Challenge Yourself Every day

"Challenges make you discover things about yourself that you NEVER really knew."

Everyone feels sluggish, sad or a bit dead inside every now and again. If you want to give your body a good SHAKE and WAKE up that soul back, CHALLENGE yourself!

We tend to feel the most ALIVE when we're in pursuit of a challenging goal. Now, this can be something like getting in shape, learning a new skill, or working towards a promotion at work. It can be something like getting straight A's, if you're still in school. The important part is to give yourself a challenge and then throw all of your energy and effort into it!

“The quality of your life is in direct proportion to the amount of UNCERTAINTY you can comfortably deal with.”

Uncertainty is the fear of doing something we’ve never done before. It’s when we challenge ourselves that we feel most alive. Boredom comes from complacency. When we challenge ourselves to CONTINUOUS growth, we not only benefit personally, but we become more interesting and valuable to everyone around us.

You see, it doesn’t matter where you start. We all start at the bottom, and it doesn’t matter if you own your own business or work for someone else.When you challenge yourself to consistently become smarter, more informed, and more skilled, you immediately separate yourself from everyone else. When you BECOME more, you then have the ability to EARN more.

Sitting back and letting routine steer isn’t going to take you to heights you’ve always dreamed of reaching. Put yourself in the driver's seat and HIT the accelerator hard.

Challenge yourself to be who you know you are capable of being.

Challenge yourself to follow through.

To live what you preach, to walk your talk.

Don't worry about how slowly you feel you're heading towards your goal

or how many roadblocks you find, or how many detours you're forced to make.

As long as you keep doing your thing,

you're still cruising far ahead of everyone who's too scared to even try.

It'll make you proud of where you're going and the dreams you're chasing.

1. Figure out what you're scared of - and do it for one week consistently
2. Make a realistic budget and find out how you can cut back on something so you can invest more
3. Dedicate at least nine minutes a day for physical exercise
4. Travel and allow yourself to be interested in new people
5. Volunteer for a work assignment you're not totally sure you can do
6. Do something kind for someone you don't know
7. Make plans to meet your friends after work and catch up - even if you've been avoiding making plans for weeks
8. Write down the things you want to change about yourself
9. Start the hobby you've been wanting to pursue

Just be happy without a reason, keep a smile all the season,

Life is too short to be stressed, so stay happy, stay blessed!!

The Chemical 'Locha' of Happiness

When our brain releases one of these chemicals, we feel good.

It would be nice if they surged all the time. But they don't work that way. Each chemical has a special job to do and it turns off when the job is done.

But what if we can train our brain to stimulate these happy chemicals to make us happier?

How can you stimulate dopamine in positive ways?

Take baby steps. The idea of breaking down a tough task you have to get done makes it feel more do-able. Your brain will reward you with dopamine each time, helping you achieve the goal.

Do a victory dance. Congratulating yourself on any little achievement will make you feel good.

Raise the bar slowly. Make your goals realistic to begin with and build from there.

Act. Set aside 10 minutes a day to work on concrete actions and dopamine will help you generate the energy to do so.

How can you stimulate serotonin in positive ways?

Enjoy where you are. It's not always best to be in the driving seat, so know when to be happy to be the passenger. Status goes up and down.

Notice your influence. Without being controlling or arrogant, you can see when people have taken your lead. Don't expect credit, just take time to appreciate your good effort on others.

Surrender control. Much of the time we can't control what's happening and that can be a big source of frustration. Choose one control 'habit' that you have and try to let it go.

Take pride. Make up your mind to say 'look what I've done' without being too tied up with the reaction - accept that it may not always be the one you want.

How can you stimulate oxytocin in positive ways?

Be trustworthy. If others know they can trust you, you're more likely to feel you can trust them.

Find a proxy. Trust takes time to build, so you could get a pet that will be loyal, join a group where you won't be judged, or play a sport where you can share ups and downs.

Have a massage. Taking time to apply body lotion or face cream can also make a difference to feelings of well-being. As touch stimulates oxytocin, be more 'cuddly' with your partner, friends or family, too.

Count your change. Verify your trust. This helps you to become able to build trust with strangers rather staying with who you know.

How can you stimulate endorphin in positive ways?
Laugh.  A true belly laugh will 'shake up' your insides in a good way. Genuine laughing (which makes you face ache) is thought to release fear.
Cry. Holding back tears can build up tension, whereas if you let it go when you need to, it's a physical relief from tension generally in the body and especially in the diaphragm.
Exercise. But change it around, as working the same muscles leads to wear and tear or injury. Feeling uncoordinated is the point - 'new' movement is how you get the endorphin rush. Make it fun, so that you laugh at the same time.
Stretch. It's a great way to boost circulation. Stretch those muscles you never even know you had.

Knowing the chemical 'locha' responsible for your happiness, you can re-wire your brain to be happier and have more ups and fewer downs. 'Coz you have the power when you know how your brain works and it feels good!

Just be happy without a reason, keep a smile all the season,

Life is too short to be stressed, so stay happy, stay blessed!!

Saga of Real Life Heroes

No one writes about them. Their deeds go unsung. They go selflessly into the heart of battle and risk their lives to save others.

The Wall
Fighting against a stranger for a stranger, his war is not his own. He has to win, for his victory is not just his own. Just like his life, his death is never his own. But he waits. Alert. With gritted teeth and shut mouth, as if cold has frozen his words and turned his body into brittle ice. But he refuses to break.

