Expectations and Expecting

Setting expectations for ourselves and employees is the common practice we follow in our day today work life. Setting expectations motivates us to achieve those goals and make us better as time unfolds.

Expectation setting is the a must in case we want to grow in career or in life or where we would want ourselves to be in next year or so.

Word Expectations on ascending arrow above bar graph

Setting expectations and achieving them and out goals are like climbing the stairs from one to 10. Unless you have a GOAL to be there on Step 10 you wont start with Step 1. Now let us look in to various aspects that we may want think before setting expectations for us or for others.

  1. We need to be clear on our GOAL/s
  2. We need to know where we/our team are now and where to reach.
  3. What skills required to achieve those Goal/s
  4. If Goal/s require some training – need to plan for that.
  5. What is the checklist for the completion of the GOAL/s

Once we have the GOAL/s ready and passed through our rules then we can roll out the expectations.

We need to have a plan to review the progress on the expectations set.

Benefits of setting expectations as specified above would be reaching the GOAL/s individually or for the team. By setting expectations we will be able to assess our current skills and what is required to get to the point where we planned to.

Now let us see what is the Expecting and how does it differs from the Expectations.

As per the dictionary to expect means to look for, hope for watch for or look forward for.

Experienced that many a number of times we expect something from some one and get disappointing if that is not fulfilled. As per me we should not expect anything from others in the first place. If we can help others we should and should not expect anything in return. If we expect something in return for our help this will no longer a help but we are doing business with people’s mind. But ironically we find this category of people all the time around.

Another category of people always keep expecting things from others, I see this as a very bad trend and leading cause for stress and related illness. In case their expectations from others are not met these kind of people get depressed, develop anger on others. So my argument is that we should not expect things from others as that lead to dissatisfaction if those expectations are not met.

So setting expectations for us and our teams is very good for personal and professional growth for us and for our teams, on contrary to this expecting something from others is detrimental at the personal front.

 

 

 

 

 

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Another year of the day for knowing the true self, experiencing the pure bliss and happiness. It is a ritual at home on “Maha Shivarathri Day” completely get immersed in chanting Hymns of Lord Shiva, perform ” Ekadasa Rudram (Shri Rudram)” Maha Shivarathri is a Hindu Festival falls in the month of Maagha or Phalguna( […]

via A Day and Night with Lord Shiva — drpadmavathi

A Day and Night with Lord Shiva

Another year of the day for knowing the true self, experiencing the pure bliss and happiness. It is a ritual at home on “Maha Shivarathri Day” completely get immersed in chanting Hymns of Lord Shiva, perform ” Ekadasa Rudram (Shri Rudram)”

Maha Shivarathri is a Hindu Festival falls in the month of Maagha or Phalguna( February – March)

At home we keep fast on this day and offer Shri Rudram to Lord Shiva. We stay awake throughout the night in contemplation. Keeping fast and staying awake is believed to overcome darkness and ignorance in life.

The day starts with preparing for the day long ritual.

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Setting the Stage

Shri Rudram( a homage hymn) is a Sanskrit Hymns chanted in homage to Rudra or Shiva. Rudra is a Hindu God from the Vedic Period. Rudram consists of powerful Manthras, originated from the Krishna Yajurvedam.

Shir Rudram has two parts:

  1. Part one – Rudra Namakam – the word Namaha is reated throughout the Namakam, hence the name Namakam.
  2. Part Two – Rudra Chamakam – the word Cha Me repeated throughout( in Sanskrit and translated as “and me”)

Sri Rudram, also known as Rudra Prashan a hymn offered to the all-pervading Brahman, designated as Rudra or Siva, present in auspicious, benign forms as well as terrible, fierce forms.

While performing Rudra Chanting devotee asks for the benevolent aspect of Shiva to be invoked rather in the terrible aspect of Rudra and requests for forgiveness of sins.

There are Vedic evidence that the place where Sri Rudram is recited that place becomes  free from disease, drought, thefts, and other ills. ” Maha Mrithyunjaya Manthra is embedded in Sri Rudram, that provides mental, physical and emotional health and well being.

Maha Mrithyunjaya Manthra

ॐ त्र्य॑म्बकं यजामहे सु॒गन्धिं॑ पुष्टि॒वर्ध॑नम् ।
उ॒र्वा॒रु॒कमि॑व॒ बन्ध॑नान् मृ॒त्योर्मुक्षीय॒ मा ऽमृता॑त् ।

oṃ tryambakaṃ yajāmahe sugandhiṃ puṣṭi-vardhanam
urvārukam iva bandhanān mṛtyor mukṣīya mā ‘mṛtāt

Namaka Manthra’s offer salutations and identifies Rudra in every thing  a reciter asks for granting different things (around 300 and odd to) Rudra.

Every year we chant 11 cycles of Sri Rudram and it takes us about 30 mins to chant one Cycle. This has become more then a ritual for us in these years. A person who is chanting  and people who are listening these Manthra’s are blessed with both worldly and spiritual benefits such as good health, peace of mind, joy and pure bliss.  Slowly and steadily a seeker advances their journey in knowing ultimate brahman towards the path of “Nirvana”

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My little Sister

I have given you my saved penny when you were in mother’s lap my little sister.

Now, I do not have even blessing to give you.

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Time has changed me, my love towards siblings.

Where were those innocent and naive days we shared?

Where are those birthdays we used to celebrate ?

Those days passed by the storm of life, and covered by the dust of duties.

Why have we grew up my little sister?

To be more egoistic, selfish, accumulate feelings of me and mine?

Paper jets and boats replaced by  cars and flats

Siblings have become less important than own family

Why have we grew up my little sister?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summer Rain

Summer rains brings much relief from crazy heat of the Sun.

Summer Rains brings much joy to all lives

The cool breeze coming from wet Neem leaves, the smell of rain soaked soil. Oh…nothing more is needed to relax the soul.

Children playing with paper boats in the Summer rain …

Parents watching their childhood through their children.

Sparrows are jumping from one twig to another splashing the rain water….

Summer Rains brings much joy to all lives ….

A cool rainy breeze touching my tired eyes providing solace

Being calm, listening to the raindrops falling is meditating ….

Summer Rains brings much joy to all lives

Bird-Baths

 

I am the Manager Mindset is not Agile

Agile Guru, Scrum Master “X ” thinks that he is using Scrum for past 10 or 12 years so he thinks he is agile guru. I am sure you will agree that by mere practicing a methodology for managing your projects there is not guarantee that we have got the agile culture and mindset.

What is agile behavior and mindset then?

Agile way of working promotes empirical way of work, that encourages you to fail and fail early, commit mistakes and learn from your mistakes and failures. So, do you understand that failing or doing mistakes are not real failures or mistakes, they are opportunities for us to learn in the project life cycle.

Our Sprint cycle is time boxed for 3 or 4 weeks duration, there is every opportunity for you to fail and learn from failures.

So our Scrum Master & Agile Guru ‘X’ shouts at his colleague for a simple misunderstanding and behaves with her in most unprofessional way. Is this the way an Agile Guru or coach behaves in corporate world in an agile organization? What agile culture or at least normal corporate culture has gone into his DNA?

Let us look in to another scenario where the team is working on a global initiative and deliverable in an organization, another “Agile Guru” without knowing the scope, length or breadth of the initiatives and tries to push his ideas or achievements which does not reflect the global initiatives. So, there is a conflict naturally with the team.

So where is the fault in these 2 scenarios, there is issues with the organizational agility and understanding the agile culture and mindset.

How to inculcate the agile mindset or culture?

We need to role play, use legos to teach our teams what is agile culture, play some motivational videos of agility shift like Sully Sullen burger’s miracle on Hudson river. We need to somehow change the hierarchical thinking where “I am the Manager” mindset blocks the true agility to come out in an organization.

People with “I am the Manager” can never be a Scrum Master, who is a servant – Leader).

There is a need today in many organizations especially with thick “permafrost” of people with “I am the Manager” mindset, to change them to Agile mindset and bring the true agile culture in to the DNA of the organizations.

Magic Drink – An Elixir for Good Health

This is not a new health drink at least in India. Our elders have been following this elixir for many years. I have just added some more good health ingredients to make it a wholesome health drink.

This could be consumes by all age groups and in all health conditions i.e. in health and while recovering from some  illness.

I am not going to provide the benefits of each ingredients and their nutritional values as all these are commonly available in our Indian kitchens. With this home make healthy elixir, you could think of replacing all market bought health drinks.

Let us note down the ingredients, we have to include cereals, pulses and a dry fruit.

Cereals 

  1. Wheat – 100 grams
  2. Bajra – 100 grams
  3. Jowar – 100 grams
  4. Barley – 100 grams

Pulses

  1. Toor Dal – 50 grams
  2. Moong Dal – 100 grams
  3. Masoor Dal – 50 grams

Badam – 200 grams

Magic Drink

Preparation Method

Wash all the ingredients and dry them in the Sun till they are completely dry. Alternatively you may dry roast them as well. Once they are dry in the Sun or dry roasted in a pan, mix all ingredients or grind them separately in a Mixture to a smooth powder.

Alternatively, we may allow the cereals to sprout and then dry them or dry roast them before grinding depending on how much time you have for the preparations. You may also use shelled moong or green moon in place of Dal left to sprout and added to the preparation. Any cereal or shelled pulse if you are using in this mixture after left to sprout the nutritional value will be automatically doubled.

Bottle the powder in an airtight container.

This powder can be used as a substitute for small babies for weaning them from mother’s milk to Cerelac, kids can easily able to wean and adopt to very tasty, healthy and easily digestible home-made food.

Now comes the question, how to consume?

For one serving of baby food, take 2-3 tea spoons or around 8-12 grams of the Magic Drink powder dissolve in about 200 ml of water, dissolve the powder without any lumps. Cook it on stove till it becomes a semi solid, add sugar or salt to taste. If you are adding Salt then you may add a drop or 2 of Ghee (clarified butter) and use it as a weaning food to babies.

For general health drink, in 200 – 300 ml of water dissolve the 3-4 tea spoons of the power, dissolve without any lumps, stirr on the stove till it gets completely cooked and becomes think. Add desired quantities of Milk and Sugar and consume 1-2 times a day.

This could be made as a porridge and taken as it is for breakfast as well.

I have been using this for quite some time for with wonderful results and advised to many friends and family members. You also experience the goodness of natural home-made health elixir for better health.

 

Vegetarian Haleem I call it as VaLeem

Long weekend gave an opportunity to do some experiment, invention with the food. The Ramadan month started and every where we see the name Haleem all over and people thronging to these various places. Being a vegetarian I used wonder and want to make a vegetarian version of this recipe, as I have tried some packaged version of Vegetarian Haleem but could not even take a spoon of it, as the taste was not so good or not fresh. whatever the reasons, I have never tired to buy any packaged Vegetarian Haleem again.

The long weekend and the Ramadan Season again ignited zeal to experiment on Vegetarian version of this famous Arabian delicacy. I searched YouTube for any available vegetarian Haleem version, could not find any. I have watched one YouTube video of vahcheff@ Vahreh vah.com.

VahCheff Video of Hyderabadi Haleem

So my Valeem is the exact replica of the above Mutton Haleem Recipie in place of Mutton I have used vegetables.

Now let me give you a detailed list of ingredients and the procedure for our yummy VaLeem( Vegetarian Haleem) recipe 🙂

Ingredients: All the ingredients required are for 200 grams of the whole Wheat + pulses

Spices Required:

  1. Cloves  8
  2. Cardamom 8 numbers
  3. Cinnamon 4 sticks of 2 inch pieces
  4. Pepper Corns – 20
  5. Shahi Jeera 5 grams
  6. Jeera 10 grams
  7. Long tailed Pepper (Kabab chini) – 10 grams

You need to make 2 equal portions of these Spices and keep it a side.

Take around 20 – 30 grams of Cashew nuts fried in Ghee and keep it a side.

Basic Vegetables that I have used

  1. Potato – Aloo – 1 big
  2. Carrot – 1big
  3. Cauliflower half flower
  4. Big Onion – 1
  5. Green Chillies – 3
  6. Ginger Garlic Paste – 2 Table Spoons
  7. Fried Onions 50 grams
  8. Salt to taste
  9. Water for cooking

You may think of adding other vegetables 

  1. Green Peas
  2. Beet Root?

Vegetable Preparations

Take a think Pan and add 1 table spoon of clarified butter, let it heat, add one portion of the whole spices that we have taken and fry in the Ghee, once the aroma starts coming then add green chillies slit in to long pieces, then add Onion chopped longitudinally and fine. Once Onion start getting translucent and brown add Ginger Garlic paste, fry till it looses its raw smell.

Now it is the time for you to add all the vegetables and fry adding salt required, fry all the vegetables in low flame till all of them become fully tender and fried well, keep them aside.

Base Ingredients for the VaLeem:

  1. Whole Wheat 200 grams
  2. Pigeon Peas or Toor dal – 20 grams
  3. Green Gram – Moong dal – 20 grams
  4. Black Gram – Urad Dal – 20 grams
  5. Chick peas – Chana 20 grams
  6. Red Lentil – Masoor Dal – 20 grams
  7. Barley – 20 grams
  8. Clarified Butter or Desi Ghee – 200 grams

Place a thick bottomed pan on the stove and add 1 table spoon of Shudh Desi Ghee (Clarified Butter), start frying in the series Spices, whole Wheat, all lentils (dals) the barley, keep frying in the low flame till beautiful aroma of the spices, wheat and dals start emanating. Once you feel the ingredients are fully fried and become aromatic, transfer them to a flat place and let it cool.

Transfer the ingredients in to a Mixi Jar and fry till they are course to fine but not as powder.

Now take a thick bottomed pressure cooker, add 4 Table Spoons of Ghee once it gets heated, and then add ground Wheat and Dals, add 3 glasses of water to 1 glass of the ground mix, I have taken 2 medium glass of this mix (200 grams) and added 9 glasses of water, add required quantity of Salt. Keep the lid and let one whistle, then simmer the stove and let this cook in the low flame for about 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes open the cooker lid and add fried vegetables to the cooked mix, add 2 more table spoons of Ghee, add about 20 grams of fried onions, mix well, let it cook for about 10 minutes, complete cooking after adding fried Cashew Nuts.

Serve hot with lemon, dash of Ghee and fired onion. You may add few leaves of Mint Leaves and fresh coriander leaves.

This recipe is originally originally an Arabian recipe, it is wholesome, very nutritious, I am sure you are going to enjoy.

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Plan to prepare this weekend , share with your family members and post your comments, or your queries.

Management of Flu (Influenza) with Pranayama.

Yes, you are reading right, we can manage those irritating and weakening symptoms of Influenza or Flu with specific Pranayama. Tried this in many  patients with success.

What we suffer those nasty cold with runny nose, eyes, sore throat and body aches, some times high body temperature caused by Influenza Type A & B viruses. Type B is our enemy as this spreads easily among humans.

Influenza Virus

It starts with simple running nose and then a troubling illness, to say it is simple COLD but to suffer it is like Hell.

How to manage the symptoms ? Since it is Viral it has a self limiting period if you take medicines or not. But we need to manage the associated symptoms, like increase in the body temperature, irritating cough etc with mild medications.

Though this article is not about suggesting what medicines you need to take or not, I would like to stress the importance of “Pranayama” during Influenza attack.

I suggest to take minimal medication and try the following Pranayama Methods to get rid of those unpleasant days with “congestion”.

  1. Before starting the Pranayama, you need to clear that stuffed nose, that could be done by using an Electric “Vaporiser” use a spoon of Turmeric Powder in the water before heating.
  2. You clear the air passages before starting your Pranayama.
  3. Start a simple Anulom Vilom Pranayama ( for how to do you may follow this link on the YouTube Anulom Vilom Pranayam. You need to complete Nine rounds of this pranayama. In between you feel like clearing your throat and nose you can do so and again continue with the Pranayama.
  4. Next one is  Kapalabhati Pranayama – this you need to do 30 counts 3 cycles. This pranayama clears the head with the feeling of heaviness, blockages in ears and you feel very light after doing this specific Pranayama.
  5. Then you start doing Ujjayi Pranayama. Ujjayi Pranayama improves the flow of air in to the lungs and clears the air passages, improves the blood circulation. This you could do for 10 to 15 mins and increase as per your stamina.

Just try these 3 Pranayamas and beleive me that there will be immense improvement in the general condition and you will get rid of annoying symptoms of Cold in 2-3 days.

You may repeat this “Pranayama Regimen” Morning and Evening once, remember to have a gap of 2-3 hrs after having food.

You can find your self sleeping like a Baby in case you do these Pranayama as it is.

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Please post your queries on any Pranayama mentioned or any other questions.

 

 

* Picture credits:  WebMd