THE WORLD AROUND

FAKE NEWS- 5 Steps To Deal with It And Learn Ethical Use Of Internet

2021-05-23T22:15:00.001+05:30

Today we are living in the age of opinions. Everyone of us ( well not everyone) has the privilege to form an opinion and then share it with the world. This has been possible with the power of internet. Now our opinions and views not only matter but also can bring about positive changes. But in some cases it can drive the masses and bring about a negative outcome. This era of connected world has given our opinions and views a power of its own. But have we understood the responsibility that comes with it ?

In today's world of fake information and paid opinion creation, the real value of free speech has become clouded. It is so bad that almost everything we come across on internet today are made with vested interest. And we must admit that they have become damn good at this, as they have successfully lead countries into deadly wars and destroyed civilizations with civil wars. Thus they have quite literally become bloody opinions.

Back in the era of print media, people formed responsible and ethical opinions. The writers thought themselves responsible for their actions and the public. Then out came the digital media followed by social media. They had far more reach than traditional print media and far more unethical creators and editors who neither attach themselves with their posts nor feel responsible for them. And don't get me started on the world of meme's. They have come a long way from simple entertainment to mass murder kind of stuff. Quite a massive leap in my frank opinion!

Yes, the creators, the social media and digital media platforms, the governments all have a role to play to curb this problem. But have you ever thought that we have the ultimate role to play as we are the most important component of this chain- " The Target Audience" ? Our attention, reaction and share give such posts power.

Here are some steps we can take when we come across such a post that's unethical and harmful-

1- When we come across such a post we must psychologically train our minds not to form an opinion based on that. This is of utmost importance.

2- Many social media platforms allow you to report such posts as inappropriate. Do it!

3- If you come across such a post being forwarded on a messaging platform, make sure to raise your voice and stop that from being shared further.

4- If you come across such a post being shared by an elderly, don't hesitate from raising a concern and making them know the reality of internet today and about the ethics of using it responsibly.

5- Lastly if someone has created an opinion based on some wrong post, try to change it by highlighting the true facts before him.

Internet is a world of information with no control on right and wrong information. There is a very thin line between right and wrong, positive and negative, constructive and destructive opinions. The old saying went as " A pen is mightier than a sword ". Well the new saying can go as " A keyboard is mightier than a gun ". Stay alert and keep internet ethical.

5 Best Ways To Drive Your EMOTIONS - Easy To Incorporate In Every Schedule

2021-05-16T20:21:00.001+05:30

Our body is just the reflection of our mental state. This mental state is pieced together based on the situations we face and the emotions that such situations generate within us. Thus healthy emotions or positive emotions are the pre-requisite for a healthy body which would result into a healthy life.

Emotions of all kinds are natural for human beings. Learning to channel it in a positive way is the most important lesson of LIFE. Unhealthy and negative emotions such as anger, rage, envy when allowed to grow would lead to stress and if channeled mindlessly can cause harm to others in particular and the society in general.

Here let us look into some ways to drive positive emotions for self growth and end the negative ones to lead a stress free life.

1- FIGURE OUT WHAT DRIVES YOUR EMOTIONS:

You need to mindfully analyze the situations or circumstances that generate a particular kind of emotion with in you. These emotions can be positive ones as well as negative ones. Write down those situations on a piece of paper along with the emotion that it generates. This will help you feel that you are in CONTROL of your life.

2- LOOK IF THE EMOTIONS CAN BE SUBSTITUED:

This is only for those negative emotions. In life we are rarely in control of what happens around us but we can surely control our responses. Our responses are driven by our emotions. We must learn to replace negative emotions generated by a circumstance with positive ones. This will lead to good mental wellbeing.

3- PRACTISE MEDITATION:

Meditation is the best way to calm our racing minds. A calm mind will easily be able to segregate emotions. During meditation we focus on the positive emotions which enable us to give our life a direction. The ultimate goal for everyone should be happy MIND and SOUL.

4- MAKE A TO-DO LIST:

To-do list are the best when it comes to leading a meaningful life. In the first step we knew about those situations that drive positive emotions in us. Now we just have to create such situations everyday in order to heal our mental health and achieve all that we want to achieve.

5- SCHEDULE ME TIME:

This is perhaps the most important step for emotional wellbeing. Everyday schedule an hour for doing nothing and just soaking in all the positive vibes that this world has to offer. All these will drive your emotions to build a better life for yourself.

Proper implementation of all these steps require a lifetime to be learnt. But we all are imperfect and we are not here to achieve perfection. We are here to contribute our part in this world and be happy. Happiness will definitely drive us to achieve more and contribute more. It is thus high time that we focus on emotional wellbeing of every individual to bring about a happiness REVOLUTION in our society.

NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF THE PANDEMIC- AN ENVIRONMENTALIST VIEWPOINT.

2020-12-25T00:52:00.002+05:30

After a month or two of the pandemic induced lockdown there were many reports about how the lockdown had positively impacted the environment. The reports claimed air was now cleaner, rivers were less polluted etc. There were videos all over the internet that showed how nature had reclaimed concrete jungles. All of them boost our morale and make us believe that all was not bad about the lockdown at least through an environment point of view. But it is far from the truth. Strictly talking about India let's go through how the pandemic has negatively impacted our environment.

1- RETURN OF SINGLE USE PLASTIC BAGS - They also go by the name Polythene bag. Before the pandemic we had seen a tremendous progress in controlling the production and distribution of single use plastic bags. Cloth bags became a huge hit and many retailers shifted to them. The future seemed promising. But then COVID happened. From free meals to emergency supplies, everything got wrapped up in polythene bags. Even the government used it mainly due to lack of other alternatives. As the law enforcement agencies were busy elsewhere, plastic slowly creeped back in everywhere. All the progress that we had made has PUFF!! vanished into thin air.

2- INCREASED USE OF DISPOSABLES - Earlier only the street vendors and petty shop owners used disposable plates and cutleries. But with COVID SOP's in place, big restaurants too have started serving on disposable plates. This was a golden opportunity to increase the sale of saal leaf plates and wooden cutleries which would have helped the poor tribal communities. But instead of this the market got flooded with polystyrene and paper plates along with plastic cutleries. All of them are non-biodegradable and go straight into landfills and our oceans.

3- INCREASED MEDICAL WASTE - From PPE kits to disposable face masks and face shields, this pandemic has made them items of daily use. Their demand is so high that to avoid supply disruption, government pulled in the self help groups (SHG) and even army to manufacture them. Their use is important and unavoidable. There is also a lack of green alternatives. But still we can reduce the impact by ensuring their proper disposal so that they do not impact the environment and spread the infection further.

4- INCREASED USE OF PRIVATE VEHICLES- The modes of public transport are yet to return to normal capacity. Apart from this the people too want to avoid crowded places and hence they avoid using public transport system. This has increased the number of private vehicles on the road. This change is apparent from worsening traffic situations in major Indian cities. Traffic is not the only problem, more private vehicles on road means more air and noise pollution. Increased air pollution has also lead to thick smog in the cities.

5- REDUCED RECYCLING- In India we have a chain of rag pickers who play an important role in recycling our waste. The lockdown was a challenge for them. Most of them relocated. Thus, the entire system has collapsed. People also do not allow traders who collect old newspapers into their houses due to fear of transmission. This has affected local paper bag manufacturing as they now lack raw materials. This problem has also lead to increased clutter on roads and increased amount of recyclable wastes reaching the landfills.

All of our lives have been impacted by lockdown. Some people have suffered more than others. This has also affected our environment. It revealed that the positive changes we had witnessed before all this began was not able to bring a change of mindset for the citizens. If it had, those green habits would have stuck. For now we can only hope things get back to normal soon and plastic ban is re-imposed strictly. But this time it should not only be limited to fear of fine. It should induce a change of mindset so that the habits become a lifestyle. This is important not just for us but also our planet to survive.

Inspired about minimalism? Check out my other blogs too. I hope I can convince you to live more minimally and mindfully..

MINIMALISM MISTAKES: AN INDIAN PERSPECTIVE

2020-12-20T22:10:00.001+05:30

The meaning of minimalism vary from one individual to another. It depends on what the individual desires to achieve by following a minimalist way of life. But during one's journey from hearing about minimalism to finally adopting it, those desires tend to change. The individual desires also change with one's age.

One thing that is common is that everyone who follows this path struggles with many hardships and also makes many mistakes. Some loose their initial motivation too due to these mistakes. To ensure that you don't loose your motivation I thought it would be great if I share my mistakes with you.

My sole purpose behind sharing these with you is to let you know that you are not the only one who has been struggling and to cheer you up so that you can keep going. After all this world needs more minimalists like us to survive. Here are some of the mistakes that I have made and the lessons these mistakes have taught me.

1- Minimalism is not a destination, it's a journey-

YES, minimalism is a long term goal. It is not about a single massive decluttering session and then creep back into the same consumerist lifestyle. I have witnessed it. I am a big impulse buyer. I buy stuff when I feel low. No matter how much I declutter, stuff keeps coming back. Thus minimalism is not about short term decluttering but long term change of mindset.

2-Don't get rid of your stuff mindlessly-

In the beginning I was to intimidated with Pinterest posts and Youtube videos on minimalism. I wanted those picture perfect empty shelves and closet. To achieve that I threw away a lot of stuff. In this process I got rid of many things that were actually essential and served an important purpose. I had to ultimately buy more stuff again. I also realized later on that I could have donated many items that I threw. There were even some items that I could have sold via OLX and get some money back. Now whenever I have to get rid of something I try my best to find a new home for that item. I would recommend you to take on minimalism slowly and declutter mindfully.

3-Minimalism is integrative in nature-

I became a minimalist because I wanted to be more frugal. I wanted to save enough money and invest that money to achieve a steady income. I achieved my target. But along the way I learnt about "zero waste movement". This is also a type of minimalism to save our planet from the harmful effect of waste that we generate. I was fascinated and got pulled in. I was surprised that with little changes here and there I could integrate both the lifestyles. Thus, keep an open mind and you can do good not only for your finances but also our planet.

4- Minimalism is actually essentialism-

Not everybody can understand you and your choices. A minimalist in India gets branded as "KANJOOS" or "MISER". You have to understand that it's your life and your choice matters. You don't have to buy stuff to get social recognition but you also have to maintain your necessities. You have to learn to balance these two. Thus minimalism is actually essentialism. It is hard to learn this balance but when done you become immune to social criticism.

It has been one year since I started my self improvement journey adopting minimalism as a lifestyle. I am fairly new and I know I will make many mistakes in the future as well. I will make sure to share them with you all. As of now I can say one thing for sure, Minimalism will transform you and every aspect of your life in a good way..

Motivated? Want to learn more about minimalism and zero waste living? Check out my other blogs and I hope I can convince you to adopt this way of living for the good of everyone..

HOW TO GET WORK DONE ?..PRODUCTIVITY TRICKS..

2020-06-28T01:57:00.000+05:30

As you all know by now that I speak a lot about productivity. I keep experimenting with many techniques which I come across that promise to increase productivity. Most of them don't work, for me atleast! The few those do, I make sure that I share them with you all.

This month I had a lot of free time which I used to do some self reflection. In that process I came across how burdened I was from the tasks that I have been postponing. Hence, I decided to go all in. I admit that this required a great deal of determination but when you think about the freedom that awaits you at the end of your non stop hustle, you get pretty pumped up.

We perform well when we race against a deadline. This pressure brings out our optimum performance. I have talked about this motivated go ahead in one of my previous blog titled " Time Slotting Of Task". I will put the link to that blog at the end. Make sure you check that blog out after this. When we talk difference, we assign ourselves days instead of hours as seen in the blog I have just mentioned about. Thus, This is particularly helpful for large volume of work. To our advantage we have plenty of time at our disposal due to this pandemic.

In my case I assigned myself three days slot at first. I gave my optimum during those three days and tried to put in as much hours as I possibly could. At the end of that slot I still had work left. Hence, I gave myself another slot of three days. I gave myself smaller slots so that smaller deadlines could give me the push I needed as well as not overwhelm me at the thought of doing so much work for so long.

You can tweak the above as per your mindset. But make sure to put enough pressure so that you can perform. Afterall the end thought is to get the work done. The sooner it is out of our hands is gets out of our mind thus reducing stress. After my experience I can assure you that you not only perform due to this but mostly you outperform yourself.

Adopt this method by implementing it on long pending big tasks at hand such as complete reading a book you wanted, decluttering a close, revising the syllabus etc. The satisfaction that you get when the work gets done is motivating enough for you to jump onto the next big task at hand. My advise though will be to take things on slowly so that you don't end up miserable and exhausted. Keep gaps of one or two days in between task slots to rest and begin the next slot with greater energy and motivation.

WORK HARD.....ACHIEVE GREATNESS

Here are some content for you to read next-

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/02/enhance-productivity-time-slotting-of.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/02/silence-perils-of-excessive-talking.html

MINIMALISM DURING LOCKDOWN- QUARANTINE BLOG.

2020-05-18T22:16:00.000+05:30

In my previous blog I have talked about the social impacts of this COVID-19 pandemic. If you have not read it, please read it first and then comeback to this article. The link for the previous blog is given below.

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/05/living-in-changed-world-social-effects.html

A you know minimalism is not just about material possession. It is a mindset that can be applied in every aspect of a person's life. This pandemic has brought human living to the mere sustenance level. Minimalism is all about sustenance after all..

1. SUSTENANCE MINIMALISM.

Let's first look into sustenance minimalism. It simply means bringing into our life things (or more popularly STUFF) that are necessary for physical and mental existence. Nothing more and nothing less.With people buying supplies in bulk resulting in empty shelves in shops, majority have been forced to accept such a mindset. The economic scenario also helped people adopt this kind of minimalism. I have mentioned mental stuff as well because mental well being is crucial during this hard time..

2. FINANCIAL MINIMALISM.

Financial minimalism is another concept that many people have learned the hard way during this pandemic. With unemployment rates high and people living off their emergency funds, this is the only option they have been left with. When the pandemic recedes, many people will keep dear the lessons they have learned and respect money a lot more. This single mindset can transform individuals and catapult them to financial independence.

