Love yourself a little more?

Dear me,

Yes, this one is for you dear! You’ve walked enough out there, wearing your heart on your sleeves. Pause and love yourself a little more, because on the days you wake up feeling blue, just like today, you might be the only one around you!

P.S. We do write long letters/ emails / messages to our acquaintances living in different parts of the world, right? Then how do we find it difficult to write to someone so close to us – US?! Considering the crunch in time we face from the daily rat-race, isn’t this supposed to be the nearest and convenient letter to post or send across – a letter to ourselves? We don’t need to step out of our homes or catch a taxi or take out our phones and tire our tiny fingers with all the typing. All that is required is just a calm place to shush your heart screaming out for attention, yes, your attention! Just sit down and listen to yourself; listen to all the little secrets you have been hiding from the world behind your beautiful smile!

Before you wonder and start to regret for putting the P.S. amidst a letter, when it’s supposed to be at the end, let me tell you: “It doesn’t always have to be perfect, and no one is. There is nothing in this world that is perfect, neither time nor a person. It’s on you to make a moment perfect. You can make mistakes just like anyone else does. You may meet a right person at the wrong time or vice versa. But you learn from these mistakes and if you don’t, then do give a knock on your head on my behalf! Well, glad you smiled reading that one; a smile sincere from your heart, the beautiful and honest smile I’ve been longing from you since long! So, hey listen, you don’t need to break yourself over and over with each mistake because it’s the mistakes that help you grow. Just stay strong enough to be there for yourself because I know the relay your over-exerting mind and heart plays by passing on the baton of thoughts, is the toughest race you need to win. So, save some fuel in you, for yourself.”

Understand that it’s fine if your social battery has drained off, I mean how can it not? I’m indeed surprised that you came along this far, while holding onto the broken pieces of your heart. It’s high time that you understand that you were trying to complete your life’s jigsaw puzzle by looking for the missing piece in someone else’s hand, when it was always there, hidden deep within your soul. All it takes is a look into yourself when you feel lost! You are an ocean of your own, where people can get lost if they care to venture. So, escape from the world and dive into this deep ocean until you hit rock bottom. It’s always fun to explore the unexplored, isn’t it?! See your heart unfold many secrets that you have been turning a blind eye to and remember that you are an adventure of your own!

It’s ok to overthink about the little things, questioning your life, and breaking down. In fact, you need to be proud of yourself for having a heart that bleeds in this world of scarce emotions. You care a lot and hence hurt a lot. On those days, do remember your favourite quote from TFIOS: “Without pain, how could we know joy?” And do remember that it is also OK to feel numb! It happens and it’s just a phase that will pass by. Even, rocks crumble and so will your heart start to feel again.

Don’t let the world change you. You are loved for who you are, so you do you my dear! Be there for yourself, because you are the nearest person you can run to when you feel lost in this world. And, mostly because you know you are lazy, and it is more convenient that way!

Get out of the bed and stop sulking because you are meant to shine bright. Do not give the rights to anyone else to dull your sparkle because it is only this spark that can guide you back to home- YOU!

So, on the days you feel blue, just go with the flow! Do everything that you want to even if it is as crazy as it may sound or do nothing at all. Take yourself out or shut the world behind your doors and enjoy solitude with a cup of tea or by just lying on the bed wrapped in your blanket. Go to the beach and just listen to the waves lash at the shore or sit in your balcony and stare down at the world running here and there or stare into the walls of your apartment right to horizon. Cry your eyes out or laugh like a lunatic. Starve until your stomach growls or eat until you can’t squeeze in a morsel more. Laze around in your over-sized pyjamas or fit into the attire that brings out the confidence in you. Watch your favourite series all over again or disconnect yourself from the gadgets around you. Cook a meal for yourself and laugh over the mess you created in the kitchen or order in your go-to meal and gobble it down. Have a long hot shower or walk like a mess.

All that I’m reminding you is, be the way you want and give your soul a break, because I love you and I can’t see you break down. You are my happy place; always have and always will be! There is no one who can replace you and none that I’d wish would take your place.

Knowing how you are, I know you’ll overthink many more times and shatter into tinier pieces. But do me a favour and love yourself a little more?

Sincerely,

ME.

