Category: Personal Excellence

A New Year or a New Day?

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn Ecology, Environment, family, happiness, hope, Life, Personal Excellence, Pictures that Speaks, Releasing, Sri LankaLeave a comment
A photo captured by me on the 18th of December at Yala National Park – Sri Lanka

My new year’s message last year was ‘I wish you serenity this new year’. I hope you find the serenity to accept the new reality as you went through the second year of the pandemic, with all the confusion surroundings vaccines, booters, masks, lockdowns and travel restrictions. Perhaps the best approach would have been to find serenity and love it all as a way of releasing the tension and finding meaning.

I enjoyed taking one day at a time as it was pointless trying to predict or control the future. Whiles short-term plans were made with a long-term aspiration, I was willing to change them based on the reality of every new day. This helped me to be in the present (now) and enjoy the present (gift) of ‘peace of mind’ I received in the process. Interestingly when I released the want for the control of outcomes and made peace with not having them, almost all such aspirations manifested. 

One such situation was visiting the Yala national park in Southern Sri Lanka earlier this month with my brother and sister and their families who were visiting for Christmas Holidays from the UK and Canada. Sighting a Leopard at Yala is the aspiration of all visitors, but it is said that only a very small percentage of visitors are treated to this beautiful sight. Our trekker was trying his best to get us to see the Leopard, communicating with his fellow trekkers, speeding to various locations when information of Leopard sightings was reported. After about one hour we realised that in the pursuit of Leopard Sighting, we were missing the elephants, dear, peacocks, birds, crocodiles and the beautiful scenery. We released the want to sight the Leopard and was enjoying the rest of the wildlife. Suddenly we realised that our trekker was speeding in a direction. He had got information of a Leopard sighting. We saw the Leopard on a tree about half a mile away. The picture taken by me of the leopard, shared in this post is something I will cherish.

My reflection on the above and many experiences has helped me find serenity, taking one day at a time, letting go of wants and experience life. This is my wish for the new year.

With this aspiration I wish you an amazing New Day – Every Day of the New Year.

Herd Immunity of a Different Kind

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn belief, Environment, happiness, Health Care, hope, Knowing, Life, Personal Excellence, psychology, purpose, Spiritual, World affairsLeave a comment
Image Credits: Elegentthemes.com

While trying to avoid any infections of the vulnerable is our responsibility, it is important that we do it in the most holistic and helpful manner.

Taking precautions to prevent being a conduit in spreading the virus based on social distancing and hygiene guidelines is important. This can be augmented by strengthening our immune system. Good quality and timely sleep, exercises, fresh air, nutrition and being stress free is important to keep a strong immune system.

Stress happens when we are blessed with responsibility and when we look at such responsibility in a negative way. This negative approach to our responsibilities causes anxiety and anxiety is a result of not knowing. When we don’t know we tend to speculate, we tend to listen to gossip, we tend to believe unverified information coming our way. We make matters worse when we spread such information without knowing its accuracy and authenticity. The receiver believes such information if they trust us, and they spread it on. 

Therefore, it is important to know the real facts. For starters compare the mortality rate of Covid with other diseases such as Ebola, SARS, Dengue etc. Compare it with the deaths by road accidents and other accidents created by man-made conditions such a poisoning of water, cutting of trees, modern day slavery etc. Compare the 99% rate of cure of Covid against the other causes of death. Consider the suicides, domestic violence and abuse caused by economic conditions resulting from loss in business due to mass scale lock downs. Studying all this information will help us realise that our anxiety and stress is blown out of proportion. Augment with this some meditation, mindful activity, time with nature, positive thinking and physical Wellness activities and find immunity.

Those who took this approach has had financial success, peace of mind, happiness and has been in a position to help those who were infected and families who lost loved ones. In the worst cases situation if such people reach mortality, they could transcend happily and peacefully given the state of mind at that point. If more people develop this mindset and approach to life, I believe we can develop herd immunity of a different kind to defeat the virus.

Wish you strong, successful, happy and purposeful living.

Slowing Down – Living life (a poem by Ranjan)

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn belief, Ecology, happiness, hope, Life, Personal Excellence, psychology, purpose, Soul Nourishing Poems, SpiritualLeave a comment
A photos taken at the Udawattakele rain forest in Kandy Sri Lanka – reminding us to let the sunshine through the clutter of life.

Frenzy of activity when the world went into pandemic mode,

Figuring out ways to be safe, sustain income, reduce cost, and stay afloat.

New ways of working from home, office or hybrid mode,

Going online to communicate, learn, teach, shop, work and stay aboard 

Months flew through birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, funerals and more,

Spiritual celebrations, special days and public holidays galore.

Learning a new way to be, sharing home space and more,

Balancing time between family and work, finding ways to be.

Governments, hospitals, law enforcement and all,

Had their plates full trying to keep us safe and well. 

Quarantine, testing, tracing, lockdowns enforced,

Masks, glows, sanitizers were used when forced.

While lockdowns and vaccines were invented for avoiding death,

We realised the need to choose life instead of avoiding death. 

As the new way of being became endemic,

As we learnt to live with the pandemic.

Back to work, travel, and celebrate cautiously,

Urgency and the frenzy slowing down progressively.

Pandemic had a purpose to help us live,

Life is for living so let’s happily live.

