Explore and take chances

We love to get gifts, but ironically squander away the most precious one in our lives- our Life. However those who have valued it, have had their decisions pay off. They are mindful of every opportunity that come their way, are agile to identify them, before seizing it for their good.

Cricketer M.S Dhoni had taken the decision to quit his safe job with the Indian Railways at the right time to pursue Cricket- his passion. What a critical decision it must have been, which paid off so well! Mostly, we do not identify or value the priceless opportunities that strike us in our lives. For instance, we might tend to neglect and dismiss our grandparents for their senility, only to repent when they are no longer around. In fact a poll conducted by the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital at the University of Michigan found 4 out of 5 parents, 81 percent, with children ages 4 to 10 said they agreed that kids today are not grateful for what they have. Victoria Osteen had rightly said, the choice we make today, shape the people we become tomorrow. In fact this trait is so common that psychologists have termed it quite rightly as the “Until it’s Gone Syndrome. It is the pseudo-psychological term describing the phenomenon that occurs with many aspects of life that we so often fail to appreciate until they are gone.

Learn to appreciate life

All that is guaranteed to us in life is the present. It is said, the past is history and the future is a mystery. We fail to value it, whereas it has been actually found that a five-minute daily gratitude journal can increase long-term well-being by 10%. Gratitude is one of the best ways to live in the moment. Be grateful for what you already have, rather than something you hope for. Mindfulness is yet another attribute that can help people live in the present in a productive and sustainable way. Marcel Proust had so rightly commented, “Let us be grateful to people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.”

There is a sad tendency to attribute our lack of success in life to the times we are in. It could be either of lack of time or unfavourable time. Ruskin Bond had rightly remarked, “It’s not time that’s passing by, it’s you and I.” All we are expected to do is value our own selves for what we are worth

What’s your life’s purpose

The answer to this one question holds the key to the sense of value we attribute to life. Have we identified our life’s purpose? So rightly has it been said, “The most important days in your life are the day you were born and the day you find out why.” If we have identified our life’s purpose and are passionate about achieving it, no such negative force can affect us. It is worth reflecting that a bird sitting on a tree, Is never afraid of the branch breaking because it’s trust is Not on the branch, but on it’s own wings!!..”

 

About the authors

The article has been contributed by the following students from Our Lady Queen of the Missions School, Park Circus, Kolkata: Palakshi Roy Bhagat, Archisha Dhar, Sanchari Bose and Ayshee Saha.