A Happy Soul In Me

"How does happiness look like??" An interesting yet confusing question from me to me...

We often allow our happiness to be controlled by others. But being happy is nothing, but restructuring our thoughts so that we are able to break our mental barriers which restricts us from experiencing real joys of life. 

There’re tons of simple reasons I take up to alleviate my happiness multifold. Real happiness comes to me when I get a break from routine robotic life and feel myself lucky to spend quality time with family n friends. Obviously, its not a big deal, but ask a person staying home all alone many hours every day and looking for a reason to smile.

A smile spreads my face spontaneously when the beautiful surroundings are calling me to create silent yet meaningful conversation with itself. I soak myself in the purest of positive and pleasant emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy in the lap of nature. 

Why go too far seeking happiness?? The 'in-house' reason to make me feel delightfully proud is receiving a motivating compliment on the dining table for admiring my culinary skills, every time I serve a meal to my family. It just gives me the confidence that I am not lacking in my household responsibilities to reach professional heights.

There are times when a guilt overpowers me when a deadline is nearing & I'm yet to accomplish my assigned duties. This realization no longer lets me be happy at heart because of constant brainstorming & I am stressing myself out for obvious reasons. But when I'm determined to hit the hammer on the nail, no stones is left unturned and again a memorable episode is added to my accomplishments :) I laugh at my foolish approach and decide to stay relaxed next time onwards.. What a strange way to come across happiness :)

Lot more to say about my little reasons to be happy...Well, how can I not mention myself feeling soooo happy on the sight of an expecting mummy, a sleeping baby, a rainbow in the sky, a drive with hubby, sharing favourite dish from same plate with my junior, receiving lovely remarks on my articles, visiting my home town, meeting old friends and seeing papa's name flashing on my phone screen for an incoming call ;) ;) The list can go on n on, but I end it here with a reminder to myself that happiness is a blissful state of mind that leads to contentedness. Lets not measure but treasure the happiness.

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Kellogg's Waale Guptaji ka Nashta

Several people ask me the secret of my slim body built.I smile and answer "I completely believe in power of healthy breakfast. And If you also want to wake up to a delicious and nutritious breakfast, follow the healthy recipes in your breakfast in the same manner as served in Kelloggs Wale Guptaji ka Nashta." What?? You have not heard of  #KelloggsWaleGuptaji and the delicacies her family enjoys in morning meal?

Okk, then watch this yummy advert on Kellogg's India youtube channel and follow Kellogg's 'Anaaj ka Nashta’ on Facebook for an irresistible kick first of all.

Now that you have seen that everybody is curious to relish nashta at #KelloggsWaleGuptaji's place, I am no excepttion and am also in the queue. You know why?

Guptaji's family boasts of their talent to whip up the perfect breakfast for any occasion with over a 100 mouthwatering recipes. And most of their yummy recipes have rich content of Kellogg nutrition. Yup, you heard me right... a plateful of healthy & yummy food to put in my not-so well functioning stomach is a worth relishing experience for me. So I am keeping an eye for an invite for Kelloggs Wale Guptaji ka Nashta some day.

I seriously love it when somebody can make the most delicious light-on-heart and easy-to-digest dishes with only few healthiest ingredients like Kelloggs with ultimate varieties of snacks. Because I can fuel my body for entire day with right mix of plenty of recipes every day. Ahh, I am dying to accompany Guptaji's family for the morning meal.

There are times when I am sick of breakfast that gets a bit boring if I stick to the same old routine. Who doesn't like to spice it up occasionally without compromising in the healthy content. And I know cereals and snacks can be finger-licking good with a handful of Kellogg's added to it. ummm I am dreaming of myself drooling over a bit of extra delicious Kelloggs nashta that will transform my good old classic dishes in brand new ways.

Finally I believe in the power of breakfast that ensures the important ingredients to enter our body through balanced morning meal that makes sure proper brain development and body functioning. I crave to learn some interesting Kelloggs recipes from Guptaji's family that is a wholesome goodness in long run for me. The first food intake of the which the 'nashta' enters our body after a minimum gap of seven-eight hours of night sleep and I want Kelloggs to fulfill all the requirements for my body's growth and it should act as a fuel to jump-start the day in most energetic way. With so many tempting reasons to enjoy Nashta at Guptaji's place, I wont even need to stave off my hunger. What a relief and Thanks to #KelloggsWaleGuptaji ka Nashta.
Stay Healthy!!

