Things you should know about 'Starting Small'

A friend of mine wants to become a director, he has this interest from many years. He dreams about it, talks about it whenever we meet but never worked towards it saying that he is not in a position to quit his job.

When I suggested him to start with directing short videos during weekends continuing his daily job on weekdays he completely refused the idea to direct short movies saying his aim is to make a great, full length movie and short movies are not a right way to start.

WHY STARTING SMALL IS UNDER-ESTIMATED ?? 

Sir Richard Branson started his entrepreneurial race with a school magazine.

Aravind Eye Hospital, the worlds largest opthalmological institution, started with 11 beds.

Every great achievement starts small.

If you want to become a director and couldn't start your career with film institutes start with short videos..

If you have developed a product first test it on a small market..

If you wanted to become a writer start with a blog or short stories..

Starting small has great advantages…

•  It is easy to start and there wouldn’t be much risk attached to it. 
•  You are doing what you wanted to do, though not at the scale you dreamt of. This is a far better condition than not doing what you want to do at all. 
•  You can test how good your product or service is or could be.
•  You can practice the art and can get better at it by rectifying your mistakes.
•  You can develop a network which might be useful later.
•  And finally an important one…you will get the actual hands-on feel of the work from which you can decide whether it is the routine you wanted to follow for your rest of your life in full time.

Watching Sachin Tendulkar hitting a sixer is always fun and dreaming to play that way is quite obvious but getting in there, working hard daily, being consistent and staying out of the diversions is not everybody's cup of tea.

This reminds me of my interest during school days to be a part of Indian cricket team.

I irritated my parents for some time with my over-enthu about cricket till they joined me in a summer coaching. After the initial days of coaching the entire scenario was changed, I lost interest in the game which I once decided will be my career.

May be I was more attracted to the glamour around that sport than actually playing the game.

If you are not in a position in doing it in a big way…at least start small. Because you can always do what you wanted to do this way.

When I said start small I did not mean to be small. I am not talking about the end. What I am saying is about the beginning, the FIRST STEP.

"You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great." ~ Zig Ziglar

There may be reasons for not to start big but there is no reason and no one to stop you from starting small...that is the beauty of it.

Thank you for reading.

Are you attracted to the fame or to the actual game?

Are you ready to the take a first step right now, though small. Or will you wait for a big start on a big day, which unfortunately may not  happen ?

Working hard ?

Hey, are you working hard? Yes? Very good.

But are you evaluating whether what you are doing is leading you to where you want to be? 

It is also about giving

What can we get from the companies we are working for?

What can we get from our jobs?

What can we get from our clients?

What can we get from our relationships?

What can we get from everyone around us?

We are always obsessed with this GETTING attitude that we often forget the other side of the coin...GIVING.

What are we giving to the jobs we are doing right now?

What are we giving back in our relationships?

What value are we adding to the people around us, and more importantly to ourselves.

When we focus on getting something from someone, we are dealing with something which is not under our control, which is out of our influence zone and which may not give us a sustainable happiness but when we focus on giving we are dealing with the only thing which is under our control in this world...OURSELVES.

It is not just about benefitting from the surroundings, it is not about running a never ending greedy race, it is also about giving, it is about leaving a legacy.

“Everyone must leave something behind when he dies, my grandfather said. A child or a book or a painting or a house or a wall built or a pair of shoes made. Or a garden planted. Something your hand touched some way so your soul has somewhere to go when you die, and when people look at that tree or that flower you planted, you're there." ~ Ray Bradbury


“If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead, either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

Thank you for reading.

How are you adding value to your life?

“How are you adding value to your life?”

I read this line somewhere.

Anything that we THINK will make us happier is a “value” to us. It is not the same for everyone.

It can be the savings in my bank account for me, the new places visited for you and the number of articles written for someone else.

How are you adding value to the days you are living?

Is it by ass-licking your boss for better promotion or for a better increment?

Is it by jumping from one job to another for a better pay?

Is it by adding latest gadgets to your shelf which will soon get outdated?

Is it by spending time with your loved ones?

Is it by visiting the places you dreamt of?

Is it by sharing your knowledge?

Is it by doing the things which you always wanted to do but couldn't because of the excuse not-enough-time?

Is it by trying to win a rat race where you will be still a rat even if you win or is it by running your own race?

How are you adding value to your life?

Is your capability matching your ambition ?

"Frustration without the capability to change the things is like a radioactive material burning inside you. Your frustration is the difference between your ambition and capability. Either improve your capability or lower your ambition. Do not just sit there with the radioactivity turned inward." - Subroto Bagchi, Go Kiss The World.