Faces in the morning…..

When I go to work in the morning, I observe the people around me – some on the streets, some in their cars, some crossing the road.

 Invariably, I see sad/gloomy expressions on their faces. It is extremely depressing.

 I understand that everyone has stress, everyone has things to worry about, responsibilities to take care of, chores to complete but that doesn’t mean people become gloomy right in the morning.

I believe in the concept of ‘A happy morning’ – something that brightens your day – and infuses more energy in you for the rest of the day.
I believe you have the world to conquer only if you believe so.

So what,if your boss does not understand you, so what if your kids are moving out of the house, so what if you did not meet the deadline yesterday – Can you gather the strength to start the morning afresh – by believing in yourself and your abilities?

Can you do this not just for yourself but for everyone around you? So that you pass on good vibes.

There was only one guy I saw on the road this morning who was biking to office and smiling. I felt good.

Some positive things you can do in the morning include: 

• Listen to music/not news.
• Have a good breakfast – “no matter what.”
• Read something positive – a quote – a story – a comic strip.
• Look at the sunrise and believe in the new day.
• Bike to work.
• Don’t think about work right in the morning. You are anyways going to do it soon.
• Think about something good you did the previous day.
• Acknowledge one strength you have.
• ****Think of something creative you are going to do today. (Outside of your work)****
• Carry a smile.

Happiness and sadness are part of life. However, every morning, we have the opportunity to choose one of the two – it depends on you.

Choose happiness and peace. Spread it right in the morning. The world needs it. A lot. Gather the strength to start afresh – each day, everyday.

Dreams in my pocket!!

I carry my dreams in my pocket,
And never let them go…

Just so nobody questions them,
I don’t let them show.

They are always in my pocket,
And whenever I get a chance,
I pull a dream and color it well,
To make it alive and dance.

My dreams rise like bubbles,
Once they are filled with life!
They fill me up with lots of love,
& there is no pain or strife.

I make sure I hang tight to them,
So they don’t disappear!
Dreams are pretty naughty,
You got to keep them near.

I also carry a notepad,
To write down my new dreams,
Life is short and dreams are not,
At least that’s how it seems!

I pat on…. my little dreams,
Every now and then,
And that’s how …they get bigger!
And stronger …from within!

I steal time …from everyday life,
and that’s how… I ensure,
that I live… for my own dreams,
Not anyone else’s for sure.

I make a face at others’ dreams,
When they are just…. sitting there,
With no one to… explore them,
And no one to… really care.

My dreams are a happy family,
They sing and dance and grow, 🙂
I love my dreams, they love me too,
Don’t know who loves the other more!

Fill yourself with love….!

In order to give out love, you need to fill your own self with love.

How do we fill ourselves with love? – By not having negative feelings about anything or anyone.

Is it that simple? – Yes, it is

Just like we need food and water to replenish our energy, we need good positive thoughts to replenish our heart and mind. We need to feel good about ourselves in order to make others feel good about themselves.

Filling ourselves with love requires courage – courage to ignore the things which do not hold any value in our life.

If you go to a party and someone comments about the way you look, the way you talk etc etc, it is up to you to take that negatively or neutrally.

It’s important to stay neutral and keep looking forward, in spite of any tough circumstances.

Filling yourself with love requires forgiveness, hope and dreams. In order to do this, you have to find simple pleasures of life and live them happily.

Everytime something disturbs you or makes you weak, it is important to take responsibility for that emotion and replace it with love.

Too much self love is also not good. If you are full of love, you need to share it with other people.

Give them compliments, help them in their chores, guide them to succeed, forgive them no matter what, accept them the way they are, be patient with them, try to read their emotions and minds, communicate with them, be open, wish well for everyone even if they are not good to you – Be thankful for being alive and make them feel happy to be alive.

Replenishment is the essence of love. Love likes to flow. It does not like to stay in one place and become stagnant. Its like water – pure, transparent, fluid.

Fill yourself with love each moment by doing what you like, doing what makes you love life – And encourage others to do what they are good at.

Live life lovingly.

Memories and Distance

Some people say ‘Memories get weaker and fade away as distance increases’. Sometimes the opposite in true, ‘Memories get stronger and come back to life as distance decreases’.

I found it easier to not miss my family when I was seven seas apart. I’m finding it difficult when I am two hours away! That’s life.

I think I am forgetting my previous post. I am here to create happy memories and share happy moments. That’s the goal.

Isn’t it strange that at times we feel, we can not live without some people and at other times, we feel ‘Oh sure we can’ and we keep switching, trying to keep ourselves strong.

Memories are a reflection of time – the journeys we undertook, the smiles and laughter, the emotions and tears. Memories are the only possession you have about your past, because the past is long gone!

Memories are in no way directly or inversely proportional to distance. They get stronger when you get weaker and they get weaker when you get stronger  – and by stronger I just mean practical, realistic and to some point unconcerned.

Distance makes you helpless and slowly our mind accepts the situation and we find happiness in our surroundings.

Physical distance can never distance you from your loved ones. That’s a bond that is formed during childhood and can never be shaken.

Bonds of the heart and stronger than bonds of the practical mind.

It’s true that people who are more practical, real and live for the present moment do not feel as much and maybe have long forgotten memories trapped somewhere in their mind. They are not better or worse than those who are emotional. It’s just a perception. It’s just what your heart and mind open up to!

Our heart has the power to reduce the distance between us and our memories.

Our mind on the other hand has the power to increase the distance between us and our memories.

Maybe that’s why balance of heart and mind is essential! Not sure if anyone can ever get perfect at this! 🙂 We live with the imbalance. 🙂

Rediscover Yourself….Every time you are lost…!

Every time you try to be someone you’re not…even if you enjoy it for sometime… later you’ll want to come back to your own self… ‘YOU’.

