Success and Happiness

I wish you undress. Watching you nude would be a wonderful treat. Now before you judge, it’s your mental body I’m talking about! Sounds silly? it’s not: Unwrapping your mental body is as vital as wrapping your physical body. Let's unwrap!   Differences between Nude and Naked  I’m sure your mental body doesn’t wear clothes. It's lying nude but people cannot see you for a simple reason:You don't express your vulnerable originality. (It can be need of your hour), but at least accept your nudity than to live in fear of exposed naked.  I feel: When you unveil your orginality by yourself, you are nude.  When others expose it, you are naked. Seems nuance, but there is a huge difference between the two.   John Berger says:   Nakedness reveals itself. Nudity is placed on display. The nude is condemned to never being naked. Nudity is a form of dress.   The journey to nudity is a painful transformation where you learn the subtle art of giving a damn about people.   Still Confused?   There’s one beautiful citation by MENTAL FLOSS illustrating the difference between naked and nude:   “If you doff your duds to pose while descending a staircase for a tasteful painting done by a respected artist, then you’re nude. If a bunch of paparazzi suddenly burst in through the studio door and take your picture without permission, you are suddenly naked.”   Nude is better than Naked You age, you mature, you ripe while growing in age. Your personality flows with time! Your ‘then and now’ might have a discrepancy.  And now: You want to adapt for own good; Wish to age like a fine wine.  You strive to flow with time; Want to experience your journey consciously. Like to become more and more you!   What's holding you to unleash? People already have an opinion about you. They recognize you a particular way.  And you want to break that monotony! You know you have changed; you want others to accept it. But the grey:  You are afraid of how people will perceive your transformation!!   As bitter as it gets People cannot take it if you grow more than them. They are jealous of your self-awareness.   They crib over your maturity. Your clarity offends them.   People piss off when you attend them less.   No denial, even you have been guilty. But it’s human to commit mistakes; right? This is how we learn. You are probably wondering:Is showcasing nudity that easy? No, it’s not! People restrict you. They try every way to intercept your transformation. Cry, yell, request, they do it all!   But before you quit Showcase one performance where you go all in to become nude. Yes, gather courage to express yourself only once.   Reach out to them and let your soul scream — This is my originality; Accept or Leave!   Trust me, you’ll never have to cover your face with an illusory mask of fear again.   One firm step towards finding yourself is worth giving a shot. One bold attempt to get nude is always better than getting your exposed by people.   Wondering why nudity is paramount? To breathe freely!   Because today or tomorrow they find the real you hiding. You cannot run away from yourself for long.   A few sympathize, most of them call you a liar.   The unbearable suffering is hard to deal with. Your self-esteem reaches...

If you an Indian, I am sure you could relate to any of the two emotional phrases in the title.  Say... you are the one for whom Cricket is Life...it means you are the one who plays cricket, who knows cricket, who is passionate about it. Now let’s say Life is cricket for you... it means you may not be the one who plays cricket or who knows much about cricket. But whenever India plays a match, you are always there in front of the T.V cheering and shouting... India...India. Be on either side, we, the Indians are in love with the game of cricket. To break down further, you gotta be kidding me if you are a Ranchiite and you are not an MSDian. Yes that's my love for this man speaking who has not only made me proud being a small town boy from the same city, but also He has made the country proud by his historic achievements. Gut feeling is all about the experiences that you have had in your life. It is about being in difficult scenarios, knowing what worked, what did not work, and then taking a decision. —Mahender Singh Dhoni Cricket is a religion for some and just a game for others. But irrespective of how you see it, let us expand our mental horizons and relate to India’s favorite sport in our real lives.  Many of us perceive it as a glamorous sport and feel jealous of a cricketer's lifestyle, fit bodies, name, fame, and money. But how many of us know how have our heroes reached the international stage? How many of us know how disciplined they are in terms of their regime, diet, and routine to maintain that level? How many of us are aware of their failures behind their success? And when they have reached here, how many of us know what they go through in and off the field? We only see them playing but you know, there is a lot we need to see beyond the conventional batting, bowling, and fielding aspects. My dear friend, the game of cricket is not less than a life lesson. To be precise, Life is a 22-yard cricket pitch and we all are players who will retire one day...Why am I saying this... Let's find out. Most of the people consider cricket to be a batsman's game, so first, let us find out what can be learned from a batsman?   How does a good batsman build his innings? He comes to the crease, not sure about the wicket. He begins his innings tentatively. He observes, takes time, allows the nerves to settle down. The initial time at the crease is not easy. He is tested by short balls, pacy yorkers, swinging delivering, not to forget the doosras and the googlies. He defends, ducks, respects the challenging deliveries; He does not have answers to every ball but is not rattled by it. He absorbs the pressure and gradually starts playing his shots. Once his eye is in, he manipulates the field, starts dictating the terms to reach a milestone. This is what a good batsman...

