Z: Zoom in, zoom out – adjusting real life to picture perfect

  

 

    You cannot blame me for involving photographic terms into my otherwise general blog article. Thanks to the growing influence of camera phones, selfies, filters, editing tools and instant clicks – anytime, anywhere, this kind of blending was bound to happen. With an interesting feature of zooming in and zooming out, the act of clicking pictures has simply evolved since days from the past.  

  While back then, taking photographs meant utilizing the roll carefully and waiting impatiently for the final product, it’s so different today. Click as many pictures as you want, zoom them to capture that perfect bird or mountain far away, enhance your photographs with ‘n’ variety of filters and flaunt them all over the internet- the world is your oasis. But, don’t worry, this is not a training session on photography (though I wish I could master the act of perfect click in one shot!), neither is this some reflective essay to contemplate about its changing journey from films to filters.   

  When the influence of photography is so prevalent and dominant around us, I thought why not cash in the opportunity to frame the last post of my A-Z series? (Saving the farewell tears for later, though). This thought gave rise to the zoom in, zoom out concept. The idea is to extrapolate zooming in and zooming out into our usual life and see if it can teach us something significant as we move along.

   I am absolutely sure there is no need to define these two terms. If you have held a camera phone in hand (which I am 100% sure you have), it is just one of the adjustments for a desirable picture. Zoom in makes the image bigger and larger, while zoom out makes it smaller and farther, allowing you to take the object as planned. So while zoom in is to enlarge and focus on the object from far, zoom out is just the reverse. Zoom in is used quite often to target things far away and get a clearer view, on the other hand, zoom out is primarily required to get the lens back to original.

But, what is its relevance into our usual real life?

Can we use these concepts in reality to make our lives a little better?

Is it possible and essential to zoom in some important factors, while zooming out the unnecessary ones?

If we can zoom in and zoom out to make our pictures perfect, what would those factors be?

And finally, is it feasible to adjust the lens of our lives to enjoy the final output as desired?

 While you think about the answers to these questions, let me add my two cents into the matter.

  Yes, it is absolutely possible to zoom in into things that matter to you, while driving the useless or harmful things farther away. And yes, it is feasible to adjust our lens because at the end the camera is in our hands. We are the ones holding the camera to capture the best version of life for ourselves, why not use these tools to make it more wonderful?

  Zooming into ambitions, goals, desires and internal happiness can make us happy from within, while zooming out ill thoughts of self-doubt, jealousy, criticism, anger and fear can eradicate sorrow. With these simple yet effective tools, we are always one step away from what we want. The only problem is harboring confidence and recognizing these things well within time. Once the process of identification is done to our satisfaction, all we need is to implement it into our lives. But, if I just continue blabbering without giving out practical ideas, it will not make any sense. Unless I list down my ideas of zooming in and zooming out and share those with you to initiate a thought- process, my post will not be counted as beneficial in any way.

  Read along as I share my plan of zooming in on some things, while zooming out some others in an attempt to be picture perfect. None of these are fool-proof ideas based on real research, hence try them at your own risk. And if you have some better alternatives, suggestions, or critical remarks to turn them down, do share it by all means (something about together we grow, alone we fall!

Zoom in:

1.       Catch that goal- We all work for a goal. What is the point of just living day by day, if we do not have any target in mind? Goals or ambitions are our ideas of success, happiness, pleasure and purpose. It cannot be created by someone else on our behalf. Zooming in on our goal implies focusing all our energy into making that purpose larger than anything else. If we drive all our energy, confidence, determination and hard work for that one goal, it will be within our range sooner or later.

2.       Thoughts that count- Our mind has the weird ability of wandering around without any productive gain in return. It can think anything from our past bitter experiences to unnecessary worries of the future which do not even exist. Rather than focusing on the object in hand, it is more excited about ‘what ifs?’ and ‘buts’. This makes it essential to zoom into thoughts that count and matter. Take a closer, larger and clearer look into immediate plans, ideas and thoughts that will lead to something productive. Do not wander into an unknown territory that does not need your attention at all.

