Authored six books on happiness: Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
🌻Buddham Saranam Gachhami: My Slightly Wobbly, Wildly Wonderful Walk to the Dhamma🌻
You know, when people talk about a “spiritual awakening,” they often speak in the tone one uses while describing a Himalayan sunrise—golden light, misty mountains, soul-stirring violins in the background. Not me. My spiritual journey didn’t begin with a flash of inner illumination. It began, quite unromantically, with a thud—on the hard bedrock of disappointment, loneliness, confusion, and a sincere inability to make sense of a world where phone batteries die faster than friendships.
There I was, wobbling through life like a three-legged table, hoping to find something—anything—that might fix the wonky legs. The quest began with a certain desperation, a deep-seated sense that there must be more to life than emails, EMIs, and existential dread.
Once I recognised that I needed a spiritual path, I entered the curious spiritual supermarket. Shelves lined with teachings, masters, promises of bliss, chants, beads, bells, retreats, and recipes for “instant peace” (just add silence and stir). It was dazzling—and utterly disorienting.
So, like any confused consumer with a shopping basket of hopes, I chose the most popular route: the eclectic combo-platter.
A little of this, a little of that.
Buddhist mindfulness in the morning (with green tea).
Hindu mantra recitations in the afternoon (with incense).
Christian prayer in the evening (with a whiff of grace).
Sufi whirling on Sundays (with mild dizziness).
Kabbalistic meditations and Tibetan visualisations on alternate days.
It was a potpourri of paths, a spiritual salad.
Delightful? Yes.
Deep? Not quite.
It felt like I was hopping across stepping stones, never resting long enough to absorb the wisdom underfoot. A fine halfway house, yes—but a house doesn’t become a home until you stop wandering.
And then, on a quiet afternoon (perhaps the incense was working overtime), I stumbled upon a verse from the Dhammapada. Just four plain lines—no special effects, no thunderclaps. But something clicked.
“Abstain from all unwholesome deeds,
Perform wholesome ones,
Purify your mind—
This is the teaching of the Buddhas.”
No frills. No philosophies tangled in metaphors. Just the distilled clarity of a mind that had seen through everything.
It struck me—not with fireworks, but with the calm finality of truth. This was not another item on the buffet. This was the recipe. Three ingredients:
Don’t be a nuisance.
Try to be kind.
Clean up the mental mess.
Simple. Terrifyingly so. No rituals, no robes, no rituals wrapped in robes. Just direct instructions, like a cosmic Post-it note stuck to your forehead.
And something in me responded. The noise settled. The inner traffic jam eased. And from somewhere deep inside, a soft voice rose:
“Buddham saranam gachhami…”
I go to the Buddha for refuge.
Not as a tourist. Not as a dilettante. But as someone who’s finally stopped looking for shortcuts.
The Buddha didn’t promise a quick fix. He offered something better: a clear path, trodden by the wise, free of gimmicks and glitter, where joy lies not in the arrival but in the journey itself—when walked with mindfulness, compassion, and the courage to look inward.
And so here I am. Not floating in bliss. Not enlightened (yet). But walking—with fewer detours, a lighter backpack, and a heart that hums a little more gently with each step.
Dhamma, it turns out, isn’t just a philosophy. It’s a way to live, a way to smile, and—on most days—a way to stay sane in an increasingly insane world.
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
Authored six books on happiness: Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
🌌 Wandering the Thirty-One Worlds 🌌
Some people dream of visiting Paris, sipping espresso on a cobblestoned street. Others yearn for space tourism—bouncing weightless in a tin can, peering down at Earth. Me? I find myself daydreaming about the Thirty-one Planes of Existence described in Buddhist cosmology.
Yes, thirty-one! A rather crowded universe, isn’t it?
Now, I’ve never been to the upper heavens or the lower hells (that I recall, at least). But I’m quite delighted to be here—right in the Human World, comfortably placed at number five from the bottom. Not very glamorous, I know. But make no mistake, this is the sweet spot of the cosmos.
Down below us are some truly unfortunate neighbourhoods—the four states of woe—populated by suffering beings: hell-dwellers, hungry ghosts, jealous titans, and the animal realm. Above us lie the pleasure gardens of six sensuous heavens, overflowing with divine delights and carefree abandon.
Sounds tempting? Perhaps. But here’s the paradox of cosmic real estate: suffering makes you strive, and too much pleasure makes you… well, lazy. And striving, in the spiritual sense, is the only way out of this grand, glittering trap called samsāra—the endless merry-go-round of birth, death, and rebirth.
We humans, blessed with just enough pain to awaken us, and just enough joy to keep us from despairing, occupy a rare and precious junction. It’s the Goldilocks zone of the Buddhist cosmos—not too miserable, not too blissful—just right for the uphill climb to liberation.
Above us stretch the heavens of form and formlessness—realms of sublime meditative absorption, breathtaking in their refinement. But alas, they too are temporary. No matter how high you rise in samsāra, gravity pulls you back. The only true escape? Nibbāna—the supramundane, the unconditioned, the other shore. A place that is not a place, a silence beyond sound, a peace beyond understanding.
I sometimes catch myself fantasising—not about retirement in Goa or a cottage in the Himalayas—but about travelling across these thirty-one abodes. No visa required. No rocket ships. Just meditative calm and inner stillness. For in meditation, I find that the borders between realms begin to blur. I can wander, wonder, soar or sink—all within this tender, mysterious human form.
It is said that all these worlds are in eternal flux—rising, collapsing, reforming like soap bubbles on the sea of time. But right now, this bubble of human life is floating, and I’m marvelling at its shimmer.
Some seek heaven, some fear hell, but I, dear reader, am deeply content here and now, sipping the subtle tea of mindfulness, dreaming big, breathing gently—and whispering to myself with a smile,
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
Authored six books on happiness: Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
☆ Cultivating Goodwill – A Quiet Revolution of the Heart ☆
In a world rushing towards achievement and noise, there lies a gentle strength in pausing… and wishing well.
Inspired by the luminous teachings of Shantideva, here’s a serene reminder —
All the joy in this world springs from wishing happiness for others.
All the misery comes from chasing it only for ourselves.
These verses stir the soul:
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“All the joy the world contains,
Has come through wishing happiness for others.
All the misery the world contains,
Has come through wanting pleasure for oneself.”
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“May beings everywhere who suffer,
Torment in their minds and bodies,
Have, by virtue of my merit,
Joy and happiness in boundless measure.”
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“May every being ailing with disease,
Be freed at once from every malady…
May every sickness that afflicts the living,
Be wholly and forever absent from the world.”
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A Simple Practice – Metta Bhavana (Loving-Kindness Meditation)
Here is a quiet, powerful exercise you can do today. Just thirty minutes – a gift to yourself and the world.
⇒ Choose a quiet time.
⇒ Inform those around you – no talking, no phones, no gestures.
⇒ Sit in stillness. Breathe deeply.
⇒ Let this gentle wish rise in your heart:
“May all beings be happy, peaceful, and free.”
