I was playing badminton and one of my partners asked as to “Why most of the youngsters today are “Night Owls” ? Why do the youth today love to sleep very late and get up late. I thought it was worth pondering over.

I have personally never been an early morning person. During my school and college days I preferred to study late at night and get up a bit later in the morning. On the other hand some of my siblings practised the reverse. They used to study at dawn and sleep early at night.

I would say there is nothing wrong in being a “Night Owl” nor anything right in not being one. It is each person’s personal preference. I would imagine it becomes difficult for us to accept somebody else’s behavioural pattern when it does not match with our own. It may be time to challenge ourselves on it.

I have read of geniuses around the world who spend the whole night creating music or sculpting a piece of art. On the other hand, some others do prefer doing the same during the day. How does it make a difference to others ? This is the point to ponder.

My life is my life and I have the freedom to live it my way as long as it does not impact others. This is to be remembered. As long as I sleep late and do not deprive other people at home of their sleep, it should be fine. It may also be worthwhile to remember that my daily routine should not make life inconvenient to others.

If I get up late, I should have the courtesy to make my own coffee, cook my own breakfast and put things back in place in the kitchen and other rooms so that I don’t make life difficult for my own family members. As long as my actions and behaviours do not create inconvenience to others, it should be fine.

On the other hand, if I lead a life which is diametrically opposite to the others and are least bothered about the impact of my life on others, it is unfair. It is like i love music and play at midnight and disturb everyone around at home and my neighbourhood , it would be uncivilised. However, if I want to listen to music at night and put on my headphones and do the same, then it is perfectly fine.

We just need to remember that our lives are not independent. We live in a inter dependant world and it has always been like that. We cannot inconvenience our parents or siblings at home for our preferences. On the other hand, if we can manage our preferences in such a way that our life does not negatively impact others, it is fair and reasonable.

Our ability to accept a diametrically opposite lifestyle whether at home , work or in society will make all the difference. Life is different for each individual and so are our likes and preferences. So be it. Why should someone else live life the way we like it. Of course it is important to lead life in your own way as long as you do not make others pay for your life style.

When your day ends, their day may begins and that’s their life, not yours. They may even like to go for a drive at night to feel the chill in the air as in the photo above.

Lets learn to live and let live.

S Ramesh Shankar

20th September 2020

Many people have asked me this question right through my career. The answer is simple but we make it complex. We think professionalism comes only from professional education or joining professional organisations. Professionalism is a way of life. It is the way we live, act and respond to everyone around us in life.

My five Commandments on how to evolve as a professional would be as follows :

A. Keep your time : The simplest, yet the most difficult thing to do in life is to keep your time. Yet most of us fail in this simple thing. Whether it is a time givento your kid or to your vendor, supplier or employee, it does not matter. It also does not matter if the person is higher in social status or lower. In my view, you are a true professional only when you keep your promised time with everyone around you with equal respect.

B. Respond : Another simple thing we fail to do every day is call back people, who called us when we were busy or away. It could a phone call, a message or a visitor. It is always a good idea to call back each and everyone who called you irrespective of whether known or unknown ( except toll free numbers and marketing calls). We do not consider it important to call back people.

C. Empathise : Every decision we take will be perceived fair and professional if we are able to put ourselves in the shoes of the persons, who are likely to be impacted by our decision. Any amount of data analytics cannot substitute empathy and its related emotions. Professionalism does not mean unemotional decisions.

D. Dress for the occasion : One has to be one step better than what the organisation promotes as a dress code. It may be worthwhile to find out and dress appropriately. A business suit does not necessarily make you a professional nor a casual wear makes you unprofessional. However, remember that you need to be better dressed than what they expect of you. You could do research and find out what is appropriate dress in an organisation or even a nation, when you go abroad.

E. Keep your commitment : If you promise someone, something , you have the liberty to think before you promise. But, you do not have the luxury to go back on your commitment. Again it does not matter whether you have made the promise to your family, friends, colleagues, suppliers or customers. A promise is a promise and one needs to do everything to live up to it. In case, there is a delay, one could always seek for extension of time rather than forgetting it and lowering one’s professional image.

One could argue that there are multiple dimensions of being professional. I agree but it is worthwhile to start from the basics. These are the basics and the simplest. The simplest things in life may not be easiest to follow. It is like our new year resolution of going for a jog every day. How many of us have been able to live up to a new year resolution even to ourselves.

It is worthwhile to remember that professionalism may not be taught in business schools or other professional institutions. It is a way of life and culture. We need to learn from the environment and people around us both at work and beyond.

S Ramesh Shankar

15th July 2019

I was passing by my neighbour’s home when someone called me by name. I looked back and realised that it was not for me. So, I moved on. Later, my neighbour called me and apologised for the same. She said that she was teaching a student by name Ramesh online and coincidentally I passed through at that time .

I told her that there was nothing to be apologetic as it was a strange coincidence. I enquired from her as to what she was teaching and she told me that she teaches special children in a school for the last 15 years. Her specialisation was teaching autistic children. I was touched.

Many a time in life we believe we are doing a great deal of service to society. It is only when you hear such stories, you are grounded . It makes you realise that how people have dedicated their lives to fulfilling the needs of society, especially the needy.

It is difficult for anyone to teach children. Imagine teaching children online and that too special children. My salutations to the teacher and the taught. It is indeed incredible commitment to a cause.

What I want to share here is not about my neighbour teaching autistic children but her silent selfless service. I know my neighbour for quite some time now. She has never spoken about her service to children.

What I have learnt in life is that the really selfless people do what they do without making any song and dance of it. It is like we say the right hand should not know what the left hand is doing when you are donating. Similarly, the genuine service minded people serve society silently.

In today’s world, we come across people, who do claim to do social service just to make it to national newspapers, social media or the TV channels. They also do it to cover up for all their misdeeds and believe God may forgive them in this way. It is a rarity to see silent people serving society even without their neighbours knowing about it.

I should admit that I realised how little I do when compared to such people. It is people like her who inspire me in life. They are the real heroines and heroes for me . It is like the front line health workers today who are fighting the pandemic without bothering for their own safety.

Selfless service not only makes you a better human being, it makes you a role model for society and the next generations. It helps your own family members and friends to imbibe the right values. It gives you good health and limitless happiness, which money can never buy for you.

As in the photo above, such selfless servers of society do not want their own publicity. They always want to work behind the scenes

Let the world learn from such committed people all the time.

S Ramesh Shankar

16th August 2020.