3.       Happiness, happiness and more happiness – Zoom into your happiness. This thought needs no explanation. If you are happy, you will be able to radiate it around. Working towards your happiness is not selfish, in fact it is the selfless action of giving joy because it spreads in a contagious way. Be happy from within. Zoom your lens to capture a clear look of joy and feel the difference. No one can or will be able to take that picture for you. Set the point of focus over your internal happiness to experience life as close as it is meant to be.

Zoom out:

1.    What people think about you- It is impossible to please every single person around you. Rather it is totally unnecessary to do so. Zoom out the desire to gain validation from your loved ones. They will love you more if you chase your dreams and goals, instead of pleasing their desires at every step. Ignore the destructive noise of people who are more interested in pulling you down. Adjust your lens to make their presence smaller and farther.

2.       Weeds in your mind- Weeds grow in your mind when you fail to stop negative thoughts at the right time. Jealously, self-doubt, anxiety, fear all grow at a tiny spot before spreading all over your mind. You need trust, love and affection to move in your journey. Zoom out the desire to entertain disturbance. It will go away if you learn to ignore. Divert your focus to productive things.

3.       The wrongs and the bygones- None of us are perfect. We will make mistakes and errors at every step. We can learn from them and avoid a repeat telecast in future. But if we hold onto the wrong doings of people just to remind everyone of the ill past, we are not making an effort to move ahead. There is lot of hatred that arises when we refuse to forgive, forget and walk away. Turn the wrongdoings out from focus and avoid revisiting the past. It will clear the memory to make space for happy memories of tomorrow (this statement will connect with everyone, we all have dealt with limited storage space in our phones and memory cards!)

  Just chalking these thoughts will not mean anything if we do not follow them. As I have framed these, I will strive to adopt it as much as possible. Feel free to check with me and evaluate my progress. After all your watching eyes will guide my wandering sight!

 

     P.S: Now time for the farewell tears of this A-Z series. With this, as I come to the end of an exciting experience, I hope you had fun reading as much as I did writing. Till I am back with something new next time- keep smiling, keep reading and keep appreciating (yes, I clearly meant - appreciate me, of course!)  

Y: Yours- the word says it all

  

    It is a well-known fact that words have power. After all, we have grown up reading and understanding proverbs such as ‘The pen is mightier than sword’. Though words are significant in their own way, few of these literary factors have immense power to change the overall effect of the situation. As I move towards the second last letter in my A-Z series, this thought grew stronger and stronger, making me realize that every letter is so impactful. And while pondering over the letter ‘Y’, I thought to myself, which word serves the purpose of expressing immense emotions? If there is one word that can exhibit feeling of warmth, friendship, assurance and support, what would it be? And if a word could change the way we look at any kind of situation, is it possible to narrow down on a single one?

  The hunt for one powerful word took me back to my English classes in school and to a particular task of letter writing. Though the habit of letter writing is more of a historical action than a relevant activity in modern times today, it still formed a significant part back then. More than body of the letter, the focus was directed towards correct greetings and salutations. This stress captured my attention to the two important words at the end. When the letter was signed off with either yours truly, yours sincerely or yours lovingly, the impact created by ‘yours’ was significant. Hence, I chose to include it in my series. 

   A word like ‘yours’ has lot of strength to its credit. As we offer our sincerity, dedication, trust and cooperation to the recipient, it stands for the feeling of belonging and commitment.

 Though the word is imposed into our vocabulary as an essential part of letter writing and though we hardly use it today, I am amazed by the strength hidden within. More than just a sign-off note, yours represents the willingness to commit to our words. It makes us more human, receptive, adaptive and social to say the least. Interpreting hidden meanings of words may seem to be a task of literary personals alone, but this word in title stands for much more than that. It represents a commitment towards the other individual or group.

