Knowing failure to appreciate success - Sixth station: DEFEAT

    A land no one wishes to step into, a place filled with unpleasant encounters, a destination with no satisfaction, a location with no happiness – as this halt of ‘Defeat’ forces us to experience its offerings, it does so with an aim to highlight the reality of life.  While we bid good bye to the year of 2015 and look forward towards welcoming the next one, this stop shall motivate us towards new experiences and adventures.

     Unless we come across failure, we may never realize the value of our efforts, unless we taste the bitterness of defeat, we may never appreciate the sweetness of our hard work. As a motivator that pushes us towards the finish line, failures and defeat ensure our continued progress along the path.

     Though we all hope for a smooth transaction and work with a consistent agenda, defeat raises its ugly head quite often. Before we are able to react or close our doors to failure, we find ourselves dealing with its pain. While its entry in life cannot be placed under our control, we can certainly work hard for the reversal. With concentrated efforts and amplified practice, when we make attempts to overcome the defeat, the subsequent form of success appears wonderful by all means.

     Effects of failure ensure long-lasting lessons for life. While defeat may spread its influence on one area of our life, it alerts us for other courses too. As a reminder of our previous mistakes and guidebook for the future tasks, we realize that defeat does more good than harm. It prepares us with no room for errors, ensuring a flawless journey.

     Besides, providing a preparatory chapter, defeat prompts us to have our feet on the ground. As pride and greed enter into our lives as uninvited guest, failure ensures to remind us of changing times and transforming situations. While circumstances influence many life decisions, defeat and failure renew our energy for the next task in line. From childhood as we ascend the steps of life, we are greeted by defeat all along. From education to profession, from relationships to assets, every domain may introduce the dark shade of failure.

  Failure does not imply ‘a failed grade’ or a ‘rejection act’ alone, it can also involve lack of efforts or compromise in commitment. In light of these shortcomings, failure mirrors our faults and erases its re-occurrence. First defeat sets a road-map for the next task, as we learn with every new step. We develop skills of improvement, since defeat does the job of upgrading us with every passing opportunity.

     If we look at success stories of famous personalities, we will always find a significant role of failures and defeat. Amidst hurdles and difficulties, what sets them on the path of success is a strong desire to excel. Making use of defeat as a tool kit, they never stopped for long. Impossible to avoid, one cannot expect flawless and fool-proof solution for every single endeavor.

     Defeat shall always accompany us, to bring us closer to our efforts. Just as changing seasons help us appreciate the beauty of nature or rising and setting sun bring hope and joy in our live, failure and success are essential to balance the course of our life and savor the taste of both. As two sides of the same coin, defeat and achievement celebrate our hard work, dedication and determination.

      Besides famous personalities, many people around us demonstrate an excellent ability to react to defeat. Without giving up, as they continue the hard work, it motivates us for our own struggle. While each one of us have a unique plot in life and encounter various types of troubles, our response to such situations make all the difference. Whether we use defeat as a training manual and learn from our mistakes or whether we regard it as a final verdict and soak in sorrow forever determines the journey ahead.

     An inspirational story close to heart includes the plot of my cousin. Defeated in one type of pageant contest despite sincere efforts and stock of hard work, she chose to accept this unexpected failure as a chapter for the next one. Rectifying her previous mistakes and improving every task, she ensured success during a successive opportunity. By not allowing radiance of sorrow, disinterest and anger due to the previous failure, she decided to pick her lessons and move ahead.

      Many moments in life tempt us to hide ourselves in sorrow of failure and accept it as the way of life forever. Unless we decide to use it for our own benefit, we may never walk towards the destination. Irritated by lack of clarity and desirable results, if we choose to terminate our efforts, we may realize our achievement was waiting, just after the corner.  

   So, before you decide to abort the mission, realize the fact that you may be just a mile away from the location of success. One last attempt, one last trial or one last effort may be the final step before success showers us with happiness, joy and delight forever!

P.S: Let us bid a happy farewell to 2015 and welcome 2016 with a smile!

