CONNECTING DOTS...

Everything in this world is connected. We would have heard this statement and related concepts like ‘butterfly theory’. All such theories say that every single event and every single thing in this world is connected and are related.

             

“Vasudaiva Kutumbakam” means that the Earth is all one family. Have you ever thought about our connection to some unknown people or events? Of course, in today’s world, we are all connected through internet. But imagine how exciting it is to know that whatever we do will also affect somewhere someone in this world.

                

Edison wouldn’t have known that his experiments inside the lab would change the future of this entire Earth. We recognized his invention and hence read his story on how he invented the electricity. This is a realized event. But imagine we may not know the reasons for the events we experience in our lives. Even simple acts are related to someone unknown in our lives. For example, we eat food which is grown by some farmer somewhere and we use things which involve labor work of some unknown person. We work in our offices for some client and through that you indirectly serve an unknown customer on time. So nothing goes in vain and every small act of us is justified in one or the other form in this world.

Every single event might have its effect on another event either directly or indirectly. Every phase of our life, every event in it has a reason. We realize the happy moments in the form of success but sometimes may not understand the reasons for bad ones. We may not understand the reason behind it right now or sometimes never. But still, everything happens for a reason. Trying to understand the reasons will only increase the anxiety.

Just hold faith in this universal chain of events and embrace every minute, event and phase of life responsibly. Because in the end, all the dots will be connected to form a meaningful picture :).

IT’S ALL ABOUT CHOICES

The choices we make define our ‘Life’. Is there anything called ‘right’ choice or ‘wrong’ choice? Well! I believe the right or wrong is always decided on situations but the impact of those choices will be there on our lives.

Suppose there is a person who holds a PG degree, whose passion is Bharatanatyam and who is from a middle class dignified family. His parents are getting old who need to be taken care of and he receives an offer in US with a salary of a million bucks per annum. Now he has to make a choice whether to take the offer or not. What will he do? Which choice of his is right?

The answer is simple. Each one of us is brought up with certain values and we are moulded by the situations we face in our lives. We develop some core values which define our choices and thereby deciding our way of life. These core values act in every situation as the foundation and we build our choices based on it.

For instance, this is how a person might make choices based on different core values

Family: If the person’s core value is family, then his first priority will be his parents. So he makes a choice whether to take the offer or not keeping his parents as the ultimate priority. He may decide not to take the offer and stay back to look after his parents or he may decide to take them along with him.

Money/Career: For a money-oriented person, the offer itself is a great news and he celebrates this event the most. He immediately takes the offer first and then think about other things later. So in this case, he may not give first priority to other things in life because his core value is earning money.

Passion: In this case, his passion is dance. So to make a lifetime choice on whether to leave for US or to follow his passion, he will choose his passion. He will choose to make a great life out of his passion and then prioritize the other things.

There can still be different possible scenarios based on one’s core values like society, fame, purpose etc. One’s decision is said to be right or wrong based on one’s core value. For a person who values his family the most, may feel it a wrong choice to accept the US offer. But for a person who is career oriented, may find it right to take the offer. In general, if the individual core values meet with that of a group of people (or Society), then it is called a good choice; if not, then it’s a bad choice. Again it’s our choice whether to also care about the society. It’s as simple as that.

“They say life is from B to D...from ‘Birthday’ to ‘Death’. But what’s between B & D? It’s a C- ‘Choice’”

So now, if you feel that you lead a satisfactory life, then your core values are strong and clear. But if you have more regrets than happiness in your life, then maybe you have to recheck your core values and try to analyze if this is what you want in your life. Because core values lead to better choices and thereby a better life.

             

THE ONE WHICH NEVER CHANGES…

Is the CHANGE itself. What is that one thing which has been the same through all these years in the entire Universe? It’s nothing but the change. The only catalyst to this change is the ‘Time’.

