Remarkably Purple Spots...

I'm turning 40, and...

I'm turning FORTY on May 1st, and...

I feel grateful, happy and satisfied.

There are just so many things in my life that make me feel this way.
Here's a list of the top 10:

#1 - I am alive, and healthy... many of my little patients are not.

#2 - I have a lovely, charming young lady as my wife - and we'll
soon be celebrating our 10th anniversary

#3 - I have a lovelier, even more charming young lady - my little
daughter who just turned eight

#4 - I have a demanding profession that offers a challenge and
much needed thrills to my life

#5 - I have a thriving online business that provides financial
security and keeps me alert, curious and growing

#6 - I have a non-profit Foundation for kids with heart defects
that gives purpose and a deeper meaning to everything else I do

#7 - I have financial freedom, defined as having enough cash
coming in passively to meet my current and near future needs

#8 - I have a vast and growing network of friends and contacts,
professional, business and personal - online and off

#9 - I have sustained curiosity into studying and learning new
things almost every day - and from multiple sources and people

#10 - I have YOU in my life. Yes, you. By reading this note,
you have 'connected' with me, be it in an ever so peripheral,
indirect or superficial way. And that enriches me, makes my
life just that bit more fulfilling, interesting - and FUN!

Please be in it for the next forty years too :)

All success
Dr.Mani

Ten Tips To Success - by Dr.Mani

I was tagged by Ladan Lashkari to share my 10 daily success tips. (She had earlier been tagged by Rob Sellen who had earlier been tagged by Lynn Terry, who had been... oh, you get the idea :)

It sounded like a good idea, so I thought about it for a while, and came up with this list.

1. Be Grateful

I wake up every morning, grateful for being alive. I know many (most?) of us take it for granted. Maybe because I work with seriously ill children, I stopped doing it a long time ago. Being grateful for everything I have has made me intensely satisfied and comfortable with what I have, what I am and what I aspire to.

2. Be Different

You've heard of the 'herd'. When it moves, everything in its path gets trampled. Except for what is OUTSIDE the herd, moving in the other direction. Being different is a USP no one can copy or mimic - because you are you, in a uniquely special way. Be a 'Purple Cow' - and experience a different dimension of success.

3. Be Focused

I get involved in many different projects. Some folks wonder how I manage to get things done. Trick is that I stay focused on whatever I'm doing at the moment, and finish most things that get started. Some take longer, some happen instantly - but they get done because I stay focused.

4. Be Strategic

Just about everything I plan and do has a place in the overall strategic approach to my goals and targets. There is still a little wasted time in between, and 'relaxation activities' - but they don't interfere with the core activities that get done, as part of an overarching strategy.

5. Be Organized

I could do a lot better in this area, but am a whole lot more organized and plan things a lot better than my peers. Having the discipline to visualize and think a few steps ahead helps a lot in planning today's work to factor in tomorrow's predictions and potential.

6. Be Curious

I've always wanted to learn more. Experiment with new things. Study processes, people and models that work. Even outside my industry or area of interest/ expertise. It has enriched my life in unexpected ways.

7. Be Attentive

Some of my best educational experiences have come from listening attentively to people least likely to be considered 'teachers'. Like my 9 year old daughter. Some snippets of wisdom she shares have opened paradigms in my mind. Pay attention to the 'little folks' - they have lovely, insightful stories to tell.

8. Be Literate

What I mean is keep reading. Listening. Thinking about what you read or hear. You can never know enough. There is always more to learn. Life becomes fuller, more enjoyable, richer when you maximize your knowledge.

Choose a subject you know nothing about, but are curious to learn. Study it for a year. You'll be among the world's top 10% in the subject! Take it further and study for 10 years, and you'll be in the top 1% - an expert.

9. Be Kind

No matter who you are, there are always greater and lesser people than you. Keeping this in mind as you interact with people helps you be kind in those exchanges - and people will love you for it.

10. Be Helpful

What goes around comes around. I have gained multiples of what I have given to others - in money, time, knowledge, support, encouragement, or even just a kind word. It costs nothing, often, to help people in need - and the goodwill and warm feeling you get inside, the energy it gives you, more than makes up for what you 'lost'. Try it, your world will be different!

I wish you all success in your life.

Dr.Mani

P.S. Who comes next?

Well, I tag Paul Myers and Bryan Kumar to share their success sercets.