Drive Through

Over past so many days, having met people of different cadres, in different roles, positions and specifically in age group depicting immense grey matter has made me think not once but innumerable number of times, “What is that DRIVES them seamlessly till date ? “. This sometimes also leads me to an interconnected question, “Are we more restless and lack patience and perseverance?  ”.  We are still more driven by our ID than our ego or superego. We get tired and bored of things and people so easily that we crave for change and something different each time. It is in this juggle of distractions, we lose the sight of our goal and aim we have set for ourselves in life. The path goes haywire and we lose focus. We become like ships in strong seas unguided and sail in the direction the external forces dictate. What is that then prevents us from the state of constancy of our goals? Is that complacency sets in quite easily within us given the cocooned care of our parents that we all are in? This also reminds me of the Hare and Tortoise story where the focused Tortoise finally wins the race. There is another aspect to this: Expectations. We have such ballooned expectations that we have made it a point to crib about each and everything. And in this blame game and complaining process we forget what the actual agenda was. Observing all these highly experienced people ( I resist from calling them ‘old’), one thing I have learnt is the outlook they have towards life. Their “Never say die” attitude, their simple approach towards life, low or no expectations from things and life, high dedication and commitment towards any activity they carry out. This is probably what drives them tirelessly.Generate that driving force within you. Do something which excites you, which acts as your driving force. This will add to your energy levels than enervating you. They have been a source of my inspiration and my change in attitude towards life. Still learning!

                To differ or agree to my opinion is a personal choice. Having said that, our generation surely needs to learn and imbibe things from the learned and experienced generation.

Child is the Father of Man

I am instilled with nostalgia and the childhood memories of my school teacher uttering these words by William Wordsworth become afresh in my mind. My understanding was in its nascent stage to contemplate the subtle and subterranean meaning that these words carry. Today when I ponder on these words, they make more sense as I reflect on my life journey from a child to a more mature human being.

A child is the treasure of innocence, joy, cheer, simplicity, candidness and is free from any notion of hatred, jealousy and selfishness. A child is the symbol of Purity. The actions of a child are governed by selfless motives. It is in the childhood that the cultivation of values, morals and culture takes place. A child is like a molten metal which can be caste into any shape. The way a potter gives shape to clay, a child can be nurtured in the desired manner. Whatever, the sapling imbibes in the blossoming stage of its life becomes the base of its growth and built in the days to come. It is these values, morals and culture that determine the character and the personality of an individual. Whatever, is blend within us during our childhood is persistent and we carry it with us for our entire life. Gandhiji in his book, “My Experiments with Truth” ascertains this fact and explains how his growing as a child had an impact in his later life as an adult. There is this child in every human being and this is what keeps us going. Several of our actions and decisions are governed by this child within us. The sheer determination and perseverance of Abraham Lincoln made him the President of the United States of America. On the contrary, Mussolini went on to become the dictator of Italy and plunged the world in the World War. Their two varied personalities can be attributed to their childhood. While Lincoln’s was a childhood nurtured through learning, grit, values and perseverance, Mussolini had a troubled childhood. It is the childhood which thus moulds the future of an individual.

We would always like to do things we did as a child. Our thought process is influenced by our childhood. The creativity within us is the ‘Child’ effect. ‘Child’ is what brings life into an individual. It is the ‘Child’ which makes life more meaningful and lively. It is our childhood which shapes our adulthood. It is this Child which lays the foundation of an individual.

That’s what Wordsworth conveys when he says,

“My heart leaps up when I behold
A Rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the man;”      

Honour The Trust

I had almost stopped writing and had virtually forgotten about my blog after I landed up for my management education and was amidst loads of assignments, presentations, case studies, events and guest lectures. I thank my very dear friend “@SIIB” for coaxing me to write and I am once again convinced about the factuality of my last article on “friends”.

There would have been situations in each of our lives where in we feel our trust has been shaken and we have been taken for a toss. As a child, I used to ask my mom,”Maa, Y do we trust people?” and with an assuring smile my mom used to reply, “The world survives on trust and faith. Whom can we rest our faith on, if not on our fellow human beings and specially our near and dear ones?” These words have served as my guidelines in the formative years of my life and even today. Over the years, however I have realized how easy it is for “certain” people to disrespect your trust for whatever the reason may be. But then life comes about as a full circle and you are made to taste your own recipe someday. So a word of caution to all such people.

Our act not only displays our ethics, virtues and morals but also our upbringing and our mettle. One thing or virtue which sets you apart from the crowd is the way you nurture someone’s trust and “honour” it. You tend to build lifetime relations with such people or organizations. More you treat this sapling of trust with water of care and confidence; more will be the benefits that you will reap out of it. However, if you disrespect someone’s trust, life will take its own course of action. Someone’s trust in you instills a feeling of “responsibility” in you and a sense of “faith” in the person resting his/her trust in you. In whatever part of the world we are, whichever place we are, rules of the game remain the same. At home, your family rests their trust in you, at work place it’s the organization and especially your boss resting his trust in you, in social circle it’s your friends who put their faith in you. And one must honour their Trust. There’s another facet to it and that is “Commitment”. The equation of trust is balanced by commitment from your end. If you default on your commitment, the thread of trust breaks and your relations suffer because it is not that everybody will rest their trust in you but only the ones close to you. In today’s world, people believe in working relations and so trust is almost transient. But then whoever Trusts you – may it be you as a person, as a friend, your abilities and capabilities; try to live up to that trust. Otherwise not only your relations suffer but also your image.

I still abide by what I was taught as a child; have reaped benefits, learnt lessons of life, have got to know different types of people and most importantly MYSELF. Simply said, “Honour the Trust someone rests in You” because that not only makes you a good individual and a great human being but also gives you a sense of satisfaction and fulfillment within.

The Pious Bond of Friendship:

This is dedicated to all my lovely friends,their love and immense care they have showered upon me and specially my brother who has been the Best of the Best.
I remember of an old adage of school days, "Friendship is a ship which ferries friends in turbulent and calm seas of life and sails them through making the bond stronger than ever".Theres a family in addition to your family in the world outside.The moment, parents make a child enter into the stage of Educating Self,he/she enters into a world which is very new and the nascent individual takes time adjusting to this different world without parents and dear ones.It is here that the culmination of a family outside family,i.e friends and relations
take place.The individual is now with his group of pals matching his frequency,habits and built."Birds of the same breed flock together".This is where we know the importance of bonds and relations which we share for life.The relations stitched with thread of love and care than by the bond of blood.We grow as an individual,meet several people, have acquaintances but very few good friends who stand by us in all our times and are there to lend a helping hand when we are on the brink of fall in life.Afterall, its not only about "A friend in need being a
friend indeed" but realising the worth of your pal and caring for him/her."I may not be able to help you solve all your problems but ofcourse I will not allow you to face them alone",a friend wrote to me.Friendship teaches us the true meaning of words "TRUST" and "FAITH" which are otherwise good only in dictionary.We confide in our friends and true friends will never disappoint you.So the base of any friendship is the trust you put in the relation.Afterall , when KK sung "Yaaron Dosti, yahi zindagi hai.Ye na ho to phir kyaa zindagi hai"(Friendship is Life), he extracted the crux.

However, the bond suffers a blow when we start taking our friends for granted,hurt their trust and faith in us and after that even though the bond may be reconciled but the KNOT remains.
It is this set of friends and relations which act as our Family outside our Family and help us grow as an individual,are with us in all walks of life,make us realize our worth and guide us.
I have been lucky to have such great friends and relations which I will cherish for life and I write this thanking them for being besides me when I needed them the most.
Thanks a ton.

A Smile.Tht's It !!!!

I write this showing my gratitude for those smiles which lit my face. Thank You(with smile on my face).
There are several occasions in life where in we are down,upset,out of mood, stressed because of several reasons. We as humans are ought to be victims of such states mainly because of our Expectations from someone or life.However,I have been lucky to have such great friends whose 'cute and beautiful smile' has worked wonders for me and has acted as a ferry sailing me through the ocean of emotional or professional downturn. I thank them for being there. Their smile has brought a smile on my face in whatever state I may be.
We are so bogged up with work and other responsibilities that we have forgotten to smile. Some people say, “No time to smile”. Others, "No reason to smile”. Still others, "I have forgotten how I look when I smile”. Is this the life which we aspire to live? Is this how we set an example? In Setting up our lives, career, children, we get Upset. But are we doing justice to ourselves as a person who has right to his/her share of happiness. Life has its set of challenges but that should make us more strong and a better person than a emotionally weaker person. We may not know but a smile on our face may make someone's day. Or the other way round- seeing someone smile may bring a smile on our face. We should not be dependent on a reason to smile. But rather we smile and we will find a reason to smile. Does putting up a frown face or being sad suffice any of our goals/purpose? I know we are subject to Several circumstances but that shouldn't stop us from putting an 'ear to ear smile' on our face. Its easier said than done but yes we can dig the wealth of happiness if we strive to do so.Afterall, it may not be wrong when someone said, "Smile and the world smiles with you. Cry and you cry alone”. If not for yourself, may be for someone else. Who knows, your smile may be the architect of someone's happy day. And of course Life will definitely smile back on us in return. Lets find a reason to smile than to cry or be sad for things which are ephemeral or transient.

'Just a smile' has worked wonders for me. Yes A smile.Tht's it!!!So Keep Smiling - An Ear to Ear Smile.

