Category: Experiential

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The Slingshot Ride!

We visited an amusement park. As much as the huge, fancy rides excited me, they also led to a pit in my stomach. I was on the fence because, yes, I am fearless, but I have not done this in years. Will I be able to handle the adrenaline rush?

While I did smaller roller coasters and swings, a heavily promoted ‘Slingshot’ ride, placed right in the centre like a solitaire on the queen’s crown, kept attracting my attention.

I was watching the demeanour of those waiting in the queue in awe, and I was trying to catch a glimpse of those who were coming out after having done the ride, to check whether they were OK.

All this time, my mind kept telling me, “This is not for you. Forget it.” But the heart said, “If not now, then when? You want to bungee jump and skydive, and here you are, scared of a ride in an amusement park. C’mon, you should do it.”

My friend wanted to do it, so I accompanied her, thinking to myself, “I will see her board and move towards the exit.” She told me, “Why are you wasting your time? I will meet you ahead.” I said, “Never mind, I want to see the ride up and close.”

We reached the end of the queue. They were allowing five people inside at a time. The attendant released the chain. I hesitated, but she, unaware of my intentions, pointed towards the queue and made a strong gesture asking me to hurry.

Once inside, I was the first one in line to board the ride. The irritated attendant, again oblivious to my lostness, gestured that I should board faster. Suddenly, something changed inside me, and my feet were drawn towards the ride.

I sat, the other four sat, the dramatic countdown began, the ride started, and we were shot in the sling. The ride lasted less than a minute, but it changed me forever. Suddenly, the world became a possibility, because I lived my word of being fearless.

My call to everyone reading this is to try every new experience that comes your way. You never know what it has in store for you.

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Managing Negative Feelings with Intelligence

Feelings of anxiety, anger, loneliness, and jealousy have immense power to pull us back. Living these feelings constantly drains vital energy and hurts physical and mental well-being.

We all know 👆 but when faced with negative thoughts and feelings, we fail to act meaningfully.

It is common knowledge that anything grows when we feed it; the same applies here. When we constantly think, speak, and act out of these gloomy feelings we keep feeding them and they keep getting stronger.

Denial is not a solution because in a typical social setup dark thoughts and insecurities are bound to exist. The trick is to accept and outgrow.

Following are some simple ways to make these feelings starve –

– Specific gratitude

We are very specific about what is wrong in our lives. Similarly, we should express ‘specific gratitude’. For example; “I am grateful that my husband was available to take my daughter to her tournament so I could focus on work and finish it.”

– Avoid idleness

An idle mind nourishes negative feelings. It is often said that if currently, you have nothing to pursue, it is good to pursue yourself. Investing your time and intelligence in acquiring and applying knowledge leaves little or no room for negativity to creep in.

– Focus on your Karma

Stay focused on your deeds, responsibilities, and habits. Do good and don’t let the others affect you.

* Be humble and kind.

* Don’t engage in small talk.

* Don’t shy away from your responsibilities.

* Forgive and forget

Another important fact is that these feelings keep coming to you because of different situations.

The 👆 steps have to be repeated till they become your second nature. That’s how the feeding and growth cycle curbs and the feelings start dying.

Have you ever experienced 👆? If yes, please share in the comments section and make this exchange more valuable.

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The Theory of Drama

The Theory of Drama in Life

The good, the bad, the calm, and the chaos.

We share the chaos aloud while the calm feels ignored.

An accident, a delay, a spillage, or a failure.

We shout, cry, and make ourselves heard.

We share and relive the bitterness again and again.

And then we have the small progress and the little improvements

We keep it to ourselves and forget it the next day.

We don’t share or bask in the glory.

Why such a divided view of the good and bad?

Because bad means drama and good means peace.

And we all love drama!

Walk away from the drama and the good will be felt, heard, and seen.

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You Have Come Far!

December is a month of self-reflection. You see the entire year in a flash and resolve to make the next year better. But what about acknowledging the distance that you have covered this year? Why is it always about what can be better? Why is it not about that which is good?

Our minds are trained to think of all that did not go well, making the year difficult.  But I am sure there have been days when it went great, and you achieved beyond expectations.

I call upon every reader to list the good days first and then ponder about the bad ones. You may argue saying “But I have not done much.” Yes, it’s ok because whatever little you have done is good enough. In a world that keeps putting pressure to improvise the good and make the better best, pause to acknowledge the good – in its simplest version.

