Category: Motivation

“Everybody wants to be a Diamond, but very few are willing to get cut”

Have you ever seen a successful person who has never faced a single failure in his life? I don’t think so!

If you want to be successful, at some point in your life, you have to take risks, whether it is a calculated risk or expanding your horizons. It’s quite difficult to chase your dreams without any risk. Though the risk is failure-prone but nothing can substitute the experience you are going to get. Swami Vivekananda once said, “Take risks: if you win, you will be happy; if you lose, you will be wise.”

“You’ll always miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.” — Wayne Gretzky

So there isn’t anything like a failure, only experience! And by experience, you become an expert someday. Let me make it simpler for you. Do you like to cook? Imagine what happens if you do not dare to cook? What if you are not willing to take the risk of adding spices and salt in the dish? Will you be able to enjoy delicious dishes? Of course, you can order food online or dine out, but you may not be able to enjoy the food of your own making, right? And you may never be able to crack the code behind that aromatic food. Similarly, if you have to spice up your life with proper salt and sweetness, then you have to take the risk. This is the solitary path to convert your life from ordinary to extraordinary and mediocre to magnificent.

Remember what John A. Shedd once quoted, “A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for”. The beauty of life lies in continuous progress. Life is beautiful when it has a flow, you might have noticed the staleness of stagnant water. The same is true for our life too.

There is a Chinese Proverb “Pearls don’t lie on the seashore. If you want one, you must dive for it”. If you want pearl of success, then definitely you have to take the risk of diving in the deep ocean of knowledge, hard work, practice, and patience. There is no shortcut for that.

And how can we forget Mark Zuckerberg’s views on the matter –

 “The biggest risk is not taking any risk. In a world that is changing really quickly, the only strategy that is guaranteed to fail is not taking risks.”

If Columbus had not taken the risk, nobody would have explored the world and you would not have remembered him for anything. There are many more life examples Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, Bill Gates (to name a few) from whom we can learn about how to bounce back. There is not a single person who is successful but never failed even once in their life. They have failed so many times but their risk appetite never extinguished, and they surely learned how to bounce back. The greatest benefit of taking risk is to overcome your fear. The fear of failure, fear of conformity pressure of society, fear of comparison, and fear of being criticized. When you overcome these hurdles, it boosts up your confidence, increases your ability to bounce back, and changes your outlook towards life.

Everybody wants to be a Diamond, but very few are willing to get cut. Remember, to shine like a diamond, you have to take the risk of being cut and polished.

Be happy, Be yourself!

“Care about people’s approval, and you will always be their prisoner.”

Lao Tzu

It’s quite difficult to please everyone in this world. If you are trying to do that, then you are definitely inviting people to copyedit you.

Is it okay to change yourself to make others happy? Live the way they want you to? We can change certain habits that are malady for us too, but becoming a different person for others is not possible. We all may not agree on a particular matter, and it is okay as we are entitled to different opinions. It may be difficult to avoid the conformity pressure society puts on us, but hey, we are born to be unique, right? Are you going to change for each and everyone you meet in life? Ultimately, there won’t be any you left in you anymore but a hybrid of these opinions, better said, an alien. Don’t forget – No one is you and that is your superpower.

Be confident (not overconfident), respect others, be full of gratitude that makes you a better person. But if someone still wants you to change, then that’s their problem and not yours. And, maybe it’s them who need a change in their attitude and try accepting others as they are, not some tweaked version of their opinions. Life is not about pleasing everyone. If a few are not satisfied with you, then let them be.

Love and respect your individuality. Don’t spoil your originality for pleasing others. Do you need a certificate of approval to hang on your wall? No, right? Then accept yourself completely, the good and the bad. Make changes as you like and whatever helps you be a better person. Not for the sake of others who expect you to change for their benefits or self-satisfaction, but you. Take charge of your happiness and self-worth. Be happy, be yourself. And always remember the inspiring thought of Andrew Carnegie —

“If you want to be happy, set a goal that commands your thoughts, liberates your energy and inspires your hopes.”