P.S. We are in a world where we can describe anything and everything but when asked to talk about ourselves, we pause, we hesitate! A world where we find answers to any question just a click away, but never able to find an answer to, “Who am I?” because that’s an answer unique to each one of us and an answer that can be answered just by us! Are we that horrible to not be loved or cared for? If the answer is a yes, then my friend you are making the second mistake of expecting to find love from people around you. Yes, the second mistake! Because, the first mistake is that you are missing out on something precious than a gem in search of something/someone that is incomparable with you!

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.”

Cherish every moment!

AIM: To take my dear readers on a stroll, back to the time where everything in life was actually easy and simple.

To Prove: Never ever judge a book by its cover and all that glitters is not gold!

Current Scenario: Age of 22 and above.

Stroll back to: Yourself in your teens or age below.

Life’s way of proving me wrong:

I still remember those times, where I wished I could just fast forward all those moments I felt was really frustrating, difficult and most importantly pointless, and enter the career life ASAP just to enjoy sitting in an air-conditioned office, sipping a cup of coffee and working on something that interests me (’cause obviously my ambition was my choice), having a personal laptop or a work desk, taking a day off whenever I wished to and have lit parties. Here is a list of wrongly tagged things which I really crave for now and I’m sure everyone of you miss too!

Then: boring lectures and brain wrecking exams Now: The amount of fun that we used to have during those late night group study sessions or tuition classes, trying to make sense in those ‘senseless’ ( now invaluable) things by making the weirdest acronyms that anyone could ever think of and scribbling down the notes that the professors bombarded us with, is incomparable.
Then: chugged down food when I had no other option ’cause obviously I was a kid/ student and I had to eat what I was given Now: I’d really appreciate any kind of food served to me because after a hectic day at work, all that you care is how to shush your tummy so that you can proceed to crash on your bed! Maa tussi great ho (Mom, you are great). I really do mean it and I’d love to take a moment to apologize for all those tantrums I threw at you. It is amazing how you manage the house without any complaints, even after an arduous day. Three cheers to all the mothers out there!! [P.S. It is surprising if you don’t knock us with the roti roller in your hand, when we sulk over the meal you prepared] ❤
Then: pointless assignments which was mere wastage of paper and my precious time. Pffft! Now: There is a whole lot of black and white papers in front of you created by you, the robot. The creative part of your brain literally dies day by day. Be grateful to all those teachers who try to invoke that part of your brain because, Oh child, they know how it is to be an adult! They know your life is going to run in a robotic manner and that you are going to be a slave of time. They know you are going to run one hell of a relay, exchanging your responsibilities, just like the batons.
Then: had to do activities that never interested me, just because my friends were participating and that was the best reason to bunk a class Now: I would love to do any activity voluntarily that will help rejuvenate the over-worked up soul that I carry daily to office, anything to add some spice masala to my life because even dal fry is bland without tadka! But you know what? As much as an outgoing person I am, staying at home on a Sunday after a monotonous week, doing nothing, is itself a bliss I’d count now!
Then: people ignored my talks just because I was a kid! Now: I have to think before each word that falls out of my mouth because people are more interested in arguing than hearing. They wait for you to screw up one thing you tell so that they can pester you for the rest of your lives telling, “I can’t believe you told me so, that day!” [P.S. It is the best that people can’t read your minds because more than what gets censored by the Censor Board or backspaced in your daily messages, you edit the content your mouth is bound to speak]
Then: carry those heavy school bags that weighed definitely more than me and made me look like a ladybug Now: Oh God! Those days were much simpler and beautiful. It was just the bags that I carried on my back that were heavy. Before I sleep every night now, the heavy dark bags that my poor eyes weigh after the incessant use of the PC is unavertable.

These were few of the instances that I could recollect in such a short span of time. I am pretty sure there are many more important moments to you that I may have left off! All that matters is how our attitude is. Now, as I help any of my younger ones in their academics, I understand how silly and easy those contents were. It is just the attitude that matters in how we accept a situation. I know, I can’t time travel back to those days and correct myself, but I have learnt to accept and move forward with an attitude that can never pull me down. Easy or difficult a task – is your call! Stress over it or fight it out – is again your call! The misconception that we all live in is that ‘the grass is greener on the other side‘. Maybe it is, but each path that you trod over has its own ditches and weeds. Walk over it or make it a garden for you to live harmoniously – is your call! Stop stressing over things that you don’t have and value the things that you have! Try to change the stones into gems and look forward for the rainbow after each storm you encounter.

