GET STARTED ON A NEW PROFICIENCY

 

When I was a little child, my Summer vacation was spent with my cousins. We used to play various games and enjoyed to the core. But my mother remembered to always give me a page of handwriting. Imitating the way she wrote, I developed a fairly good handwriting. Even with the advancement of technology, I still write a page of gratitude in a note book, so that I am in touch with writing and am not typing always.

Achieving a new proficiency takes only twenty-five hours. Let us not be apologetic about anything. Most importantly, our handwriting. People should admire everything about us, including our handwriting, and not just our looks. So much care is taken to look good. We should also work on our skills. It doesn’t take much time to develop a new skill. Then why are we reluctant? We should utilize our time very productively, without wasting it. Watching television is so unproductive and playing with gadgets has adverse effects on our body. It makes us dull, irritable, creates mood swings, sleep deprivation, frustration, anger, etc.  Whereas, learning new skills puts you in a state of resourcefulness. You are enthusiastic and full of vigor.

Cooking, bottle art, painting, driving, swimming, dancing, singing, public speaking, writing skill, calligraphy, and the list is endless. All that we need to do is, evince interest in learning something new all the time. Solving a crossword puzzle or a sudoku keeps your mind sharp.  Learning slows down aging, learning stimulates intelligence. There is no substitute to structured learning. Apart from heading a group of schools, I also utilize my time to blog, I am part of a reading club, so I get to read books every day, I exercise in the evenings. This way, my evenings are put to great use. There is never a dull moment. I am also learning yoga, which I do early in the morning. I meditate for an hour every day, which is my “dinacharya>”

My entire day is packed with activities, from 4.30am to 9.30pm. You feel young, dynamic and energetic. So much of our time is wasted on social media, in chatting with friends, hanging around street corners, gossiping, when it can be wonderfully utilized in actualizing and maximizing our potential. Invest your time in useful activities. Leverage your spare time by learning a new skill. I am already planning, “What next? What else? and What more?” I am sure you too are.

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

DEALING WITH PUBERTY

 

An unknown fear gripped her

She hunched a little more

Feeling shy and conscious

Of her body

An awkwardness within

Unable to look straight

Uncomfortable in her own skin

 

The little child who ran about happily, absolutely carefree, mingling with one and all, on becoming an adolescent, goes through a metamorphosis. This is a period between childhood and adult life. Adolescence is a challenging period in everybody’s life. It signifies the onset of puberty. The growth hormones will be at its peak and there will a lot of and physical and psychological changes in a boy as well as a girl. The boy will feel like a man and the girl will feel like a woman. But what you don’t realize is that, in terms of maturity, you are not old enough, but you think they are.

 This is the phase in life when your entire personality undergoes a shift. It is worth being aware of the changes that will come into you and also how to handle this, so that you are more prepared for this phase of life. Awareness is the key. Anger is a dominant emotion during puberty. The best way to overcome anger is to involve in some sport, music, dance, or any other activity. This will be an outlet to expend your energy. It will also be a great mental and physical diversion. Hitting the gym is also another way of addressing the issue. You will be channelizing your energy in a very positive way, thus. It is always good for youngsters to be active physically. Leading a sedentary lifestyle will only aggravate the matter. Anger can also spoil your relationships. Being physically active can contribute to your well-being. Involving in any art form will have a calming effect. Ensure that you are in control of your emotions.

 Mood swings, irritability, frustrations are all part of this phase of life. Getting attracted to the opposite sex is yet another challenge. This is when you tend to get into relationships of infatuation. Peer influence is very high. You are ready to do everything that your friends ask you to do. Right or wrong is not the question. If they watch xxx sites, you too will. Picking up a cigarette or having a peg of liquor, everything begins now. Beware and be aware! It is easy to lose yourself during puberty.  Building a healthy self -image, will ensure that you don’t develop herd mentality. Sitting in meditation for eleven minutes every day will calm you down.  In short, channelizing your energy productively and focusing on your future goals will carry you through puberty absolutely unaffected.