As it comes: Everyone loves appreciation and appraisal from others. Come on, accept it that you like to get praised by others. It is because you get boosted and motivated by those appreciations. Sometimes, you even get flattered by those praises. But, there are a few questions you need to ask yourself before you enjoy those praises and appreciation from others. A few heartfelt questions: Are you worthy of those applauds? Do you also sense a feeling of self-accomplishment for the work or action you are getting appreciation from others? Are the ones praising you honestly your well-wishers? If not, then why are they praising you? Is there any hidden motive behind that false appreciation? Why are you not enjoying the appreciation when others are praising you? Do you really deserve those praises?   Huh...That was some quality brainstorming because these questions really are the need of the hour. There might be many How’s and Why’s playing hide and seek with your mind. Let us try to seek the answers.  The search for answers: First and foremost, sink into your mind that your reason to feel happy should never be that others are happy with your work or action. The things for which you are getting praised should make you happy at the first place.  My dear friend, it is absolutely fine when you are getting praised for something which is also giving you a feeling of accomplishment. The praises from others must be worthy when YOU are impressed with YOURSELF. It must be the case where praises from the outer world should be a bonus. You might want it, but you may not need it. Well, you are quite aware of the fact that how important it is to be self-motivated to keep moving in this competitive world.  This feeling of contentment derived out of self-accomplishment always keeps you up and running. But sometimes, even when you don't deserve the praises, you get it from others. Who are those people and why are they praising you? There are some people who heartily want to motivate you. Those people are your well-wishers who don’t want you to feel depressed. These people are your loved ones who want to uplift you in your lows.  It is the reason why they are praising you even if you don't deserve the appreciation. But there is another set of your appreciators, who are not your well-wishers, the ones I am referring to. Dear friend, you have this ability to distinguish between these two sets of people, but you got to TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS. Let me throw some light on the ones whom I am referring. Straight out, the move for which you are getting praised is benefiting them, not you. Your move is deliberately planned by them so that you get the praises while they enjoy the results. They are praising you because you are making them happy like you always do. Wake up before its late. A real-life illustration: I play squash and there was a district-level squash tournament going on. My opponent in the first round was not a...

