INCIDENTS: that change your lives

“That was a memorable day to me, for it made great changes in me. But it is the same with any life. Imagine one selected day struck out of it, and think how different its course would have been.”

– Charles Dickens, Great Expectations

Photo by Nataliya Vaitkevich on Pexels.com

I am a person who resists change. It takes a lot of effort from me to change anything around me even if it is the smallest thing like the cup of coffee. Well, I was in the moment of truth when the following happened.

I was meeting my old friends after a long time and was enjoying every moment of it. Let me tell you about them. These are the people who let me do the things my way. They don’t judge me for who I am and instead support me in every action of mine however stupid it maybe. They teach me life lessons and take good care of me (because they are older than me ;)). I respect them a lot and these are the ones with whom I genuinely enjoy and really care about. Therefore, I was looking forward to this long awaited outing.

We went out, had fun and were returning from our trip making jokes about how old these people have gotten and how I am still young…and BOOM! Our car had rammed into the car in front of us. It was a multiple- vehicle collision. The car bonnet had squashed, the airbags were open and there was smoke coming out of our car. People gathered around our car. This was a situation which was new and shocking for me. I had never been in an accident before. I saw my friends and everyone was conscious and no one had got hurt. Thanks to the airbags! Everyone was safe and we went home safely that day.

I had a theory and it said that each one of us is having a core nature which is built from our childhood. Even though we fine tune ourselves on the course of life but our core remains the same. We do not deviate from our innate principles under any given circumstances. But my theory was disproved by this particular incident. It changed me as a person. Being alive is not a joke. Finding the purpose of your life and working towards it, valuing the people in your life, and looking at the bigger picture of life are the things which I have started doing.

Ask this question to yourself: Who are you? What defines you? Over the years this answer will change because you will change. Human beings are ever changing entity and defining something which is constantly changing is futile exercise. Changing yourself is difficult especially if you don’t know yourself. But there are some incidents which touch your core and make the realisations happen. Such incidents change our lives and this incident changed my life for good. I am grateful for the life I have right now.

What is one such incident that changed your life for good?

DREAM.

BELIEVE.

ACHIEVE.

NIGHTS- that make us ponder

The moment we start questioning why we and everything around us is in a certain way, we start approaching our purpose in life. Few of us have already solved this puzzle but there are many who struggle to find their true motive in life.

After a long day, when we go into the comfort of that bed, we sleep. Ha! But on some days when mind is absolutely free, we think. Or maybe when some incident takes place which moves us from the state of homeostasis, we think. All this thinking can go in two directions, positive or negative. Well most of the times it goes into negative direction, we need to make a conscious effort to make it positive. After asking a lot of whys, some clarity can be achieved.

I think that this pondering is essential for all of us especially in this day and age of social media. We forget where we come from, and what we already have. Thinking about why everything around us is in a particular way answers a lot.

THINK ABOUT IT.

DREAM IT.

BELEIVE IT.

ACHIEVE IT.

A DAY- a droplet in the ocean

Just like an ocean is filled by drops of water, larger goals are achieved by doing a little everyday.

The importance of daily rituals in our lives is as essential as breathing. The human body responds well if it is in a continuous system i.e. habit of doing something. After trying and testing myself, I have found following daily rituals which are absolutely essential for a productive and happy life.

1. HYDRATE

The fact that the human body is made up of 70 % water, justifies the habit of hydrating yourselves. Drinking 2 litres of water in a day is sufficient.

2. WORKOUT

Exercising is like a fuel for the body. Every damn day workout! The rush of blood in your body and the feeling of oxygen getting supplied to every muscle, gives you motivation to exercise daily.

3. MEDITATE

Meditation is like a fuel for the mind. Meditation gives you moments to be with your self. While meditating, the mind enters a state of calm.

4. TO-DO LIST

Telling the brain about what tasks are on your plate will increase the chances of it getting done. The list should comprise of the tasks that can be accomplished in a day. Start with a task or two and feel the satisfaction after getting it done. Eventually it will become a habit.

5. CREATE

Nowadays most of us have become a content consumer. This stops the functioning of creative centers of our brain and eventually makes us dull. A small amount of creation each day (it can be anything) will boost the brain and will make you feel more in control of your mind.

6. SELF-CARE

We tend to put this in the bottom of our priority list but it should ideally be at the top. When we take care of ourselves, we function better. It is not selfish to take out time for yourself everyday rather it is essential.

7. READ

Reading takes you to another world of imagination. The insights you get from author are sometimes eye-opening. A lot of positivity enters your body if you read a good book.

8. WORK

All the daily rituals are directed towards you being able to work efficiently. A little amount of work but consistently is also rewarding. The key is to keep going no matter what.

9. BOOSTERS

For long working hours, your body needs something that keeps it going. If you feel tired you tend to shut the work and go towards the social media/distractions. Thus keep a booster like nuts, or a refreshing drink that can energize you instantly.

These were a few rituals which I find helpful. You can optimize it according to your goals.

DREAM IT.

BELIEVE IT.

ACHIEVE IT.

PROCRASTINATION-Proof of being a human

There is a famous doha by saint Kabir which is taught to every Indian from childhood which goes like:

Meaning: Do the work that needs to be done now. There is no other time then now.

