Little Things That Matter

Learn From The Past, Live The Present and Have An Open Mind to Face Tomorrow

The Virtue Of Gratitude

By Leave a Comment

I was conducting a 5 day workshop on Executive Presence recently and one of the participants started chatting with me during lunch on day 3. She was appreciative of the workshop and she felt she had not achieved what she had set for herself.

I was observing and listening to her and I was amazed at the dramatic change that this woman had displayed in a matter of 2.5 days. She had grown from someone who was shy, who had a fear of speaking in front of crowds, to someone who had found the courage to ask questions, be more articulate in her communication. Despite what I had observed, she had not noticed that in herself. She was frozen in her self- perspective

Instead of asking her, what she had set for herself, I asked her what are you thankful for? She was awestruck by my question……

 How many times have you heard yourself or others say?

→I don’t have enough time in the day to live my dreams.
→Life has been very unkind to me.
→Why Me?
→What is the point of waking up daily and doing the same thing?
→They are a difficult bunch to work with.
→I wish I could get more.
→I am tired of eating the same dish every second day.
→I have to work long hours……

While there is nothing wrong in venting out once in a while, if these become your daily slogan, day-in-day-out, it is time to stop and reflect.

Don’t allow your want of new things to forget the things you have and be thankful for it. #gratitude #humility #life

Click To Tweet

Don’t allow your aspirations and expectations of yourself to improve, to cloud what you have achieved. #thankyou #gratitude

Click To Tweet

Fill your life with gratitude because you and others deserve it.

Be Thankful for

1. What you have and what you have achieved.
2. The food you eat daily.
3. Waking up every morning and taking that breath into a new day.
4. Friends, family and all those who care for you in your life because without them, life is not worth living.
5. Difficult people in your life because they give you an opportunity to grow and develop
6. The challenges, because that makes you stronger
7. Not getting something because that makes you realize that you need to step out of your comfort zone and do something different.
8. The job that you have because there are many who are unemployed, and not by choice.
9. The love that is showered on you by people in your daily life.
10. Every little thing that life has given you because without any of that, you wouldn’t be where you are today.

#Life is much better lived with #gratitude because without that, you are constantly in a vicious cycle of negativity, cynicism and hurt.

Click To Tweet

Gratitude turns
⇒enough into more
⇒denial into self-acceptance and hope
⇒ chaos into spark of light
⇒confusion into clarity

⇒And Negativity Into Positivity.

How are you going to fill your life with more Gratitude?
What are you doing to express gratitude and humility?

For one-one-one coaching, speaking, worships and training, let’s connect

Never Give Up

By 2 Comments

The dog’s action in this video speaks volumes

To me it spoke about

→Compassion

→Be A Friend First To Have One

→Empathy

→Love

→Never Give Up

→Believe In Yourself

→Trust

→Congruence of body language and facial expression, an important element of communication.

What does it tell you ? I would love to hear your thoughts.
What does this teach us about life?
What does this teach us about relationships

Eight Leadership Lessons From Dogs

By 7 Comments

Photo : Lalita Raman

Photo : Lalita Raman

I love and admire dogs. I don’t miss a chance, whilst walking, running or hiking, to stop and say hello to the dog and if the owner looks friendly enough, have a word or two with the dog and pet the dog.
I don’t own a dog as yet. I have always wanted to own a dog but not owned one because I feel guilty that I’ll not be able to spend time with my dog. So whilst I do want to own a dog, It has not happened yet.
I love all animals but dogs have a special place in my heart. This post is based on my observations of dogs that I have met in various walks of my life.

There is a lot each of us can learn from dogs. What do they teach us?

1. Speak up – leadership is about being there even when the going gets tough. Why shy away from standing for what is right even if you are the odd one standing?
Dogs never fail to bark to protect their owner and their home. They are not afraid to bark no matter where they are. Even when they make their owner angry they continue to bark to highlight something is wrong.

2. Persistent – leaders may adopt different paths to achieve their vision but they don’t give up on achieving their vision.
Dogs are persistent by nature and if you own a dog you will relate to this. Dogs love the food that we humans eat and they try different ways to get the food they desire. Though they may not succeed they try different options and never give up.

3. Empathy– good leaders empathize in the way they communicate, understand and the way they connect. I believe, there is no better creature on this earth than a dog who knows exactly how to empathize with you.Your dog knows when you are down and out, angry, upset, or happy. They are there with you through your emotions understanding perfectly well what you are going through. Their facial expressions and body language conveys it all.

4. Friend – leaders are friends in the way they connect, understand, encourage, communicate, challenge and the way they relate to you.
Dogs are true friends. Dogs show you that to have a friend, be one. They stand by you through thick and thin and never leave your side.

5. Trust– leaders build trust in the way they communicate and behave.
Dogs will always smell to get their comfort level. Once they are comfortable they build trust and lend their heartwarming friendship.

6. Opportunity – leaders see and make use of every opportunity. They give their heart and soul in whatever they do.
Dogs don’t miss opportunities to get what they want, be it food or getting on to a couch. Dogs give their heart and soul as duty dogs, as a guide, looking after children and in everything they are.

7. Attitude – life has many challenges and for leaders it is no different. As a good leader you know that your attitude is your greatest asset.
Choosing the right attitude is something we can learn from dogs. The hope and positivity with which they welcome each moment is something I have always been amazed about dogs. They live each day with unbridled exuberance and joy even in the face of adversity.

8. Uninhibited Courage– Leaders lead with uninhibited courage and by doing so they show their purpose is resolute and deep.
You have heard, read or witnessed many a dog which have saved their owner’s life or a child’s life. Dogs are loyal and they don’t deter in showing their courage or living up to a challenge.

Dogs are adorable, courageous and they make you feel good. They believe in you and make you feel great. A dog truly makes their owner feel that they are the best in the world. They are a living example of unconditional love and kindness.

Isn’t this what qualities of a good leader in life and in organizations should be?
What do you think we can learn from our friends, The Dog?

For Coaching, Facilitating and Speaking Connect. About Lalita Raman

Elephants, A lot to learn from

By Leave a Comment

Elephant is an animal I have so adored as a child and I have been lucky to have touched them , fondled  and fed them. I have also taken a ride on an elephant, whilst I was in Thailand,which I did not enjoy, because I felt bad for the elephant, and decided to get off the elephant after a span of 2 minutes.

I have admired elephants for they are so gentle inspite of their power. They are so wise, loving & caring. Their eyes are full of compassion and love. They protect their herd so well that men can learn many a thing about life from these darling animals. They are so cute inspite of being so large.

This article in THE HINDU which talks about how elephant calves are treated as children touched my heart. One every so often hears about animals being harmed and poached. It is heart warming to hear and read about people who take care of these elephants, as if it were their own children. God Bless them.

Some Facts About Elephants

The elephant is the largest animal that lives on land. Some male elephants can grow to be thirteen feet tall. That’s more than twice as tall as many human adults.Elephants can weigh as much as a school bus—between ten and fourteen thousand pounds! Elephants smell, drink, eat, and wash themselves with their long trunks. They have tusks—long teeth made of ivory—that help them get food and carry heavy objects. The most obvious characteristic of elephants, besides their massive size, is their trunk.  The trunk is nothing more than an elongation of their nose and upper lip.   Besides being used for breathing and smelling it is also used as an appendage, much like an arm or hand.  Elephants are capable of pulling up to 11.5 liters (3 gallons) of water into the trunk to be sprayed into the mouth for drinking or onto the back for bathing. For more information go to Elephants & Elephants1

Some of my Up, Close & Personal Moments with Elephants in Thailand.

Never Underestimate the Memory of an Elephant

A. This Article from BBC News is worth a read re: Why Elephants don’t forget.

B. Watch this clip from BBC Wildlife documentary re: Elephants never forgets.