Vivid 19

VIVID 19

It’s unprecedented, till we see the bigger, bitter or better unfolding event in life. Whether it was dotcom crash, 9/11, ’08 crash, Fukishima plant tragedy, tsunami? At that time they were all unprecedented.

Is it the end or is it twist in the end? Ray Dalio, and leaders with experience of multiple cycles explains there are many turns and corrections/bend in the cycle and it’s not the end. Tomorrow never dies !

I think beyond climate change, beyond nuclear war, another unprecedented time bomb in making is Debt bomb and Pension bomb. This is much bigger than any unprecedented event including current mysterious C0RONA.

While these event will come and go. Some learnings are timeless. Here are few note for myself. Hope it will highlight multiple dimensions of life. If there are more, please share.

1.     Borne to dead. We are all borne to die. We are not dead yet, so let’s live! One of the country’s army’s motto is Duty Unto Death. While warriors on the ground including police, health workers, cleaner, couriers and many other have naturally progressed to it. Isn’t it every bodies motto ?

2.     One family - Vasudev Kutumb – Whole world human beings are all part of one family. Small tiny viny virus, has impacted us across the planet and united us without discrimination of caste, color, creed, privileged, underprivileged, rich or poor proving, belief of one family is not a belief it is reality. Here is to celebrate the oneness. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DEXlPH0Y-BI

Developing compassion and tolerating with calmness will help us sail through!

3.     Nature - Once children were throwing stones to get fruits from the tree. One of the stones hit King and he was hurt. Soldiers got hold of the child and ask King to punish the child. King asked... what were you doing? Child explained we were hitting the tree to get the fruits. King said tree was giving its fruit, while you were hitting it, now what should I give it you? He immediately gave his food to the child. Nature is to give and we need to follow the same. How much is the speed of greed is reflected below.

Reflect, why it will not make us pause and give back!

4.     Higher Self is the base – Spirituality is a deepest, yet simplest process to be learned and understood. It is the base. Those who are really, really and really hungry, gets it with his Grace. Rest all just live the life, without understanding. Start or deepen the search and many mysteries will be solved for you, in person. In philosophy of rebirth we have 84000 life forms. Is Virus one of them?

Guru Ramanada was a spiritual leader and guru of Kabir. On his death bed, his follower asked Guru Ramanda, how we will know that you have got the salvation and the soul is free. He said there will be ringing bells sounds from heaven. On his death, it was silence, and no sound of bells. Now all the followers were puzzled. Kabir could visualize. He took apple from the nearby tree. Once he opened the apple, every one saw an insect inside. Kabir, killed the insect and immediately there was sound of ringing bells from heaven. He then explained, that just before his death, he had his attention and liking for the apple. Hence he immediately got a rebirth as an insect.

Point is, whatever we are so far, may not be same tomorrow. Every day there is opportunity to rise or fall. We need to be alert every moment to stay connected, and not even for a moment loose connectivity with the permanent network of almighty.

What is real in the world is not real and what is invisible is real. In all our senses we should keep it connected to higher self. With each and every breath, in our eyes, in our lips, in our ears and in our heart and mind, we need to keep almighty, with us. All work shall be done, but without forgetting almighty. Every moment is the moment for evolution of soul and spirituality.

5.     Opportunity to Serve –Swami Vivekananda said we are instrument to serve others. In today’s world most people seems self-sufficient and self-centered. Virus is bringing attention to look around and see many need your time and help. In our excuse of business we miss tons of opportunity, pay attention and help. With technology coming to forefront, many people at lower end at risk of learning will be impacted. Can we drive them to learn and increase their worth and save then and t6heir families

6.     Time for self – I dialed number and it was totally engaged and when I checked with telephone company, they told me it’s your number only. Hence we need to spend more time with self to know ourselves, know our Igakai, now our true self.

 7.     Time for family & friends –All need your time and not only outside world and your work.

8.      Gratitude - Thank you for everything that we have got and all the more for what we have not got. There is a reason for everything.

 9.     Solutions -For every problem under the sun, If there is solution find it. Else don’t mind it.

10.  Ego – Let it go. While we along with other party in all our dealings, consider mine is bigger than yours. Now micro virus has really showed us without being seen, who is bigger than Ego?

More on financial front.. few dimensions to think and act !

11.  Be an investor – Finance or non-finance you have the responsibility to protect and grow your savings. Both Bulls and Bears are here to eat our hard earned saving. Every day one has to stay guarded and increase ones net worth to take care of biggest unprecedented event looming large, Pension bomb and more. We are here to serve others. If only you have, you can share!

Make and understand your financial statement whether it’s individual or corporate or conglomerate or multinational simplify your accounting, reconcile regularly and steer regularly. Failing is part of the process

12.  Diversification – From cost saving to China only Supply chain vs. marginal increased costing with diversified supply chain is a savior. All countries will and businesses with speed build their local manufacturing and couple of countries other than China. Can we be part of story in making?

13.  Cash is the king – Preserve and use the cash to the best of your abilities. Revenue – It’s not revenue alone, it’s not P&L. It’s complete financials. P&L, Balance sheet and cash flow - Start spending time on your net worth and reserves. Chest for war, should be ready for 3/6/9 month depending on your assessment and circumstances. Borrow in time and best of the rates. Excerpts from 2008. You will see similar situation now for many companies.

