Loud Thinking

Archive for October, 2014

“If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?”

— Abraham Lincoln

Pakistan – Problems & Solutions..!

Even after passing of over six decades, Pakistan is still standi http://t.co/gI3ui1I4lN

Improve Your Ability to Tell Stories That Persuade

If you want to convince someone to support your project, explain to an employee how he might improve, or inspire a team that’s struggling, you need to be able to tell a persuasive, compelling story. Start by asking yourself: Who is my audience and what is the message I want to share? Next, look to your own life experiences for any anecdotes that highlight struggle, failure, or success that might resonate with listeners – but don’t try to make yourself the star. The ultimate focus should be on people you know, lessons you’ve learned, or events you’ve witnessed. You could even make the audience play a role – they’ll be more engaged and willing to buy in to your message. Keep it simple and straightforward, with just a few key details. And don’t forget to practice.

Adapted from “ How to Tell a Great Story” by Carolyn O’Hara.

“Don’t underestimate the power of doing. Of just going alone, listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”

— Winnie the Pooh

“As soon as you honor the present moment, all unhappiness and struggle dissolve, and life begins to flow with joy and ease. When you act out the present-moment awareness, whatever you do becomes imbued with a sense of quality, care, and love – even the most simple action. ”

—Eckhart Tolle (born 1948)
Spiritual Teacher, Author

“Mistakes are the best teachers. One does not learn from success. It is desirable to learn vicariously from other people’s failures, but it gets much more firmly seared in when they are your own.”

— Mohnish Pabrai

“Surrender to what is, let go of what was, have faith in what will be. ”

—Sonia Ricotti
Author, Motivational Speaker

Choose Transformational Patterns
from Seven Choices for Success and Significance
by Nido R. Qubein

The bottom line is this: What you choose is what you get. Five years from today, you will be exactly the same person you are today except for the choices you make beginning right now.

You make a lot of choices every day—what to wear, what to have for breakfast, which route to drive to work, etc. Those are transactional choices.

But you can also choose at any point to transform your life. Those transformational choices are wise decisions that can change the direction of your life—putting your life on a path to success… and more importantly… significance.

The people who I admire most don’t live their lives by a “to-do” list; they live their lives by a “to-be” list, for example: I want to be more generous, more patient, more learned, more reasoned.

While you can check things quickly off a “to-do” list, it may be several months before you cross something off your “to-be” list. And here’s the other side of the coin: You can’t have a “to-be” list, without having a “stop doing” list. To become something, you must undo something…acting on an item from your “stop doing” list.

Those who live by a “to-be” list have discovered wisdom…an education that serves them well for life.

Pakistani cricket in the abyss..Patron in Chief of the PCB must act now..!

Now, when the World Cup is hardly 4 months away, the PCB has realised that Misbah-ul-Haq should be dropped from the team of the 3rd ODI match to be played vs Australia, on Sunday, 12 October, 2014.

All this pushing of the panic button, is too little and too late.

This spent cartridge (Misbah-ul-Haq) and some others as well, should have been dropped, when Pakistan came LAST, repeat LAST, among all the 8 participating teams of the Champions Trophy, held in June-July 2013. But, then the entire PCB junta had one mantra on their their lips that “show us the person who can speak English and can lead after Misbah ul Haq?”. As if, the PCB had decided to keep Misbah-ul-Haq as the captain, for his life time; and even when he was no more in this world.

Actually, these veterans should have been dropped, when we lost an ODI and a Test Match vs Zimbabwe.

Such players again deserved to be sacked, when Pakistani team miserably lost the Asia Cup in Dhaka.

Finally, Misbah ul Haq must have been summarily dismissed from the leadership of the Pakistani team, after the recent shameful surrender in Sri Lanka.

But, as they say Qurban Jaieay on the most brainy, accomplished, intellectually honest, visionary and experienced diplomat cum chairman PCB, His Royal Highness Shaheryar Khan, who on his very first day of joining the PCB as chairman, announced that Misbah will remain captain till the World Cup, as if the honour and respect of the country, was the domestic servant of Shaheryar Khan; and all that mattered to him was his personal whims and wishes, which looked obviously subservient, to one of his own SUBORDINATE.

Moreover, leaders of organisations who have any semblance of honour and integrity, always take upon themselves, the responsibility of any national humiliation; and resign, without finding any scapegoats in their own organisation..!

Now, which genius thinks that at this eleventh hour, the change of captaincy, will change the fortunes of the Pakistani team?

With all due respects to Shahid Afridi, he is any thing but passed his prime, not months but years ago. In fact, he has played more ODI matches, than he has taken total wickets in his ODI carrier.

It seems the gurus of the PCB think that if a senior player is not performing, promote him as captain, which obviously is the best recipe for a disaster.

Now, when the sword of Damocles of the Australian white wash, is looming over the head of the PCB, they have sacrificed Misbah, who has neither the confidence nor the capacity to face the Australian onslaught. But the question is why all the PCB’s big wigs didn’t pay any heed, when they were informed time and again, about Misbah’s limitations, due to being a timid person and a pure defensive mind?

However, PCB should also be ready to axe Shahid Afridi (who has been again made the T20 captain of the Pakistani team till the World Cup 2016, by our visionary and legendary chairman PCB), in whose leadership our T20 team vs Australia created sort of world record(s), in NOT hitting even a single six in a T20 match and allowing the opponent to achieve the target, with 6 out of 20 overs to spare.

Now, the PCB is forewarned that after the Australian team’s hammering, we should be ready in the coming month for another white wash, from the black caps (New Zealand), as well.

As such, the cricket mad fans of Pakistan earnestly appeals to the Patron in Chief of the PCB in Pakistan, to immediately come forward and finish this PCB TAMASHA; and order the following:

1. Sacking of the simpleton (ignorant) chairman of the PCB, the entire, repeat the entire fleet of the coaches and ALL the selectors, as well as, the manager of the team.

2. The new chairman (may be a no non sense person like AVM Farooq Umar, It was during his tenure as President PHF that Pakistan Hockey won a “World Champions Trophy” and the “World Cup Sydney 94” after a long lapse of 14 years ) should be tasked to purge the team of all the SIFARSHI and non deserving players like Umer Amin and Suhail Tanvir etc., and rebuild the ENTIRE edifice of the team with YOUNG players having potential and talent like SAMI ASLAM and IMAM UL HAQ etc.

3.The new chairman should also be tasked to re-vamp the PCB, as a world class professional organisation.

4. Also, as was done by the legendary Air Marshall Noor Khan Sahab, when he appointed 22 years old Javed Miandad, as the captain of the Pakistan cricket team, the new set up of the PCB should be directed to appoint a young deserving player (like Sami Aslam Ex. Captain U19 Pak team) as captain of the National cricket team, who should have the potential to lead our team for the next 5-10 years, in future.

Last but not the least, we should forget the fear of defeat with this younger blend of new players, for some rebuilding time in the future, as we have been tolerating our senior stalwarts, for inflicting the agony of, not the defeats, but humiliating defeats (after getting out for 49 runs in a Test match which obviously was a below club level team’s performance) for even a much longer time.

Now, as the national interest demands, there must not be any further delay from the Patron in Chief of the PCB, in ordering a swift, but major clean up surgical operation in the PCB.

It is earnestly hoped that the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will never allow his name to be remembered in a the annuls of the history, as the Patron in Chief of the PCB, under whose tenure, last nail was fixed in the coffin of the Pakistani cricket.

Now when the World Cup is only about 120 days away, PCB has realised that Misbah ul Haq should b… http://t.co/ACBm4tUPRr