Its all about strategy

A discussion with a friend of mine revealed to him, how I thought about strategy in most things I did. The fastest, most efficient way or sometimes just the easiest way around things. But strategy was inherent in the way I made my decisions. Sometimes not the best, but there always was a strategy. However, it did not exactly dawn on me how I was deploying strategy in the very moves I made in daily life. Today, a discussion with another friend, and a little bit of retrospective analysis revealed the strategist in me.

There was an article on rediff today that said that Mukesh Ambani became the world's richest many today. I believe the fantastic performance of the stock market (though a bit scary), definitely has a part to play. However, what I was discussing with my friends was the strategy deployed by the many companies under the reliance banner.

One of my friend believes that they are thieves! That they have grown mainly due to the malpractices that a corrupt government (mainly the Congress party) gave them. He also believes that when most SIP (Systematic Investment Plans) were keeping Rs. 1000 per month as a minimum requirement for the plan, reliance came up with a plan that has a minimum of Rs. 100 per month only - His conclusion - Reliance has a way of taking money out of even the poorest of the people; be it investment or retail.

As a business student in this cut throat business world, I like to think of this "way" of extracting money as a strategy. I am not here to judge what was done by which company in the past or is being done today - but what I love to see is a good strategy. I plan to make it a practice to deploy strategy in the way I do business and make important decisions of life - consciously now.

However, amongst all these conversations I remembered a very interesting illustration of my strategic mind, back in my childhood days. If my brother or sister or cousins or even friends, (we are talking 5 year olds here), broke something, for example, they would run away or instinctively say that they did not do it or that someone else, like the maid for example, did it.

Me - however .. would go running to my mom with a rather calm looking face like nothing happened at all, sit in her lap, play with her necklace or something and look at her with the most innocent face ever saying, "you know mumma ____ happened ".. At first shocked.. she'd just laugh and be like.. its okay.. And I'd always get away..

How I know that I was good?
If my dad ever saw it and walked into the room... Just seeing me sit there in moms lap swinging away with that face and those eyes.. He's just say.. Never mind.. and walk out and have someone clean it up..

So, yeah.. its all about strategy :)

The perfect angel & her soul mate

My brother wrote a brilliant piece expressing his emotions and someone who read it asked me if I believed in the so called "true love" or perfect love. I thought back and realized I knew people who lived by the "I will give my life for you" kinda love. The fancy romeo juilet style love. And then, on the same day, I receive a call from, Oh Lord forgive me for saying this, "the perfect angel", (lol - just kidding). Now our angel talks to me about soul mates and stuff. Yes she is a believer of soul mates. I remember her asking me once if I believed in soul mates too.

Now all these questions put together and someone very important to me having asked me what my concept of love, true love, etc was; got me thinking। I always told them I had my own concept. My friends expected that answer, because I have my own theories for a lot of things in life. However, in this case, I realized that I have a lot of beliefs - just that I never articulated them.

So here it is. Those who call Romeo & juilet perfect lovers or those who think filmy love is all perfect, etc. are not going to like my opinions. And, the soul mate / perfect mate believers won't be disappointed, but won't be very happy with my opinions either.

Perception is reality. It really is. Everyone's reality is different. What you perceive is what will become reality for you. However a lot of your perception, I believe is either based in part or full on a choice that you can make, or is a choice that you make. In one of the Hindi movies, Shaadi Se Pehle, I remember Akshay Khanna saying something to the effect that we want to be great lovers, not like romeo and juliet - that you fall in love and at the end go & die. We want to live a long happy life.

That was his perception of perfect love. Living a long and happy life. Someone else has a different perception, and hence a different reality. Some, I know cannot live without big gestures, and expect a filmy life. Fine, I hope that they do find someone like that. Im not saying that they are wrong. I am just saying that keep your choices such that your reality is well real. I know that is highly debatable and my ontology blog will tell you more about it. But in short, keep your reality to do more with tangible things and not base them off other people's imaginations (like for ex, film writer's imaginations).

Of course as I do strongly believe, if you don't make a choice, the choices make you. So you don't step up and make a choice of how you want things, then, well, things will flow into something that you really do not want to be. I have respect for people who know what they are waiting for, example a soul mate, an arranged marriage, both of those, or even a dream. But only those people who do it by a conscious choice. Not by landing up in that situation because they saw too many movies, or because too many of their friends got into relationships. I guess what I am trying to say is that I do not actually believe in "true" or "perfect" love. I don't exactly believe in soul mates either.

Not because there are many flavors of ice-cream out there (like, rocky road, pink cherry, creamy vanilla, etc).. and I wanna try them all.. or that I have options.. (LOL). But because, if my perception is defining my reality, and my reality is making me happy, and being a rational human, I have the option of making my own choices.. then I can choose to make my own choices and be happy, no matter what the situation. Your soul mate can be anyone. Can be a simple and sweet guy. Can be a rich, famous and strong person. May also be a small guy who became really big. Point is simple. Be simple and nice. Learning to adjust and compromise. And most importantly, learning to keep your mind open and broad will help you see different perceptions and hence give you the option to build a reality of your own and there by giving you YOUR true / perfect love / your soul mate. :)

Whiny Traits

So it's a regular day. Tubes messed up. Delays. Picadilly line over crowded because some other line has issues. I'm sitting on the tube - ya I got lucky, got a seat - and, I got luckier, I got one of the free Metro papers as well. I don't want to mess up my book, so I don't get it out, and instead continue to read the paper - when I come across an article that totally cracked me up. Today's Metro, page 21..

"Wimp Chimp: Wild chimpanzees scream like girls when chased or hit by rivals. They also exaggerate the severity of the attack if an ape of equal or senior status to the attacker is nearby. Chimpanzees raised the pitch of their calls for help and made them in longer, slower bouts when faced with serious threats, scientists found...."

Man, that is something. Screaming like girls. Lol. Raising their pitch to that high pitched squeaky sound. Damn. Some women, the wanna be kinds make such terrifyingly squeaky sounds it's unbelievable. Some chimps look at other chimps making squeaky sounds so as to say, WTF.. But.. when its upon them, their squeaks are louder than ever. I know at least a dozen women who do that. Some want to be adored, by similar squeaky species - I am guessing, so they do it much more often and much louder.

But what amazed me was that they exaggerated the severity of the attack. Now that is something. Tell me one woman who you know who won't do that!?!! Some exaggerate a little bit, which is, I guess, understandable - But, some, God Oh God, they will exaggerate like there is no end to the world!

I'd like to think of it as women act like Chimps, rather than say Chimps act like women. And, like we see chimps we make our own judgments / comments and make fun of them, same way there is always someone making their own judgment / comment / making fun of those acting like chimps.

I have no problem with women acting like chimps, in the sense of them making high pitched squeaky sounds every now and then they see a dog or a baby or some fancy shoe.. or anything for that matter.. What normally bothers me about the women in and around my life is that at times I feel that their squeaky pitches are not a part of habit or innate behavior, but that they are in conjunction of another chimp trait - exaggeration. I believe that a lot of women over exaggerate their feelings or at least want to show that they care much more about the thing or situation than they actually do - And I think all of that is due to, what I feel is a part of every woman - a need to get attention. Some more than others - but from what I have seen, it seems they can't do without it!

Conflict and Creativity

Apparently they say that from conflicts rises creativity. So then after all, its probably a good thing that my business partner & I have some serious arguments over a lot of things. I mean he has more experience than my age even, so I always give him that, but at times its just not comprehendable, why two people - who are very structured in their, very logical, practical and have some very similar concepts on those subjects and in terms of real life - sometimes have some severly conflicting ideas.

But if creativity arises from conflict then all of this may be really useful. However, though I believe in Karma, actually in my version of Karma, and in fate, I also believe that a lot of what you will get is in your hands, today. So I feel that what one gets out of conflict - the creativity - is also subject to how the two parties in conflict, treat the conflict. If they decide to use the outcomes of the conflicting situation or the conflict itself in a sensible and matured way, and think out of the box to be able to see either a solution or a work-around the conflict then you have creativity.

I have noticed this in observation. Massive conflicts involving overly emotional feelings and locked up mindsets give out nothing. But if one of the parties is logical, more like sensible about it, then I am sure there are creative solutions possible. Otherwise its like you being in a relationship, and at the time of a break up having to counsel your partner (or ex, so to say) though the relationship, because the just cannot think through a conflict.

I know a couple that went through something like that - and wow, that sounds seriously though. The other partner isnt wrong either, but its just not in the nature of the situation to let either party be happy. However, the one who eventually can tap their creative senses during this situation can get out happy. How well you use this creative resource will help determine how well your post conflict life will shape up. Kinda like a lot of comedians. Apparently most comedians have had rather rough, tough or sad childhoods - but - they tapped into their creativity and were able to bring humor to the situation that led them out of it.