Akhila Saroha: I would like to begin by congratulating you on the publication of “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self.” How has the response to the book been so far?
Yatin Samant: This book was released in the last week of December 2023, on all online platforms (has practically no presence in Book stores). I have been trying to reach as many people as possible through LinkedIn, WA, Personal contacts & through organising small gatherings
The book has an universal application across age, industry etc. However the group which can be the biggest beneficiary from the learnings in the book – is Youth; because they have the longest run with life to apply these learnings
I haven’t yet received a response from readers hitherto unknown to me. However response from those I know / have been able to reach is very encouraging – summarised as :
Many (readers) are intrigued by the array of topics – something different from the ordinary – and feel curious enough to buy a copy & read. In fact some were enticed into wanting to read, by looking through the Index of topics.
Those who have read, had their own realisations & acknowledged its uniqueness. They appreciate me explaining them the context (since there is no other immediate parallel book) and told me that reading the book now, with understanding my thought behind it, makes it more meaningful
Some used a word ‘ Reflective reading’ for the book & mentioned that unlike other, entertaining books which they can finish reading in a day – they would like to read this more than once – to soak in a complete meaning
I am yet to go through any Reviews, Blogs that may have been posted so far on sites.
Akhila Saroha: What led to the idea of writing “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self”? Were there any events that inspired the work?
Yatin Samant: Honestly, way back in 2011-12, when I first started working on my realisations/concepts; I did not start with the idea of writing a book – it happened ‘in the flow’. It is one of the form of expression like my Coaching/Consulting/Workshop etc for the work I do on Perspective Building.Background is below :
I realised that there is much to learn from Life. Observing human behaviour – issues & oddities & reflecting on it – reveals its patterns & peculiarities. More you think, more you realise that everything that appears as diverse knowledge on the surface, converges at the bottom into an universal wisdom
My realisations started with observing “Mother & Child” — which is an outstanding model of service, non duality with a cause – more & more I thought it looked like an universal model –which led to Maid to Mother -organisational transformation
Reflecting on the substandard service levels, despite investments in resources & infrastructure made me distil 4 golden principles of Service Excellence. It also led me to the concepts of (i) Body & Soul for wholesome working & (ii) Win-within-Win as the next level of Win-Win. Further deep delving made me discover a direct link of between service levels & Trigun of Sattva, Raja, Tama, which further led me to the root cause of substandard service – lack of Sattvikata from service
I also realised that as Adults, there is a limit to which we can learn from external modes alone, besides facing diminishing returns on investment. I am convinced that there is much to learn from Self — each of our completed year or each of our major experience is like a Juicy fruit — only when we take juice from them that we get nourishment, but what do most do with it ? just accumulate & let it rot. I hence focused on Inside-Out learning pathway, instead of the conventional Outside-In pathway. I strongly recommend adults to learn on Inside-Out pathway with mechanisms of Reflection, Introspection, Meditation, Self Dialogue
Initially I shared my learnings, my realisations with individuals, groups, through workshops – wrote articles & blogs – including on LinkedIn.
After a substantial body of work was thus created and acknowledged by audiences, I sensed, these are too precious to be confined to appreciation of small groups and felt a need to take these realisations to a larger – Worldwide audience, in the form of a series of books
Akhila Saroha: How easy or difficult was it for you to decide the placement of ideas in “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self” and keep it simple to understand for the readers?
Yatin Samant: Your question is appropriate – the process of bringing these thoughts to readers is complex, so is my task of – Connecting esoteric concepts from the ‘cloud’ with ground level application. Everything first starts with a thought process / philosophy, which can be profound in its existence & not easy to grasp – it then needs to be brought down to Ground level for application, by capturing it in ‘user language’
High Value concepts will always be ‘heavy’, if they are not explained in a relatable language, they will remain unexploited. On the other hand, just to make things ‘simple’ for layman, diluting potency of the concept is not the solution. Challenge therefore is right articulation, flow, in a relatable form, without diluting essence of the concept.
Factors I believe have helped me to deliver on this challenge, reasonably well are as below :
The Space I am working on (Mind Orientation) being human mind, finds a common denominator across subjects, domains, age in its applicability
For the same reason, subject/ title of any of my article is not the destination (as I am not giving “gyaan” on any subject) but only a means/vehicle to transmit meaning. What I say or write is not my delivery / product; but the realisations which it creates in reader’s mind Is ! That makes for a customised & hence relatable delivery
I often use analogy across different sectors / real life examples, which help readers to understand & relate to what I am saying
Akhila Saroha: What are your views about present-day writing? Do you think it does complete justice in depicting human nature in the light of “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self”?
Yatin Samant: I can not comment present day writing with any sense of authority, since I have not studied the matter in adequate depth. Nonetheless, I can make some ‘ broad brush’ observations, as :
Between the two learning pathways (as elucidated in my book); Outside-In & Inside-Out, due sheer lack of active cognisance of the latter, most of us, including authors, are excessively, if not exclusively focused on the former (Outside-In) way, which not only has limitations in customising solutions or in bringing variety (& hence are repetitive); but all Outside-In mechanisms will have diminishing returns for adult learning
May be as a consequence or otherwise, I find very little work/writing on Human development, as independent – original thinking; most times it is a compilation/ review / cut-paste or repackaging of available material. It has propensity to become stale & faceless
Akhila Saroha: “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self” shows the uniqueness of your style of writing. Are there any authors that you enjoy reading or any books which are your favorites?
Yatin Samant: Honestly, while I admire many for their contribution in different fields – I do not have any role model in life. Also my destination is Value Creation – not necessarily being an Author
I reading preference is non fiction – History, Heritage, Auto biography, Self development and anything that interests me.
I admire those authors who are true to their convictions, who write in the flow – upfront in their views, without any agenda
Some of the authors I have read are P.L. Deshpande, Jaywant Dalvi, S. N Navre, C,V, Joshi etc in Marathi & Steven Covey, Ram Charan, Vikram Sampat, Devdutt Pattanaik, J Sai Deepak, Ram Swarup, Sitaram Goel, Rajiv Malhotra, Koenard Elst, Francois Gautier, David Frawley etc in English
Akhila Saroha: How would you categorize “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self” as its appeal seems to be to a broad audience?
Yatin Samant: Honestly I do not think my book can be easily categorised into one of conventional category – since it has no parallel currently. It will eventually have to carve out its own niche like : Perspective building or Learning from self/ Inside-Out pathway learning etc; though for those who may not understand this, a simplified way is to identify it under ‘ Self -help’ as is ‘understood’ today.
Since my work is about Mind Orientation – my battleground is Human Minds space; my work & hence this book too is domain / industry/age agnostic.
The book thus has an universal application across age, industry etc. However the group which can be the biggest beneficiary from the learnings in the book – is Youth; because they have the longest run with life to apply these learnings
Akhila Saroha: “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self” has given a powerful introduction to your potential as a writer. Can the readers expect more from you in the future? Please share about your future projects.
Yatin Samant: I have been writing since my school days – first in Marathi (my mother tongue) & then in English. I started with Poetry, moved on to prose
So far I have my 3 (Marathi) books published – 2 Poetry books & one prose – light humour
My entire work – whether Coaching, Strategic Consulting, Workshops or Writing …has been on one common platform … Invoking mind power – Power of perspective, making people Think & Think differently, to help them on their own sense making – thereby equipping them to find their own path to professional success & personal fulfilment
Bringing out all my thoughts in a series of 3 books. This book – “ Invoke Inner Wisdom : Empower Self “ is first of the series of 3, which has 54 structured articles. Next two books are respectively based on (i) Collection of thought provoking Blogs – each woven around a single thought & (ii) A pocket book of 1 liner wisdom
Post these, I will complete & publish my next book of poetry in Marathi (pocketbook)
Akhila Saroha: What is the story behind the title of your work, “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self”?
Yatin Samant: There are two learning Pathways : (i) Outside -In pathway & (ii) Inside -Out pathway. Outside In pathway is the conventional pathway, which starts from childhood where learn from external inputs. It is a “feeding “ Channel, with little value in adulthood
Inside-Out pathway is an adult pathway, is about learning from self with mechanisms like Reflection, Introspection, Self dialogue, Meditation etc. It is a “ Digesting “ Channel. Difference between the 2 pathways is that while the former is like a Diet treatment, latter (Inside-Out) is working on Metabolism
Essence is that, what we do is a function of how we think. Hence for better / enhanced results, we need to examine & reorient our thinking. Power is in our mind, not in the circumstances –we need to Invoke it !
All my work is based on this premise – pioneering Inside-Out learning pathway! It is about making people think – differently, to develop different Perspectives, create new Realisations, thereby helping people take charge of their destiny. That is the source for the Title
Akhila Saroha: Of all the modes of writing, what made you come up with the idea of writing in prose form in “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self”?
Yatin Samant: Not sure if I understood your Q, the way you envisaged … to me writing a book is only one of the expressions / formats of my work, just like the other formats of Workshops, Coaching etc
Transformative work requires engaging human interactions, it does not happen with one way delivery like lecturing or prescriptive writing.
