A star to steer by!

It is such a good thing that we so often have a feeling of incompletion when we reach the end of a period with a sense of being at the beginning of a new one.We traverse a long path towards a desired end,and arrive there only to see another road passing into wider fields and beckoning us to things more wonderful than we could have imagined at our starting place.

Progress may seem slight and the horizon far away,and the port only a dot on the map,but so long as we complete a stage of the journey every year,steering by our star and making the most of wind and sail,we have cause for happiness.

Steering is necessary because you can't sail everywhere at once.Life is a voyage during which one touches many ports.A happy outcome is largely due to skill with which you pilot your craft from one harbor to another.

This is not to say that it is always necessary to sail out sight of land in order to have adventure.You don't have to go to the north-west passage or to the south sea Islands.Bold undertakings are at hand,everywhere to the person who is fully alive and responds to life's challenges.

To become confined in a job,to tie up at a wharf and refuse to leave that haven in order to continue to our growth,is to deny ourselves our development to the peak of our potential greatness.

Perception

This world is 2 sides of the same coin.And it all depends on an individual's perception of how to lead ones lives.A point comes in everyone's life when one looks back to the trodden paths of life and sees a motley of experiences.It is then that one is forced to speculate on the question "Was that worth it"? Or a more generalized one." Did i lead a more successful life" ? And it leads to the same question of ones own perceptions.

The first perception of this world is blurred and dissembling.Such perceivers feel dejected at the thought they have spent their entire life for the achievement of a mirage.At this point the feeling of dullness creeps in.Materialism is a part of this world and a part of ones lives but not everything in ones life.

The second perception is that of a buoyant and vivid world.For such perceivers life is simple,lucid and stimulating. Everyday is a celebration of the lost and gained.Every problem is the opportunity to learn more.Thorough out their lives,they greet every opportunity to rejuvenate themselves for the better.They consider life and this world as a fragile,benevolent and welcoming bed of experiences.

The shadowland of dreams!!!

I have come across a lot of people who want to be writers in their own right. In fact its always good to encourage such talent.I know of a person whose only ambition in life was to write.He once narrated to me the difference between being a Writer and Writing.In most cases these people dream of wealth and fame,not long hours in front of the computer.

The reality is that writing is lonely,private and a poor-paying affair.For every writer kissed by fortune,there are thousands more whose longing is never requited.Even those who succeed often know long periods of neglect and poverty....He did!

When he first thought he would be a freelance writer,he had no prospects at all.What he had was a friend with whom he had grown up.The friend found him a home,a cleaned-out storage room in an apartment building.

After a year or so,however,he still hadn't got a break and began to doubt himself and his capabilities.It was so hard for him to sell a story that he barely made enough to eat.But he knew he wanted to write.He had dreamed about it for years.He would keep putting his dreams to test-even though it meant living with the uncertainty and fear of failure.This is a shadowland of hope,and anyone with dreams should learn to live there.

Then one day,he got a call that changed his life.It wasn't an Agent or Editor offering him a big job.It was the opposite- a kind of siren call tempting him to give up his dream."We need a new Public Information Assistant and we are paying 6,000 rupees.If you want it you can have it".

6,000 rupees!! that was a lot of money in 1960.He could get a nice apartment,a second hand car,pay off his debts and maybe even save some.What's more,he could write in his spare time.

As the rupees were dancing in front of his eyes,his mind was in a swirl.Something cleared up his senses suddenly like a thud.From deep inside a stubborn resolution welled up.He had dreamed of being a writer full-time."Thanks but no",he had heard himself saying."I'm going to stick it out and write".

Lessons for everyday life

Dear blogdosts,

I came across this a while back and thought of sharing it with you all.Hope you find it helpful:

1.The way you begin your day determines how you live your day.

[Spend 15 mins in silent contemplation focusing on all good things in life]

2.Concentrate on your point of 'brilliance'.Learning to say a NO to all the non-essentials will give you more time to focus on things that will help you live life fruitfully.

3.Take a 'weekly sabbatical'.Do things that you like doing,say sunday. Organize your life and do things that you love to do.

