Only look back if it makes you smile 😀

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The weather changes and time flies by,

Sitting by the window she wonders why,

What seemed a long day yesterday is over today,

What seems like a wonderful future will not forever stay,

She wonders why we feel sad and why we cry,

When we know nothing will last and the sorrow will pass by,

Sipping her cup of coffee she laughs at pleasant past memories,

Thinking about the ingredients and counting her calories,

And then there comes a drop of tear from a memory she cherished,

From a dream that was left incomplete and has now replenished,

Was there a regret in her heart for the things which were left undone?

Could she have done something to change her foregone past?

Why should one wonder so often about that which can’t be changed?

When we all know that everything is temporary and nothing will ever last,

Think of the moments you cherish because that is the only thing worthwhile,

Don’t shed tears reminiscing sad moments and only look back if it makes you smile

Until we die, we are still Alive

In the process of being busy with our to-do lists we lose the zeal to fully live our life. We were having a chat amongst friends where the topic of adventure sports came up and one of us said that sky diving was a No for him as he was worried that the harness may break or something uneventful may happen which could lead to death so why do it? My husband then said that the fear of death itself kills the spirit of living and one must never forget that we are alive until we die. 

Our fears are so strong that we don’t even realize when we simply let go of our wishes or desires just because we were too scared of trying. When I was young, I was absolutely fearless because when I faced a tough situation or challenges, I asked myself whether it is going to kill me? If the answer was no then there was no more fear. If the answer was yes then I’d ask myself whether the task was worth taking the risk of death? If I really wanted the thing, I’d tell myself that I’d rather die or fail while trying to do what I wanted to do rather than having the regret of not trying at all. This is the beauty of children, they don’t overthink like adults and that’s why they are happy even in little achievements. These days people are so busy working hard that they forget their inner child and then they are so stressed that they have to visit therapists or psychiatrists to find solutions that they are already subconsciously aware of. Why push yourself to that point where you feel hopeless and too scared? Instead accept the reality of death and failure and live each day completely and fearlessly. Then you will always be happy.

There is no secret ingredient to happiness and the only secret there is to it is being YOU. Don’t worry if you fail or if you were unable to achieve everything you wrote in your goal list. The thing that’s most important is to try. Don’t stress too hard on living the perfect life, building the perfect house or marrying the perfect girl/boy. Focus on living in the present moment everyday just like you used to as a child. When I went for my first scuba dive with my husband at Maldives, as soon as we started our descent inside the sea I was so scared that at one point I removed my oxygen mask hoping that I would reach above the sea immediately. Then I realized I was 13 meters below sea level and I could either panic and die or be brave and survive. The instructor was with us and helped me put the mask on and breathe. She asked us whether we would still like to continue the dive or go back. That was the moment when I could have either given in to my fear of dying in the sea or I could have faith in the life that I was blessed with and take the plunge. I chose life and continued the dive. It was an amazing experience and if I hadn’t taken the risk I would have never experienced life.

So guys, Today let go of all your fears and dive in the ocean, climb mountains, dance like no one is watching, go to a place where you have never been, do stuff that makes you happy. Free yourself from the cage of fear and anxiety and give your best shot to your one life today. Do this today because there is no guarantee that there will be a tomorrow and there is no better day than Today and there is no perfect moment than this moment.

Rise above the challenges of circumstances

Life seems so easy when things go our way, when we are sitting in the comfort of our home, when we are earning good money, when our bodies are in great shape, etc. It is human tendency to love comfort and detest change. So in the coziness of our easy comfortable lives, what happens when circumstances suddenly become challenging and tough? Our first reaction is to find ways to avoid the challenging situation or to simply escape. A human being’s favorite pass time in such situations is escapism. We love running (not literally) when the going gets tough. But life is not always a bed of roses and sometimes we have to bear the thorns. One must accept the fact that as bad times come and go, so do good times, then why not face the bad times with a smile instead of a tear? When life throws a dagger at you, you can either catch it by the blade or by the handle. Instead of worrying about the blade, why not focus on catching the dagger by the handle? Learn to turn your pain into gain and your hurt into happiness. While we rejoice in our glories, we must learn to rise above the challenges that difficult circumstances throw at us. We can achieve this in the following ways:

1. You always have a CHOICE

When a problem strikes, most people complain that they don’t have a choice except to suffer. That’s not true because we always have a choice. When a catastrophe strikes we have a choice either to panic and suffer or to survive, when we lose our loved ones, we have a choice either to become bitter or to accept death as the reality of life and become compassionate. It is okay to grieve when we are sad and one must do that but at some point we have to learn to accept reality. If you lose your job it is not the end of the world. Choose to work harder and find other solutions. In challenging circumstances, always remember that you always have a choice so choose wisely and empower yourself.

