RECLAIM YOUR LIFE

I'm reproducing an article of mine which got published in Tickledbylife sometime back...

Today’s topic ‘Reclaim your life’ is inspired by a recent Ad of a SUV in India called Tata Safari which talks somewhere of the life most of us are living.

The Ad shows -A Corporate Executive with a sad de-motivated face telling himself ‘I always wanted to resign on a Monday morning’ , then it shows a senior Corporate executive sitting in a board meeting looking through the Window to the rainfall outside telling himself –‘I always wanted to chase the rain’, then a guy telling himself with a surfboat in hand- ‘I always wanted to swim with the whales’, then it shows a pregnant woman in a hospital saying- ‘I wanted to take a break for a year and see the World’.

We all, at some point of time in life, have felt this way, at least I have for many years. On every Monday morning I asked myself ,is this the life I want to live and felt like quitting it all and reclaim back my life.

Its true with many,we don’t lead the life we wanted to live we don’t try and reclaim the life. We feel the pinch everyday but we still continue living the same life. Statistics in USA sometime showed almost 50% of all heart attacks between age 25 to 45 happens on a Monday morning. Reason being very simple we are stuck in work and jobs which we don’t want to do and thus there’s no passion left in life.

I always think of those famous words from a friends letter which I’m sure we all have heard it said‘First I was dying to finish high School and start college and then I was dying to finish college and start working. Then I was dying to marry and have children. And then I was dying for my children to grow old enough so I could go back to work. But then I was dying to retire. And now I’m dying and suddenly I realized I forgot to live.

Please let that not happen to you and ‘Reclaim your life’.

There is always that defining moment which can be called as the ‘crossroad moment of life’ when you decide to Reclaim your life back .It happened with me one day when I went for a life enhancing course and part of the process went for a Nature Walk.I suddenly saw beauty of a Sunset and realized I am missing out on life and seeing the beauty of this World. There and then I decided to reclaim my life back. Today I’m not living someone else’s dream but I can proudly say to a very large extend I’m leading a life of my dream though it’s a long and everyday journey.

But do you want to wait for that crossroad moment to reclaim your life. ‘NO’ seize the moment today – now. Please don’t be a passenger in this journey called life, drive your own life – LIVE LIFE!

(a)Have no regrets in life

You ask any person who’s a success and living life of their dream – at some point they had to take a decision to move towards something they wanted in spite of fear.You will never regret taking risks in life,if there is no risk there is no success. Last week I was reading a recent post of robin Sharma in his blog where he said the last question before your death is always ‘who did I become’.Let that last moment not be a regret of having become what I never wanted to become.

(b)Enjoy living in the present moment

Even if you are in your path and following your calling in life you should always live in the present moment. You should judge your life less and enjoy it more.All wise people see life as a great gift and don’t waste it on trivialities.
I remember knowing a person a retired brigadier who was living a life as a community teacher and whenever I used to ask him how’s he…he used to say ‘I’m here’.It basically meant I’m grateful to be alive and acknowledge this gift.

(c)Be honest to yourself

In life be true to your self and live with intention. Even if you have found your true calling in life one need to live with intention to consistently and regularly ask three critical life questions
Am I following my calling in life?
Am i being true to myself?
Am I being the person I want to be in life?

The late Michael Landon, movie star and great humanitarian, once said:

‘Somebody should tell us right at the start of our lives that we are dying. Then we might live life to the limit, every minute of every single day. Do it I Say! Whatever you want to do – do it now! Carpe diem. Seize the day! And expect miracles, because you are one’.

Thus I’ll again say reclaim your life everyday and enjoy this miracle called life after all we all are nothing but a miracle on our own.

When will i start writing my book?

Like many in this World i have been wanting to write a book and leave behind my thoughts for posterity.Its a thought which has been troubling me for long and i have been promising myself the day is not far off when i will start writing my book.

But as they say 'Every writer I know has trouble writing.'

This thought which was quite embedded in me suddenly got jolted and stirred further when i met Mr PS Wasu well known Trainer and Blogger yesterday, he had invited me to present his first book 'Fine Prints of Life'.In course of our discussion he kept on saying i should start writing my book,coming from a person whom i admire it suddenly made me think and wonder,should i start writing my book? am i ready for it!....I wondered and kept self evaluating myself throughout the entire day.

I would like to now list down the process which i intend to follow to ensure i start and complete most part of my book by the Year 2009.

1.Decide on the subject of the Book:

The most critical part is deciding on the subject of the book.Ideally it should be a key area of interest for the writer.Example - Discover the leader within, Reclaim your life, Unleashing Self,Self discovery etc can be some of the subject of interest for me.

2.Read as much as you can:

Once you decide on the subject of the book,you should read all books and articles available on the subject.The best possible source of information for books is Amazon.com and for articles its the entire net and google seach.There should be a concerted effort of atleast three months to gain complete mastery in terms of knowledge and information on the subject.Once you know all the theories and thoughts available on a particular subject,one should start working on furthering and adding to the thought process.

3.Discipline of writing

Once the subject is decided and mastered,the process of writing the book starts.It calls for total commitment and dedication for atleast a period of six months.The most important part is to push and discipline onself to sit in front of laptop or computer for atleast two hours everyday come what may.After a certain point of time words will start flowing and the story should start moulding on its own.

The final synopsis is writing a book is not a miracle which will strike you suddenly with waves of thoughts prompting you to start penning them down.Its a lot of hard work,dedication and above all following certain time tested process and methodology.

Pia enters a new life!

All of a sudden in last one week life seems to have changed completely for our little Pia and may be more than her for us.

Pia had the following events in her life which she will remember always:
(a)Pia gave her first public performance a dance show in her Pre-School Annual Day Celebration and also became the lead singer in a group song.

(b)Pia had her first graduate day celebration,passing out certificate from Pre-School.

(c)Pia started going to Big School -Sun City World School.

Above all (d)Pia started writing her name.

For us it seems to be just the other day Pia came into our World as a bundle of joy,changing our life completely and two days back she walked into Big School with a confident stride making us wonder 'how life changes'.

John Uncle !

Today I am posting my first post. Till now Kaushik has been doing it. I am feeling so full today that I really want to pour out my sorrow in black and white. Today early morning I lost my most favourite, my loving and smiling Mau Kaku.
It had to happen...he will leave us and go, we all knew it. But still, I was hoping against hope that some miracle might happen. He cannot just go away like that. So full of life and humour....the world needs you so much kaku....my Mau kaku. I want to cry out my heart. I love you so much...will never see you again.
Last year I lost my Father-in law (my dearest friend) with whom I could share all my good and bad thoughts...he was an icon of life for me. Was just on the way to accept his departure, now lost my Mau kaku. Often the thought is cropping up in my mind that death is such a reallity. It stares at your face all the time. U might have to just pack up and leave the world at any moment. "We have to live each and every moment to the fullest". Today I am understanding how real this statement is. Life never gives you a second chance.
Will always miss you so much Kaku. Your smiling and naughty face will keep crossing my mind whenever I will think of you. May God keep your soul in peace.

A day of reckoning!

Today was a day which will be remembered by me all my life.In a twist of events though quite expected my present employer Royal Bank of Scotland has decided to sell Asian Retail Operations of which i'm an integral part,with the buyer being unknown.
It invariably means somewhere as a professional i'll be working for a Company of whose parenthood is a bit vague and weak.
I'll call it a reflection of the exciting time of recession that the World is in and its not a happy experience to be in the midst of action of an Organisation which is identified today with greed and over-leverage,an Organisation which has suffered majorly in these times and has contributed in a big way to the misery of mankind today which is 'UNCERTAINTY'.

I'm sure there are millions in the World who have experienced in past few months this sort of a day when suddenly future looks cloudy,moist and many a times that fear of the unknown creeps in.

I think for me this is the time when as an individual i should show a lot of character and built up my own brand which should truly reflect the person i want to be.I need to focus on building my traits and knowledge as a Trainer,take care of my family,stay happy and passsionate.
Let me not get bogged down by anything that is happening around me and look ahead to the life i want to lead of a person who helps other and touches peoples life positively.

I should always remember 'My working life is like a rubber ball which can always bounce back but my personal life is like a glass ball which once falls can never bounce back'.
I am happy to welcome this challenge in my life!

What is happiness?

