GMCS Dairies - Day 10 - 05th Dec 2012

GMCS Day 10

“Good things happen at regular intervals”, and it happened today again. Every morning when we wake up, let’s thank the almighty for welcoming the day without any regrets. We should remember that fate is nothing but what we make out of our life. Few lines comes to my mind when I hear the word fate “Apne haathon ki lakeeron ko kya dekhte ho, naseeb to unke bhi hote hai jinke naseeb mein haath nahi hote” So let’s get to work and give our best, this is how we can convey our thanks to the almighty. When you start the day with such enthusiasm and when I initiate the article with a splendid opening, it is possible only when you have that positive aura around and yes folks, today it was “OUR” CA… (Charu Ahuja) Mam‘s session.

Session was on Time and Stress management, but we knew when such a faculty is around, neither we know how the time passes nor are we stressed. Stress is when the gap arises between expectations and resources and the irony is that in today’s rat race it is considered crucial for survival. Mirror doesn’t reflect what lies within but we in our daily life act as a mirror and we reciprocate the situation in the manner we “ASSUME” it to be. So be at ease at yourself and never forget that every person imparts a lesson. It’s up to us how we grasp it.

Life is a movie and we have the option of choosing the characters. So it depends on us whether we choose (Anger, Hatred, Negativity etc) OR (Bliss, Happiness, Positivity etc), after all we need to have the Happy Ending to our film, so choose wisely because people have the tendency to remember blockbusters not the flops.

What happens when your vehicle is over run? It requires maintenance, to work smoothly. Our mind is also a vehicle exception being that it needs maintenance every morning to avoid starting problem as it keeps on working 24 * 7, so we need to service it every morning with affirmations (Positive statements). We need to accept the fact that “Mind is a good slave but a bad master” and these affirmations acts as an antivirus to keep away the villainous characters in our movie.

We all want to take care of our parents at home as they are the people who are there for us always. But have you ever wondered to give attention to your body’s parents which lies within? Yes it’s your conscious, spare a few minutes by meditating or exercising as, like our parents they also want us to be prepared to face adverse situations. Anticipate word exists in the dictionary, only because there exists a word uncertainty.

To quote words of Dr Ikeda conveyed by our faculty, “At work, do the work of 3 people”. Not only it will broaden your experience but it will make you explore new avenues and transform it into ventures. Inventions are there, as long as seed of idea thrives in us. Ever wondered why reality shows are so interesting because they are simply based on the individual’s myriad thoughts. It’s the thoughts which come first and reality later, so take charge of your thoughts and let the day be run by you and not the other way round.

Time management is effective when you treat every second in a day as a jewel. Prioritize and do the important things first. “Define the mission and goals in your life and begin with the end in mind”, because to be at any end we need to start somewhere. Progress makes us happy and is the sole reason for being alive. We were showed video clippings of eminent motivators and leaders giving the crux that even if you suffer you could be an inspiration for others. Practice to forgive and forget, change is continuous. Remember “This too shall pass”. Leadership is not only leading from the front but marching ahead with the team with an element of conviction, flexibility, commitment and a “GRAND PLAN”.

Personal diary, note books and smart phones all are equipped with planners but how many of us make use of it? If everybody was so planned, management word would not have originated. “Plan for the future and tomorrow will be ours”, we should critically analyze our activities and eliminate unproductive ones. Categorize every activity on the parameter of importance and finish it before taking up another activity. Remember “People fail to plan, not plan to fail”.

We felt etiquettes as our relatives for past some days as they sprang anytime. Today it was the turn of our close relatives (Telephone & Email). We seldom give importance to the way we communicate on spectrum medium. Vocal chords and our mind have the immense power to leave a lasting impression on the recipient. So garnish your communication with gratitude, sprinkle a bit of elegance and serve it slowly.

The day was fast approaching to an end and to bring us back to the alertness level, we played a game to end on a chirpy note. Everybody commands appreciation and it was reciprocated back to us by our faculty with thoughtful words embossed on breathtaking pictures with a lively music in the background.

