If you look at the literal meaning of ‘keep’,
it stands for two things - possession and retention of a specific condition. While
my idea is to focus on the latter, ‘keep’ makes a lot of sense by influencing
our actions. Whether it is ‘keep smiling’ to stay happy or ‘keep doing’ to
achieve something, ‘keep it simple’ to be contented with simplicity or ‘keep
going’ to stay on track towards the goal, the word ‘keep’ stands for many
significant things in our journey.
Though I was tempted to use ‘K for knowledge’
or ‘K for kindness’, I rather voted for ‘keep’, realizing its real-life
practical worth. As this A-Z series is designed to reflect on a significant
aspect of my life along every single letter, it only justified the need to pick
a motivational action over some well-known nouns.
We often hear ‘keep
smiling’, ‘keep going’ and ‘keep doing’ as positive advice to continue over the
path. Though the transit may seem difficult; unless we stick to the condition
with determination, we cannot expect any output. ‘Keep’ does not stand for
stagnation or stability. It does not persuade you to keep doing the same thing
for the rest of your life, under the pretext of success or satisfaction. Rather
it motivates you to eliminate any thoughts of quitting.
One can
change/transform/alter or improvise the strategy to reach the final goal. But,
not at the cost of quitting the plan or abandoning the efforts. Unless, we keep
doing, there is no point of expecting results. You cannot travel unless you
take the first step, likewise you cannot expect gains without investing a
single drop of effort.
It will be easier if I reflect over each of
the above four actions separately, while doing what I enjoy the most- writing,
pondering, writing and pondering again.
Keep smiling- it works wonders in the least expected ways!
More than an act of
displaying kindness or affection, smile is the fool-proof ice-breaker in almost
any situation. It lays the foundation for fruitful interactions by building
better communication. And while this caters to the domain of interpersonal
skills, smile also radiates love, positivity, happiness and cheer within
ourselves. No matter how complicated the situation appears, smile is more of a
reliable buddy.
It may not
dissolve the mountain of errors or challenges. Neither can it pose as a short-cut
way to gain instant success, but it does lighten the environment in an amazing
way. Because at the end, your broad and bright smile will not help you clear the
examinations but it will lighten your heart with faith and hope. At the same
time, this smile may not even yield any positive results, but then it won’t
harm either. There is no point in displaying anger, hatred or irritation. As if
the challenge is not difficult enough, your sad feelings or expression will
only further add to the chaos.
Refrain from bitter thoughts or angry expressions and dive
into the pool of smiles. Season it with laughter if you can and sense the
difference. If a situation is meant to be difficult, challenging and
overwhelming, why not smile a bit and see if it helps? And if it is designed to
pull you towards failure, no matter how hard you work, why not smile and accept
it all with open arms? If you can’t really transform it into success, the least
you can do is keep smiling and live right at the center of it all.
Keep doing – only your efforts can translate into results
Before I continue, here is a little word of caution. ‘Keep
doing’ does not stand for wrongdoings or deliberate mistakes. It does not
represent acts of hatred or harm that can hurt someone or create havoc. Keep
doing things that bring a positive difference.
‘Keep doing’ can work in its motive of inspiring us to
continue our efforts. Quitting- if things do not seem to turn our way is definitely
the easiest way out, but often the most terrible one. Keep doing things that
bring you closer to happiness, while filling your hearts with joy. Keep doing
what matters the most to you and enjoy the fruits of satisfaction. It may not
necessarily go the way you wanted. But, it will definitely teach you something
valuable along the way. No efforts can ever be harmful or completely useless.
Something good will always emerge from the act, either pointing out the errors
or leading you towards the alternative route.
Keep going- the destination is just a couple of blocks away
Do not take the literal sense of this word, or else you will
walk past the destination! On a mindful yet practical note, keep going inspires
one to continue the journey. A close relative of ‘keep doing’, this thought too
translates into staying determined and focused. Without any traces of
perseverance, it is impossible to reach the destination. And, as it commonly
happens in 90% of cases, we end up losing our patience, faith or energy at the very
last critical moment.
All our efforts are
lost in the bargain, if we cannot stick to the route till the end. No matter
how impossible it may seem, it is essential to keep going. Staying still at a
point will only drive us nowhere. Instead of fearing failure and dead ends, why
not venture a bit and invest some efforts. It will only enlighten us about
wrong turns, rather than procrastinating from a stagnant point. Most of our
failure stems from overthinking in the head, hence keep going instead of
thinking. It does the opposite of deep analysis.
Keep it simple
This is probably the most common reminder I send to my mind,
time and again. Often the glamour and buzz around us drives us to unnecessary expectations
or non-essential activities. It prompts us to spice our journey, for the need
to be ‘in’ and ‘happening’. Instead I often find happiness and joy in simplicity.
As we are programmed to materials, hypes, trends and shine, we tend to believe
in their ability to make us happy. We rely over fancy experiences or trendy
items to deliver the joy of living. There is no harm in trying out all kind of
experiences to enjoy every single step along the way. But it is incorrect to
run behind something that appeals to the herd, and not to our head.
Peer pressure to fit into society is absolutely wrong on every
fronts. Hence, plain Jane may be happier than trendy Julie. Simplicity works on
every fronts- from lifestyle to beliefs, relationships to ideas, advice to
experiences, keeping it simple is the wisest choice. It is only when we learn
to eliminate unnecessary complications, the entire picture brightens up in the
process. Erasing clouds of complications and shades of complexities can work wonders.
Keep life simple and enjoy what it offers. You will be surprised, but the most common
cliche – ‘greatest of joy lies in simplest of things’ does make sense.
Keep up the good work of living life the way it is meant to
be. None of us are certified masters to claim the best way, but surely we are happy, experimental projects in the making! Keep smiling, doing, going and striving
towards simplicity, rest all will be taken care.
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