COLLECTIVE GOALS TODAY

1.Build our collective faith in our

scriptures
2.Leave with practical tools
3.Learn from each other
4.Have fun
5.Eat lots of ice cream
HOW IS IT SO?

Grandpa went for a walk, and it

started raining. He forgot to bring an
umbrella and didn’t have a hat.
When he got home, his clothes were
soaking wet, but not a hair on his
head was wet. How was this possible?
MODERN BUSINESS WISDOM

 Level 5 Leaders are?

o “Level 5 Leaders: Triumph of Humility and Fierce
Resolve”
o Shy and Fearless
o Servant leaders

 Vedic Teachings
o Trnad api sunicena
o Vigata jvarah – fight without lethargy
o Utsahan
o Lord Rama, Ambarish Maharaj, Prthu Maharaj
WORLD RENOWNED BOOK
INTRODUCTION

 What is one thing in last one year that you did not accomplish that you
wanted to? Something important to you that you were not able to do.

 What are some of the reasons you did not do it?

WORLD RENOWNED BOOK
WHAT ARE HABITS?

 What is meaning of a habit?

 What is hard about habits?
o Apollo 11 mission

 Covey’s ingredients to building a

habit:
WHAT IS EFFECTIVENESS?

 What is the definition of effectiveness?

o Obtain desired results

o Caring for result producing asset
o Snowblower

 Effectiveness must focus on nurturing

what is produced and the producing
asset or capability
o Have a lot of money, but how are you
doing?
REDEFINING WHAT MATTERS

 Wisdom on success has changed over the last 200 years

 What are examples of personality ethics?
o Charming, well spoken, self confidence, positive energy, enthusiasm

 What are examples of character ethics?

o Truthfulness, fairness, integrity, ethics, empathy, hard work, loyalty, modesty

 Character is foundation for our success, personality are secondary tools to utilize
in success
o Communication and honesty

 Success is built from inside out – work on our character first, then
personality
 WHAT COVEY MISSES

 How to build strong character?

 Must change character to change habits!!
 How does one become empathetic? Honest? Fair? Compassionate?
o CC ML 22.78-80: Devotees are always merciful, humble, truthful, equal to all, faultless,
magnanimous, mild and clean. They are without material possessions, and they perform welfare work
for everyone. They are peaceful, exclusively surrendered to Krsna, and desireless. They are
indifferent to material acquisitions and fixed in devotional service. They completely control the six
bad qualities beginning with lust, anger and greed. They eat only as much as required, and they are
not inebriated. They are respectful, grave, compassionate and without false prestige. They are
friendly, poetic, expert and silent.
o SB 5.18.12: All the demigods and their exalted qualities, such as religion, knowledge and
renunciation, become manifest in the body of one who has developed unalloyed devotion for the
Supreme Personality of Godhead, Vāsudeva. On the other hand, a person devoid of devotional
service and engaged in material activities has no good qualities…”
HABIT 1 – BE PROACTIVE
 What is definition of proactive?
o More than taking initiative
o Our behavior is function of our decisions – I choose, not a function of our condition
o We have response-ability to make things happen - ability to choose our response

 It is raining outside.
o What is a reactive response?
o What is a proactive response?

 Summary: rethink how you see the world, using a positive energy to take
control of your life
HABIT 1 – BE PROACTIVE
 Reactive people are driven by feelings, by circumstances, by conditions, by their environment
o That’s just me, That is just the way I am – there is nothing I can do about it
o He makes me so mad – my emotional state is governed by something out of my control
o I can’t do that, I just don’t have time – limited time is controlling me
o If only my friends were better – someone else’s behavior is limiting my effectiveness

 Proactive people are driven by decisions/choices made from their core values
o Let’s look at my alternatives – I have to do it
o I control how I react to this situation – I can do it
o I will try a different approach – I will do it

 Self awareness is key to seeing where we are – listen to yourself!!

HABIT 1 – BE PROACTIVE

 “No one can hurt you without your consent” –

Eleanor Roosevelt
 What is the most valuable real estate in the world?
 Effective people are proactive – they take
responsibility to decide on how to respond vs
letting circumstance dictate their experience!
 Go make it happen – 5000%+ difference in
effectiveness
HABIT 1 – BE PROACTIVE
 “Will you excuse me from class, I have to go to a golf tournament”
o What is reactive about this statement?
o How to make this proactive?

 Should she go to the tournament? How will you decide?

o What is consequence of not going?
o What is consequence of missing class?

 Proactive – I am choosing to miss class and go on this tournament

weighing the consequences of each – MAKE THE DECISION
HABIT 1 – WHERE DO WE SPEND OUR TIME?

Circle of Concern

Circle of
Influence
HABIT 1 – WHERE DO WE SPEND OUR TIME?
HABIT 1 – TAKE CONTROL

 “One who is always the victim is never the victim “ – Chinese proverb
 Raining on the day we planned a picnic with friends
 Rathyatra with Nitai Jivan Prabhu
 Tru Family Dental gut punch moment
HABIT 1 – VEDIC PERSPECTIVE
Stephen Covey
What distinguishes us as humans from all other
animals is our inherent ability to examine our
own character and decide how to respond
Proactive People have a responsibility – response BG 2.13: As the embodied soul passes in this body from
ability – ability to choose how to respond to a
given situation
Focus energy on Circle of Influence
Vedic Wisdom
Athato-brahma jijnasa – now in human form of life you must
inquire about what is good and what is bad for me
boyhood…A sober person is not bewildered by such a
change.
2.57: In the material world, one who is unaffected by
whatever good or evil he may obtain, neither praising it nor
despising it, is firmly fixed in perfect knowledge
2.14: O son of Kuntī, the nonpermanent appearance of
happiness and distress, and their disappearance in due course,
are like the appearance and disappearance of winter and
summer seasons. They arise from sense perception, O scion
of Bharata, and one must learn to tolerate them without being
disturbed.
HABIT 1 – BE PROACTIVE
 Identify an experience that you expect to encounter in near future where,
based on past experience, you would probably behave reactively. How
will you now try to act proactively?

OR

 Take a current problem or situation in your life that is frustrating you.

Determine what is your Circle of Influence and identify steps you take to
be more proactive.
HABIT 1 – BE PROACTIVE

It’s not what happens to us but our response to what

happens to us that hurts” – Stephen Covey
HABIT 2 – BEGIN WITH END IN MIND

“If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will take
you there” – George Harrison

“He who fails to plan is planning to fail” – Winston

Churchill
 HABIT 2 – BEGIN WITH END IN MIND
 Would any of your build your house by first
buying lumber and starting to assemble boards
together?
 What are steps in building a house?
o Concept based on how you’re going to use the home –
bedrooms here, sliding door for kids there, open
kitchen for interactions here, etc.
o Detailed drawings of every feature
o THEN first nail is hammered!!

 Do you just start driving and then figure out

where you going?
 Create twice – first in mind and then in reality
HABIT 2 – BEGIN WITH END IN MIND
  Visualize in rich detail your own funeral.  Who is there? What are they saying about you? About
how you lived your life? About the relationships you had? How will you have impacted their lives?
 Pick 3-4 people that will speak about you: friend, family member, temple member, other
 What will they say about 3 things:
o Your Character
o Your achievements and contributions to them and the world
o The difference you made in their life

 What are some of your deep, fundamental values? What is your definition of success?
o Perhaps money, power, fame and a huge mansion are not it
o Perhaps you want something more meaningful, more impactful, less self serving
o YOU DEFINE IT!
HABIT 2 – BEGIN WITH END IN MIND
How does beginning with the end in mind help?
 Helps you make better decisions – day to day and longer terms ones
o Should I turn left or right on this street?
o Should I take bio or art history next term?

