5 MANAGEMENT STORIES WITH MORALS

v  'The Most Common Profession'- Akbar Birbal Story

One day Akbar resolved to find out which profession was the most Common Profession in his capital. He asked the courtiers; some said trade, others said masonry, but the consensus was on soldiering.

When Birbal’s turn came, he arose from his seat, bowed before Akbar and said, “Your Majesty, in my opinion the most
popular profession is medicine.” This was surprising as one could count the number of physicians in the city. The court
physician was furious and said that Birbal had no clue about how difficult it was to train in this profession and advise
people on medical problems.

Birbal smiled and said, “I can prove my statement, Your Majesty, if you come with me tomorrow morning.”

Akbar agreed, and the next morning met Birbal on a major crossroad in the city.
Birbal had a bandage on one hand. Akbar looked at it and asked what the matter was. Birbal said, “I cut my hand while chopping fruits for breakfast. Please, Your Majesty, you will have to write down the names of all the physicians we come
across.”

“I will do that Birbal but be sure to wash that wound well and apply some ointment on it,” said Akbar.

I will, Your Majesty, but only after I have proven my statement,” said Birbal.

They sat at the busy crossroad all through the day. Birbal was a well-known personality, so everyone who passed by
asked Birbal about his injury and advised him about some medication or the other. As the day wore on, the list grew long
and by afternoon Akbar was tired of writing names, so he suggested they go home.
Birbal asked for the list and said, “My Lord, you forgot to write your own name at the top of the list. You were the first one to advise me!”

v  Bond of Love and the Truth

A very loving couple had been married for over 10 years without any child and it was becoming their 11th year.  Steve and Sarah stayed with each other and greatly hoped that they will have a child before their 11th year of marriage runs out because they were under persuasion from friends and family members to get a divorce.  But they couldn’t let go because of the strong bond of love between them.  Months passed and one day, while Dave was returning from work, he saw his wife walking down the road with a man.

Months passed and one day, while Dave was returning from work, he saw his wife walking down the road with a man.  The man had his arms around her neck and they looked very happy.  For over a week, he saw the same man with his wife at various places and one evening while Dave was returning from work he saw the man drop her off at the house after giving her a kiss on the cheek.  Dave was angry and sad but he didn’t spoke of it with his wife.

Two days later after a hectic day at work, Dave was taking water with a glass jug from the dispenser when the phone rang.  He picked it up and the person said,” Hello dear, I’ll be coming to your house this evening to see you as promised.”  Dave hung up the phone.  It was a male voice and he was sure the person was the man he had always seen his wife with.  He suddenly became shaky with the thought that he has lost his wife to another man.  The glass jug fell from his hand and shattered into pieces.

His wife came running into the room asking,” Is everything okay?”  In anger, he gave his wife a push and she fell.  She wasn’t moving or getting up.  Dave then realized that she fell where he broke the glass jug.  A large piece of glass had pierced her.  He felt her breath, pulse, and heartbeat but there she lay lifeless.  In a total confusion, he saw an envelope in her hand.  He took it, opened it and was shocked by its content – it was a letter.  It read:

“My loving husband, words cannot express how I feel so I had to write it down. I have been going to see a doctor for over a week and I wanted to be sure before I give you the news.

The doctor confirmed it that I am pregnant with a twin and our baby is due 2 months from now.  The same doctor is my long-lost brother whom I lost contact with after our marriage. He has promised to take care of me and our baby and give us the best without collecting a dime.

He also promised to have dinner with us today.  Thanks for staying by my side.

Your loving wife.

The letter fell from his hand.  There was a knock at the door and the same man he had seen with his wife came in and said,” Hello Dave, I suppose I’m right. I am Max, the brother of your wife” Suddenly, Max noticed his sister lying in a pool of her blood.  He rushed her to the hospital and she was in a coma.  She had lost her twins.

