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Showing posts from October, 2021

SISU: The Finnish Concept of Resilience

Introduction In a world filled with challenges and setbacks, the quest for resilience has become paramount. Resilience is more than just overcoming hardship; it's about flourishing in the midst of it. And when it comes to resilience, few cultures embody it as profoundly as the Finns, who have a word for this indomitable spirit: Sisu. Sisu, pronounced "see-soo," is a unique Finnish concept that encapsulates grit, determination, and courage in the face of adversity. It's an intrinsic quality deeply embedded in the Finnish psyche, influencing how they approach life's challenges. But what exactly is Sisu, and how can we incorporate this powerful mindset into our own lives? At its core, Sisu is about perseverance in the face of extreme adversity. It's the ability to summon inner strength and tenacity when confronted with seemingly insurmountable obstacles. While resilience is a universal trait found in every culture, Sisu has distinct characteristics that set it ap

Gospel of Wealth

Introduction Gospel of Wealth is a guiding principle for any person carrying some amount of wealth. The modern world is growing more and more unequal day by day as the rich people are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. This difference in wealth concerned an American Steel Industrialist, Andrew Carnegie. He believed in giving wealth away during one’s lifetime, and quoted, “The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced.” Andrew Carnegie’s message inspires leaders and philanthropists all around the world. He wrote an essay in 1889 called ‘Wealth’, and asked his fellow industrialists for their broad social and cultural role. This essay became famous under the name “The Gospel of Wealth” later. It is considered a softer and more palatable version of Social Darwinism. Andrew Carnegie attached responsibility with wealth, arguing that those with great material possessions had equally great obligations to society. He had an impoverished upbringing, still, he developed this mindset of g

The 7 Habits: Habit 2: Begin With the End In Mind

Introduction The Habit 2 of Stephen R. Covey’s ‘ The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People " is "Begin with the end in mind". This habit can be understood with a very simple example of destination. We must have a clear cut idea of our destination during any travel as what will be the purpose of travelling if there is no clarity of destination. We can plan to reach faster to our destination only when we have clarity. Hence beginning with the end in mind refers to starting things off with clear cut idea of final destination so that best possible tactics can be applied to catalyse our success. This habit also helps us to clearly visualise our goals which eventually increases the chances of our success. Stephen Covey said that things are created twice, the first is when our mind built its mental picture and second time in our physical reality. Begin with the End in Mind is a best method to visualise our goal before it become reality. Step by Step Process This habit of starting

VUCA WORLD

Introduction We live in a very uncertain world nowadays. Today, we are not certain of our lives, career, friendships, businesses, security, etc. For example, when COVID first hit the world in 2019, people, doctors, governments, and businesses, etc. were caught unprepared to fight this pandemic. Millions of lives were lost, many businesses closed down and many lost jobs. The VUCA World is a term coined by US Army War College in 1987 where the term VUCA is an acronym for Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity, and Ambiguity. It was in response to the collapse of the USSR in 1990, there was no longer any enemy, and they could see the world from a new perspective. In 2008, the global financial crisis led businesses towards a world of turbulence, danger, and uncertainty. Then, Bob Johannsen, used the word VUCA World in his book, Leaders Makes the Future. He said the threats in the VUCA World can be managed by new skills, approaches, and behavior. He proposed a framework where VUCA threats can

Milgram’s Obedience Study

Introduction Milgram’s Obedience Study is one of the most famous studies of obedience in psychology. It was conducted by psychologist Stanley Milgram at Yale University in 1961. Milgram’s Experiment was conducted to study the conflict between obedience to authority and personal human conscience. It was mainly conducted to analyse the genocide that occurred during World War Two in Germany. The main aim of Milgram’s Experiment was to see how far people would go in harming a person in obedience to the authority figure. Stanley Milgram Experiment In July 1961, the Stanley Milgram Experiment began, that is, a year after the trial of Adolf Eichmann in Jerusalem. Milgram did this experiment to find the answer to the following question: “Could it be that Eichmann and his million accomplices in the Holocaust were just following orders? Could we call them all accomplices?" (Milgram, 1974). Milgram wanted to investigate in 1963 that the common explanation given to the world for the Nazi kill

5 Principles of Successful Life

INTRODUCTION Everyone wants to be successful yet few know how to work for a successful life. To be successful, we need to follow some principles in our lives. The five principles of successful life which we need to follow are dreaming big, working hard, learning every day, enjoying life, and being true to ourselves. These principles appear to be very simple, but mastering them requires patience and persistence. And combining all these principles could lead to amazing results. 5 PRINCIPLES OF SUCCESSFUL LIFE 1. DREAM BIG: The first principle of the 5 principles of a successful life is ‘Dream Big’. Walt Disney quoted, ‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’ It is important for us to dream big, no matter at what age we are. Dreams keep us hopeful and our energy focused on our future. One must set sub-goals with a time frame to convert their dream into reality. Find a picture of your dream and allow it to pursue your dream. The picture of your dream will motivate you always. 2. WORK HARD: Th

The Stanford Prison Experiment

INTRODUCTION The Stanford Prison Experiment or Zimbardo Prison Study is a psychological study experiment held at Stanford University in 1971, to examine the effect of situation variables on participants’ reactions and behaviour in a two-week prison simulated environment. This study was conducted by Stanford’s Psychology professor, Dr Philip Zimbardo along with his team and was funded by the US Office of Naval Research to understand anti-social behaviour. Dr Zimbardo’s main focus was on the power that lies in roles that people play, the rules that govern them, group identity, symbols, and the situational validation of behaviour that generally would repulse ordinary behaviour. EXPERIMENT For the Stanford Prison experiment or Zimbardo Prison Study, 24 healthy, mentally stable, white, middle-class men were recruited on a wage basis for 14 days. Half of them were given the role of a prison guard and the rest were given the role of prisoners. Dr Zimbardo took the role of Superintendent. An u

14 Step Goal Setting Guide: Brian Tracy

Introduction The 14 step goal setting guide by Brian Tracy helps us to achieve our goals faster and easier. Brian Tracy’s goal-setting method is easy to understand and when we use it on regular basis, we will find that these steps leave a very powerful impact on our lives. In the human mind, people feel happy if they are driven to goals but people never get satisfied and they want more and more. Preparation is required to achieve great success, otherwise, when the opportunities come, people will look foolish. 14 steps goal setting guide Step 1: Decide what you want: This is the first step of the 14 step goal-setting guide. Brian Tracy suggests that clarity is the key. You can draw resources that are necessary for achieving your goal much faster if your goal is clear. He wants us to focus on the key areas of our life including our income, family, health, and net worth.  Buy life transforming books of Brian Tracy: Eat that Frog | Goals | No Excuses | Million Dollar Habits Step 2: Writ