Why You Must Get Over Negativity

Doesn't matter why you think it's justified to be negative, it is a show stopper and retards our progress and spoils our happiness like nothing else. Negativity makes us believe a popular lie that life might never change for the better and we are destined to keep falling from one misery into another. I will go so far as to say that negativity is a disease and it's highly contagious. Ever had someone tell you all that is negative in their life, and how that immediately triggered all kinds of negative thoughts about your own life that you had probably forgotten about? And just as well that you hadn't remembered the not so good parts of your life. It doesn't help to keep brooding on what's not right and what hurts. We already know that, so spending more time agonizing over it day and night is probably more wasteful than leaving a tap on for a day. So watch out.


The other day, I met up with a person who had told me many months ago that nothing was right in their life and they felt pessimistic, anxious, negative and angry. Upon my inquiring, they flatly told me that nothing much had changed since then. I was tempted to ask them - has your life not changed or have you not allowed it to change? Is your life unhappy or have you decided to be unhappy, because being unhappy is a lot easier and gets you sympathy? Is life really miserable or is your mindset still sick? Though I didn't ask these tempting questions, I did feel almost a physical ache of seeing someone who had allowed their mind to take over their good judgment and initiative. I also felt put off to be very frank. Negative is not inspiring. So here are my thoughts on negativity and getting over it.

I am not at all saying I am one of those unrealistic and annoying, I-am-always-happy types. On the contrary, the feelings is well known and even intimate to me. Just a few short years ago, I failed to recognize that I needed to reinvent my career, my relationship with myself and those close to me and my overall beliefs that drove me to take mediocre decisions when I could have done great instead.

I needed to master my mind than get blown about with the wind like a fallen twig that doesn't have any control over where it lands with every gust. I also realized, with considerable trepidation, that the changes I needed to make would be tough, and require a lot of guts, self-respect, strength, sustained action, not to mention, time and solid communication. Yet, I was able to move on with my own life nevertheless and the painful parts began to dissolve almost effortlessly once I knew I was in-charge of my thinking and my mind. Funnily, issues of my life just fell by the way and decided to leave me alone, once I resolutely left them alone. I then chose to make my life positive and one that inspired myself to keep doing better.

Negative emotions are strong emotions, and I needed to deal with them by creating space for the strongest emotions - those of love, affection, genuineness, peace, loyalty, happiness, excitement, passion and knowing deep down that I was doing the right things.

Let's not waste our time and energy on negativity and pessimism that erode the very basis of our existence and disrespect the fact that we were created, and given a chance to live this one life.

And because I have been there, I have also come to realize that the sooner we walk away from negativity the better off we are. Continuing to be angry is not a matter of principle, it is a sheer waste of time. There is no nobility or smartness in allowing our unhealthy thinking to take over our lives because we hit a bad patch. Everyone does. You aren't the only one. So move on. Make your life count.

Ten Ways Not to Sabotage Our Own Success

Too many people live off complaining and cribbing and sharing in great detail why their life is so bad. Success is seen as something tough to achieve and more easily seen in others than in us. Therefore, we get more frustrated, more people get to hear our woes, and our mind goes deeper into the abyss of fear, despair and hopelessness that breeds more failure - proving our theory to our self that we can't win like others do.

Here are ten solid, proven tips to beat that self-defeating loop that plays in our minds and takes us away from success. Practice these for 30 days and consider this a challenge to conquer. See how life begins to be more easy, more fun and success becomes your way of life as well.

1. Stop talking about your challenges: 
Yes, there is definite value in sharing our problems so we can halve them.. But most of us unwittingly become 'serial complainers' without even realizing it. We share our complaints and failure and all our petty and big challenges with anyone who cares to listen. What we are doing is embedding in our mind a sentence that says, 'My life is hopeless, I will never make it.' The mind is an obedient servant - rest assured it gives us exactly what we made it believe. So quit cribbing and quit sharing problems with everyone you meet.

2. Develop mental strength:
Mental strength and resilience breaks down every time we give in to worry and anxiety over issues like - am I falling sick, why is my left side hurting since two days, why did that person give me a stern look, why didn't I get appreciated today, what if I can't gather that much money in time, why can't I lose weight, why am I so lazy...and on and on. 99.99% of what we worry about never really happens. Life is dynamic and we aren't smart enough to predict it, so let go. Listen to music, watch a funny TV show, go for a walk, have a cup of tea and look out the window, read a book, watch a movie, mingle with a friend or neighbour, and get to a doctor if you really feel sick. Bottom line - do something constructive, don't just sit and think. Divert your mind, and insulate yourself from petty worries.

