I envy Aamir Khan’s success. The amount of love and respect he draws is unparalleled. While he educated us about ‘dyslexia’ in ‘Taare Zamin Par’, he also inspired millions to pursue their calling through ‘3 Idiots’, which has gained cult status now. What helped him deliver such path breaking movies? Was it just luck?
In quest to discover answer to my question, I watched many of his interviews, read many articles, went through media reports. And here are some facts, which I feel pushed him to the top:
1. Focus: At one point of time, Aamir did have his share of flops. Before ‘Mela’ bombed at the box office, his career was fluctuating. The classic failure of ‘Mela’ gave him insight to rethink his approach to the films and he stuck to One Film at a Time and No Work on Sunday philosophy.
2. Quality above Money: He gave up the greed to make fast money by whatever came his way. It’s not easy as actors are the most insecured lots. Since then, he only did the films which excited him. The first outcome was ‘Lagaan’, which was nominated to Academy Awards in Best Foreign Language Film category.
3. Reinvent the Idea: He recognized the changing aspirations of the society and reinvented the concept of socially responsible films, which used to be appreciated only by critics. He made some of them huge commercial success.
4. Quest for Excellence: He goes deep into everything he does and absorbs the characters he plays. Imagine a 40 plus man, the father of two, playing the role of a teen in 3 Idiots. Don’t blame the media who calls him Mr. Perfectionist.
5. Everyone Should Win: He firmly believes in Win-Win. Therefore, his movies and not sold at exorbitant prices. If it’s a success everyone wins, if it’s a failure, everyone shares.
All this reminds me of the following poem:
Luck
He worked by day;
And toiled by night.
He gave up play;
And some delight.
Dry books he read;
New things to learn.
And forged ahead;
Success to earn.
He plodded on with;
Faith and pluck;
And when he won;
Men called it luck.
These blogs contain stories, anecdotes, poems and thoughts to inspire you live a more successful life. Welcome to Vivek Singh Blogs.
Monday, January 17, 2011
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Performance Syndrome
The recent ouster of Saurabh Ganguly from IPL 4 has left me thinking: Is good performance enough to retain your job? Dada’s performance has been praiseworthy throughout and this time nobody even bid for me. What went wrong?
If you notice closely, after Shah Rukh Khan, Saurabh has been the most prominent face of the team. He had become popular to the extent that: individual could supersede the institution. The cheers at the matches were more for Dada than to the team. Eventually Dada became a threat to KKR and he was dispended. It’s pure business!
Could Dada have done anything to retain his job? May be!
1. I’m sure Saurabh must have enjoyed every success. Every time he hit a ton, it must have reinforced the feeling that he was indispensible. He was wrong.
2. There must have been multiple signals of his ouster. He was not enough intelligent catch and interpret them.
3. He could have made effort to make sure the image of institution is not threatened, which he did not.
My final words, performance makes you myopic. If you are performing well, it’s easy to get blinded to the other factors.
So, keep your glasses on for a wider vision and don’t forget to refresh your sensors to catch the imminent threats. You may still be dumped, but it will not be a surprise for you.
If you notice closely, after Shah Rukh Khan, Saurabh has been the most prominent face of the team. He had become popular to the extent that: individual could supersede the institution. The cheers at the matches were more for Dada than to the team. Eventually Dada became a threat to KKR and he was dispended. It’s pure business!
Could Dada have done anything to retain his job? May be!
1. I’m sure Saurabh must have enjoyed every success. Every time he hit a ton, it must have reinforced the feeling that he was indispensible. He was wrong.
2. There must have been multiple signals of his ouster. He was not enough intelligent catch and interpret them.
3. He could have made effort to make sure the image of institution is not threatened, which he did not.
My final words, performance makes you myopic. If you are performing well, it’s easy to get blinded to the other factors.
So, keep your glasses on for a wider vision and don’t forget to refresh your sensors to catch the imminent threats. You may still be dumped, but it will not be a surprise for you.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
The Dark Candle
Do you have the tendency to crib over the past? It's not very uncommon. The following story teaches us to let go the past and enjoy life. It's worth a few minutes of yours.
Love!
Vivek
The Dark Candle
A man had a little daughter--an only and much beloved child. He lived only for her, she was his life. So when she became ill and her illness resisted the efforts of the best obtainable physicians, he became like a man possessed, moving heaven and earth to bring about her restoration to health.
His best efforts proved fruitless, however, and the child died. The father was totally irreconcilable. He became a bitter recluse, shutting himself away from his many friends, refusing every activity that might restore his poise and bring him back to his normal self.
Then one night he had a dream. He was in heaven and witnessing a grand pageant of the entire little child angels. They were marching in an apparently endless line past the Great White Throne. Every white robed, angelic tot carried a candle. He noticed, however, that one child's candle was not lit. Then he saw that the child with the dark candle was his own little girl. Rushing towards her, while the pageant faltered, he seized her in his arms, caressed her tenderly, and asked, "How is that your candle is the only one not lit?" "Father, they often relight it, but your tears always put it out again," she said.
Just then he awoke from his dream. The lesson was crystal clear, and it's effects were immediate. From that hour on he was no longer a recluse, but mingled freely and cheerfully with his former friends and associates. No longer would his little darling's candle be extinguished by his useless tears.
Love!
Vivek
The Dark Candle
A man had a little daughter--an only and much beloved child. He lived only for her, she was his life. So when she became ill and her illness resisted the efforts of the best obtainable physicians, he became like a man possessed, moving heaven and earth to bring about her restoration to health.
His best efforts proved fruitless, however, and the child died. The father was totally irreconcilable. He became a bitter recluse, shutting himself away from his many friends, refusing every activity that might restore his poise and bring him back to his normal self.
Then one night he had a dream. He was in heaven and witnessing a grand pageant of the entire little child angels. They were marching in an apparently endless line past the Great White Throne. Every white robed, angelic tot carried a candle. He noticed, however, that one child's candle was not lit. Then he saw that the child with the dark candle was his own little girl. Rushing towards her, while the pageant faltered, he seized her in his arms, caressed her tenderly, and asked, "How is that your candle is the only one not lit?" "Father, they often relight it, but your tears always put it out again," she said.
Just then he awoke from his dream. The lesson was crystal clear, and it's effects were immediate. From that hour on he was no longer a recluse, but mingled freely and cheerfully with his former friends and associates. No longer would his little darling's candle be extinguished by his useless tears.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Get Ready for Everything!
"Don't get ready for something, get ready for everything."
This quote by Warren Bennis held my attention this morning when I was browsing 'The Economic Times.' See, How well it fits into our life.
Mostly things don't work the way we want them.. then leads disappointment, frustration and worry. Why do we feel bad? Because we expect the things to go well. What if we are always on guard, we mentally prepare ourselves that things may go wrong any time in any direction?
I have noticed, however well you prepare, a few strings stay loose. Hardly have I ever been able to anticipate all problems associated with a project and prepare against all of them. Neither it's a good idea to do so.. as you are likely to get lost in the maze of details losing sight of goals. So what's the point?
While handling a project:
a. Begin with the end in mind-The good old principle. Be clear, what your goals are. What finally do you want out of it.
b.Anticipate major roadblocks and challenges you may encounter, and prepare against them.
c. Start the game and be ready for the things to go wrong anywhere.
Trust me you will be far more composed and in better position to handle it.
This quote by Warren Bennis held my attention this morning when I was browsing 'The Economic Times.' See, How well it fits into our life.
Mostly things don't work the way we want them.. then leads disappointment, frustration and worry. Why do we feel bad? Because we expect the things to go well. What if we are always on guard, we mentally prepare ourselves that things may go wrong any time in any direction?
I have noticed, however well you prepare, a few strings stay loose. Hardly have I ever been able to anticipate all problems associated with a project and prepare against all of them. Neither it's a good idea to do so.. as you are likely to get lost in the maze of details losing sight of goals. So what's the point?
While handling a project:
a. Begin with the end in mind-The good old principle. Be clear, what your goals are. What finally do you want out of it.
b.Anticipate major roadblocks and challenges you may encounter, and prepare against them.
c. Start the game and be ready for the things to go wrong anywhere.
Trust me you will be far more composed and in better position to handle it.
Monday, January 3, 2011
What's in the Name?
While browsing through the ‘Videos’ section of CNN IBN, today I came across a beautiful show called ‘Zindagi Live’ and after a long time I enjoyed a talk show so much that tears rolled down more than once. The guest today was Boman Irani.
Without digressing from the topic, I must let you know that one of the rare qualities what Boman has is: To make people feel special. This came out consistently from most of the people who knew him. What is even more compelling is that he has retained this despite all the success.
Upon being asked why he makes people feel important, he says, “I make others feel important because I want to feel special too.” Nothing new, but I find this missing in many of us. There is no dearth of people who mistreat others to prove their importance, but Boman certainly does it differently.
His wife shares, “Boman always looks for the name badge and makes sure to call the person by name, be it a bar or a movie theatre.” Considering my bad track of name recalling, this is indeed a very helpful tip for me.
This reminds me of a few basic things we can do to make people feel special:
a. Control the urge to speak. Listen!
b. Be specific while giving compliments
c. Display positive body language. Smile!
d. Shed arrogance, humility is appreciated by all, and not to forget,
e. Call them by name.
Without digressing from the topic, I must let you know that one of the rare qualities what Boman has is: To make people feel special. This came out consistently from most of the people who knew him. What is even more compelling is that he has retained this despite all the success.
Upon being asked why he makes people feel important, he says, “I make others feel important because I want to feel special too.” Nothing new, but I find this missing in many of us. There is no dearth of people who mistreat others to prove their importance, but Boman certainly does it differently.
His wife shares, “Boman always looks for the name badge and makes sure to call the person by name, be it a bar or a movie theatre.” Considering my bad track of name recalling, this is indeed a very helpful tip for me.
This reminds me of a few basic things we can do to make people feel special:
a. Control the urge to speak. Listen!
b. Be specific while giving compliments
c. Display positive body language. Smile!
d. Shed arrogance, humility is appreciated by all, and not to forget,
e. Call them by name.
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