I don’t know if we all have a purpose to fulfill or we are here just to enjoy life… but there is one thing which is definitely true….

Every person is unique in some way! Even identical twins are not mentally alike!

Don’t you think, it is important to retain our identity throughout our life?
Do you think your principles are strong enough to not deter you?
Are you happy being yourself? If not, why?

If god was happy creating you the way you are and put you on this earth, just the way you are…. why aren’t you happy with what you are? Aren’t you in agreement with God?

We all waver and try different different paths of life…different ways of living…different personalities, different ideas…but imagine, if God were to discover you, wouldn’t he be able to?
He can probably easily identify you from a crowd… he can probably identify every individual on this earth. (At least it’s my belief!) 😉

What’s so special in you that God can identify you among millions of people? What is it that you have which others don’t? If you see yourself through the eyes of God (!!), you can identify yourself!

Make a list of what you like, what you do, what you are comfortable with, what gives you peace, what energizes you, what makes you smile, what makes you believe in God.
What do you like to do repeatedly to keep yourself content and in sync with god?

Again, make a list of things you do not like, which dampen your spirits, which take you far away from peace….and …don’t do those things! You don’t have to. You are not answerable to anyone except yourself.

Stick to your beliefs. Stick to being yourself. That’s the greatest possession you have throughout this journey!

You don’t have to ‘fit into’ this world or a particular society. You are an integral part of this world.

Keep rediscovering yourself, until you discover yourself completely and then polish that soul… that ‘You’ in you.

Do not get lost …Do not get influenced….Do not try to impress others… Do not be scared to fail…. If you fail by just ‘being yourself’, it’s fine…because at least you did not lose yourself in the process!

I am happy being myself because that’s what makes me comfortable! I am rediscovering myself to make my beliefs stronger.

There are too many illusions in life, the ‘make-believe’ things which make you feel good only for a few moments. And…then you later regret the moments when ‘you weren’t you’.

Find yourself, that’s the only possession we were born with and the only possession we have until we die.

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! 😉

Pamper yourself… you’re worth it!

At least one weekend out of a few weekends, take a good break and pamper yourself. Just seclude yourself from the rest of the world and take care of your body and your thoughts.

Your body serves you throughout your life. How much time do you spend giving it the essential nutrients? When did you last sit next to a pool with a book in your hand or took a bubble bath? When did you lie down on a beach? When did you last look at the stars?

Once we develop a good relationship with ourselves and our mind, it responds to us better. If our body is happy and relaxed, we can feel our blood circulation. Every heart beat is more resonant and rhythmic. We understand our feelings and emotions better. We feel happy that we are alive.

Everyone needs such weekends to relax, calm down and live each breath.

No matter how wealthy you may be, if your mind and body are not happy, you are unhealthy!

I believe that once you have a stable job and are content with your career, it’s important to also focus on your health. The meaning, value, level and definition of contentment varies for different people but it is essential to be content at some point in life.

Because if you are not content… you will always be running behind something….and you will never get a chance to relish what you already have.

Pampering yourself is being content with yourself for that moment and being thankful for this life.

I read that when ever you are angry or upset, close your eyes and imagine still water… calm, clear and peaceful. Imagine that you’re sitting next to a lake and try to live that dream in your mind.

Life is too short and before you realize its worth… it just moves on…

Take out time…pamper yourself……love yourself….. You’re truly worth it!

You’ve lost it! ;)

The moment you think… you’re not peaceful… or you’re not happy… the peace and happiness that exists within you is lost!

The moment you think you are less than others or do not have the ability to succeed… you’ve lost the power and motivation to succeed….

“Moment”… is a small droplet in the ocean of “Time” …. but isn’t this all we have?

A moment has the power to change your life! Your destiny! How can we underestimate the power of the moment??
While you think you are not capable of achieving your goals… you’ve already lost some precious moments…

While you’re busy thinking what others are doing, you’ve lost the moments in which you could have done something.

Each moment… Think that you are peaceful, happy and content.
You are living just for this moment…. as it will never come again…

Let me share a small story: I met a person in the office cafetaria one day. He was constantly tapping his feet and browsing on his phone while the cashier was collecting his credit card and swiping it on the machine. He seemed very restless and did not stand still. I did not know who he was. I was standing behind him and asked him, “You seem very busy and in a rush” He said…”I’m a very busy person. I have lots to do. I have to do something right now. I can not stand idle. I have to keep myself busy.”

I had a little smile on my face. I said…”Well… you could just stand and think.”

And then the cashier gave him his credit card and he left….(in a rush) 🙂

I think …he was trying to over-utilize his present moments… 🙂

Spend your moments wisely… and more importantly …peacefully… Be at peace…be content…be hopeful…for the next moment…
Plan for good… Plan for a better future.. a better moment…

I was driving back from work one day and while taking the exit, the car in front of me stopped suddenly..  I stopped too and then the car behind me stopped! It was scary for a moment…..but…it happens…The car in front of me had a sticker on it.. “Jesus listens” 🙂

These moments make you realize.. Life is too short…. Its just a collection of moments. Its a package. Its like an empty bag and it’s up to you, what you fill in that bag!

Fill each moment with colors, hopes, dreams, excitement, fun, joy, peace, love…. Fill them so that you’re happy… each moment.

The reason I named this article.. “You’ve lost it! ” is because…. Next time, when you are not happy or peaceful… think how many moments you’re losing…. Moments that could change your life…

One more small peace of advice.. Don’t be angry for too long.. whether its your fault or not.. it’s not worth it…! It’s just not worth it! Saying sorry never makes anyone small. Not saying sorry (when it is really not your fault) does not make anyone big. 🙂

Don’t let life say to you…. “Sorry dude.. you’ve lost it! ” 😉 🙂