Sunday 29 April 2012

Rising from the Ashes...


                                               
                                             
                                         Ring a ring of roses
                                         A pocket full of posies 
                                        Ashes, ashes
                                       We all fall down!



Many are familiar with this nursery rhyme....but take a look at the last two lines...we turn to ashes and fall to the ground.
Many times in life,we have faced near death situations literally and symbolically. It is learning to 'rise' from this 'fall' that alone determines our road and our life ahead.

Recently we have seen The Man of the Tournament from last year's World Cup, Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh , who had to go to the United States for treatment of  a rare germ cell cancer between his lungs in January.
Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh who bravely fought cancer and successfully returned back to bat on the field. In the process, his near death experience has made him look at life very differently and value it even more.

Nick Vujicic - The astonishing story of the man born without arms or legs... who plays golf, surfs, and swims .was born with no arms or legs - but he doesn't let the details stop him.
The brave 29 year old whose disability came without any medical explanation - a rare occurrence called Phocomelia admits that he and his parents spent many years asking why this cruel trick would happen to them. But with the help of his faith, family and friends, Nick managed to pull through to become an international symbol of triumph over adversity.

Having lived in Montreal, Canada for 5 years on the street named after Terry fox, it is important and sentimental for me to mention here about this great humanitarian.
Terrance Stanley "Terry" Fox was a Canadian athlete, and cancer research activist. In 1980 with one leg having been amputated, he embarked on a cross-Canada run to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although the spread of his cancer eventually forced him to end his quest after 143 days and 5,373 kilometres (3,339 mi), and ultimately cost him his life, his efforts resulted in a lasting, worldwide legacy. The annual Terry Fox Run, first held in 1981, has grown to involve millions of participants in over 60 countries and is now the world's largest one-day fundraiser for cancer research; over C$500 million has been raised in his name.

So no matter what experience you might face professionally or personally, you know the heroes that you can look to look up to. They will inspire you and give you immense strength to face your obstacles or difficult circumstances. Remember that your strength and will to rise from the apparent fall is in itself a winning response!

                  
                    
                              


Friday 20 April 2012

A Ride called Life!!!

                                               
                                                
 Finding Stability in Unpredictability.
                                                                   

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing- Helen Keller

Life is a heady mix of seasons, a rainbow of colours, a roller coaster ride of ups and downs.It is the ultimate adventure and an opportunity to experience a gamut of emotions.You must make the most of the cards that are dealt to you.

We all look for stability in life but sometimes there is none. So what do you.do? You change ur mindset and find stability in the unpredictability of it all! MAKE that your ANCHOR!!! Look upon LIFE like a buffet...there's SO MUCH being offered! Don't fill yourself up with salads, soups or appetisers, WAIT...there's more. There are more cuisines of adventure being offered to you..WAIT ...till you get to the dessert...you'll enjoy the sweetness of having made the right choice...the best choice for you!

This article is dedicated to the young minds out there,on the threshold of life, waiting to discover themselves and find their calling! It is also for those at the cross roads of life, waiting to re-define themselves and reach their ultimate calling!

Be OPEN to the ADVENTURE. Don't worry about the rough ride...In the end you'll have made a smooth landing.

As I grow to understand life less and less,
I learn to love it more and more-
Jules Renard

So go on, enjoy the roller coater ride...the RIDE called LIFE is the RIDE OF YOUR LIFE! The ride of ur life is LIFE itself! And the only way to prepare for it is to LIVE IT.






Thursday 12 April 2012

A New Day Has Come.....Reinvent Yourself !

Consider each dawning of a new day as a beginning of a new life for you. Start afresh , make peace with the past and move on to a new you, a happier you, a greater you.

We all need to reinvent ourselves from time to time. Even a car needs maintenance, upkeep and fine tuning every now and then! We remodel ourselves to what works according to the new situation or simply we outgrow our tastes , ideas, habits etc. That is part of the process of 'evolving'.
The only constant in life is change.If we can embrace it , adapt to it, we detoxify ourselves of notions that don't work for us.
The most talented and successful of people have done it. In fact its often said, attaining success is not half as difficult as sustaining it! Music diva Madonna , Celine Dion, Actors like Meryl Streep are just some of the names in showbiz. Sometimes, the change appears to be on a physical level, like updating ones appearance or mannerisms or style of talking etc but it is always the mind that has allowed the change to take place.One has to develop a mind set which 'allows' change to happen!!! In the pprofessional sphere of our lives, the importance is obvious, but are we also aware of its importance in our personal lives? Our enthusiasm for the same task wanes after a bit...we need to rejuvenate ourselves, or do the task differently or simply we have outgrown our taste for it and need to rediscover ourselves. Our change in tastes, likes /dislikes in all spheres are actually a sign for us to delve more into our psyche and pay heed to it. Even in our relations with friends and family...its a constant fine tuning that needs to be done....and don't forget that the other person may be going through the same process of rediscovery themselves!!! So give time, be patient and give the space required.

So don't let this daunt you in any way...rediscover yourself and reinvent yourself... be aware of it and act upon it in time. Don't wait for the miracle to happen to you....Be the miracle for yourself!

Tuesday 10 April 2012

Time for Reflection

Our daily life is full of running around... working under constant pressure,showing up for various social obligations, running errands, meeting deadlines, keeping appointments.. mostly we try to pack in 48hours of life in 24 hours. Some might even defend this approach and say 'Hey,we are living life to the fullest...we are living today as though there is no tomorrow. Whats wrong with that?'

Well,  if it were really true in terms of quality, then I'd say, yes by all means do so! But the reality is far from it. Big cities have more opportunities to offer but also more struggle, greed, competition and yes, manipulation. Here it is the survival of the fittest. Fit enough to do the above and endure it!
But these are also the first to be fit to fall sick and  have health issues like insomnia, blood pressure, heart problems etc, many sign up for spiritual  healing courses and spa therapy to counter effect stress, they have family issues  since they have no time to spare,and it also spills over to  their social life as well. And so the end result is they are both unhappy and discontent. So what do we do? How do we solve this? And how much is considered 'Enough'?

Nothing of what I say has not been mentioned before....but what do we do about it? Nothing.So I'll say it again...Take the time to reflect....stop and take time to smell the roses along the way...Your health and well being is really in your hands. You don't need anti-ageing creams.... let the lines on the face represent a life that has been well-lived and not the aftermath or effects of stress (mostly self-imposed).

If you take time to reflect, your mind will be able to better handle all spheres of life and give each its due. I would thus like to end by quoting which would exemplify in the most beautiful way about refecting on ur life from time to time, from Shri Harivanshrai Bachchan's poem-

Jeevan Ki Appadhapi Mein, Kab Waqt Mila,
Kuch Der Kahin Par Baith Kabhi Yeh Soch Sakoon
Jo Kiya, Kaha, Mana, Usmein Kya Bura Bhala.

जीवन की आपाधापी में कब वक़्त मिला
कुछ देर कहीं पर बैठ कभी यह सोच सकूँ
जो किया, कहा, माना उसमें क्या बुरा भला।