"The Mind Game" by Devika Das

About The Author:

Devika Das has three books and one anthology under her writing umbrella. When not writing, Devika pursues her passion for Acting and is an active theatre artiste in Hyderabad and has featured in several short films. Read more about her at – Devika Das

The Blurb Says:

“Happiness, stress, ecstasy or depression, it’s all a mind game. As long as our mind is under our control, everything else is. That’s what The Mind Game is all about. It is not an average self-help book that preaches life-enhancing methodologies based on complex science or long philosophical verses. The book’s genius lies in its simplicity. It offers quick, actionable and instantly applicable tips that will help readers lead better lives, instantly.”

How did I find the book:

Generally, self-help books very clearly focus on either Formal or In-formal aspects. "The Mind Game" talked about less talked about topics when it comes to soft skills and managed to touch upon their effects on formal or professional lives as-well.

As the title of book mentions, it’s all about what goes in a human mind – biologically or straight from the heart. I liked the book when I started it, then I felt a little bored and had to push a little further. Then, I realized that it’s not a book to be sit down, read and finish. The reader needs a little me time and lot of thought gathering in order to get it through successfully.

What I Liked:

1. Structured: Well  yes, the book is clearly divided in six sections which goes as below and each section is further explained with multiple chapters. Another remarkable thing with this point is that that I found all sections an independent read. So tomorrow if I want to read about any particular area, I might just go back and pick it up.

            SECTION A - Mastering your emotions

            SECTION B - Simple living High Thinking

            SECTION C - Analyzing People

            SECTION D - Secret of true happiness

            SECTION E - Manage your anger creatively

            SECTION F - A happy workplace the secret to a long, successful career.

2. Less Preaching: Whatever less number of self-help books I have read, preaching is one I get to put it down very quickly. The author did a balanced nob while taking up the topics by trying to get to the point from the beginning ang not just give the try this and do that points back to back. Thus, if read with devoted time, the reader would get the psychological and medical reasons which lay at the back of common issues.

What I did not like:

1. Stories: There were a few little examples here and there, but I missed reading more. I had a major missing feeling of real-life stories and experiences all through the book. It would have been an all-together different and more refreshing read with them. The one's which did came along, unfortunately, there is none I had not read about or seen a video about.

To wrap up my thoughts, I would say that it was an average one time read which could have been much better If i had a few examples to talk about in my daily conversations like- "You know, I read a story about this in a book which said....".

Please do share your views on the book, review or anything by commenting below. I absolutely love each and every comment I receive.

If you like my review and plan to give it a shot, you may try that by following links. They point to my Amazon Affiliate and when purchased from, I get a tiny commission with no extra charge to you.

3 Steps To Himalayas: A Practical Guide To Achieve Your Goals by Ramesh Kundu

The Blurb:

We have become prisoners of our times and the result is a stressful lifestyle. This race to compete with everyone else is leading to irreversible destruction of the environment and social institutions. We have more comforts now, but pay the price with serious health problems & psychological issues. We are less happy now and peace of mind is just missing from our lives. 
This book is an attempt to look at simple solutions for all such challenges faced by a majority of us. 
Going to class with swollen faces after being slapped for 150 times; spending three days & nights in a police lock up; your friend fighting back a leopard with bare hands & surviving; watching helplessly as a person is hacked to death in front of you - all these experiences have brought enough learning for a lifetime which have been shared in this book. 
To live a stress-free life, we have to understand and face our fears, understand and find reasons for our limiting beliefs, have control over our anger and suppress our greed. 
Self-awareness, self-management and self-development are the keys to evolve and make our lives better. For being successful, we need to re-look at our passion and skill sets, and find opportunities for what we are good at. 
Let us start our journey to the Himalayas…

The Book:

3 Steps To Himalayas, as the title very clearly states is a three step self help book to accomplish one’s ambitions. It is also a practical guide as all the points covered by the author Ramesh Kundu are also supported by real life simple stories.

The introduction section made me think if I had made the right choice as I am not a fan of self help books. It was not too late when the supporting stories made their way.

The best part about the book were the quotes or the teachings at the top of each story. The tiny stories also varied in all emotions and aspects of life. A few stories felt quite emotional while at the same time, few of them were funny yet delivering their intended message aptly.

Although the broader perspective of the book is only 3 steps, but in the process of which there are 10 sub topics covered which in turn have multiple sections inline. Now, that is the reason which made me done. I know I may sound a bit rude, considering the reviews I read from other readers, but then, that’s my take. As mentioned, I am not a self help book person, but there are a few of them I have really enjoyed. But, somehow, by the middle of the book, I was too impatient to finish it and put it aside.

