Never jobless: my “Whiskers, Paws and Tail” strategy October 28, 2009

This post is an outcome of my over 10 years work experience. The funny thing about it is that none of my employers have ever looked at my CV. And yet I was getting very good positions. The even funnier thing is that I ended up working as a Human Resources Manger myself. All that gives me the right to claim that there is a certain strategy that makes it work, and work successfully.

I call it “Whiskers,  Paws and Tail”  strategy. There is a popular Russian cartoon “Prostokvashino” with a cute cat Matroskin who, being asked about his documents replies: “Whiskers, paws and tail are my documents!”. And that is what I mean under no need of a CV presentation: you yourself at any moment of life should be the best CV to your personality, both inside and outside. Let me list some ideas on how I see it.

1. Reliability is the most precious and important quality for an employer, no matter in which sphere -  creative, business or industrial. You should not only look reliable but actually be that. Reliable people with determined attention emit this quality naturally, and this leads to trust which is so valuable for anyone.

2. Inner and Outer Beauty: It starts with the  inner work on oneself – the perpetual unfolding of your character is essential. Not getting “better” from day by day, no. You are already perfect. It is about discovering the true beauty of your personality. The most speedy method for it I found in my meditation practice. There are many other ways as well, but this one gives the fastest results. As soon as your true perfect being will be increasingly shining through, this will make you a desirable person. Many people will want to be with you, will seek your company for any thinkable reason. Among these people there will be also some potential job-givers!

3. Be The Best Product Yourself Having this full package of precious inner Qualities + their Manifestation + Reliability you become a  kind of a PRODUCT, a highly desirable  trade mark. How will you know it works? When any decision-maker/boss/HR Manager will want you to work for him/her after a couple of minutes you have talked. And  this is not a dream!

Plastic Planet -”after seeing this film you will never drink from a plastic bottle”. September 26, 2009

I usually visit cinema once in several months, and only for some really good films. My recent discovery is a brand new film “Plastic Planet”, the poster to which claims: “after seeing this film you will never drink from a plastic bottle”.

Generally we all know plastic is bad. But HOW bad? WHAT is actually so bad about it? The film comes up as an eye-opener.

 An invistigavie documentary in Michael Moore style by an Austrian film director Werner Boote presents an up-close and personal view of the controversial and fascinating material that has found its way into every facet of our daily lives: plastic. He takes us on a journey around the globe, following plastic through its 100 years of “glorious triumph” and showing us what an unexpected impact plastic has on our world.

A good HR question August 12, 2009

As a HR Manager I often face people who have lost /or never actually had their professional orientation.

Here is a good question to ask oneself about it:

It is an old story, but just tooooooo good, isn’t it?

 

P.S: many thanks to my dear friend swaps for sending it to me.

LOVE, axinia

Agriculture enlightened: a modern Japanese sage brings “do-nothing farming” July 25, 2009

Another beautiful encounter with an enlightened soul of modern times: Masanobu Fukuoka (1914-2008) was a Japanese farmer who developed what many consider a revolutionary method of sustainable agriculture. The fascination about this method is that it is not only practical and efficient, but also very spiritual.

Fukuoka started as a microbiologist and worked for the Japanese customs until his transformation following an illness and an ecstatic illuminating self-realisation experience. His central insight was: “There is nothing, really nothing at all whether this be the mundane world or God’s world.” After that he gave up science and come back to his father’s farm where he developed his unusual method. In 1975, distressed by the effects of Japan’s post-war modernization, Fukuoka wrote The One-Straw Revolution. In his later years, Fukuoka was involved with several projects to reduce desertification throughout the world. He remained an active farmer until well into his eighties, and continued to give lectures until only a few years before his death at the age of ninety-five.

Today I’ve read The One-straw Revolution  -an extraordinary book that distills the deepest of philosophical and spiritual truths into a practical approach to farming that was called natural or do-nothing farming. Since its publication in 1978 in English, the book has shot up to cult status, mandatory reading among advocates of alternative living. I literally “swallowed ” the book, as it was so fresh and meditative…ultimately, it is about quieting our cleverness in a way that allows us to see how we really can do more with less.

I especially enjoyed the way Fukouka came to his conclusions on farming:

“The usual way to go about developing a method is to ask “How about trying this?” or “How about trying that?” bringing in a variety of techniques one upon the other. This is modern agriculture and it only results in making the farmer busier.

My way was opposite. I was aiming at a pleasant, natural way of farming [Farming as simply as possible within and in cooperation with the natural environment, rather than the modern approach of applying increasingly complex techniques to remake nature entirely for the benefit of human beings] which results in making the work easier instead of harder. “How about not doing this? How about not doing that?”- that was my way of thinking. I ultimately reached the conclusion that there was no need to plow, no need to apply fertilizer, no need to make compost, no need to use insecticide. When you get right down to it, there are few agricultural practices that are really necessary.”

(I wonder if this could be the brilliant hint for a modern man in general, in other spheres of of life?

So what is that special about his natural farming? What makes it that revolutionary?

Things in life I can never understand July 22, 2009

There are certain things in life my brain just strikes to understand.

Among the vast spectrum of human knowledge these things stay for me apart – as a clear invention of sophisticated brains, and not something natural.

These things are not representing the beautify of human nature, in fact they make life complicated.

These things are normally explained in an overblown, twisted manner for only a few to understand.

These things for me are:

Who wants money? July 18, 2009

“Me!” would be probably the first reaction of all most of the people.

