Thoughts of the day

1. Observe the environment and the people around you. How they reach to things that you do.
2. Network with people who don't look, think, act or dress like you. Talking with opposites inevitably sparks new ideas, new insights and ultimately corrects a course, individual or societal.
3. Experiment with the world by personally trying out new things, taking stuff apart or doing things differently that you've been repetitively doing day in and day out.
4. Ask more questions. Question the world with inquiries that provokes the status quo, that get under the hood of a situation, that open unexpected new directions that never emerged before. "Question the unquestionable" and see what kind of drift surfaces. Then of course correct and keep the ship from sinking.

Thought of the day

मैं क्या जिया?
मुझको जीवन ने जिया...
बूंद बूंद पिया
पीकर पथ पे खली छोड़ दिया...

- सूरज का सातवाँ घोडा (श्याम बेनेगल)

Thought of the day

At a company I frequently visit, there is a woman who works at the entrance and hands out the tickets for valet parking. She's worked at her job for years. When I pulled up a couple of days ago, it was freezing outside, and she was all bundled up. Even so, when I got out of the car she greeted me effusively, as she always does. She called me "Sweetheart," she gave me a huge smile, and her energy lifted me up. As I was walking into the building, I heard her do the same thing for the next driver, and she sounded just as heartfelt. 

This is a woman who knows who she is, and why she's here. She adds value in the world. She doesn't for a moment let the limits of her job stand in her way.

I'm inspired by her. She reminds me that knowing why you're here, and who you want to be, isn't a part-time job. The challenge is to live out what you stand for, intentionally, in every moment. 

I fall short, frequently. Who doesn't? When that happens, my goal is to notice, as quickly as I can, to take responsibility for whatever I've done, and to make amends. I know why I'm here.

Excerpts from HBR post

Thought of the day

This one comes from "How i met your mother"

Robin: Ted, the future is scary. But you can't just run back to the past because it's familiar. Yes, it's tempting...
Barney: But it's a mistake.

Thought of the day

Love your parents. We are so busy growing up, we often forget they are also growing old...

Thought of the day

Pencil: I'm sorry

Eraser: For what? You didn't do anything wrong.

Pencil: I'm sorry cos you get hurt bcos of me. Whenever I made a mistake, you're always there to erase it. But as you make my mistakes vanish, you lose a part of yourself. You get smaller and smaller each time.
... ...
Eraser: That's true. But I don't really mind. You see, I was made to do this. I was made to help you whenever you do something wrong. Even though one day, I know I'll be gone and you'll replace me with a new one, I'm actually happy with my job. So please, stop worrying. I hate seeing you sad. :)

I found this conversation between the pencil and the eraser very inspirational.

Parents are like the eraser whereas their children are the pencil. They're always there for their children, cleaning up their mistakes. Sometimes along the way... they get hurt, and become smaller (older, and eventually pass on).

Though their children will eventually find someone new (spouse), but parents are still happy with what they do for their children, and will always hate seeing their precious ones worrying, or sad.

"All my life, I've been the pencil.. And it pains me to see the eraser that is my parents getting worn out (older) each day.

For I know that one day, all that I'm left with would be eraser shavings and memories of what I used to have..."

Bowled by simplicity...

I met someone yesterday and since that meeting things have been disturbing for me. There was something in those discussions that's making me nervous. Yep nervous after all those years, really long long time. Is it because of a fear that things might go the other way? Probably yes or probably not. You know i've met a lot of folks and given up on a lot others and things haven't been this difficult at all. I mean i could just ignore this person as well with exactly the same filters that i've applied on others and moved on. But hey something is different in this case.

What could it be, i wonder? So far i've been filtering others because i thought they were just not upto the mark. Here is this person all capable but still wants to choose peaceful life over anything else. Not that others don't think the same but insanely and unknowingly everybody has become part of the mad race. Everybody is running behind something without even knowing what that something is. Can this person be all lazy and bozo to sit back just like many others i've met in last few years? Probably yes or probably not. No most probably not. It's not laziness because i could see there was a fear as well for the same reasons i'm afraid. But even more importantly there was fear about loosing freedom; freedom to decide what to do and what not to do. That is something i would respect a lot in any one.

What else? There was certain kind of calmness there despite all fears. Calmness that things will eventually be alright. In general i'm very proud of my energy level and enthusiasm. Was it that calmness that's bothering me right now? Does that mean i miss that calmness somewhere within myself? I was all excited talking about my experiences in terms of cuisines, music, dramatics, movies, friends and what not. And though i did see excitement on the other person's face; the other person seemed so unmoved and still all quiet and calm. Is that what's bothering me? Probably yes or probably not. I wasn't trying to boast about myself and my experiences. To be honest i don't know why was i talking about all that? But hey i've been talking about this to other folks too and i never felt bad about it. I never exaggerated about anything to anybody (not even to this person). Besides i'd to keep the conversation flowing so i did what i thought was appropriate. So probably that's not what's bothering me.

What's bothering me then? It's been long that somebody asked me a straight question and put me into thoughts. This person did. No the question wasn't something new or unique. But it was something that i'd forgotten to ask myself for quite sometime now. This person in question also made me think about certain other side of me that i never thought existed and i couldn't appreciate about myself. Yes probably that's bothering me. Like i said i've met many other folks but it was this person who showed me something different about myself. Contrary to all the fancy stuff i was excited about, this person through calmness and simplicity showed me how simplicity could be so difficult to achieve. Yes bingo that's what it is! That's what is bothering me. ... and i'm still thinking about that simplicity and that person...