After closing the books on a $14.6 billion loss in 2008 the worst annual result in its 105-year history Ford Motor Company said, it would draw the last $10.1 billion from its lines of credit to add to its cash hoard so that it could survive the increasingly bleak vehicle market. Ford’s chief executive, Alan R. Mulally, said the company, which tapped credit markets to build its cash reserves well before the economy soured, remained determined to finance its operations without the federal aid that was extended to its crosstown rivals, General Motors and Chrysler. Ford’s miserable sales in 2008 worsened sharply in the fourth quarter, with nearly $6 billion of the total $14.6 billion loss coming in the fourth quarter. It was a year in which Ford’s revenue declined almost 20 percent, and its cash reserves declined by $21 billion. The automaker ended 2008 with $13.4 billion in available cash, which it will augment by tapping into its credit lines for another $10.1 billion. Ford’s financial health owes considerably to its decision in late 2006 to mortgage its assets and arrange long-term borrowing before the credit markets dried up. Now, with more than $23 billion in hand, Ford can keep spending billions of dollars on new products during what promises to be another tough year for vehicle sales around the world. Still, Mr. Mulally reiterated his pledge that Ford would break even or become profitable by 2011.The company said it would reduce its structural costs by $4 billion in the coming year, primarily through cutting salaried personnel and streamlining its global manufacturing and engineering operations. By 2010, Ford expects that 40 percent of its vehicles sold in North America will have platforms shared with its European operations. “And we expect there will be complete alignment by 2013

14.  Maintain the practice and momentum – Work is worship. Guru Dronacharya gave a day off to his students. One of the student, still came to practice. Guru asked why you are practicing today. Response was astounding. I am able to strike perfectly, because of practice. If I leave the practice even for one day, I will lose the focus and get digressed and will not be able to strike it well, hence will miss on the momentum. Lesson is Operating from home gives additional responsibility to continue working with same zeal in order to keep your skills up. Never ever think it’s a paid/unpaid holiday. Economic virus warrants that we all do our value add day in day out and do more to get back to deliver and sustain it for the upcoming unknown tenure of lockdown.

15.  News – Limit your time and news will come to you. Read/listen the news you can use or expand your understanding.

Road map to light through the mysterious journey

16.  Repurpose and best practice - Beg borrow, Steal- If there is a best practice – Do not recreate the wheel. Jack Welch. All govt.s are learning from each other. War chest has been opened to cushion up the impact to the extent possible. A friend is library so do make few friends.

Repurpose whatever you are doing and we can together solve seemingly tough problem. Each one of us are already part of some global solutions.. and may be some of you don’t even know about it. Have a look and going forward collaborate to win. Finding the right partner to colab is a process, where you will find imperfection galore. It is part of the process. https://www.ted.com/talks/luis_von_ahn_massive_scale_online_collaboration?language=en.

 Can we take initiative and do more before we vanish?

 17.  Relentless Radical Transparency – Multiple times PRC has created havoc in the world and this time Batman with craving has destroyed many lives in multiple ways. All countries, shall unite and drive transparency. PRC will need to be proactive and come on it’s own to apologies and do whatever it can to plead and care of the world in deepest compassionate way. While we want to see that happen. Other option is to make your country immune. Age old saying is ‘Guard your home and don’t call any one a thief’. Can we spend more to prevent SARS like issues and not on MARS ? Reality will be somewhere in between. Similarly privacy is required where one is amoeba. We are not. We are social animal and we have certain valuable society norms. Let’s be open and do what is respectful, compliant, follow principle of collaboration to create new and better!

18.  Antifragility – Things that gains from disorder.

Robust and resilient is when things are able to withstand harm without weakening. Antifragility is beyond resilience or robustness. Catastrophe and exceptional circumstances are good models for antifragility. In 2011 a tsunami hit the Tohoku region of Japan doing tremendous damage to dozens of cities and towns along the coast most famously Fukushima. Ishinomaki and Kesennuma suffered extensive damages showed how resilient they were in the ability to return to normal after the catastrophe.

According to a report published by the Bank of Korea in 2008 that looked at 41 countries, there were 5,586 companies older than 200 years. Of these, 3,146 (56%) are in Japan, 837 (15%) in Germany, 222 (4%) in the Netherlands, and 196 (3%) in France. Of the companies with more than 100 years of history, most of them (89%) employ fewer than 300 people. A nationwide Japanese survey counted more than 21,000 companies older than 100 years as of September 30, 2009.

So while life is normal, build up for these unprecedented cycles, time need to be reserved and reservoir or chest for war should be build! Each one of us will face couple of them during the journey. It is the part of the process. Only Paranoia, proactive positive actions with boring discipline will increase chances of taking us through!

Every organization, institution and individual should work on the path and rest is mystery.

19. Future – Is it important to know the future. It is not, Important is to prepare to the extent you can. Live in now and go with the flow. Gear up, more unprecedented and undefined is waiting to unveil. Gear to bear and wear your aplomb and live honestly, fearlessly and create vivid memories with sauce of humor!

In nut shell !

Now we all are part of the game, whether we want to play it or not. Let’s be a sport. Let’s create vivid memories in time, to make best of what we can, so that in future, we can tell stories to ourselves, people around us and next generation to share how and what we did so that it become memorable and useful knowledge. Iota of energy shall not be wasted.

To sail through, forgiveness is bridge to oneness. Let’s pray to almighty to forgive, coronavirus, carnivorous and us. Do what you are doing and still keep almighty in your every breath, on your lips, in your eyes, in your ears, in your thoughts, in your heart, in your mind, in your conscious in your soul.

Let’s this be the only goal!