Hence even in my book the articulation is more communicative, relating & reflective.
I would think the best form to accomplish my task is either Workshop or book + workshop.
In writing a book, non prose (poetry ?) form never came to my mind, if that is what you imply.
Akhila Saroha: In the present time, the ideas in “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self” do not find much mention. What, according to you, could be the possible reason for that?
Yatin Samant: There are two aspects of response to your question : Application, Awareness
APPLICATION:
Most of what I have written is happening around us – it is just that I have attempted to find a new meaning & working ethos in it.
My most favourite concept of ‘ Mother to child’ is an universal model – it is that fruit we have been seeing for many lifetimes – I have just taken juice out of it & presented
Value Creation … I have just explained the essence in the form of mathematical equation
Trader v/s Businessman outlook … this is how different people operate. I have captured the essence to make it more advertent & people more conscious in their choice
Wholesome working – Body with Soul … awakening people to realiaty of what they are doing
Some are thought provoking ‘ pricking’ I have done to create new realisations or presented a different way of looking at the routine to pick learning & change course of behaviour for better, Like
Separate Person from Issue
Who is your toughest competition
Change of Origin …
Your Strength can become your Limitation
And there are some new concepts, which are yet to be put into application like :
You are the Sun of your Solar System
Win-within-Win….
…..Select by Constitution
AWARENESS
There are two sub types here – Dormant Volcano … those who are inadvertently practicing without realising or conscious cognisance &, Dead Volcano.. those who are completely ignorant of the thought process I am propagating. e.g.
I have outlined 2 learning pathways : Outside -In (conventional feeder route) & Inside -Out (Adult way of digestive route) … most not being conscious of this, remain on the Outside-In pathway
For a person to succeed requires 4 components: Knowledge, Domain skills, Soft skills & Mind Orientation … Much of the world is aware of only the first 3 components & keep working on them. In reality the 4th one Mind Orientation is the Driver of the other 3. That not being in active congnisance, most organisations focus on Training & not on developing through Inner Invoking. It is the Mind orientation which is linked to Inside-Out learning pathway
Akhila Saroha: If you were to describe your book “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self” in a few words without giving any spoilers, what would those words be?
Yatin Samant: Essence of the book is as below
Most of us remain underleveraged, by not using our full potential.
What stops us is not talent but perspective deficit — shortfall on how we Think
Source of Power is in our Mind. How we think decides what we do & achieve.
For transformational output, we need to first transform our mind – the way we think
Each of 54 articles presents fresh Perspectives, new Realisations to makes a reader think differently
Book empowers by invoking (i) Higher clarity (ii) Deeper insights & (iii) Alternative perspectives
What / How you think decides what you do & achieve. This book is aimed at shaking many (who are in slumber) to think differently & hence take charge of their life
Those who do not want their future to be an extrapolation of their past – MUST read this book.
Akhila Saroha: What advice would you give to budding writers who may be planning to write in the same genre as “Invoke Inner Wisdom- Empower Self”?
Yatin Samant: Most precious thing to protect in life is (your) Sanity – the thing which is under constant attack in today’s world full of noise & narratives with agenda
Always be your true self. What holds you in good stead is not how Right/Wrong you are; but how true your thoughts & actions are to your convictions
Be Genuine. Be true to your thoughts & feelings. Be what you are – pretending what you are not, can not sustain nor it is credible. Know your boundaries & then expand to fill up the space. It is better to be True than Beautiful- Sincere than Correct & Authentic than Perfect
Hence always develop & nurture your own independent thinking – refuse to be carrier/ postman of someone else’s thoughts
Let your writing be guided by your own experiences, reflections & evolution, to have the flavour of Authenticity. What comes from the heart – always ‘reaches’
To write ‘ from within’ as against doing an external ‘cut-paste’; you need to ensure that your inner source is always full & enriched – you therefore need to keep adding to your reservoir via, observing, reflecting, thinking, ascertaining.
Don’t just be a ‘carrier’ or postman in life – add value to what comes to you, prior ‘forwarding’. Process whatever comes your way via external inputs, take juice – try & make your own sense of everything. As an adult, focus largely on Inside-Out learning (through mechanisms of Reflection, Introspection, Self dialogue, Meditation) for your self development. Remember it is Application, not Acquisition which takes you far in life.
Akhila Saroha: Thank you very much for sparing your time. I look forward to reading more books from you in the future. All the best.
Yatin Samant: Thank you. Some of your questions were thought provoking. Wish you all well. My next 2 books, should hopefully see light of the day in 2024.