Zen Success

My article as it appeared in:

Mompresso : https://bit.ly/2VbxRsC

International News and view Corporation: Link: https://bit.ly/2wYrZLc Easy Siksha :Link: https://bit.ly/2V4aCR4

The Education Post : Link: https://bit.ly/2V3KfL3

4P News Link: https://bit.ly/2x7heW

Family is one of the most fundamentally important institutions in our society. The urge to procreate is at the heart of the institution of family. We have moved away from a joint family system to nuclear families. What has remained constant is the importance attached to parenting. Parents are entrusted with the most crucial task of raising a family and also keeping it together. However, it is a matter of debate if there is anything called “perfect parents”. Let us see if it is a myth.

Untrained and inexperienced

We as a society have imposed an unprecedented amount of pressure on parents. It is as if we expect all humans to be perfect at the art of parenting. But, the reality is far removed from our idealism. Parents are untrained and inexperienced. Everyone learns the skills of parenting only after the child is born. There’s no single book of golden rules to be a perfect parent.

The subjective theory of perfection

What is perfection after all? What kind of parents qualify to be perfect? It is a highly subjective concept. Parenting is full of life-altering challenges. Some of it is sweet but most of it entails sheer hard work and patience. Perfection itself is a big myth. What is perfect or ideal for one child may not be suitable for another. It is the social, economic, mental, physical, and political system that has a lot to do with the kind of parents a society has.

Parenting at the cost of personal freedom

There is no training for parenthood. There is no formal degree. Parents, after all, are humans, fallible and vulnerable. Parents are capable of mistakes and can have a lot of flaws. Now we realize that perfection is not important. In an orthodox society, parenting is a compulsion. There is no choice. In a liberal society, parenting can be very tough as children don’t pay heed to strict rules. In any situation, a great deal of personal freedom needs to be sacrificed to be a parent. There is nothing perfect about giving up on personal freedom.

Happiness trumps perfection

The perfect parent is a myth propagated by mainstream media. There cannot be a single benchmark for perfection in parenthood. Parenthood does not equal sainthood. An overtly loving and caring (seemingly perfect) parent could end up harming the child at times. A selfish parent can sometimes make a child learn the values of compassion and generosity. We would any day take a happy and compassionate parent over a ‘perfect’ parent. To an innocent child, his or her parents are perfect. When the child grows up this naive assumption may change into disillusionment or may not change and he or she may continue to hold onto this naive belief.

But the world implicitly knows that there is no such thing as a perfect anything.

Perfection is a superficial and unreal template

The quintessential cinema mother is unidimensional, saintly and angelic. A stereotype created to fulfil the expectations of the majority. Interestingly, mythology is full of examples of imperfect, flawed, selfish, vindictive and imperfect parents. Parenthood doesn’t change the fundamental beliefs and values of most individuals. In fact, it hardens, affirms and confirms many erroneous and at times vicious values. In orthodox societies, parenthood is often thrust upon individuals in a loveless marriage. The result is often witless, careless and tragically unprepared parents. The motives behind embarking upon the journey of patent-hood, range from foolishly idealistic to shockingly evil. The resulting parents are not perfect or imperfect. But just lucky or unlucky accidents, for themselves, their offspring and the society at large.

As there are no perfect people, there are no perfect parents not perfect children. It is advisable to not evaluate parenting with a flawed yardstick of perfection. What matters more is freedom and happiness. It is necessary to dispel the myth of perfect parents to save everyone from the exasperating ritual of parenthood. It is time to get real, candid, and rational about the way we view parenting.

Frustrated with being #self-isolated?
#Covid-19 may have us keeping our physical distance
That doesn’t mean we cannot facilitate togetherness
What better way to expand our minds than reading
To help navigate these tough times and come out on top!
Download a FREE copy of my (Geeta Ramakrishnan) Amazon bestseller book – ‘The Game of Change’
And many more books from the link: https://passionpreneurpublishing.com/covid-19-lockdown/

#TheGameofChange #PassionpreneurPublishing #flattenthecurve#stayhome #coronavirus #COVID-19 #selfisolated #selfdevelopment

https://www.pinkvilla.com/lifestyle/people/stayhomewithpinkvilla-life-coach-geeta-ramakrishnan-making-work-home-work-you-see-video-520864

Today I am going to give you 10 tips and hacks to be more productive while working from home.

COVID 19 has turned our world upside down, with the lockdowns and work from home in most parts of the world. I am at home and I hope all of you are at home and keeping safe. Social -distancing and self-isolation are extremely important in a time like this. Let us help our government by following instructions and sticking to the rules as told to us, for our safety and the safety of our loved ones and the entire community, the country and the world. So please stay indoors unless absolutely necessary. Wash your hands for at-least 20 seconds by the hour. Please DO NOT self-medicate and stay safe.

Working from home was an alien concept just a few days ago. We need to literally re-wire our brains and get used to a new way of working, a new way of living. It needs a lot of discipline, and If implemented right, it can leave you with loads of fun -time in hand.

People can either get excited or get nervous with a flexi work from home routine. Once you get into the flow, I think it can be a life changing learning experience. I have 10 tips and hacks to help you be more productive while working from home.

1.Stick to the time you are used to waking up on a work day. An hour off does not matter though. Take a shower and wear your office clothes, to get into the feel of it. Start your work at a fixed time each day.  

2. Find your favorite spot at home where you are less likely to be disturbed. Set a table  with your laptop and some stationary. Your spouse and family can block their favorite spots as well. If all of you have to work in the same area, it is a good time to teach your children some discipline and respect. It may not be easy. But talk to them and co-create rules and boundaries and pre-set the consequences of not sticking to it. The idea is to have fun with this process. And as you get your work done, it is a good learning and bonding experience for your children. 

