Journey of Life

We begin our journey of life crying. That's our first response upon entering this world. Even though we are wailing our hearts out, people around us extremely happy. That's the onset of life.

A little further ahead our parents are teaching us to walk and talk. Pretty soon they are shouting at us to sit in one place and be quiet. That's life again.

We spend our childhood getting educated and sharpening our brains for the journey ahead. Some of us excel, others are average and some are downright miserable in this leg of the journey. We somehow pull through this phase and enter adulthood.

As adults we are expected to perform well, to be financial secure, to raise and provide for a family and to build a secure base for our children. Again some excel, others are average and some perform poorly here.

We enter into old age and begin to look back upon our journey of life. We look back upon all the things we should not have done and all the things that we could have done. Some look back with regret, at years wasted, and yet others look back with pride.

How does it all add up in the end? Each journey is unique and it is pointless comparing your journey with anyone else. The source (birth) and destination (death) is the same for everyone. Its the route that is different. The vehicle may be different. So will the passengers.

What is important is how you experience that journey. What matters is how well you drove your vehicle, not how fast you drove it. Savour each moment of the journey because this journey is your life.

Your life, no one else's.

Simplicity

Haven't you noticed that the best things in life are very simple in design? Take nature for example, how a simple breeze lifting a kite high in the air gathers smiles and how a simple flower demands awe. Simplicity denotes beauty, clarity and purity. Complex tasks can easily be accomplished if you break them up into simple steps.

Take the Apple Ipod for instance, there is great beauty in its simple design. That's the reason why it is so popular. The best designs in this world are all based on the concept of simplicity. Just have a look around you.

Why do we complicate our lives by creating complex thoughts, relations, habits and behaviour. Why don't we weed out the unnecessary complexities and live simple, uncomplicated lives? Keep your relations simple, whether personal or professional, and you will be ultimately rewarded. Keep your thoughts even simpler. You will begin to enjoy your life and be less stressed out.

If you are faced with an insurmountable difficulty, try breaking it down into simple steps. Tackle each step with simplicity. You will be amazed by the results.

The simpler the solution to any problem, the greater are the chances of achieving success.

As Antione de Saint Exupery put it "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away".

Attention Seekers

Humans are social creatures. They require social interaction and feedback. Some of us get this naturally from our daily lives and our relationships. However there are people who cannot connect with their lives and relationships. They are constantly seeking attention by one way or another. They have low Emotional IQ's. They will often indulge in negative behaviour so that people will notice them.

These emotionally immature people are highly insecure and lack in confidence. To counter these feelings they are constantly creating situations in which they become the centre of attention. They can indulge in manipulation and deception just to get attention. They will get into arguments and fights just to get involved. It does not matter to them that the situations they are creating are highly negative and destructive. They just seek attention. Period.

They can exaggerate their illness and pain, can provoke situations which can cause or invite injury to gain sympathy and thus attention. They often exhibit a 'poor me' persona.

They can even manipulate lives by creating highly negative situations and then posing as the saviour. This way they can emerge as heroes and get the attention they require.

These people manipulate and twist facts into extraordinary proportions. They are drama experts who will exploit any incident, no matter how small or insignificant, into events of dramatic proportions. Everything is do or die with them.

Its a constant emotional boxing match with these kind of people. They desperately need to be in the centre of the ring, the star attraction. Nothing less than that will do. They will do anything just to get attention.

These people will verbally assault you until you cave in. They will draw you into battle no matter what you do. They will try to get victimised so that they can later gain sympathy. What they say or do never matters to them. What is important is just other peoples reactions and words.

Remember, these people will do anything for attention. Dealing with these kind of people is very challenging and will test your emotional IQ to the limit.

Energy Reserves

My son is 2 years old, my niece is 4 years and my nephew is 7 years. Its remarkable how much I learn from them.

Children are truly amazing. No matter what I do, I simply cannot match their 'play' endurance and energy levels. They seem to have unlimited reserves of energy. From the moment they wake up, they are up and running around whole day.

Have you ever played with children? How many minutes do you last with any kid? A few minutes, half an hour or maybe an hour? Its peanuts compared with how long these little kids can play with each other.

Where do they get their energy? How do they continuously replenish their energy? Why don't they seem to ever tire? Why do they seem so full of life?

I believe that we all have huge reserves of energy. Its what we do with these reserves that make the difference. Children do not waste their energy and neither do they allow anyone else to drain it. If you ever scold a kid unnecessarily, you will notice that they simply walk away from you. They will not allow you to drain their energies.

They utilize their resources to the best of their abilities. They are continuously replenishing their reserves by continuously laughing, screaming in glee and being happy. They are always positive, always exploring and learning. No obstacle can stand in their way. They will find their way around or over any hurdle that might come their way.

Haven't you noticed that even though playing with children physically tires you out, emotionally you feel like a million bucks? That's just the way children are. They spread out joy, happiness and laughter.

They do not waste their energies on sadness, guilt, unhappiness or sorrow. If they fall, they cry for a minute or two. Then they get back on their feet, smiling and being happy.

That's the secret to having unlimited reserves of energy.

Slumdog Millionaire Lessons

I am sure that most of you must have watched 'Slumdog Millionaire' by now. In case you haven't check out the wiki entry here or better yet, go and watch it.

The movie was brilliantly directed and very well packaged. No wonder it has won 8 Oscars! Apart from the technical brilliance of the movie, what else can we learn from it?

• YOU ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE! No matter what your conditions, upbringing or environment, you always will have a choice. (Jamal and his brother both faced the same conditions yet Jamal chose to lead a good life whereas his brother chose a life of crime.)


• YOU CAN WIN! No matter how much the odds are against you, you can still win. You never know when you might be the 'lucky' one. (Jamal winning Who Wants to be a Millionaire)


• DREAM BIG! No matter how small your present life might be, never stop dreaming big. If you cannot dream it, you cannot achieve it. (Slum kids dreaming big.)


• SHIT HAPPENS BUT IT MIGHT BE FOR THE BEST! (Jamal jumping into shit to get an autograph from his favourite actor. The shit enabled him to get up close with his dream star.)


• TRUST WISELY. Many people will do anything for money. Do not just go by words or appearances alone. (Slum kids being exploited by those goons who lured them with food and money. The anchor trying to cheat Jamal by giving him wrong answer.)


• BE FOCUSED. In order to achieve your dreams, you need to stay focused, determined and be persistent. If you have these three qualities, eventually you will get what you want. (Jamal reconnecting with his true love after all those years. It was just pure focus, determination and persistence which got him Latika.)


• ADAPT. If you are resistant to change and adapt slowly, you will fail. You need to learn the art of adaption. If situations change, you need to change equally fast. This is a highly competitive world we live in, which is constantly changing. If you do not change with it, you will be left far behind. (Jamal adapting to every situation throughout the movie. Selling street wares, being a tourist guide, serving tea in call centre etc.)


• ENJOY YOUR LIFE. Do not brood over what you have or don't have. You will simply be wasting your life. Instead make the best of what you have and enjoy your life. (Slumkids enjoying their life despite their harsh conditions.)

These are just a few lessons we can learn from the movie. Hope you enjoyed the movie as much as I did.