3. MINIMALISM OF THOUGHT.

Just four months earlier people had different kinds of worries. Today, they are just happy to be alive and being able to spend time with their families. All those worries seem meaningless now. Indeed many other worries have taken their place but they are all basic- related to health, food and shelter, just like the old times.

In just a short span of time 3,00,000 people have lost their lives. Their struggles have made the entire human race awake. We have been pushed back years in time. The path of recovery is long and hard. Minimalism defines human race today. Sustenance is the key today, be it the rich or the poor. This pandemic has been a great uniting force. Fancy cars, luxury homes, branded clothing and accessories, all such things have lost the battle against hot meal, family time and bank balance to sustain a simple life. This is minimalism for you during this pandemic.

Here are some selected topics for you to read next-

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/04/think-less-work-more.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/09/being-down-to-earth.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/07/hope.html

Links for the items seen in the images-

1. Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki-

LIVING IN A CHANGED WORLD. SOCIAL EFFECTS OF COVID-19.

2020-05-15T20:57:00.000+05:30

We have always taken our lives for granted. Going out, meeting with friends, watching the children play in the parks and many other things felt good but was not something that made our heart skip a beat. We enjoyed living paycheque to paycheque. We took our lives as it was for granted. Those days are now a distant happy memory.

Today, after more than 2,50,000 innocent lives lost, our meaning of being alive has changed completely. The meaning of humans being a social being has changed completely. Everything that seemed impossible just four months back is a reality now. And everything that seemed normal just four months back, is now out of bounds. Who had thought that final year examinations can be cancelled for students and every one getting passed without exams? The entire meaning of human survival has changed. The meaning of being alive has changed.

WELCOME to a NEW world, a CHANGED world. In this new world taboos have become social norms. Meaning of spending time with family has changed. The concept of large social gatherings have become alien. Getting into crowded public transport is unimaginable. Spending money on show off possessions is unacceptable. Importance of savings is paramount. Financial minimalism and essentialism is the go to agenda for everyone.

The joy in a cheerful handshake. The feeling of hugging a loved one. The soothing feeling of wiping tears with hands. The happiness of sharing a lunch box with friends. The simple sense of a physical touch. We will miss them. We will cherish them in our hearts.

We have sacrificed a lot for this life in mask and gloves. In a weird way we are happy amid all this because, after all, we are alive. We are not among the ill fated 2,50,000 souls. This is our new reality. Anger, hatred, jealousy are now things of the past. We are just grateful that we are alive. With a hope that in the distant future we will see good days. Hopefully those days come before good days become a forgotten memory.

STAY HOME, STAY SAFE..

Here are some suggestions for you to read next..

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/04/what-to-do-during-lockdown-quarantine.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/01/save-money-3-ways-to-save-money-for.html

ANGER DECISIONS..HOW TO CONTROL ANGER ?

2020-04-28T21:26:00.000+05:30

Anger is a common human emotion. The world and its changing nature has increased the level of anger, has diversified the reasons causing anger.. all in all making the emotion more common. The world we know today is full of frustration which breeds anger. Well, this change is not a welcome change at all.

Happiness today has become a virtue. Today psychologists advise patients to fake happiness in order to cure depression. Fake smile is replacing real smile very fast. And in future too the prospects do not seem promising.

Let's come to anger or rage. If you have gone through my previous blogs you must have noticed I have mentioned about the increasing responsibilities on humans. In ancient times we only had to care about feeding ourselves. But today feeding has a whole new meaning. We can not just go into the forest and collect our own food. We have to work, earn money and then buy our food. And this endless cycle continues till we die.

Increasing population has put pressure on resources. This has increased competition. In this competition only few come out with flying colours and enough money to buy food. All the remaining get their share of failure, guilt, frustration which slowly grows into anger.

The above is the most common cause of anger but it is not the only cause. Apart from economic scenarios, there are social scenarios too that breed anger. This anger can lead to self hurt or one can end up hurting others.

Anger decisions are those solutions to problems that pop up in the mind of angry individuals who are going through hard times. The mental situation of these people does not allow them to analyse the solution/ option that has come before them before going ahead. They just act on it immediately.

The decisions taken in rage are never correct. The solution that seemed appropriate during that moment ends up complicating things even more. Thus it is always advisable not to take any important decision when you are angry. Future outcomes of each action should be taken into consideration before going ahead. All this can only be possible with a practical mind, one which angry people lack.

Violence, social unrest, terrorism, and all other social and economic evils have their origin inside the minds of angry people who have been completely blinded by rage. They do not think and thus get sucked in by rage. They end up in messy, very messy places.

The only way out of this is by mastering one's emotions. We have to control our emotions and never let emotions get hold of us. Be it happiness or anger, our mind should be calm and deal with both the situations keeping a practical mindset.

Writing down the cause of our anger on a piece of paper can help. This can help us think of solutions that are practical and non-damaging. The time invested in doing this will help our mind calm down and also sooth our racing nerves. This simple step can prevent us from getting washed away by our anger and hence can protect us from anger decisions that would have been immensely damaging both to us and the society.

Our world has been built by great minds. Minds that were stable. People who control their emotions, can never be hurt. They are socially immune. Situations can never change their peace of mind and their sense of purpose. Because peace of mind to them is a choice and they chose it whatever their surroundings may be. To achieve that we have to let go of anger. This is the true sense of being enlightened. From that point on happiness begins because happiness is no longer dependant on our surroundings rather it becomes a choice. And we chose it over everything every time.

WHAT TO DO DURING LOCKDOWN ?..QUARANTINE BLOG..

2020-04-21T21:48:00.001+05:30

The world is going through tough times. Citizens of many countries are under lockdown for months now. The graphs for the infections are showing spikes and the time ahead does not seem promising. But there is a good side to all these too. In today's blog we will discuss one of the positive impact that this lockdown has on us.

The most important thing that we lacked during our normal work days was time. But now we have abundance of time. All the things we wanted to incorporate in our lives but we could not because we were too busy with our lives can now be brought in and easily adopted. One of them is beneficial habits.

One's need for a habit can be wide ranging. This need depends on one's lifestyle, future aspirations and personal mindset. Some want to adopt to-do list for better organising each day. Some others want to start eating healthy or doing exercise. All these habits can be easily incorporated during this time when we are in the safety of our homes and are having abundant time in our hands.

The need for time has been sorted. Now the next important thing is action. We need to take steps so that all the habits we want can be achieved. Once we have started, almost 90% of our work has been done. Because start is the most important phase of anything.

The small actions that we take now needs to stick and get incorporated into our daily routine as a task. We all know that it takes about 21 days to build a new habit. Thus, our path is clear. We just have to keep taking actions regularly so that it fuses into our daily routine. Once the task just happens on its own and we don't have to push ourselves into doing that, we have successfully made a new habit.

All this can be very overwhelming. But my advice to you all is to take on the things slowly. Everything can not be achieved simultaneously. We have to focus on creating one habit at a time. Once we have successfully built one habit we can shift our focus to the next one.

