What is Life About?

What is this life about?

This is perhaps the hardest question to answer. Each one of us is faced with a different situation and therefore the answer might seem different initially. For some this life is all about earning more money, others might view health and happiness as their purpose in life, still others might view fame and recognition as what their life is all about.

On a deeper level, don't we all seek the same thing? Once you attain the above, what will you seek then? What will your life be about once you accomplish these things?

I believe that deep down we simply seek to:

• have a wonderful family life
  
• have atleast one or two really good friends
  
• engage in a work/job which gives us satisfaction as well as income
  
• be able to earn substantially to live a comfortable 'money worry free' life
• have someone to love and share our life with
  
• have a child who will carry on our family name and legacy
  
• have a house we can call 'Home'
  
• be known as a good human being
  
• have good health
  
• be able to get up in the morning with a smile
  
• lead a life to our best capabilities
  
• smile and be truly happy in life
  

Ultimately isn't this what life is all about? To be at peace with oneself and the world around us? To enjoy and be happy with the life we have been given?

If you have something else that you think life is all about, please post. I would love to hear about it. Lets lead enriching and happy lives.

Looking at the Better Side of Life

Thanks to my good pal Barinder for this post!

The other day he updated his Facebook profile with "Looking @ the brighter side of Life". I assumed this means that he has got a great job or a promotion and now things are really working out for him. It just struck me that it means something much more.

We all have our problems in our lives. No matter how successful we are, some issues will always crop up which will tend to weigh us down. That's when the brilliant thought from Barinder comes into the limelight.

Looking at the Brighter Side of Life.

No matter how bad things get or how much in a jam you think you are in, remember to always look at the brighter side of life. Things will work out, they always do in the end. That's simply the way it is. Ten or twenty years down the line when you look back upon the events gone by, you will also probably laugh and agree that it was for the best. In the end you did benefit from the experience somehow.

There is always a light at the end of the tunnel. The sun will definitely rise in the morning, no matter how long and dark the night might seem. Which is why we should always believe that things will work out. We should see the glass as half full instead of half empty.

Life is how we look at it. Choose to look at the bright side, always.

Two Heartbeats

Most of us go through life with only one heartbeat. This is enough to sustain us through life and live it pretty much the way we want to. 

I have two sources of heartbeats. You must be thinking that either I have gone raving mad or I have some serious anomaly! Let me explain.

First I have my own heart which pretty much takes care of the requirements of my body. It pumps blood to my entire system and sustains my 'life'. It beats on an average 100,000 times a day and hopefully will continue doing so for a very long time!

The other heartbeat comes from another source. It is basically what fills me with energy, hope, desires, love and happiness. It is the essence of my existence in a matter of speaking. It makes me overlook everything bad in this world. It quickly erases whatever pain I may be experiencing (whether physical or emotional) and replaces it with strength, love, peace and immense happiness.

The source of this heartbeat is my two year old son, Aujas.

His presence in my life gives me another heart. My body, soul and mind become twice as strong. When I see his smile or hear him speak all my pains, stress, irritations and shortcomings simply fade away. Even when I am at work, just imagining him gives me strength beyond the ordinary. When I think of him, no storm seems too rough or mountain too high to conquer. The twinkle in his eyes makes the impossible seems possible. 

He is my second heartbeat! Wouldn't you like to have a second heartbeat too?

Living versus Existing

There is a huge difference between 'living' a life and 'existing' in life.

Many of us feel that we are living our lives but in reality we are simply existing. How do we differentiate between the two? 

When we simply exist we :- 

• Do not take risks
  
• Live a predictable life
  
• Do not go after our dreams
  
• Lead our life as a boring ritual
  
• Do not grow as a person
  
• Achieve far less than what we are capable of
  
• Never are truly happy with ourselves
  
• Are constantly blaming others or situations for our life
• Start comparing our life with others
• Lack the ability to truly smile and laugh (ever heard a two year old kids laugh?) 
• Lack that 'spark' in our eyes
• etc. etc.

We are plagued by just 'existing' on this planet, living a life like zombies. We can easily predict what we will be doing a certain day, next week or next month. Hours turn to days, days to months, months to years and we never really achieve anything worthwhile. Remember your childhood years? How many of us have become what we thought of becoming as children? How many of us have even begun chasing our dreams? 

When you look back upon the past decade, did you do everything you could or wanted to? Is there anything you would have done differently? Do you regret how you spent the past decade or was it just the way you wanted it to be?

As someone once put it 'If you are not truly living your life, you are simply wasting oxygen!'. So true. 

A person who 'lives' their life is different. You can see it in their eyes, in their actions and the way they talk. They are always beaming with energy and positivity. Nothing seems to get them down, no matter how difficult the situation or environment around them.

Children are extremely good at living their lives to the fullest! Observe them.

Make a conscious effort to start living right now. If you are in a job, make sure it makes you happy as well as supports you and your family. If you are unhappy with any aspect of your life, change it. Be at peace with yourself. Laugh more. Start doing the things which you really want to do. Spend some quality time each week with yourself. 

Make you today good and tomorrow even better.

True Happiness

What is one thing that we all desire (apart from more money!)?

It is to be truly happy. No matter what stage of life we are in, all of us want to be happy. 

What is happiness though? Does it mean more money? Does it mean having a good job or good business? Does it mean having children or being happily married? Does it mean success? Does it mean driving a good car and living in a great house? Does it mean good health?

I believe that these are simply 'Happy phases' in our lives. Whenever we are lacking something in life, we tell ourselves that if only we had whatever we are lacking, then we will be happy. Once we get that, we become temporarily happy and then we desire more. We want something else to make us happy again. We again blame the lack of something for our unhappiness. This circle is endless.

To be truly happy you must be happy with yourself . That simply means you start living the life that you want to live. Start being the best that you can be. You are responsible for yourself, no matter where you are in life and its only 'YOU' who is accountable for your happiness. When you reach the stage when you can be truly content and happy with yourself, then and only then will you be truly happy.

People, situations, circumstances, problems etc. will come and go but none of it will be able to rob of your happiness. Instead of looking at outward happiness, look for it within yourself. Thats the path to true happiness.

Bad Habits Do Not Die

We all have habits. Some of them are good for us and some bad. Our life is essentially habitual in nature. We are what we do. 

Don't all of us, at some point in our lives, try to get rid of our bad habits? Do we succeed always? If you are like me, you will probably say 'NO!'. They are like zombies, we think they are dead but they reappear sooner or later.

Bad habits are the one that simply will not die.

To get rid of a bad habit you have to KILL IT! There is no use trying to beat it with a stick, hoping that it will die.  As long as you are beating it with the stick, it will be helpless and will fall down, presumably dead. You will then relax and throw away the stick. Unfortunately the bad habit has a nasty habit of rising from the dead and infecting you again and again. As long as you are on your guard it will pretend to be dead. The moment you let your guard down, chances are high that it will strike again.

What do we do then? Like I said before, to ultimately get rid of a habit, we will have to kill it so that it never rises again. To kill a bad habit, we must use all our force, all our willpower and end it with one good blow. You must eliminate it from your life in one final decision. No compromises can be accepted whatever. The decision is final!

To do this requires immense willpower and belief in yourself. You cannot compromise with your own life. You cannot accept this bad habit in your life. That's the way to kill it forever.

Take an example of smoking or drinking. Its a habit which plagues almost everyone on the planet. Yet how many are able to quit smoking/drinking for good? We make successful attempts only to 'fall' into the bad habit again. Yet we see many others who have successfully quit. To quit drinking or smoking you have to kill it the moment you decide you want to get rid of it. You have to STOP completely in one go. No use telling yourself you will smoke only 3-4 cigarettes or drink only occasionally. The habit will not go away. 

Its a moments decision which will decide its fate.

 

Muster the courage, develop a willpower of steel and simply kill the habit with one swift blow. Be determined that you will never accept it in your life again.

Kill the bad habits and live a better life.

Roots and Wings

The greatest gift our parents gave us were roots and wings. This was one of the 'perks' that life in the yesteryear's had to offer. 

Life was easier, more 'local' and did not involve such extensive travelling/shifting. As adults we all know where our roots lie, where we come from. We have a 'mother base camp' so to speak. No matter which part of the world we currently live in, we always know that we have a place called 'home'. It brings back fond memories and smiles.

Our parents also gave us wings to fly. There were no boundaries set upon us as children or even as adults. We were (within reasonable restrain) free to do what we want. Our parents did whatever in their means to support our dreams, desires and flight, even if it meant sacrifices on their part. A Sparrow, an Eagle or a Swift, it was our choice of whom we wanted to be. They simply gave us wings and let us decide how high we want to soar. 

As we had roots, no matter how high we flew, we always knew that there was a 'safe' place for us to return, in case we drifted to turbulent weather. The safety of the strong roots enabled us to fly higher and higher.

Have we given roots and wings to our children? In this mad helter skelter world, we are so busy with our own lives that we forget these simple things. These things ultimately matter in life. We are shifting from job to job and have no permanent place to live. Our children just tag along with us, often confused as to their roots. When they grow up, what will they imagine their childhood to be? A flurry of different homes, friends and places? 

We are also so busy with our own lives, that we do not teach them to fly. We just presume that we have given them wings, now its up to them to fly. Who will teach them to unfold their wings? Who will give them the safety and security of a 'mother base camp'? Do we spend enough time with them to understand them? Do we listen to what our children want out of their lives? If you have given them wings, support them in their ability to fly, no matter how many times they falter. Let them decide how high they can fly. Do not say 'no' or 'impossible' to them. Give them favourable winds and a 'mother base camp'. 

Roots and wings. Its the greatest gift you can give to your children. One that they will value when they are all grown up and good citizens of planet earth.

Note: I am sure some of you will disagree on the point that our parents gave us roots and wings. Some of us have not been so fortunate to get the support of our parents. Childhood abuse and neglect is common worldwide. Yet children from such families, still make magic happen. Don't blame your parents. Maybe that's the way they were brought up by their parents? I sincerely feel they mean you no harm and wish you well. Their way of reflecting it might be different. It may be wrong but maybe that's the way they are. Maybe you were sent in their lives, to sort them out? To show them what life is? Its your life, make it what you want it to be.

New Year

Happy New Year to all of you! 2009 is upon us and its another New Year. Its the beginning of a fresh year full of 365 days for achievement, success and happiness.

This is the time when we make resolutions and plan for the year ahead. Its a whole fresh year for us. We can leave the old year behind, no matter how it went. We can start afresh and accomplish all that we desire. We are given a new opportunity to put forth in action all the things we did not do the previous year. 365 full days for you to decide how you want to live them.

That's why we call it a 'New' Year! Let this year be the best you have ever had!