Do you really want money? - if even now the answer is ” yes” then you must be already a millionier.

The truth is, only a tiny percent of mankind really wants money and these are the same people who possess great material riches. I talked to some people who know personally the so called Russian oligarchs (people who became incredibly rich and influential  in a short time) – they say that it is the love for money as object that has driven them all to becoming so rich.

The truth is that an average citizen of any country is not really interested in money. Sure, no one would mind comforts and other benefits that money brings with. However it is a very seldom case that someone is interested in possessing huge sums of money as such. And the one who are obsessed with the idea usually get it!

Why this?

The illusion of projects April 15, 2009

(image by me)

Project is one of the main form of today’s collaboration. I guess almost everyone has been participating at least in one project, at work or as a volunteer. Projects are fascinating because they have a powerful creative element as well as a great team feeling. Generally people like to be involved in projects, although there might be  1000 underwater stones and problems.

I have been working on projects of all kinds  since 10 years, and I turned to be a good project manager mainly because I knew whom and how to involve. Over these years I have experienced and realised quite a number of things regarding working in projects and I thought of sharing some thoughts with you here.

The biggest secret about a project is that it is NOT about achieving a result, although people totally fall into the trap of this illusion. Obviously any project starts in order to bring some change into life, to improve something or just to create a joyful happening… Whatever it is, try to keep in mind that it is not the aim of the whole thing. But that is really the biggest trick about it all: project participants concentrate on “doing” and often start “hating” each other because obviously everyone has a different working style and when the deadline burns, the nervousness grows… So if achieving the project goal is not the real aim, then what is the goal you may ask me?

Yes, the real aim (again, this is my personal experience based conclusion) – is to learn how to lovingly collaborate with each other, to grow together in overcoming difficulties, to develop the collective body and simply – to evolve in it. When the project is over, people are of cause happy about the results (which are mostly successful), but they are even more happy about having worked and learned with each other!! That is a big surprise at the end, but unfortunately it is something that becomes easily forgotten when a new project starts and again the pressure of achieving some goal makes everyone angry.

The timing pressure April 8, 2009

(image by me)

Stress is the one of the most popular words in this part of the world (apparently not so in Russia or India). People claim getting stress by everything possible, not only by work but also by taking care of their families. Life becomes a constant stress.

Leading basically relaxed and happy life, even I can confess using the word “stress” too often…Why? Trying to understand WHAT exactly stresses me, such a happy person, I came to an interesting conclusion: it is ONLY the time pressure! Because no amount of work and tasks outside my work can stress me otherwise, no problems make me feel hopeless and depressed, I easily see a way out of any situation…But this horrible need of being “on time” for everything puts a huge pressure over me. Coming on time to work, meeting deadlines, meeting people on time… The thing why I don’t want to take it seriously is simply because I see that efficiency – at least in my life -mostly does not correlate with this strickt discipline. Some discipline must be there, that is for sure. But trying to be everywhere on time is just too hard.

 I wonder if you share same experiences?

The best way to see how things can work differently is to travel to some other than Western country (say, India or Russia). The relaxed attitude towards work and duties can cut down the material comfort feeling, however things are still being done, and sometimes with much more love and attention than at places where timing is one of the top values… Ideally  one should reach a good balance between being on time and avoiding stress of it,  but obviously a human being can not completely avoid the timing pressure. I heard that some advanced yogis are able to reach the evolutionary state of being “beyond” time – I guess it means one is always on time without even trying it…May be one day I will reach this blissful state too

LOVE, axinia

A free store – New ways of crisis economy? March 30, 2009

I am always glad to hear about things that support my idealistic idea of another world – a world without greed and materialistic manipulations.

Recently a shop opened in New York (a stone’s throw from Ground Zero) where nothing is for sale and everything is for free! The store was founded by local artists Athena Robles and Anna Stein, who set it up with a $9,000 grant from a cultural organisation and the September 11 fund.

There’s only one ‘rule’, which is that customers should only take what they need (brilliant condition!!). Passers by have been spotted carrying off all manner of items, from DVDs and posters to stained glass ceiling fittings and children’s clothes. For more impressions and details read the GUARDIAN report here.

 (Photograph: Frederic Lafargue/Rapport)

Let’s see how long this idea will work and if something similar will be found elsewhere in the word – or may be even it would become a trend?

LOVE, axinia

Why by saying “I forgive” we can stop thinking? February 6, 2009

image by axinia

We learn how to think all our childhood. Later on we learn how to think “better” – how to develop the ability to analyze, evaluate, generalize, etc.

Until at some point we understand that we are sick of thinking. I keep meeting successful businessmen who are desperately looking for the ways how to stop their excessive thinking.

The easiest way to stop thinking is at the same time the most sufficient one: Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi found out that it is FORGIVENESS that makes our heads free. When thoughts keep coming back to certain situations or people, this does not let us enjoy the present moment – and it is a problem. It simply means that there is something that we could not forgive and forget! Thus “I forgive everyone and myself” is a powerful mantra against headaches and annoying thinking.

But what makes forgiveness that powerful? Recently my husband gave a brilliantly simple explanation: Forgiveness is a kind of a shock for our mind. The humanity has never learned to forgive (although it has been 2 millennium since Christ brought that message!), and it is something very “unnatural” for our mentality – the first spontaneous reaction to a hurting behaviour towards us it to hurt back. It is the first impulse, unfortunately. That is why by saying “I forgive” our mental computer simply shuts down   - our brain software does not operate in that mode and can not produce such a command spontaneously.