Happy Birthday Appa!

Wherever you are, I hope you know that I've loved you so much dear APPA. Right from the time when you held me in your arms to the day when you saw me off for my first day in school, I am holding on the beautiful memories that have made me the person I am today. I miss you dad. Happy birthday Appa. 

How God is favoring what I've always wanted to do. We visited Nageshwari temple today and prayed, I really hope dad , you are peaceful and happy wherever you are. Be with us , I need your blessings and love, always. 

I wish I can see you just once to let you know that I loved you....more than mom 
😄😍😘. Alright, I love you both equally. Whether it is the empty spot in a chair next to mom’s or the eerily silent living room, you are missed in every way dad. I love you. I love you. I love you.

Fear......?

Universe is  kingdom,
Space is  salvation,
Sun is spirit,
Moon is soul,
Earth  is  shelter,
Rain is moisture,
Fire is purity,
Wind is motion and the forces emanate.....

The omnifarious light
of  omniscience,
Omnipresence is the light......

As beings and humans
Whom shall we fear ?

The mirror , the image,
The shadow  or  the omniscience ?

This is our light of  omnipotence!

Manipulation.

Have you ever been manipulated ? This just freaks me off  whenever  I come across heartless people who just do anything to gain peanuts. I know and you know the batch of  mega politicians who sit around to make $$$$ but that make sense because it's tax payers money!!

It annoys me whenever Bee and I tried taking auto's in India. The day starts on with cheaters, manipulating their meter fares (my dear desi friends should understand what exactly I mean!).
You then proceed on to purchase fruits , well I get excited to see new types of  fruits  sold on street in India. There you go, you get cheated where the seller gives you sweet tasting samples and sells off the not so good ones! Ugggh..........I have a list of  things to say.

Now, coming back on my trip to hometown KL, I cannot imagine a professional photographer tried manipulating us. We paid a reasonable amount of $$$ covering up our photo session booked couple of  years ago. Then , now...........she's split out from the studio I've booked. We lost our original copy of  receipt. We ended up getting something else.

Now, I am down with fever and just things dont seem to go alright. I managed getting hold of the lady who booked my sessions. She refused to refund back stating it's their policy on t & c that our receipt expired. You mean if someone is out of country for a certain time, you end up losing your customer.

GREED never leaves anyone who are greedy for more and more. Fine, she keeps forgetting that she is dealing with a lawyer. I am going to be hard. Thank god for Dato Chin's help on sorting this nuisance out.

Guess what.............this lady who operates her new photo studio near KL Sentral Monorail agreed to sell off  the package to someone else and refund our $$$.

You see...........hard earned things do not go to waste! The moral of  the entire scenario, I'm sick and tired of dealing with this kinda people. I need a break, a real break out  of  these city tricks and life! One makes a decent earning yet manipulates. The world still survives because few good ones exist if not the fact speaks about 2012.

Happy New Year !

HELLO  2013 !  Love you sunshine, bring me good luck, happiness and great health. Keep us united as kind, understanding and wisdom loving souls. May this year be a better and bestest year for all of us ! Hope all of  you had a great journey , the good, the bad and the ugly 2012 is past now!

2013 is the only new year my Bee and I are away. That's alright because we have a cause and though we are far by distance, yet we are close by heart. We're together in spirit and missed each other. The best part is we are not going to celebrate our New 2013 on January 1st but , keeping our fingers crossed , we are hoping for the best Ugadi/Chittrai Putthandu. :)

 

Here's a toast for all the good sons/daughters on earth, who have taken a lot of  pains, who have put  in a lot  of  efforts , who have stood alone by their  hardwork to achieve things, who have undergone tremendous health problems to face challenges of  life , people who stood by their self-respect and principles...........BRAVO and remember that each and every sweat of  our hard work and good behaviour will certainly be awarded by the super power up above one fine day. My word on all the wounded hearts , remember that each of  us face some kind of  problem or obstacles in life, NEVER GIVE UP. Fight till you overcome the hurdles.


I have learnt my lessons and experiences over the  years. I may not be a millionaire by wealth , but certainly I know that I have a heart , big enough to consider the right and wrong things. I'm so proud of  my  Bee, we chose to be away this year to take care of  our parents.The biggest compliment I got was elderly people saying that no one can be a good daughter like me.

I do have my own frustrations , I know I'm too polite , I tolerate people very easily. I dont try to please people but that was my nature since childhood. I dont complain on people. When the entire world talks about something, I remain silent. My silence might be a plus or minus but let it be.


Here's wishing all of  you a great new year and hey, it's time to restart our life with fresh mind, fresh hope and fresh attitude. Keep fighting against all the odds. Life is beautiful , live life to fullest. I love you Bee.

Daughters in Law - the curse !

Well , the title in itself  speaks that being a daughter in law is the toughest role as constantly the daughter in law will be compared to own daughter.

The rule is simple , if  you treat your in laws as your own parents, then it is all easy after. However this rule does not work with everyone , sadly ! I have come across real nice daughters in law who have monsters as their mother in law and vice versa.

I just cant stand ladies who keep on complaining about their mother and father in law. Give it a break darling , they are not going to live or stick with you for the next 50 years of their life. I do understand that being a daughter in law in India is a challenge because the war between the in laws existed centuries ago. This will never end because in laws do see the difference between their own daughter and daughter in law.

I feel so sorry for girls who suffer in silence , who don't even speak against their in laws but they are being punished for things they don't deserve. Well , sometimes you can take it as no point talking to people who cant think good or appreciate you. It's good to move on with your lives.

Why the in laws relationship gets all same and strained in Indian families ? Lack of  respect - mother in law don't respect the rights of a daughter in law and daughter in law sees mother in law as an unwanted person.

These drama episodes never end unless we give importance for what we want in our lives. It's good to be balanced and least expect to get treated well by in laws. Poor guys, it's the husbands suffer most when they are answerable to their parents and wife. The family and world would be a better place if we stop envying or dominating each other.

Trashing Out

Most  of  us will definitely go through a phase of  life thinking of  the past. After all,  we are just human beings , we cannot be super extra ordinary without any emotions, be it good or bad. The question that always ticks on my mind is 'how long should I hang on to the past' ? I know it's going to be "FOREVER THE GOOD AND NEVER THE OTHER".  The first half is done without any efforts but think about the second half.

Sometimes, we will never get an answer for the questions we search for. The toughest thing on earth is being able to live with oneself ! I know this is so absurd but self consoling works most of the time. I think I have started to count on my blessings than the problems I've faced, like I said the second half of the phrase takes a lot of determination.

I have had very good memories growing up and hardly any bad. People always loved us, respected my parents, laughed together, cried with us, and so life was good. People I met later in life were different; they didn't love us as much, didn't care for my parents much, no laughing or crying together and life was a little rough.

From time to time pride comes in between demanding self dignity or worse yet self pity comes in between suggesting aloofness and indifference. Lately I feel there needs to be an end to such "dangling references" and so I have started the process of "trashing out" to clear the system. What good is it to hold on to the past that brings fresh tears and a broken spirit? It will only reprieve the joy of present, and the peace of future.

Unless we help ourselves to do the 'spring cleaning' , we cannot live in an healthy environment. I strongly believe that you would agree that renting a space in our mind and heart for the trash of the past makes does no good. It's time to trash out the garbage of life and travel light to seek fresh air and build a happy home.The karma train may arrive late but it will never miss it's  journey.

STEVE JOBS

There's always a story behind every successful person.

Thanksgiving 2010

We had the longest drive ever for this year's Thanksgiving weekend. It was continuous tiring days completing the chores at home. Despite cooking a night earlier, I was challenged with totally useless work on the day of travel which again was wasted of course.

I'm not blessed like other Indian ladies who could easily win help or favors from other men on earth :) All my hardwork will go to dogs , though I do it in pain ! My London stay , my working life , my search............. even anything current has no value. Finally I managed tolerating the pain and awaited for everyone to start almost at 3pm. Such a tiring drive, we reached Las Vegas at 3am.

Okay now the challenges are........how are we gonna spend the next few days. Each time travelling out is never a relaxation for me , in fact travel means extra pain, extra work and extra time waste. I wish I could drive my life. I miss those days when I was a princess on my own , lived in my dreams , lived in my reality , the very strong willed , proud to take help , the very hardworking girl. I miss those days where I earned my living , I searched my job. I am proud to say that I never lived on other men's mercy. Everything in this world is very easy to be attained as long as we have no self respect and dignity.

Varalakshmi Vratham

Finally , the pooja went on smoothly , felt happy that everyone loved my decor. I , however prefer the usual pooja done authentically rather than the decorations. The pooja was performed at a friend's place.

When TRUST means love and love means LIFE.

Materialistic world , everyone is in search of  something....but to many , we dont even realize what are we searching for. We end up disagreeing or even arguing on what is right and wrong. The problem arises when everyone thinks they are right ! I think the simplest human relationships have come so complicated that today we are even forgetting the essence of  mutual respect and trust in keeping up relationships. Yes, each relationship requires a room of  it's own. Every entity deserves individuality. However when these are taken into granted, then one becomes a fool or victim of that relationship. Only if  people are wise enough not to pain each other and give mutual respect , after all trust is gained through one's conduct. It really saddens me to know how people struggle  between relationships , where is the equality of mere talked becomes theoretical.....

So remember , ALWAYS  TREAT  PEOPLE  AS  HOW  YOU  WANT  TO BE TREATED ! After all , life is a boomerang  !!!

Your green monster.

"Blessed is he who has learned to admire but not envy, to follow but not imitate, to praise but not flatter, and to lead but not manipulate." - W.A.Ward

When people fail to appreciate

Recently I came across so many new things in life. It's people around us , how wonderful is each creation of god ! Each day taught me about life. Everyone that I come across in the last 6 years living away from my parents, I've learnt the world is not our home!

Good and bad exist everywhere , yes , rotten apples are everywhere in the basket but somehow it hurts to know that people really hurt each other for their own reasoning causes. 6 years ago , I met one wonderful teenage father in Tottenham station in London , it was such a life gaining experience hearing a 18 year old boy speaking how fatherhood changed his life ! Everyone make mistakes , after all we are human being but we need to learn from our mistake. I dont know what is so bothering me today that so many things chattering in my mind. Is it the fear of  bringing up my family in the proper way , just like how my mother did ? Or am I just being pessismistic about the entire thing ? Or.......am I just getting restless due to stress ? I'm not able to distinguish this factor.

When two people meet, fall in love, and live happily ever after is one of the biggest myths ever perpetrated on Western civilization. The real truth is two people begin living together, and then do just about everything they can to diminish and destroy their love for each other. Am I just taking everyone's problem as my own ? I dont know but it's just bothering me a lot , I know I have such a large tendency to take people's problem as my own and I get so restless. It just bugs me why people are so selfish that they have to hurt each other because I never grew up in the environment , blame it on Asian values , we were over protected even at the age of  20.

I guess all the problem starts when people fail to appreciate each other, value the importance of one's existence and appreciate relationships.We don't appreciate what we have until it's gone. Freedom is like that. It's like air. When you have it, you don't notice it.  It's never late for anything if we accept today's life and make the change , we cant change the world , we can change ourselves. Remember charity begins at home !

Protect your mind!

We all know how destructive viruses on our computer can be and how important it is to have virus protection installed. However we’re not so careful when it comes to protecting our own minds with the often devastating effects our own thoughts can have on it.

The more serious of these thought viruses can lead to mental health problems such as loss of confidence, mild depression, self esteem issues, and a distorted perception of ourselves.

Science has shown that there is a link between physical and mental well being and positive attitudes in life. When you are happy and content with life and your thought processes are working correctly your brain releases endorphins which is your brains way of dealing with pain and making your feel happier. The brain also releases something called Gamma Globulin to strengthen our immune system and another chemical called Interferon which combats viruses, infections and even cancer.

How then do we combat these thought viruses and protect our minds in order to stay healthy mentally and physically.

The answer could be ‘thought awareness’. This is when we recognize the thoughts that could lead to a downward spiral of  negative emotion resulting in mental and physical problems, in effect viruses in our minds.


4 Ways to to control the viruses in your mind

1. Negative self talk.
When you recognize that you are talking to yourself in a negative way, recognize it for what it is; Your mind has tried to protect you from being hurt emotionally so starts talking to you in a negative way in order to protect your feelings.

For example; you want to start your own business and have a desire to work for yourself. At first you are really excited by the prospect, but immediately your mind start telling you it will be too hard, you will have to work very long hours, you will have to network, which you hate doing, you will have to do this and that and it will be way too hard.

As soon as you recognize these thoughts creeping in, it’s time to stop them dead in their tracks and carry on with your plans. Everything you don’t know yet is difficult simply because you don’t know it, but when you take steps towards knowing, it becomes less difficult and therefore easier.

When you recognize and stop the negative self talk your thoughts will then start naturally flowing to a positive mind state. Kind of like when you were a child and you believed you could do anything, only this time you have the tools to actually do anything you want.



2. Get rid of the past.
We tend to dwell on negative events from our past in an effort to understand why they happened. This can often occur with traumatic events from our past.

I had a client who had been trying to understand why a certain series of events had happened to her and she had been trying for 25 years and still getting herself upset every time she spoke about it. When I asked her why she was still trying to understand it when she had not been able to figure it out for the last 25 years, she looked at me with a blank stare. I then went on to advise her to acknowledge what had happened to her, not dismiss it, and put it on the shelf at the back of her mind. I advised her, at the moment, she was taking the item from the shelf of her mind every day and trying to analyze it when it would be better just to know it’s on the back shelf and get on with doing other things in her life. This was a turning point for her.


3. Use affirmations to train your mind.
The use of affirmations is well documented ever since the classic book: ‘Creative Visualization’ by Shakti Gawain back in 1978.

Affirmations are short phrases or sentences you repeat to yourself mentally in order to induce a certain state of mind. the classic one being:

‘Everyday in every way, I am getting better and better’ (Emile Coue).

By stating affirmations to yourself in a mantra like way and repeatedly over weeks, months and years your mind becomes trained to think in a different way. If you don’t think this works think about your fears for a second or two. people who are afraid of going into elevators have literally used affirmations and visualization to train their mind to produce a state of panic whenever they have to enter an elevator. So it is true in reverse. People who are confident have affirmed, at every opportunity, to tell their mind they are confident in every situation and confident enough to try new situations. We all use affirmations in our lives without ever knowing that we do so why not put affirmations to good use and consciously train your brain to a better way of thinking.


4. Open yourself to new experiences.
You are only on this earth for around 80 years, on average, if you are lucky, so why not try and experience as much as you can before you die. We all live in comfort zones and that’s great because comfort zones protect us to a degree. However comfort zones also stop us from learning about ourselves and growing as individuals.

We also we pass on our comfort zones to our children and we all want what’s best for our children so why not try to experience something totally new and step outside your comfort zone. Imagine what the world would have been like if the likes of Emily Panckhurst, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Alexander Graeme Bell had not stepped outside their comfort zone.


Apathy is found within the comfort zone, greatness lives outside of it.

Realize that every thought cannot be controlled

It would be naive to say that we can literally control all of our thoughts. It would be impossible to do this. Our aim is not to control our thoughts it is to steer them in the right direction. Right now your thoughts can be likened to 10,000 young children all running about, screaming and shouting in a very large playground somewhere, it would be impossible to control them, however imagine having a big purple dinosaur show up in the playground what do you think would happen. The kids would quieten down and start watching the show the big purple dinosaur was putting on.

So our aim here is not to control our thoughts but to control the big purple dinosaur and that can be done using a handful of techniques like the 4 techniques above.

Amma....Mommy....Mom...being a Great Mother !

Parenting is a skill , this is what I've learnt throughout my life , I must admit that being a teacher back in Malaysia has taught me a handful of  knowledge on child psychology .There are ways of being a great Mom ! Discipline is the keyword , teach them that discipline is a form of  love.

1) Patience is everything. It’s easy to lose our patience, and infinitely more difficult to reign it in and redirect it toward a more positive route. Yet allowing our children to see us overly frustrated is never a best case scenario. Go for a walk, take a deep breath, count to ten… or 100. But practice patience from the beginning and you will likely find you have raised a patient child. Remember that children emulate what they see !

2) Reading session -  Make sure you read your daily newspaper in front of your child. You have every tool you need to help your children grow up smart. Endowing children with powerful vocabulary at the earliest possible time is critical to their cognitive development. Start when they are babies, and don’t stop just because they are suddenly able to read the words themselves. Reading with your child is not only a wonderful time for mutual bonding, it also helps to establish a habit that your children can carry forever. Read to them positive stories , inspire them with historical places or people. Try seeding the fruit of knowledge to your child at an early stage.

3) Time - Treasure  your time with your little ones. The years will turn to vapor soon enough. Today , almost all the moms are working full-time. This gets them so busy handling their own frustrations and doing their own things. Most of the people that I've known send their kids to baby sitters or leave them with grand parents ( especially in Asian countries ! ). Nothing can be compared to what a PARENT teach their kids. I have seen mothers who blame the grand parents for the discipline failure ! This is so wrong , no matter what , after work at the end of the day , mother / father must sit together with the child and ask whats going on his/her mind. This will not only build your relationship with your kid but also a signal that you care for the child. One should never miss seeing the child's growth !

4) Daddy - Treat dad with respect. If you show disrespect to your man , you are crushing a part of your child’s soul and damaging a bit of their future. It doesn’t matter who you are or where you come from, respect is always free.  Remember, children learn by example and you are their constant model. Show your son how to properly treat a woman and show your daughter what to look for in a man.

5) Attitude - Show good  behaviour. Don’t do things in front of your child that you wouldn’t want them to do.Never ever argue or fight in front of your child , the behavior will be registered  in your child’s eyes and mind. The same goes for all bad manners and negative attitudes like greed, laziness, making fun of others , anger, and the like. Be yourself, but be your best version as long as your children are watching. Show love and commitment to each other , definitely the child will grow up to be a good father / mother !

6) Give a chance. Children are often far more capable than what many adults allow themselves to believe. The earlier you start inoculating your child with independence, the more they will be able to help you and themselves to become more capable, well-rounded people. Yes, it can feel frustrating to take the time to teach a two year old to do something that you could do in a fraction of the time, but soon she will be three and have a strong skill set you can easily build upon. You can raise a child with a “Yes I can!” attitude, if you start with “yes you can” first. Dont keep feeding them , let them carry their plate and attempt their meal , yes they will mess up a little but at times we need to let them be and learn at young age. Let them do their own colouring.

7) Individuality. Each of us are unique, yet it is all too easy to project ourselves and our desires onto our children. This rarely does them or us any good. It’s okay to guide them in the right direction, but we should never try to mould our children into what we want at the expense of allowing their true selves to flourish. The best you can do as a parent is to instill your child with the best values you can until those valued are internalized, then stand back and wait for the tree to bear fruit. You want your child to be their best, but sometimes they have to find it themselves. Dont keep nagging to study , play or forcefully do something. Every child is blessed with a talent. Some are good in sports , music or science.... so identify what makes them to excel rather than making them to do what you want them to do.

8) Unity. Never allow your child to think they can come between you and dad. Unless there is blood or vomit involved, it is probably best to agree in front of the extra set of tiny eyes, and then settle your differences in private. Mom and Dad must always be a team and stand together with every decision. If you want your child to know they can’t penetrate the perimeter of your unity, you have to prove it. And on that note, it’s okay to say NO and mean it when you do. Don’t surrender to their whining or you are only teaching them that it is an effective means of getting their way.

9) Be human. Yes, almost all of us are required to work and no, we can’t always be attendant to our child’s every need. But we can do our best with the time we have, and never make our children feel as though they are a burden to our schedules. Make sure to set aside sacred time each day exclusively for them, and don’t allow anything frivolous to breach the significance of that time. Plan your time to spend with your child , be it running around the park , shopping , playing basketball or even cleaning your home. This will also discipline them to take care of themselves !

10) Be real. Just be yourself. Let your children see all sides of you. Be funny, strict, tender; affectionate, serious and vulnerable. By allowing your children to see all sides of you, you will be helping them to understand themselves infinitely more.

No list of  tips will make you a better anything, not without application placed behind the principles ! Do your best every day and if you fumble, do your best to start over tomorrow. The best tip, however, isn’t on the list above....use common sense and know that your children are watching everything you do. Though you might not realize it, you are the world to them. Do all that you can to make that world a pleasant place to live.

Beauty Tips....

These were the magical words of Audrey Hepburn......... simply love her !

For attractive lips, Speak words of kindness.


For lovely eyes, Seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, Share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, Let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, Walk with the knowledge you'll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a Woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she knows.


And the beauty of a woman, with passing years only grows !

Mahatma Gandhi

Mahatma Gandhi. Great soul.

“Generations to come will scarcely believe that such a one as this walked the earth in flesh and blood.” – Einstein

It all started on a fine night , when I sat with my mom and dad to watch Gandhi film ( Sir Richard Attenborough ) , I was only 4 years old then ! I clearly remember how my parents forced me to sit next to them and watch this movie of the century ! I have started liking Gandhi since then. I must say that in fact , Gandhi inspired me to  read Law  :) For the ever first time in my life , I toured  India in 2002. We're blessed to witness the spirituality , that's when I started telling my friends that India is a Land of  Miracle ! We're lucky enough to visit the Kanya Kumari district in  Tamil Nadu , India and see the famous Gandhi Memorial ( Gandhi Mandapam ). I fell in love with the portrait of a young Gandhi , whom graduated as a barrister ! I just adore him for his ways and teachings. Practicing  his teachings are definitely an accomplishment in life !

Gandhi’s teachings in our daily life ,  all his message about peace and non-violence ( Ahimsa )  is more pertinent than ever before today.

The six golden words or key lessons are :

1. Be the change you wish to see in the world.

This is possibly Gandhi’s most famous phrase and tells us that before we can go and change the world, we have to change ourselves.From the being, comes the doing and ultimately the having.So we now have the message – “Do the change you wish to see in the world”.


Focus on changing yourself and being the change you wish – and soon we can begin to look at the bigger picture and solve the world’s challenges.

There is this anecdotal story about how a mother came with her son to see Gandhi. She wanted Gandhi to tell her son to stop eating too much sugar as it was harmful for his health. He asked her to come back a month later by which time he himself had cut down on his own sugar intake.

The point is that before you can get anyone to take on your own teachings, you have to apply them to your own life. There are various phrases to reflect this message such as “practise what you preach” and “walk the talk”.

“Let your life be your message” – Gandhi

Is your life the message you want to give the world?


When will you be the change you want the world to be?


2. Reduce, reuse and recycle

“There is enough in the world for everyone’s need, but not for everyone’s greed” – Gandhi

Even in Gandhi’s time there was vast disparity in the world between the rich and the poor. He could see how the world’s resources were being pilloried to satisfy the excessive demands of the West whilst most people in the rest of the world were barely surviving.


3. Live a simple, minimalist life.

Gandhi lived a very simple, frugal life. He died with very few possessions and he preached simplicity and minimalism in all areas of life.

He also dressed simply and even persisted with his simple Indian loin cloth when he visited England and met the King. When asked if he was under dressed for a meeting with the King, Gandhi replied that the King had enough clothes on for both of them ! Minimalism is something I am beginning to apply in my life too. Start living a simpler minimalistic life from today – and you will release a lot of time and energy to bring more of Gandhi’s teachings into the world.


4. If no one walks with you, walk alone

Believe in your cause, follow your truth and stick to your journey even if you have to walk the path on your own. Gandhi at the end of his life was said to be heart broken with the partition of India as millions were killed and displaced. Even then, he still had a message for the world – it takes just one man to make a difference.

If no one responds to your call, go forward alone.


If no one talks to you, oh luckless one,


If everyone turns away from you in fear,


Reveal your thoughts and express your ideas to yourself.


If everyone leaves you while you are travelling a dangerous road,


If no one wants to look after you,


Walk on alone, on the road strewn with thorns, trampling on them with bleeding feet.


If no one shows a light, if in the dark stormy night everyone shuts their doors,


Use your rib as a torch, lit from the fire of thunder. – Rabindrantah Tagore


So anything and everything you do counts and will make a difference.


5. Get your power through humility

Gandhi was a very humble, down to earth, ordinary human-being but therein lay his power and authority. His power came from being very clear about who he was, his values and his mission. So the clearer you are about who you are and what you stand for,the more power you will exert in the world, whilst remaining humble and as down to earth as you wish. Power what I mean here is not the power that corrupts but one that changes the world and makes a positive contribution.

6. Start today

“The difference between what we do, and what we are capable of doing, would solve most of the world’s problems” – Gandhi

Believe that what you do matters, and that it will make a difference.

You can’t save the whole world single-handedly, and we can’t all be a Gandhi or a Mandela, but you can certainly make a difference to one person at a time. So look for ways to contribute. Ask yourself what special skill or knowledge you have that can solve a problem or make the best of a situation and that will help or support others.


Start small – and get started no matter what. They too started small one day at the beginning of their own life journeys.

So fear not – you already have and know enough – new skills will come for sure as you progress on your journey. And whatever you choose to do, it will make a difference.


The point is that everything we do matters and makes either a positive or a negative impact on everything around us.

You can start today to apply Gandhi’s message in your life, simply by focussing on this one question:-


How can I bring more love and peace into my life today?

Just know that every little bit helps and by you being more loving and peaceful, the rest of the world becomes more loving and peaceful too.


After all, we all have a “Gandhi” inside of us, just waiting to emerge.



What makes one person a Gandhi or a Dr Martin Luther King? Is it pure coincidence or do such inspirational historic figures have some special powers?

“Here’s to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They’re not fond of rules, and they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify and vilify them. About the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as crazy, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.” – Steve Jobs, Apple

(  The Salt Satyagraha was a campaign of nonviolent protest against the British salt tax in colonial India which began with the Salt March to Dandi on March 12, 1930 ).

Slow down to enjoy life !

In this modern world , everything seems to moving extremely fast that we at times even need some "air" to breath !! I just dont understand the concept of  multi-tasking :))

Early morning , I see women who applies her mascara whilst driving , how ridiculous is that ? Rush , rush , rush hours. I feel this will only shorten our life span !

Why dont we slow down a little bit to enjoy life ??? Have anyone felt like this before ? I hate last minute work , last minute travel plans. Doing one thing at a time makes a lot of difference.

I have had women who said it off on my face " You are very slow " and claimed  "I'm super fast in anything , I do things very quickly"  ....well to many people , blowing their own trumpet works well to gain attention or to feel better :P

I dont know why do one have to judge another from top to toe. This is correct , that is wrong... very intimidating nature. Enjoying what we are doing is important to me. I just dont like rushing as though sky is going to fall on earth !

I dont like to wash vessels in my kitchen for the sake of washing , but I prefer to wash them carefully and ensure they are clean. I dont like to hurry taking shower , I cannot eat fast , I cannot quickly finish my prayers , simply because I dont do things for the SAKE of doing it.

I love doing what I enjoy , I eat slowly and taste every bits of  it ! It's quality not quantity.

Many of  us  forget to slow down and enjoy our family , friends and  nature around us. We dont really know how lucky we are............. god's most precious gift is LIFE , so LIVE , LET LIVE and LIVE TO THE FULLEST !

LOVE

"Love is but the discovery of ourselves in others, and the delight in the recognition".


Alexander Smith

Change your Karma !

Fall seven times, stand up eight.” - Japanese proverb

It’s inevitable: sometimes, life just doesn’t go your waychedule gets all messed up. You fail to follow your plan. Someone is mean to you. You feel like quitting something. You want to curl into a little ball and cry.

Life deals out its blows, and leaves us discouraged, angry, frustrated, depressed, drained. And once we’re in that bad place, in a mood where we just don’t care about anything, it’s pretty hard to get out of it.

But let me share a little secret to happiness and self-improvement here: all that stuff? It’s just in your head.

Yeah, it sure doesn’t seem like it. It seems that the slings and arrows of life are all coming at us. It feels like we’re a failure. But it’s true. It’s all in your mind.

How can I trivialize horrible things that happen to you like that? By making it seem like a simple mental problem? Because that’s what it is, and once you realize that, you are liberated — you have the power to change your circumstances!

It’s not an easy task, I’ll give you that. It’s incredibly, monumentally hard. Changing your mind and changing your life is a mental hurdle worthy of the titans. But it can be done. All it takes is a few mental tricks, and a lot of energy and willingness to keep an open mind.

“Worry often gives a small thing a big shadow.” - Swedish proverb


Let me give you an example , for the last couple years, I’ve struggled with exercise. I actually enjoy running and working out, but there are days when I don’t feel like doing a thing, or when I feel under the weather, and those days can stretch out to a week and that week can stretch into a few weeks. And then I’ve fallen off the exercise wagon and it feels like I can’t get back on. Gone were those days where I used to be a fitness freak ! Oh....just name it...I've done most of it with hectic schedule , classical indian dancing , yoga , gym , running....! I played hockey and volleyball with my high school students ! It was all till I went to London in the name of studies and life took a 360 degrees turn against me.....! I survived against all the odds... despite undergoing a surgery in London , not able to walk properly for a couple of months......returning home and concentrating on health first......I've missed all the enjoyment of exercise !


But then I use the first couple of tricks below, and my mindset changes. I switch on the positive attitude, and realize that my failure to exercise is actually just a stepping stone to fitness success. And looking back, I’ve had 6-7 of these failures, or stepping stones, and they’ve all led me further down the path to fitness. Today, I exercise almost every day, and I’m loving it.

The same is true of every other success I’ve had. This blog, for example, is a success in my eyes, but I’ve had points where I was discouraged by negative comments or emails. I flipped that discouragement around, however, and used the comments to help myself improve.