Gratitude to all you readers for your constructive comments, supportive words, interesting observations and honest feedback. This year of blogging could not possible without any of these aspects! 

       Till my words greet you in the next year, have a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

  

Happy seasoning over the dish of life - Fifth Station: KINDNESS

 

      While the last station gave us unexpected expressions and interesting experiences, this next halt is meant to be happy, cheerful and filled with love. Kindness in conduct and softness in words go a long way to offer sustained peace of mind. As a form of flavor, incorporation of kindness in our mannerism provide long-lasting happiness. While kindness does polish our speech, its scope is not restricted to words alone. Kind acts for a noble cause and timely help for those in need combine into the overall joy of life.

       A behavior that displays our stand, staying calm and kind in every type of situation is the magic of humility. Kindness is a quality that differentiates us with an excellent value system. Though success may pull us towards pride, enjoyment of achievements demand presence of kindness. Rude words and harsh conduct offer momentary satisfaction to our feelings, only to be followed by regret, tears, disappointment and sorrow.

    Kindness cannot be incorporated by a crash course or purchased by a fat wallet. It needs a strong desire to stay humble to every life form. Irrespective of age, gender, caste, culture, religion, region or profession, when we learn to regard each one equal and incorporate kind words in our system, we shake hands with happiness. Drawing inspiration from people around helps this task, as kindness reflected from others inspires us to follow suit.

    As a symbol of humility, I admire my father for his kindness. With feet firm on the ground and manner that exhibits polite conduct, I often looked around in a hope to find his magical pills. While it is impossible to absorb and match his level, all I can do is work towards it. Patience and faith are companions of kindness as combination of all three work wonders to create happiness. Many experiences in our life point to the power of kindness.

     At times, even though a task appears impossible, kindness helps to clear out the path to a certain extent. Driving people away, rude behavior can only contribute towards confirmed position of failure. Kindness leaves a mark on our personality, giving identity to our name. With this aspect in mind, it becomes essential to adopt kind acts in our resume!

    So does kindness mean accepting and agreeing to views of everyone without any opposition?

     While this is impossible to achieve, kindness involves expression of our differences in a matured manner. It prompts us to deal with disagreements in a way that conveys our message, while burning away the hatred. In an attempt to prove our point, while we resort to anger and fights, the real meaning is long lost before we reach a conclusion. Kindness is this form of language that speaks the truth, yet chooses a polite way.

      It provides solution for many troubles, as kindness inspires mind to find its own path. Encouraging fruitful relations and strengthening ties with our loved ones, it does surround us with love and happiness. Interesting side effects that come along with kindness include patient ears and eager words. As people respect and admire our conduct, they look forward to an association.

It also enhances building of a strong network and consistent support of near ones.

So, what are the take away messages from this land of humility?

1.       Kindness in speech and action are the keys to happiness.

2.       It takes us closer to people and help formation of strong bonds with everyone around.

3.       It adds flavor to our personality that opens path of success.

4.       Kindness attracts positive energy, patience and faith, reducing failure to an insignificant factor.

5.       Fights and disagreements build negativity, kindness in conduct erase misunderstandings.

6.       It can never eliminate differences in opinions, but can certainly set the stage for a healthy discussion.

7.       Kindness is not a crop that can be reaped with an instant magical seed, it demands consistent efforts and hard work to stay kind, humble and happy.

    This halt has been inspiring to fill our hearts with humility. Hope we carry it as a souvenir, while moving along on our journey ahead.

  Though our next station is not what we may look forward to, halt at this losing reality is part of life and a destination on our way.  

    

 

       

..because not everything in life is meant to be known - Fourth Station: SURPRISE

       Unexpected events, uncertain happenings, unpredicted shocks, unknown occurrences – combine these experiences together and the outcome comes across as ‘SURPRISE’. Happy, sad, desired, undesired, wanted, unwanted and an endless list of contrast feelings tag along, when such surprises enter into our lives. While we explored HOPE and continued to our next destination, this land of SURPRISE may have lot of surprises in store!

        Happy surprises in the form of an unexpected gift or an unknown plan work wonders in our routine schedule. Be it any age or any stage of life, the word surprise does lighten up our spirits and brighten our smiles. Surprises are not meant to be set across a backdrop of materialistic pleasures or monetary gains alone. Beyond the resources spent in the process, underlying feelings and thoughts perform the main job.

      A manner of displaying affection, love, gratitude and appreciation; surprises add elements of happiness in every relationship. Renewing the enthusiasm and energy, exchange of surprises amplify the excitement and strength of any bond. With advent of digital era, fast paced lifestyle, excellent connectivity and virtual excellence, surprises have been delivering joy at new levels altogether. As a novel method for conveyance of feelings, surprises have almost taken the role of essential necessities.

     While receiving end of surprises offer great joy and fun, planning and executing them flawlessly at the other end is nothing else than an art. From careful strategies to fool-proof deliveries, surprises demand utmost presence of mind. While it may be imperative to depend on lies for a successful surprise, the outcome of happy faces and contented hearts make them worth it.  

      As a tutor for essential out-of-book affairs, my elder sister had ensured proper development of this art in me, right since childhood.  A happy partner in surprise plans for parents and friends, following her instructions carefully offered great sense of satisfaction, after all error-free execution demanded a sincere conduct!

      An advocate of delivering surprises and expecting them in return, existence of a separate group with a different view point surprises me to a great extent. With two important members of my life subscribing to its membership, I often wonder about their contrast opinion on surprises. Fearing about its unexpected outcome and dreading its failure, while my father and husband choose to stay away from it, I have been working really hard to convince them about its magic.

       A sweet shock that delivers joy, surprises are certainly necessary for some excitement in life. As uncertainties are our companions, element of surprise enhances their value. Calculations, measurements, analysis and reasoning may not be necessary always. Enjoying the unknown and waiting for the unexpected can offer an unusual taste of happiness. 

     Surprises born with an aim of delivering joy are the most wonderful ones, sudden unexpected shocks that may not go well with the audience are nothing but means of disappointment. Respecting sentiments and taking care of feelings are the two most essential rules for a successful attempt of surprise.

What are the most common form of surprises we all see around? Let us look at them and relish the true essence of this land!

• Surprise parties for friends on their birthdays

       Though the outcome is joyful and the birthday girl/boy glows with happiness – the process of    planning, coordination and execution between many people together is nothing less than a challenge!

•  Surprise gifts delivered at the doorstep of those far away

   Hoping for its proper delivery and wishing that the receiver realizes the surprise behind it are         certainly tough tasks as things happen far away from our eyes!

•  Surprise visits to family at home while settled at a different location

Skeptical about this one since never tried before, this surprise needs support of prayers to reach at an unlocked door!

•  Surprise announcement of important events

Delivering joy about significant happenings in life, this surprise may not really demand any preparation.

• Surprise for closed ones with a task never done before

Depending on the outcome and amount of homework done for its execution, a surprise cooked meal or a surprise holiday itinerary plan may either turn out to be successful or a total failure!

     With surprises for every occasion, every reason, every event or every function, the joy of their occurrence is massive indeed.

   Taking us away from the daily course of life, sudden little surprises appear exciting and wonderful. Engage yourself in little moments of surprise, after all not everything in life is meant to be known.

P.S: Hope this 700 words long article can influence the views of my father and husband to a little extent!

As we celebrate our first wedding anniversary, this information may come handy J  

    

                                                                                                                     

Feeling-emotion-sentiment express: Third station: HOPE

 

     A four- letter word for every situation, a small, little answer for every question, a power dose for every difficulty, a belief for every occasion– HOPE fits into our puzzle as a perfectly crafted piece, completing the picture of life. While we explored the land of smile and gratitude, hope is our next destination as an important refill station for the journey ahead.

    Be it happiness or sorrow, excitement or anxiety, success or failure, laughter or tears, hope chooses to be a perfect companion in each of these occurrences. Designed with an aim to motivate, inspire, energize and enlighten, hope enters with a guaranteed formula for happiness. 

