The two keys to success…

Trending Ted-Talk videos, best-selling books, a chapter in our school/college course, a motivational speech by a famous person during our Annual Day function, a biographical film or so on… We all have come across atleast one story of a successful person by either of the above-mentioned means, haven’t we? But the actual question here is, how many of us understand and apply it in our daily lives? Success is something we all aim for and the version of success perceived varies from person to person. For few, success is how much fame, power, job status or money they possess and for the other few it is personal growth rather than materialistic things like the former. Real success in life is when you achieve something that matters to you the most. Since, every individual comes with different ideologies, background etc., we should never impose our own definition of success on anyone. We should understand that the only thing in common amongst all of us is the path of constant struggle, we all volunteered to travel through, to reach our respective goals. With this being said here’s presenting you the success mantra of Rancho from 3-Idiots: “Success Ke Peeche Mat Bhaago, Excellence Ka Peecha Karo, Success Jhak Maarke Tumhare Peeche Ayegi”. Read on to understand the two things that we need to follow in order to be successful in our own ways:

Courage to accept: “Instead of repeating the same lessons over and over again, learn from them quickly by having the courage to accept them” – Roxana Jones. What if I am not right? What if things went wrong because of me? Do not ever let the ‘what ifs’ obstruct you from making any choice or rather hinder your first step towards something that you are intrigued by. No one is perfect and it is understood that nobody can get anything right at the first go. As a child, it was easier to open the long list of mistakes that we had committed, in front of anyone. You may have a reasoning that you were a child back then and people hence accepted your mistakes easily because of your innocence. Well that is true, but the only thing that’s stopping you now probably would be the ego yelling out to you ‘why should I broadcast my wrong doings so as to let anyone else snatch away my chance?’ Skip the E from the word EGO and let it GO. Feel free and muster all your courage to accept the mistakes. Own it and mean it. In such situations, just close your eyes and ponder if you’d accept a person who is ready to accept their own mistakes and correct themselves or a person who is just stubborn enough to not admit the same? You need to have the courage to accept the fact that things do take time to be right. Own your mistake instead of putting the blame on someone else, irrespective of the position you hold in that place: superior or a junior. In that way, you not only promote a healthy work atmosphere but also create opportunities for wild and creative ideas to flow in! You can excel at the cost of few scoldings from your colleagues rather than keeping quiet out of fear of humiliation and repeating the same mistake again and again. Well, a fun fact is that you get to do a new mistake the next time.

P.S. “It takes immense courage to accept, the reality of the truth, told to you and about you by someone, without just being angry” – Emotional strength

Dedication to improve: “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” – Michael Jordan. How many of us have tried to extract the true essence of the phrase ‘sky is the limit’, completely? As common and easily these words are said, it opens a portal for the million different ways of doing a specific thing. It just requires enough patience to turn clay into a beautiful art-piece or in transforming diamond from a rough stone into a faceted gem. What is amazing is that at the end of the process, you eventually get to turn your frowns of failure to smiles of success. Strive hard until you get to eat the sweet fruits you reaped for. Don’t settle for anything less than perfect because you, my friend, are answerable to only one question that your inner-self will haunt you with, i.e. “Did I give my best? Was I capable of something more?” If you have a satisfactory yes to the former and a no to the latter, you will be the most content person as you have been truthful to your self and worked for something while stepping out of your comfort zone. Just imagine, what would have happened if you had not tried to walk after a few bruises, as a kid? Life is so, dear friends, you either get to walk up with your head high after giving your best or …….!

Well, to conclude, APJ Abdul Kalam has rightly quoted that “Confidence and Hard-work is the best medicine to kill the disease called failure. It will make you a successful person.”

Just this one last time?!

A long-forgotten yet a beautiful story! Currently, that’s what I like to call that chapter in my life, whenever anyone shoots the most cliché post-breakup question towards me: “Have you moved on?!” Well by long-forgotten; please do not take the literal meaning out of it, my dear readers. I just ought to let you know that it’s been long enough for you to forget that and update yourself with new gossips. C’mon, I get the part that this story was once the talk in the city. But as necessary it is for me to move on, so is it for you! I’m done listening to all the sympathies and ‘awwws’ you would let out on hearing my short lived romantic story. I try to put enough full stops to that tale but you, the society, are just like the wind obstructing me from moving on to the next page. You blow in the wrong direction all over again; now you are supposed to help me in the direction of turning pages and then you were to blow in such a way that would pull her close to me. How can you mess it up every single time?! I hope my story is enough to let you know that you are invented to keep the dear ones close and keep the strangers off!!

