Things Aren't Always What They Seem

       “Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden.”

 -  Phaedrus

Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family.

The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the mansion's guest room. Instead the angels were given a space in the cold basement.

As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older angel replied... "Things aren't always what they seem".

The next night the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor, but very hospitable farmer and his wife.

After sharing what little food they had the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night's rest. When the sun came up the next morning the angels found the farmer and his wife in tears. Their only cow, whose milk had been their sole income, lay dead in the field.

The younger angel was infuriated and asked the older angel "how could you have let this happen!? The first man had everything, yet you helped him," she accused. "The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let their cow die."

"Things aren't always what they seem," the older angel replied. "When we stayed in the basement of the mansion, I noticed there was gold stored in that hole in the wall.

Since the owner was so obsessed with greed and unwilling to share his good fortune, I sealed the wall so he wouldn't find it. Then last night as we slept in the farmers bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave her the cow instead. Things aren't always what they seem."


- Aajay Bundela

Music To My Ears...

A recent poll on our Company page titled 'What Helps You Focus While At Work?' led to the surfacing of some surprising results. While many thought 'Taking Notes' was the biggest helper when it came to increasing concentration at work, a significant 37% chose music to be the portentous element in influencing levels of focus at work.  

While some may deem music to be a workplace distraction, calling it detrimental to employee productivity, there are many who feel that the strains of soft music entering your ears as you go about doing your daily tasks is beneficial and even proves to add to your constructive efforts.

Years ago, the term Mozart Effect was coined to explain the favorable effects of Mozart's compositions helped in healing and development of the brain as well as an increased IQ. In addition to the the aforementioned facts, Dr Amit Sood with the Mayo Clinic(Minnesota), says that melodious sounds help encourage the release of dopamine(a neurotransmitter or a chemical messenger that helps in the transmission of signals in the brain and other vital areas) in the reward area of the brain, as would eating a delicacy, looking at something appealing or smelling a pleasant aroma. Music has also been found to reduce stress hormone levels by as much as 41%.

While science has proven time and again how advantageous music can prove to be to one and all, some of us still take a cautious approach when it comes to dealing with music being played at work. Hence, compiled below are some reasons that might establish the positive outcome of music on productivity:

•  Blocks Distractions - Music helps to occupy that part of the brain that gets easily distracted. While you are focused on the task at hand, your brain's attention tends to get diverted to other places. At times like these playing soft background music like instrumentals can really elevate your attention span. 
• Gets You On The Moon -  Listening to good music gets you in the mood! One of the most prolific horror writers of our time, Stephen King, likes listening to a little bit of rock n' roll to churn out the wonderful books that generations have come to love and appreciate. While heavy metal may not be the most apt for an office environment, light instrumentals or film scores can definitely set the vibe.
• Makes You Fall In Love With Your Work - Music has the power to make work more enjoyable. Haven't we heard the proverb about all work and no play that made Jack a dull boy? Sitting in front of the computer all day long may make days monotonous and boring. A enjoyable tune floating in the air can totally change your attitude and get you all revved up for the day.
• Boosts Creativity - Music inspires creativity. When you are focused, in a good mood and enjoying your work your brain starts breeding creativity. 

So is music really one of the factors that motivates you to concentrate better? Or do you still belong to the school of thought that thinks music is just another distraction and would lead to time and energy wastage thereby hampering productivity?

Do  tune in to drop in a line and give us your take on the subject.

For Your Reference ~ Studies That Evaluate The Effect of Music On Productivity

Lesiuk 

Blood & Ferriss 

Climbing The Mountain

"All mankind is divided into three classes: those that are immovable, 

those that are movable, and those that move..."

- Benjamin Franklin

Much of our selling life is like climbing a mountain. Each year we have a new mountain to climb to reach our goals and we struggle to meet progress expectations each month. We have a choice, we can grumble about how unfair it is to be forced to start over from the bottom of the mountain or we can just get busy.

Sometimes, we stumble on the way up and lose ground.

