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At the Met Museum in New York, is an exquisite work of art.
What is it?
Simply a mirror, with a mahogany frame.
The subject viewing the art piece immediately transforms into the object as well, once stood in front!
There’s a small piece of writing at the bottom, on a gold leaf.
It says, “Everything will be taken away.”
If that isn’t the world’s most profound mirror, then I don’t know what is!
Leave a CommentNow everyone likes the elephant God Ganesha’s festival. A God with a big belly will surely result in a lot of sweets being prepared and fed!
But is eating the Modak all there is to Ganesha?
Ganesh’s mount, the giant mouse Mushika, is symbolic. It represents our wandering and restless mind.
By riding Mushika, Ganesh shows mastery over his mind, emotions, and senses. This is mentioned in texts like the Matsya Purana and Ganesh Purana.
Such control is a mark of an enlightened person. They remain unaffected by life’s ups and downs, handling everything with awareness and intelligence.
Ganesh’s elephant head further emphasizes his wisdom and enlightenment, reinforcing why he’s revered.
Leave a CommentHad the chance to meet my Guruji recently in person. He spoke of many things, as always, all super interesting.
But one which piqued my interest the most was what he referred to as the “Mukti satsang”.
He said, “Yes, each of you are attending satsangs and reading and discussing the scriptures. But is mukti (liberation) your only goal?”
He continued that if Mukti was the sole goal, then that satsang could indeed be a mukti satsang.
Which got me thinking. We may all attend satsangs and read scriptures. But am I doing it for Mukti? Or is it simply for helping me deal with the problems of the world we live in?
Leave a CommentTransforming PG&E required a shift from traditional corporate practices to a culture infused with love and empathy. Patty built a new leadership team, choosing individuals who shared her vision. She believed a compassionate team was crucial for meaningful change.
One specific initiative she introduced was the “Safety Stand-Down,” a day when all operations halted to focus solely on safety practices and open dialogue. This initiative was not just about policies but fostering a culture where every employee felt responsible for each other’s safety and well-being.
Patty also implemented “Listening Tours,” visiting various field sites to hear directly from employees. This wasn’t just a formality; it was about understanding their concerns and making them feel seen and heard. She believed this approach empowered employees, making them feel part of the company’s transformation.
Under Patty’s leadership, PG&E began to emerge from its crisis, focusing not just on operational success but on rebuilding trust and community. Through these initiatives, Patty showed that leading with love could drive both business results and human connection.
Leave a CommentOn her first day, Patty visited the Union Hall to connect directly with the workforce. Arriving without fanfare, this gesture showed her belief in authentic, people-centered leadership driven by love and respect.
Her next stop was Paradise, California, a town devastated by wildfire. Seeing the lingering effects reinforced her belief that rebuilding was about more than infrastructure—it was about healing and trust.
Patty’s philosophy of love influenced every decision. She introduced a “performance playbook” to foster a culture of improvement and accountability. Love, for her, meant empowering every employee to contribute meaningfully.
By creating an environment of trust and respect, Patty made love a core value at PG&E, nurturing a team motivated to serve the community with dedication and care.
But can such a culture truly exist? Concluded tomorrow!
Leave a CommentWhen Patty Poppy became CEO of PG&E, a US based energy behemoth, the company faced a severe crisis following devastating wildfires that led to bankruptcy. Patty saw this as an opportunity to transform the company with a vision centered on empathy and love.
Her approach was to make things right quickly. She learned from other leaders that recovery required swift action and genuine care, focusing on the safety and well-being of employees and communities.
Love became Patty’s leadership foundation. She believed in creating a culture where everyone felt valued and empowered, leading with decisions that prioritized people, even in challenging times.
Through this lens, Patty initiated changes aimed at restoring trust and improving operations, envisioning a company that is not just efficient but also deeply connected to those it serves.
But how exactly? Continued tomorrow…
Leave a CommentHere’s some amazing quotes by the CEO of a leading energy company.
How cool to hear something like this from a CEO isn’t it? But is it for real? More tomorrow!
Leave a CommentThere’s no dearth of advice-wanters and advice-givers in this world.
But the two rarely match in wavelength.
The advice givers are usually from a different era. And can scarcely understand what the other person is truly undergoing.
The advice wanters on the other hand, often want great success, but achieved through great shortcuts.
And when it comes to career advice, what really can one give or take, in an age where AI seems to be poised to unravel all our conventional ideas.
Maybe the suggestion of Jerry Seinfeld is the best. “Get good at something. That’s it. Eveything else is bullshit.”
Leave a CommentAn old fable shares the story of a monk who went for alms. A householder saw him and scolded the monk for begging despite his strong physique. The monk listened quietly and then asked, “If you give a cow to me and I don’t accept it, where will the cow go?”