Send these thoughts like fragrant winds across land, water, and sky –
To those near you and far away, to humans, animals, birds, insects, trees…
To the whole living, breathing cosmos.
You will feel a soft smile blooming inside. Stress will dissolve.
And your heart – oh so quietly – will become kinder, lighter, and freer.
Because kindness begins within.
Because the world changes with the softest ripple of goodwill.
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
Authored six books on happiness: Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
☆ # 07: Effortless practices for Happiness and Stress Management ☆
“There are these two kinds of happiness. Worldly happiness and spiritual happiness. Of these two kinds of happiness, spiritual happiness is foremost.”
Buddha
Spirituality means loving kindness and compassion for all sentient beings. A spiritual being harms no living being, performs wholesome deeds, and avoids unwholesome actions.
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Spirituality brings peace of mind, balances life, and generates compassion. You become a true human being, loving, and caring for those around you. You begin looking inward and develop empathy toward all beings of nature.
There is a growing body of evidence indicating that spiritual practices are associated with better health and wellbeing. Spiritual strength can help you overcome hardships.
Spirituality provides right view and right understanding of life. It gives spiritual insight into right speech, right action, and right livelihood. Inner wisdom steers us in the right direction. If you desire everlasting health and happiness, cultivate wisdom.
Nurturing and developing your spirituality may be just as important as eating a healthy diet, exercising, and building strong relationships. Taking the time to reconnect with what you find meaningful in life and returning to life’s big questions can enhance your own sense of connection with something larger than yourself.
All the religions of the world have spirituality at their core. Spirituality means loving kindness and compassion for all sentient beings. A spiritual being harms no living being, performs wholesome deeds, and avoids unwholesome actions.
If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion. According to Dalai Lama, “Practicing compassion, caring for others, and sharing their problems, lays the foundation for a meaningful life, not only at the level of the individual, family, or community, but also for humanity as a whole.”
Spirituality may be expressed by working for a noble and worthy cause – taking care of the environment, conservation of wildlife, rescuing child labour, educating girl child, feeding hungry ones, and healing those who are suffering from misery and illness. The aim of spirituality is taking fellow human beings from misery to happiness and creating an environment of world peace and harmony.
CULTIVATING GOODWILL
The principal focus of the teachings of Shantideva is on cultivating a mind wishing to benefit other sentient beings. With an increase in our own sense of peace and happiness, we will naturally be better able to contribute to the peace and happiness of others.
Presented in the form of a personal meditation, but offered in friendship to whoever may be interested, the following verses from Shantideva prove extremely useful and beneficial to the mind:
“All the joy the world contains,
Has come through wishing happiness for others.
All the misery the world contains,
Has come through wanting pleasure for oneself.”
“May beings everywhere who suffer,
Torment in their minds and bodies,
Have, by virtue of my merit,
Joy and happiness in boundless measure.”
“May every being ailing with disease,
Be freed at once from every malady,
May very sickness that afflicts the living,
Be wholly and forever absent from the world.”
EXERCISE
Generating goodwill for the entire cosmos
Set aside thirty minutes of time for yourself any time of the day.
Observe silence – no talking, no gestures, no written communication. All devices completely shut.
Let those around you know that you would be observing silence for the next thirty minutes and that you should not be disturbed.
Silence brings peace of mind and quietens the mind.
Take a few deep breaths and relax.
Once you have settled down, bring this thought to your mind: May all be happy, peaceful, and free.
Send good vibes for all those around you and for all those who are far away.
Generate feelings of compassion for all living beings.
May all beings – on land, water, and air – be healthy, free of any ailments, and liberated from all bondages and pain.
Feel deep from your heart and wish health, happiness, and peace for the entire universe and all beings.
May all be happy!
You will feel relaxed, stress-free, and joyful.
This is known as metta bhavana – wishing good for all. You inculcate feelings of goodness, kindness, and compassion within yourself. Gradually your behaviour begins to change. You are not rude and angry. You become gentle and kind.
BE MINDFUL
Ajahn Chah has put it beautifully, “Try to be mindful, and let things take their natural course. Then your mind will become still in any surroundings, like a clear forest pool. All kinds of wonderful, rare animals will come to drink at the pool, and you will clearly see the nature of all things. You will see many strange and wonderful things come and go, but you will be still. This is the happiness of the Buddha.”
FOUR SUBLIME STATES
The four sublime states of mind are:
-Loving kindness,
-Compassion,
-Sympathetic Joy,
-Equanimity.
These four states are sublime because they are the right attitude, the ideal way of conduct towards living beings. They provide the answer to all situations arising from social contact.
The four sublime states remove all tensions. They make peace in social conflict, and they heal wounds that are suffered in the struggle of existence. Let us strive to dwell in these sublime states.
PURIFY YOUR MIND
One must take the first step toward spirituality sometime, somewhere.
The Dhammapada is an ideal place for taking the early, tiny steps. It is one of the most widely read books on spirituality. Its concise, crystalline verses are a thing of beauty and deep meaning. It is said in the Dhammapada:
“Abstain from all unwholesome deeds,
Perform wholesome ones,
Purify your mind.
This is the teaching of the Enlightened Ones.”
What are unwholesome deeds and what are the wholesome ones? Any action that harms others, that disturbs their peace and harmony is a sinful action, an unwholesome action. Any action that helps others, that contributes to their peace and harmony, is a pious action, a wholesome action.
Here are some more verses from the Dhammapada:
“All that we are is the result of what we have thought:
It is founded on our thoughts,
It is made up of our thoughts.
“If with an impure mind
you speak or act,
then suffering follows you,
as the cartwheel follows the foot of the draft animal.
“If with a pure mind
you speak or act,
then happiness follows you,
as a shadow that never departs.
“As rain breaks through an ill-thatched house,
Passion will break through an unreflecting mind.
“As rain does not break through a well-thatched house,
Passion will not break through a well reflecting mind.
“Burning now, burning hereafter,
the wrong doer suffers doubly.
Happy now, happy hereafter,
the virtuous person doubly rejoices.
“Watching his speech,
well restrained in mind,
let a man never commit any wrong with his body!
Let a man but keep these three roads of action clear, and he will achieve the way.”
Read some more verses from the Dhammapada, or any other scriptures you like, in a relaxed environment. Read the words again and again. Read between the lines. More is left unsaid than what is expressed in words by the sages. Stop, and think deeply, and apply them one by one to your life. Spirituality is values in action. Your life begins to transform.
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“Bhikkhus, there are these three purities. What three? Bodily purity, verbal purity, and mental purity.
” And what is bodily purity? Here, someone abstains from the destruction of life, from taking what is not given, and from sexual misconduct. This is called bodily impurity.
“And what is verbal purity? Here, someone abstains from false speech, from divisive speech, from harsh speech, and from idle chatter. This is called verbal purity.
“And what is mental purity? Here, someone is without longing, without ill will, and holds right view. This is called mental purity.
“These, bhikkhus, are the three purities.”
