What you should look for in your work?

The work we do is an extension of our self so it is imperative that we choose it carefully.The relationship that we share with our work or the service we render is as significant,complicated and intense as with our personal relationship with our human life partner.Essentially the things that we look for in both are the same-- character and personality.In the competitive and morally deprived times of today we get seduced by the personality ethics of the job like power & influence, glamour & charm, public image and social recognition/ acceptance. However,these traits only feed our ego and bring only temporary success.For our relationship with our work to be long lasting and satisfying at a deeper level the nature of the "service we render" and the people we collaborate to do it with should help us integrate character ethics like integrity, honesty, fairness,high self esteem, nobleness,generosity, giving back to society etc. into our lives as much as possible.As parents, educators,counsellors,administrators and managers we need to realise that character ethics form the basis of our work.It is what builds us up as individuals and gives meaning and purpose to our work life.Ideally it would be great if we could have a healthy combination of both personality and character ethics in our work but if not possible then character wins hands down.

Can contentment and discontent coexist?

Contentment with the present moment is the secret of truly living happily.However,being at peace with the present moment doesn't mean absence of motivation to do better.One can be content and still be looking forward to new experiences in the future.This uneasiness which pushes us to strive for an enhanced experience of life is discontent.So discontent is good when its the source of constant quest for improvement and reformation of the present situation. Also it can coexist with contentment and they are not mutually exclusive.The opposite of contentment is the absence of peace and happiness in the present moment rather than discontent.It is discontent which prevents stagnation,prods us into striving for personal growth and setting a higher bar of aspiration for ourselves.

PURITY

When
you walk into
my personal space
respect it.

Leave
all your
negativities
and
prejudices
at the door.

Walk in
clean,
pure
and
transparent
so that
I can see you
and
you can see me
as
we were meant
to be.


Anjali Kumar

NO PROMISES

He made no promises
of saying
Yes
to wants and desires.
But he promised
to give
what we need.


He made no promises
of freeing
us from hardships and pain.
But he promised
to give
choices at every step.


He made no promises
of bestowing
requited love and everlasting happiness.
But he promised
to give
unlimited capacity to share.


He made no promises
of ensuring
life would be fair.
But he promised
to give
justice in his kingdom.


He made no promises
of liberty
from uncomfortable and painful feelings.
but he promised
to give
the challenge of inner reflection.

Can we separate our aspirations from our ego?

To live in denial about the presence of your ego or in ignorance of its existence, both attitudes are self defeating in achieving your aspirations.Many of our dreams and desires are influenced by the times and the society we live in.The desire may vary in scale from the longing for the limited edition of a designer watch,first time ownership of a car to contesting elections for the highest political office in the country-- but they all are arise from our ego which gets its nourishment and identity from the social and economic systems we inhabit.If we are honest with ourselves then to delink our dreams and desires from our ego is a mammoth,uphill task.And if we are successful in doing so then we can classify ourselves as monks.On the other hand to live hedonistically as a slave to our ego's demands would be to devalue our soul and the higher purpose ones life.We need to strike a balance somewhere in between recognising the presence and the influence of the ego, and giving in to its demands with an alert discerning mind.This is one of the spiritual tests, of decontaminating our soul from materialism, we have to take as humans and pass it with flying grades.

What is happiness?

I know one thing for sure that happiness is a determined choice to feel upbeat and good in our lives. It is not something that happens in the future if certain conditions are fulfilled.It is action and thought in present tense.It requires the hard work of introspection to understand that "why" we do things is more important than "what" we do.Happiness needs constant effort in continuing to believe ,in the magic, that our lives are being lived under the guidance of forces beyond our control and comprehension.It is experiencing positive emotions by engaging in sharing, inspiring,empowering,making a difference in the lives of others and in the process growing yourself.Happiness is in accepting the unpredictabilities of life with grace, dignity and humour. It is unquantifiable and cannot be benchmarked against the joys of others but engages the creative process of having dreams and goals for yourself.Just having something to look forward to is enough to engage us in tiny bubbles of joy filled actions to make our dreams come true.Happiness is in those courageous bubbles of potential that we create in our lives.

FRUGALITY

To be
frugal in dreaming
is to
limit your potential.


To be
frugal in affections
is to
limit your joy.

To be
frugal in forgiving
is to
limit your peace.


To be
frugal in adventure
is to
limit your experience.


To be
frugal in compassion
Is to
limit your humanity.


ANJALI KUMAR