The Guardian
He is the only border that separates war from daily routine. He is ready to take a bullet that doesn't have his name on it. Ready to die for a man who has just returned home after a normal day at work, a housewife who is waiting to watch her favorite reality show, for a kid who is writing his exams tomorrow and for a young girl shopping for her wedding day.

You have never lived until you have almost died. And for those who choose to fight, life has a special flavor, the protected will never know!!!                                                                             - Capt R Subramanium Kirti Chakra (Posth)

Fighting Insurgency - A war everyday
Away from family, human habitation, cell phone communication, theirs is a 24 X 7 X 365 job which comes with no weekend or festival breaks. Their post is their home. Men in bullet-proof jackets and helmets, carrying guns as easily as we carry shoulder bags, fighting an unconventional war - far more difficult, battling an unseen enemy, not knowing which side he can come from.

Colonel - The CEO
A Colonel can be called the CEO of 800 jawans, but the difference is that he'll give his life for his soldier and his soldier will do the same for his Colonel - 200% and without a doubt. When the fire comes, he stands in front of his soldier and he will stand in front of his Colonel. That is the kind of faith they have.

Let's Salute Them

Our every breath is a debt which we owe to the 'Jawaans' at the front, who even right now, will be struggling hard, awake throughout the night so that we can enjoy the 'sweet dreams'.

Let's acknowledge the heroic efforts of the Indian armed forces, in times of war and peace and raise a salute to them and let them know we care.

A TRIBUTE TO ALL OUR MEN AND WOMEN IN THE INDIAN ARMY WHO HAVE SACRIFICED SO MUCH TO KEEP US SAFE AND FREE!!!

Just be happy without a reason, keep a smile all the season,

Life is too short to be stressed, so stay happy, stay blessed!!

Criticism - Fragile, Handle with Care

“Criticism may not be agreeable, but it is necessary. It fulfills the same function as pain in the human body. It calls attention to an unhealthy state of things.”

Face it. No matter how well you perform your duties throughout your career, someone will always criticize you.
The more successful you are, the more you might become a target of criticism. No one likes having the quality of their work belittled, the soundness of their decisions questioned or their integrity challenged, but it's how you deal with criticism that determines your power and how big a man you really are.

How we generally respond to criticism
There are 3 ways that most people respond. In general, people completely agree with the criticism, they resist the criticism or they ignore it.

Depending on what your personality is like, you may be more likely to respond to criticism in one of these ways. If a client gives you feedback about a project you're working on, you might completely agree. Or if a less-than-professional website visitor leaves "you suck" feedback on your blog, you might fight back with something nastier or you might ignore it.

How we should respond to criticism

There are 3 ways that  we should respond to criticism:

On the continuum between ignore and resist, there is "professional disagreement". This is where we engage the person in a professional debate that is respectful and, if necessary, private.

Not all criticism is bad and on the continuum between resisting and agreeing there is a point when we learn. It's about the place when understanding and clarity takes over from ignorance.

Lastly, there is transition. This is when you may or may not acknowledge the criticism as a prompt but you do make a course adjustment as a result.

Next time someone gives you negative feedback -  whether helpful, well-intended, insulting, or completely unreasonable - don't react the way you normally would. Consider a moderate approach that will help you emerge as a thoughtful professional.

Just be happy without a reason, keep a smile all the season,

Life is too short to be stressed, so stay happy, stay blessed!!

Cry Your Heart Out

What is crying?

Human are the only animals that cry emotional tears. Other animals will cry when they're in pain or when they have something in their eye but only humans weep.

When we are babies, we usually cry to be picked up, fed or changed. It is a way of signalling for help. But as we get older, individual and cultural experiences lead us to cry for emotional reasons, such as happiness, sadness or anger.

There are three kinds of tears: basal, reflex and emotional tears.

Basal tears- always in our eyes to help keep our vision clear. They protect eye's surface.

Reflex tears - release as a reflex to something, e.g. irritation from peeling onions or heavy smoke.

Emotional tears - occur after emotional crisis and after the body is already returning to its normal state. It is not a response to crisis; it is post-crisis. It is the part of restoration.

Men's crying vs Women's crying

Men are more likely to cry as a result of positive feelings, while women are more likely to cry after conflict with other people, or as a result of feeling inadequate. 

Women experience more complex emotions while crying, including fear, anger, powerlessness and frustration. In response to these feelings, men preferred repressed panic or choked rage to crying. 

The Miracle of Tears - Natural healing

Crying is one of nature's most effective anti-sadness therapy. The flow of tears is like the thawing of ice. Eyes that don't cry become hard, brittle and dry. A good cry will not only release physical and emotional tension but will deepen our breathing. It helps reduce stress, stabilize emotions and remove toxins.

People often think that crying does no good. It's true it won't change the outside world, but it can shift our inner world by releasing tension and pain, improving circulation, allowing space for compassion and keeping us flexible in our emotions and our bodies.

Crying once in a while is like rain from heaven that fecundates the earth. We may not need deluge, but we certainly need a gentle rain regularly to keep our planet green and our souls clean.

Just be happy without a reason, keep a smile all the season,

Life is too short to be stressed, so stay happy, stay blessed!!