For the people who like reading non-fiction and self help, I must admit it’s a good and full of learning one time read.

                                                                    

Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki

Wealth is in information...The problem is that information flies around the world at the speed of light.

"Rich Dad Poor Dad" talks about managing the financial information. The author Robert T. Kiyosaki is very clear in his thoughts and makes sure that he implements his principles – one of the most important being invest in assets instead of liabilities, at any cost.

"Rich Dad Poor Dad" was a book I had my eyes on for a long time. I finally got it on my kindle - thanks to the unlimited edition.

The author Robert T. Kiyosaki shares some of his experiences and offers advices on managing one's financial status by changing the way we look at our income and expenses. Robert was quite successful in explaining the difference in the way the three most popular financial categories (Rich, Middle Class and Poor) process their thoughts when it comes to money matters.

Pictures are best way to understand concepts and I am glad that the author used them quite well. Robert mentions:

Cash flow tells the story of how a person handles money. ...

Author used three diagrams of cash flow for rich, middle class and the poor:

 

Abbreviations are also a wonderful way to memories things. Here are two I can remember.

KISS principle—Keep It Simple, Stupid (or Keep It Super Simple)

FOCUS: Follow One Course Until Successful.

When I started with the book, I was extremely happy that I picked it up. I loved first two chapters. Full marks to chapter 1, not so good marks to chapter 2. But then I could see the frequent repetition. By the middle of chapter 3, I found myself skimming through and had to remind myself again and again to read properly.

Overall, it was a nice onetime read and about recommending, I might do it but with my feedback.

The book is full of one liners and quotes which might or might not be applicable to all. But at the end, they made their way in my notes. Here is the link to them;

Rich Dad Poor Dad Quotes

The book can be brought from Amazon:

Paperback                            Hardcover                        Kindle Edition     

                                        

Whale Done!: The Power of Positive Relationships by Kenneth Blanchard Ph.D., Thad Lacinak, Chuck Tompkins and Jim Ballard

The Blurb:
A compendium of straightforward techniques on how to accentuate the positive and redirect the negative, increasing productivity at work and at home.

What do your people at work and your spouse and kids at home have in common with a five-ton killer whale?

Probably a whole lot more than you think, according to top business consultant and mega-bestselling author Ken Blanchard and his coauthors from SeaWorld. In this moving and inspirational new book, Blanchard explains that both whales and people perform better when you accentuate the positive. He shows how using the techniques of animal trainers -- specifically those responsible for the killer whales of SeaWorld -- can supercharge your effectiveness at work and at home.

When gruff business manager and family man Wes Kingsley visited SeaWorld, he marveled at the ability of the trainers to get these huge killer whales, among the most feared predators in the ocean, to perform amazing acrobatic leaps and dives. Later, talking to the chief trainer, he learned their techniques of building trust, accentuating the positive, and redirecting negative behavior -- all of which make these extraordinary performances possible. Kingsley took a hard look at his own often accusatory management style and recognized how some of his shortcomings as a manager, spouse, and father actually diminish trust and damage relationships. He began to see the difference between "GOTcha" (catching people doing things wrong) and "Whale Done!" (catching people doing things right).

In Whale Done!, Ken Blanchard shows how to make accentuating the positive and redirecting the negative the best tools to increase productivity, instead of creating situations that demoralize people. These techniques are remarkably easy to master and can be applied equally well at home, allowing readers to become better parents and more committed spouses in their happier and more successful personal lives.

What I Felt About The Book

I saw this book on my manager's desk and as usual was curious to know what he was reading. Honestly, when I first had a look on the cover, title and back page; I had the impression of another blabbering self help book. But still, I read the first few pages and was glad to find that the author(s) have chosen to teach the lessons through story telling.

ABC Of Performance

What I Liked About The Book:
1. Short Book and thus short chapters having big font: Yes, the really like the books with font big enough to be read with naked eyes without much concentration. Full marks to the publishers for it.
2. Failure Scenarios: Generally, book like this skip the hardships people face while applying the underlying strategies or techniques. I really liked the part where Wes had trouble applying Whale Done Principles in his office. The detailing could have been better though.

What I Did Not Like About The Book:
Though it is a very very short book, I got the jest of all in less than half of pages. After that, everything was just the repetition of all excellent principles and it did get a bit boring.

In a very short book too, there were instances when I found myself nodding sharply and smiling at others. Picture below lines from the book:

Catching people doing things wrong is easy.

The very basic example is how we help and groom our kids with basic activities like walking. They never ever succeed in first attempt.

Good thing I didn't spank the kids when they didn't stand and walk perfectly the first time. We'd have had teenagers crawling around the house.

Another set of lines were around common gossip we all do when we see a person yelling for no reason - "must have got into a fight with the spouse", "must have got a good hearing from the manager"and many more.

Ripple effect of GOTcha. The boss yells at one of his managers, that manager yells at one of his associates, who goes home and yells at his spouse, who yells at the kid, who kicks the cat.

And there were more:

When you're dealing with an eleven-thousand-pound animal who doesn't speak English, you do a lot of learning.

The more attention you pay to a behavior, the more it will be repeated.

You got to ac-cen-tuate the positive, e-lim-inate the negative, Latch on to the affirmative...

The one thing your competition can never steal from you is the relationship you have with your people, and the relationship they have with your customers.

And the final and most liked ones - i think;

Top Post On Indiblogger

Yes! Finally, I was on front page on IndiBlogger. Although it was only for some time and the promoted votes were also not very great, but I was extremely happy  to receive this email from IndiBlogger team.

PS - I saw this email while I was in a meeting :P

I managed to take the snapshot before it was gone...;)

Thank you so much for all who promoted the post and for those who did not find it good enough to promote, I promise I am working hard to improve...:)

Thank you IndiBlogger for the space in hall of fame... I hope to be a regular face in this hall.

Have your posts been on the home page of some site? How did you feel for it for the first time? Were you as delighted as me? Waiting for your responses.

Who Moved My Cheese by Dr. Spencer Johnson

It seems that the author has mastered the art of KISS - Keep It Short And Simple
I was recommended this book by one of my colleagues and the ebook kept lying in my folder until i decided to open it and go through.

It's a story of 4 living beings. 2 mice and two little humans. The story revolves around their attitude towards life and it's biggest challenge - Change.
As quoted in the book, “Cheese is a metaphor for what you want to have in life – whether it is a good job, a loving relationship, money or a possession, health or spiritual peace of mind. The maze is where you look for what you want – the organisation you work in, or the family or community you live in."

To be honest, i have mixed thoughts on the book.
First reaction was the immediate one -
1. It's great. It teaches a great lesson in life that change is unavoidable.
2. It teaches to be motivated and not to loose hope
3. I completed the book in 3 hours shuffling in between my work...:P

The second and more thoughtful reaction was that
1. it depends on the perception of reader. One reader might consider the cheese to be challenge and move along with it with open eyes and other one with closed eyes. The one moving blindly is in great danger as that person might be accepting change without regard to whether it is appropriate or not.

Thank god i am not reviewing it and only posting my views. I am saved from the deli-ma...;P
Don't have patience to read, I found many videos on YouTube and here is the one with maximum views. Have a look and decide for yourself.

Al-though a bit confused, I had no difficulty in finding my favourite lines from the book - My Favourite Lines Form Who Moved My Cheese

How do you react to challenges in life? How did you like the book? Would you go ahead and read it after my thoughts on it? Write your heart/mind in comments section. I would be glad to read out your end of thinking on the book.

LOL

lyinstitute

How many times do we see a bunch of people at a park, doing Laughter yoga or Hasyayoga?

I am sure everyone in their lifetime has seen some one or a bunch of people laughing for no reason. Why do they do it? How do they do it?

Why? Because, either they are actually laughing or they are trying to tickle a laugh.

How? Ha ha ha, hu hu hu, ho ho ho, he he he... It would be easier if done in group when everyone makes an eye-contact. I bet, it doesnot take longer for the fake laughter to become real.

As per Wikipedia, "Laughter yoga (Hasyayoga) is a practice involving prolonged voluntary laughter. Laughter yoga is based on the belief that voluntary laughter provides the same physiological and psychological benefits as spontaneous laughter"

I have always said that my favourite quote is "Keep smiling". A smile is generally followed by a laugh. Believe me, comedian act Laughter Milton Berlet was so true to say - "Laughter is an instant vacation." So true it is. Isn't it? After all, what is a vacation? Vacation is the time when we are true to ourselves. It's the period when we feel relaxed and happy. That's exactly laughter brings to us.

Did you know that all animals laugh? Yes it's very true. I read somewhere that Laughter and joy are not unique to humans, the study says. Ancestral forms of play and laughter existed in other animals long before humans began cracking up.

