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Category Archives: Namitha’s Notions
Venetian Blinds
I grew up in India. Needless to say I spent most of my time outdoors. My father’s profession took us to different states and cities every 3 years. One would think that a child would get depressed at the thought of leaving friends behind. But surprisingly with me it was the opposite. I would look forward to the move. Each move meant new places to see, new schools to attend, new friends to make and sometimes a new language to learn.
The old ones were never left behind,always a letter or a photo in the mail kept us connected. In recent years facebook has come to the rescue.
A common question for all kids growing up in India by anyone who you meet for the first time: “what do you want to be when you grow up?”
My answer for the longest time , after the “I want to be a teacher ” phase was “a place where my office has Venetian Blinds!!”
I still can’t really fathom what it was about the Venetian Blinds that attracted me to it, perhaps the allure of the unknown ? A sense of affluence ?
Now that Venetian Blinds are commonplace, I look back and smile to myself, all I want now is a taste of the outdoors. A walk in the woods with my friends, family or pets.
A new variation to a common quote: “Life is more alluring on the other side of the Venetian Blinds!!”
A walk with my daughters
She skips ahead a few steps,
And then runs back to me,
Holds my hand, swings along,
She is busy like a bee.
My older one is trying to learn,
She wants to practice with me,
Shlokas of the Hanuman Chalisa,
“What’s next, mummy?”
Then they start competing,
And fight for my attention,
My one eye is on them,
And one on the road condition.
We look like a mother duck
And her ducklings in fray,
I keep pulling them on track,
And they keep going astray.
The park beckons them,
And chores beckon me,
I have to make a compromise,
And off they run with glee.
Every moment is such a delight,
A walk with my daughters be,
#happyfeetwalkersclub
All thanks to thee.
Little Things Make Big Impact
In this TED Talk, Nilofer Merchant high lights what could harming us more than the so called Technology. Take a Listen!
Here are the highlights of the talk –
- Note that these days , people are sitting 9.3 hours a day, which is more than we’re sleeping, at 7.7 hours. This could be killing us more than the Technology.
- Lack of physical activity contributes to 10%Â chances of Breast Cancer and Colon cancer; 6% for heart disease and 7% for type 2 diabetes.
- Getting outdoors/exercise, promotes out-of-the box thinking
- Start small, every step counts. Incorporate walking in your everyday life.
- Try and promote more walking in organizations- try walking meeting.
- Walk the talk!
Main take away – Little things can make big impact.
Here are a few things we can do and encourage others to do to be more active.
- Parking your car a little farther and walking – make the most of it this summer 🙂
- Take a brisk/short walk whenever possible while running errands
- Using stairs instead of the elevator
- Standing up instead of sitting
- Stand up and/or walk when you are on the phone
- Consider a standing desk if you can
- Do not sit continuously for more than 20 mins; Stand up and walk every 20 mins
Happy Feet Walkers – Do you have any other suggestions that we can incorporate in our daily lives? Share it with us in the comments below. Stay active and encourage others to get active. Happy Walking!
Contest Winner shares her thoughts!
Happy Feet Member Nita Awasthi has successfully completed 200 miles of targeted walking. This excludes all the walking one does as part of everyday life. Since the club was started in June 2015, Nita has been a constant walker and a motivator for the group. A good example of her team spirit is the fact that she timed her walks (as she approached 200 miles) in such a manner that she could be with the group when she hits her milestone. She also won the Collage challenge of the week with multiple beautiful collages submitted in a timely fashion everyday while adhering to all the rules of the challenge to a “T”. Continue reading Contest Winner shares her thoughts!
Interview with Mrs.Bhuvana Rajaraman
Interview with Surekha Ellanki and Arati Sardesai
Interview with Vedanth Ganesh and Adhvaith Ganesh
Writing, Walking and Learning from the Geese
Maya Angelou said “You can never be great at anything unless you love it”
I didn’t know I loved writing until I started blogging on Linked In. 365 days ago to be precise.
Last year I also published my first book. I have written about how hard it was for me to start writing and the inspiration my greatest mentor – my mother – provided.
Writing helped me connect the dots, discover a whole community of writers, gain from the wisdom of others. Writing helped me discover inspiration everywhere.
THERE IS A VILAGE OUT THERE FOR YOU ON LINKED IN
I discovered a whole community of writers who were there for each other. We work really well as a virtual team that is loosely connected by the plethora of ideas we write about. Sometimes a Linked In editor reaches out to us with a series and we all contribute.
