Sanjana's Books

When we are in the service of giving or providing for others, I think what is most important is that we ensure that the person we are serving is content and satisfied with our facilities. While the customer may not always be right, it is necessary that we understand where he/she is coming from and give them the space to discuss their issues and concerns, comfortably.   If I were to ever face an angry and dissatisfied customer, the first thing I would do is maintain the right mindset. It is essential that I keep a calm tone, address them appropriately and not take their words to heart. As a representative of my organisation, I must know that they are having issues with our service or product and not with me personally. This distinction will ensure that I don’t bring my own emotions in the middle of the conflict and that I am able to think rationally and pragmatically throughout the conversation.   Secondly, I would give them a judge-free zone to iterate their troubles a...

  According to me, diversity refers to the plethora of backgrounds and experiences that people bring to an institution. These experiences can manifest in the form of aspects such as different ethnicities, races, economic and social strata, genders, experience in the work field, education levels, marital status, military service, political affiliation, personalities, skillsets, strengths and weaknesses, demeanours, etc. Each person brings their own ‘diverse’ set of elements across these various aspects which gives rise to varying opinions, emphasis on varied facets during discussions, consideration of different perspectives, etc. Moreover, diversion ensures that the fortes of one participant may make up for the flaws of another and vice versa. These differences are in fact what help make the institution well-rounded. The services and products of a well-rounded institution can, in turn, appeal and attract a larger audience, which is profitable for the institution as well, whether it ...

So I was reading this book titled - "I Hear You: The Surprisingly Simple Skill behind Extraordinary Relationships" by Michael Sorensen. It's a wonderful book. Very short read - perhaps an hour or so. One that ever person who has trouble with communication in relationships should definitely read.  Validation. That's what the author talks about throughout the book. Humans have this inherent desire to be heard and not just listened to. And yes, there is a difference. Even dogs and cats and other animals and pets can listen to you. They can listen to the wavelength, pitch, frequency of the sound your voice makes, and if I were to go a step further - maybe they can even gauge your mood.  Hearing someone, on the other hand, means that you put yourself in their shoes, and understand the situation. You may not necessarily agree, but you comprehend why they feel a certain way and you use your words to emphasise this. The first step is to understand their emotion, match their e...

  Getting into Medical School: The Premedical Student's Guidebook By Sanford Brown, M.D. Buy the Book! This book explores the path from being a pre-med to becoming a strong medical school applicant. It covers all medical school application components including MCAT, personal statements, extra-curriculars, interviews, internet advising, extraordinary success stories etc. It provides interesting information for summer programs available throughout the country as well as a directory of allopathic and osteopathic schools with detailed information about their GPA and MCAT ranges, fees, etc. It is an excellent resource for those who want more information about the process.  Here is a summary of the chief points taught by this book: Introduction Medicine is much more than just prestige, security, independence, remuneration, service and intellectual challenges and an applicant must understand this before even deciding to apply For every one seat in Medical School, there are 3 applican...

I come from an Indian background, specifically from a Gujarati family. There is a great emphasis on business and education in a typical Gujarati household. The importance of career, academics and professional pursuits has always been a very important part of my personal identity and one of my foremost priorities in my own life. That is also why I strongly believe in the power invested in education to change the lives of millions of people. Having struggled for education myself, I firmly consider illiteracy as a very important social justice issue in the world. Sadly, this concern is not very apparent in the United States, despite the fact that 32 million adults (Washington Post, 2016) in the US can’t read. Furthermore, illiteracy is a very big concern back home in India. The average literacy rate is just 64% and for females it is even lower than the average (Census of India, 2001). Education has the power to change the course of a human’s life. It is a tool that can make an individual ...

 So I have been wanting to read this book for a loooooooooooong time! Finally got my hands on it a couple days ago and it has definitely stood up to all the expectations. It's a lovely, inspiring read and definitely recommended to anyone looking for some motivation to tone up their lives.  Keep reading for the full review! ↓↓↓ What is Ikigai? Ikigai is the Japanese word meaning a reason to live and this is the central theme of the book - finding your special individualised purpose and meaning in life; a reason that makes you want to get out of bed everyday and brings you to a state of happiness and contentment.  Finding your ikigai is important and has been emphasized in a number of places including logotherapy. and morita therapy. Not having a purpose can result in a phenomenon called Sunday neurosis - or the empty feeling on weekends when you have no job to run to or school to attend.  How to Live a Long, Happy Life 1. Don't retire Ikigai  is the secret of the...

Organ donation is a medical success story. It is one of the greatest techniques known to mankind - a tool to pragmatically defeat death. Every year, thousands of lives are saved thanks to this miracle of modern medicine but many more thousands are added to a National Transplant Waiting List. Patients on this list are waiting for months, even years at times before they receive the right organ. Time is ticking fast. The more months they spend on the list without a matching organ donor, the more closer they are getting towards death.   Gift of Life Organ donation is the most priceless gift of all - the  gift of life. A single organ donor can save the life of upto 75 people - imagine how many lives will be directly impacted by this act - hundreds? Thousands? Perhaps even more - parents of a child patient, children of an adult patient, significant others, uncles, aunts, grandparents - saving even one soul has the potential to help so many others linked to him lead a better life. Bu...