The householder, a bit confused, answered, “To me, of course.” The monk smiled and replied, “Exactly. I do not accept your abuses.”
The lesson is clear. Criticisms and negativity only have power if we choose to accept them.
By not accepting, they return to where they came from. In life, we often have a choice, even if it may not seem obvious.
Leave a CommentHere’s a super story I came across on equanimity, in “The Speaking Tree” by one VB. Totally worth sharing and reading, as is the case with everything else here on Foreverhappynow! (tongue in cheek!)
Onto the story!
A group was engaged in a singing practice. A carpenter was setting the stage. Every time the carpenter made some noise, the choir leader looked at the carpenter silently indicating that he was disturbing their practice. This continued for a while and finally the carpenter told the leader, "Don't worry, please continue your practice. It is not disturbing my work."
How awesome isn’t it?!
Leave a CommentSamatvam or equanimity is one of the highest virtues.
Is it easy to be equanimous always?
Are we able to react the same way to both praise and blame?
How about to success and failure?
Surely pleasure and pain aren’t any easier to deal with equanimously.
And fame and disrepute? Impossible!
Lord Rama was said to have a smile the day he ascended to the Ayodhya throne. He was also said to have retained the same smile when he was banished into exile the very next day.
More equanimity? Continued tomorrow…
Leave a CommentSpirituality is for the weak and the meek, is what one would think.
Because spiritual people tend to remain more silent, more introverted and less bothered by external irritations.
And hence new spiritual seekers look at advanced spiritual folks, and think they should jettison all pragmatism and focus on being outwardly calm.
As we well know, maintaining calm on the outside is pointless if the mind is agitated.
In the world we live in today, stress is a reality. Many people aren’t honest or well intentioned. Personal gain often takes over everything else. And people can argue and fight for the silliest things.
Does a spiritual person remain weak and meek?
Absolutely not. If there’s one thing to be remembered, it is that the divine Bhagavad Gita itself was revealed on a battlefield!
Leave a CommentWho’s the king of the world?
Okay not Jack from Titanic.
But the king of the world would seem to be the one with the most money, right?
Well king is only figurative. I mean, anyone with a lot of money today has an extraordinary degree of freedom, and thereby probably happiness.
How to get money though, by just doing a 9 to 5?
Hardly possible. And with the advent of AI, is there any guarantee that even a 9 to 5 will work? How do you know AI isn’t writing this very post?! It can certainly already do much cooler things!
While AI can automate and replicate most things, I suppose one thing it cannot do, is to replace YOU. You are the brand. You are all that matters. You are everything. You have everything. You are complete. Spirituality will quite like this thought process!
Leave a CommentCompassion is a deep virtue, distinct from simple kindness. It goes beyond warm feelings, requiring awareness of shared pain and vulnerability. True compassion lies in recognizing suffering and responding thoughtfully.
Perhaps we should first overcome our instinct to avoid pain. Facing it directly, both in ourselves and others, allows us to embrace empathy.
Next, compassion demands action—actively seeking to alleviate suffering.
Perhaps we should also extend this compassion to ourselves, offering forgiveness and understanding as we acknowledge our own faults and frailties.
Leave a CommentThe “dead horse theory,” passed down by the Dakota Indians, offers a simple yet important lesson: “When you discover you are riding a dead horse, the best strategy is to dismount.” Too funny, isn’t it?
This wisdom, circulating as a WhatsApp meme, humorously critiques modern approaches in business, government, and education.
Instead of accepting the obvious solution, many employ complex strategies to revive the metaphorical dead horse. These include buying a stronger whip, changing the riders, and even threatening the horse with termination.
Some go further by hiring outside contractors or appointing committees to study the problem. Others might provide additional funding and training, hoping to boost the dead horse’s performance.
In a global twist, visits to other countries are arranged to observe how they manage their dead horses, all while avoiding the simple truth!
The takeaway? Sometimes, the simplest solution is the most effective. Let go of what’s not working and seek new paths for genuine progress.
Leave a CommentHR isn’t the most liked part of any organization, generally speaking. It feels like they never give enough bonuses and increments and what not.
Is that really HR’s problem? Or the manager’s? Tough one.
But no one likes a system where ratings are given at random, with no measure of what an employee has achieved and missed.
The same is true for our spiritual growth too.
We often want to know how far we’ve come, and how much we’ve progressed.
Many ask why they are unable to even control their minds for basic things. “I know what I’m supposed to do, but I’m just not able to do it!” (like regular exercise, chanting, meditation, eating clean etc etc.)
The crucial part is periodic measurement. A spiritual audit. Without that, any appraisal is but futile.
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