Tick tock….tick tock..!

When I got up early this morning, I immediately opened a social networking site and then suddenly wondered, “Is this something I really want to start my day with??” and the answer was ….”Nah!”. I turned on some nice music, went to the balcony, looked at the morning sky and felt much better!! I was away from my computer for a while!

I also thought that, some of the social networking sites give us the illusion, “Oh Great!! I have so many friends…” but it’s not true….
How many of those would actually help you in times of need?? Some of them are just acquaintances or ‘friends of friends of friends!” ….whom you met one day…Wow!!

In life, we sometimes look back and wonder, “Oh! I wish I had not wasted my time on that task!!” OR “I wish I had invested more time in my studies/hobbies/something else…”. It’s true that one should live in the present moment, but it’s not bad to look back and learn from our mistakes.

Later, I went for a drive with my husband, I did not browse anything on my phone. (although usually I do). I was consistently telling myself, that I need to look at the surroundings, enjoy the drive and forget about the ‘rest of the world’ for a while.

Although it may seem, that we are investing only 5-10 minutes a day doing “useless” things but if we sum it all up for a month, a year or a lifetime, it  can form a big fraction of our –  “time that could be used elsewhere!”

When we start giving value to the ‘things’ and ‘people’ that matter, we get that value in return.

But, if we seem interested in every minute thing…and every real life story… that is happening around us, without a clear focus, we are bound to get lost in everything!

And , in today’s world, it’s so easy to get lost on the web!

In my childhood, social networking sites were not that common. In fact, cellphones became popular (a nuisance) fairly recently.

Don’t take me wrong, I am not against emerging technologies but the more important thing is “How do we use the new technologies?”

I use my phone for calling and texting and also for making “to do lists”. I have neither installed too many apps, nor too many games. I know people do and it’s fine as long as they use each one of them.

Think about the amount of data that is available on the web. How much of it is actually useful to us, as individuals, per our personal preferences and interests?

We could spend our entire life browsing through things that will not impact our life even one bit.

Can we not contribute good data and good techniques to this world, using our skill set?

Can we focus on the things that really matter to us?

Or, are these distractions so strong that they can weaken our attention spans with each passing day?!?

The moments which are gone, are gone forever!

Now, is the time to plan wisely.

The clock keeps ticking. It does not get distracted by anything, no matter what! It keeps moving on, doing its job and helping everyone else stay focused as well…..it fulfills its purpose. That’s what we need to do. Fulfill our purpose, stay focused and help everyone else stay focused.

Create Magic….! :)

How tough is it for you to move towards your goal? (Little tough or very tough)

Everyone needs to climb one step at a time on the ladder of success. That one little step can make a difference and bring you closer to where you want to be. 

Every big achievement is made up of many small achievements over a period of time.

Now, let’s look at the reasons why we are unable to move further even a single step.

1) Distractions – There are too many distractions in the world. Our minds need focus.
I read that, Einstein was not good at swimming. Did that have any minutest effect on his fame? No. He was good at science at math and that’s where he excelled. That’s where he focused. (instead of swimming)
We need to excel at what we are good at, rather than trying anything and everything that comes our way.

3) Planning Your Time – I can summarize this with one scenario. Looking at a single post on social networks, which will not make even a bit of a difference to your life, is equal to losing a few precious minutes of your life. (which you can never regain back). Observe where your time goes.

3) Discouragement – You will meet numerous people in life, who will either make fun of your dreams or say that it’s too big to achieve. People view the world, the way they view themselves. If they cannot see you achieving your dream, it’s a possibility that, they have difficulty seeing themselves achieving their dreams. The point is to not get discouraged.

4) Act – It’s important to act. Thinking is a prerequisite – but taking action is the real test. You can build as many castles as you want in the air. They will only be for you to visit. Instead, try building a castle that tourists will visit, even after you die.

5) Value your dream – If you do not value your dream, no one else will. Cherish it, track its progress, see how far you’ve come, reward yourself and keep going.

6) Do not obsess – Over a period of time, I’ve realized that obsessing about your dream does not work. Setting a time limit for your dream does not work either. Dreams are delicate. Pushing the dreams with that obsession in your mind, will only make them brittle. Do not turn dreams into obsessions by putting if-else clauses in them. If I achieve the dream, I will do this, else I will do that. – Nope, that aint working!
A dream should last a lifetime and even afterwards. If you dream to be a painter, you need to keep working on your paintings all your life. You can not paint for 5 years and say, I’m done. Plan to pursue it for life, in order to be successful.

7) Appreciate others’ dreams – Learn to appreciate others’ dreams, even if they are not serious about their own dreams. (even if they don’t realize their dreams). Once you start encouraging others to work on their dreams, you will in turn be encouraged to work on yours.

8) Find Connections – No one will do this work for you. You have to do it yourself. Take initiative. Connect with experts. Read success stories. Create your path.

9) Your way is your way – And it does not have to be like how, someone else approaches things. Do not try to imitate others or their dreams. Find that special thing in “you”.

10) Believe – Believe that magical things happen….. Did you know that the guy who created the Mickey Mouse Disney character, was initially a farmer? 🙂 It amazes me when I read such stories! A farmer created a dreamland for millions of people! Wow!!

Do not waste days. Do not waste life. This world still needs many more artists, painters, singers, musicians, animators, sports players, authors, poets, scientists and so on…..!!

The world needs you! 🙂

Life gets busy….People get busier….!

It’s amazing how life keeps getting busier day by day. We no longer have time to pursue our hobbies, meet our friends, bask in the sun, listen to the twittering of the birds, watch the sunset, feel the breeze….or just relax…!

Who’s responsible for making our life busier? Why can’t we take out time like we used to? Where are those days gone? Are we overburdened with responsibilities and to do lists?

Right since the time, a child is born, he gets busy doing something or the other.

As per the Bhagavad Gita, (a hindu scripture), there is not even one moment when a living being can stay idle – even breathing is a form of work.~~ ‘Being’ is work.

I watch ~ as life gets busy and people get busier. I play some relaxing music on the internet – nature’s sounds – because I don’t have time to hear the real sounds. I am too busy for that.

I think about what I am missing, how can I get it back, but it’s too far in the clouds – the moments with my family when I was a child, the fun and laughter of childhood, going to school – attendance register, lunch breaks, classrooms, college….it’s all gone! ~ Forever….

Even now, friends keep coming and going in my life. Thankfully, I have a life partner who shares the joys and sorrows with me.

Social life is not very social these days. I hear about happy hours a lot.~ I don’t drink, so I don’t really know how happy those hours are!?! 🙂 I once went out with some friends. who asked me why I don’t drink ~ I said, “I am always high on life anyway, so I don’t need drinks” 😉

I realize ~ I am being forced to become more and more practical with everyday realities of life. I can not entertain guests all the time. I can not find time for friends because I have my own chores to take care of. I am busy.

I don’t want to get so busy and the only way I can feel less busy is~  if I do what I love. So…. “I write”. ~ It makes me talk through my thoughts and I feel relaxed. I feel I have met a friend, to whom I narrated my story. A virtual friend.

When you feel really really busy, with no time to meet anyone at all, “do what you love”. It will make you feel good. It will make you feel alive. (for some brief moments at least)

Try to feel blessed. (amidst the confusions, office work, politics, social responsibilities, family chores, work pressures and everything else…..)

Feel alive by doing what you love. Life will always get busier. Get busy doing what makes you feel ALIVE.