I was having lunch with one of my coaching clients – who is also now a dear friend – when he asked me a profound question. “Professor Rao, how can I fully, deeply, enjoy life?” In my public talks I ask the audience, “Does your blood sing at the thought of doing what you do and being who you are? …
Get Rid of the Struggle!
We, unfortunately, live in a world of individual accomplishment and reward for ‘hard work’. There are any number of successful entrepreneurs who attribute that success to their hard work. They attribute the failure of others to lack of hard work. We are encouraged to to burn the midnight oil to …
I Have No Time!
I remember reading, many years ago, an interview with Ron Howard. Howard was a professor at Stanford University for more than a half century and is widely regarded as the father of decision analysis. He had an ‘awakening’ experience in his early mid-years and attended Buddhist retreats where …
A Lesson from St. Paul
I have always been fascinated by St. Paul. How could Saul of Tarsus, so bent on torturing the followers of Jesus, become the most influential apostle? And while I could not always understand his enigmatic dictums, I knew that there was power and truth in them. I was particularly struck by …
It Was Never the Way You Thought it Was!
You labor under a misapprehension. And it could be preventing you from reaching the success that could be yours. You think the past is given and it happened and there is nothing you can do about it. The past did not happen. You merely think it did! This is HUGE, so bear with me as I …
We All Make This Mistake
We rush through life desperately striving and achieving. We are on the go, on the run striving to be more productive. Time is a precious resource and we want to make sure that we fill each minute with sixty seconds worth of distance run. But we just might be making a big mistake. I …
There Is No Such Thing As Peace of Mind!
I go into some deep stuff, so read with care. Wait a few days, come back and read with care again! I have been assured by many talking heads that we are living in unusually turbulent times. Politics is dirty and ever more vicious in countries around the world. Economies are in contraction, …
A Lesson From Google Maps
I am not good with technology. Even simple technology like Google Maps can confuse me. I was heading down to the beach a few days ago with the firm intention of apricating for a few hours and catching up on my reading. Google Maps asked me to bear slightly left. I think I bore more left …
The Wonder is in Your Eyes, Not in the Scene!
I remember the very first place of my own I had in the US. It was a studio on the thirteenth floor of an apartment building on the Southwest corner of 113th street and Broadway. It must have been substantially renovated because I do not recognize it anymore. On the ground level was a Pizza …