Source: Various sources via Google images

So, if animals can do it, why can't we? After all, we are the mighty creation of god. I hope i have made a decent attempt to make you laugh or at least smile. If not, let me try and give some benefits of laughing.

1. Favourable Hormones Benefits:
• Laughter reduces the level of stress hormones like cortisol, epinephrine (adrenaline), Endorphins, dopamine and growth hormone.
• Endorphins make us feel happier and less stressed. They are also called natural pain killers.
2. Good for lungs:
• Laughing expands the lungs, stretches the muscles in the body and stimulates homoeostasis.
3. Good for heart;
• Laughter improves the function of blood vessels and increases blood flow, which can help protect you against a heart attack and other cardiovascular problems.
4. Helps make abs:
• A good belly laugh exercises the diaphragm, contracts the abs and even works out the shoulders, leaving muscles more relaxed afterwards.
5. Helps Socialize:
• Smiling is an attractive expression, which is more likely to draw people to you rather than push them away. "Hasi to phasi..;)". Believe me, if I smile at an unknown person, he/she may make strange face at the very moment. But the person would definitely widen his/her lips a bit later on thinking the worst possible thing about you – ‘So stupid!”.
• Laughter brings the focus away from anger, guilt, stress and negative emotions in a more beneficial way than other mere distractions.
• Laughter connects us with others. It is said that smiling/laughter is contagious.
6. Can’t Laugh, no problem:
• Faking a smile or laugh works as well as the real thing—the brain doesn't differentiate between real or fake as it interprets the positioning of the facial muscles in the same way.

So, go ahead and Laugh Out Loud… :D

LOL...;)

How often you LOL? Would you laugh more after reading it? Your reply may make me smile. Put your laugh in comments.

Jack of all, Master of none

Being a mother, I would love to be "Jack of all" and be the best in everything for my kid. I would love my kid to say-

Best Cook - My mummy cooks best food in the world.

Best looks - My momma is the prettiest mommy.

Best knowledge - My mommy has all the answers

Best teacher - My maa helps me do the homework perfect.

Best Mother - My mother, oh! She is the coolest and best mom.

I would love to be the master of all when comes to motherhood. Thus I somehow agree to -

"Jack of all trades, master of none,

Certainly better than a master of one"

When the point directs to my professional life, let's see...

I belong to tester’s community. So, if I try an look out for job's how often do i see a requirement with "Candidate Required for Manual + Functional Automation + Performance Testing + Security Testing...". At least I have not seen any till now.

Maximum I have seen is Manual Testing + any one of above.

It is always good and advisable to have some general knowledge about all, but when it comes to expertise, I would prefer one…

"Jack of all trades, master of none,

Better than Jack of one trade, master of none"

I love the durations when I am scripting some automated tests. My time flies when I am creating frameworks. Dows that I mean I should master developer’s skills? I get the answer whenever I find a bug. A defect a day makes my day. So, in the end, I am a tester. If I ever set out into business, I can only think of something in testing domain – Coaching/Freelancing/My own Testing firm etc.

Some people may defend being master of all by avoiding boredom. But again, perfecting one trade does not mean we need to do the same task again and again.

Take a more general field acting. Some actors may be all-rounders in comedy/serious cinema/dancing etc. But at the end, they are actors.

Salman Khan may earn millions selling his paintings, but he is and would always be known as an actor. That's his identity.

Ratan Tata has ventured into almost every industry. Technology, Automobiles, Soaps, name a product and you would have a TATA version of same. But, did he master all of them. No, he hired master of each of the fields and delegate them to earn for him. So, even he is a master of one only - Business making.

It does not mean one cannot be Jack of all. Shahid Afridi – an all-rounder. Batsmen sweat when they see him holding the ball on the other end of pitch. Bowlers pray every time they throw the delivery to him. He was probable one of the first Pakistani cricketers to master the art of speaking. He gives amazing speeches. He is in a way master of more than one.

Okay, I have done enough dangling to and fro. The conclusion I reach here is that I would not prefer to be either a Jack of all, not the master of one. My grab would definitely be a generalist and have some reasonable learning in all. After all, my husband would be on cloud nine if I do intelligent talking among his business colleagues, college friends, homely relatives, squash club… I would definitely want my son to swim, paint, dance, top exams, everything.

Guys, think and decide your take on the quote. Remember, Jack of all for one priority may be master of one for other. If you do it right, being a jack of all trades should be considered a strength.

What do you think you are? Specialist/Generalist? What do you want to be? I would love to hear your thoughts. Do leave in a reply... :)