EVERY STEP BECOMES IMPORTANT…
A note on mindfulness and nature trek… have a look. 

While trekking on a small  or a big mountains, we get embroiled by mindfulness automatically. Mindfulness captures  us with every step we want to climb up or climb down as we have to take care while trekking; when we see that there is a slanting steep slope we become more and more alert, and try our best to put our foot forward with extra care. We try to avoid all obstacles, even small stones, or the places from where we may get sliding down. We use all our knowledge whatever we have regarding climbing while trekking. We apply all our concentration and focus to move. We try our best to avoid distractions as we understand about it. And take every step as mindfully as we can. 

When we are completely in our own present moment awareness, We experience all that is happening around at the same time.  The smell of the trees and the grass, the colours of the whole atmosphere, The changing of brightness of the sunlight, The due on the leaves, hues of the sky. That make us think and feel in deep. 

Our all sensory organs are activated. As our nose with the aroma of the grass and  flowers, eyes with all different colours around, ears with the sound of our footsteps, crumpling noise of dry leaves, birds chirping, animal sounds, and any sound we make there, the music of the nature and the music played by our trekking partner,  our feet are connected with earth, and our hands with some trees or big  stones or other group members hands for support. Sometimes support is available but we feel we don’t need it, we can still manage, sometimes support is not available but we need it. What an irony!! 

Recently I had a wonderful experience while trekking, We all me and my family members were visiting a place which was supposed to be untouched and full of scenic beauty. As soon as we entered there, There was a very different aroma of yellow flowers in the valley, the whole valley and the mountain was surrounded by the fragrance of those yellow wild flowers,  I still remember the aroma;  it was little spicy, balmy, little medicinal ; I tried to find out the reason behind it but it’s still pending. 

May be it has some medicinal qualities. But with that all Yellows, the Valley was really looking friendly. As if it was suggesting us to be friendly with it all the time. While taking care of you ; also take care of the valley. Clean it, and save it. And I came across with a very difficult slope, My Nephew helped me getting down from there what a friendly gesture he showed. Wow! 

My brother in law caught our attention towards a fast movement, and it was a small snake, it went under a big stone, and then he went from there, that snake  was unexpectedly fast; it went from there and made us feel free and safe again, My husband said, we actually should not  complain since we had entered in his territory. We tried to find out his species, with what we found, the colour and his speed but we could only thought that he was poisonous. Anyways we were delighted that, we could complete our trek ; and learned a big lesson and that is, sometimes, every step becomes very important.  what say?

The Valley we could see from far...

When we went little near by and could find this beautiful yellows!!!

And that is how they were from our very close...

चेतता नर सदा सुखि .

AN ALERT HUMAN BEING IS ALWAYS HAPPY.

This classical saying is said in GUJRATHI and SANSKRIT; which was said by DADAJI, our friend MANEESH’S FATHER, as blessings to my daughter RAHI. DADAJI AND DADIJI, both had come with us to drop my daughter to her DORM. And they said they will say only one thing to her and that is, “चेतता नर सदा सुखि !!”

It was so meaningful, and important blessings for a daughter who was going to start her stay in the hostel. I remember all those blessings given to me by many of elderly people around me. ..

“यशस्वी हो , i. e. Become Successful. “ , “ सतत पुढे जात राहो . i.e Keep moving forward always. “ , or “पहिला क्रमांक येउ दे. , i.e. May you stand first.”

So many like this can be said , But ALERTNESS is really something. I found that it has a very deep meaning, Meaning of life. It speaks about PRESENT MOMENT AWARENESS, MINDFULNESS, DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF THE SITUATION, AND CONSEQUENCES AT THE SAME TIME. WOW!!

It helps us in everything, while planning a day, driving a vehicle, keeping important things, making lists to remember, scheduling, writing questions, and timing while chitchatting, keeping good health, eating on times, getting your health checked on time, Focusing and Refocusing,  and so long and so forth.

I loved this saying so much that I am bringing in my own life by adding it in to small small things.  I realised that I am not taking that extra effort to keep myself on toes. So I am trying my best to do that. And It is helping.  So let us help ourselves by saying us every time, “चेतता नर सदा सुखि “. 

Be You. Be Your Own Leader.

Be You . Be Your Own Leader.

 a message to a daughter and a son by their ma and pa and also to anyone who is striving hard and moving forward with his / her own effort....

When a person strives hard for the best in life and gets it then what he / she wants. That’s like a glory of life. Everything is set then. Sometimes feels like nothing is remained to achieve more. But No. It’s actually beginning of your new life. It’s New life altogether. That also brings Transition in your life. But always remember that Change is Inevitable, it is ought to happen and now it is happening for Betterment of your life. Progress of our life. Growth and Development of our life. And it is there to add value and meaning in your efforts.

I found people thinking that, “ Why did they strived so hard? If they wouldn’t have strived hard then  they wouldn’t have to face this difficult time in life.”  But Who decides difficulty of time? And how can we be so sure that if ever efforts were not been taken then there will be no difficulty?   The situation can become even worse when no efforts are there than striving hard and taking efforts.

How about Thanking life which is passed by , and also thanking and welcoming  new phase of your life. This phase in your life  is there to check and recheck :: Who You Are? What is your Purpose of Life? What Principals of Life you have? If you know everything already then this is there to recheck. And Thank for giving this particular opportunity, thank for Meeting with new people, knowing new cultures and food, Thank for  Given a chance to prove yourselves. Now and always. 

Be You . Be Your Own Leader...

Was checking with a video clip and I found this one… Have a look. Please share anything you think about it...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SlpYdoZoSOI

Life is like a painting of which you are the painter.

Life is like a painting. And You are the Painter. So You will decide what colors you want in the painting. 

It is said that Painting of life is decided. But NO. It is not correct. Believe in yourself. Have faith in yourself. 

जीवन एका चित्राप्रमाणे आहे आणि  चित्रकार तू आहेस. तुला ठरवायचं कोणते रंग तुझ्या चित्रात तुला हवेत ते. असं म्हणतात कि जीवनाचं चित्र हे ठरलेलं असत.   पण नाही ते बरोबर नाही, तुझ्यावर विश्वास ठेव , भरवसा ठेव. 

You are the creator. Painting of your life depends upon what colors you pour in it. Grey or all other colors. Colors of Pain or Colors of Strength. Colors of Guilt or Colors of voice. Colors of sadness or Colors of glitter. Colors of mourning or Colors of dignity. Colors of happiness or Colors of Gloomy. Colors of Blue or Colors of Guts and Courage.

तूच आहेस निर्माता. तुझ्या चित्राचा. तुझ्या जीवनाचे हे चित्र अवलंबून आहे तू जे रंग तुझ्या चित्रात भरणार त्यावर. राखाडी कि बाकीचे सगळे रंग त्यावर. दुःखाचे रंग कि शक्तीचे. अपराधाचे  कि भाष्य करण्याचे, व्यक्त होण्याचे,  वाईट वाटण्याचे कि चमक असलेले, सुतकी कि गौरवाचे, आनंदाचे कि खिन्नतेचे, निराशेचे  कि हिम्मत आणि धैर्याचे.  

Select your own colors. Select your own Strokes.  Make your own Painting. If ever Painting is already done. Keep a Courage to CHANGE it whenever it is required. And design it, Create it as you want it. 

तू ठरव तुझे रंग. तू ठरव तुझे रंगांचे फटकारे. बनव तुझं स्वतःच चित्र. जरी चित्र आधीच तयार असल, तरी ते बदलण्याची हिम्मत ठेव जेव्हाही तुला गरज पडेल तेव्हा. आणि नवीन रचना नवीन नक्षी बनव जशी तुला हवी आहे तशी. 

Do not loose Hope and Smile. Do not forget the colors of thanking. Just thank and move forward. Thank life which is already over. Because of our past, we learn a a a lot in our life. Just Grace the learning. And move forward.

फक्त उमेद आणि हास्य लोप पावू देऊ नकोस. धन्यवाद द्यायला विसरू नकोस. धन्यवाद दे आणि पुढील मार्गक्रमण चालू ठेव. जे आधीच तुझ्या जीवनात आहे त्या चित्राला धन्यवाद दे. आपल्या भूतकाळामुले आपण  आपल्या जीवनात खुउउउपच शिकतो. त्या भूतकाळालाही धन्यवाद दे आणि चल पुढे.  

And also do not forget to add a small window of light in your painting. 

आणिक एक .... एक गोष्ट विसरू नकोस एक छोटी प्रकाश पाझरणारी खिडकी त्या चित्रात असू दे. 

Have a look at both the paintings up and down. Which one or more than one you want. The things you want think about them consistently. You will get the same feelings. And you will start adding those colors in your painting. With all those colors add all those actions. Which will take you to your own marvelous journey. This will be your journey. Select it. Be there to live every moment of your own selection now onwards. Enjoy the process. Remember the colors of support are just a receiver away. :)

ह्या लेखातील कोणते चित्र तुला हवे आहे चारही चित्र नीट बघ. एक निवडायचं कि एकापेक्षा जास्त ते तू ठरव. तुला ज्या गोष्टी हव्या आहेत त्याचा सतत विचार करत राहा, तुला अगदी तसंच वाटत राहील आणि तशाच भावना तुझ्यात उत्पन्न होत राहतील. आणि ते रंग तू तुझ्या चित्रात भरशील. मग तू त्या रंगांबरोबरच तू ते विचार कधी प्रत्यक्षात आणशील ते तुझं तुलाही समजणार नाही. आणि ते रंग, त्या भावना,  ते विचार, आणि त्या कृती तुला एका वेगळ्या सुंदर प्रवासाला नेतील. तो तुझा स्वतःचा प्रवास असेल. त्यात तू निवड कर. त्या प्रवासातील क्षण जग. आताही आणि पुढेही. ह्या प्रक्रियेचि मजा घे. लक्षात असू दे कि मदतीचे रंग हे फक्त एका दूरध्वनी पलीकडे आहेत. :)

Life is like a Painting. But it changes when you choose appropriate colors. Design it with Appropriate Colors. Add a window of light. And just bring it into present to live it. YOU CAN DO IT.

आपलं जीवन हे चित्राप्रमाणेच आहे. पण ते बदलू शकत तेव्हाच जेव्हा तू नवीन योग्य रंगांची निवड करशील. नवीन नक्षी कर तुझ्या नव्याने निवडलेल्या त्या योग्य रंगांनी त्यात एक तेजाची खिडकी पण असू दे. आणि ते प्रत्यक्ष जीवनात जग. 

तूला हे नक्की करता येईल. 

Author

Arati Suryawanshi

9/8/14 edited 28/5/20 

WHAT IS THERE? REACTIONS OR RESPONSES?

SITUATIONS AND REACTIONS?  WHAT IS THERE ?

REACTIONS?

or

RESPONSES?

HOW DO THEY TAKE PLACE? IF WE DECIDE TO DO SOMETHING, HOW DO WE REACH THERE? HOW DO WE MAKE OUR DECISIONS? 

I want to eat yellow Cadbury Gems from many of them. Really Easy?   right? No,  not so  easy for me, it is quite a difficult decision since I also want to eat Red and Purple and many others.  But of course ,  in comparison with other Decisions this is quite an easy task for me. May be because I don’t have to take much care about my decision in this situation of eating chocolates. 

But there are situations in our life where we have to take more care, pay more Focus and Attention for those decisions. For example:

1.  Parents scold at their son in front of his friends, and then, he is more set with his behaviour. 

2. My maid breaks the brand new Cup form the new Crockery set, and then I found that it was not all her mistake. 

3. The boss in the big company complains about his subordinate and then he feels guilty about it. 

In all the above three examples we can see that there is some thing happening there….
The story beneath the actual decisions were made.
In all the three decisions the important things taking place are….

1. There is no change in my son’s behaviour.
2. No mistake of my MAID. and ,
3. Feeling Guilty.  

What are above three things all about? Aren’t they all either EMOTIONS or FACTORS STRONGLY CONNECTED WITH EMOTIONS? 

I have something to say / ask here. 

Are all impulsive reactions bad?
Are all bad decisions impulsive ?

Let us not judge them. Have a look at following reference...
I read this recently in GBR Review.. Graziadio Business Review………….

********In a complex and insecure business environment, managers need to use every available tool to successfully survive and to serve both employees and the companies for which they work. We suggest that these tools include familiarity with and choice of appropriate responses to emotional as well as to cognitive concerns******http://gbr.pepperdine.edu/2010/08/use-emotional-intelligence-to-cope-in-tough-times/ 
You can read the whole write up on the link above.

Question arises here is that…...

“ IF EVER WE WOULD HAVE HAD SOME MORE TIME WE WOULD HAVE DONE MUCH BETTER. HAVE YOU EXPERIENCED SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN YOUR LIFE? "

Yes? Oops; 

No? Oops;  actually not to worry, good news is, you are having the very first step of awareness. Believe me.

Because then we are trying to understand what was there? what happened? We’re looking at the pros and cons. We’re looking at the consequences. We’re being tactful.  Focusing more on the HOW part. We are trying to connect it with future. We’re not being impulsive.

Do not lose this moment of your life; this is the very first step. Take it , dare to take it. Check closely, What’s happening? Why is it happening?

and how ? What would have been there if ever you could have changed something? or How would be the better way to think , feel or act in that tough situation? 

This very step is taking us towards emotional intelligence through mindfulness. We are actually trying to reach to the things which might have already happened in the earlier past but they are making us strong and smart to make us aware in the present ; every moment in the present and also in the next time when the tough situation takes place again in life.

What can be added and avoided. We reach to this or we can reach to this only with MINDFULNESS. Since we understand that something happened which is not so good. That is also a situation. And we are trying to go to deeper and deeper to the situation to understand and become more and more aware about it. 

As we become more mindful we become more aware and as we become more aware we become more emotionally intelligent. 

And all those REACTIONS change next time and become RESPONSES. Just imagine how the world would be if all of us try to change our reactions to responses? 

My mentor in Emotional Intelligence ‘ Joshua Freedman’ ,  says, 

“ When every time we change from reaction to response we actually, use the EMOTIONAL DATA we notice beneath the story”. 

My mentor in Self Science , ‘ Anabel Jensen’ , says,  “ That is how we actually reach to the stage of becoming our own scientist. And we apply more and more knowledge of ’SELF SCIENCE”.  

My mentor in Research, ‘ Dr. Susan Stillman’, says, “ We can actually apply this knowledge of awareness to improve upon our competencies of emotional intelligence as EMPATHY” . 

The website we should not miss ever : www.6seconds.org or eq.org

Check it out.

SITUATIONS AND  REACTIONS.

ARE THEY HAVE FASTEN TOGETHER?

http://www.ssbcrack.com/2012/07/situation-reaction-test-commonly.html

    The above link I have given here is about the test of our own situations and reactions. I found it very interesting. I was solving and somewhere I found that, this is something which is really knotty, needed to be fixed, want to be changed or layered off.  

Where do our balance go? Who are the creators of difficult situations we face? What kind of reaction is not to be given? Or what kind of reaction is to be given? When to be given? Why do we feel so complex about it?

Research says that, most of the times we are the creator of difficult situations, we  face in life.

There are some important things. 

               1.     We are not in the position to take the ownership of our own created situations.

               2 .     We are not aware about the relationship of our own created situations and our reactions.

               3.     We are unable to tune in properly with situations and reactions and miss the appropriate    options.

         4.     Or, we are over-tuned between them, so that we don’t understand that we need CHANGE.

 Here, our mindfulness comes into picture. Because we have fastened ourselves with situations and reactions as such that we go on our autopilot mode Or default mode. And we don’t want to change it. 

With mindfulness we become inward and try to become more aware about data of our situations and reactions, of our feelings, thoughts and actions. We become more insightful and go deeper to the situations.  We become more profound to find out reasons behind the reactions and at the same time try to find out appropriate options for it.

Thus mindfulness meditation helps us in becoming more focused yet Flexible. Less reactive and powerful.

                     

When we mindfully meditate we realize that, we have not only become more intricate but also we are ready to accept things, find out more creative options, become optimistic, self empathic and compassionate for others, feeling of gratitude increases And ultimately Resilience is achieved.

http://blogs.hbr.org/2014/04/how-to-override-your-default-reactions-in-tough-moments/

Harvard business review blogger and scientist Lee NewMan, who is also Dean of innovation and behavior at IE Business School, says that to override our default reactions to tough moments we need to have at least three things. As,

1.  Knowing our default situations, Becoming more aware about them.

2.  Anticipate  the further consequences to overcome from the negative impact of them.  And

3.  Design your situations, Become your own designer.

What is your Choice?

 How do you want to solve the knots? And experience Freedom?

 Share here.