Very nice article by Late Khushwant Singh. Preserve this . 😊
How To Live & Die
I’ve often thought about what it is that makes people happy—what one has to do in order to achieve happiness.
1- First and foremost is good health. If you do not enjoy good health, you can never be happy. Any ailment, however trivial, will deduct something from your happiness.
2- Second, a healthy bank balance. It need not run into crores, but it should be enough to provide for comforts, and there should be something to spare for recreation—eating out, going to the movies, travel and holidays in the hills or by the sea. Shortage of money can be demoralising. Living on credit or borrowing is demeaning and lowers one in one’s own eyes.
3- Third, your own home. Rented places can never give you the comfort or security of a home that is yours for keeps. If it has garden space, all the better. Plant your own trees and flowers, see them grow and blossom, and cultivate a sense of kinship with them.
4- Fourth, an understanding companion, be it your spouse or a best friend. If you have too many misunderstandings, it robs you of your peace of mind. It is better to accept the differences than to be quarrelling all the time.
5- Fifth, stop envying those who have done better than you in life—risen higher, made more money, or earned more fame. Envy can be corroding; avoid comparing yourself with others.
6- Sixth, do not allow people to descend on you for gossip. By the time you get rid of them, you will feel exhausted and poisoned by their gossip-mongering.
7- Seventh, cultivate a hobby or two that will fulfill you—gardening, reading, writing, painting, playing or listening to music. Going to clubs or parties to get free drinks, or to meet celebrities, is a criminal waste of time. It’s important to concentrate on something that keeps you occupied meaningfully.
8- Eighth, every morning and evening devote 20 minutes to meditation or introspection. In the mornings, 10 minutes should be spent in keeping the mind absolutely still, and for listing the things you have to do that day. In the evenings, five minutes should be set aside to keep the mind still and 10 to go over the tasks you had intended to do.
9- Ninth, don’t lose your temper. Try not to be short-tempered, or vengeful. Even when a friend has been rude, just move on.
10- Above all, when the time comes to go, one should go like a Person without any regret or grievance against anyone.
A Sufi Tale: A merchant from Baghdad entered a Sufi’s shop, which had essence jars on the shelves. Marveling at the beauty of the place, he asked, “Sir, what is sold here?” The Sufi replied, “The gifts of God”.
The merchant was surprised with the answer, & asked, “And how much do they cost?” “Nothing, here all is for free”, said the Sufi, observing carefully, that the traveller could see the labels: “Jugs of Love”; “Jars of Faith”; “Packages of Hope”.
The merchant said, “A big jug of love, all the packages of hope & three jars of faith for me, my friends & my family”.
The Sufi carefully prepared the order & handed him a small box. Surprised, the merchant exclaimed, “But, but…. how can everything I have asked for, be in this tiny box?”
Smiling, the Sufi replied, “In God’s store, we do not sell fruits, only seeds. You have to sow them. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽
When what you say And what you do Are congruent The effect of your words & deeds Radiates all around you in resonance.
It’s no wonder then that In a world that seems so dissonant Words and deeds need to synch. In harmony of such synchrony Faith and trust meet belief And that’s what makes all the difference.
I turn to self reflection and solitude walking in contemplative introspection, when I need to rebalance and align myself , as in doing so I am able to understand and reconsider how difficult it has been, given the circumstances and I comfort myself by acknowledging that I have done my best.
I am grateful for this ability to write and paint my heart away, and express myself through arts, just as much as being kinder and compassionate with myself. For in every such moment, I am learning to be a better me.
I also find great solace in meditative movements and soulful dancing that help me bounce back to normalcy.
WordPress says I have published 1500 posts!! Calls for a little celebration of this milestone and thankfulness in Gratitude to you my dear readers in this journey together! 🙏😊
The Journey so far… The simple act of writing a little everyday, penning down my thoughts and sharing with you all here, the time spent here, has been deeply rewarding in more ways than one. Yes, a moment of reckoning indeed of all those contemplative times.🙂
While some of you my readers have suggested me to focus on the monentary benefits of blogging, yet a few of you have appreciated my artworks and also suggested that I must compile a book in some of the kind comments you leave, which I will cherish for a lifetime. So thank you all for encouraging & supporting me right through…
As many of you my readers already know, I diligently practice writing a post every day for over three years now…
This is beautiful canvas space of expression for myself on all the little things that come my way and touch me one way or the other
The Vision Ahead …
I believe I am now ready to explore the idea of compiling a book of my writings. So I would truly love to hear from those of you who have walked the path of publishing your books.
Yes there is a lot of information on the internet about publishing, but I think to listen to you my readers, and hear your individual and unique wisdom garnered from your own experiences in publishing a book as a fellow writer would add a relevant perspective.
And secondly if you could share your thoughts of my writings, it would help in understanding more of what you envision of me as a writer.
Would you care to write and share about what are the steps to publish a book? And as a reader if you have been following my posts here, what genre do you think my works could do well? It would be really nice to learn from you all. Do share your experiences, and leave tips for the road ahead in publishing a book if any. It would be certainly be a step ahead.
How important do you think is a culture of trust to an enterprise and its growth?
How would it be possible to create, nurture & sustain trust in teams?
On a scale of 1 to 10 where do you think the team you lead, is in terms of trustfulness? Companies spend a lot of their resources planning for engagements that are geared towards trust building. There are get together, team lunches, resort trips arranged, and social events organized to ensure every one has a good time and build a rapport with each other.
What are the genuine ways of trust building in teams? What makes a team trust a leader?
Trust is a significant and valuable trait to build into any functional team. And it is the responsibility of the leader to create an atmosphere for trust to follow through in teams. Besides skills and abilities to lead and show direction to the team when in need, a leader’s trust quotient increases when they are ready to be vulnerable enough to let the team understand that after all, we are together through the thick and thin.
Secondly, it is important for a leader to be able to cultivate clarity in communication. And shares the bigger picture with the team, so they understand the intent for a plan.
More than anything else, it makes way for an authentic and open culture of trustful action and responses.
And speaking of responses, an effective and efficient leader will seek feedbacks to create a proper follow-ups and follow through of any intention.
Whenever a leader internalizes these values as habits of being authentic and vulnerable with their team, trust is born.
In every effort taken towards creating clarity & consistency in the channels of communication with their team, trust is built. And while finding resolutions through followups with timely responses, trust is sustained in the teams. Great organization begins with teams that place value on trustfulness as an important part of the growth mindset.
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