Well, I’m kind of going off-track because my dear society, I’m not going to give you any more attention, at least that’s not what I wish to after all these years. I once had given you enough attention but only to lose something precious than a gem to me. Yes, I lost her! I lost my love while I gave an ear to all those crappy questions you kept bombarding at me. I could never provide her with an answer to why I love her or why it felt like home beside her or an affirmation to a happily ever after. It is unbelievable that I gave a damn thought to what all you ever made me believe in, when I was ought to surrender my only thoughts to her, to us! And that’s something that I guess I’ll regret life-long. Her thoughts haunt me still and this time I won’t hesitate to shout it out to the world, against all those ears waiting to eavesdrop to what my heart wants to whisper; her name. I won’t let you hush me down and I won’t step back from this very last time I want to speak about her because since long, behind the pale smile I flash upon you, I have been gulping down words waiting to break free. I don’t want to suffocate up on such a mesmerizing thought because all I wish is to continue living knowing that I was lucky enough to meet an angel like her! I beg of you to not stop me, this one last time…

Her twinkling eyes beautifully drawn with her only favourite makeup ‘kajal’ used to hold me back in such a magnetic way that I could see the entire future we were to stumble upon together; she never paused to think before she casted her pearly whites between her perfectly curved lips and yes, I can still hear her giggle in the silliest yet cutest way amongst the crowded local trains I travel by daily; her butter-fingers used to carelessly intertwine between my long fingers hoping to find her name embossed on my ring finger one day; and I can never forget the way her hair used to sway and fall over her perfectly carved face waiting to be brushed away by my fingers, only to find her breath-taking gaze and smile! What an exclusive creation of God she is, with such a striking look and an even more gentle soul within! Hmph. I just wish I could rewind time and that I had not stood there blankly gazing at her as the tears streamed down waiting for it to be wiped off by me, yes me! What was I waiting for? But, how could I, knowing that I was the reason for those drops soaking my shirt collar as she clung onto me tightly praying to stay that close with me forever? It’s only because I listened to you, my dearest society! I was scared you would cause her more hurt than you would to me, which is why I let her go before it’s too late; I let her slip away from my arms.

Since then, I have been choking on words she wished to hear that day, and I still can feel her presence around me hoping to just hear my heart beat her name. I won’t hold back this time, my dear… “I loved you, and I still love you. I want to scream your name out loud and wait until the echoes reach you, just so that I can let you know that you still rule my heart and it only beats for you, until day! What we had is a long-forgotten story because I want to start a fresh one and I commit to you that it will be a happily ever-after tale as you wished for! I won’t let you slip away from my arms this time and I want to die in your arms instead. But……..Right now, I’m scared, not of the society but only about whether time defeated us; What if the fake story I delivered to them reached you and, this time you believed their little lies and moved far away from me and left me on my own?! What if I’m too late, too late to comprehend that once again the society overtook and defeated me, with the help of time; and that I’m at loss again, a loss so beautiful and irresistable?!”

P.S. So many of us let go of our love fearing what the future may bring to us, mainly worrying about what the society will think of us. Does it really matter what they think? Yes, for a meanwhile it may. But, they too will move on with their lives, right? If you left your love fearing some ‘may or may not happen’ incident, was is it really love? Yes, you may have left your loved one to prevent anymore hassles or sorrow because you can’t bear to see tears in your loved one’s eyes, but do remember that you will never be able to forget that one. Do give it a thought!

Oh! How I’d wish.. (Part-2)

When the wind caressed me,

I’d wish that your arms embraced me…

When the rain showered on me,

I’d wish to drown in your eyes…

When the sun beamed upon us,

I’d wish to see a shadow,

of us and not mine alone…

When the snow left me shivering,

I’d wish that I could melt in your love…

And, when the autumn leaves shed on us,

I’d wish that I could walk by the lane,

with you in a bridal dress…

I gave up all of me to you,

my wishes to fate,

my expectations to reality,

and all that I’d think of,

in my tiny little fantasy land.

only to enter a world,

a world of reality filled with obstacles;

to end with you and I!