We were done with the day and before leaving, our faculty rekindled the fire within everyone in some or the other way. Our heartfelt thanks to our faculty for such an experience and we assure our faculty that this fire within us will one day transform us into torch bearers…

“MAKTUB”

(One writes their own destiny and these amazing faculties are the people who meet us along our path to make us realize our purpose in life)

Source: Alchemist

GMCS Dairies - Day 9 - 04th Dec 2012

Calm, composed, soothing voice, no I am not elaborating on the qualities a singer should have but this is how our faculty for the day was. “Observations start from a single point”. When someone scans you with their eyes, analyze in their brain and penetrates into the group to work on the weak aspect, we would say Psychology is surely their forte. . Don’t go by the height of our faculty, as height has no scientific correlation with the depth of knowledge. Our faculty for the day was Mrs Radhika, and our topic for the day was Communication

Communication is pervasive in nature; it is not only confined to a specific area. With the advent of social networking we continuously are in this process and to be effective we need to have the general awareness element in ourselves. Most of us preconceive some notions in this process and exhibit ourselves in a different manner. One golden rule is “Listen, Think and Speak”

What we should learn is that self grooming should be considered as a daily activity as we all know “Rome was not built in a day”. Remember the world is a lovely place to live in if you accustom yourself to every situation and communication plays a massive role. “Communicate, Convince and Conquer”, this is how I interpret the competitive scenario.

Our Branch’s secretary arrived in between and greeted all of us and emphasized on the importance of practicing our profession and showed us a brighter side along with pros and cons of life after CA. I differed on the opinion of few as what we believe is opinions are like armpits, everybody has one. Projections are based on uncertainties and every event is uncertain and mindset plays a big role. We were given insight into communication and it seemed this process is like an ATM, unless you give in your efforts it will yield no results.

Clarity in speech and thought was again emphasized on. The lesson learnt was “Keep it simple”. Content is pivotal in skills as well as in individual. “Thoughts -> Words -> Actions -> Habit -> Character” is indeed the building blocks of any enriched individual.

During lunch session not only there was variety in food but we enjoyed a poem written by one of the respected member. It’s these new things in one’s life which makes us look towards a better tomorrow. Every word conveys 1000 emotions when it is connected through the heart and routed through the mind. We were judged on our postures, walking styles, eye contact. We felt as if we were subject to reality show “Bigg Boss” and in place of 70 cameras we had those x-ray equipped eyes of our faculty.

Styles of communication were explained as Passive, Aggressive and Assertive. We thought these 3 words were not only the styles of communication rather this is how we respond to each faculty not denying the fact that every faculty has a different perspective on skill sets.

We were done with the day in a mellow manner just like our faculty. We left for the day, busy finalizing the outing as refreshing our senses is a must because to go and conquer the war (corporate world) you should have your weapons (Mind) overhauled…

GMCS Dairies - Day 8 - 03rd Dec 2012

If something is stopping, it’s you, yourself. To quote Eleanor Roosevelt “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent” this held true today when we entered into the class. How do we feel when we are served with enthusiasm, motivation, elegance and receptiveness on a platter? Well this is how our faculty for the day was…Amazed isn’t it? Faculty for the day was Mrs. CA, oh come on folks she is not a Chartered Accountant her name is (Charu Ahuja). This is what preconditioning of mind means and believe us it plays a major deterrent to our personality and overall development of ourselves.

Breaking the monotony of seating ourselves in rows and making us sit, like in a ballroom meeting, was a first step to breaking the preconditioned mindset of a classroom atmosphere. It clearly sent out a message that group has its own essence and the group improves as a whole when we advance individually. Faculty reiterated the fact that attaining degree is not an end in itself which would guarantee a better future but unless we streamline where we would want to be, a list of degrees to our credit won’t make much of a difference. The bottom line of the discussion was “Self Introspection”.

Body language was given a different dimension by not only dwelling on behavioral aspect but also understanding scientific reasons. “Body language speaks much even with absence of vocal chords”. The art of introducing ourselves is the not only about equating our first impression with last impression but to leave a lasting impression. Working on one’s SWOT is a multifaceted process which paves way for improvement, as “It’s our lives and only we can improve and work on it”.

Trivial improvements on a regular basis are the stepping stones in crafting a successful soul. “It’s better to keep on moving than standing still”. Like water boils at 100 degrees and freezes at 0 degrees, it’s that “ONE” moment which changes/breaks our mould of imperfection. This was clearly brought out by the event which transformed our faculty’s life forever. Remember folks “Limitation exists only in our minds”

“Books let us into their souls and lay open to us the secrets of our own”, we were made to digest this fact in successive classes, that books are an indispensable part of our learning process and we must inculcate in ourselves this amazing habit and every good habit requires 21 days of successive implementation. We were provided with a list of must read books as a wise man had quoted “Readers are Leaders”.

We all earn for our bread & butter and seldom have we given importance to the most important source of survival, the dining etiquette. A professional lives like a professional round the clock and dining is no exception. We were shown the nuances of fine dining and were assured that fine dining is an integral part of extended realm of our successful life waiting ahead.

When we were done with the day, all we could analyze was “Improvement begins in the mind showcased by your speech and is being conveyed by your body language. “. And what our faculty performed on us was the process of “CA”. No folks it again not Chartered Accountancy but what I would gauge is “Competitive Autopsy”…

With a wide smile on her face she indeed has widened our thoughts…

GMCS Dairies - Day 7 - 02nd Dec 2012

For everyone the day consists of 24 hours but how we make use of it makes the difference. To be successful we must master the art of time management and super specializing in our activities which will bless us with extracting much from limited resources. Counseling is a fine art and what we experienced today was above excellence, our faculty for the day was Mr Divyanshu Agrawal and we felt that this is how an individual should shape himself as.

The day was initiated by polling about the members who would go into Consulting (Practice) and Industry (Job). Faculty has started giving us a perspective about the various avenues open for a CA and breaking the age old traditional mindset of restricting ourselves only to certain wide spread parameters (Audit, Taxation etc). For a moment I thought I am in a class attending lectures on Direct Tax and Indirect Tax but as they say condition your mind according to the situation and mind will let you have the maximum from the available resources.

When you start thinking about anything relating to your professional front even in those moments when you usually don’t, we would surely agree that the faculty has made an impact and this is what guidance means when they make you ponder where we are and where we want to be?

Lunch break was the time when not only we were hungry for food but also hungry for knowledge and medium through which we can do a bit of introspection. Time management was displayed when group outing was being finalized in between. Implementation of skills taught when put to practice showcases our ability of receptiveness.

Post lunch session we were made to share our articleship experience and what we felt was unless we are eager to learn, nothing will come our way be it be knowledge or work.” All that matter is your attitude towards life”. “World is like a mirror it gives you back what you give into it”. When we were done with our experiences our esteemed faculty provided a glimpse into his articleship period and life beyond and believe us his experiences provided us the much needed boost to our motivation levels.

Persistence and hard work pays and moulds us into an intellectual. At regular intervals our faculty kept on asking if the lectures were being understood or simply were bouncers. We were of the opinion unless a batsman is delivered bouncers he would not come back to senses and play carefully, so it was not bouncers rather the level we should achieve and convert those bouncers into hook shot.

Faculty has again emphasized on making our passion our profession but also reminding us that “Never test the depth of water with both feet”

We were done for the day and a sense of seriousness could be gauged from everyone’s face and before we could react and look for a snap with the faculty, he was gone thereby reminding us that if we are not proactive and timely in our decisions lives crucial opportunities can be missed in this manner.

We left for our places thinking that “Nobody could go back and start a new beginning but anyone can start today and make a new ending”…

GMCS Dairies - Day 6 - 01st Dec 2012

Scientist may have given us the theory of momentum but their theory loses relevance once there is a gap in between, but today our group felt that this theory has been defeated when we welcomed our faculty, the chairman of GMCS Ghaziabad Mr. Puneet Sakhuja and the same momentum which we had in us on Day 1 was continued. Isn’t that amazing? The aura which some people carry with them is simply beyond explanation.

Usually all the past 5 days our group did homework about the next day’s faculty but today we also realized that “Every action has a reaction” and today our faculty was well equipped about the past 5 days…Thanks to our group’s interaction of Facebook. A great orator is one who feels the nerve of the group and matches the rhythm and frequency of the group. We summarize the day on FB; he summarized the faculties in “ONE” word.

GD was conducted and shortcomings were pointed out, thus reminding us that “Perfection is not an end but it is an ongoing process”. Had those tongue twisters for a while which implied that “Tongue is the mightiest thing in the universe, it has the power of building or ending relations” so communication is complete only when we are an effective listener. One peculiar thing about every activity today was that it had a motto behind it.

Faculty kept us engaged in lunch also by assigning us a task of giving a 2 minute speech in post lunch session. So all those giggling souls were seen as seeking souls…Planning skills were witnessed while finalizing on group outings and we displayed that not only our scope of study is large but our perspective of the outside world is also equally meritorious. In between all this our faculty brought us back to our task.

We all hesitated to come to the podium even though we had a mine of ideas left unexplored in us and as they say “The journey of 1000 miles begins with a single step”, one of our respected member initiated and what followed was a realm of talent. “Courage is a like a gun powder, all it needs is a spark”, and our faculty very well knew the untapped potential of us.

All is well that ends well and we were done with the day with a really nice game which made us feel that we should not let the child/youth in us die and should keep that spirit of enjoying life’s smallest moments with cheer.

We captured the youth in each of us including the faculty in a snap. One thing that stayed with us the whole day was our smile which we carried from 10 AM to 5 PM. 

“IT’S NOT THE WEALTH WHICH WILL LAST FOR A LIFETIME BUT THE WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT WHICH WILL LIVE ON FOREVER”.

We convey our heartfelt thanks to our faculty for such an encouraging session and would even say that from now on:

PS will not only mean “Puneet Sakhuja” but PS also means “Public Speaking”

GMCS Dairies - Day 5 - 30th Nov 2012

It was not only us who entered into the class today, Silence and a bit of fright also crept in. Thanks to the feedbacks and reviews of past students of GMCS who helped us get into a survival mode. :) Some of us got reminded of our teachers, some of us of our dreaded professors when we saw our faculty for the day. He was in his forties, bit plump and sported seriousness on his face and clearly sent out a signal that we need to have seriousness to a much larger extent after having some fun in the last class. With all due respect our mentor’s name is Mr Mukesh Goyal.

Every individual has their own style of mentoring and it was reflected when one of the member of our group requested that we no more wanted to brush ourselves again and again on interview, dressing sense and other behavioral aspects and our faculty readily obliged and not touching on those issues made us know the nuances of finest aspects of carrying ourselves on the professional front and imparting the trivial areas of dressing (Trousers, Shirt, Blazer, Shoes, Socks, Belt, Wallet) where we tend to falter on.

We were made to realize the importance of CA Course and the reputation we command in the corporate world. We were given some hard hitting truths pertaining tour profession, Examination procedure and the level of integrity. After some time we tend to be not interested in the discussion.

One peculiar aspect of today was that even our watch has stopped responding and time was forced to pass. We all were communicating and expressing thousands of emotions with our eyes (Felt as if we had imbibed in ourselves the art of body language to a greater extent) Ha-ha…

Side movements and noise were our distant relatives today. Lunch break was not only lunch break for us but a medium of letting our pent up emotions among our friends. The irony was that lunch break passed away quickly and we were again found ourselves seated on tour hot seat. We were given a presentation on Representation before Authorities and Code of Ethics. These things took us back to the pre-examination days and for some time our lips were zipped and we were more like mere spectators hearing (We heard and never listened…  :) )

The day was coming to an end and was concluded by explaining what interview is and how it should be prepared? (Technical Sense) After entertaining few questions on myths and facts about our profession, we followed our style of capturing ourselves with the faculty no matter how they were as “Mentors are the people who have the power to mould our personality”

With an extended smile on our face, we left to our respective places remembering that “Tough times don’t last forever”… :)