3. Quit comparing yourself with others:
How does it matter if the next person earns more than us, lives in a better home, has a better life, is more good looking and takes more vacations in an year? All of this might be true - but how does it help us? Quick answer - it doesn't help us at all to compare ourselves with others. Too many of us confuse inspiration and comparison. If looking at others leaves you feeling unsuccessful, incomplete and negative - then you just compared yourself unfairly. Your life is yours, it will never be exactly like another's. The important question is - do you believe your life can't be the same as someone else's, but it can be unique and absolutely smashing as well? If you can't believe that, you are in deep trouble. Quit comparing, begin believing in yourself and your capacity to succeed.

4. Stop feeling depressed and hopeless:
Quickly recognize your own tendency if you catch yourself sleeping too much, eating too much, putting on weight, feeling irritable often, losing patience with others, turning into a bad listener, losing interest in all activities and finding yourself being alone and broody. All these are signs of stress, hopelessness and despair. Some of us begin thriving on these feelings because they get us a lot of attention and sympathy, and we can manipulate our way out of certain relationship situations. This is not a good place to be, and the best part is that we all can get out of it even in a day's time if we just decide to. Take a decision that you will make an extra effort to be happy and upbeat about life and do what ever it takes to feel at peace. Success doesn't come near those who are hopeless and act like victims- guaranteed.

5. Avoid taking too much advice: 
When we are deeply perturbed and restless no amount of wise advice works. Instead, we get indecisive and more restless as we battle between options that we don't fully understand. Work out your own confusion the best you can, then seek advice at the right time when you are peace. Advice and counsel helps when we have some clarity and peace of mind. Stop chasing the idea that others can solve our problems. They rarely can - you are your own best bet.

6. Don't feel guilty about chasing your dreams:
Chasing our dreams is a gift we all have from nature. We have an equal right to find our dreams and purpose, and feel happy with our achievements. It is a given that none of us want to be irresponsible or selfish, so let's not worry too much about that. Remember, you can't make everyone happy at the same time. So quit trying and stressing yourself out. Do things for yourself and get into the habit of giving yourself importance and love and attention as you give it to others around you. Sacrifice is to be used sparingly in life and generally backfires.

7. Get clarity and take a decision on what you want:
Funny that a lot of us who crib about life are not 100% sure what exactly it is that we are expecting from life. What kind of home, car, vacations, family life, wardrobe, infrastructure, career do we want and desire? If we can develop great clarity we stop wasting our time talking about what we don't have and get excited about what we can achieve. Clarity works like magic. Don't be afraid to dream big, it's your dream, and as long as you are crystal clear what you want, you are likely to get it exactly as you envisioned it.

8. Become a doer, be an action hero:
We all love a movie where the hero saves the world and overcomes all odds. We all love a hero. Then why is it so tough to be one? Because it takes getting up from in front of the TV, computer, chair, sofa, car to actually go and do something about our lives. Superman doesn't fly in through the window, sadly. Make it your agenda to do 5 things daily that bring you closer to your goals. Just this tiny trick can get you massive results. Try it out...begin acting on your good thoughts and solid plans. Be a doer, worship action, get over your fear, laziness, doubt and suspicion and just act on your goals. Be your own action hero.

9. Don't wait for tangible rewards to feel motivated:
As you do your daily 5 actions to get close to your goals, rewards might be seen on some days and not seen on others. Keep at it, don't stop, don't slow down, don't think too much, don't discuss and dissect why you can't see them. Just keep taking action if you are sure you are going as per your plan and all is well with your goals. Momentum has to build to give us rewards that finally will become tangible, quick and numerous. We need to hold on tight and keep the faith until that happens. Never turn around in doubt and never look back. Keep up the self-motivation that fuels success.

10. Believe in yourself when no one does:
It is hugely disappointing when someone gives you a disbelieving look after you've shared all your goals and dreams with them. You instantly see their look and begin suspecting your own competence and capability to succeed. Accept that this will happen in life, and so become your biggest believer and fan. Keep yourself focused on what you want and keep at it no matter how many others feel you can't do it. If you don't believe in yourself, not much chance anyone else will.

Do share if you have another nugget that you think can be added to this list.

To your success always. 