Oh! How I wish I could,

elope to my dreamland,

where I had been assured

a happily-ever-after;

and escape from this chaotic life,

where you and I aren’t assured ;

the thought that makes me all jittery…

I had always wished that,

I’d never need to write,

about us or just you,

because I want you to live in my life,

and not in my poems!

P.S. Well, not everything in life happens the way we want because the main controller of each one of our lives, God, is watching over us, from up there! And, he’d definitely want only the best for us…Keep calm and go with the flow!

“Kol shaye yahdos le sabab” .. (Everything happens for a reason in Arabic)

One Step makes a big difference!..

“Once upon a time you were a little kid with big dreams that you promise you’d make real one day. Don’t disappoint yourself”. It’s all the more comforting to know that your family or your dear ones have seen you make all kinds of dream and also that phase where your ambitions kept fluctuating. They have always been there to provide you with every single support and zeal required to chase your dreams. They have cried deep within even when you were bruised slightly and their pain have been unnoticed many a times. They’ll never leave your hand however old you turn and provide continuous support in every stage of life, because to them, you are still their little kid. Your dreams are their dreams too. So, when you doubt your capability and take a step back from the challenge against your opponents in this competitive world to get a dream job, think of all those faces who have only taken steps forward just so that you never would find the need to halt to attain what you want.

“Success in life comes when you simply refuse to give up with goals so strong; that obstacles, failure and loss only act as motivation”. Certain people are too emotional which sequentially makes them indecisive. Sentiments and emotions somewhat gets stronger during the departure from home to a new place and it is something that gives way to a dilemma on whether the job or your family is more important. They tend to make you feel weak on your legs. All those sweet and easy-going time will revolve in your head when life throws even a small obstacle in front of you. You will begin to search for reasons just so that you could leave everything, your new job, your dreams, and so on, and rush to where your family or your loved one is. Life isn’t fair always. You will have to lose something in order to gain something. It’s just the initial phase that’s going to make you doubt your worth. If you successfully pass that phase with optimism and strive hard with determination, there are no words to measure the happiness you will experience to see your dreams actually working out.

Many a times, you tend to give up on your dreams and follow the stereotypical path your family have been treading on for ages and most common ones being that of an engineer, doctor or a teacher. The need for a change is never felt and if you are a person with no ‘ambitions’ yet, it’s all the more easy to turn into a pushover. You’ll never bother to spend time to analyse what exactly you are apt for or where exactly do you see yourself in few years. Family’s or your loved ones’ say definitely do matter a lot, but that shouldn’t make you so dependent on them that makes it impossible to take a decision to shape your future alone. With no worries you can precede, because your dear ones will definitely be there to provide constant support in every process towards your happiness and success, but it’s you who have to take the main step, a step towards your dream. Your family should never be a hurdle. Instead they should be considered the bridge of support in your life.

Dreams are to be chased and not to let go. Hold on to your dreams. Yes, the separation from your dear ones is truly the biggest hurdle you will have to face before taking this huge step in your life. But the life after that is what you longed for and they’ll be equally happy to see you successful in a place where you were meant to be. Remember that, they are able to take care of you happily because they are doing something they love to. Do something you love, and you’ll be able to return that happiness to everyone around you. Create that magical vibe of happiness. That one step is all that makes a difference. It’s up to you to take a step back from your dream job or a step ahead to a life you yearned for!

Your dreams are mine now..

Time fast forwarded?? Check !! She tried to pause that moment and unclutter her mind for now, but it was all in vain. Yes, trying to stop her mind from wandering through the unwanted path she once strolled along with him, was what she wished for now !! She was strangled in the world’s biggest prison- her mind, which she has been trying to elope from, but this time alone.
As her mind played a game of “Twister“, she managed to pull out a pale smile to flash upon the world. Surprisingly, the only bright thing she beheld after a series of tragedies was her smile. Her lips were a barren desert, baring a stark to her pair of dark clouds which have cried a million rivers..
She leaned on the walls, wishing it’d be his shoulders; her fingers intertwined with not his, but hers to pray to the Almighty; her eyes searched for his’, though all she could stare was at the dim walls. She had lost the spark in her eyes, as his eyes were the mirror that caused such a magnificent reflection, she proclaimed.
She didn’t want anyone else to see her, hear her, console her. She was all cold; she wanted warmth which only his arms could provide; she wanted to listen to his heartbeats but they no longer beat for her. She sighed, “your dreams are mine now”, and her voice echoed in that little, empty room. Yes, she had to live to fulfill her dreams, his dream.!