See the episode number today, it’s 25. Yes, it’s incredible indeed to see that 25 editions are published in this journey and each story has answered some questions, given insights to some people and in the end, I always tried to provide the reader with the opportunity to step out of his/her horizon. So let me brief you guys on how I write my edition and prepare for it every week. Before I start, I first think of a question that can be answered with that edition. I then think about different answers and then jot them down with my thoughts and ideas. When I am stuck with what to write, I just get influenced by my mind and let it write down for me. So today’s edition is actually not me but my mind trying to speak up, you guessed it right I am stuck on what to write. The truth is I am delighted by the fact that today I am publishing my 25th edition and the joy is literally blocking my writer’s mind. I promise though that today’s edition will be as fun as any other you read here. I am sure in life we have so many questions we keep pondering about. Sometimes we are overwhelmed by those questions and we leave them unanswered. Today the questions I am about to ask are not to increase your overwhelm but just to have a moment to explore within you. The questions I am about to ask each contain a story, task or quotes and then a question. You are free to answer the questions or just read the edition and leave it. I highly suggest you answer the questions because believe me you will feel something special by the end of this edition. To the person reading this feel free to grab a paper and a pen or just think of the perspectives/answers and type them out in your phone somewhere.
Before we begin I wish to clarify one thing that today’s edition is involved with questions on self-growth and the reason I bought these questions, stories and tasks is that this is a fun exercise as well and a learning opportunity by exploring within us. Just reminding out that there is no correct answer for these questions and all the questions revolve around insights, thoughts and perspectives that you will write down or think about. That’s why I wish to call this “Exploring within you” project. This is a small project I thought of long back, though I am still working on it, I bought you the smallest version of this project! Let’s dive in now!
Question 1: What's your definition of success?
Joshua Liebman, an American Jewish rabbi, relates a beautiful tale in his book, Peace of Mind.
He describes that as a teenager, he made a list of all that he should aspire for in his life. He then took this list to a wise person in his neighbourhood.
The astute old neighbour looked at Joshua’s list and said, ‘Young man, the list is thoughtfully framed. But one item is missing. And without it, all else is useless.’ ‘What is this item that is so critical?’ inquired Joshua.
‘Peace of mind,’ replied the astute neighbour. ‘If you do not have peace, you will be miserable and unhappy. What will be the use of all other attainments?’
Joshua’s neighbour wisely pointed out that any definition of accomplishment in life that does not include peace is shallow and incomplete.
What's your definition of success?
Question 2: What’s the definition of friendship for you?
Here is a task you can try out instead of a story. I just want you to think of all friends you have and then answer this question. The reason I bought this question today is not to count how many friends you have but to let you understand what true friendship holds. So you can try this little exercise, I created before answering the question.
So a lot of people post tweets or statuses on social media, I do as well. So one time I tried doing this for fun. I tweeted out, “Big Day Today, Wish Me Luck!”
None of my friends knew anything about the Big D-Day I was talking about. A lot of people texted me that day and each text was fun to read. So some of my friends texted me all the best, wrote some motivational words like you are the best, whatever it is you will ace it etc. Some started asking me about what the day was and kept asking me questions but hardly wished me luck. So I never received any luck from that group of people. There was the third group where some texted me the next day, asking how my day went and if I had aced the day or not.
If you are wondering what my point in this exercise was, it’s just that everyone in our life thinks about us differently and when someone knows us the best they would respond to us differently and mostly what we would want at that minute. So at that point, I only asked for luck and not any questions. Some friends did send me that motivation. Surprisingly one of my best friends didn’t text me at all and the reason was that she was off to her village. So it’s also important that this exercise is not based on what your friendship holds with someone it’s just to find out what friendship means to you. So please don’t email me stating this activity is ridiculous because I am not measuring anything by this it’s just a fun activity I tried once. My perception was those who didn’t ask me any questions and knew that I would be tensed just sent me luck because I asked for it. Others were more curious and less cared about my situation. Though the last group of people who texted me the next day and became my well-wishers, I never really could perceive anything about them. I believe they didn’t want to disturb me so they just sent their best wishes and hoped I do good.
Let’s talk numbers now, the first set who just wished me luck was 5, the second set who only kept asking questions was around 100 and the others who texted me the next day was again 5. Then I did the next fun exercise, I asked the 10 people from the first and third set a question, why we are friends? The answers I received were pretty fun to think about and I didn’t expect such answers. Some found it really hard to explain how it all started and how we became friends and that reflected why the bond became special.
You can try this out or there is one video I came across on my LinkedIn feed by Simon Sinek about friends exercise last week. Try that out instead. After the exercise, you will have your own answer to this question I asked, What’s the definition of friendship for you?
Question 3: If you could choose three words to describe yourself, what would they be?
To answer this question I have two quotes which you can read and then think on.
“Identity is partly heritage, partly upbringing, but mostly the choices you make in life.” – Patricia Briggs, Author
Meaning: Your identity is made up of heritage (meaning, your country and culture), upbringing (meaning, your parent’s lessons), and your choices
“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” – Mahatma Gandhi
Meaning: Through helping others, you learn the most about yourself.
Now is the time for you to think about the three words that you would use to describe yourself.
Well, that was the “exploring within you” project, if you have answered all the questions, you might find something new that you never thought about yourself which reflected during this course. When your friends answer the question of why we became friends, there might be a chance that you never thought that person thought about you this way and found a quality in you that you hardly noticed earlier. Sometimes you might also be sure of your answers and then it’s just the time for you to realize that you are a great explorer. There are only three questions over here and I intend to add more when I finally design the entire project. I hope that you did have fun answering these questions and feel free to share your reflection over email or in the comments. Since this is a project, if you wish to explore further you can always reach out and I would be happy to e-meet you. Finally, I just want to take a moment to thank all the wonderful and remarkable HoPatrons and readers of this newsletter for their amazing support and enthusiasm. Best wishes to you all :)
Bye for now!
Cheers
Ganga
Disclaimer: All the thoughts and ideas discussed are exclusively the author’s individual thoughts and do not represent any association/foundation/individuals the author is related to. Anything that may have hurt the sentiments of any group or groups of individuals is inadvertent and without malice. The author at no point means to demonize or insult any religion, practice, gathering, or individual.