Lateral Thinking Exercise

This post is in connection to my  previous blog entry on Common Sense. A lot of people asked me to come up with some lateral Thinking Exercises. So I got my hands on one from  Albert Debono's Book "Simplicity"

Be honest and think Unconventionally :)

 






     man
Q1.    ---------
     board

 Ans. = man overboard





Okay, let's see if you've got the hang of it.








   stand
Q2.    ------------
 i

Ans. = I understand









OK .. . .



Got the drift ?







Let's try a few now and see

how you fare ?






Q3.    /r/e/a/d/i/n/ g/

Ans. = reading between the lines











Q4.      r
         road
          a    
      d










Ans. = cross road -->








Not having a good day now, are you ?


Redeem yourself.










Q5.      cycle
       cycle
     cycle













Ans. = tricycle








That was an easy one to figure out no??












    0
Q6.      ---------
     M..D.
     Ph.D.














Ans.. = two degrees below zero









C'mon give it a little thought! !










       knee
Q7.      ------------
     light














Ans. = neon light



( knee - on - light )









U can prove u r smart by getting this one.







                       ground
Q8.                      ------------ ---
                  feet feet feet feet feet feet

















Ans. = six feet underground






-->


Oh no, not again ! !












Q9.    he's X  himself













Ans. = he's by himself









Now u messing up big time.










Q10.      ecnalg













Ans. = backward glance








Not even close! !










Q11.      death ..... life














Ans. = life after death








Okay last chance ............ ......



Q12.     THINK














Ans. = think big ! !










And the last one is real fundoo - - -

Q13.  

ababaaabbbbaaaabbbb ababaabbaaabbbb. ..










Ans. =  long time no 'C' --> _

,_._,___

The Instant Ewww!

Thank you for appreciating the insightful post of “Seven Habits of Highly Ineffective Guys” I have been counseling my friends on relationship issues for quite some time and I found a common mistake those guys were making. 

But 1^st you need to read this story I’m going to tell you. It may sound familiar to you!

A friend of mine was attracted to his newly joined colleague in his department. I’m one of those people who don’t believe in love at 1^st Sight.  It just sounds insane to me that you’re falling for someone you barely know. So I told my friend it was just infatuation for him and he will get over it. Plus, it’s not easy to maintain a relationship with someone you are working with. It creates conflict of interest and hampers work and personal life balance.

But as the time passed and the more he got to know her, the more he began to feel attracted to her... which turned into an emotional attachment.

One fine evening, we met at the bowling alley; he explained a problem to me. He was getting insecure because he couldn't tell whether or not she felt the same way towards him.

I asked him did you ever ask her how she feels about you. He said no but she said things like, "You are so important person" and "I'm glad that you're in my life”

I said dude that means she just wants to be friends with you. I will suggest don’t push it. Don’t 

rush into things just like that because you don’t want to end up in a situation where she slaps a restraining order on you.

After spending many sleepless nights he arrived at the conclusion that, if she only knew how he felt, she would feel the same way. So, he made a bold move and told her how he felt.

What happened then? I asked while sipping doodh patti at a dhaba. He said I confessed that I was in love and that I would do anything to be with her.  She looked at me and smiled. (Which was not followed by a punch because actions speak louder than words)

She said I do respect your feelings but…I don't want to mess up our friendship... you're too important to me...."

My poor friend just didn't know how to take it...

He was confused:

Did it mean that she really loved him too, but that she was afraid of something? Or Did it mean that she wasn't ready for a long term relationship?

Did it mean that she didn't love him, but that she was trying to give him a hint?

Did it mean that he hadn't tried hard enough?

He said to me that he finally decided that he couldn't take it anymore... he had to be with her no matter what happens.

He wrote a long descriptive email and sent it to her corporate inbox. (Another Blunder)

She didn't reply. He tried to talk to her, she was avoiding him. Whenever he called her on weekends She made excuses about being busy with the family and said "I'll try to give you a call soon, I have to go.. mom’s calling me in the kitchen"... and disconnected the call.

He never got a call back as expected. She resigned from his office. Got married afterwards in a couple of months and didn’t even invite her best friend at work on her wedding.

Moral of the story: If a woman isn't attracted to you, all of your attempts to impress her, to confess your love, to convince her to like you will always BACKFIRE! Yes Backfire! It's going to trigger a feeling that Relationship Experts call "The Instant Ewww".

When you hear that sound, mate your game is over and you have just made your case worse. Once a woman feels it, YOU'RE DONE.

Just in case you are wondering where this concept of Instant Ewww came from, observation is a very powerful tool if utilized effectively ;)

A lot of females use the word "Ewww" when describing something gross or something they found extremely exasperating e.g. how she felt about a guy she hated the most or barely know confessed his love.

It’s a simple rule of thumb. When you want to see other people’s perspective, put yourself in their shoes. In case of women, put yourself in their high heel sandals. You will see that they like you when you’re acting sweet but the moment you confess something before the right time, the whole scenario will change. She will start feeling uncomfortable and repulsive.

I’m not saying that you should give up from the beginning. But you need to keep in mind that everything happens at the right time. If she’s meant for you, you are going to get her. If she’s not, you will lose everything you had with her.

Men make this mistake over and over again in life because they're doing what makes sense to them. If they do what makes sense to the other person, they might change the plot. Instead of making someone a friend and then trying to make her like you is certainly not a good idea. Attraction has to be created from the very beginning and attraction is very subjective when it comes to women.

I know it sucks when you do all the effort and it backfires but I hope that by explaining the process of how this happens, I'll help you to avoid this painful situation in the future. Good Luck Romeos.

QuacK Quack Team work lessons!

When we talk about team work, we can find thousands of books, articles, and videos but if we take a look around we will find perfect examples of teamwork around us. Take Geese for example. Milton Olson a Geologist for national geographic channel observed their behaviour and came up with 5 lessons of teamwork we as humans can learn from these birds!




FACT 1:

As each goose flaps its wings it creates an "uplift" for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.

Lesson:

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier because they are traveling on the thrust of one another.

FACT 2:

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of flying alone. It quickly moves back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird immediately in front of it.

Lesson:

If we have as much sense as a goose we stay in formation with those headed where we want to go. We are willing to accept their help and give our help to others.

FACT 3:

When the lead goose tires, it rotates back into formation and another goose flies to the point position.

Lesson:

It pays to take turns doing the hard tasks and sharing leadership. As with geese, people are interdependent on each other's skills, capabilities and unique arrangements of gifts, talents or resources.

FACT 4:

The geese flying in formation honk to encourage those up front to keep up their speed.

Lesson:

We need to make sure our honking is encouraging. In groups where there is encouragement, the production is much greater. The power of encouragement (to stand by one's heart or core values and encourage the heart and core of others) is the quality of honking we seek.

FACT 5:

When a goose gets sick, wounded or shot down, two geese drop out of formation and follow it to help and protect it. They stay with it until it dies or is able to fly again. Then, they launch out with another formation or catch up with the flock.

Lesson:

If we have as much sense as geese, we will stand by each other in difficult times as well as when we are strong.

~Based on work by Milton Olson

Use your Common Sense!!!

Common Sense - A sense which is so not Common

“Use some common sense!” We all are used to this statement now. My math teacher used to say that to me when I was in primary grade. And when I used to ask, “Ma’am, can you please tell me what common sense is actually?” she said it’s a sense which is not very common. And I asked again that if its not very common then why do we call it common sense and expect every other person to use it.

In this blog entry, we will take a deep down journey in the valley of common sense and discover the hidden power we already have because no matter how intelligent, efficient or smart we are, we always end up doing dumb things in life. So lets take our discussion further and set down some principles to discover and get used to our old friend Common sense.

I still remember an ex colleague who had this major body odour problem. Its natural you can’t help it. But the only problem is you can’t feel it… but others around you definitely do! Some people in the department forwarded him articles on grooming and stuff. Some suggested sending him to a training session on etiquettes while others were of the opinion of referring the matter to Human Resources. I said why do all that fuss. One day I cornered him during a lunch break and gave him an Antiperspirant and told him the benefits. He said I don’t need this. I said nobody use it for himself/herself. You have to use it for other people. Yet he argued and I had to drop the bomb. I said mate no offence but people make fun of you when pass them and I actually saw people using air freshners after you left their rooms. He was silent and he nodded his head in agreement. He worked for 8 more months with us but we never had the same complaint from him. Moral of the Story: Instead of choosing the typical solutions, common sense can save a lot of effort and cost in terms of time and money.

If I ask you why sweaters are not sold in summers and why ice creams are not consumed much in winters what would be your answer? Obviously you will say Dude use your common sense. So Common sense also requires presence of mind. You need to use your head if you wanna use common sense. But don’t use your head like Archie’s friend Moose did. When he couldn’t solve his math problem on the board, his teacher said MOOSE use your head. Bang! Moose bumped his head in the board and said I don’t see the solution here either. (Chuckles)

A story I had shared in one of my sessions. A company built a new, high-rise corporate headquarters. A few weeks after the building was fully occupied, the employees began to complain about the slowness of the elevators. Very quickly, the complaints reached in large proportions, so the company spoke to the architects of the building. Could the elevators be sped up or increased in size? Sure, came the reply, but it would involve months of demolition, extension, and reconstruction around the elevator shafts.

It would be hugely disruptive to a large part of the workforce. Supposedly, the story goes, the corporation did nothing to the elevator shafts. Instead, it placed full-length mirrors on every floor beside the elevator doors. The employees spent an extra few moments preening themselves and looking at one another in the mirrors and the complaints faded.

The point of the story? Instead of a complicated solution, there is always a simple solution which is answered by common sense.

Now the common sense is something that we can relate to simplicity. The problem with us is that we tend to see issues as they’re complexities like computer systems or Rocket science. So we need to keep things simple. We all think running a business is a rocket science. You will find countless books on this topic with a lot of principles to follow. Apple’s CEO Steve Jobs made it simple: His advice to business men is “Never Run out of Cash” If you think about it.. that is the recipe for successful business.

After this whole discussion, We can sum up the principles of Common sense as follows:

·         Remember the KISS Formula – Keep it Simple Stupid

·         Use LATERAL THINKING – EDWARD De Bono’s Six Thinking Hats

·         Break down the complexities into steps or stages to make it simpler

·         Ask simple questions – When, where, why, which, who and How.

·         Reduce your stress. It minimizes the chances of using common sense

·         Put yourself in other people’s shoes – Those who expect you to use common sense see things from their perspective. If you put yourself in their shoes, you will know their perspective.

·         Presence of mind is the key – Learn to probe things and go deep.

From Human Beings to being Human!

From Human Beings to being human!

A fine afternoon, I was walking towards the lift when it stopped at my floor during the lunch break. Surprisingly, the person standing next to the control panel pushed the close door button despite of the fact that he saw me coming in. Bang! I got squished between the doors.

Everyone standing in the lift was shocked. Ignoring the scene, I stepped in and my ears were waiting to hear something called “I’m sorry.” The fun part is That person didn’t even feel bad for what he did! I took a deep breath, gave him a smile and said thank you very much!

Has this ever happened to you?

You’re making a run for the lift in the corner as you see people getting into it. As you get nearer and in plain sight of people already inside the lift, the doors of the lift start to close. The person whose finger is pressing on some button inside the lift sees you from the corner of his or her eyes. The look quickly shift downwards or he or she looks away, pretending that he or she never ever saw you rushing to the lift.

You’re short of shouting out “hold the doors” because you can’t due to the panting from the short sprint you made for the lift. As you now come into full sight of people in the lift, magically everyone just can’t see you. The gap of the lift doors become smaller and finally, they completely shut together on your face and you are left there panting like a stupid fool, who now have to wait a minute or two for the next lift. And oh, this always happen when you're running a little late!

Since I was a kid, my parents, grandma, teachers, everyone used to teach me “Manners Matter!” The above incident is just one example where some basic courtesies are overlooked in our work and personal Life. But we seriously need to realize that sometimes small deeds of kindness or polite words can make big difference. Moreover, the way you behave and treat other people reflect your family background and how you are perceived.

