A smooth life is a myth. Challenges and variety makes living interesting. While we don’t want problems in life but we will get bored if everything starts coming easy. If the entire world is satisfied and everyone becomes a robot, there world be no fun left. Without puzzles to solve our minds will rust. So, don’t pray for a smooth life. Instead, ask for capability to navigate well the sharp turns of life as and when they come. There is no fun in watching a recorded game again and again. The real excitement is in playing live when you don’t know what’s coming next.
I don’t believe in killing competition. I want it to flourish. It is because I do quality work and if I face competition it means they are doing a good job too. In such case, why should I make an effort to throw someone out of business if there intent is just like mine; to make this world a better place. Yes, I would focus on improving and staying ahead of the game and I guess that’s fair on my part. I can make an impact in other people lives but I alone can’t do everything. And so, if there are people out there who share the same vision, I would want them to grow too. The more the merrier.
We can’t say we are happy and yet complain about life and circumstances every now and then. There is nothing called ‘partial happiness’. Either we are happy or we are not. Being sad is a different emotion and it can run parallel to being happy. We might feel sad when we lose someone we love, or when we lose a competition or do not make the cut for admission in a preferred college. This is acceptable. But we can’t get upset on every little thing. Happiness is not situational. It’s a state of mind. It’s a lifestyle.
Life is never a straight line. We will keep getting bumps. Everyday, there will be surprises. New problems will crop up out of nowhere. They could be work related, health related or there could be relationship issues. While all of this causes stress, there is a good way to reduce the impact. Everytime you face a challenging situation, ask this to yourself. Will it matter five years down the line? If not, take it easy. Most things settle down in due course. Don’t make every situation a matter of life and death. We generally overreact to short term disturbances. Learn to keep your calm. It shall pass.
There are so many opportunities to grow. It makes me confused. Should I go for the kill and achieve greater heights in my professional career? Or should I focus on my anonymous life which is enriching to my soul. Clearly, majority of people will grab the opportunities that comes their way. There is nothing wrong with that. It’s a matter of personal choice. It also depends upon the stage of life we are into. It’s not easy to say no. However, we can’t say yes to everything. Sometimes, saying no is a privilege. Sometimes, saying no is the right choice.
The easiest way to contribute to this world is to inspire other people. For this, we must raise our own life. Living an ordinary life takes no effort. Making it extraordinary demands vision, hard work and fanatic discipline. The world is noticing every action of ours. We don’t need to make a noise about what we do. If we lead by example, people will follow our trail and one day they themselves will become an inspiration for many. Don’t expect any reward for this. If anyone expresses gratitude, accept it with humility, say thank you and move on.
Given the same amount of time, do few bigger things than many smaller ones. If the reward for your work is the same, reach out to more number of people than working with small groups. If you want to live happily, it’s better to nurture few meaningful relationships than many fragile ones. If God has chosen you to change the world, get out and inspire more number of people than living in your cucoon.
It’s going to haunt you. You may beat the whole world but it will be difficult to forgive your ownself for the wrongs of the past. In the quest to moving ahead we do things we ought not. Even people who suffered because of you will forget and forgive but you will regret it in the end. People you hurt will move on but your actions will follow you like a shadow for ever. You may justify your deeds at the time you do them but it will be you who will punish yourself for each of those incidents, long after. It will all happen in one life. You will suffer silently and yet make sure, nobody knows about it.
Whenever we decide on something, a thought comes as if the other option could have been better. Similarly, when we decide to walk on a certain path in life, there will be a feeling of losing out on other possibilities. It’s very natural. Don’t worry about it. Just go with the flow. It’s better to take a call and move ahead rather than allowing circumstances to control your life and decide your destiny. No matter what the results be, being responsible for our own decisions is better than landing into a favorable situation by default.
Most conflicts arise because we want more money, power and recognition. A person who has given up the urge of all this has fewer conflicts to deal with in life. Conflicts impair the ability to apply wisdom. Winning is not bad but when the premise is to defeat the other person, we lose too. Many a times, ego is the root cause of disagreement. If we can define the boundaries of self respect and detach ego from it, we can avoid a lot of conflicts. Conflicts slows down our pace. If only we can cut down differences and turn our competitors into companions, the journey of life could be much entertaining and rewarding.