It is easier to criticize than to do better

What makes the criticism so horrible? This word itself generates a feeling of discomfort, isn’t it? It is said that the human tongue is more poisonous than a bee’s sting, figuratively. And, no way on earth, you could have escaped from this bitter experience. Can you relate to this challenge? If yes, then this blog is for you, my friend!

There are two types of criticism: constructive and destructive. There is no clear cut demarcation between the two, but it totally depends on the intention of the critic and, of course, you. It takes only a few words and a few seconds to come out of someone’s mouth but can have a lifetime impact on someone.

Frank A. Clark once said – “Criticism, like rain, should be gentle enough to nourish a man’s growth without destroying his roots.”

Those who give you constructive criticism are definitely your well-wishers as they come up with a solution for the problems they are pointing out or suggest you some ways to improve yourself. If you are on the way of betterment, welcome this constructive criticism with an open heart.

But here comes the main villain ‘the destructive criticism’ which has given this bad name to the criticism and which comes into action only to demoralize you. Hurt your confidence, self-esteem, and dignity. Question your abilities and add more insults to injury.

Some people have taken it as a personal affair to copyedit the people around themselves for self-satisfaction, fuel their superiority. They want to change you just for having a different opinion from them. The motto of destructive criticism is to control you, your mind, your feelings, and emotions, in short (#) puppet of their hands.Is there anybody in the world who says they are handing out destructive criticism? No, don’t think so!

Remember, what Aristotle once said, -“Criticism is something we can avoid easily by saying nothing, doing nothing, and being nothing.” Would you like to be like that?

Here, I would like to tell you a story with a pinch of a tweak but an impressive message in it.

One fine day two Crabs came out from their home to take a stroll on the sand. The elder crab was watching the younger crab and started criticizing for not walking properly. He suggested him to walk straight forward, without twisting from side to side. The younger crab tried a lot but failed each time. Then he said to the elder crab -“set the example yourself, and I will follow you.” Now the elder crab showed him how to walk. But, hang on a minute, what was that? He himself was walking sideways. He was unable to walk straight, however hard he tried.

Moral of the story: Criticizing someone is very easy, but setting an example is quite difficult. In other words, it is easier to criticize than to do better.

This story justifies the thought of Channing Pollock on the matter once said: “a critic is a legless man who teaches running.”

These people are always on the high horse and try to belittle you. They love futile arguments and are the ultimate energy vampires. Be aware of such people around you and distance them if you can. Don’t let them steal your peace of mind, control your emotions, and play the blame game. Be happy, be yourself. Be inspired by the thought of Zig Ziglar-

“Don’t be distracted by criticism. Remember: the only taste of success some people have is when they take a bite out of you.”

What do you want to be – Perfect or Exceptional?

There is an old saying, “practice makes a man perfect”. Do you agree with that?

Is there any measuring scale for perfection? Is it a universal scale for everyone? When we appraise someone superior or inferior based on comparisons, we just forget that we are talking about two different human beings. That ‘Supreme power’ has created us with unique DNA pattern and fingerprints, having different talents and potential with a different question paper to answer. So how can we compare ourselves to others? Our motto is to improve ourselves, so the competition must be with our own self. Never measure your progress on someone else’s criteria. For years, perfection and success are considered to be inseparable and complementary to each other. That’s why it is deep-rooted in our minds that to achieve success, we need to be perfect. And many of us wait for this perfection even if it’s just to break out of our shells. Don’t you think this will happen the day when pigs fly? 😄

It’s just an excuse for procrastination. Remember what Tim Notke once quoted – Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. And how can we forget Paul Arden’s views on the matter – Instead of waiting for perfection, run with what you do, and fix it along the way…!

You can achieve excellence, but not perfection. It’s an illusion that never exists and suits to robots only. Yes! To robots, because they are a machine, and a machine isn’t allowed to commit mistakes. But we do and learn as well. After all, to err is human. The day you think it to be perfect, that feeling saturates you. If you attain perfection, it’s quite difficult to stop there and maintain your sanity. And remember, perfect often degrades.

In this whole ‘life process’, the process of betterment, we have overlooked the importance of ‘practice’ that’s the key to success. There is no alternative to this. It is the only way to turn your good into great, ordinary into extraordinary. The more you practice, the better you will be.

Let me tell you a real story!

In the 1920s, there was a “Charlie Chaplin look-alike competition” to search for people who look exactly like, Charlie Chaplin. Secretly, Charlie Chaplin also participated in that contest. You will be amazed to know that he stood ‘third’ in that contest. Two more people looked exactly like him. This could be redeemed only by practice as there is always a scope of betterment.

Similarly, if we look at inventions, the invention of the telephone by Graham Bell was a revolutionary step in social interaction. And as a result of that innovation, today we are using smartphones. No doubt Graham Bell is the trailblazer of this technology, but still, there is always a scope of improvement.

Perfection is just like a mirage. There’s no point chasing it. Instead, focus on excellence. Keep trying to achieve your goals to improve yourself. The beauty of life doesn’t lie in perfection but continuous improvement. So, practice and practice, and remember – practice makes a man exceptional.  

“When you aim for perfection, you discover it’s a moving target.”——George Fisher

What Doesn’t Kill Us, Makes Us Stronger!

What struggle contributes to our lives? Does it make us or break us? What do you think?

Have you ever seen a small child struggling to take her first steps? No matter how many times she fails, she rises up again and again. And before you know it, the child starts taking 6-7 steps at a time and completes her journey to be a toddler. She takes the challenge head-on, and the curiosity to explore more is what makes this whole process fun.

Is life even possible without a shade of struggle? Imagine your life without any setbacks, will power, hard work, learning, or growth! Do you like what you see? Surely not! What kind of life is that? From where you’ll draw the joy of victory, happiness, and satisfaction? Don’t you think it will be a tad bit mundane? Right? Isn’t these all aspects make our life meaningful? If you minus all these things from life, you’ll be left with nothing. Exactly! You are getting me right, life is nothing without a struggle. No struggle, no life.

Not all of us are born with a silver spoon. In fact, many of us have to struggle for almost everything in our life. The struggle is the most important part of learning life lessons. It strengthens our inner core. After that, we always get an improved, immune, and effective version of ourselves.

Let me tell you a story – the story of a butterfly! Can’t picture it? Yeah! It’s not a famous one, but it will definitely force you to think a while. Here it goes –

Once a man found a cocoon of a butterfly. A few days later, he noticed the cocoon hatched and a tiny butterfly trying to come out of it. Despite struggling for hours, she remained stuck there. And then she stopped. The man watched her for hours, and then, he decided to help her. He took a scissor and enlarged the opening of the cocoon. The butterfly forced her way out of that hole, but her body was swollen and wings wriggled. The man wondered when her wings will grow, but she remained as such for the rest of her days. He had no clue that he interfered with the process of metamorphosis. Nature made the process of the butterfly coming out of the cocoon difficult for a reason! It was supposed to make her stronger, rushing her blood towards her wings and enlarge them.

The hidden message of this story is- “the struggle you’re in today is developing the strength you need for tomorrow”.

There is no harm in seeking nuggets of wisdom from an experienced person. After all, we are humans, not Google! But if you wish to get things done by doing not as much as even lifting a finger, this attitude never got anyone far!

Better take it as an opportunity to learn hard work, nourish will power, deal with setbacks, and tackle failures. And again, set new goals with a better version of you.

Come, challenge yourself! The world is full of real-life examples of struggle resulting in something extraordinary, whether it is Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Alva Edison, and many more! If they can do it, then why can’t you?

Of course, yes! No one has got any copyright on it, yet! You don’t need to be gifted, just a positive outlook towards difficulties can make all the difference. Take them as a challenge – an opportunity to grow out of your shell – and just enjoy the process. We should always be ready to learn, adapt, and implement new things in our life.

{“Strength and growth come only through continuous effort and struggle.”—- Napoleon Hill}

{“Strength doesn’t come from what you can do. It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”—–Rikki Rogers}