Love Your Loved Ones Now !!!!!

Before writing on this, I would like to thank my very special friend living in some other part of the world from whom I draw the latent inspiration to write this.Thank you "Flower". (As the name means).

The line above on the first read may look trivial and banal.However,I would wish we ponder on this for a few seconds freeing our mind from other stuff.
We get so boggled up and embroiled in our daily lives that we miss even small but important moments with our near and dear ones.In the run of setting targets and striving to achieve them,we forget even displaying our affection towards the most important people in our lives.We do this all our lives only to repent when we lose them and that is when the cover of false world disappears from our eyes and we face reality.At that point in time,we realise what we missed and the moments which we could have cherished but couldn't do so due to our other so called "commitments".The illusion that life is all pervading and lasting is shackled and then only thing we can do is only repent and long for the people we have lost.
This reality touched the grounds of my conscious when I was talking to this very special friend of mine and I thought this very important message needs to be understood and propagated.Let us show our love for our loved ones Now.Let us do what makes them happy Now rather than crying over spilt milk.Let us show our affection towards them Now.Let us make them feel special to us Now.Even a gesture of a hug or a peck on the cheek is sufficient to make them feel special sometimes.But show that.
Let us do things Now so that we dont say "I could have", "Had I", "I should Have" when our loved ones continue their journey to a different world.
This life is ephemeral.Time is limited.Show your love now.Show your care now.Love your Loved Ones Now............

--- Positive Frustration ---

Flumoxed!Confused!Well, yes those words are paradoxical in nature.One would think,"How can frustration be ever positive?"
Lets dig deeper into the meaning of those words.Let me start with an example.One of my friends the other day I met told me that he was highly frustrated with the mundane job that he was doing.As such, I was sympathetic with him which is pretty natural.On the contrary, he smiled.I was puzzled by his satirical smile.On asking him for his unexpected smile,he told me,"It makes me more stronger".Again confused,I asked him,"And how is that?".He replied back again with an explanatory smile saying that it is this Frustration that makes him strive for the world, he envisions and makes him stronger to pursue his dreams and desire.He further added,"Each Day, as it passes instills in me an attraction for what I love doing and what I aspire to do.One Day, this frustration will grow to an extent which will make me chase my dreams and quit what am doing."After hearing him,I too gave a supportive smile.I was really amazed at his Positive attitude and way of taking things in life.I dont know how much successful, he will be in his endeavours and I pray for his success but one thing for sure he has taught me -"Positive Frustration".Dislike for a certain thing, makes us so very strong that we trod the Untrodden, the path less trodden.The Path of Chasing Your Dreams.Its our perspective of taking things and decorating them.Its we,who can take positive out of them or keep cursing things doing nothing.It is we who can Make or Break our life because of several situations in life.

Life treats us with several challenges at different phases in life.But it is we who can take up the challenge in a positive manner and make the most out of it. Make the best of any adverse situation.If we are able to do so , then can we call ourselves living LIFE.Giving into circumstances and taking irresponsible steps, is no solution to any problem.Ostrich's Algorithm doesnt work.The only answer to it is facing the Problem with our Head held high.Thats what differentiates us from the Ordinary.I thank my friend for his Pearls of Wisdom and wish him all the Success.

Common Sense is the Most Uncommon

The other day , when I was dealing with a certain situation arose by the silly actions of a colleague,one of my well-wishers quipped, "Common Sense is the most uncommon in people".I gave a thought to his lines and my weary face wore a smile and juggled between intervals of smile and laughter.But, these simple words carry a great amount of wisdom and food for our thought.We get our mind so boggled into the complexities of life that we forget to enjoy and live the gift of simplicity with which we come into this world and the gift we adore as a child.

Let me tell you another incident of a very well known and great scientist who had 2 cats,one baby cat,lean,slender and thin and its Fatso mom whom even the dogs would dread.The Great man wanted to make an arrangement whereby the cats could enter his
room from their chamber which was separated by a wooden partition.To do so, he cut out two holes in the wooden partition,one smaller one for the kitten and other of greater circumference for the Fatso mom,not realising that the kitten could pass
through the bigger hole.I leave the onus of guessing the Scientist's name on you.

But this is what is reality.We get so engaged with trivialities of Perfect life that we stop realising how small things matter in a big way.Sometimes,even you would have realised, how children are well equipped with these Simplicities and when they
suggest something innocently,we think why our complexly connected neurons couldnt pave way for such a simple and common thinking. That's what is the truth of life.We get so messed up that we dont leave any room for Common-Sense which is the Need of the Day.Trust, we can take a cue from this and leave our stressful and complex life aside to realise our gift of Common-Sense and simplicity.

Lets Live the KISS principle and make Common-sense most common,its place, meant to be.