Friday Reflections

Success leaves clues

From Left to Right: Row 1: Photos of City Ong (aka CT) and Adventures of Gautam. Row 2: Art of Shubhada and Signature Smile of Xiomara

By Phoebe Pineda

Point to Ponder: Success leaves clues. Go figure out what someone who was successful did, and model it. Improve it, but learn their steps. They have knowledge – Tony Robbins

Storyline: Recently, we’ve spotlighted some people who exhibit extraordinary passion, creativity, and kindness despite maintaining busy work lives.  Looking at these remarkable stories, we’ve identified a few commonalities:

1. Childhood experiences: How people grow up is important in building the foundation for who they become as adults.  Shubhada grew up immersed in art and science; Xiomara lived in a social neighborhood where everyone knew each other; and Gautam spent his youth watching sunsets and exploring forests in the remote outskirts of Mysore, India. For CT, the youngest child with the big age gap with siblings, he exercised his imagination while playing alone.
2. Support and encouragement: Having a supportive environment and people who are invested in your well-being is key.  In addition to having parents who made sure he didn’t overwork himself, Gautam had a friend in high school who took him under her wing and helped him navigate the tumult of adolescence. Shubhada had very supportive parents. CT and Xiomara were deeply influenced by their mothers.
3. A turning point: Several of our subjects can pinpoint the moment they discovered their passion, whether by volunteering to take photos at a conference (CT) or borrowing money from their best friend to buy a train ticket to Nepal (Gautam).
4. Curiosity/risk-taking: Our subjects like to venture beyond the beaten path, driven by a desire to see the world in new and exciting ways.  Shubhada utilizes out-of-the-box thinking (OBT) in both her engineering career and her artwork; Gautam seeks out the roads less traveled as he explores new countries; and CT finds his camera lens drawn to everything from sunsets to animals to a drop of dew on a leaf.
5. Building a relationship between passion and profession: Just because your interests are diverse doesn’t mean lessons from one can’t be applied to the other.  Shubhada approaches both engineering and art with creativity and a methodical focus, and CT finds he’s at his most focused and ready to work after he’s spent some time taking photographs.
6. COVID as an opportunity: With the pandemic slowing life down, our subjects have embraced their passions.  CT documented life in his Malaysian neighborhood, Gautam and his family hit the road to Florida and Yosemite, Shubhada drew daily charcoal portraits of inspiring people, and Xiomara encouraged those around her to remain positive despite the circumstances. 
7. Love first: Though some make money from their passion, they do it primarily because they love it, and because they want to share the joy it brings them with the world.

Reflection: In Developing Talent in Young People, psychologist Benjamin Bloom identifies three key elements that are crucial to helping children discover and foster lifelong passions: exposure, support, and coaching.

My younger brother and I have been lucky enough to have parents willing to allow us to experience and experiment with different interests rather than limiting us to a rigid set of expectations.  As a family, we love to travel–and to eat–and over the years my brother and I have been exposed to all sorts of different places (and different types of food).  For my brother, a weekend is not complete if we haven’t hit the road–whether it’s a drive along the coast, a trip out to the new mochi donut shop, or even running errands at Costco.

Our parents have supported us in all our ventures as we tried new things: while neither of us took a liking to soccer, I enjoyed my ballet classes at the local rec center, and my brother is an avid runner.  Their support, both emotionally and financially, has enabled us to receive proper coaching in order to hone our skills, from my brother’s weekly cross-country practices to my continuing education in writing and literature at a university whose faculty are committed to helping their students develop their craft and grow as artists.

But you don’t have to be a young person to find your passion, to discover what excites you.  Expose yourself to new things, open yourself to new experiences.  Find a friend (or two–maybe more) to support and encourage you–and don’t be afraid to seek out a mentor!  You’re never too old–or too young–to find what you love.

Do What You Love

Live the Life You Imagined

The Path of Life

There is Art in Science and Science in Art

Originally from the SF Bay Area, Phoebe Pineda currently studies Writing and Literature at the University of California Santa Barbara's College of Creative Studies.  In addition to storytelling, she enjoys sunset-watching, road trips, and making art.

Anand and Phoebe first met at a Kid-to-Work Day over two decades ago. Once a week, they meet to discuss the various stories, experiences, memories, and lessons he's collected over the years. They approach each conversation from two different stages in life, one looking forward, the other looking back.

There is Art in Science, and There is Science in Art (Do What You Love - Part 3)

“If you’re having a good time in your own company, it’s a good sign that you’re happy and you enjoy what you do.” -Shubhada 

By Phoebe Pineda

Point to Ponder:  “Discovery consists of looking at the same thing as everyone else and thinking about it differently.” –Albert Szent-Györgyi

Storyline: From majestic landscapes to portraits of renowned historical figures, Shubhada Sahasrabudhe’s art captures beauty in all sorts of places.

An engineer by trade, working at one of the world’s largest tech companies, Shubhada grew up in two worlds: art and science.  “I lived in an engineering town that manufactured pumps, and my dad worked in research and development,” she says.  “But art was in the house all the time.  My dad did outstanding sketches and paintings, and we spent our evenings sitting side-by-side with him and watching him work, doing random art projects-Even his engineering drawings.”  Growing up close to the process of creation, both at the pump factory and at home, instilled a strong sense of curiosity in Shubhada–“We were told to always be curious, not to stop at what but to ask why”–as well as a strong creative drive: “There was this push to be original,” she says.  “My parents told me, ‘You have to create something that belongs to you.  You're not an artist or a scientist unless you have contributed.’”

With limited supplies around the house, Shubhada often spent her childhood drawing in dirt roads with a stick which interestingly and unknowingly connected her to sand as a medium which she used years later.  “It was like an unlimited canvas,” she says.  Though she now has access to more traditional mediums, such as oil and acrylic, she still enjoys working with less conventional materials.  “I’ve always been an experimentalist, so I always try a new technique–anything that stains with a pigment is my medium,” she says.  “If I finish my coffee and I have a little left at the bottom, I will use it.” Her sand art in particular has garnered much attention, including a guest appearance on the Nickelodeon show Ryan’s Mystery Playdate.

Despite coming up in a workplace culture where hobbies and leisure time were challenging, Shubhada takes both her engineering and artistic career equally seriously.  “I don’t think I’ve ever felt like art and science are distinct things,” she says.  “To me they are so blurry and so similar. Yes, there is more system to science, but you see both elements–system and random–in different ways.  When I begin a painting, I don’t start with the details: I do the big strokes first to get the basic form and values together, and that defines my painting.  That’s exactly how I think of engineering: whenever I look at a problem statement, I look at the broad strokes and ask myself, What am I trying to do?  Once I have those pieces, I know how to fill in the minor details.  Knowing the end point helps guide your next steps.” Science and engineering also played a major role in Shubhada’s sand art, from constructing the worktable (which Shubhada designed and built herself) to finding the right type of sand: “I went to twenty different beaches to get as many sand samples as possible,” she says.

Though balancing work and life can be challenging, Shubhada says making time to do what she loves is worth every minute.  “Painting for hours is meditative,” she explains.  “It’s the most neutral feeling you can have, which is so rare in this day and age: not happy, not sad, just neutral and satisfied.”  She’s made it a priority to share that feeling with others, whether it’s teaching three and a half hours of back-to-back weekly classes through her art academy or finishing and posting a charcoal portrait every day for 140 days during quarantine. Sketch a Day  “I tried to use my art to combat the negativity and sadness,” she says.  “If you’re having a good time in your own company, it’s a good sign that you’re happy and you enjoy what you do.”

*For her contributions in the field of science, Shubhada recently received an esteem award "Women Engineer of the Year"  by American Sociery of Mechanical Engineers. Being recognized in the areas of her profession as well passion demonstrates her commitment to excellence in whatever she takes up.*

Reflection: I’ve always envied creatives who work in math and science: my physics and bio major friends who draw, write, and paint, who can navigate these two seemingly opposing fields, one world as foreign to me as the other is familiar.  Talking with Shubhada gave me insight into that fluidity: it’s about having a certain mentality, an approach that combines order and creativity and, most of all, an eagerness to learn.

At the end of the day, though the work may be different, the processes are more similar than we think, and the ultimate goal is the same: both science and art attempt to make sense of how the world works.  Science tells its own kind of story, the histories of who we are and how we got here, how the world moves around us and how we move within it.  And art is its own kind of science, an ongoing process of trial and error and building on the ideas of those that came before you, expanding our view of the world, defining and redefining truth.

For Anand, the son of two artists, interviewing Shubhada brought back a lot of memories of his own childhood, and how drawing on those creative experiences influenced his approach to problem-solving, enabling him to look at things differently and formulate solutions.

Our community of readers consists of people with a variety of different passions.  Though these may seem different on the surface, all have similarities in terms of process and approach, and all have valuable lessons that can be applied to different contexts.  But most importantly, no matter your line of work, putting your heart, enthusiasm, and soul into your endeavors will help you succeed.

 You can support Shubhada’s work by visiting her  WEBSITE or following her on Facebook.

Attachments: Versatility of the artist.

 

 

 

*late addition paragraph by Anand*

Originally from the SF Bay Area, Phoebe Pineda currently studies Writing and Literature at the University of California Santa Barbara's College of Creative Studies.  In addition to storytelling, she enjoys sunset-watching, road trips, and making art.

Anand and Phoebe first met at a Kid-to-Work Day over two decades ago. Once a week, they meet to discuss the various stories, experiences, memories, and lessons he's collected over the years. They approach each conversation from two different stages in life, one looking forward, the other looking back.

“Kindness and Consideration of Somebody Besides Yourself Keeps You Feeling Young.” –Betty White

By Phoebe Pineda

Point to Ponder:  “My mother always used to say, ‘The older you get, the better you get. Unless you’re a banana.’” –"Rose Nylund, The Golden Girls"

Storyline:

On New Year’s Eve, beloved television actress Betty White passed away just weeks shy of her 100th birthday.  Widely mourned by audiences everywhere, White’s popularity defied generational boundaries.  With every age and era she seemed to find a new groove, from her roles on such TV classics as The Mary Tyler Moore Show and The Golden Girls to more recent roles in Hot in Cleveland and the movie The Proposal.  In 2010, thanks to a fan-launched Facebook campaign, White became the oldest person to host Saturday Night Live at 88 years old–“the only SNL host I ever saw get a standing ovation at the after party,” former head writer Seth Meyers remarked.

As well as a talented actress and gifted comedian, White was a pioneer, one of the first women to produce and host for radio and television as well as a longtime advocate for animal welfare and an ally for marginalized people.  Her insistence on giving screentime to Black tap dancer Arthur Duncan resulted in the cancellation of The Betty White Show in 1954, and she was outspoken about her support for the LGBT+ community.

And indeed, even after over sixty years, she never seemed to lose her passion.  Every moment she was onscreen, she stole the show, whether she was ribbing her costars or poking fun at herself.  “If one has no sense of humor,” she wrote in her memoir If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won’t), “one is in trouble.” 

Reflection:

There never has been, nor will there ever be, another Betty White.  A sentiment I’ve seen floating around the Internet in the weeks since her passing is that she managed to live such an extraordinary life and bring so much joy to people over the years that nearly everyone agreed that 99 years old was far too soon.

Success in Hollywood is rare; to achieve the longevity Betty White had is unimaginable.  Perhaps one of the reasons she could remain such a powerhouse and hold her own in a famously aging-averse agency was because she’d spent her entire life one step ahead of the times.  Even now, we are only just starting to catch up to where Betty was in the 1950s in terms of her creative control and her acceptance of others.

But the reason she resonated with so many of us, from Gen Xers like my parents to children of the Internet like me, was her humor and her heart.  She was quick-witted, snarky, but always compassionate.  And as Anand pointed out to me while we were drafting this article on Monday, every picture of her radiates joy.  She loved life, and she lived a life full of love: for people, for animals, and for being onscreen, making us laugh.

January 17th would have been her 100th birthday.  On behalf of everyone and all the lives you’ve touched, Betty, thank you for being a friend.

 

 

Originally from the SF Bay Area, Phoebe Pineda currently studies Writing and Literature at the University of California Santa Barbara's College of Creative Studies.  In addition to storytelling, she enjoys sunset-watching, road trips, and making art.

Anand and Phoebe first met at a Kid-to-Work Day over two decades ago. Once a week, they meet to discuss the various stories, experiences, memories, and lessons he's collected over the years. They approach each conversation from two different stages in life, one looking forward, the other looking back.

Live the Life You've Imagined (Part 2-Do What You Love)

By Phoebe Pineda

Point to Ponder:  “Fill your life with experiences, not things.  Have stories to tell, not stuff to show.” –Anonymous

Storyline: When Gautam, at the age of 23, scrounged some money from his best friend Subha and bought a train ticket to Nepal in the summer of 2008, he had no idea it would change his life forever.  After living a sheltered childhood in India and going through the motions, spending three months hitch-hiking and backpacking in the Himalayas was eye-opening.  “From an experience like that, a switch in your brain just turns on,” he says.  “On that trip, I understood what freedom meant.”

