The Discipline of Execution

Strategy is made in heaven, execution carried on earth,  

Visions attract many, for operations there is a dearth. 

The leader decides what to do, you blindly toe the line,

Innovation is oh! so glorious, Operational Excellence just fine.

 

Visions provide direction, but if you fail to execute,

The best laid plans of mice and men, go tumbling down the chute.

If you want to execute with elan, list your Wildly Important Goal, 

And by saying No to everything else, stop them from taking toll.

When working towards that goal, don't obsess day and night, 

Just focus on the steps you need, and all will be alright. 

Do keep a check on the daily count, of how many steps you took, 

By this simple measure, of accountability, you'll achieve as per the book.

I know all that I need to know, of how Execution is King,

When you need to put your ass to work, Discipline is the thing.

Being a Minimalist

I can afford, but I'll buy less, a resolution I make,

Now to get, rid of the books- a hundred -give or take.

De-clutter your closet, clean your desk, intentions good and nice,

The drive to earn, to be able to waste- I'm paying a heavy price. 

I can achieve, but I'll do less, I'll focus and work deep,

Throw out the goals- big and small, only a few I'll keep.

The one Wildly Important Goal, will call the shots from now,

To have unfulfilled dreams and goals, I'll have to learn how. 

I can network, but I choose not, what I have is enough,

Shallow ties may bring you jobs, deep ties bring you love. 

Time to prune the Facebook friends, on Twittter unfollow some, 

In my desire to be happy/ fulfilled, leave others burnt / lonesome. 

I can be, a hundred things, psych-lover, programmer, philosopher,

But if I really want to declutter my life, I'll be a poet- and only for her.

The Truth

We met, we became friends, 

We parted, the story ends.

This can't, in fact, be the whole truth,

To meet you again, I'll fight nail and tooth.

 

You cared, had warm feelings,

You coveted, for me had leanings,

Its a fiction, I cannot live without, 

About its truth, though all may have doubt.

I love you, have always done so,

Your feelings though, are difficult to know.

Maybe its the myth, of the one sided love, 

But for you, I'll trade, the heaven above.

Fact, Fiction or Myth, we are bound with a Karmic debt, 

That Love is the transcendent reality- I know only because you I met!

Frequent Fires

Seeds of fire, in a forest that's alpine, 

Dried up wood- most of them pine.

By Nature inflammable, waiting for a spark,

The only respite, when its night and dark.

The summer season, adds fuel to the fire,

Pining for the light, I grow higher and higher,

Nurtured by the sun, I've become tall and stout,

Primed for combustion, I've lost this bout.

A discarded cigarette, an electric jolt,

A chance encounter, a lightening bolt,

With thunder and Noise, sounds my death knell,

From the tranquil forest, I move to Purgatory hell.  

You ask why I get charred daily, whether its Nature, Nurture or Noise?

I like to begin each day anew, in this matter I exercise Choice. 

A Timely Thanks

I'm grateful for life, for the beauty around,

That I'm not circled by trolls, only humans abound. 

Thankful to the nature, to the birds that sing, 

To a love that's deep, and not a casual fling. 

I feel it deeply, but I'm short on words,

Instead of gift of gab, I'm tongue tied like nerds,

Don't know why, its so difficult to say, 

'Thank You' to a person, who's now dead and away. 

If you could see me express, in a poem my debt,

You would be elevated and inspired, moved to tears, I bet. 

Its hard to acknowledge, I can never thank enough,

By Paying It Forward, I plan to forget that stuff. 

 

Gratitude is good, it heals your heart,  

To say timely Thanks, is a much needed art.

Lost and Found

Foggy and blurred, its nowhere to be found,

I've started losing track, of my goal profound.

The visions that inspired, are now old Man's tale,

The day morphed to dusk, and the Sun turned pale.

Tired and spent up, my energy saps low,

I'm losing momentum, my progress is slow.

The drive to succeed, has lost its sheen,

All I think nowadays, is how to come out clean. 

Disparaged and looked down, I'll become an outcast,

My legacy wont live, but my infamy will last.  

The respect I commanded, will turn to dust,

To be absconding is unexpected, but move I must. 

I've lost a lot on this journey, I'm bleeding still,

The day I find myself, I'll continue till.

Some facts

That I'm born is a given, that I'll die is a fact,

That I'll be old and ill is true- in this life's short act. 

I make my moves fast, strive for health and wealth, 

As if I can cheat death's radar, flying in mode that is stealth.

 

That I need you is a given, that you'll remain distant is a fact, 

That I'll pine for you when you are gone, is my Faustian pact.

I hide my vulnerability, striving for power and fame, 

Need to learn how to love deeply- and not just in name. 

That I have a past is a given, that I've to create a future a fact,

That I'll fold under the weight of the choices, only seems apt. 

I deny responsibility, claiming I was never free, 

Distracting myself with philosophy- to be or not to be.

That I need a worldview is a given, that its arbitrary is a fact, 

That I'm able to enjoy an absurd life, is both an art and a tact!

Eternity

Infinite lives, Infinite suffering, 

Its almost hell, I'm lately muttering

Enduring a life, that is barren and cold, 

How to end the cycle, is the thought I hold.

 

Infinite lives, Infinite potential,   

In one life small, over time exponential,

As long as you learn, from your Karma and rise,

You may finally break through, get a heavenly prize. 

Infinite lives, Infinite joy,

The Avatar you don, is just decoy,

Your mission to make, others too enlightened, 

As Leela continues, make their days brightened.

 

One life is all I've got, you can keep your infinite,

If I don't find love in the here and now, let your eternity dust bite.

At Peace

We are thrown in this world, you and me,

No special meaning granted, just meant to be.

Existence precedes essence, or so they say,   

The meaning of this, you ponder night and day.

 

We suffer a common fate, in the end we'll die,

That knowledge liberates, gives us permission to fly,  

To create a life of meaning, where there was none,

- By giving birth to ourselves, we are finally done.

We are alone and alienated, like the rest of them,

Can choose Amor Fati, or continue to gods condemn,

But we are all too human, constrained by what is,

That we are free is painful, ignorance is bliss.

The hand I'm dealt with, is the hand I like, 

The givens of my existence, are my lucky strike.

For Sanity's Sake

Positive illusions are cool, they give you wings,

A pauper, relatively speaking, feels like kings.

You are a better driver, makes you keep going,

That you maybe worse than average, you avoid knowing.

Defenses are useful, they protect you from harm,

Material that is heavy, kept at length of an arm,

Repressed or never discovered, too much painful to bear,

Hidden behind a fortress, where even a shadow cant appear. 

Whether benign or pathological, your illusions keep you sane,

To be without pretense or facade, would be totally inhumane,

For at heart you know, you are just, a vulnerable and weak man, 

But with the right dose of self delusion, you are a hero who can.

Most people therefore avoid, being confronted with reality,  

You can keep your delusions, I prefer my moments of clarity.

Growth and Transformation

Some wanted to own a Ferrari, others focused on well-being,

When I started all I cared, was to be a good human being. 

But that wasn't alluring enough, so I set my goals high -

To prevent the Third world War, as I thought the end was nigh.

 

The World War never happened, plunging me into anonymity,

I had failed the foreign service test, but discovered equanimity.  

Leaving the past behind me, I got high on learning,

The passion for psychology, finally resulted in an earning. 

To say that I've turned pragmatic, doesn't do justice to my history, 

To make an impact, by rising up the ranks, explains the mystery-

Of why I am OK pulling people, or pushing them too hard,

And to reach my goals, my former self, I am ready to discard. 

They say growth happens, when you move, with open mind ahead,

I've become a tool to achieve an end, the human being is dead.

Ready to Rise (The Consciousness Egg)

Seething cauldron, simmering coals,

Fighting underneath, Unconscious goals. 

Soaring to the top, the muse hits home,

The descent is rapid, the connection is gone. 

Littered with symbols, dreams spellbind,

You grope for connections, its easy to find. 

The feast of senses, the thought monorail,

Despite the activity, you're in a zombie jail. 

Of the bird eating fruit, the observer takes note,

Neither fearful of the lion, nor devouring of the goat.

The Virgin Mother, the old Wives tale,

The historical events, leaving a collective trail?  

 

If you want to redeem your self, let The Fool take that leap, 

The more you pine to rise, the more you will have to go deep.