Moral: We should not be too quick to take unnecessary actions in our relationship or marriage when we haven’t questioned our partner or spouse on what we saw or heard about them.  We all have our faults.  We shouldn’t be too fast to judge others.  Not everything you see, hear or believe about someone is true.  Always learn to control yourself under any condition or situation, irrespective of what you’ve heard or seen.

v   An empress with no children decided to hold a competition to determine who would succeed her when she died. She summoned all the children in the city to her palace and gave each one a seed. "Plant this seed, care for it, and in one year bring back the flower that grows from it. Whoever brings me the most beautiful flower will be the next empress."

One young girl planted her seed in a pot and watered it every day, but nothing grew. At the end of the year she was devastated, but on the day set for inspection of the flowers she picked up her pot and carried it to the palace.

All the other children brought colourful, vibrant flowers, but the empress only glanced at them. She walked straight to the young girl and smiled. "All the seeds I gave you had been boiled and were dead. Only you were honest enough to bring back the original seed I gave you. You will be a just and wise empress."

Moral:  Tell the truth, even when it seems easier not to.

v   A King’s Painting

Once upon a time, there was a Kingdom. The king there only had one leg and one eye, but he was very intelligent and kind. Everyone in his kingdom lived a happy and a healthy life because of their king. One day the king was walking through the palace hallway and saw the portraits of his ancestors. He thought that one day his children will walk in the same hallway and remember all the ancestors through these portraits.

But, the king did not have his portrait painted. Due to his physical disabilities, he wasn’t sure how his painting would turn out. So, he invited many famous painters from his and other kingdoms to the court. The king then announced that he wants a beautiful portrait made of himself to be placed in the palace. Any painter who can carry out this should come forward. He will be rewarded based on how the painting turns up.

All the painters began to think that the king only has one leg and one eye. How can his picture be made very beautiful? It is not possible and if the picture does not turn out to look beautiful then the king will get angry and punish them. So, one by one, all started to make excuses and politely declined to make a painting of the king.

But suddenly one painter raised his hand and said that I will make a very beautiful portrait of you which you will surely like. The king became happy hearing that and other painters got curious. The king gave him the permission and the painter started drawing the portrait. He then filled the drawing with paints. Finally, after taking a long time, he said that the portrait was ready!

All the courtiers, other painters were curious and nervous thinking, How can the painter make the king’s portrait beautiful because the king is physically disabled? What if the king didn’t like the painting and gets angry? But when the painter presented the portrait, everyone in the court, including the king, left stunned.

The painter made a portrait in which the king was sitting on the horse, on the one-leg side, holding his bow and aiming the arrow with his one eye closed. The king was very pleased to see that the painter has made a beautiful portrait by cleverly hiding the king’s disabilities. The King gave him a great reward.

Moral: We should always think positive of others and ignore their deficiencies. We should learn to focus on the good things instead of trying to hide weaknesses. If we think and approach positively even in a negative situation, then we will be able to solve our problems more efficiently.

v   The Needs and Desires

Once upon a time, there lived a King who, despite his luxurious lifestyle, was neither happy nor content.  One day, the King came upon a servant who was singing happily while he worked. This fascinated the King, why was he, the Supreme Ruler of the Land, unhappy and gloomy, while a lowly servant had so much joy.  The King asked the servant, “Why are you so happy?”

The man replied, “Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but my family and I don’t need too much, just a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummies.”  The king was not satisfied with that reply.  Later in the day, he sought the advice of his most trusted advisor.  After hearing the King’s woes and the servant’s story, the advisor said, “Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club.”

“The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?” the King inquired.  The advisor replied, “Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant’s doorstep.”  So the King ordered to do it.  When the servant saw the bag, he took it into his house.  When he opened the bag, he let out a great shout of joy, So many gold coins!  He began to count them.  After several counts, he was at last convinced that there were 99 coins.  He wondered, “What could’ve happened to that last gold coin? Surely, no one would leave 99 coins!”