To be honest, I sometimes read what influencers write but mostly look at what my writer friends contribute.
There is learning every day. We also laugh about trolls and exchange comments as we view each other’s posts. I look forward to my virtual writer friends and am so proud when their posts hit Pulse.
TAKE THE PLUNGE
That brings me to this advice for you.
I can only say if you are thinking of writing just jump in. That first blog post will get you moving. You have no idea how fast time flies when you are having fun reading, writing and learning from others.
And thank you to all my fabulous writer friends and followers on Linked In. The Linked In editors were kind when they picked up my posts on Pulse.
If I didn’t write I wouldn’t discover the world out there and the new friends.
DON’T GIVE UP
There is no dearth of ideas or topics when you set your mind to it.
I flitted from my own practice of agile methodologies to my take on project management to my concept of great leadership to great teams to far off topics like my travels to India. In short write about what feels right.
My writer friends would comment and inspire me on to further topics.
WHY FLYING GEESE AND A WALKING GROUP CAN TEACH YOU A THING OR TWO
This brings me to flying geese and the friends in a walking group I joined. Â I have discovered two more interesting communities that are so inspiring.
I observed the flying geese and admired their V formation. Often I see the geese flocking together behind their fearless leader as they cross a busy street. Everyone stops to see them. They look so purposeful and so sure of what they are doing.
My walking friends are equally inspiring. They are busy mothers, wives, career women who take the time to meet and walk.
There is friendship and there is a common ritual that involves learning, sharing as well as enjoying a brisk walk outside. Being outside with friends is a great feeling.
We even met some of the geese walking together. It was very touching seeing their community on the move.
On another walk, we took a picture of us standing together in a V formation.
The V is similar to the way you see geese fly. Â Turns out geese do this for some really good reasons.
Speed and Accuracy – The V formation helps geese travel 71% faster. My walking friends have a different route and direction each time but we follow our leader.
You need to remember as a leader that your direction should be clear and should allow a team to work together.
Succession Plans – When the leader gets tired the leader goose falls in and a new leader takes over. We usually have a leader for our walk and also rotate this role.
Plan for succession and plan to have teams that can work without you.
Stay on The Team – There is usually greater resistance for geese trying to fly solo. This is why geese fall back into a V. During a walk we tend to stay together and not veer off for solo walks.
Remember your shared values and your team cohesion is what keeps your team motivated.
Geese support each other – When one falls sick, a few geese peel off and stay to support while the V formation continues on.
Support those around you in your teams. If they ask for help be there for them.
The grass was green. The sun was shining. There was a cool breeze blowing as we ended our walk. My friends and I chatted and laughed all the way. We decided we would continue to flock together for our walks like the geese. The day was beautiful and I remembered John Muir’s words.
I only went out for a walk, and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in. ~John Muir, 1913 from The Unpublished Journals of John Muir, 1938
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Rekha Narayan is an entrepreneur, a senior project manager, program manager, agile coach and the author of Idlis, Chai and Mango Lassi. You can connect with Rekha for your program/project management or agile coaching needs. You can follow and check out Rekha’s Linked In posts here
Rekha is a proud member of Publishers & Bloggers and Writers4Writers.
Walk The Walk
I always loved walking. It gave me time to think and introspect my surroundings and made me an astute observer.
I started long walks to a beautiful temple samayapuram along the banks of river cauvery ,a 10 mile walk that was done barefoot in India. The tea stalls along the way would observe the religious walkers and offer us water on the way.
Fast forward 10 years in 2007 I walked for the 3 day walk for breast cancer. Walking 60 miles in 3 days I made so many friends and also gave a patient ear to the stories of those touched by breast cancer. Some lost a sister to cancer, some lost mothers and some survived. Our team leader was a survivor. The most touching moment was when I saw a group of girls walking for their father. Yes men can be affected by breast cancer too.
When Lakshmy and Namitha initiated this idea all of us jumped on it. Not because we were bandwagoners . This is a genuine idea that works. When you are getting the benefits of walking and friendship , why not go for it? We do a larger Saturday walk and smaller group walks when we are able to. Before I used to catch up on my work waiting for my teenager outside his music classes. Now I drop him and catch a quick 2 mile walk in 30 minutes. Happy feet helps multitasking as well.
Join us!#HappyFeetWalkersclub or www.facebook.com/happyfeetwalkersc