I am trying (to understand). In the process, I hope to share my experiences on this platform... When I write, I need to self-talk, read, re-read, (re-write)... Then I find gaps, my mis-understandings, errors both in my writing as well as in behavior. And I get lessons on what I need to learn/improve. Then I try. I fail. I re-try. I fail. Did I? No, because I tried again. This is my way of life to lead myself: Personally and Professionally. Checkout my other blogs and work at http://www.worldOFkaizen.com/

Wednesday 10 October 2012

Ball-Basin-Team Combine ! Maketh The Smile Divine !!


Ball-Basin-Team Combine ! 
Maketh The Smile Divine !!

The other day while doing some 'KU-TA work' I found a 'smiling ball' stuffed inside a 'museum', a drawer so termed where useless items in my house are kept for some future use. ('KU-TA work': An abbreviation in local language for 'doing something when there is nothing to do in particular').

Feeling sorry that the other items were poking such a 'smiling fellow' from all the sides, I relocated it near wash basin.

By the way, can a material-piece smile?  Just keep staring at that ball in picture to find your own answer.

Yes. 'I' found it 'smiling' in spite of the other items with sharp corners poking it. 
Due to it's resilience, it popped out at first opportunity when the drawer was opened.

Now as many times I go near the basin, the 'smiley ball' acts as a mirror reminding me to give a wide (mouthed) smile before looking into the mirror above it. Instruction to smile comes neurologically. That means while I splash water on my face the smiley ‘splashes smile’ on my mind.

Natural consequence is, my next moment is done (rather made happy) if not the whole day.

One day I set out to take a Volvo bus to Pune. No taxi in sight.

The 'smiley' reminded me to 'dwell' for a moment and exercise choice to pick up a happy moment from the frowning situation. 

Frowning moment                  Happy moment
(Dependent on Taxi)                (Independent of Taxi. Bus # 11 in action! Haha.. Old P.J.)

I 'smiled' and began walking down 'thinking' of making up for a couple of missed 'evening walks'. 
It turned out to be a 'smiley morning walk'.

On the way, said 'Hi' to my milkman. Saw a couple of morning business models of newspaper vendors. Heard/saw parent-birds chirping 'bye' to their babies just as I saw some mothers doing the same to their children while 'safely depositing' them in school bus.

I reached Thane bus stand to catch 0700 hrs bus. 'Starter' of the bus there got defective. 

They promised to put passengers in next bus that arrived at 0730ish. 
But that was canceled because the driver had "somehow brought it" from wherever (the workshop or the last lap of bus returning from Pune-Mumbai journey) "with defective brakes", I overheard.
Finally I could board on 0830 bus.

What is the cost to the concerned stakeholders? I have covered this in a separate article.

What did the 'smiley ball' in my head do?

It re'mind'ed me to film the 'whole show' that went on there between 0700 to 0830.

It was full of chaos of stranded passengers mixed with incoming ones for the next bus, with lack of official announcement, 'courteous' behaviour of the conductor and passengers 'sitting on conductor's head' while running around helter-skelter with luggage on seeing every sky-blue colour bus entering the depot thinking it was for them. I clicked.. video/audio taped.. made notes.. the fun went on and on with 'hangover' inside the bus post-0830 boarding.

The 'smiley' gifted me with an article and a short-multimedia-film in return to it's relocation that turned out to be a 'promotion' for it. Promotion because, there the ‘smiley’ could meet a 'variety of people' round the clock with a 'variety of moods' they exhibit in the form of  innovative cow's mooing kind and goat's bleat kind noises they create there. The 'smiley' hopes to influence their (as well as mine) mood for the good. 

Sounds over-stretched day-dream? Sounds philosophical? Sounds spiritual? 

 To get over a 'frown(y)-mood' is not as simple as it sounds, at least not in case of an adversity. 

 But isn't it more about a 'positive-self-talk' - isn't it the spirituality in reality? 
Isn't it about asking the self 'what and who is in (my) control'? 
Isn't it easier to control Me-myself to bring out an assertive 'action' rather than an aggressive 'reaction'?

Then why not exercise self-control (on emotional response) rather than blaming the 'external situation'. It is anyway out of 'my' control at the moment.

Many will agree with me that 'spur of the moment' emotional response/s do make one suffer. Of course, looking back many will also agree that the 'suffering' do turn out to be 'relative'. The 'theory of relativity' fame Einstein, one of the greatest scientists, was both philosophical as well as highly spiritual.

Being human (and yet to attain equanimity) emotions are inevitable. But there are other ways to dissipate them. One I know is the way Japanese express their anger on boss. They hit (not their boss but) a punching bag hung at their workplace. I keep a 'moving punching bag' with me. I hit my left palm with the right one (a soft blow of course to avoid frowning palm/s later). Then 'self-energize in a minute'. At home, I stretch muscles, punch in air, then 'self-energize'.

Near every other 'imaginary' wash basin wherever/whenever I go for a break, now an imaginary 'smiley ball' there reminds me to consciously look for opportunities to 'be happy' in each 'frowning' moment or 'adversity'.

 What has changed? Nothing but my mind, my perspective, my paradigm did!
And what a bonus? The so-called useless item lying there for a couple of years, the 'smiley ball', is 'found' so useful. Nothing and no-one in this world is useless actually.
Or how about saying, nothing in this world is worthy until someone (else) 'finds' it worthy.

Thoughts are Things-In-Mind! Things are Thoughts-In-Reality, Thoughts-In-Action! 

P.S.: Just lost a couple of paragraphs because inadvertently I clicked 'close' instead of 'save'. A momentary frown but suddenly realized (m)I(nd) can re-write. I did. A couple of good paras appeared.. Happy? Yes!

 Bored. Frowning at me? 'Smiley' is re'mind'ing you to log-off and switch tracks to another activity).
Also read a few relevant blogposts hereunder: Please do consider leaving a comment or sharing this post.


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2 comments:

  1. Siddharth Talawadekar10 October 2012 at 11:01

    Different 'hatke' perspective of looking at things... refreshing read...!! Keep smiling :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aditya Talawadekar6 January 2013 at 01:49

    Such smileys placed at in strategic locations in colleges or any workplace would really do wonders and refresh everybody's mind...It would make everyone realize the importance of a smile... :)

    ReplyDelete

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