Take Bold Decisions, Move Towards Your Success

As a people manager and a training professional, I meet people and interact with them all the time. Very often, they share with me their desire to see themselves grow and achieve success in their life, and yet, I find the very same people shying away from taking bold decisions that can create quantum leaps for them and their life. I am talking about smart, educated, experienced people who have the definite capability to move ahead in life and achieve their goals. And yet they continue to be disappointed and disillusioned about their future or their capacity to succeed. 

You might say, but isn't our economic and global situation too risky to be bold? I think not taking any risks or bold decisions is a sure risk that we will miss out on all that we deserve and can achieve. At the same time, I am mindful that our current economic times are tough and hard for all of us, and there is no denying the fact that the world we live in today is much different and difficult than the one we had to deal with even ten years ago. I would be lying if I said, I have never felt fearful or apprehensive of what lay ahead. However, it is my innate nature and my burning need that I have cultivated over the years to confidently walk ahead and take bold decisions in the face of daunting challenges. Which brings me to the question - what constitutes a bold decision? Let me give you some genuine examples from my life. Hope you recall some of yours.

As a young student, I took up MBA as an aspiration when I didn't even know how my family would pay my fee, neither did I have a bank balance of my own. It was a scary and bold decision as I had faith that an MBA degree would increase my earning capacity and my ability to support my family. It was the right decision, though probably not the most realistic one looking at our financial condition. As it happened, money appeared from the most unlikely sources and we were able to support my education. I have heard so many people say that somehow help appeared and things fell into place, once they took a big step forward.

I then left a thriving job with one of India's top B schools and started my own training consulting business with no computer (I am talking about early 2000), no contacts in the industry, just Rs. 12000 in savings from my one year job stint and with very limited training experience on my hands, plus I was and looked like a kid in a classroom. Yet, none of this stopped me from knowing and acting on the knowledge that training was my passion and it had to be my career therefore. I would go to a cyber cafe to do my emails and prepare my presentations and call companies from pay phones. In less than 2 years I was a much in demand trainer and big companies were paying me a handsome per day fee to train their middle and senior managers. This too was a bold decision that changed my life forever and became the basis of all future success. Needless to say, I worked hard on increasing my knowledge and read like a crazy person to up-skill myself.

I then aspired to go overseas and train foreigners and experience a different culture. Within a month, I had spotted such an opportunity and applied for a short-term visit being organized by Rotary International. As it happened, the Rotary trip demanded a sum of 10,000 from my side, and all other expenses were paid for. I could therefore, afford this trip. I got chosen for the opportunity and had the most amazing experience in US and Canada which was completely beyond my financial means, but that never stopped me from believing and taking a decision that helped me move towards realizing my goal to go overseas and train.

Yet again, my 'big goals' bug bit me and I had to go ahead and do something bigger and better for my life and career. This time I left behind a successful consulting business and joined one of Indian's top IT companies and found a wonderful job that fit me perfectly and got me more resources than I could ever have imagined. Not to mention I took a bold decision when I accepted this job offer to move from North to the South of the country, all by myself and with no help or support in sight. My list of bold decisions continues and I have again taken a couple of very bold decisions in my life to achieve even bigger goals....I really don't think there is any reason to stop aspiring or working towards aspirations, irrespective of how bad the times might be.

Bold decisions are bold because they require courage and faith. That certainly does not mean we take foolish risks without weighing some necessary pros and cons, or jump into situations that might jeopardize our relationships or career. It just means we keep our options open and move with conviction in a direction we are convinced will help us to ease current problems and open up wide doorways to enter another level of success and prosperity. Bold decisions are the ones that we would normally never take if we thought and thought and over analyzed them. Analysis is good, but over thinking decisions and all the consequences that might flow from them, results in analysis paralysis. That is a state when we are unable to move forward and find a reason to reject all options at hand and all advice as useless. This is not just unproductive, but unnecessary.

Key to feeling bold and courageous is to keep taking action, and become an action oriented person. Don't stop at every hurdle and sit down in deep contemplation. Life does require us to walk past some obstacles and not make them emotional hurdles. So next time you find yourself in a bad situation that completely frustrates you, remember, it is probably a result of you not taking bold decisions at the right time.

Good news - it is never too late. Take a bold decision and feel the power that is within you and is the key to all your progress and success.

To your success always!

Don't Be a Drifter...Take Charge Today

Over a long period of time, I have realized how many people out there are comfortable with just drifting along in life. Sadly, they have turned into certified drifters and have lost their zest for life. How do I define drifters? Those who have a blank look in their eyes and on their face, who don't have creative ideas about their work or their life, who let life and career and people simply happen to them than carve their own path and their own relationships, and who don't have very significant life events that define them or help them grow.

