Some quotes by Jane Austen

1. One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other. 
2. If I loved you less, I might be able to talk about it more.
   “It isn't what we say or think that defines us, but what we do.”
   ― Jane Austen, Sense and Sensibility .
3. One half of the world cannot understand the pleasures of the other
4. Why not seize pleasure at once? How often is happiness destroyed by preparation, foolish preparation!
5. A lady's imagination is very rapid; it jumps from admiration to love, from love to matrimony in a moment.  It is not time or opportunity that is to determine intimacy; it is disposition alone. Seven years would be insufficient to make some people acquainted with each other, and seven days are more than enough for others.
6.  Human nature is so well disposed towards those who are in interesting situations, that a young person, who either marries or dies, is sure to be kindly spoken of. 
7.   A large income is the best recipe for happiness I ever heard of
8.  History, real solemn history, I cannot be interested in.... I read it a little as a duty; but it tells me nothing that does not either vex or weary me. The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars and pestilences in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all
9. .“Pictures of perfection, as you know, make me sick and wicked.” 
10. “There are persons who the more you do for them, the less they will do for themselves.”
    
    
    
    

Some musings

The quilt of life is made of  patches of different emotions, different experiences that we assimilate as a part of our personality. It is colorful and may not make much sense on its own but when stitched together by threads of love, creates something that is a beautiful piece of love.

I have yet to meet someone who hasn't had any sort of setback in life - it might be financial, personal , or related to health. We all in our own ways surmount all the challenges that we face. The fact we are still  living is a proof . It is not whether or not we overcome the obstacles, it is how we let it change us. It is extremely tempting to let the negative incidents in our life to change us , to succumb to loss of innocence, and to become bitter. 

When we remain true to our basic nature, to retain the same trust and kindness of a child, when we can proudly say that in spite of whatever life throws at me, I still have faith in the good side of human nature, is when we are truly victorious. . 

It is very easy to get disillusioned with the events in life ; to let the negative incidents color the whole landscape as black or white,and  forget that people are shades of grey and life is  a myriad of colors that gets distorted when you see it with glasses tinted with judgements.

Penny for your thoughts

They say there is light after a dark night.But are they talking about long winter nights or short summer nights?

Chocolate are women's best friend. They always cheer you up and they are just at an arm's length away.

Not everyday brings us something new - we just hope that the night has erased all the memories of previous day.

We don't grow old, time and life just etch their mark on us.

Nothing is worse than realizing that what you assumed to be true didn't even exist to begin with.

Nature doesn't strive towards perfection it  just exists the way it is. 

Your mind, and your body grow at different rates.

You don't know what you have, till you lose it.

As you grow older, you realize love and respect are action verbs.Without any action to support it, they are absolutely meaningless.

Money works  and often by the time you realize that, it is too late.
 

Motivational Quotes

“The tragedy in life doesn’t lie in not reaching your goal. The tragedy lies in having no goal to reach.”–Benjamin Mays

“The secret of joy in work is contained in one word – excellence. To know how to do something well is to enjoy it.”–Pearl Buck

 All of the great leaders have had one characteristic in common: it was the willingness to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time. This, and not much else, is the essence of leadership.”–John Kenneth Galbraith

“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”–Maria Robinson

 

  “Great minds discuss ideas. Average minds discuss events. Small minds discuss people.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

"Time is the coin of life. Only you can determine how it will be spent." – Carl Sandburg  

If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them." – Bruce Lee

If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. There’s no point in being a damn fool about it” – W. C. Fields

 

 

You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take” – Wayne Gretzky

Some quotes that inspire

Sometimes you wake up. Sometimes the fall kills you. And sometimes, when you fall, you fly.”

Tomorrow will be better.”
“But what if it’s not?” I asked.
“Then you say it again tomorrow. Because it might be. You never know, right? At some point, tomorrow will be better.”
The first and final thing you have to do in this world is to last it and not be smashed by it.”

If you're not failing every now and again, it's a sign you're not doing anything very innovative."
— Woody Allen

People take different roads seeking fulfillment and happiness. Just because they’re not on your road doesn’t mean they’ve gotten lost.”
― Dalai Lama XIV

No matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."
— Maya Angelou

5 lessons in one hour

Recently, a friend of mine finally convinced me to go for a “Body talk” session. I am not a trusting person by nature, so it was after months of persuasion, that I caved in (actually, it was either that or a breakdown). Skeptical at first, my doubts vanished when I met the lady who was going to work on my body and “align” it.  

It was interesting to say the least and effective too. When I went in I am quite sure my eyes were fearful like a scared deer, trying to run for its life. After an hour of being in session with her, I felt like a weight had been lifted from head and heart. I was feeling lighter and calmer than I had felt in ages. The feeling of peace, clarity and emptiness was as close to a spiritual experience I have experienced to say the least.

I always considered myself to be more of a spiritual person, yet didn’t realize until recently how far away I was from climbing even the first step of spirituality ladder.

There were some interesting facts pointed out to me by the practitioner –

1. Don’t bottle up your feelings:  If you are feeling anger, let it out – punch a pillow or a bag – but don’t let the poison swallow you up. We are taught to hide and mask our negative feelings since childhood and over a period of time, we perfect it so well, that the mask pollutes your authentic self and you morph into something unknown.
2. Honor yourself: It was an interesting term for me – but I did get the gist that if I don’t honor myself nobody would do. This is an issue with many people – you don’t get what you deserve, you get what YOU BELIEVE you deserve.
3. Money is your friend: This is one issue I have struggled with and I am still trying to meditate on this fact and come to terms with it.
4. Don’t be hard on yourself: In our quest to be affable, and blend in, sometimes we are too hard on ourselves. I admire people who can take credit for all that goes well in their lives and blame others for anything that go wrong. They are the ones who are happiest.
5. Life happens: Yes, it often does when we are least prepared for it. I learnt that just like we need to wash off the dirt from our body frequently, we also need to clean our heads and our hearts from grudges and all the negative emotions that life throws at us. It is impossible for us to be unaffected by what is going around us, spiritual cleansing is as important as keeping your body healthy. 

picture : courtesy -Angie Scott  (Jasper)

5 lessons to learn in bad economy

There are times in life when you feel that life is spiraling downwards, and you don't know  when and where the fall will end or if it ever will. The key to remember is everything ends - bad times too. It is how you survive and what lessons you learn that matters. Life is funny that way, each time you think, that you have paid your dues and learned all that you need to know, it throws you another challenge.

But like someone said to me "Remember, everyday is a blessing". The key is to survive and overcome your challenges, without getting bitter and losing your innate goodness. It is so easy to wallow in self-pity or feel vengeful , all the negative emotions that  attach to you like boulders and sink you down.

I have been through days or weeks, fostering anger, vengeance and self-pity. Anyone who has been through these emotions ( and  I believe all of us have to some extent at some point of our life), knows that it is hell on earth. These days, people all over the world are suffering from the repercussions  of bad economy - yet there is something to be gained from it. Five lessons that bad economy has taught me are :

1. Simple Living : It is so easy to get used to luxury, that before you know it , you are the slave of  the indispensable comforts. Simple living is not just about good clothes, or shoes, it also extends to food. For some of us, it is not a choice, but a necessity. Yet the simple joys give you more pleasure than anything that you will own.

2. Thinking out of the box:  When you are in your comfort zone, there is no need to change things around. Tough times calls for tough actions and lots of brainstorming.

3. Reaffirmation of Faith: Nothing tests your faith more than hardships. Only when it is pitch dark, do we feel the need to hold to the fact that dawn is around the corner. Life changes - but faith is knowing that winter is always followed by spring and believing and waiting for it with patience and love.

4.Revaluation : Endings are new beginnings.It is life, and although there is always a tinge of sadness when a chapter is closed, look forward to new challenges. Looking back, learning  from your mistakes , accepting  that you can't change it and marching on ! Life is too short or long depending on the challenges we face. The key is not to let the challenges defeat you, let all the negativity slide off you back (Wish it was easy!)

5.Change your priority : The key to survival and living life to the fullest is to welcome all challenges and change with change in circumstances. The more flexible we are in our approach to receiving all that comes our way, the easier it will be to transition to new way of living. Yet, most of us are creatures of habit and only change our perspective when forcibly pushed out of our comfort zone.It is shocking how many unnecessary "habits" attach to us in good times. The cup of java, the cable, the weekly dinners and yearly vacations, all become part of our lifestyle. Hardships teaches us what is really important in life and that the enticement of "good life" comes with a price!