• Every action of an individual or anything that a human being does has one deeper need or aim behind it,the need to feel happy.We all seem to be driven somewhere in life by the inner urge to pursue happiness.
  It was rightly said by Epicurus ‘Happiness is man's greatest aim in life’
  When we look at various religious scriptures we get some very interesting interpretation of happiness.
  In Bhagvat-Gita the Lord Krishna preaches Arjuna to perform duty without any fear or desire of result (Niskamkarma). True Happiness lies in being completely free from all desires or Moksha. Alfatabi philosophy which closely resemble Muslim Philosophy of Happiness states:“Nations and citizens of cities attain earthly happiness in the first life and supreme happiness in the life beyond when four human things are met: theoretical virtues, deliberative virtues, moral virtues and practical arts”.Buddhism believes, ‘Sacrifice of all sensual and materialistic pleasures (Virragata) and developing a sense of consideration and compassion for all beings leads to ultimate happiness.’
  A Study of Nation Culture throws interesting viewpoints- Chinese seek happiness in long life, riches, love of virtue, health and natural death in old age. French find happiness in principles of equality, liberty and fraternity. For the British, happiness lies in health, wealth and wisdom and Americans in perusal for life, liberty, materialistic achievement.
  My personal viewpoint or understanding says happy people share happy habits. It’s as simple as that. If you’re looking to expand your general happiness, I would like to highlight three simple habits which you can implement in your own life.
  Positive Reflection: It is important to mindfully reflect on the good while striving diligently to correct the bad.More often than not, we tend to focus a lot on the negative outcomes of life and completely ignore the positive successes. Simply put, to be happy its imperative for you to have a positive outlook in life.
  Do what you believe: Get involved in work which you believe in. Happy people are the one who are passionate about work and life. They love what they do and do what they believe. Add passion into life and be happy.
  Be with your loved ones: Value your personal relationships and you will value life. A happy life is a life shared with loved ones. The stronger the personal relationships are and the higher the frequency of interaction, the happier a person will be.
  Lets always remember those words of Abraham Lincoln:
  'Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be’

Kids – Life’s greatest teacher

Whenever we think of children, the word which comes to our mind is ‘mischief’ and ‘naughtiness’. But have you ever stopped and thought for a while, how much we can learn from these little kids around us. These little bundles of joy can actually give you an insight into your life... Everyday just watching them perform those small actions can teach us lessons of life which are unparallel and can’t be taken from any other source.
It has truly been a life changing journey for me since the moment my daughter was born. Fatherhood has been a truly transformative experience.
Thought it would be fun to share some of the personal growth lessons I have learned in my journey of last three years.
Always keep smiling: When kids find themselves in a difficult situation they usually smile and work around the issue. There are some things in life we just can’t predict. Even with a great deal of planning, it’s very possible that life will throw at us knotty moments. We need to greet those moments with a sense of good humor and proactive fascination. You will always find that smile on a childs face whatever the situation be. Its said a child smiles 1700 times in a day,a young adult smiles 17 times and a matured adult hardly smiles.We should just look into our kid and face every moment of our life with a smile.
2. Physical activity keeps you healthy: Kids are into some physical activity all the time, not because it’s healthy, but because it’s fun. They participate in sports, climb trees, run etc. Its also said in the Puranas and I closely watched it in my six month old daughter that for the first six months a child is always found in any of the yogic postures and mudras,thats also precisely the reason why in the first six months the mental growth of a child is maximum. Just watching them in the initial months can comfortably teach you all the postures of padma sadhana which is the best practice of a healthy living.
3. Love without expectation:Any form of love that a child shows is the purest form of expression.When a child hugs you,kisses you,looks at you with love.Its a 100% natural and its done with complete genuineness and without any expectation.Thus,a kid teaches us everyday life’s greatest lesson ‘LOVE’ and how to express it.
4. Living the present moment: Kids live by their instincts openly and without hesitation. They are enthusiastic about life, eager to learn, and curious about everything. They are not worried of the past or anxious about the future. They live every moment with awareness,enthusiam and complete consciousness. Watching them teaches you one of the biggest lessons of success, give 100% to the present moment.
5. Dance for yourself: Enjoy Life’s Simple Pleasures – Put a kid in a puddle and watch him cheerfully splash around. Or just tickle a kid until he is beet red from laughter. All of these are simple pleasures that children love to partake in. I think the biggest sign of a life well lived is to be able to dance at anytime, anywhere as if no one’s watching.Childrens do it all the time.
I’m looking forward to many more years together of learning with my two teachers of life my Angels Pia and Dia.I’ll also suggest each one of you to watch kids closely, learn from them for they are life’s greatest teachers.