No matter how rich you become, if you are a slave of your mind you are still a slave. Wealth can’t buy freedom. You have to train your mind. If your mind is cluttered all the time with more work, more efficiency, more trivials to handle; you are a prisoner of your own self. On the outside it may seem a desirable life to others but only you know how you feel being chained all the time due to wandering of your mind. Freedom is not expensive. It is either free for those who pursue it or will remain elusive for ever to those who wish to buy it.
Aren’t we biased? When we hurt others we forget it. At best, we blame circumstances for it. Even if we feel responsible we somehow downplay the event . When the situation reverse and we are the aggrieved party, we curse the person hurting us. Even if it was unintentional on the part on other person we find reasons to believe they did it on purpose. We consider it beyond our self respect to forgive them. May be we need to introspection a bit more. Only we give the benefit of doubt to others, we have a right to forgive ourselves.
Enough of living a default life. You have the power and opportunity to design your life. Sometimes, we live an entire life just to please a few people. It’s not worth it. Sometimes, we kill our dreams because we start feeling comfortable living a mediocre life. When you move forward with a strong will, the world will give you way. You have a choice. Either follow or lead. You will get what you wish.
Once you decide your course of life you will find too many distractions. At every step you may feel you made a wrong choice. Every other opportunity would seem better. Still, you must choose. You can’t go after everything. And you also can’t wait your entire life to make this choice. You can probably make a few changes along the way but that would be limited. Walking on a path is better than living a life without any purpose. Living fully doesn’t mean living a wayward life. It essentially means knowing yourself and living a life of choice.
Do your best every day. When you meet people, offer them your best advice every time irrespective of whether you gain from it or not. It will seem to be a foolish thing in the beginning. People might take advantage and you may not get due worth and credit. Still, do not stop. When you keep doing the right things and keep helping people as a routine, it will come back to you with compounding one day. Good deeds yields back good. However, this applies only when you don’t expect it. That’s the tough part.
When he was young they told him it’s difficult to reach higher. He should remain where he is. Slowly and slowly he started believing them. He stopped dreaming. Yet, with time he saw people around him growing and claiming bigger heights. He started questioning his learned behavior of living a mediocre life. A spark ignited in his mind. To believe in himself he needed to disbelieve those who pulled him down. He separated himself from them and started dreaming again. Bit by bit he transformed himself. Finally, when he stood tall among them all, they said; ‘we knew he would do well’.
When you respond fast but others don’t; don’t stop. Keep responding fast.
When you love more but others don’t; don’t stop. Keep loving more.
When you reach on time but others don’t; don’t stop. Keep reaching on time.
When you play fair but others don’t; don’t stop. Keep playing fair.
When you fulfil your promise but others don’t; don’t stop. Keep fulfilling your promise.
Sometimes when I am motivated, I look forward to the future. But when I am low and doubtful, tomorrow doesn’t excite me. Then a few days pass and I feel otherwise. It has always been like this. No matter how much I try to control my emotions, I fail. With time and circumstances, my views and feelings change. I have now come to terms with this. No, I have not conceded to my inability to control my emotions. I have learned to respect it.
Life has its own way of keeping accounts. In the end, it’s a perfect balance. When you let go the person you love, you will get back the love. Though, it may be in a different form or from a different person. When you help someone along the way, you will be helped back. Though, you may never be able to connect both the events. When we give, we remember. When we get, we don’t. But make no mistake, life keeps nothing back. It may hold it for a while but makes it even before its over.
The recipe of a peaceful life is not to compete with others. We are all unique individuals with unique DNAs. We need to find our own niche. For you, family could be the first priority. For someone else, serving the poor could be a lifelong mission. Both can live a fulfilling life pursuing their priorities. Success cannot be measured on a few factors. There are simply too many variables in life which contribute to one’s happiness. Let the world not judge you. But for this, first you have to stop judging the world.
