READY TO RESET

“Re-set, re-adjust,

re-start, re-focus…As

many times as you

need to”

As I was going through my old file to take out my degree certificates, I found some of the poems that I had written when I was young. While most of the poems were my personal emotions, I realized how naïve and immature I was. That was how I felt about my life at that time.

 

I had come a long way in terms of maturity. Acceptance was not part of my life. Probably I was not guided by anyone, who sat and spoke to me in a way I understood.

Many of our miseries are often self- inflicted, because we are not willing to change our stance. If we are willing to change our ways, life will be so much more peaceful.

The greatest benefit that I have experienced in my life was my decision to change my perspective.

The willingness to accept people the way they are and the maturity to see situations as either areas of concern or areas of influence. At times, when I could not influence the consequences, I just waited in faith for a favourable outcome, without becoming emotional.

Emotional equanimity is something I have gifted myself.

I must say that my spiritual journey has attributed to this transformation. It has taught me to look within, to work on my flaws, to watch my actions, to hold myself back when required, to push myself when there is a need, to alter my views, to leave small things small, to be in sync with the bigger picture, to review, to reboot, to realign, to recharge, to renew, to let go and not to hold on.

I must confess that when you are ready to realign, the universe favours you. Everything that looked threatening, insurmountable, challenging, simply fizzled out and I did not lose my peace over it.

By getting worked up and upset for small issues, we lose our peace, our relationships, our happiness….

If something is not working for you, learn to let go.

 

                                        “Edit your life

                                         Frequently and

                                         Ruthlessly

                                         It’s your masterpiece

                                         After all.”

 

To make our desires come true we need to first fix a goal. That is the first step. Then we need to create a road map to achieve our goal.

Don’t get disheartened if it doesn’t work. There are many ways to achieve the same goal. Try another way- Re-start

To get more marks, find a way that works for you. For each person it is different. What works for you may not work for another person. The methodology varies. What is important is, are we willing to let go of our old ways and renew our priorities.

Some people try losing weight and get frustrated when the weighing machine does not bring a smile on their face. Maybe they are yet to identify what works for them. Each body is different- Re-focus

Whether it is your studies, your professional life, your health or your personal growth, are you willing to readjust, renew, reset your mindset, your goals or your priorities? Nothing will work in our favour otherwise.

Failure only means this method does not work. It does not mean it is impossible- Re-set your strategy.

Don’t hold on to your old ways. Change is inevitable. Growth is achieved only if you are willing to change. Derive joy in finding new ways to accelerate your growth, renew relationships, readjust your lifestyle, refocus on your goals, restart your profession, recharge your mind, review your performance and realign to the universe. 

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting
 

THE MAGIC TOUCH

 

I raised my hand and waved,
To the crowd,
That was applauding me.
The resounding claps,
The standing ovation,
The relentless cheer.
I basked, 
In my new found glory,
Cherishing every moment.

I bowed in gratitude, 
To the Almighty,
For His grace and blessings.
And then I turned inward,
And lo behold,
Your face appeared.
My heart filled with gratitude,
My throat choked,
And my eyes welled up.

I recalled my childhood,
When I lacked confidence,
You patted me,
And gave me the strength. 
When I was slow,
In learning the concept,
You called me aside,
And taught me the way,
I understood.

With a poor handwriting,
My grades never improved.
You patiently sat,
By my side,
To teach me,
How to write.
Your patience and care,
Did me right,
In more ways than one.

You were an Angel, with a smile,
To one and all.
Not once have we seen,
A frown on your face.
The grace and dignity,
That you exuded,
The magnanimity you showed,
When we were wrong,
Made us correct ourselves.

Loving firmness,
Is what you embodied.
It put us in place,
Yet drew us,
Close to you.
Never got ego involved,
Even as teenagers,
That was the fine balance,
You always achieved.

The moral compass you set,
Is still loud and clear.
Your gentleness,
Made us humane.
You prepared us for life,
Your ways were unique.
Every time I scale higher,
I have only you to thank, my teacher,
For your Magic Touch!

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

THE POWER OF ONE

 

Several years back there was an incident, which was an eye-opener for a group of college students. Some of these students went on a strike at the college gate. A mathematics professor who happened to see them striking at the gate, called all the students inside.

He took them to the class and wrote number 1 on the board and asked one of them to tell what was the value of the number. Puzzled, the student got up and said, it is 1. He then added a 0 before the number and asked, “Now what is the value?” The students were puzzled. One of them got up and said, it is still 1. He added many more zeros and asked, “Now what is the value?” The students said it is still 1.

The professor then wrote 10 and asked them what is the value. The students said it is ten. He kept on adding zeros and the value went on to ten lakhs. He then asked the students why the value did not increase when he added the same zero before 1, and why it increased when it was added after 1. There was silence in the class. The professor said, whenever an insignificant number like zero precedes a significant number, the value will not increase, only when the zero follows a significant number, the value will increase.