Coming Together For A New Beginning

“If you want to be happy, find a career doing what you love.” ...this line used to echo in my mind ever since I was quite young to think about working. I wanted to break out of my family's tradition of getting the daughters married after they complete their studies. I wanted not only to get educated, but also pursue a career I was wildly passionate about i.e. teaching. I had a gut feeling to choose teaching as my profession to unlock the door to success and fulfillment.

My daydreaming turned into action and I eventually got a full-time lecturership job right after completing my Masters degree. I considered myself luckiest amongst all the eligible candidates who had a powerful jack to secure that job position for them. But my stars and my academic credentials ensured that designation of great repute for me. :) I could visualize myself being an idealistic role model for the next-gen students since they would be able to relate to me more conveniently.

Few days at my workplace were genuinely welcoming, full of happiness and pleasure. I had humblest feelings of regard for my peers who were helping me in every possible manner to get familiar with the system. I trusted my good fortune and praised my colleagues too much for their moral support even at my home. Till the end of my first academic session, we all had built great rapport with each other and I was loving teaching and learning side by side. But this was the time, when I was shaken by the awestruck jolt to my faith. A colleague of mine who had developed insecurities due to my achievements and started feeling envious of my increased popularity, tried to spread irrational rumours about me and my work ethics. Though it wasn't unheard to me of someone who tries to steal credit of another person's efforts and defames anyone out of jealousy, but it was beyond my imagination that it could happen to me too. :( I would either continue working feeling miserable and hating my life or stayed at home giving one excuse or the other to stay away. 

When the sadness of my heart and negativity of my behaviour wasn't bearable, I burst into tears inconsolably at the dinner table that night. Mom wrapped me in her arms and took me to the terrace to have a word with me. We sat #together on a mat on the floor and she spoke her heart out in very simple words -- 

"Dear, this life is full of imperfect things and imperfect people as well. Even you and me are perfect at hardly anything. At times, we might also hurt someone just like everyone else. So firstly there is no point judging others on your terms. Over the years, what I've learnt is to accept others faults and choose to celebrate others' differences. This is the only key to create a healthy, growing, and lasting relationship. And when I say 'relationships', I don't only mean our family bonding, but it encompasses our co-workers and colleagues also. It is always in your best interest to work #together as a team. But if the circumstances don't allow you to do so; believe me that no one can ever steal the fruits of your labor by talking bad things behind your back. Just be certain that you will meet your own deeds in the future. So just try to cheer up and find your inner strength by not complicating things, because your negative attitude is stealing all the good things from your life." 

In this age after spending more than a decade in the same profession, I am actually wise enough to try searching for positive things about my co-workers and their behaviour. I don't feel discouraged by office-politics which practically exists at any workplace. But that memorable day when I spent few moments of getting #together for a upbeat conversation with mom have dictated me the real worth of being optimistic, motivated and passionate for relationships, specially when they don't come to please me as per my wish. Now life seems to #LookUp to a purpose at last and the world seems a place to live better :)

Housing.com

Co-incidentally, the conclusion of my story harmonizes with the vision of Housing.com that aims at helping people concentrate on the most important aspect of their life i.e. company of loved ones :)

Time To Move On

Although my family was not very well established in my childhood days, but my parents set aside a little money dedicated to financial offerings for the development of an elementary school in our town. They would put money in a saving account every month regardless of our tough circumstances. I usually wondered "why not spend this money for our own requirements??" but I never dared to question my elders. Over time, my parents managed to start a small venture with very few children enrolled in their two-room school set up in our ancestral house itself for their free basic education. 

As the school thrived, my parents constructed a separate small portion for school work. They proudly made this school the centre of educational activities in the vicinity. After nearly a decade, my father got a job transfer and was left with no choice to leave his dream project behind. The couple was actually devastated because their school had become a symbol of motivation and they were worried how people in the region would accept this fact...In addition, rebuilding a new school at an altogether unknown place would be expensive as well as would demand loads of time investment too. At this point of time, I as an almost non-existing member of the family was just a silent spectator calculating the fact in my mind "How would they possibly be recovering financially and mentally?"

