Dreams….Focus….Reality

Having a dream is one thing…. Turning the dream into a reality is another thing.
The distance between “a dream” and “a reality” is called focus.

We all get inspired by various things or people at different points in life. However, that fire of inspiration does not stay lit inside our hearts for too long.~ Keeping that fire alive requires patience, determination, perseverance, focus and a ‘never give up’ attitude.

Watching a popular singer on TV and wanting to be like him/her is easy. ~ Practicing singing for many years, each day- each night, through sickness and health, without giving up on it –  is difficult.

So many of us, lack the ‘will and focus’ to achieve our dreams. We tend to compromise, accept, adjust to situations, as long as they are fulfilling our basic needs.

Is it so difficult to keep oneself focused?

Why do we say, some people’s talents are God-gifted? And, even if they are, does that mean god will not give any more presents to anyone else throughout his/her life?!!? Is God running short of gifts/talents?

All the people who have been able to make a mark in this world, did not do it by a fluke. They worked hard for many long years ~ It’s said that “Luck favors those who help themselves”.

Imagine, if everyone in the world had the determination to rise to his full potential, wouldn’t we have many more inventions, discoveries, creations and innovations?

Creating something gives immense satisfaction. It provides a feeling of achievement and fulfillment ~ whether the creation is a piece of art or writing or poetry or technology, a story or even a movie!

The thing that stops us from focusing on something is ‘the fear of failure’. We are scared to fail even before we begin! That’s so true for so many of us!

Whoever can conquer that fear and constantly ‘focus’ on his goals, can turn his dream into a reality.
It may not necessarily bring him a lot of money, fame or success ~ but it will provide the satisfaction that his dream has actually turned into a reality – no matter how big or small.

It will be for real! ~ Forever!

Other people will also then respect that reality and appreciate it. The appreciation may or may not matter at that point, because what will matter will be your very own reality.

Dreams-> Focus -> Reality

Energy!

I had an interesting conversation with someone today – She had the hindu religious book, ‘The Bhagavad Gita’ lying in her office and that’s what started the discussion.

For those, who are not aware of what the ‘Bhagawad Gita’ is – It is an ancient hindu scripture that recites the conversation between Lord Krishna and his disciple, Arjuna in the battlefield of Kurukshetra. The teachings of Bhagavad Gita provide a practical perspective about living life based on ‘Karma’.

She told me, she was confused about which chapter to begin with. I told her my favorite chapters and said that, per my interpretation, Gita teaches us to spread positive energy and minimize the effect of negative energy in the world.

I told her that per my understanding, the entire world is sharing energy in one form or the other. Various creatures in the world, including human beings, exchange energy.

Per the law of conservation, energy can neither be created nor destroyed. It can be changed from one form to the other.

Everyday, some positive energy gets transformed into negative energy and some negative energy gets transformed into positive energy to maintain the balance and equilibrium.

After the conversation, I recalled a lesson from my science book about magnetic fields.

I am sure we all remember that opposite poles attract each other and similar poles repel. I do not remember the exact scientific concept behind it! Philosophically, maybe the negative pole gets attracted to the positive pole because it sees something positive in it! 🙂

Once two magnets are connected through their opposite poles, a bigger magnet with a larger and better magnetic field is formed!

If all human beings were magnets and all their negative poles/energies were attracted towards the positive poles/energies of other magnets, a huge big magnet could be formed!

The problem is that the negative poles move towards other negative poles and get repelled by their own negativity (anger, hatred, ego, fear, confusion, doubts). And hypothetically, positive poles move towards other positive poles and get repelled by jealousy!

It’s important to take the positive from others to shed out the effect of our own negative field/energy, as long as we are alive. There is no point moving towards other negative energies or repelling from more positive energies!

When you feel negative, get attracted towards other positive energies and repel yourself from other negative energies. When you feel positive, stay positive.

Can we all magnetize and energize each other positively? Can everyone give up their egos, hatred, jealousy, anger and other negative energies?

Can we maintain the equilibrium (in our minds atleast) each second, each moment, each day?

Can we?

Testing Times

Life is a roller coaster ride. We all go through ups and downs many times in life! The testing times teach us to remain calm and patient. Those are the times when we reflect back on our mistakes, our weaknesses and take a moment to learn from them.

One should not be scared of testing times because fear will only make the journey more difficult. It’s important to appreciate the change these times bring in you! It’s important to realize that you become a better person, just because of these moments.

I’ve encountered many people who choose easy paths, who are scared to do wrong, scared to make mistakes, scared to innovate! They need an affirmation on every action they take. Half of their life is wasted in the hope that others will affirm their actions.

I have a very good mentor whom I respect a lot. If I ever ask him, “Did I do it right? Was I good enough?” He responds by saying, “You’ve not made enough mistakes. There’s a lot to learn!” 
And, I am inspired to make more mistakes by trying new ways of doing things! 🙂

It is important to encourage yourself and push your limits, so that you become a better individual!

It’s easy to praise other people, it’s even easier to praise yourself. However, it’s very difficult to critique other people positively. It’s even more difficult to critique your own self positively!

We have our own beliefs and convictions and sometimes, it’s difficult for us to convince ourselves that ‘We may be wrong and it’s ok to be wrong!’.

If I look back, I realize that my greatest strengths showed up in my most difficult moments. That’s when you rise high up!

Do not fear failure and do not fear people. Challenge yourself each moment, each day. 

If you’re scared to go to a new place, for once, just go…
If you’re scared to ask a question, for once, just ask…
If you’re scared to face an audience, for once, just face it…

Sometimes we wonder, how many more testing times will we have in life? How many more tests and how many more battles? The truth is, it’s never enough!

Stay calm during the trials of life, be positive, believe in yourself, do not give up…..Find new ways….Explore new places…Experiment with new roles….Keep trying!

Once u find your goal, stick to it wholeheartedly. 

Exude confidence and enthusiasm. Consider yourself smart enough to handle new challenges and humble enough to not boast about them.

Carve your path and do not stop. Just do not stop until your last breath!

Look up to the testing times. They will only make you stronger.

How I said it… How you heard it! :)

When ever we say something, there is usually some emotion associated with it.
For example – our statements could be happy, sad, full of excitement, resentment or fear.
Our words could be mischievous, loving, harsh, rude, gentle, informative or blunt.
We could make a point directly or indirectly.

And at times, we may talk by remaining silent! 🙂

In order for our message to not get garbled or misunderstood, it is important for the other person to understand the emotion behind the dialogue also.

When we meet new people, we take time to understand their ways of talking, expressing, appreciating, denying or arguing. If we are able to build bridges and not walls, we become friends! However, if the message is interpreted in a wrong way, a lot of time and effort goes into correcting it.

The lower our ego levels are and the more accepting we are of any situation, the easier it is to understand other people.

Once, you understand what they are saying and why they are saying it – what is the motto behind the conversation – things become clearer.

Let’s take an example. There are two people who are very hardworking. They are working on the same project and want it to be successful. Every time they talk about a process improvement on the project, there can be agreement or discord. However, as long as the purpose is clear, they can reach a conclusion. They can brainstorm ideas and discuss the pros and cons.
Once the ego barrier is broken, the purpose is clear in the minds of all people and things move further.

Incomplete or Unending Conversations exist, when there is no conclusion and no radical decision can be reached ‘together’ by all counterparts.

There are hundreds of books written on communicating effectively. And, all of them have many things in common. If it’s important for a speaker to share his thought with the exact emotion, it is also the job of the listener to interpret it with the same exact emotion.

Communication is a two way street and if it’s purposeful, it can get a lot of work done magically!

There is a famous hindi quote by a very famous writer, Kabir: (English translation follows!)

ऐसी वाणी बोलिए, मन का आपा खोय |

औरन को शीतल करे, आपहु शीतल होय ||

Speak in words so sweet, that fill the heart with joy
Like a cool breeze in summer, for others and self to enjoy.

 

You may now think, “How I said it and how you heard it!” 🙂 .. Have fun! 😉