Oh God! Why Me?......An inspirational story

Arthur Ashe, was an American professional Tennis player who won three grand slam singles titles. He was the first black player selected to the US Davis Cup Team and only black man ever to win the singles title at Wimbledon , the US open and the Australian open.

This Legendary Wimbledon Player was dying of AIDS , which he got due to Infected Blood he received during a Heart Surgery in 1983!

He received letters from his fans, one of which conveyed: "Why did God have to select you for such a bad disease??" 

To this Arthur Ashe had a beautiful reply with several thoughts flooded in it and he replied:

50 Million children started playing Tennis, 

5 Million learnt to play Tennis,

500 000 learnt Professional Tennis, 

50 Thousand came to Circuit, 

5 Thousand reached Grandslam, 

50 reached Wimbledon, 

4 reached the Semifinals,

2 reached the Finals and 

when I was holding the cup in my hand, I never asked God "Why Me?" 

So now that I'm in pain how can I ask God "Why Me?"

His words had several meaning to it, we just need to feel them. 

Happiness keeps you Sweet. Trials keeps you Strong. Sorrows keeps you Human. Failure keeps you Humble. Success keeps you Glowing. But only, Faith keeps you Going.

Sometimes we are unsatisfied with our life, while many people in this world are dreaming 

of living our life.. 

A child on a farm sees a plane fly overhead & dreams of flying. But, a pilot on the plane sees 

the farmhouse & dreams of returning home.

THAT'S THE LIFE...

What is your happiness, could be nothing for someone. Again it could be dream for others as well. So enjoy your life whatever you have with you.

➥ If wealth is the secret to happiness, then the rich should be dancing on the streets. But only poor kids do that.

➥ If power ensures security, then VIPs should walk unguarded. But those who live simply, sleep soundly feel more secured.

➥ If beauty and fame bring ideal relationships, then celebrities should have the best marriages. But most of them are not.

MORAL OF THIS STORY: - 

Live simply - Walk humbly - and love genuinely.

Picture courtesy to Google.

Hima Das | An inspiration to many | Story

 Hima Das, a girl hailed form poor family background from Assam, had many dreams to achieve success in life. Very few could know this name until 2018, when she became the world junior 400m champion for India in 2018. She came to the limelight of everyone. 

In 19 days, she bagged 6 Gold Medals for India. Many congratulated her for this amazing performance. Who is she? What kept her motivating?

Hima Das belongs to a small town of Assam in Nagano district. She was born in the family of farmers. Hima said that she had never thought of being into athletics during her childhood but she was very fond of playing football. She used to play football in the fields with other boys.

She wanted to be a well-known striker. Though by observing her potential in running, someone suggested her to make her career in athletics. Hima started with regional level competitions. 

In January 2017 during Guwahati camps, Hima came into the sight of athletics coach Nipon Das. He, with a lot of efforts, convinced Hima’s family to allow her to prepare for games by being in Guwahati. Nipon Das admitted Hima into a state level sports Academy. Earlier, Hima started with preparing for 200m race, then she engaged herself into 400m races.

Few traits she exhibits....

➥ Dreamer : She is a dreamer, who always focused on achieving dreams.

➥ Simplicity : Hailed from very simple and humble background she lives her life in very simple manner.

➥ Dedication : Being a tough sporty person, she is always dedicated to sports. In her earlier days she had a dream to achieve glory for the country, India.

➥ Kind-hearted : Claimed to be the daughter of soil, Hima has extended her support for great cause. She donated her half salary towards Assam flood in 2019. It was the time when Assam was experiencing the toughest moment by nature.

➥ Passionate : A strong believer of hard work, Hima never looked back when it came to fulfilling her career in athletes, in spite of having a challenging background. 

Image courtesy to indiatoday.in

Hima Das was inducted as Deputy Superintendent of Assam Police on 26th February 2021. Addressing the gathering after her induction, Hima revealed that she had dreamt of becoming a police officer when she was young and therefore this was a very special moment for her.

Hima said, "since my early school days, I had a wish to become a police officer one day and my mother also wished that." “She would buy a (toy) gun during Durga Puja, my mother would tell me to work in Assam police, serve the people and become a good person,” 

➥ Moral:  She is definitely an inspiration to many young talents of India. 

To achieve the success in life you don not necessarily to be from a rich family, you do not require a degree, you do not need to be a topper of the college, you do not necessary to showcase your creativity, you need not to butter the influencers, all you need is do the hard work with dedication and personal commitment. Your determination will fetch you success in your journey. 

References courtesy: oneworldnews, indiatoday, thestatesman.

