Journal Week 1 (15th April - 21st April 2015)

I've decided to follow this exercise for a period of 10 weeks where I'll be learning something (not necessarily new) everyday. I do hope I can stick to the plan.

Wednesday, 15th April 2015

Dreams without Action is like Cars without Wheels, both won't take you anywhere

Today is the auspicious occasion of Vishu and I'm embarking on this journey of learning. I happen to read a poem, written by a friend, which says that people who act on their dreams are like those migrating birds who fly away in search of food and shelter to unknown lands without even a thought of procrastination or wasting a second in nostalgia of the home they are leaving. But men are a lot different than birds, we know. Unless a man is a sociopath, he can't be immune to feelings like nostalgia. But something which could be understood from this is that if a dream doesn't generate enough passion in you to push you into action on the very next second, it is unlikely to have the capability to transcend you to where you wish to go. Hence, one have to keep on dreaming new dreams until he gets the dream which could finally kick him into action.

Thursday, 16th April 2015

Health is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING in your life

Today I've read somewhere the news that Jishnu, the actor, have been hospitalized with a recurrence of cancer. I reminds me again that health is undoubtedly the most important thing in a person's life. If health is lost, everything else will be gradually lost. The things which we are tensed about all the time will seem so trivial once our health takes a major hit. Hence working out everyday and eating proper food are not things you can excuse yourself out of.

Friday, 17th April 2015

People crave importance

As some noted personalty has once said, all men crave a sense of importance. There is fewer things which will give more happiness to a person that getting acknowledged for the work he has done. Perhaps one of the easiest way of making friends with a person is to give him a sense of importance,  and letting him know that his presence is recognized.

Saturday, 18th April 2015

Paradoxical Intention

'Paradoxical intention' is a technique in Dr. Viktor. E. Frankl's theory of psychological treatment called logotherapy. He explains it as a method in which you try to exaggerate and ridicule your fear so that you gradually come out of it. For example, if one person is having trouble in sleeping and is in fear that he will wake up late, he can instead think that he is going to sleep very late and will wake up late. According to 'paradoxical intention', since he is focusing on the reverse, the higher will be the probability of the opposite of what he is focusing now to happen. If fear of sleep not coming actually makes him so tense that sleep doesn't actually come, the decision of remaining awake very late will ease him up as his mind will see this decision as humorous and finally leading him onto sleep. 

This seems a tough theory to put your head around, but seems worthwhile to put some effort on it.

Sunday, 19th April 2015

Smile more

Bringing more smiles to your face is said to be more socially acceptable and to enable you in making more friends. One of the major complaints people I know about have told me is that I rarely or never smile on meeting them. I couldn't bring myself to smile in front of people, unless the person has a place in my mental universe. How I used to wonder about my friends who could smile at anyone? They've told me that this have helped them throughout their life and it is basically their success mantra in getting to know girls. But even that incentive was not strong enough to make me smile at random people. But now I realize that smiling more could actually be a more selfish act. Since feelings follow actions, smiling can make you pleasant instantly and as smiling is said to be good for health, you are getting another plus. Hence you can stick to these reasons for smiling and put all other reasons to waste bin, and start smiling. But that realization too won't trigger a smile easily. A best method, which I found, to bring out smiles is to imagine the face of a person you truly care about, in place of the stranger or acquaintance you are smiling at. 

Monday, 20th April 2015

The Art of Graciously turning down someone

If you are a person of weak resolution, you'll find that you agreed to do something which you didn't want to, because you couldn't bring yourself to say 'No'. As explained in the book 'Who will cry when you die', this inability to turn down someone comes from a lack of having a clear vision of your future goals. A clear vision of you future will enable you sincerely give a reason as to you are needed elsewhere, rather than having to make up excuses.

Tuesday, 21st April 2015

Thoughts which transcends us always comes from within

Outside factors will always motivate you, but they don't possess the power to move you. That is always with you only. If there is anything capable of transcending us as human beings, it can be seen throughout history that it has invariably came from within. Such a great thought or impulse which comes from inside can come either in a fraction of a second or gradually over a long period of time. You should constantly feed you mind with ideas so that they may guide you to that one thought which can change your life for good and elevate you to new heights.