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“A bend in the road is not the end of the road…Unless you fail to make the turn.” – Helen Keller

“A bend in the road is not the end of the road…Unless you fail to make the turn.”- Helen Keller

This post is dedicated to all who might be looking at new options either because of recent job cuts or otherwise. There might be a few doubts creeping in, or you might be receiving undesired statements from the world. Nothing and no one can decide what your future looks like except YOU!

I came across a LinkedIn post from an individual some time ago where he listed down an array of demotivators thrown at him when he was trying to start a new life in a new Country, such as “You will not find a job in your field”, “You will not be able to have a senior position if you want to settle here”,” You will need to adjust your expectations downwards” etc. etc. He then proceeded to proudly share that “He was glad he only listened to himself” as he was now on the Board of Directors of a reputable organisation within that year.

I assume most of us have encountered such situations in our personal & professional lives where we are faced with similar statements/doubts expressed on capabilities. There can be one of three outcomes in such a situation:

1) Get demotivated/stop attempting

2) Not affected/carry on as planned

3) Challenge becomes a huge motivation/multiplies the effort.

In my personal experience, these have actually proved to be significant motivators to try to accomplish what has been stated as “can’t be done”. Granted that subject to the limits of science and the supernatural not everything will be possible but I hope you get my gist :-).

It was the year 1993; I had just given my year ten exams (sort of equivalent to GCSEs) and had about four months of holidays coming up. Although it has been quite common for 14+-year-olds to take up jobs in Europe, the Americas etc., in the Northern Indian town of Faridabad where I grew up, it was almost unheard of (the landscape has changed a bit over the last decade or so but still not common) due to multiple factors such as too young, family reputation, limited belief in capability etc.

However, in very simple terms, in my heart, I wanted to learn the value of money and expressed a desire to my family that I wanted to work. You guessed the response right…” You can’t do it”. So the third outcome, as above, “ Challenge becomes a huge motivation”, kicked in, and I tried to find a way. As luck would have it, I learned about a boy known to my family who had started going to Delhi as he had taken up a job there. I spoke to him and was told that he works for a toy company. Somehow convinced my father to accompany this boy called Happy for one day and see if it was something decent to be involved in.

As agreed with Happy, I reached his home the next day at 7:30 AM to go to Delhi with him. Not sure why, but surprise, surprise, he had left without me. Now definitely couldn’t just go back home and miss this golden chance, and in those days, there were no cell phones, so I couldn’t contact Happy either. I remembered Happy had told me that the company he works for is based in Delhi’s “East of Kailash “area and had shared the company name. Armed with these two pieces of information, without ever having travelled alone to Delhi and that too on Public transport, I headed for the old Faridabad train station(Google hadn’t graced our lives yet:-)). At the station enquired about the train stop I should get off at in Delhi to reach East of Kailash and learned about Okhla, my destination station for the day. Once I reached East of Kailash ( it was not a couple of blocks, more like a small town), I started enquiring about this Toy company, and after about an hour, luck smiled, and a phone shop( called STD/ISD booths in India) which this toy company used to route their long distance calls gave me their address.

Late morning, I arrived at A3-East of Kailash, which was originally a house but now had offices in the basement & ground floor and someone’s residence on the upper floors. The toy company’s office was in the basement. When I entered the office, my friend Happy was there and was suitably surprised. Anyway, I spoke to the boss and found out that this particular office employed people for door-to-door selling of their Soft toys and board games. They said they would give me a trial for a week, and I jumped on the chance.

So that day in April 1993, armed with around 20kgs of toys and games on my shoulder, with a desire to learn and motivated further by “You can’t do it”, at the grand age of 15, on the streets of South Delhi was my first day at work! The journey of a salesman had begun.

That day defined my life. I ended up working there for the remaining three months, and that is where my love for Sales was born. There are many other memories of knocking on doors, my first sale etc., which I might share in future posts. Since then, there had to be a component of work along with my studies, and I ended up working part-time all through my graduation in Sales roles.

Most of the time “You Can’t do it” challenge has worked positively for me as a motivator and as a catalyst to help push boundaries, get out of my comfort zone, etc., on multiple occasions. It is not surprising that the same must have played a considerable role in the lives of many people we have come to respect, such as Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, Richard Branson etc., and must be a key ingredient in their success.

So next time someone says to you,” You can’t do it,”.. just say and feel “, That’s Wonderful!” Enjoy all the hairpins and bends the road of life presents and push on.

Bon Voyage

Ankur Shiv Bhandari

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Do what is right by your conscience,trying to match to everyone else’s definition will not work

As we all enter a period of reflection over the holidays, it felt apt to share this. I feel that almost everyone starts with a strong moral compass and the ability to take right and fair decisions. This is refined over time by one’s experiences and education to help distinguish between right and wrong. The way human fabric works, we are able to absorb what comes our way in terms of information and make choices.