The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha/ Bhikkhu Bodhi
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“Those who mistake the unessential to be essential,
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
☆ Right Livelihood: Earning with Integrity in a Complex World ☆ Shri Jagat Singh Bisht ☆
In the grand mosaic of the Buddha’s Eightfold Path — that noble way leading to freedom and peace — lies a quietly powerful teaching: Right Livelihood.
At first glance, it may sound like just a moral checklist for choosing a job. But look a little deeper, and you’ll find that it holds a mirror to how we live, how we relate to others, and how our daily choices shape the world around us.
Right Livelihood simply asks: How do you earn your living? And does your work nourish the world — or quietly harm it?
In the Buddha’s time, this was radical wisdom. And even today, thousands of years later, it remains a question more relevant than ever.
More Than Just a Job:
We spend a good part of our waking life working — earning, building, producing, selling, managing. It’s how we provide for ourselves and our families. But it’s also how we contribute to society. The Buddha taught that while wealth in itself is not wrong, how it is earned matters deeply.
He laid down four simple conditions:
Earn it legally, not through unlawful means.
Earn it peacefully, without force or exploitation.
Earn it honestly, without cheating or misleading others.
And earn it in ways that do not bring harm or suffering to others.
This sounds simple. But in practice, it asks for tremendous awareness.
Occupations That Harm:
To make it crystal clear, the Buddha identified five types of livelihood to be avoided:
Dealing in weapons, which bring destruction and fear.
Dealing in living beings, including trafficking of humans or animals for harm.
Dealing in meat and butchery, where sentient life is taken for profit.
Dealing in poisons, which cause suffering to body and mind.
Dealing in intoxicants, which cloud the mind and ruin lives.
He also warned against dishonest means — trickery, fortune-telling for gain, deceit, and high-interest money lending that traps the poor.
Today, these categories still stand, though the contexts may have changed.
Take for example the marketing of addictive products — packaged with glossy labels and clever slogans — but at the cost of physical and mental health. Or apps designed to make people addicted to their screens while harvesting personal data. These may not involve knives or poison, but they chip away at well-being. Is this different, in essence, from causing harm?
Grey Zones of the Modern World:
The modern economy is full of grey zones. Not every questionable act is illegal, and not every legal activity is ethical. Some jobs are respectable on the surface, but behind the scenes may involve misleading others, exploiting trust, or damaging the environment.
For example:
A corporate professional might quietly manipulate numbers to meet targets.
A trader may overcharge customers, hiding behind jargon and fine print.
A factory may pollute a river, while sponsoring tree plantation drives for publicity.
The Buddha’s teaching invites us to look beyond appearances and ask, with honesty:
“Is my work rooted in compassion, fairness, and truth?”
Dignity in All Work — Done Right:
Right livelihood doesn’t ask you to change your career overnight or walk away from your responsibilities. It simply calls for awareness and ethics. Whatever your role — a teacher, artist, businessperson, farmer, driver, executive, shopkeeper, or homemaker — it is not the title that matters, but the values you bring into your work.
Are you honest with your time and effort?
Do you treat customers, colleagues, and staff with respect?
Do you resist the urge to exploit, manipulate, or deceive?
Do you bring conscience into your profit?
A shopkeeper who sells clean, good-quality goods without exaggeration is living rightly. A boss who rewards fairly, supports his workers, and doesn’t treat them as machines is living rightly. A service provider who listens, helps, and doesn’t overcharge is living rightly.
In contrast, a worker who idles away time, fakes productivity, or steals supplies is not.
In every job, there is the noble path and the harmful one. And the difference lies in small, daily choices.
For Employers, Employees, and All in Between:
The Buddha was deeply practical. He offered guidance for everyone:
Employers should assign work wisely, offer fair pay, promotions, rest days, and respect.
Employees should be sincere, dedicated, honest, and refrain from wasting time or resources.
Colleagues should foster teamwork, not rivalry.
Merchants should be fair and transparent, not misleading or greedy.
Even advertising, he said, should be truthful — not a clever spin that tricks the innocent.
A Quiet Revolution:
Choosing right livelihood is a quiet revolution. It doesn’t require placards or protests. It begins in the heart — with the courage to question one’s own work, and the willingness to change, if need be.
It takes strength to turn down easy money that comes from doing harm. But in that refusal lies the seed of real dignity.
When you earn with integrity, you sleep better, you live lighter, and you create ripples of trust around you. You uplift yourself and others. And you walk a path the Buddha smiled upon — a path of peace and purpose.
In Closing:
In a world that glorifies hustle and profit, the Buddha’s voice is a gentle whisper, reminding us that how we earn is as important as how much we earn.
He doesn’t ask us to become saints overnight — just better, more mindful humans. With each honest act, with each compassionate choice, we step a little closer to a life worth living.
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
(We present an article ‘Morse Code of News…’ written by Shri Ajeet Singh ji, Ex-Director (News), Door Darshan.)
☆ Morse Code of News… ☆ Shri Ajeet Singh ☆
(Tomorrow we will present Hindi version of this article.)
Somehow, I got my hands on the Morse codes of basic learning at schools and colleges and cleared the UPSC examination of the junior grade of the Indian Information Service. I arrived in Shimla on June 15, 1971, to learn the Morse code of news and broadcasting at my first job in the Monitoring Service of All India Radio.
On the very first day, I was quite puzzled that the term “stories” was being used for news. To me, stories were imaginative tales of dogs, cats, monkeys, bears, and lions—like the ones in the Panchatantra. How could accounts of people arguing, fighting, or discussing things be considered “stories”?
I didn’t dare ask anyone, fearing they might think I was a dumb person. I simply accepted it. Now, 54 years later, after reflecting, I feel there really isn’t much difference between stories of animals and those of humans. Especially after watching the prime-time debates on TV news channels—there’s hardly any difference.
Recently, I saw a viral joke on WhatsApp.
A man from the neighborhood asks a girl: “What job do you do?”
She replies, “I organize dog fights.”
The man, surprised, says, “What kind of job is that?”
She replies, “I’m a news anchor.”
Indeed, news has become synonymous with conflict. If everything is peaceful and cheerful, it’s not considered news. But if there’s a fight, abuse, violence, or destruction—the bigger the chaos, the bigger the news.
This obsession with news has replaced our grandmothers’ and mothers’ bedtime stories.
To understand news today, one must understand the ingredients that go into making it—fear, sensation, spying, drugs, sex, and whatnot. This is the Morse Code of news.
Thankfully, we were spared from having to learn all of it. Back then, All India Radio still believed in clean and truthful reporting. It still does today, but audiences have moved to private channels. The signal coverage may be 100%, but how many still tune in?
Mass media gets you addicted and then drains your pockets without you even noticing. Now even our minds are being stolen.
The Morse Code of social media these days is complex and twisted. Every citizen must be smarter than their smartphone. That’s what Professor Archana Singh from Panjab University, Chandigarh said in our recent webinar.
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I’m talking about a bygone era when news was sent via telegram, using Morse code.
