Tag: gratitude

Thoughts

Paisa hi paisa

Very recently, my landlord Uncle and Aunty reduced the rent of my rented apartment.

After thanking them, I jokingly added: “I was, btw, expecting the rent to rise this year!”

“Beta actually we have let out other floors as well, and we’re charging them this lower rate only. So no point charging you a higher amount!”

I found it so cool. This new place is actually so cool bro!
Not just for the rent reduction.
Rather also because they played it honest, even though no one was seeing them.

If you really want to understand someone, see what they do when no one is watching.

PS: Other cool things they do:
1. Having a separate invertor for us tenants, whose electricity bill is attached to theirs
2. NO charges for water
3. Hiring a maid for me
4. Adding an additional (jaali waala) gate so that I can shut it and sleep in natural air.
5. Asking if I need some repairs – any time an electrician or a plumber comes.

Love love, to them! :))

Life

Things I fail to understand


1. Why do we think we are liked if we have more unread messages when we open WhatsApp?

2. What satisfaction to softdrinks give?

3. Why do people prefer ordering out instead of home made halwa?

Our importance, satisfaction and satiety – all come from inside.

Inner validation. Water at home. Halwa at home.

If you make those choices, you are unstoppable!

Knowing Yourself

Can’t talk! Just can’t!!

A startup founder reached out to me on LinkedIn, stating she was full of gratitude for what I did and how I was kind to her on her posts. She ended the DM requesting me to get on a call.

Bro, I am someone who has her phone notifications off since eternity, has never changed her phone ringtone since 2015 (when I first got my smartphone) and I am about to tell my boss that I will take only 2 interviews per day, because if I speak more than that, I will not feel energetic 🙂

So I responded to her, requesting to “strike the conversation” in the DMs itself, and told her the truth.

No response as yet. Anyway, the joy of saying no which you don’t want to do, is always unparallel! :))

Knowing Yourself

Hat tip for life

Bless everyone (from the heart) who criticises you, or hurts you in the biggest form.

If they are being they, what stops you from being you?

Thoughts

Stories on the street

Each morning as I walk or drive for around ten minutes to go to my meditation class, there are countless stories to witness on the street.

Here’s the two I witnessed today:

  1. A man was standing with his cart containing buckets of pickles. That is what he would be selling whole day, to make a living. Here he was, standing in a corner, serving pickle in a small bag. He then called out to the trash collector to come, so he could have his breakfast.
    Such beautiful thing. Most of us don’t do philanthropy because we feel we ourselves don’t have enough. But it is only in giving, that we receive the most. You do not have to empty your bank accounts. A small act of care each day, is more than enough. If someone who makes his living selling pickles can do it, what excuse do you and I have?
  2. Another woman was brooming the road, with the broom taylor made for thick surfaces. It is unlike the one that we use in our homes. It’s streaks are thicker, which makes it easier to remove dust from there.
    As this woman was brooming the road, I noticed a strange thing: that I could not observe dust on the road. Yet, as she broomed, the dust became prominent in every movement.
    That was a beautiful lesson: around how the deepest things are not visible. It is only through tough scratching that they surface. So are the things in our lives. Our deepest pains are buried behind us cracking jokes, being on time, being addicted to work, etc. Only when a deeper pain comes that it brings all that is within – to the forefront.
    A wonderful reminder of how we pain brings the best in us.

That said, there is a third story as well – story of you and I – walking on the roads, streets, malls, etc.
We get the stories that we see. And we become them.

The question is: What do we see?

Clients, People

Wow! Just wow!!!

Last Friday, a founder and CEO of one of the groundbreaking startups in India approached me on LinkedIn. He wanted to speak to me for writing content for them.

When I responded to their DM to know more about the work, his first response was: “Thanks for the response,” and then we talked further.

Who does that in a mean world? Such a kind soul! He could write a social media post and get 100’s of writers in less than an hour, and still responding me with kindness? Wow!

So we spoke further and scheduled a meeting three days hence.

Almost two-and-a-half hours prior to the meeting, he sent me an email informing the meeting had to be inadvertently cancelled due to a family emergency. Not only that, he ensured to DM me on LinkedIn as well.

Of course, I understood and replied with an understanding and affirmative response.

That’s not the point. The point is he did not “need” to inform me before not showing up for a meeting, yet he informed me at two places – that too when it was a family emergency.

So so sooo fortunate to be working with such generous and kind folks. People who value the time and work of others just as theirs and not taking their art for granted are a priceless asset. Always.

Just that I got lucky, because the world doesn’t owe us anything. All the kindness and ease from clients like him is always a blessing to be bestowed upon. If you are one such kind soul reading this, thank you to you too! You rock <3 🙂

Happiness, Success

Why are you so insecure?

What you have, someone is insecure about having.

What gives you pain, someone is researching that.

What you have, you had worked hard to get there.

Be grateful. And forget the fear.

People

That chat with a friend

Last weekend, I was having a casual chat with a writer friend.

After exchanging pleasantries, I thanked him for helping me bag a wonderful client, to which he responded, “Thanks to YOU, it’s your hard work.” And thus, we continued being humble.

As the conversation proceeded, he told me he had also applied for a writing engagement, which was finally bagged by me.

Those words of him just moved me. Here I was, getting envious of the number of clients and interesting assignments he has, and here he was, perhaps having the same emotion as me.

