Shades of Green

Dear Readers, A very Good Morning to you all. What is the 'joy of giving' like? Do we actually feel good from within or depleted of all that we have. If we take a good look around, it's not uncommon to hear - the poor are happier. But why is it so?  Aren't we a lot more blessed and insured than they are, with food to eat, a home to live in and clothes to wear? Aren't we supposed to be much much happier than they are?  Then where has it all gone wrong? One of the biggest difference between the poor and the middle-class/rich community is that the poor don't have a lot to lose. The rich carry worries about what they might lose which deprives them of the experiences of the present. We can be happy even if we are rich if we train our minds that way. Be okay to lose everything.  "Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one." - Dr Seuss Become able enough, that you can say this without a moment of hesitation. I had a silver bracelet when I was eigh...

Dear Readers, Has it ever come across you that when you were really small, you might have had so-and-so goals in mind, like becoming a doctor when you grow up or to talk like someone whom you really admired or to study in a particular university or to make something really praiseworthy. And then, you just passed by those milestones without even realising they were once upon a time the dreams of that little child inside you.  Your goals just keep drifting further away from you the closer you get to it. What might once have been the biggest dream of your life may now be just a tiny memory of your past today.  I've written mission statements and made it to them but reminisced they were my mission statements only when I saw those written notes again. This book by Thomas M. Sterner is worth reading. If you've ever been lost in the fog of reaching your goals, only to realise that those goals just keep moving further and further away from you, then this book is yo...

How many of you have given up on studying something because you felt like you wouldn't remember anything from it anyways? How many times have you found it hard to concentrate on something? How many times have you been embarrassed when you were questioned in a meeting because you couldn't recall things that were really relevant in the discussion? "The existence of forgetting has never been proved: We only know that some things don't come to mind when we want them" - Friedrich Nietzcshe Memory is such an integral part of learning and yet our schools never train us on how to use it properly and effectively. Companies employ people with a good memory; to be a good player of cards you require a good memory; even people like people who can remember their names even after a very long time. Where is memory not required? Man is nothing if it weren't for memories. It is the cornerstone of our existence and it determines the quality of our decisions. Your mem...

Twyla Tharp tells us that we can observe a lot by watching. When you observe, observe without judgement because when you apply judgement to your powers of observation, you become selective. You edit. You filter the world through your particular prism. Is memory an element in Creativity? Many of us spend a lot of time worrying about memory. One of the horrors of growing older is the certainty that you will lose memory and that the loss of vocabulary or incident or imagery is going to diminish your imagination. The author suggests giving memory a workout; trying to keep it sharp. Creativity is more about taking the facts, fiction and feelings we store away and finding new ways to connect them. Metaphor is the lifeblood of all art, if it is not art itself. Metaphor is our vocabulary for connecting what we are experiencing now with what we have experienced before. It’s not only how we express what we remember, it’s how we interpret it – for ourselves and others. If all art is ...

Dear Readers, I have been reading for a major portion of the day and have shared with you things I felt like we all should know. The reason why I chose to read 'The Book of Forgiving' by Desmond Tuttu is because that was the need of the moment for me. To anyone reading this, who is finding it difficult to cope with any relationship in your life, I just want you to know that you are not alone. We always keep having rivals, people who are jealous of us the way we are, people who just cannot accept us as we are and it's impossible to not have different opinions with such people. Sometimes our rival can cross the limits and bring us great loss which will be so hard to forgive. But what I want you to know is that hating that person is going to give them the power over our thoughts, our sleep, our appetite, our health and our happiness. This book has taught me that rather than carrying the burden of our enemies hate, it's better we forgive and let go of anything ...

Below is an  exercise  the author has advised and I loved answering the beautiful questions. Please do read if you are interested to know more about me and try giving these questions your own version of answers. My creative Autobiography: 1.       What is the first creative moment you remember?  The first creative moment I remember is when I had been preparing a piece for my third grade electronic keyboard examination. My music teacher had instructed me to put in some of my own variations to the original music. I practiced and practiced and found that changing the pitch somewhere in the middle of the made my music sound different. 2.       Was anyone there to witness or appreciate it?  I had been praised and even was made to perform in front of a group of students. My music teacher appreciated me and even still remembers me. 3.       What is the best idea you’ve ever had?  Th...

If you are going through any kind of hurtful relationship or have been through one and feel lost out of guilt and anger, then this book about forgiveness might help. Desmond Tuttu has explained forgiveness to it's roots. He has also given solutions to help you forgive if you are confused about how to do it. This blog consists of the best and my favourite lines I have picked from his book. Please read the book for a more deeper understanding. From THE BOOK OF FORGIVING BY DESMOND TUTTU, Forgiveness is the way we return what has been taken from us and restore the love and kindness and trust that has been lost. With each act of forgiveness, whether small or great, we move toward wholeness. Forgiveness is nothing less than how we bring peace to ourselves and our world. People don’t come into this world hating each other and wishing to cause harm. It is a learned condition. Children do not dream of growing up to be rapists or murderers and yet every rapist and every murder...