly, weekly and/or daily things you'll need to do to get there.

5. Mentors - Who else has done what you want to do? Who inspires you? What can you learn from that person or those people? How do they think? How do they handle challenges? Write it all down. Let that person serve as a guide to how you work towards your dreams. Seek out these guides even if it is simply by reading someone's book or blog. Ask for help and guidance. You'll likely be surprised to find that when you ask most people will try to find a way to help you. Lastly, remind yourself every day that if your mentor can succeed, so can you!

6. The Reminder Poster, Use your creativity here - The idea is to create a poster of which you can make several copies to hang in key places such as your bathroom, bedside table, kitchen, car and desk. On the poster (any size you want) list your Dreams, your daily action plan, and the thoughts you want to cultivate each day. You can include quotes or other inspiration from your mentors too.Of course feel free to add pictures, color, texture, whatever makes it powerful for you.

7. Gratitude. Take a bit of time each morning to really appreciate what you currently have in your life that is good. In the evening take a bit of time to review your accomplishments and learnings from the day, either in quiet meditation, in a journal, or with someone who supports you.

8. Believe. Believe in the power of your thoughts. Here are some examples of how powerful a thought can be. All of these great achievements by humans started with an idea or thought in someone's mind.

·                Putting a man on the moon

·                Democracy

·                The incredible expansion of Dubai in just 7 years

·                Writing a book

·                Creating a movement to save the environment

·                Inventing the heart transplant operation

·                The pyramids of Ancient Egypt

Where there's a will there is a way. To build your will, build your mind through strong empowering thoughts daily. The people who had the thoughts that sparked these achievements listed above, did not let doubt get in their way. And neither should you!

9. Take Action. Your thoughts and plans need to be combined with action to create a result. The focus on your goals and dreams will provide the energy and motivation for taking action. If motivation is lacking, don't wait for it to appear. Take action first and then watch your energy and motivation blossom! Take action on your goals every day. Make them a priority by working on your daily goals before doing the mundane things of life.

Focus on Steps to Goals

Imagine the incredible life you will live when your limiting beliefs are gone.

Now, choose to make the limits go away and live that life.

Focusing on the steps to your goals will keep you on track... Focusing on the chaos around you will only carry you away from your vision.

You are worthy of your incredible life… You can claim your incredible life and Live it now.

The path to your ultimate life is one simple step at a time.

Conceive, Believe and Achieve

"Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve. There are no limitations to the mind except those we acknowledge" - Napoleon Hill

Character becomes Destiny

Eid Al Adha - Festival of Sacrifice

Eid  Al Adha is the latter of two Eid festivals celebrated by Muslims; its basis comes from Sura 2 (Al-Baqara) Ayah 196 in the Qur'an. Eid al-Adha is celebrated annually on the 10th day of the 12th and the last Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah of the lunar Islamic calendar. Eid al-Adha celebrations start after the Hajj, the annual pilgrimage to Mecca in Saudi Arabia by Muslims worldwide.

Eid Al Adha (Festival of sacrifice) is an important religious holiday celebrated by Muslims worldwide to commemorate the willingness of  Ibrahim to sacrifice his son Ismail as an act of obedience to God, before God intervened to provide him with a ram to sacrifice instead.  Ibrahim had shown that his love for God superseded all others: that he would lay down his own life or the lives of those dearest to him in submission to God's command. Muslims commemorate this ultimate act of sacrifice every year during Eid Al Adha.

It is very important to understand that the sacrifice itself, as practiced by Muslims, has nothing to do with atoning for our sins or using the blood to wash ourselves from sin. This is a misunderstanding by those of previous generations: "It is neither their meat nor their blood that reaches Allah; it is your piety that reaches Him." (Qur'an 22:37).

It is a day of happiness with Muslims starting their day visiting the Mosque dressed in their best clothes. Special foods are eaten on this day such as lamb and sweet dishes. Family & friends visit one another, presents are exchanged and homes are decorated.  Eid money is also given to charities to help the poor.