Life is short… Too short I guess and in that span we learn, experience and feel too many things. We complain, we nag, we advice, we talk, we laugh, we cry, we hurt and get hurt, we dance, we sing, we pray, we run, we work; all too many moments in life are experienced and expressed through these basic emotions. All these human expressions so simple yet the building blocks of the time of our life. Yet we learn to complicate things – because we don’t like things being simple you know.

We get all worked up about homework from school, and about the science project and exams coming up, about the summer job that you didn’t get and your girlfriend cheating on you, about your parents not giving you enough pocket money to buy that fancy cell phone which your friend has. Projects need to be delivered on time and girlfriends need to be kept happy, need to work hard to earn that dough to want something that we don’t need or not being a necessity and a mere luxury and putting in our whole time ignoring the underlying moments we’ve missed.

We ignore calling friends, meeting relatives, community service, doing something we love (can be a trek in the Himalayas or a short vacation  in Goa) just waiting for the right moment to do it – which eventually never comes. This leads to health problems and psychological problems which when clubbed with day-to-day problems makes us break down. If we keep being materialistic we will always end up being unhappy. If we attach ourselves so much to the price tag of an item, the actual reason behind loving it is lost – the true value and the true lesson.

The Little Things – They say that if one learns to be happy with a few cents; they’d be rolling down on the floor singing jingles if given a dollar.

I still remember I started my career with a salary of about Rs 10K a month and it was a tough time for me. I was the man of the family and my mom on the death bed and my sister a mentally challenged child and a new job to prove myself. I remember days when I would admit my mom at the hospital (due to her Cancer), get some bread and butter for my sister and lock her up at home with the TV switched on with faith in God that he would take care of her (and he did) and would go to work. It was during this phase that I never neglected my duties as a son and brother but also as an employee and excelled in my role and extra curricular activities (and for those who know would agree). This went on for a few years and I survived this phase with the only motivation – that a new day would get me a fresh surprise, a fresh challenge. This taught me a valuable lesson – not to complain (because I didn’t have anyone to complain to) but to get up and solve my own problems.

I started valuing what I had and the little I could get. I started valuing the tiny smile on my mothers face when I would see her, the moment when my sister would run to me at the end of the day and hug me. If they didn’t complain why would I? If they could be so motivated why wouldn’t I? This is what made me a severally self-motivated person. But yes I did have my days when I would throw all of it away and sit and break down. But I knew at the end of the day it wouldn’t matter as I had to get up and be strong and get it all done.

Today when I meet individuals who have life in a golden spoon and yet are filled with complains about not having the cherry on the top of an ice-cream, I say Thank you Lord for giving me those days and testing me; for today I stand a happy man.

Learn to value what you have. Learn to value the effort for what a person does for you and not the end result; that’s what managers are there for. Learn to be happy by living simple and then strive for something greater rather than being unhappy in your current state – you will always be unhappy.

Stop – Observe – Value and Be Thankful …… Always.