Too often, we take the most important things in life for granted.

The work that brings food on our plate.
The parents (no matter how weird they are) that make us fight for our existence 🙂
The friends who make us realise we aren’t alone.
The colleagues and clients who understand us when we had expected to be fired.
And most importantly, counting the endless blessings in our life when the Life we have today was the life we had dreamt of years ago.

How will we get more and be more if we aren’t grateful for what we have already been blessed with?

Thank you, my dear friend, your humility was always an inspiration for me. Now you are an inspiration to be grateful for my blessings. You rock! Like always 🙂

People

We, the humans

Just because we are humans, we will thrive in accordance with living with other humans.

This would, in itself, make the process difficult because all humans are different.

However, if you learn to be easy, things are going to change – because you cared for the common good, you cared to make the other person feel good, and also you didn’t care to follow the angry zone of the world and marched to your own beat of ease and peace.

Life, People

Goodbyes

Goodbyes are the most beautiful things on the planet.

When we know we have to say a goodbye, all of a sudden we tend to forget what pain they caused us.

We suddenly feel regret on the pains we know we caused to them.

Why does it happen in the first place?

It happens, because we humans tend to live life on the pedestals of tomorrow.

Will make that call tomorrow.

Will call my sister tomorrow.

Will pay the credit card bill tomorrow.

The way we love tomorrow, if we loved our today the same way – no goodbye would be so painful.

Here’s a parting question: Where in your life would we feel bad, if we didn’t get a chance to say a goodbye?

Happiness

Appreciation

A day will come…

When you will enter a crowded metro

Take out a snack from your bag and eat it there, and clean hands with your jeans.

And then you’ll smile at finally having reached there.

It’ll make you appreciate the metro crowd.

And when you do it, you’ll realise this solitude was all that you needed.

The best time to appreciate what you have, is now.

Success

A bad day.

Set myself some goals for today.

Work goals, reading goals, phone-call goals, meditation goals.

Accomplished none of them fully. How much did I actually accomplish, doesn’t make sense because incompleteness is incompleteness.

Also I used social media for 1 hour! It was a big big wastage of time in the morning immediately after breakfast.

Lesson learnt: Own your morning ritual and the day falls into place.

Lesson I still need to learn: You get to decide. You control your day. If you focus, it’s possible in 25% of the time.

Lesson I must learn: No one loves you basis social media comments and likes. Sharing content is good just because you want to. Opening multiple tabs is equivalent to eating food without washing your hands – unwanted invitation.

Looking forward to telling you a success story tomorrow. Till then, keep rocking!

PS: I am strong, healthy and with my family. Life is fab. Utterly grateful. Will just raise it higher tomorrow:)

Success

About growth

Numbers

Followers

Salary

Likes and comments.

Four circles or three arrows in your car brand.

Centralised AC.

Chimney that doesn’t make any noise.

Success – we have measured it by metrics that world has taught us to.

Maybe it isn’t success. Maybe success is the way you really want.

There’s nothing wrong with material things, if you really want them.

If that’s not what really makes you happy, then we really need to live and grow by our own version of happiness.

Uncategorized

To hear

The sound of people singing in the home next to mine.

Crackling of leaves in my own home.

Sound of one vehicle passing by.

Modi Ji’s speech in the neighbourhood.

Dogs barking yards away.

Be grateful for what you can hear when there is no veil to hide it. The veil will come soon.

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Perception

Some of the things we all must be grateful for, especially in these times:

1. That we have salt to add in our food.

2. We can call our parents and tell them “I love you.”

3. You are aware enough to be indoors, and not being stubborn and behaving like nothing has happened.

4. You have a peaceful night sleep.

5. There are doctors who work with patients who are infected, and still continue to serve.

6. Sun is rising daily.

7. You have a roof over your head.

8. You have a blanket.

9. Oxygen isn’t contaminated.

10. The selfless spirit of delivery boys, trash pickers, house maids, car cleaners, vegetables and fruit vendors, public transport drivers, etc., is way beyond we could ever imagine. Huge gratitude to them, for working when their families also want them to be home.

These are small, and hugely important things. If we would miss out on any of these, life would become very difficult or perhaps impossible in some cases.

Spend your free (and busy) time being grateful.

Uncategorized

Life always comes a full circle

You lost yourself.

And shattered the remaining part of you.

Now, in the process of getting back, you become someone who you aren’t.

Not only that, you hypnotise yourself to believe that you are that.

Then, in a sudden event of things, being yourself starts getting easier and more comfortable.

And that comfort zone makes you expand your confines.

This is the real journey: coming back from being lost. Back to real home.

Uncategorized

Communication

The ability to communicate is a hallmark of strong human being.

The ability to not speak when not required to, is a hallmark of stronger people.

Also, don’t expect a human being with a weak heart to have an attitude of gratitude. You have that gratitude for being the strong human being, and keep moving.

Uncategorized

Gratitude

A grand thing today may have went wrong. It’s okay.

Thousand grandest things are working perfect. Get out of one wrong and do those thousand perfectly…that is the way of the hero.

Because guess what, if things don’t ever go wrong, we will never realise the importance of gratitude and what a wonderful therapy it is. Right?

And every single person you know, failed more than they got successful. Success is always a numbers game Dude.