Life throws curveballs at you when you least expect. Sometimes it may be your own expectations that are set high. Simply adjust your attitude to life and let go of unnecessary expectations.
Choose instead, to keep the faith, trust in yourself and hope for the better.
Life begins to shape up differently.
When you are feeling downhill When you are feeling demoralized When you feeling disappointed When you feeling demotivated
Just remember everything is meant to change.
What is today lasts not forever. What is hurting today will become a faint memory in time. What seems to be important will lose its significance. What is stressful will begin to ease in time.
When the odds are too high They must even out soon enough. Trust time to keep moving Have faith, for one makes way for the other.
Our thoughts and our intentions create the possibilities and our will manifests it . Truly then awareness of actions its approach and the consequences start to matter. Every bit of creation has a purpose and the trick is to steer it towards the purpose of being . But the path is the journey of our life and is rife with challenges along the way.
Common sense, balance & equanimity of our thoughts & intentions, all begins to matter then. Yes, moderation is the key but be mindful of moderation as well.. You never know how things slowly get out of hand .
There is not much time that passes
When the glass in hand reaches the lip
The sip becomes a gulp
What’s one becomes two
And two becomes four
And so it goes…
Or when the thoughts in our heart gets spoken
When old habits surface & shape out of no where
Without your intentions, inspite of you
When what’s in you gets truly out of hand!
Be aware to be mindful
Be mindful to be heartful
Be mindful to be moderate
But be conscious to be mindful.
In throes of life and living
Emerges many facets of being
From meagre to excess
Both, two ends of the spectrum
To live life well
Is to understand
The necessity of discernment
Between what is need & what is want
Anything in time can become excess
Everything in time can become redundant.
Something always changes
Nothing stays the same
A life of excess
Will never find contentment
For you will tire
Sooner than you know
A life of lack
Will keep you in dearth
In angst for a silver lining
In the misery of poverty
But again what is little to one
Is much to another
What is complex to one
Is too simple to another
What is beautiful to one
Is ugly to another
What is extravagance to one
Seems a norm to another
What is a subject to one
Becomes an object to another
What is absurd to one
Becomes perfection to another
To each his own really
In this life that is given
Sometimes it’s easy
At times it is truly challenging.
So if in life you are ever flummoxed
Just remember
Nobody is perfect
But you are almost there!
The process of creation to finding targeted solutions in the world of products to services is a long and winding road in creativity. The general assumption is that of a direct and linear way to creativity. While one thing leads to another it is not always a straight linear road.
It is the very nature of creativity to retrace, rewind, edit and reframe until it makes sense.
Non judgmental understanding and
empathy is crucial to creating solutions.
It is important to set aside ones own assumptions to gain understanding of another’s perspectives and needs.
To brainstorm you need a direction so it is important to give a clear sense of flow and the perspectives gained in understanding and emphasizing with the needs, helps to streamline the flow of thoughts towards ideation.
Ideation is a result of many thoughts, many questions, in analysis, synthesis and deductions.There are so many paths in the process of creative ideation like for instance…
Brainstorming : This is a group creativity technique by which efforts are made to find a conclusion for a specific problem by gathering a list of ideas spontaneously contributed by its members. BrainWriting: Another collaborative creativity concept at work. Here the ideas are all recorded by the creator and then passed on to the next person who can use it as a trigger for their own set of ideas..
The Worst Possible Idea : This is a creative design thinking technique where team members seek the worst solutions in ideation sessions. This eases the pressure and boosts the confidence of the team to challenge assumptions and find better and better ideas
SCAMPER : This is an acronym and each letter stands for a thinking technique: Substitute, Combine, Adapt, Modify, Put to another use, Eliminate, Reverse.
It is important to know what to focus and what to let go as there will be many plenty of ideas that may come up in the process of ideation. Hence keeping focus on what the actual problem is, helps in finding solutions to address and resolving it.
Then comes the part of checking out whether the ideas are actually a perfect solution by examining the quality checks, fault testing and cross questioning so that the idea can be then accepted or rejected as a solution.
New issues can come up that can challenge the process flow. There would also be new opinions and opportunities to explore and refine more.
So however curvy or zig zag the truth is, the road is full of potential and myriad possibilities in the making. Such is the truth of the creative flow.
Everything I want Comes with a cost So ring me up, Put it on my tab Whatever the cost I’m good for it!!!
A recent series on Netflix Spinning Out starts with these above lines from the song In the water by Jay Downer.
In reflection perhaps it is something every one of us can identify with at one point or the other.
In times of chaos and changes
Where lines get blurred
Between the future and past
In the now that yesterday brings us to
And the moments that can design itself to be
All our intentions are the reason
That things begin to happen
And then when it does
All our truths start to matter.
Life stares at you before you blink
And you got to learn to keep your eyes open.
No more is it make believe
For when reality dawns
It is reciprocal arrangement all the way!
You pay for what you want,
It comes to you with a price to pay!
” My dear girl, the day you realize that I’m older, I ask you to be patient , but above all , try to understand what you ‘ll be passing by . When we talk , I repeat the same thing dozens of times , do not interrupt me saying : ” You said the same thing a minute ago .” Just listen , please. Try to remember the times when you were a child and I read the same story night after night until you sleep . When I do not want to bathe , do not be angry and not encabule me . Remember when you were a kid I had to run behind you making excuses and trying to put you in the bath ? When you realize you have difficulties with new technologies , give me time to learn and not look at me that way … remember, dear , how I patiently taught you many things such as eating right , getting dressed , fix your hair and give you with the problems of everyday life … the day you see that I’m older, I ask you to be patient , but above all , try to understand what you ‘ll be passing by . If I occasionally get lost in a conversation , give me time to remember and I do not, do not be nervous , impatient or arrogant . Just remember , in your heart , that the most important thing for me is to be with you . And when I grow old and my legs do not allow me to go as fast as before , give me your hand the same way that I offered him my much in its infancy . When that day comes , do not feel sad. Just stay with me and get me while I finish my life with love . I will love and thank you for the time and joy we share. With a smile and always had immense love for you, I just want to say I love you my dear daughter. “
A story plays on in every face.
Every face fascinates me.
I love to understand what the face expresses
A face is like an interesting book to me
Linger a little longer and you are hooked.
There is a reason for every line & dot.
Every thing connects to their story of life.
A face speaks volumes about the person
Beyond the many masks it may have on.
A face emotes the truth of the being
Eyes may shine a light of their own
The nose may crinkle
The brow may arch up
The forehead may crease
And the mouth may shape itself in myriad ways
There is much there to fathom
And unravel the depths of the being
Every contour has a reason to be
Every flinch & every twitch tells more.
So much more to learn
Every face tells a story.
Today I complete my 500 days of writing consecutively here on WordPress, with my 500th post. Special and heartfelt thanks to all my readers and followers who have supported me in this journey of writing.
I would like to mark this day by writing about one of my favorite topics Creativity.
Creativity is fueled by the fire of passion. Often instinctual and deeply captivating, it is an expression of your innate potential. With it you are in touch with your deepest core. You are consciously awakening to the infinite abundance within, in every channelling.
Creativity spurts in the most unexpected ways.
It surges forth a river of possibilities
It amplifies the potential within
It leads you to rethink and challenge the norms.
It dares to question the accepted and projects perspectives.
It explores and creates paths for evolution.
It defies conventions to envision out of the box ideas.
It justifies the necessity of freewill through the art of movements
To create resolutions in times of confusion and chaos.
To manifest simplicity in times of complexity.
To innovate and change the statuesque in times of staid compliance.
To design and redesign towards efficiency and effectivity of purpose.
When creativity dares it is in communion with infinite abundance.
Management calls for special skillsets but with changing times the skills have much to do with empathy in people management. Every head of department faces different sets of difficult situations but most common to all is getting the work done by the team effectively increasing productivity with the available resources.
You are improving your team every time you incorporate the following ways
1. When you talk less, and are listening more.
2 . When you begin to delegate work to the right team members and increase the sense of responsibility in them.
3.When you are able to speak assertively with confidence and empathy than simply ordering people around.
4. When you are able to analyze and share appraisals to resolve and find solutions in a non judgmental manner.
5. When you are able to steer and guide them in their endeavors without overtaking the joy of effort.
6. When you practising collaborating with your team instead of trying to be the controlling one.
Every team is unique as the people in it and this makes it uniquely interesting to manage as well.
There you are at church. Your baby or toddler is restless. Perhaps even a little boisterous. You try to silence them, and nothing. You try to pacify them with food or toys, and nothing. Eventually, you resort to the last thing you wanted to do: you pick them up, and before a watching audience, you make the march out of the church. All the while you’re a little embarrassed, maybe a little frustrated too. You might even think to yourself, “There’s no point in coming to church. I get nothing out of it because I have to constantly care for my kid.”
I want you – mothers and/or fathers – to know just how encouraging you are to so many. The elderly woman who often feels alone beams with a smile at the sight of you wrestling with your little one. She’s been there before. She knows how hard it can be, but she smiles because to hear that brings back precious memories. Seeing young parents and their small children brighten her day; she may have just received bad news about her health but seeing the vitality of young ones removes – if but for a moment – her fears. The older man who always seems to be grouchy notices you too. He’s always talking about how children in this day have no respect or sense of goodness. But he sees you – a young family – in church every week. Like clockwork, he can depend on the sight of you and your young family. You give him hope that maybe the Church isn’t doomed after all, because there are still young parents who love God enough to bring their restless children to church.
Bring your children to church! If we don’t hear crying, the church is dying. As hard as it might be for you as a parent who’s half-asleep, keep on doing what you’re doing. You are an encouragement, and you’re starting off your children’s lives as you should. – Author unknown
Came across this beautifully expressed piece recently. Was moved to share it here. Have encountered this kind of approach to parenting in many cultures across the world. Not only in churches but where people are silencing self expression in their growing years.
And there is also the other extreme where whatever the child does is ok! That is the other side of the issue in question.
Yes I agree, we must ensure our children are well behaved in society as they grow.We need to help instill good values.
But there are cultures where if a little child speaks out aloud while traveling in a bus for example the mother goes apologizing for the sounds the little kid is making.
Extreme restraint restrictions, repriminding and silencing are negative reinforcements in suppression of self expression.
Yes there are limits to tolerating childrens tantrums, and bad behavior. Teaching them proper social etiquette is part of good nurturing. But controlling even natural things like laughter and speech can become a little too suffocating. What do you think?
Are you free at all then? Isn’t that a little too restrictive. I wonder?
What is life without a little expression.
Life is meant to live and let life live.
Yes there are stark differences across the world in raising children. To each his own.
Lets hope to share the world with them in positive possibilities lovingly.
Chances are they will hopefully treat you just as well in your old age.
Can you waltz on ice?
When winters turn grim and cold
Can you create joy and cheer?
Even in moments of melancholy.
Can you see a silver lining of hope?
In the dark dreary night to help you cope
Can you see beauty in every dusk and dawn?
Letting go of fear & doubts in the twilight hours.
Can you instill trust in another & move in faith?
Inspite of not knowing the way as yet.
Can you believe you can lead the way?
Inspite of being in a maze in the now.
Verily you are stable in balance
And you have taken your stance.
Clearly then you are dancing in this moment.
Clearly you are waltzing on ice.
Sometimes life gives you beautiful memories where you least expect it from. Or maybe all happens for a reason. We were meant to meet!
A month back, work took me all the way to China. And while some industry visits were happening as scheduled, a small moment of connection and conversation resulted in great joy and camaraderie. Met some very beautiful and loving hearts. We warmed up almost instantly with each other. We shared much about our cultures, our food and traditions. We spoke to each other from the heart all with the help of a translator app. It was such a beautiful flowing conversation. We circumvented language barriers although I spoke in English into the app and them in Chinese. It hardly came in the way. By the end of it what mattered was the joy that emerged. The beautiful moments shared will always be treasured in my heart.
Thankful to the useful translator app that made it so simple. And helped create fond memories of that day!
We can seem totally confident and be raring to go one day and feel completely strained and stressed out on another day.
We are only human and its perfectly ok to feel so.
We don’t have to prove anything to anyone.
It’s our life and we have just this life and this moment with us, if we are not living with joy in our heart then perhaps we have some questions we need to answer for ourselves.
Ask yourself these questions honestly…
Do you dare to be as you are?
Do you express yourself without doubts and fears?
Do you mince words, avoid stepping forward, play too safe
That you hardly dare to live your life?
Do you wear what you like?
Feel comfortable with what you wear
Or choose to conform to fashion trends or what’s expected of you?
Do you eat with all your heart?
Do you binge or fast in guilt or insecurity?
Or do you care to nourish and nurture yourself with food?
Do you check your weight?
To be sure you are in a healthy range.
Or do you find yourself too often on the scales, almost every day?
Do you dare to speak your mind,
To voice what’s in your heart.
Or shut up in fear of ridicule, of what others will say?
Do you measure your words to talk
In fear of being judged or criticized.
Or…to be the best version of you.
Are you happy in your skin
Do you care about your appearance
To the extent that it ruins your day
Or to feel good for yourself.
Remember you are most beautiful when you wholeheartedly accept the way you are.
Do you wake up because you have to?
Or do you have the joy of waking up…
To a new dawn in the hope of possibilities.
Make this moment special the best you can as you are.
Remember every moment in every day is a challenge
It sometimes gets easier or even tougher in the ups and downs.
Savvy Raj 
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