“Always laugh when you can. It is cheap medicine.” – Lord Byron. I have some vague memories of childhood when I was asked not to show my teeth while smiling and not to laugh out loud (remember, you are a girl!). The stubborn streak in me ensured that I continued to do things my way. But I did and still continue to wonder why people feel that smiling or laughing wholeheartedly is not the done thing. Why should one try to restrict one’s smile or try to soften one’s laughter? Were we – Indians, I mean – always like this or did we adopt the “stiff upper lip” attitude of our erstwhile rulers, the British? Laughter is considered the best medicine – preventive as well as curative. Smiling relaxes our facial muscles. When we are happy and laugh, “feel good chemicals” like endorphins and serotonin are released .That is the reason a bout of laughter improves our mood considerably. Just like exercise, laughter is supposedly very beneficial for the heart and we should consciously look for reasons to laugh at just like we try to exert ourselves physically to stay healthy. People even form laughter clubs where they assemble in a park or some such place and laugh their hearts out. Today, there is laughter therapy, laughter yoga, laughter meditation which indicates that people are getting increasingly aware of the advantages of a good laugh. Laughing at a funny incident is all right, so is laughing at oneself – when one can have a ‘no holds barred’ laugh. Where one has to draw the line is when one is laughing at another, making somebody a butt of your jokes. The person may be somebody close to you, you may think that the person will not mind but we have to remember that everybody is … [Read more...]
Friendship – A beautiful bond
It was the United States which started the tradition of ‘Friendship Day’ in 1935. The first Sunday of August every year was assigned to friendship. Other countries too followed suit and in India, we usually see school kids and college students happily celebrating this day. Friendship bands are a rage in India and even school kids sit patiently with skeins of wool of different hues, patiently weaving bands of friendship. The ones who have a large number of bands tied to their wrists strut about, proud to have so many friends. Well, let us leave the ritual aside and move on to that beautiful bond called friendship. One’s tryst with friendship starts usually at school in fact as early as the nursery classes. Like first love, the first friend is also remembered long after the friendship has run its course. “A friend in need is a friend indeed,” is perhaps the most clichéd quote on friendship and also perhaps the most accurate. Friendships are not just about having a gala time. When all is well, all your friends are there for you. The litmus test starts when you start going through bad times. The ‘fair-weather’ friends flee when conditions turns inclement. The “all-weather” types are your true pals. They may be unable to help you in the material sense but they are there to offer moral and emotional support. A wealthy person loses his wealth, a business man runs a loss, a star student loses out on his grades, an employee loses his job – these are the occasions when many friends start deserting you. Even we may belong to this breed of friends, deserters in need. We expect the world from our buddies, but when our turn comes, we are reluctant to even be there for them. Moving on … [Read more...]
Old is Gold
‘Old is gold’ goes the saying. Let me modify this quote to “The years of old age are the golden years of one’s life.” We equate ‘old age’ to sagging, wrinkled skin, faltering steps, illnesses galore, infinite number of medicinal pills etc. In fact, we are so scared of getting old that in the threshold years from youth to middle age itself, we start taking steps to ward off this eventuality. A silver hair here, a wrinkle there and people are horrified that they are ‘getting old’. Birth-childhood-youth-old age is the order of life and try as we may, that cannot change. When a toddler grows , the parents rejoice; when childhood blossoms into youth, they are thrilled. But we want the cycle to stop at this stage without going any further. We want to keep the suppleness of skin and freshness of youth intact. To achieve this we are ready to take any amount of trouble. From anti-wrinkle creams to skin tightening surgery, we are willing to try anything. Never mind that these may cause even more problems than they solve. Why not just let our bodies age gracefully instead of pretending to be what we are not? When we wouldn’t want an adult to have a body of a child, what sense does it make to crave for a youthful body in one’s old age? What we need to instead is to try to maintain our health. Moderate exercise, suitable yoga to keep ouselves fit is what we should be doing, not rushing off to dermatologists. Old age is the time we should prepare for the inevitable – the discarding of the physical body. Indian tradition sets a period of life for ‘vanaprastha’ where a person retires to the forest leaving his home, family business, wealth, lives a simple life and spends his time in contemplation and prayer … [Read more...]
Materialism vs. Happiness
'A successful man'- What comes to your mind when somebody is referred to in this way ? A rich person, well advanced in his career, owning mansions, a fleet of luxury cars; in other words having more or less everything that money can buy. Most of us equate success with material riches. This is surprising for a country known for its spiritual heritage. The fact that many of the present breed of self-proclaimed godmen are even less spiritually inclined than us, common people is a different story altogether. Man's primary quest in life is happiness. His career, his accumulation of wealth, his bungalows, his private jets all signify his pursuit of that elusive animal called happiness. Catch hold of one of these 'successful' men and ask him "'Are you happy?'' Invariably he will answer that if he had one more thing he would be happy. He does not realise that when that thing is in his grasp he will want something else to feel happy, it is a never-ending phenomenon. So what does one do to be happy? Give up all comforts ? Renounce the world ? It is not that one should live a life bereft of all comforts. What one should stop doing is chasing those comforts, considering them the be-all and end-all of life. No matter how many mansions you may own , at a time you can live only in one house (a small room will do), you can use only one car and sleep only on one bed. With all your wealth you may not even be able to enjoy your meal and the pressures and tensions of multiplying your wealth, may be eating away your insides leading to multiple ailments. Then why this craze for accumulation ? Isn't it just to show-off to the world ? If I was the only person in the world , all these acquisitions would be meaningless as there would be nobody to impress, … [Read more...]
How to lead a happy successful life?
Human life is the most precious and God given gift to us. Hence we must enjoy it happily and successfully. It is not meant for weeping and sleeping only. God created us with a specific purpose. Happy life will automatically enhance once self confidence and personality and his stature in the society. Personal Developement advisors are giving simple tips to lead a happy life. PepsiCo CEO Indra Nooyi is the best example for those who want to lead a balanced and successful work-family life. 10 tips to lead a happy life: 1. Avoid the egoism: Egoism is nothing but “I and myself mentality”. Usually, most of us are of the (false) opinion that we know more compared to others and need not heed to other’s advice and suggestions. Thus, some times we may take wrong decisions and causes irreparable damage to us and also our family members. 2. Avoid the fear of defeat: Fear is the root-cause for all the defeats that often we face in our lives and most of the times it is imaginary and having no sufficient base. Be brave and have the courage and mentality of “come what may happen, I face it boldly”. Certainly, your mind will be free from that devil of fear. 3. Self-confidence: Self-confidence walks before every success. Such was the effect and importance of confidence in our life and career. Without it, you can’t move even for a short distance. It can be compared to a spear, which can pierce any thing and makes its way forward. Never lose confidence in yourself and go ahead and success will be in your palms. Study the life of “Abraham Lincoln”, the president of America and see how he faced the repeated failures in his life. 4. Proper planning: Everything is in zigzag … [Read more...]
How to live happily?
In the present age, happiness has become synonymous with material success. It has become so encompassing that people spend most of their time as well as expend a considerable amount of their physical and mental energy in trying to achieve it. Sadly, not many people realize that this is not just a phenomenon of modern day living, but a major degenerative disease in their lives. In an effort to achieve our goals, we forget that the mind and body are not completely suited to cope with such stress and strain. Happiness is not synonymous with material fulfillments of worldly desires but actually is the complete freedom from this. The mind is at peace only when it is free from the carving for material and personal gains. The concept of stress is born out of this dilemma. In pursuit of attaining happiness along with materialistic goals, one is confronted with a situation that needs harmony. It is the discrepancy between the desires and their fulfillment that throws one out of harmony with the environment.The feeling of frustration, fear and anxiety born out of this situation is recognized as stress. To achieve that elusive harmony man has renewed his interest in the philosophy of meditation. Meditation, worldwide, is recognized as a means to free one from fear and frustrations. It gives an inner strength which gradually leads to a harmonious existence. What we need to know and learn is how to use this mind to improve our lives. Meditation is the key which help us to and awaken the sleeping mind and bring it into a state of consciousness. The philosophy of meditation is entrenched in the belief: “One should not search for harmony in the environment or the external world. This search should instead, be concentrated within the … [Read more...]
20 tips to lead successful daily life
We have to follow these 20 simple things in our daily life to reduce stress and enjoy happy life. 20 tips for happy daily life: 1. Silence: As soon as you rise from the bed, observe ten minutes os silence without any thoughts, which give you peace of mind through out the day. Learn meditation and Yoga. 2. Color of cloths: Colored cloths for teenagers and white cloths for adults give enthusiasm as per latest research. 3. Goodness: Memorize all the good things you did in your life. Forget the bad memories. 4. Sleep: 6-8 hours of good sleep is necessary. This is necessary to recoup body and mind. 5. No negative thoughts: If you think negatively, the body secretes hormones and chemicals which in turn cause stress. 6.Happiness: Cheerfulness not only energizes you, but also your colleagues. 7. Friends: Try to spend your spare time with like minded persons. Keep away from negative mentality people. 8.Answers and Solutions: In stead of bothering about your problems, try to find solutions. It will raise your confidence levels. 9. Caffeine: Not more than 2-3 cups. Don’t get addicted to them. 10.Love: Love increases life time of a person. Love makes life beautiful. 11.Different things: Routine life activities bring boredom. Try to make routine things in different ways i.e.; Change your breakfast menu, cultivate new hobbies, travel to new places etc. 12.Challenges: Take up new challenges with courage. 13. Writing: Maintain a diary of your activities. Try to put in your feelings. It will reduce your stress. Ex: American President Abraham Lincoln used to write his hard feelings in the paper and through them into dustbin. 14. Argument: … [Read more...]
Tips for happy and stress free life
Quote: Try hard to get what you like or you will be forced to like what you like get. The secret of happiness lies in the simplification of life. Simple living encourages high thinking and leads to contentment which in turn gives us “inner wealth”, i.e. the wealth of the mind and of the soul. A contented man devotes himself to virtues like: Truth, beauty, love, goodness, kindness and charity. By pursuing and inculcating the above virtues, a man can feel true happiness. I do not mean that for simplification of life, a man should become an ascetic which may be considered as negative kind of happiness. But to have that positive kind of happiness, in this present day of speedy and stressful life, we have to faithfully carry out our responsibilities to our career, home and the country.All this should be done in the light and spirit of selfless service. If you wish sincerely to lead a happy life, you should also make others happy, thereby; you taste real and lasting happiness. There is a kind of joy in serving others with virtuous motives and in sacrificing what one has for the good of others. An act of goodness is in itself an act of happiness. There is a sense of happiness in doing ones work honestly and efficiently. One more good quality for perfect happiness lies in renunciation (of some comforts). Wealth may give us joy for a while and fame may provide us with fleeting excitement. They can’t give us permanent happiness. For example, you have read the stories of kings of those yesteryears and biographies of present-days’ dictators who had everything to make them happy and yet they felt and lead unhappy lives and some of them committed suicides even. Why? The main cause is they have not practiced … [Read more...]
How to be happy in 2009?
The WEEK magazine published an article by celebrity author Shobhaa De for happiness in life. Shobhaa De listed 25 simple acts to bring happiness in one’s life. How to be happy in 2009? 1. Family is crucial in one's happiness. Allocate sufficient time to the family members. Take care of your self. 2. Forget bad incidents in your life. They will ruin your physical and mental wellbeing. 3. Be positive and trust your abilities. Unless you trust yourself, nobody will trust you. 4. Express gratitude to the people through phone/mail. 5. Take rest from busy schedule and introspect yourself. Introspection will enhance one's life. 6. Be emotional with your family members. They need your love and exhibit it by simple acts like kissing and hugging. Life is precious and enjoy. 7. Listen with heart when others are speaking. Relations will spoil if they detect your body language. 8. Share your inner feelings with your family and friends which is good to your health. 9. Never argument. Arguments will never win you friends. 10. Try to do every work wholeheartedly. 11. Don’t be over perfectionist. It will irritate others. 12. Control anger and emotions before taking decisions. 13. Complement people for their good acts. Everyone likes to be appreciated by others. 14. Music has distressing ability. Melodious music will enhance your physical and mental wellbeing. 15. Exhibit emotions with your closed ones. Never control beautiful emotional acts like crying, hugging, laughing and kissing. 16. Help others. Allocate some money for charity. Good acts will increase happiness in life. 17. Gardening is a great hobby. … [Read more...]
25 ways to improve your life in 2009
Indian spiritual master and Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravishankar mentioned 25 ways to improve life in 2009. To improve your life, you need to get a broad understanding about youself and your priorities. 25 Ways to improve the quality of Life: 1. Review the context of life. 2. Know life's impermanence. 3. Make your smile cheaper. 4. Be enthusiastic and praise others. 5. Make meditation a part of your life. 6. Go to the most beautiful place 7. Communicate effectively. Communication skills are vital to achieve success. 8. Take out time for your self. 9. Better the world around you. 10. Nourish your emotions. 11. Plan short and long term goals. 12. Prayer is a vital tool. 13. Implement the changes if needed. 14. Identify your limitations. 15. Do not lose your friends. 16. Don't look for perfection. 17. Let us be unpredictable. 18. Have a sense of humour 19. Don't be afraid to make mistakes 20. Overcome your prejudice. 21. Feel that "I am blessed" 22. Do random acts of kindness. 23. Be a student always. 24. Dream the impossible. 25. Compare your performance. If you can follow these simple tips by great master, you are moving towards success in both personal and professional life. … [Read more...]
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