An end that lead to a new beginning

Many a times heard this from so many people “All well that ends well” Oh really!!! Wherever we are today one thought that just don’t leave is when is this going to end and how is it going to end? At times the whole whirlpool cycle is scary and doesn’t leave me any good. There are many sleepless nights and gloomy days that have been my pals for moments together. Have struggled myself out of the cycle but every now and then it just sucks me in.

This question kept me awake and restless. I decided to myself lets make a deal of making self resilient (huge jargon!!) Easy said than done!!!!

Started with small baby steps to get life in running gear (as if it was stopped!! – not like that) however the whole outside situation got me into a knee jerk reaction and i stopped thiking (aarrgghhh – is it really possible???) Nope- it was the downward spiral that started in the head and then started impacting everything that I did.

How did I came to terms with these testing times, staying at home, work less and clueless of how life will turn out to be!!!

I took each step cautiously. I came to understand that everything starts deep within the mental process and the mind since that is where all the games are played. Fake it till you’re made of it Or perhaps I should say that you keep telling yourself what has to be done until your mind finally gives up and starts instructing you how to be cheerful, chirpy, and normal. This motivated me to get up off my lazy back and start taking walks, albeit brief ones at first on the busy roads. The insights were humorous, and I received a few greetings and smiles in return. This excited me to take few more and few more.

When the mind became lively, it began to think positively and provided a perspective that allowed one to welcome whatever was present at the time with open arms. Acceptance boosted talks more and reconnected neural pathways for more effective relationships.

I am currently traveling in that direction. Let me break out of my rut and start relating to others with genuine enthusiasm and curiosity.

Walk the Path

“niyatam kuru karma tvam
karma jyayo hy akarmanah
sarira-yatrapi ca te
na prasiddhyed akarmanah”

Perform your prescribed duty, for action is better than inaction. A man cannot even maintain his physical body without work.

We all our bound by a purpose and that’s our prakriti, if we try to renounce the purpose we will not attain the ultimate salvation.

What is the ultimate realization for any of us? Being in service and making life a better place to be is the goal of every being on this earth.

However what do we do when faced with uncertainties and failure, we leave our karyakshetra and get into inaction. The balances tilt from cursing the fate to resigning to do the same action over and over again. In both the way there is an inaction, Inaction in thoughts (Mansa) would lead to inaction in speech (Vacha) and actions (Kaya). The three when not in action is a dead being. We cannot be inaction for a single moment, even our physical body involuntary of us in action. When our prakriti itself is to be in action can’t we be in a conscious awareness of our actions all three of them.

Goals gives us the way to lead the path and get our movement right, however if goals are not aligned to our purpose in life we are led by it and not in a leading position.

Leading happens when I take the responsibilities of not just the results but my actions too.

 The world follows every great soul who took the responsibilities of his own actions and if the actions are not aligned to the purpose then the benchmarks are disgraceful. For you to be a leader there is no necessity of believers behind you. What’s important is your own belief in your action and the alignment to the purpose.

Do you believe in yourself is the question, this belief then propels you to act.

Failures and falls are the element of boulevard that you have chosen to walk on, walk you must that’s the prakriti and one who walks selflessly attains the ultimate destination.

So come what may you must walk the path because inaction is unnatural and without it even the physical body cannot sustain.

Lets Drop It……. Contd

I hope you still remember the question that i asked “what will happen if i drop the egg?” The obvious answer is it will break into pieces.

Yes it will break into pieces and then there will nothing left to work on, i disagree to this. In life at times there are so many issues or obstacles that we keep on carrying all the time like the egg in hand and then we don’t want to let go as it might mean letting go ourselves. At times dropping them or just letting them go creates a lot of space and this space can then be use to build an all together different possibility that was not available to us while we were carrying the egg 😦

Dropping that heated argument with the loved one can free us form the pain and guilt. Dropping that sucking job can free us to get our entrepreneurial insights. Or simply drop the EGO and see what possibilities one can have after it.

Breaking is not advised in a positive term however this breaking is definitely help us in building up whole new environment with umpteen possibilities.

So it would be really great if you move ahead and just drop it!!!

Believe me its really relieving and liberating and the sense of freedom is awesome. You will simply love the feeling of lightness and boundlessness that will fill you once you drop it what you’ve been holding quiet a long.

Go release yourself, you have full right to be free and happy!!! 🙂

Just Drop it!!

What happens if I drop an egg on the floor? I know its a silly question and the answer is simple it will break into pieces. It will drop into something that cannot be rebuilt again as same egg, however will it still hold the possibility of been build into something else?
I am tossing this question to everyone, please comment, suggest or criticize it, I am doing the same I am toying with this question too….. Lets check out whether we can really build up something out of completely broken thing???

 

With all the speed – Where are you going to finish???

For last one, one and half hour I am sitting beside a person who is handling the operations for a huge company (“so-called” multi-located). This observation got me into a thought process; with all the speed – where are you going to finish??

Yes in life we all are running a race, the finish line may be a little different but the final trophy (we think it to be a trophy is the illusion that we are living into) is same; better life, bigger home, fatter bank balance, lavish holidays and probably fantastic relations. This speed gives me a notion that i am working harder, faster, efficient and productive and this whole process or working at a lightening speed is going to take me to the end line where the life is better, bigger and beautiful. Oh! so much i love this race and bigger the trophy faster the race and speedier the fatigue. Yes each one of us who are there inside the speed machine is craving to break free and we all are having this hallucination that life will be beautiful when we reach there.

That’s exactly what is happening for me life is happening at some particular moment which will arrive or I’ve to work for it to arrive; it hasn’t arrived yet.

For many of us life is happening somewhere out there in the the other world or or other time. We are all for ears abut future, for us Life will be beautiful when we reach somewhere, get something, achieve something, this or that, when and then and somewhere there. In the whole process we forgot to be here right now. Life is happening out here and we should be here not somewhere in the future. The fun, the high, the excitement is all here happening right with us in this moment but we are missing the train by being somewhere there, Stop being there and start working here.

Life is NOWHERE!! Can be interpreted in 2 ways

Life is NO WHERE!! OR Life is NOW HERE!!! which way to go is all up to you after all its your free will and free choice.

ENJOY BEING HERE OR THERE ITS YOUR CHOICE!!

De-Fog!!

The other day I had the opportunity to sit through one of the lectures that talk about creative writing. Honestly initially I was hesitant to sit through as writing has been a natural expression to me all these years and yes I have been writing a lot. What actually clicked in that session was the perspective that confusion is good to life. This very statement sent me into a thinking process and here I am pouring my thoughts. Actually yes confusion can really be good to life; all it depends is how you deal with it. Many a times we are bogged down by all the chaos that surrounds us. Looking from different perspective confusion can give lot of opportunities to explore the parent thought and come to a clear decision of whether to go ahead with that parent thought. Confusion does not necessarily mean noise but if not handled correctly can completely topple the scenarios.

Start de-fogging in your thought proce

ss. How to do that? A very simple step would be writing down the parent thought and all the apprehensions that are surrounded to it. This will make you aware of the fears, phobias and apprehensions that are either evident or implicit. Once you are done with this strike out all that are cropping up from a negative belief, experience or learning. These will not take you anywhere, whatever has happened in past is done just accept it the way it; don’t even try to forget or amend – it will suck a lot of energy. Then try and focus on the apparent apprehensions or fears that can be resolved by talking to someone or taking guidance of an experienced person – this can be anyone your mom, dad, teacher, friend, senior, superior, etc… Based on the conversation now write down how do you feel about the discussed apprehension and prepare a action plan to pacify yourself; in a way try to imagine the feelings if the apprehensions are sorted out. Once the sorting is done go ahead with the most suitable or apt choice that you feel will help you achieve the goal.

So go ahead and de-fog yourself for a better clarity and a great vision.  

Discipline

Happy and Prosperous New Year!

First of apologies for being absent from here for a quite a long time.

Why discipline and that too at the very start of the year. Well all of you must have written great resolutions on all possible fancy diaries and then WHAT NEXT!! Have you started implementing it. Well this very experience of mine inspired me to write about it today. I am no different from the world so I too have a great resolution for this year. This year I am going to LIVE!!! Phew!!!!!!!! Quiet a challenging one because in day in day out we are lead by to-do list and not by the goals. The real conflict comes when to-do list is not aligned with the goals.Let me make it simple for you, what is a goal – dream with a deadline! Now if you have a deadline then you need to take action on it. Taking action calls for doing and doing is discipline.

This word is very small but has a lot of connotation to it. A little deeper thought and you’ll realize that discipline is not just about meeting deadlines. Discipline is about being aware of what it takes for it to get done. When every action of yours is in line with your goal you are disciplined. It is not just restricted to your action but extends to your words too. I will do it is a commitment given not to others but to yourself even if it is not spelled out loud it will be there in your space. Why only words, your thoughts are the first step of action and are you disciplined enough that your thoughts are in-line with your vision of tomorrow. There is an Italian proverb that Between saying and doing, many a pair of shoes is worn out. Discipline is that small act that you would do every second, every inch of it, in fact discipline should be way of life and not a way in life. Success comes to only those who desire but as said by Frank Herbert – “Seek freedom and become captive of your desires, seek discipline and find your liberty” Discipline liberates you from unwanted thoughts and actions and always focuses you on your goals. Ultimately goals achieved is success attained.

So Happy Resolving successful year ahead!

“CIAO”

Take a break – Get a Nap

In the crazy process of achieving goals many a times one thing is ignored and that is a Break.  Every machine requires a overhauling and this is important for the well – running of the machine. We human are the most wonderful machine created by the creator (apologies for addressing as machine).

Have you ever wondered how bad you treat yourself and with least or no respect for the beautiful creation that is you. With continuous and rigorous working style you forget to overhaul the body. Now many of you would be saying we do take rest. Well just one question do you really take rest or just sink in the sack because the official working hours are over. This takes a toll on health and it is reflecting with rise of lifestyle disorders at a very early age. The very recent example of Ranjan Das CEo & MD of SAP passing at the age of 42 yrs. Though Das was fitness freak and was hard-working, he believed that he needed only four hours of sleep a day to keep him fit and fresh. Well that is absolutely disagreeing and denying the need of overhaul. The kind of stress that surmounted due to lack of sleep resulted in a fatal heart attack.

Take it easy guys; stress can create havoc beyond imagination. Many a times we are oblivious to the fact that we are in stress; check out for the indications:

• Are you heated up, or reacts in an agitated mode more or less on impulse or you cannot sit calmly for a long time.
• Do you feel withdrawn and shut down, or you feel just disconnected?
• Or its both you are disconnected and frozen on the surface but inside you are extremely agitated with the overall circumstances but simply can’t get it out.

Take a minute and look out for your responses in normal incidences where you might have not acted in composed way even though it was not called for to act the other way. Stress is very silent destroyer and we all know that still we act as if it will not happen to us. Take a breather and check out your sleeping patterns, if you are not sleeping well or suffering from shallow sleep or breathing pattern then probable chances are you are not getting restorative sleep that is very much important.

Soothe yourself with thought that life is not going to be fair all the time and its absolutely passable if you don’t get 100% all the time.

One of the ways to work towards a deep sleep could be meditating for 10-15 minutes in a day. Meditation helps to focus on building your inner-self and one of the easiest ways to rejuvenate yourself and gain the peace.

When you meditate just before sleeping you forego all the god-bad, positive-negative, easy-stressful thoughts, you learn to let-go the occurrences and experiences and this liberates you from the guilt and the pressure of performance. Meditation helps you to accept the outcome as well helps you to rebuild your mind. It connects you with your inner-self and gives the peace that is so very required for a deep sleep.

For that enduring mind –

All of us are very much concerned with physical endurance and spend time efforts and money on building it but when it comes to mental strength it needs little different kind of treatment all together. One should throw out or simply avoid having great days ahead.

Let’s see what should not go in to have a great enduring mind, avoid these and build on your mental endurance.

