Pillars of strength...

How many of us can get through life alone? Can we make it alone? Survive, let alone succeed? Distressing just thinking about it, isn't it? As humans, we need company, support, a helping hand from time to time, a kind word, a gentle nudge of persuasion, reassurance, a source of inspiration and strength. And we find these sources both within us and outside. Over a period of time, we come to recognise this strength and learn to harness it. More often than not these sources are closer than we think...

Family: a family of birth or of pro-creation, it remains a permanent fixture in our lives. Of course no one and nothing is perfect, and the same goes with families! Imperfection is a truth of life and probably that's what makes it unique. Every one's family is unique with its own imperfections, but it is something we go back to everyday. Turn to in times of distress and happiness. It is very reassuring to know, we have people who would reprimand, correct and support when needed. No one deserves to be loved unconditionally except a small kid unable to take care of him/herself, hence we must learn to value our families and cherish & nurture the relationships within it. Family gives us wings and a platform to take-off from, it deserves to be treated with love, care and oodles of respect.

The better half, the significant other, the person u go to bed with, the first person u want to see when u wake up, the person u want to grow old with...ur partner. This person grows the closest to u; safe to say even more than ur parents, sibling & closest friend. The person u set up home with, u want to come home to. But alas, how many times do we take them for granted, in our pursuit of individual goals. Our spouses make us better people, we grow-up with them, should we not celebrate our love for them everyday? Take care of this reservoir of strength.

Friends are the family we choose for ourselves. We might have hundreds of friends in our FB friend list, but there are only a handful of them who are allowed into the inner world of our fears and insecurities, who become the custodians of our deepest / darkest secrets, the friends who partake in our happiness, who support us and, when need be, show us the mirror! Friends are taken for granted, forgotten but we can never do without them, after all who would share our most outrageous dreams!

Education never goes waste. Unfortunately we have an education system, where all we are concerned about, is the exams. All energies are focused on clearing the examination, that we don't even pause and look at education in practical terms, how will it help me in life? Well since we are not whiners and cribbers, lets endeavour to make the most of what we've got! Education of any kind, always helps. Sometimes in obscure ways. So lets have a "holistic" approach towards education, where everything matters...not just selective studying for the exams. There is no age to learn. There is no age to start. Lets keep the grey cells in top shape.

Self belief / self confidence: if there are people in ur life who will support u and push u to do ur best, then there will be equal no. of people who will pull u down! So decide who matter and whom u will listen to. No one has the power to call u a winner or a loser, for no one knows u better than u! All of us are responsible for the choices we make, so make sure the choice u have made is ur own. Our mind is a wonderful apparatus, it can take us to euphoric happiness and the next moment plummet to deep, dark depths of depression. And in times like these self belief & confidence comes handy, they get us thru' many a difficult situations. If we are only defined by people's perception of us, we are denying ourselves the chance to discover ourselves. If we believe in our ability we can achieve whatever we set our mind to. Unless we push ourselves, we won't know our true strength. No one achieved anything sitting comfortable in the comfort zone & whining about the unfairness of life! Get out, reignite the fire, discover ur destiny! Have faith in urself.

Attitude is everything. Period! No one likes a cribber, a whiner! Look around and we notice that we intentionally or unintentionally distance ourselves from people who are always cribbing or complaining. Everyone has a share of "unfair circumstances", but that does not give one the reason to vent it all on the world! Everyone likes a person with a "can do" attitude. We win some and we lose some. But why to lose without even trying? why drop an idea without even giving it a fair shot? Remember it is attitude and not aptitude that determines the altitude in life! Have a positive attitude and negate the negativity. Banish all negativity from life. If u can smile in the face of crisis, u can face anything (well, almost, I think!!)

However much people might like to believe that they are self-made and need no one, the truth is they could not be further from the truth. We cannot be what we are or what we become, without the influences in our life. It can be the formative influences by our family and then later, by friends & teachers, followed by our own instincts and our lessons. And this cycle never stops. But then neither does life.

Always remember, if u want to draw strength, u must also learn to provide it.

Resolutions for life...

Well into the New Year this is a good time to reflect over the new year resolutions. Some doable, some outrageous! But all made with good intentions! After all new beginnings give a adrenaline rush like nothing else. Moreover they give us the hope of being happier, slimmer & richer! With so much of cheer and happiness going around...it is easy to overlook the fact that most new year resolutions are recycled...more like they are carried forward from the previous year. Or is it? I believe there are certain resolutions that need to be made & kept year after year as they do not have a "best before date". Here are some of mine (in random order!)...for the current year and years to come...

Take care of you: a common resolve at the beginning of the year, priority no.1 that steadily loses its ranking, as the months change on the calender! Health should be a priority, no matter ur age or profession. So get moving people! Don't wait for ur birthday, anniversary, monday or the 1st of the month. Start now. exercise. Walk, cycle, run or embrace yoga. Whatever ur calling. Lets start now. Remember u r all u've got, don't give up on urself!

Eat healthy: surprising coming from me, because according to my mom I have an extremely unhealthy eating habits. Much as I hate to admit it, like the boss mom is always right (well almost always) and it does not hurt to listen to ur mom every once in a while. So instead of a brownie, its going to be an apple, banana instead of potato chips and what do we replace aerated drinks with? While I figure that one out, let me move on to the next one...

Be positive: now, this i am talking from experience, so trust me on this one...if we drown ourselves in negative thoughts, we see negativity all around...and this law works the same with positivity! So better to be positive, good for u and people around u. Negative forces suck all the energy from u, while positivity fills u with vitality to take on the world. Easy choice, won't u say? Ok, alrite so not so easy to implement, but worth a try; one small step at a time! Spread cheer. Smile! Remember the world is not out to get u. It just does not have the time!

Belief: it is very easy to fall prey to someone else's perception of u, it happens many times with all of us. But the truth is no one knows u better than u! So it's ok to listen to people sometimes, but not all the time. As an intelligent creature use ur head. Belief in self helps us accomplish difficult tasks. If u don't push urself, u won't know what u r capable of doing!

Start something new: want to write a book? learn to cook? climb a mountain? travel? paint? learn a sport? a new language perhaps? whatever it is...the time is right now! Good luck. Tell me how it goes. And I will keep u posted on things at my end. Promise!

Be kind, be humble, be honest: no one like a dishonest person, especially I. So it is my endeavour to be truthful to the extent of my conscience. Be kind, be nice to people, for u never know they might be fighting a harder battle, everyone has their crosses to bear. No point increasing their burden.

Enjoy ur work: if a job is worth doing...it's worth doing well. So u were not singled out to have a bad boss or a stupid client...they were distributed evenly. So relax or get out. I got out of the corporate grind and am happy.

Make friends and most importantly be a good friend. A reliable friend. A true friend. Laughter is better shared.

Live the best life u can. Enjoy the ride. No one is getting out of it alive, so while at it make the most of it!

And lastly don't crib about the standard of living, the alternative sucks.

Have a great year and a fantastic life ahead :)

All the best!

Easy way out...

It is easier to...


give up than to soldier on
sleep in than to get up and face the world
love than to trust
spend than to save
stop than to start
lie than to be hit by the truth
fall prey to other's perception of self than self-belief
fall in line than to stand out
be in the comfort zone than on the edge
look the other way than to face facts
stare at the dark cloud than to look for the silver lining
wonder if there light at the end of the tunnel than to go looking for it
lament one's badluck for misfortunes than to get up and get on
close ur eyes than to stare fear in the face


but can we get thru' by always taking the easy way out?!


at times, the only thing to do is to get up, dust off, walk on...onward and forward always!


Good luck!