 Helps you identify if you’re drifting off course – am I closer to my

goals than 6 months ago?
 Avoid Activity Trap – working very hard for things that don’t make
you happy – climbing ladder on the wrong wall!!
o Identify first what matters most to you and then go after it
HABIT 2 – BEGIN WITH END IN MIND
 By design or default – we’re going
somewhere
o If we do not take responsibility to design
the end for us by our own conscious
decision, then we allow other people and
circumstance outside our Circle of
Influence to define our lives by default
o Our sense of worth, love, belonging get
defined by us or others – we have to decide
HABIT 2 – BEGIN WITH END IN MIND

 Effectiveness is achieving in life what you define – making it

happen
o Am I working on the things that are important to me?
o Skill alone is not enough. You can be efficient, great at something, but if
it is not your goal, it is not effective!!
 You may be great singer, but is singing a part of your happiness in life?

See the connection with Proactive

FINDING YOUR CENTER
 Tickets to a concert and boss calls…
 Center defines perspective we take – e.g. red
color glasses
 Family centered vs money centered vs spouse
centered vs friend…
o Our experience becomes dependent

 Principle centered
o Does not change by circumstance
o Make decisions that help you achieve goals
o Examples: honesty, service, hard work, gratitude,
responsibility
PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
 Use imagination to develop a vision of – detect not invent:
o 1) what you want to be (character)
o 2) what you want to do (contributions/achievements)
o 3) values and principles that govern your actions and behaviors

 What really matters to you? Focus on principles, not results.

o I want to be famous (result) – why? To feel good about myself? Or to use my fame to help
others find happiness.
o Ask the why. If you want to be rich, ask why? If you want to be famous, ask why? Keep
asking why to get to the core vision
 It is a personal constitution – basis for making major decisions AND daily decisions
WRITING YOUR PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
 This is a process that takes weeks and months of introspection
 A personal mission statement is a declaration of an individual’s
purpose and path in life, emphasizing what is truly important to him
or her. 
 Step 1: write down 3-5 principles that you want to imbibe
 Step 2: Create a mission statement – 2-3 lines that describe the
values/principles by which you want to live your life
o Think back to our funeral exercise
WRITING YOUR PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT
 To help lead the world to a better (happier) place through enthusiasm for
teaching and business creation, governed by a deep understanding and
application of Vedic philosophy. To give my family highest happiness.
 Live a life of integrity, serve my community through a career in
medicine and raise a family that makes a difference in the world
 Applying wisdom from scriptures to powerfully make a difference in
the world
 Succeed at home first and then in the workplace
REVISION TIME

 Step 2: Identify your roles – son/daughter, classmate, devotee,

employee/career
 Step 3: Identify 3 goals for each role
 Step 4: Revisit your Mission Statement
HABIT 2 – VEDIC PERSPECTIVE
 Krishna is repeatedly emphasizing principles of life in BG – nonviolence,
compassion, charitable, empathy and more
 Krishna does not say violence is bad – it is based on the principle of compassion and
courage
 Krishna does not say aspiring for wealth is bad – Dhruva Maharaj
 Krishna is constantly help us overcome impediments to our principles – Lord Indra
 First instruction in BG is to identify who you are – spirit soul – the end is NOT this
body!!!
 Lord Ramachandra was so effective in His rule because of His principles and end in
mind
HABIT 3 – PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST

Is there alignment between your personal mission

statement and your activities?

Alignment and Accountability is key to success!

HABIT 3 – PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST
ROCKS PEBBLES SAND
1. Rocks – Really Important Things:
health (spiritual and physical), family,
friends – if lose all else will still be
okay
2. Pebbles – Other important things -
work or school
3. Sand – Less important things –
material possessions (wealth, house,
cars), social life
HABIT 3 – IMPLEMENTATION

 “The challenge is not to manage time, but to manage ourselves” –

Stephen Covey
 Must have discipline to prioritize day to day activity based on
what you define is most important
 Act according to our values, NOT based on impulses
 Habit 2 we defined the goals, what is important to us
 Habit 3 is about how to make those goals happen – execution
4 QUADRANTS – HOW WE SPEND OUR TIME

Important = helps achieve long term

goals and becoming person you want to be
Urgent = something that requires

1 2 immediate attention – either due to it

coming up suddenly or procrastination

3 4
 URGENT MATTERS
Quadrant 1
• House is burning down – urgent and consequential if
don’t do it
• Final exam tomorrow – urgent and consequential

Quadrant 3
• Phone call from person you spoke to yesterday on
1 2
same topic
• Attending a club event not related to your goals

3 4
NOT URGENT

Quadrant 2
• Chanting rounds and going to Temple
• Going to gym
• Calling your mother
1 2
Quadrant 4
• Playing a video game
• Finding end of Instagram
• Watching TV

3 4
 OUR TIME TRAP

Where do we spend most of our time?

• Quadrants 3 and 4  Not IMPORTANT – the SAND
• Why? Due to lack of clearly defined long term goals we react to
things that are in front of us even if not related to achieving our
goals – answering phone calls, attending an event, surfing social
media
1 2
• Effective people manage time in 3 and 4 VERY CAREFULLY
because not important (urgent or not) – spare time only after
rocks/pebbles

3 4
GOLDEN OPPORTUNITY

Which is most important quadrant but hardest to spend

time in?
• #2 – Important fundamental things in our life, but
not urgent so it keeps getting pushed off. No one
argues not important but still somehow get pushed
off
1 2
• Spiritual life
• Going to gym
• Important relationships

3 4
MAKING IT HAPPEN IN QUADRANT 2
How to succeed in making Quadrant 2 activities an
important part of our day / week / month / year / life?
• Be Proactive – must have a clear plan of what
is important
• Say No – remember we always say no to
something – an invitation to a party or chanting 1 2
our rounds – too often we say no to important
things
• Schedule Time for It

3 4
HABIT 3 – IMPLEMENTATION

 “The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule

your priorities” – Stephen Covey
 Step 1: Identify three Rocks for each of those goals you can do in next
90 days that you identified in Habit 2
o Rocks are all the steps needed to achieve your goal.
 I want to be a pilot. My Rock for December is to finish my written exam.

 Step 2: For next week, schedule one Rock activity from each Role.
HABIT 3 – IMPLEMENTATION Weekly Time Planner
From Personal Mission Statement Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

Area of Life Goals Today's Priorities

Father Spend 30 mins a day quality time Teach Mia to ride bike Swimming lessons for Mia Take Hannah to Ballet

Financial Leave a financial legacy to my children Financial advisor - chat

Health Workout daily Exercise with Teresa Exercise with Teresa

Spiritual To be the best I can be - calm and energised Meditate AM & PM Meditate AM & PM Meditate AM & PM Meditate AM & PM Meditate AM & PM Meditate AM & PM Meditate AM & PM

Notes, Observations Time Blocking Daily Tasks & Commitments

(Things I could do better, or notes to remember) 8:00 Meditate 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00 8:00
Meditate
9:00 Exercise 9:00 Exercise 9:00 9:00 9:00 9:00 9:00
Remember to plan the next tday's time block, the night before
10:00 10:00 Research project 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00 10:00

11:00 Weekly planning 11:00 Research project 11:00 11:00 11:00 11:00 11:00

12:00 12:00 Proof reading project 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00 12:00
documents
13:00 Proof read article 13:00 Meeting Jess 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00 13:00

14:00 Proof read article 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00 14:00

15:00 15:00 Coaching session 15:00 15:00 15:00 15:00 15:00

16:00 Teach Mia to ride her bike16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00 16:00

17:00 Teach Mia to ride her bike17:00 Article writing - A 17:00 17:00 17:00 17:00 17:00

18:00 18:00 Article writing -A 18:00 18:00 18:00 18:00 18:00

19:00 19:00 Article writing - B 19:00 19:00 19:00 19:00 19:00

20:00 Meditate 20:00 20:00 20:00 20:00 20:00 20:00

EVENING EVENING Meditate EVENING EVENING EVENING EVENING EVENING

30 mins - Homework
with Mia
Read Book (60 mins)
END RESULTS

 Achieve what you define as success

 Balance rolls in life so one does not take over another
 No regrets in life
 Take each week as an opportunity to advance your goals.
HABIT 4 – THINK WIN – WIN
 What is interdependent relationship?
o Our happiness is dependent ultimately on happiness of others
o Govinda’s experience

 Have to believe there is sufficient for all – abundance mentality vs

scarcity mentality
 Liberates us from pressure of feeling like we have to win at
someone’s expense OR that we have to lose for someone else to win
HABIT 4 – THINK WIN – WIN

 Where do we see interdependence in Vedic

Scriptures?
o Varnashrama system
o Barter system

 Where do we see abundance mentality?

o Isavasyam idam sarvam yat kinca jagatyam
jagat tyena tyaktena bhunjitha ma gradha kasya
svid dhanam
HABIT 5 – SEEK FIRST TO UNDERSTAND, THEN TO BE
UNDERSTOOD

 Understand FIRST – before offering our opinion, advice or counter

 “You’ve spent years of your life learning how to read and write, years
learning how to speak. But what about listening? “ – Stephen Covey
 Empathetic listening is key – don’t try to advise, comment or respond
based on our perspective, understand their perspective first
 Examples
o Find someone who has a different view than you on a topic and seek to learn
HABIT 6 – SYNERGIZE
 1+1= 3
 Habit 4 and 5 are key – must think win-win and seek to
understand
 Pool your desires with those of others when looking at the
problem and then create a solution
 Ruth Bader Ginsberg and Antonin Scalia
 Try it out: make a plan for an activity with someone you don’t get
along great with due to different views
HABIT 7 – SHARPEN THE SAW

 Invest in yourself – spiritually, physically, mentally and socially

 Spiritually - you know what to do!!
 Physically – eat well, exercise, sleep well
 Mentally – expand your mind by reading, being grateful, humble
 Socially – make new friendships, contribute to a meaningful
relationship
HABIT 7 – SHARPEN THE SAW

 Invest in yourself – spiritually, physically, mentally and socially

 Spiritually - you know what to do!!
 Physically – eat well, exercise, sleep well
 Mentally – expand your mind by reading, being grateful, humble
 Socially – make new friendships, contribute to a meaningful
relationship
HABIT 7 – SHARPEN THE SAW

 Invest in yourself – spiritually, physically, mentally and socially

 Spiritually - you know what to do!!
 Physically – eat well, exercise, sleep well
 Mentally – expand your mind by reading, being grateful, humble
 Socially – make new friendships, contribute to a meaningful
relationship
HABIT 7 – SHARPEN THE SAW

 Invest in yourself – spiritually, physically, mentally and socially

 Spiritually - you know what to do!!
 Physically – eat well, exercise, sleep well
 Mentally – expand your mind by reading, being grateful, humble
 Socially – make new friendships, contribute to a meaningful
relationship
HABIT 7 – SHARPEN THE SAW

 Invest in yourself – spiritually, physically, mentally and socially

 Spiritually - you know what to do!!
 Physically – eat well, exercise, sleep well
 Mentally – expand your mind by reading, being grateful, humble
 Socially – make new friendships, contribute to a meaningful
relationship
HABIT 7 – SHARPEN THE SAW

 Invest in yourself – spiritually, physically, mentally and socially

 Spiritually - you know what to do!!
 Physically – eat well, exercise, sleep well
 Mentally – expand your mind by reading, being grateful, humble
 Socially – make new friendships, contribute to a meaningful
relationship
SUMMARY
1. Be Proactive
2. Begin with the End in Mind Independence
3. Put First Things First
4. Think Win-Win
5. Seek First to Understand, Then to be
Understood Interdependence
6. Synergize
7. Sharpen the Saw