The Power of Choice | A Chauffeur's Inspiration Story

 I was going through an amazing article by 'Harvey Mackay', who was eventually delivering a speech to the large audience and he was sharing a story of a Cab Driver. The story goes this way...

I was waiting in line for a ride at the airport. When a cab pulled up, the first thing I noticed was that the taxi was polished to a bright shine. Smartly dressed in a white shirt, black tie, and freshly pressed black slacks, the cab driver jumped out and rounded the car to open the back passenger door for me.

He handed me a laminated card and said: 'I'm Kumar, your driver. While I'm loading your bags in the trunk I'd like you to read my mission statement.'

Taken aback, I read the card. It said: Kumar's Mission Statement: To get my customers to their destination in the quickest, safest and cheapest way possible in a friendly environment.

This blew me away. Especially when I noticed that the inside of the cab matched the outside. Spotlessly clean!

As he slid behind the wheel, Kumar said, 'Would you like a cup of coffee? I have a thermos of regular and one of decaf.'

I said jokingly, 'No, I'd prefer a soft drink.'

Kumar smiled and said, 'No problem. I have a cooler up front with regular and Diet Coke, lassi, water and orange juice.'

Almost stuttering, I said, 'I'll take a Lassi.' Handing me my drink, Kumar said, 'If you'd like something to read, I have The Hindu, Times  of India, ET and India Today.'

As we were pulling away, Kumar handed me another laminated card, 'These are the stations I get and the music they play, if you'd like to listen to the radio.'

And as if that weren't enough, Kumar told me that he had the air conditioning on and asked if the temperature was comfortable for me.

Then he advised me of the best route to my destination for that time of day. He also let me know that he'd be happy to chat and tell me about some of the sights or, if I preferred, to leave me with my own thoughts.

'Tell me, Kumar,' I was amazed and asked him, 'have you always served customers like this?'

Kumar smiled into the rear view mirror, 'No, not always. In fact, it's only been in the last two years. My first five years driving, I  spent most of my time complaining like all the rest of the cabbies do. Then I heard about power of choice one day.'

'Power of choice is that you can be a Duck or an Eagle'. 'If you get up in the morning expecting to have a bad day, you'll rarely disappoint yourself. Stop complaining!' 

'Don't be a duck. Be an eagle. Ducks quack and complain. Eagles soar above the crowd.'

'That hit me right,' said Kumar. 

'It is about me. I was always quacking and complaining, so I decided to change my attitude and become an eagle. I looked around at the other cabs and their drivers. The cabs were dirty, the drivers were unfriendly, and the customers were unhappy. So I decided to make some changes. I put in a few at a time. When my customers responded well, I did more.'

'I am certain that has paid off for you,' I said.

'It sure has,' Kumar replied. 'My first year as an eagle, I doubled my income from the previous year. This year I'll probably quadruple it. My customers call me for appointments on my cell phone or leave a message on it.'

Kumar made a different choice. He decided to stop quacking like ducks and start soaring like eagles.

I give this example to my audience while delivering the customer service trainings. How all of us having a choice to do wonderful customer service. 

There are Six Powerful Lessons from the story:

1. Remove your negative mindset. It doesn't allow you to be wise.

2. There are solutions to every problems, just you need to calmly think of it.

3. Happiness starts from self, it is you who has choice to make.

4. Be as creative as the world is. Creativeness can make you happy.

5. Physical appearance matters; It helps to complete the imagination with reality in true sense.

6. Your actions and efforts reflect about you, which you actually are. 

The story is narrated in native way, originally taken from Rhonda Hamilton. Picture courtesy to Google.....

Surrender - A Positive and Inspiring Story

Today I am going to share an inspiring story of Surrender.  

Surrender - most commonly misunderstood. Surrender means, to allow life to happen as it is. It means, that you do what's required for you to do,  follow your heart and not worry about the future. Future is not under your control and will unfold as its meant to be. You can only do what needs to be done in this moment. This moment, is all that you have, so live in this moment and trust that you are taken care, as it's meant to be.

The story is taken from the face book post of DR.SOPHIA RANGWALA (no changes in description) 

--------------- Surrender --------

I will share a personal experience of total surrender, because I feel that through sharing personal stories, it's easier to understand these difficult concepts.

It was the year 2009, my father was diagnosed with recurrence of Non Hodgkins Lymphoma. It's a cancer of the lymph nodes. He had already gone through complete chemotherapy and radiotherapy in 2006 when it was diagnosed. This was a devastating news for us. Being the eldest child and a doctor, the responsibility always fell upon me to take the right medically related decisions. My father had developed so much confidence in me that he would take my decision over the best doctors also. There is a reason for this conviction that he had in me, which is another story. Anyways, so I consulted one of the best oncologists in Bangalore. His advice was to start treatment as soon as possible because with every  delay, the risk of beyond return metastasis (cancer spread all over the body) was looming dangerously. The treatment that he suggested numbed me. It would require extremely aggressive chemotherapy which would force my father to be admitted into total isolation, as along with the cancer cells, all other vital cells also would get destroyed. He would become vulnerable even to a common cold virus.

I left the good doctor's office with a heavy heart. This was at HCG, Bangalore. I had taken a cab that day. I sat numbed in the cab, with no thoughts, because I didn't even know what to think. At that moment, I surrendered to a God, I didn't understand then. I had no religion or faith, but still deep at the core of my Being, I always knew that this entire Creation and I was not a product of accident. There was a Force, even if I didn't understand it. Tears rolled through my eyes and my mind was blank. Then something happened. I knew what had to be done. 

Something, inside me told me to allow this situation to progress naturally on its own and not to opt for chemotherapy this time. I realized that death is eventual, and if not today then someday, my father, my mother and everyone that I know and my self, are going to go, so why resist this truth? Why hold on to something which is transient anyways? If my father was meant to go, then he will go while at home with all of us around him, and not leave from an isolated hospital room.

A Divine Force had taken over my mind at that time. I didn't know anything about Yoga then as I myself didn't practice any Yogic practice and yet... Read ahead what unfolded when I reached back home.. So I came home and told dad, that it's decided that we will not opt for chemotherapy this time. He will do pranayama and consume a totally vegetarian diet, and gave him a powerful visualization meditation practice. He agreed, and didn't ask a word also. He is someone who is extremely intelligent and  not someone who can be easily convinced. Yet, he just agreed easily and did exactly as I had asked him to do. Let me emphasize here, that I had no idea about Yoga, Ayurveda or meditation back then. I was a very regular person and I was pursuing MD Dermatology then, so logically I should have opted for chemotherapy but I went in a total opposite direction!

The journey of surrender began. I had left it on time and my father also began to follow my advice. My mother played most crucial role in taking care of his health and supporting him. He was so weak to do pranayam, that in the start it was only for 5-10 minutes but with consistent will power, he continued and build it up to 4 hours a day! Yes, you read it right.. 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the evening! He consumed certain powerful Ayurvedic herbs like giloy, neem, aloe vera, wheatgrass and plenty of green veggies daily. He remained optimistic and had strong faith in God. During this time, he dropped his attachment to his business also completely and focused only on his health. 

We would get periodic PET Scan done. Initially there was no change, but the cancer was not showing signs of spread, which itself was a huge positive. Slowly the hot spots began to disappear and in about 20 months, his cancer had totally disappeared. The last scan was done in May 2011. My father is still very much with us today, living a healthy life.

Going back in time, I had no idea what the outcome of that decision would be. It could have gone in either direction but I chose to surrender. For long, I had wondered what made me take such a decision but it's much later that I understood that it was not my decision because decisions are taken using the mind. Without being aware, I had gone beyond the mind and in that moment, the Divine took over and the rest just happened. This is the miracle of surrender. Allow yourself to surrender when all doors seem to be closed. Let Divine hold your hand and walk you through darkness. Trust me, there is light always at the end. Also, sometimes what we think should happen may not happen, but we don't realize that, that is also God's way of taking care of us.

Always trust that all is well. When you can't think what to do because mind is so limited and so foolish, meditate and you will be guided to do what needs to be done.

MDH Masala | An Entrepreneurial Story !!

I was reading an interesting biopic of MDH inform of article. Thought to share it in my blog as well as it is very inspiring.

It is the story of Mahashian Di Hatti (MDH) !

The man is Mahashay Dharampal Gulati, a successful businessman from India, popularly known as the 'Masala King'. He was born on 27-March- 1923 in Sialkot (now in Pakistan). He along with his family moved as a refugee to Delhi during 1947 partition time.

His father’s business was grinding and selling spices. His father gave him some money and this young man decided to buy a Tonga to support his family. He sold his tonga and bought a small space to start a business in his own domain of spices, in Karol Bagh.

He named it Mahashian Di Hatti.

He kept selling and the word kept spreading around Delhi, and in 1953, he rented the second shop in Chandni Chawk. 

In 1959, he purchased a plot of land in Kirti Nagar, New Delhi to set up manufacturing unit of Mahashian Di Hatti. 

