Message from Tapas Das Mohapatra - Life Coach and Corporate Trainer

I had the opportunity to attend a seminar by Tapas (Thanks to Lions Clubs in Chennai). Tapas spoke only for an hour, without a break, but the talk was interesting and you cannot afford to bat an eyelid as you may miss a good thought. 

"Connect before you Correct" was a nice message by Tapas. He gave an analogy of how we cannot apply soap directly to our body, but must first apply water and then soap. Here water is "connect" and soap is "correct." Similarly, we need to establish a rapport with a person before we can correct them. 

Tapas also talked about the difference between "Nature" and "Design". If we just went by nature, people will label us as mad. Instead, we need to design our life - just like how you design your curriculum vitae for a better job or higher salary. 

When we are in a good mood our mind switch is "ON." So, we behave positively and act wisely. But when we are in a bad mood, our switch is "OFF."  So, we behave negatively and act otherwise. It is good to keep our mental switch ON.

Tapas asked us not to take our relationships for granted and to design our relationships. He asks us also to stay away from people who behave like a virus. 

The Great Alumni Reunion ~ Coffee Cups and Coffee

A group of alumni, highly established in their careers, got together to visit their old university lecturer. Conversation soon turned into complaints about stress in work and life. 

Offering his guests coffee, the lecturer went to the kitchen and returned with a large pot of coffee and an assortment of cups: porcelain, plastic, glass, some plain-looking and some expensive and exquisite, telling them to help themselves to hot coffee. 

When all the students had a cup of coffee in hand. 

the lecturer said: 'If you noticed, all the nice-looking, expensive cups were taken up, leaving behind the plain and cheap ones. 'While it is but normal for you to want only the best for yourselves, that is the source of your problems and stress' 

What all of you really wanted was coffee, not the cup, but you consciously went for the better cups and are eyeing each other's cups.' 

'Now, if life is coffee, then the jobs, money and position in society are the cups. 

They are just tools to hold and contain Life, but the quality of Life doesn't change. 

Sometimes, by concentrating only on the cup, we fail to enjoy the coffee in it' 

So don't let the cups drive you...enjoy the coffee instead.