3. Plan your work for the day by scheduling specific time for meeting, replying emails and even set aside some ‘thinking  or ME time’.   Make sure to set your meetings via video calls to make it more effective. You can also help your children plan and assign study time coinciding with your work time. Add some fun breaks in-between where you can play a game of catch or a card game or work on a puzzle together. Maybe cook a meal together in the break time and have a family lunch.  

4. Having a healthy eating habit is important. We  tend to snack here and there as it is freely available at home. With little access to exercise and even simple activity like walking being restricted, you and your family can sit and make a food chart and list all the meals for the day, making sure it is balanced. Ofcourse Keep allowance for a few cheat meals to bring in the fun element. 

5. Try out some fun partner workout sessions, spot jogging, add some stretches, yoga and meditation. This helps you keep fit and also calm your mind. It has been researched that a relaxed mind is needed for creative -thinking and problem solving. It makes you more productive in this work from home session.

6. Now being indoor 24/7 is not something we are used to. There is so much time in hand even after the work is done. Try reorganizing your furniture… ‘Fight Alert’ if your partner is involved! Maybe reorganizing and downsizing your wardrobe then. ………..Ironing is a good Zen exercise. 

7. Go for online courses to enrich yourself on a topic of interest or just have fun. It could be anything, right from an art or cooking class to a serious economic course. Time to revisit the hobby you never had the time for…

8. Reading is a long-forgotten habit for many. Try reading some books of interest. Start small and simple. You can  download many books from online websites these days!

9. Now that you have free time, try some brain games like Sudoku, or online ones like Luminosity, Brain Fitness. There are also some group online games that you can play with your friends like Catan, Monopoly. They make you more alert,  and boost your cognitive ability.  

10. last but not the lease..Take time to have a nice leisurely cup of tea, looking outside. When was the last time you did that?  This is a good time to reflect on your future and take out your paper and pen and make your vision board.

So this was 10 tips and hacks to be more productive while working from home. By open, be curious to new ways of learning and living.

Blog 13/52:

Family Values, Social Values 

Have you had time to revisit your personal goals and values and redefine them? Then it is time to co-create some family values with your spouse and children. It forms a good source of nourishment for your children’s mental and emotional growth. Make it a part of your family discussions, a dining table discussion perhaps. Throw some values on the table and allow your children to add and pick. Add a story around it, giving it a deeper meaning. This exercise enrolls and empowers your children and they will be super excited to experiment with them. 

If ‘Kindness’ is one co-created value, help them enact it. Maybe start ‘Clothes Collection’ drive. Let your children pick their give away as you do yours. Have the clothes laundered and cleaned. Maybe your children could iron them. Gather and enroll the children from the society to do the same, donating them to a near-by home for the needy. 

Or how about a ‘Plastic Collection’ drive in the society, or a ‘Cleanliness Drive’. Initiatives like these have a greater impact on Mother Earth as well. Children are creative and you will be surprised at the ideas they come out with.

What drive would you like to co-create? Would you like to share your experiences?

#kindness #lifecoach #coach #coaching #lifecoaching #counselling#lifepurposecoach #happiness #happinesscoach #stressmanagement#anxietymanagement #humanity #values #family #positivity #mentalhealth#lifepurposecoaching #anxiety #mentalhealthawareness #helpinghand #selflove#care #selfcare

‘THE GAME OF PLAN’ PLANNER/DIARY APP

COVID-19 is creating unprecedented changes within us and to the word around us.
Stay at Home. Stay Calm. Stay Safe.
This is a good opportunity to reflect and rewire our brains, our way of thinking and living.

“Scared is what you’re feeling. Brave is what you’re doing.” – Emma Donoghue

To everyone out there, stay strong and true and brave. Hope each and everyone who reads this is safe and sound. Nothing gives me more happiness than going out there and helping you all to be the best version of yourself.

An article on:

What these business leaders have to say on Modi’s 21 days lockdown to combat corona virus

Source: Online Media: Daily Hunt, Indian Television, 4p News,  News 4 Masses, Easy Shiksha, Bolly, Media Brief and The Speak Today.

Link: https://bit.ly/2JcOSwS Link: https://bit.ly/2WJXGCj                              Link: https://bit.ly/3dv0V6z Link: https://bit.ly/3dxbtCj                                  Link: https://bit.ly/2QLN7uG Link: https://bit.ly/39hyq93                              Link: https://bit.ly/33OtQ10 Link: https://bit.ly/33RchgB

Ms. Geeta Ramakrishnan, ontological coach and Author: “This I assume must be a difficult decision for the PrimeMinister and I am in total agreement. COVID -19 pandemic is not to be taken lightly. Specially we have examples of countries like China, Italy and the US to learn from. This 21 day lockdown will hopefully break the exponential growth chain and help our health care resources and system to be better prepared and manage the virus outbreak much better. Yes, it will not be easy and can cause a lot of inconveniences and an economic turmoil which I can’t even fathom. I pray that all my fellow citizens respect their safety and that of all Indians and think this is a small price to pay for the sake of the safety of all our lives.”

Blog 11/52

Core values are important beliefs a person lives with. Is it ok to compromise your core values just once, to suit your circumstance? Let’s say Hard-Work and Truthfulness are your values. Now you have to get a minimum of 75% in this competitive exam for your promotion, and you really really need to pass this exam as you really really need that promotion and the perks with it.