1.Walking - a positive impact on my relationships, my physical and mental health, and even my creativity. I often come up with ideas for my blog, while walking.
2. Eating fewer carbohydrates in my diet - a positive impact on my health. Lower blood sugar is equal to better health.
3. Freelancing - a positive impact on my work day:
Minoo Jha
· 3yAs an entrepreneur, what motivates you the most to pursue your goals?
I am a faux entrepreneur - a freelancer, and here’s a look behind the curtain…. How I Did It. How I Resisted the Easy Money of Employment for The Hard Money of Consulting. A Look Behind The Curtain Each time I was tempted to convert to a full time employee, I looked at what I had to gain by being a consultant. Here’s what would pop into my mind. A long list of worthwhile things, which only consulting could give me… Getting to have a faux business - ever since I ran Purple Patch (my own creative shop), I knew I was never so productive, so prolific, so creative, as when I was my own boss Getting to work for different companies – I have worked directly (or indirectly, by working on implementations, or testing) for 14 different companies - wow, a corporate adventure, in itself Getting to meet so many people in Sales Compensation and Commissions – my network has expanded from a handful of people in Commissions and Sales Compensation to 50-100 people in Sales Compensation and Commissions, not to mention people in staffing agencies, and in implementation companies Getting to train on, and work with different Commission Tools - first it was Excel, then Centive, then Xactly, more recently, Varicent, and still more recently, Oracle Fusion (where I have just initial exposure, because we still haven't gone live at the company where it is being implemented); but given this background, I expect (hope) it’s a question of time, before I get to train on, and work with Callidus, Obero, Optymyze, and other commission tools of the present, and the future Getting to use different commission systems and models – every company has their own “master” file – their own Excel beast, which is used to calculate crediting and commissions, or to sanity check the results of the automated tool. I have had a front row seat to observing, or working on this Excel beast in different companies Getting exposure to a variety of sales compensation and commission system challenges - Oh the stories I can tell Getting to work with different commission software architects - Commission software is not plug and play; it has to be customized for each company. This is where the design architect has a big role to play. Each commission software architect has her or his own design approach. It has been fascinating and educative to work alongside some of the most experienced and savvy commission software architects Getting to test plan change logic - Plans change. When they do, the plan logic has to be changed. And new plan logic has to be unit tested and UAT tested. Unit testing and UAT testing are an art in themselves. I have seen that, based on the implementations I have worked on, and also because I had the privilege of testing plan change logic at Salesforce, 2 years in a row. The exposure was great Getting exposure to different ERP systems – I have been on assignments where they use Great Plains, where they use SAP, where they use Oracle, and one assignment where ERP was still in the future, and they were still using, wait for it, Quickbooks Getting exposure to different BI tools - This is important, only because it is where sales people track their orders. And if there are differences between their orders in the commission tool, and the BI tool, you will be sure to hear about it. So yes, as a commissions consultant, I have had to run BI reports out of different BI tools like Cognos, Birst, Tableau, and sometimes even proprietary BI tools Getting exposure to different Commissions Analyst job roles - The role and function of a Commissions Analyst is different in different companies. And since I typically go in as the 'transition commissions analyst', I do whatever is defined for that role in my different assignments. Getting exposure to different managing styles - I have worked with different managers. And I have enjoyed working with each one of them, and observing their similarities, as well as their differences. As a consultant, I have sometimes found myself, a sounding board to managers, which is a privilege in itself Getting to grow my skills – Before I became a consultant, I only knew Excel and Centive. After I became a consultant, I learned Xactly and Varicent. And I learned how to do implementations. I was able to flex my writing and communication skills on FRDs, User Guides, Prototype demos and more. My Excel proficiency also increased by leaps and bounds - to include Advanced Filters , Sumifs, formulas such as Match and Index and Indirect. I also learned and started using over 20 Excel macros Getting golden opportunities - After I started consulting, some unexpected golden opportunities came my way. Such as getting to work on White Papers. One of my