Nirvana

 One of the most moving poems I have come across.

FUNERAL BLUES

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone,
Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,
Silence the pianos and with muffled drum
Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

Let aeroplanes circle moaning overhead
Scribbling on the sky the message He is Dead.
Put crepe bows round the white necks of the public doves,
Let the traffic policemen wear black cotton gloves.

He was my North, my South, my East and West,
My working week and my Sunday rest,
My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;
I thought that love would last forever: I was wrong.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one,
Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,
Pour away the ocean and sweep up the woods;
For nothing now can ever come to any good.

    — W.H. Auden

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Essentially, there are only four different things you can do to improve the quality of your life and work:

• You can do more of certain things. You can do more of the things that are of greater value to you and bring you greater rewards and satisfaction.

• You can do less of certain things. You can deliberately decide to reduce or discontinue activities or behaviors that are not as helpful as other activities or behaviors or can actually be hurtful to you in accomplishing the things you want.

• You can start to do things you are not doing at all today. You can make new choices, learn new skills, begin new projects or activities, or change the entire focus of your work or personal life.

• you can stop doing certain things altogether. You can stand back and evaluate your life with new eyes. You can then decide to discontinue activities and behaviors that are no longer consistent with what you want and where you want to go.

from Brian Tracy’s Focal Point.

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A few principles that I hold to be self-evident and a stepping stone to carving a successful and enriching life. These thoughts flooded my mind shooting my adrenaline levels way up while I was on a walk today - I wanted to pen them while they were still fresh in my mind.

I may revisit them and add/expand on these principles when I need to.

1. Welcome Change, do not resist it.

It is our natural tendency to resist any kind of change in our lives. There is an innate fear in the unknown, very few step out of our comfort zone and experience new things in life. We are in a dilemma - leading a lethargic and humdrum existence makes us miserable and makes us aspire for newer and higher things. Yet, we are unwilling to let go of the assurance of our daily lives.

It takes a lot of perseverance and effort to surpass this barrier - A change in mindset, letting go of all our preconceptions, face initial hardship and welcome change. But there is light at the end of the tunnel - we come out of the experience happy, confident and makes our lives more satisfying and enriching.

2. Create value in life.

Within each of us lies immeasurable amount of energy that can be channeled in a positive direction to create value in our lives. A constant evaluation and introspection to harness this energy and create something meaningful is the ultimate elixir in life. I often feel restless as I feel that my life is not heading along the path I want to. This restlessness is a cry from the pent up energy desiring release. It’s also the reason I feel good after weight training/cardio.

3. Love what you do.

Loving what you do makes you work 110 % and helps you see through the work. We strive to improve ourselves, we feed on the success and our personal lives are also happier as a result. Do not accept or indulge in mediocrity in any part of your life.

4. Be positive and believe you will succeed.

To phrase Henry Ford - “If you think you can, you will. If you dont, you are right.” To be positive and to be believe that you will succeed in leading your life on your own terms is getting through 50% of the way.

5. Do not be afraid to make mistakes, learn from them.

Success is at the far end of failure. Unless we are willing to try new things and learn from the mistakes, we will wallow in muddy waters and our lives will be stagnant.

6. Do not measure success by the balance in your bank account.

7. Exercise everyday, a healthy body is a healthy mind.

8. Be self-reliant.

9. Hard work. No short-cut to success

10. Plan your life. Live your plan.

Good luck and God speed!

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