We have a long and tiring day and we imagine that we are done for the day. It could happen to us at work or at home. A big “to do list” and when most of the items are ticked , we think we are done for the day.

It may not be really so. We may have forgotten some important tasks or sometimes may have postponed some tough ones ,since its always easier to tick off the easier ones ,in our list.

Life is no different. We may achieved a goal and we think ,we have arrived. It may be just the beginning of our journey ,to our next and more challenging goal.

Imagine a sportsperson winning a gold medal in a championship and hanging her boots. Does she do that ? Never. On the other hand, her practise for the next tournament begins ,even before the sweat in her racquets dry up.

One way of looking at life ,is to take small baby steps towards a larger goal. As long as our focus remains ,on the larger goal, it is fine to celebrate the small achievements, along our way. Similarly, if we plan big things on a day and succeed even in planning for the same, it may be worthwhile to rejoice.

The challenge is ,when we start celebrating even before we take the first steps, towards our goal. Like the famous words of Robert Frost – “There are miles to go before I sleep”, we need to keep resetting our goals in life ,as we progress. This way, life is not only fun ,but a wonderful journey, wherein we can celebrate the journey ,as much as the destination.

It is perfectly fine, to celebrate the small successes in life ,as this not only makes us feel good but also pumps more adrenalin in our blood ,to achieve the larger goals, later.

Another way to look at life ,is to strike the right balance between work and life. We sometimes tend to extend the line of work much beyond the working hours. It is ok to do that once in a way when there is an emergency or a difficult deadline to achieve. But, if we make it a habit, then we are more to lose ,than gain in life.

Balancing work and life is our personal and sole responsibility. This can neither be delegated upwards nor sidewards or downwards. At home, we cannot blame our parents, spouse, siblings or children for the same. Similarly, at work, we cannot blame our bosses, peers or team members for our plight.

Life is journey, wherein we need to learn to travel ,at our own pace and choose our destinations, along with way. We may sometimes reach them and at other times, may not. But, the journey continues and we cannot halt at a stop, to believe we have arrived in life.

Excellence in life is a journey, where there could be commas but never a full stop. We could even have semi-colons or colons to celebrate our achievement along the way ,but if we believe our journey is over, then we may be done.

Let us enjoy the journey of life all along the way.

S Ramesh Shankar

5th May 2023

 

It is fashionable today to hit the gym everyday and make a statement about it. Some people take up fasting as a hobby and a fad just to show others and post it on the social media. These people may believe that hitting the gym or intermittent fasting may help them become fitter than everyone else around them.

I do agree that hitting the gym or fasting may lead to a fitter body but may not necessarily keep you healthy. Good health is a combination of fitness, a balanced diet and mental happiness. A healthy mind leads to a healthy body and the balance between the two keep you happy in life.

No wonder we read about people who maintain a six pack or eight pack body ending up in an ICU with a heart attack ,since they think physical fitness alone may make them healthy. They do not realise that anything done to the extreme could be more harmful to the body, mind and soul. Neither jogging 20 kms a day nor fasting every day would keep you healthy ,although it may make you believe that you are physically fit.

We need to realise that physical fitness alone is not healthy. The day we realise that “Health” is a combination of body, mind and soul, our approach to life will change.

I fully endorse physical activity every day and it is good for our fitness and health. I personally walk for an hour ,do yoga and play badminton everyday. You could also indulge in any physical activity you enjoy everyday ,to keep yourself fit.

But physical activity alone is not good enough. This has to be supplemented by a balanced diet of vegetables, fruits, water, proteins and vitamins in natural forms. This has to be further complemented by mindfulness – a state of mental solace. Health is always a synchronisation of body, mind and soul.

The day we realise this basic tenet of life, we may become healthy. Physical fitness alone cannot necessarily keep you mentally agile and happy in life. Health is a combination of physical fitness, mental soundness and emotional balance in life.

We should not get carried away by advertising models for health and fitness products, which display a fit body but do not necessarily guarantee you ,good health and happiness in life. We can evolve our own daily physical exercise, which we enjoy and can sustain. This can be supplemented by a balanced diet and a happy environ around us ,at work and at home.

When we hear stories of a young CEO of a multinational firm collapsing in a gym or a film celebrity ending in an ICU, who otherwise cared for his physical fitness, we may be taken aback. It is important to realise that physical fitness alone cannot keep us healthy. We need to balance physical exercise with good diet and a happy mind.

I do subscribe to a daily regimen of exercise ,of our choice. This could be supplemented by a well balanced diet of natural source of vitamins, proteins etc through vegetables and fruits. This also needs to be supported by a happy state of mind and soul.

Let us redefine “good health” as the synchronisation of body, mind and a happy soul.

S Ramesh Shankar

7th May 2023

 

We find it difficult to see the seen and hear the said around us. It may be difficult to “see the unseen” and “hear the unsaid” in life. The perceptive people around us do that. They are able to see the unseen and the hear the unsaid.

Psychologists tell us that more than seventy percent of our communication is non-verbal and only thirty percent is verbal. If this is even partly true, then we communicate more by the unsaid and the unseen. It may be worthwhile to then focus on the unsaid and unseen in life.

Have we observed a child communicate to her mother ? The child communicates more through actions than words. A mother is able to hear the unsaid and see the unseen. A mother knows when a child is hungry and when the nappy has to be changed even if the child does not speak nor the nappy is seen.

If this is believable fact of life, then why are we ignorant of the same. Either we are not observant enough or our mind wanders around and we do not focus on what we need to. We can learn from our parents if not anyone else around us. Our mothers can teach us more on listening to the unsaid and seeing the unseen.

Life is no different. It is our ability to see the unseen and hear the unsaid which makes us smarter than the majority of people around us. Let us examine this from the perspective of the workplace. If as a leader, we are able to sense the unsaid words of the team members and see the unseen actions of them, we may be admired as a leader.

A leader does not only see and hear from his own eyes or ears. He ensures that he listens and observes through the eyes and ears of all his team members. So, if we are in touch with everyone around us in our team and other teams, we may see and hear what we are not able to see or hear ourselves.

Another interesting learning is from the field of sports. captains may communicate more through their actions than their words. Sometimes the absence of a captain may communicate more than their presence. It is this ability to inspire even in your absence , which makes one a great leader.

We may learn from our teachers more by what they do than what they say. Sometimes the lessons of our teachers are vivid in our mind even when they are not around ,since they have embeded their life lessons in our hearts. Such is the power of the ability of gurus who teach ,not necessarily by what they say or do ,but more by what they make us learn even if they don’t say anything or show anything to us.

Our parents, teachers and leaders make us believe that it is worthwhile to learn the art of hearing the unsaid and see the unseen. They inspire us not only by their words and actions. They teach us by their absence and their silence too.

Let us learn to ‘hear the unsaid’ and ‘see the unseen’ and learn from both from today.

S Ramesh Shankar

7th May 2023