Ekta | wisdomekta

Disclaimer- This post is part of the trait-series-for-kids , which I began to search and write for my kids in 2019. With this series of blog posts containing knowledge-slash-experience, I pray from the almighty that our kids have a simple and magical life. The contents of the series are the outcome of some research, readings, first-hand experiences, and self-reflection. Dear Mwana (s) (son in Kenya)!      A s you grow up, life throws all kinds of unexpected stuff at you. You try your best to figure out why things happen and what you can learn from them. Believe me, today, watching you question things and come up with your innocent, unique observations gives me a great chance to learn from you. This blog post is a reminder from your mom that you're one of a kind. Your thoughts, ideas, and actions are totally unique to you, and no one can do things quite like you. I really mean it, and its not just because I'm your mom. So, no matter what anyone says, always sta...

This goody-good book is well-written and well-directed, anecdotes filled, with the attractive title “Give and Take”. A few of the stories and topics that stuck with me are-  "Good Return", wherein the fantastic tale of giver Adam Rifkin, an entrepreneur, is shared; "The Ripple Effect" talks about a humble cartoonist, George Meyer; then a chapter titled "Finding Diamond in Rough" brings about the story of a famous accounting professor CJ Skenderwho who invariably believes in his students. The concepts of "Freecycle" and The "Reciprocity Ring" are also really cool. The book highlights what effective networking, collaboration, influence, negotiation, and leadership skills have in common. In the modern working world, the individual drivers of success, i.e. passion, hard work, talent, and luck, depend on how we interact with others. Most people operate as either takers, matchers, or givers. Whereas takers strive to get as much ...

Disclaimer- This blog post is primarily a copy-paste from a LinkedIn post. Sometimes, all the knowledge gained from reading books seems insignificant compared to the emotionally taxing real-life situations presented by life. Fortunately, there are people in our circle who make themselves available to provide rational explanations of events and help in deriving lessons from such experiences. This blog post is dedicated to all the bosses who are striving to uphold moral standards in the mini pond  called organization against the fishes-impersonating-sharks  of this pond. As Boss's Day is approaching i.e., October 16th, I reminisce about all the "good" bosses who inspired hope and all the "bad" bosses who provided a reality check in my professional journey. The post is re-iterated as : === A colleague of mine texted me in distress. She:- My boss has done me the ultimate dis-service. He has played brutus to me by presenting her idea as his own. Me:- Tha...

“If you were to pause and think seriously about the “first things” in your life—the three or four things that matter most—what would they be?” Despite our immediate challenges, we must always maintain sight of the 'first things' in life . This book, First Things First , published in 1994, offers wisdom that remains as pertinent today as it was then. Having read other works by Covey, I found this book to be a compelling addition to his collection. First Things First, as the name suggests, is the stepwise guide to balancing personal and professional life. It is a not-typical motivational cum self-help book but somewhere in between management goals and personal growth.  The concepts are explained with interesting diagrams, pictorial presentations, matrices, etc ( a typical Covey Style! ), e.g. Urgent-Important Matrix (prioritise tasks in terms of urgency and importance.), ABC method ( identifying ‘A’ tasks, which are the top priority, ‘B’ or ‘secondary’ tasks, and the ...