Social Responsibility is not just limited to charity or helping the needy. Being a human it’s our basic responsibility to act like humans. Whether you attend a wedding dinner you’ll see a lot of food getting wasted and some push and rush hush or you see people littering here and there even if there are trashcans placed in the parks, the beach etc, whether you’re driving on the road and someone suddenly overtakes you and comes in front without giving the indicator or you’ll see public transport fully loaded with passengers like animals, whether it’s a meeting or a training session where participants are disgracing the speaker by playing with their cell phones, or people chewing snacks while talking to you on the phone or smoking in their offices despite there is a dedicated floor for smokers. And oh I almost forgot. Saying Please, Thank You, taking excuse from others while leaving the lunch/dinner table and being courteous is now considered stuffy or conventional as people now prefer to be arrogant rather than being polite and courteous. “You're so nice to be with!” These words are a fine compliment for anyone to receive. Good manners, those that help people become “nice to be with,” are what etiquette is all about.

Misuse or improper use of Office stationery is also very common in workplaces or making long distant calls using office lines. People also ignore the fact that their body odour / bad breath also gets on the nerves of other people at times. The best way to avoid embarrassment is to use an anti-perspirant or to keep a deodorant or a perfume with you to avoid body odour problems. For bad breath, use mouth fresheners, mint etc.

We all receive visiting cards but how many of us actually acknowledge it after receiving it? At times the other person feels ignored if you just put it in your pocket rather than at least giving it a look.

Again, too much debate if I carry on.. I’ll conclude here with the point "Manners are an indication of character and act as a point of differentiation for a person". "How employees treat each other is a good indication of how they will treat a customer in a stressful situation." The bottom line is that good manners are a reflection of respect for others and without mutual respect it's difficult to work efficiently together.

Seven Mistakes of highly ineffective Guys

"The 7 Most Dangerous Mistakes of highly ineffective guys when it comes to getting along with girls.."

Hello everyone, I kept on thinking where to start my blog from.. there were so many things in my head and finally I decided to start off with a controversial but an eye-opener.

So Here Are The Top 7 Reasons Why Guys Fail With Girls most of the time…

MISTAKE #1: Being
Too Much Of A "Nice Guy"

Have you ever noticed that the really attractive women never seem to be attracted to "nice" guys?

Of course you have and so did I when I used to be Mr Nice Guy for everyone.

Just like me, I'm sure you've had attractive female friends and most of them always seemed to date "jerks"… but for some reason they were never romantically interested in YOU.

Hello.. What's going on here?

Well its not because you are loser. It's actually very simple…

Women don't base their choices of men on how "nice" a guy is. They choose the men they do because they feel a powerful GUT LEVEL ATTRACTION for them.

And guess what?

Being nice doesn't make a woman FEEL that powerful ATTRACTION.

And being NICE doesn't make a woman CHOOSE you. At least in 90% of the cases..

As they say reality bites.. and I learnt this bitter truth through my experience!

Now you must be thinking this doesn't make a lot of logical sense, and it's hard to ACCEPT… but GET OVER IT.

Until you accept this FACT and begin to act on it, you'll NEVER have the success with the girl that you want.

Now that doesn’t mean that you should choke the gentleman inside you.. my emphasis is on being Too Much of a nice guy. Don’t be too nice that they start taking you for granted!

MISTAKE #2: Trying To
"Convince Her To Like You"

Everyday I see guys trying to make lame attempts to impress the girls in their surroundings whether it’s a class, street or even at work places!

What do most guys do when they meet a woman that they REALLY like… but she's just not interested?

Right! They try to "convince" the woman to feel differently.

Well, I have news for you mate… YOU WILL NEVER CHANGE HOW A WOMAN "FEELS" WHEN IT COMES TO ATTRACTION!

Never, EVER.

You cannot CONVINCE a woman to feel differently about you with "logic and reasoning".

Think about it.

If a woman doesn't "feel it" for you, how in the world do you expect to change that FEELING by being "reasonable" with her?

But we all do it.

