Random Thoughts

Took it from Google Images depicting the amazingly fun Jungle Book characters

When things come to my mind and there's time to write them, they make their way up here :)

• A problem is not a problem. Its actually the starting point of the way to a solution.
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• To go with the flow is definitely not to surrender/give up to the flow. Its actually to adapt to the flow/situation. You don't give up, you actually change yourself to make most of the situation and have fun nonetheless. 
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• When working hard on a competition, instead of focusing one's energy on defeating someone or attaining glory, energy should be focused on excellence and doing one's best. The satisfaction one gets by doing something beautifully or mastering something itself is the award. That automatically, will get one the glory and also be humbling. The award is not the purpose of art. It is just a reminder that one is on the right path and that God has been kind. One can definitely take inspiration from others to improve. Losing is just a step in the process of winning, if one is determined to explore more and better oneself. It takes us closer to victory.
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• Chaos has a purpose. Its very easy to find peace without any attachments, goals, responsibilities in life. The challenge is to do it with ease and peace when all of the above ingredients are thrown in. Can the soup of life still be made tasty? Have you ever performed to a very fast song. It seems like the world is falling apart. There's just no time to step, leave alone taking a turn. But, as you practice and practice and ease into the apparent chaos in the song, you will actually start going in step with the erstwhile crazy pace. Chaos actually tests your peace and makes your skill stronger. Probably, that's why I feel that monkhood is no achievement in particular.
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• One really needs to have a sense of humor in life. It is great if one can actually laugh at their mistakes and still have the courage and persistence to improve.
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  From Google search with "Just do it"

  
  
• There is no one rule can be applied blindly in every situation. Hence, one should just go by what their internal voice tells them at that time. Even a rule as simple as "never lie" cannot work in all situations. Hence, one should live a life following one's inner voice instead of heeding non-sensical rules. The basic principle that keeps the universe going is what goes round comes round.  And if you do the right thing, right thing will happen to you. The great epic Mahabharat talks abt leading your life based on Dharma. Dharma is not in any rule book. Dharma is just following your inner voice which tells you what you really want to do. It is very liberating  to know that no rules need bind us.
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•  People do the wrong things in life, cheat on ppl, hurt them, break country laws, all to keep money or ppl or things that make them feel powerful or in control. It is ironic that they end up doing the opposite of what they intend to- which is to feel powerful. Just doing the right thing can give you so much inner strength that one can actually feel powerful from within. Have you experienced how powerful one feels when one does not give up when exercising or runs that extra km. It's the joy of going beyond one's expectations. It would be so awesome to do that in the non-physical way. How about doing the right thing which looks difficult? How about going the extra mile to not bribe officials to get our work done faster and actually use the prescribed method. If the method is painful, we should try and get it changed. I recently paid the whole fees and did not bribe the officials for something I bought. Till today, I have an extra inner confidence which has empowered me from within. Nothing else, but an inner pat for doing the right thing could have done this for me.
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• When the going gets tough, the tough get going. So true. The only thing that one needs to remember when going as a toughie is that the love inside should be alive and kicking. Tough is not same as hard. Tough is strong. Hard stuff often breaks into pieces when the right force is applied. Tough stuff stays and changes to accommodate the force. Shamelessness always helps. By shameless, I mean not feeling embarrassed by one's mistakes and being open to failure and probably take the failure on your funny bone. Be receptive to what needs to improve along with not dying of the shame of failure is the magic recipe to take us to happiness and success. It's ok to be sad also, just not give up. Winners are not ones who do not get hit, but ones who comes back even after being hit, mostly stronger.
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• The more time one spends with oneself w/o judging, the better one's life becomes. Non-judgmental observing. It has great power because it is driven by unconditional love and understanding. The more one understands oneself, the less one fears. One becomes aware of one's powers and capabilities. As one keeps observing and taking chances in life, powers and capabilities increase.That is how tai-chi helps too.
  A dear friend of mine had a naive gf who would always ask him, "What do you love most about me?". He would always say, " You are a total package. I like everything.". To that naive girl, it never made sense. When he told me that, even I found the word package not very meaningful and not a good answer for her Question. But, now I get it. He had accepted her as a whole and hence everything was a part of the package that he loved. It's the most basic commandment of love. Accepting the person for who they are. Any improvement in them will automatically start happening once they get that unconditional love from you. And we need to feel that way for ourselves too.
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• Be aware, not conscious of what you do.  Being aware will help witness why you do what you do. Being conscious is just a fear of being judged. It's ok to fail publicly. It's high time we got comfortable with our capabilities and lack of them too.
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• Creativity needs freedom and discipline. Discipline does not come from just the brain. It comes from the entire being. It comes from a calm centre which knows that everything will work out the way we want and that the universe is a good place and that God is just, very just. When there is that calmness, one can discipline oneself for what they want without the restlessness of the if and the when of the desire happening. This discipline gives us freedom to pursue our desires irrespective of road-blocks. 
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• Get up every morning with the zeal and enthu to work on the current goals that you have. It could be a week long goal or a 5-year goal, but get with up with zeal to work on it. That's what this life is about. The goal could be to have fun on a week long holiday or a 5-year goal to become the most effective product manager in your company. I saw the movie Bahubali. The hero of the movie tries to climb a mountain daily, since his childhood. He finally manages to do it when he is 25 years old. What amazed me was the enthu with which we tried daily and fell very often. He succeeded once in those 25 years, but all his tries built his entire physique for the challenge which came his way after he climbed the mountain. The energy and smile with which he would fail was so endearing.Whatever be the goal, why feel bad till we are not there. Being enthu about it will ensure the success. The remaining part would just be the action. 
 

Bahubali - Totally worth a watch. Over-dramatized -Yeah. But, there is substance too!

Bahubali, attempting the climb as a young kid

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• It is never lonely on top if one is inclusive. Only when a person wants to make his/her success exclusive, only for his/her self, does it get lonely. Else, it will always be about the skill and inclusiveness with people of the universe - like-minded ppl, all ppl, any combination.
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•   Sharpness of mind has but one purpose - To cut through bull-shit. Purely that. One needs to be have a cushion below the sharpness, which is impenetrable. The cushion never allows any sharp bitterness to reach the heart and soul, which is well protected by the self and divine. Any temporary things should come and go through the sharpness. Sharpness ejects false stuff easily because of the sharpness. Inner being should talk and guide mind and not vice-versa.