Why this name?
Many people over the years have asked me why the name ‘Tame the Monkey’. Some connect it to the evolutionary theory and see monkeys as our predecessors. Some are able to relate to ‘monkey mind’, which is difficult to tame. Monkey is the most difficult animal to tame, and yet, once monkeys pick up a behavior, it is very difficult to break the repetition of that pattern. One of the philosophers from India, Aadi Shankaracharya, had written in Sanskrit language that our mind is like a monkey. It is very restless and finds it difficult to settle and focus. It also repeats behavior pattern and resists change. However, the difficulty in taming this monkey mind comes as it is not only like a monkey, but also like a drunken monkey beaten by a Scorpio. Now if a normal monkey is restless, how restless, destructive, mindless and aimless will a drunken monkey be?

We find it amusing to picture one like that; however, if we dare to go deeper and look at our own individual and collective behavior, have we as human race not been like that? Any excellence that we strive to achieve; monkey mind is our biggest hurdle and once tamed our greatest asset. The tamed mind is easier to transcend, reach beyond mind and have direct perception- devoid of memories, beliefs and colored filters. Truth reveals itself in perception. Hence, this monkey within us has to be tamed, in order to go beyond and live a purposeful life. The purpose comes from inner compass, deepest dreams and untapped potential. As Paulo Coelho writes in one of his works ‘Aleph’, “Dreamers Can Never be Tamed.”  To unleash the dreamer, however, taming the monkey mind becomes a first step.
 

Journey so far…Wisdom revealed by Life
‘Tame the Monkey’ was launched in 2001. From one perspective, it has been a long journey in time: 2001 to 2012. Like any other journey, it has its own milestones, its resting points, and pleasures and pains. People who traveled with me, or helped me move on, have been more like partners in journey, co-creators of paths less traveled rather than a client list.

However, from another perspective, it is an unfolding of inner Being, withdrawal from Doing, and a journey of Centering. As I met people across organizations in different businesses, heard their challenges, participated in generating options and looking at solutions, the Purpose of my Being started unfolding. Heart’s Compass showed the direction and Consciousness became the driver. I started my journey on this path as Human Re-sources Professional, and never liked people being called resources. To me this term reflected the myopic consumerist attitude that has been cultivated since Industrial Era. We have lost our connectedness with Nature, Heart and being Human in this time from Industrial to Information Era. Sharing the Wisdom that evolved, as my work with organizations created opportunities for deeper thinking has become part of the learning philosophy of Tame The monkey. Refer to ‘How’ section.