It's an obligation for us to use this time to our benefit. Start learning new skills, build new habits etc. Once this lockdown is over, we should be able to present to the world a transformed form of ourself. One of which we are proud of. Because you never know whom you might be inspiring.

Here are some blogs for you to read next.....

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/04/a-lesson-learned.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/04/blessing-in-disguise.html

A LESSON LEARNED..

2020-04-11T17:03:00.002+05:30

"Life is the best teacher". This is an old saying, passed on for generations now. But the significance of this saying has not aged at all. The mindful souls, learn each day because life is full of teaching. And it never stops teaching.

In some of my previous blogs, I have talked about humble living and greed free intentions. Both are very much interlinked. A person who is humble will never be drawn towards greed. He lives a mindful life and draws energy from the fact that endeavours backed with greed never become successful.

The above is not just a fact but rather a truth. The work which begins with greed to back it will never become successful. Rather it would end badly. Many people must have realised it after facing humiliation and I am no exception. I have too learned it the hard way. Indeed life has unique ways to teach us the lessons for life.

The greed I am talking about is not always monetary in nature. It can be the greed for fame, promotion, attention, social upliftment etc. All such greeds blinds the eyes of mind. We start working in a haste. This haste does not allow us to keep track of our movements. With no mindfulness in our task, we have no control. And at the end, everything falls apart along with our greedy aspirations. Thankfully in my case the loss wasn't that big but a lesson is a lesson when we learn from it. I have indeed learned.

Well humans can never be flawless. One can not guarantee that one will never be greedy. It all depends on the situation and how well one can control one's emotions. But at the end the fact remains that our intention behind every work we do should be pure.

There are two other markers that can guide us back to the right path by indicating to us that we are doing something wrong. They are haste and over imagination.

When our judgement is clouded by greed we try to accomplish everything quickly. This haste to reach the end should be an eye opener that something in what we are doing is wrong. We should stop at that point. Reflect upon our task and then proceed mindfully.

The second is over imagination. Once we notice that we are over excited about the end result of our work and we can not stop imagining all good things at the end, we should immediately stop our work and judge the outcomes we are imagining. If the outcomes reflect greed in any form, which they will, we should immediately take steps to correct our wrong.

We should always learn from other's experiences. This would keep our outlook broad and would enable us to face the challenges posed by life with a mindful approach. You can also go through my other works for more such lessons that would definitely help you live a more mindful life. Here are some suggestions:-

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/04/blessing-in-disguise.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/02/silence-perils-of-excessive-talking.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/02/enhance-productivity-time-slotting-of.html

BLESSING IN DISGUISE..

2020-04-05T20:09:00.000+05:30

Human mind is mysterious and human aspirations are boundless. We work for our dreams and then pray that our actions bring fruit or the desired result. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. We have placed our faith on a supreme power and we believe that it is by the wish of that supreme power our aspirations are turned into reality. Well humans have still not been able to understand many phenomenons and hence the above is the go to conclusion in those many cases.

We all have regrets. Some of them are linked to our wants and aspirations. The more practical minded among us would regret of having not worked hard enough. While the majority blame their failure ,on the supreme power because they believe it was all destiny. And what is destiny? It is a preplanned course of life designed by the supreme power himself for each and every one of the living beings. We being on the developed side understand that.

As we study and gain deeper understanding of the abstract world, simultaneously we gain insight into our existence. We look back and gauge each and every life changing decisions we have ever taken. We begin to realize that many decisions did not result in the planned outcome. And yet here we are. This is true wisdom. This is what life teaches us. "Uncertainty".

For the unsatisfied souls, this learning can be life changing. Because enjoying this life and the ability to take decisions that comes with it is a privilege. For those who had well written destiny, this wisdom serves as a reminder of volatile nature of human life.

Whatever might be our mindset at the end, one thing we can clearly support, i.e not achieving somethings that our heart desired back then was indeed a blessing in disguise. Call it destiny written by the supreme powers or call it the uncertainty of life, those unfulfilled wishes made us what we are today, brought us where we are today and gave us people we hold dear today. Not every unfulfilled wish is a curse. Life is what it is and we are what we are. If you haven't retraced your life yet, you are missing the opportunity to let go of all regrets and bring in fulfillment and happiness into your life..

THINK LESS, WORK MORE..

2020-04-02T20:58:00.001+05:30

In life we can achieve things only by working.. All our dreams and aspirations demand our hard work to turn into a reality. There is no denying of the fact that, the harder we work, the luckier we get. Mere wishing for things to happen does not yield results, working does.

I am in no way denying the importance of planning. In fact I have in my previous blogs mentioned how planning gives us a direction and ensures that we do not deviate from our path. But in reality many people do not go beyond the planning phase. However elaborate and detailed our plan might be, but without the push from hard work and sweat we can never get to where we want to reach.

There have been numerous examples where individuals have climbed the ladders of success due to their sheer hard work. Every successful person will tell you how volatile circumstances forced them to change their plans now and then. This is a very important lesson we must keep in mind. Our plans however full proof we might think them to be, can turn irrelevant with changing circumstances. We have to be prompt to adopt ourselves according to the changing demands. That's working smart. Thus, our plans must be flexible.

In all these, hard work remains constant. The importance of working never degrades under changing circumstances. If the pull of the destination in mind is strong enough, working becomes easy and can enable us to overcome the defects in our planning. Keeping this positive motivation in mind, start hustling. Because a plan, without hard work to back it, is nothing but a dream. So stop wasting time in preparing a full proof plan and start working. Everything else will get sorted along the way at the correct time..All the best!!!!!

SILENCE- THE PERILS OF EXCESSIVE TALKING..

2020-02-12T21:49:00.000+05:30

In the present scenario our senses are always overwhelmed by the number of things that demand our attention. All these things compel us to speak and more often than not we end up speaking more than actually needed. The present day human society is very complex. We have to deal with and store immense amount of information.

In the old times we only had to focus on sustenance and hence talking was strictly exchange of information about food and dangers around. But today speaking is more of a social thing. Exchange of information is a very small part of our daily conversations. When we stop and analyse our speaking habits in a particular day, we would be shocked. The amount of time we spend talking about things that do not have any value is immense. This mindless talking habit of present day has been labelled as gossiping.

Time is valuable for every individual. But we do not realise how much time we waste in a day talking mindlessly. Gossiping not only wastes our time but also drains our energy. Speaking is a human activity and it needs energy. We all have had experienced feeling of dizziness and tiredness after talking too much or too loudly. Unfortunately the art of silence is fast losing its hold in this digital era. A person who tries to control his/her words is branded as shy in this society. This social stigma associated with controlled speaking makes it hard to preach and practise the art of being silent and mindful talking.

Humans are social animals. In the beginning of human society this habit of gossiping among early humans helped them know more about others and in turn helped them unite into a group. We have come a long way now. The positive aspect of gossiping has passed by. Present day it is responsible in spreading hatred and unverifiable informations. There have been human clashes as well as social clashes all due to rumour mongering fueled by gossiping people. To add to these unstable times we have social media as a gossiping tool which bumps up the level of damage rumour mongering can cause.

