The Ordinary Ship

THE ORDINARY SHIP


“In the ultimate life is fair
If you only learn to take care
Of what you truly believe
And carry on without anybody’s by or leave”

- Barry


1. It was an ordinary ship nobody was extraordinary. The new Captain was a mediocre personality. Nobody expected any miracles from this commission. The wardroom was like any other wardroom, a mixture of good and average. Most of the senior sailors had been on board for nearly 5 years and for quite a few of them it was the 3rd commission. There was a feeling that "Yeh Naya cheez kya karega". (what will this new guy do to us)

2. The Captain somehow knew that he had a long way to go. However, at the very beginning he had made up his mind that no matter what, the ship would be tension free - Being the senior most and the Fief of the Fiefdom, he would be able to at least ensure this. The next move by this person on taking over was to win over the wardroom by sharing ideas, expectations. At the same time he did not want to waffle by being vague, and long-winded. He also realised that at the beginning of a commission, the ward room invariably consisted of strangers and acquaintances who perhaps were going to be together for the first time. Keeping all this in mind the Captain decided not to speak but circulate a list, titled SOLE - Simple Ordinary Leadership Examples. It read:-

“Simple Ordinary Leadership Examples” are:-

(a) Sincere concern and commitment to the job and men.

(b) Care to ensure that the administration works for the ship.

(c) Behaviour by example - do not do anything which will be misconstrued as un-officer like.

(d) Create an environment:-

(i) Of transparency and openness.

(ii) For learning from each other.

(iii) For participation across the board i.e., involving everybody.

(iv) That ensures true communication from top to bottom, bottom to top and laterally from stem to stern.

(e) Proper feedbacks wherein everybody feels comfortable in transmission of misgivings/ideas/suggestions to make the ship a better place to be, work, and belong to.

(f) Real welfare opportunities for self-improvement - With the Ships Company and officers able to pursue their off-working hours aspirations, hobbies and recreational activities.

4. In another message the Captain clarified to the officers what he meant by "Administration". He wrote that true administration meant:-

(a) Ensuring optimal balance between time and manpower.

(b) Securing everybody on time as a functioning thumb rule.

(c) Planning and granting of leave to all personnel.

(d) Provision of wholesome food.

(e) Creating an atmosphere of pragmatic fairness that must be sensed onboard all the time.

(f) That every morning the officers and men must want to come on board for work.

(g) Anticipating the management strategy required to cater for the various constraints faced by the ship.

(h) Responding to all extraneous agencies with responsible alacrity and also conveying inabilities to meet commitments.

(j) Prevention of mistakes rather than correcting them.

(k) Realising the value of 85/15 rule - i.e., 85% it is the organisation’s fault that leads to a mistake - individually human error being only 15% .

(l) Facilitating/smoothening every day life onboard - attending to mundane things like incoming, outgoing, genform payment, etc. without unnecessary red tape hassles.

(m) Keeping tags on critical personal problems - this normally being only to 1% of the ships population.

5. It was also brought out that it was the Commanding Officer’s core belief that if the family and self were looked after, the Navy would get taken care of. Men recognise the limitations of the system and constraints of the service. They also realise and appreciate the genuine efforts of the administration and express their loyality by committed involvement.

6. The wardroom hoisted all this with customary skepticism and disbelief. One officer was heard to remark – “Guru Yeh Bandha Naya Murga hai - Jab Fleet Commander ayega, isko patha chalega”.( this guy so new, he will soon find out what life is all about ,when the fleet commander comes on board) The Captain called the HODs and suggested that the ship be run on corporate leadership style where all decisions would be taken in consultation with the HODs.