clients sponsored me for an all expenses paid Varicent training program in Canada. And I got to work on implementations for some high-profile companies such as Splunk, FusionIo, Lynda, which was subsequently acquired by Linkedin, and Cyberonics Getting to deliver extra value – A consultant is in a unique position to deliver extra value. As a consultant, I have been able to deliver value outside of the scope of my client's expectations. For example, I routinely document the commission processes on every assignment. I do not believe I would have been able to do this as an employed Commissions Analyst. It would have been outside the scope of my job, and it would have appeared to team members, I was trying to make them look bad. Getting to coach, train, and mentor – There are those who like to do, and those who like to do and teach, and I am in the second group. I thrive every time I have the opportunity to transfer what is in my mind to someone else's mind. Whether it is teaching someone how to do their taxes on Turbotax. Or giving Money workshops to GATE students. In my role as a 'transition commissions analyst', I have to typically hand the baton to someone. My process has been to write a document, and teach from that document. I have done this at multiple companies. Some of my best friends are people who I have had to pass on my knowledge to (do KT as they say in India) in such a way There’s more. Whenever I feel sad an assignment is coming to an end, I have a further list of things I remind myself about…. I remind myself of the freedom, which is such a basic human need, we will risk our lives for it. I remind myself of the repetitiveness, boredom and burnout I have avoided. I remind myself of the footprint I have been able to leave at different companies; the documents and tools I have created, the bonds I have forged. I remind myself it’s more empowering to choose change than to have change imposed on me. I remind myself of the demand for what I do; when that demand stops, I will stop consulting. I remind myself being self-employed has only improved my competitiveness and my value proposition. I remind myself my services are ideal for companies with variable cost business models, or companies in a jam. I remind myself, I never have to feel threatened or vulnerable in any assignment, because of being, not an incumbent in danger of being dislodged, but a temporary contributor whose services have a definite end date. I remind myself of the autonomy. You have no idea how much I like automony. I remind myself how consulting saves me from office politics. I remind myself of other things I have been spared of: performance reviews, forms to fill, surveys to fill out, and so on, and so on. I remind myself, my work never costs me my life; if I feel overwhelmed on an assignment, I speak up. I say “This is all I can do (core commission work).”Typically, I will be given additional help. I like opportunities to find out the truth. I can quickly identify gaps I need to fill, or the company needs to fill. I remind myself, how I am able to increase my competitiveness without competing. If there is a team, I will cheerfully take on the tasks that are invisible, and the tasks that no one else wants to do, and then, see what I can do, to make those tasks less dreary, more manageable. I have learned to customize my skills and services to meet the customer’s need of the hour (and by customer, I mean not just the manager, but the whole team, if there is a team). I remind myself of how much more adaptable and agile consulting has made me. I enjoy being a hero (of sorts); jumping in to help out a company when they are in crisis. I enjoy opportunities to apply critical thinking and problem solving. By having to prove myself in a new environment, I have the opportunity to reaffirm my skills and value. I continuously tweak my value proposition. I arrived at the proposition of being “A transition commission consultant who helps companies who are in a transition between people, or tools” and the promise, “I will be here as long as you want me, and no longer than you want me” a few years ago. They have served me well. I like being extended at companies. Contract extensions are proof I am delivering value. I believe my continuously expanding profile on Linkedin will continue to bring me future consulting assignments. Time will tell if I am right. Meanwhile, I sincerely believe, being a consultant is better suited to the complexity, volatility, and uncertainty of today’s economic and business environment. Above all, I remind myself, safety, security and benefits (the promises of employment) are not what they are cracked up to be. In fact, I will even go as far as to call them fool’s gold, and say “Bah Humbug”. Confidence, competence, ever expanding skills and horizons, plus an ever expanding network of people in Commissions and Sales Compensation – What’s not to like? Yes, I’ve resisted the Easy Money of Employment for The Hard Money of Being a Consultant. And now you know all the reasons why.
Minoo Jha
· 5yCould minimalism be the key to financial freedom?
