RESPONSIBLE CHOICES

‘’You and only you are

responsible for your life

choices and decisions”

Many students who have passed out of the portals of the school are doing very well in life. Each of them, excelling in diverse fields. Some of them have proved that, where you come from has nothing to do with where you can reach in life. A few of them were honoured during the Golden Jubilee celebration of the school. It was evident that these students had made the right choices in life. How else will a first generation be studying in the best university in Singapore or how will she land in Spain, or how will he work for Google or Tesla? They never lost sight of their goal. Even at a time when they did not have so much exposure, like today’s generation, they still made it big in life.

On the contrary, some of them continued to be a mediocre in life. They let go of all the opportunities. Never noticed it in the first place, probably they were not alert. What discriminates the champions from the also-rans is that relentless effort, the striving, the consistency, with which they pursued their choices. They discussed and debated over their choices. They did not choose between right and wrong. From the beginning they were clear what they wanted in life and only discussed what if they did could they have better options in life. So, they made informed choices. They took responsibility for their life.

Man has been blessed with independent will. “It is our capacity to act. It gives us the power to transcend our paradigms, to swim upstream, to rewrite our scripts, to act based on principle rather than reacting based on our emotion or circumstance.” So, we have the power to respond, to choose.

Every choice that we make has its own consequences. You should grow higher and higher by executing the right choices. It should be thought over and not taken impulsively. Your choices can take you closer to your goal or far away from it, depending upon how committed you are to your own life. Every decision you take is a choice executed by you. Just as how a building is built brick by brick, so also your life is constituted by the decisions you take. You have it in you to become whatever you choose to become, but are you making the right choices?

Like the snakes and ladders game, a few wrong decisions can bring you down in life and a few right decisions can elevate you. Are you making responsible choices? You can either be your best friend or your worst enemy.

Disentangle yourself from bad company that will make you blind to your own flaws, avoid wrong habits as it will control your life, make sure to enjoy disciplined freedom so that you don’t lose sight of your journey, hold on to your integrity to earn the trust of the world, live a life of ethics and values so that you can grow in your own eyes. There are times when you have to execute a choice, but there are times when you should remain in a choiceless state. Don’t give yourself a choice when it comes to doing the right actions. These are a few of the responsible choices that you can make in life and become the pride of your parents.

“To move from compulsiveness to choice, is evolutionary. But to move from choice to choicelessness, is revolutionary.”

 #Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting 

 

 

WHAT IS YOUR PRIORITY?

“Nobody is too busy

It is just a

Matter of

Priorities”

When I went to my son’s school to attend the Parent- teacher meeting, and as I was waiting in the queue for my turn to meet the teacher, the PT teacher happened to pass that way, and on seeing me, she asked me how I had the time, on a working day to come for the PTA. She also mentioned that she had tried meeting me in my school and was told that I was not free. She knows my hectic schedule and so she was bewildered to see me there. I smiled and told her that I was indeed a busy body, but I always kept aside time for my son, as he was my priority.

In his growing up years, it was only work and home for me. Nothing else mattered. I didn’t have any excuse for neglecting him.

“If it is a priority, you’ll find a way. If it isn’t, you’ll find an excuse.”

I have missed so many weddings, functions and events. But I was always there to encourage my son by attending his Sports Day, Annual Day, Project Day, etc. I didn’t feel I was sacrificing something in my life, rather, it was a joy doing anything for my son. It was an all-consuming passion. A lot of thought went into my parenting. I was all the time thinking that my child will have to one day fit into the society seamlessly. He should not be a disturbance to the people around him, rather, he should be a blessing to many. That should be the way I parent my child. He should stand on his own feet, be a responsible individual and a contributing citizen.

Parenting is sometimes a trial and error. You don’t get it right always. I cannot claim to have done everything right. I may have my own flaws as a parent, but I consistently and consciously made, an attempt to walk my talk by working on my own personality. The mother in me is a stark contrast to who I was before I became a mother. I became so selfless that I was willing to let go of what mattered to me earlier and was more than willing to make my son’s life, my priority.

I always felt that parents are responsible for the values that are imbibed in a child, for shaping their attitude, for giving them the right direction in their life and for making them worthy individuals.

This is how we build a beautiful society. Don’t mess up your priorities. Don’t allow anyone or anything to take your attention away from your children. Are those eyes craving for attention, or looking at you with love and affection, the heart beating in gratitude for being a blessing in their life? Then, you have got it all right. Let’s spread this message far and wide and tell every parent, the joy they can experience in life when their children turn out to be their biggest wealth in life! 

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting 
 

ARE YOU FEELING ACCOUNTABLE?

 “Accountability breeds response-ability”- Stephen Covey

Who is that one person in your life, who can make you drop what is wrong, who can influence your action, whose words have the power to steer you in the right direction? Do you have an anchor in your life, someone whom you will listen to? It could be your parents, your teachers, your boss, your friend, someone whom you look up to. But we all should have that one person in our life who can correct us whenever we are wrong. Else we will be treading a dangerous territory.

I am blessed with one such anchor in my life, my spiritual guru, who came into my life almost two decades ago, and my life has not been the same ever since.

I was given a direction in my life. I felt a sense of accountability to my Source of Faith, for the energy invested by Him for my holistic growth.  I began changing the way I lived my life, going by His teachings and ensuring that in every situation, my higher-self prevailed over my lower-self. When the choices I made changed, the quality of my life changed. He has become my inner voice. Today, His teachings have become my DNA.

I became accountable for my actions and the lives of thousands of students.

If children feel this sense of accountability to their parents and to their own self, they will choose what is right over what is pleasurable.  They will not be tempted by the world. They will know their priorities. Such children are a huge blessing to their parents and to everyone around them. Accountability brings responsibility along with it. As an educationist, I have had the privilege of meeting such children, who are holding very high positions in life. Their journey has been where to where. Their present holds no semblance to their past. They could have easily lost track of their goal, but their responsibility towards their family made them so determined that they never lost sight of their dreams. 

“It is not only what we do,

But also, what we do not do

For which we are accountable.”

Adults who feel accountable to their family’s welfare will not do anything that will affect the family and its reputation. They know that indulging in vices, quitting their job, being irresponsible, will affect the people around them. So, they will not be wayward. Every action will be measured, as they know that their spouse and children will have to bear the consequences of the choices they execute. Only if we are selfish, we will not put others ahead of us. Rather, if we think that we are responsible for the quality of life we provide to our family members, there will be restraint and maturity in our action. After all, we are accountable to our children for exhibiting responsible behavior as well.

Any work that we do, if we take ownership of it, then we will attach ourselves to it and the best will come out of us. We will be dependable and trustworthy. The world will benefit from us. That’s the way we bring joy and happiness around us. There will be a sense of purpose in whatever we do when we dedicate ourselves to something. The question is, do we feel accountable to our family, to our work, to the society, to ourselves, or all of it? So long as we feel accountable, there will be sincerity in all our actions. in our relationships, in our focus, in our approach, in short, in everything.  Who is your “go to” person?   Feel accountable to someone in your life. 

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting 

TEMPTATIONS IN LIFE

“Every moment of

Resistance to temptation

Is a victory”

 

I have developed a strong will power over the years, that I will not yield to pleasures that are to be avoided. Between sleep and yoga, I choose yoga, between television and exercise, I choose exercise, between junk food and healthy food, I choose healthy food, between reaction and response, I choose response, and the list goes on. This is probably because I am enjoying the benefits of a healthy life style. My body screams for more sleep, but I know the benefits of meditation and yoga. So, I don’t yield to temptations.

Temptations in life could be a bait.

If I have to keep serving the cause of education, I will have to be healthy. I want to work for at least twenty-five years more! Hence, I need to be fit.  If I want to be peaceful, I need to meditate. Only then can I contribute to the peace around me. So, I wake up sufficiently early so that I can meditate for an hour. This practice helps me to be peaceful and calm.

Knee pain, back pain, shoulder pain, etc have all become common even amongst youngsters as they sit for long hours in the workplace. Sitting is the new smoking they say. Teachers too suffer these aches and pains, as they stand for long hours and bend to correct notebooks. We should counter it with suitable exercises.

Play with your body every day. Set aside at least half-an-hour, to begin with. What is required of us is, to be consistent.

As we grow older, wear and tear will happen and our muscles will become weak if we do not strengthen it. The bones are only a framework. Our muscles have to be strong so that it can bear the load. On the contrary, if the load goes to our bones, we will have aches and pains. Doing household chores is not a substitute for a daily workout. In fact, if you need the strength to do your daily chores, you need to be fit. The body carries us seamlessly throughout the day. What are we doing to keep the body in good shape?

The choices we execute everyday will have its consequences.

Be it our health, our career growth, a peaceful life, happy relationships, and all the goodness of life, we need to avoid the temptation to indulge in that which takes us far from our goal. Whether it is health or career, visualize how and where you want to be twenty years from now, and start working towards it; a long-term goal. Once you enjoy the benefits of good health, you will be motivated. Get started, and keep talking to yourself, to do it every day.

Don’t get tempted to do what gives you momentary pleasure.

Similarly, to achieve growth in our career, we need to invest some time every day, to update ourselves and read up, to become more knowledgeable. Today, knowledge is easily accessible through google. If we don’t perform well, we will be instantly replaced. We need to be relevant. The job market is also volatile sometimes. There has to be dynamism in our performance, that the organization should consider us eligible for the next promotion. How many hours are invested into our growth, will determine our success. Let us not waste our time giving our comments on social media. I personally feel it is more toxic and it is best for us to stay away or make limited use of it.

Let us not get tempted to waste our precious time on something that has no relevance to our growth.

So also, relationships. It is always under construction. We need to invest time as a family to be together at least after dinner every night. Instead, all of us sit with our mobiles in the same room, we don’t look into each other’s eyes and have a conversation. Dining room itself has become like a restaurant where we meet each other. Children are in their room most of the time. We must insist on having a conversation with them every day.

Yes, all of us are tempted to either watch TV or sit with our mobile. Can we overcome this temptation?

Visualize a pain free life. Then you will achieve consistency in everything. What freedom you enjoy when you develop the discipline to avoid anything that is pleasurable, but will give you everlasting pain! Get addicted to growth and progress by overcoming temptations.

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting