learnings

I have always been ashamed of my ugly feet. I became aware of my feet after reading novels of queens and heroines of the past. Slender feet, slim ankles, pretty toes and toenail... I would compare them with mine- broad feet, stubby toes, discoloured toenails and after a stint of 10 years in Assam, I developed extreme dryness too. So cracked toes and skin peeling off also added to my woes. Every time I went to buy sandals, I had to forego the pretty ones and settle for solid shapes and colours so as to hide most parts of the feet. And yes I have a spouse who loves my feet. I am still surprised and shocked tho". He finds them cute and says they bring a smile.. I laugh out loud whenever I hear this and often comforted myself that he was just being nice. On Sunday evening as I walked around the deity,in the temple, I glanced at my feet. A sudden flash of insight and I tottered. I was amazed at myself. How could I deride my feet? They have borne my weight which is definitely abov...

Was it a movie? Was it real? Mind blowing experience. The viewer is literally sucked into space. Kudos to the director and the writer. I did not realize the two hours flying . The 'interval ' break was missing. Yet  the movie flowed seamlessly and without tiring us. And I also realized how much we are tuned to local cinema for I kept hoping that the hero would pop in.Single handed Sandra Bullock has carried the movie . George Clooney was amazing. He has risen ten fold in my eyes. A male top actor who has played second fiddle for a brief role. The movie also has a deep learning. I would love to write more but I would like to keep the suspense.

My son and daughter in law gifted me a unique gadget called Fitbit. This is the latest craze among the fitness crazy. Now I have never been an active member of such a group. This is a black band- comes on two sizes in the pack. It is synced with the fitbit app on our smartphone.  It measures the number of steps , distance , calories done in a day. It also records the quality of our sleep. Once you add other fitbit members then you are sucked into a whirlwind of competitive fitness! There you go... Just when you are smug that you have walked 9000 odd steps your friend would have clocked a 4000 more. Whoosh goes down the ego and ups your reality check too. So you can't fool yourself.. Rather we can't just rationalize or generalize !!! Now are you loving it? The best is yet to come. What this black band does is it has transformed my way of thinking. The waking thought is," how much can I walk today, how can I avoid the car " This is the magic. Earlier I had ex...

Throughout my life I have been sleeping late and rising late. So late that it would put anyone to shame! ( Indian housewife standards) I have been following Robin Sharma’s blogs and videos quite regularly. he speaks of the 5 am club. This is the club that all top leaders and CEOs belong to. There is a striking pattern among leaders of all ages. They are early risers. They make use of the ‘divine hours’ in planning for the day. This wisdom is ancient and one that Indians are aware of. After having watched one of Robin Sharma’s recent videos I decided I would wake up early. Somehow 5 am is daunting and scary.. Scary for what reason? Please don’t ask me.. Anyways in all good earnestness I set the alarm at 6 am on my mobile phone. I can see you smiling sarcastically! But yes 6 am is indeed early for me. I kept the mobile phone away from the bed so as to jump up from the bed and take a step or two to shut off the alarm. I woke up and followed the 20 20 20 rule. 20 minutes of exercise/ ...

We battle with these 2 questions almost every day. I have reduced my shopping to a large extent. Every time I want to buy something I put across these questions to myself. Of course a mini war goes on between my body /heart and mind. I argue and counter argue. I had tried several methods previously to keep a check on my spending. This method is foolproof. Inevitably the mind being the rational creature wins. If you are in doubt about who is answering you- the heart or mind- all you have to check is who gives the quickest answer. Obviously is would be the heart. Then do remember that there is no quick way to success. Hence you have enough evidence to disown the heart here. Follow your rational self. It is indeed tough but then which path of goodness and success has been easy? Gradually it would become a habit and the questions would pop into your mind when you are faced with spending/buying !!

I am sharing this based on the learning from the popular book,’How full is your Bucket’ by Donald O. Clifton and Tom Rath. Each of us has an invisible bucket which we empty or fill depending on what we say or do. We also have an invisible dipper which we use to fill or dip our buckets and also that of others. When we use positive words and actions towards others we are filling their bucket and in turn ours. When our buckets are full we are happier, more productive and healthier. When we use negativity towards others we are dipping into their buckets and ours. We thus dip into the buckets rendering them empty. When our buckets are empty we are unhappier, drained, less productive and unhealthier! We have a choice- do we fill or dip ? Do we want full buckets or empty ones?

I have often overheard parents commenting that their wards are watching too much of television. If you dig a little deeper, it is not surprising to find that the parents are doing the same! Research has proved that children model on the behaviour of parents. Early childhood is the most crucial period in the development of traits and character. Children role model their parents. It is perfectly fine to watch a few programs together and even have a discussion. But parents especially mothers tend to be glued to serials/ soap shows. They get annoyed when they are disturbed. They do not welcome phone calls or visitors during this time. All these are imbibed by the children who begin to accept it as a value. When they, in turn, exhibit the same behaviour the parents cannot tolerate, leading to conflicts. Hence dear parents, watch your step, I mean your TV viewing!