Happy 75th Independence Day

Today’s is India’s 75th Independence Day. I have read 100’s of messages on social media and SMS from proud Indian’s celebrating in their own ways – proudly sharing the tri-color. This has got me thinking about the meaning of ‘independence’. This has me pondering about people beginning the revolt over 160 years towards an independent India!

They would have become independent over their fears first. They moved forward despite the fears.

What’s independence for you? What fears are you overcoming?

A Connected Leader

Everyone wants to feel valued and heard. Good Leaders provide their teams/communities with the opportunities to be seen, regularly engages them and have the necessary support mechanisms in place.

When leaders don’t provide this opportunity, people will talk behind their backs. More often than not, it will be a negative talk.

Choose Optimism Over Despair

As we begin this year, let’s decide to choose optimism over despair as that is how we will move forward – be it in our work or private lives.

If you, your team or family is facing uncertainty, it is totally understandable if that uncertainty is producing fear, feeling of helplessness and anxiety. It might be easy to despair and join the negative chorus and blame other for everything that is going wrong around us but that hardly is a solution!

Being optimistic in such times can help reduce the negative effects of stress and can assist with the recovery from stress.

Some practical things that you could try are:

– Choose positive language over the negative one

– Avoid criticism 

– Celebrate wins (no matter small they are) 

– Practice self-compassion

– Help others (be it a team member or your community)

– Don’t ignore your feelings but talk them over 

About freedom

From Nytimes.com article

Many things should be matters of individual choice. The government has no business dictating your cultural tastes, your faith or what you decide to do with other consenting adults.

But refusing to wear a face covering during a pandemic, or insisting on mingling indoors with large groups, isn’t like following the church of your choice. It’s more like dumping raw sewage into a reservoir that supplies other people’s drinking water.

Your short term freedom should not come at the cost of someone’s life.

Social Dilemma

This past weekend I watched Social Dilemma (on Netflix). I highly recommend it if you haven’t watched it yet.

Although I am not going to give up my social accounts anytime soon, here are my key takeaways and re-affirmations of my thoughts:

1. Use social platforms as tools that allow you to attain your objectives not the other way
2. Be purposeful on what you want to achieve while visiting a platform otherwise one post/video will link to other one and you will have spend hours without achieving something. This will have a negative impact on your brain in the short and the long term
3. Monitor your time spent on social platforms. The platforms exist for a purpose but we need to remember our purpose for using them
4. The algorithm is designed for maintaining your attention and your addiction
5. Every click and every mouse movement is recorded. Watch out!
6. Turn off/minimise notifications. Reduce digital distractions
7. Regularly check on the app/website permissions you provide on your mobiles, tablets and computers
8. Create ‘me’ time for yourself every day
9. Spend more time reading and writing than just consuming media
10. Consciously follow and learn from people you don’t agree with.

Trailer of The Social Dilemma documentary

What were your takeaways?