Benefits of Failure...

Yes, she talks about the benefits failure brings! Some people don't need an introduction, their words and their works have already influenced the world! She even shares her rags to riches story in an emotional speech!

Yes, she is J K Rowling and I am talking about her commencement speech at Harvard University.

Her speech is emotional, humorous and inspiring!

About benefits of failure, she says:

"So why do I talk about the benefits of failure? Simply because failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had already been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

"You might never fail on the scale I did, but some failure in life is inevitable. It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default."

Here is the full transcript of her speech --> http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2008/06/text-of-j-k-rowling-speech/

She signs off her speech with these lines: As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.

Never give up and never be afraid to try.

Have a great evening, take care :)

Live Life Easy! :)

Sometimes in life, we regret the things we didn't do, risks we didn't take, things we could've done better, mistakes that we shouldn't have made. But things done, words already spoken, they are all part of the past now and can't be undone, the best thing is to take those risks which you can now so that there wouldn't be anything to regret in future! :)

Time once gone is gone and lost forever, today this hour, this minute, this very second as you read this line is gone and is now history! But tomorrow and the many days to come in future they still hold a promise for a better happier life :)

If given a chance to live back your life all over again retaining your present wisdom, nobody in the world would want to make the same mistakes again. But do we get such a chance? No. Though it is easy to say that we shouldn't regret, every experience, every decision taken, every lesson learnt - they all make us wiser and what we are today!

I'd like to share a story, 'The Dream' by American linguist Mark Baker:

A man lay on his bed at the end of his life waiting to die.

His dream came to pay his last respects

and bid farewell to the man who had never used it.

As it entered the room the man looked down in shame.

"Why did you not realize me?" the dream asked.

"Because I was afraid," the man said.

"Afraid of what," said the dream.

"I was afraid I would fail."

"But haven't you failed by not attempting to use me?".

"Yes I did, but I always thought there would be tomorrow."

"You're a fool!" said the dream" Did it never occur to you

that there was only ever today? the moment that you are in right now?

Do you think that now that death is here

that you can put it off until tomorrow?".

"No", said the man, a tear gently rolling down his cheek.

The dream was softer now, because it knew that there were two types of pain,

the pain of discipline and the pain of regret,

and while discipline weighs ounces, regret weighs pounds.

Then the dream leant forward to gently wipe away the tear and said,

"If only you had taken the first step,

I'd have taken one to meet you,

for the only thing that ever separated us

was the belief in your mind that you couldn't have me".

Then they said goodbye and they both died.

So, the moral of the story is to live life to the fullest!! If you're gonna never leave your comfort zone and never take that risk, you'll have to face the pain of regretting later. And the easy way is to face fear, take risks and live life easy cause if you win you are rewarded, else at least you've tried! 

LIVE EASY, NO REGRETS!! 

Have a nice evening, take care :)

20 years from today...

What do you wanna be 20 years from today? How do you want to see your life? 

I know its hard to imagine but give it a try, think of what exactly you'd like to see yourself as, in the year 2033! :)

This post is inspired from the great quote made by a great man, Mark Twain, he said:

There are no limits to dream, always set your goals high, aim high. Always aim for the Moon, even if you miss, you'll land among the stars.

Well, if you ask me what I'd dream to be 20 years from now, the first thing that comes to my mind is I wanna be a singer, songwriter and guitarist, have my own band and make music for the rest of my life. Release an album that tops the music charts around the world and gives a surprise to the music industry!

If not that, then what? Well, if not a musician, then I wanna work in a top position, be a key member of one of the world's leading automotive manufacturers. And keep working up the ladder to become the managing director or CEO of that organisation by the time my hair turns grey.

If not for the first two, then? I wanna become a freelance writer writing collection of poems, short stories, novels, bed time stories for children, what not, writing almost everything - motivational stuff, even writing for car magazines as a professional technical writer. And write one historic novel which would create ripples in the writing industry.

So, one among the 3 would definitely work, what if they don't? Well, then I'll become a cricketer. I am an all-rounder, I can bowl medium pace and off spin bowling and play as a middle order batsman who gives stability to the team's batting line up.

Final 5th option if the first 4 don't work? Well, I'd become an artist. Yes, not many people are aware of my skills in painting. As a child I used to do a lot of drawings and paintings, I won first prize at my school painting competition for landscape painting and won cups at painting competitions at YMCA summer camps. One of my uncles, my mom's younger brother, is an artist. He and his paintings have always inspired me :)

Now, don't ask me what is the 6th option, but if such a situation comes, then yes, I do have more options, I am a very good dancer, so I can further develop my skills to make it a profession and make a living out of it.

Else I'd become a lecturer and teach a wide range of subjects, especially languages - English and Telugu. Language and literature were always my big strengths since school days, so I might choose the teaching profession or will become a motivational speaker, else there are many many more options, but I am sure I'd work to make one of the first 5 come true :)

So, in 2033, if we meet, you'd see me in one of the above roles, of course I'd love my wife and children more than anything, family comes first but along with that I'd still have the same passion to achieve success in life, to add more meaning to our living. I believe the driving force in us should continue with us till the last minute we live on this earth, just keep focussing and keep moving forward with everything that you can do about making progress in your field. Like Mark Twain said, explore, dream and discover! :)

So, that was my vision of dreams, how about you? what do you wanna see yourself as, after 20 years from now? Please share your views in the comments column below.

Take care, Cheers :)

Believe in Yourself...

"You are the 'Hero' of your own story", was rightly quoted by Joseph Campbell, an American writer. 

Of course you are responsible for your own actions, you can think, plan and work towards your passion in life and reach there someday. People around you might try in many ways to discourage you, criticise you, mock you - but deep within your being, you know that it is possible and you can do it.

The first step to achieve something starts from your belief that you can do it. Nobody is better aware of us than our own self - you know what you are capable of, how much you can push yourself beyond your comfort zone.

If we strongly believe in our potential, we become fearless and step forward with confidence. I have met people who wait for luck or some wonders/miracles to happen and surprise them. But the day you properly define your goal and start believing that you can definitely achieve it, you'll be surprised how confidence develops from within, the strength to progress in the right direction, that'll be a surprise in itself.

Start believing in yourself that you can achieve everything that you dream of and start working on it right away! :)

Have a lovely day, take care :)