I had many failures along the way to eliminating my problems, but I made it there in the end, by not quitting. I have faced many tests of my patience and character, and failed not a few of those too. But through practice, I’ve gotten better, and while I’m not perfect, I know that I’ll only continue to improve if I keep the same mindset.

It’s all in your mind. Here are  tricks I use to turn anything bad into something truly awesome.

The power of positive thinking. I learned the power of positive thinking while I was quitting drinking coffee ( I used to drink 10-11 cups of coffee when I was in college ! ). When you just don’t see the point of all this suffering. And yet, if you realize that it’s just negative thinking, you can squash that negative thought like a little bug. Then replace it with a positive thought (I CAN do this!) and you’re back on the road to success. Recognize negative thoughts, squash them, and find positive thoughts to replace them. Works every time.

Failure is a stepping stone to success. This is what I tell myself every time I fall. I get up, dust myself off, and start again. Each failure shows you an obstacle you didn’t anticipate, and you can plan to beat that obstacle next time. Each failure brings you that much closer to winning. And you know what? Every single time I’ve told myself that, so far, it’s been true. I’ve succeeded. Getting back up is the main thing. The mantra is I keep on trying , not giving up.

Practice patience. This is what I tell myself when I get frustrated, when someone is difficult, when I begin to lose my patience. First, I vent somehow (talking to a friend or my mom or hubby  is one of the best ways for me). Then, I tell myself that this is a great way for me to practice my patience. Sometimes, I have to repeat this to myself like a mantra, but it works nonetheless.

Learning experience. Similar to the “stepping stone to success” trick above, but it can be used for anything, not just failure. If I make a mistake, if I make the wrong choice, if I have a bad day … I just see it as an opportunity to learn. Then I review it in my head, trying to figure out what went wrong, trying to learn from my mistakes. If you see learning as a wonderful thing, as I do, then you can see every mistake as a blessing.

Makes you stronger. “That which does not kill us only makes us stronger,” goes the famous saying. And while that’s not always true (sometimes we can be left weakened and ruined), I’ve found it to be true in most cases. Something is difficult? I will be a stronger person for having endured it. This has been the case for me when I went through problems as an adult striving hard to study and living in London , when I had stressful and trying times at various jobs , despite having friends who are not nice to you when you are nice to them ! I became a better person because of it.

Test of your character. I like tests and challenges. It motivates me to step up to another level, to see if I can meet the challenge. This is the case with my first marathon, which was very difficult for me (for various reasons). It wasn’t a particularly enjoyable experience for me, but I just saw it as a test. And when I passed that test, it was a joyous thing for me. This is true any time you go through a trying time — see it as a challenge, and try to meet that challenge. And when you do, you’ll feel great about yourself.

Turn the other cheek. Jesus said that instead of taking an eye for an eye, if someone hits you, just turn the other cheek. I don’t know many people who can meet this monumental challenge. I’ve tried it. It’s not easy, and the desire to avenge any wrongs is hard to quash. However, I believe that even making an effort at this will make you a better person. It goes not just for physical wrongs to you, but anything that anyone does to you. They call you a name? Thank them. There will be some people who say that you have to meet force with force, or people will walk all over you. To this I say, “Where does it end?” And I also say, “You are merely stooping to their level.” Rise above the pettiness of others, and become a better human being.

Love your enemy.It is one of life’s greatest challenges !  When you have anger toward another human being, give this a try. If you succeed, to any degree whatsoever, you will rejoice in this success. It is a miraculous thing.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” - Winston Churchill

Appreciate others and be happy !

This strategy works so well and it’s so simple. You can do this at home, at work, with friends, family or even with anyone at all.

You could even do it with a stranger. What the heck am I talking about?

I’m talking about feeling good. There is something you can do right now that will make you feel better almost instantly and here’s how to do it.

In order to feel better fast, you want to stop thinking about yourself and you want to turn your attention to others. You want to start thinking about someone else. And when you do this, you want to do something very specific… you want to tell that other person how much you appreciate them.

It sounds so simple, doesn’t it?

Well it works and here’s why. When you tell someone how much you appreciate them, you make them feel better; and when you make someone else feel better, you also feel better.

Make others feel better and you’ll feel better – and what better way to make others feel better than by letting them know that you appreciate them.

-There's nothing to lose in making ourselves happy and bringing in that million dollar smile in others ! Smile doesnt cost a thing !!!