Zestiny

You think successful people are born that way? Nah. They become successful by establishing the habit of doing things unsuccessful people don't like to do. Successful people don't always like these things themselves; they just get on and do them. It could be something as simple as waking up early and starting the day with yoga and exercise. Performed consistently over a period of time, they become a way of life.

When the world says, ‘Give up’, Hope whispers, ‘Try one more time’. Think about it. After all, what is there to lose in trying one more time? If at all, you just might gain. Try and try till you succeed is a commonly heard adage. For your own sake apply it, one more time. It’s a new year, and a good time to start anew.

If you wait for everything to be right before you act, you will never get around to doing anything. The best time to act is NOW. Go with the flow, find solutions to the problems, tackle the obstacles, take challenges in your stride. At least try. Otherwise, you’ll be like that man who sat by the seaside to take a dip once the waves subside.

A wise one has said, ‘The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.’ I’m sure you wouldn’t want to die having just read only a page, would you? So, what are you waiting for? Just pick your backpack and get going and don’t stop till you’ve had your fill. What better way to begin the year than by exploring new places and learning new things!

I’d like to share with you what my teacher once told me, ‘Nothing will come to you that you cannot handle. If it has come to you, know that you have been given the capacity to handle it.’ Keep the faith. The Cosmic Intelligence works on sound logic. Wait and watch. Nothing happens without reason. And nothing is permanent. And for every problem, there is a way out. Keep the faith and keep going.

Stop allowing the past to strangulate your present and kill the future even before it’s born. Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the future. To forgive means to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you. Drop the past and work on your present for a bright future. No! I didn’t say it is easy. On the contrary, it may be tough. But it’s certainly doable.

You know, sometimes ‘sorry’ is just not enough. Sometimes we have to actually change. A genuine, straight from the heart sorry might be a balm to the wound and cool things down. Yet, things automatically fall into place only when we make a sincere effort to change and then work on retaining that change. Try it, you might be in for some surprises.

How about taking up photography as a hobby? It will help you see the world rather than just look at it. Looking through the viewfinder you just might notice that the world isn’t all that bad a place, on the contrary, it is a beautiful place to be in. Of course, there will be tough times and challenges but that’s what makes life interesting – the changes, the surprises, the additions and subtractions.

What we practice often, in time turns into a habit. The chains of habit are generally too small to be felt until they are too strong to be broken. Unfortunately, good habits are so much easier to give up than bad ones, isn’t it? Still, no harm in trying right? Begin with small steps. Be consistent. Keep those small steps going till they are strengthened into a habit. Then take the next small step.

The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing. When we learn from our mistakes, they do not remain mistakes anymore, they become a lesson. But when we don’t learn from our mistakes, we keep repeating them, wasting valuable time and energy. Do you think you are caught in such a cycle? Think about it. Spot the error of your ways if any and reverse them.

The key to change is to let go of fear. The only thing stopping you in your tracks is fear. Drop the fear. Courage is rarely the absence of fear, rather it is acting in spite of fear. The bull is not scared, rather it inspires awe in all those who are in its vicinity. What are you scared of? Put aside your fear and go for it!

For everything we have missed, we have gained something else, and for everything we gain, we lose something else. Nature maintains a balance between loss and gain. Don’t be disheartened at your losses, count your blessings and you will find this balance at work. Nature abhors a vacuum and whatever is removed is always replaced with something or someone else.