But sticking to our policy of blackmailing parents, we use the very same doha for the things we want them to do for us. Not being able to meet deadlines often and finding yourselves in a stressed situation due to lack of time are all signs of procrastination. When we have more time for doing a less amount of work, we tend to delay it which eventually leads us to a tight situation. But on the bright side, we can trick our brain into getting done what has to be done and that too on time. There are few tricks which you can try to bluff your own brain and get work done.

1. Start with working for just 5 minutes. This will make you come into the zone of working and you may even end up working for 2 hours.
2. Break the work into bits that you can do each day. Make it a combination of tough and easy tasks per day.
3. Make a reward system. For example if you are a coffee person (just like me!), then decide that you will get coffee only if you complete a certain amount of work. This can be replaced by simple things that you enjoy doing in your daily life.
4. Appreciate yourselves for whatever amount of work you do. Inculcating a new habit takes about a month. So don’t be harsh on yourself.

So, these were few things which can help you to get work done. Also, signing off as I have to go and do my assignment which I had been procrastinating since forever!

DREAM IT.

BELIEVE IT.

ACHIEVE IT.

COVID-19: THE NIGHTMARE WE ALL KNEW WAS COMING

It is mentioned in famous Sanskrit quote, whenever there is extreme of something, the results are not good.

The outbreak of Corona virus in the year 2020 causing COVID-19, has brought the world in a standstill. From human perspective, this is a nightmare. All of us are locked down in our homes so that the little piece of RNA, which we cannot even see, does not kill us. But I feel that this is a subtle way of nature to tell us that if it wants a break from torture of human beings, it will take it and in spite of being the most evolved species, we won’t be able to do anything about it. This may be the result of over polluting the essentials like air that keeps us alive  or the water without which we are dead! May be the world leaders, who have forgotten about who is the ‘Supreme power‘, are made to realize the reality. This outbreak is an eye opener for everyone. Bill Gates had mentioned about such a catastrophe 5 years back and he had stressed upon the fact that we are not ready. But as usual, wise man’s words got ignored and look where are we today. No medical advancement or scientific research is capable of combating a small piece of RNA that cannot even survive on it’s own!

All I want to say is that be more grateful towards nature and what wonders it can do. Be more appreciative of what you have today.

DREAM IT.
BELIEVE IT.
ACHIEVE IT. 

MORNING ROUTINE : AN UNDERRATED CATALYST

The mornings are the beginning of the journey for the day. It is like a warm up before exercise, absolutely necessary if you don’t want pain in your body.

After practicing it for 2 years now, here is how I begin my day. First you will need the following:

1. Warm drink
2. Fresh air
3. Isolated place
4. Journal and pen
5. A good book

And you are good to go! Each aspect has its own importance which I have discovered according to my needs after practicing it for 2 years. Most of the times, when I am in a rush, I skip the book reading part but instead I read the highlighted portions of my book which I had highlighted while reading. The morning routine need not be of 1 hour or so.It is totally custom made according to your needs. The point here is to have one. It can be as elaborate or as shortened as you want but it should be followed religiously everyday. It will definitely give a kick start to your day. Try it!

DREAM IT.
BELIEVE IT.
ACHIEVE IT.

TIME : THE GOLD THAT COMES FOR FREE

Time is such an entity that is gold but cannot be bought with money. It is that valuable.

Whenever we procrastinate our work, we are actually disrespecting time. Those minutes lost while scrolling randomly because of few moments of fun cost us more than few years of our life. This momentary fun lasts as long as the lightning and vanishes in a blink of eye.
What is the use of such random scrolling which takes you back and hinders your productivity? In the words of the great life coach Robin Sharma, ‘6 months of hard work can put you 5 years ahead in life’. This is a proven fact. There are only a few who reach the top and the only thing common in all of them is that they respect time. They value time and the fact that time once gone will NEVER come back. Consider time as money. Each day, we are cashed 24 hours in our account. It is up to us that how we manage those 24 hours such that every minute is used wisely. If it was costing us money every minute then would we scroll for hours randomly? Think about it!

DREAM IT.
BELIEVE IT.
ACHIEVE IT.

LIFE – COMPLICATED OR NOT SO COMPLICATED

Since adulthood, there is only one thought that constantly nags me : Why is life so tough?

Life is simply a constant decision making process. The decisions that we take every moment, shape our life. Sometimes we may know the outcome but sometimes it is completely a blind game. The time when we start taking things in our control, it makes us feel empowered and woke towards the direction in which our life is going. To all the parents out there, give the control of your child’s life in their hands. Let them take their own decisions and if the decision goes wrong, then let them suffer from their wronging but be there for them if they want to cry and also teach them that this is LIFE! Many a times in life, we are stuck. The decision making process becomes even more difficult. At this moment, think from brain and not heart. Emotional decisions are always regretted later. 
Whenever we are not able to take a decision or our decision goes wrong, we start to think that life is complicated. But it is not so. Once we learn the art of moving on, we survive in this game of life.Life is not so complicated, live it to the fullest. Take good decisions, take bad decisions as well but learn from them and move on.
DREAM IT. BELIEVE IT. ACHIEVE IT.