Nine Pieces of Random Advice

Sometimes, when you are not looking, someone might say something or you might think something very random, unplanned, and unsought which changes your life or has a big impact on the status quo. Keeping that in mind, here are ‘Nine nuggets of Random Advice’, which I am hoping are the catalyst to change that you were waiting for.

Nine Pieces of Random Advice:

Education – Ensure that the skills you will learn from your undergraduate and degree courses are marketable – You may enjoy arts and history or such but the career prospects are limited.

Continuing Education – Never stop learning – try to enroll in a new course every 2 years for the rest of your life

Have a Hobby – one that you truly enjoy and are good at – it is better to relax while pursuing a loved activity (like drawing/painting/music etc.) rather than just plonking on the sofa and watching TV.

If you have a BAD BOSS – complain to HR and ask for a department change – if that is not helpful or possible in your case – try to change jobs immediately – working for a Bad Boss can kill you (Stress and depression both can be fatal)

Forgive fast Forget faster – Whenever someone makes you angry – relax and forgive them – it’s not for them, it’s for you.  I read a very good quote on this, “Getting angry is like punishing yourself for others mistake” Why would you want to do that?

Self-assess – Regularly, say every six months, sit down in a quiet place and do your own life assessment – It’s really simple – just answer the question “Who am I?” and answer it honestly – then read your answer and see if you are happy with it. If not, then the next question is “Who do I want to be?” Chart your plan to become who you want to be – the main areas of assessing who you are or what defines you would cover your skills, values, interests and priorities.

Set Goals – Always set your goal. Whether personal or professional – if you are married or in a relationship – have some common goals too. The importance of setting goals cannot be overstated. – If you are not working towards something you are just drifting aimlessly.

Be cool – Nothing is permanent in this short life of ours – Errors and mistakes done 20 years back really don’t matter now, do they? Similarly, todays mishaps will be forgotten tomorrow; don’t fret and don’t over think.

Finally, I think the best random advice anyone can get is, “Breathe” - that's what keeps us alive - take a deep breath, relax, regain your focus - jump right back into whatever it was you were trying to achieve

Author: Shabbir Bandukwala - All copyrights reserved

Connect with me at https://twitter.com/sjbanduk

Images used are my own creation – All rights reserved

Management lessons from the 'Bollywood' movie - 'Aaja Nachle' - (Come Dance)

I was reminiscing about a nice movie I had seen a couple of years back and surprisingly my mind started to make connections between this movie and how to run a successful business. The movie was a Madhuri Dixit starrer “Aaja Nachle” (Literally – Come and Dance). It’s always good to share a good thing, so here I have discussed these lessons for you to read and draw inspiration. So read on to learn the Management lessons from a Bollywood Movie.

1.    Pick up Skills, they never let you down: In the movie a young Madhuri learns to dance gracefully and beautifully and this helps her in later life, when as a single mother in a distant country she is in need of money. She translates her dancing skills into a successful dancing troupe and aerobics training institute.

2.    Every challenge should be treated as an opportunity: Instead of being overwhelmed by the challenges thrown at her, the protagonist takes it as an opportunity. The town which has no interest in Dance and Drama is seen by her as a town full of an appreciative audience but it does not stop at that; she actually manages to even source talent from the same townspeople. This would not have happened had she not treated the challenges as opportunities and nothing else.

3.    Hiring inexperienced staff is a good thing: Madhuri recruits actors and actresses from the town. These are people who have never acted or danced in their entire life. But the passion and energy brought by these inexperienced staff will do wonders for your business. Especially when you are starting up and can’t afford to pay big bucks, fresh candidates are affordable but choose wisely. Be sure the passion is there, even if the talent cannot be seen. After many rejections Madhuri finally places her trust in Konkana although she seems to be a terrible actor. Because of her passion and the right motivation Konkana transforms from a TomBoy to a completely graceful perfect image of “Laila” (That’s Juliet for the Shakespearean readers)

4.    Let your confidence show: You have complete confidence in your idea, your project or whatever it is that you want to achieve. It’s not enough to have this confidence; you have to let your team see that confidence. When they see your confidence, they not only feel it; they share it. They develop confidence in the project and that makes them give more than their 100% efforts to the venture. Also, let the world see your confidence, especially your detractors. Your confidence will unnerve them and they will take steps which may reduce their supporters. Like in the movie, Madhuri’s confidence makes her detractor (the local businessman) take some actions by which he ultimately loses the support of even his own wife.

5.    And the biggest lesson is Madhuri Dixit, the actress herself: Once at the top of the Box Office list, Madhuri left the entertainment industry to get married and become a wonderful wife and mother. She did not multi-task, no juggling of fame and family for this great lady. And when things were settled at home, kids had grown, this was the movie she chose for her Grand Come-back Launch. And the years away from the industry were wiped away in an instant. The poise, the grace, the faultless acting and dancing, the beautifully sculpted self, all there. Translating this to the lesson: Even if you have to take a sabbatical; don’t lose focus of your ultimate goals. Remain connected with these goals and make sure you don’t get rusty. You never know when the opportunity to re-launch will present itself.

So next time you are watching the latest blockbuster, don’t let anyone tell you “you’re wasting time”, just tell them you are sitting for a management class.

And please do leave your comments on this article.... I write with the intention of starting a Conversation, and it is really not considered healthy to keep talking all alone.... So DEAR READER, get involved, talk to me, it will be fun...

Author: Shabbir Bandukwala - All copyrights reserved

Connect with me on www.GoMadinc.com/ShabbirBandukwala

NOTE: This blog was earlier published on www.GoMadideas.com about a year back.

Set A Reminder

I had to do something at work. It was important, but had to be done later after certain other events. By the time the other stuff was in place, I forgot this task.

Do you know how stupid you feel when you have to tell your Boss, “umm… sorry I forgot about that.” And you feel even stupider (yes stupidity comes in various levels…) when you are a senior member of the team!! I never want to feel that way again. And I am sure neither do you. So, how does one save himself from this situation?

Well it’s fairly simple really. Set A Reminder dude!! (or dudette!!)

In today’s world, where our lives are filled with technology, it is actually criminal to forget anything. The most basic mobile phone comes with a feature where you can set a reminder for a task, a meeting, an appointment or to pay your bills. And today most of us carry smartphones, with access to many features that make it easy to write small ‘forget this not’ notes to ourselves.

It is said that the easiest way to remember your wife/girlfriends birthday is to forget it once.

Well, NOT true. Instead, develop a habit to set reminders for everything that you have to remember later and you will not find yourself in an embarrassing situation. And to tell you the truth, the embarrassment, the shame, these feelings come from within. It is not your boss or colleague or family or friend who is making you ashamed. No sir. It is your mind that is making you feel that way.

And the best way to feel good about yourself, even proud is to never give an opportunity to your mind to generate negative feelings about yourself.

So how do you actually set reminders? Well as I said, with Smartphones, that’s an easy task. And we at GoMad ideas are lucky to be issued the latest and technologically superior Apple iPhones. These are voice enabled. Just raise the phone to your ear and say out aloud whatever it is that you want to be reminded of. ‘SIRI’ will ask you when you want to be reminded about that. And done.

Also if there are annual events like birthdays and anniversaries which you need to be reminded about every year, it’s a good idea to set up an account with one of the many websites which will send you a reminder before the day. Personally I use Birthdayalarm.com and it’s always a pleasure to call up friends and wish them on their birthday which really surprises them and flusters them too… (as they never remember my birthday…)

So follow this advice religiously. Start now and set reminders for all tasks, activities, meetings, your child’s little league matches or the school play. And don’t forget to set a reminder to visit this blog regularly. You never know what you may learn, next time around.

Shabbir Bandukwala

www.GoMadinc.com/ShabbirBandukwala

NOTE: This blog was earlier published on www.GoMadideas.com about a year back.

School vacations ignites childhood memories @ Brindavan Soc.

School vacations have begun. We are planning to spend the summer in Dubai, but I still took a trip down memory lane.

School vacations in India were something else. More so in our time; these days, kids vacations are somewhat different. More clinical if you understand what I mean. Mostly playing with gadgets or travelling to ‘phoren’ lands.

Could be that the housing society which was my home during my childhood, was unique. Some great people lived there (most still do, but others like me are settled all over the world.) And growing up in “Brindavan Society” I think was the best part of childhood.

The chikoo and mango trees, the slides and see-saws, and how many remember the handle bars behind the club house? The club house cum office was also used for Exercise (Oh I still have the abs I worked up there, I hide them under the fat…J) and how can I forget the table tennis games. Cyrus used to play me with his left hand and still win. I think he should have tried for the Olympics.

Dabba eise pyse, marbles, and the amazing Dracula stories that I and my bro used to tell. We loved to scare with these stories, but I guess we did not come close to the horror one feels when you reach for your pocket and don’t feel your phone there… LOL

And then comes the sports day. Slow cycling was my favourite. And ‘Baldeet chendu takne’ (throwing the ball in the bucket). And was it Deepali or have I got the name wrong, she used to win the Skipping championship.

Vacations meant jogging and cycling with my buddy Salil. We used to wake up pretty early, wear our shorts and sneakers and go jogging around the neighbourhood. As we entered college, we expanded that to going to a Gym somewhere in Jogeshwari.

The cricket matches in the society were just awesome too. Well they come a little down-hill in my memory lane, only becoz I wasn’t that good at cricket. I enjoyed Hockey and Football. Those were fun. Especially playing in the rains, sliding in the mud to make that winning goal.

Although all the people in my childhood are stars in their own way, one of them happens to be a Bollywood star today. He lived in Jumbo Darshan, a society opposite ours. My school friend Smarty used to stay there. And I used to play with his gang too. One of them was John Abraham, a very polite and well-mannered boy; he had these cute dimples which made his smile quite striking. His father was in the gulf, and he had some of the best toys. We used to borrow his tennis rackets and play in the parking. Even in those days he had the best bike in the neighbourhood. A BMX bicycle.

Festivals were fully enjoyed with lots of energy, Holi and Diwali were the noisiest. Satyanarayan pooja brought in a flavour of spirituality whilst Eid meant shirkhumma at home.

Sankranti would be enjoyed with lots of fun, with ‘tilgul gya godh godh bola’ (eat a sweet and speak sweet always)

Many more memories than can be captured in a blog article, I wish my kids could have also grown up there and known the same great families that I grew up with.

But life moves on, and I hope years later when their kids are on vacation, they will also get nostalgic and remember their childhood with the same pleasure like me.

Hey readers, do share your own vacation/growing up memories, especially those of you who grew up with me.

Let’s keep the conversation rolling…

Shabbir Bandukwala

www.GoMadinc.com/ShabbirBandukwala

Do what you love!!

Even though a man’s job is likened to having a second wife, there is a huge difference between a wife and a job. In many customs where arranged marriages are still prevalent, a man can and does fall in love with the woman he marries much after the actual wedding. But if you are not doing what you love, you are hardly going to ‘fall in love’ with your job.

In-fact chances are you will slip into a routine. Filling the hours at work, getting increasingly disgruntled with your job and yourself each passing day. This is bad for you and bad for the business. Plus it has a detrimental effect on all your other relationships, personal or otherwise. I mean let’s face it, if you are unhappy, you are going to rub that off on your colleagues and immediate family. And a lot of good that will do.

So how do you get out of this rut? It’s after all not very easy to give up the current job and start doing something you have always wanted to do. It’s all the more difficult in the current economic environment.

Wrong. Think again!

Downturn and recession is actually a great time to venture out into something new. You and your family are already adjusted to lower incomes and difficult times. Yes changing career or becoming an entrepreneur at this time is challenging but is easier to adapt to this change and overcome the challenge in difficult times rather than in good times when you would be used to a lavish or at-least more than comfortable lifestyle.

It's easier to start a business than look for a job at the start of a recession. People still buy things, but companies are reluctant to take on the cost of an employee when revenue prospects are uncertain. Let us see which companies were launched during recessionary times:

Burger King was launched in 1954 during the recession which started in July 1953 and lasted 10 months.

General Electric Co. (GE) was established in 1876 by world renowned inventor Thomas Edison. Amidst the panic of 1873, a six-year recession, Edison created one of the best-known inventions of all time — the incandescent light bulb.

And Hewlett Packard (HP) was started in a Palo Alto garage at the end of the Great Depression

And certainly great things are expected from GoMad ideas, started in recessionary times in Dubai, a city doubly hit with the property bubble burst and the global slowdown.

Watch this space....

Written by Shabbir Bandukwala - First published on www.GoMadideas.com on Feb 25, 2012

www.GoMadideas.com/ShabbirBandukwala

Honeymoon in Mauritius

Nostalgia. 

Earlier this year we celebrated our Tenth wedding anniversary. Brings back some good memories from our early days as a couple. Ofcourse the best memories are from our honeymoon (Although the birth of our kids beats that). 

We flew from Mumbai, India to Mauritius an Island off the mainland of Africa. Mauritius is a beautiful sun and sand country. It is off the shores of Africa, an Island, infact a cluster of Islands. As such distance from the Main Continent to the island is 2520 Kms and from Mumbai, India it is 5040 Kms. The flight was direct, no halts and took us six hours. We flew Air Mauritius and landed at their only International Airport - Sir Seewoosagar Ramgoolam Air Terminal, Plaisance(Code: MRU) is approximately 3 kms from Mahebourg, 48kms from Port Louis, 80kms from Grand Baie, 55kms from Flic en Flac and 50kms from Belle Mare. Facilities include duty-free shops both on arrival and departure, bars, banks, and Post Office. 

We visited in Month of May, and that is when they have their winter (being in the southern hemisphere). We liked the climate as it was very pleasant but the water was very cold and hence we spent most of the time on the beach out of the waters. While on the water, its the Indian Ocean and the water here is very truly blue. The sea is quite shallow and you can see the bottom, as the water is very clean. The main island is where we stayed, in Grand Baie. Grand Baie is a small town on the northern tip of the country. Tip to tip the Main Island is approx 90 Kms long. But the roads are circuitous hence distance between places would increase. We were part of a small group who had, like us, signed up for a package of 6 nights 7 days from Raj tours and travels Mumbai. When we landed and after checking in at the hotel, we rested a bit (ya ya we were on honeymoon so we needed to ''rest'' a bit in the rooms right!) and then we went for a walk. We found the place to be quite like India. Similar buildings similar topography. The similarity is bound to come as the majority of the population are Indians. 10 minutes from where we were put up we found a beach. Sat there and enjoyed our first sunset of Mauritius. Then headed back for dinner. 

The places that we saw during the course of the next few days were as per the itinerary published by the tour operator. This included the Botanical gardens (Pamplemousses), the land of seven colors, the Port Louis City, Grand Bassin and various other sites which you can find out about from the tour operators and various web sites. What I want to write about is what we did on our free days when we were free to go where we wanted to go and not just be taken to the most popular sites. We had two such free days.

DAY 1 We woke up early and caught a bus from Grand Baie to Port Louis Bus station. There we inquired about how to reach Domaine Les Pailles and reached there by mid morning. The official description of Domaine les pailles is as below: At a stone's throw from Port-Louis lies the Domaine Les Pailles, a natural park spreading over 3,000 acres at the foot of a mountain range. Here visitors discover old ways of living in an enchanting environment. Domaine Les Pailles also offers a wide range of facilities: a gastronomic restaurant, ''Le Clos St Louis'' a reception hall ''La Canelle Rouge'', an Indian restaurant ''Indra'', exclusive Chinese at ''Fu Xiao'', a pizzaeria First of all this place is a bit expensive. The activities include, a train ride, a Chariot ride and a tour of a spice garden plus a brewery where they show you how rum was made in the olden days. They also let you taste some rum. On the other hand they had a Jungle trail on the mountains where they take you in a four wheel drive vehicle. At some instances you are going up on an almost vertical incline. Adventurous, risky and fun. We left in the afternoon, as all the restaurants seemed overpriced. Came back to port Louis and had some truly fantastic Fish Burgers. Then took the return bus for Grand Baie after wondering around the capital city. Was quite late when we returned back. 

Day 2 In the morning we took two Hero Honda 100CC bikes and went on driving south of Port Louis. Our plan was to reach the southern end of the Island but by afternoon we had only reached mid way to the city of Rose Belle and decided to look around in the city itself and then return back. We shopped a bit here but since most of the products are imported from china, India or Africa, everything was expensive as compared to what you would pay in India. While returning we stopped at a KFC outlet and had some snacks. We really enjoyed the drive and the scenery and wind in your face, I definitely recommend all tourists who visit Mauritius to rent a bike for touring the country. 

On the whole, we really enjoyed ourselves and liked the tour as well as the country. The people are all very friendly and mostly Indians or Chinese. The language most popular is French. Some other activities that we did during our stay include, riding a speed boat, taking a ride in the Australian made Half boat half submarine and Kayaking to our hearts content. Other activities recommended are under water walk and Parasailing, which we unfortunately missed. But I think that is also a good thing, if you have missed doing certain activities or missed some good spots then you will definitely be thinking of going back again. Happy Holidays. Bon Voyage.

Starting with my favorite recipe

This is the sandwich I had for breakfast:

Two slices of brown bread - Peanut butter on one and Orange marmalade on the other;
Place the slice with peanut butter in a plate. Place banana slices on it (as many as you like, the more the better) On top of this place slices of Marble Tea Cake. Put cream on the cake (Optional). Now close the sandwich with the Orange marmalade slice.

Enjoy.

Along with this I had "Shir Khumma" a sweet dish made with milk and dry fruits, prepared specially for celebrating Eid-ul-Fitr.