(an original poem by Ranjan De Silva)

The Moral Foundation of Value

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn belief, Compassion, Leadership, Life, Love, Personal Excellence, psychology, purpose, Quoates for Reflection, Spiritual, ValuesLeave a comment

The importance of value for organisational and personal purpose came into my radar about 25 years ago when I was in the mid thirties in age. I have incorporated this notion in my leadership development practice in developing leaders and helping them transform organisations. As I started inquiring in to this notion as a part of my doctoral studies a few years ago, having learnt to look at things critically from different paradigms, I realised the complexity of the notion of ‘values’.

Values being propagated and used by organisations and people, may be gimmicks in disguise if they are not supported by a moral base. For example the value ‘caring’ can result in disempowering the person being cared for, resulting in that person becoming dependent and vulnerable to the person who espoused the value, ‘caring’. ‘Caring’ can become a noble value when it is based on moral laws and noble intention. This may require finding empowering ways of caring. Telling the truth, even if it hurts. Allowing to struggle with the intention of making them strong. All of these may look uncaring, but the moral intention makes it ‘caring.

Reflecting on the value we endeavour to live by in a critical manner, therefore can help us understand its dark side. If we can then attache the value to a noble intention and moral law and articulate required behaviours, then perhaps we can use the to shape our life to be in service of the process of life and purposeful living.

Wish you purposeful living.

Values – The Compass of Morality

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn Business, Conflict, engagement., Knowing, Leadership, Life, Personal Excellence, psychology, purpose, Relationships, Sales, Spiritual, Struggles, success, Team Excellence, ValuesLeave a comment

Think of the last time you had to make a difficult decision. A time where options were difficult to pick from. A time where the more materialistically profitable option did feel right. I have faced many such situation. I would like to share my personal experiences to help shed some light on this dilemma.

When I have such a dilemma I reflect on my aspired values to find direction as per the quote by Idowu Koyenikan in the visual above. The five values I attempt to live by are summarised I the following statement.

Continue reading “Values – The Compass of Morality” →

Just Be Open to Receive Love & Abundance this New Year

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn belief, energy, family, happiness, hope, Life, Love, Personal Excellence, psychology, purpose, Spiritual, Struggles, ValuesLeave a comment

As my little New Year present to you, I am delighted to share with love and respect a beautiful reflection with reference to many beautiful insights from my guru Omar S Khan.

One of them from Great Expectations by Charles Dickens about the gratitude we show for the conditionality and vulnerability of our happiness. Another from the Pastor of St Bart’s New York who shows that it is not that we are looking for God, but God is looking for us and we need to be JUST be open to receive the grace. As you let this message speak to you in a unique way based on what you are open to, let it nourish your soul.

For me the conditionality of happiness, being grateful for everything and the profound meaning of ‘JUST’ were soul nourishing.

Continue reading “Just Be Open to Receive Love & Abundance this New Year” →

If you want God to laugh, tell her your plans.

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn belief, Cash Flow, Ecology, family, happiness, Health Care, hope, Life, Love, Personal Excellence, psychology, purpose, Relationships, Releasing, SpiritualLeave a comment
This years Christmas present from my eldest daughter – a symbol of abundance & purpose

My new year’s message last year was ‘I wish you a new year and new decade overflowing with abundance & purposefulness’. Having gone through perhaps the most ‘interesting’ year of our life, I wonder if this wish had an impact or not. I suppose it depends on how we look at 2020. While many of us had challenges in our jobs, businesses, finances, relationships and health, it is important to reflect on and find the hidden gifts. 

Continue reading “If you want God to laugh, tell her your plans.” →

Developing Values

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn Business, engagement., Leadership, Personal Excellence, Team Excellence, ValuesLeave a comment

We inculcate values during our formative ages, influenced by family, teachers, religion and the society we live in. I always found it is difficult to ‘train’ people to live values as they are already part of each person. I also agree with the above quote by Jennifer Cruise; values do not take us get anywhere, they define us. Therefore what is the point of having values in an organisation and developing team members to live by organisational values.

Continue reading “Developing Values” →

Letting Life Flow

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn belief, happiness, hope, Life, Personal Excellence, purpose, Releasing, SpiritualLeave a comment
Image Credits: Inhabitat.com

How time flies. We are upon the final month of 2020.  

This year we learnt that plans are nice to have but our plans are so insignificant when compared to the plans of the higher powers; be it God, Universal energy system or nature. 

We learn that we need to deeply understand and respond to the plans of the higher power so that we synchronise, rather than fight those plans, causing anxiety, stress and a multitude of negative behaviours. 

Continue reading “Letting Life Flow” →

Your Children Are Not Your Children

On By Ranjan De SilvaIn belief, Compassion, energy, family, hope, Life, Love, Personal Excellence, psychology, purpose, Relationships, Soul Nourishing Poems, Spiritual, Struggles, ValuesLeave a comment

When I first read these lines in the ‘Road Less Travelled’ by M.Scott Peck, quoted from the original writings of Khalil Gibran, I was confused. What are you saying? My children are my children, I gave birth to them and I did what it takes to grow them in to purposeful adults. However, after listening to it and reflecting on it, I realised how profound these words were. I have created a video with these words of wisdom as you see embedded in this blog. I recommend you watch and listen to the words in the video, reflect on it and then read the rest of the blog.

I believe the impact this video creates is different from person to person. I also believe the impact this video creates for you is determined by the journey of your life so far, where you are in your life now and your aspirations for the journey ahead. Therefore I feel the best contribution I can make is to write about what this poem means to me. Perhaps that might give you another perspective for you to reflect on, perhaps nourish your perspective and move you on to further reflection.

Let me reflect on the verse in two parts;

Continue reading “Your Children Are Not Your Children” →