Hey there! This is Week 45 of my blog series where I keep myself accountable by keeping an online journal of sorts. You can read the beginning of this story — Why I quit my job to study, volunteer and travel.
Ever since Vipassana a month ago, I’ve been having realizations, tackling things I had been putting off for months and getting to know myself better. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in learning to deal with life’s vicissitudes in a calm and composed manner. One of these so called realizations is what today’s blog is going to be about.
One thing we are forced to remember during our daily 2 hour practice of meditation is that all things are Anijya or Impermanent. So there is no meaning to react to them. An extension of this concept for me is that of sustainability and longevity.
In this age of impulse purchases and rapid decision making it is important to remember that our endeavors and actions are better off, if you think of what will happen to them in the long run. (atleast 5 years, but obviously the farther away the better) But most of us are so caught up about our today that we do not have time to plan / visualise, forget make a plan for the future.
We are only able to plan for the future when we have today in control. The same way we can only take care of someone else if we have taken care of ourselves first. We might be able to do it(put others before ourselves) for a few weeks or even a few months. But burn out and fatigue is bound to set in with time. So, I always remember the airline announcement —
“In case of an emergency, please remember to attend to yourself first before attending to others.”
So coming back to having today in control, we must be able to handle all the ups and downs that comes with “living”. The idiots on the road (trust me, there are lot of them in India), the chaos at home, health issues (if any), career, wants and desires. Gotta admit, no matter who you are, at some point of time life will feel and it most definitely is tough. But we are tougher and we pull through.
It is time we stop just pulling through. It is time for us to thrive!
Most of us are attracted to people, things or ideas very quickly. It is like a whirlwind romance where the boy / girl meet and before you know it, everything is over. The term I like to use for it is “Raging Fire”.
What comes to mind when we thing of the words “Raging” and “Fire”, for me it is the scene from The Jungle Book (2016) where Mowgli is running across the forest with a torch, dropping splinters on the way that spark a forest fire during the finale of the movie. (Don’t worry, this isn’t a spoiler if you haven’t seen it. Which you should because the movie is awesome.) In a couple of days, the whole forest is decimated and only ashes remain. Acres and acres of land, burnt to the ground within minutes.
The Raging Fire starts and ends with a bang, it burns bright and fast during its peak and is a an intense affair. That first kiss with your lover, the expensive gadget, the first pay check. Getting on and off this killer roller-coaster.
The Slow Burn on the other hand is something similar to the way we feel when a baby smiles at our feeble attempts of humor. The warmth inside when we hug our favorite people. The bliss of caressing your pet on a regular basis. The feeling or sensation is very subtle but you know it exists. It feels good. It never goes away. It does not overwhelm you but gently lets you know that it is there.
Here are the various applications of this principle —
- Creative Endeavors
- Love Life
- Workout
- Career
- Learning
So the next time you’re about to embark on a new journey, remember to make it something that can last. Something like a slow burn. Don’t dive in with too much enthusiasm like a newbie at the gym who lifts too much and rests at home for the rest of the week. Set yourself up for success knowing yourself and your limits well. Take it slow, sustain and thrive.
Life is a marathon and not a sprint.
Here is what all I did this week —
- Briefly started work with my new start-up 🙂
- Published the 4th Episode of the Passion People Project
Episode 4 — The Slum-GOD
Hip-Hop and community tourism in the heart of Mumbai’s Slum.medium.com
- Re-negotiated contracts with the tenants at our commercial complex
- Chalked out a plan for a North-East trip with my parents
- Stopped trying the 21 early days challenge.
- Continued with my daily 2 hour practice of Vipassana
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Follow me on this journey on self discovery and know what happens!
Thanks again to all you wonderful people for the love and support.
If you want to say hey, give me feedback or reach out to me for anything, I would love to connect with you — [email protected]
Peace and Love. xx
Originally published at medium.com