Like many of my other write-ups, this article also starts with a small story, so that I can fully connect with you.  A short story: Once, there was a sparrow. She realized that her chick is fully grown up. She did not want the child sparrow to be dependent on her anymore. She wanted her child to experience the life austerities and struggles. After all, her chick had experienced all the comforts.  She felt that it was the right time for her chick to experience and challenge the other side of life. One day, she gave her valuable life lessons and made her aware of the cruel realities of life. Finally, she made her realize that now the time has come where her chick should learn how to live an independent life.   So, the mother sparrow asked her chick to build a nest on its own. She advised her to be very careful while making it. The baby sparrow fled here, there, everywhere to collect the twigs. While she was collecting the twigs, she came across a field covered with mustard plants. It was a beautiful yellow field full of mustard beans.  The field was well plowed, and therefore, there were soft worms on that plowed field. Seeing that, the baby sparrow was overjoyed. No better food she could have asked for. The mother sparrow once came to see how her child was progressing. The baby sparrow narrated her mother how she is planning to prepare her nest on that plowed field. She described her everything; the mustard seeds, the flowers, and the worms. The baby sparrow thought that she has made her mother proud and was expecting a pat on the back. To her shock, there was a very stern look on her mother’s face. The mother sparrow wanted her child to be aware of the cons associated with her decision. It made the baby sparrow furious as she was very high on life and didn’t want to take any of her mother's advice. The concerned mother tried a lot to make her daughter realize, but all went in vain. The disheartened mother sparrow left.  The baby sparrow did not get affected by it at all. Without giving a second thought, she built her nest on the strongest branch of one of the trees in that particular field. It was a well-built swinging nest. Besides, it was all beautiful and colorful around.  The baby sparrow felt victorious that she did not have to move around in search of food. Within no time, she got addicted to the luxuries of life. Gradually, her wings could no longer support her weight. The baby sparrow started to feel dull, lethargic and sluggish. The weather changed, which added to her plight. Because of the weather change, the flowers began to fall, and the worms started to disappear. What more, one day a farmer came and harvested the entire field. The baby sparrow could hardly analyze what was happening around. What once looked like an ideal life turned out to be the worst of...

Success is not a milestone but a journey. No two individuals are the same. Every person is different in character, traits, thinking, background and many more aspects. Therefore, there is no particular mantra for success. Every person has to define their path to success. However, there are some pieces of advice provided by great personalities that can help you in realizing your dreams. First of all, you have to set a goal according to your passion. Rest assured, when one enjoys work, then the probability of success increases dramatically. So, it is essential for you to explore your inside and find out your areas of core competence. Subsequently, pursue your passion by setting a goal and plan a course of action. Positive thinking and positive attitude are the two ends of the boat that sails you through the river full of hurdles. They not only helps you in achieving your goal but makes you a better person over and above all. Also, it is vital never to let your professional goals ruin your personal life. Balance is must between both of them. The joy of success doubles sharing with loved ones. Don’t let the fear of failure holds you back.  Don’t hold yourself back when you have an idea that is new to others. Always back yourself in taking calculated risks. Self-motivation is equally important to keep moving forward. Never forget to treat your spirit when you achieve something, no matter how small. Love your life, enjoy your actions and be kind to yourself. Don’t lie on the ground when you fall, get up; it’s not about the first place always, crawl to cross the finish line.      

Grudge is like holding a double-edged sword; it will hurt you before it could harm others. When a person willingly or unwillingly hurts your sentiments, a feeling of bitterness makes a home in your heart. Sometimes, its roots are so strong that it does not let you forgive others. Nonetheless, always remember that grudges not only hurt your loved ones but it takes a toll on your character as well. Nature of grudge itself is venomous. It takes a lot of your time and energy; the time and energy you could have spent in some other constructive work. It infuses negative thoughts inside you. These negative thoughts alter your mindset. An altered mindset always takes the wrong decision and provokes destructive action. As a result, you get hurt ultimately. So, can you feel that you are still suffering? One way you can get out of this suffering is ‘learn to forgive.' Of course, it is not easy to forgive but just think about the value of it. It will help you to make peace with yourself. Your peace will do wonders; Have faith in it.

Expectations might push you towards your goal, but sometimes they hurt you. Yes, expectations hurt terribly. Well, the people expecting out of you might close to you.  It is because of the closeness with them; you want to fulfill their expectations. As a result, you get overburdened by those expectations. Eventually, what happens is you start believing in the notion of others rather than own self. One thing you need to realize is, if these expectations are not allowing you to breathe freely, these are not your expectations from you. The foremost thing you need to do is explore your inner self and find out your core competencies and the areas of your interest.  Undoubtedly, our loved ones want the best out of us, but sometimes they forget that every individual is unique. Try to make them realize your aspirations, your core competence, your passion and things which you love to do. You need to speak out. Make them a part of your dreams than to get carried by their expectations. If those people expecting from you love you and genuinely care for you, they will understand you. Hang on; there is an another set of individuals who expect from you. They are the people who impose expectations just to hurt you or to hold you back. They are neither your family members nor fall in the category of your friends. They are those people who have not done anything in their lives and hence cannot see others progressing. Please avoid such people and say a big “NO” to them. You owe nothing to such people. Avoid them. One more thing, your expectation should become a reason to push you to achieve your goals rather than to hurt you. It is your life. Never waste it by living it for others.          

Not only an intriguing title; I'll also make sure that the article is worth reading... Step by step, we shall try to get into it. First of all, let us try to approach the word ‘SUCCESS.' How does one define success?  Commonly, Success can be defined as the accomplishment of goals and objectives. For some people, the definition of success could also be the triumph over the competitors. What else? Yes, for some people, success could be reaching the top in their respective work fields. Everyone perceives success in their own peculiar way. The definition of success keeps on changing with people, time and situation. Finding it boring??? Hold on, some interesting observations about to begin!!! There is no denying the fact that only a few feelings can match the magical feeling of being successful. All the positive emotions can be attached to success such as happiness, rejoice, pleasure, satisfaction, euphoria, jubilation, etc. Let us sink in deeper to unlock the other side of the story...  A few heartfelt questions: Is the journey en-route all that beautiful like the results? Does success come all that easy? Are there any shortcuts to success? Do the successful people undergo the same emotions en-route success journey like they feel after succeeding? Let us uncover the darker side of success A few successful realizations: 'Success is that lively and elusive mask of realization, which covers the various lifeless faces of failures.' Baffled? I shall explain it to you... One success story comprises of many stories of failures. Yes, there is also a dark and gloomy side of every success story. It is that phase which nobody is aware of, except for the person who has traveled that journey alone. Only a few get out strong and victorious from this phase... And those few individuals are called 'Successful People'. We all get attracted to successful individuals who are related to our respective fields, right? But how many of us have tried to figure out that why do we get attracted towards them? Let's find out... Some in-depth realizations!!! Success comes along with many luring elements with it. Some people get lured by the money, which comes along with success. Some get drawn towards the power. Some get fascinated by the glamor attached to it. Some get attracted towards the lifestyles of successful people, while some get attracted towards their achievements. There are also some individuals who get attracted towards the passion of the successful people.  Everyone has their reasons to get drawn towards success and successful people. But let me ask you... Have you ever tried to follow the path to success of our idols?  Have you sought to find out how painful their success journey has been? Have you tried to find out the sacrifices they had made to reach there? Have you sought to find out the hardships and failures they had to face before succeeding? Are you ready to endure and struggle like they did? These questions indeed induce a painful realization. It is because everyone wants to succeed, nobody wants to fail. What we want are results....

What is Spirituality ? Spirituality is a concept of being connected with the soul, in other terms it can be called as something bigger than ourselves. The aim of spirituality always involves the search for life. Spiritual experiences can be categorized as sacred or religious but it has a bigger meaning than all of these. It is a deep sense of aliveness and interconnectedness.  “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” Whether a person is religious or not, they might have faced moments in their life when they wanted to connect their brains to some spiritual experiences, the moments when they wanted to feel sensibility and give meaning to their life. The serenity that they feel with the spiritual connection to the brain is beyond the imagination.  What is Spiritual Experiences ? Spiritual states of mind are something which strongly connects you to a stronger or bigger force which can be felt in the form of energy, God, deity, higher power or abstract figure, and consciousness. The connection is in terms of meaningfulness, connectivity towards world, and serenity. Spiritual experiences are powerful as they have a have intense impacts on people’s lives. Scientists have identified a part of the brain called the parietal cortex whose one region is believed to be involved in experiences that go beyond our normal state of mind called spiritual power.  It is clearly known that spirituality is an internal part of healing, it is a source of strength for the one suffering from distress. Spirituality enriches various aspects of our lives including physical, emotional, mental, and relational. Spirituality encloses various aspects of human life and is also a means of undergoing several forms of life. While faith is connected to religious expressions and might not be necessarily a component of spirituality. Spirituality is expressed in the form of beliefs, attitudes, and practices that influence the lives of people. How can Spirituality be Attained? Spirituality can be attained through many spiritual traditions that have been in the history from a long time such as Meditation, prayer, yoga, and journaling using contemplative practices to increase empathy, attention, and compassion, as well as peace of mind.  Meditation- Meditation induces feelings of clear-headedness and calmness. It also improves attention and concentration. A study has proved that meditation increases the grey matter density of the brain, which helps in reducing sensitivity towards pain, help you regulate difficult emotions, enhances the immune system, and relieves stress. Prayers- It triggers the sense of relaxation, along with feelings of gratitude, compassion, and hope which have a positive impact on the overall wellbeing of the human being. There are a variety of prayers which believe that there is some higher power which has a great influence on the life of humans. Yoga- It is an ancient spiritual practice that focuses to create a sense of unity among humans through physical postures, breath expansion, and ethical behaviours. The regular practice of yoga believes to reduce swelling and stress, decrease the intensity of anxiety and depression, increase feelings of wellbeing in the mind of...

Struggling to discover the success ways? As minors, most of us are fortunate to have parents guide us to our next move. In schools and colleges, we have teachers and professors as our mentors.    But as soon as we are independent, we have to battle out our success ways alone.   Is your question How to become successful still struggling to find the best answer? Rest easy! there are many like you striving to define life on their own terms. Yes… the best characteristic of this phase is it’s nondiscriminatory and spares none.  And when we’re all in this, let’s battle it out together. Everyone cannot afford the best of life coaches, and so, success tips to inject motivation is the need of the hour!   Allow me to offer: 25 ways to be successful, tips to achieve anything  you want in life Fail… to never repeat it again For me, Success is an elusive mask of realization covering lifeless faces of countless failures. Successful people think about failures as their favorite lessons. They don't criticize, instead, embrace them. Yes, there is no substitution to experiencing failures for teaching the best ways to be successful. Don’t be apprehensive about it. Taste failures to explore the possibilities of a breakdown, to never encounter them anymore, and eventually achieve success. Related: The Most Successful Failure Listen to your gut over people Today’s customary obstacle in our success ways is people’s advice, always ready irrespective we seek or not. What worse, we believe in most without trusting our instincts.My friend… only you have the right answers to your questions. Listen to everybody but authorize your instinct to make the final call. Stop expecting people to stop fulfilling their undue expectations When all have inner demons, let's combat like a one-man-army.Needing people to fulfill undue expectations seizes independence. You expect from people, they seek from you.This give-take relationship is infectious. Explore ways to do it yourself to negate the effect of people obstructing success ways. Related: You lose via expectations Never surrender to inevitable lows When we struggle to find ways to be successful, there comes a point when we hit the rock bottom. Every way out seems impossible. Hard time this!But again, this rough patch is customary to every individual and is the real test of patience. The best you can is allowing it move on with awareness, without judgments. Related: Let go the hard times Take breaks to prevent your drive transform into a baggage Sometimes, we push ourselves much into actions of achieving it takes a toll on the quality of output. Productivity suffers and exuberance fades away.Take it easy. No need to carry unnecessary load to overperform and lose enthusiasm in the process. Let it be slow, smooth, effortless. Go ask for help (Don't feel shy) Not every but a few steps in your struggle period need guiding light. You cannot analyze every dimension of problem by yourself because of a simple reason — you didn’t face it before. And the next step just doesn’t have an answer. So that’s fine if you seek help from someone to bail you out. That’s...