I am hoping with all my heart that all of you’ll get helpful takeaways from these posts for your pursuit of happiness. Enjoy the first installment!

3 must-haves for getting what you want

1. Being clear about what you want:

Undoubtedly the first step to achieving something, is to *know* what you want to achieve. Just like you can’t go to a place you do not *know* you want to go to, you cannot achieve your dream unless you are clear about what exactly you want.
It is also possible that you have not thought about it consciously till now. If this is the case, find yourself a quite spot, reflect on your joys, moments of contentment, even sorrows and learn from your own little inner voice what you should pursue in life. More on this later, in a different post, but for now, remember that this is the beginning of our quest.
I also feel it is important for us to keep reminding ourselves of this basic ingredient every now and then. With life being as busy as it is these days, it’s so easy to get lost with mundane things which are no doubt necessary, but do not really take us forward on our path to success. A reminder about your goal in life helps get your focus back on track.

2. Believing:

Once you are clear about “what” you are set out to achieve, there should be no element of doubt. None. Believe in yourself. Have faith in Lord Krishna (or your favorite deity or the extraordinary force of nature which created a very special person – *you*) – who resides within you. Know from deep within that you are capable of and destined to reach your goal.

3. Being grateful for all that you have:

You cannot keep hoping for more in your life without being truly and sincerely grateful for everything that you already have. We cannot be successful or happy all by ourselves. All sorts of people – parents, siblings, family, friends, teachers, co-workers, spouses, kids, relatives have their share, their contribution to our achievements.
I feel the best way to start my day is to say a sweet “Thank You” to my Kanhaji and all that he has offered to me lovingly in this life. No matter who you bow your head to – Kanhaji or any other deity, nature or the universe, your teacher, some book or even the power within, saying “Thank You” to that magnificent energy source, invokes a felling of having achieved your dream already. It fills you with peace and sense of well-being.  Try it yourself to experience the magic.

I feel these three conditions are like the wheels of a tricycle. You cannot ride without having all three.

How about you? What do you think is the *essential* ingredient for success in your quests? Do share so I can have the priviledge of learning from your experiences.

Thanks!
~Varada

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I owe each one of you a HUGE and heartfelt "thank you". I mean it.

8th July was my birthday. Completion of my 32nd summer on this blue heaven. (Yeah I know, I don’t look like 32.

And yeah again, I do count “summers” not "Sawan" as they do in Hindi. You can take a beach bum out of Goa but you cannot take the summers out of her…)

My day started with a very sweet birthday wish from my loving husband at  midnight on the day before.

Morning came with the announcement from Princess Diya – "Aaj mumma ka birthday hai, isiliye mein school nahi jaunga!".

This followed by the chorus "Happy Birthday, Chachiji" by my nieces and nephew.

The whole day my cell phone kept ringing. (and I smiled each time I picked it.).

My Gmail overflowed with notifications from facebook when people all over the world left messages. (and I smiled each time I checked the unread mails.).

Went to the temple and was greeted by a whole new picture of My Kanhaji on the wall. It was as if he dressed specially for my birthday. I was mesmerized. ("Beauty lies in the eyes of beholder…", heard somewhere?)

Then we went to get treat items for dinner party at home. When we came  back, another surprise awaited us. The kids had arranged a mouth watering pineapple cake, candles that said "32" and even balloons….

We had a blast. 

I know this was one of the most memorable birthdays I ever had. Thanks for each one of you for making it so special for me…

I know I’ve been going through rough times these last few months. It was as if my Kanhaji was flooding my day with happiness, making each of you as an instrument of His wish in communicating to me that happy days are just starting. I was overwhelmed.

I also took a moment to be introspective. Here’s what came out… (Most of this is personal, but I am counting each of you as my best friend and sharing it as-is with you. I do not mean to hurt anyone’s feelings or pass comments etc. These are just my views. At this time and place. Nothing more.)