Though he earned his degree in engineering, Gautam’s true passion is exploring the natural world.  For the past decade, he’s traveled the world with his now wife Subha, also an engineer from a similar background.  From spending their honeymoon with the Pech Indian tribe in the remote jungles of Honduras to riding motorcycles up the Pacific Coast Highway, all the way to Seattle, little seems off-limits for Gautam, who prefers to venture off the beaten path rather than stay at hotel rooms in crowded tourist destinations.  Yet he doesn’t see his unconventional lifestyle as risk-taking: “Out there in raw nature, you never push yourself to do what you think you’re capable of,” he says.  “You have to be able to enjoy what you’re doing.”

While Gautam loves exploring the natural beauty of the various and diverse landscapes the world has to offer–from glaciers and mountain ranges to deserts and rainforests–the real draw of many of the places he visits is the people he meets, many of whom have shown him immense kindness and hospitality.  “When you meet all these interesting people, you learn so much about humanity in general,” he says.  “It reinforces the fact that people are inherently good.” 

Parenthood has also been a key part of Gautam’s journey: “Kids look at you as an example of how to live, so now you have no choice but to be the best version of yourself,” he says.  “I have to learn things to make it safe and more educational for them, which is only making my life more enriched.”  During COVID, Gautam took advantage of the opportunity to truly bond with his children, taking them on coast to coast road trips to Florida, camping in places like Yosemite and many other national forests in the Sierra Nevada mountain range, and planting a vegetable garden.  “I want my kids to learn that you have the freedom and ability to do what you like to do,” he says.  “A lot of people want to do many things, but they have a lot of fears in mind.  If it's an honorable passion, what I want them to learn is that you should do what you like.  Only when people do what they like can beautiful things happen.”

Gautam’s goal is not to excel at one single thing, whether that’s work or climbing.  Rather, he wants to experience the variety of what the world has to offer, regardless of skill level.  “For me, it’s about learning, to satisfy the curiosity of mind,” he says.  “I don’t have to be the best engineer or the best mountaineer.  As long as we’re giving our best and having fun at it, it’s okay.  It’s my life.”

Reflection: While talking with Gautam and writing this post, I thought about the song “Try Everything” from Disney’s Zootopia, and the saying “jack of all trades, master of none, but better than a master of one.”  Your passion doesn’t have to be limited to one specific field or area.  If you can be passionate about life, about trying new things, then you open yourself up to all sorts of possibilities and opportunities you may not have had otherwise.  You don’t have to be the best at everything, or even one single thing.  Sometimes it’s only when you try–and fail–that you can really experience freedom.

 

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.... * 

From L-R: Camping in Himlayas, Leh-Ladakh, @16000 feet, Annapurna-Nepal, Ice climbing Frozen Waterfall-Outray-Colorado, SanJose to Seattle on Motor Bike, Burning Man, Indian Creek-Utah

 

Honeymoon in Honduras (where there are no hotels or tourists)

“Go as far as you can see; when you get there, you’ll be able to see further.” Thomas Carlyle

 Row 1-Mount Shasta, Row 2 Mount Whitney, Row 3-Mount Rainier

Row 1: Mount Hood, Grand Titon. Row 2: Yosemite, Rock Climbing in Tahoe, Thousand Island Lake

*....As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler." ― Henry David Thoreau

Serenity of Home Sweet Home: Home grown, Home Cooked

 

Originally from the SF Bay Area, Phoebe Pineda currently studies Writing and Literature at the University of California Santa Barbara's College of Creative Studies.  In addition to storytelling, she enjoys sunset-watching, road trips, and making art.

Anand and Phoebe first met at a Kid-to-Work Day over two decades ago. Once a week, they meet to discuss the various stories, experiences, memories, and lessons he's collected over the years. They approach each conversation from two different stages in life, one looking forward, the other looking back.

The Forest Said Nothing, It Just Let Her Breathe.*

Alishan National Forest, Taiwan - Photo by Luisa Go Shah

Point to Ponder:  “In solitude there is healing.  Speak to your soul.  Listen to your heart.  The answers are often found in the absence of noise.” --Dodinsky

Storyline: Special Thanks to Milan Trivedi, one of our readers, who sent in this beautiful poem by Becky Hemsley.  

Breathe

She sat at the back and they said she was shy,

She led from the front and they hated her pride,

They asked her advice and then questioned her guidance,

They branded her loud, then were shocked by her silence,

When she shared no ambition they said it was sad,

So she told them her dreams and they said she was mad,

They told her they'd listen, then covered their ears,

And gave her a hug while they laughed at her fears,

And she listened to all of it thinking she should,

Be the girl they told her to be best as she could,

But one day she asked what was best for herself,

Instead of trying to please everyone else,

So she walked to the forest and stood with the trees,

She heard the wind whisper and danced with the leaves,

She spoke to the willow, the elm and the pine,

And she told them what she'd been told time after time,

She told them she felt she was never enough,

She was either too little or far far too much,

Too loud or too quiet, too fierce or too weak,

Too wise or too foolish, too bold or too meek,

Then she found a small clearing surrounded by fires,

And she stopped...and she heard what the trees said to her,

And she sat there for hours not wanting to leave,

For the forest said nothing, it just let her breathe.

*You can support Becky’s work by following her on Facebook or visiting her shop on Etsy. 

Reflection: I think a lot of us, particularly those of us who are women, can relate to this poem -- this feeling of never being good enough, that nothing you say or do will ever please people.  It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by all the demands different people make of us -- teachers, employers, family, friends -- and so it’s incredibly important, especially as we approach the holiday season, to take time to sit with ourselves and just let ourselves be: without judgement, without obligation, without fear.

 

Originally from the SF Bay Area, Phoebe Pineda currently studies Writing and Literature at the University of California Santa Barbara's College of Creative Studies.  In addition to storytelling, she enjoys sunset-watching, road trips, and making art.

 

The Way the Child Sees It

Some stories have changed the world and this is one of those. Appropriate to revisit in the current world environment.First Published in September 2018.

Points to Ponder: Every adult was once a child free of prejudice. – Mother Teresa

Story Line: Sometime ago, one late weekend evening I had retired for the day in bed when I heard the cries of a young child coming from our living room. I rushed there to find the young boy crying and saying “That’s not right, That’s not right, They love each other.” His parents were trying to comfort him.

Noticing that there was a frozen screen on the TV and inquiring further I learned that the parents were watching a movie after the little guy had fallen asleep on sofa. But the little guy had woken up and the parents engrossed in the movie were not aware that he was watching the movie too. The scene where the little guy started crying was when the police stormed into the home of a married interracial couple at night and dragged them out of their beds and arrested them. In the state where they lived, interracial marriages were illegal at that time.

It was obvious that the little guy had no understanding of the race, color, religion or the existing laws at the time. He was looking at them as two people who were in love and living together.

The movie was “Loving” based on the true story. “In 1958, Richard Loving, a white man, and Mildred Jeter, a black woman, drove north from their home in Virginia to Washington, D.C., to get married. Upon returning to Virginia, they were dragged out of bed and arrested by the police. The Lovings’ marriage was not legally valid due to the state’s law barring interracial marriage. The ensuing legal battle upended the lives of the Lovings and their three children for almost a decade.*”

Some love stories can change the world and Loving is one of those. In its unanimous ruling in 1967, the Supreme Court determined that marriage is, “Fundamental to our very existence and survival.” Under the 14th Amendment, “The freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discriminations,” Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote in the opinion. “Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual, and cannot be infringed by the State.”

Reflection: Loving is the story of what happened in America. However, the underlying message is universal. In every country and culture there are prejudices against color, race, religion, social class and for many other reasons. It is easier to criticize others for their views and beliefs. Its when we reflect inwards, that we realize we have a long way to go as individuals.

Reflecting on my own journey, my childhood that was filled with friends from different religions and social classes. Somewhere along the way the environment shifted thinking based on news, opinions of other people, schools and other influences. That resulted in beliefs about others based on ignorance, and not facts.

Over the years, many of my views about race, religion, social class and unjust laws have changed by intense dialogues with my children, my wider exposure to the world and meeting wonderful people. 

"It may seem like a long road ahead, but as I see generation after generation growing up and the consciousness of the parents raising them in an environment free of prejudice against insignificant things, such as the color of someone's skin. I am hopeful this is the change I will see in my lifetime" 

*Source: Huffington Post

Readers comments from previous publication are worth a look. (in comments section)

 

 

 

To Those Who Knock.

   Photo credit: Vincent Van Der Pas (www.archetypefotografie.nl)

POINT TO PONDER

"Perseverance, secret of all triumphs." 

                                - Victor Hugo

 

STORY LINE by Paulo Coelho 

Success does not come from having one’s work recognized by others. It is the fruit of the seed that you lovingly planted.

When harvest time arrives, you can say to yourself: ‘I succeeded.’

You succeeded in gaining respect for your work because you did not work only to survive, but to demonstrate your love for others.