"AN EMPTY VESSEL SOUNDS MUCH" This saying still stands true. People with worth and character always come across as people who are most silent individuals. They practise mindful speaking and hence do not waste their valuable energy in talking. Yet with this habit they are no less of an influential speaker. It turns out that words of the person who speaks less is more valuable than their talkative counterpart. Silence liberates us. It makes us a better listener and a good observer. All these advantages should be compelling enough for one to practise mindful speaking. After all we have only one life to do great things, why waste it gossiping..

ENHANCE PRODUCTIVITY- TIME SLOTTING OF TASKS..

2020-02-05T21:49:00.000+05:30

We all struggle to maintain some kind of routine in our life. The distractions around us are innumerable. The To-Do list can get overwhelming if not prepared mindfully and with precise planning. The solution? TIME SLOTTING our tasks.

This is not something I have made up. It is an old technique and I have stumbled across it about two years ago. I have practised it for a long time now. Well, every person who practises this has his/her own version of this. I an no different. I have adopted this in a way that suites my lifestyle.

This is not particularly a technique. It is more of a practise. It can indeed be combined with to-do list to enhance one's productivity. It has been observed that people tend to take longer time to complete particular tasks which can be completed in a much shorter time. It's human nature to fill in all the time in hand with a particular tasks. These people may seem busy and productive but in reality they are not. The time that could have been used for other tasks is consumed doing a single task. For example- students can complete the entire exam syllabus the night before the exam which they struggle to complete during the entire span of preparation.

In this technique we assign time limit for each task we need to handle. It is important for one to be true to oneself while assigning time for a particular task so that the least possible time can be assigned for the task. It is human nature to complete the task at hand within the time assigned. This practise ensures that no task takes up more time than it actually should thus freeing up valuable time for other works increasing productivity.

There are certain things which should be kept in mind while practising this technique. First is that one should analyse oneself before time scheduling tasks. If one is more energetic in the morning than all the time consuming and mindful tasks should be scheduled in the morning. The vice versa is true for people who feel productive in the later part of the day. This practise should be customised but in no case should the actual principle be changed or else the benefits will vanish.

The second thing to keep in mind is that any task that would take less than five minutes to be completed should be done right away. Wasting time to schedule those tasks would lead to procrastination and thus wastage to time.

This practise has proved to be immensely helpful to me. But always remember be strict on yourself but not too strict. Reward yourself with some me time when you complete a task with in given time. In this way it will become a mindful practise which will result in highly productive days which will inturn lead to highly productive life

Here are some more lessons for you to dive in next..

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/01/save-money-3-ways-to-save-money-for.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/12/delayed-gratitude.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/07/growth-and-financial-well-being.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-baby-steps.html

SAVE MONEY- 3 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY FOR STUDENTS..

2020-01-23T19:57:00.000+05:30

LIFE of students is indeed difficult yet the way we spend these years decide our path for the future. These years of dependence on parents teach us lessons that mould us into people who we are going to be in the future. Most of us in our youth do not focus on saving money. Our energies and social commitments are high during these years. There is immense pressure on maintaining a certain standard of dressing and accessories so that one is well recognised in his/her peer group. This leads to financial stress and leaves no room for savings. Apart from this, the added cost of clubbing and partying in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities drain resources in the name of enjoyment.

Clothing, accessories, latest tech are all craze when we are a student. To be really honest these things do define one's image. They make a person matter in a group. But all this recognition does not do any good. This false image and its maintenance robs away one's chances to have a strong hold on finances. When this habit remains, it manifests and can lead one to financial problems in the future with his/her hard earned money this time.

For these following techniques of saving money to prove beneficial, one must first let go of all the above false notions and practises that in reality does no good. Once this is accomplished here are the ways you can start saving money and take steps for a financially independent future.

1.SAVE FIRST, SPEND LATER..

This is more of a habit than a technique. As the words mean, one has to keep money aside first as a saving and then decide on the spending part. One has to inculcate this as a habit. Students have limited finances which they are very eager to spend. This step ensures that one remains in check by fixing a certain amount to be kept aside each month and carry on with all the remaining. This limits the chances of over spending. Once the money starts accumulating in the savings, this habit becomes sustainable. It's basic human nature.

For doing this one can use the famous 50:30:20 rule. This rule states that 50 percent of the money should be used for needs. 30 percent for wants and the remaining 20 percent should be saved away. This technique is not only for students but also for adults who struggle with finances. This ensures that an individual learns to differentiate between needs and wants effectively.

It is also equally important that the saved money is not touched for wants generated during immediate burst of emotions. It is preferable that the money is tucked away in a good old and reliable savings account. It can also be invested so that one can not obtain access to it easily. But that I will discuss it later in a separate blog.

  2. ROUNDING OFF..

This is a very beneficial habit. Although the amount seems to be very small but when it accumulates, it can be pretty amazing. According to this method one has to round off the money one has at the end of each day and save that rounding off amount. For example, if at the end of a day you have 126 rupees in your purse, then you have to round it off to 120 rupees and save the 6 rupees away. Thus you will have 6 rupees savings at the end of the day. This process needs to be repeated daily and at the end of the month this amount will grow into an inspiring sum.

Not only hard cash, this should also be done for amount in one's bank account. The cash can be kept away in a piggy bank where as the sum from the bank account can be transferred to the account designated for savings as mentioned in step number one. I have been using this method for years now and the result has been great. Almost every time I ended up saving away the amount accumulated through this method at the end of a month. This has taught me a great deal of self control which has helped me and my finances.

   3. CONSCIOUSNESS REWARDS TO ONESELF..

This is a pretty interesting technique. This helps one to decide between needs and wants. It also teaches a great deal of self consciousness. This technique can be best explained with an example. Suppose you went to a shopping mall just to wander about. But you fell in love with a dress and you immediately pick that up. Just before paying for the dress your consciousness kicks in. You realise that the dress isn't a need rather a want. You leave the dress and come back. As per this technique you need to be rewarded for your consciousness. Thus you save away the entire price of that dress in your savings account. You not buying the dress saved you money, you just give it the literal sense of savings.

This technique is really for the ones who have mastered the above two techniques. It requires a great deal of self control to achieve this feat. You need not save away the entire money if it feels like a torture. You can save half of the money and the remaining half you can use to treat yourself with something you like. This will boost yourself to carry this on in the future.

All of the techniques that I have talked about have been practised by me for more than 4 years now. One can mould the above techniques as per ones financial liabilities. But these moulding should not change the actual meaning of such techniques. Being true to one shelf is very important and it's advisable that one learns this trait early in life. A penny saved is definitely a penny earned. Jump start your journey towards financial wellbeing by following these steps.

Do comment and share some more of the practises that you follow for saving money..

Here are some more important reads for you to dive in next..

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/12/delayed-gratitude.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/12/ideal-education.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/12/let-actions-speak.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/09/being-down-to-earth.html

BLIND TRUST AND ITS PERILS..

2020-01-17T21:35:00.002+05:30

As humans we are drawn towards social relationships. This urge to bond between people is what makes this world so complicated yet is responsible for its movement ahead. Humans are not the only organisms that show such complex bonds. There are others in the animal kingdom who show complex social behaviours. But the extreme of this interdependence is exclusive to human race which we term as blind faith.

