A Little Note on Self-Help Authors and Readers

A lot of people look at the authors and readers of self-help books with cynicism and condescension. However, I have a very different opinion regarding both- the authors and the readers. I feel the authors of such books do a great service to humanity; they write about the littlest things in life that matter,  stress upon the true art of living and are instrumental in the personal development and self-actualization of so many people all around the world. Critics often claim that such authors look at the world with the proverbial rose-tinted glasses, and they ignore the major issues which the world is facing today. But I would argue that people can gain a lot of strength and wisdom to face the challenges of the world by reading such books. For the readers, I feel their effort for personal development should be respected and appreciated. Having said that, readers must not get carried away while implementing the things that they learn from such books. Everything must be taken with a pinch of salt.

The Writer

When he writes,
He reveals a part of his soul
Some stories of his life
That haven't been shared or told
It doesn't matter to him
Whether they, the ones who make news
With their razor-sharp tongues,
Feel appeased or not
His purpose is pure
To give: Of his thoughts and feelings
Hopes and aspirations
Knowledge and wisdom
Life's lessons and more
And in return, he expects nothing
Nothing at all
For writing is all he can do
To connect with another soul

Pearls of Wisdom for Teachers

As I strongly believe that beautiful thoughts should be shared with all, I am sharing a part of a very inspiring and beautiful mail sent to all of us, the fellows at Teach for India, by Shaheen Mistri, our founder-CEO. You may or may not be a fellow with TFI, you may or may not be a teacher by profession, but if you are looking for wisdom, if you are looking for inspiration, this is it. 

~~

"Remember you always have the choice:

• To plan or not to plan
• To develop those incredibly strong bonds with your kids. Or to be just another teacher
• To treat your children with respect, and care. Or to do something that humiliates them
• To transform you classroom into a beautiful, magical place. Or to have it continue to be the unclean, uninspiring place that won't inspire change
• To rise above mediocrity and strive for excellence. Or to be a little better than the alternative
• To solve the problems that you have. Or to complain about them
• To focus on the good. Or to get bogged down by what isn't working

The choice of becoming a leader for your children, and for your country is in your hands. You just need to exercise the right choice. Make the right decisions. Look in the mirror. Put in the agonizingly hard work. But mostly, keep the faith. The belief. The sense of possibility. And when you waver, like I do, get back on the path of belief soon. Do whatever it takes to keep yourself on that path."

~~

Thoughts and Actions

She spends her day thinking
Of things she'd like to do
It never materializes into something
That she could truly hold

He spends his day working
On things he wants to do
He struggles as he saunters
While others seem to sprint

Together with her thinking friend,
He decides upon a plan
To win the race by thinking
And acting out the thoughts

They haven't beaten the crowd yet
But they know they can
It's funny how the most pertinent things
Can be so simple to understand

A Minute of Positivity Delivered Fresh

Hey,

I guess you do enjoy solving puzzles every now and then, so here's one for you.

Clue A: The word starts from M and ends with Y.

Clue B: It's worse that good but better than poor.

Clue C: It makes you feel so, so frustrated all the time.

If you haven't guessed it already, then let me just spill the beans. I am talking about mediocrity. That old, familiar feeling of rubbing shoulders with regular, ordinary, average people. That feeling of not being able to deliver the best that you can. No, you don't deserve to be there! You belong to a rare breed of doers who plan well, execute even better, win hearts, spread warmth and go back to bed at the end of the day with joy in heart and peace in mind. Let tonight be the last night of your mediocrity, and tomorrow mark the beginning of excellence in your life worth every pound of gold!  

A little bit on life's journey

It doesn't matter where you come from

What matters is where you want to travel to,

The path you take,

The people you chose to engage with,

And the decisions you make

http://www.ltgtr.in/2012/07/the-journey_19.html

Reveal your True Colours!

I recently heard Cindy Lauper's True Colours for the first time and found it to be one of those songs that has the potential to inspire people. While others may have different thoughts about what this song is all about, for me it conveys that we are all capable of doing great things in life. Each one of us is capable of living a life we dream of living. And when is the right time to do so? Now! So shed away your inhibitions, insecurities and everything that holds you back from doing what you are meant to do, and reveal your true colours, the different facets of your personalities and abilities, for the world to see, take notice and recognize. 

The Inheritance of Fate

Situation 1: Gauri's stomach is aching badly. She is weeping and nothing seems to help her. She tells her class teacher to allow her to go back home. But the teacher won't let her go on her own, as she is too young. So the teacher makes a call to her father. It's only 8:30 in the morning and the man has already began his work as a peon in an office. He cannot come to school to pick his daughter up. The teacher now inquires about his wife. The lady has also left for her work. Gauri has no option but to stay in school for the whole day.

Situation 2: Harish is a well-to-do businessman, husband and a father of two. He meets the same teacher at a departmental story, with clothes for self and kids in a shopping cart. He wants the teacher to tutor his younger son who is in fourth grade. He is willing to spend obscene money but just wants his son to do "better than his peers". During the conversation, he mentions about his son's expensive holiday home work projects, which he got made from a stationery shop, English speaking classes, piano lessons and skating practice. 

Are we being a little over-hopeful when we talk about bridging the achievement gap? The teacher now feels so. 

Thinking of Farheen

Farheen was one of my brightest, most effervescent and participative student. She outperformed the other kids in class both academically and non-academically. She was a gifted artist, a talented singer and a member of our school's choir group. She also danced well and always participated in school events. Unlike some of the other kids, she was very inquisitive and wanted to know everything. She also picked up things really fast.

Farheen left school at the end of the last academic year. She has permanently shifted to her village with her family and has no plans to come back. When I got to know about her leaving school, I was shocked and upset. She used to burst into tears whenever I or somebody else interrogated about this. She was really attached to the school, classroom, her classmates and friends, and me.

Alvi and Gulfatima, her cousins, who are also my students, recently went to their village, the same village where Farheen now lives. As I met Alvi and Gulfatima in school two days back, they told me about their experiences of visiting their village and also mentioned about Farheen. The latter had sent a message for me, for some of her close friends in class as well as one message for all the students: to not fight with each other and listen to bhaiya, as she used to fondly call me.

I can only pray to God that she receives the kind of education and upbringing she deserves to, and grows on to become a teacher, which is her ambition in life.

Sharing Knowledge through Wikipedia

Did you know that all Wikipedia articles are written by regular folks like you and me?

I used to assume they had thousands of skilled authors who spent hours each day researching and writing millions of articles on this gigantic encyclopedia. But today, after attending an event, I got to learn that anybody can create content on Wikipedia for millions of people to read. Besides creating content, you can also edit the existing articles. Editing can be done in terms of addition of more information about the particular topic, as well as replacing incorrect data with the correct one, besides checking for spellings and grammar. While there is no tangible incentive for you to write or edit for Wikipedia, getting your work read and appreciated by millions of readers all over the world is quite an ego-boost.

Writing and editing on Wikipedia is fairly simple and self-explanatory. That said, you can glance through the how-to guides which are widely available online. I am excited to be writing for Wikipedia. Are you?