Friday Reflections

Spring Around The Pond

 

Spring is nature's way of saying, 'Let's party!' - Robin Williams

 

Give the ones you love wings to fly

 

Point to Ponder: I believe the children are our future Teach them well and let them lead the way Show them all the beauty they possess inside Give them a sense of pride to make it easier. --- from The Greatest Love of All by Whitney Houston

Story Line: Late last year many of our friends were busy visiting various college campuses with their children who will be graduating soon. Now that the verdicts are in and college selections are made, great preparations are going on for the journey to the new world for children. For parents it is the time of mixed emotions; happy to know their children will enter the next phase of life while they will need to adjust to the life without them; an empty nest.

While we are getting the updates from our friends, one humming bird conducted parallel activity right by our window under the extended roof; she laid eggs, had two cute babies and cared for them until they flew out. My mother and I watched the entire process; me observing several times a day while my mother spending a lot more time. The journey from the birth to an empty nest are captured in the video at the top.

It was fascinating and educational to see how the hummingbird mom selected the location; safe from predators and environmental conditions. (But not good for our recently cleaned window.J).  Even during the gusty winds of 40 miles per hour, the nest and babies did not fall down. The location was hard for bandits like Raven, Blue Jays and Mocking Birds who were constantly scouting for newborns (Spring Feast) from a large pole or nearby trees. But this location would have been too hard for them to get in and easily fly out.

She also made sure to come for feeding only when the bandits were not around. When they were on the pole or trees, she would fly around them and then go inside some far tree to distract them about the location. She fed each baby for almost equal time.

Ten days after birth, the babies started flapping their wings in preparation for the upcoming flight. Reminded me about plane flights where pilots do pre-checks before starting take off. The first one took off on The Tax Day (4/15) and tried his newly acquired flying skills for a few hours. But it seemed that it had hard time catching bugs so returned to the nest to join the sibling for the family lunch-on. Seemed the mother had some words with him/her because after that meal he/she never returned to the nest but was seen catching bugs in flight with the mom. Guess the first time he/she had flown off without proper training. (not listening to parents to be patient)

The second one was a late bloomer. Seems like he/she had filed an extension and waited for two more days to fly off. And fly he/she did. Right in front of the Blue Jay waiting on the pole. Risk Taking, Near Miss or Confidence; Whatever. Mom made sure that the little one knows the danger by flying with him/her that afternoon and also conducted proper training in catching bugs.

For the past two days, my mom and I are dealing with an empty nest. On the positive side, all of them have come by to greet in early morning or late afternoon.

Reflection: There are so many similarities in how different species prepare their young ones for the world they would be living in. Watching the entire process was educational and pure joy. (Even Window cleaning will have pleasant memories.)

Many events of this story are captured in a short video at the top of this reflection.

As many parents are getting ready for dealing with an empty nest, I would end with the following thought: Be Happy-You Did Good.

Note: For countries with no Youtube Access Use Vimeo Platform Link: https://vimeo.com/331296081 

A Beautiful Message by Arthur Ashe : Why Me?

The legendary Wimbledon player who was dying of AIDS, which he got due to infected blood he received during a heart surgery in 1983. He received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: 

"Why did God have to select you for such a bad disease?" 

To this Arthur Ashe replied: 

50 Million children started playing Tennis, 

5 Million learnt to play Tennis, 

500 Thousand learnt Professional Tennis, 

50 Thousand came to Circuit, 

5 Thousand reached Grand Slam, 

50 reached Wimbledon, 

4 reached the Semifinals, 

2 reached the Finals and 

when I was holding the cup in my hand, I never asked God: 

"Why Me?" 

So now that I'm in pain how can I ask God: 

"Why Me?" 

Happiness keeps you Sweet! 

Trials keep you Strong! 

Sorrows keep you Human! 

Failure keeps you Humble! 

Success keeps you Glowing! 

But only, Faith keeps you Going! 

Sometimes you are not satisfied with your life, while many people in this world are dreaming of living your life. 

A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead dreams of flying. but, a pilot on the plane sees the farmhouse & dreams of returning home. 

That's life! 

Enjoy yours... 

If wealth is the secret to happiness, then the rich should be dancing on the streets.
But only poor kids do that. 

If power ensures security, then VIPs should walk unguarded.
But those who live simply, sleep soundly. 

If beauty and fame bring ideal relationships, then celebrities should have the best marriages.
Live simply, be happy! Walk humbly and love genuinel

 

*Thanks to Sujat Shah, a very engaged reader of FR and an incredible humble soul, from India for sharing this beautiful story. 

What does it take to take your idea/company of the ground?

Points to Ponder:

“The secret of success is constancy of purpose.” Benjamin Disraeli

Story Line: One childhood habit (fascination) that I have not been able to get rid of is to watch planes take off and fly. Even after all these years of growing up, I still go to San Francisco Airport a few times a month and spend couple of hours watching planes take off and land. 

What makes this magnificent creation of human mind and efforts; weighing more than half a million pounds (ex. 777, 747); soaring at 35000 feet; and traveling over 7000 miles without stopping; to take hundreds of passengers safely to their destination? 

Based on Aerodynamics, four forces are constantly at works to enable a plane to fly: Thrust, generated by engines and propellers, is responsible for forward motion of the plane. Drag, created by air resistance, slows down the forward motion. Thrust has to be greater than Drag for a plane to move forward. This is enabled through right powered engines and streamlined design. The third force is Weight, a gravitational force responsible for downward motion. And the final force is Lift, created by a balancing force of wind beneath the wings, which counters weight and pushes plane upwards. And most of the planes need one more and very important force, a human one: A Pilot.

So what do all these have to do with your idea or a company? This is where Human dynamics comes into play. You are the Pilot (inventor or entrepreneur) who needs to convert your idea (dream) into reality (destination). You are the pilot (employee, manager or a leader) who constantly needs to create more value for your stakeholders (investors, employees, customers and suppliers). You have to have the strong Thrust (Belief in your vision, Passion, Courage to move forward) to overcome the Drag (Ney Sayers, Roadblocks). You have to have the Lift (Willpower, efficient organization design) to rise above the Weight (Bureaucracy, Resource Constraints). You have to create a flight path (charter a course) and put your ideas/projects in motion.

How many planes return to terminal after the boarding gates close? How many times, or did you ever, hear about a pilot giving up once the plane reaches V speed of 150-180 miles/hour? Once you put your idea/project in motion, it reaches a takeoff point where forces of Lift (Passion) and Thrust (Willpower) overcome the forces of Drag and Weight. Yes, it takes a lot to get a plane off the ground. And there begins your journey to your destination.

But the journey is not over yet. What happens when a plane encounters turbulence or unexpected event? The pilot looks at the monitors (data) and makes necessary adjustments to altitude or flight path. How many instances do you know where a pilot has given up on destination (goal) or start a brand new journey (a program of the month/year) or dropped the plane all together? In such cases, not only that the passengers would not reach their destination; but it would also waste tremendous resources and do a great disservice to your stakeholders. Won’t it?

And what about a situation where the plane is cruising at 35000 feet in a nice weather (project/ organization is functioning well). It is in auto pilot mode (called Empowerment in corporate world). There are real time monitors and indicators constantly flashing. There are bells and whistles to flag abnormalities. Does it mean the pilot can sit back and take it easy? (Delegate his leadership?).

Reflection: Any entrepreneur or a successful leader never takes his eye off the ball. They are constantly monitoring their flight and do make necessary course correction; but they do not give up until they reach their destination.

And guess what? There is an old Airline saying, “A plane makes money only when it is in the air.” Similarly an entrepreneur or a good leader never rests. They are ready to take off to the next destination as soon as new passengers are on board.