When a woman just isn't interested, we beg, plead, chase, and do our best to change her mind.

Bad idea. One that will never work.

MISTAKE #3: Trying To "Buy" Her
Affection With Food And Gifts

How many times have you taken a woman out to a nice dinner, bought her gifts and flowers, and had her REJECT you for someone who didn't treat her even HALF as well as you did?

Well guess what?

It's only NATURAL when this happens…

That's right, I said NATURAL.

When you do these things, you send a clear message:

"I don't think you'll like me for who I am, so I'm going to try to buy your attention and affection".

Your good intentions usually come across to women as over-compensation for insecurity, and weak attempts at manipulation. That's right, I said that most women see this as MANIPULATION.

And one thing that turns an attractive women off and sends her running away faster than just about anything is a guy who starts saying "You know, I really, REALLY like you" after one or two dates. Don’t push it too early man! Don’t bat like Shahid Afridi!

This signals to the woman that you're just like all the other guys who fall for her too fast… and can't control themselves.

Don't do it. Lean back. Relax.

There's a much better way…

I still remember a hilarious incident when a guy actually presented a bottle of pickle (achaar) to a girl and said, this is specially for you... Will you be my friend!

Dude Give me a break. What on earth is going on!

MISTAKE #4: Not "Getting" How
Attraction Works For Women

Women are VERY different from men when it comes to ATTRACTION.

You need to accept this fact, and deal with it.

When a man sees a beautiful, young, and attractive woman, he INSTANTLY feels an attraction.

But does the same apply for women?

Do women feel attraction to men based mostly on looks? Or is something else going on?

Well, I can tell you that women usually have their "attraction mechanisms" triggered by things OTHER than looks.

Have you ever noticed that you see a lot more average and unattractive men with beautiful women than the other way around?

Think about it.

Women are more attracted to certain qualities in men… and they're attracted to the way a man makes them FEEL than they are to looks alone.

If you know how to use your body language and communication correctly, you can make women feel the same kind of powerful attraction to you that YOU feel when you see a hot, sexy young woman. Confidence matters!

But it's not an accident. You have to LEARN how to do this.

And ANY guy can learn how…

MISTAKE #5: Thinking That It
Takes Money And Looks

One of the most common mistakes that guys make is giving up before they've even gotten started… because they think that attractive women are only interested in men who have looks and money… or guys who are a certain height… or guys who are a certain age.

And sure, there are some women who are only interested in these things.

But MOST women are far more interested in a man's personality than his wallet or his looks.

There are personality traits that attract women like a magnet…

And if you learn what they are and how to use them, YOU can be one of these guys.

YOU DO NOT have to "settle" for a woman just because you aren't rich, tall, or handsome.

Stop underestimating yourself. What really matters is how make the opposite gender feel while communicating.. its about the comfort level you develop with them.. how much do you listen.. if you’re not a good listener then seriously you are in big trouble…

MISTAKE #6: Not Knowing
EXACTLY What To Do In Each
Type Of Situation With Women

Now I'm going to blow your mind…

A woman ALWAYS knows what you're thinking.

Women are approximately TEN TIMES better than men at reading body language. That's ten TIMES.

I know, it might be hard to believe. But for example, if you're staring a girl, she already knows and she can tell it by the look on your face!

You need to know her more than you know yourself… you should know what to do on her birthday or on your anniversary. What are the occasions she cherish the most..

You know what I mean!

MISTAKE #7: Not Getting HELP

This is the biggest mistake of all.

This is the mistake that keeps most men from EVER having the kind of success with women that they truly want.

I know, guys don't like to make themselves look weak or helpless. We don't like to ask for help.

Again its always good to discuss your issues and problems and seeking their advice. Even if you wanna know about a girl, only another girl can helo you out…

As they say “Behind a successful man there is always a woman”

If you’re a guy reading this.. its about time for a reality check.. and if you are a female reading this… Let me tell you lady this blogpost has been brought to you on explicit request of lots of females out there who really want guys to improve.. so no hard feelings!

I’m hitting the bed.. so much for my 1st post. I’ll keep you posted.

Sayonara

:)