• It is easier to change yourself than to change others.
• You only have so much time to appreciate this life. You only have so much time to value things like friendships, love. To reach out to people. To give.
• It’s pointless wasting precious time chasing things you don’t think are worthy. I don’t think giving up material pleasures entirely is the way to live. But know what you need absolutely and what you can do without.
• Envy, greed even guilt and fear are emotions not worth keeping with you.
• A super-mom lives only in myths and fairy tales. And yes in television daily soaps. So do super-employees, super-wives, super-dads, super-<anyone>. Real life is all about balance. Each of us plays multiple roles in a day. Each of us are better at something, good at something else and not-so-good at some other stuff. It’s worthless trying to be super-good at everything.
• Each person you meet is intended to bring meaning to your life. Each smile you exchange is special. Don’t waste a single opportunity to smile.
• A successful Marathi actress once mentioned in a TV show – “Apal bhav-vishva sambhalun milavlel yash mhanaje khar yash.” Meaning, “when you achieve something while taking care of your emotional universe, that is real achievement.”
• It is not that important what people think about you. What matters is what you think when you stand in front of yourself. Your inside is far more important than the whole outside world. This is the most important lesson that life has taught me.

Hmm.. The list does not end really here. But I do not want to be too 32-ish, right on day 5 of my 32. So, I’ll save the rest of my ramblings for some subsequent posts.

I do sincerely hope this post and the others on this blog are helping you in some way – some giving you a handy tip on parenting, some on practical business plans, if nothing else, at least my words are making you think some new and worthy thoughts.

If there’s anything you would like to read here, please email me at varada dot sharma at gmail dot com or drop a comment on any post. I always try to respond to comments. 

Here’s to the splendid journey called ‘L.I.F.E.”. Thanks for making it a rich and fulfilling one for me.

Love you all, can’t thank you enough…

Sincerely,
~Varada

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For the benefit of those who haven’t: When the great army of Sugreev was building a bridge to cross the Indian Ocean into Lanka to attack the demon king Ravan, they lifted great boulders, huge stones, Hanuman wrote “Ram” on each of them and then immersed them into the waters. Due to Ram’s name these boulders floated instead of drowning, but it was becoming difficult to get them to stick to each other instead of drifting away. A tiny squirrel noticed their plight and came to the rescue. She brought grains of sand, as many as she could carry on her back and put them on the bridge cementing, sealing the gaps and making each boulder stick to the other. In recognition for her efforts, Ram patted her back lovingly. Even today you can see three dark lines on her back that his fingers made when then ruffled her fur.

Our society today has several of these “squirrels” waiting for Ram to pat their back. Seemingly insignificant everyday people, with no big name or great fame, who are helping in several little ways that go a great length to make a difference in other people’s lives.

Take for example, Mrs. Chahar, a school principal who started a practice of her own early in her career. Each year she would help 5 children financially – sponsor their school uniforms and books and help them study. Over the last couple decades several people have reaped benefits of her generousness. Each of these students who were helped by Mrs. Chahar through their school years, have completed college and further education. One is an officer in the Indian Administrative Service (IAS).

Another example is my own mom-in-law. Each summer she’ll fill earthen pots with water and leave it outside for the thirsty animals. Birds, cats and dogs drink from these cool pots. Agreed, she can’t change the world with her little efforts. But if you could tell that to the thirsty animals who get respite from parching heat, I am sure they wouldn’t care less about the difference it made to global warming so long as they were saved from death.

If you have a will to make a difference, you can do so no matter what your own circumstances are. You need not necessarily be affiliated with famous NGO’s or be a highly paid movie actor to bring your own little pile of sand, your own little contribution to make this country, this world a better place for everyone.

Think about it. If you know anyone who is also doing such good deeds, do send us their information. We’ll be happy to get in touch and spread the word. The least we can do to motivate others

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“No.”, says, Robin Sharma – leadership guru for million’s of people over the globe including yours truly. He teaches us to be good human beings above all else. To inculcate greatness in our daily lives, to reach out to others and make a difference in their lives. After all we all want someone to cry when we die, don’t we?

I am averse to most newsletters / subscriptions since after a while you tend to ignore them or get tired of them. However there’s one exception to this – Robin Sharma’s monthly newsletter. It comes as a breath of fresh air and fills your mind with positive energy every month. You can check out Robin’s thoughts by subscribing yourself. Or if you are more interested in listening to him speak, he also has a free leadership audio program download.

Over time I’ve become a great fan of his books. “Who will cry when you die?”, “The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari”, “The Greatness Guide” – each one is a gem. Have built a collection for myself as well as gifted few copies to others. You can grab your copies here.

Check these out for yourself. And don’t forget to share your thoughts with us.

Happy journey to your new life as a leader

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