2. Stop playing the blame game

When life gets difficult, we start looking for a scapegoat to blame. If you don’t do well at work you blame office politics, if a marriage fails you blame your spouse or his/her family, if you suffer an illness you blame God, if you fail an exam it’s because the questions were too tough, if you lose money it is due to bad luck and the list goes on. Instead of focusing on blaming someone or something for a good day turning bad, accept responsibility for your actions and focus on self improvement. Think of ways to make things work because nobody and nothing is responsible for your fate. This is your life and you are in charge. You are sitting on the drivers seat and not on the passenger seat in your own car. You succeed because of your efforts and you fail because of your actions. 

3. Engage in physical activities and exercise that makes you happy

Involve yourself into some form of physical activity at least three to four times a week. This could be walking, sports, dance, martial arts, swimming, etc. This will not only help you to remain physically fit but will also help you to become mentally strong and focused. Challenging your body helps to train your mind to be prepared to face challenges. So get off the couch, switch off the television sets and get going.

4. Yoga

Yoga is a way of life and whichever form of yoga you practice, it will help you in more ways than you can imagine. Yoga helps you to learn the art of controlling your mind and concentrating on what you want rather than getting distracted. If you can master the art of controlling your mind, then you can control your emotions and reactions. You can remain calm even in uncomfortable situations. Yoga helps you to become aware of your inner self and the person who knows himself/herself can easily keep his mind under control.

5. Be like a Mathematician 

When a mathematician looks at a problem, he doesn’t try to escape it. He applies his mind to the problem and finds solutions. This applies to life as well. If you face a challenging situation, be calm and apply your mind to finding solutions to solve the situation at hand. Human mind has answers to all questions if used with focus and perseverance.

6. You are not alone - Have FAITH

Lastly but most importantly, always have faith in yourself and the hand above you. When challenges arise, faith helps you to rise above such situations. People with strong self-belief and faith in God are the ones who are able to rise above any challenge that life may throw at them. Don’t let the fear of a challenging circumstance shake your self-belief. If you believe in yourself then nothing in unsurpassable or impossible. Have faith that you can catch the dagger that life throws at you by the handle. If God brings you to it, then he shall take you through it. Where there is faith, there is no doubt, so never doubt your faith. You are never alone because God is always by your side if you truly believe in him.

Thus, you can rise above the challenges of any circumstance if you put your mind to it and if you believe in yourself and God. Don’t look for easy options and shortcuts. Be that man or woman who is happy during good times and happier during tough times.

A heart that has faith

That day my coach asked me to dive in the swimming pool,

All my friends were encouraging me and calling me “cool”,

I smiled and waved at them but when I looked at the pool my heart sank,

The voice of Fear told me not to jump as the pool is deeper than a water tank,

I was nervous and cold and took a step back,

The voice of Love asked me what did I lack?

I said to Love that I was really scared and Fear was right in asking me to hold back,

Love said to me that was untrue and only cowards like Fear took a step forward and two steps back,

“If I am in your heart” said Love “then why should you fear, because if you fall I will hold you”,

Then Fear said “If you believe in Love then you will be all alone as I will leave you”,

I closed my eyes and took a leap of faith, I jumped in the pool with love and without any fear in my head,

Love said to me “The one who has faith is never alone as I am always here”, I triumphed and everyone clapped.

Diwali - The Festival of Lights, Hope and Love

Diwali (also known as Deepawali) is the Festival of Lights, Sweets and Relationships. Hindus celebrate this festival as the day when Lord Rama returned to Ayodhya while Jains celebrate this festival to mark the attainment of moksha by Mahavira, the 24th Tirthankara of Jainism. Diwali is celebrated in different ways in different parts of India. The most significant aspect of this festival is to light the earthen lamps (i.e. Diyas) on dark nights and to decorate homes with colorful lights. This is a common practice which is followed in most parts of India during Diwali. This is the reason that this festival is called Deepawali, i.e. the festivals of Deep (lamps). Diyas are lit on Diwali to indicate that even one beam of light can reduce the darkness and create light and hope in our lives. We celebrate Diwali by distributing sweets and savouries to our families, friends and neighbors to express our gratitude for their presence in our lives. Everyone comes together to light the Diyas and to decorate their home with colorful lights. Most people do Rangoli (sacred designs drawn on floor in India during festivals and auspicious occasions) by creating beautiful designs on the floor with flowers or colors. This festival marks the message of love, hope, goodwill and family unity.

Before this festival begins we clean our homes and get rid of the clothes or other stuff that we don’t need or use by donating them to the needy. This practice signifies the importance of getting rid of unnecessary clutter from our homes and minds and giving away what we don’t need to those who need it.

Most importantly Diwali signifies that one must never lose hope. No matter how dark the night is one Diya is enough to penetrate its boundless darkness and create light. Similarly, no matter how difficult a situation is, we must never forget to light the Diya of hope and peace in our lives. Just as a single Diya is enough to light the dark night, a single ray of hope is enough to get through the most difficult times of life.

On this auspicious occasion of Deepawali/Diwali I wish all my readers have a happy, healthy and prosperous life which is always full of hope. I also wish to express my gratitude to you all for showing your love to my blog by reading my articles. My message to you all on this occasion is to keep that one Diya of hope always lit so no darkness can ever affect your life. This Diwali, let us spread light, hope and love in everyone’s life.