the mystic traveller.
A note to myself.
My Curiosity.
It makes me wonder how we are hesitant to listen. We are so much pre stuck with our notions that we cannot see everything else around us. I remember learning how we should never take decisions based on just "our" experiences and memory, because memory is so much limited, and you are the epicentre of the experience. There is a close friend of mine, who I like to discuss problems with. I have known him for 25 years now, I think more. We were best buds right from school. I like to discuss my problems with him, and he is very open for discussions. He can trusted to advice unbiased with whatever limited knowledge he has. But I observed that I never apply his advice, I would always listen and go apply what I think is right. I used to wonder why his advices were in a different direction, although I can obviously see through the problem and my fix is the most perfect one. It was bothering him for a while and after a few years he told me outright that he isn’t willing to help because every time he comes and gives me a solution, I haven’t applied it. This annoyed him. And every time my fixes failed, I would go back to him with the same problem, and finally apply the solution he suggested. Then I realized, we both are stuck in our own perspectives. And I wasn’t listening to him, because he was offering a solution instead of just asking questions. I think I was stuck with the notion of "I know my problem" and my perspective is 100% right, because I am into the problem. I think this was a lesson I learnt and thanks to him for teaching it. When we are stuck to a problem, we often think about "us". We are epicentre of it. The best is to discuss it with a trusted friend, try to shift your notions and listen. It is like untying a tangled knot. Your mind is regressing the same thoughts again and again, your thoughts are tangled. Listening helps you to understand why you are in the problem in the first place. Most of us just hear what the other person says and move on. The more I learn, the more curious I get.
In The Air Tonight.
As I pull through the night, I sat next to the lake moonlight bouncing off the calm water. I hear Phil Collin's - "I can feel it coming in the air tonight" in my head.
High Performance Mindset.
I had an opportunity to meet a life coach and I underwent a rigorous training last year that focuses on high performance mindset. I found it very interesting and something that I enjoyed thoroughly. It was an eye opener for me. Able to unlock some of my hidden qualities which were more suppressed due to various reasons. Ever wondered what separates high performing individuals from others? It is amazing what human body can achieve just by focussing on the important things in life.
Good and bad.
I had a realization recently that I should speak less and listen more. Part of the problem is me; I am brutally honest and direct which can cause lot of discomfort to people. It is not that I am inconsiderate of feelings, but I don’t like to sugar coat when it comes to emotions. I am aware words can cause harm to others, it can provoke, intimidate people. Not everyone in this world perceives everything the same way. Everyone has their way of learning from their experiences. You shouldn't try to protect everyone and worry about people around you. It only causes more harm than intended. They know to take care of themselves. You can observe but let them be. Recently, I had an interesting experience. I had this argument with one of my friends who picked up the habit of smoking and drinking. Of course, she has all the right in the world to choose what she wants to do. But out of good will, maybe I spoke too much, crossed the line. I don't smoke or drink, so my statements were taken to be biased. It is my choice, only because I don't think I can be the best of me if I do. I have many friends who like to do, and I have nothing against them. I asked her if this was something that she wants to do. I could clearly see that the question had triggered her ego. And that is when I realized I might have hit the wrong string. I tried to rollback my question, but it was too late, and we were already into an argument. From the fact that it is not harmful if done in moderation, she was hell bent on proving that she enjoys it and there is nothing wrong in occasional and social smoking. She wasn’t addicted to it, but I know the problem. She didn’t like the idea of someone else advising her and telling her what to do. Although she did not smoke much, I could see what one's ego does to you. I took two lessons from this incident, one speak only when required, sometimes you should let people deal with their karma. Stay out of other people’s business, watch before you advise someone. Test if it will be taken in the right way. If your are not valued, it is smarter to keep quiet. They know what they do with their body, if their wish to cause harm to it, it is their choice just like it was yours to not to. We eventually ended up arguing about the good and the bad. As I advised it was not good for her, there were questions what was good and bad? What is right and wrong? Her justification about smoking and drinking was that she wanted to experience everything in life. What defines right and wrong? Just like two sides of the coin, both must carry equal weightage. It is just that if you choose one over the other, the consequence is different.
What is life?.
So, what is it? I have been doing a lot of thinking about this recently. As such am a god loving person. I believe in the superpower, in faith that you do good, it comes back to you in another way. Believe in balance of energy, karma and whatever you like to call it. There must be something that controls just everything.? I have had so many spiritual experiences which have only been asserted by beliefs and faith. Everything happens for a reason, and all the answers are out there, you just don't see it. Like so many gurus say, start questioning everything? But how, I still haven't figured it out. I am bogged by the fact that I might not be good enough. I always worry about my past, the things I have done- although in the grand scheme of things I haven't done anything drastically wrong. Why should I wake up today peacefully? I have the whole day in front of me to do amazing things, make people’s lives better. I see every minute as an opportunity to make someone else’s life better. But where do I start? Just to talk about me, I have a great family, am healthy, I work for one of the big companies in the world, so I get paid well. I make people around me laugh and am a very genuine person, well overall I am happy in my life-I think? There is nothing I don’t have but I feel there is something missing. But I just don’t know what. What is missing in me? Is this life? Do you have to live with that feeling that you know very little although you have read a lot? It is so weird that we spend so many years in education, learning about how things around us work, but we spend no time learning who we are, what life is. This question completely puzzles me. Either our education system is flawed, or we really haven’t educated ourselves the way we should be?
