Four Things by Forty

I have always been a deep thinker (read overthinker). With all the thought webs in the brain, I have been very positively hopeful that my 40th birthday will clear all the webs and as a bonus, I will have loads of “enlightenment” to share with the masses. LOL. And therefore, I awaited my 40th birthday with a lot of excitement and anxiousness. And boom – the birthday came and went by – and nothing downloaded from the sky :D. No insight, no enlightenment- ZERO!

 Nevertheless, the restless me; with the thought webs still intact, decided to go ahead and jot down my four golden rules that I have always lived by or found on my way. We all do have loads of rules and theories, but I picked my top four here. Of course, I love to share it with whomever might read and benefit or not benefit. Agree with me or have a difference of opinion – that’s all ok, and welcome.

So let me begin.

 The #1 on my list is “Go with the flow.”

This is something that came naturally to me. I don’t really remember how and when this thought came to me and always stuck with me. Although “Go with the flow” needs no explanation, I want to clarify a few things around it. Or simply add to my thought process underlying it. I have always been a believer that things come your way or not come your way for some reasons. The reasons, however, may not always be known to us. It implies a basic acceptance of things because the future is unknown (que sera sera). To the basic acceptance is attached a thread, the thread of giving your best to the situation at hand. That’s all we can do! However, when I follow this philosophy, I nowhere mean to give-up and not pour my heart in whatever I do. What this thought does for me, is, lessen the mental and physical struggle when at times things don’t go as I expected or also to carry on when I didn’t know what to expect!

 #2 on the list is “Never say Never!”

 Unlike the thought of “go with the flow” that was always there with me, the “Never say Never” insight dawned on me somewhere on my path. Somewhere along the last decade, I think. I guess it came out of just maturing from not being strongly opinionated about the “right” and “wrong” in life. I gradually realized a lot of acts are circumstantial and are just right for the time and situation. We do end up doing things and trying things we thought we NEVER would. A sub-postulate to this thought, is also the thought to be flexible and not being rigid towards newer perspectives in life.

 My #3 is “I am not lost, I am exploring.”

This thought is aligned to the fact that I love learning newer things and have been quite consistent with that. I do admit, at times the exploring has been over the board and might have seemed like I am lost. But again, it doesn’t matter as long as you think you are just “exploring”. Some people may have the view that limited exploration is ok, it keeps you focused on a track and takes you to greater heights. Well, agreed. But the concept of limited exploration is subjective, so don’t get bogged down with the generic opinions and trends, keep exploring. Easy to say, difficult to do and continue!

 And #4 is “Find the bliss within.”

This one again is a difficult one to live by. If I look back, may be it was all there- the bliss within. But it faded as I grew older, just to realize in time that I need to get hold of it and retain. However difficult it may seem- there is no way without finding the bliss with in yourself. How else will I be at peace and harmony then? There is no finding it anywhere, with anyone else or anything materialistic. So, trying to hold on to it!

 

And there go my 4 cents 😉 and also the 40-year long itch to share the philosophies that I have had all along and found some down the way.