Giving ourselves fully…

Do you know what’s the most significant form of respect you can ever receive in life? …. When someone comes up to you for help… or just to share something…… This means they consider you capable enough to help them…
In some way… destiny has sent them to YOU for help….

Do you know how you can give yourself fully to them?…. By LISTENING to them with your FULL attention…. By LOOKING at them straight into their eyes during a conversation… By talking to them… until THEY want to talk to you…. By helping them… in the best possible way you can…

You are not just giving them your attention… but your VISION, your HEARING, your WORDS… You are giving them a part of your life…. Some precious time from your life…

You are giving them a part of YOURSELF…. which is yours….

When you learn to give in this way everyday… then you actually stop SEEKING….

You heart is not then ASKING for attention but just GIVING it away….

The more you give… the less you seek…. and the less you need in life…!

Wouldn’t it be a RICH feeling if the whole world was kept in front of you on a platter and you felt… “You don’t need anything… because you actually HAVE everything”….

When you look at someone straight into their eyes…. they feel acknowledged…. they feel valued…

When you talk to someone until they need to speak to you… you give them assurance that you are there for them…. you show patience… and acceptance…

Isn’t acceptance what many of us are looking for? Aren’t these social networking sites…. giving assurance, acceptance and appreciation in the form of likes….

Why do people feel so happy when they see their post being liked or re posted? Because… the real joy is felt with everyone… and not alone…

The real joy is felt is GIVING… not RECEIVING….

Try this experiment… Next time when someone comes up to you…. Look at them straight into the EYES… TALK to them…. “LISTEN” to them with COMPLETE attention and then try to DO what ever best you can for them….

You will notice that your mind and body will STOP seeking… STOP searching…. STOP waiting…. and just start GIVING…. TO EVERYONE….

And when you start GIVING like this each moment of your life… You won’t feel scared when you have to give your entire self away…. When it’s time to go… You will feel like giving yourselves…. just the way you have given your entire life!

You can’t give someone your EYES… but you can give them your attention…
You can’t give someone your EARS… but you can LISTEN to them with open minds..
You can’t give someone your BODY… but sometimes… a simple hug is all that people need…
You can’t give someone your ENTIRE SELF… but sometimes your presence is all that matters…

May Lord give us all the strength to share… to give…. ourselves fully… Whenever someone needs us…

Maybe Lord has chosen us in some insignificant but special way…. to make a small difference in people’s lives…. Let’s make that difference….

 

 

Outdated Education Systems

Today, I am thinking of all the education I received in my life and how much of it was truly “education”…. How much of it really helped me become a better person… a better human being…

It wasn’t all the history lessons in school…. neither were the chemistry formulas or equations… Neither was it the computer science lessons…..

My real education came from many of the failures I encountered in my life…. some of the learning also came from failed relationships and friendships….

The real education came when I realized that all relationships are superficial to some extent and the real true relationship is what you have with your own self!

I also learned when I saw beggars in New York and super duper rich people in many other parts of the world….

I learned through giving…. when I started donating some of my earnings towards a worthy cause… like children education etc.

I learned a whole lot from my daughter who is much younger than me…. I learned to be patient… to support…. I learned to be a parent…

I read a lot about God…. faith…. religion…. and learned that change is the only permanent thing in life! In times of crisis…. like a pandemic…. it’s not religion that will save you but rather science and medicine….

I also believe that prayers do make you stronger…. by generating faith in your mind.

The REAL REAL education came…. from health issues…. when I realized that we are NOTHING… ABSOLUTELY NOTHING…. without health….

I realized that the value of life is not learned by competing with one another but by living on your own terms…. and accepting the challenges that life has to offer….

I cherished the value of nature…. of Mother Earth…. of trees…plants….seeds…. greenery…

I learned that love need not be between two people who are married and just staying together…. but it can be between friends…. between a mother and a child…. between any two people….

I realized the value of food and that we should cherish every grain of food that we receive in our plate….

I also learned that money can give only a certain amount of happiness…. and there is absolutely NO USE in comparing one person’s financial status with another….

Kindness is very very important in life…

And while writing all this I feel our education systems need massive changes….

They need to emphasize the value of health…. and life… and time… and so many other valuable things…

Life is not just having a career…. it’s about living a LIFE…. It’s about being ready to face the ups and downs… Whether in career or in Life…

Let’s all try to teach our kids to LIVE… instead of to SUCCEED or to COMPETE!!

Let’s teach them to ENJOY LIFE….

Let’s teach them to CHERISH LIFE…

These are my 2 cents! 🙂

Mind, Body, Heart and Pain….

It’s amazing how our mind, body and heart pull us in different directions….

Our heart feels the pain but our mind asks us to move on…. Our body feels the pain but the mind says, I don’t feel anything….

When I go for my physiotherapy sessions , I notice how different people are suffering from various pains. Some aren’t able to move their arm all the way, some can’t move their neck…but that’s not the main point…… The main point is that when the instructor asks them “Do you feel a pain at this point, this looks sore.” They say, “No, I don’t feel anything!”….

As we all neglect our bodies and don’t take care of our health, pain becomes an integral part of our life. It becomes difficult to disconnect the body from the pain. You know it’s there yet you don’t feel how much, how often and how to deal with it?

There is a hindi saying, “Pehle kaya, phir saya, phir maya”…which means ..”First body, second partner/family, third wealth.”….however only a small percentage of people follow this priority order.

The synchronization between mind, body and heart is so difficult to establish that our entire life can be spent in trying to achieve it.

I think there should be courses that teach people how  to maintain your internal thought balance, when your heart and mind pull you in different directions.

Meditation is probably a key to achieving this….

Can’t write more right now…. Stuff to do 🙂 …Will write more later!

Trust

Something beautiful I read….
“Trust is the core foundation of any relationship…. You can not make a building and mark the 3rd floor as trust. It is the core base, the root and basic foundation on which other floors are built. When you trust someone, you believe that they mean every word they say. You do not think that, “Oh, I’m sure he/she’s saying it but he/she means something else. You don’t need to judge someone to trust them. You have that ability from the first day you meet and it gets strengthened by trusting your own self.”

 

Rise above Stress.

Stress drains you out…. It takes away all your positive energy and enthusiasm.
It makes you feel you are not loved….that no one is with you and you are left all by yourself to handle life’s struggles.

Stress makes you vulnerable.

Do you realize when you are stressed? What do you do to come out of it? Can you recognize your emotions, your body behavior when you are stressed? Do you just give into it?

When you recognize that you are stressed… keep away from other people ….because it is quite possible that you will let out your negative energy in the form of anger, anxiety or complaints.

Handle your stress – accept it. Think how can things be made better and ….if you are unable to think – just try to make yourself feel better. Don’t think too much.

Do something you like – all by yourself. Manage your energy levels. Refill yourself with love. Recharge your energies.

You give out what you have within. If you have stress, you give out stress. If you have love, you give out love.

Rise above stress. Rise above your weaknesses. Don’t let stress make you feel weak. Don’t let it overpower you.

You have the power to change your emotions, without complaints, without any disagreements. It comes with practice, like everything else in life.

Maintain one hobby that reduces your stress. Pursue it when ever you feel you are not giving out ‘happy energies’. It will refill you with love and those vibes will be reflected outside.

You are what you feel within. Rise above stress.

Good morning!

Everyday when I get up in the morning, I feel the need to do something different, something unusual, something that makes a difference.

I feel inspired, motivated and am raring to go. So, while the rest of the world sleeps, my mind starts weaving stories about my plans for the day and for the coming days.

There’s so much to learn in this world — with absolutely no limit to the wide variety of things we could learn!

For instance, why does a certain bird have specific type of feathers, how do flowers get their beautiful colors, how do children interpret and learn new things, how many species thrive in various lakes, rivers and oceans, how many languages are there in this world….By the way, I am not a biologist….
I am a computer engineer. But, does that limit me only to my own sphere of learning? I don’t think so.

This world can be made so much better with constructive thoughts and ideas — All it takes is the will and  desire to do something new each day!

I don’t criticize the people who lack this enthusiasm because maybe they have something special to offer to this world as well – just by being the way they are.

It’s a personal choice – a seeking for happiness, contentment and fulfillment.

Learning enriches my soul and empowers me to think better.

What makes me content is getting up early in the morning, penning down my thoughts and letting my creative energies flow….

The world needs more positive and creative energy….it needs more power, more agility, diversity, curiosity, humanity, dignity and anything great that ‘you’ can offer!

We all need more learning, seeking, sharing, inspiring, believing and perceiving.

What are you offering to this world today?

Good morning!

Do you manage time or does time manage you?

I read a beautiful quote recently – “If you don’t take control of time, time will start taking control of you”.

The importance of this quote can not be elaborated in words, but it’s something that can be experienced by everyone.

For a long time, I was trying to manage my time well. It’s something I had been wanting to do.
I wanted to have time for my family, my work, my hobbies, my goals and my learning. I used many apps available on the latest gadgets (phone, laptop etc etc) but nothing was working too well.

I then googled an article one day, “how do CEOs manage their time!?” . Ofcourse, the main answer that popped up was, ‘They all have PAs (Personal Assistants)’ but I also learned about this new Android app – Wunderlist in one of the articles. I must tell you it’s a pretty cool app.

It lets you create to do lists, set reminders, due dates, sort the tasks and a lot more. 

As we grow, our to do lists also start growing and getting bigger. However, our minds process information in the same way – logically. Our brains were not created to store vast amounts of information, but to process information in real time.

Hence, the fact that we have 100 tasks on our list should not intimidate us. We have to do just one task at a time and be done with it. The important question is : “Which task should be done when?”

A lot of people do not like deadlines. They prefer working as per their own schedules. I am also not a big fan of strict deadlines, but I do like to set personal deadlines by giving me enough time to analyze and learn. And recently, with my time management app, I think I’ve gotten better at it.

I now like the feeling of checking off tasks from my to do list and what encouraged me to do so, was the reminders feature on my phone app. We tend to ignore or forget some minor tasks in life, but they keep popping every few weeks or in a few months. Setting reminders helped me not ignore those tasks and check them off sooner.

Life is beautiful and offers so much to learn. We can miss out on a lot of things, if we don’t manage our time well.

Analyze what works best for you – what makes you check off tasks from your To do list. These are personal preferences and choices. The main learning here is that we manage time and do not let time manage us.

And in between all this, don’t forget to enjoy!

Do It….

It’s not about doing something once….
It’s about doing something consistently…
Even when no one believes in you…
Even if people make fun of you….
Even if you are hurt, shaken or lost…
Even if you don’t know where to go….
It’s just about moving on…..and on….

Determination is a hard thing….
But a much needed thing….
Without it…you are not what you are…
Because what you were yesterday….you may or may not be today….
It’s about being “who you are” over and over again…
Then people will recognize you…
Identify you…
Respect who you are.

Be consistent. Be determined. Be You.

Let the fire stay alive.

For Once……

For Once, I want to live for myself….
For Once, I don’t want to answer anyone….
For Once, don’t expect anything from me….
For Once, let me… bask in the sun…
For Once, I don’t want any deadlines…
For Once, let me be …just on my own…
For Once, don’t give me any new tasks…
For Once, let me be… all… alone…
For Once, I want to ‘do what I want’….
For Once, I want to take control…
I want to just set myself free…
I want ‘to be’, what ‘I think’ is my goal…
I don’t want money, I don’t want fame…
But all I need is, some freedom to choose…
For once, I want to believe ‘all’ that can be…
For once, let me imagine, there is nothing to lose…..!

Just For once.

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.