Do we have anything else left..save Optimism!

VT, Taj, Oberoi & Trident! Last Wednesday left behind body bags, humans with amputated limbs and a nation with a heavy heart. As if this wasn't enough - we had to deal with confused administrators, hopeless politicians and senseless media. Well, while we as a nation hurled insults on the administrators and the politician (with the media not only joining in but acting as a catalyst too!) the NSG Commandos, together with the police and the armed forces, freed the nation - at least as of now -from the clutches of terrorists. Millions of Indians felt angry, anguished, helpless and provoked. The mood across the nation was not just that of sadness - it was pessimistic!

While the scars that carnage such as this leaves behind run deep - the nation will have to rise again and get going. For those who lost a loved one or have to deal with permanent disabilities - the hurt and the feeling of helplessness is simply unfathomable. But even they will have to - at some point in time - move up and move beyond. For such is life. The challenge for them is how to regroup their positive thoughts and do so fast. Some of them will take on the dreams of the departed and pledge their lives in accomplishing them while some will have to merely stand up and take on the responsibilities of the immediate families that have been left behind. Whatever is the reason - they will have to be positive. Get their optimism back.

And now for the rest of us: The media has worked overtime to make us believe that there's just no hope with the current set of politicians and administrative systems. They want us to avoid paying taxes, they want us to bring down a democratically elected government, wage a war...in short create chaos. Pessimism all around! Even a celebrated journo on NDTV had the cheek to place India at par with Pakistan in terms of the internal situation and she is sure no cricket team will visit us in the near future! Negative again!

How we get out of this negative mindset. How do we rise as a nation (for nations are built on hope!)? How do we get back to optimism?

Few suggestions:

- Shut the News Channel out for a while! In any case have nothing new to report!

- Get back to God. Start praying again (you may light that candle but for heaven's sake go beyond that too... see if you can directly help a victim of terrorism)

- Get more vigilant...if we all are vigilant - it will surely help

- Do that one good act a day that we always think we do but rarely get to doing it!!

- Smile at folks back at home, at work, in the mall...they didn't bring in that misery and suffering. They suffer just like you do!

Optimism. Something to invest in!

In today’s economy - even in its current state (the sub-prime crisis and the aftermath notwithstanding) the most important resource is not capital, technology or land. It is People. People dream - and then - people deliver. People define the future of Companies.



Our degree of optimism has a profound impact on the quality of our lives and also on the way we deliver as professionals. Just look around and you will find that professionals with a high degree of optimism are more likely to scale heights that others with similar skills cannot. Optimism is our tool, our wonder drug for overcoming illogical fears, baseless prejudices, stupid misconceptions that hold us back from giving in our best.



And Optismism can be worked up on! Through right inputs and structured appproach - we can get folks to be more optimistic! Issue is - are we willing to invest in it?