This compass gets corrupted when one tries to do things by the definitions imposed by others of what is right. Some examples being influences of religion, customs, peer pressure, society perceptions etc. In our hearts we all know what is the right thing to do but still do what others tell us is right. In many such situations in the end neither we are happy nor are the people whose direction we have followed as what is done is never enough. This can lead to a feeling of despair.

Follow your heart and feel the strength that provides you. Notice the burden of not doing what you really wanted to slowing drifting away!

Speak-to-your-fear-and-see-it-disappear

Speak to your fear and see it disappear – The Positive Charge Talks by Ankur Shiv Bhandari – Episode 06

In this episode, Ankur talks about the power of acknowledging our fears and overcoming them on the path to positivity and possibility.

#capability #ankurshivbhandari #thepositivecharge #beingpositive #happiness #positivemind #powerofpositivity #holisticcapability #beinghappy #positivity #motivation #inspiration #personaldevelopment #resilience #leadership

Is this what you really want? - The Positive Charge Talks by Ankur Shiv Bhandari - Episode 1

There is only 1 you, Live it, Love it and Launch it! – The Positive Charge Talks by Ankur Shiv Bhandari – Episode 05

In this episode, Ankur talks about the importance of feeling proud of one’s uniqueness. He highlights a key point that everyone is unique and that should be celebrated.

#capability #ankurshivbhandari #thepositivecharge #beingpositive #happiness #positivemind #powerofpositivity #holisticcapability #beinghappy #positivity #motivation #inspiration #personaldevelopment #resilience #leadership

There-is-a-Teacher-everywhere.-Are-you-learning

There is a Teacher everywhere. Are you learning?- The Positive Charge Talks by Ankur Shiv Bhandari – Episode 04

In this episode of The Positive Charge, Ankur shares the importance of absorbing learning from all sources to energise our souls and bring the Power of Positivity and Possibility in our lives.

#capability #ankurshivbhandari #thepositivecharge #beingpositive #happiness #positivemind #powerofpositivity #holisticcapability #beinghappy #positivity #motivation #inspiration #personaldevelopment #resilience #leadership

Falling-means-you-dared-to-go-high

Falling means you dared to go high – The Positive Charge Talks by Ankur Shiv Bhandari – Episode 03

In this episode of The Positive Charge, Ankur talks about the importance of pursuing your ambitions bravely.

#capability #ankurshivbhandari #thepositivecharge #beingpositive #happiness #positivemind #powerofpositivity #holisticcapability #beinghappy #positivity #motivation #inspiration #personaldevelopment #resilience #leadership

It-is-your-Duty-to-be-Happy

It is your Duty to be Happy – The Positive Charge Talks by Ankur Shiv Bhandari – Episode 02

In this episode, Ankur focuses on the importance of Happiness and correlates happiness with other desires in life.

#capability #ankurshivbhandari #thepositivecharge #beingpositive #happiness #positivemind #powerofpositivity #holisticcapability #beinghappy #positivity #motivation #inspiration #personaldevelopment #resilience #leadership

Is-this-what-you-really-want

Is this what you really want? – The Positive Charge Talks by Ankur Shiv Bhandari – Episode 1

Pleased to share the first episode of “The Positive Charge” podcast by yours truly. An effort to share how the Power of Positivity & Possibility can influence our lives. You can listen to it here on Spotify. The podcast is also available on other major sites includes Apple Podcasts.

#capability #ankurshivbhandari #thepositivecharge #beingpositive #happiness #positivemind #powerofpositivity #holisticcapability #beinghappy #positivity #motivation #inspiration #personaldevelopment #resilience #leadership

The-Positive-Charge-Talks

“The Positive Charge” Talks by Ankur Shiv Bhandari – Coming Soon!

I have been involved in Capability building for more than a decade not only as part of leading a training company but by also being a Corporate trainer, managing people from different cultures, as a father and recently as a University Senior lecturer. As the years have gone by, I have realised the pure joy there is when you see even a small positive change in someone’s capability and the feeling that your efforts might have contributed to it in some way. I believe that an underlying “Hygiene factor” or “success factor” to how individuals and organisations approach capability is the level of optimism and the ability to deal with negative or discouraging events and influences. I believe if a situation is approached with a “Positive Charge” the capability change results are amazingly different. I will try to share some thoughts on that point through “The Positive Charge” podcast. Thoughts related to the Industry will continue on “The Shopper in Shorts” podcast.

If you are interested you can follow my personal Social Media channels and pages on YouTube, LinkedIn, FB & Twitter for getting notified when episodes launch.

Look forward to connecting with thoughts soon

#capability #ankurshivbhandari #thepositivecharge #beingpositive #happiness #positivemind #powerofpositivity #holisticcapability #beinghappy #positivity #motivation #inspiration #personaldevelopment #resilience #leadership