After every night there is a day. This is an example of blind faith our ancestors had placed on nature which got ratified by modern science in later years. Sadly, humans are not that trustworthy. People change, circumstances compel them to act in ways that were not expected of them by individuals who had blindly trusted them. We are living in a highly dynamic world. Everything in this world changes including the people around us. This is the ultimate truth. It is beneficial for one to get this fact accepted. Living in denial of this fact can bring elemental damage. This denial is the cause behind increasing hatred, growing piles of cases in judicial bodies, decreasing longevity of relationships and many others.

When a person trusts an individual to the extreme that all of his/her faults seem to filter away then we can call that as blind faith. In Indian societies it is very common. People blindly trust one another because that is what our society has been like for centuries. This has also been the most prominent cause of our society being so pathetic. It is no new thing. The rapes mostly are caused by people upon whom the victim had blind trust. This blind trust is also responsible for so many crimes going unreported.

In all its sense, blind faith in someone can put you in grave peril. This is not only confined to social crimes but also economic crimes. The cases of corruption go unnoticed because the authorities have blind faith on their employees. In India we see this to its extreme. Here people try to sort out the crime internally because in most cases reporting such crimes can put their reputation at peril not to forget the chances of them getting involved and convicted.

We have put corruption in a narrow crime bracket of accepting and giving bribes. In reality corruption is like an Octopus with tentacles in each sector. Blind trust of people feeds this Octopus and its hold grows stronger. From the education sector to governance, nothing has been left out. We are advised to become more and more conscious by elders not only to help us take informed decisions but also to avoid placing our trust on bad individuals blindly.

There are bad people and there are very bad people. We are surrounded by dark sided individuals who show off their bright side. It is upon us to avoid the tinted glasses of their false personality and seek the truth behind the face. No one is more foolish in this world than those who keep such dark sided individuals in their life and place blind trust in them knowing the person is not worthy of their trust. The culture of burying the crimes is plaguing our society. A society whose learned individuals keep to themselves even after coming across crimes is destined for decay. Sadly we are proudly topping that list. Power is mostly placed in such dark people by the public with tinted glasses of blind trust and hence the loop sided development . This must stop if we are to save our very existence. No one but us can stop it and the first step is to kill the instinct of BLIND TRUST completely.

Here are some other topics for you to read next-

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/01/the-value-of-time.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/12/delayed-gratitude.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/07/life.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/09/being-down-to-earth.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/09/value-of-failures.html

ZERO WASTE SHOPPING IN INDIA..

2020-01-10T18:48:00.001+05:30

This blog will be a continuation of my sustainable living and zero waste lifestyle series. If you have not read those blogs, the links to them are given below.
https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/12/the-baby-steps.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/12/choosing-sustainability.html

In today's blog I will be specifically mentioning the scenario surrounding zero waste shopping in India. It's actually very easy to lead this lifestyle with in our country. Most of the people who live in developed countries and want to lead this kind of lifestyle throng to farmer's market to get their greens. Greens in such countries are a part of shopping mall culture and are vacuum packed in plastic to increase their shelf life. The localities that have farmer's markets can easily sustain such a lifestyle but those which lack, it comes down to the people. They need to become conscious consumers. As for our country, greens are primarily sold in daily green markets. In some areas weekly haats are also seen. It's easy to go zero waste just by carrying a reusable shopping bag because produce are rarely packaged in plastic and are usually fresh from the fields.

From greens now let's move to sea foods and meat. Unfortunately this is an area where going zero waste becomes tricky. It's not that it can not be done, it's just a bit difficult. In India sea foods and meat are usually given in single use plastic bags because paper bags can not yet serve the purpose. To avoid these plastic bags we can carry reusable containers and ask the shopkeeper to fill them instead of a plastic bag. There are some areas mostly in the eastern and central India where these kind of purchases are wrapped in leaves and tied with coir which makes them waterproof and easy to carry. Lotus leaves, Saal leaves etc are used for this purpose. This method if adopted pan India can really curb out single use plastics from our daily shopping.

India is primarily a vegetarian country. Any discussion would be incomplete unless we review their side too. Cottage cheese or paneer forms an important part of vegetarian diet enriching it with the required protein. Unfortunately they come in vacuum packed plastic bags. Milk too comes in plastic packaging. But there are ways to do away with this too. The stratified Indian society has assigned some people with cow milking activities. Consumers can easily buy fresh milk from them which they get delivered directly to their homes and without any packaging. These people also make products such as ghee, paneer(cottage cheese), butter and sell them. Just ask them for their products and you can get them delivered home without any packaging to worry about.

The daily shopping section is where consumers generate the most waste. But when one decides to deal with problems of our lifestyle and choose to become conscious we can impact our surrounding in a positive way. I will continue this discussion further in another blog. Till then take time to reflect on your lifestyle and adopt the changes that you can.
Here are some topics for you to indulge next:

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2020/01/habit-of-reading.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/12/ideal-education.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/09/reducing-waste.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/09/caring-for-environment.html

HABIT OF READING..

2020-01-04T21:47:00.000+05:30

Knowledge is vast. It is not possible for an individual to come across every bit of information out there in a single lifetime. This applies for life's lessons and other knowledge about life. Life is indeed a great teacher. But human lifespan is not long enough to learn everything that life has to offer. To solve these problems books come to our aid.

Humans have inhabited this planet for more than 2.5 million years now. But the habit of documenting one's life is not that old. Still we have thousands of years of history documented. To better put this, we have thousand of years of life's teachings documented. Thus books are no less than treasures. They can reveal great secrets and aid us with experiences of our ancestors.

In this era of social media, reading a books has become very scarce. Terms like bookworm and others mock youth who are into the habit of reading. This kind of peer pressure and social indifference is a negative trend. People who read are destined to accumulate knowledge of diverse kind in a single lifetime. That amount of knowledge is not possible to learn organically in a single lifetime.

Every bit of information is a gem. We may not find significance of that knowledge now but in the long run the picture becomes clear. Life really has unique ways to humble people. Knowledge builds a person's character. A person who is humbled by knowledge has a character which everyone appreciates and get drawn towards.

Having some kind of reading habit is very crucial. Being knowledge poor in this modern data driven society is the worst kind of poverty. A person who is in this situation can not excuse him/herself thanks to the internet. Every bit of information, wisdom, secrets of living are just a click away. Its high time that we cut the habit of mindless content consumption and focus on content that can add value to our life.

Speaking of valuable content, you can click on the links below to enrich yourself with ideas and knowledge that will surely help you in your life..

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/10/connecting-dots.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/09/economic-growth-is-means-to-achieve-end.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/09/being-down-to-earth.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/08/power-over-life.html

Do follow my blog for more such content..Keep reading and keep growing..

THE VALUE OF TIME..

2020-01-02T21:36:00.000+05:30

In my previous blog I talked about how our life can be driven in a better way by knowledge. Well this life teaches us a very important aspect of living. We get to value it and treasure it like never before. That aspect is TIME. And it really is man's most valuable asset.

What makes time so valuable? According to me it's the fact that we have no control over it passing.Time treats no one in a partial manner. The same 24 hours is distributed to each and every atom in this universe.Humans with all their scientific development can not tame time. What we can do is mould ourselves based on time. This will help us harness the power of time which is invisible to almost everyone.

A life driven by search for knowledge pushes us to use time to its optimum. This when becomes a habit we succeed. It is rightfully said that success is the amalgamation of daily habits. When knowledge leads and time is well managed an individual can be catapulted to fame and riches. History has many evidences which brings out how humans who have been able to mould themselves as per time and have been able to achieve remarkable feats. When you treat time with respect you get that back multiplied many folds.

Humans are mortal beings. The quicker this realisation seeks in the quicker one gets the result. People who succeed are not different from common folks in any way. But their habits greatly differs from the masses. They respect time and use it to their advantage. This small daily habit adds up and shows as result. People often realise the importance of time later in life. Thus success and riches are achieved by people mostly in their 40's. Imagine the benefit one can get when this understanding seeps in early. Then one would also get the added benefit of higher metabolism which will enable greater productivity. Thus it's not wrong to consider time as our most valuable asset. It really is ,only when it's given the value that it deserves. Individuals come on this planet with one thing in their possession i.e limited time. Thus TIME is the only possession we have. Everything else is an illusion.

Want to read more? Here are some sort listed blogs for you to read next..

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/12/let-actions-speak.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/09/value-of-failures.html

https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/2019/12/when-search-for-knowledge-drives-life.html

WHEN SEARCH FOR KNOWLEDGE DRIVES LIFE..

2019-12-31T21:22:00.000+05:30

In life we need a driving force. Without such a driving force we are destined to lead a somewhat stagnant life. Earlier I have talked about importance of an aim in life.You can read more about it here..
https://archishmansardar.blogspot.com/search?q=importance+of+aim

Aim is indeed a very strong driving force. But in due time I have stumbled across a trait that drives me more deeply. When I began this blog, I wanted to be informed more about life and all that surrounds us and supports our existence. This search can be simply placed as a search for knowledge and I can not deny this fact. What has astonished me is how strong this drive can get. My life has got itself wrapped around this intrinsic force which seeks knowledge of life itself. Everything that I do now reflects this drive. This force had a dramatic effect on my senses. They remain more aware of the surrounding and leech out facts for my subconscious to feed upon.

This needs special mention because this force involves both the conscious and the subconscious mind. You start to notice everything. Speech becomes rare because hearing serves the purpose more than using the mouth and tongue. Such silence and awareness of the surrounding floods your mind with facts that eventually become knowledge. This is best understood using the term deductive science which I stumbled across watching Sherlock Holmes series.

The benefit of having knowledge as the driving force is that you get away from mindless social media scrolling. That time which was wasted is now used mindfully. This change has really been beneficial. Another thing that this lifestyle has changed is that I value time more now. Time really is our most valuable asset. Being mindful opens up time for a lot for tasks that have value in our life. Time spent performing such tasks adds value to our lives. The best thing is the feeling of being busy because you always have something of significance to do or achieve.

Search for knowledge brings you more closer to life and living. The heightened senses serves a greater purpose and brings closed ones more closer. This enlightens you and drives you even when life puts you down. This added responsibility and drive to push harder lets you accomplish targets and set new ones that are more soul enriching. The byproducts are determination and insight of life which people strive hard to achieve in a lifetime. This new year gift yourself the power of knowledge because in the journey of achieving knowledge you will change your life for the better in ways you could never have imagined.

SAY NO TO PLASTIC: PLASTIC POLLUTION

2019-12-28T21:48:00.000+05:30

This Earth is all we have. With its fall we will fall. We have been nourished and nurtured by this very Earth we call mother. Sadly we are the ones responsible for its downfall. To understand life, we created science. This science became all powerful and to ease human life invented many things..PLASTIC was one of them.

Plastic came up in the year 1907. The properties of this material made it immensely popular. It soon tentacled into every arena of human life. It was easy and cheap which attributed to its wide acceptance even in poorest of the nations. Its wide popularity curtailed the fact that plastic is non biodegradable. Most of the forms of plastic are not recyclable as well. The polymers of plastic take more than 1000 years to break down in natural conditions. The menace of plastic has depleted Earth of its natural beauty.

The warning signs of ecological collapse are everywhere. Its killing organisms of both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem. With growing extinction of species governments have moved resources to curb the problem and many have banned the use of single use plastic. Government of India, although late, has joined the league.

We, the people, are the final consumer of plastic. As consumers we have more power than the government in curbing this menace. "With power comes great responsibility", indeed we have a great responsibility on our shoulders. The responsibility of saving our very planet. Making sure that our existence does not come at the cost of other organisms death. Humans have come this far without plastic. However impossible it may seem we can sustain ourselves without single use plastic. The need? Just responsible consumerism.

The only thing we can best control is our mind. We can choose to go zero waste. While shopping we are at the consumer end. Being judicious of what we buy can significantly reduce the waste we create. Rather than buying packaged food everytime,we can opt to buy in bulk. While grocery shopping we can opt for food that are packed in recyclable containers rather than buying food packed in single use plastic that after use will go into landfill and remain there for the next 1000 years. Would we like to become the generation with plastic waste as its legacy? Surely, we don't.

A simple choice of carrying a reusable bag while shopping can save us from generating tons of plastic in our lifetime. Similarly carrying a reusable water bottle can save us our money and planet as well. A win-win for both. This is not the end. Avoiding packaged snacks can help us maintain zero waste lifestyle as well as save us from future cardiovascular diseases. Again a win-win. The attractive aspect of such a lifestyle are many like good health, less toxins in the body, cleaner homes and surrounding, and most importantly monetary savings.

Living a plastic free lifestyle can save money. This is because we avoid packaged food and hence we avoid the packaging cost that goes into it. Bulk purchase are cheaper alternative to the packaged food. Nobody has to strive to become perfect in this and get demotivated. To save our planet we need millions to carry out imperfect plastic free living rather than few living this lifestyle perfectly. To our benefit, carrying out this lifestyle is very easy in our country. We just have to be conscious while consuming and that is all our PLANET needs..OUR CARE..

CHOOSING SUSTAINABILITY..

2019-12-26T21:26:00.001+05:30

There is no doubt in the fact that we are responsible for the sorry state of environment around us. As Indians we are very proud of our heritage and culture. But we never kept those heritage and customs which favoured a environment friendly life style. We moved on. Swept by the lights and ghare of consumerism. In all this, environment received a set back like our rich Indian customs and traditions.

We have come a long way. Today our very own sustenance is harming the environment. People consciously make choices that damage the Earth and then brag about problems of pollution and government inaction. A fast life has indeed brought economic process but at a devastating cost. Hills of garbage in land fills, fishes dying of chemical pollutants, minors dying of lungs cancer etc have become the new status quo. This life style has done everything wrong..very wrong..

We are all familiar with the problem. But do you all know what's the funny thing? We know the solution as well. Inaction is a sin and we all are committing it everyday. We receive the first set back through self doubt. We think that what good will our steps do in a world filled with 7 billion people? To this I can quote only one think. People that surround you do not learn from teachings, they learn from examples. Once you prove that zero waste and sustainable living are possible, people will take up the challenge themselves and soon change will be visible.

