Literal Education.....

Everybody says being educated is important. I will agree to an extent but will not bet on it. Some of us are commerce graduates some are engineers some our doctors. We all are literate in some way or the other. But that’s only in literary terms. How many of us have a diploma when it comes to life?
There was this quote I read some time back this is what it said: - “literal education is of no use if it does not build up a sound character”.
So true. For u might be educated in the best universities in the most profitable field possible but what is the use if your character is not sound.
What’s the use of al those books u have read and learnt if u don’t have a character to support it? U might be the best doctor and treat people and cure their diseases but cannot treat your colleagues and your sub ordinates with respect.
You might be a very good constructor and build huge buildings and bridges and so on but cannot build very good relationships with people around you. What's the use of being a good constructor? What’s the use of learning and studying all of that and not being able build your own relationships and making the closest people around you happy.
We say education is the foremost requirement in life. I strongly disagree. It’s not about how many books did u read and how many exams did u appear and get distinction. It’s about how one leads his/her life and how many souls did he/she touch. How many people thought about them not cause of what they achieved academically but for the human beings they are.
Sometimes a uneducated human being is the most educated one. I have seen people who have barely gone to school who know more about life than people who have been studying for years. I think it’s important for us to learn about life and get a diploma in that rather than run after other certificates and diplomas.
Remember education is important but what is of paramount importance is about how you treat people and how you use your talents to affect somebody else’s life in a positive manner.

Control Freak.......

Are we human beings control freaks? Don’t u think we like to be in charge of every situation? In case we are not in charge of something we are tentative and are little wobbly and uncomfortable. We tend to become negative in case something is not in our control. Don’t you think this negativity leads to us faltering in our task?
Why is it so that we get uncomfortable of the unknown? Why cant we be positive of the unknown and be comfortable not knowing what is going to happen? Why does the unknown scare us?
We are control freaks. We want to control everything concerning us. That is exactly why we like to pre plan things and get jittery when they don’t work out that way. It’s in our basic nature. To get uncomfortable as soon as we enter an unknown area of life or likewise. This is what makes us play a safe game. Play within our limits, sometimes we tend not to push ourselves any further thinking of the unknown freaks us out.
All of us have a talent a hidden talent. A knack of doing something different and brilliant but only a few of us use this talent. A lot of us play safe. For example join their family business when they think, they would be better of becoming an artist or a writer and so on. We are afraid to listen to our hearts and do something cause the heart works on instinct whereas the head works on calculations. That is why we prefer listening to the head cause it’s calculative and would let us know about the risks before we go for anything.
This is why a lot of us do not reach out for the dreams we have and rather keep them buried inside us and try to forget them or ignore them. A lot of us don’t fulfill our potential and don’t do what we are meant to do so.
Don’t u think at times u are in the wrong place at the wrong time for the wrong reasons. Don’t u find yourself better suited somewhere else somewhere your heart belongs.
When u die u want to stand in front of god and say I have exhausted all the talents u have given me and now I stand here as an empty soul. Just the way u would have wanted me to come to you.
Life is not about control. Life is about letting yourself free and reaching out of the limits set by you. Cause in the end limit is when u stop trying.
Think about it guys. Go into the unknown discover your soul, discover your talent. Take a risk follow your heart. Be illogical, impractical and a little impulsive like a small child.

Power Of Voice.....

Can u imagine life without a voice? Can u imagine living with only actions and no words? With a permanent translator or someone who understands your actions. We take our voice for granted u knows. We speak anything. We hurt so many people with our rude and cruel words. We don’t value our voice. We don’t value the gift of voice.
What would we do without our voice I wonder? How would we express ourselves for everyone to understand? How would one say what they feel without saying it?
It’s a shame how we don’t value our gift. We should be more careful with what we say. Cause once it is out u cannot retract your statements no matter how it might hurt someone else. But yet we don’t understand the value of our voice. Why is it so that we know we should think twice before we speak and yet we don’t? Why is it so difficult for us to be nice and polite to others?
I sometimes feel we let emotions take over us rather than us controlling them they control us. I know it’s difficult to be cool, calm and collected at all times but seriously how many of us have consciously tried to do so.
Life ain't about how much u say and don’t say, its about how much u say and how much of an impact its had on the other person. And I am talking about the good impact. Everything we do and say has an impact on other human beings. God wont ask u how much money u made or what all did u buy he will ask u what did u do for others. How many people did u hurt? How many people are happy cause of you? And how many people are not happy with u.
One word can hurt someone or can make someone smile. Can u believe the power of words? Ask someone who doesn’t have it. Don’t misuse this power cause u are blessed with it. Make someone smile make someone happy all it takes is a voice. A nice kind polite voice. How difficult is it to do that? Next time u hurl an abuse at someone think about it and tell yourself would I like to be abused? Remember one must always put themselves in the other person’s shoes to see how it feels and then act upon it.
Lets work on it together. Lets appreciate people everyday. Lets make people smile everyday. Lets make sure life is as good as u can make it for everyone around u and yourself. I will guarantee you this. Every time you do this and you will feel and will be happier. You will appreciate the power of voice. Remember everyone doesn’t have it so the ones who do please do use it wisely and for a good cause.

Finger Pointing

Life is easier when u can point fingers at others. Don’t u think so. It means u don’t have to take the fall even though it might be your mistake altogether. All u have to do is pass the buck and let the other person take the fall. Pretty easy aint it.
What makes us do that? what makes us shy away from taking up the responsibility? Is it that we never like admitting our mistakes? Is it that our ego is too huge to let it down? Or is it that we just don’t want to look bad in front of people? Can upbringing play an important part in this attitude of ours? Do our teachers play an important part as well? Our friends, relatives everyone play a part in this.
When we were young and we used to fall off our cycles while learning people used to ridicule us, our friends laugh at us and sometimes our parent discourage us by saying you cant do anything right.
Also at home when family gets in a quarrel u will see finger pointing blame being put on each other etc. that too develops our thinking our mental state. If people who influence u cannot accept mistakes what makes them think u will. Right from an early age if u are not taught to take responsibility for your actions and acceptance of your mistakes it will lead make u point fingers having excuses for everything and so on.
Everything starts at the beginning. One has got to learn to be fearless to be able to accept their mistakes without the fear of being ridiculed. Its important cause once u grow older u will see how this affects your life, your relationships and your business. Everything and everyone around us influences us. So when u start doing things right u are influencing everything and everyone around you as well. U got the power to make someone think everyone does remember that.
Someone once told me responsibility is power. And so it is. Don’t ridicule someone cause he/she made a mistake. Rather applaud to the fact that the person admitted to the mistake which shows a strong character in itself.
Lead by example and people will follow. Take responsibility for all that u do. Cause in the end its about doing the right thing. Encourage honesty and it shall help u a great deal. According to me finger pointing is cowardly. Be honest to yourself.

A Bad Day....

We all have our bad days. Wait when does your day go bad. I mean when is it that think your day is bad. When u miss your train, when things don’t go according to your wishes, when someone spills coffee on you or is it when someone screams at you.
Small things affect our day, our mood and affect us. Yesterday I thought I was having a bad day cause things were not going according to plan. Just when my mind wandered off into negativity I was like nah my day isn’t that bad u know. People have days, which are by far worse than mine. And I have seen that myself.
Don’t u think we let too many things get to us. Too many things to affect us and screw up our mood. Cant we take it all in our stride and just let it be.
Why is it so difficult for us to ignore the small things and look at the bigger picture?
I will tell u what is a bad day. Tell my friend what is a bad day. Her mom was laughing n joking around 2 days before she got diagnosed with pneumonia and expired a day later.
Tell my manager what is a bad day. His wife was discharged from the hospital and a healthy chit was given to her and that very night she vomited blood and expired. Explain the bad day to his 3 yr old daughter who kept asking her dad about her mom’s whereabouts.
Tell my bhabhi what is a bad day. She was out shopping with her sister in law the previous day and then found her dead the next morning.
Now that’s what I call things not going according to plan. That’s what a bad day is all about. And we get peeved off about missing a train and someone not listening to us or we not getting through someone’s phone etc.
Don’t ever feel like life is a burden. Remember it’s really short. Enjoy everyday. Smile everyday. No day is as bad as u make it. We make a good day look bad at times. And a bad day seem worse.
This is life..

Smile..Its Free Of Cost....

What is free of cost, easy to do, less work and very pleasing? It takes 2 muscles to do it as well. Just 2. It’s a smile. Why is it so difficult to smile? Why don’t we smile more often? I mean what are we so angry or sad about. It’s strange to see the ones who have everything are the ones who smile the least. Is it that we can never be satisfied or it is that we just cannot bring ourselves to smile? Sometimes we seem to worry too much into the future. We think that if we are happy today we must be cautious cause tomorrow we might not be happy for the very reasons we are. I don’t get the logic cause if we don’t enjoy the moment now thinking about the tomorrow that we know nothing about what makes us think that tomorrow we might not think about day after and so on. There is also another reason for this and it “greed”.
When we get one thing right we want another. For example when u buy yourself a bicycle u are happy but then wish to be happier with a car then a plane and so on. We never enjoy the moment cause we keep thinking of the next big achievement.
I even don’t get the logic of not smiling at someone on the road when u walking or in the train or on a bus. Why can’t we smile? What’s the harm? It’s not affecting us in any way? I mean why not. A smile can change so much. U know if a person is depressed or sad it just takes a smile to lighten up their day. That’s all it takes a smile. And we cant even do that. Life may have a lot of hardships it may not always be easy but a human being who can smile through all of that is the ultimate achievement.
We keep telling ourselves we are very strong emotionally n all but what is strength when u can’t smile during the hardest of times.
With life being the way it is today lets pledge to smile when we look at someone. Lets not shy away from smiling. Lets make this a better place by spreading smiles and laughter around. Lets learn to make people smile when they want to cry most.
Think about it. Make it a point to smile at 10 strangers every week and hopefully it will become a habit over a period of time. That’s life for u.

Looks Do Matter....

You often here one saying looks don’t matter to them and all. I think its all a load of crap. Looks do matter. Yes they may not be the ultimate criteria but yes they do matter. Anyone who tells that looks don’t matter they would be lying. Even names matter they really do. I know it sounds kind of stupid but they really do.
I will give u an example I am sorry if I am hurting anyone with this name or has an association with someone of this name. If one were to go online and not seen each other and were chatting imagine this. A guy would be chatting to 2 different girls. One is named Priyanka and the other Vijaylakshmi. Now the guy hasn’t seen either of them but yet he would be more inclined to talk to Priyanka than to Vijaylakshmi. No matter who is a better person but a visual image is made of they would be just from the names. I don’t know how many of your’ll have done this or seen someone doing this but I have done this myself I do feel horrible about it but it has happened to me. Now the question is why do we do this I mean why does it happen? What makes us do that? I have got no answers even though I have to an extent got myself to stop doing that ad start being a lot more open and non-judgemental of people around me with different names.
The same thing goes for looks. I mean 2 different people presenting the same project in front of a board of directors. It will easier for the handsome/hot looking guy/girl to get his/her proposal accepted than the other person. The packetting is always important. It’s not the substance inside that’s important. We always look at what attracts our eyes. I don’t know how many people would agree with me but it’s the fact of life. The packaging is a lot more important than what’s there on the inside. We always want to believe what we see is what really is. Always want everything on hand rather than searching for it. Its human nature. How many of us have made an effort to look beyond the way a person looks?
Sometimes when u tend to look at the person and are only concerned about the looks think about this would u want to be judged only on your looks?
Skin decays, u wont look the same after many many years. Being beautiful is to have a beautiful heart and soul and not just a beautiful face or body..
Think about it…

Work is life.....Not For Me....

When we were kids u know how we used to dream of building those super sonic jets and huge buildings and dreaming of having the fastest cars and so on. A lot of us dreamed of becoming engineers and doctors as well. That time we used to want that to help out the poor and help making the world a better place.
But once we grow up I guess the sense of that is lost. We start thinking on a different playing field. We start realizing that money plays a very important part. But how important is money. A lot of believe it’s the most essential commodity to have and without it we would be nobody. I guess that is true to an extent. Some of us get blinded with the thought of money and forget our initial start and how we wanted to go about it.
First we used to work cause we were passionate about it then the passion is transformed in to a money making machine. Where one works to earn more and more money and nothing else really matters. We put in more and more hours of work and by the time u know it the very people u earn for are the very people u spend less time with. Its strange u know I mean one way u have to work hard and earn enough money but on the other hand is it not important to be with your family. Its more I think to do with discipline where one has to keep enough time on hand to spend with the very people who have made him what he is today.
Work is important to everyone. Money more so. But what is life without any passion. What is work without any passion? And what is life without family and friends? Does money rule our lives? Where every action of ours is ruled with a prospect of money?
Why do we make work our life when work s just the means of living life whereas family and friends are life. How many of us spend more time with family n friends and less time with work?

Ones Desire, Anothers Agony

In economics professor Robbins had said, “wants are unlimited and resources are limited.” Every human being has a desire a fire a want and they do all that is there in their power to achieve that. Our wants never cease to end. They just keep increasing and that’s human nature. Something just never change. It’s been there since early man age. Where first he need to cover himself so there was skin hides then he wanted a spear then he wanted a mode of transport then he was lazy to do his own work so he wanted to tame animals and so on. Sorry for the history lecture.
When I was in school I used to always wish that it rained so hard that school is called off for the day. I used to keep praying for that. Then I went to college and the wishes changed I used to be like I hope I get attendance without actually attending a lecture. Then I came to work and I was like I hope it rains so hard that the trains are no longer operational.
U wish for things that are going to benefit u without realizing what it would do to people around u. I shall tell you about one of those episodes where I realized what I wished for and how it cased havoc for people around me.
It was raining one night and raining pretty heavily and I was like I hope the trains shut down. And they didn’t I went to work I was sitting next to these workers who must be traveling from really far localities to reach this workplace. And I was talking to them and innocently told them oh how I wish the rains would have never stopped and the trains would have been shut. And he looked at me and smiled and said Nirav I was up all night removing all the water that had come into my house due to the rains. And I was so hurt cause I wished for something but didn’t realize how many people would suffer from it. He was telling me how he let his wife n child sleep while he was removing water from his hut with a bucket in hand all night. And that’s the day I decided I would not wish for such extremities. I don’t know how many of Ur’ll have gone through this. Or experienced somebody else’s pain in this manner.
Lets make a vow guys let’s wish for others for once. And not for ourselves. For ones wish may be agony for another. Take care everyone. Keep smiling.

Is The Easy Way Out Destiny.....

Today I have decided to pick on a topic that I have quite a lot of knowledge about. In my 23 years I have seen this happen to a lot of people and me alike. U know relationships are pretty complex or shall I say we make them a lot more complicated than what they were ever supposed to be. People come into your life and they also leave at a given point in time. I have realized a lot of us have relationships where someone has come into our lives and left us after sometime without any warning. Its almost like they are on contract basis do what they have to do and then they leave. It seems to me that a lot of our relationships are artificial and that we take to them and make more out of what really is there. Don’t u think sometimes we make a person feel a lot more important than they ought to be. U know when u in a relationship say love for example u tell each other u are my life and I cant do without u and all. And then when the time comes to stand up for what u promised the fizz is all gone the roaring tiger becomes a meowing cat. Its almost as if we work on our convenience. We all have our personal agendas and we stick to it. We don’t really realize how empty those promises are till we don’t go through this phase. U know whenever one is in a tight spot there are 2 ways to go. The easy way and the hard way. Easy way is to do the practical thing and listen to your head. The hard way is to do what may not be practical and maybe against a lot of the majority and listen to your heart and doing that. We as human beings take the easy way out. Its our tendency its like why should we take the hard way out of this. Everybody hates to struggle everyone is looking at the luxurious option rather than the sweating it our option. Then after all that is done we sit and tell each other yeah if destiny wants it we shall be together n blah. Its all crap cause in the end its up to u what u really want and how u want to go about it. Remember destiny may be pre written but that should not hold us back from doing what we want. Cause in the end we are the ones making the major decisions on the floor and not god up there in heaven.

An Eventful Day.....Or So I Thought....

Today my day was eventful for the beginning of it and suddenly became dull and dead. I went for a ceremony marking the beginning of my brother’s wife’s new shop. It’s amazing she was working with her dad for a few years and now decided that its time she starts off her own company and her own shop. It’s a great achievement and it was really nice to see that her dream was achieved. Its a wholesome feeling knowing that u have reached a goal u have set yourself. And the excitement showed on her face. It was really good. The shop looked great and its all set to start in the next few days. The shop is selling fabrics for curtains and other furniture in the household (WWW.APOSTROPHELUXURY.COM). That's the website to go to for the fabrics and all. Must visit it to see what it is all about. After the ceremony we had some snacks and then I was on my way to work. I am a diamond manufacturer and I also make jewelry.
With the American markets in the doldrums the diamond market is affected immensely and this is leading to a lot of companies making huge losses, as they are not able to sustain the ongoing phase. So well my work started at noon and frankly there was hardly anything to do. So I was just updating and working on my blog. Kind of frustrating not having much to do. Had a short day of work today before I headed homeward. Looking at the situation right now sometimes I wonder all the years I put into my training in my trade I hope it doesn’t go down the drain. So yeah that was my day today.
Good night everyone. Sweet dreams.

Goal Keeping

No I am not here to talk about the football. Goal keepers apparently are one of most important players when it comes to football. When they make great saves they are spoken highly off but it soon dies away. But when he makes a blunder he is spoken about on every channel written about in every newspaper and mocked by one and all.
We too are like goal keepers. When we do something good yes people talk about us and rave about us but not with the same intensity as they would if u made a blunder. Then u are world famous. At every opportunity u will be reminded of the mistake u made. People make sure that u never forget the mistakes u have committed in your life even though u really want to forget and get a move on.
We tend to always remember the bad phases, incidents or accidents in life but do we remember the good ones as often as the bad ones. I have an experience to share with everyone.
I was having a real bad phase when I started my work. Didn’t have a direction didn’t have any motivation and frankly no interest to do what I was doing. I was struggling and didn’t know what to do. I quit my work twice and yet in the end I came back to do my work. I am lucky since it’s my family business I can get out n come back into it. U know my blog says imagination rules the world. Well that’s exactly how it works. When u in deep shit you are mentally negative and pessimistic about everything. U imagine everything going wrong and u know more often than not it does go wrong. So I made a few bad choices when I started off made a few blunders back answered a few people. I paid the price for it. I got a lot of stick from people and I even got a tag of a time pass. As I was not serious enough about my work and used to keep joking around. Till date u will not believe it till today people remind me of it at my workplace.
Even when I started doing things right it took a lot of time for people to finally come to terms that I have changed for the better and that I am a lot more serious about my work. Its difficult though to shake off the tag that u achieve at the first impression. As I said we are goal keepers the blunders are infamous and the saves are just there like any other accolade.
This is the way life is, this is what people do. Question is do u want to be one of them or are u looking for a change in perspective?

The Past

U know we often tend to forget out past. Tend to forget all the people that have influenced us. Tend to forget all the people who might have shaped us into the human beings we are. Our teachers, our parents, our brothers, sisters relatives and all alike. We never give them enough credit. Sometimes even forget what they have done for us. People ask themselves why should one want to remember the painful times I say why not isn’t that a part of ones life ones change ones personality development. Who says only the good makes u doesn’t the bad also make u the human being u are today? Its so easy to paint life as a rosy picture and not as the one u are actually living which has the good the bad and the ugly. Why do we fear facing our bad times? Is it because we don’t know how to deal with it? Or is it that we just don’t want to remember it and put it all under the carpet?
See everyone comes into our lives for a reason and they all leave u and go away. And there is a reason for that to. Its just that we don’t readily accept it. We all learn from everything. But remember this those who have come into our lives have given us a fair share of the good times to and then gone away. Some relationships leave a sour taste in your mouth. But they were sweet once upon a time as well. Nothing is all bad u know. We all have had our share of bad times. But yet we hang on to the people we want to and get rid of the rest.
Always let go of the past but don’t u ever forget it. Cause everything that u go through in the past u learn from it and grow and mature. Nothing in life is without a reason. Always remember that. Everything will be understood by us at a certain time. We are the ones in a hurry but god is not. He bides his time to show us what he wants to in order to help us live this life in the best way possible.

Understanding Death

Death---
what do we know about death? Why is it so that we only talk about the person after the person is taken? Why do we say all the good things after the person is gone? Why cant we say it while he/she is alive? What keeps us from saying all the things we want to? Have u ever wondered how many of us would want to hear those things and we never get to do so?
Its kind of strange the way we treat death. Some of us must have never met the person more than 10 times in their lifetime and yet when the person dies u go there. Is it cause u wish to be there or is it cause the society calls for your presence?
U know a few days back my photographer expired. He was more of a family member to us. Was there at every function always smiled made us smile and laugh and made everyone who were camera shy into models posing for photographs. He must be in his late 30's. sometimes we say why would god take away such a jolly man out of our lives. Death comes so unexpectedly. Nobody knows when its going to come. As someone rightly said "life starts with a bang ends in a whisper". U know its impossible to understand death I know a lot of people would say Jainism has made us understand n all. But really can we ever accept not seeing a person who was with us for so many years. Today u see them laughing n joking around and tomorrow right in front of your eyes they are lying down in complete silence.
I am sorry to pick such a dark topic to talk about. Could not help it. Had to write. Need to get rid of this heaviness. Lesson learnt never take life for granted. Live each day as of it were your last. Forgive everyone cause you never know u might not get another chance to do so. Express yourself cause that's what differentiates u from other creatures. And say whatever is there in your heart don't wait for the perfect time cause by the time u think its perfect the person may not be around.

Take care
Keep smiling
Have a nice day
Nirav.