Simple

So simple it is to live,
So simple it is to love,
So simple it is to smile,
So simple it is to win,
But the fact is it is so difficult to be…
So Simple!

p.s. Isn’t it true? I still fail to understand how we land up complicating simple things!

Best

"It is a funny thing about life: if you refuse to accept anything but the best, you very often get it."
-Somerset Maugham

One of the reasons why perfectionists are so is because they can’t settle for second best. They focus and accomplish smaller goals to cumulatively achieve more every time. And success for them is a never ending process. In fact, for them success is a by product of incessant progress. Even though these statements seem to be mundane, they indeed qualify as an example for “Winners don’t do different things, they do things differently!” We seldom realize that mediocrity in our life is only because we compromise on the unavailability of the best. And winners go on to become the mile stones in that domain just because they hold on further where we give up.

I wish to conclude with one of my favorite quotes by my guide, “Knowing and not doing is not knowing!” :-)

Google Rocks

There has been weird turn of events lately. It all began with my mail getting hacked. I wasn’t super upset about it because I knew I have a parallel account from where I can retrieve my Gmail password within no time. But no, it gets even worse. My parallel account has been hacked too…

By the time I had digested this, I was struggling to convince myself that it’s not the end of the world if your password is cracked. The option of ‘forgot password’ was still in my hands. But the real joke begins here… with my security question changed there was no way I could get thorough the other account as well! This was the last straw. I felt as if been slapped across my face!!!

The thought of not being able to access my own account wounded me. Besides, my professional correspondence was locked. And the impending doom of retrieving all the lost contacts shook me to my foundations! I am not a technical person either to understand what exactly could be done to get through. (Not that the techies can! :-P But still I give them the due importance they ask for! :-P)

With the user friendly support system, I followed every step asked by them scrupulously and got my account functioning again. This all happened within 36 hours! As for the other account, well, I am still hoping to get it back. Like it’s said, “hope for the best, prepare for the worst”, I am already prepared!!! :-)

A take away for all the non-techies, use Google as if you have made it! It actually gives you that impression and you get paralyzed if you can’t access it. (This is indeed experience speaking!) I am back in form with the potion called as ‘Google’. Google rocks!!! I love theeeeeee!!!! :-D

Financial Year 2008-09

“Small minds talk about Sales,
Average minds talk about Business,
Great minds talk about Growth,
LEGENDS never talk,
They only perform!!!”

-Anonymous

P.S: This is my first experience of a financial year-end and New Year beginning. Had heard a lot about such changeovers; apart from a few mistakes that I made, it was an experience to be celebrated! The targets for sales and production, all the statements and mainly the New Year plan was really interesting. :-)

I love or don’t, is the question…

Adhering to the promise I made to Infinite (the one who commented on Sarabhai…) I am trying not to sound sarcastic or offensive. :-)
Following is an absolutely atypical and one of the most beautiful definitions of love I have come across. AK said this complicated thing (perhaps perceived!) in such a simple way that simply bowled out everyone present at our simple get together. It’s indeed true that, often-superlative things emerge from simplest sources or situations.

“Love isn’t a feeling, it’s a state of mind. And a trigger is required to transpire into that state. And that trigger is no more than grief. To put it in a cause-effect structure, if one feels sad because he cannot see someone in pain, then he is in love with that person. For e.g. if an infant’s death (grief) makes the parents sad because they cannot see the other in pain, they fall in love. Following this theory, the frequent question asked ‘do you love me?’ actually sounds irrelevant. It could better be, ‘do I love you?’ And instead of analyzing if someone loves us or not, isn’t it better to begin with self? To make it finer, every time a couple survives a grievance together, they fall in love with each other. Now, how long this state would last depends on how complementary they are to each other. Two parallel lines never meet; similarly, two identical people would have a hard time maintaining this state. But opposites attract, likewise, complementary people sustain that state longer because one lacks what the other has, fitting the jigsaw all the time. To conclude on this, love cannot happen when everything around is happy. For the only reason, who wouldn’t want to be with someone who has no worries? When someone wants to be with you even when you are in the worst of your phases, then it can be termed as love. If its love, it means to be together forever in the real sense of the term!”
- A.K.

I realized how this theory perfectly fit to all the real life successful relationships as well as the miserably failed ones. The relationships I look up to are of those who have survived several difficult times together. After all a person who has seen life for more than 65 years would state only time-tested things! :-)

The Mind of a Parent says “…

How I wish to hold your hand,
And take you out for a walk,
Play your favorite music band,
And have a long night’s talk.

How I wish to lull you to sleep,
To help you solve the math sums,
And plan my days and keep
For you, the next holiday that comes.

How I wish to see your face,
When you walk without fear,
And I am sure you’ll win the race,
To make me proud of you my dear.

How I wish to not accept this,
And never want to give it up.
But I have to face the truth that is,
My child is now a grown up!

Vipassana

Vipassana is a technique of introspection preserved by monks. This Indian origin type of meditation has been used and passed on for years together. Its detailed history is available on any search engine and if anyone wishes to take this course, you can log on their website http://www.dhamma.org/.

Its main branch (referred as “Pagoda of Dhammagiri”) is at Igatpuri: a small town between Mumbai and Nashik cities. This technique requires minimum of 10 days stay away from your routine life. Out of curiosity and honestly, to some extent because it was totally non-religious and non-traditional, I choose to take this course.

One has to resist all types of communications and keep mute during all these days. Those who know me are in for a shock! I did that!!! I didn’t utter a word, nor did I communicate through actions for all the 10 days. You start your day as early as 4.30 a.m. and have only one meal per day. It sounds difficult but when you have nothing to do, even this is at times more than required. In my opinion, no activities, no communication, 10-12 hours meditation per day leaves you with nothing but introspection.

They say vipassana is so powerful that when you get it right, your concentration doubles, your endurance for physical pain increases and your temper gets chilled. I would be lying if I refuse even one of these effects. And in case there has been a guilty past, or unfortunate tragedy, or a failed venture, one finds solutions because of thorough peace of mind.

I am too young to experience any of these possibilities. But now am not apprehensive about any if at all it happens. I could inculcate very positive changes in myself after this course. I would recommend everyone to experience the happiness you get when everything seems so clear and simple even if it isn’t! :-)