I have always believed that a child's company is the best
company. It can prove to be very therapeutic. Their overly simplistic world
view can be very helpful sometimes if not always. There are a lot of simple
life lessons that can be learnt from a child. So I was not surprised when I
thought of my 2 yr old nephew from whom I have learned three such lessons that
we can integrate into our everyday life.
Positivity
How to be happy is something no one can teach you better
than a kid. They're brimming with positivity. Whenever I meet my nephew he's
always on a roll; always smiling and full of vibrant energy. Of course there's
a lot of difference between a 2 yr old and a grown up's version of happiness. They
don't have to worry about paying monthly bills, or making grocery lists-while meticulously
trying not to forget any item, or that dent in the car that needs to be fixed
soon, resolving important issues at home, etc. They basically have to do
nothing because everything is done for
them. That's not the point here. The key, however, is to observe how they 'find
reasons to be happy'. By incorporating this simple rule, we too, can surround
ourselves by positive energy. Think up of different ways to be happy. Do things
you won't normally do. Try a different route while going to work, pick up a
different newspaper or read a magazine that you wouldn't otherwise read while on
the way, carry a box of tasty treats for your colleagues, decorate your desk
and then re-decorate it, strike up a conversation or enter into a lively
discussion about current topics, change your playlist entirely, indulge in an
activity, go watch a play, etc.
Focus
Many people believe that expecting proper concentration from
a child is an unachievable task. It is actually quite the opposite. They
possess a lot more patience required to churn out the kind of concentration
necessary to get a specific job done. You should see my nephew trying to win a bowling
game on my phone! He is extremely focused and exercises a lot of patience which
ultimately leads to his triumph. If we could only employ the required amount of
focus into our work, surely we would get the job done. But focus alone is not
enough. Endurance too is instrumental while working, because not all days are
going to be the same. There may be times when there may be a sudden overload of
work, sometimes even at the last minute, times when meeting deadlines would be
the need of the hour. At times like these it is only persistence and
perseverance that would get us through the day. Only if we are focused, would
we be able to rise from the mediocre and actually test our limits.
Do What You Love, Love What You Do
And finally, something that is slowly gaining the status of
becoming the most followed adage of all times. My nephew is a living and
breathing example of this. It doesn't matter if the only work he does is bring
the house down with his antics. He does what he loves and undoubtedly loves
what he does! This for us could translate into the drive, that passion that
wakes us up every morning. The devotion towards what we do that keeps our
interest piqued. We all have a fire burning within us that keeps us alight
which serves as a guide throughout our path of self-discovery, we just need to
find it. And when we do find our true-calling, we never let the opportunity go
away. As Steve Jobs had once said,
“Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and
the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And
the only way to do great work is to love what you do.”
So let's learn to live it and love it!
By dEEV Sana Shaikh
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