“Sometimes, you will never know the value of a moment until it becomes a memory” – Dr.Seuss.

Topicless – A new Topic…

Hey readers! A confusing topic? Well, I am really clueless and topicless as I am writing this. There’s this really difficult task of finding a really catchy name for your blog, to get your readers to read it. Atleast, that’s what I feel since I judge a movie by it’s name. Now, you got another point against me, judgmental a person I am, but that’s clearly just for movies and songs and really weird names maybe! Let me make this clear once again, I judge things and don’t judge people because I believe every person has a story of their own to tell.

Now, you tell me, don’t you cringe a bit when you hear absurd names for a movie, like why would the director even name it so?! But, there are these really intrigued set of people in the community who watch the movie to just see what link the movie has with its name, just like those people in horror movies who go towards the ghost when we keep screaming “DON’T! With my own experience of watching such a movie when left with no other choices, I’d like to say that few of them are really good. Now, you get another point, that judging a name is also wrong because a name too has a story to tell of its own.

Did I confuse you now? Well, that’s what state I get into when I have a lot of topics in my head but not enough content to write about. But, ye I don’t really have to work on an essay because people don’t really have the time to read someone else’s story right? But, can you be selfish all the time? Will people lend you an ear to listen you out when you want to rant out stuff? No! So that brings another point that you should be selfish enough not to keep people away from you. Respect your space, but do respect their thoughts too!

Now, getting back to the story behind the name for my blog. I really had a lot of topics to write about but one story leads to another because obviously the mind loves to wander about. So, infact I’m actually topicless but that gives me the right to write about anything random in each paragraph and by anything I mean, I can let my mind wander free without any refrains. How many of us have words unspoken everyday, because of different situations?

Well, I am here, reaching out to many people, because of the support and force from my loved ones to begin a blog. I used to keep my writings and thoughts saved in my diary which my parents had gifted me. It’s not really cool to invade into anyone’s personal space (I still stick on to what I say) but luckily the only sheet that tore off from my diary was a poem I had scribbled on during one of my lectures. My friends didn’t invade, don’t get me wrong, it was the fate or timing that wanted to get me off the boundary limit of my diary. They wanted me to begin a blog but I never felt my writings were really worth publishing. I asked my sister for her opinion too and she was also supportive to begin one. Hence, here I am!

The only aim behind this blog is to spread this message to all the budding writers: Get your pens out, fill it up with ink, keep writing. It doesn’t matter if you don’t have quality content. Well, no one is really perfect in this world. So, take a chill pill buddy and let your mind wander free ’cause there’s no bigger wanderlust than your mind 😉 …

A beautiful soul..!

Smile as flawless as Monalisa, brave as Jhansi ki Rani, purest heart as Sita devi, cutest gestures as a toddler and what not… She was perfect in all ways; except for her face which had deformed after an accident… A girl who every guy would love to make his “forever” , if just for once they were willing to venture deep into her soul… She was the owner of an even more beautiful soul and a heart which stood contrast to her now scarred physique… She looked vibrant or bold, but she was fragile deep inside… If she had got that tough look, it was an outcome of her heart growing stronger, due to the insults she had to hear each and every time she broke through the four walls of her house… She later believed that insults come from people who are jealous of you and, since then, she smiled even more vibrantly than ever, at those people as they were all the same and she stood out different… Nothing could stop her; the horrific comments or the disgusted and cringey faces or the society, most of all, she herself… She believed in herself, when the whole world left her… She thanked God, for making her life more simpler and more beautiful… She was not in competition with anyone , she didn’t do things to impress others, she learnt to live for herself and that was when she started enjoying LIFE ..
P.S. Everyone in today’s world just go behind looks and wealth, they are busy winning people’s hearts instead of understanding one another, it’s about how many people you conquer and not about how many are willingly by your side, people mistake self-confidence to over-confidence and helping yourself with being selfish… Be your own best friend, because not everyone is going to be there beside you, throughout every chapter of your life… “Be there for others but never leave yourself behind” – Dodinsky… 😀

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!