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It’s OK to try something new.
It’s OK to make mistakes.
You will learn a lot from them.
It’s OK to take risks.
It’s OK to take your time.
It’s OK to find your own pace.
It’s OK to try it your own way.
It’s OK to fail.
You can always try again free of fear.
It’s OK to look foolish.
It’s OK to be different.
It’s OK to wait until you feel ready.
It’s OK to experiment (in safety).
It’s OK to question the “shoulds”.
It’s special to be you.
It is necessary to make a mess – which you are willing to clean up.
(The act of creation of often messy)

(Excerpt from MAKING THINGS – Ann Sayre Wiseman)

follow your Passion

Life is "trying things to see if they work"

- Ray Bradbury

Many times question arises in my mind when I saw people working and doing something around me that "Are they really want to do this thing or they are doing this for the sake of something.

People are living their life without knowing the true objective of their life. "
Why I am doing this?"

"Does I meant to do this or something else?" , When was the last time you asked this question to yourself. If not this is the time to question yourself, you abilities and your dream.
When was the last time you enjoyed work you are doing? Very hard, right?
This happens with many people, but what are doing to come out of this phase, are we struggling to work in the way we want to work.

Following are some points which are important in order to follow your passion in the life:

What is your passion?Passion is about doing something you love to do. It can be anything you Like the most. It can be work, a hobby, a sport, food.

What would you like to do if time was no restrictive, money not and issue and nothing to stop you from doing that?
For some, it’s a question people are afraid to answer because they might realize that

“why am I not doing this?”
"I love doing this, however I can’t because…"

I have read multi-millionaires talk about what makes them so successful? it’s doing something you passionate about and the money will follow.
All you need to find out what is that passion in your life. :)

Art is a important, craft is necessary
With the help of the passion you can get the energy and enthusiasm to do the work, but to so that work professionally you need to know the ins and out of that work. This will make you attractive from the Markets perspective.

As someone said "Do what you love to do and make someone else to pay you for doing it"

Remove the Fear
"Be not afraid of anything. You will do marvelous work. The moment you fear, you are nobody. It is fear that is the great cause of misery in the world. It is fear that is the greatest of all superstitions. It is fear that is the cause of our woes, and it is fearlessness that brings heaven even in a moment. Therefore, 'Arise, awake, and stop not till the goal is reached".
-Swami Vivekananda

We often go into loop of thinking about the negative consequences of the action. What will happen if I failed.
When you are dilemma think about the worst case that will happened? If answer is anything other than death then trust me it will only give you strength irrespective of the result.


Take the risk
If you want the different result in your life then you should start seeking different approaches in doing things. The major obstacle is the comfort zone. Everybody lives in his/her comfort zone which very difficult to break many times.

Just to check the severity of the comfort zone, try folding your hands. Now check the position of your left and right hand. Which hand you fold first ? right or left.

Now try folding the other hand first and then fold the other hand. How are you feeling now? Very uncomfortable.

We have been folding our hands in the same way from our childhood which has built the comfort zone, and now it very difficult to break to do just a simple thing differently. But believe me its not impossible.

In the same way risk are called risk because they are out of our comfort zone. So put your neck outside the shell and start walking towards your goal of life.

.

Consistency
Many times the inbuilt passion is the best fuel which make the person consistent in following his/her dreams. But one energy source is not sufficient. Try to read motivational books, autobiographies of highly successful peoples. Neglect the people who is criticizing you. Make a visual form of your dream, it can be a snapshot (e.g. if you want to buy a car then car pic or if you want a flat stomach then its pic). Write down your dream once before your go sleep.

Take small step and it will make a giant leap. And you will achieve your goal.

As Tony Roberts, the great motivational speaker has said many times, “find the passion in your life and…live passionately.”

Amen!!!

Keep the Spark Alive - Chetan Bhagat

Inaugural Speech for the new batch at the Symbiosis BBA program, Pune 23rd June, 2008, By Chetan Bhagat




Good Morning everyone and thank you for giving me this chance to speak to you. This day is about you. You, who have come to this college, leaving the comfort of your homes (or in some cases discomfort), to become something in your life. I am sure you are excited. There are few days in human life when one is truly elated. The first day in college is one of them. When you were getting ready today, you felt a tingling in your stomach. What would the auditorium be like, what would the teachers be like, who are my new classmates - there is so much to be curious about. I call this excitement, the spark within you that makes you feel truly alive today. Today I am going to talk about keeping the spark shining. Or to put it another way, how to be happy most, if not all the time.

Where do these sparks start? I think we are born with them. My 3-year old twin boys have a million sparks. A little Spiderman toy can make them jump on the bed. They get thrills from creaky swings in the park. A story from daddy gets them excited. They do a daily countdown for birthday party – several months in advance – just for the day they will cut their own birthday cake.
I see students like you, and I still see some sparks. But when I see older people, the spark is difficult to find. That means as we age, the spark fades. People whose spark has faded too much are dull, dejected, aimless and bitter. Remember Kareena in the first half of Jab We Met vs the second half? That is what happens when the spark is lost. So how to save the spark?
Imagine the spark to be a lamp's flame. The first aspect is nurturing - to give your spark the fuel, continuously. The second is to guard against storms.
To nurture, always have goals. It is human nature to strive, improve and achieve full potential. In fact, that is success. It is what is possible for you. It isn't any external measure - a certain cost to company pay package, a particular car or house.

Most of us are from middle class families. To us, having material landmarks is success and rightly so. When you have grown up where money constraints force everyday choices, financial freedom is a big achievement. But it isn't the purpose of life. If that was the case, Mr. Ambani would not show up for work. Shah Rukh Khan would stay at home and not dance anymore. Steve Jobs won't be working hard to make a better iPhone, as he sold Pixar for billions of dollars already. Why do they do it? What makes them come to work everyday? They do it because it makes them happy. They do it because it makes them feel alive. Just getting better from current levels feels good. If you study hard, you can improve your rank. If you make an effort to interact with people, you will do better in interviews. If you practice, your cricket will get better. You may also know that you cannot become Tendulkar, yet. But you can get to the next level. Striving for that next level is important.
Nature designed with a random set of genes and circumstances in which we were born. To be happy, we have to accept it and make the most of nature's design. Are you? Goals will help you do that.

I must add, don't just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life. I use the word balanced before successful. Balanced means ensuring your health, relationships, mental peace are all in good order.
There isno point of getting a promotion on the day of your breakup. There is no fun in driving a car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind is full of tensions.

You must have read some quotes - Life is a tough race, it is a marathon or whatever. No, from what I have seen so far, life is one of those races in nursery school, where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth. If the marble falls, there is no point coming first. Same with life, where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achieve the success, but this spark, this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.

One last thing about nurturing the spark - don't take life seriously. One of my yoga teachers used to make students laugh during classes. One student asked him if these jokes would take away something from the yoga practice. The teacher said - don't be serious, be sincere. This quote has defined my work ever since. Whether its my writing, my job, my relationships or any of my goals. I get thousands of opinions on my writing everyday. There is heaps of praise, there is intense criticism. If I take it all seriously, how will I write? Or rather, how will I live? Life is not to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here. We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity. If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends. Do we really need to get so worked up? It's ok, bunk a few classes, goof up a few interviews, fall in love. We are people, not programmed devices.

I've told you three things - reasonable goals, balance and not taking it too seriously that will nurture the spark. However, there are four storms in life that will threaten to completely put out the flame. These must be guarded against. These are disappointment, frustration, unfairness and loneliness of purpose.
Disappointment will come when your effort does not give you the expected return. If things don't go as planned or if you face failure. Failure is extremely difficult to handle, but those that do come out stronger. What did this failure teach me? is the question you will need to ask. You will feel miserable. You will want to quit, like I wanted to when nine publishers rejected my first book. Some IITians kill themselves over low grades – how silly is that? But that is how much failure can hurt you. But it's life. If challenges could always be overcome, they would cease to be a challenge. And remember - if you are failing at something, that means you are at your limit or potential. And that's where you want to be.

Disappointment's cousin is frustration, the second storm. Have you ever been frustrated? It happens when things are stuck. This is especially relevant in India. From traffic jams to getting that job you deserve, sometimes things take so long that you don't know if you chose the right goal. After books, I set the goal of writing for Bollywood, as I thought they needed writers. I am called extremely lucky, but it took me five years to get close to a release. Frustration saps excitement, and turns your initial energy into something negative, making you a bitter person. How did I deal with it? A realistic assessment of the time involved – movies take a long time to make even though they are watched quickly, seeking a certain enjoyment in the process rather than the end result – at least I was learning how to write scripts, having a side plan – I had my third book to write and even something as simple as pleasurable distractions in your life - friends, food, travel can help you overcome it. Remember, nothing is to be taken seriously. Frustration is a sign somewhere, you took it too seriously.

Unfairness - this is hardest to deal with, but unfortunately that is how our country works. People with connections, rich dads, beautiful faces, pedigree find it easier to make it – not just in Bollywood, but everywhere. And sometimes it is just plain luck. There are so few opportunities in India, so many stars need to be aligned for you to make it happen. Merit and hard work is not always linked to achievement in the short term, but the long term correlation is high, and ultimately things do work out. But realize, there will be some people luckier than you. In fact, to have an opportunity to go to college and understand this speech in English means you are pretty damm lucky by Indian standards. Let's be grateful for what we have and get the strength to accept what we don't. I have so much love from my readers that other writers cannot even imagine it. However, I don't get literary praise. It's ok. I don't look like Aishwarya Rai, but I have two boys who I think are more beautiful than her. It's ok. Don't let unfairness kill your spark.
Finally, the last point that can kill your spark is isolation. As you grow older you will realize you are unique. When you are little, all kids want Ice cream and Spiderman. As you grow older to college, you still are a lot like your friends. But ten years later and you realize you are unique. What you want, what you believe in, what makes you feel, may be different from even the people closest to you. This can create conflict as your goals may not match with others. . And you may drop some of them. Basketball captains in college invariably stop playing basketball by the time they have their second child. They give up something that meant so much to them. They do it for their family. But in doing that, the spark dies. Never, ever make that compromise. Love yourself first, and then others.
There you go. I've told you the four thunderstorms - disappointment, frustration, unfairness and isolation. You cannot avoid them, as like the monsoon they will come into your life at regular intervals. You just need to keep the raincoat handy to not let the spark die.

I welcome you again to the most wonderful years of your life. If someone gave me the choice to go back in time, I will surely choose college. But I also hope that ten years later as well, your eyes will shine the same way as they do today. That you will Keep the Spark alive, not only through college, but through the next 2,500 weekends. And I hope not just you, but my whole country will keep that spark alive, as we really need it now more than any moment in history. And there is something cool about saying - I come from the land of a billion sparks.

Thank You!

we are people , not programmed devices.~~~ chetan-bhagat

A great train of thought that left me in Awe and Admiration of those words but nothing else !

" Dont just have career or academic goals. Set goals to give you a balanced, successful life.
I use the word balanced before successful.Balanced means ensuring your health , relationship , mental peace are all in good order.there is no point of getting promotion on the day of  your breakup.There is no fun in driving car if your back hurts. Shopping is not enjoyable if your mind full of tensions.
Life is one of those races in nursery school where you have to run with a marble in a spoon kept in your mouth.If the marbles falls , there is no point coming first.Same is with life where health and relationships are the marble. Your striving is only worth it if there is harmony in your life. Else, you may achive the success ,but this spark ,this feeling of being excited and alive, will start to die.
                              One thing about nurturing the spark-don'take life seriously .Life is not meant to be taken seriously, as we are really temporary here.We are like a pre-paid card with limited validity.If we are lucky, we may last another 50 years. And 50 years is just 2,500 weekends.Do we really need to get so worked up?
                                    It's ok, bunk a few classes,scoring low in couple of papers,goof up a few interviews, take leave from work ,Enjoy with your friends,fall in love , little fights with your loved ones..we are people , not programmed devices.
                                              DON'T BE SERIOUS, BE SINCERE "


                                                                                            --------------------------Chetan Bagath

By Gone Dreams

That was the time I felt loneliness hunting me through and through.As in a by gone dream I was drown in to the beach way; paved with red bricks.Though I didn’t intent I was made sit on the rocky bench.It stood there like a palatial monument with colours of black and white.It often carried me away through my forgotten past. At times i couldn’t resist my doubt whether this is real or not. Still I donot find an answer perhaps she knews it all than anyone else----- this was how she use to be…
Unlike my concrete bench all others were occupaid by loved ones.. I saw them trying to express their love in words and deeds and failing invariably.Were I searching for my inner soul which time has stolen away from me? Nothing made any sense to me,just my mind itself…

I sat there insearch of her day and night , summer and winter alike… It was she who added rhythm to my songs and tones to my lullabies. Aimlessly I stared at the horizone .The sun was sinking in the sea. I felt that waves were weeping for this loved and lost lonely man..
Oh God what the hell are you doing creating me in uneven life situation.. it was at this juncture I tracedout my own being.. To my frank question why am I so, the only answer flowed to my heart and it was she who satisfied me with answer par excelence. No she never answered me but just smiled and it meant me a thousand answered “let all my happiness be yours all your tears be mine”

A strong wind from the sea shook the yellow leaves from the tree.. it is getting dark. I looked around each and every corner of the beach was teaming with Romeos and Juliets. I was disgusted for each one loved the other for their own interest
I know for sure that my sitting and waiting for her will never meet with success. My little heart couldn’t accommodate the fact that she wont make it up.. why did we meet---------- God knows, God alone knows. Finally I stood up. The beach way was crowded more than before..

Without a shoulder to lean on, without a hand to hold up I saw strangely made my way through the beach…… An unending
travells. She bid bye to me too abrubtly. I felt her presence throught my life though her life seased to exist on the earth……….

sTay wiTh mE

Come back home, its hurts me

 Take my hand and say where were..

Touch my lips and say how much..

Look in to my eyes and say how far..

Watch my lips and hear the words 

No Other Can Replace You  

Come Back Home & stay with me..

fragiLe LoVe

I was wondering

You ‘ve  given so manythings

 don’t want to live with..

Love… seems  fragile

 like this silence … like you .

I hate the way I feel about

With everything I do

I wont be here any more

Where your presents haunting me…