That significant number is your teacher. Students are like the insignificant number. If they try to precede the teacher, they will not have any value. Only when they follow a teacher, they gain in value.

Children should know that, whether it is their teacher or parent, they should not try to outsmart them. Such children are called upstarts. They should learn to respect them. Whether parents are educated or not, they should not lose respect for them. Parents are wiser than them. They know what is good for their children. Respect in words and body language, towards parents will make all the difference to their life.

The same goes for teachers as well. Testing the teacher’s knowledge, nicknaming teachers, trying to dodge the teacher, disturbing the class, back answering the teacher, blaming the teacher, will all backfire one day.

Thinking that they are smart, they resort to such unwanted actions, not realizing that they will be outsmarted one day. The correction has to made at the thought level. Only then they will stand corrected in their actions.

There is a dire need to bring thought level corrections in children. There is a danger of losing out on our traditional values with the advent of the social media and the invasion of the western culture.

It is up to us to preserve our culture and tradition. Keeping this in mind, with the intention of building a culture of respect and gratitude in children, for their parents, the school conducts the “Mathru-Pithru vandanam.” Parents are invited to the school on this occasion, and children are asked to offer flowers at the feet of their parents and prostrate before them.

In fact, this tradition of touching the parents’ feet every day, before they set out from home, should be inculcated from childhood.

This helps to cement the bond between parents and children, and it imbibes values like humility, gratitude and surrender in children. Family ties can be maintained only when children have a bonding with their parents. They should acknowledge the selflessness of their parents, their generosity, patience and love. Respecting parents will aid in their personal growth as well.

Let us follow our traditional practices that foster positive qualities in children. Mathru-Pithru vandanam is one of the best ways to develop strong family ties, the importance of which is emphasized in the Vedas, the Upanishads and the Gita. Participating in it is our way of helping our children live a value-based life, It is our contribution towards building a strong nation where the citizens are products of great parenting. Pat yourself, if you are one!

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

BE YOUR CHILD’S BEST FRIEND

The beauty about being an educationist is that, you get to see a two-year old, as well as a seventeen-year old. This seventeen-year old was once a two-year old, and you have seen them grow in front of your eyes. Other than their parents, only a teacher sees a child growing into a young adult.

A lot of changes happen in these growing up years and we need to keep pace with them - their ideas change, friends change, they outgrow their likes and dislikes, their habits change, their dress sense changes, so does their mindset and temperament.

Due to hormonal changes during teenage, they undergo bodily changes, which leads to emotional changes. Some are able to handle these changes, whilst many of them aren’t able to cope. That’s when there is a shift in attitude and they begin to throw tantrums, lose focus, tend to get influenced by friends, get distracted easily, tend to become a little discreet, do not open up to parents, start seeing them as their worst enemy, and sometimes become uncontrollable.

But this is the same child with whom you played hide and seek, solved jigsaw puzzles, narrated stories while feeding food, gave a joy ride as an elephant, on your back, splashed water at each other and rocked the child to sleep in your arms. 

When the child started schooling, who cried more was a question and a joke in the family. The separation was difficult for both. The teachers had to plead with you to go away so that the child would stop crying. Reluctantly you left the school, only to rush back and run towards the class at the stroke of the bell, to swoop down on your child, pick up and smother your child with kisses. You enjoyed every moment with the new toy in your life.   

You followed up every action of the teacher very closely and took much interest in your child. You wanted your child to be part of so many activities outside of school as well. So, you ferried your child to different classes and took great pride in your child’s achievements. The child’s name found a place in all the competitions conducted in school. Winning a prize was your goal and you prepared your child for it. The child winning a cup was seen by you as a reward for your hard work and you beamed with pride. 

Every weekend the menu for the week was planned. The snack and food were packed with so much love, that sometimes your child was unable to eat all of it and you were asked by the teacher to send a little less. 

But why was all of this short-lived? Why did you start getting ego involved with your child? Why did the long conversations and the quality time that you invested in your child begin to reduce? Why did your conversations turn into monosyllables? Why at the very sight of your child you began to lose your temper? Why did parenting become so stressful? 

Are you not interested in the toy anymore? Can we just abandon them? Can we label them or judge them? They may lack maturity, but what happened to our maturity? We were ready to give up all our pleasures and go through any amount of pain to make life comfortable for our children. Is this the same person who is now ego involved with them? 

Hey, don’t get sucked into that vicious cycle. Let better sense prevail. Our patience will pay off one day, if we understand the futility of a strained relationship. Adolescence is a difficult phase in a child’s life. They are also trying to figure out their emotions. Let us silently support them. There will be so much for them to learn from the way we relate to them.

A day will come when they will leave behind their adolescent phase and emerge into a beautiful adult. Let us maintain a cordial relationship with them until then. Else there is a danger of their friends influencing them. Our children will certainly make our life a celebration. Until then, keep celebrating your child. The childless will vouch how blessed you are to have a child in your life. 

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting