LOST TRAVELER OR ACCIDENTAL TOURIST

Life has been like a road, some roads are big, and some are small. Some are straight and some are topsy turvey. As roads would have it, there are crossroads in life as well. The most confusing, baffling, difficult whatever you call it, is the crossroad in life.

When we face a crossroad, the mind comes to a standstill as to which road to take? Which road is going to take us where! There are few roads, which will lead you to happiness, fame, glory, and fortune, but on the other hand there are few which would take you towards sadness, failure, defeat, disappointments.

We have to decide which road we would take with completely no clue where we going to land at the end! No assurances No guarantees! Since life offers us no guarantees and assurances, it's better to take that risk and make that decisions because unless we don't decide, and go that way we will never know whether the decision was right or wrong.

Instead of standing on the crossroad better to move forward. It's not always that the road, which we think is right for us, is going to give us happiness, there are certainly going to be heartbreaks. You might not achieve what you had thought, but at least you tried. We really do not have power on the outcome but we definitely have the power of our decisions. Taking risks, does not mean to decide in the spur of a moment! Think and then move forward.

If we had known that the road we are choosing is a wrong one and it can make us lost, or the outcome is going to be bad, we would have never decided to go that way. We will only know about the outcome once we walk that road, whether the decision was correct or worthless.

When we have to choose, we need to analyze the options we have, sometimes the options are many, sometimes very few and sometimes none at all. We need to weigh the pros and cons, make option of our own if we don't have any! But at no point take decision haphazardly.

We cannot find that confidence to decide at times, especially when we have no idea what the consequences are going to be. Trust yourself and think that it's the best decision at that point of time. Do not regret it whatever the outcome, learn from it and make better decisions in future. Always remember life will give us more chances to make right decisions.

And after all, I believe it's all the matter of perspective, as to what you want to be a lost traveller or accidental tourist, because you never know which road opens which new horizon!

Shift Gears, Shift Life. . . . .

Many people want to be happier and more fullfilled (I say many because a few seem to love their misery) within their life, but simply do not understand the mechanisms of the machinery that make up our conscious world. Over the years I have discovered 3 very powerful (not necessarily simple) ways to shift gears and shift life into another space.

1. LOVE vs. FEAR.  

Time has proven to me that people who are truly enjoying life to it's fullest moments, FEAR less and LOVE a lot more. They see each moment, each challenge, each person as an opportunity to discover more about themselves and the world around them. Do not let fear and worry ruin your days. Instead love what you have and where you are RIGHT NOW. What else is there?

2. ACCEPTANCE vs. RESISTANCE. 

Happy people understand that you can’t really change a situation by resisting it, but you can definitely change it by accepting that it is there and by understanding that there might be a reason for its existence. When something unpleasant happens to them, they don’t try to fight it, knowing that this will make the situation even worse, but rather, they ask themselves questions like: What can I learn from this? How can I make this better? and they go from there, focusing on the positive rather than on the negative. They always seem to see the glass half full no matter what happens to them.

3. SELFLESSNESS vs. SELFISHNESS. 

They do what they do not for themselves, but for the good of others, making sure that they bring meaning, empowerment and happiness in the lives of many. They look for ways to give and to share the best of themselves with the world and to make other people happy.

”Before giving, the mind of the giver is happy; while giving, the mind of the giver is made peaceful; and having given, the mind of the giver is uplifted.”Buddha

Each day try to incorporate more of these mindset shifts into your life, REALLY TRY and do not allow old habits to take over so easily. In the end you will find more energy, enthusiasm and understanding in your life and those are the ingredients for powerful change!

DREAMING CASTLES IN THE AIR

Dreaming castles in the air certainly beats doing physical construction work, but if you are serious about bringing your dreams to completion, or if you are dreaming of a positive change in your life, you must get off your rear end and roll up your sleeves ready to do some work. Daydreams are nice, and they can enliven your daily life, but by themselves they are a weak source of energy. There is something called the Law of Attraction that has been around since the creation of the universe which has a lot do with bringing the dreams you have to fruition. You either take my word for it here, or you can search and learn more about it on the Internet.

 

As I just mentioned, even with the incredible power of the Law of Attraction working for you, sitting on your butt will not make your dreams come true. This great power only works when you do your part and truly believe in what you are wishing for.

 

From the very first day man was kicked out of Paradise, he has been relentlessly seeking the formula for the secret to true success. Everyone has their own opinions of what success is all about. Although there is no clear-cut formula on how to achieve this, I have a few tips on how to dream and live a successful life, which I hope will work for the majority of you. Don’t get too ambitious. Take it easy, like the line in the classic Cat Steven’s song “Miles from nowhere, I think I will take my time to reach there.”

 

 

Some of you might be very ‘cerebral’ and dislike physical preparation work. Others need to see a visual point of reference in order for their minds to function effectively. Either way, dreaming castles in the air is not a clear enough goal to ensure success. I suggest starting with a visual map of your intentions. Take a piece of cardboard and on write your dream in bold letters at the top. For example, “I want this house!” Or “I want this job!” Write down whatever you want in your life. Now cut out pictures from magazines, newspapers and or photos related to your dream-wish and paste them on this board. These images should clearly show your dream goal.

 

On the left side of this ‘Map-board’ write the steps needed to achieve this goal. For example if it is a house you want and you don’t have money, write down  “I want this house”. How do you find money? Despite the highly publicized recession this is a lot of if going around. Focus on your main objective: Your Dream House! If you truly believe you deserve and want it, you will get it. Think about what you can work on, sell or save? Make a realistic plan on how to achieve this goal. Write this plan on the ‘Map-board’.

 

Create a set of positive affirmations for this task. If we stay with the example for “finding money”, the affirmation should be something like “Wealth is pouring into my life.” Or “I am making amazing progress towards all of my goals.”

 

These affirmations are your psychological support. The positive attitude to attaining your dream gives you a new and clearer purpose in life.  It will help turn your dream intentions into reality. Think about this dream very clearly and visualize it already realized, that you have achieved your dream house, or have your dream job.

 

If your dream is to get someone into your life, a partner, or a lover, you won’t find him or her by staying at home.  Write down, for example, “find a partner”, then on the left side of the ‘map-board’ write, “get out and socialize”. Whatever your dream is, write down the name of specific goal, and then themain road to get there. Visualize your goals and create positive affirmations for every step of the way towards achieving them. Give yourself time. It is your life you are creating, be patient. Don’t expect instant success.  Give yourself time.  This is your dream life you are creating, not a Hollywood movie. 

 

Whatever age you are, you have acquired a certain living knowledge of what is good or bad for you. Apply to your life what you have learned up until now, but add to it your own individuality, personality, and joy de vivre.   It is not just being alive that makes your life worth living, but rather the depth and sense you bring to your life. Go beyond your limitations. Take a look at some of the great people who made an incredible impact in the world when they were told that either they were too poor, too inexperienced, too unattractive, or too weak to make it as a success in life. Terry Fox, one leg cancer amputee crisscrossed a continent on foot. Claude Monet slowly became blind from cataracts but still painted his masterwork The Nynpheas. Marlee Matlin, deaf from the age of 18 month, won the Best Actress Academy Award in 1986 for her debut performance in “Children of a Lesser God. Helen Keller, blind and deaf, became a noted speaker, author and crusader for pacifism, women’s right to vote and birth control. The list is very long.

 

Don’t forget to do your daily affirmations and think positive. A positive attitude will greatly influence your actions and add pleasure and quality time to your life. 

 

Considering that life is short my advice to you is: break rules, forgive quickly, kiss slowly, love truly, laugh uncontrollably, and never regret anything that made you smile.

 

Much love,

 

Harish Nayak

THE POWER OF "WE"

As a leader, do you honor and appreciate the power of WE? Do you stop to thank and recognize the members of your team? Do you consistently show an attitude of gratitude?

The story of Charles Plumb is inspiring and emphasizes the value of each individual of a team. Captain Charles Plumb, a graduate of the Naval Academy, whose plane, after 74 successful combat missions over North Vietnam, was shot down. He parachuted to safety, but was captured, tortured and spent 2,103 days in a small box-like cell.

After surviving the ordeal, Captain Plumb received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit and two Purple Hearts, and returned to America and spoke to many groups about his experience and how it compared to the challenges of every day life.

Shortly after coming home, Charlie and his wife were sitting in a restaurant. A man rose from a nearby table, walked over and said, "You're Plumb! You flew jet fighters in Vietnam from the aircraft carrier Kitty Hawk. You were shot down!"

Surprised that he was recognized, Charlie responded, "How in the world did you know that?" The man replied, "I packed your parachute." Charlie looked up with surprise. The man pumped his hand, gave a thumbs-up, and said, "I guess it worked!"

Charlie stood to shake the man's hand, and assured him, "It most certainly did work. If it had not worked, I would not be here today."

Charlie could not sleep that night, thinking about the man. He wondered if he might have seen him and not even said, "Good morning, how are you?" He thought of the many hours the sailor had spent bending over a long wooden table in the bottom of the ship, carefully folding the silks and weaving the shrouds of each chute, each time holding in his hands the fate of someone he didn't know.

Plumb then began to realize that along with the physical parachute, he needed mental, emotional and spiritual parachutes. He had called on all these supports during his long and painful ordeal.

As a leader, how many times a day, a week, a month, do we pass up the opportunity to thank those people in our organization who are "packing our parachutes?"

THE MOST POWERFUL WAY TO TALK TO YOURSELF

THE MOST POWERFUL WAY TO TALK TO YOURSELF



THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT possible ways to talk to yourself. One way is to reassure yourself. For example, before a party you might be feeling a little nervous so you tell yourself, "It's going to be fine. It'll turn out okay."
Another way to talk to yourself is to give yourself advice or instruction. For example, "At the party, focus on drawing people out and getting them to talk about themselves."
Another possible way to talk to yourself is to put yourself down. "I look like hell. I'm a loser."
Or you could ask yourself a question. On your way to the party, you could ask yourself, "What can I do tonight that would make it genuinely fun?"
Of all the possible ways to talk to yourself, asking yourself a question is the most powerful. Questions direct your mind and set trains of thought into motion. That's what makes them so powerful. Questions are generative. They generate thought. And because they are so powerful it really makes a difference to pay attention to the questions you ask yourself and to ask yourself good questions.
Asking yourself a bad question before a party, for instance, can create excessive anxiety and a negative experience. For example, "What if I can't think of anything to say? What if I embarrass myself? What if I'm a loser for the rest of my life and I never get married and live alone and shunned by the world?" The what-if questions are creating a chain of anxious thoughts and images that produce feelings of anxiety. With thoughts like these running through your mind, you arrive at the party feeling nervous and withdrawn. You can't think of anything pleasant to say (because your own anxious thoughts are occupying your mind) and you embarrass yourself with your own awkwardness. Keep this up and your dire predictions of a lonely life could come true — not because you are stupid or ugly or have character flaw, but merely because you never paid attention to the questions you asked yourself, and you never tried to ask yourself high-quality questions.
What makes a good question? That's the obvious next question, isn't it? What makes a question a good question? The answer is simple. A high-quality question has a good result. It focuses your attention on something that makes you effective. It directs your mind to something that helps you successfully handle the situation. A question is good if it leads to a good result.
Bad question: What if they don't like me?
Good question: What is something I could do right now that would make me more likable?
Bad question: What if I fail to accomplish my goal?
Good question: What's the most important thing I could do to make sure I accomplish my goal?
A high-quality question is one that produces an end-result you desire. Check in on the questions you ask yourself (you'll have to pay attention because your thoughts are happening automatically much of the time) and then ask this question: "What is the result of asking myself that question?"
If the result isn't good, ask yourself, "What result do I want?" And when you decide on a result, ask yourself, "What question can I ponder that would help me achieve that result?" Don't settle for the first thing that pops into your head! Think about it. Make a list. Force yourself to come up with ten good possible questions.
Then choose the best question — the one that will produce the best result — and practice asking yourself that question. Literally practice. Ask that question many times. Get used to asking it. Make it familiar and comfortable and automatic.
There are certain times when it would help to ask yourself that question. Practice asking that question at those times.
For example, when Katie is preparing for an interview, she doesn't want to obsess about her automatic questions, "What if they don't want me?" and "What if I make a fool of myself in the interview?" She is fully aware that those questions don't put her in the best frame of mind to have a successful interview.
She decides that a good question to ponder is, "How can I help these people?" That will put her in just the right attitude for an interview. That's a question that will produce a good result. So while she is getting dressed for the interview, she asks herself that question. She ponders it. When her mind wanders, she comes back to that question. And in the car, on the way to the interview, she thinks about it some more, trying to think of ways she can help her future employers. Whenever her mind drifts to her worries, she asks herself, "Yes, but how can I help these people?" And even walking into the interview, she is wondering how she can help them.
What do you think would be the difference between Katie sitting down for an interview wondering, "What if they don't want me?" versus sitting down wondering, "How can I help these people?" What kind of difference would she have in attitude? In her demeanor? In her level of stress hormones? In her focus — outward focus versus inward focus? I think you can see it would be a large and visibly obvious difference. The second question would make her more effective in the interview. The second question is more likely to lead to a good result.
Asking yourself a good question is a very powerful tool. What great things do you think it can help you achieve? Good question.

Ask yourself questions that lead to good results.

Count Your Blessings

Count Your Blessings


I've never made a fortune,

and it's probably too late now.

But I don't worry about that much,

I'm happy anyhow.



And as I go along life's way,

I'm reaping better than I sowed.

I'm drinking from my saucer,

'Cause my cup has overflowed.



Haven't got a lot of riches,

and sometimes the going's tough.

But I've got loving ones all around me,

and that makes me rich enough.



I thank God for his blessings,

and the mercies He's bestowed.

I'm drinking from my saucer,

'Cause my cup has overflowed.



I remember times when things went wrong,

My faith wore somewhat thin.

But all at once the dark clouds broke,

and the sun peeped through again.



So Lord, help me not to gripe,

about the tough rows I have hoed.

I'm drinking from my saucer,

'Cause my cup has overflowed.



If God gives me strength and courage,

When the way grows steep and rough.

I'll not ask for other blessings,

I'm already blessed enough.



And may I never be too busy,

to help others bear their loads.

Then I'll keep drinking from my saucer,

'Cause my cup has overflowed.


 
When I think of how many people

in this world have it worse than I do.

I realize just how blessed most of us really are.

Good Morning Friends... Here's a short wish to start with

Today...I wish you a day of ordinary miracles
A fresh pot of coffee you didn't make yourself.
An unexpected phone call from an old friend.
Green stoplights on your way to work or shop.


I wish you a day of little things to rejoice in...
The fastest line at the grocery store.
A good sing along song on the radio.
Your keys right where you look.
A rainbow ahead of you.


I wish you a day of happiness and perfection,
little bite-size pieces of perfection
that give you the funny feeling
that the Lord is smiling on you,
holding you so gently because
you are someone special and rare.

Football just got over ! And what a treat. Disappointment in one, and disbelief in the other. Poland lost to Czech Republic and Russia lost to Greece ! Russia out of the qualifiers and so are the Poles. So disturbing to see grief among the supporters. They come with prayer and love and enthusiasm and song and dance and colors and painted faces and emblems and in the end sit there teary eyed full of despair and so much sorrow. Ahh ! Painful to observe such a condition. But there will be in the end just one winner. They know it, yet wish and show confidence that it will be them, and not the other.

In our daily affairs could we be winners all the time ? I would bet not, yet losses have been the motivation for a win. Fall off a horse, and be sure to be told by the elders or the wise, to get back up on it again. Defeat is so … putting down. Its like your entire being crumbling in front of you. At times it is so numbing that it becomes difficult to emerge out of it. It could be a situation where you were not individually responsible yet, it becomes personal. Defeat can become a chilling experience for anyone. Its after effects could mean severe depression, a complex that may never leave you, of being in thought that nothing good would ever happen to you, that this is what destiny planned for you, or worse – as per most Hindu mythical belief – these are a scourge of my past life, where i have been involved in some wrong which I never rectified and which I now repay in this birth !! I would not want to challenge that, for, it would mean blurring my vision on the respect and belief of others, but these are prominent behavioral practices.

I admire those that take it upon themselves to declare that this reversal shall be rectified, it will become positive and that they shall prove it to the world soon enough. I wonder often how they develop this courage and metal to be able to scream out this confidence. What if even after the proclamation, they were to fail. What face then would they show, where would they look and how despondent, deflated would they feel ? For me its a horror story, one that would scare me never to visit again. In professional expedience, or relevant practicality, I would imagine this to be a natural phenomena, that is experienced by all. In the entertainment world it certainly does. The bravado of self confidence in being able to deliver the goods in front of the camera or a discerning audience, could well turn out to be damp and squiggly. It is not so much the failure that embarrasses, but the bravado that accompanied your glorified effort.

Good morning lovelies .. have a swell day !

On the importance of “No”

“Hitler may have lost the war on the battlefield, but he ended up winning something,” says M. Halter. “Because in the 20th century, men created the concentration camp, resuscitated torture, and taught their fellow men that it is possible to close one’s eyes to the misfortunes of others.”

The most important words in any language are small words. “Yes,” for example. Love. God. These are words that are easy to utter, and they fill in empty spaces in our world.
However, there is one word – also a small one – that we find difficult to say:
“No”.

And we see ourselves as generous, understanding, and polite. Because “no” is considered to be cursed, egoistic, not at all spiritual.

We have to be careful here. There are moments when we say “yes” to others and in fact are saying “no” to ourselves.

All the great men and women in the world have been people who, rather than say “yes”, said a very big NO to everything that did not fit their ideal of solidarity and growth.

We may often be called intolerant, but it is important to open up and fight against everything and all circumstances if we see injustice, manipulation or cruelty. No-one can admit that, after all is said and done, Hitler set a pattern that can be repeated because people are incapable of protesting.

So scars are necessary when we fight against Absolute Evil, or when we have to say “no” to all those who, sometimes with the best of intentions, try to impede our journey towards dreams.