You managed to finish what you began, even though you did not foresee all the traps along the way. 
And when your enthusiasm waned because of the difficulties you encountered, you reached for discipline. 
And when discipline seemed about to disappear because you were tired, you used your moments of repose to think about what steps you needed to take in the future.

You were not paralyzed by the defeats that are inevitable in the lives of those who take risks.
You didn’t sit agonising over what you lost when you had an idea that didn’t work.
You didn’t stop when you experienced moments of glory, because you had not yet reached your goal.

And when you have to ask for help, you did not feel humiliated. And when you learned that someone needed help, you showed them all that you had learned, without fearing that you might be revealing secrets or being used by others.

To him who knocks, the door will open.
He who asks will receive.
He who consoles knows that he will be consoled.

(Taken from “Manuscript found in Accra”)

And how many times can a man turn his head And pretend that he just doesn't see

Points to Ponder: How many ears must one person have Before he can hear people cry?

Oh, the answer, my friends, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind

Story Line: This song was written in 1962 by Bob Dylan and reflected the times of Vietnam war, violence and protests for human rights. However, seeing the current situation in the world, I thought of the message of this song. I share again with you as it is especially relevant today.  

I hear Bob Dylan's voice as he pleads: And how many deaths will it take 'till he knows That too many people have died? 

Reflection: No matter what political or religious believes you have, I am sure everyone wants these senseless killings to end. A quick solution for these tragedies needs to be in place. We must do everything possible to make sure that this madness stops.

Otherwise:  "What a pity a man must die before he wakes up?"

 

Lyrics: Blowin’ In The Wind by Bob Dylan

How many roads must a man walk down Before you call him a man?

How many seas must a white dove sail Before she sleeps in the sand?

How many times must the cannon balls fly Before they're forever banned?

The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind

How many years can a mountain exist Before it's washed to the sea?

How many years must some people exist Before they're allowed to be free?

And how many times can a man turn his head And pretend that he just doesn't see - The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind

How many times can a man look up Before he sees the sky?

How many ears must one person have Before he can hear people cry?

And how many deaths will it take 'till he knows That too many people have died?

The answer, my friends, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind.

Oh, the answer, my friends, is blowin' in the wind The answer is blowin' in the wind

Songwriter: Bob Dylan was awarded The Nobel Prize in Litreature in 2016.

Blowin' in the Wind lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC 

A version of this article was published on March 29, 2018 during gun violence that resulted in deaths of many innocent children and adults.

 

 

Sometimes it helps to look at the bigger picture.

Points To Ponder: THE DELUSION OF LEARNING FROM EXPERIENCE The most powerful learning comes from direct experience. Indeed, we learn eating, crawling, walking, and communicating through direct trial and error—through taking an action and seeing the consequences of that action; then taking a new and different action. But what happens when we can no longer observe the consequences of our actions? What happens if the primary consequences of our actions are in the distant future or in a distant part of the larger system within which we operate? We each have a “learning horizon,” a breadth of vision in time and space within which we assess our effectiveness. When our actions have consequences beyond our learning horizon, it becomes impossible to learn from direct experience. --Peter M. Senge, The Fifth Discipline: The Art & Practice of The Learning Organization

Story Line: In The current state of world affairs- Pandemic, Border Disputes, Political Positioning, Equal Rights, Natural Disasters, Enviornmental Issues, Diversity....."My Way or Highway"...........

Your Reflection: Where are we heading as the human race? What is the Big Picture Thinking?

 

The Fifth Discipline is one of the few books I have learnt from and treasured from the day I was introduced to it in the year 1992 by our boss Robert Miller. The learnings from this book have been great asset in what follwed in wonderful career and life.

Things Shared Are Never Lost (on 16th/36th Anniversary)

Points to Ponder: We are never really happy until we try to brighten the lives of others - Helen Keller

Story Line: Friday Reflections Through The Years ( a few sample images from 713 posts)

Reflection: What began in August 1985 as the stories I would tell our children on weekly Friday Evening rides became an asset while launching an Out of the Box Thinking class in the year 2004 in Penang, Malaysia and Cavite, Philippines. Participants liked the different concepts that were explained through stories of people, places and experiences. Per their request, Friday Reflection on internet was officially launched on August 5, 2005. Thanks to all for your encouragement, ideas, feedback and support for past sixteen years. ❤️🌅

Images above represent the seven values of Friday Reflections. Some of these were shared by readers and featured in reflections through the years.

Seven Values Are: 1. Keep on Learning New Skills. 2. Assume Responsibility 3. People and Relationships 4. Flexibility 5. Take Risks 6. Passion 7. Performance and Results.