  It is what makes us a part of the society. When we express sincerity or truthfulness towards the opposite person, it shows our preparation to be one with others. I look at yours as a clear reminder of the fact that we cannot exist alone. We all need to be part of this responsibility called mankind which makes sense only if we are willing to live in harmony. Yours is the opposite of ours. It adds stress over the need to include others much before we think of ourselves. Second person point of view forces us to weigh their interests above ours. Of course, this does not mean we should ignore our own happiness for others, it simply refrains from adopting a selfish approach. The attitude to commit depicts our readiness to be with them. Yours is when you weigh others over ‘mine’ and ‘ours’.

  After this serious and philosophical first half of the post, time to move to a lighter second half. 

  Before you accuse me of forcing you to think a lot, let me put you into an exciting action mode. The second part of my post is more of a fun exercise that you can participate in too.

•  I will write a couple of scenarios with the word ‘yours’ as the recipient. 

• Read the situations and place a recipient who seems best for each of them.

•  It is a personal subjective exercise which allows you to choose anyone from your parent to neighbor to friend or spouse. 

• Kindly take it with a pinch of salt as the situations may turn to be funny, offensive or attempting to poke fun. The output of this exercise is fun coupled with realization. Though the underlying theme is enjoyment, it may force us to contemplate and reflect over the power of ‘yours’. What is the feeling that makes us one with others? What drives us to say “I am all yours” or “yours truly”?

 Who is the recipient of ‘all yours’ when?

1.       It is 7am on a Monday morning, you are rushing around to deal with Monday blues, yet someone needs your patience to push them into their daily routine.

2.       You are in the middle of an important assignment, yet someone needs assurance that you have not forgotten them and will stay in constant touch (thanks to instant messaging)

3.       You are miles away from home in a different time-zone, yet you must sound chirpy to celebrate a significant something with someone.

4.       It is late at night with your eyes dozing off, yet someone needs to talk to you about their life crisis on everything from “there are no comments on my posts”  to “my hair is turning grey” to “I must save money”

5.       You have pile of pending work yet someone needs your help to figure out how to use their new phones or how to operate all the jazzy social media platforms.

6.       It is late evening with no energy in your system, yet someone needs to fulfil an adventure that can range from going for a walk to licking some ice-cream.

7.       It is early morning on a weekend yet someone needs to watch the matinee show of their favorite superhero movie.

8.       You are stuck with no Wi-Fi, limited data service, and a dying phone battery, yet someone should know how their new clothes look straight from the trial room photo-shoot.

9.       You are extremely hungry, attacking your food with every remaining ounce of energy, yet someone wants to know how the food is, is the preparation good, any changes or improvements and suggestions to make it better.

10.   You are excited for your outdoor trip that involves hiking to far-away places and being lost in the raw beauty of nature, yet someone needs you to pose for photographs or worst click theirs again and again, until you reach a satisfactory and acceptable click.

11.   You are nowhere close to the end of your work assignment in the middle of the year, while someone is excited for the most awaited trip months and months from now.

12.   You are struggling to make sense with your own journey, yet someone needs assurance that everything will be good

13.   You are tired yet someone needs your smiles, laughter, energy, participation and interest to get going

14.   You are lost in the maze of life, yet you need to guide someone on their route to the final destination

15.   You faced a long day with last moment twists, disappointments, failures and blunders, yet someone chooses to pick every word and misinterpret your talks for something you never meant, creating loads of misunderstanding and arguments.

      I must admit framing these scenarios was fun, but answering them can be a challenge. But, while you think about the people who deserve this ‘all yours’ commitment, it makes you realize life is indeed beautiful when shared with others. Find people who deserve your respect, love, affection, time and sometimes your ‘off-beat’ mood. Make ‘yours’ an integral part of your life to celebrate existence as social animals on this very planet we call home.

   At the end, there is no better way to say this like Nelly Furtado did in her famous song titled Powerless, “life is too short to live it just for you!” Hunt ‘yours’ and make a team, be ‘yours’ to someone and feel the difference.

X: X-factor – knowing the unknown

  

  I am sure there is no need to explain about the source of this interesting word. Thanks to the flood of reality shows that dominated our screens somewhere around a decade back, we are used to hearing judges speak out this word left, right, and center.

“That was an excellent performance, and it had perfect amounts of that X-factor"

“Your dance performance was flawless, but it was lacking something, like an X-factor”

 “If you want to win over others, your performance should not be just a well-coordinated and well-rehearsed display, it should possess that special X-factor”

  Such dialogues and several others reflect the significance of this X-factor. When I started pondering about a word for the unique letter X (and I must admit, there was lot to ponder about!), this mysterious word poked me quite often. So when the final decision was to pick either X-ray or X-factor, I was pulled towards the latter. While I did not know much about what it meant, this lack of knowledge rightly paved way for the title- knowing the unknown.

  So, what is this ‘X-factor’? What does it mean to possess or lack that X-factor which can make or break a performance? What is so special about ‘X-factor’ that can add a unique feel to your overall personality?

 Online dictionaries define X-factor as a noteworthy special talent or quality. It stands for a unique skill, variable or feature that adds a significant value to something. But, the real punch lies in the inability to define this unique talent. Though we know that the performance/person/factor possesses something different from others, it is impossible to define it word by word. It is more of a mysterious quality, difficult to explain, yet existing in every bit. You know it does exist or does not, but you cannot explain it clearly in case one wishes to incorporate or imitate. I hope I have confused you enough, because that is what ‘X-factor’ stands for. Something unique and novel which cannot be explained, but seems to have enough power to make or break a thing.

   Before I lose you readers to this indecipherable X-factor, let me put it out in simple words- X-factor is something that enjoys maximum perks of the phrase ‘benefit of doubt’. Put whatever lies beyond your scope of understanding into this magical X-factor and the purpose is solved. But, the primary aim of this blog post is not to use X-factor in a conventional way. Though X-factor is commonly used for aspects such as performances on reality shows or extraordinary quality of superpowers, wouldn’t it be fun to extrapolate its meaning into usual things of our living? If we can define some unique quality of things such as food, nature, and music with the tool of X-factor, wouldn’t it be interesting and exciting?

  This gives birth to the next section of the post where I make an attempt to define X-factors of the above three elements. As you read along my version of X-factors for food, nature and music, do frame yours too. Send your feedback and comments in case they resonate with your views, and also in case they don’t!

1.       Food – It is extremely easy to talk about food. Why we love or hate certain kind of food items can be elaborated with the simplest choice of words. While during childhood, this understanding was limited to the color and look of food, as we grow up we tend to mix it with factors such as nutrition, taste, hygiene, preparation, ingredients and everything that comes to our mind. Suddenly, we become experts of the food domain as we review its taste, appeal, fragrance, color, value, price and feeling of satisfaction. Though it is easy to describe a meal, it is impossible to explain the comfort offered by a home-cooked meal from our mother’s hand. No matter how well you imitate the recipe, it is impossible to cook like your mother or even come anywhere close to it. This comfort, happiness, joy, simplicity of home cooked food resides in the X-factor. It is something obvious, yet totally unique. 

      You know it exists, but you cannot imitate it even if you wish to. On the other hand, think about your favorite dish from a favorite restaurant. Though you may make multiple attempts to re-create it in your own kitchen with same ingredients (and hesitantly, in the same proportions) with the exact recipe start to end, it may never turn out the same.

In such cases, it is best to transfer the credit to an unexplainable X-factor, while you enjoy the ordered dish without any guilt of ‘not making it yourself’! (I should stop sharing my secret ideas, but you can thank me later.)

2.       Nature- I don’t think there is any need to elaborate over this one. Everything we see in the natural environment around is due to an X-factor. Mother Nature seems to possess too many X-factors to put an amazing show on earth. How else can you explain every single aspect of natural beauty? From array of colors in a magical rainbow to mighty strength of huge mountain ranges, from never-ending extent of oceans to changing look of trees in fall and spring, from shower of rains that drench the surface of earth to perfectly shaped snowflakes in winter, nature is blessed with loads of X-factors.

I cannot think of any other existence that can force a human to admire its beauty, while being awe-struck, spellbound and dumbstruck, all at once.

3.       Music- X-factor and soulful music are closely connected. Music that leaves you mesmerized and forces you to enter into a dreamland is the right kind. If you are able to explain every quality of your favorite singer/song/genre or album, there is something wrong with it. The beauty of any inspirational music or song lies in its ability to be totally unique and unexplainable. It is one perfect moment of X-factor that strikes the right chords in your heart. And only after such a moment arrives, the song or music seems so magical in every way. Though you may hunt for more songs of the same genre or other numbers sung by the same singer, it may not replicate that exact kind of effect. All of this unexplainable magic is due to an X-factor, capable of handling the entire show.

   Though I picked these three aspects as regular examples from our daily routine, there are several other X-factors in our journey of life. Be it amazing qualities of your special someone or novel reasons you love your city, an unexplainable attachment to your house or an amazing passion that keeps you happy, alive and kicking, it is impossible to ignore the influence of X-factor.

  It is always fun to know that some form of unique magic colors and decorates our otherwise boring and predictable life.

  Hunt several such X-factors along the way and enjoy their presence to make your story as interesting as that shiny reality show, blaring from your screen! And once you find them, do share it here to give us some ideas too.

W: ‘We’- the shortest, strongest word in vocabulary

  

   How many times have you heard the phrase ‘United we stand, divided we fall’? I am sure it must have been innumerable times, too difficult to keep a count. Unity, togetherness, community, group are some of the terms that define this feeling of standing strong as a team. What is impossible as a single person struggling to make ends meet is transformed into somewhat possible feat when we all come together? It does not make the task any simpler, but it does strengthen the overall experience with doses of moral support, peace, energy and trust. When ‘I’ is replaced with ‘We’, and ‘you’ is replaced with ‘us’, there is some magic that follows. And though it is just replacement of one pronoun with another, it is still influential at the output stage.

 Though we know about the strength of unity, it is not something we think about daily. In the usual routine of our expected responsibilities, we seldom reflect on what and how things affect us for the better or worse. In that case how did I land up on ‘We’ for the next letter in series? The answer to this lies behind certain lessons of writing. 

  When I started framing articles and posts, I realized the power of tone and point of view. If I replaced the point of view from a second person ‘you’ to first person ‘we’, it changed the overall effect. When we address people with some important aspects using ‘you’ as the central player, it seems more instructional and less of value-added practical inspiration. It is only when we communicate with them as ‘We’, it makes us a part too. Rather than preaching, such an approach makes us a student of the learning process to do good things together.

  'We' is truly the strongest word in our vocabulary because it stands to be together in everything. When we undergo an experience together, we do that as a part and not as a lone participant. Whether we pass or fail influences our decisions, choices and efforts as a team. It empowers us to be more accommodating. Though it is just a short word with two letters, ‘We’ actually separates ‘selfishness’ from ‘selflessness’. It does not mean, we should lose our identity to follow a group blindly. Our eternal happiness, peace and joy stems from our own efforts, but it relates to our existence as individuals in a society. When ‘I’ is lowered and ‘We’ is increased, we come closer to the joy of sharing.

