To Mr. Anuj Gosalia,
The mind Mr.Gosalia loves to take control and plague your system. You need to slow it down. Anuj, you've mastered the art of failure by now. You've mastered the art of procrastination, instant-gratification, big-talk, false promises and the works. You could probably write a book on how to Fail, Repeatedly .. yeah?
So, on your behalf, i present to you, The 7 Laws of Failure :
1.The Excusez Moi Syndrome - The mind loves to make you feel comfortable. Loves to find solutions to your dilema in the most-innovative ways. It'll tell you that even if you watch a movie (Read : Being Cyrus) before the exam, you'll crack it.. Why you'll have the entire night to study. It will also provide relief in the form of Scientific Research - The human mind functions at its best when it has to meet a deadline : The Flight or Fight Mechanism
2.Instant-Gratification - Whoa! I've mastered this one: Just one more page of the new book, one more song. In the middle of a study-session: i need to check my mail urgently. I have to have that ToblerOne in the refrigerator- It'll help me concentrate.
Mind tells you: Get done with your desire so that you are not distracted. But hey!... that desire itself was a distraction, an excuse to not concentrate, wasn't it?;)
3. The Illusionary Study Approach - Mom, i can study well on the bed you know. It's just a myth that you can't concentrate lying 180* flat on a soft,cozy bed with A/C and a light pillow under your head. I mean.. remember they said 'Study in a comfortable position;)'. The power of music also comes into the picture here... yes (Coldplay blasting, RBD anthems & JAL themselves). How can you not possibly concentrate. Now research says ' Soft alpha music [whatever that is, I guess on the lines of Karunesh, Yanni, Kenny G] promotes quantitative ability and mathematical problem-solving. But RDB, Coldplay? You need to be reeely involved in your math, accounts (some guys manage theory as well - And yes they do score well:for the record) or you need to be doing a subject of your interest to multi-task. Even then, i'd like a word or two on efficiency!
4.The Hoax Reality-Check - We love lying to ourselves don't we? Ask me? Comforting myself has become my forte. I mean why underestimate the time to be take per chapter. If a particular chapter will take 4 hours, admit it! Why pretend to finish or factor in only two hours when you cannot complete it efficiently in that given time. Yes, it happens vice-versa also ... wherein you factor 6 hours and end up doing 15 pages of a 60 page chapter - Lol
5.World's Most Innovative Concentration building techniques - Mankind thrives on creativity & innovation. Monotony is something which i detest. Therefore when mind-monkey happens (restless, unending self-talk on everything on this planet = mind-monkey) i come up with ideas such as The Enigma Meditation, Deep-Breathing, walk on the beach. The idead are all good but no sustainabilty. One fine day when you start meditating, you do not reach Optimimum Performance state. It is a result of relentless, unflinching, gruelling and yes.. monotonous practice. Something which i fail to realize and understand. Concentration is really very simple & very natural. I am writing this in a state of acute focus and concentration. It's just a matter of transcending boundaries and applying it to all walks of life.
6.The Compromise on Goal Behaviour- Now i'm sure, i have company here... How often have I started preparing for an exam with uber enthusiasm, adrenaline rushes, pep-talks... yes, i can do it. I can beat the best. If he can, why can't I - the usual
7 days, 13 hours and 47 minutes into prep-mode and it all goes bust. Deflates, crashes - i have a million synonyms.Yes, i mean how can you possibly prepare a month is advance? It just doesn't digest mahn .... To someone who's been bought up on a steady diet of last minute cramming, late-night rushes and 'I thrive under pressure'and such illusionary behavioural patterns, ideas such as these seem surreal. Hence, the enthu comes down crashing and then after a week a new time table emerges with compromised goals and fake self-beliefs... And this over a period of few years (19, in my case) becomes a habit until one day (like today) you tell yourself that ' Hey this is not what i was destined to beomce, this is not the standard that i set for myself' & emerge triumphant! :)
7. The Final Law - Failure comes to those who don't say 'NO'. Failure comes to those
swear by 'Impromptu Living' w/o keeping its drawbacks in the mind. Failure comes to those who believe that there's a shortcut to the top - Unfortuantely there isn't. Failure comes to those who cannot take the grind. Failure comes to the Indisciplined. Failure comes if short-term pleasures dilute your long-term goals. Failure comes everytime you choose an alternative to your original goal & Failure finally comes if you fall into any of the aforesaid traps of failure.
Some very fascinating quotes that i came across :
Hritik Roshan in Rendevouz with SG - "It's not about how many peaks you climb. It's about that God Damn ride." It's all about the journey :)))
Abhishek Thakore & the Harvard Success Model - Eventually, your success will be determined by your 'Want' - your 'Need'.How badly do you want It? How prepared are you to 'Grit' it out to succeed?
You may ask, why the 7 laws to Failure? Well, i wish i could write on the 7 laws of Success but you see - I am not too good at writing fiction:)
But yes, I promise thay someday I will. Someday, i will live the Success and then maybe share a tip or two;)
All the Best Mr.Gosalia,
Live It Up,
Me
Tuesday, 28 March 2006
Saturday, 25 March 2006
The " I "
Enlightenment is a functional disassociation of identity. The human brain is a biologically created thinking machine that has evolved for both personal self-preservation and the survival of the species. The ego, which is a selfish motivating force, is needed to protect our colony of living cells (the physical body) from danger and to keep our cells replenished with food and water. If you did not have an ego you would not be able to think, speak, or find food, shelter, and clothing. The ego function is so vital for survival that the human brain evolved with two potential ego mechanisms, one a centralized ego and the second a larger and more diffuse backup system utilizing less central portions of the brain.
If the body and brain becomes physically ill with high fever and the centralized ego center is damaged, the backup ego mechanism may temporarily take over its function. This is ego displacement without enlightenment. The backup self-maintenance system keeps sleep walkers out of danger and helps enlightened human animals find food and the basics of life, so they do not physically die as a result of their own deep meditation.
Enlightened humans do not feel their more diffuse ego and thus they feel as free as space itself. In actuality ego is still present and working, just as our autonomic nervous system keeps on working whether we are aware of its function or not. You do not have to consciously tell your heart to beat 70 times a minute because it will keep on beating regardless of your awareness. The brain function that controls heart rate is automatic (autonomic) and does not need our consciousness to make it work.
Some enlightened human animals have become fooled by the phenomena of ego displacement and thought they no longer had any personal selfishness that could cause trouble. Meher Baba (see picture) spent much of his life bragging about how great he was, yet at his center he felt perfectly egoless. He once even proclaimed that "No one loves me as much as I deserve to be loved." In truth Meher Baba was very egocentric and should have realized that even enlightenment is no excuse for bragging.
The same fundamental misjudgment plagued Acharya Rajneesh. He became fooled into thinking that he was above arrogance and greed, but that was simply not the case. The ego is an integral part of the structure of the human brain. It is not simply psychological, but neurological and hard wired into our neural pathways (see the scientific study of 'self''). The self-survival, self-defense mechanism we call 'ego' cannot be destroyed unless the physical body dies.
Even enlightened humans have to mind their manners and realize that the Atman is the wondrous phenomena they should promote, not their own fallible and temporary personalities. Ramana Maharshi had the right approach in this regard, and that is one reason he is still beloved by all. Ramana Maharshi promoted the Atman, the universal cosmic consciousness, but never his own mortal body and mind.
If the body and brain becomes physically ill with high fever and the centralized ego center is damaged, the backup ego mechanism may temporarily take over its function. This is ego displacement without enlightenment. The backup self-maintenance system keeps sleep walkers out of danger and helps enlightened human animals find food and the basics of life, so they do not physically die as a result of their own deep meditation.
Enlightened humans do not feel their more diffuse ego and thus they feel as free as space itself. In actuality ego is still present and working, just as our autonomic nervous system keeps on working whether we are aware of its function or not. You do not have to consciously tell your heart to beat 70 times a minute because it will keep on beating regardless of your awareness. The brain function that controls heart rate is automatic (autonomic) and does not need our consciousness to make it work.
Some enlightened human animals have become fooled by the phenomena of ego displacement and thought they no longer had any personal selfishness that could cause trouble. Meher Baba (see picture) spent much of his life bragging about how great he was, yet at his center he felt perfectly egoless. He once even proclaimed that "No one loves me as much as I deserve to be loved." In truth Meher Baba was very egocentric and should have realized that even enlightenment is no excuse for bragging.
The same fundamental misjudgment plagued Acharya Rajneesh. He became fooled into thinking that he was above arrogance and greed, but that was simply not the case. The ego is an integral part of the structure of the human brain. It is not simply psychological, but neurological and hard wired into our neural pathways (see the scientific study of 'self''). The self-survival, self-defense mechanism we call 'ego' cannot be destroyed unless the physical body dies.
Even enlightened humans have to mind their manners and realize that the Atman is the wondrous phenomena they should promote, not their own fallible and temporary personalities. Ramana Maharshi had the right approach in this regard, and that is one reason he is still beloved by all. Ramana Maharshi promoted the Atman, the universal cosmic consciousness, but never his own mortal body and mind.
Tuesday, 14 March 2006
Saturday, 11 March 2006
To Mommy Dearest!
It’s been long since I wrote something original … guess i’m too lazy to exercise those good ole’ grey cells, happily cocooned around the white matter .. arrey it's exam time re...
Anyway, I was browsing through some of my old files and I came across this essay that I wrote for my mother in one of those term-exams .. Got reminded of those fab, fab, no words .. school days. I’ll post on school some other day.. but yeah .. I felt really good reading it .. So i thought : Why not immortalize it on my blog eh?
Here it goes…
I wrote this when I was in the 9th grade… I guess ( Pardon the vocab and grammar. Not that there's been any significant improvement … but yeah whatever!)
The Essay topic : Explain how your mother has influenced you life?
‘God could be not everywhere so he made mother’
These lines truly portray the affection, the love and the goodness of the incarnation of God, the Mother. Our mother plays such a pivotal role in our life. From our childhood till we are well settled, it is her advice, thoughts and decisions that play an influencing role in our life. She is there with us at all times, to share our sadness and double our happiness.
Someone truly said, ‘Mother you are God on Earth’
As a child, I considered my mother to be my strongest support. Her warmth and love is truly uncomaparable. My mother’s warm hug after I returned from school gave me the feeling of immense joy and pleasure. Now at the age of fifteen I recollect the way in which she tirelessly listened to my endless conversations. She would show me the ‘Right’ each time I went wrong. My mother’s inspirational words would help whenever I was in a gloomy mood.
I remember how my poor performance in the eighth grade terminal examination had depressed me to such an extent that I lay sobbing for two to three days. It was at that time, when my mother told me that ‘Failure is nothing but a stepping stone to success’. She told me that crying over spilt milk was futile and she inspired me to study hard. I fared with flying colours in my annual examination.
I love my mother for the way she has directed my life in the right path. She imparts her own experiences to me and she tells me not to spend money uselessly as it is extremely tough to earn money.
I recollect those terrible days when my father’s business was not at its best and we had a meagre income. It was in those days that she supported my father by saying that ‘ Life is full of ups and downs’ Her good counsel gave my father the courage to fight out the storm and walk through the hardships
Now, in my youth she advises me to stay away from bad company and rowdy boys. Her softness and gentleness accompanied by the command in her voice gives her an enduring personality. She truly deserves the reverence and respect of everyone.
My mother, for me, is the ideal mother. Beautiful, sensitive and affectionate, she is a thorough all-rounder, a paragon of all virtues. Moreover, she is a fabulous cook too. She has influenced me in every possible way. Her life experiences coupled with the hardships faced gives me the inspiration to work hard and be disciplined throughout my life and at best be a good son.
Thus I conclude by saying that life without a mother’s love is an incomplete life, infact no life at all.
“ How I wish mothers were immortal...”
Anyway, I was browsing through some of my old files and I came across this essay that I wrote for my mother in one of those term-exams .. Got reminded of those fab, fab, no words .. school days. I’ll post on school some other day.. but yeah .. I felt really good reading it .. So i thought : Why not immortalize it on my blog eh?
Here it goes…
I wrote this when I was in the 9th grade… I guess ( Pardon the vocab and grammar. Not that there's been any significant improvement … but yeah whatever!)
The Essay topic : Explain how your mother has influenced you life?
‘God could be not everywhere so he made mother’
These lines truly portray the affection, the love and the goodness of the incarnation of God, the Mother. Our mother plays such a pivotal role in our life. From our childhood till we are well settled, it is her advice, thoughts and decisions that play an influencing role in our life. She is there with us at all times, to share our sadness and double our happiness.
Someone truly said, ‘Mother you are God on Earth’
As a child, I considered my mother to be my strongest support. Her warmth and love is truly uncomaparable. My mother’s warm hug after I returned from school gave me the feeling of immense joy and pleasure. Now at the age of fifteen I recollect the way in which she tirelessly listened to my endless conversations. She would show me the ‘Right’ each time I went wrong. My mother’s inspirational words would help whenever I was in a gloomy mood.
I remember how my poor performance in the eighth grade terminal examination had depressed me to such an extent that I lay sobbing for two to three days. It was at that time, when my mother told me that ‘Failure is nothing but a stepping stone to success’. She told me that crying over spilt milk was futile and she inspired me to study hard. I fared with flying colours in my annual examination.
I love my mother for the way she has directed my life in the right path. She imparts her own experiences to me and she tells me not to spend money uselessly as it is extremely tough to earn money.
I recollect those terrible days when my father’s business was not at its best and we had a meagre income. It was in those days that she supported my father by saying that ‘ Life is full of ups and downs’ Her good counsel gave my father the courage to fight out the storm and walk through the hardships
Now, in my youth she advises me to stay away from bad company and rowdy boys. Her softness and gentleness accompanied by the command in her voice gives her an enduring personality. She truly deserves the reverence and respect of everyone.
My mother, for me, is the ideal mother. Beautiful, sensitive and affectionate, she is a thorough all-rounder, a paragon of all virtues. Moreover, she is a fabulous cook too. She has influenced me in every possible way. Her life experiences coupled with the hardships faced gives me the inspiration to work hard and be disciplined throughout my life and at best be a good son.
Thus I conclude by saying that life without a mother’s love is an incomplete life, infact no life at all.
“ How I wish mothers were immortal...”
Sunday, 5 March 2006
Lights will guide me Home
When you try your best but you don't succeed
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
....Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
when you love some one but it goes to waste
could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I
Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
When you get what you want but not what you need
When you feel so tired but you can't sleep
....Stuck in reverse
And the tears come streaming down your face
When you lose something you can't replace
when you love some one but it goes to waste
could it be worse?
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
high up above or down below
When you're too in love to let it go
But if you never try you'll never know
Just what you're worth
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
Tears stream down your face
When you lose something you cannot replace
Tears stream down your face
And I
Tears stream down your face
I promise you I will learn from my mistakes
Tears stream down your face
And I
Lights will guide you home
And ignite your bones
And I will try to fix you
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