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The hyacinth at the surface - nectar - just beneath!

The envy of comparison is an unconscious, quietly growing emotion, like water hyacinth spreading unnoticed on a pond's surface. It surrounds the nectar of the water, creating the illusion of poison. The water itself, however, is inherently sweet, with the nectar infused deeply within it. But just cast off the tangled trap of those creeping vines, and the water will reveal its true nature—flowing freely, tirelessly, with a sparkling clarity. Water’s existence, its entire journey, is one of cooperation, of giving endlessly with a pure heart.  Even in the face of numerous obstacles and thorns along its path, water remains undeterred—a divine miracle, no doubt, but one forged through relentless effort. Who notices this journey? Who understands it? Water has no respite—it constantly battles friction and wear. "Why is this thorny life my lot?" It may ask, as feelings of resentment, anger, jealousy, hatred, sorrow, and helplessness arise. Just when it seems trapped, its spirit s...
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Adopt beliefs and then adapt them often!

We get fixated in viewing surroundings through a narrow lens of gained experiences. Our beliefs form based on what we make of those experiences. Each experience reinforces to core of thinking we lean for making decisions about our day to day decisions.  On a good day it is not uncommon to witness a formation of a belief! Life events, unexpected outcomes make is revisit the foundations we stand on to make ourselves visible and act. It leads to adaptation of our foundational core that we take for granted. Adaptation of foundational core is vital source of energy and paves a way new experiences that broaden our perspectives. It we feel lost often then it is a sign that foundational core needs adaptation. We must adjust the core enough to get a different view from a different angle For the core to adapt, we must force new experiences. What we know served us well. Until now. We must find a new foundational core to stand on. The one that works for us now. Adopt beliefs that serve our pre...

Pair up and learn from others when you have challenges!

PeerBricks Research enables you to "Collaborate for Visible Impact" - one brick at a time! It is an online platform aiming at creating a marketplace where pressing social challenges can be listed, discussed, debated and thoughtfully and compassionately addressed through innovative solutions.  PeerBricks Research is a space where the work among different players makes the hardworking and focused Social Ecosystem enhance the reach and collaboration for ground effect. It is also a place where a challenge receives support and it is transformed into a new opportunity for creating lasting impact. The PeerBricks platform is committed to the Social sector, NGOs, and Private Companies in defining and prioritizing social and environmental challenges and uploading them onto the platform to address them in a new collaborative manner. It encourages the participation of social volunteers, citizens, and innovators, to identify, fund, co-develop, and test concrete solutions to these needs. O...

An idle mind may not be as bad as we think

"An idle mind is the devil’s workshop” is a widely used proverb. It plays the role of a hopeful catalyst to the one who has to hear about it.  However, thrusting oneself into a host of situations that would stimulate our brain into being busy can sometimes prove inefficient.  On a cold day, a car is often started up and left idle to regain itself from a shutdown, cold state to an active state of operation. The human mind is similar in that it is sometimes good to let the brain idle, gather our thoughts, and reflect upon our actions rather than surging forward by keeping it cluttered with work. Neuroscientists and brain imaging specialists have run various tests, and their findings were quite interesting. According to them, resting activity could be helping to better prime the brain to respond to future stimuli, or to maintain relationships between areas that often work together to perform tasks. It may even consolidate memories or information absorbed during normal activity....

The better “us" knows!

Do tests  define who we are? They don't.  We think they make us. They don't. They are meant to open doors we are choosing to walk past to experience the world on the other side. There exist several such doors. We are at one such place.  There exist many qualities within us. Each door we encounter will test us for those and offer access to experiences that shape us. Not just this testing door alone. We must remember we can tested for many things in our journey. Resilience, focus, and delivery in the current. Hurdles and tests are vital. They make us introspect. But we must be mindful that they must serve our cause.  And choices represent a chance to make a difference.  In that sense, what we face is our choice.  We must watch if they bring out our potential and bring us to our best behavior.  If they don't, it is time to make a new choice.

Who really rules our mind?

  A human being is one of the most sophisticated and complex species to ever exist.  We have been blessed with the ability to think, analyze, and express our emotions. All this coupled with the fact that we can walk on two legs, surely every human, irrespective of their background, is smarter than all other species to walk this earth. In theory, yes.  In reality however, most humans are dissatisfied and unhappy because of them feeling inferior to another human being. The question that arises is - why so? To find the answer, let me walk you through a commonly used grading system in Indian higher education institutions.  Absolute grading and Relative grading. The biggest distinction among both is that the former awards merit for the individual’s effort and skill alone whereas the latter awards merit for the individual’s effort and skill in relation to that of their peers. We see the same concept being in subconscious use in the formation of an individual’s identity a...

The course from here to there!

It is impossible to not think about how to bridge the gap between where you are and where you would like to be. The gap often appears enormous. Unsurprisingly, you get attracted to tricks and treats to get you past it. However, shortcuts that should have helped don't work, leaving you stumped and with a much wider gap. The main issue is focusing on the result without control over it. While expecting results is a dreamy desire, it depends on the route we take to get results. The course involves a lot of background work with little recognition and reward. It consists of working in quiet, dark, dusty corners that get our hands in the mud. Some days feel like endless early mornings and late nights, all starting and ending with a streak of mistakes and false hopes that ensue. Learning by doing is a great way to provide real hope. The route appears marred with costly affairs. Learning is time-consuming, costs money, and failures are totally humbling. And yet, following a long-term path b...

Set free!

When you think about "I should have...",  you throw yourself into the unfathomably deep swirl of thoughts that lead to a futile assessment of causes that led to the past. There is little you can do to change where you are.  What it does enable, however, is a deep understanding of where you need improvement. It is a quest to understand how to better your position. Thus, the thought - "I should have..."-  reflects a drive for self-improvement during the dance with fear. On the other hand, when you think about "What if I...", it directs us to thoughts that lead you to immediate next steps. It opens your minds to future opportunities.  That one step you take can visibly change your position. It shifts you into action. Composes your emotions, which opens the door to emerging tangible options. Thus, the thought - "What if I..." - reflects a drive for self-acceptance after the dance with fear.

Who do you want to be?

It is probably easier to ask - "What do you want to be?" That brings us to think about work and the professional role we want. Thinking about being just a parent, citizen, or neighbor is socially unacceptable. That is not attractive enough. And why should it be! It is not glittery. It does not bring us any fame! All it means is being responsible. But then, the right question to ask would be, "What do you want to do?".  It makes us think about the enjoyable skill we want to be good at and exercise. And another critical question to ask would be, "Who do you want to be?".  It makes us think about the role model for who we want to be like.  It makes us automatically focus on the values. The values we want to embody in our daily life that provides fulfillment. And it extends the responsibility that comes with our choice and acceptance.  And that is at the base of a feeling of satisfaction.

Dealing with a blow!

It is not an easy thing to deal with a blow. It comes unexpectedly. And it hurts really bad. That surprise is the real problem. We are blindsided by which circumstances cause trouble and deal us a blow. The surprise stems from unpreparedness to face situations. Sometimes these situations can have binary outcomes. That makes the blow really hard because options are limited. Clearly favorable or absolutely unfavorable. We miss a step, and we have an impact of a significant loss of opportunity. We get one step right, and we are on the winning side. The surprise also stems from temperament. We must always know delicate situations depend on the last-minute composure as we enter the main frey. Composure massively weighs on the outcomes. Preparing with extra care and diligence is an excellent way to handle delicate situations. A better way is to work on temperament with sufficient exposure to the big-day environment. Organize practice that tests our nerves as it would in real life. It can sav...