THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE IN LIFE

                                                                                

 The sports arena wore a festive look. Students were displaying their skills in karate, silambam, pyramid, dance, drill, etc. Now it was the turn of the yoga students to perform. Around one hundred and sixty of them performed in unison. What was surprising about this well coordinated performance was that, everyone was blind-folded! It was a spectacular show. The asanas that they performed with grace, had the audience spell bound. If you start practicing yoga when you are young, it will be easy to twist and turn your body. But when you start as an adult, it becomes a challenge.

 Two profound realizations dawned on me just then. One is, getting our habits right early in life. The second one is, we are a challenge unto ourselves. Sometimes we ourselves limit our growth. I do weight training five days a week and yoga twice a week. Yoga may seem easy, but when you attempt it as an adult, you understand how difficult it is. Though I have come a long way in my yoga practice, I am still struggling to get my asanas right. It would not have been so if I had started early in life. My body would have been flexible and supple. Today it has become stiff. I cannot stretch my own body. I have been working on it for almost two years, and I have made some progress.

 This is true of life too.  I realized that all the right habits should be inculcated in children when they are still young. Else, it will be difficult to change our habits as an adult. Conquering our inadequacies is more difficult than succeeding in the outside world.  In life, we struggle to transcend our wrong habits. Nobody can help us. We need to help ourselves.

 “Chains of habit are too light to be felt

Until they are too heavy to be broken”

Even today, waking up early, reaching our work place on time, being systematic, controlling our temper, completing our work on time, getting our relationships right, exercising every day, a place for everything and everything in its place, a time for everything and everything in its time, is such a challenge. We get agitated for trivial things, we get ego involved in relationships, acceptance, resilience and tolerance are not part of our life, nor is consistency and punctuality, giving up smoking & drinking is tough. Though it sounds simple, I know of so many people who are struggling to outgrow their tendencies. If we do not grow up with the right values and qualities from childhood, our entire life will be spent on getting our basics right.

It is only then that we realize that the enemy is not outside of us, but within us. We should be our best friend and not become our own enemy. Getting multiple degrees, a well-paying job, climbing the corporate ladder, are all easier than correcting our habits. It needs tremendous will power to transcend our inadequacies. Take up one habit that you wish to change. Do it long enough, till it becomes transformation. Overcome yourself. Consistency is the key. Do not give up. Even if we can achieve great success in our profession, the greatest success, according to me, is to imbibe the right values & qualities. That is the biggest challenge in life. Come, let’s conquer it!

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

MOTHERHOOD

 

Holding the little bundle of joy,

With boundless happiness & excitement,

My heart leaping in gratitude,

To the Source of this new life.

Tears trickling with delightful ecstasy,

Unable to express myself,

I dissolved in the joy of motherhood.

 

 Struggling to contain myself,

Excited about the precious gift,

Smothered him with kisses galore.

Bathed in overflowing love,

What more could I ask Him,

The Giver, the Knower & the Doer,

For all His Mercy & Grace!

 

 Marvelling at this little Wonder,

The apple of my eye,

Lost myself in his daily needs,

Rejoicing in the new found life,

Forgetting I was also a wife!

 

 So engrossed was I in Parenting,

With nothing else more exciting,

Loving & cherishing every moment,

Motherhood was such a Blessing,

Never before have I felt so complete,

A million times I could repeat.

 

With overwhelming tears & smile,

I thank Him all the while,

Of all the GIFTS He bestowed on me,

MOTHERHOOD was the greatest to be!!!

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

I AM A CHAMPION

To be a champion you need the drive

With every heartbeat you will arrive.

The road ahead will be rough and tough

But a champion will never give up.

Lonely you will feel in the journey

Fear you should not have, any.

Consistency should be your hallmark

But it is no easy task

To pull you down there will be many,

Just don’t give them a penny.

Courage and strength, you need in plenty

That will be your true identity.

Your strong faith and self-belief

Will be your only relief

Alone, in a road less known,

You will be traversing on your own.

There surely will be highs and lows

How to maneuver, a champion knows.

Time and again you may miss to hit

But a true champion will never quit!

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

THE JUDGING WORLD

 

“Judging a person does not define who they are. It defines who you are.”

 Every generation felt that the next generation was not as good as the previous generation in terms of values. Lifestyle can change, education can be better, new trends in technology is welcome, but, we need to hold on to our values. The timeless wisdom should prevail at all costs. Can we pass this on from generation to generation? Today’s trend is to misuse the social media to pull down someone. Opinions are made, with everyone fighting that they are right.  Small matters are blown out of proportion to cause sensationalism. Washing dirty linen in public has become a way of life.

 The social media is full of such news, which is not even verified, but commented upon by people who don’t even know what actually happened. According to me, these are people who are jobless, who are disillusioned in life, who are failures, who are unhappy in life and wish to spoil the happiness of other people. Should you care about these comments? Should their remarks affect you? Their intention itself is to damage your reputation. Why should you succumb? Judging people to gain attention has become a trend in this modern world. The judging world will judge you and move on. Should we waste our emotions on people who are not worth a penny? It is more important to know who you are.

 The world does not care how you feel. It has a say in all matters, whether it matters to them or not. If we fail in the exam, we will be judged. If we forget our speech, we will be laughed at. If we are thin or fat, we will be body shamed. If we are not beautiful in their eyes, we will be commented upon. If we are brilliant, they will mock at us. If we are short or tall, they will make fun of us. This is the world we live in. Someone who feels inadequate will pass a comment. Someone who feels less will make a remark. Someone who feels incomplete will be jealous of us.

 “Successful people are the most judged people in the world.”

 Every time, somebody judges you, don’t take them seriously and lose your sleep. They are not worth a penny. Don’t give them the attention that they don’t require. Instead, keep working on yourself and get your being right. Turn your attention to yourself and keep assessing your growth in all dimensions. Don’t stop growing. In every situation, your maturity should prevail over others’ immaturity. Keep lifting yourself. Work on your limitations. Take ownership of your actions and be accountable to yourself. Then, the world’s definition of you will not affect you or define you. It will only define who they are.

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting