GIVING IS AN ATTITUDE

“The best way to find yourself

is to lose yourself

in the service of others”

We were brought up by my mother single-handedly. We lived a moderate life. The passing away of my dad robbed my mother of her affluent life and she had to fend for herself. My mother did not have much in terms of assets or wealth as everything that she had, had to be used for developing the school.

But I vividly remember, my mother gifting a pair of gold studs for the marriage of the school housekeeper’s daughter, when she had three daughters herself. 

That was the kind of person she was. She was very generous at heart. She did not wait to have enough, but was willing to part with her valuables for someone was in need. This gesture of hers was a great message for us in life. Life compensated her abundantly.

                                           “Giving is an attitude”

Giving does not necessarily mean only money. Giving your time, lending an ear, giving love, a smile, a touch, providing education, caring for the down-trodden, volunteering, planting saplings, blood donation, organ donation, feeding the poor or homeless, are all different ways in which we can turn around a life.

These are qualities that we need to inculcate in our children. Sharing and caring for the less fortunate is our way of contributing to the society.

I am glad that many parents understand the need to instill these values in children. It will give a meaning and purpose to their lives when they grow up. The society needs people with a compassionate heart. Selflessness is a quality that will lead to a caring society. You are given in the faith that you will give. The paradox of life is, you will be given only when you give.

 “To him that hath shall be given, but from the one who hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.”

A lot of focus has to go into these small acts of kindness in our daily life, which will be observed by children. They observe and absorb from us.

Can we begin imbibing these values when they are very young? Connecting with them, playing with them, giving them our time and creating a positive environment at home, will enable children to grow up into individuals who are compassionate, empathetic and sensitive to others’ needs. Sharing and caring is what makes the society a beautiful place to live.

 “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”-Winston Churchill

Giving, as a culture, is becoming conspicuous by its absence. There is a danger of moving towards a selfish society. We do not lose anything by giving. There are so many deprivations in the world. In what way can we bring joy into the lives of people? Our selfless gesture will brighten up their lives.

Children learn more from what they see. Can our actions lead them in the right direction?

Visualize a world in which people help one another. The vagaries of life are such that we never know who will need whose help in the future. Give, in whatever ways you can. The joy of giving is inexplicable. Don’t miss out on this beautiful experience.

The festival of lights is around the corner. Whose life are you going to brighten up? This is your moment to be a blessing in somebody’s life. Give……with a large heart.

 “Happiness doesn’t result from what we get, but from what we give.”

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting
 

MY LIFE IS MY RESPONSIBILITY

 

As a prelude to the inauguration of the new school, it was decided to ask some of the alumni students to speak about their schooling for the social media. Those who came to my mind were those students who did their school proud in many ways, apart from being highly successful in their profession, each of them in their mid-thirty’s and forty’s, have been very responsible individuals.  

We cannot repay our parents, our teachers or our school for whatever they have done for us in our growing up years. All that we can do is, live by the values they have inculcated in us and make them feel proud by making it big in life. 

        How do we make it big in life?

By setting a goal, by giving a direction to our thinking, by making the right choices, by ensuring that our actions are in congruence to our goal.

Sounds simple, but it is a tall order. We have nothing to prove to the world. We just need to be true to ourselves, and that is work in progress.

Are you willing to grow? Nobody can help us to grow, unless there is a deep desire in us to grow. The world around is only a stimulus. But is there an inner craving to be the best?

We invariably give excuses for non-performance or lack of achievement. Nobody can be blamed, nor the circumstances, for our mistakes. Triggers can come from any quarter, but to get angry or not is a choice I execute. Somebody can tempt me to indulge in vices, but it is up to me to decide whether I should succumb to the temptation. My friend can help me to copy in the exam, but whether I will resort to copying is my decision.

Sleeping for some more time may be pleasurable, but will I choose to go late to school? Living a disciplined life every day may be boring, but does it make a difference? What I do when nobody is watching me is my integrity. Am I adhering to the culture and ethos of my school? Or am I guilty of violating the school rules?

So long as you understand that, “My life is my responsibility and no blaming is allowed,” you will not do anything that jeopardizes your own life. Blaming will not fix the problem. A failure will be a failure, a wrong habit will be a wrong habit, a loss will be a loss.

Don’t hand over the responsibility of your life to anybody else. It is not worth it.

You can paint your life with the most beautiful colours, you can chisel and sculpt yourself and create a marvel, you can script your own life and create history, you can pen your own story, you can hoist your own glory, you can be the master of your life!

All that you need to do is, take responsibility of your life!!!

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

 

SUSTAINED PROGRESS

 

“Small beginning,

Incremental improvement,

And sustained progress

Will lead to legendary possibilities” – mahatria Ra

How many of us can proudly say,” I never gave up?”  Life is not always favourable to us. When things are going right, suddenly something comes up when we least expect it and jerks us.

The story of NSN reiterates the above quote. A humble beginning, a life of immense challenge for the Founder, not sure what the future held, yet she took one step at a time, with unshakeable faith in the Almighty, totally dedicated to her work, a meagre existence, with life not compensating her for her hard work and efforts.

But she had no complaints. She just carried on, focusing on what she could do for the cause of education.

Slowly, everything began to change in her favour. Today, from two students, NSN has progressed to almost 5800 students, and has grown organically. It is a 56-year old institution, which has sustained for more than five decades, and is ready for a new beginning in Kundrathur.      

In life, there is a point at which quantitative change brings about qualitative change. The secret is to do it long enough- incremental improvement.

NSN stands as a testimony to the grit and determination, patience and perseverance, relentless and selfless attitude and the never-give-up spirit of the Founder.

How many of us can boast of such a patience? The history of the school itself is a great lesson in life for the students.

 

People tend to give up in life very soon. They are not willing to wait. Children go for sports or music or dance, and when they don’t see much progress, they want to give up.

Ordinary people went on to become legends only because they never gave up over the years.

We try to open a bottle and when it seems hard, we give up. We try to work out a problem in Math, and when we find it difficult to solve it, we give up. We run a race and when we don’t win a medal, we get frustrated, and we give up. We try to memorize definitions or formulae, or a poem, and if at first, we don’t succeed, we give up. We try hard for a job and when we don’t find one, we give up.

Failure in any aspect of life affects some of them. They are not able to accept it. Some tend to go into depression, not realizing that failure is only an event and does not define them.

How do we achieve the mental strength to handle the vagaries of life?

# Practice self-awareness and acceptance

# Focus on what you can control

# Develop resilience

# Set realistic goals and celebrate achievements

# Learn from failures

# Reframe negative thoughts

# Cultivate positive relationships

Life’s bounties are always beyond the imaginary finishing line. The point at which you wished to give up, is the point at which, success was awaiting you. So, hold on. Don’t miss out on those legendary possibilities that is there at the end of the tunnel. Cross it, and grab the joy of success. Then you will have your own success story to tell the world!

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

FESTIVAL OF GROWTH

 

“Transformation is my willingness to grow

From “comfort zone” to “growth zone”

Through uncomfortable transitions” – mahatria Ra

Recently I attended a “Festival of Growth.”  This is a convention which many of us in the fraternity look forward to, as we get to see each other and bond with unalloyed joy. It is a different world there. There is so much of love, happiness and camaraderie in the air. Known or unknown faces doesn’t matter. That we are part of the fraternity is enough for us to relate to each other. There were infants, toddlers, teenagers and young adults, along with a few senior citizens, from different parts of the country and from abroad. It is like a huge family.

The whole day was punctuated with growth sessions, interspersed with music, dance and Silence. In short, extroverted and introverted experiences.

There were times we were screaming and beating the drums, blowing the whistle and dancing as groups. The next moment we would all settle down and be with ourselves. The beauty about the whole thing was, with the wave of a hand, the whole crowd would quieten and settle down.  Rules were followed to the T.

A second announcement was not required. That was the level of discipline everyone adhered to.

There was an air of great excitement. The rush of adrenalin sent us all into a frenzy and we danced to the songs of the band, way beyond midnight, and continued with our “anthakshari” after that.

The kind of noise we made, we almost lost our voice. That was the kind of fun we had. We were like those notorious kids- uncontrollable!

In the midst of all the fun, there was profound learning happening… learning for life.

The implementation of this learning is what makes all our lives extra special and beautiful, and being in the Path for long has changed our very DNA.

The bottle is being cleaned from inside. In fact, this is what makes us celebrate life…

“Attitudes do not care where I shape them

But once shaped, they become my behavior

Either creating me or destroying me” – mahatria Ra

We have been taught to conquer our weaknesses, to be willing to go through uncomfortable transitions to reach a new growth zone, to practice dynamic acceptance, to introspect, to consistently work on making our desires into deservingness, to realize that attitudes either create us or destroy us, that I can change myself only by the way I think, to always delve deep into positive emotions and to keep negative emotions shallow, to live life intensely and enthusiastically, to realize that it is not what I have, but what I do with what I have that makes all the difference, that the beliefs I hold in the beginning of the journey defines the journey, to understand that my life is my responsibility and no blaming is allowed and thereby magnetize holistic abundance.

These are just a few drops in the ocean of wisdom that we have been receiving.

Achieving Attitudinal Breakthroughs, Psychological Breakthroughs and to live life peacefully, harmoniously and happily is the biggest gift I have been given, and this is exactly what I experience in life.

We get to see happy and peacefully successful entrepreneurs, professionals, homemakers and families, which is an overwhelming experience.

I feel extremely blessed to be part of a fraternity that is constantly evolving. I look up in gratitude to the Creator for bringing me into a Path that is enabling us to unleash the humongous human potential and live a holistic life.

When a leader is transformed, it helps in transforming the lives of thousands of others. Blessed to be living a life of Purpose! Grateful to the ONE who created the NEW ME!

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

A CUT ABOVE THE REST

 

In every school, other than the Annual Day celebration and Sports Day, one other celebration that brings a lot of happiness in children is, Teachers’ Day celebration. In lower classes, teachers have fan clubs among students. They either make cute greeting cards, wishing the teachers, or write a poem and design an accessory, to give it to their favourite teachers.

One of the first messages that I received this year on Teachers’ Day was a little disturbing, as the speaker was saying how the quality of teachers in the country was deteriorating, and how she was concerned about it. I may agree with her on this matter, but I would address the issue differently. I would appeal to the teaching community to resolve to dedicate themselves to nation building.

When people tell me that there is a dearth for good teachers, and it is a universal problem, I cannot leave it at that. I would like to identify the nature of the problem, and help them overcome their limitations. Nothing like empowering a community, instead of complaining and accepting. It is our area of influence. But we need to consistently work on it to achieve a significant transformation.

In anything we do, we should aspire to surpass expectations. The child’s world, in his growing up years, is, his home and school. Parents and teachers play the most important role in their life. As important as it is to be knowledgeable and resourceful, the teacher has to be mindful about her own actions. Just as how parents have to be conscious about their thoughts, words and deeds.

Teachers should be educated or trained on ethics. Ethical and moral standards of a teacher will define the quality of education in a country. Continual staff development should be conducted not only in subjects and teaching strategies and methodologies, but in inner engineering, most importantly. Education is not only about academics, it is also about developing the personality of a child.

            ‘’Children learn more from what they see than from what they hear.”

If teachers and parents can model their behavior, their life itself will be a scripture for the children. Within their world, they will have role models, whom they can emulate.

Just as how parenting has become a learnt trait, teaching also demands a lot of thinking, as the present times are very different from the past.

The only way a parent or a teacher can win over the child is by winning over their hearts. That is the only way a child will be prepared to listen. 

In a world that repeatedly says that the upbringing of a child has not been proper, can parents wake up to their responsibility of nurturing the child with the right values, and in a world that is concerned about the quality of teachers, can we rise above the ordinary , stretch ourselves and go beyond the call of duty, to groom the students entrusted to us, by filling our hearts with a lot of love for our students, which will enable us to relentlessly work for the Cause of education.

Our country is known for such inspiring teachers and role model parents. Let us pause, reflect and correct ourselves, in order to leave behind a legacy, true to the values of our ancestors, who were a cut above the rest.

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

THE BIRTH PANGS

Mother earth

Does not make it easy

 for the seed to burst forth

 and let the new plant

stretch itself above the earth

to take a breath of fresh air

 

But the seed

Resists the pressure

And brings out

A new life

Into the world

Experiencing the birth pangs

Of releasing a new shoot.

 

Getting started

With a new habit

Needs consistent practice

And the will to sustain

To overcome

The limitations of the past.

 

Yet, the ability

To achieve this, is the goal

Of only the determined

Who are willing to drop

The old and pick the new

Thus, embracing the birth pangs

Of adopting a new habit

 

In life

You may win

You may lose

It is all in the game

But, do you stay defeated

Or make a counter choice?

 

Yes, the brave move forward

Undaunted and courageous

Never feeling victimized

But willing to begin

And go in a new direction

Fully aware of the birth pangs

Of starting afresh.

 

A new job, a new environment,

A new relationship, a new geography,

A new culture, a new school,

A new friendship, a new tradition,

Anything new, may bring along,

New experiences like never before

 

Making you feel awkward

And sometimes reluctant too

To take a step forward

But welcome the new beginnings

With outstretched arms

Realizing that birth pangs

Augur the birth of a NEW YOU!

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting

 

THE UNSUNG HEROES

“…Some are unseen,

Unsung Heroes….

Who make Incredible

Heroes…”

The students came enthusiastically to invite me to the Teachers’ Day celebration. I told them that they must make the celebration so grand and memorable, that their teachers should always carry those memories in their heart, as they truly deserve it. The students shook their head vigorously, and said that they would certainly make it grand.

I heard that students have come up with some novel ideas to make the occasion special.

Teachers play a huge role in nation -building. They not only teach the subject, but also mold the students to be a beautiful human-being and a responsible citizen. It is a tall order indeed. There are so many qualities a child should possess. Today, these qualities are conspicuous by their absence, as some of them are not guided by their parents. The onus of responsibility falls on the school, and teachers have to integrate this with academics.

It is an integrated package in our school. There are many activities that help students to immerse themselves in experiences that will bring in a transformation in their thought process.

With the advent of social media and the invasion of gadgets, which many homes have, it is not easy to teach this generation, as they get distracted easily and their attention span is also less.

The value system has also changed drastically. Gratitude, respect, compassion, selflessness are all forgotten qualities, these days. But, in our school, children go through these experiences. We believe that marks alone do not define a child’s life. Competence, along with values and discipline, is a beautiful combination.

Teachers have classes during the day. Back home, they have a family to take care. They need to attend to their household chores. They also need to set aside some time for preparing for the next day’s class, to write their lesson plan, to do their corrections, etc. Their children  need to have quality time with their mother. This leaves them with hardly any time for themselves. They also need rest and recreation. But this profession is so demanding that they have to work with devotion.

Not realizing this, there are people who are unsympathetic in their attitude, unreasonable in their expectations, sarcastic in their talk, and also sow the seed of disrespect in children, by discussing about a teacher in the presence of their children.

We still belong to the old school of thought and believe in the sanctity of Mata, Pita, Guru, Deivam. It is said that the first three creators of our life are equivalent to God. They are One without a Second, like God. So, they occupy an exalted status in the universe. Hence, we need to get our feelings right towards them.

Parents should teach children to respect teachers, no matter what. How a teacher is portrayed is very important. To get our life right, we need to get our thoughts and feelings right. Teachers make us who we become in life. Their contribution in our life cannot be measured or quantified. All of us are the products of great teachers, who held our hand and who taught us how to read and write, because of whom we are literate today, and hold our heads high.

Teaching is the mother of all professions. No professional can by-pass a teacher. Teaching demands dedication. Being a teacher is challenging as well as rewarding. A teacher has to be a multi-dimensional personality, a student forever, a counsellor, flexible, adaptable, knowledgeable, emotionally balanced, patient, a solution finder, and possess inter-personal skills. She has to be a “mom” in school, and much more than that.

On the occasion of Teachers’ Day, take a moment to wish your teachers, or to whisper a word of gratitude to those who have carved your life. It is the most giving profession. Let us salute the Unsung Heroes, who have chosen to dedicate their lives to nurture our children with love and care, to impart knowledge, and to prepare them for life. Feeling blessed to be an Educator. Wishing all my teachers a very HAPPY  TEACHERS’ DAY

#Thoughtfulthursdays #nsn #nsnschool #mentoring #parenting