Self Discipline is the ability to get yourself to take some action in the most consistent manner. it does go a long way in many things in life. This is what i keep telling kids when they want to be disciplined. Discipline is something that you don’t like doing but is something useful for you.

For example you may not like waking up at 6 am in the morning but then it is useful for many. You may be tempted to eat that extra bit of chocolate cake or anything similar but then not succumbing to that and making sure you stick to whats useful is what is discipline. Being able to hit the gym consistently is discipline.

Discipline comes with understanding what controls them. Its like how you build a muscle in your body. You may not do it overnight but then you do it consistently over a period time and then only your muscle builds. So how do you build it?

Step 1: Understand yourself.

‘I know myself’ is what probably you are sounding now. But trust me you may know your likes, dislikes, your behaviors etc. which are only conscious. You may not be aware of many things that you act and react subconsciously. When you want to wake up in the morning, but then you just pull the blankets over your head and sleep again (don’t ask me Praveen how do you know what i do? hehe) you do it subconsciously even without your knowledge. This is what i am mean by understand yourself. Look at what is that you must have to break to ensure that you will turn out to be disciplined.

Step 2: Develop the Mindset

Create the will power in you that you can actually make it happen and that you will be disciplined. If for example if you say that you can never wake up early in the morning come what may you can never do that. Instead make it a point to accept and believe in yourself that you can also do it. That way you will find all possible ways to be more disciplined. Find out references for yourself where you have been disciplined. Understand this metaphor, your body has been disciplined in the sense that your heart beats in the most disciplined way, so is all otter parts of the body. So you have been used to being disciplined, may be you just need to train yourself in other areas also.

Step 3: Break the Trigger and create a new pattern

This is by far the most important thing for you to do. You need to find out from step 1 as to what is that particular thing that is not helping to be disciplined. If for example you want to wake up in the morning every day then look at what is that trigger that is not helping to do the same. It could be the bed that you sleep on or the alarm that rings. So you must quickly change that a create a new pattern that will force you to wake up in the morning. Look at all the positive and negative consequences of you not waking up in the morning (in this example). Look at the consequences of not being disciplined in the area that you want then you would automatically have the right force and the push to be more disciplined.

Step 4: Stick to Step 3 and practice

Everything comes with practice and make the more you do the better it gets. You can make anything a habit if only you do things repeatedly. When you do something for a long time then you ought to do it the next day as well. For example if you take a particular route to the office and then you follow that every day, and on a holiday when you want to go somewhere else, you pick yourself up to take the route to your office? Right? You are so much conditioned for the same. So the best is it make it a point to do it every day. Then you will make things a habit. Even if you do it for 7 days with great difficulty then firstly your mind begins to accept that its possible for you and you can do it, and secondly you body also starts acting accordingly and when the mind and the body are in sync then you get disciplined automatically.

Make it a point to do it every day and make sure that you are disciplined. Successful people have been disciplined in life and it is easy for you as well.

Discipline is the defining fire by which talent becomes ability – Roy Smith

People always ask me, Do I need to have a resolution. It may not be a must for you to have a resolution but then I feel it gives more strength and power when you have New Year Resolutions.

The word resolution is from the word Resolve. So we have so many things to resolve from the past year and apply them and make changes in the them in the future.

Few Reasons why New Year Resolutions work

1. Self Motivation and Self Inspiration – When you have a resolution for yourself then you know that its your choice and not someone else. You push yourself to ensure that you have your resolution achieved. This is quite important for you because you know you have done it and its for yourself that you set on a special day.

2. A lot of clarity – New Year resolutions give in a lot of clarity of though and action. You start dissecting your past and look at things that you have not done and hence a great self reflection for yourself. That is the time when you know the pros and cons of what you have done and what you have not and hence gives you clarity to ensure that you take consistent action

3. A great opportunity – New Year Resolutions are always a great opportunity for you to Architect your life. This is the time you can mould the life you want to especially when you are in the mode of celebration and your mind is in a super high state. This is the time to be positive and hence look at all the possibilities.

So set your resolutions and importnat make sure its for yourself so that you will consistently take action. All the best and here is Wishing you a very Happy New Year!

What drives people are 2 things, Pain and Pleasure. With smoking the Pleasure component is so high that unless its negated with something so painful will not help him come out of the habit. Most drivers in Dubai come here with the intention of giving the best for the family. So is Mr. X, and he has 2 children, a 5 year old boy and a 3 month old girl. So I had my trump card to play with and started asking him how will it be if he orphaned his children (I know this is quite raw but I had to give him a painful experience).
He was shaken for a second. Becuase he was in blaming the govenment, stating that why are allowing smoking when they are not allowing drugs. So I simply asked him, ‘The government also does not allow suicide and still people do, so it lies in individuals to define whats right and whats not! I wanted to scare him a little more on the consequneces of smoking, and then told him if knew how the lungs look like? He was not sure, so picked my phone and drew the lungs with holes in it. I told him in normal lungs there are no holes and since he is burning them down with smoke, a few months later that how his lungs will be. All this shook him a little and then decided to push him more!

My collegeue then said stop it now! Well thats one big challenge many people face! Not taking Action on time. My collegeue was really pushing him to stop now! Now that was a challenge for me to make him accept the change instantly. Thats when I believe that the Brain works at a great speed if you want to! So I just gave him a metphor to keep him in a fix. Tomorrow never happens.

NLP always told me this, Speak in the others persons language. The example I gave him was this. Assume that your are driving and see a truck crossing and what do you at that moment? So here is a conversation that we had (Mr. X – The Driver, PS – Praveen Sherman)

Mr. X – I apply the brakes
PS – and how quickly
Mr. X – Immediately
PS – what would happen if you do it after 5 mins
Mr. X – an accident and crash
PS – and?
Mr. X – probably even die
PS – So what do you stop smoking? Now or later?

So I was expecting the next one. How about reducing it to one or two? So I continued the conversation

PS – Shall I give you some few drops of poison? Just half a spoon?
Mr. X – Oh no!
PS – So coming back to the same thing, if you see a truck when you do brake?
Mr. X – immediately
PS – so what happens if you brake only half? Do not brake fully, so what are the consequnces
Mr. X – crash and accident.

By this time I felt that I had almost won him and made him undergo that split second choice. Remember Changes always happens in a Heart Beat!

PS – Hold the Brakes now and full! And if you have a cigaratte now give it to me! (not for me, but to throw it out )

So he handed over one to me, I did felt good at that moment for making a difference in this guy. Pray for this guy for him to stop smoking for ever. I told him to call his wife and tell her that he has stopped. That will give him a better push!

A request to all those who smoke, you know what to do Wishing you all a wonderful 2010!

This is a great way to start a New Year! I am gifted to have helped him and I am sure more in the future! Welcome 2010!

I have always been a great fan of Micheal Jackson and then when I started training I had him as a model because of the kind of energy what he has on stage. He is simply superb.

And after the movie I could learn more about this great man. I would want to see the best things that this man did and learn from him. This movie was some of his rehearsals that he did for his final tour. And just 8 days before he was to go for it, he died.

1. Humility – So humble he was during his rehearsals. For the man he is he can have so much ego in him. But he is cool and humble. He has the humility to say, I am not able to hear things properly and not say you guys dont sound proper

2. Passion – At the age of 50 he still dances with the same passion. He did not look tired even for a minute.

3. Intensity – Oh.. you just need to feel it.

4. Perfection – He exactly know what he is doing and is a perfectionist. Even a small change in the sound he immediately pointed it out. And he did not move on till it was 100% perfect. I was wondering how he did it and thats when my friend told me “thats why he is MJ”. How true right, but we too can do it.

5. Energy – There is no doubt that the only reason he is so powerful is his energy. And at 50 he has the same energy as he was 25 years ago. When the Thriller Song was rehearsed I was just oozing in energy and he exactly does the same way he did when it was shot 25 years ago.

6. Compassionate – he went and hugged all dancers, technicians. He did not throw any tantrums and was really compassionate and loving. And thats what he said to all. Pass on your Love to everyone

7. Challenges himself – He was put in a crane to reach towards the audience and give them a great feel. So he alighted the crane and the director tells him, be careful and this is only half the height that it can. MJ immediately tells everyone “This guys is teasing me and he knows that I want to go higher”. Thats what he has always wanted

8. Think Big – Everyone who works with him believe that he is a big thinker. He wants the best of  everything and never compromises on his desires

9. Walk the Talk – When he makes a mistake he immediately accepts and corrects them. Thats what makes other do their best. (if you just stand next to him I think u’ll start feeling his energy in you. He just vibrates with so much enthusiasm and energy). And after a small mistake when he stops and the directors asks if he wants to practice again, he just says “Thats what rehearsals are supposed to be”

10. Social Awareness – He is not just singing what he likes or what others like. He says in the movie the he loves plants and nature and how we must protect them

11. Performer – Its just not important to know what you are doing, its equally important that whatever you do, do it differently and effectively. No one can beat his creativity.

I am going to live the above and if not be MJ, be close to what he has achieved. MJ we miss you.

Live your Passion

So with this in mind, I shoulder a bigger responsibility. Of ensuring that Superbkids and Superbteens reaches out to more kids. I train the trainers who in turn deliver the program. I have already done the base ground work. Have a strong foundation and pillar established. Its just time I grow the tower and since my foundation and base is strong there is no limit to which the tower can grow. I am sure that shortly we would be the No. 1 training company in whole of Asia. Its with so much pride and fear that I say that no trainign can match Superbkids and superbteens. Pride because we changes live, fear that it has to be consistent. But its amazing and fun and its a stretch and I shall live upto expectations and ensure that we closer towards “Making People Powerful”

When I did my session “Goals” for the kids it was indeed a session for myself. I set my own new Goals for the Superbkids and Superbteens program in the future. The kids were just awesome and I did my final parents training during the Graduation ceremony. I did not want the day to get over and I was indeed feeling a little bad to be honest. But I looked at the future and said all is for a purpose and the best. I always believe that everything happens for a reason and purpose. Right now the OnlySuccess centers are doing great and more to happen in the future.

Here is a snapshot of the Camp

Starting on monday for 4 days it will be exiting and eventful for us to step on to the stage and do the program. I still recall my first camp in Chennai, India. What an experience it was. Not just in terms of training the kids but also external challenges. Well it was eventful. I am still in touch with many kids who attended my first program. I can remember many of them.

And then we evolved and made Superbkids and Superbteens the best program in the country for children. I can say with utmost pride that this is the best program for Children in the country.

This is not a school and we are not teachers but we are Trainers who teach children how to handle LIFE. What a child will never get to experience at school or at tuition classes or other training, they go through here. Its Life Transformational.Today we have thousand of success stories and with all the experience, learning and amazing thoughts of millions around the world I step in to the training for children for one last time in India.

And guess what who will be training with me?Yes! Vidya will be with me and both of us deliver the world class trainings. Its our brain child. We started it from scratch and built it where it is today with the help of other trainers as well.I have a set of trainers who are trained and certified now to deliver the Superbkids & Superbteens programs. They have already started doing a terrific job.

More to come from them in future to empower these kids.So if you want to be part of it or your loved one to attend the program then call up my office talk to Prema @ 98409 66641.Here is a Video that I did up for the Last Program. Watch it up here..
So see you all soon! Live with Passion and togethers lets empower more people.

She was so energetic and she was just emanating joy of life. She surprised everyone when she started saying “I am doctor but I am going talk about life”. What did I learn from her? I think different people had different learning but these are my learning. I am sure I cannot express everything because there was also lot of connection and feelings that was communicated.

1. All of us have been successful in life. We won the race when we were born and thats a great deal in life.

My Learning: Wow what a message to start with this was. Hitting me hard to remind me that Praveen its time you do more in life.

2. World came into existence by Imagination. For example, electricity can be used for many purposes, for light, ECG for checking if the heart if working, an oven to bake and an electric chair to kill people

My Learning: Whatever is happening in the world is by imagination and if we can stretch it wide we can do wonders.  And I am doing this every day

3.  Be aware of all things in life and thinking can Change your Life. Thinking changes everything or even the events that happen around. 

My Learning: I just found of what thought patterns I have about certain things that are not happenign in my life and I changed them. Event is not the outcome but Event plus response is the outcome and I can control the thoughts and choose the response

4. Jonathan the seagull: This is from a book where the seagull was fat and people thought it cannot fly and it started flying and was on top of the world. It is like the bumble bee. Aero dynamically speaking the bumble bee cannot fly but it does not know it cannot fly

My Learning: Be the seagull. Break barriers that you thought you cannot. So I am taking up new challenges in my life

5. There is not any hopeless things or situations that you cannot come out of if you think differently.

My Learning: Wow! thats all can I say

6. Sorrows are not sorrows in itself but its only so called sorrows which you can come out of. Do not succumb to Sorrows

7. People see me as a successful person but am I successful. If I achieve what I want then i am successful

My Learning: Never live for others. Just achieve what you want.

8. Your living is by your thoughts. Difficulties will come, but have the mental strength and dont give up at any cost

My Learning: During difficult times I will focus on the goals and move one

9. Why waste this precious life? Never compare yourself with others

My Learning: I never do that and dont want to do it in future too. I will have role models and do better than many.

10. At no point of time I thought I will not do my M.S. Thinking is the greatest attraction

My Learning: Dr. Aruna had some challenges to do her Masters in Medicine and this belief and focus made her achieve. Can’t I do that?

For all those who could not attend, I feel sorry for you and this is the best I could do.

These kids walked out as Champions. Hats off to the entire team at UAE, to have made this happen. I think this is one of the best arranged camps that I know of. Like I say many times, what we see outside in the training is just the tip of the ice berg and many things happen for the training to go well and my team at UAE really made it happen. Thanks guys! I am back again soon for another exciting event.

There was a lot of connection from day 1 of the camp with the participants and never did I feel that I was meeting them for the first time.

It was so much fun with them. And the A Coaches. Wow! what energy they had and they did all sorts of gimmicks. Every day morning we had a great energetic warm up session with some running, dancing and the Program Director Hassan came up with some exciting dance movements. Kids loved it and so did I. I joined every day for the warm up and realized that I have an amazing stamina just like the kids

Check out this head stand by one of the A Coaches. They also did some hand stand and I did not go near that. Obviously did not want to break my hands

The COACHES as always were the guiding force for this amazing camp. Lead by Hassan the Program Director, Geetha, Abdul Ghani, Swapna, Divya, Pragna, Padma, Sanjay and Abhayan, Dittin and Ramesh from OnlySuccess did a fantastic job connecting with the participants all the time and delivering the best for them. It was unforgettable moments especially when the coaches comepte with each other that theirs is the best team. Super fun it was for me and this camp I was also assisted by Sam (kids loved him)

One of the participants called me the Funniest Person ever. I love it when kids call me that way and that’s been my dream always to have fun with them and one of the mentioned i am the encyclopedia. Well not sure if thats really true but atleast in front of them I cant really say “I don’t know” something especially when they are not supposed to use that phrase (Its a banned phrase for the Superbkids/superbteens participants)

Check out the complete video of the Camp here…

Must be wondering how come I cry for exams being a trainer at OnlySuccess Learning Technologies. You know I too passed on that stage in life when I was hating exams for the simple reason that I was not good at 1 or 2 subjects So had to work hard on them to score the topper in class. (I did manage it a few times).

I decided to write this post wishing all my participants of Superbkids/Superbteens especially the ones appearing for the finals (boards start today for a few and this week for the rest). I was wondering how was I during my days. hehe.. Hey I am not giving any advices cos I know you guys must be getting loads of them from parents, teachers and all others…(mind you they are important. so better follow them)

I was talking to my cousin y’day who is in grade 10 and said just relax and be cool. And he was like “Hello you are sitting in Dubai and askin’ me to be cool, you must be writing then you know”. How true. But I don’t I ever on the day of exam was tensed or worked up for the simple reason that I could not do much about it on that day.

I remember once when I was having an exam, I was thinking and my mom and sister were so excited that I was actually thinking about the exam and they said don’t worry you will do well and the fact was that I was thinking what should I wear for the exam and if it will be warm or hot or cold in the exam hall. They were actually not surprised because they know me well. But thats equally important. One thing I believed is that once your preparations are over, the enviorment has to support you so better be prepared with the right set of clothes. I dont have a lucky pen but I do have a comofortable pen something I use which makes me write neat and fast.

One major challenge I had was my presentation, good that you are not able to see how well I write. If apple saw my writing they would have named a font after my hand writing called “Scribble” hehe. But then I used to make a conscious effort to make it neat. So I always write the questions I know well so that my presentation can take time and also the examiner will be impressed. Many times I have seen, if the examiner believes that you are good the your silly mistakes also are gone unnoticed. Enticing the examiner by writing properly is something I always did.

The most funny thing that happened once was when I was in college. I never open the book after reaching the exam hall. Will not be of much help but once it so happened that I had a small clarification and I checked the same with my friend and the same answer was in the question paper and that’s when my friend had a superstition that if Praveen reads an answer the same will be asked in the exam paper as well. This happened some 2 or 3 times strengthening his belief. But little did he know that I don’t do this always. I never believed in studying till the last minute. Never helps actually.

The mindset works wonders and thats always helped me. Yes I have studied well and I will do things just perfectly is the useful attitude and mindset.

Anyways to all my friends out there working hard for the exams, chill, be cool and have lotsa fun!

The last time I did a show with her was during my Phobia Cure event and this show was very different.

That’s Kaushi the RJ and myself at the Radio Stations (the headphones were rocking. amazing ones.. hehe..)

In fact I always wondered how Kaushi every day woke up in the morning and was on time for the morning show. She just cant afford to be late. And I feel that its passion, interest and commitment that really drives her? Kaushi am I right? If everyone has this life becomes even more easy.

We had many listeners dial in and ask me questions which I was answering and helping them. Guess I did a good job and I did make some sense out of it.Many interesting questions and few were easy to answer, because I face them often and few important ones that gave a thought to every single listener. I thoroughly enjoyed my 2+ hours in the morning interacting with people there.

On my request the radio station recorded the entire show and here is the my entire discussion with people who called in. You can listen it in here. Its in 3 parts for you to load them easily.

Part 1:

Part 2:

Part 3: