“I casted my vote. I am a responsible citizen!”, “Enjoying democracy – I voted”, “Purple is the new colour – my voting rights” “I have done my job. Let’s see” – many such messages flooding in Facebook with pictures of index fingers! We live in an era where all common duties are also hyped. But happy to see people performing their duties and encouraging others too. Well, that’s not the topic now!
“I am working on a high critical project. Quite a tough one”, “Tight deadlines to be met. Go live is next week”, “P1 and production impact. Need to bring the system up”. How many times do we hear these statements or even mention the same?
I remembered the days when I have seen amma waking up before the sun rises, finish all the house chores, get us ready to school, leave us and in parallel run with her bag to school. I have always looked her as a bigger person and if I now calculate her age then, probably it’s just a little over mine now. So I’m a responsible adult now!
Well I’m responsible for deciding the fate of the country; I’m responsible for important projects; I’m responsible for my children; I’m responsible for financial planning at home; Should I not be happy that I’m grown so much which means I’m an adult!
As these thoughts were running on my head, my little man was holding the dressing table and trying to reach something. It was a milk bottle far away from him reach. He tried to stretch him arms and foot and screamed. He looked at me but continued stretching. I saw him struggle and took it for him and stretched my arms to him. He screamed and yelled and cried. Not understanding why, I tried handing over the bottle to him. He still screamed. I just put back the bottle on the same place and he smiled. He again stretched his arms and foot and tried to reach. He grinned and finally reached it. He cackled and showed his teeth widely to me. He celebrated his independence and victory of reaching his goal. He then came back to the bed and lied down. He rested for a while and again ran like lightning.
Well, a one year toddler is capable of working hard, trying to meet his goal, celebrate success, take rest and then get back to his feet. Didn’t he teach me to take care of myself and keep running with energy? Isn’t this child’s maturity that we adults lack? Nature has designed us in a way to do things right and we are redesigning ourselves against it.
Now my thoughts went back to the responsibilities I was talking about. Well when many of us are responsible for all so called “critical tasks”, aren’t we responsible for our own well being? Aren’t we adults to take care of ourselves physically and mentally?
Are we caring for ourselves enough? Are we patting ourselves for all our good jobs? Are we looking into our eyes in the mirror and smiling? Are we talking to ourselves and understanding what we need? Are we taking some mental rest when needed?
We speak a lot about others not understanding us, others not sparing time for us, others hurting us and others ignoring us. Well, if we as individuals are not understanding ourselves enough, not giving ourselves the required time and break and ignoring us, aren’t we hurting us? Shouldn’t our proud index fingers turn back to us that we aren’t making ourselves happy?
Have we ever sat in serenity to understand what we like? Have we ever pondered on what de-stresses us? Have we ever consoled ourselves that everything is ok?
We only self pity ourselves saying that we have the worse life than anyone else. We only throw back hundred reasons on others why we are unhappy and stressed. We only start hating ourselves rather than trying to understand how to fix what we’re going through.
Ten minutes of doing what you like, ten minutes of complete silence, ten minutes of reassuring ourselves that we have a good life, a simple smile on the mirror and thumbs up to yourself is what is needed to make a change. Do your job and watch the change in your inner self!
Who is responsible for your happiness? Turn the index finger at the mirror and smile. I have the power to decide the fate of the nation; I have the power to decide my work; I have the power to decide critical things for my family; I definitely have the power to take care of myself! I will drive the change in myself and keep going forward!