Savvy Raj

Live Life Lovingly!

Category Archives: Empathy


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On Love & Inclusion

A poignant tale of a little child sensing the favoritism by her own father was shared by my friend Ali Anani in his post….

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/ali-anani-phd-15305319_love-experience-empathy-activity-6970262610063589376-9Fbe?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Here are my reflections on this post… which I had initially shared with him privately but then realized that perhaps it needs to be read and understood in the larger context of the trials and tribulations in life and living..

Truth has a way of baring open the wounds of the heart and mind on its path of healing the hurt.
For truth is on its own path of self correction in this world.
For unfairness and
Injustice has to somedayfind justice
Exclusion to inclusion
Doubts to clarity.

When truth speaks
In one way or another
It is important to listen
In empathy without judgements

Truth speaks as it is
In all of innocence
Or in wisdom of awareness.

And yet…
Innocence can be daunting  to handle . But addressing the truth one way or the other
Leads to discoveries of how little we know or of what is sensed & perceived.


In the story  that my friend shared…here are instances of lack of inclusion in a family

Where in one day there is marked difference in the way the father speaks,
When the child says
Why are you speaking to me…

Interesting to note that you perceived  the young child as witty
Whereas another may perceive  it as defiance,or even an evidence of an awareness of lack of inclusion and discrimination at this household in the young child’s mind.
And that she is voicing  it in all of innocence.

What would be of significance  is how the father addresses  this brewing disconnect.

Lack of love can be a difficult  phase at any age especially  for a child.
Let’s trust the universe to show the way for this child to receive what she is yearning for one way or another.
May every life be able to sense  love and live life lovingly. 

Savvy


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On Kindness

The blessed touch of kindness

In thoughts, words & in deeds

Can transform the moments in every now…

Choose kindness always.

The blessed touch of kindness makes an ordinary day blessedly beautiful 😊

Savvy


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Changing Times

Our moments in life

Can be hell or heaven

Joyful or boring

As the way we see it

And in the way we take it.

The meter of time is on

Ticking away in its own way.

For every life.

To make use of time or lose it

It’s choice

To see hope in faith

To be accepting of changes

Savvy


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Make space

All the good in the world

Flows in to your life

In a simple act of making space

For positive intentions

By subtracting the negatives

In mindful awareness

And consistent practice…

Life begins to shift for the better.

Make a positive intention now!

Savvy


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On Encouragement

Correction does much,

but encouragement does more.Like the sun after a shower!

In every opportunity to teach, train and educate if every teacher, manager, leader acknowledges the value of appreciation and encouragement it will create and leave a positive impression forever in the heart of the learner or follower.

Savvy


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What is enough for you?

On Contentment

Life’s desires and dares

Propel you to many pathways

Each a different experience

Like chalk and cheese

It’s all in the knowing

What is enough for you!

In knowing yourself

Awareness grows

To understand more

In acknowledgement and acceptance

Do you know…
Your own point of saturation
As much as satisfaction ?
Can you sense contentment
As much as fulfillment?


Are you certain that you have enough or do you want more
And most importantly…
Do you know you are enough  for you?

Savvy


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A perspective shift

Exclusion Culture


They bring nine chairs for ten children, and they tell the children that the winner is the one who gets the chair, and whoever remains without a chair is out of the game.
Then they reduce the number of chairs each time and a child comes out every time
Until one child remains and he is declared the winner
The child learns the culture of “Myself, myself, and in order to succeed, I must remove others.”


And in Japanese kindergartens, they play the game of chairs too
And they also come with nine chairs for ten kids, with a difference.
That they tell the children that you have more chairs
If one of you remain without a chair, everyone loses
All the children try to hug each other
So that ten children can sit on nine chairs
And then they reduce the number of chairs successively
With the rule remaining that they must make sure that no one remains without a chair, or else they will all lose
The child learns culture
“I cannot succeed without the help of others to succeed”

From Exclusion to Inculsion


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Team truths

To trust the team to do better,

Give them confidence that…

They can trust you
They can take the step
They can be creative
They can try options
They can make mistakes
They can get support
They can improvise
They can win!

A great team has a great leader who has their back!

Savvy


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Trust you.

Photo by Savvy Raj


I read these two lines by Stan Smith today…

Experience tells you what to do
Confidence allows  you to do it .

Will also add…

And patience paves the path.
For all that you need
Will reveal itself in time.
Trust yourself to deliver.

Sharing my photo of a beautiful bloom from my garden…for who better than a flower to express this truth of life.

Think well & trust you.

Savvy


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On dreams

Your dreams holds the key to your purpose …dare to live it !

Yet often dreams hold a vision

To some part of your life

Dreams speak to you

When you least expect it to

Do you have dreams that are vivid

That you just can’t forget

Maybe there is a reason

For it to be so , perhaps there is a learning

For you to understand more.

Have you had times where dreams have conveyed the truths which you perhaps know but have not acknowledged.

Dreams interpretation has more to say beyond the obvious.

Yet personally I have found my own interpretation for some of my vivid dreams

An in the knowing is the healing.


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Mastering Thoughts

Thinking is a gift of humanity

Beyond the primal instincts

Thoughts can be a complex maze

Self serving or otherwise

It is necessary to align thoughts

So that they don’t turn chaotic.

Channeling thoughts to align

Towards a higher purpose

Bridges the pathway to peace

So can we truly master our thoughts?
Often considered daunting in itself

For we are swayed by a zillion thoughts,
In every moment we are alive.
But if we begin to understand
That mastering is about integrations
It’s a connection of our senses.
In managing our mind moods & actions.

The simple act of choosing
One thought over the other
Is a choice we have with us.
We are our own masters
We are enslaved by own selves.

Our life is created in these choices
We choose to think and make.

Mastering thoughts is the challenge…

That decides how we choose to feel
Yet if we only let ourselves tap
Into our intuitive intelligence

We will find our inner guide
That is always on our side.

Savvy


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On Affirmations

Let me

Begin the day…

Affirming  positive intentions

In  hope and goodwill

Keep the faith alive in trust and strength  of self belief

Think of health and happiness

Peace and prosperity

Joy & love

For one and all

In this whole wide world

May all of life thrive

In  this now and forever.

May we all…

Manifest goodwill

In abundance in thoughts words  and  deeds.

Savvy


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On Balance

A story from Mahabharata

Once Arjuna asked Krishna-
Madhav.. What is this ‘successful life’?

Krishna took Arjuna to fly kites.
Arjuna was watching Krishna carefully flying a kite.

After a while Arjuna said-

Madhav.. Because of this thread, the kite is not able to move freely and upwards, should we break it? It will go higher.

Krishna broke the thread..

The kite went up a little more and then came down after waving and fell at a distant unknown place…

Then Krishna explained the philosophy of life to Arjuna.
Parth.. ‘The height we are at in life..
We often feel that certain things to which we are tied are preventing us from going higher; like :
-House-
-family-
-Dicipline-
-mother-father-
-master-and-
-Society-

And we want to be free from them…

In fact, these are the threads – which keep us at that height.

‘Without these threads we will go up once, but later we will have the same fate that happened to a kite without thread…’

“So, if you want to remain on the top in life, then never break your relationship with these threads.”

The height attained by successful balance of thread and kite-like attachment is called ‘successful life..”


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Travel Diaries

Musings on a flight from France Amsterdam

Onwards and upwards

Here I am traveling light

With heartfelt gratitude

In the giving and receiving

Sight of fresh colors of flowers

In clothes people are wearing

Is a sea change from the mostly black monotones

Sensing summer vibes in the air.

Remembering the romance of Parisian bylines

Hope the time forward is full of hope and possibilities

Looking forward to new experiences …

Every country has a unique culture

Tuning in to the collective personas

Like tasting the wine in every sip

Travel can be a truly an immersive experience.

All it needs is a willingness to travel & adapt to the changing scenarios

And a spirit of tolerance as much as the love for freedom.

Savvy


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Life and living

Life and Living soulful stories share that come my way…

John D Rockfeller was once the richest man in the world. The first billionaire in the world. By age 25, he controlled one of the largest oil refineries in the US. By age 31, he had become the world’s largest oil refiner. By age 38, he commanded 90% of the oil refined in the U.S.
By 50, he was the richest man in the country. As a young man, every decision, attitude, and relationship was tailored to create his personal power and wealth.

But at the age of 53, he became ill. His entire body became racked with pain and he lost all of his hair. In complete agony, the world’s only billionaire could buy anything he wanted, but he could only digest soup and crackers. An associate wrote, He could not sleep, would not smile and nothing in life meant anything to him. His personal, highly skilled physicians predicted he would die within a year. That year passed agonizingly slowly.

As he approached death he awoke one morning with the vague realisation of not being able to take any of his wealth with him into the next world. The man who could control the business world suddenly realized he was not in control of his own life. He was left with a choice.

He called his attorneys, accountants, and managers and announced that he wanted to channel his Assets to Hospitals, Research, and Charity work. John D. Rockefeller
established his Foundation. This new direction eventually led to the discovery of penicillin, cures for malaria, tuberculosis and diphtheria.But perhaps the most amazing part of Rockefeller’s story is that the moment he began to give back a portion of all that he had earned, his
body’s chemistry was altered so significantly that he got better. It looked as if he would die at 53 but he lived to be 98. Rockefeller learned gratitude and gave back the vast majority of his wealth. Doing so made him whole. It is one thing to be healed. It is another to be made whole.

Before his death, he wrote this in his dairy, “The Supreme Energy taught me, that everything belongs to Him and I am only a channel to comply his wishes. My life has been one long, happy holiday; Full of work and full of play I dropped the worry on the way and God was
good to me every day.”

A profound message in those words.