Do you know what my wins look like?

In 2024 –

–          I practised monotasking better

–          I heard my children with patience

–          I controlled overthinking on at least 20% of the issues

–          I accepted my current state of success

–          I lived my decisions more confidently

–          I was more consistent on LinkedIn

–          I stayed strong on most of the difficult days

My list is very subjective with goals that cannot be numbered but it matters to me. Yes, another year has passed and to the world, I am still the same, but I know of all the internal changes that have occurred. Only if I acknowledge them will they expand and trickle into the other areas of my life.

Here is a short story to drive home the point

A poor man lived with his wife and six children in a cramped one-room house. Life was so chaotic that he could barely endure it. Desperate, he sought advice from a village sage.

The sage listened and gave surprising advice: “Take your animals—your cow, goat, and chickens—into your house.” Though puzzled, the man obeyed.

The house became unbearable, so he returned to the sage. “Remove the chickens,” the sage said. The man complied but still found the house chaotic. “Remove the goat,” the sage then advised. When the goat was gone, the man returned again, complaining about the cow. “Take the cow outside,” the sage said.

The next day, the man returned to the sage, smiling. “Life is wonderful now,” he said. “Without the animals, our house feels spacious and peaceful!”

The sage’s wisdom had shown him how to appreciate what he had.

Source: How the Children Became Stars by Aaron Zerah

When motivating others, we do a fabulous job by glorifying even the smallest of their achievements. But when it is about self, we downplay and over-expect. Why can we not be considerate of ourselves before others?

One school of thought says that the considerate approach breeds complacency. However, I strongly believe that a constant feeling of lack – lack of opportunity, lack of resources, lack of time, only leads to further lack in life. It is time we respect our journey and feel joyous of where we have reached.

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She Slowly Holds Both Fire and Calm Within

She lives a life that is not hurried. She takes her day slow. She gives her 💯 to every small or big task. But she does not multitask.

She does not skip her noon nap even on busy days. Her workout is the most special part of the routine, where she systematically enhances her will and strength. But she does it all slowly.

She keeps her to-do list small and meaningful. A wise old lady once advised her, “Specify 3 priorities on any given day and once accomplished mark your day as successful.” The lady was not a therapist or a consultant, but the simple advice has stayed with her since then. And though she plans her day meticulously, she is at ease, not hurried.

She works remotely and is happy with her progress. She respects where she is because she has reached here with determination and consistency. She ideates, implements, and evaluates. She respects the gradual progress that she has achieved.

She gives time to her family but takes care and keeps a dependency check. Her ways look old-school but she cooks simple meals for her family members with love. She looks forward to her slow-paced day that has a little bit of everything.

She plans for the next day but she consciously keeps her schedule easy. She is resourceful and professional but does not compromise on her peaceful pace.

She is learning new skills, not always with an end goal. Each time she feels socially intimidated, she asks herself “Did I ever want this?”

She vibrates on a higher abundant frequency where she has TIME FOR EVERYTHING. She is surrounded by multitaskers, thorough professionals, worked-up managers, anxious planners, big dreamers, and star achievers, all busy and engaged, but she loves her slow day and slow progress!

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Share Your Story…

It was the last 2kms of our 4-day trek to Chandrashila (12000ft) in Uttarakhand. We had a turnaround time and I had to decide on whether I would continue because my fellow trekkers were waiting. I had already trekked for 4 hours and I broke down because the summit was just 2kms away and I was tired.

At that moment a friend who had been with me since the beginning of the trek became a living inspiration. We had been together for the last 4 days and she was ever so quiet. She shared brief stories from her previous treks and a little bit more. She trekked alone and was superb in descent.

That is all I knew about her till this moment. She saw me weak and she said softly – “I am a cancer survivor and once I overcame the fear of dying I engaged in every adventure sport because I realized no feeling is worse than the thought that you may JUST die without trying, without experiencing. In the last 2 years, I have done bungee jumping, scuba diving, and treks, because I felt what dying was like.”

That’s it, said nothing more, she smiled with moist eyes, turned around and started trekking. I was stunned and speechless. Suddenly the pain and fatigue seemed nothing. My issues became so petty that I could no longer hold on to them.

She looked back, gestured for me to come along and I resumed. Every step gave pain, and every breath felt heavy but a voice inside kept saying – “I am going to conquer this!”

