Life is a beautiful journey full of chaos and adventure. So, fold your sleeves, come out of your comfort zone and try something you always wanted to do.

Showing posts with label life is beautiful. Show all posts
Showing posts with label life is beautiful. Show all posts

1 Jun 2016

19 Things that make me happy


We all want to be happy in our life. But, happiness cannot be a goal. A goal must be something which is more tangible and measurable. Happiness is just a perception. There have been studies in the past which proves that happiness is neither related to money nor health of a person, provided they have the minimum level of health and money to lead a modest life.

But there are things which make you happy. I am sharing the list of things which brings me to life; I would love to know about what makes you happy. Do mention about that in your comments.

19 Things that makes me happy:

1.     Reading Books - I am an avid reader. I love to read good books. They take us to their own beautiful world. I like books of various genres like adventure, fiction, self-help, biographies, classic, business, management, non-fiction, etc. I have read lots of books but my top 10 favourite books are The monk who sold his Ferrari, The Old man and the sea, Wings of Fire, The Alchemist, Blink, India Unbound, Corporate Chanakya, Rich Dad Poor Dad, The World is Flat, The diary of a young girl . I have started to write about my learning from the books I have read. (Click on the hyperlink to view the leanings from respective books.)
2.      Writing- I love writing because it De-stresses me. I practise it as a writing therapy and to understand my thoughts and introspection. Apart from this, I like to write about all the things which fascinate me like my other hobbies and interests. These days I am passionately blogging and am enjoying it. You can read about 6 things i learned on my writing spree.
3.     Joy of Giving/Social Work/Volunteering- Somewhere I read that when your income increases then don't spend the extra amount completely on enriching your lifestyle. Rather, spend a bit more on causes you believe in. I don't want to elaborate much on this because charity, whether in cash or kind should be done selflessly and not to grab attention from others. ASCI has featured me as their Ambassador to acknowledge my volunteering works to combat misleading advertisements on Television.
4.      Nature- I am a nature lover. I love all that is natural, be it trees, grass, plants, flower, birds, animals, sky, earth, moon, sun, the universe and humans, of course. I really love the chirping of birds. If we pay attention to our surrounding then we can find many things which are beautiful. We don't need to sold our possession and go to an exotic place to feel the nature. We only need to slow down a bid and enjoy what we are doing. I have slowed down to figure out 22 things which fascinates me.
5.     Morning Walk- I am not much into physical exercise. So, walking comes to me as a natural preference to keep myself fit. Walking is one of the best exercises and if you do it in the morning, you feel the scenery of the surrounding. When most people sleep , you can go out and feel the heaven.
6.     Surfing Internet to Know or learn something new- Surfing Internet is normally considered a pass time generally done for entertainment, but if done effectively can help you learn many things. If you want to brush up an existing skill or learn a new hobby, you can find some good website or blog and learn what you wanted for free. Now, ignorance can be converted into new learning in  just a few clicks. Just couple of days ago, I didn't knew anything about Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but I surfed the internet, found a very good Presentation (PPT), I studied it and watched some youtube videos and got a reasonably good amount of idea about SEO. Websites like Coursera provides a platform where you can do a course online from the professors of best Universities and that too from the luxury of your home.
7.     Photography- I am a amateur photographer and I really enjoy taking photos of nature. Who are not these days? I want to learn the nuisance of photography and shall update you more about it.
8.     Travelling- I love to travel. Thanks to my parents that I have explored most parts of India and few countries like Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand. I plan to explore the road less travelled. I want to do some adventurous trips in future. Read about my maiden trip to South East Asia in my post " Travel Diary: Once upon a time in Singapore"
9.     Food- I love eating good tasty & healthy food. I really feel happy if my stomach is pleased. Also, I cook occasionally. For me, cooking is like an art, as we are creating something.
10. Lift someone’s spirit - Nothing makes me happier that lifting someone’s spirit. I often interact with colleagues, friends, family who are feeling sad or are going through a tough phase in Life. I believe that helping others really help me overcome my insecurities and  my fears. Learn How to stay motivated at all times.
11. Art and Craft- I am not good at art, craft and similar art forms. But, good art work really touch my heart. I admire people who are good artists and crafts-person.
12. Making Lists- I am someone who is so much fond of lists that you can say that I am obsessed with lists. I prepare lists for literally everything. If you will go through this blog you will know about my love with lists. I have list for shopping, travelling, study, office, to-do, reading list, writing list, learning list, and the list of my lists are endless like 6 things I learnt on my writing spree6 Practical tips to start a blogChallenged myself to write 111 posts in 30 days7 Tips to a Startup Entrepreneur5 ways to be in Present moment and so on.
13. Mentor someone - I am eldest among my siblings. So, mentoring them is something which I am doing for past 15 years. One key thing I learned while mentoring is that role of a mentor is not to spoon feed everything. Rather, their role is to inspire and kindle the flame of learning. Once the spark is ignited in the mind of your pupil then they are going to excel in their chosen field. Learn Lessons from a bad Mentor to be a good mentor.
14. Watching good movies & documentaries- I am not a regular movie-goer. But, I really appreciate good cinema, documentaries and short films. These act as a mode of entertainment, learning and motivation.
15. Playing Table Tennis/ Badminton/Cricket- I have played and enjoyed playing these 3 sports/games. Apart from these, I liked to play chess and carom. But, I get the chance to play all these stuffs occasionally. Now, gaming means all about playing mobile games.
16. Gardening- For me gardening means purchasing flower pots from market and planting flowers in it through someone. I don’t know much about gardening. But, I would love to do proper gardening at some point of my life.
17. Home Decoration- People get bored with their old furniture and they purchase new one. Seeing this trend grow in my hometown, I decided to get furniture remodeled in minimum cost, also I found that if you shuffle the location of your furniture then the look and feel of your home gets changed and trust me you will love this idea by which you can get a new look without spending a penny or by shedding a paltry sum. I have shared the pictures of my experimental home decoration at my post Jugaad- A way of Living.
18. Reduce- Reuse- Recycle- I am more of a minimalist as I believe in simple yet decent living. It’s my personal choice and I respect different viewpoints on this subject. I try to follow the principle of reduce, reuse and recycle in my life.  I will write in detail about this afterwards.
19. Spending quality time with family and loved onesI have kept the best for the last. I love to spend quality time with my family, friends and loved ones. It is really the true investment of our life. Happy Father's day, Dad!


