When the Elephant Walks, A Thousand Dogs Bark!

This centuries old adage from Indian countryside was never before more relevant.

The flood of ideas, the courage to start new ventures, the confidence to jump all the barriers and the passion to create a new world never happened in the history of mankind like it is today. Thank God! I’m privileged to have taken birth in this era and so are you. The most noticeable point is- it’s not limited to Europe or America, it’s happening everywhere from San Francisco to San Diego and from Beijing to Botswana.

You will come across hundreds of soothsayers (as they proclaim to be) to stop you from trying a groundbreaking invention. Not to forget the universe is full of cynics who aspire to outdo you. Many of them would not be far away but in your own home or just nearby. But, are they wrong in their own way? No! Not at all. It reminds me what Paulo says:

“People see the world, not as it is, but as they are.”

Most around us live ordinary life. They have long back forgotten to dream and accepted Life by default. They can’t tolerate anyone designing his destiny. They want you to be one of them, not to stand out.

Should it stop you? Are you ready to relinquish your dream? Have you decided to play the victim of others ineptitude?

I know, it’s not easy to stay immune. Many a times they appear to be correct, particularly when the wounds of failure are apparent. It pains when you hear— I told you. Stop! Ponder! Refuel yourself and go unstopped, because I know you are going to do it.

The Fighter

A beatifully written and truly inspiring poem. It does deserve five minutes of yours.

Love

Vivek

The Fighter

I fight a battle every day
Against discouragement and fear;
Some foe stands always in my way,
The path ahead is never clear!
I must forever be on guard
Against the doubts that skulk along;
I get ahead by fighting hard,
But fighting keeps my spirit strong.

I hear the croakings of Despair,
The dark predictions of the weak;
I find myself pursued by Care,
No matter what the end I seek;
My victories are small and few,
It matters not how hard I strive;
Each day the fight begins anew,
But fighting keeps my hopes alive.

My dreams are spoiled by circumstance,
My plans are wrecked by Fate or Luck;
Some hour, perhaps, will bring my chance,
But that great hour has never struck;
My progress has been slow and hard,
I've had to climb and crawl and swim,
Fighting for every stubborn yard,
But I have kept in fighting trim.

I have to fight my doubts away,
And be on guard against my fears;
The feeble croaking of Dismay
Has been familiar through the years;
My dearest plans keep going wrong,
Events combine to thwart my will,
But fighting keeps my spirit strong,
And I am undefeated still!

By S. E. Kiser

The Thrill of Insecurity

Do you see a connection among these questions?

1. Why a man gambles?
2. Why People love travelling?
3. Why suspense stories sell more than self help books?
4. Why don’t you enjoy a movie second time as much you do first time?
5. Why are the guys crazy about sports?

The common point all these questions indicate to is- Unknown excites everyone.

Life is boring if you know everything that’s going to take place. It’s no different than watching the movie second time. We are crazy about sports because of the twists and turns it brings every moment. Because we don’t know what will happen next!

A part of each one of us loves adventure. We want to explore the unexplored. We want to see the places we have never been to. But, when it comes to life everyone wants security. WHY?

Assume that you are not going to lose job.. come what may.. will you still be excited about work? Will you still be passionate about bringing new ideas? Will you still exceed your targets?

Imagine right before the interview you know that you have been selected, will you still take time to prepare and find out more about yourself?

Unknown excites us! Unknown keeps us moving forward. Unknown stretches us to a new level. Unknown makes us more efficient.

The fear of unknown always compels us to come out of comfort zone and do something we have never done before.

If You Need Me..You're not Weak...You're Just Human

I was going through Paulo's blogs and this post caught my attention.

We as species do depend on others and ther's no wrong if you show it. Living like an island serves no one. It might create a illusion that you are stronger, that's it.

You must not miss this. Kudos Paulo! for sharing such a profound insight.

Vivek

Emotional Independance

“At the beginning of our life and again when we get old, we need the help and affection of others. Unfortunately, between these two periods of our life, when we are strong and able to look after ourselves, we don’t appreciate the value of affection and compassion. As our own life begins and ends with the need for affection, wouldn’t it be better if we gave compassion and love to others while we are strong and capable?”

The above words were said by the present Dalai Lama. Really, it is very curious to see that we are proud of our emotional independence. Evidently, it is not quite like that: we continue needing others our entire life, but it is a “shame” to show that, so we prefer to cry in hiding. And when someone asks us for help, that person is considered weak and incapable of controlling his feelings.

There is an unwritten rule saying that “the world is for the strong”, that “only the fittest survive.” If it were like that, human beings would never have existed, because they are part of a species that needs to be protected for a long period of time (specialists say that we are only capable of surviving on our own after nine years of age, whereas a giraffe takes only six to eight months, and a bee is already independent in less than five minutes).

We are in this world, I, for my part, continue – and will always continue – depending on others. I depend on my wife, my friends and my publishers. I depend even on my enemies, who help me to be always trained in the use of the sword.

Clearly, there are moments when this fire blows in another direction, but I always ask myself: where are the others? Have I isolated myself too much? Like any healthy person, I also need solitude and moments of reflection.

But I cannot get addicted to that.

Emotional independence leads to absolutely nowhere – except to a would-be fortress, whose only and useless objective is to impress others.

Emotional dependence, in its turn, is like a bonfire that we light.

In the beginning, relationships are difficult. In the same way that fire is necessary to put up with the disagreeable smoke – which makes breathing hard, and causes tears to pour down one’s face. However, once the fire is alight, the smoke disappears and the flames light up everything around us – spreading warmth, calm, and possibly making an ember pop out to burn us, but that is what makes a relationship interesting, isn’t that true?

I began this column quoting a Nobel Peace Prize winner about the importance of human relationships. I am ending with Professor Albert Schweitzer, physician and missionary, who received the same Nobel prize in 1952.

“All of us know a disease in Central Africa called sleeping sickness. What we need to know is that there is a similar disease that attacks the soul – and which is very dangerous, because it catches us without being noticed. When you notice the slightest sign of indifference and lack of enthusiasm for your similar, be on the alert!”

“The only way to take precautions against this disease is to understand that the soul suffers, and suffers a lot, when we make it live superficially. The soul likes things that are beautiful and profound”

Source: www.paulocoelhoblog.com