Is Your 'Brain on Fire' yet ?

Yeah – You read it right. Brain-on-fire? You may have heard about a soul on fire but what exactly is a 'brain on fire' ? Interested to get your 'brain-on-fire' ?  

Keep reading !

Before you wonder if you even relate to this 'brain-on-fire' experience , lets quickly put you through some questions that make the answer to the question plain as day .

• Does your work attract you like a Moth to a Fire ?
• Do you feel you are in a place where you feel you don’t experience the real joy of doing what you do ? ( I am not talking about acceptance of circumstances here , dear matured reader :) )
•  Do you feel your best resources are not being tapped and you are doing something which you know doesn't harness the 100% of you ?
• Where you don’t even feel like enjoying the satisfaction of having done something good?

Well, If you answered at least a single Yes, don't go anywhere - you have reached the right place. Being in a place where you don’t feel fully invested in , is more of a Brain Quicksand. But look on the bright side now, you know that you need to get out of it. We can concentrate on how to do that ,what you want to do and most importantly what sets your brain-on-fire !

What is this Brain-On-Fire anyway?   

Have you seen someone do something they are really passionate about? Their eyes, the words they speak and the way they move when they do something which they want to do? The whole world becomes non-existent and what is visible to them is themselves and their craft. 

Take for example, a coder. If you see them at work, their eyes will be engrossed, trapped in the trance of the syntax's and logic that oozes out of their hands. The look on their face when they know after they have written the code, “oh yeah. This will work. This cannot fail because I covered it all” – Priceless. The smile that escapes from their guarded faces that they quickly wipe it off before anyone caught them reveling in their own gift – again priceless. Their eyes will wear a fiery look and their brain literally catches on fire while they go through this cerebral experience. 

Imagine having to experience this much intensity every day, every moment when you are doing something. When the world disappears when you do what you do and when it appears after what you have done, that’s when you know your brain is on fire. If you feel heartbroken now, after reading this, having realized that you haven’t had this brain bonfire experience yet,  I urge you to keep reading because after this reading experience you will at least know what gets you going.

Symptoms of not being on Fire

There are many signals that if you choose to observe you will understand that you are not yet on fire. A simple question. Have you ever observed how you feel when you introduce yourself to people when they ask you what do you do for a living? After you just introduced yourself, what are your immediate thoughts? Are they any of the following?

“Yeah. That’s what I do.”     “That’s it.”    “For now.”

“Just like anyone else.”

Well, there you go. If you don’t feel the energy, the zest of having introduced yourself that you do that ‘something’ for a living you clearly aren’t in love with the job. Be it any industry. If you don’t feel the pride swelling up when you tell people what you do, you have to ask yourself what makes you feel this way. There must be something. Something that lights you up and makes you want to do it immediately when someone asks you a favor or assistance in that craft. And when will someone ask you a favor – this happens only when you were good at it ! It might be Writing, Coding & Development, Event Management, Analytical skills , Hosting shows, Music Vocal or instruments, Art / Theater , Logical reasoning, Database Management Systems and the list goes on.

Call to Action

What do you do now? You somehow swallowed the reality pill and extended your moral fibre to understand what gives you the zing, what makes you Tick. Take this skill, this very personal craft of yours, which might have been buried deep inside your fears of exposing it out to the public and start wielding it out like the sword you Own . Use it with full steam. 

Every time you take out this sword, move swiftly, be agile, have good reflexes and be the Ninja of your gifts. In simpler terms - once you find this gift of yours, start investigating the avenues around you where you can start displaying your craft. Play your cards out, even if it takes the entire deck. But once you find the Ace of your house you will realize your Brain is on fire. 

If you feel you are good at music, start training at it formally, network with people with similar goals and think about performing in any occasion that you feel will be apt. If you feel you write well, start interning as Content Writers or be a blogger and stick to some specific topics. If you feel you have a knack for photography, start an Instagram profile, Pinterest or Blog to display your works. You feel you are a good people person, get yourself a Management degree and start Marketing or Human Resources . If you feel you will ace it in the IT world , hunt down the jobs that challenge you, gives you ample learning scope and acts as the fuel into your system , lighting you up like a VOLCANO. 

The whole point of this is to not subdue your gifts, talents and innate creative threads of magic. Start thinking of associating yourself with your passion, with your field, with a place that makes you come alive. The world needs more of people who come alive – I read this in a Pinterest quote and it latched on to me and made me question my preferences. I began to ponder , What makes me come alive? On a personal note, when I began to ruminate over my journey till now, it deeply illuminated my mental space and helped me understand what my ways ahead are.

My life is in track already, passions can’t pay bills!

                                                                                                                                                          True. Due to the choices you have made till now, that drove your life in this direction to this place where you are now, you might even be in a reputed organization doing some regular stuff which might even be paying you meaty salaries. But do you think you can survive here for long? I am not talking about 5 or 10 years. Can you plan the rest of your life ahead just with this one ray of hope or rope you are desperately trying to hold on just because right now your demands are met? Great things didn’t happen to great people by making easy choices. It takes a lot of character, courage and intellectual stamina to be clear yourself and convince the stakeholders around you who are going to be affected in some way by your choice. You can’t always ensure your life adjusts with your stakeholders expectations on you. Well, honestly it feels a bit odd for me to disturb your illusions like this but consider this as a Timely knock on your door. Listen to that voice of yours that is silently screaming in your system - "Hey , you deserve more and you don't belong here!" .These are your exact thoughts and you are reading them in my words. Make it your own story. Anyone can be a Success story. Any field can be a Success. What matters, is whether your brain is on fire when you are in that exact moment of success?

