D: DOs and DON’Ts of an interesting joyride

    After A for acceptance, B for bothering and C for celebrate, it’s time for the next letter ‘D’. Taking my A-Z series ahead, I am back with my pondering, once again. For those of you who have not read the start of this series, my aim is to take one alphabet each time and talk about an important aspect that matters to me. And hence that brings us to the letter D.

  When I was thinking about this don of letters ‘D’, I could not resist the usage of word ‘Do’. After all doing is action and action is output. Hence, I was tempted to involve ‘dos and don’ts in an attempt to list out actions that are significant. I could have simply titled this article as ‘Dos and Don’ts of life (from my perspective, of course!) because that is exactly what I wish to pen down. Things that make life happy, joyous, adventurous and delightful versus things that make it miserable, boring, uneventful and dry.

     It is necessary to highlight ‘my perspective’ as these are some of the aspects that I truly care about. And since we all are entitled to our own opinion - you can agree, disagree, debate or nod over it, the way you like. Coming back to the title, I did not name it  DOs and DON'Ts of life, because life is just not as simple as it reads and spells. Four letters of two vowels and two consonants cannot describe this eventful process that has its own share of ups and downs. We laugh, cry, smile, joke, hate or get angry over it, yet we cannot truly explain what it stands for.

     While journey, story, plot and project are some of the commonly used synonyms for life, it is impossible to agree on a single word. Hence, when I call it a ‘joyride’, there is nothing right or wrong about it. After finding a correct noun, I could not leave it standing alone without any appropriate adjective and hence in comes the partner ‘interesting’.  I am simply in love with this word ‘interesting’ as there is lot of mystery behind it. It all depends on how you look at it because interesting can mean good, bad, imaginable, unpredictable or totally wonderful all at once. Talk about benefit of doubt as interesting truly takes the cake in that respect.

  Finally, after hunting a metaphor for life, it is time to list the DOs and DON’Ts. Such an article mirrors my thoughts and poses as a reminder for my own conduct. I do not intend to preach or be your next self-help guru. These DOs and DON'Ts are solely addressed to my little mind. If some of them do happen to match with your thoughts, I will be more than happy. As you read along, analyze and evaluate your take over the same. Prepare a matching score and let us see how well we resonate (If I reveal about a prize for the maximum matching score, will it count as a bribe?!?) Prize or no prize, do send your comments and feedback as we ponder about this joyride together.

DOs

1.       Live in the present - past is not in your hands anymore and you cannot put a claim over the future right away, so make the most of this present. Work hard today instead of fussing over what or how to work tomorrow.

2.       Have fun in everything you do. Enjoy your work, leisure, responsibilities, duties and chores. Extract colorful joy from every single act and you will be surprised by this difference in attitude.

3.       Respect the difference in opinions. Do agree to disagree. What you believe in or what belief you hold about something may not be same for all, hence enjoy these disagreements too.

4.       Find your passion and work on it. Figure out your hobbies and interests. Engage in activities you enjoy and spend that well deserved time for yourself. ‘Me-time’ is like a battery that charges you, hence it is unacceptable to ignore it.

5.       Listen to advice, suggestions, ideas and tips. Seek guidance from people around you. Be open to their experiences and adventures. Their situations may not mimic yours, but their lessons will definitely teach you something too.

6.       Respect people around you irrespective of their age, gender, nationality, occupation, religion or faith. Above all these invisible boundaries that separate us, we all are humans with eyes, ears, body, brain and a big heart.

7.       Respond to changing situations. Be flexible in your approach. Rigidity over certain aspects may not yield any good results. Accept the situation and find your way out, rather than crying over things beyond your reach.

8.       Love yourself, communicate with your thoughts. Listen to your inner voice and make yourself a priority too. It may be difficult in light of your responsibilities, duties, schedule and fast paced life, but definitely not impossible to say the least.

9.       Express your thoughts. Show what and how you feel. Express your emotions, feelings and ideas. Open your heart to people you love and let them share their feelings too. Bottling your feelings or agreeing to everything under the pretext of ‘being a good or sincere person’ will do more harm than expected.

DON’Ts

1.       Do not blame people or situations for your own course. Certain unavoidable changes may alter your plans but ultimately it is up to you to find a way out or sit and blame someone else for the rest of your time.

2.       Do not take relationships and friendships for granted. You may not have time for your people right away or may be stuck in some unavoidable job, in such cases revert back whenever you can. Do not play with their trust, patience, good will and love.

3.       Do not get distracted by unnecessary elements of disturbance. Take criticism positively and pay attention to feedback. You may disagree with what people think about you. It is not your responsibility to sit and defend yourself, every single time. At times, let your actions speak.

4.       Do not compare your life with others. It is absolutely novel, unique, different, one-of-a-kind,…add as many synonyms as you like. Just as your likes and dislikes about food or fashion are different, so are your priorities, goals and timelines.

5.       Do not pressurize yourself or be too hard over your course. It is fine to be lazy or bored sometimes. There is nothing wrong about your mistakes and failure, but it is absolutely wrong if you give up. Enjoy failure too, it will prepare you for the hardships ahead.

6.       Do not make judgments about people and their actions. You have not even walked a single step in their shoes, hence it is totally unacceptable to comment or draw conclusions.

7.       Do not limit or restrict your life within boundaries of your own city, country, culture or cuisine. Learn new languages, travel, read about diverse cultures or know interesting facts from people.

8.       Do not live like a robot, machine or tree. Move away if you don’t like something. There are no instruction manuals for your functioning. Do not obsess over your things or beliefs. It is acceptable to try out something new. Take risks and make the most of every opportunity.

9.       Do not worry about each and everything. Your worries, tensions and anxious thoughts will only fill the space with useless contents. It is impossible to train your mind to stop worrying, but you can definitely lower the volume, frequency and weight.

I completely agree that these dos and don’ts are easier said than done, or in this case easier written than followed. They sound fancy, amazing and completely appropriate as you read them in a blog or an article. But, when we make an attempt to implement them in our real lives- it is difficult, overwhelming and sometimes impossible; if we want to be absolutely true. Then again, there is no harm in making efforts. If we use them as guidelines and toil towards at least 10% of it, we may experience something colorful and bright. 

Until I return back with the next alphabet- happy reading, thinking and living!