He looked everywhere he could, but that final coin was elusive.  Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to earn that gold coin and complete his collection.  From that day, the servant’s life was changed. He was overworked, horribly grumpy, and castigated his family for not helping him make that 100th gold coin.  He stopped singing while he worked.  Witnessing this drastic transformation, the King was puzzled.  When he sought his advisor’s help, the advisor said, “Your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club.”

He continued, “The 99 Club is a name given to those people who have enough to be happy but are never content, because they’re always yearning and striving for that extra 1 telling themselves, “Let me get that one final thing and then I will be happy for life.”

Moral:  We can be happy, even with very little in our lives, but the minute we’re given something bigger and better, we want even more! We lose our sleep, our happiness, we hurt the people around us, all these as a price for our growing needs and desires.  We must learn to maintain a balance of our need and desires to enjoy a happy life with what we already have.

COMMON SENSE: THE SOULMATE OF WISDOM

Common Sense: One Step closer to wisdom

Common sense equates to wisdom, whereas an academic understanding of specific areas of life equates to knowledge.  In simpler terms, what common sense boils down to is a sound understanding of how life works.

Albert Einstein’s quote:

“Nothing happens until something moves”

Tens of millions of people seem to be waiting around for something good to happen in their lives, while expending enormous amounts of energy complaining about their “bad luck.” While in search of the magic formula for success, they mistakenly overlook the importance of something as simple as common sense.

Common sense is a practical view and approach to us, to other people, and to all aspects of living. It is how we deal with issues and problems, how we manage our own thoughts, our beliefs, our attitudes and how we cope with other people.

Common sense is much more than problem solving.  It also involves taking a sensible perspective, having functional attitudes and beliefs, being able to tackle a range of problems, getting on with people when it matters.

Common sense is natural ability to apply good sense in practical matters. Common sense is something you don’t must be told about. You should just figure out on your own. Wisdom comes with time and experience. It is incredible how much we complicate our lives just by
not taking a moment to think with simple common sense.

We are born with five senses- touch, taste, sight, smell and hearing. but successful people have sixth sense- common sense. common sense is the ability to see things as they are and do them as they are ought to be done. The application of education and knowledge without common sense is meaningless. Common-sense may not necessarily come because of education.
The best education without common sense is worthless.
An abundance of common sense is called wisdom.

Common sense is just one of wisdom’s messengers. The Buddha said, “we should test everything against our own reason and common sense.” This includes the current common sense. And if the current common sense feels all wrong to you, then you have a higher calling to wisdom that is often counter intuitive, counter cultural, and stubbornly free to change and question and stay open. For most of the problems there are simple solutions, but it is our “brilliant” minds that complicate every simple solution.
Common sense can solve the toughest complexities!

    Living a Better Life 

Ø  Keep promises - People with good sense aren’t flakes. They do what they say and by maintaining their integrity, they build trusting relationships. People with good sense are people you can count on.

Ø  Know when to say no - People with good sense understand this. They know what they can handle, and which behaviours are unacceptable in other people and are able to confidently and clearly state their

limits.

Ø  Don’t toxify your body - Common sense would tell you that smoking, eating junk food, getting high or binge drinking are stupid things to do, yet so many people ignore this logic and over-indulge. People with good sense seek healthier alternatives and honour their bodies.

Ø  Make goals and plans - People with good sense look forward to their futures. They have a plan, but they understand that being rigid isn’t useful. Unexpected opportunities can always arise as can sudden setbacks and it’s important to accept change and go with the flow as one works towards his or her goal.

Ø  The prioritization - To make sure important needs and great ideas make it all the way to Success. Your calendar never lies.

You can’t say one thing and schedule another. Do what’s important first. Focus on importance, not urgency. Make decisions, not excuses. 

Ø  Set goals for yourself - If you don't know where you want to go do you honestly think your lazy but is ever going to get there? Goal setting is a powerful process for thinking about your ideal future, and for motivating yourself to turn your vision of this future into reality.

Ø Patience... Success is NOT overnight - Success is "progressive" with many avenues to it and as it's been stated before "Don't Rush" as that alone can kill the work and time that you've invested into it. Be patient and the fruits of your labour will come.

Ø Keep Active - Certain health conditions that can impair cognitive skills include diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnoea, depression, hypothyroidism, and high LDL (bad) cholesterol. A strong body and a healthy mind are vital to ensure you function at your best. Stretch, your muscles need it! Instead of sitting down in front of the TV each night, pick something different to entertain yourself

Ø Stay Social - Try to maintain your close personal relationships with family members, friends, church members, neighbours, and other important people in your life. Even if they’re not close by, you can keep in touch by e-mail or Facebook. you will find more joy and satisfaction in life — and there is a good chance you will stay healthier as you age.

Ø Pain is part of life - You should stand up for your right to feel pain – to endure it – to own your scars – to deal with the realities of life and love, as you grow into the strongest, wisest, truest version of yourself.

Ø Mindset is half the battle - Life isn’t perfect, but it sure is good.  Our goal shouldn’t be to create a perfect life, but to live an imperfect life in radical amazement. Everything is extraordinary.  Every day is a gift.  Never treat life casually.

Ø Your biggest fears don’t really exist - Although fear can feel overwhelming and defeats more people than any other force in the world, it’s not as powerful as it seems.  Fear is only as deep as your mind allows.  You are still in control.  So, take control!

Ø The present is all you really must deal with - Life is not lived in some distant, imagined land of someday where everything is perfect.  It is lived here and now, with the reality of the way things are.  Yes, you can work toward an idealized tomorrow.  Yet to do so, you must successfully deal with the world as it is today.

Ø Be thankful - Be thankful for all the small things in your life, because when you put them all together you will see just how significant they are.  At the end of the day, it’s not happiness that makes us thankful, but thankfulness that makes us happy.

Ø You are not alone - During hard times, it’s easy to look around and see a bunch of people who seem to be doing just fine.  But they’re not.  We’re all struggling in our own way.

Ø Cherish time - Your most valuable resource. You can never make up the time you lose. It’s the most important value for any productive happy individual. To waste time is to waste your life.

Ø Reset - Bad luck, bad circumstances, even bad people, are not in our lives permanently. There is very little that is permanent. RESETS are necessary in every area of our lives. They are relationships, emotions, finances, health and fitness, appearance and faith. Act and believe in your RESET. 

“Keep moving, eat healthily, obtain information, view life as an opportunity and share your feelings; are simple rules of life and common sense.”

So, let's seek common sense and apply it to everything, because knowledge plus common sense is wisdom, but knowledge minus common sense is nonsense.

All sense faculties together is wisdom. Common sense is something simple enough to be overlooked by some, sometimes and is also an essential part of the whole wisdom.

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An Aetiology of Anger

Anger is one letter short of danger.

How true the saying, "The anger of today is the REMORSE of tomorrow". How deeply we regret words spoken in angry impatience, words that we wish we had never said. Uncontrolled anger can be a vicious and terrible thing! Often our anger simply results from concern about ourselves, from selfishness. --We don't get our own way, our pride is wounded, or we somehow feel slighted or mistreated by others, so we become frustrated, upset and angry. Anger can be evoked by any number of personalised triggers, with everyone having their own individual “pet hates”, tolerances, and breaking points.

What is anger?

Anger is a natural response to perceived threats. It causes your body to release adrenaline, your muscles to tighten, and your heart rate and blood pressure to increase. Your senses might feel more acute and your face and hands flushed.

However, anger becomes a problem only when you don't manage it in a healthy way.

What triggers the anger

Anger triggers differ for everyone. They vary by age, gender, even culture. Triggers are often verbal or nonverbal behaviours that bring up feelings of abandonment or rejection. some common ones include situations in which we feel:

·         threatened or attacked    

·         frustrated or powerless    

·         like we're being invalidated or treated unfairly    

·         like people are not respecting our feelings or possessions    

How to Handle Anger

Whether your anger is about something that happened in the past or something that's going on right now, thinking about how and why we interpret and react to situations can help us learn how to cope with our emotions better. It can also help us find productive strategies to handle our anger. Anger itself isn't a problem — it's how you handle it. Uncontrolled anger can take a toll on both your health and your relationships.

·         Consciously determine to be calm. Don't react, think! Remember your goals and respond appropriately. Choose to remain calm!

·         Communicate. When someone upsets you, tell them. Calmly talk to them about how you feel about their words or actions. Learn to express yourself better -- clear and composed. Choose to!

·         Remove yourself. Get away from the scene until you can respond without anger. Your success will not happen overnight. Take it one step at a time, one day at a time. Remember to relax. Relaxation exercises or music can be helpful. Keep in mind you can reach out to someone you trust for help. Choose to!

·         Frequently take time for yourself. Do something you enjoy like walking in the park, swimming, reading the Bible, or seeing a feel-good movie. Do something nice for someone you admire. It's okay to feel good about yourself. Choose to!

·         Look for the positives. Don't dwell on the negatives. "Don't sweat the small stuff." Don't worry about things that are out of your personal control. This is difficult, but an attitude and behaviour that can be learned!

Learning to control anger is a challenge for everyone at times. Seek help for anger issues if your anger seems out of control, causes you to do things you regret or hurts those around you.

Yoga & Life Lessons from Yoga Practice

What is yoga?

Yoga is said to have originated in India during the Golden Age, nearly 26,000 years ago. The actual Sanskrit word, when broken down, means "to control", "to yoke" or "to unite". The word has also been translated to mean "joining", "uniting" and "union". The union is made between the mind and the body. Yoga is a spiritual science of self-realisation.

Yoga has become popular as a form of physical exercise based upon asanas (physical poses) to promote improved control of mind and body and to enhance well-being.

Yoga methods encompass the entire field of our existence, from the physical, emotional and mental to the spiritual. Its methods include ethical disciplines, physical postures, breath control, as well as meditation. The regular practice of asanas, and breathing exercises (pranayama), makes the body strong, supple and healthy.

Thus, Yoga is a systematic process to accelerate the evolution of the individual by culturing the mind and bringing out an all-round personality development culminating in experience of higher states of consciousness. Since the individual experience of Yoga is quite personal and may differ for each practitioner, there are a wide variety of approaches to its practice. All approaches to Yoga, however, are intended to promote some aspect(s) of wellbeing.

Yoga is defined as having eight branches or limbs: Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana, Samadhi.

Yoga Benefits

Yoga can do a lot for the human body, although it won't cure every ailment. Yoga can be worked into virtually any lifestyle or schedule. Yoga has been proven to increase health and body awareness allowing yoga participants to better control their bodies. From flexibility increases to better body alignment, Yoga can help with a variety of ailments.

Physical Benefits of Yoga

·         Increased Flexibility

·         Increased Strength

·         Improved Balance

·         Increased Stamina

·         Improved Body Alignment (reduces joint pain)

Mental Benefits of Yoga

·         Stress Reduction

·         Body Awareness

·         Better Sleep

·         Improve self-confidence

·         Relaxation

Life Lessons We Can Learn from Yoga Practice

The teachings of Yoga are based on many different philosophies and religions, but, Yoga is NOT a religion, rather it is a discipline, one that leads to ultimate freedom. Yoga is the cessation of the fluctuations of the mind, or the restraint of the modifications of the “mind-stuff “. In clearer terms, when you can control the rising of the mind, you will experience Yoga or Union.

The journey is more important than the destination.

Do you have the right attitude to stay the course? You would have heard the saying ‘your attitude determines your altitude’ and it is so true. When inevitable challenges are thrown at you, they will test your attitude & your resolve. With a fierce attitude to remain focussed, this will keep you on the journey. “Success is a journey, not a destination. The doing is often more important than the outcome.”

The concept of this is simple — enjoy the process. You enjoy the sensation of the sequence of poses and the associated presence of mind, the unity of mind and body. You have found the path of yoga has enough to offer whether you reach the end. Yoga is a lifelong adventure. It is more about the journey than the destination.

Follow the rules, you'll do great.

Yoga is more about what you do off the mat than on the mat. If you haven’t realized that yet, you’re not yet a yogi. Yoga is not about how flexible your body is. It’s about obtaining a flexible mind. Make your practice priority. You know you’re a better human with a regular practice. Almost invariably, the best people are the ones who had the most difficulty learning. You must learn the rules of the game. And then you must play better than anyone else in your life.

Starve the ego, feed the soul.

How can our lives be so much different at times and what can we do to tap into our infinite potential and experience peace and stillness in most of our lives?

you should be seeking out knowledge to get better at anything and everything that you do. And you should be seeking out that which feeds the very essence of your soul to keep the burning fire of your passion aglow.

Our ego is that voice within us that demands everything and pulls us along a path that is difficult and filled with obstacles. The ego robs us of the peace that we deserve. Our soul is the deep, profound, and infinitely tranquil place within us that knows nothing but empathy, love, compassion and truth. The soul is who we truly are. Every human being truly desires to live the best they possibly can. However, the ego interrupts this process with endless mind

games. It’s time to take back what is ours and quiet the ego.

Choose purpose over perfection.

It’s so important to understand that you don’t have to be perfect. If you always strive to learn and become better than you were yesterday, you can accomplish so much more. Purpose diminishes distraction & Purpose pushes you through pain. That is the beauty of yoga – it doesn’t care about perfection – only intention and effort. Yoga is for everyone. Life is for everyone.

Rule your mind or it will rule you.

The next time you feel like you can’t control your thoughts and you feel as if you are losing confidence in your abilities to be an awesome yoga teacher, remember that you oversee your life.
You are the writer of your own story. Don’t doubt yourself or your teaching abilities! Stay strong and know that you are unique and worthy.

I am flexible and open to change.

There is no doubt that, as a yogi, you will experience a significant amount of change in your life. Not just in your personal life, but also in your professional life.
There will be times when you will have to change the way you teach and even where you teach. Remember, to be flexible and open to any change that comes your way. This will allow you to grow and expand your light in every direction!

I am learning, growing, evolving, and expanding.

It’s so important as in yoga always want to become a better person as well as a better teacher. You should feel the need to learn, grow, and expand your own mind and practice.

By doing this, you can easily inspire others who, in return, will inspire the world around them. This domino effect is all because of your work as a Yogi.

Go at your own pace.

To apply this concept of going at your own pace off the mat – if you want to take a “gap year” after college to travel and see the world, then do it! If you want to spend your 20’s immersed in work, climbing up the corporate ladder to “coast” into your 30’s, do that. If you want to get married and start a family as soon as possible, go for it.

Let this serve as an important reminder – you are in control; you can change your path or speed at your own will. You do not need to be in any rush. You are in competition with no one. You are doing what feels right for you. You’ll get there when you get there, and until then, you’ll continue to focus on being present in each moment and making the most out of your current experience.

Learn how to breathe.

The most important thing to do in yoga is to breathe, especially when holding the postures. Learn the basic Dirgha pranayama breath to use during yoga. Most importantly, breathe in and out through the nose into the belly. 

We cover the subjects of pranayama and how “mastering our breath is harder than taming a lion.” We learn about Purusha (the idea, the soul, the consciousness) and Prakriti (the material, the physical, the creation) and how going from purusha to prakriti means manifestation and going the opposite way is liberation.

Balance And Focus Are Necessary To Move Forward Successfully

The things you are most successful at are the things that you devote your full attention to. It is also good to remember that you must do all things in moderation, balance is necessary to develop your life skills.

Mindfulness.

Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without wishing it were different; enjoying the pleasant without holding on when it changes (which it will); being with the unpleasant without fearing it will always be this way (which it won’t). When I step onto my mat, my strengths and weaknesses are exposed, not for everyone to view, but for me to privately evaluate.

And that is exactly what yoga has taught me, and eventually, you, too.

It’s time to become the best version of yourself.