Hi, You asked, Could minimalism be the key to financial freedom? Yes, short of living in a tent, I am comfortably off because of living a minimalist life. Here’s how I did it… I internalized Suze Orman. I started meditating. (The book “How God Changes Your Brain” gave me both my motivation and my technique). I stopped being a nervous Nellie about my future, accepting that the future was hamarey bas ki baat nahi (Hindi for “beyond my control/capacity/competence”). I channeled stories such as the Farid ud-Din Attar story about King Mahmud and the Beans. I started tracking my expenses. I found that knowing my average monthly expenditure was within a certain range made me oodles less anxious. I searched for and read books on downshifting like Your Money or Your Life. I found out how simply some folks were living (friends and relatives in India) and how happy and content they were. It helped me develop perspective. I realized that things are not always what they seem. That people who looked better off than me with expensive cars, nice houses, the latest gadgets and who went on fabulous holidays might actually be reeling in debt and have negative net worth. I also observed how many people who are better off than me fret more than me. This is because though they are rich in externals (the visible accoutrements of a successful life), they are poor in internals (their internal life is messy). Peace and contentment can’t be bought. It is a gift you give yourself. You can be at peace even living in a crowded noisy apartment complex, whereas you can be in a state of turmoil even in the quietest most luxurious and secluded waterfront mansion. I know this sounds like a “sour grapes” rationalization, but I really do fret less than many people who are materially far better off than me. I discovered “Asteya” and made it one of my goals. Asteya is the discipline of taking from the world only what you need – without greed, excess, or wastage. I realized that producing something (expression) was more satisfying than owning anything (consumption). I observed that more stuff made me less happy rather than more happy – giving me more house cleaning, maintenance and security to worry about. And finally, I observed what made me happy. They were not things, but experiences. A good conversation. A good read. A walk or talk with a friend. A simple hearty meal. A guest post (hint,hint). A satisfying workout at the gym. Giving and receiving appreciation. Learning something new. My meditations. A fear or weakness conquered. An intellectual puzzle solved. A physical challenge met. And realizing this, I was able to cheerfully and contentedly declare “I’m good!”
Minoo Jha
· 5yWhat are some stories about failure that can teach us some valuable life lessons?
Hi, You asked, What failure was actually a great life lesson? Losing money by investing in Krispy Kreme Donuts. Here’s the story from my blog: How I Lost A Thousand Dollars On Donuts There comes a time in every novice investor's life when he or she thinks they've found the Holy Grail. The Holy Grail is an investment theory or investment method that seems devilishly clever and original to the novice investor. One which gets them as excited as an archaeologist unearthing the tomb of Tut-Ankh-Amen. And which they just can't wait to hang their hat on. This investment 'find' could be any of a number of ideas. From the Dogs of the Dow Theory authored by Michael O'Higgins. To the Elliott Wave Theory popularized by Robert Prechter. From Joel Blatt's Magic Formula. To the Price to Sales Ratio which made Ken Fisher's 1984 book Super Stocks a best-seller. The novice investor will suddenly come upon one of these ideas and allow it to agitate the gray cells for a while. Then there's Warren Buffett. For the novice investor, discovering Warren Buffett is something else altogether. After all, he is one of the richest men in America. And he is also recognized as one of the greatest investors of all time. So no surprise that investors, novice and professional alike, become instant Warren Buffett groupies - hanging on to his every word, worshiping at the Berkshire Hathaway Annual General Meeting in Omaha, and dreaming of being a future Buffett. This is where my sorry tale begins. The Buffett Make-over I was just as susceptible to the Buffett investing charisma as anyone else. And after finding Buffett, I set out to remake myself in his image. This meant reading books such as The New Buffettology. And The Warren Buffett Way. And then getting down to business by applying essential Buffett principles. Bottom-fishing was particularly appealing. It allowed me to consider dog-house stocks such as Revlon, Rite Aid and Six Flags, which were all under $2 a share, maybe even under $1. But not content with that, I searched for what I thought would be the quintessential Buffett pick - an out-of-favor and under-valued stock, the one that Mr. Market was idiotically shunning. Enter Krispy Kreme Donuts. I have never been much of a donuts fan. But at the time, I discovered Krispy Kreme, I had become a heat-seeking Buffett missile in search of a target. And Krispy Kreme Donuts (Ticker KKD) appeared to be the answer to my prayers. Firstly, their cream and jelly filled donuts had become the new "delish" in donuts. People were shunning their corner donut stores and trekking to Krispy Kreme stores instead. Just Like Starbucks In fact, they were even willing to stand in long lines to get their Krispy Kreme donuts. Much as they do for Starbucks Frappuchinos and Lattes today. And just like Starbucks, Krispy Kreme donuts were pricey. All this had a distinctly Buffetesque aroma to me. Reading Motley Fool articles like this one sealed the deal for me. So when Krispy Kreme stock, which had stratospherically climbed to $40 a share, dropped overnight by 50% to $20 a share on a car-wreck of a quarter, I decided to lock in. And bought 100 shares. There - I had bottom-fished. Just like my hero Warren Buffett. I couldn't have been more pleased with myself. Or so I thought. Fasten Your Seat-Belts I was to find out (the painful way) that Krispy Kreme's 50% decline was just the beginning of its Drop-Zone like descent. By the same time the next year, the stock had declined to $10 a share. Giving my investment a 50% haircut. $1,000 gone. Just like that. Chastened and humbled, I took the loss and got out. The Flight of The Bumblebee I read somewhere that according to the Laws of Aerodynamics, a bumblebee should not be able to fly. The bumblebee of course does not know this, so it flies anyway. In much the same way, novice stock-pickers do not know that they don't know how to pick stocks. So they pick stocks anyway. Sometimes the picks pan out, sometimes they fall with a thud. When that happens, some investors will never be able to psychologically recover from their mistakes and losses. Others, phoenix-like, will rise from the ashes. I am of the second kind. I was able to take my medicine and move on. Are there rewards for naivety in investing? Actually I was able to make lemonade out of this investing lemon. I took my Krispy Kreme misadventure and turned it into a speech. Which I used to compete in a Toastmasters International Speech contest at Adlibmasters Club in San Jose. I won first place. And took home a trophy. Yes the mysterious Oscar looking thing you see above is my Toastmasters International Speech trophy. Now if only there had been some bling to go with that thing. You know - Like maybe a 1000 dollars? Oh Well... If You Are Ever Stuck With a Lemon, See If You Can Make Some Lemonade Out of It :) May You Invest Well in 2019 and Thrive!
Minoo Jha
· 5yWhat doesn't make sense to you?
Hi Maria, You asked, What doesn't make sense to you? Healthcare in America. What it costs to get insured, what the insurance covers, what doctors do when they see you - especially in an emergency room, and the sticker shock that patients regularly experience. Our $4000 story In the fall of 2017, my daughter graduated from college and started her first job in a small company. Really small company. The company did offer her healthcare and they told her, “It’s good, it’s Anthem Blue Cross HMO Gold plan. Before we even had had time to select a primary care provider, and look into the health care benefit, my daughter got sick. She woke up one morning with a terrible stomach pain. Since her insurance was so new, I didn’t know what to do. I made an online appointment for her at a private urgent care facility 4 miles away. Unfortunately, my daughter couldn’t wait till 9:00 a.m. when they would be open. She was in so much pain. I decided we would have to go to a hospital instead. I saw that Good Samaritan Hospital was one of the listed Blue Cross hospitals. We walked into the Emergency Room of Good Samaritan and all hell broke loose. The triage nurse took my daughter’s pulse and it was racing (a normal condition for my daughter). The triage nurse then called a Code Red or a Code Blue or whatever, and the next thing we knew, my daughter was in an ER bed hooked to an ECG. Later she was taken for a stomach MRI. She enjoyed the fuss and attention. A few hours later, a doctor discharged her and told us she had stomach flu. “Drink lots of fluids and here’s a prescription for a nausea medicine, in case the nausea persists”. It was a month later both she and me got really sick - when the bills started coming in. We received 4 different bills from 4 different providers - the doctor who had seen her first, the doctor who discharged her, the MRI place, the ER room - $4000 in all. For stomach flu. We tried to contest it with each of the providers, but nothing worked. My daughter said, “Mum, I’ll just pay it, but I’ve learned my lesson. I will never go to an ER again.” Meanwhile, there was another thing that made no sense. The so called nausea medicine. I went to the Rite Aid pharmacy next to my house. Oops, I said, when I got there. I had forgotten my daughter’s medical card. Oh what the hell, I thought. Maybe I will just pay cash. I handed the prescription