On a Long Drive!

J- for Journey

It is so easy to gain a narrow perspective in our life, and even easier to focus on yourself, here and now. When I had the following two conversation with different people (Names have been changed to protect their identity), I felt like I have woken up from a dream and finally shook hands with reality. I want to extend this feeling to my readers and have you enjoy this post...

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On Suzie’s 50th birthday:
Me:  Hey, congratulations... 50th b'day is great, you have achieved so much. Great family, Great job, everything is settled, you have everything, you have got nothing to worry about.
Suzie: well, you still have something I don’t have.
Me: What’s that?
Suzie said:  Options. You still have all the options open in your life. Take advantage of it. 

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"Dare to Fly" at London Jun 2012

I was completely taken back, and did not realized what I had was so valuable. From my perspective my options created confusion in my life. Not knowing what's next can be frustrating. Being stuck in a temporary failure cycle when u are trying to find/define your niche can be mentally draining. However, when I saw myself from her perspective, I felt like I had wings... I could practically fly anywhere ! 

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Jasmine is 23. She is educated from a top university, found a well paying job, has a perfect boyfriend, and her parents are really well off (happy and enjoying their life).
Me: Hey, you are so young, and you have everything laid out for you. How awesome is that?
Jasmine: That’s what. There is nothing to look forward to in my life. It’s all saturated. At least you have something to look forward to.
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She was right. Not being happy with what we have and where we are is one thing. But the fact that we need someone else's misery to realize the value of what we have is plain pathetic. What a shame!

Since then I realized, that even after reaching a destination, the one thing we miss the most, is the journey itself. We always need something to look forward to in our lives. The most difficult part is not reaching a destination but choosing to accept that you have arrived. Choosing to see and realized that where you have reached is where you needed to be and wanted to be on the first place. The most difficult part is defining your destination, and remembering that definition when you have arrived. [ For example, the difficult part is not falling in love, or being in love, but probably the most difficult part is choosing to admit it. ;) ]

The ideal destination is not where the journey ends, but from where a new journey can begin.  We might feel that others around us are happier than us, because they have reached their destination (by finding their passion, obtaining their dream job, or finding a true love), but if we look closely, where they have reached are only pit-stops in this long journey of life. And the key to happiness is to take life as a LONG DRIVE...and be in the constant search of new roads we can explore, it could be a hobby, a passion, a dance class, computer software, reading a book, learning a new language... or just simply being a better person. 

Congratulate yourself for having a LIFE... that IS A JOURNEY of infinite destinations...!

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Related quotes:

• "It has been said that we need just three things in life: Something to do, Something to look forward to and someone to love."- Maya Angelou (American Author and Poet)

• "The powerful motivator in our lives isn’t money; it’s the opportunity to learn, grow in responsibilities, contribute to others, and be recognized for achievements."-Frederick Herzberg

Feeling Lonely?

Alone we Stand, Together we Stumble!

Despite of always being surrounded by people (and in some cases, domesticated animals), the curse of feeling lonely seems inevitable. The feeling of loneliness is a byproduct of modern society which relentlessly preaches individualism. As soon as we define ourselves as an individual; we start to stand alone. Being unique, independent, and a merely an individual, comes with the curse of loneliness.

Just because we are surrounded by people, doesn't mean they share the consequences of our actions, decisions and choices. We stand alone in our responsibilities for ourselves. We alone are responsible for maintenance and development of each and every aspect of our life, whether it is physical/health, economical, social, or spiritual. Especially in spirituality, every soul is treated as an individual.  Everyone has their unique account of karmas, virtues, and “fate”.

Ok, so we may be on our own in the world of metaphysics, but that is not the same as “feeling” lonely. In the physical world, feeling of loneliness arises from the fact that just like us... our ideas, our passions and our perspectives also stand alone. Anything we propose the mass will dispose. Make a new suggestion anywhere, and the reactionary answer, 90% of the time, will be “NO”.

‎" If you stand for a reason, be prepared to stand like a tree. If you fall onto the ground, fall like seed that grows back to fight again."

And that’s where we stumble!

Our motivation is diluted by free floating skepticism in the society. Our conviction is questioned every step of the way. By their “default standards”, our virtues are presented as our weaknesses. Just because they have nothing to believe in, their sole mission is to confuse everyone else who does.

And that’s where we stumble!

The challenge is no to stumble, and even if we do... get back up, again, again and yet again. Let the skepticism of others fuel our determination.

Great people have always walked alone. Any new idea faces resistance. It is this friction between ideas and resistance that has sparked revolutions. Standing alone for a vision, which anyone else is yet to share, is an absolute gift!

We all have been taught the power of "togetherness", though dare not to underestimate the power of ONE. One that can bind many. One that can lead many. One that can inspire many. In an ocean full of salt, ONE spoon of sugar brings a ray of hope. One is a start, without which only zero will remain. ONE is what turns nothing into something. There requires only one match to start a fire and only one seed to grow a tree. 

Don’t fail to realize that often times we are alone because we are ahead, not because we are left behind. Leaders are always a handful, where as followers are many.  

First take a stand. And if you must, stand alone!

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Related quotes: 
"Be strong enough to stand alone, be yourself enough to stand apart, but be wise enough to stand together when the time comes." From The Idealist