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

DEVOTION

 

There are different phases in life. Each period of our life demands something from us. Motherhood to me was something I just immersed myself into. There was no me there. Only my son. Every minute of my waking hour went in taking care of his needs. My health must have taken a beating, but I was not even aware of it. For me, it was sheer joy just being with him. I blossomed from within. The focus was so total and complete that no other world existed for me. I gave him undivided attention.

A time comes when your child is on his own. That’s when you direct your attention to yourself. Today, my health is a priority. Adopting the right lifestyle is the only way one can maintain good health. There is an intensity with which I live my life. I set aside time to exercise. I don’t give any excuse to myself.  Exercising every day and eating the right food is a commitment you make to yourself. You don’t need reminders, nor anyone to motivate you, because you fully know that this body of yours is your responsibility. When your body is carrying you seamlessly through all your activities throughout the day, the least you can do is, to take care of your body. Your body is your temple.

 I have shifted from “Who needs me?” to “What needs me?” Initially it is your family, and then it moves towards society. When you are serving a larger Cause, you don’t go by the clock. Work takes precedence. Once again you bring a purpose to your life. Each day comes with its own challenge. But the Cause that you represent gives you the strength to carry on. When there is sincerity in purpose, work becomes worship.  I realized that, when you enjoy what you are doing, even work can become meditation. So, it is with parenting, exercising, cooking, singing, dancing or painting. Excellence is possible only when you bring devotion into what you are doing.

We always associate bhakthi or devotion only to God and Faith.  But in fact, anything that we do with utmost sincerity is called devotion. It is the quality that we bring to what we do. Prayer is not necessarily the mantras that we chant, the rosary beads that we count, the pilgrimages that we take, or the poojas we do. We can bring prayerfulness into any work that we do with devotion. In fact, our life itself can become a prayer unto Him!

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

HOW DO I REMAIN AUTHENTIC AND YET GET ALONG WITH OTHERS

 

The chameleon changes its color to merge with its surroundings to protect itself. Do we have to change our very nature to be accepted by the world? The judging world will judge and move on… Should the opinion of the world bother us? Should we not move on? Why should we confine to the definition of the world? Growing up years are the most fascinating years of our life. Friendships are cultivated when we are still in school. A crucial lesson that we have to learn early in life is to learn to accept who we are. Else we will be projecting who we are not. Acting or pretending drains us of our energy. We are all the time waiting for the world to endorse us and accept us, as peer acceptance is so important to us. 

When the boy entered college, he made new friends and was excited about it. But, his happiness was short lived. Apart from the fun they had in the college canteen, he slowly realized that their enjoyment extended beyond the canteen. They were all enjoying the unmonitored freedom and indulged in smoking and drinking. Since his upbringing did not permit him to resort to such a life, he refrained. Hence, he was kept away from all the get-togethers. He was not invited to any. He had to walk alone and be right. He did not wish to change himself to be accepted by his friends. It needed immense courage to do that.

This holds good for adults too. Some of us change our personality to gain friends. To pass the judgement of the world. We reach a stage where we no more know who we are.  FOMO, Fear of Missing Out, makes us indulgent. You don’t have to indulge in what others do, if your value system does not permit you to. We must have standpoints in life, else, we will fall for everything in life. The world will ultimately adapt to us, without we having to forego any of our positive qualities and values which determine our strength.

The greatest challenge is to remain authentic and yet connect with the world.

1.Accept yourself for who you are. Don’t put on a mask.

2. Build a healthy self-image

3. Set boundaries and walk away from situations that are toxic

4. Make decisions which align with your values.

5. Be yourself always and take pride in it!

                       “It has taken all your life to become You.

                        Now, to impress someone

                       Don’t try to become someone else

                       Protect the YOU in you.”

 

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting