Every now and then we focus on effective use of time so as to get best output possible. Ignorance, lethargy and negligence of not putting in efforts in preparation for that final show are the main causes of not been able to grab the best of the best opportunities.
What I mean to say can only be explained through an example. So here you go!
You have been working on an assignment for years. The work products, the processes, every small level detail is known to you. In due course you might have found and experienced very challenging situations. You have done some fantastic discoveries, identified solutions for most complex problems. Whenever you got an opportunity to present your work you did little work but due to sheer involvement and understanding of the subject you managed to get audience’s attention and praises. After some time you start taking the subject/assignment little lightly as you know in and out about it. Suddenly an opportunity of life time comes in front of you and you are asked to prepare formally and come out with a detailed write up of all that you worked upon and put it in proper understandable format. It goes through some reviews by peers, supervisors. Some give useful comments, some ask you to do changes which you do not approve but finally manage to put things in place. You are desperately waiting for the day when you will get the opportunity to put forward your years of hard work in front of the world. The entire process till the day is so tiring that as you are closer to the day of final presentation you start losing patience, you no longer want to sit down and go through your own work, contents again and again and try to fine tune it, by heart it, try to rehearse, do mock sessions in privacy etc etc. Then typically what happens is on the very day of your so long awaited presentation day you become nervous, skeptical, you start getting the feeling as if you are not connected and prepared at all.
On the start of the day itself you eagerly await for getting it over. Anxiety is gone and in its place comes mind block, cluelessness, closely coupled threads starts falling apart and suddenly you lose track of what you have been doing so far. You are in no mood to rehearse, practice at that 11th hour. When you start the presentation you suddenly feel where am I? What am I supposed to speak? Where to start from? To it adds the first 10 minutes of silence and no response from the audience. Then by the time you start feeling comfortable, your thoughts fall in place, you start getting control and you are in a mental state to give your best shot and answer all the trickiest of the questions, it’s all over. When your energy level and confidence is at its peak you have almost consumed 90% available time. Your first impression has already been established and audience is in no mood to further listen to you or your great work.
That’s over, all the time you waited for is gone as flash of light. You lost the battle without getting a chance to put your best foot forward, all the ammunition you had is still intact, you never could use it and the war is over with you left behind to think on why and how things slipped off your hands and you could do nothing expect for witnessing it and cursing later throughout your life.
So what could have been done to save this and to make sure that you make most of the opportunity and avoid setbacks later.
1. Never ever give up on that last day preparation, minute details
2. Think and speak out the examples that you want to give, the best practices that ou want to highlight
3. Prepare starting speech of not more than 2 minutes
4. List down all the points in specific order that you want to cover and keep it handy
5. Know your presentation path and slides in and out
6. Think of scenarios where you might have to traverse back and forth the presentation
7. Think of some funny stories you can use in between the presentation
8. Know facts and figures, use them as punch lines
9. Make confident statements and have at least one take away for all variety of audience
10. Never have too much technical details in the slides if you have less than 30 minutes to present the entire subject/topic
11. Do not go through the slides, make last minute rehearsals.
12. Keep your mind away from the topic before few hours of the presentation and indulge in more generic activities like dress up, read news paper, speak to few people around
13. When you enter the presentation room or get up for the presentation take a deep breath and try to read audience
14. Get well versed with the ambience and things you are going to use during your presentation
15. Always make sure you put your best contents/highlights in the first 5 minutes it self
16. Always give a brief background of what topic you are going to cover, what areas you are going to highlight, success stories
17. Last but not the least, never ever lose focus, if you feel that you are going wrong, take a pause (use one liners) and come back to the track
Sep 13, 2010
journey towards meditation and self realisation
Well, yesterday went in well, I experimented few things, first I went to a meditation camp which was referred by my boss, I had decided that I will go with hope and no preconceived notion and criticism. I did exactly same. I went and followed what others followed for 90 minutes. It was first of all a 45 minutes drive from my home; i had promised myself that I will not drink the previous day even though it was Sunday.
I woke up sharp at 5 a.m. got ready and reached the ashram in an hour’s time with a tea and cigarette in between. I started with light music in car and went with no expectations, I had just decided whatever I see and face I am going to experience it and then decide.
Well, I parked my car, followed others, around 150 people, they all sat in one place, no body spoke a word. I thought they are waiting for someone to commence, induct as I came 15 minutes ahead of 7:30. After 15 minutes of wait, in the background some spiritual guru's recorded message was being played, I tried to gather few things but the voice clarity was not good. I waited.
Suddenly at sharp 7:30 a.m. somebody said something which I missed and then what I saw that everybody in the open air room closed their eyes and there was pin drop silence, I tried to understand the situation, I thought it is some preparatory exercise, so your mind, soul and body is tuned in to the meditation.
After 5 minutes of speculation and wait for somebody to appear, I thought it is going to be long before somebody commences the meditation or speak, so I decided to follow others. I too closed my eyes and started thinking the same which I was doing for last 20 minutes by keeping my eyes open.
After some time I started hearing birds chanting from the neighborhood trees. Birds were making variety of sounds, that was pleasant. I was enjoying it, after 15 minutes or so, I noticed keeping my eyes closed, that some people started snoring, as the age group was right from 20 to 70 a guess, I thought elderly ones or the ones who did not have a good night sleep have fallen asleep. On the other hand I really started appreciating the preparatory course before actual commencement of the mediation. They wanted everybody in the room to be completely alert, out of their sleep and are in perfect mindset to start receiving what will be told in few minutes.
Well, I don't know but I think after around 30 minutes or so I too fell asleep and I was half conscious, I might be in the same state for around 15 minutes, then suddenly I felt, I was falling from the chair I was sitting on. I opened my eyes for a while and saw everybody in the same position and state when we started all this. I thought it could be any moment now and started assuming that the whole meditation would last for around 2, 3 hours. That started giving me first feeling of getting and walking out. But then I thought of holding it back for a while.
Again when I next opened my eyes it was 45 past 8, more than 90 minutes of my sitting in the chair, without hearing anybody, or talking or receiving any piece of advice, mantras. This was strange. Then suddenly, somebody said something and I woke up from my half sleep. I was feeling good though, few people came forward and said for couple of minutes which sounded like some chapter, part of Bible, Geeta or Quran. Only difference was that there was repetitive reference of some Guru.
Then there came a guy who made few announcements, referred few brothers and sisters and gave some directions for collecting books etc.
I came along with others out of the room. Was wondering what to do next as my boss had informed me that he is off sick and will not make it instead I can meet his wife, as I had not seen her earlier and was not having her cell number I could not reach her.
I met an old colleague of mine who thought I am a regular member of the ashram and do meditation regularly. When I told him I came for the first time, he was quite surprised and awkward to see me in the meditation hall straight away. He took me to my boss’s wife and introduced me. To my and their surprise I came to know that it was long process before jumping into the meditation hall. What surprised more was that in my 90 minutes of sitting, all others in the hall were meditating.
Well, I had mixed feeling, but definitely my colleague, boss’s wife and one more colleague who came for the first time were not finding situation amusing, they were little upset that I directly went into the meditation hall and skipped initial 3, 4 sittings with a guide/mentor, registration and book purchasing process. They thought without understanding the concept of meditation, Guru’s directions and method/style of meditation and preaching’s I straight away went in Nirvana.
Well, that was it, after a brief discussion, I realized, what I am looking for is similar in nature, I mean the experience in the meditation hall but what bogged me down or made me nervous was that I will have to follow some guru, some preaching’s, some set methodologies, somebody’s believes and practices and then there would too many people around me with whom I will have to search for Nirvana, peace of mind, self realization. This was not acceptable to me. But I really thank my boss for giving me this experience, exposure and first insight into meditation. I will not join the ashram or group and follow a guru, but whatever I learnt yesterday was definitely a good and unique experience. I am going to take it further and see that I find myself, do self introspection and realization and meditate in a way I enjoy most.
I woke up sharp at 5 a.m. got ready and reached the ashram in an hour’s time with a tea and cigarette in between. I started with light music in car and went with no expectations, I had just decided whatever I see and face I am going to experience it and then decide.
Well, I parked my car, followed others, around 150 people, they all sat in one place, no body spoke a word. I thought they are waiting for someone to commence, induct as I came 15 minutes ahead of 7:30. After 15 minutes of wait, in the background some spiritual guru's recorded message was being played, I tried to gather few things but the voice clarity was not good. I waited.
Suddenly at sharp 7:30 a.m. somebody said something which I missed and then what I saw that everybody in the open air room closed their eyes and there was pin drop silence, I tried to understand the situation, I thought it is some preparatory exercise, so your mind, soul and body is tuned in to the meditation.
After 5 minutes of speculation and wait for somebody to appear, I thought it is going to be long before somebody commences the meditation or speak, so I decided to follow others. I too closed my eyes and started thinking the same which I was doing for last 20 minutes by keeping my eyes open.
After some time I started hearing birds chanting from the neighborhood trees. Birds were making variety of sounds, that was pleasant. I was enjoying it, after 15 minutes or so, I noticed keeping my eyes closed, that some people started snoring, as the age group was right from 20 to 70 a guess, I thought elderly ones or the ones who did not have a good night sleep have fallen asleep. On the other hand I really started appreciating the preparatory course before actual commencement of the mediation. They wanted everybody in the room to be completely alert, out of their sleep and are in perfect mindset to start receiving what will be told in few minutes.
Well, I don't know but I think after around 30 minutes or so I too fell asleep and I was half conscious, I might be in the same state for around 15 minutes, then suddenly I felt, I was falling from the chair I was sitting on. I opened my eyes for a while and saw everybody in the same position and state when we started all this. I thought it could be any moment now and started assuming that the whole meditation would last for around 2, 3 hours. That started giving me first feeling of getting and walking out. But then I thought of holding it back for a while.
Again when I next opened my eyes it was 45 past 8, more than 90 minutes of my sitting in the chair, without hearing anybody, or talking or receiving any piece of advice, mantras. This was strange. Then suddenly, somebody said something and I woke up from my half sleep. I was feeling good though, few people came forward and said for couple of minutes which sounded like some chapter, part of Bible, Geeta or Quran. Only difference was that there was repetitive reference of some Guru.
Then there came a guy who made few announcements, referred few brothers and sisters and gave some directions for collecting books etc.
I came along with others out of the room. Was wondering what to do next as my boss had informed me that he is off sick and will not make it instead I can meet his wife, as I had not seen her earlier and was not having her cell number I could not reach her.
I met an old colleague of mine who thought I am a regular member of the ashram and do meditation regularly. When I told him I came for the first time, he was quite surprised and awkward to see me in the meditation hall straight away. He took me to my boss’s wife and introduced me. To my and their surprise I came to know that it was long process before jumping into the meditation hall. What surprised more was that in my 90 minutes of sitting, all others in the hall were meditating.
Well, I had mixed feeling, but definitely my colleague, boss’s wife and one more colleague who came for the first time were not finding situation amusing, they were little upset that I directly went into the meditation hall and skipped initial 3, 4 sittings with a guide/mentor, registration and book purchasing process. They thought without understanding the concept of meditation, Guru’s directions and method/style of meditation and preaching’s I straight away went in Nirvana.
Well, that was it, after a brief discussion, I realized, what I am looking for is similar in nature, I mean the experience in the meditation hall but what bogged me down or made me nervous was that I will have to follow some guru, some preaching’s, some set methodologies, somebody’s believes and practices and then there would too many people around me with whom I will have to search for Nirvana, peace of mind, self realization. This was not acceptable to me. But I really thank my boss for giving me this experience, exposure and first insight into meditation. I will not join the ashram or group and follow a guru, but whatever I learnt yesterday was definitely a good and unique experience. I am going to take it further and see that I find myself, do self introspection and realization and meditate in a way I enjoy most.
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