1. Stop feeling sorry: Wasting time on feeling sorry about how people, circumstances and situations treated you. Life is all about moving on so start taking up responsibility for your actions and outcomes. Accept the fact that life not going to be fair all the time. Simply get up and get ready for the “Next”!
2. Stop being powerless: The moment you accept the derogative feedback from people you have given them the permission to drain your energy. No one can make you feel inferior or bad without your permission, understand that you are in control of your actions and emotions and respond the way you want.
3. Stop running & start confronting: The biggest limitation is not in the outside world but in your fears; fear of failure, fear of embarrassment, fear of unknown. The best way to overcome your fear is to come in glare and confront. The moment you stop running and look through it the fear dissolves and gives the power.
4.  Stop wasting: Stop wasting your energy by not cribbing about bad traffic, bad weather, terrible system and all those things that are not in your control. Remember you can influence people and not control them so stop wasting your energy on trying to manipulate as per your way. One thing that is in your control in a bad situation is your own response and attitude towards it.
5. Stop dwelling in past: The glory of old days or the misery of history is all by-gone. Instead utilize your energy in building present and future.
6. Don’t give up after a dismal outcome: The grit and the consistency is what make normal being a true champion. Every failure is a chance to improve. Success is not about having it all but being better that what it was yesterday. Enduring people are willing to fail again and again if necessary, as long as the learning experience from every “failure” can bring them closer to their ultimate goals.
7. Stop repeating same mistake: If you are not learning from your past and altering your behavior and actions then the outcomes would not change for any umpteen numbers of attempts. Stop repeating over again and again and expecting a different result altogether.
8. Welcome change with a smile: Only one thing inevitable is change and change is life. Accept the fact and start working towards your adaptability to change. The faster you adapt the better for you as it saves lot of stress that arise due to the resistance you put to change.
9. Be with yourself: Spend good amount of time with yourself and thoughts. Use your downtime in to reflect, to plan, and to be productive. Most importantly, create a space where you can be happy all by yourself and not depend on people for your mood and happiness.
10. Give a breather for plans to cook up: Plans will take some time to give the desired recipe, a healthy lifestyle plan, starting up a venture will give its result but the big question is are you in it for a long haul? Instead of expecting an immediate result channelize your energies in measured doses and time and celebrate

Enduring people have “being power” and accept the fact that genuine changes take time. Do you have mental endurance? I am going to reinforce each of them a little more today what about you?

Time Management – Keep it simple sincere!

How many times have you felt that things are not moving the way you planned or expected them to work out? Are you hard-pressed by these feelings?

1. I have to always rush!
2. I have little time to spend with family.
3. I am doing too many things at one time.
4. It’s difficult to set routine for an exercise regime.
5. I have no time for a nice peaceful holiday.
6. My food habits are not healthy.

Well a very classic case of everybody’s day in day out routine. Even I am pressed down with these statements. And the irony is how much planning I do it simply does not work out on a longer term and I am back to the square one.

How to break the cacophony and really get going is what we need to look for. For past few months I have started practicing few simple steps that I am going to share here.

The first stage is KISS – Keep it simple sincere; yes I have stopped thinking of too farther goal. I know you would be saying one should plan for 15 years down the line and it’s always good to know your destination. To which I would say if I am doing sincere work that is aligned with my interest and doing it precisely today, over the years I would reach where I wish to see myself.

This brings to the second step- Keep on doing it; yes persistency and grit of doing the same thing day in day out reduces lot of anxiety that arises due to constant alteration of plans. So I have decided to do one thing at a time.

That means no multitasking when I am on to do list. So the mails and whatsapp get switched off when I am thinking or designing a session. This helps to work with alacrity and gives satisfying outcome. So one thing at a time is key to get through at a faster pace than distracting yourself and still hanging on with sense of incompletion.

The sense of completion gives a rapturous  high and I am with myself. This very experience gives lot of comfort and a peaceful inner-self. The silence inside reflects in the outside world and impulsive reaction reduces. This improves relationships around and I have a real good time will friends and family.

Time management is not about planning and working it out but following simple rules that works for me. Keeping it simple and sincere really made huge difference and this might help you too.

Keep enjoying your work and your life!