Our family finally shifted to a geographically, socially and culturally different place, Sawai Madhopur in Rajasthan. Though it was a painful period for my parents, but the hassles of shifting occupied their minds and ate up most of their time. Dad was mostly working till late hours to adjust and absorb the new system at the factory/plant. And mom was trying hard to get acquainted with neighbouring locality to smoothen the routine household.   

I recall the day when my family attended a motivational lecture by some guruji who had a come in our locality and we were invited to attend it for the so called darshan. Usually my family is not interested in paying any attention to these guru jis, but this person recited a passage urging people to make it their lifelong motto..I don't exactly remember his words, but the essence was something like that...

"Its really hard to leave your home, be it under a compulsive situation or due to a deliberate choice. But if you see the world as a whole and find the regional differences minimal, the nationalism would become as meaningless as it never existed. You will definitely have some apprehensions before making a move, but it will seem strong exhilarating when you are determined to #StartANewLife. It's common for everyone to feel emotional to leave the things we love, but with time, you will find that the cherished memories of your native place will become more generous to give you pleasure and not sadness."

My parents were emboldened to stand up and rebuild their prime love 'their school' in a better shape and status than before. They were courageous to smile at economic downturn and didn't cry even when they were piled up with some debts. Gradually, the new school became equally popular & also profitable. My parents were burning with undying spirits to develop a flourishing school bursting with laughing n growing children. 

Looking back, this experience enabled me to develop unshakable conviction in the fact that We have to move on to be better than we were yesterday because...

"Life does not get better by Chance, It gets better by Change"

inspirationboost.com

I got my point proved and supported in this video by Housing.com that depicts the idea that progress is impossible without 'change', and those who want to see themselves growing have to change their mindset for a rewarding life :)  

I am happy that my parents took a bold step to write a new chapter of their progressive life...and I am proud to be a part of this journey of change to #StartANewLife :)

They Shaved Off Their Trademark Beards

Writing in response to acknowledgement of the tag for #WillYouShave activity by one of my blogger friend Rakesh Ranjan in his post http://electoworld999.blogspot.in/2014/12/shave-will-you.html

My bro (a charming boy in his late teens) loved sporting permanent stubble which I almost hated looking at. Every time he styled himself standing in front of the mirror with spiky hair style and those coarse prickly hair on his face, I grumbled uncontrollably on him many times a day. But moving away from the culture of daily shaving, he paid no attention to my words and retaliated at times saying, "Oh di, pleaaaase grow up, stubble is no longer scruffy. Come with me to the college n I'll show you how we get extra attention with short beards...."  The conversation always remained as open as we would find something new to counterattack each other next time  .... 
 
Days were passing the same way. But as they say 'God has His own way of getting things done" ;) I remember the day when he directly came to me after college and uttered, "jo aap chahti thi wo aaj ho hi gaya" . Keeping my book aside, I looked at him with a question mark on my face and he explained, "our college has started a week-long campaign Shave Off Your Trademark Beard for the students to discourage keeping artfully trimmed permanent stubble that has gone viral among boys & it has spoiled their otherwise groomed personality. You see I've been selected as one of the lead activists for that. And my professor wants to see my clean shaven face tomorrow..."  A silent listener till now, I burst into laughter and winked at him sympathetically...

As the campaign kicked off, almost 2000 students flushed off their stylized beard and came out with smooth faces like our chocolaty Bollywood heroes. My bro with his teammates was actually happy with the response they got and felt like accomplishing a task. Though he didn't acknowledge & vocalized it to me, but I knew him inside out so could read his unspoken expressions :)

The beard story had become months old now & he had got completely comfortable with his NEW  look. Even I was happy to see him that way.... In the course of the term, he had reached his final semester of B.Tech and was preparing seriously for upcoming Campus Placement sessions by some reputed firms/companies. The day when topping the list of few desirable employers, he was complimented by one of the interview panel as the 'most well-groomed candidate", he knew whom to thank for that :)

This post is a part of #WillYouShave activity at BlogAdda in association with Gillette