At the risk of sounding self-praising, I must say—when I became a correspondent in the 1970s, rightly or wrongly, I felt it was the best job in All India Radio.
I interacted with prominent people, traveled across India and abroad, attended press conferences, interviews, had STD phones at home and office, bylines in national bulletins… no fixed office timings! File a story and head off—to the Press Club or anywhere else to relax, eat, or chat.
What more could one want?
Gradually, though, press notes and press conferences began to feel routine and boring. I started enjoying literary gatherings and cultural events. Literature began influencing my journalism. A certain refinement emerged in my writing. I adopted the literary style, though I never had to rely on imagination. As they say, “sometimes facts are stranger than fiction.”
In the field, I often encountered such facts—so vivid they seemed fictional. What I wrote weren’t stories, but reports.
At literary events, journalists were rarely present. They didn’t see any “news potential” there. But the grip that writers and poets had over words—that was something journalism often lacked. I started developing a taste for literature.
Journalism is often called hurried literature. But literature cannot be written in haste. It requires patience. Journalism is a race—who can break the news first. This race can make journalists frantic. Some even mess up reports or exaggerate them to ensure they get published, so news agencies don’t beat them, and they don’t face their editor’s wrath the next day.
In those days, All India Radio was the first to break news. That meant I had to stay extra alert. I realized over time that just collecting facts isn’t enough.
You have to write them in the traditional 5 Ws and 1 H format—or give it a personal touch as a voice cast. News management was essential too. One story had to be prepared in six different time zones—Early Morning, Late Morning, Early Midday, Late Midday, Early Evening, Late Evening. We had to find multiple angles for the same story—Voice Casts, Newsreels, Current Affairs, Spotlights, Morning Commentaries, Reviews.
Writing the intro—or the lead of a news story—is no easy task. Journalists suffer from “mental constipation” over it. They write, cut, and rewrite. Once the lead is ready, the rest becomes easier.
Understanding the Morse code of news takes time.
Reporting is also the process of writing contemporary history. A reporter is a witness to historical events.
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My field posting was in the state of Jammu & Kashmir—13 years in Jammu and around 6.5 years in Srinagar. I worked in difficult conditions. All in all, it turned out well. I was awarded Correspondent of the Year award by All India Radio and also received a Certificate of Merit.
The Newsroom of the News Services Division in Delhi is a peculiar place. Your service seniority doesn’t matter—only professional competence does. Senior officers might handle small bulletins while juniors might be Editors-in-Charge. The place is filled with brilliant people. Even a stenographer might shout at the News Editor saying, “Sir, there’s no ‘the’ before Parliament.” And if you ask why, you might hear, “Because it doesn’t work in English, sir.”
People used to dread attending DG Harish Awasthi’s news meetings. But he was a remarkable professional. Like school kids, we learned the art of news from him. Some got scolded harshly. Amid all this, the Morse code of news started becoming clearer.
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After retirement, I wondered what to do. No more press notes, no more press conferences—who or what would I report on?
I challenged myself—to report on the common man.
The person whose name, work, struggle, and achievements rarely make the news.
We started a small organization with 8–10 friends, called Vanaprasth Senior Citizen Club. We began organizing detailed self-introduction sessions of each member. I began writing engaging news features and sending them to local newspapers.
This continues even after 18 years. The organization now has nearly 140 members.
Strange thoughts come to mind. Moving memories well up in the heart. They compel me to write.
Articles like:
The House of Makhanlal Bekas..
The Punjabi Daughters of Harsinghpura: Why They Always Mention Their Village
In Memory of Chatrapal
The CRPF Girls in Srinagar
A Radio Announcer’s Railway Station
An Entire Family Born on August 15
Jingoism: On the Rise or on the Wane?
Pandit Jasraj Came to PilI Mandori Looking for Jasia
Remembering Father During Pitri Paksha
Sumitra Had Said…
Writing about your father or wife is both easy and hard. Who knows them better than you? But making such personal stories interesting for readers is difficult. There’s the issue of privacy too.
Sometimes I feel there’s a fundamental flaw in the evolution of human civilization—that we see news in bloodshed, conflict, death, and destruction, and sensationally promote it. But we fail to see news in laughing children, blooming flowers, and celebrating communities.
The kind of information circulated shapes the kind of society we become.
These days, everyone debates like TV anchors—full of rage and agitation.
Good news seems to have vanished.
I search for good news.
I believe every person has remarkable stories. If asked properly, they’re willing to share. That’s what I try to do within my limited capacity.
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For the past six years, I’ve been connected to several groups of talented people who give me immense love, encouragement, and inspiration.
The Morse code of news now seems to be gradually turning into the Morse code of writing.
The telegram system using Morse code is now extinct. New technologies have emerged. Writing styles are adapting to them. You can now speak in any script and get it typed on your phone and send it instantly.
My writing style has adapted accordingly. Some friends say—though my writing is about journalism, its style feels literary.
I want to hear your stories.
And I want to share mine.
The Morse code of news is fascinating, not dull.
It’s difficult, but also deeply enjoyable.
I tried to understand it and shape it my way.
⸻
Thank you, friend Vijay Dixit, the Deputy Director General of All India Radio (Retired) for giving me this new phrase: ‘The Morse Code of News.’
☆😊 A Life Well-Laughed: A Journey of Joy, Duty, and Awakening 😊☆ Shri Jagat Singh Bisht ☆
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A Life Well-Laughed: A Journey of Joy, Duty, and Awakening
By Someone Who Still Thinks He’s a Schoolboy in Disguise
*****
All the joy the world contains,
Has come through wishing happiness for others…
– Shantideva
*****
If life is indeed a stage, as the Bard declared, I suppose I’ve played my share of roles – a son, a student, a cricketer, a banker, a teacher, a laughter yogi, and, most importantly, a human being striving to become a little better each day. Sometimes, I’ve been Rama, bound by duty; sometimes Krishna, dancing through the lanes of joy. And now, in the golden evening of life, I find myself gently chuckling backstage, watching the drama unfold with a heart full of gratitude.
Act One: Of Frolic and Friendships
I was born in Jabalpur – a charming town nestled in the heart of India, known more for its marble rocks and misty mornings than for making headlines. But for me, it was the centre of the universe – the land of my first friendships, first bruises, and first cricket innings played with a stick and a rubber ball.
Childhood, as it is for many, was a simple affair. Studies and play held equal sway, and the thrill of winning a school quiz or hitting a six in the last over was unmatched. I now realise how much those tiny triumphs mattered, not just to me but to my parents – their eyes lit up with every certificate I brought home. Life, then, was an endless game of collecting stars, and I must say, I had quite the constellation.
But the most precious thing I earned wasn’t medals. It was friends. The kind you walk to school with, trade tiffins with, and swear lifelong brotherhood over shared comic books. Little did I know, these bonds would outlast report cards and cricket seasons.
