grateful

What is the secret of happiness? I keep getting asked. My simple reply is to be grateful for whatever we have in life.

We can see life as half full, half empty, or being thankful that we have a glass with options.

Most of us humans thrive on love, affection, and care. Once we have it, everything becomes an add-on.

We have so many things to complain about. Our wants are endless, and so much to regret. The monkey mind has conditioned us to think about negatives.

A few thrive because they collect all little positive moments in life, keep them in their safe, and cherish them. They are more happy and less in pain and misery. We need to seek within. Observe us and our thoughts before going out and saving the world.

moments

We are running and chasing our checklist. It is never ending. We have too much to do. This journey of life eludes us from little things. The little joys of shipping tea and enjoying the monsoon rains. The morning crawling of birds or late night howling of foxes. There are many millions other things.

We prioritise task list above the little joy of not doing anything. Just reading, spending whole day in a blanket and enjoying the winter.

It’s end of year and we should slow down a bit, relax and be thankful about things that happened to us this year. At the same time we should let go, forgive others we hurt us.

scare

We don’t have to be scared about making a choice in life. It totally depends on us. Our lives are moments and every second we breathe. At every moment we are picking and choosing. We shop, we choose, we eat again, we go choose. The judgment and indulgence is all ours. 

We have to be responsible for our actions. We can not just blame the world for our inactions loaded with thought leadership.

clarity

I don’t know if it is experience or maturity that imbibes clarity in us. Our guiding principle that keeps us going in life. The world we are living in has options all around us, be it personal or professional life of ours. 

To live a virtuous life requires clarity on what we want, what we don’t want. It requires what is acceptable to us and what is not. Our clarity towards life keeps us going. It ensures we are not under the bus. 

Our life on this planet is limited. We have to be super careful in guarding every minute of it.

Journey

Believe in yourself, work hard, and keep a positive mindset. Rest everything will happen as much as we deserve.

We can’t color ourselves red, seeing others. We don’t have to compare our success with others. We all have our destiny and journey of life.

We humans tend to overcomplicate our lives with competitive animal instincts.

Tomorrow

We are so busy now that we are pushing many things for tomorrow. In most instances, tomorrow never comes. We keep putting our list or decisions of ours in a mental closet.

Our time on this planet is limited. When did you speak to your best friend or visit your parents? What happened to the holiday you have been planning for? Or that ten-day vipassana?

Do we keep delaying things or actions just to crib or die in pain of regret?

control

I keep hearing about the challenges our country is facing. We have become the most populous. There is a sharp price rise. From healthcare to education, everything has gotten costlier. The concept of the middle class is fading.

We can think nothing is going our way. We blame the government for all the failures. It feels like our society has become a fight club. Vices like anger and cheating have taken over empathy, love, and joy.

We feel stressed and live in isolation, or take things in our control and work on our strengths. We can create jobs and feed many. Every adversity also throws opportunity.

happy

Do you know what makes you happy?
The moments you would like to cherish: the birth of your child, marrying your sweetheart, winning a lottery. It could differ for each one of us.

Not everyone is lucky enough to think for a moment. Some run to make a living like a robot. Just having food on the plate is everything.

Our needs and wants are different. We have increased our hapiness goalpost.

Planning

It’s been closer to two months for me in Dubai.
The city gives me goosebumps.
The buildings, roads, and other public infrastructure are mind-blowing.
I understand that the country has oil.
It has money and a migrated population.

The process, planning, and governance have been the real reason for the success. Who would have imagined a city in the desert housing a cosmopolitan?

ship

You have to internalize as a leader about your sail.
Swimming in the ocean is not easy.
It comes with it’s challenges. But it’s the team, and grit keeps sailing against all odds.

In the end, a lot depends on the captain. He brings unlimited optimism and belief with trust in his team.