This article was part of my challenge to myself that I will create 111 beautiful articles in 30 days.

Picture Credit- Unsplash
Share:

Lessons from Ira Singhal: The UPSC Topper in 2015

Originally written on 7th Aug,15
Photo via Times of India
I am fortunate to have watched the interview of Ira Singhal on the show “Prime Time” by Mr. Ravish Kumar of NDTV. I have not seen someone so positive and upbeat about life for quite some time. For those who don’t know her, I will try to provide an apt biography. She is the topper of UPSC this year. She is differently able and it felt so good to listen to her. I thank her for radiating positive vibes which I can feel and which motivated me to write about it. I have got the following insight from her interview and am presenting the same point-wise as I believe that it will help many people on this planet.


1.    I found her very optimistic about life. She never looked as a victim of the circumstances even when she faced tremendous struggle as a person with special needs.


2.    Despite getting a rank in UPSC and getting selected in Indian Revenue Service (IRS), she was denied a posting as they felt that she was not physically fit for it. But, she took her fight to the Central Administrative Tribunal and got a favorable ruling.


3.    She is an avid reader. No, she is not a stereotyped topper. She reads a lot of novels and watches TV series of US/UK. According to her, one should study smartly by understanding and analyzing stuffs rather than being glued to books all the time.


4.    She wants to serve people and that’s why she wanted to be an IAS officer. Mr. Ravish Kumar asked whether she wanted to prove something through UPSC. I thought she would say something like she wanted to show people that her physical condition didn’t came in way of her dream or something like that. I was pleasantly surprised when she told that she had nothing to prove. She wanted to be IAS officer as this will give her a bigger opportunity to serve people.


5.    She is crystal clear about what she wants in life. I am happy to be able to get a chance to see her speak. I had read few articles about her as she topped this year’s UPSC result. But, those articles were far from giving me a picture about this lady.


6.    I am touched by her way of living. I felt she has transformed herself into someone who is so much engrossed in learning, knowing and exploring what is around her that she has no time to bother about her physical condition or anything else.


7.    I have realized that disability is the inability to identify ability. She made me realize how disable I am when I was feeling sad for her physical condition. We worry about getting in a good school and then we have to get into a good college. After that we need a plum job and god forbid if something is not happening as per our wish then we feel as if the whole world has come to a standstill.


8.    Despite topping one of the toughest competition exams in the world, she told it was just another exam. She told that an exam cannot decide who you are. Life is more that an exam. Great thoughts! At least, what I had learned by the hard way from my failure to clear IITJEE is reciprocated by this brilliant lady.


9.    She got 99.7 percentile in CAT. She told that Maths is tough or easy depending on your perception. It’s all in mind. She felt that a better teacher can make Maths easier and fun.


10. She knows various languages like English, Hindi, German, Spanish and many more that she told in her interview. It is the positive attitude that we can take from her. She is definitely an inspiration for me and many from my generation who often bother about petty things.


At the end, I thank my favorite anchor Mr. Ravish Kumar to go to her house and let us see and understand who she is. Like her, you are also an inspiration and have reached to great height in journalism by sheer hard work and passion. I really enjoy watching Prime Time. Thanks for bringing out the positive things that are happening in and around us.


Edit:- I am not yet finished and hence have posted another post " My tribute to Ira Singhal: UPSC Topper- 2015" . She is a wonderful lady who has definitely inspired me and whenever I would want to take a short cut , I will be reminded of her. I want my blog readers to watch her interview by Mr. Ravish Kumar, host of the show Prime Time on NDTV 

PS- If you are a student or are looking for a job. I feel you should have a look at Career Advice & Guidance Forum


Edit2- Watch the Interview of Ira Singhal with Ravish Kumar

Share:

8 Mar 2016

Life Is Beautiful

Book says, "Welcome to our beautiful world
And get lost in the process to find yourself".
Paper says, "Be my best friend forever".
Birds says, "Spread your wings and fly like us".
Clock says that the best is yet to come.
Calendar says that don't make promises that you can't keep.
Don't make same new year resolutions every year.
Mirror says that look within as most of the answers
Are lying deep within yourself.
Dustbin says that it's my job to pick dirt, you needn't do my job.
Doormat says that I'm destined to be used, not you.
Pillow says that I'm always your companion. Tell me your secrets .
Home says that there is no place like me.
Fog says that when you will insist, I have to pave way for light.
Heart says that I'm delicate, handle with care.
Mind says that let me have enough rest, restless fellow.

Read more on Poignant Painter
Share:

5 Oct 2015

Things to do before I die


  • Before I die, I want to go to an Isolated Island on a cruise with, no,no...not with you :) 
  • Before I die, I want to backpack and go on an adventurous world tour. (Oh! seems fancy, get back to work!)  
  • Before I die, I want to learn to keep my eggs in different baskets.
  • Before I die, I want to laugh at the things that made me cry, some things were so stupid, I would realize, I'm sure. 
  • Before I die, I want to reflect on my life and write a book.
  • Before I die, I must motivate many people, encourage them, cheer them and make them smile when they are sad. I have to sell smiles all my life, free of cost!
  • Before I die, I want to be healthy in my olden days, so that I can rest in my comfort chair and cherish the memories and experiences that I would acquire by then.
  • Before I die, I want to live a month without complaining about the system, government or anything.
  • Before I die, I must be the best son for my parents ( tough competition from my brother), best friends for some of my friends, best brother for my siblings and cousins, best hubby for my would be and best Dad, (no that I can't became as I won't beat my Dad).
  • Before I die, I want to create memories and leave my footprints. 
  • Before I die, I want to live simple. I hate being too formal and sophisticated at times.
  • Before I die, I want to startup a company and make it solve millon dollar problems of poor people.
  • Before I die, I want to acquire a very good sense of humor. Even I don't laugh at my jokes :)
  • Before I die, I want to live life to the fullest, with no regrets, no complaints and no worries. I want to die unknown, unlamented. Amen!
  • Share:

    3 Aug 2015

    Life is beautiful

    I really want to write poems..guys don't laugh,

    Suggestions welcome! 
    ---------
    You are beautiful

    You make me sad, you make me cry
    You make me laugh, you make me fly

    You make me suffer, you make me wrong 
    You make me struggle, you make me strong

    You block my way  to make me find new way

    You  give me problems, so that I can make them  opportunities.

    You make me a hero, so that no one calls me  zero.

    You are a sweetheart, you are beautiful 
    -------

    Note- This poem is about Life
    Share:

    22 Jul 2015

    Some Facts about Indian Mothers

    I will start this answer with few words for my Mom:

    " For the world you are someone, but for me you are the world"

    Well, it's all about Food. We bond over food

    Indian Mothers are never happy with your food intake even if you turn into a pumpkin. It's an irony that you want to lose some extra pounds and your mother want you pamper you with diets overloaded with calories.

    Photo credit- dbuster.com 

    Indian Mother and Phone

    Photo credit- reshareit.com 

    Is  anyone here whose Mom has not wept on phone while talking to them, trying their best to hide her tears, just because she was missing you.

    I doubt if Mothers call only to know khana kha liye..kya khaye.. ( Have you eaten.. & what have you eaten? and all those stuffs) or they are missing us.
    -------------

    Indian Moms are always right 

    One more interesting thing,
    Photo credit- dbuster.com


    When my sister came home during winter break, she would wake up by 9 in morning and my Mom will say she wakes up so late... she should wake up early..can take a nap in afternoon...

    When my brother came  home last month , I got to hear that he even wakes up before me at 5:30 AM, what's the use of waking up so early.. anyways he compensates this  by taking naps  after it's 11AM.... he should sleep more during night itself.

    Indian Moms are always right...and it's difficult to please them.. Love you Mummy!!!
    ---------------
    You can also check out Childhood Memories: When you realize that your life has changed
    Share:

    19 Jul 2015

    What Gaurav Munjal, founder of Flatchat taught me?

    Disclaimer- It's going to be long post....the lessons I learnt will be explained at the end.

    What Gaurav Munjal, founder of Flatchat taught me?



    I have read various stories related to strangers. Mine is a bit different and really unique...It is about a stranger who touched my life without we meeting in person. 

    How? 

    May be due to Destiny..Karma or Luck (what ever name you like).

    Actually, it happened last year during the summers. It all started when I read an article on YourStory by Gaurav Munjal. In the article, he has mentioned that one must read Harry Potter. He further wrote that if someone is 23+ age then he need to just request for the book in the comment section and Gaurav will buy and gift it to that person.

    Snapshot of Gaurav Munjal's Article

    I never pay heed to these advices. But that day, without any expectation, I read the article and then went to the comment section to provide my mailing address. (PS- Prior to reading that article, I had no intention to read Harry Potter)

    The chapter closed for me. But not for him.

    I clearly remember, I was winding up for the day in office that evening when the office boy came with 3 envelopes. Rakshabandhan was just after a  few days and I expected to get Rakhis from my sisters. But, I was curious to find that on one of the envelops the sender's address was not there. Out of curiosity, I opened that envelop first to find that it contained a book of Harry potter.
    This book was gifted to me by Gaurav Munjal
    But, I forgot  about the Gaurav Munjal's promise. I was so happy to get the book as I am a book lover but I was just getting anxious to know who has sent this to me.

    Well is it my little sister...no..she can't ...then might be that cousin who stays in Bangalore. But, she has told that she has already sent Rakhi to my native.

    Just couldn't hold the temptation to know who couriered this to me. Suddenly went to find the office boy but he had left for his home.

    I was getting more and more curious and I suddenly opened the book to find out the personal message from Gaurav Munjal. I felt so good for his sweet gesture that can't describe it in words. This was a surprise gift for me.
    Personal message from Gaurav Munjal

    Through this episode, he taught me very important lessons without meeting in person. I am sharing the lessons learnt for all of you:
    • Do good things for others for no reason- It can cost you few bucks but you never know, you may inspire a soul or lift the spirit of someone who is feeling a bit low.
    • The world is small- It is important to give the credit due to someone in style. I was moved by Mr. Gaurav but my personal thank you note to him never satisfied me and I knew that someday I will surprise him in style. The world is small, last month I joined quora and this month our paths crossed again and I followed him. I am excited to write about the experience which is almost an year old.
    • Inspire- In your lives, if you start doing things which inspire others..then you can consider yourself successful. Money, Power, Fame, Respect.. thy all shall pass but the good you do will remain there forever.
    • Better Late than Never- I have been feeling that I should have appreciated his good deeds quite earlier. But, better late than never.
    • Appreciate small things- Many small joys go unnoticed or we forget to appreciate them. So, make a resolution not to miss an opportunity to appreciate the good deeds of others.
    • Startup Enthusiast-  The startups are dynamic places to learn. Its not required that you join one to learn from them. You can follow their founders and employees on social network and you can read articles of Yourstory to stay updated about Startups. You can learn plenty of things from the success as well as failures of startups. They inspire me and I believe that they will inspire you as well.
    Facebook Message exchange with Gaurav Munjal after getting the gift

    Share:

    17 Jul 2015

    The top ten things we should be informed in Life

    Photo via Splitshire
    1.    Master your mind

      Good gardener guards their garden like proud soldiers yet we put a lot of waste (like worries, fretting about past, self created fear) in our mind (garden).