While wisdom tells us to go with the flow of life, this often becomes the excuse of drifters. I am going with the flow of life, they say. That is not what going with the flow means though- it means we have goals and aspirations, put in the hard work and diligence, use our intelligence and experience to get ahead in life, and then let life take its course rather than fight life every single day. Drifters are doing quite the opposite. Not doing anything significant and waiting for great things to happen is like not planting the seed, but hoping for the fruit to drop in our laps someday. Thankfully, life does not work like that.

It is important to wake up to our own greatness. Yes we all have it, every single one of us. God didn't create us in vain. We need not be a Celebrity or a Yogi or a Millionaire to feel the greatness within us. If you can be a great spouse, or parent, or colleague or leader then you are witness to your own greatness on a daily basis, and so are others. Greatness lies in realizing our deepest fears and doing something about them, greateness is discovering our highest aspirations and reaching out to them through a planned and patient approach, and being a good person so that we never look back in regret and guilt. That is discovering our greatness and being great.

Drifters are too scared, lazy, unaware and unconcerned to do much about their life and therefore they drift on with the uncertain currents of life never reaching a definite goal or trying to change course of their ineffective lives. They often don't realize that they are not living their lives on their own terms, but others are making their decisions for them. If we wait long enough, for sure others will make our choices and steer our lives for us. It could be our family who does that or our friends or colleagues or the organization we work for. Either ways, it is a waste of our own life and initiative if we can't steer our lives on our own.

What can you do to get out of this rut? Well, begin by doing something on your own initiative that makes a tangible difference to you. Take a walk every day to make a change to your lazy and unhealthy routine, eat consciously, so you nourish your body, write an email to someone asking for help or advice, read up an article that shows you a path to your chosen goals....I could keep going on and on. Hope you get the idea.

So wake up today....take charge.....do one small thing to shape your life...just one tiny deed of self-initiation and get your power back in life.

Always to your success!

In defense of desperation

Late yesterday night, I was lying in bed and about to doze off when a thought struck me, and I knew I had to write it down before I forgot it in the morning. That thought was about the advantages of being desperate. This morning, like a sad coincidence, I heard that Steve Jobs had passed away. What I wrote seems to be a fitting tribute to this great man. This is what I penned down last night...

In my observation of countless people, and myself, I strongly believe that a halfhearted and lethargic pursuit of a goal is the same thing as not pursuing that goal at all. The consequences of both approaches are the same. Neither lead anyplace worth going to. 

There is no life to any goal until it is liberally laced with a hefty dose of deep desire and urgency. If you naturally feel like that about any ambition you have, then you are very likely to achieve it against all odds and in a shockingly short time. My experience has taught me that deep desire + urgency = good desperation. 

Think about it, what is the point of wanting something if we didn’t want it badly enough? That which is worth achieving is also worth getting desperate and urgent about. If our goals are ethical, meaningful, and worth running after then why wait? That kind of desperation is good desperation. 

Observe in your own life and of those around you – ambition that wanders about in varying degrees of wishful thinking dies an untimely death. Indifference breeds mediocrity and failure. Realizing our aspirations takes much more than that. 

I am reminded of an ancient story about Socrates, the renowned Greek philosopher. A young man once approached the master and asked if he could teach him wisdom. Socrates took the young man to a nearby stream, and pushed his head under water. He held the man down until he was desperate to breathe air, at that moment, Socrates released his head. The man came up gasping for a breath of air. Socrates looked at him keenly and said that the young man needed ‘that’ kind of desperation to learn wisdom. The day he felt that desperation, he would acquire wisdom on his own. The same principle applies to so many things in our life. 

In similar vein, many years ago, I desperately wanted to get out of my immediate circumstances and step out of India to meet people of other cultures, to learn from my travels, and work outside. It was an impossible dream for me in so many ways. Yet, the thought refused to budge, and I relentlessly pursued it in my mind until one day, by sheer chance, I happened to find a perfect opportunity. Within months I was living my goal. Honestly, I don’t think it was my talent or a special gift that helped me live my dream; it was the desperation with which I felt the need to fulfill my deep desire that did it. A deep desire combined with mental urgency helped me see an opportunity that I would have otherwise missed for sure. Our highest success rests on how badly we want to succeed, not just talent and intelligence.  

If we want to genuinely get to any place worthwhile in life, let’s be desperate to get there. Let’s charge up our passion and put out our best self for the world to see. We only have so long to live this life. Might as well get moving today...

I can’t help ending this piece with a stunning insight from Steve Jobs – a legend while he lived – a rare honor in life. 

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything -- all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart. ... Stay hungry. Stay foolish." - Steve Jobs

Commencement Address by Steve Jobs to Stanford students, 2005 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc&feature=share

How to act on your dreams!

Isn't it a wonderful feeling to dream of achieving something spectacular, something big and significant.

To have all eyes looking at us and admiring our achievement. I think, it takes an unusual person to not dream of big goals and big success. All of us do, I think, in our own way. It's just that we don't always openly share our biggest dreams with anyone. In fact, we hardly admit them as serious thoughts even to ourselves. It feels silly! Funnily, a major success or a thrilling achievement looks more credible and doable on others than us.

If this thought has crossed your mind, don't believe it even for a minute. The truth is, the great stuff that happens to people we admire and look up to could be happening to us in just a few short months or an year. Really...that soon! You see, how far behind we are on our dreams is not proportionate to the time it will take to catch up with them. Dreams can become reality pretty quickly. And I say this from absolute first-hand experience.

But before that, let me ask. Have you noticed how people less qualified, less intelligent, less talented, less supported, and less financially fortunate continue to achieve their dreams while a lot of times, we aren't able to do the same? Isn't it puzzling how that keeps happening around us on a regular basis? I hope we all understand something here - the above laundry list of qualifications are not 'the most' important things to achieve our dreams.

So, what are these 'other' successful, brilliant, extraordinary people doing that we aren't doing?

Here's a revelation, after watching and speaking with numerous successful people - I found out that they do three significant things. First, they turn their dream into a solid, well articulated GOAL. Second, they BELIEVE in that goal without feeling self-conscious or embarrassed about their goal, and third, they take ACTION! Above and beyond any other ingredient of success, they focus with all their energy on what can they DO to get to that goal.

Many of us believe that having enough money to realize our goal is the most important and first condition. Wrong. Money comes later, much later. Clarity and belief come first! These lead to action right away. We then find surprising avenues to fund our goal or bump into someone at an event who is interested in funding us or any number of weird cross connections help us solve the money problem. There's just one condition.... everything follows....clarity, belief and action.

How does anyone know which actions need to be taken? It is amazing how you get that clarity once you begin thinking hard about your goal. Just the other day, I was thinking about the content of my second book. What should it be about? I realized that creative thoughts refused to come by while I did other stuff, and thought about my second book as a second priority.

I at once left what ever I was doing, and sat down with a brand new notebook and my favorite pen in a quiet corner of my home. I had no idea what I was going to write on those blank pages, but I was confident that once I focused all my positive energy into figuring out my exact goal - I would know what to write.

Lo and behold, something amazing happened within the next half an hour. Promising ideas began to pour out of me, and one inspiring thought led to another. Before I knew, I had outlined two books instead of one. The more I pondered on one idea, the more insights came to me. And here is the best part, as my goal began to clarify in my mind, I automatically started to realize what actions could take me closer to my goal. I now know what I need to do to make my second book a physical reality, and bring it out of the realm of dreams. That is the power of thought! All it took was half an hour of focus.

If I can do this, then why can't any one of you? I don't have a brilliant academic record, I don't know important people in important places, and I have no extra special qualifications than any of you. In fact, at times I wonder if I have too many qualifications, all of which are not even useful! I am an ordinary person with a gigantic amount of belief that anything that I deeply wish for will happen in my life. I live and thrive on that belief. And that makes me take my dreams very seriously and with as much love and honor as I would take any one else's dream if they shared it with me.

So, here is a weekend challenge for anyone who stops by and has read this to the end :) Invest this weekend in searching for that one dream inside of you that refused to leave your conscious thought. Write down your dream in 1-2 lines max. Ponder on it in a quiet place until you can write it down as a goal now - complete with your purpose, end result and time-frame. Then, believe with all your heart. Lastly, list down at least 3 - 4 actions that you know you can take right away!

Take up this challenge and make your weekend count! Loads of good luck and have fun! :)

Top SIX Strategies for Goal Achievement

Life would be meaningless if we weren't gunning for something. And that something wouldn't be worth much if it wasn't worth our genuine passion and desire.

So what do you desire for? What do you want above and beyond everything? Are you ready to work single-mindedly for that which you absolutely desire to achieve? And most importantly - what are you ready to sacrifice to make that something appear in you your life?

TOP SIX STRATEGIES for Goal Achievement 

1) DECIDE: Like the Cheshire cat famously said in 'Alice in Wonderland', 'if you don't know where you are going, then it doesn't really matter which way you go.' To declare, I want a million dollars, is not a real goal. Seriously. Write down on paper - "I have a million dollars in my bank account". Read it aloud when you are alone and undisturbed, and ask yourself if this excites you. You might be surprised that just having a money goal is not as exciting as knowing how strongly you want it and what life would become if you had it. Get into the skin of your goal. Decide on your goal without a shred of doubt or embarrassment.

2) ABSORB: Are you single-mindedly focusing on those one million dollars every morning, night, and every moment you can spare? If not then your subconscious is not listening. And it is imperative for it to listen for those one million to appear in physical reality. We give way too much credit to our conscious living life. The key to goals is at the subconscious level. The conscious mind obeys the latter. Convince yourself that you deserve to own that much money, and convincing anyone else will be easy.

3) IMAGINE & FEEL: Once you are convinced of your goal, then allow yourself to imagine and feel all the feelings you would if your goal had appeared in your life. What would be your lifestyle? What kind of house would you own? Where would you vacation? Which car would you drive? Go into as many details of all the above and more as you can. Don't just think about it. Feelings are powerful motivators. Much more than thoughts. Feel your goal.

4) LIVE: If you did have that kind of money, would  you behave differently? You might be more generous to others and courteous to your family. Or fight and blame less because you are secure in life. Or take better care of your health. Would you enjoy life's experiences and live a full life? Would you enjoy this drive in your car more if it were a Ferrari? Try living your goals as if they were true.

5) BELIEVE: It is critical to believe this make-believe. The mind is susceptible to tricks more than you know. Just like you can trick it into thinking you aren't capable or worthy of acquiring an honest million dollars - you can just as easily trick your subconscious mind into thinking you are the best candidate to have such wealth. And the mind is an obedient servant. It does our bidding if only we used our privilege over the mind. We are intelligent...not the mind. Believe your goal now.

6) ACT: A million dollars generally don't come walking. Though if you have followed the above five strategies, they just might. I say that because all the above puts us in a powerful zone of achievement. Our mind and spirit are one with our chosen goal. So it doesn't take much time or effort to get into the physical part of goal achievement. You will feel inspired to take actions, decisions, and meet people that will move you closer to your goal.

If you think about it, most times we try and achieve goals in the reverse direction than the above six steps. Life could be superbly different if we did all the above things in the right order. Don't wait to be happy once you have achieved your goal - be happy now, so you can be ready to achieve your goal.

Contentedness is in fashion...

Some years ago, I sat in a training program to observe the goings on. The theme was goal-setting. A clueless trainee with a dash of doubt said he wanted to be 'content' in life. The trainer locked their critical eyes on the participant and derisively declared that being content led to complacency and that was no goal at all.

I shuddered till my smallest vertebra and realized I must be in the wrong program or in a bad dream. One of those. What a gross misuse of one's position to distort the true meaning of being contented in life. And since when have we become critical of being happy and at peace with what we have, anyway?

I guess it is this mad world we live in that moves at speeds not yet calculable, and wipes out anything that fails to keep pace. En route it creates a monster of our mind and plays tricks on our imagination to make us feel less of a person if we weren't in a tearing hurry 24x7.

There is an archaic meaning of the word 'content' that meant, 'willing'. What if being content translated into a willingness to move forward with energy, enthusiasm, and enlightenment about the way forward. What if being content is a prerequisite to doing anything meaningful in our lives. Because frenzy and desperation seem to layer our life with more unhappiness. Worse still - our urge to conform to our rapidly changing world pushes us into a much more depressing state than even unhappiness. It's called emptiness.

I can't help thinking why so many high flying, high earning, fast paced, globe trotting professionals are as lonely as they seem to be. Try looking deeper into their eyes at an airport next time, and you will see what I mean.

And then again. There are those who are superbly successful and brilliantly happy! How did that happen? Maybe, they have cracked the puzzle of the most important goals in life. I am placing my bets on being contented and happy with what they got. No wonder success and more of everything just pours into their lives!

I feel so hipped about being contented in life that I think it is an enduring fashion statement. This draining frenzy must be a fad...hopefully, it will pass.