Be Proud To Be An INDIAN

There is a reason to write this blog now. Two days back I got a forward mail from one of my friends narrating the speech of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam tagged as 'must read for every Indian'. I think all of you might have gone through it at least once since it is a 7 year old email and still continues the loop. Yes, it is the very same speech in which he talks about why the Indians and the Indian media are so negative; the very same speech in which he asks for ten minutes of every Indian to think about why we behave differently when at abroad and at home and why we obey the rules in a foreign country and at the same time does not bother what the rules says in India.

I didn't give it a big importance as it is not the first time I am receiving the same. But a reply from a person who is a friend of my friend but totally unknown person for me made me think about it. He made me react to his reply; as per him this mail was irrational and compilation of bullshit(as per his words),he depicts that it is foolish to believe the rosy pictures painted by someone of the garden next door(mentioning about Dr. Kalam) and he doesn't mind the person who gave the speech was the Indian President or a person who got the Padma Bhushan in 1981; Padma Vibhushan in 1990; and the Bharat Ratna in 1997.

The most funniest thing is, in between this talk another person came up with an opinion that this article was not Dr. Kalam and its a spam- Wow!In his words, a great personality like Dr. Kalam will not give such a stupid and provocative mail. And as per him, 70% of the Indian population in under the BPL( he is still four decades back I think) and we minority people(above BPL) sitting in front of a laptop in an a/c room is simply wasting our time for a useless debate. I wonder how people are having all these kind of false information in this era of information technology! I shut him up by giving him the link to the original speech and by submitting the statistical tables of present Indian economy. You can also have a look at the original speech here

I asked our hero if Dr. Kalam is not the right person to talk to us then who in the world is? and I explained him clearly that by this speech Dr. Kalam meant to motivate the Indian youth. He is doing what a great leader should do- Motivate and Show us the path. To understand what he meant exactly and to contribute to the growth of the country by changing accordingly is our duty.

Do you know what happened next? I got emails from his friends, appreciating me and saying sorry for their friend who cannot understand. But what I am worried is if 2 out of 20 people in the mailing list is thinking like this then what will be the number in total 110 crores. That's why I decided to write this here.

The change of the entire nation starts with a single person. If everyone fears to be the first(to change), the change will never occur. Dr. Kalam cannot come to each one of us and tell us what to change. Understand his intentions in the right way and begin the change. It is our duty to make his vision- The Vision 2020, a truth.

I will stop with a quote by Dr. Joe Vitale the marketing guru. "I believe that the past is gone and the future is now". Stop worrying about the past and look forward to the future. Be a contributing part of that India which all of us dreams.

JAI HIND

John Wooden Quotes...

A coach is someone who can give correction without causing resentment.

John Wooden

Ability is a poor man's wealth.

John Wooden

Adversity is the state in which man mostly easily becomes acquainted with himself, being especially free of admirers then.

John Wooden

Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.

John Wooden

Be prepared and be honest.

John Wooden

Consider the rights of others before your own feelings, and the feelings of others before your own rights.

John Wooden

Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

John Wooden

Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

John Wooden

Don't measure yourself by what you have accomplished, but by what you should have accomplished with your ability.

John Wooden

Failure is not fatal, but failure to change might be.

John Wooden

I'd rather have a lot of talent and a little experience than a lot of experience and a little talent.

John Wooden

If you don't have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?

John Wooden

If you're not making mistakes, then you're not doing anything. I'm positive that a doer makes mistakes.

John Wooden

It isn't what you do, but how you do it.

John Wooden

It's not so important who starts the game but who finishes it.

John Wooden

It's the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.

John Wooden

It's what you learn after you know it all that counts.

John Wooden

Material possessions, winning scores, and great reputations are meaningless in the eyes of the Lord because He knows what we really are and that is all that matters.

John Wooden

Never mistake activity for achievement.

John Wooden

Success comes from knowing that you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.

John Wooden

Success is never final, failure is never fatal. It's courage that counts.

John Wooden

Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best you are capable of becoming.

John Wooden

Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man given. Be grateful. The conceit is self-given. Be careful.

John Wooden

The main ingredient of stardom is the rest of the team.

John Wooden

The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.

John Wooden

There are many things that are essential to arriving at true peace of mind, and one of the most important is faith, which cannot be acquired without prayer.

John Wooden

Things turn out best for the people who make the best of the way things turn out.

John Wooden

What you are as a person is far more important that what you are as a basketball player.

John Wooden

Winning takes talent, to repeat takes the character.

John Wooden

You can't let praise or criticism get to you. It's a weakness to get caught up in either one.

John Wooden

You can't live a perfect day without doing something for someone who will never be able to repay you.

John Wooden

The Pyramid of Success

John Wooden is known as 'The greatest Coach of All Time.' The legendary men’s basketball coach led UCLA to an unprecedented 10 national championships. He took the UCLA basketball team to 88 consecutive victories, 8 undefeated conference seasons, 38 straight NCAA tournament victories, and 4 perfect seasons. During his tenure with the Bruins, Wooden became known as the "Wizard of Westwood." His 'Pyramid of Success' is as famous as the coach himself.

The principles of his pyramid can be summarized as

Industriousness:

• Work hard. Don’t just go through the motions. Be totally focused and fully engaged to accomplish the task at hand.

Enthusiasm:

• Be passionate about what you do. Energy and enjoyment, drive and dedication prevent work from becoming drudgery and stimulate a team to succeed.

Friendship:

• Instill respect and camaraderie, or a spirit of goodwill, amongst team members.

Loyalty:

• First, don’t betray yourself by compromising your standards and values. Second, don’t betray those you lead by compromising their trust.

Cooperation:

• Be more committed to what’s right than to who’s right. Freely share ideas, information, creativity, and responsibility regardless of who gets the credit.
• “A strong leader accepts blame and gives the credit.”

Self-Control

• Show self-discipline in the little things. Resist the easy choices, the expedient solutions, and the temptations that will drag you and your team down.

Alertness:

• Constantly observe, absorb, and learn from what’s going on around you. Evaluate your strengths and weaknesses as well as your competitors’.

Initiative:

• Exercise the courage to make decisions and to act. Be willing to risk failure. Take a strong stand.
• “Make each day your masterpiece.”

Intentness:

• Exhibit diligence and determination, fortitude and resolve. Constantly, relentlessly persist in your pursuit of excellence.

Condition:

• Develop mental, moral, and physical strength.
• “Practice moderation and balance in all you do.”

Skill:

• Be proficient in performing all aspects of your job.

Team Spirit:

• Be eager to sacrifice personal interests or glory for the good of all.
• “Define success for those under your leadership as total commitment and effort to the team’s welfare.”

Poise:

• Hold fast to your beliefs and live them out, regardless of how bad or good a situation might be. Avoid pose or pretense. Don’t compare yourself to others or act like someone you’re not. Be brave in all circumstances.

Confidence:

• Believe firmly that you’ve done everything you can to successfully face the challenges ahead. Then, rest assured that you’re prepared to perform at the highest level.

Competitive Greatness:

• Wooden defines competitive greatness as “A real love for the hard battle, knowing it offers the opportunity to perform at your best when your best is required.”
• Derive joy from the struggle, the journey, the contest.
• “The hard struggle is to be welcomed, never feared. In fact, when you define success this way, the only thing to fear is your own unwillingness to make the full, 100 percent effort to prepare and perform at the highest level or your ability.”