Don't be MOST people

Dearest Darling Friends,

The beauty about searching for inspiration is, you often find enough. Today morning Aditya Jhunjhunwala, my colleague at Life School, sent me an amazing blog post written by Bryce Roberts ( https://medium.com/@bryce ).

Here is my version of what he expresses.

Most people want to be fit, most people aren’t. I will be.

Most people want to build a successful business, most people won’t. I will.

Most people want to be the best version of themselves, most people aren’t. I will.

Most people have dreams they want to fulfill, most people won’t. I will.

Everyone wants to quit something, build something, be something, do something. Most people won’t. I will. 

Most people shrink away from TESTS, life offers them. It is these tests that helps us to 'increase' our value, understand our value.

When I was doing iron and steel business, untested materials were available at less than market price. Entry level test materials (Is 2062) were available at market price. Tougher test passed materials (BQ materials) were available at a premium.

Is it ironical (pun intended), I want to be premiumly priced but I am not willing to go through the tough tests that qualifies me as premium quality.

Galli cricket is different. Club level is little tougher. State level still tougher. National level even tougher. International level, the toughest. The prize of being a winner at an international level is 'higher' than the galli cricket tournaments.

Most people play the galli cricket. Very few play at the international level.

I am not alone if I desire the riches of the IPL while playing at the galli level. 

"Once in a while, someone DARES. They take the leap. Take the risk. Puts efforts. Not ordinary efforts. Incredible efforts. Feels alone. Faces doubts. Faces rejection and failures and humiliation and sleepless nights and worse. They think of quitting but but but...never ever quit. And they emerge, better, bolder, stronger. Premium quality."

Most people won’t. This means those who do, change everything. I will. (Thanks to Bryce Roberts)

Care to join in? 

With love, prayers and exceptional wishes,

naren

Imagine, when we wake up, we are given only what we had thanked for.

www.lifeschool.co.in

How is this for our ego?

Dearest Darling Friends,

I was stunned with a few details of information. I present a few of them for your delight and surprise.

Did you know we can see the rainbow because of the conical photoreceptors in our eyes? Those animals who do not have the cones, cannot see the rainbow at all. Yeahhhh! How is this for our ego?Pumped up, hmm?

Did you know we can see less than 1% of the electromagnetic spectrum? This means we can see less than 1% of whatever is? This means we CANNOT see about 99% of whatever is in front of our eyes !!! How is this for our ego, hmm?

Did you know we can hear less than 1% of the acoustic spectrum? Even a cow can hear better than us humans. Dogs can hear much better than humans. A cat can hear much much better than humans. How is this for our ego, hmm?

Did you know, as we are reading this mail, we are travelling at a speed of 107,000 km per hour in the orbit of Earth around the sun. The full path of the Earth's orbit is close to 970 million km. To go around this immense circle in one year takes a speed of 107,000 km/hr. At this speed, you could get from the northern tip of India to the southern tip in less than 1.5 minutes. As they say on TV, please don't try going this fast without adult supervision. Ha ha. How is this for our ego?

Did you know all the atoms in your body are brand new and you do not have a single atom you were born with? Did you know that the atoms in our body are 99.9999% empty space? We are so empty? What? Really? How is this for our ego, hmm?

Did you know potatoes (48) have 2 chromosomes more than we human beings (46)? Did you know Chimpanzees have 96.1% genes common with humans? Does this mean we are close to the chimp and inferior to the dogs and cows and potatoes? How is this for our ego, hmm?

I believe, it is time for us to dump our exaggerated egos and become more humble. It is time for us to stop fighting wanting to prove 'I am right and you are wrong'. I think it is time for us to slow down for a while, fill our hearts with gratitude, fill our eyes with amazement, bow down on our knees and say in wonder, 'Thank you dearest life for flowing through us.'

With love, prayers and exceptional wishes,

naren

Imagine, when we wake up, we are given only what we had thanked for.

www.lifeschool.co.in

Check list for 'peace'

Dearest Darling Friends,

In a recent seminar, 'What’s your Excuse?' when the participants were asked, "If they could chose any one thing they MUST have....at any cost...what would it be?", the most popular choice was "PEACE".

In the lunch break, one innocent participant ventured to ask me, "How to know if I am peaceful or not?". 

The question found me blabbering incoherently. Either the participant respected me too much to question my blabbering or his compassionate heart allowed me to save my face. May God bless him! Anyway, his question lingered for hours. 

"How to know if I am peaceful or not?". Brilliant question indeed! While I have thought sometimes on "How to BE peaceful?", I had never ventured into, how to KNOW if I am peaceful.

In the past 36 hours, I have scribbled on a scrap paper, noted in the diary, used the Evernote on my phone, stroked the keys on my MacBook, every time I had a stray thought on "How to know I am peaceful?". Here is the summary of my jottings. Feel free to agree or disagree or correct or add.

How to know if I am peaceful?

Possible answers....

1. 1. A loss of ability to worry about things that are irrelevant 
2. 2. A loss of ability to worry about things that are NOT in my control
3. 3. A loss in interest to judge others
4. 4. A loss of interest to prove a point
5. 5. A loss of interest in fussing about trifles
6. 6. A loss of interest in holding on to anything that is painful
7. 7. A deep genuine need to say 'Thank you' or 'Love you' to the air, the sun, the clouds, the flowers etc.
8. 8. A deep genuine need to dance a step as I walk
9. 9. A deep genuine need to appreciate
10. 10. Eyes brim over on the smallest acts of kindness
11. 11. A deep feeling of gratitude that overwhelms
12. 12. A sense of being a witness to the unfolding of life
13. 13. Effortless smiling to the point of being ridiculous
14. 14. The feeling of a melodious song being played within and attempting to catch the melody
15. 15. Sleeping like a baby with limbs spread out and with a smile flirting on the lips
16. 16. Waking up in the morning with a smile

Dearest Darling Reader Friends, we would love to know your thoughts and your experiences about being peaceful. And oh yes, be very peaceful when you pen down your thoughts...ha ha.

With love, prayers and exceptional wishes,

naren

Imagine, when we wake up, we are given only what we had thanked for.

www.lifeschool.co.in

Mekan Dada, Laliyo and Motiyo

Dearest Darling Friends,

I came across this ‘life changing’ inspiring story shared by Sheetal@ MovedByLove

She lovingly shares the story of a faqir named Mekan Dada and his two companions Laliyo (a donkey) and Motiyo (a dog). They lived in a small village near the desert in western India in the 18th century. Every morning Mekan dada would send them both with an empty container on Laliyo's back to the village. Some villagers would voluntarily fill the container with food grains. Mekan dada would spend hours making Rotis from the collected grain. Then he would put the rotis in a box with two jugs filled with water on Laliyo's back. Then, Motiyo would lead the donkey inside the desert but the faqir would stay back in the village.

The donkey and dog would walk for couple hours, deep inside the desert. In those days many people would travel from one village to another and would have to pass the desert. They would quench their hunger and thirst from this anonymous offering and continue with their travels. They never knew who sent the food. The faqir Mekan Dada would never know who received the offering. This invisible bond of love and gratitude, nourished them all.

This story inspired me deeply. It has shown me to humbly bow down my head and regularly renounce ego if I truly wish to comprehend the majesty of God's blessings. Our life journey thus far has been possible only due to the blessings of countless such Mekan dada’s, Laliyo's and Motiyo’s, who have nourished us in seen and unseen ways.

While I had the uncanny habit of remembering the glorious (so called) deeds done to others, I so often conveniently forgot the Mekan Dadas, the Laliyo’s and the Motiyo’s whose deeds enabled me at all times.

Wanted to share this ‘life transforming’ story with all of you. Hence, this LSM.

Do you wish to share a ‘life transforming’ story? We would love to be inspired and would love to share it with all the readers too. Looking forward to reading from you.

naren

As I live…I learn 

www.lifeschool.co.in

Handling difference of opinion

Dearest Darling Friends,

Once Mahatma Gandhi was visiting Shanti Niketan, the abode of Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore.

At the end of the visit, before he left for Kolkata, he wrote in the visitor's diary, words that meant, "If you have given a commitment, even at the cost of death you must live up to your commitment."

Just below that, Gurudev wrote, "If you have given a commitment, and if you realise you are wrong, abandon that commitment."

And they shared a good laugh about their difference of opinion.

Did you know, the name 'Mahatma' was given to Bapu by Gurudev and the name of 'Gurudev' was given to Ravindranath Tagore by Bapu.

Just superbly amazing.

Can you imagine, YOU having such a stark difference of opinion with someone and yet root the relationship in deep respect.

Like the above anecdote, they had differences of opinion on a few more major topics including the efficacy of British rule on India. Yet, their mutual respect was HUGE.

Their mutual respect did not suffer even a bit at the hands of difference of opinion.

I imagine, if I can do the same with people I love and people I work, how wonderful life will be.

What are your thoughts on this topic my dearest darling reader friend?

With love, prayers and exceptional wishes.

naren

Imagine, when we wake up, we are given only what we had thanked for.

www.lifeschool.co.in

What do you count?

Napoleon was involved in a conversation with a war hardened, old looking, colonel of the Hungarian battalion. He had been taken as a prisoner after being defeated in a war, along the borders of Italy. 

"How old are you?" asked Napoleon. ”I’m sure I've lived sixty or seventy years," replied the colonel. "You mean to say," a bemused Napoleon continued, "You have not kept meticulous track of the years you have lived?

The colonel promptly replied, "Sire, I always count my money, my shirts, and my horses - but as for my years, I know nobody who wants to steal them, and I shall surely never lose them."

When I read this story, a word flashed in my mind, "WOW".

I could picture the colonel standing as a prisoner in the presence of Napoleon. I could picture the colonel, defeated yet proud; a prisoner yet free; defiant yet humble.

A few questions flashed!

Why do we count our years?

Why our birthday, fascinate us? After all, our birth was never OUR achievement?

Why some years scintillate - like turning16 or 18 or 25, and some age milestones, horrify us? Does imagining yourself as a 60 years old or maybe a 75 years old, horrify you? Why should it? What if there were no calendars in the world?

Why our age is a factor in our retirement and NOT our ability to contribute?

Why our age is a factor in our marriage and NOT the readiness to marry?

Imagine, no more celebrating of birthdays or anniversaries! Imagine, we celebrating milestones of LIFE when they happen and NOT every year!

For example, I asked myself, what if, I decide not to celebrate my birthday, and the next celebration will be the day I reach the milestone of 90 kgs of body weight (today I am a Centurian. Ouch).

Or, the next celebration will be the day I run my first marathon? 

Or, the next celebration will be the day I have donated over Rs 1 crore? 

Or, the next celebration will be the day the number of subscribers for "Life School Messages" cross 1 lac.

Time anyway passes. Can we take credit for time that has passed? What is the point in celebrating August 15thevery year if there is no patriotism in the hearts, neither was there significant contribution towards the country? And even if there is patriotism in the heart, should we not be doing things that matter for the country more consistently than doing it once a year just to celebrate the anniversary?

I ask myself if my celebrations are "Milestones of LIFE", will I then, put more efforts to reach my goals? Will my life be driven by meaning and purpose? Will I become more accountable?

I have not reached any conclusions. I am still contemplating. I would love to know your thoughts. Please contribute to the conversation.

With love, prayers and exceptional wishes,

naren

Imagine, when we wake up, we are given only what we had thanked for.

www.lifeschool.co.in