Be it the big bang of this universe to the evolution of life on Earth, be it a land on which a person like 'Lord Ram’ ruled in India to the present politics, be it the pigeon couriers to the Mobile phones…everything changes with time. Nothing is constant, whether it is good or bad.

There can be good or bad consequences with the ‘CHANGE’. When humans evolved, Earth was healthy and eco-life was balanced. Now, we humans have ‘DEVELOPED’ so much that we think it’s good for the human race to invent many technologies and progress. But there is also a parallel consequence of losing the ecological balance of Earth. It seems good and bad is always balanced. For every good thing, I feel there is a proportionate bad thing happening around. Or maybe everything is just a perception?! and there is nothing called ‘good’ or ‘bad’?! Well…it’s kind of complicated. To keep it simple, balance exists everywhere and in everything.

Like there is a law that mass can never be created nor destroyed i.e. always balanced, I would say that good and bad experiences in life are also always balanced. We start from our childhood, then youth, middle-age and old age. In this process of changing the phases of life, we experience so many emotions, situations, accidents, meetings and partings. Like each and every event of life will be balanced with a proportionate one, we can also see that nothing is constant except the ‘CHANGE’.

So, if you are right now in a depressed state, don’t worry because this will not be the same throughout and change will enter with time. Everything in life will be balanced with changing events along with time. We can only cherish our memories, save our experiences, and take further steps based on them for the future with a hope. So just don’t worry about anything because at the end, everything will change for that right balance in life.

FLIP A COIN

When you flip a coin, the result may not be in your hands whether it is a head or tails but the coin is always in your hand. So if you don’t get the result you wanted then just flip the coin ;)

Similarly in our lives, we may not always get the results as we desire but the way we perceive the result is always in our hands. When something seems to be going wrong or not in our favor, just turn your perception upside down and view it something as in your favor.

One point is that everyone everywhere has some or the other problems in their lives. But the way we deal them is all that matters! If we see problems as problems, they will turn like ghosts and haunt us. But if you flip the coin and treat them as lessons for our beautiful future, they will form milestones for our lives. After all, what is a destination without a meaningful journey at every milestone :D

Like that Nescafe advertisement, where the guy stammers and people rejects him as a stand-up comedian. But he uses the same stammering as ‘buffering’ concept and makes people laugh with his jokes. That's what is called as ‘Attitude’. If you fail every time you try, then no need to keep cribbing or crying about it. Flip the coin and consider it as an experience for your next trial. After all, Edison was successful only after 999 attempts.

You may lose everything including money, home, job, people etc because of some situations in life. But if you don’t lose your attitude at any moment, anything can be faced with utmost pleasure and joy. For the stone to become an idol, it should bear many beatings. So right now or anytime in your life, if you face continuous failures or stress points, stop worrying and just flip the coin. It may not be as easy as I say, but is definitely possible and effective.

“Nothing can hurt you or affect you without your consent”. So whatever it may happen, just perceive it in your favor. After all, it’s your life to live as you wish. Mistakes may happen but they can be turned to lessons only with your attitude. Don’t worry…just flip the coin ;)

10 THINGS YOU EXPERIENCE WHEN YOU ARE PART OF A GANG

1. Each person with his unique character.

2. You will not be left alone at any time, even when you want to be :P

3. Birthday plans and celebrations are at their best.

4. At least one cute couple in the gang ;)

5. You can't escape party treats :P

6. Little fights between any two in the gang become a hot topic.

7.  You can't hide any secrets from them since they know all about you including your phone passwords...

8.  Lots of talent together.

9. Group studies during exams.

10. Finally they share all your feelings and become a huge support when needed the most. :)

EMPATHY

 "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a harder battle”

                                                                          -Plato

         
            This quote is well understood when you face such a situation in life. Isn’t it good if someone listens to you without judging anything and just trying to step into your shoes? If it feels good then why can’t we be the same towards others also?

          

           ‘Empathy’ may not just be listening and trying to understand others pain. Sometimes it can be just lending your shoulder to cry on as solace. One may feel better just by crying on your shoulder without even talking about one’s problem. In fact, not forcing the other person to talk about their problems when they are not willing to open up is also empathy.

                

            We never know what the other person is going through in his/her life. Like F. Scott Fitzgerald said “Whenever you feel like criticizing any one...just remember that all the people in this world haven't had the advantages that you've had.” They may be struggling in their personal lives more than you. And just because someone doesn’t behave in a right manner, we can’t judge their attitude. In such incidents only, our maturity should show up. The ability to stay calm and understand the other person’s pain turns the negative situation to a manageable one with the positive energy you generate by being empathetic.

                

       To be empathetic to others, one should be kind to himself first. Never talk negative about yourself. The self-image you portray about yourself gives you the poise and self-confidence which lead to higher level of maturity. When you are confident about yourself, even though others behave rude to you, it won’t hurt you. In fact, your thoughts try to cultivate in an empathetic manner towards the other person as to try to understand the other person’s feelings in a positive way. Hence being good to oneself is very important to be empathetic to others.

                

       Human relations are very sensitive and be it personal or professional life, it is important to maintain balance of mind while dealing with people. It all starts from within you by loving and respecting yourself and then develops the ability to perceive others’ feelings also on the same wavelength as of yours. So be good, do good, say good and ultimately you will feel good J

MAGIC OF MUSIC

“I often think in music, I live my daydreams in music. I see my life in terms of music.”

                                                                                                                          -Albert Einstein

                   

This quote is stuck in my mind because even I feel the same; think in music, live in music and see life in music.  Who doesn’t feel good if our thoughts match with Einstein? :D

All those music lovers must be thinking the same, isn’t it? Have you ever imagined a beautiful background music when you are happy? A violin in background when you are sad? Or probably songs like ‘Aaoge jab tum ho saajna’ sort of :P . Sounds funny, but gives relief when we are in that mood.

                

There are many schools of thought on Music therapy which say that music has the power to heal your pain both physical and emotional. Even a child can connect to the sweetness of music. There goes a Sanskrit sloka:

         “Sishurvethi Pashurvethi 

          vethi ganam phaneem rasaha” 

           meaning

                                 “Music has the power to enthrall a child and an animal alike”.

That’s why may be music is called ‘Divine’. It’s like food for our soul and spirit giving immense pleasure and energy.

                

Do you know that the kind of music we listen to also determines the mood of a person? Or vice-versa- Based on our mood swing, we may choose the kind of music. But sometimes listening to sad and gloomy music when we are in such a mood helps us to soothe our pain and flush out our feelings (Ye..kya huva..kaise huva..kab huva…kyon huva..jab hua,tab hua..oh chodo,yeh na socho). Also listening to peppy music boosts our senses and acts as energizer (Superr machi… :D). Melodies are of their own type (Ye rate..ye mausam..nadii ka kinaraa…). They define many feelings without the need of expressing a single word J

So next time when you are thinking of any gift to your parent’s wedding anniversary or a birthday gift or a wedding gift or may be a casual gift to someone special, try giving a collection of their favorite songs. If you can sing, a dedicated song with your own karaoke makes a very special gift :). Because at the end of the day, music itself is special in any form; be it an instrument or vocal or karaoke or just a simple jingle.

                

For any incident of our life or just causally also, music helps soothe our mind and heart. Tune to your favorite music always and see the world with a background music. Music is anywhere and everywhere if we have the heart to realize.

                                   "There’s music in the sighing of a reed...

                                    There’s music in the gushing of a rill...

                                   There’s music in all things, if men had ears

                                  The earth is but the music of spheres.”

                                                                                            - Byron

Trust me! It gives a sense of pleasure and a new feel for life :). So what are you waiting for? Go tune yourself. La la la…..hmm..hmm..hmmm…