     We might not be able to control the weather, traffic or the mood of all those around us but we most certainly can control our attitude towards these events.

     Stop being the prisoner of the past rather become the architect of your future.

     Wake up early if possible.

    2.   Follow your purpose
    i)    Make clearly defined priorities and goals for every aspect of life.

    ii)  Learn to make effective goals using following steps:

    Form a clear mental picture of the outcome of your goal.

    Then create positive pressure by informing your friends & family about your goals. This works because we don’t want to look like failures.

    To breathe life in a goal a timeline must be attached to it.

    The goal that is not committed to paper is no goal at all.

    Passion-This is the word we must keep in our mind as we follow our mission.

    3.    Practice kaizen
    i)     Kaizen means constant and never ending improvement.

    ii)    The only limits on our life are those we set ourselves.

    iii)   Ten rituals of radiant living

    Solitude- It involves nothing more than ensuring that our daily schedule includes a mandatory period of peace.

    Physicality-Do some form of physical activity, take deep breathe at least 2 min daily as to breathe properly is to live properly

    Live nourishment- Eat live, fresh food on daily basis, have salad, fruits, and vegetables in your diet.

    Abundant knowledge- Expand your knowledge base as its good for our self as well as all around us.

    Personal reflection- Retire in a silent corner of your home and think about all you have done  like meeting colleagues, client, got struck in a traffic jam, etc  and the thought which came at that time, think whether they were positive or not and  accordingly do what’s necessary. How can I ever improve myself and my life if I haven’t even taken the time to figure out what I need to improve?

    Early Awakening- Sleeping is nothing more than a habit. We can change it according to our need. Ten minutes before sleeping and 10 minutes after waking up influence sub conscious mind so in those period think positive things.

    Music- Listen soft music to relax.

    Spoken words.- Words have power so recite what you want to feel, for example, when you need to feel motivated you might chant aloud that I am inspired energized and disciplined.

    Congruent character- Our character must be congruent or aliened with principles of  compassion, humility, patience, honesty, courage

    Simplicity-Focus on your priorities, unless your needs are reduced you will never feel fulfilled. Most people fail due to fear of failure, Never underestimate the power of simplicity.

    4.    Power of self control & discipline

    By practicing self government there will be no hurdle too high, no challenge too tough, and no crisis too hot for you to cool down.

    Willpower inspires us to do what is right in any moment.

    Words have power, by filling our mind with words of hope we became hopeful and so on

    Start off small.

    5.    Stopwatch (value your time)

    Time mastery allows us more time to do things that are truly meaningful for us.

    To be even more effective, took one hour on a quiet Sunday morning to organize your entire week.

    Have the discipline to focus around your priorities.

    Learn from the errors others have made.

    Don’t let others steal your time. Be ruthless with your time. Learn to say no to small (less important) things so that you can say yes to big (important) ones.

    6.    Selflessly serve others

    Cultivate richer relationship.

    Compassion and daily act of kindness makes life far richer.

    Sincere words of praise to those who expect the least. Gesture of warmth offered to friends in need.

    The small token of affection to your family members for no reason at all.

    7.    Embrace the present

    Living in the moment

    Enjoy the special moments that everyday offers.

    Enjoy the path of personal enlightenment; the journey is just as good as the end.

    8.  Secret of happiness: 

    It is to find out what we love and then directing all our energy towards doing it.

    Saying that you don’t have time to improve your thoughts is like saying you don’t have time to stop for fuel because you are too busy driving.

    9. Learn to stay motivated at all times 

    Motivation is like fire, you have to put conscious effort to stay motivated always. It is food for our soul. Like we feed our body, similarly we have to feed our soul.

    10. Connect the Dots, Stay Hungary Stay Foolish

    You must always have the thirst to acquire more knowledge. Curiosity can do wonders. The difference between ignorance and knowledge is just 5 minutes. The information is at our fingertip, we just need the passion to tap the opportunities we get in life. If opportunities are not knocking on our door then we have to keep trying till we get success. 
    ____
    If you have enjoyed, you will also enjoy 19 Things that make me happy atLife is Beautiful
    Share: