Change is the only constant

We are what our experiences and learning over the years have been. Our environment, friends, families mold us or get accustomed to what we are; you think you know yourself very well.

And just when you think life cannot change, your perspectives and liking cannot change after a certain age, things change.

I'm done with Bombay & caffeine  - says the coffee loving Bombayite

2013: The year that was

While most of us could be busy thinking about New Year resolutions, I would rather look back at the year that was. 

Listing out the opinions and quotes by friends, acquaintances, colleagues & people that I found profound, interesting, nice or worth a thought... These are strictly from people I have had conversations with, not from social media sites, books, or internet. Oh yes, I have a sharp memory & I will always remember you by your words. 

Sometimes, happiness is just a phone call away.

Discipline of the mind is first step towards tranquility and peace.

Sometimes when you let people do whatever they want to, they give in. The more you try to reason, guide or mold, the more rebellious they feel.

Relationships are supposed to be genuinely nice and free of power play. But people may not operate that way.

Being straight forward makes it easier for everyone, but people will take their time & be diplomatic.

I don't care about one's past, but I surely want to know how much fun that person can be.

Trust the process and it's people. Keep calm.

Equality is a myth in real life. We only derive notional happiness aspiring for it.

People are sometimes kinder than what they portray. The boundaries they build are to test the waters.

The only way to make a bad situation worse is to get angry. It's a useless emotion & doesn't help solve anything.

Silence is understood as acceptance of others' views and that you have nothing to counter it.

Don't take shit from anyone. Ever.

Keep your email messages uncluttered, clean & neat. Avoid fluff.

To be the best, consistently compare yourself with the best.

Always keep your options open, else you will stagnate and time will move on.

It's not about what the role is, it is what you make out of that role. There are innumerable possibilities.

How can any person who is serious about career be partying every weekend? There must be some worthwhile venture apart from the job to keep one's mind sharp. Otherwise time is spent on endless consumption and enjoyment these days. Stop consuming & start creating.

Don't be the 99 percent. Strive to be in the 1 percent. Crossroads be damned.

Have a spectacular new year!

Thoughts for the week

Life isn't about knee jerk reactions or immediate results. No time to stand and stare would have been appropriately penned today as no time to pause and think. With so many distractions, it's easy to forget to pause and take stock. We all need to have the right balance between action and reflection. Self reflection always offers a chance to learn from our experiences. There is strength in acknowledging the past and especially in acknowledging the things learned from the past. There will be little rubs and disappointments everywhere as we are all apt at expecting a lot. Quite often life is unfair and if one scheme doesn't work it's human nature to calculate again. You have to fight through the bad days to earn the best days of your life. Courage is not always about the roaring, sometimes it's modest perseverance that strives to try again next day. For I have learned that the greater part of our misery or unhappiness is determined not by our circumstance but by our disposition. And a cheerful disposition in every circumstance, especially during the grueling ones, lets one walk away with grace. 

Don't give up the search for happiness because you are afraid of getting hurt. Today is the tomorrow you were worrying about yesterday. The future depends on what you do today. The most common regrets are not about what you did, they are about what you didn't do when you had the chance. Take the chance to make a choice to change. As long as people can change, the world can change.

Mosaic

Only when you look back can you connect the dots.
And how the timing of events has fallen in place
Though it didn't seem so perfect back then

Life's a jigsaw puzzle, enjoy it. All pieces fall in place when the time is right and when you look back it is a beautiful mosaic. Sometimes our inability to tinker with fate or look into the future makes up for a prefect recipe that could have got spoilt by meddling around.

So sit back and enjoy your coffee, life's good. :-)