Because You and I Need This at Some Point

Putting things off, not living life to the fullest, harboring dreams that never seem to manifest are all part of many of our lives. We try so many different things to change our habits, get over our laziness, improve our lifestyle and we always end up where we began. During the last couple of years, these are some things that helped me get over a few of my fears and procrastination. In general, these are some random things that improved my life at least slightly.

When I Wanted a Job

There’s no use waiting for someone to give you that push. Unless you mentally decide to do something, you’ll keep digging in your heels. Unless you search for jobs, send your resumes and interact with employers, you won’t have chances of getting a good job. If your friends bring you the best jobs, they won’t be of any use unless you act on them. The onus is upon you to take an action in order to get ahead of where you are now.

When I Wanted to go For a Long Trip

If you want that expensive watch but you’ve been putting it away for a time when you’ll have more money, you are never going to get it. Start by saving a small portion from your salary. If your watch costs 12000 bucks, save 1000 bucks a month and in a year, you’ll have your watch. If you are to wait for a day when you can spend 12000 bucks all at once, it might take 4-5 years.

When I Kept Putting of My Dream Trip

For someone like me who works 6 days a week, travelling frequently is unthinkable. I use up most of my leaves to go home and am almost always left with very less leaves. Last year when I decided to start traveling, initially I kept putting it off. Because, what if the audit happens, what if I need the leave for something else, what if my leave doesn’t get approved were few of the many questions my mind kept throwing at me. Fed up of my own excuses, I booked a package tour and decided to see how the whole scenario turned out.

 

There were no hassles at all. I got my leave, I went for the trip and it turned out to be one of the best trips I have ever had. If I hadn’t booked the tour, I wouldn’t have made it fearing so many unreal scenarios. That’s when I decided to first book my trip and then figure out how to manifest it. There are more chances of you making to that trip if you’ve already paid for it. 😛

Whenever I Writhe in Pain During Menstruation/Migraine

If you are having a bad day, instead of fighting it, accept that things aren’t going well and reassure yourself wholeheartedly that it wouldn’t last beyond 2 days or a week. I am emphasizing on ‘whole-heartedly’ because it is something you should really feel and accept. If you do so, you’ll have the strength to deal with whatever you are facing. Because you have realized that it is just a matter of time before things go back to being normal.

When too Many Apps Weigh Me Down and Make me Feel Worthless

There are so many articles, apps and motivational pages that suggest a million things that would improve your lifestyle. Do not buy them all at once. Take one app/article/lifestyle at a time and work towards making a habit out of it. My phone was cluttered with lifestyle improvement apps and I just deleted half of them. I feel more at peace now.

 

Most of these are what a procrastinator or an over-thinker needs. But all of us do end up at these spots once in a while and it is always good to keep these in mind and act accordingly. But do you know what the first thing  you need to do is? Start saving for that expensive thing you’ve been planning to buy. It has been way too long you’ve been putting it off. So go for it right now. Keep aside a 500 or a 1000 rightaway!

A Bucket-list For a Better Lifestyle in 2019

I am surprised and equally glad that I am here in 2019 with my second post, continuing my blogging. It’s a small step on my part to make 2019 worthwhile. To start with, let me assure you one thing. Making a bucket-list and trying to stick to it, has its benefits. Because I made 9 trips in 2018 as opposed to zero in most of the years before that, all because of the bucket-list I had prepared.

Since my earlier bucket-list sort of worked, here I am creating another one for 2019.

Why a Bucket-list?

Most of us grovel under the weight of the things that we have to do, and want to do. But often, we neglect the important things and don’t realize that we are wasting away valuable time. Sometimes, I even forget that there were a dozen things I had to do. A bucket-list is a road map of sorts,

• Giving you an idea of things you can do.
• Reminding you the things you want to do and,
• Giving you the push.

The goal isn’t to finish all the milestones. But to strive and complete at least a few in place of doing nothing at all.

If you aimed at reading 12 books but finished 8 books, instead of fretting over the 4 unread ones, you should be happy that you kept a goal in the first place. Without the goal, you might have read only 2 or 3!

My Bucketlist 2019

1. Volunteer at an Old age Home – This is something I have been wanting to do for a long time, but never got to doing. I have always wanted to make a difference; be the reason for someone’s happiness and be the source of someone’s inspiration. This year, I need to constantly remind myself to make it happen. I want to give back to the Universe.
2. Read 12 books. Read Everyday – I always keep this goal in my list but never really get to finishing it. Cell phones have reduced our attention span. I cannot finish reading a page without checking my phone in between – A perfect example of low productivity and lack of focus due to cell phones. I want to get back to reading as well as improve my concentration. A book a month is achievable.

   

   The Books ready to be read

3. Write a blog post a week – This post is a part of the one post a week plan. The important part is to keep this going. This time I intend to focus more on the topics that I choose. I want my blog to become more useful. I want people to find happiness and help in my blog.
4. Gratitude Journaling – I am just conjuring this up in my head. Just today, I thought I should write down the things I am grateful for. Either on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. So I’ll either write a post at the end of every month or write in my diary at the end of every week as to the things I am grateful for. That means, I just missed 2 weeks!
5. Travel – I have decided to make 2 long trips this year and 4 to 6 short trips. This means I will be exploring North or North East India for the first time. It scares the hell out of me, but also, I am excited!
   Did you know that I haven’t been to any of the mainstream places such as Goa, Pondicherry, Gokarna or Hampi? Well, so one or more of those will be covered as well, I hope.
6. Listen to Myself and My Needs – As I grew, at some point or the other, I began to move things around to suit everyone else’s lives. When I listen to music I am always wondering if I am disturbing others. If I am switching on the fan, I am looking around and seeing if anyone else has a problem. And these questions keep resurfacing in my head. Instead of being in my own element I am always wondering if everyone else is happy. This is a habit I need to stop – obsessing over others’ comfort and ignoring mine!
7. Eat Responsibly – Staying in a PG has its cons. The biggest of all is the lack of nutritious food. I need to try to include some nutrition in my diet. Oats, sprouts and boiled eggs are a few to start with. I am also trying hard to eat my food on time so that I do not compromise my health.

This is a rough list and I intend to come back and make changes or additions so that I improve for the better by the end of 2019. It is always a great thing to start. So I am starting by putting this out in the Universe.

So far I have gone on one trip and am reading a book that I had started last year. I have bought Oats, eggs and green grams but haven’t started using them. The first baby steps have begun. It is up to me to be consistent.

Do you have a bucket-list? What do you want to achieve by the end of 2019?

 

Most Dangerous Waters in The World

I am a person with acute thalassophobia – fear of Ocean and its depth. I remember visiting the Kochi Muziris Biennale and walking into a room, that showed a video of the turbulent waters of the Indian Ocean (If I am not wrong), and freaking out. I once went to a beach and seeing lots of people meditating, I tried to do the same. It was impossible for me to sit with my eyes closed even for a minute. Not that I am unfamiliar with meditation. I do meditate now and then and I can easily do it for at least 10 minutes. My problem here was the sound of the waves lashing against the shore. It freaked me out.

That being said, I think my fear might have reduced a tad bit after I learnt swimming. But still, the thought of me on a ship amidst the ocean is enough for all the fears to flood back in.

Today, as I was walking through the streets and allies of Youtube, I came across an informative video that listed the 10 Most Dangerous Waters in the World. I have always made peace with the fact that water-bodies are dangerous and then youtube tells me, “Hey! We have more information to freak you out!” and my! I did freak out seeing a few.

While the boiling lake Dominica seated upon the molten lava and the acidic River Tinto, Spain sounded fascinating, I was saddened seeing the state of the rivers polluted by us humans. The amount of waste in Citarum River, Indonesia shows how we take pollution lightly.

Anyhow, I found this video very informative and some of those water bodies astounded me! As it has been long since I updated this space, I thought of sharing the video here.

I read in the comments that The Amazon river is dangerous as hell due to the Piranhas. So there must be more such water-bodies that are dangerous. Do let me know if you come across any that is not in the list. 🙂