   ‘We’ binds us into a close-knitted clan. There is some essence in knowing that we are together. Think about any significant task in your life. The moment we realize that we share our life with our loved ones around, we are no longer scared. Whether their presence eases our efforts is not known, but it does affect our approach. When we know we are surrounded by support, everything seems easier. At the end, it is still ‘I’ who does the work, but ‘we’ pumps that much-needed support. Standing alone drives us to doubts, worries, fear and tensions. Though it does not make us any weaker in our efforts, it just manages to distract our focus. The thought that ‘I’ am alone makes one weak for no particular reason in sight. Replace this ‘I’ with ‘We’ and everything changes. The word ‘We’ is actually empowering, just by itself.

   We all make mistakes, we all succeed, we fail, we laugh, we complain, we worry, we cry, we feel sad, we are overjoyed, and we feel just the same as the person next to us. As human as we can get, there are same set of worries, priorities, responsibilities and dreams in our hearts. This unity brings us together. The thought that we are in this together drives us to work every single day. Sure, there are competitions and struggles. At some point, we are forced to think about ourselves to convert our dreams into reality. But, all of this can still happen while we walk together towards the goal. There is no need to sacrifice everything and walk in isolation. If you distance away from people, you are only making it difficult for yourself. Each one of us can hold hands and walk together as a team, yet experience a unique sense of satisfaction. Our joy magnifies when ‘We’ share it with those around. And the power of choosing ‘we’ over ‘I’ makes the difference.

 So, when can we say that ‘We’ does turn powerful?

1.       When surrounded by uncertain circumstances – We all struggle with unexpected situations. Though we hope for the best- at some point, we must leave the rest. During such troubled times, when nothing seems to work, there is comfort in the fact that we still have people with us. Outcome and hopes may seem to cease, but the moral support of being surrounded with loved ones still continues.

2.       When we ascend the ladder of life- We all have to go from one stage to the next. As we do so with friends in the same boat, it seems so joyous to think, feel and work alike. Our priorities do differ, but while united by the same kind of fears, worries and hopes, these put us into a single group. Thinking about the future feels overwhelming, but when the same thoughts are mixed with laughter and jokes with friends - it seems scary, yet exciting. Much before we realize, ‘we’ move from school to college, career to passion, marriage to parenthood, and homeowners to retirement. Being together does not lower the pricing of real estate or deliver happy kids in the lap automatically, it simple eases the thoughts with a powerful ‘We are in this together!’

3.       When we know what is good for us, but can’t do it ourselves- We all know the benefits of good diet, exercise, good manners and habits. We know waking on time and going back to bed on time is the solution for numerous troubles. These and many such beneficial factors escape your system if you feel you are doing it ‘alone’. Doubts take the place of advantages, when we favor it over the positive differences. But, only when we push each other as a team, it is easier to reach the target and see it for ourselves. Motivation and inspiration works, when ‘We’ are in sight.

4.       When being alone is just scary and confusing– Imagine you walk into a place where there is no one around. No matter how strong you are or whatever combination of superhuman powers you possess, it will still seem weird, confusing and scary minute after minute. We may not communicate with people, but still the fact that they are around makes the difference. It calms our senses to know we are a team of humans, though we are not working or playing as one. For this thought to make sense, think about the number of times you enter into unknown roads with no cars, people or vehicles around. It does make you question your route, before struggling to find the way out. We all complain of crowd and people, but the truth is we need it at some point or the other.

5.       When it easier to share the blame- Think about your mischievous actions in school. Though we may have done deliberate mistakes and naughty acts just to draw the fun of being kids, wasn’t it easier to act as a team than going solo? The fun of taking the blame as a team puts us at a lower risk. As the consequences are divided among all the members equally, there is more fun in this benefit of doubt.

Such is the power of this strong word ‘We’. No sooner do we arrange ourselves into groups, everything is easy, exciting, joyous and fun-filled. The habit of placing ‘We’ above ‘I’ makes us more accommodating, selfless, caring and affectionate. It transforms us into social beings when we regard everyone as equals.

  Feel the magic of this shortest, strongest word as much as possible because -‘We’ were, are and will be together in this maze called ‘Life’.