We have a choice. We can stop at the end of the secured rope and grumble at what progress we have lost ... or we can plant our stake and begin the climb again.

We can't start from where we were, we start from where we are or we spend the rest of our lives looking up at where we used to be.... never reaching that height again, much less climbing to our original goal.

Many will waste time worrying, "Can I reach my ultimate goal?"

That's not the question, the question is, "Can I take the next step in the right direction?"

One step at a time. Set your sights today on the next goal that will take you in the direction of your ultimate dream.


- Aajay Bundela

The Paradox of Our Time in History

We have taller buildings, but shorter tempers;
Wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints;
We spend more, but have less;
We buy more, but enjoy it less.
We have bigger houses and smaller families;
More conveniences, but less time;
We have more degrees, but less sense;
More knowledge, but less judgment;
More experts, but more problems;
More medicine, but less wellness.

We have multiplied our possessions, but reduced our values.
We talk too much, love too seldom, and hate too often.
We've learned how to make a living, but not a life;
We've added years to life, not life to years.
We've been all the way to the moon and back,
But have trouble crossing the street to meet the new neighbor.
We've conquered outer space, but not inner space;
We've cleaned up the air, but polluted the soul;
We've split the atom, but not our prejudice.
We have higher incomes, but lower morals;
We've become long on quantity, but short on quality.

These are the times of tall men, and short character;
Steep profits, and shallow relationships.
These are the times of world peace, but domestic warfare;
More leisure, but less fun;
More kinds of food, but less nutrition.
Fancier houses, but broken homes.
It is a time when there is much in the show window
And nothing in the stockroom;
A time when technology can bring this letter to you,
And a time when you can choose either to make a difference
Or just hit delete.


- Aajay Budela 

8 Start-Ups That Beat Decades Old Companies In Valuations

1. Airbnb

Valuation: $10 billion

Airbnb is a website for people to rent out lodging, including private rooms, entire apartments, castles, boats, manors, tree houses, tipis, igloos, private islands and other properties. It has over 500,000 listings in 192 countries, according to Wikipedia.

The company was founded in 2008. The name is shortened for AirBed& Breakfast

2. Drop Box

Valuation: $10 billion

Dropbox allows you to upload files on their servers that can be accessed from computers and mobile devices. It’s a file hosting service that offers cloud storage, file synchronisation, and client software.

3. Palantir

Valuation: $9 billion

Palantir is a company that has ability to analyse large quantity of data for various purposes. For example, the company works with intelligence agencies to fight terrorism. It also helps banks and financial companies to detect frauds.

4. SpaceX

Valuation: $4.8 billion

SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. The company was founded in 2002 to revolutionise space technology, with the ultimate goal of enabling people to live on other planets.

5. Pinterest

Valuation: $3.8 billion

Pinterest is a social networking site. Pinterest acts as a personalised media platform, where a user can browse content uploaded by other users on the main page.

A user can create and share their collections and use it to plan a trip, organise events or just save it for personal use.

6. Uber

Valuation: $3.8 billion

Uber is a mobile app that connects passengers with drivers of vehicles for hire. The company arranges pickups in dozens of cities around the world. Bookings can also be done by sending an SMS. Once booked, customer can track their cars using the mobile app.

7. Jawbone

Valuation: $3.3 billion

Jawbone is a technology company that sells portable audio devices and also wearable technologies. Some of its high popular and innovative products include Jambox and Big Jambox wireless speakers, the Jawbone Era and Icon Bluetooth headsets.

Jawbone owns over 230 patents, according to Wikipedia.It also has a product called UP, which in an activity tracker. UP allows users to track their sleep, eating habits, and daily activity including steps taken and calories burned. It consists of a flexible rubber-coated wristband that relays data to iPhone and Android devices.

The company, initially called as Aliph

8. Square

Valuation: $3.3 billion

If you thought instant payment to a vendor using your phone is the technology of the future, the future is already here than to Square.Square allows individuals and merchants in the United States, Canada, and Japan to accept debit and credit cards on their iOS or Android devices.

- Aajay Bundela