Your work is your fuel and you are the flame !

Think. Come alive. Revisit and Start your Rebirth Process Now. 

And that my friend, is a Brain-On-Fire !

Top 15 Secrets Every Fresher should know !

Hey There ! Just out of college and You got rewarded with a job in 

an IT company ? Excellent , you better check this out !

The IT industry promises a ride of its own kind for any person that chooses to hop on , in it and most of the times , people learn things the hard way.  So here are list of things that you keep in mind , whatever role you take up in whichever organization and make your moves accordingly .Though the post calls out to be a Fresher's cheat sheet , it doesn't hurt to continue to imbibe these values even as we are well into our career . These ethics continue to help us build our reputation and maintain that respectful aura we carry with us . 

The Top 15 Unspoken Rules of  the IT Industry 

1. You are there to work , not make friends. Relationships happen when you put out good work and behave well with right attitude , automatically.
2. Salary gossip - Avoid at any cost . What others make is an information that is not going to help in you anyway . Rather ,emulate what makes them the front runner and the money automatically reaches your door !
3. Transparent and confident communication should be the mantra in all matters good and bad . People need to know what you think , and its best you get it validated in the right context. Be bold , be open but choose your words carefully before spilling them out.
4. Never tell your opinion unless explicitly asked or you strongly feel it will prevent a disaster in the making . People don't need to know you are also present by your involuntary unasked opinion . Rather , earn your place in the team first , build your credibility and time it right when you choose to lend your voice and then you give the Impact .
5. Never throw fellow co-worker under the bus when you get a meaty chance to save yourself. The damage is irreversible and chances are that it is going to boomerang at you any time
6. Team work is a skill that should be grasped if not automatically there. You are never worthy without others around you standing by your side . Your work is primary , but so is the team's overall progress. Move around and see if you can be of some help to others in the team, observe what they do and try to pick up data points on the move.
7. Email etiquette - has the power to make or break you. A mandate skill to be learnt through experience . Writing E-Mails defines you , as people only read your words and don't look at your eyes or hear your voice. Proofread the content and then hit the 'Send'.
8. Networking right - very important. It is one of those invisible invincible ingredients that put us on the pedestal. Get yourself involved with people outside your team . Talk to them , exchange pointers and build your own army. 
9. Constant learning and evolving in technology another unspoken rule , you choose to stay with a technology means you choose to get outdated.
10. Abusing Office Stationery - Most organizations will have some employee privileges such as printers , papers , other stationery like magnets , scissors - if you were caught misusing these , then your reputation and integrity will be seriously hit. Attend your need and not greed.
11. Toilet Etiquette - Maintain proper restroom etiquette, don't become a hippopotamus when you hit the restroom and cause discomfort for others about to use after you .
12. Personal manners - from appearing well groomed , neatly polished shoes/well dressed , to having no bad odour of any kind  like your breath not giving away what you just ate . People subconsciously scan and make a mental note of who you are from your manners and personal hygiene.
13. Telephone Etiquette - Be it personal or Official calls , make it crisp , interesting and relevant to the listener. Don't yammer for more than you are asked for . People will lose interest to hear what you have to say and the recovery is a long process. Also  important - No bad language and shouting . If at all a situation puts you off ,never open your alternative vocabulary or your microphone. 
14. Don't lose your passions - whatever be the responsibility you take up in any organization , do not lose your passions or talents such as singing , dancing ,writing , sketching or charity work etc. Your official You should not kill the Personal You. 
15. Never trust anyone but respect everyone.

Overcoming the Curse of Social Awkwardness

Ever felt so alone in a crowd that appears to be having the time of their lives ?

Welcome , to the club of Socially Awkward Beings. 

Being Socially Awkward is the last thing you want to be. The best thing about this negative trait is , it can be fixed easily , if recognized and one is interested to make amends . Often people get very defensive about themselves being reticent and cite various reasons that make others around them off putting. The reality is , those around us , who appear to not be socially awkward are putting up a well rehearsed drama of being comfortable in their own skin , brushing off their own insecurities. We , humans be default have the skill to be aware of our strengths and weaknesses and are also blessed to work on the weaknesses. The will , passion and intelligence to make amends on our shortcomings largely defines us being the alleged smart creatures we are.

So how does one fix this ?

Simple , surely there must be things that you don't like about yourself , or perhaps , haven't accepted about yourself. Make a list of them , be brutal. Don't sugar coat them . for eg , write down if you feel abashed about your protruding teeth , the way you laugh , your physique / figure , your complexion , your voice , your hair pattern or lack of awareness in popular subjects or peculiar taste in clothing or music - whatever be that you are not proud off .

First confront these demons and send them crashing to hell. Once you are clear of what is stopping you from letting your guard down and meeting fellow humans , there is no stopping.

The best thing here is , you have two choices. Once you have recognized these challenges in you , you can either muster the character to accept them or work on them and change them for the better. Either way , you get to move past it and you stop being so harsh on yourself. Now , when you become relieved off your personal judgments ,you get confident off the whole package you are . The entire you . However good , better and perfect others around you are , it will not intimidate you the slightest as you have confidence in you being you. Then all the social awkwardness goes off and you start mingling with people .

And , Most importantly !

Not everyone clicks. Not everyone accepts you . Don’t hang out with them or don’t expect them to. The thing is , there will be those people who are your people . They are the ones , who have themselves done this self exercise and are matured and inclusive off others. Be with those kind of people. In the process of selecting your people , you might get hurt , but it is totally worth it.

Don’t waste your life looking down on yourself , as people are waiting to see your face. The real you :)