     

    Presence of hope teaches us to look forward to upcoming hurdles and approaching adventures. On a never-ending path of challenges, worries, difficulties and novelties, as we march one step at a time, we are delighted to have a constant partner throughout. Surrounded with uncertainties, when we appear to lose our direction, we always find hope waiting at the other end with a big, broad smile. Though hope is not a confirmed offer, giving away calculated dosages of success, it is an essential ingredient to keep us moving. Hope prompts us to believe in the magic of endless possibilities, driving us towards improvement each passing day.

   Influencing our lives in many ways than we can think about, hope reaches out to every single area. Right from our birth as we open eyes to the beauty of living, along every single stage, all we need is hope for a smooth transaction. Powerful over our fears and worries, seeds of hope reap moments of joy. Born with an aim to of fill our lives with purpose, hope does a fantastic job, yielding fruitful results.
 
    Belief and trust are extremely essential to experience the power of hope.Unless we believe in our skills and trust our own efforts, hope cannot deliver its benefits. Possession of hope, even though in small amounts, depicts our enthusiasm to march ahead. Though every road may not turn in our direction, every step may not march in our favor - hope offers its charm to keep us moving. Without a fixed plan or a confirmed output, job of hope is limited towards execution of efforts. Though we may achieve success to grab all that is needed or we may fail owing to lack of hard work, hope fits into every kind of situation with a motto 'Continue your wishes'.

What are the different ways in which 'HOPE' influences our journey?

What purpose does it solve, while entering our lives in every situation?

 How does it help to stay charged during each experience?

If we think about our memories and encounters till date, we may certainly be able to hunt for answers. As hope touches each one's life, it undoubtedly holds the key to many aspects.

HOPE works when we are....

HAPPY - It tempts us to magnify the amount of happiness and joy. Prompting us to hope for more fun, it ensures a happy mind with a happy heart.
Hope opens the door to wonderful memories, as we create more stock of happiness along the way. It inspires us to sustain our efforts, ensuring unrestricted continuation of its smooth course.



SAD-  Hope works to offer a ray of light amidst clouds of sorrow or moments of sadness. With tough path and challenging future within the scope of our vision, hope is extremely essential to keep us moving.
 It may not yield any successful results, but it inspires us to continue the job. Pushing us away from tears and defeat, it fills our heart with excitement for the next big opportunity.


EXCITED - Pouring energy for trying out novel ideas and experiencing diverse options, hope elevates the level of excitement to a great height. While looking forward to any event or occasion in life, as we encounter moments of excitement, hope does the job of keeping us motivated.
The hope of pleasant uncertainty and excitement of novelty certainly light up our spirits.



DEFEATED - As two sides of the same coin, defeat and victory balance its course in our lives. While some tasks do offer us joy of achievement, we should also be prepared to meet sorrow of failure. In such a state of defeat, hope does keep us glued to the track. The hope of encountering success during our next attempt, inspires us to stay focused.

Though we may come across defeat or failure, hope never chooses to leave our side. Magic of hope lies in its capability of working under any kind of situation.


INEXPERIENCED - No matter what task we engage into, trials and experiments are essential as its initial steps. A starting point for any job, hope offers a preparatory tool as source of guidance. Though inexperience may bring anxiety towards a particular job, hope for a good output keeps us well occupied.


   Such is the power of hope that seems to fit under every circumstance and every situation. HOPE you enjoyed this post, while we move ahead on this thoughtful journey.

Feeling-Emotion-Sentiment express- Second Station: GRATITUDE

      While flashing our smiles and rejoicing in the happiness of this facial exercise, the next station awaits our arrival. A land that shows us the beauty of gratitude, expressing ‘thank-you’ to those around deliver us with unlimited stock of happiness. Gratitude is not limited to materialistic favors alone; thanking someone in exchange for a product or service does not reflect its true essence. Real gratitude lies in the power of thanking this universe for every single factor of living.

     Though it is impossible to appreciate each and every aspect of life, the realization that everything is significant in one way or the other gets us closer to this expression of gratitude. While we detest problems and hope for their elimination, encountering bad incidences highlight the value of good ones. As a preparatory lesson for life, being grateful about challenges is essential for smooth future transactions.

     As celebration of ‘Thanksgiving’ decorated our last weekend, I was amazed by this interesting ritual. Initiated with an aim to thank the mother earth for a successful harvest and extending gratitude for a wonderful year, these holidays of ‘Thanksgiving’ bring happiness in every life story.

     While family and friends gather together to celebrate this holiday, each one realizes that the list of ‘being grateful to’ is exceptionally long indeed. Engrossed in the daily routine of life, special days like these enlighten us about the value of every single individual, every single phenomenon. Though we may not be able to express, many aspects are involved in making our everyday journey smooth and hassle-free. 

    

     From sunrise to sunset, first day of the month to its last, start of the year to its end- there are so many happenings that deserve our gratitude. Though our near and dear ones never expect these words of gratefulness, they are essential for the heart within us. Adding sweetness to our memories and experiences, expression of ‘thank-you’ is all that keeps us alive with humanity.

                                             

If given a chance to express gratitude under spotlight on a world stage, whom would you like to thank and why?

  

     Away from conventional reasons, let us think out of the box. Thanking people for unrecognized causes and unexpected aspects will highlight the magic in our lives. Let me prepare a thank-you note for such interesting reasons. It is better to be prepared well in advance, if the spotlight decides to shine over me!

  I would like to thank my

1.       DAD for:

-      never feeding me with ready information and encouraging me to hunt for answers

-       never discouraging my silly ideas,while explaining the good and bad with equal weight-age

-       never spoiling or pampering me, though I still continue to ask for it, even today!

-       enjoying every kind of food that I ever made, with smile over face and silent words of appreciation.

1.        MOM for:

-       giving me so many reasons to thank that enlisting those are impossible!

-        never showering me with false praises, while giving clear instructions for every task.

-        experimenting different cuisines or latest styles, while offering an honest feedback!

-        keeping an account of money, while forcing me to learn the same

2.       SISTER for:

-      being a younger and cooler version of mother by magnifying love, care, happiness and amplifying instructions, increasing scrutiny and encouraging improvements

-       being an honest critic and for having opinions about everything – right from color of clothes to choice of food; from dealing with people to planning of activities; she is truly an end-to-end guide for survival!

-       pointing out my mistakes under backdrop of fights to make me realize that the future journey shall not be filled with roses alone.

-      teaching me the value of sharing that began from Day 1 by sharing of parents!

3.       HUBBY for :

-          never expecting gratitude, as I find it extremely difficult to thank him!

-          listening to my long stories, yet never yawning over them

-          offering a master-chef touch to my dishes, yet never claiming its success

-          handing the car-keys, while patiently accompanying me with unwanted instructions!

4.        RELATIVES for: 

-     their presence in every occasion, from clapping hands for my childish dances as a kid to celebrating important events along the way.

-   giving a pure, lively feel of extended family and showering blessings forever  

5.       FRIENDS for

               - offering me the hope that life is not perfect, and it is absolutely acceptable to laugh                       over mistakes, smile over mishaps and encounter troubles

-      sharing their funny experiences over every stage of life, strengthening the thought that I am not alone with my half-baked experiences!

-       teasing and scaring me about exciting challenges ahead, yet preparing me in their own special way

       From teachers who loaded me with studies to teach about the value of hard work to smiles from unknown people that make me feel one among them; from my little nephew who radiates his innocence to my brother-in-law who is a value-addition into the family, from my in-laws who team with me while teasing their son to editors who encourage my writing; from failures that push me towards practice to negative remarks that improve my style, there are so many factors to be grateful about.

    Mother Nature, environmental resources, facilities, opportunities, neighborhood, hometown, birth nation, every single profession and entire globe as a whole deserve this gratitude as they make our life worth living.

      These interesting aspects of people and situations color our usual life with unusual shades. Express gratitude for all those things you never thought about and experience confirmed instant happiness!

 P.S: A big thank you to all the readers since you complete my blogs. Writing is absolutely incomplete without the contact of your eyes with its words!