4.My MANTRA: a.I am so full of confidence and boundless courage.

b.I am so glad money and opportunity are flowing in my life.

Try saying this personal mantra 200 times for 4 weeks.The results will be profound.

5.Schedule fixed time of worry,

6.Find time to exercise everyday.

7.The more 'RISKS' you take,the more rewards you receive.

8.'BLESS' your money.

9.Concentrate on worthy.Concentrate on things which are most important to you.

10.Write thank you notes.

Best regards,

Love to all!!!

Savor life's pleasures

To live life simply is to unburden our lives-to live more lightly,cleanly,aerodynamically.It is to establish a more direct, unpretentious and unencumbered relationship with all aspects of our lives.The things we consume,the work we do,our relationships with others,our connections with nature and the cosmos.One would need time to think,play and reflect.It can change our lives.

All these years i strive to make each day a passionate,sensuous experience,one in which i take time to savor life's textures,tastes,sights,sounds and aromas.Through the power and grace of gratitude..you too can do the same.

Soul Searching

The impulse to drop everything and start a whole new life is surely among the most received- and rejected-of all human signals for change.But i've got awfully skeptical over the years about the value of physically transplanting oneself.As i look back on the big moves that i considered and never made,there's nothing in memory now that really wish i had done.Maybe a move to Alaska would have been the making of me..just kidding;-) more likely it would have ended with me as food for the bees.May be i missed on few good opportunities for self improvement.I wish i had worked hard enough at altering my private,interior geography...that i haven't been more adventurous in the travel i've made within myself.

Now that i am working diligently on it,hope and wish i reap dividends from it:-)

God bless!!!

Mom/Dad US visit

Sometimes you have nothing to say.Let me rephrase that.Sometimes there is so much on your mind but words just cease to flow.I experienced something on similar lines just a week ago.My Mom/dad were here for a week to visit me in LA and both of us had a ball of a time with them.I spent such an awesome time with them that i seriously can't pen down in words.

Now that they left today,there seems to be an emptiness engulfing me.The times that they spent with me here,i could read it in their eyes that they were very happy for me.And so was i.Life throws situations at you and we are all culprits to those situations.We fall prey to them and act accordingly.Nonetheless,we get over them and move on.This is what life is.Ahh, i was thrown back in time..sorry;)

So here's a quick walk thru to all the places i took my folks to:
San Diego,Del Coronado,Las Vegas.Errands to IKEA,Walmart to say the least.These are a different world for people who haven't seen America.

Now that i am back to the grind,the weather seems to be acting cranky again.My workout sessions have gone for a toss since a week or two.I need my daily dose of strenuous workout to keep me going.

Until then...
Keep smiling:)

Grand Canyon and Thanksgiving weekend

Hi Guys!

I know i have been away for sometime now.Well its the holiday season now and all the reasons to give an excuse:).Okok,coming back to where i left,i remember discussing about my Thanksgiving plans.We had few friends from NJ visiting us and we all went to vegas/grand canyon.It was a great trip.Met the NJ gang after a haul.Shall post the pics for you to see.Anyways,coming back to Grand Canyon,man i don't know how and where to begin.It's such a picturesque sight!An absolute treat to the eyes.One is forced to believe the magnificence and sublimity of nature!We visited the South and the West rim.And yes,took so many pictures in different poses and angles..hehe.

Reached Vegas late in the evening.We had our reservations done at Monte Carlo.Las Vegas always excites me no matter what.It's my third errand to Nevada in the last one year.The lights just blind you.If i look back,Grand Canyon and Las Vegas where like Nature at its best Vs Man and its Best.And the fact that the trip incorporated both was the essence of the whole trip.I absolutely 'loved it'.

Well...by the time we drove back to CA( 4 hours, after the sumptuous breakfast that we had!!), my knees were buckling, and my eyes half shut.I so missed home cooked food.We were virtually on garbage to say the least..grrr Mac D and subs!
I am now back to the grind.My Gym sessions,yoga and all by daily chores had gone for a toss.Hmmmm,sometimes it feels great to be regimental.

Cya guys soon

Love:)