to the pharmacy technician, “Can you tell me how much this is with and without insurance.” He looked at it and said, “Oh it will cost a lot. “ He looked it up. “$80 with insurance (for 10 tabs), $280 without.” My jaw dropped. For what - a nausea medicine. Why this medicine? Nausea can be solved with Dramamine. I went back home without the prescribed nausea medicine. My daughter’s nausea had gone. She said if it started again, she would take Dramamine. Curious, I decided to check out the expensive medicine. It was called Ondansetron. It was not on the approved medication list of Anthem Blue Cross. Their website stated, it required special approval, except when it was prescribed for pregnancy nausea and chemotherapy side effects. I shook my head. Good Samaritan had not bothered to check what insurance we had and whether this medication was on the approved medication list for that insurance. A GoodRx ad suddenly popped up on my computer screen. “Are you looking to buy Ondansetron? You can get it for between $16 and $30 at different stores with our coupon.” said the ad. When I clicked on it, I was asked to enter my zip code on the GoodRx site to see nearby pharmacies where I could purchase Ondansetron for the Good Rx price. Target was $16, Rite Aid was $30, Costco was $20, Safeway was $16. I couldn’t believe my eyes . $16 vs $80 using insurance - that is, assuming the insurance would give us approval? I was totally disgusted. I thought about the poor caregivers of pregnancy patients and chemotherapy patients coughing up the $80 with their insurance cards. Such a rip off. I decided to fill the prescription to see if it was really true I could get Ondansetron at the GoodRx price. When I went to the Safeway pharmacy, they said, “Oh we will give it to you for $12.” And so with GoodRx, I paid $12 for 10 tablets, instead of $80 with my daughter’s insurance card. What’s this all about? Does it make any sense?
Minoo Jha
· 5yWhat is your most interesting meditation experience?
Hi, You asked, What is your most interesting meditation experience? After I stared meditating, I have had a few telepathic experiences. One of them was waking up in the middle of the night with a story about 3 Benches. I do not normally write fiction pieces on my blog, so it was very unusual for me to wake up in the middle of the night with the idea of this 3 Benches Story. The next day I called my friend in Klamath and I asked her, “Hey Nadya, whatcha been up to?” like I usually do. I got goosebumps when she said, “Oh, I am building a bench for my backyard.” I felt the only explanation for the mysterious appearance of the 3 Benches idea in my mind was because of a telepathic experience with Nadya. By now I must have aroused your curiosity about what this 3 Benches story is all about. It took another 6 years for me to actually get down to being able to write it and publish it on my blog. Here it is. I hope you enjoy reading it. Everyone Has Their Purpose Everyone has their purpose. I just hadn’t discovered mine. We were 3 benches in a park. Bench 1 clearly knew its purpose. It was to enjoy the rich conversations and the books of the people who sat on Bench 1. Bench 1 was into mind-expanding things. Bench 1 was always going on and on about philosophy and epistemology and such, things which, if they didn’t entirely go over my head, only somewhat interested me. I am curious and I have a love for words. These two personality traits made me listen to whatever Bench 1 said. Bench 2 was clearly status-seeking, a name-dropper. Bench 2 lived for the stylish, well-heeled, and well-known people that sat on Bench 2. Bench 2 would tell you that Bench 2 occupants that day included people who wore Manolo Blahnik Hangisi shoes, or toted the most expensive Louis Vuitton bags, or drove up in a Tesla Model X P100 D. As for me, neither status, nor mind expanding ideas, excited me, or held the key to my soul. I registered everything Bench 1 and Bench 2 said. I was curious enough for that. Bench 1 and Bench 2 knew they had a perfect listener in me. So they shared everything and anything that excited them, or troubled them, with me. And I would listen. But truthfully, I was interested in an "interesting what other benches find interesting" way. I knew, there had to be something more. One day, an older woman sat on my bench and said the rosary. As she sat there, moving from bead to bead, and repeating the Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be, I caught a glimpse of what my purpose was. Another day, two young men sat on my bench. One of the young men had the book Awakening Loving-Kindness by Pema Chodron in his hands. He explained to the other young man what meditating on loving-kindness meant. I caught a glimpse of my purpose again. Another day, I watched a man put a mat on the grass, put his hands up, then put his right hand over his left hand, then bend down and put his hands on his knees, then stand back up and bend down, placing his knees, hands and head on the floor, all the while reciting prayers. I caught a glimpse of my purpose again. One day, two Hindu studies major students sat on my bench. One of them read this passage from the Bhagavad Gita out aloud to the other: “The man who sees me in everything and everything within me will not be lost to me, nor will I ever be lost to him. He who is rooted in oneness realizes that I am in every being; wherever he goes, he remains in me. When he sees all being as equal in suffering or in joy because they are like himself, that man has grown perfect in yoga.” I caught a glimpse of my purpose again. Another day, two Jesuit priests chose me for their bench. They spoke of wondrous things, such as St. Augustine hearing a childlike voice telling him to “take up and read”. For days after, I kept thinking about that. And then one day, it happened. A man with a backpack and a stick entered the area where our 3 benches were located. He looked weary and he looked tired and he looked disheveled and he looked unkempt. I knew he was the kind of man Bench 1 and Bench 2 would be least interested in, even revolted by. He looked at all 3 of us benches, and then made his way to where I was, even though I was the furthest bench. He put his backpack down on one end of the bench. Then, using the backpack as a pillow for his head, he sprawled across the length of the bench, covered his face with a dirty shirt, and fell into a deep sleep, from which he awoke, hours later, after which he picked up his things and left. He came back the next day and did the same thing; and he came back the day after and did the same thing again. At the end of day 3, after he had woken up and left, Bench 1 said to me: “Tough luck 3, to have a homeless guy single you out and make a habit of it.” I didn’t say anything. Bench 2 added, “Better accept it, 3. You might be stuck with him at least till the weather changes!” I didn’t say anything. If only Bench 1 and Bench 2 knew…..at last, I had found my purpose. The End Note to Readers: The original idea for this story came to me in the form of a miraculous coincidence - which happened in October of 2012, almost 6 years ago. Though I had the idea for this story 6 years ago, I wasn’t able to put it into words. So it just lingered with me, all these years, until a few days ago. Here's how it happened. On the morning of April 27, 2018, while riding the bus to work and reading a book, suddenly these words came to my mind, “Everyone has their purpose”. My mind, next inexplicably, jumped to my unwritten 3 benches story. The next thing I knew, I was writing furiously. This story, that had been waiting to be told for 6 years, got told.
8. Writing my blog, and answering Quora questions - a positive impact about spending my free time more purposefully.
9. Spending time with friends, including furry friends - an easy way to feel good. I get an instant boost, just thinking about one particular furry friend.
This blog post was inspired by him:
Got Things To Do:
Got squirrels to chase
Got people passing by to bark at.
Got things to do.
🐶
Got socks to remove and run around with
Got whines to emit when loved ones return home
Got things to do.
🐶
Got new scents to smell
Got new patches of grass to roll in
Got things to do.
🐶
Got to eat my food
Got to beg for treats
Gotta be alert for crumbs that fall off the table, if I'm lucky
Got things to do.
🐶
Got to strain at my leash
Got to walk or run, until I am hot and thirsty
Got to drink water
Got things to do.
🐶
Got to jump on my favorite chair
Got to roll over for a tummy rub
Got tricks to perform
Got things to do.
🐶
Got to wag my tail
Got to run for cover, when it's bath time
Got to dash around madly, to shake the drops of water off my back
Got things to do.
🐶
Got to play with my toys
Got to be Shiva or Terminator with them
Got to show them who's boss
Got things to do.
🐶
Got to scratch the mat
Got to yawn or take a nap
Got things to do.
🐶
Got to growl at other dogs
Got to scare away those who come close to my food
Got to chase my tail
Got to roughhouse
Got things to do.
🐶
Got to pretend I like being dressed up
Got to pose for pictures
Got to stick my head out of the car and
feel my ears flap in the wind
Got things to do.
🐶
Got to tilt my head
Gotta do amusing things
Which elicit an "Awwww", or "OMG , so cute"
Gotta create What'sApp and Text Message and Tik Tok photo-worthy moments
Got things to do.
🐶
What's my favorite?
Wanna take a guess?
No competition - being with the one whose name starts with a T and ends with an A, and the one whose name starts with a J and ends with an H.
That's the very best.
🐶
Oh, that, and food!
Hint! Hint!
🐶
If you want to know what I think of my non-furry friends, read this.
Wishing all of you a happy and abundant summer season, with activities that make you feel good about yourself, and make you feel good about the world.
Wishing all of you a happy and abundant summer season, with activities that make you feel good about yourself, and make you feel good about the world.
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