Covering the entire topic of sustainable ways of living cannot be completed in a single blog. In the following blogs I would come up with the changes that I personally have implemented to live minimally and in a more sustainable way. The most inspiring thing in my journey has been the realisation that living sustainably is the easiest in our country. This brings us the opportunity to grasp the ideology without much changes in our life style. As every one else out there who talks about sustainability and its positive financial impacts, I guarantee you that all those things are true.

The upcoming blogs will list the positive impacts of a sustainable life style. We are lucky to have access to knowledge about modern meaning of living sustainably. But it's sad that our own culture promotes such a life style to which we turn blind eyes. As I said living can not be taught, leave aside sustainable living. It can only be propagated by self examples and experiences which is exactly what I am determined to do.

DELAYED GRATITUDE..

2019-12-22T21:42:00.002+05:30

Our world today is filled with materialistic attractions. People today live paycheck to paycheck to fulfill their lust for such materialistic demands. They are not needs. This is true because such materialistic distractions are outcome of capitalism. These things are advertised in such a way that they grab sudden attention. People are made to believe that they absolutely need it. Thus these luxuries become needs rather than being just demands.

There have been studies that prove keeping cash away every month can result in good wealth accumulation. While this is true but the sad reality is that people spend this money on such luxuries. This results into stagnation and they do not move up the financial ladder. People believe that they could have better lives if they would get a pay hike. But this does not solve the problem. Once this spending habit gets embedded in our life style, with a pay raise we just increase our spending, thus remaining financially stagnant as earlier. The money is just a tool. It becomes powerful only if we give it the power.

The method or may I call it the practise of delayed gratitude is a habit when incorporated can do wonders in our life. This in the most simple way means postponing the wants for a later period so that we can concentrate on securing the future first. It does not mean that we should give up our wants. This practise in turn tells us to have conscious purchases. To give our purchase some time so that we can categorise it properly as a need or a want.

The categorisation is crucial. When a thing is a need and we can afford it we should do it right away. But once the thing falls under the second category we should give it time. We should ask ourselves whether our lives would be better when we incorporate that thing? Whether we have any alternative for that thing which is cheaper but can do the task equally well? Such questions will give us time to think about our purchase decision. And as seen, most of the times people avoid buying that thing. Thus hard earned money or soul kept savings is saved.

Some individuals may argue that we have one life and we should live it to the fullest. YES, we should. But having material possessions does not always make one happy. Happiness is a choice and we should only allow those things into our lives which can compliment our joy of living. Being financially deprived leaches away happiness and no one wants that. That is the reason we see people working soo hard to secure a living. But then these people give away their hard earned money is search of happiness in material things. They come out depressed.

We should have a balance of everything. We should delay possessions but not happiness. In the race to obtain more materialistic things people forget to live and end up having a half life. A life of regret at the end is what they get. Thus practising delayed gratitude can do wonders. Incorporate it as a habit and see dramatic changes in your life and personal finances..

TAKING IT SLOWLY..

2019-12-18T21:45:00.002+05:30

We are surrounded with events and things that demand our attention. With the development of time this pressure has manifolded many times. The result ? Hypertension among youths. Heart attacks occurring to 10 year olds. Among many others.

It is basic human tendency to seek action. But human minds have limitations as well. There have been numerous studies that show that multitasking is a myth and that it has its toll on the work and health as well. All these things that seek one's attention are usually overwhelming and forces one to take it all in one go. This propels multi tasking and results into neglect and faults in the outcome.

Our education system has been designed to make all entities function equally. It does not take into account that each individual is different. The pace at which each person responds to tasks varies. As a result people are mostly lacking life skills. They almost never know the trick to handle tasks and pressure generated due to task loads. Thus, we can assume that the general masses are mostly incapable to cope with the trends that this new era brings with it. The evidences in support of this are evident.

This is not something that is not discussed often. There are awareness programmes being conducted in educational institutions. The common thing among these programs is that they treat this as a disease and try to heal the one suffering through counselling. A change in ideology is needed to bring visible changes. The youth should be made to acknowledge the changing scenario and provided with the skills to handle the same.

The demand for our attention is not going to decrease, rather the opposite of this is eminent. The secret is to Take It Slowly. Let the reality seek in. Give time to plan and prioritise the tasks at hand and then proceed. Never should we try to multi task because it is never fruitful.

Some tasks can be overwhelming but a mind well trained to contain these feelings is the one that can make it through. A well trained mind will find ways to better manipulate time and ways to automate tasks taking away unnecessary time. Time is the most valuable asset and it should be spent wisely.

Taking things slowly can solve half the problems by itself and the rest is just our action which can do the ultimate justice. Take the days one at a time and tasks too in the same way. This ancient wisdom is a life lesson and learning it is a life skill which we all need. Things are gonna get more complex. Ideal surrounding is soon going to vanish. It is high time to gain as much skills and wisdom as we can. There are many such skills and indeed this is an important one. Learn it and adopt it as a life style and never forget to take it all slowly in the process..

LET THE ACTIONS SPEAK.

2019-12-13T21:10:00.000+05:30

Our society today gives much importance to achievements. The support needed while in the struggling period is seldom given by those who surround us. Support comes only after recognition. And recognition comes after achievement. Such a system is pathetic and demotivates many from taking that crucial step. This fear that is generated appeals pupils to play it safe. The declining innovation can be credited to this reason.

What is wrong around us is an entirely different thing. To better understand that we need to have deep insight and knowledge of the society. But the result of that is evident. People prefer to give big talks instead of actually working. They do this with a hope to gather support and sometimes to get social recognition. Well the people who succeed in this big talk business often gather support but that is never a lasting one. The recognition fades away very quickly so as the support gained. But sadly the people today have less patience and want quick results. To achieve this end they agree to hold their endeavours in a safe and socially acceptable way.

Big and small talks,well are good to gain quick attention. This popularity and feeling of being at the centre of gossip leads nowhere. Thus the best way to achieve lasting success and support is to work hard and let the work gain the support it needs. When the work is established in a good way and is backed by consistency, then recognition and support follows as a byproduct.

Let your actions do the speaking and not your mouth. Working in silence is the best medicine for coping with defeat and defame.We learn important wisdom when we work alone. This wisdom makes a strong character. Such a person is stable in scenarios when the hard work pays off as well as during defeat and social humiliation.

They become shielded against all that happens around them. A kind of calm resides in them which is unshaken by external forces.

There are many who have worked tirelessly for months and have made it to the top. But their inner wisdom that they have gained during their struggle does not allow them to change and thus keeps them grounded. They continue to put in equal amount of work even though they don't have to anymore. This respect for work is what separates them from the one timers. Their work keeps blooming and attracts attention. This is the work doing the talking, while the doer is at calm and working for him/herself. In this world where everyone wants overnight success and fame, these souls keep putting in the hard work because they know that after years of working one becomes an overnight success. This is the reality of life. This is what working hard and consistency is all about. Keep pushing hard and let your work do the talking for you..