Act Two: The Bat, the Book, and the Bank
My romance with cricket deserves a paragraph of its own. Blame it on Don Bradman’s The Art of Cricket, which I devoured like scripture. I learned early on that cricket wasn’t just a sport – it was a way to learn grace, discipline, humility, and yes, the art of laughing off a duck on the scoreboard.
While cricket gave wings to my spirit, academics grounded me. I was a diligent student, not particularly brilliant but deeply engaged. That sincere engagement, I believe, was the key to whatever little success I eventually found.
And then came youth – that dazzling, demanding phase of one’s life when the heart beats louder and dreams stretch higher. I joined the State Bank of India, not with a grand plan, but with the quiet resolve to serve honestly, support my family, and earn my keep. Thirty-five years passed like a well-paced test match. Each innings brought new learnings, new cities, and new people.
Life, in its mysterious wisdom, added another twist to my journey. I was chosen to be a faculty member in behavioural science at the bank’s learning centre. This was no ordinary training post – it was a portal to my deeper self. The Human Process Lab I underwent turned my question from “What do I do?” to “Who am I?” The answers were layered, tender, and sometimes delightfully confusing.
Act Three: Krishna in a Tie, Rama with a Smile
In truth, I lived a life of duality. There was the Krishna in me – playful, poetic, passionate about life. But life asked me to show up like Rama – responsible, measured, reliable. And that, in a way, was the beauty of it all. Life never lets you get too comfortable in one role.
It was during this phase that I also led the Citizen-SBI initiative, inspired by the powerful, luminous teachings of Swami Ranganathananda. Here, I discovered something profound – that duty is not a burden, but a privilege. That contribution isn’t an obligation, but a path to expansion. The more I gave, the more I grew.
Act Four: Of Laughter, Light, and Little Awakenings
Once our beloved son set out on his own path, my wife and I found ourselves asking – what now?
The answer came, appropriately, with a giggle. We embraced Laughter Yoga – not as a hobby but as a calling. Bringing smiles to faces, uplifting weary souls, and sharing joy with strangers became a shared mission. There is something disarmingly powerful about laughing with abandon. It melts away differences, dissolves stress, and makes you feel connected to every living being.
This newfound energy led me to dive deeper into Positive Psychology, Yoga, and Spirituality. These were not mere interests – they were soul-companions. They whispered to me truths I had sensed all along: that happiness is not out there, but within; that mindfulness is not an escape but a coming home.
Epilogue: Contentment – The Final Frontier
Now retired, I live what I call my ‘second innings’ – one where the scoreboard doesn’t matter. I walk more. I sing more (sometimes off-key, but joyfully). I read, reflect, and try to share whatever little wisdom I’ve gathered along the way.
I don’t harbour regrets. Life has been generous. My school nurtured my roots. My bank gave me wings. My family – oh, my family – they’ve been the sunshine on my path. Friends have stayed loyal, and even those who drifted left behind warm footprints in memory.
And while I haven’t attained enlightenment like the great Buddha, I have had my “little awakening.” I’ve realised that giving, laughing, serving, loving – these are the real treasures. And the best part? There’s no end to them.
So here I am – a lad in a retired man’s body – grinning like a child who just stole a mango. If I have one wish now, it is this:
May all be happy.
May all be peaceful.
May all be free of worry.
And may we all – in our own sweet time – find our own little awakening.
“Life’s a stage,” they said.
Well, I’ve danced a little, cried a little, laughed a lot –
And now, I sit in the wings, humming my song,
Waiting for the curtain to fall – with contentment in my heart
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
Authored six books on happiness:Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
☆ # 06: Effortless practices for Happiness and Stress Management ☆
FLOURISH, DO NOT LANGUISH
“We can all say “yes” to more positive emotion. We can all say “yes” to more engagement. We can all say “yes” to better relationships. We can all say “yes” to more meaning in life. We can all say “yes” to more positive accomplishment. We can all say “yes” to more well-being.”
Martin Seligman
People flourish when they experience a balance of positive emotions, engagement with the world, good relationships with others, a sense of meaning and moral purpose, and the accomplishment of valued goals.
Flourishing is the experience of life going well – a combination of feeling good and functioning effectively. It is the opposite of languishing – living a life that feels hollow and empty.
If you have experienced the positive emotions of gratitude, forgiveness, contentment, mindfulness, hope, and optimism, you are closer to flourishing than a person who has just enjoyed the fleeting pleasures of life.
Flourishing is not just a simple measure of happiness or life satisfaction or positive thinking. It is a state where people experience positive emotions, positive psychological functioning, and positive social functioning, most of the time.
Positive relationships are at the core of a flourishing life. The richest source of happiness in life are other people. If we could build good relationships with them, we would be much happier.
You can be happier if you cultivate good relationships with your family, friends and even strangers whom you meet in your day-to-day life. A warm greeting, an authentic conversation and a goodbye full of loving care can work wonders.
Happy people are good at their friendships, families, and intimate relationships.
EXERCISE
What went well?
Each night before going to sleep, write down three things that went well during the day, that made you happy or things for which you are grateful.
These may be small things or important ones.
Doing this exercise regularly can help you appreciate the positive in your life rather than take it for granted.
You can do this exercise on our own or with a loved one – a partner, child, parent, sibling, or close friend.
Expressing gratitude together can contribute in a meaningful way to the relationship.
You will be less depressed and feel happier.
VIRTUES AND STRENGTHS
Almost all traditions and cultures across the globe endorse six virtues – wisdom and knowledge, courage, love and humanity, justice, temperance, and spirituality and transcendence. There are several distinct routes – the strengths of character – to each of these virtues.
Curiosity or interest in the world, love of learning, judgement, critical thinking, open-mindedness, ingenuity, originality, practical intelligence, street smarts, social intelligence, personal intelligence, emotional intelligence, and perspective are routes to the virtue cluster of wisdom and intelligence.
Valour, bravery, perseverance, industry, diligence, integrity, genuineness, and honesty are routes to the virtue of courage. The virtue of humanity and love may be reached through kindness, generosity, loving, and allowing oneself to be loved.
The strengths of justice show up in civic activities and may be exhibited by citizenship, duty, teamwork, loyalty, fairness, equity, and leadership. Temperance refers to the appropriate and moderate expression of your appetites and wants. It may be achieved by self-control, prudence, discretion, caution, humility, and modesty.
Appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, optimism, future-mindedness, spirituality, sense of purpose, faith, religiousness, forgiveness, mercy, playfulness, humour, zest, passion, and enthusiasm are the routes to the virtue of transcendence.
We possess these strengths of character to a lesser or more degree but some of these strengths are well pronounced and in abundance. We enjoy exhibiting these strengths and they come naturally to us. They are our signature strengthens and we must use them more and more, again and again in the mansions of life – work, love, and parenting.
AUTHENTIC HAPPINESS
To flourish, an individual must be authentically happy – experiencing positive emotions, deep engagement, and meaning in life. This means access to the pleasant life, the engaged or good life, and the meaningful life.
‘Pleasure’ and ‘gratification’ are two different words that are sometimes used interchangeably. Eating an ice-cream or getting a massage are examples of pleasure, while playing football or doing an act of kindness are examples of gratification.
Gratitude, forgiveness, savouring, mindfulness, optimism, and hope are some of the positive emotions that we can feel. A life that successfully pursues the positive emotions about the past, present, and future is the pleasant life.
If you want to be happy, you must discover your signature strengths and put them into action. Using your signature strengths to obtain abundant gratification in the main realms of life is the good life.
A meaningful life is a life of meaning. Using your signature strengths and virtues in the service of something much larger than you are is the meaningful life. To live all three lives is to lead a full life.
Positive emotion is good for happiness but engagement in meaningful work helps you flourish. Happiness is the experience of positive emotions like joy and ecstasy along with a feeling that life is meaningful and worthwhile.
Gratitude helps us build new relationships and strengthen existing ones. It dissolves anger, bitterness, and jealousy. Gratitude is a meta strategy for happiness. Cultivate an attitude of gratitude to be happier in life.
According to Edward Deiner, “Happiness doesn’t just feel good. It is good for you and for society. Happy people are more successful, have better relationships, are healthier and live longer.”
Apart from experiencing positive emotions, one must be engaged in a creative pursuit, and have a purpose in life. If you have an engaged and meaningful life, you are experiencing flourishing in life.
The individual must also have a positive outlook of life, full of hope and optimism, coupled with positive relationships and strong social support system. The person must always strive for positive accomplishments in life that become foundation stones for lasting happiness.
A person who has strived for positive accomplishments experiences authentic happiness and a greater sense of well-being.
THE MAGIC TRIANGLE
People that exhibit flourishing are engaged in social participation and people that are engaged in social participation exhibit flourishing. Along with personal achievement in their life, they also focus on civic duty and social engagement. According to Stefan Klein, “A civic sense, social equality, and control over our own lives constitute the magic triangle of well-being in society.”
To flourish, an individual must also have a good measure of self-esteem, vitality, resilience, and self-determination. We must learn to be resilient in handling day-to-day problems that are common and thinking more realistically and flexibly about the problems we encounter.
Flourishing is not something that you can find, acquire, or achieve directly. You must get the conditions right and then wait. Just as plants need sun, water, and good soil to thrive, people need love, work, and a connection to something larger.
Jonathan Haidt has expressed it succinctly, “It is worth striving to get the right relationships between yourself and others, between yourself and your work, and between yourself and something larger than yourself. If you get these relationships right, a sense of purpose and meaning will emerge. Happiness requires changing yourself and changing your world. It requires pursuing your own goals and fitting in with others.”
WHAT IS FLOURISHING?
Happiness is a thing and well-being is a construct. For example, weather is made up of elements like temperature, humidity, windspeed, barometric pressure, and the like.
Martin Seligman, known as the father of Positive Psychology, developed the PERMA model, which identifies the five things necessary for wellbeing. PERMA stands for positive emotion (P), engagement (E), relationships (R), meaning (M) and achievement (A).
If you are looking to increase the amount of happiness in your own life and on the planet, then your goal, perhaps, is authentic happiness. but, if you are looking to increase the amount of flourishing in your life and on the planet, your goal is well-being.
Please spare a while and answer the following questions honestly:
Taking all things together, how happy would you say you are?
Do you love learning new things?
Do you generally feel that what you do in your life is valuable and worthwhile?
In general, do you feel very positive about yourself?
Are you always optimistic about your future?
When things go wrong in your life, do you bounce back to normal soon?
Are there people in your life who really care about you?
Your answers to these questions are indicative of the following features of your personality:
Positive emotion
Engagement, interest
Meaning, purpose
Self-esteem
Optimism
Resilience
Positive relationships.
Based on their research in each of the twenty-three European Union nations, Felicia Huppert and Timothy So of the University of Cambridge have defined flourishing. According to them, to flourish an individual must have all the core features – positive emotions, engagement, and meaning – and three of the six additional features – self-esteem, optimism, resilience, vitality, self-determination, and positive relationships.
According to their findings, Denmark leads Europe, with 33 percent of its citizens flourishing. The United Kingdom has about half that rate, with 18 percent flourishing; Russia sits at the bottom, with only 6 percent of its citizens flourishing.
When individuals flourish, health, productivity, and peace follow. According to an estimate, 51 percent of the people of the world will be flourishing by the year 2051.
“It is all too commonplace not to be mentally ill but to be stuck and languishing in life.
“Positive mental health is a presence: the presence of positive emotion, the presence of engagement, the presence of meaning, the presence of good relationships, and the presence of accomplishment.
“Being in a state of mental health is not merely being disorder free; rather it is the presence of flourishing.”
Flourish / Martin Seligman
“By happiness I mean a deep sense of flourishing that arises from an exceptionally healthy mind. This is not a mere pleasurable feeling, a fleeting emotion, or a mood, but an optimal state of being. Happiness is also a way of interpreting the world, since it may be difficult to change the world, it is always possible to change the way we look at it.”
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
Authored six books on happiness: Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
☆ # 05: Effortless practices for Happiness and Stress Management ☆
BE A FREE SOUL
“I think, one must finally take one’s life in one’s arms.”
Arthur Miller
We are all born free. We have the potential to be winners. We have a right to be self-determining. An authentic person experiences self-reality by knowing, being, and becoming a credible, responsive person.
We all have within us a child, an adult, and a parent. This becomes apparent when we respond differently to different situations – exhibiting fear, playfulness, balance, self-control, hatred, love, and compassion.
Sometimes we are childlike – full of feelings and emotions – laughing, crying, jumping, shouting, and screaming. At times we behave like an adult – fully aware and organized – oriented to the current reality. On other occasions, we tend to be like parents – critical and prejudicial – and often nurturing too!
Every state of mind is equally important and there is a time for it. There is a time to work and a time to play, a time to laugh and a time to cry, and a time to speak and a time to be silent.
We are all born free. We have the potential to be winners. We have a right to be self-determining. An authentic person experiences self-reality by knowing, being, and becoming a credible, responsive person.
Autonomy is a human birthright. Being autonomous means being self-governing and determining one’s own destiny. A slave can never be happy. A slave can never flourish.
According to Stephen Covey, “Every human has four endowments – self-awareness, conscience, independent will and creative freedom. These give us the ultimate human freedom… These give us the power to choose, to respond, and to change.”
We must begin by taking responsibility for our own actions and feelings. We must also learn to throw off patterns that are irrelevant and inappropriate to living in the here and now.
The litmus test of a truly autonomous person lies hidden in three fundamental capacities – awareness, spontaneity, and intimacy.
AWARENESS
Awareness is knowing what is happening now. An autonomous person is aware. His body and mind are in unison in the here and now. It is not that the body is physically present somewhere and the mind is wandering elsewhere.
One must not only be fully present but also fully aware of the situation, surroundings, and feelings of self and others. The decisions taken must depend upon the facts of the situation and not on some pre-conceived notions. Prejudices from the past must not impact actions in the present.
An autonomous person looks objectively at the situation in the present, listens attentively, seeks clarifications to arrive at a deeper understanding of the situation, and arrives at a balanced decision without being influenced by opinions.
One must be in touch with one’s feelings and sensations in the body. If you are tense, your breath is shallow. You can relax by taking a few deep breaths and exhaling in a relaxed manner. That will help you clear your mind and make a better decision.
Always listen to the other person with empathy, do not interrupt, and ask questions that help you understand the person in the right perspective. Do not form opinions about the person based on what you have been told earlier. Keep your mind open, make your own observations, and arrive at your conclusions based on the facts before you.
You must be fully present there. Fully mindful. Do not let your attention wander hither and thither. Let past prejudices and opinions not influence you. Be your own witness. Decide on your own based on the merits of the case. Take full responsibility of the decision taken by you. Be honest and upright.
Sometimes our parental influences crop up to affect our decisions or the playful child contaminates our thinking. One must be vigilant and must be in the right frame of mind, always fully aware, to make the right decisions in the here and now.
SPONTANEITY
You must have the spontaneity to choose from a whole range of behaviour that the child, adult, and parent residing within you prompt you to adopt. Your decisions must not always along the pre-decided patterns that you have been accustomed to witnessing for ages.
Spontaneity denotes choosing the right actions from a wide range of possibilities. You must choose the option that you find appropriate, as per your inner voice, and accept full responsibility for the decision. Let not your inner child or parent influence you, do not be victim of confusing voices from the past. Be analytical, choose what you find appropriate, and feel relaxed.
If you arrive at free and independent decisions, without being swayed by feelings and prejudices, you will not experience stress. You will be happy. Spontaneity helps you to be autonomous and take control of your destiny.
An autonomous person is spontaneous and flexible – not rigid and impulsive. The person is free despite basic instincts or drives, free despite inherited characteristics and environmental influences. An autonomous person can be realistic and choose from the entire spectrum of behaviour appropriate to the situation.
INTIMACY
Intimacy is expressing feelings of warmth, tenderness, and closeness toward others. One must shed masks and old programming, if any, and be warm toward people. One should not be sarcastic or play games with people. One should learn to let go and develop a capacity for intimacy.
People moving toward autonomy expands their personal capacities for awareness, spontaneity, and intimacy. Once you are open and have no conflicting voices within, you are in full control. There is no tension. You feel happy.
EXERCISE
Look inward to know yourself deeper.
Spare a few moments for yourself in a quiet place.
Just ponder:
How often do you behave like a child? Do you sulk or get angry often? Do you still laugh and play like a child?
What parental influences have you inherited? Do you have too many rigidities and prejudices? Are you nurturing and kind toward people?
How often do you analyse situations impartially? Are you aware of the circumstances and feelings of others? Do you make decisions in the here and now?
Are you still carrying burdens from the past that you would like to shed off?
How stressed do you feel?
Do you feel happy, content, and peaceful?
Are you doing your best under the situations?
What changes would you like to make in your life?
Where do you see yourself five years from now, ten years from now?
Take your own time. No hurry.
Get back to the questions that you feel are important and give a second thought.
Keep exploring. Try to be better and better every day.
You will feel liberated and on control of your destiny.
THE PARABLE OF THE EAGLE
Have you heard of the parable of the eagle? The parable is paraphrased beautifully in ‘Born to win’:
“Once upon a time, while walking through the forest, a certain man found a young eagle. He took it home and put it in his barnyard where it soon learned to eat chicken feed and to behave as chickens behave.
“One day, a naturalist who was passing by inquired of the owner why it was that an eagle, the king of all birds, should be confined to live in the barnyard with the chickens.
“Since I have given it chicken feed and trained it to be a chicken, it has never learned to fly,” replied the owner. “It behaves as chickens behave, so it is no longer an eagle.”
“Still,” insisted the naturalist, “it has the heart of an eagle and can surely be taught to fly.”
“After talking it over, the two men agreed to find out whether this was possible. Gently the naturalist took the eagle in his arms and said, “You belong to the sky, and not to the earth. Stretch forth your wings and fly.”
“The eagle, however, was confused; he did not know who he was, and, seeing the chickens eating their food, he jumped down to be with them again.
“Undismayed, the naturalist took the eagle on the following day, up on the roof of the house, and urged him again, saying, “You are an eagle. Stretch forth your wings and fly.” But the eagle was afraid of his unknown self and world and jumped down once more for the chicken food.
“On the third day the naturalist rose early and took the eagle out of the barnyard to a high mountain. There, he held the king of birds high above him and encouraged again, saying, ”You are an eagle. You belong to the sky as well as to the earth. Stretch forth your wings now, and fly.”
“The eagle looked around, back towards the barnyard and up to the sky. Still, he did not fly. Then the naturalist lifted him straight towards the sun and it happened that the eagle began to tremble, slowly he stretched his wings. At last, with a triumphant cry, he soared into the heavens.
“It may be that the eagle still remembers the chickens with nostalgia; it may be that he occasionally revisits the barnyard. But as far as anyone knows, he has never returned to lead the life of a chicken, He was an eagle though he had been kept and tamed as a chicken.”
Be a winner. Go, kiss the world!
“It takes courage to be a real winner – not a winner in the sense of beating out someone else by always insisting on coming out on top – but a winner at responding to life. It takes courage to experience the freedom that comes with autonomy, courage to accept intimacy and directly encounter other persons, courage to take a stand in an unpopular cause, courage to choose authenticity over approval and to choose it again and again, courage to accept the responsibility for your own choices, and, indeed, courage to be the very unique person you really are.”
A Pathway to Authentic Happiness, Well-Being & A Fulfilling Life! We teach skills to lead a healthy, happy and meaningful life.
The Science of Happiness (Positive Psychology), Meditation, Yoga, Spirituality and Laughter Yoga. We conduct talks, seminars, workshops, retreats and training.
Authored six books on happiness: Cultivating Happiness, Nirvana – The Highest Happiness, Meditate Like the Buddha, Mission Happiness, A Flourishing Life, and The Little Book of Happiness. He served in a bank for thirty-five years and has been propagating happiness and well-being among people for the past twenty years. He is on a mission – Mission Happiness!
☆ # 04: Effortless practices for Happiness and Stress Management ☆
KEEP EVOLVING, KEEP LEARNING
A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be ultimately happy. What a man can be, he must be. This need we may call self-actualization.
-Abraham Maslow
The happiest persons on this planet are engaged deeply in creative pursuits. They are constantly in a state of flow. They keep on creating, exploring, and evolving.
Happiness lies in activity. It is like a flowing river, not a stagnant pool. Keep moving. Keep exploring. Learning is fun. Be a lifelong learner. Grow. Evolve. One who learns continuously, one who evolves continuously, one who is never stagnant, always remains cheerful, happy, and forward looking. There is no anxiety, depression, or stress.
Action may not always bring happiness but there is no happiness without action. Happiness is not something ready-made. It comes from your own actions. You must do the work to achieve it.
The happiest persons on this planet are engaged deeply in creative pursuits. They are constantly in a state of flow. Time stands still for them. They never face boredom. One level of creativity leads to the next level. They keep on creating, exploring, and evolving. They exist at a different plane altogether.
Flow is total absorption in an activity – you lose sense of time and self. When you are in flow – deep into music, play, work, reading, or smiling with your child – oblivious of time and self, you are in heaven.
CREATE YOUR OWN HAPPINESS
What are you good at? What do you love doing? What is it that gives you contentment? Keep a palm on your heart and choose that activity honestly. Do not choose what others are doing or what you think will make you famous. Choose the activity that you are good at and find genuinely absorbing.
Try to find ways and means to do the activity as often as possible. Go deep into it and learn all the finer points. Develop your skills in the field, be a learner of the deepest level, and master all the skills needed to be the best in the field. Do not compare or compete with anyone else, compete with yourself, and be your best self.
Challenges will come. Overcome those challenges by hard work and matching your skills to meet the challenge. Stretching yourself more and more will take you to newer heights. You will be fully immersed in what you do. You will learn new skills every day. You will grow every day. You will evolve on an ongoing basis. There is no happiness like this.
Keep evolving, keep learning something new all the time. Think differently and be connected to creativity. Read a book, listen to music, paint, watch a movie, write poetry, pen a short story, record a video with a good message – anything meaningful and beautiful enough to engage you with intensity.
Create or immerse yourself in the creation of another mind. You may start with immersing yourself in the creativity of others and gradually learn to be creative in your own way. Do not be in a hurry. People often make the mistake of taking a jump before they are fully ready. Learning an art or a science takes a long time and requires patience and hard work.
You can create your own happiness by voluntarily engaging in activities like helping someone, being kind, expressing gratitude, nurturing social relationships, increasing flow experiences, practicing yoga and meditation, exercising regularly, and savouring life’s little pleasures. Choose the activities that you like and practice them regularly.
OPTIMAL EXPERIENCE
One must carefully understand each word of what Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says about engagement and happiness, “Happiness is not something that happens. It is not the result of good fortune or random chance. It is not something that money can buy or power command. It does not depend on outside events, but rather on how we interpret them.
“Happiness, in fact, is a condition that must be prepared for, cultivated, and defended privately by each person. People who learn to control inner experience will be able to determine the quality of their lives, which is as close as any one of us can come to being happy.
“The best moments in our lives are not passive, receptive, relaxing times. The best moments usually occur when a person’s body or mind is stretched to its limits in a voluntary effort to accomplish something difficult and worthwhile. Optimal experience is thus something that we make happen.”
Flow is the psychology of optimal experience. The optimal state of inner experience is one in which there is order in consciousness. During flow, people experience deep enjoyment, creativity, and a total involvement with life.
Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says, “By stretching skills, by reaching toward higher challenges, a person, who has achieved control over psychic energy and has invested it in carefully chosen goals, becomes an increasingly extraordinary individual.”
PLATEAU EXPERIENCE
Abraham Maslow coined and defined the term “plateau experience” as a sort of continuing peak experience that is more voluntary and one that requires a lifetime of long and arduous effort.
Maslow describes the experience, “Such people who appear to be in harmony with their lives often have moments of an extraordinary occurrence called ‘peak experiences’. These are profound moments of intense rapture and well-being, along with possibly the awareness of ultimate truth and the unity of all things. Accompanying them is a heightened sense of control over the body and emotions and a wider sense of awareness.”
According to Ed Diener, “Psychological wealth includes life satisfaction, the feeling that life is full of meaning, a sense of engagement in interesting activities, the pursuit of important goals, the experience of positive emotional feelings, and a sense of spirituality that connects people to things larger than themselves.”
EXERCISE
Making the right decisions.
Imagine you have a collection of six hats of different colours – white, red, black, yellow, green, and blue. These are your tools for arriving at the right decisions in complex life situations.
Think of a problem that you have been facing. The problem is confusing and perplexing. You are finding it difficult to arrive at a solution.
Let us begin solving it in a creative and systematic way.
Begin with wearing the white hat.
The white hat denotes purity. You look only at the pure data. Just information and facts of the case. No opinion, views, or prejudices.
You may write down the problem and all related data on a sheet of paper, or prepare a document on your computer.
Make sure it is pure data, no opinions, or pre-conceived notions.
Take off the white hat and put on the red hat.
The red hat denotes emotions. Only emotions. What you feel. No logic, pure emotions.
Express and go through all the emotions. Your fears, anxieties, and hopes about the case. Whatever you feel. Let the whole range of feelings – positive, neutral, and negative – flow. No justifications needed.
Be as irrational and emotional as you can.
Take off the red hat and put on the black hat.
The black hat is the devil’s advocate. Everything that is wrong and that may go wrong in the case. All the failures, drawbacks, and negatives about the case. The emotional as well as the logical dark side.
Imagine all that can go wrong and the havoc that may be created.
Now, take off the black hat and put the yellow hat.
Yellow is the colour of sunshine, positivity, and optimism. Look at the brighter side of the problem and list all that is good and full of hope about it.
Look at all the positives and be full of optimism and hope.
Take off the yellow hat and put on the green hat.
Green is the colour of creativity and nature. Be creative. Look at the problem from totally different perspectives. Be creative. Think laterally. Think something new, innovate, and out of the box.
Imagine what no one has ever thought about the problem. Be disruptive in your thinking, not just incremental. Find totally new solutions. Brainstorm to the fullest. Use your whole range of thinking – make use of the entire rainbow.
Now, put down the green hat and put on the blue hat.
Blue is the colour of the sky. It covers everything.
Consider whatever you have thought and felt wearing all the hats – white, red, black, yellow, and green – and summarize them. You must arrive at a balanced decision, taking everything into consideration. You must weigh all the pros and cons.
Make the ultimate decision. Let there be no doubt in mind. All apprehensions must be given consideration and cleared. Take very single factor into account and arrive at the most comprehensive decision.
Your decision should not be lopsided or taken without considering any angle. Let it be all encompassing.
You arrive at the right decision and there is no stress.
This method of arriving at a balanced decision in complex situation has been devised by Edward de Bono and is known as the Six Thinking Hats.
Not being able to reach at the right decisions causes stress and anxiety. Knowing how to make the right decisions relieves you of stress. If you have a thinking mind, if you are creative, if you are positive, if you believe in activity, and if you are not afraid to take the right decisions, you will always be happy and stress-free.
“Thinking is the ultimate human resource. Yet we can never be satisfied with our most important skill. No matter how good we become, we should always want to be better. The main difficulty in thinking is confusion. We try to do too much at once. Emotions, information, logic, hope, and creativity all crowd in on us. It is like juggling with too many balls. The six thinking hats allow us to conduct our thinking as a conductor might lead an orchestra. We can call forth what we will.”
Six Thinking Hats/ Edward de Bono
“A good life is one that is characterized by complete absorption in what one does.”
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