Canteen Fundas

 ‘I landed a supporting role in the college play,’ said Rinku. ‘Woohoo.’ ‘Nobody will notice you if you’re not the lead, ‘said Rahul. ‘You should quit.’ ‘Rahul, she’s part of a team effort,’ said Rakesh. ‘Just like you’re part of your basketball team and want your team to win, I’m sure Rinku wants to be part of a successful play too.’ ‘Of course bhaiyya,’ said Rinku. ‘And you can’t be part of successful teams by not putting your heart and soul into your role whatever it is,’ said Rakesh. ‘Are you playing your role to the best of your capability in teams that you’re part of Rahul?’ ‘What teams bhaiyya?’ asked Rahul. ‘I’m only on my basketball team right now.’ ‘How about your family, friends, college, society?’ asked Rakesh. ‘Where you play the role of a son, daughter, student, friend, citizen, human? If we’re not aware of our roles, we’re like actors standing on stage but not playing our part. It’s the perfect recipe for a flop show guys.’ ‘But what are we supposed to ...

 ‘Our basketball team can do so much better,’ said Rahul. ‘But we’re not able to play to our potential.’ ‘Happens everywhere,’ said Rinku. ‘We’ve got great individual players but fail as a team. Wonder why?’ ‘That’s because we behave like a group of individuals, not like a team,’ said Rakesh. ‘Be it with family, friends, college, society, it’s the same. Real teams work together to achieve a common purpose that grows the team and the individuals. Real teams achieve much more than the sum of their parts. And, as the team achieves its potential, individuals perform to their potential as well.’   ‘Wow, how can I get our team going in the next game bhaiyya?’ asked Rahul. ‘Just like you get a boat moving forward when two people are rowing,’ smiled Rakesh. ‘Or, an army marching forward in sync. Get them to work for a common purpose. An army’s purpose is to win the war. Your basketball team’s purpose is to win the tournament. An organisation’s or a relationship’s purpose is to...

 ‘We discussed how to use our physical, emotional and mental energy to fully engage with work,’ said Rinku. ‘But does it translate to great work filled with passion, integrity and honesty?’ ‘Yes bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘How do some people put in superhuman energy and create wonderful outcomes?’ ‘Good question,’ said Rakesh. ‘There’s one energy that overrides all others. It’s called spiritual energy.’ ‘Oh no,’ said Rahul. ‘Spiritual stuff is boring.’ ‘Spiritual energy is nothing but aligning with ‘our’ spirit,’ said Rakesh. ‘Our inner self guides us to our unique purpose, to do things ‘our’ way. It connects us to something bigger than us, something that grows us and those around us, gives us strength beyond known limits and makes great things possible. ‘ ‘Wow,’ said Rinku. ‘How can we access our spiritual energy bhaiyya?’ ‘First, find and live your personal set of values, your building blocks - honesty, integrity, commitment, passion - whatever you value most,’ said Rakesh...

 I’m unable to concentrate for long bhaiyya,’ said Rinku. ‘It’s affecting my performances everywhere.’ ‘You need to manage your mental energy,’ said Rakesh. ‘Mental energy helps you concentrate for long periods and to shift focus flexibly - between big picture and detail-orientation, the internal and external. It boosts performance.’     ‘How can we manage mental energy bhaiyya?’ asked Rahul. ‘Thoughts are our building blocks for mental energy,’ said Rakesh. ‘Our brain, which constitutes 2% body weight, consumes 20-25% of our fuel, oxygen. What it means is that our thinking patterns affect our energy. We know optimistic thoughts help performance and negative thoughts drain us, so changing our thoughts helps. Use the flipping technique –catch negative thoughts and flip them into thoughts that are positive and energising. Positive visualisation and self-talk also help.’ ‘Isn’t it unrealistic to be always positive bhaiyya?’ asked Rinku. ‘Good question,’ said Rakesh...

  I want to top the upcoming exams bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘But the stress is not letting me study.’   ‘Yes bhaiyya,’ said Rinku. ‘Is there a way to overcome emotional stress and engage fully?’ ‘Let’s figure what works best for high performance,’ said Rakesh. ‘Emotions like fear, frustration, anger and sadness? Or enjoyment, pleasure, adventure, opportunity?’ ‘No brainer bhaiyya,’ said Rahul. ‘High energy positive states work best. Anxiety is just not allowing me to focus. How can I get out of this state?’ ‘By flipping channels,’ smiled Rakesh. ‘Work-recovery is our mantra for maintaining high energy. So when you sense low energy emotions taking over, it means you overspent your emotional energy. Flip channels to recovery and renewal activities - walking, music, dancing, reading, yoga, meeting people – whatever is deeply enjoyable for you.   The key however is this – you have to make your renewal activities the priority.’ ‘Bhaiyya, if renewal activities become pri...