The rest is history….

Today, MDH (Mahashian Di Hatti) is the popular Indian Brand when we speak of spices.

Mahashay Dharampal Gulati is the face and brand of MDH seen in every MDH product.

Some fascinating facts about Mahashay Dharampal Gulati and his MHD brand are,

➥ He donates 90% of his salary to the charity under the banner 'Mahashay Chunnilal Charitable Trust'

➥ It is a 90 years old sustained brand and found in every Indian Kitchen

➥ It provides an employment opportunity for 2500 employees.

➥ Estimated revenue worth 50 Million

➥ The trust operates 250-bed hospital in Delhi, and more than 20 schools

➥ 62 different products available in more than 150 packages.

➥ 5 state of the art factories

➥ Export spices across the world

At the age of 94, Dharam Pal was the highest-paid FMCG, CEO in India in 2017. In 2019, he was honored with 'Padma Bhusan' award by Government of India. 

 

Image courtesy to google

The Happiness Alphabets.......

'Happiness' is the state of mind which everyone wants to hold on to themselves. Happiness is when you feel good about yourself without feeling the need for anyone else's approval. 

The key to being happy is knowing you have the power to choose what to accept and what to let go.

As wisely said once by Dalai Lama,

"THE PURPOSE OF OUR LIVES IS TO BE HAPPY"

Here are the 'Alphabets of Happiness' which one should adhere to...

Accept everything in life, be it good or bad. You can not ignore few situations in life. Accept everyone for who they are and what are their beliefs. 

Believe in yourself always, never doubt your instinct. What you believe you receive. You don't become what you want, you become what you believe. The happy people always believe on themselves and their capability.  

Commitment is the most precious gift one can expect from others. The happy people always stick to their commitment. You commit to what you promise. A committed soul remain happy always.

Decide that you will be successful and the happiness will be on your way no matter what would be the circumstances. Your determination in life regulates your happiness. 

Experience all the possibilities in life, you can not ignore them all the times. Explore the situations; it says you should learn both the 'good' and 'odd', and you will learn from both. Holding to good only will not make you happy always, you should learn how to handle the odd as well.

Forgive and forget ! Learn to forgive people who has done odds to you, who has annoyed you. You have a simple and small life to live, forgive everyone and move on. You will truly find the happiness. 

Be always Grateful to each and everyone for their contribution to your life. Spread your random act of kindness. The more grateful you are more happiness you will experience. 

Be humble to your self. There is a saying, "Humble people sees happiness in every situation". Your humbleness shows your character and conveys your calmness to others.

Never stop improving your skills. No one is perfect in this world, we always have a room for improvement and we must continue to excel ourselves by improving our skills, knowledge and abilities. 

A joyful mind is the first sign of happiness. We accept happiness from others when we see someone is joyful. And it is the vice-versa way. It is the lovely state of mind to stay happy always.

Know your surroundings, a knowledgeable person always express happily. There is no boundary to knowledge. 

Love everyone; Love your friends, families, colleagues, acquaintances or even your enemies. Hatred creates heaviness in heart whereas love makes mind and heart free. A free heart will always be happy.

Motivate yourself always for a new unknown. A motivated mind is curious to accept the challenges. There is secret to happiness when someone is self-motivated.

Network yourself with good people to receive the positive vibes - be it a personal network or a professional network. Study shows that a person surrounded with good people in networks remains happy most of the time.

To remain happy, you must observe everything. Open your eyes and observe the beauty around you. Even in the worse times there is still much to be thankful for.

No how well establish you are or how busy you are, take time out for 'praying'. Praying improves mind memory, it calms the mind and increase the spiritual mind's ability to concentrate.

 

Ask questions always. Remember, you do not know everything in this world, so there is always an opportunity to learn more by questioning. A happy mind will not have doubts which are not attempted. 

An important value every individual person should have in order to stay happy always, Respect does not always to a human being, but also to the environment, surroundings and situations. Respect is reciprocal most of the time, you show to gain the same. When you get 'respect' your inner 'you' becomes happy.

Share and care are another secrets of a happy person. Share your talent, skills, knowledge with other. Care for them who left a happy memory in your life.

Like Respect, Trust is also an essential element for happy life. One can never be happy being distrusting others. For every stages in life trust comes very easily and we need to trust everyone for being happy.

Utilize your talent to the best of its use. It is god gifted. A talented individual becomes more happy when his/her talent is well utilized.

Value everyone's decision, way of thinking and they way they live the life. Not everyone is same in this earth. Value the family members who have supported you in your needs. One can respect the value of every individual and remain happy. 

Work hard everyday to be the best person you want to be, never feel guilty even if you fail to do so. Remember every one gets the second chance, or even more.

Look deep inside everyone's heart like X-Ray and understand the goodness in them for you, how grateful they are to you. It will certainly make you very happy.

Yield to your commitment. Stay focused always. If you are committed, your success will fetch you the yield which you are looking for, at the end.

Reflect your memory of happiness by zooming into it. Time does not guarantee with all good situations. When the time goes against the flow zoom into the sweet memories, kindness served to others; those will make you smile on your face and make you happy.

Be the 'SHOULDER' to support !!

After finishing my scheduled webinar yesterday I was going through the list of attendees against their Employee IDs to record it in attendance sheet and I received a text from one of our team member. 

It was not the regular one. The message had a tensed, confused and pleading voice. I was taken aback for a moment, called the employee in curious voice to understand the meaning of that message. 

There I realized that CHIRAG (the employee, name changed) was being laid off from his job.

He was not crying nor complaining to me about anyone, instead he was seeking inspiration from me to be strong enough to handle the situation.

We all know that the current COVID-19 pandemic situation is not only affecting the human lives but also it is hampering the business in all segments. As a result many have lost their jobs meanwhile and many will probably in upcoming days. 

CHIRAG was not the exception in this rule, he was also axed from his duty. I know him since last three years when he did his industrial training from a hotel where I was the L&D Manager at that point of time. 

Very dedicated, calm minded and with positive attitude he always performs his task with his lovely smile. No complains about the colleagues or job. A true HEARTIST one can call him. He was working in his current organization since almost a year. Got appreciated by his managers multiple times.

When he was requesting me to charge him up to face such challenging situation, I was overwhelmed for a moment. I connect hearts all around me. Probably that is much needed as my profession demands every time and I have shaped myself up to it. 

I calmly listened to him first and then advised few tips to tackle the situation with brave mind. After almost 15 minutes, Chirag had his smile on face and expressed his confidence to handle himself. 

Few of his words were struck in my ear, I remember he was mentioning, 'Sir, after getting this bad news I just though to call you only, as I know you are the one who can motivate me to handle the situation.' My eyes were filled with tears for a moment after hearing from him. 

When we undergo a difficult phase in our life, we seek for someone to listen to us, we search for a shoulder to support us motivate us and makes us stronger.

And at this point I was being put to inspire someone. I tried my best to charge him up and became partially successful. Partially because although I know what the person is undergoing now is controlled after the mentoring session, but in his heart he must be shocked and still not ready to accept the fact which just happened to him.

A golden line which over the period of time I frequently use when in difficult time is 'Consider this as New Beginning', start from here as your another innings is yet to start. Be positive, stay calm, tell yourself that 'I can handle this'. This time too shall pass.

At the end I felt sorry for Chirag, but felt happy that I offered myself to be the shoulder for his mental support. God bless him.

Interesting Story - Thinking in different way to get away with Success

It is the time when the entire world is undergoing a pandemic solution, the fear-failure-depression-anxiety arising in many people's mind. The world is heading towards a reboot system to have a new beginning. But the motivation remains same.

Once, I was reading an article and it caught my attention. Though to share in my blog. 

It is about the famous cricketer Ricky Ponting who has been among one of the greatest cricketers to have ever approached the game. The trait that made Ponting different from other cricketers was his sheer attitude towards the game. It was his never-say-die spirit. It is a revelation of that attitude. 

Someone once asked him the secret to his ability to find the gaps in the field. His answer was very simple, yet revealing. 

He said, "Every batsman surveys the field before taking strike and usually the fielders get imprinted on his mind. They can almost see every fielder in their mind's eye. but in my head, I don't see the fielders. I only see the GAPs!".

And that was his tally of runs shows made all the differences.

We could all take a leaf out of Pointing's book - 

 - Do not focus on the obstacles.

 - Look for opportunities

 - Focus on your ability to solve the problems.

Life in many ways is like a game of Cricket. There will be fielders out there who will stop you from scoring those runs. There will be an opposing captain who will try his hardest to place the fielders in a manner that will make it difficult for you to score those runs. Your job is to find the gaps and the gaps always exist. 

............

We always see a problem as obstacle in our life and we get stuck with that, we do not focus on the other side of the situation which can show us the way to recover ourselves.

Next time, you see a PROBLEM or an OBSTACLE, think the Pointing way. And see the gaps! No matter what, Success will be your's.

Find the gaps in these trying times, do not look at the obstacles. This too shall pass. Stay Safe and score more runs..