Don’t worry.. Be Happy!!!

Do you think living a good life and happiness are interrelated and interdependent? I think they are. If you want to lead a good life, you need to have happiness, and if you want to be happy, you need to have a good life. Nevertheless, leading a good life is not the right of the wealthy only.

In fact, you will be surprised to know that living a good life has nothing much to do with money.

Of course, money is important. If not to live a lavish life, at least to acquire the necessities of life, like food, water, shelter, clothes, means of enjoyment, education, etc. Some studies even show a saturation point to the happiness that comes from money. Beyond a certain level, no matter how much more money you earn or spend your happiness level does not increase in that proportion. Money is definitely not the sole criteria of happiness and a good life.

Even if you have all the money in the world, you will still suffer and not be happy.

This makes it obvious that there are more ways to lead a good life, which can bring real happiness into your life. Let me ask you a few questions. Are you happy with the life you are living? Do you know how to lead a good life that would bring you happiness? I think people try to find answers to these questions in their own ways. That is because everyone wants to make their lives better, isn’t it?

Life is good for those who believe it is and there is a lot you can do to make it a happy one too. If you want to live a life that is good, you can. However, if you think you cannot be happy or do not deserve happiness in your life, then you end up being unhappy. Therefore, your happiness in life depends on your state of mind and the nature of your thoughts.

If you have them in order and control, you can lead a good life. Not to forget – you can find happiness in small ways and small things too, once you start living a more good and meaningful life.

So, what does a Happy Life comprise?

Living a good life could mean different things to different people. Simply speaking, it means a life that brings you happiness and peace in life. Leading a good and happy long life means the good relationships you nurture and the compassionate actions you perform.

It also includes the good deeds you do, goals you try to achieve, legacy you leave behind, and so much more. Leading a good life is about valuing time, which is the greatest element of life. Every moment counts, and if you try to be happy in each passing moment, you actually make your life good.

Most people get busy in their lives and tend to forget the little moments to lead a good life, which have the power to make your life magical. For some people, living a good and happier life would seem like you need to live your big dreams that require you to need put in a lot time and effort. However, living a good life is not about money and not about the big things. Nor does it require you to sweat it out all the time.

It is about the easy, small, and manageable things and ways, which are within the reach of every person in this world.

One wonderful quote I remember, “There is a good life. The good news is that you can live that Good life. The good life is the happy life. To live this good life, be happy. A truly happy man is a good man.!”

It is not difficult to live a fulfilling life, provided you are ready to change yourself and your mindset.

People in general, always want more, which is okay if it is within reasonable limits. Suppose you have a decent house, but you might want a bungalow after a while, and once you get that, then you would want a luxurious villa! Ha-ha!!

Your desires and demands go on increasing. You are never content with what you have, and that perhaps is human nature.

As a result, to achieve all this, people are urged to work harder and earn more money. This results in leading busy and stressful lives.

People don’t have time to do things that really matter. They do not have time for themselves – to do things they like to do, or to be with and enjoy nature.

Nor do have time to spend with their family or friends. Actually, you need very little to lead a good and happy life. If you look around yourself, you already have enough, like consumer goods, money, or other such things. Yet you want more because the desire to have more does not end, isn’t it? However, you need to decide what is more precious to you in life to be happy.

Is it the materialistic things or living a good life?

Long-lasting happiness goes with what has a permanence nature, something that is not perishable and that whose resource is within you. To reconnect with the good life, you need to stop working too hard and slow down your pace. Instead, start filling up your work time with a little bit of leisure or “me” time. (Good reminder for me too!)

Living the good life is all about finding the real you. It is about going after your dreams, and conquering your fears and replacing it with happiness.

Slow Down Your Pace

Are you always in a rush? If you are, then you need to slow down your pace to appreciate the moments of life. You need to know that there is a difference between working hard and working smart, between getting things done, and getting them done effectively.Remember, work done in haste and urgency will reduce your accuracy, awareness, and happiness. You need to know how to be stay focused and do what is required.Take a break to live your life – you deserve it.

Learn to Forgive and Forget

I know this is a tough thing to do for most people, but it is the only way to overcome your pain and lead a good life ahead. Forgive those who hurt you. Face and accept the pain and hurt, but then need to let them go. This is a big way you heal yourself. Once you do that, you will

See wonderful things entering your life.

Help Others

Never forget to help others as that bring you happiness and satisfaction in life. It could be your family or friends. Remember, what goes around comes around. That is Karma. Care for the sick and injured, and do volunteer work. Make a difference to someone’s life – that would be a life worth living.

Always try to help and do more for others than what you would do for yourself. Put them ahead of you. Small things like opening a door for someone, giving your seat to an elder, or wishing someone matters.

Remain Positive

Life has its down moments, but you need to overcome the negativity and remain positive. Don’t worry about things that you cannot control.

Enjoy Life’s Moments

Take out time to appreciate the simple pleasures of life. All the good things in life are free – so, enjoy and value them.

Be mindful of your surroundings. Appreciate simple things like the sunrise and sunset, the lakeside view, spending time in nature, raindrops falling, or anything that life puts forth you. Not to mention the warmth of a hug or touch, a smile, a kiss, and just anything you are grateful for being in your life.

Right NOW is the only moment that is guaranteed to you – this is your life, don’t miss living it!

Never Stop Learning

Gather all the information you can to be happy in your life, learn to love without conditions, and never stop leaning empirically. It could be through reading books, magazines, online sites and blogs, or just about anything, that increases your knowledge.

Take risks, take chances, because that is how you will know you have lived a life the way you wanted, and that life would be so worth it. Try something new often because following a routine becomes boring at times. Life becomes interesting when you have something new to do and think about. It could be a new big activity or a small one like talking to a new friend. Anything that helps you learn something new is good. So, go ahead and try it out .

Love Some More

Love, love, love, and when you are feel you have nothing left – go ahead and love some more! You never lose anything by loving others. Love your family and spend time with them because they are the people who really matter. Just go ahead and do it! A life unloved isn't worth it. Love the life you live because you live just once!

Learn To Give

There is great joy in giving. The more you give, the more you receive. Even if you don’t get back anything in return, at least you know you have done a good deed. It could be through charity, donation, or just by helping people by your services towards them. Just go ahead and start spreading joy by giving.

Just Be Yourself

You are you and no one else, so don’t try to copy someone to please others. You don’t have to do that, nor will you be able to do it for long.

Just be who you are and people will love you for that, and you too will get to know your real friends from the fake ones this way. Pave your path and follow your heart. Believe in yourself and your abilities – sky is the limit for you. Listening to others is alright, but you need to eventually do what you believe in and whatever your vision is.

I would simply say that living a good and happy life is being happy with all that you have.

Yes, pursue your dreams, don’t stop doing that, but keep enjoying the moments in life.

Remember, it is YOUR life – so make it a good one! 

Owlish stance .

If there is one word I use at times, not knowing that purists of the English Language may consider it incorrect, it is this: “Preponed”.  If pushing the date of an event or appointment is postponed, why pulling one to an earlier date would not be ‘preponed’, one may argue?   The fact remains that “prepone” is a classic example of what is now being termed “Indianism” in English - an Indian way of communication in the English language, albeit incorrect in the global perspective.  The correct word apparently is ‘advanced”.  There are many incorrect words or phrases doing the rounds in our enchanting land where a “cutting tea” means half a cup of the stimulating brew and not tea produced using ‘cutting-edge’ technology by folks who may ask you for your “good name”!

“What’s your good name?” perhaps owes its popularity in the North, where one seeks to know your “Shubh Naam”, nothing less.  Thinking in our local languages and translating it into English is perhaps one of the several reasons for most of the Indianisms.  Seeming to be just fine to most of us, is perhaps what makes the wrong usage of English words or phrases qualify to being termed as ‘Indianisms’. 

“Revert to me at the earliest on this subject” is just another common phrase that seems to be a popular Indian request in emails signoffs.  Language connoisseurs would point out that “Reverting” means “returning to a former state” and perhaps that is not what one is requesting in the communication. “Reply to me…” might be the right thing to say, but hey, we’re Indians aren’t we?  And if you’re not, revert to me please – or better still, revert back to me please!  We love to add ‘back’, when it is just not necessary.  “Reply back” we say right in front of people – and what we say “behind their backside” could be as hilarious!

So then it is time to act upon this and “do the needful”, when what we mean is “do what is needed”. But what’s wrong with doing the needful, we ask.  We can “Order for a Sandwich” when we need to just “Order a Sandwich”; we happen to “Discuss about corruption” when we ought to just “Discuss corruption”, because ‘discuss’ means ‘talk about’, doesn’t it?  In a country where PAN is PAN Number, it ought to be perfectly fine.

We insist on someone being our “real brother” to stress that he is not a “cousin brother”.  Elsewhere ‘brother’ and ‘cousin’ would do just fine.  Not in our land, where we have coined the word “Co-brother”, which happens to be just two unrelated gentlemen married to sisters.  Real sisters, of course! But just in case the alliance is yet to happen, one could be a “would-be co-brother”, perhaps?!  But at the marriage ceremony, one is certain to have a “photo-take-outing session” with the real and not-so-real brothers and sisters.   We are also said to be “out of station”, but we’re never out of ideas for newer and funnier Indianisms.  For us, ‘sleep comes’, ‘rain falls’ ‘problem-became’ and ‘what-all happens’ you’ll never imagine!

I could come up with many more Indianisms if I ‘think hardly’. What I am ‘sure about’, though is that this trend has begun many “years back” – not “years ago” as it ought to.  One never realized when even the press reporters seem to be ok with ‘years back’ these days.  Gone are the days when a stickler of a teacher would correct us saying sternly, “‘Ago’ NOT ‘Back’.”, I guess.

Several years ‘back’…er… ago, when I was just a child in early school, I seriously believed that the word “Zaa” existed in the English language. I had learnt it from my teacher only, No?  “2, 2, ZAA 4 | 2, 3, ZAA 6|…..” . That’s how the mathematical tables went...  So one was not surprised with the Bollywood song “One Two Kaa Four” - just another mathematical expression perhaps ‘KAA’ was just a higher multiplier at play, one thought?  Until later in life, one learnt with shock, that what teacher taught us was “2 2s are 4/ 2 3s are 6”..!  Schooling for us was more about “learning by-heart” or in some parts of our country, “by-hearting” – an expression better understood by the rest of the world by the expression “learning by rote”.

In India, where “anything goes,  we keep seeing such Indianisms around us “with our own eyes” and listen “with our own ears”, so if you do come across any interesting ones going around, please write in to me at my email id “today only”, “without fail”. But if I don’t revert to you, don’t “eat my head”!  By the way, Fun came, no?

#INDIANS_CAN_NEVER_SPEAK_PERFECT_ENGLISH

Bangalore Days ;-) B-)

Its been a wonderful year for me. Though I missed being at college, the transition towards my professional phase of life was good.
September 5, 2013 it was, When I reached Bangalore. With great expectations, passionate dreams, tears on the cheeks, missing my family, I landed here.
The climate was extremely different from my hometown. I enjoyed it. And I am. :-)
Friends are always wonderful to have. No matter where they are. They did welcome me and let me accommodate in their room with wide arms. They guided me for some days. I am always thankful to them. I owe Prakash, Vignesh, Velli, Siva , Balaji so much.
First day at NTT :-)
I didn't know NTT would be so comfortable for me. I was feeling wonderful there at office. Lots of linguistic similarities. Yet I loved the integration of diversified linguistic people at the office. Training days were a very good learning period for me.
Amma use to call me every couple of hours and made sure I was comfortable. This time I was not going to let it go. I promised her in my way of doing it. :-P
Apart from what I learnt, the most wonderful part is the people I met  there. Hemant, Vishnu, Khaleem,Maharshi, Gaurav, Saravana, Anupama, Sowmya,Malathi, Amrita, Santhosh, Shakti, Wajid,Sucharita, Bhavya, Anusha, Aditi and so many. Each one of them taught me something in every encounter. I learn from them, everyday, even now. I was wondering how was I able to clear the training with second highest score. I Knew that was not what I deserve. But I was happy. :-) Part of Human specification , you know.. :-P
When there is expectation, there is always a mere possibility for disappointment.
I am very weak in handling disappointments, so I always prefer not to expect anything from anyone . But everyone I have met has given me more than what I needed. Seniors who guided me at office, even the auto rickshaw guys whom I met, everyone were so kind to me. I felt like there was someone who is paying all these people for being so kind to me.
Saturdays at IIMB, Sundays at Aashram, Weekdays at office . Tricycle looks good. But did I miss any? I keep asking myself , "Didn't you get bore of doing this?"
Answer what I get from myself is "NO". Why should I get bored if I am enjoying all these ?
Weekdays at office teach me so many. Everyday Im learning. And im commiting mistakes. Im trying to get rid of my mistakes. If I say I am bored of doing this work, without being able to get rid of these mistakes, it clearly defines escapism. I don't want to do that.
Sachin Tendulkar was not bored of doing the same thing for 25 years. He did it all the years because he did mistakes and he knew that. He was trying to be error free at every next encounter. But he does another mistake and he works on it and executes the next time. This cycle repeats. 
If you tell I need passion towards my profession to be so successful, I say No. Not necessarily.
I use to Practice to take only positives from others and take only negatives out of me. And I guess that is why am still Single :-p . Everyone in this planet are meant for something and they do their work perfectly. If we take only positive things from them, life would be more convincing and beautiful. If we see only negatives out of us, it teach us where do we lack in. A thief does his work perfectly. Even if he steals from you, it means he was perfect in his job and I was not in mine. My job was to protect my belongings.
One thing I found very common in the last year is people being not satisfied with what they have. The disappointments, and the desire to get more is the reason. Yes, Retrospection is important. But only to a certain extent.
Lost your phone? So what? It's only a phone.
Don't have a girl friend? It doesn't mean you don't deserve one.
Breakup? It is just not the mix of right ingredients for the dish.
Searching for a job? Dude, you are almost there.
Long time desire to buy CK Trousers? There are people who don't even have a pair of trousers. Feel happy that you have one. There is always a reason to be happy and a reason to be sad. It's just a matter of choosing the right one. There is always a couple of insights to look at an incident. It is just the matter of choosing the right one. Lets take this thief example. If I get angry that my wallet was stolen by someone, I remain same. If I get disappointed, that I was unable to save my wallet,  I'll be more careful the next time.
Hope Bangalore gives me some more Heaven of experiences. She knows, I dont like Cake walk ;-)