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Beingfulness, Santa Cruz, CA (2025)

09/12/2025

Is your work your calling? Ever wondered about the origin of the word “calling”?

It has an interesting story...

This is the story of Saul of Tarsus.

Saul of Tarsus used to persecute the early Christians. He was on his way to Damascus to persecute some early Christians in that city.

On the road, suddenly a light flashed around him. He was blinded and fell to the ground.

He heard a voice that said, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”
Saul asked, “Who are you, Lord?”
The reply came, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Get up and enter Damascus. There you will be told what to do next.”
(Acts 9:3–6)

Saul was blinded by this light. He was led to the home of Ananias of Damascus. Ananias restored his sight to him, and then baptized Saul.

Saul later became the Great Apostle St. Paul. He was one of the two greatest Christian apostles—the other being St. Peter—while St. Peter and the others preached the gospel to the Jews, St. Paul preached the gospel to the non-Jews. More than 14 of the 27 books in the New Testament are attributed to St. Paul.

One could argue that Christianity became what it did, mainly because of St. Paul, because it spread beyond the Jews.

In this case, Saul of Tarsus, doing his work in terms of an official who was persecuting the Christians had an external calling. He heard a voice. He was called by the voice. And that is, in many ways, the origin of the notion of calling.

We discussed this story in my Lead Yourself session last Saturday.

How to learn and grow at work - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (Indian School of Business) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

09/12/2025

Today I am going to narrate a very unusual story—where the disciple is greater than the guru.

The disciple is Eklavya, son of Hiranyadhanus, chief of the Nishada tribe. He wanted to be an archer and sought Dronacharya’s guidance. But Drona refused, believing only the high-born deserved his teaching and fearing that Arjuna might be surpassed.

Undeterred, Eklavya sculpted a clay idol of Drona, made him his role model, and trained himself with discipline. Years later, his skill amazed even the Pandavas when they saw how he had silenced a barking dog with arrows—without harming it.

Jealousy and fear led Drona to demand Eklavya’s right thumb as Guru Dakshina. Eklavya obeyed, sacrificing his gift. His story reflects both loyalty and the injustice of social hierarchy.

Beyond archery, Eklavya’s journey is about work-crafting—choosing resilience over rejection, creating one’s own path, and shaping an identity beyond imposed limits. He shows us that when doors don’t open, we can build our own—with clay, conviction, and character.

In the Lead Yourself program, we explore how such stories can help us make work more meaningful and energizing.

How to learn and grow at work - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (Indian School of Business) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

09/12/2025

Struggling to work with a particular colleague at office?

A powerful tool that can help is relationship crafting.

Try reshaping how you relate to your colleagues. Get to know them by asking meaningful questions:
- What motivates them to work?
- What challenges are they facing?
- What are their hopes and aspirations?

This isn’t just small talk. It opens up empathy and understanding. When you learn someone’s story, your lens changes. You start seeing the person, not just the coworker.

But even more powerful is building new relationships.

Try connecting with people you may not usually pay attention to. Like the security guard at the gate or the person who serves you tea or coffee in the cafeteria.

For me, when I walk from my apartment to my office at ISB, I frequently see women who cut the grass, plant the trees, keep the beautiful campus going. One of the great pleasures of my day is speaking to them in Telugu. I spend just a few minutes learning about what they’re doing, their concerns, their children, etc. These small interactions make me feel deeply grateful.

Some of the most enriching connections come from people outside your immediate team or influence circle. I encourage you to genuinely get to know the people around you

At Lead Yourself, we explore ideas like these to make work not just productive—but also meaningful.

How to learn and grow at work - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (Indian School of Business) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

09/12/2025

Feeling stuck or drained at work lately?

Some of the most difficult and trying circumstances, in retrospect, may turn out to be the most meaningful.

Change the way you think about your work. This is also called attitude crafting.

Perhaps the best example of attitude crafting is, Viktor Frankl. You may have read his book Man’s Search for Meaning.

Spoiler alert:

This book is all about life in concentration camps. Even in the worst conditions of concentration camps, where people were being tortured and killed, a few never gave up hope.

They kept a positive attitude, shared their food, and comforted others. This led Viktor Frankl to one profound conclusion:

All our freedoms can be taken away.
Our dignity can be taken away.
Our well-being can be taken away.
Our family can be taken away.
Even our life can be taken away.

But there is one freedom that cannot be taken away:
Our attitude toward our circumstances.

You own your attitude.

And once you realize this, you begin to see that even difficulties, challenges at work, terrible bosses, lousy subordinates, difficult political peers, all of these can be teachers. They can become sources of meaning and learning.

At Lead Yourself, we explore mindset shifts like attitude crafting to make work more meaningful, even when it’s hard.

How to learn and grow at work - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (Indian School of Business) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

08/21/2025

🌿 The Sage & the Scorpion 🦂

A sadhu saw a scorpion drowning and tried to save it. It stung him. He tried again—it stung him again.
“Why help something that keeps hurting you?” a passerby asked.

The sadhu smiled: “It’s the scorpion’s nature to sting. It’s mine to help.”

🧘‍♂️ Beingful Insight

The sadhu chose to act from his higher self. The scorpion acted to protect itself. True leadership is staying rooted in your Being—even when others react from fear.

How to learn and grow at work - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (Indian School of Business) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

08/21/2025

We have been exploring personality traits in my leadership classes. Research says that one of the most important leadership traits is conscientiousness.

Conscientiousness is about doing what’s right, staying dependable, and acting with integrity—even when no one is watching. To illustrate this, I narrated the story below from the Mahabharata.

During their exile, the Pandavas were tired and were seeking water. They saw a lake in the distance—Yudhisthira sent his brothers one by one to fetch water while the others rested. When none of the brothers returned, he himself went to check and found his brothers lying unconscious.

There was a Yaksha by the lake. He told Yudhisthira that he had to answer his questions before he could enter the lake, or else he would meet the same fate as his brothers. Yudhisthira, recognizing the folly of his brothers, answered all 126 questions posed by the Yaksha. The satisfied Yaksha then gave Yudhisthira a choice: he could bring just one brother back to life.

Bhima was the strongest warrior and Arjuna was the most skilled. Yudhisthira knew there was a war coming. He was devastated to lose his brothers. And yet, he chose to revive Nakula, his half-brother.

The Yaksha asked the reason for this choice. Yudhisthira replied:

“My father had two wives—Kunti and Madri. I, the son of Kunti, am still alive. Let Nakula, the son of Madri, live too, so both the mothers have a surviving child.”

In this moment, Yudhisthira chose dharma over emotion, fairness over favoritism.

Recognizing his conscientiousness, the Yaksha revived all his brothers.

Yudhisthira exemplified:
•⁠ ⁠Acting with integrity, even when it’s hard
•⁠ ⁠Honoring duty over self-interest
•⁠ ⁠Being consistent, fair, and value-driven

How to learn and grow at work - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (Indian School of Business) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

08/21/2025

This story from the Kathopanishad is over 2,500 years old, yet its wisdom is timeless.

A great sacrifice was being conducted by Vajashrava, father of young Nachiketa. But instead of giving his best, he offered barren land and old cows.

Nachiketa, watching closely, asked: “Father, why don’t you give away something that truly matters?”

Annoyed, Vajashrava snapped: “I give YOU to Yama, the god of death.”

So Nachiketa set out to meet Yama. For three days, he waited without food or water. On his return, Yama realized his mistake and offered Nachiketa 3 boons.

1️⃣ To calm his father’s anger.
2️⃣ To learn the secret of the fire sacrifice.
3️⃣ To know: “What happens after death?”

Yama resisted, offering riches, pleasures, and long life instead. But Nachiketa refused. Finally, Yama revealed two paths:
💎 Preyas — the pleasant, fleeting.
✨ Shreyas — the good, meaningful, lasting.

The Greeks echoed this: Hedonia (pleasure) vs Eudaimonia (meaning). Pleasure fades and traps us on the “hedonic treadmill.” Meaning deepens endlessly through reflection, growth, and contribution.

At work, happiness is about taking — “What can others do for me?”
Meaning is about giving — “How can I serve and make a difference?”

The path of meaning is integral to the Beingfulness approach.

How to achieve work-life balance - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (Indian School of Business) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

08/21/2025

We have been exploring personality traits in my leadership classes. Research says that one of the most important leadership traits is conscientiousness.

Conscientiousness is about doing what’s right, staying dependable, and acting with integrity—even when no one is watching. To illustrate this, I narrated the story below from the Mahabharata.

During their exile, the Pandavas were tired and were seeking water. They saw a lake in the distance—Yudhisthira sent his brothers one by one to fetch water while the others rested. When none of the brothers returned, he himself went to check and found his brothers lying unconscious.

There was a Yaksha by the lake. He told Yudhisthira that he had to answer his questions before he could enter the lake, or else he would meet the same fate as his brothers. Yudhisthira, recognizing the folly of his brothers, answered all 126 questions posed by the Yaksha. The satisfied Yaksha then gave Yudhisthira a choice: he could bring just one brother back to life.

Bhima was the strongest warrior and Arjuna was the most skilled. Yudhisthira knew there was a war coming. He was devastated to lose his brothers. And yet, he chose to revive Nakula, his half-brother.

The Yaksha asked the reason for this choice. Yudhisthira replied:

“My father had two wives—Kunti and Madri. I, the son of Kunti, am still alive. Let Nakula, the son of Madri, live too, so both the mothers have a surviving child.”

In this moment, Yudhisthira chose dharma over emotion, fairness over favoritism.

Recognizing his conscientiousness, the Yaksha revived all his brothers.

Yudhisthira exemplified:
•⁠ ⁠Acting with integrity, even when it’s hard
•⁠ ⁠Honoring duty over self-interest
•⁠ ⁠Being consistent, fair, and value-driven

How to achieve work-life balance - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (Indian School of Business) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

08/21/2025

🌿 The Sage & the Scorpion 🦂

A sadhu saw a scorpion drowning and tried to save it. It stung him. He tried again—it stung him again.
“Why help something that keeps hurting you?” a passerby asked.

The sadhu smiled: “It’s the scorpion’s nature to sting. It’s mine to help.”

🧘‍♂️ Beingful Insight

The sadhu chose to act from his higher self. The scorpion acted to protect itself. True leadership is staying rooted in your Being—even when others react from fear.

How to achieve work-life balance - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (Indian School of Business) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

08/21/2025

A story by Ramakrishna Paramahansa that stays with Prof Ram Nidumolu — and one he keeps going back to in his Leadership Habits sessions:

There was once a village plagued by a terrifying snake. Fearing for their lives, the villagers approached a wandering sage for help. The sage met the snake and said, “Be empathetic to the villagers. Do not harm them.”

Months later, the sage passed by again and found the snake lying bruised and weak in a dirty gutter. Even the village children were throwing stones at it.

The snake said, “I followed your advice. I stopped attacking. But now, they beat me daily.”

The sage replied gently, “I told you to be empathetic. I did not tell you to stop hissing.”

Empathy doesn’t mean weakness. Whether you’re leading a team, building a product, or navigating change — empathy helps you connect, but it doesn’t mean you should stop signalling boundaries or standing your ground.

Sometimes, you still need to hiss.

How to achieve work-life balance - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (Indian School of Business) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

08/21/2025

This story from the Kathopanishad is over 2,500 years old, yet its wisdom is timeless.

A great sacrifice was being conducted by Vajashrava, father of young Nachiketa. But instead of giving his best, he offered barren land and old cows.

Nachiketa, watching closely, asked: “Father, why don’t you give away something that truly matters?”

Annoyed, Vajashrava snapped: “I give YOU to Yama, the god of death.”

So Nachiketa set out to meet Yama. For three days, he waited without food or water. On his return, Yama realized his mistake and offered Nachiketa 3 boons.

1️⃣ To calm his father’s anger.
2️⃣ To learn the secret of the fire sacrifice.
3️⃣ To know: “What happens after death?”

Yama resisted, offering riches, pleasures, and long life instead. But Nachiketa refused. Finally, Yama revealed two paths:
💎 Preyas — the pleasant, fleeting.
✨ Shreyas — the good, meaningful, lasting.

The Greeks echoed this: Hedonia (pleasure) vs Eudaimonia (meaning). Pleasure fades and traps us on the “hedonic treadmill.” Meaning deepens endlessly through reflection, growth, and contribution.

At work, happiness is about taking — “What can others do for me?”
Meaning is about giving — “How can I serve and make a difference?”

The path of meaning is integral to the Beingfulness approach.

Transformative practices to find freedom at work - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (ISB) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

08/21/2025

We have been exploring personality traits in my leadership classes. Research says that one of the most important leadership traits is conscientiousness.

Conscientiousness is about doing what’s right, staying dependable, and acting with integrity—even when no one is watching. To illustrate this, I narrated the story below from the Mahabharata.

During their exile, the Pandavas were tired and were seeking water. They saw a lake in the distance—Yudhisthira sent his brothers one by one to fetch water while the others rested. When none of the brothers returned, he himself went to check and found his brothers lying unconscious.

There was a Yaksha by the lake. He told Yudhisthira that he had to answer his questions before he could enter the lake, or else he would meet the same fate as his brothers. Yudhisthira, recognizing the folly of his brothers, answered all 126 questions posed by the Yaksha. The satisfied Yaksha then gave Yudhisthira a choice: he could bring just one brother back to life.

Bhima was the strongest warrior and Arjuna was the most skilled. Yudhisthira knew there was a war coming. He was devastated to lose his brothers. And yet, he chose to revive Nakula, his half-brother.

The Yaksha asked the reason for this choice. Yudhisthira replied:

“My father had two wives—Kunti and Madri. I, the son of Kunti, am still alive. Let Nakula, the son of Madri, live too, so both the mothers have a surviving child.”

In this moment, Yudhisthira chose dharma over emotion, fairness over favoritism.

Recognizing his conscientiousness, the Yaksha revived all his brothers.

Yudhisthira exemplified:
•⁠ ⁠Acting with integrity, even when it’s hard
•⁠ ⁠Honoring duty over self-interest
•⁠ ⁠Being consistent, fair, and value-driven

Transformative practices to find freedom at work - Join renowned Prof. Ram Nidumolu (Indian School of Business) for the Lead Yourself program. Live online sessions every Saturday, 9:30 - 11:00 AM. Avail limited time offer - two weeks FREE!!

Beingfulness

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