I came across a post on LinkedIn about how one should share their stories, which may become a survival guide for the other. This article is an inspiration from the same.

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The Voice Inside

Silence and space hold many answers. Why do we feel good on a retreat? Because there are no sounds or commitments. We enjoy the openness of space because otherwise we are bound to our homes and workstations.

When we shut the noise we can hear the voice inside. We can hear the voice inside when we create a space between self and the other.

Most of the time the voice asks us to make tough decisions like –

– Detachment

– Disconnection and

– Discontinuation

from work and people.

The mind is feeble and fears the consequences of the decision, but the voice keeps repeating. Because the voice knows that the reality is not as grave as it seems to the mind. The mind has a habit of overplaying and overimagining. This inner voice keeps you rooted in reality. It clears all the mental drama and

Listening to the voice carefully and upholding what it says requires tremendous courage.

But it is the only way to feel liberated.

Today, listen to the voice and do what it says!

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Happiness is a Mindset

Happiness leaves no scars, hence it is easy to forget.

The human mind finds meaning in problems and negativity. The moment you drive it towards positivity and happiness it throws the following words at you –

– You are foolish

– You are so innocent

– You are vulnerable

– You are weak

– You do not accept the reality…

It systematically challenges your positivity. And you fall into the trap and start acting otherwise.

Whenever these thoughts come in to bother you, reiterate and tell yourself

– I want to do my best no matter what

– I want to give unconditionally

– I want to forgive and let go

– I want to live fully and freely

– I am secure and no one can take advantage of me

Fight the battle with strength and soon the negative pattern will cease to exist paving the way for foolish optimism (as they call it). But don’t you think it is better than energy-draining pessimism?

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It’s Time We Judge a Woman in the Light of Her Beautiful Dreams

A messy home = A messy woman

👆 our society believes.

But if you closely observe a messy home indicates that the woman of the house is pursuing her dreams.

She prioritizes and takes the important energy-consuming tasks first, followed by routine house chores that can be done in autopilot mode. Till then the house lies as it is.

She is designing a new product or has joined a new team, and she cannot cook new delicacies every day. The commitments demand time and once she settles she will cook your favourites.

She is feeling weak and wants to devote some time to her health, and she prefers not to do laundry every day. Exercise needs consistency and soon she will make it a habit.

She is connecting with new clients to promote her venture and has little time to socialize. Soon she will have a set clientele and will have the time to meet and greet happily.

She is pressed for time and expecting a hand with housework. The day she is easy, she takes up extra cleaning and sourcing.

She had a long day and needs rest. The next day morning she will be full of energy and balance everything.

We need to understand that there is a reason why she is unavailable. We need to appreciate that she is dreaming, aspiring, and building.

A messy home = An ambitious woman

P.S. – She cannot visualize her growth in her children and spouse because she has her independent calibre.

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How to Make Your Work Speak

Do you feel that you don’t get the credit that you deserve?

Living out of a state of constant regret is not a good thing. The feeling is depressing, and it keeps pulling you down.

You may be thinking – “I know that. But what can I do? Every time I can’t keep mentioning what I did for the project. It is for the others to understand.”

I agree that keeping your work ‘high-key’ is not a good approach either.

While this an intense topic, here are a few things you can do to handle this issue –

  • In project meetings, share your views with confidence. It indirectly implies that you have done your homework.

  • You can try giving a brief overview to your senior (in case he does not know) of your contribution. Remember, it is professional, not impolite.

  •  If you are working on a particular part of the project, try to see it through to completion. Even if you require technical assistance, ensure that the final result is as planned, which means you have done your job thoroughly.

  • Do not discuss it bitterly with colleagues and family. Remember, it never helps and only increases the resentment.

  • Do not keep feeding the feeling. The more you think about it, the more vulnerable you become. It assumes its worst form when you fail to distinguish between real and imaginary. You feel ignored and unnoticed every time, even if the reality is different.

The feeling of being unnoticed is a highly internalized emotion that acts as a slow poison and empties you from the inside.

It is wise to accept the situation and take the above steps to improve the situation. It is also a good idea to shift focus on areas where you excel.

As you transcend from acceptance to improvement, be calm. Haphazard efforts will create chaos and make you look like some desperate attention seeker.

Always keep in mind – Let your work speak!