A monthly eMagazine focusing on igniting thoughts for actions amongst professionals of all kind.

1. Y#48 March 1, 2016
Window for action loving
PROFESSIONALS
Dear Readers
Everyone loves a good story.
Everyone creates a story.
Everyone narrates a story.
Our story spans through the stage
of life with all its melodrama,
roller-coaster and multiple
climaxes.
We share some. We hide many.
We remain curiously critical about
the plot which others write. We
justify ourselves as the best
protagonist.
Keep creating stories.
Add more success to it with ideas
of right FRUITful flavours.
whY not!
Cheers,
Rajiv Khurana
Editor
rajiv@rajivkhurana.com
9810211256
Coaching Learning Advancing Sharpening Smartening ©
Advt.Pages11
What makes a good story? 2
Little I, big Q 3
Short stories 4-6
Change self or change world 7
Perception 8
The mountain story 9
Break-The-Box with Rajiv
Khurana
10

2. Y#48 March 1, 2016
Window for action loving
PROFESSIONALS
2
What makes a
good STORY?
S
Stuff
Call it a plot. The sequence of events from which a
story, play, song, puppet show, song, etc. can be made.
T
Telling
Style, expression, words, meta-communication…
Distinctive, dramatic, impactful…
O
Options
Versions that encompass one of many possible
presentations of the same plot
R
Real or imaginary
People, animals, fairies, robots or other communicating
entities in the tale
Y
You
The narrator. The soul to act as the ‘mover and shaker’
as the story proceeds and reaches the climax.
AcronymSTORYcreatedbyRajivKhurana
Three Fish
An Indian Tale
Three fish lived in a pond. One was named Plan Ahead, another was Think
Fast, and the third was named Wait and See. One day they heard a fisherman
say that he was going to cast his net in their pond the next day.
Plan Ahead said, "I'm swimming down the river tonight!
Think Fast said, "I'm sure I'll come up with a plan.
Wait and See lazily said, "I just can't think about it now!"
When the fisherman cast his nets, Plan Ahead was long gone. But Think Fast
and Wait and See were caught!
Think Fast quickly rolled his belly up and pretended to be dead. "Oh, this fish
is no good!" said the fisherman, and threw him safely back into the water. But,
Wait and See ended up in the fish market.
That is why they say, "In times of danger, when the net is cast, plan ahead or
plan to think fast!"
PracticeStory

3. Y#48 March 1, 2016
Window for action loving
PROFESSIONALS
3
Preeti looked totally confused and scared. Presence of 19 other
children in the adoption center did not give her any comfort. For a 3
year old this was a different world. A world where she is just a
figure. Some day some couple will come and take her away. And
she will become statistic for the NGO which was given bundles of
joy to numerous children Indian and foreign couples.
While other children felt happy to see us again, Preeti stood in a
corner with a bit of surprise and expectation in her eyes. Other
children wanted to spend some precious time with me, my wife and
son. Cake and sweets on new year eve was enough occasion to
share something that they wanted in abundance but were currently
deprived of due to the cruel hands of destiny. Preeti did not find my
wife threatening. She quietly sat besides her. We could see her body
moving to the music but she surely was not inclined to dance along
with the other kids. We know all these kids come from different part
of India and are up for adoption. All of them have adjusted well to
the small SFS flat as their home. Somehow Preeti has not found any
comfort so far during the last one month of the stay.
With her looks we could make out that she must have belonged to a
good family. The way she ate her piece of cake and started eating
her eclairs, good habits formed over the period were clear. We
probed further. The results were shocking. Her mother brought her
to the adoption center. Her father had died and her mother wanted
to get married again. Preeti was an obstruction. She had to be given
away. The Indian man wanted a wife but not a mother. The Indian
mother gave up a piece of herself for the man. Mother India hid
behind her compulsions and shame. The great Indian family system
perhaps showed further cracks in spite of all cosmetic family soap
operas.
When we visited this adoption center last time the shock of poverty
was different. A father of three had abandoned his children because
his wife ran away. This father from the northeast only knew how to
bring kids to this world but not bring up the kids in this world.
We will go again to the children on another occasion. Perhaps Preeti
will not be there. Some angels may pick her up. ‘Son Pari’ is only
symbolic in the TV serials. Some childless mother would be her ‘son
pari’. These three kids are already booked for the USA. There is
always hope. The light at the end of the tunnel is there for such kids
too. These kids are still blessed. There are centers that look after
them. There are parents that want them. The number is big and
ever growing in supply. The demand is still limited and restricted.
The bigger question still remains. – Shall we fight for temple or
mosque or bend down on our knees before these children and
look into their eyes. Because God is waiting to see us.
Little
Big
I
Q
- Rajiv Khurana

4. Y#48 March 1, 2016
Window for action loving
PROFESSIONALS
4
FALL AND RISE:
Today, when I
slipped on the wet
tile floor a boy in a
wheelchair caught
me before I
slammed my head
on the ground. He
said, “Believe it or
not, that’s almost
exactly how I
injured my back 3
years ago.
A FATHERS ADVICE:
Today, my father
told me, “Just go
for it and give it a
try! You don’t have
to be a professional
to build a
successful product.
Amateurs started
Google and Apple.
Professionals built
the Titanic.
THE POWER OF
UNIQUENESS:
Today, I asked
my mentor – a
very successful
business man in
his 70’s – what
his top 3 tips
are for success.
He smiled and
said, “Read
something no
one else is
reading, think
something no
one else is
thinking, and do
something no
one else is
doing.
LOOKING BACK:
Today, I
interviewed my
grandmother for
part of a research
paper I’m working
on for my
Psychology class.
When I asked her
to define success in
her own words, she
said, “Success is
when you look
back at your life
and the memories
make you smile."
Short Stories
Shared By Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
LOVE CONQUERS PAIN:
Today, after I watched my dog get run
over by a car, I sat on the side of the
road holding him and crying. And just
before he died, he licked the tears off
my face.

5. Y#48 March 1, 2016
Window for action loving
PROFESSIONALS
5
TRY & YOU SHALL KNOW:
I am blind by birth. When I
was 8 years old, I wanted to
play baseball. I asked my
father- "Dad, can I play
baseball?" He said "You'll
never know until you try."
When I was a teenager, I
asked him, - "Dad Can I
become a surgeon?". He
replied "Son, you'll never
know until you try." Today I
am a Surgeon, just because I
tried!
GOODNESS &
GRATITUDE:
Today, after a 72 hour
shift at the fire station, a
woman ran up to me at
the grocery store and
gave me a hug. When I
tensed up, she realized I
didn’t recognize her. She
let go with tears of joy in
her eyes and the most
sincere smile and said,
“On 9-11-2001, you
carried me out of the
World Trade Center.”
A DOOR CLOSES TO OPEN
ANOTHER:
Today at 7AM, I woke up
feeling ill, but decided I
needed the money, so I
went into work. At 3PM I
got laid off. On my drive
home I got a flat tire.
When I went into the
trunk for the spare, it was
flat too. A man in a BMW
pulled over, gave me a
ride, we chatted, and
then he offered me a job.
I start tomorrow.
AFFECTION:
Today, I kissed my dad on
the forehead as he
passed away in a small
hospital bed. About 5
seconds after he passed, I
realized it was the first
time I had given him a
kiss since I was a little
boy.

6. Y#48 March 1, 2016
Window for action loving
PROFESSIONALS
6
LOOKING BACK:
Today, as my father, three
brothers, and two sisters
stood around my
mother’s hospital bed,
my mother uttered her
last coherent words
before she died. She
simply said, “I feel so
loved right now. We
should have gotten
together like this more
often.”
JOY:
Today, when I witnessed
a 27-year-old breast
cancer patient laughing
hysterically at her 2-
year-old daughter’s
antics, I suddenly
realized that I need to
stop complaining about
my life and start
celebrating it again.
SHARING:
Today, I was traveling in Kenya and I met a refugee from
Zimbabwe. He said he hadn’t eaten anything in over 3 days
and looked extremely skinny and unhealthy. Then my friend
offered him the rest of the sandwich he was eating. The first
thing the man said was, “We can share it.”
INNOCENCE:
Today, in the cutest voice,
my 8-year-old daughter
asked me to start
recycling. I chuckled and
asked, “Why?” She
replied, “So you can help
me save the planet.” I
chuckled again and asked,
“And why do you want to
save the planet?”
“Because that’s where I
keep all my stuff,” she
said.
KINDNESS:
Today, a boy in a wheelchair
saw me desperately
struggling on crutches with
my broken leg and offered
to carry my backpack and
books for me. He helped me
all the way across campus to
my class and as he was
leaving he said, “I hope you
feel better soon.”

7. Y#48 March 1, 2016
Window for action loving
PROFESSIONALS
7
CHANGE SELF or CHANGE WORLD
There was a very wealthy man who was
bothered by severe eye pain. He consulted
many physicians and was being treated by
several. He did not stop consulting a
galaxy of medical experts; he consumed
heavy loads of drugs and underwent
hundreds of injections. But the ache
persisted with more vigour than before.
At last, a monk who was supposed to be
an expert in treating such patients was
called for by the suffering man. The monk
understood his problem and said that for
some time he should concentrate only on
green colours and not to let his eyes fall on
any other colours. It was a strange
prescription, but he was desperate and
decided to try it.
The millionaire got together a group of
painters and purchased barrels of green
paint and directed that every object his
eye was likely to fall to be painted green
just as the monk had directed. When the
monk came to visit him after few days, the
millionaire's servants ran with buckets of
green paint and poured it on him since he
was in red dress, lest their master see any
other colour and his eye ache would come
back.
Hearing this, the monk laughed and said
"If only you had purchased a pair of green
spectacles, worth just a few dollars, you
could have saved these walls and trees
and pots and all other articles and also
could have saved a large share of his
fortune. You cannot paint the world
green."
Let us change our vision and the world will
appear accordingly. It is foolish to shape
the world, let us shape ourselves first.
Knowledge and
wisdom
There is a difference
between knowledge
and wisdom.
Knowledge is
knowing that a
tomato is a fruit not a
vegetable.
Wisdom is knowing
not to include it in a
fruit salad.

8. Y#48 March 1, 2016
Window for action loving
PROFESSIONALS
8
And A Meadow Lark Sang
"The child whispered, 'God, speak to
me'
And a meadow lark sang.
The child did not hear.
So the child yelled, 'God, speak to me!'
And the thunder rolled across the sky
But the child did not listen.
The child looked around and said,
'God let me see you' and a star shone
brightly
But the child did not notice.
And the child shouted,
'God show me a miracle!'
And a life was born but the child did not
know.
So the child cried out in despair,
'Touch me God, and let me know you
are here!'
Whereupon God reached down
And touched the child.
But the child brushed the butterfly away
And walked away unknowingly."
Perspectives
One day a father and his rich
family took his young son on a
trip to the country with the firm
purpose to show him how poor
people can be. They spent a
day and a night in the farm of a
very poor family. When they got
back from their trip the father
asked his son, "How was the
trip?"
Very good, Dad!"
"Did you see how poor people
can be?" the father asked.
"Yeah!" "And what did you
learn?"
The son answered, "I saw that
we have a dog at home, and
they have four. We have a pool
that reaches to the middle of the
garden, they have a creek that
has no end. We have imported
lamps in the garden, they have
the stars. Our patio reaches to
the front yard, they have a
whole horizon.
When the little boy was
finishing, his father was
speechless.
His son added, "Thanks, Dad,
for showing me how poor we
are!" Isn't it true that it all
depends on the way you look at
things? If you have love,
friends, family, health, good
humor and a positive attitude
toward life, you've got
everything!
You can't buy any of these
things. You can have all the
material possessions you can
imagine, provisions for the
future, etc., but if you are poor
of spirit, you have nothing!
Author Unknown

9. Y#48 March 1, 2016
Window for action loving
PROFESSIONALS
9
The Mountain Story
A son and his father were walking on the mountains.
Suddenly, his son falls, hurts himself and screams:
"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
To his surprise, he hears the voice repeating, somewhere in the
mountain:
"AAAhhhhhhhhhhh!!!"
Curious, he yells: "Who are you?"
He receives the answer: "Who are you?"
Angered at the response, he screams: "Coward!"
He receives the answer: "Coward!"
He looks to his father and asks: "What's going on?"
The father smiles and says: "My son, pay attention."
And then he screams to the mountain: "I admire you!"
The voice answers: "I admire you!"
Again the man screams: "You are a champion!"
The voice answers: "You are a champion!"
The boy is surprised, but does not understand.
Then the father explains: "People call this ECHO, but really this
is LIFE.
It gives you back everything you say or do.
Our life is simply a reflection of our actions.
If you want more love in the world, create more love in your
heart.
If you want more competence in your team, improve your
competence.
This relationship applies to everything, in all aspects of life;
Life will give you back everything you have given to it."
YOUR LIFE IS NOT A COINCIDENCE. IT'S A REFLECTION
OF YOU!
Author Unknown

10. Y#48 March 1, 2016
Window for action loving
PROFESSIONALS
10

11. Y#48 March 1, 2016
Window for action loving
PROFESSIONALS
©Coaching Learning Advancing Sharpening Smartening
Make
Your
SMART
People
SMARTER
Periodic learning investments
do wonders to people and
business. Take your people to a
new orbit of awareness and
equip them with SMART skills
they need. Start catapulting
your business to the level next.
Each programme shall be
tailor-made to your
organization’s specifications
and nuances. You are
different. Your programme
should be different too.
Call us for a dialogue.
+91 9810211256
+91 9013698960
rajiv@rajivkhurana.com
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