7. The ship was undergoing a short refit of 4 months. Based on previous experience and examination of the work package, the Captain felt that with proper liaison and coordination, the ship could complete the refit atleast a month ahead of schedule. In his call on the Fleet Commander, he gave the latter, assurance that the ship would join the Fleet atleast 20 days ahead of DCD. (dockyard completion date) Nobody else except the ship knew about this. The next month or so the Dockyard and other agencies like NSD(naval store depot), NAD(naval armament depot), WED(weapon eqpt depot) become accustomed to seeing the Captain and HODs(heads of dept) visiting various centres and coordinating repair activities. Closer to the deadline the ships company and the officers were seen in and around the dockyard ensuring collection of equipment and allied machinary parts. Amidst all these the ship still secured mostly on time everyday, except during machinery and equipment trials. The ship had setup a special dockyard liaison team of Reps from all the departments. This not only ensured the supervision of the dockyard work in accordance with agreed milestones but also provided the civilian mates with administrative and catering hospitality - the ordinary ship believed in the adage that a cup of tea at the right time works wonders.

8. In this period, no unnecessary signals emanated from the ship. All points of dissent were invariably resolved through discussion. The Fleet Commander’s counsel was often sought and readily obtained. Now and then a telephone call from him to the ASD (admiral supdt dockyard) ensured continuing momentum.

9. Lo and behold, to the pleasant surprise of the Command and the Fleet, the ship sailed out for machinery trials 28 days ahead of schedule. The first outing was providentially un-eventual - There were many mistakes committed by various people, the Captain being one of them. Prior to this sailing the ship had informally formed a separate observation team that included one or two experienced officers from the Command/Dockyard. The ship’s Commander was appointed as the Chief Chronicler to record the observations. On return to harbour there was a massive hot wash up - the Captain confessed to all his mistakes and what needs to be done from the Bridge point of view. With this opening, the entire atmosphere was transformed to a honest introspection on the ships performance by each department. The Master Chiefs who were present also contributed meaningfully to the ensuing discussions.

10. A couple of days later the ship sailed for weapon and gun trials. The gun system performed poorly. The port shaft had to be locked due to lub oil system failure. In the evening debrief the gunnery/weapons, maintenance and the engineering department owned up to procedural and technical omissions which had contributed to the cause of failures. Nobody was punished. The mistakes were meticulously documented.

11. The ship tackled all defects with resolve and quickness. Subsequently, the ship joined the Fleet 21 days ahead of refit completion date. The ordinary ship had met its first self-imposed deadline. The wardroom sensed that somehow they were off to a reasonable start. The ship continued to secure on time every day, leave was being granted - a feeling of contentment was spreading in the mess decks.

12. Fleet exercises brought to light many chinks in the ships armour. Everyday there was briefing and debriefing. No mistake however small was ignored. Discussions were transparent. It seemed as though that some objectives of SOLE had been met. The disbelieving wardroom was subconsciously getting gelled into a well-knit team. The Fleet Staff were watching the progress of the ship. Customary, healthy, rivalry could be always seen when the other unsuspecting, more flamboyant Captains continuously ribbed this mediocre Commanding Officer of the ordinary ship.

13. A few days passed and the Fleet Commander decided to step on board. The Flag shift brought about its own trepidations. Here again, the ship applied SOLE. The visitors were made to feel at home. There was a desire to learn and an openness in owning up to mistakes. The ordinary ship was slowly maturing as a reliable Fleet Unit. Yet the Captain and HODs knew that there were many leagues to cross before the ship could call itself a warship. Consequently, the practice of meticulous detailed briefing, debriefing and consultation with Fleet Staff, Dockyard was continued with consistent intensity. The wardroom and the Captain had become mutual leadership examples. It was gratifying to note that the circulating galley news talked about the ordinary ship’s damn good ward room setup - If you wanted warmth, peals of laughter and frank discussions you ought to visit this ship. Despite all these activities the ship secured in time and leave programme was maintained with a high degree of fidelity and departmental satisfaction. The Captain and HODs now started the practice of quarterly breakfast meetings with the Master-Chiefs. The ships company clamoured and themselves organised family get-togethers.

14. During the next phase of the Fleet exercise the rest of the flock suddenly saw the ordinary ship doing things in almost double quick time. There was an aura of confidence, a sense of commitment and a degree of anticipation. In six months the ordinary ship had undergone a sea change in its operational and administrative management paradigm. The Captain also sensed that the ship had finally matured into a well-knit fighting unit. On introspection, he realised that the ship had achieved this through :-

(a) A healthy working relationship and comfortable work environment.

(b) Effective communication and a high degree of transparency.

(c) A sense of security and confidence between officers and sailors.

(d) A process of continuous and constant professional interaction through a system of briefing and debriefing.

(e) The institution of true and real welfare schemes primarily focussing on study opportunities, wholesome food, movie arrangements, granting of leave and most importantly securing on time.

(f) Corporate, participative leadership styles of Captain/HODs through a process of delegation, de-centralisation and feedback.

(g) The invaluable guidance of the Fleet Commander, the Fleet and FMU staff.

15. The Ordinary Ship continued to fly the flag and carry on its task with the same degree of intensity and determination. The ships company became fiercely competitive. Of course, mistakes were made, equipment went defective. The ship learnt to weather all its professional and natural storms with confidence, anticipation and commitment - Innovation became the credo - The Captain watched all this with a sense of awe. He could not believe that simple basic values of care, concern and commitment would yield such results. This wave of comradeship, competence gave him new found confidence that one could achieve a lot by being, ordinary, natural whilst evincing care and concern for people with whom one has to work with. He also realised that behavioural values and leadership examples that he had discussed with the wardroom, while obvious, were seldom talked about and mostly ignored. This gave him an idea that he ought to share some other practical leadership values in order to find out whether all these were valid in today’s Navy. He made yet another list and called them the GRAB laws. (Golden Rules And Behaviour). These postulated :-

(i) Avoidance of one-upmanship.

(ii) “Talking with” as opposed to “Talking at”, with peers and subordinate and “Talking to” seniors.

(iii) Making subordinates clearly aware of the working guidelines onboard.

(iv) Understanding the difference between familiarity and awareness.

(v) Considering time to be of high value and ensuring minimum wastage of this precious commodity.

(vi) Evolving correctness in communication, including effective feedback for a comfortable work atmosphere.

(vii) Drawing upon human skill, talent, experience and self-esteem available in abundance onboard - A belief that every man wants to prove himself.

(viii) Continuous lateral interaction to achieve team cohesiveness.

16. Wardroom discussions on the above produced a copious list of additional suggestions. This was discussed with the junior and senior sailors. Their contributions were equally positive and constructive.

17. The ordinary ship carried on and carried on in the same manner. One day there was a sudden requirement for the ship to sail out along with ready duty ship. The Captain had gone out for the weekend. Yet the ordinary ship got ready to sail well ahead of the ready duty ship. The COPO/FOO were treated to the sight of the ship being singled up and engines flashed up, with the Commander ready to cast off. Meanwhile, onboard the ready duty ship, the OOW was seen telephonically arguing with the MT(motor transport pool) pool for transport.

18. Another day during a shop window for a VVIP, the rocket launcher hoists failed. There were only 15 minutes to go. The Captain grabbed the broadcast, explained the problem and cleared the lower decks. It was a sight to see, men forming a human chain to manually load the rockets. The ship fired the rockets and saved itself and the Navy embarrassment. Lessons in human spirit and capacity were being daily learnt.

19. One night in harbour the Duty Petty Officer during middle watch rounds discovered ingress of water in a below deck compartment that normally would never be examined at night. The Duty Watch isolated the problem and averted major flooding and damage. On being asked as to how he had taken rounds, the Petty Officer stated “Saab, is jahaz mein, duty watch, duty watch ka kaam nahin karta”(sir ,in this ship, the duty watch always considers its duty to be a calling) - the Captain and HODs had tears in their eyes. Another lesson in human involvement was absorbed.

20. The Ordinary Ship had achieved this by just being ordinarily caring with genuine concern for each other. This perhaps was the key to its successful commission, of course with the luck factor thrown in.

21. It would make this fable too long if you had to also write about the role of the Fleet Commanders - There were two of them - Different personalities, different styles - One was imperious, yet humane and approachable. The other down-to-earth, humane and highly approachable - In short, pragmatic policies, a ready ear from the top was a major factor in aiding the Fleet and particularly helping the ordinary ship get out of “hot waters” on more than one occasion.

22. It would be a fairy tale if it was written that the ship became the best ship of the Fleet and that it had won most of the Fleet Trophies and also walked away with the regatta cock beating the carrier and other ships by a handsome margin. It was not a fairy tale. It was just true.

23. The wardroom and the Captain split up in accordance with the laws of the Navy, each going on respective career tracks. After few years they met up – friendship beyond the gangway was evident in the spontaneous get-together. It was concluded:

“In the ultimate, life is fair
If you only learn to take care”.

24. The Captain who by then had become older and greyer, thought about the commission and still thinks about the commission. It moved him to write:

"ORDINARY NICETIES"
"Ordinary niceties, simple grace
A warm and friendly face
Alchemy of friendship that cannot be explained
Continues to be fresh yet unchained
And lets you go in your own way
Till you meet again some day
To meet ordinary niceties and simple grace”.
- Barry

weddding anniversary

On your anniversary, Let life be “ LUCKY”

We are your Parents and your Best Friends
In the road of life with it’s turns and bends.
You are for us, God’s special gift of Art
In all our prayers and always in our heart …

“LUCKY” !!!!!!!!!

Learn
In life there are no comparisons, only acceptances
Happiness and sorrow only in our perceptions!
The paths you tread in treasured togetherness
Shall be the journey measured in joys of being-ness

Understand
Companionship is the carriage of your Life
To give you courage and strength in strife
The spirit to succeed in whatever you set to do
And the will to stay steadfast, without much ado.

Comprehend
The need to nurture, each other, every day, every which way
With a readiness to read each other’ minds in silence
Your unspoken words the bridge of faith and resilience
The spoken ones for forgiving and belonging every day.

Knead
Daily, the Dough of Domestic needs with common sense
Begin the day right, by sifting trivia from the essence
Enjoy each other through elbow rooms of space
And in togetherness, take on life’s everyday race

Youthfulness
Is the very corner stone on which your lives revolve
Teaching you both a lovely way in living to evolve
And an attitude for all problems, to squarely face
Learning to keep up with life’s time and space.

We are your Parents and your Best Friends
In the road of life with it’s turns and bends.
You are for us, God’s special gift of Art
In all our prayers and always in our heart

On getting married

Dear Newly Weds,

Welcome to the “Married” World. It can be as wondrous as both of you want it to be. There are no limits to the span of human spirits. This voyage of mutual discovery is an adventure of `FACT’

· Friendship with forgiveness and forbearance
· Affection with acceptance
· Companionship with contentment
· Tenderness with finesse of tactile touch
On the way let “love” blossom. Love is only
“Understanding of each others values”
Learn to gather each day with gratitude for the good things both of you have, amidst the security of your families, their care and concern for your well being. You have now become a son & daughter for your in-laws. Become the bridge of their understanding. Heed their advice whilst listening to your inner voice. Adjusting and adapting to the larger family, calls for tact and diplomacy.


The “Union by Wedlock” has certain guidelines of simple common sense.
· The bedroom is the sanctum – sanctorum – never let your inner privacy be invaded
· The bed is the altar of your marriage – Each day begins and ends there. Life in essence revolves round it.
· Never go to bed angry. Make up always and each time. Learning to laugh, forgive and forget will bring you happiness in ways that both of you can’t imagine.
· “Freshness” for each other should become part of your lifestyle. Dressing well, looking nice and being gracious is easily affordable and achievable. In short never take each other for granted.
· There are bound to be some down days. Face them with courage and calmness. Running away never does anyone good. Mutual support, sacrifice and letting go, are the keys to your kingdom.
· Remember both of you are what you are! Togetherness is tethered in reaching out to the other while remaining yourself.


May you both live life in all its fullness. May the `Line’ be carried forward with humility, grace, gratitude, in recognition of your innate talents and strengths.

May God bless you both, with prosperity in tranquility and good health, in the cocoon of your marriage.
barry

stephens violin

STEPHEN'S VIOLIN


1. This is not a musical story. It is however a glimpse of the Value Intrinsic of Living in the Navy (VIOLIN) as demonstrated by Stephen.

2. Stephen was a hardy soul who reported to the ship one fine morning as the EXO. In his formal call on the Captain, Stephen in his inimitable simplistic style let the Captain know that he was indeed aware that he had no prospects of promotion but had decided to do his sea tenure to gain what he termed as an opportunity to be with the young of the navy. He also stated that he had "Chosen to Care” because he believed in being positive. The Captain was naturally curious to know more about this. Stephen stated "Sir, I have analysed life in the Navy and one day, as I was sitting, a few thoughts struck me on life in our service, its plusses and minuses, and I said to myself. 'Hey wait! 'lets' tabulate these and add up some equations.' The result is an abacus - like tabulation on the good and the bad of our service. I tried hard to look at the negatives harshly and the positives miserly. Even then I realised that no matter what I did, the plus outweighed the minus. I showed this to my wife and she told me that her biggest security came from an assured knowledge that the Navy would take care of her also. We shared this with our children and what it means to each of us. From then on, this has inspired me to care for others and our fine service. Of course, I will be delighted to get promoted, but promotion or no promotion, I am going to run a balanced happy outfit, and sir, let's see what we can do to real."

3. The Captain made Stephen informally share this idea with the wardroom. The response ranged from enthusiasm to skepticism. Stephen never spoke "I". It was always "we can do", "we must do" or "we will do". At times he said "Gentlemen, whether the Captain is right or wrong doesn't matter. What matters more is that he's the Captain. We need to give him correct inputs and our free and frank suggestions. He is a thinking man and we can be sure if our ideas are worth it he will accept them without question." The young Turks took this up enthusiastically. The second level was wary, waiting to see whether this bubble of so called Christian goodwill would burst in the face of crisis. Stephen disarmed them by blowing no bubbles of fairytale goodness. With him it was poise, practical, down to earth realism with straight forward civility. The wardroom was in effect declared a no-combat zone. Most issues were invariably diffused to non-issues through free and frank discussion and dialogue.

4. The motto of Stephen "Choose to Care" and his method of gently strumming the strings in the violin of life caught the imagination of the ship in a subtle unpresssured sub-conscious manner. Outsiders were struck by the friendship, mutual consideration and poised presence of the officers and positive attitude of sailors. There was an air of comfort and well-being. Even the cynics conceded that Stephen was a solid guy.

5. This did not mean that there were no crises or mistakes. The message Stephen managed to send was "Do not let fear of failure upset you and do not let actual failure retard you. Conquer fear of fear and give any task your best effort. Never hesitate to own up to mistakes. Let us see what happens since all of us our human beings and human beings will make mistakes. This is the violin of life."

6. Stephen and the Captain disagreed on many issues. Though they differed they were never disagreeable to each other. They just agreed to disagree. Circumstances and necessities often prevailed upon the decision arrived at. Stephen ensured that the decision taken, was followed in Letter and Spirit. The ship naturally performed very well.

7. Stephen never made it to the next rank. He however has been promoted many times in the minds of his ship mates. The Captain called two youngsters and told them to describe Stephen. This was what was the result. The first person, a Gunnery Specialist, said he was struck by Stephen's personality hallmarks of:-

(a) Listening and paying attention to suggestions from one and all.

(b) His attitude towards care and welfare. The quality of food was improved, resulting in 80% of the in-living sailors staying onboard for dinner. It is understood that this, combined with a well run video, provided a better option in comparison to alcohol at Sailors' Institute.

(c) Participative management style in all whole-ship activities.

(d) Sincere transparency.

(e) Pragmatic value system of dealing with all situations.

(f) Forethought and anticipation for all evolutions which reduced tension all round.

(g) Planning - weekly detailed planning in consultation.

(h) Human resource management, balanced use of inliving and MLR sailors.

(j) Paying attention to administrative care of families - creation of a ships cell to look after contingent requirements, particularly during deployment.

8. The second, an aviator, endorsed the above, saying Stephen was not only an efficient EXO, but a father figure too. As the PMC, he was instrumental in making the wardroom atmosphere friendly and cohesive. He declared Stephen to be a real 'Man'.

9. Conclusion. The above only highlights the positive aspects of a naval value system and its fruition into sensible, practical, leadership and management values. You may be "short of money, but never of ideas"; there may be a "shortage of things, but never of human spirit."

10. Stephen continues to care.

11. The violin abacus is given below for those who chose to care.

VALUE INTRINSIC OF LIVING IN THE NAVY

PLUSSES PLUSSES MINUSES
PERMANENT TEMPORAL
FAMILY CARE PROMOTION BAD BOSS
HEALTH CARE CAMARADERIE OWN INSECURITY
SECURITY OF JOB JOB SATISFACTION LOSS OF PROMOTION
SOME PERKS:- MANAGEMENT EXPERIENCE TY LOSS OF HOUSE
HOUSE
HOSPITAL CRISIS HANDLING DISRUPTION DUE
CLUB POOL NEW EXPERIENCES TY DUTY/TRANSFER
MOVIE HALL ETC
PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT
OPPORTUNITY
ASSURED PAY


DEVELOP A "CAN DO" ATTITUDE - IT WILL IMPACT ON YOUR PERSONALITY, FAMILY AND APPROACH TO LIFE. YOU WILL BE SURPRISED AS HOW YOUR LIVING CHANGES WITH THIS.


12. The Captain learnt from Stephen that "The choices you make Command the Life you Lead”.

13. Stephen’s violin still plays in the Captain’s Mind.


Vice admiral Venkat Bharathan Indian Navy (retd)

Spreading “Self Worth”

If there was only one thing that humanity needs to think about ! ?. I would readily choose “Self Worth”. It is perhaps an earthy but clearer reflection of the Human spirit . The concept of the human spirit to all of us who remain preoccupied with our daily lives, mostly seems abstract and something unattainable or something which requires to take time off to introspect about and some thing that can be achieved only by extra ordinary effort .

“Self Worth “ is perhaps the key to shaping our lives. It is the value we daily give ourselves at home or at work , the way we deal with ourselves or our family, friends, colleagues subordinates and superiors . It also helps put things in perspective when we deal with our dreams and desires by telling us that the former has to be daily balanced by our drive and determination.

The measure of the worth of our self or even thinking about it would teach us to first “Believe”, “ Belong’ and finally “Be”. Then only you and I can look into our own eyes, our children’s and the rest of humanity. It would teach us forbearance and the need for understanding instead of jumping to judgements about others and even of situations therein. We would realise that we too are imperfect. Others too can be. We too desire. So why grudge others theirs !. There is enough to go around . We need to become daily aware that we only have to compete every day with ourselves, our selfishness, thereby our insecurities and hence our vulnerabilities. We should learn to listen to our inner voice which each day tells us the correct thing to do. This is a special gift of human awareness that is absolutely free of cost and ready for the asking.

Most of are conditioned to believe that it is easier to write about “Self Worth” than practice thinking about it. Our daily grind does not give us the luxury of pondering about it, between our careers and aspirations, managing the family, raising our children . We seem to be on a fast train to nowhere and trying to reach it yesterday. Albert Einstein after discovering the theory of relativity is believed to have said “I hope technology does not rob people of Humanity”. .Self worth would indeed teach us to control the pace of our life and think about the space which we all occupy in this World – Our very own inner, private and public space. The first one is our sanctum sanctorum-nobody can ever access this. At times even we ourselves do not know how to get into this. Private space is where we allow our family to coexist with us. One or two others may be allowed to get into this. Public space is our daily “Arena “ of coexistence with Society- the way we deal with the day at work, at home , a host of others and situations . Managing this well is directly dependant on our balanced management of the inner and private space .

Where does all this lead up to ?. the first and foremost essentiality that we control the velocity of our life, slowing down and speeding up so that there is balance in whatever we do . if we treasure ourselves, only then we would cherish whatever we have and try to self develop in perspective with our every days with all our wants, needs, desires and also prepare to meet the challenges, opportunities, obstacles as well the fleeting moments of both happiness and sadness, all as part of the laws of life.

. Children too need to be given an orientation on Self worth along with their schooling. It is important to teach them success. It is more important to teach them how to get there with a sense of self confidence and self comfort. It is most important to teach them about the hollowness of a victory that has been achieved on false pretences. In the ultimate no one else may know but in each one of us there is that inner truth which none of us can never deny and one that we carry with us till our last breath. Academic brilliance is always a perceived must but it only gives us knowledge. What we require is “Education” in its larger and fuller sense to celebrate the joy and challenges of life and give meaning to our existence.

“Self Worth” comes in first and foremost all the time.
What does it give us - Ambition with acceptance of reality, confidence without arrogance , modesty without servility, fortitude to face failure, strength to stand up to sorrow and to greet success with gratitude.

Emotions are integral to humans. There are however four base emotions none of us like but cannot avoid. These are Fear, Anger, Desire and Ego. If the human can control all these, perhaps he/she would be the Master of the Universe. Since this would beyond the realm of the normal Homo-Sapien, can we not try and reduce these to the extent possible in our daily living . Anger, desire and ego are within our span of control and a sense of self worth would certainly help us to rationalize these. Fear is actually and mostly False evidence appearing Real. However it is part of our conditioning . From the time you begin to walk we are taught to be afraid . Every individual has or her own thresh hold of fear. Even fear can be controlled if we are able to attach more importance to Self worth and consequently realise the value of existence and the foolishness of being afraid of our own shadows or even of others .

Attitude is the key to our personality. It anchors our self worth and prepares us to face or succumb to adversity. Attitude predicates our relationships at, home, at work and with society. It greatly influences our health and mind.

“Self worth” defines our roles, responsibilities, relationships and routines and finally who we are and what we want to be and become

Radials

Togetherness in presence
Presence in relationships
Relationships in respect
Respect in Understanding
Understanding in Acceptance
Acceptance in non judgement
Non judgement in perception
Perception in reality
Reality in facts
Facts in feeling
Feeling in objectivity
Objectivity in outlook
Outlook in relationships
Relationships in Presence
Presence in living

Cardinal Negatives

Uselessness in Anger

Anger in futility

Futility in lament

Lament in despair

Despair in helplessness

Helplessness in comparison

Comparison in Jealousy

Jealousy in jadedness

Jadedness in tiredness

Tiredness in health

Health in hopelessness

Hopelessness in living

Living in anger

Anger in uselessness

Uselessness in Life

Life in absence !!

Cardinal Points

Presence in living

Living in proportion

Proportion in personality

Personality in senses

Senses in balance

Balance in reality

Reality in introspection

Introspection in desires

Desires in perspective

Perspective in proportion

Proportion in Living

Living in presence

The Outer Circle

Energy in presence

Presence in people

People in togetherness

Togetherness in trust

Trust in transparency

Transparency in behaviour

Behaviour in modesty

Modesty in Approach

Approach in attitude

Attitude in gratitude

Gratitude in living

Living in giving

Giving in grace

Grace in conduct

Conduct in competence

Competence in consideration

Consideration in compassion

Compassion in life

Life in people

People in togetherness

Togetherness in Presence

The Inner Center

The Inner Centre

Energy in Presence

Presence in Performance

Performance in Participation

Partcipation in Efficiency

Efficiency in Efffectiveness

Effectiveness in Autonomy

Autonomy in Accountability

Accountability in Relationship

Relationship in Realisation

Realisation in Rejoicing

Rejoicing in Productivity

Productivity in Positivity

Positivity in Reflection

Reflection in Human Spirit

Human Spirit in Energy

Energy in Presence