Thursday, April 24, 2014

This Blog Has NO Title

Recently I asked my closest friends whether they did read my Blogs.
With excitement and fervour that only best friends would show, they readily agreed and complimented me on my blog posts. Unexpectedly one of them who is very hard to impress complimented me too. That coming from him was a rare sight! And there he was complementing me, saying that I did write really very well, expressing sound emotions with almost apt words and alacrity. That moment right there, felt so nice. I was so happy and smiled from ear to ear (my usual reaction to compliments, as I have no idea what else to say). And just then as I was about to give him a big teddy-bear hug for all his kind words, he took the liberty to add this, very casually,
'But, listen since you asked I must tell you that I don't like the titles that you use.'

Err..yeah right dude! I get it. Thanks. I tried to show that I was totally un-fazed by his comment.
He liked my blogs, the way I write but not my blog Titles. Now what was that supposed to mean?
My mind had taken a U-turn. I wanted to ponder on all the topics that I had written till date, but I did not.
Instead I thought of writing a blog that runs the course with the reader's thoughts, like a flowing river, freely.
A blog that starts with NO Title. NO specific direction but ONE - to make this blog your own.

Many a times, in life we are subjected to questions like, 'What have you thought about your future?' (aagey ka kya socha hai?) or an interview is never complete without the epic question :
'Where do you see yourself 5 years from now?'
Now before you answer that question...wait...take a deep breath and answer this question first -
What did you think of yourself 5 years ago? Today, are you even close to what you'd imagined yourself to be?

We blame it on human tendency to think of 'bright' future prospects. We think it's OKAY to contemplate of all the good (we assume) that might happen in future. There are people who chalk out their course beforehand. The happy tripper's who know where they are going right from the beginning. And then there are the rest, who find their course as they thread on the path of their dreams. Like this blog, without a title, they believe that shackles of  a pref-fixed course will bound their view. They are willing to experiment and let the way lead them to something extraordinary. They are willing to take risks that way.
They know the difference between playing around and trying out things differently.
The ones who are willing to change build a future and not wait for it to unfold.

All our lives we strive to attain a TITLE that defines our lives for us. The credentials that stand proudly before our names, are but titles that help us attain familiarity in the society. What they fail to do, is convey our stories to that same society. The stories of hard work, of sweats and of achievements that are far more better and interesting than those mere titles. Two people can share the same degrees, stature and  monetary pleasures, but it is their story that will set them apart from each other. With this blog, I urge you to put some thought behind YOUR own story and to turn it into a tale to tell.

On that Note, I dare you to do things differently.
To surprise yourself by doing things you had never once thought of doing.


With this blog, I dare you NOT to think... Just Do It!!





Tuesday, April 8, 2014

Only Change is Constant

She woke up before the morning sunlight could softly touch her face. She rubbed her eyes off the turbulent sleep she was in, dreaming of him and sighed at the thought of getting ready for work. Another day of putting on a smile and facing the world, while she dealt with pain inside. She was aware that things needed to change and so did life. She wanted to move ahead but couldn't, as the only thing that pulled her two steps behind, was him. His memories and his touch. Moving forward just seemed impossible to her. Thoughts of solitary haunted her. She took a deep breath as she watched herself intently in the mirror. It reflected her image with all the broken pieces, shouting loud and clear that fear of change is a feeling, a feeling that only she could change. 


So why is it that we resist change? Is deciding to change something, enough to bring in the right attitude towards change or are we missing something here?

"When we are dumped into change, our favorite strategy is to try to recover our lives as quickly as possible."


Today, I beg you to think of change more positively. When we say “This is a game changer,” that connotes something good and positive. And yes, it’s okay to “change” your mind.
– Allan Karl, WorldRiderwww.allankarl.com

If you find yourself wanting something month after month, year after year, yet nothing happens and you never come any closer to it, then maybe what you actually want is a fantasy, an idealization, an image and a false promise. Maybe you don't actually want it at all.

You have to choose something. You can't have a pain-free life. It can't all be roses and unicorns. Because if you have to choose, choose how you are willing to suffer.
Because that's the hard question that matters. Pleasure is an easy question. And pretty much all of us have the same answer.
The more interesting question is the pain. What is the pain that you want to sustain?
That answer will actually get you somewhere. It's the question that can change your life. It's what makes me me and you you. It's what defines us and separates us and ultimately brings us together.

So what's it going to be? Think about it...


Now that you have your choice, you know you'll need to kick some a** but you don't know how? Here is what you need to do:
https://medium.com/life-learning/2a1841f1335d



Saturday, April 5, 2014

Turning 25 and all that buzz!

I was asked to close my eyes, and walk into the room on the count of three. T-a-d-a surprise! I was greeted with rose petals falling from heaven (yeah...it was the ceiling fan actually, but who cares, I am 25 and dramatic in a way). And that my friends is how I walked into another spectacular year of living, that's how I turned 25 in a dreamy way. Now that I am officially allowed to begin my quarter-life crisis, I wish to compile a list of 25 reminders that will help me find myself again, whenever I tend to loose my mind.
                                             
1. Now that I am 25,
 I promise to stop asking kids for life changing ideas. 



2. I vouch to calculate better and faster.
Try me when I'm sober and you will know.


3. Seriously, read that one again. Save that dime girl!


4. I will take my own decisions without
 turning to Google for any expert advice.


5. I am proud to be myself and will always be - Flawed and Fabulous.



6. I will rise above the past and will try to
 believe not only in fairy-tales but also in love stories.



7. I will give myself a second chance.



8. Read that again.


9. I will devote more time to people and not apps.
 I will not take anything for granted, not even myself.



10. Reality is for people who lack imagination.
 I choose to believe in dreams.

11. I want to fall in love again. First with myself
and then with someone who loves me with my imperfections, perfectly.


12. And as much as I would like to continue (we are not proceeding to 25),
 I am sure we all need to break the rules (be lazy time and again)
and expect the unexpected.


I don’t believe people are looking for the meaning of life as much as they are looking for the experience of being alive. – Joseph Campbell 

At this point in my life, I am doing what I like doing rather than being buried under the expectations of what I should be doing. This I think is way more important. I have hobbies that keep my mind busy, and my oldest friends are still my oldest and bestest friends. I think right now, for me, 25 is less of a scary age and more of a 'I'm going in the right direction' age, which is nice. And, as opposed to when I was 22- when my career was king and to hell with the rest - I now have everything in perspective, and know what is really important to me. I am more confident now than I was before and I can now watch horror movies without horrifying others (in my defence I have toned down a bit on that part, if I haven't stopped completely). Now the things that make me happy most of the time are a cup of coffee and a book in my pyjamas. Each to their own. So, anyway, yes, despite of being known to smile far more than I should  and startling people around me, I'm pleased to be where I am and who I am, around people I am with. Oh and some advice for those younger than my withered self - laugh at yourself more. Life ain't worth a damn if you can't find the hilarity in your own photo ID'ed self when the cashier looks at you like you're a grandmother/father to three young girls. Hardy har har, my god I'm old...