3 Career Lessons from the Indian Premier League

A message I shared a couple of weeks back with a group of young professionals ! Read on...

Cricket is a big passion in India and like many of you, I have been following the Indian Premier League  or IPL as it is called with great interest over the years. Unfortunately, this year, we have seen a lot of controversy with spot-fixing and corruption allegations in the IPL. Sport is usually associated with fun, but there are important lessons in sport too. Here are 3 career lessons that I learnt from the IPL that can be a guide in our professional lives.

1) Nothing is more important than ethics

We have seen many celebrated cricketers under the scanner for spot-fixing and other allegations of corrupt practices during this IPL season. Some people have thrown away celebrated careers by doing things they should not, things that are not ethical. While nefarious elements thought they could get away with it, in the end the long hand of law dealt them a blow. This episode reinforces the need for ethics, not just in sport, but in our personal lives. Upholding the highest standards of ethics is the foremost quality one seeks of you.

2) It is about performance, not about superstars

Have you seen the emergence of unknown players this IPL season? Be it Sanju Samson in Rajasthan Royals or Hanuma Vihari in Sunrisers Hyderabad, individuals who perform get recognized. They are noticed and it helps their careers. At the sometime, so called superstars who don't perform have to warm the bench. Ricky Ponting who is such a celebrated cricketer sat himself out of the team after a few bad performances so that deserving players who work for the team get a chance. As in sport, it is in our profession too that we can't rest on past laurels. It is not about being a superstar, it is not about big egos. Performance matters and we need to prove ourselves every single day.

3) Diversity is a strength

The balanced teams in this IPL season have done very well. There are some teams that have the hard hitting batsmen but poor bowlers, some others that have the fast bowlers but no good spinners and so on. However, teams that have the right balance and a diverse talent pool is the one that wins. In our professional lives too, remember to celebrate diversity. We should be open to new ideas and diverse thoughts because that makes a difference.

Success comes from right effort. My favourite author, Paulo Coelho defines success in his latest book - he says " What is Success? It is being able to go to bed each night with peace in your soul". Folks, stay the course through its ups and downs, and remember that someone who is ethical, someone who packs in 100% everyday, someone who is open to new ideas......will eventually succeed!

Where are you now?

Think back on the lives of the many great leaders and their sacrifices. Contrast that to the self-serving satraps of today who have corrupted almost every sphere of society. Mindless consumerism has degenerated society into a museum of the living dead. Interest groups and lobbying for resources create far more divisions than visible or conceivable. Convenience has replaced values, closing an eye to the plundering of a nation. As a nation, we have forgotten the lessons handed down to us. Searching for true leadership in these times, we can not but call on the spirit of the Mahatma and his vision for a self-sufficient and equal nation.

Where are you now?
A stray bullet of insanity
The dark shadow of hate
It laid you to the long rest
No bullet can kill you
Neither can this hate
Messiah of peace
Are you smiling at us now?

Where are you now?
A thick fog of immorality
The land of infidels and corrupt
It overshadows your memory
Your lessons are long lasting
But you are most missed now
Moral leader so farsighted
Are you smiling at us now?

Where are you now?
A deep ridge of inequality
The games of power and cunning
It tears up your simple message
This world more enslaved now
Less free than it was then
True leader of the masses
Are you smiling at us now?

Where are you now?
Where are you now?
Your time has come again
To walk this divided land
Your time has come again
To heal and to rebuild
For all the forgotten people
To see you smiling again

Broken

Searching for the sun

No, not a ray of hope

A dull blanket of mist

As this sadness spreads 

Tears well up as clouds

And our heavy hearts heave

Peep out of this window

See a sad world so broken

Waiting for the breeze

No, not a flutter of hope

And the air so still

As this madness spreads

Anger clouds a clear sky

Our muddied minds sink

Peep out of this window

See a violent world so broken

Looking for the moon

No, not a sliver of hope

A music so haunting

As this darkness spreads

Hate scars the night 

As peaceful smiles disappear

Peep out of this window

See a dark world so broken

Why peep out of this window?

To see a world so broken

A world so much in pain

Nothing much to gain

Close your eyes to this world

So heartless, so hopeless

And peep into your own self

Heal a world so broken

House of Dreams

An old mansion, neglected by time and weathered by the elements...... Have you looked at it and wondered if there is a story behind that? Have you ever seen someone's sweat and toil in its image? Have you seen someone's dream in its facade? Have you ever seen someone's soul in its corridor?

Today, as these weathered old mansions are broken down, lets spare a thought for someone else's dreams. Let us reflect on an unknown love song....or is it a song for the divine?

The house of my dreams,
What would it be if not for you?
The air stands still,
But for the breeze of your movement.
The walls look plain,
Ah, the color of your imagination.
The windows are dull,
But for the sunlight from your heart.
And the garden empty,
If not for the wholeness of your love.

The house of my dreams,
What would it be if not for you?
The love in this house
From your compassionate heart
The life in this house
Your laughter and joy
The soul of this house
In your silent gaze
You are its center
You are its living deity

The house of my dreams,
what would it be if not for you?
Not an emptiness made of bricks
But filled by the fantasy of my dreams
Not a tower of spiraling staircases
But elevated by the flight of my dreams
And my dreams are always 
of you, my dear
So the house of my dreams, 
What would it be if not for you?

Remember this day, lil' champ !!!

My dear lil' champ,

Today is a day to remember. We have many life-altering days in our life but we forget them in the daily humdrum as time passes by. But, I don't want to forget this day and I don't want you to forget this day. It is a bright Sunday, the day you ran your first mile race. Your family has no running bone in them, so you surprised us with your desire to run this race. Your dad's obsession with the races is limited to viewing appearances, in the race course egging on his favorite horse, or on TV watching Fernando Alonso drive to pole. So, genuinely I was surprised that you insisted on running this race!

It was last week that you came back from school having signed up to run this mile long race on a Sunday morning at 5 am. I know we asked you to reconsider. I was not sure you or I would wake up so early to make it to the race track. I tried to explain that to you, but you were certain that you would wake up on time. I was concerned if your seven year old legs could run a mile on an unfamiliar road-track. I tried to explain to you what a mile is and how long that winding track was, but you were certain that you would run the course. I tried to tell you that there would be cars on the road and I was worried about you running on the road, but, you used logic to tell me there would be no traffic that early in the morning. You were persistent, my dear. To run that race was your dream and you let no one come in the way. You persevered, you ran your dream race this morning.

My sleepy groggy eyes woke up to your excitement this morning. You were passionate, my dear. I could see it in your eyes as we got ready to leave this morning for the race track. Your passion was contagious and my apprehensions about you being up to it were laid to rest. We reached the race track and it was heartening to see you warm-up and get ready for the big moment. And when the starters gun went off, everyone set off on the mile long race, except you. My heart stopped a minute when I saw you kneel down and look back. I thought your eyes were searching for me. I could see you through the crowd but could not get to you. We were not sure what happened to you. Then we figured out that your shoes had come off and by then, everyone else in the race was so far ahead. I thought you'd stop, but you fixed your shoe, got up and ran. You ran your race with heart. You did not give up this morning, you were determined, my dear. To see you run alone behind the pack was heart-breaking for me, so, I ran behind you that I can keep you company, that you don't feel alone. But, such was your spirit that I could not catch up with you, I saw you reach the leading pack and merge into it. I lost sight of you, but I knew you had fought back. You fought hard, you made your dream race count this morning.

It is not about winning or losing, but, I write this to remind you of your own passionate spirit. This letter is not for today, but it is for times ahead in your life. This letter is for those times when life throws a gauntlet at you, when there are ups and downs. This letter is for those times when you are feeling blue. This letter is for all those tests in your life ahead, when you need to remember this day and the spirit you showed today. 

I glimpsed the soul of a fighter today. I saw the spirit of a champion this morning. I felt the heartbeat of a hero in you this beautiful morning. So, remember this day, lil' champ ! You will see your true potential in this day. Persistence, perseverance and passion you showed today is for all times. You can always make your dream come alive.

All the best,
Your father.

The Gaze

If silence is the language of the Gods, then poetry must be the divine interruption. The words that fill a silent heart, the words that enter a quiet mind can only be one of harmony, peace and love. My tribute to the divine romance...

If your eyes are the window to your soul

then into your eyes; I gaze forever

And in your eyes; I see the world

a beautiful world in your eyes forever

In your eyes; I see the sparkle of the morning dew

and the laziness of the afternoon cloud

In your eyes; I see the hues of the setting sun

and the serene blue of the twilight hour

In your eyes; the moonshine of a pleasant night

and suddenly still; the blinding light of your beautiful soul

If your eyes are the window to your soul

then into your eyes; I gaze forever

Believe, you are worth it !

Said the rose plant "Oh, I am not as good as people think. Look at my thorns, I am so cruel. "

He replied "But when I look at you, I see a lovely red rose. When I look at you, I break into a smile. When I look at you, my face glows with joy. I can't take my eyes off you, and when you are touched by dewdrops glistening in the sun, I wonder what great sorrow is hidden in that tear. I look at your tears, and my heart aches. I want to take the thorns away that cause this sorrow. O rose plant, you are not as good as people think you are, you are worth much more! "

Believe in your self worth always. You are worth it, really!!