If I were to ask you to complete the sentence, ______________ makes me happy, what would be the one defining statement you would give me? What is THE one thing that makes you happy? After 22 years of existence, I can tell you I have been able to solve the mystery of my life. All along, I really used to wonder as to what keeps one happy. A lot of us like to call it passion. Some also believe it to be the 'purpose of life' used interchangeably in most cases. Personally, I would get too lost if someone asked me what my life's purpose was. I might even run. So I'll give my inner wisdom some more time till it retrospects to those subtleties of life.
Drifting through the vicissitudes of living, it is easy to ignore what one likes and what keeps one happy and supress the voice of the soul. But it took ages till it dawned on me as to what kept the senses of my inner voice gratified. Achievement. Of course, finding this out has been anything but easy.
As a 9th grader, I remember dancing out of sheer ecstacy on the eve of the last exam. Grandiose plans of a class outing to the nearest eat-out needed to be charted out. The telephone line was constantly engaged discussing who all would be able to make it and who would not. Blackmailing sessions ensued, threatening the other of not talking if they didn't turn up. It was going to be a great day. Man, what would a world be like without a 'cool' gang of guys and girls hanging around at arbit eat-outs. Friends meant the world, really. Come exam day. Such days are the ones that constitute the vagaries of life. Now who on earth could think about studying for the exam when so many things were pending on the To-Do-List. No prizes for guessing, if I say the exam was a disaster, I would be making a gross understatement. I know God exists because I live to tell you that I passed that exam. Anyway, so it was party time now? Time to celebrate life. And where was I? Home. With a face like that of a convoluted rattlesnake, in order to stop those watery things get out
of my eyes. The 'gang', fun, chilling out.. everything took a backseat when I had not ACHIEVED my goal. Things havent changed much over the years. Just that I live in constant realisation that all these things follow when you have achieved what you set out to achieve.
I dont intend to cloud the emotion I attach with the word achievement. It doesnt always refer to achieving academically. At this point in time, I am reminded of a quote that I stick to the letter to.
Trust yourself. Create the kind of life you will be happy to live with all your life. Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into the flames of achievement.
Foster C. McClellan
College was a tale of sorts. There were relationships. And there were break-ups. There were right things. And there were wrong things(which of course seemed right back then). Phone became an indispensable element of livelihood. In all of this, died a weak soul which hardly got a chance to speak up.
Here, I pause to think of the day 'complete' in all of its meaning. Getting up at 5 in the silence of the night(5 is night in winter if you are in Delhi, though our maid would disagree), with a space for myself, when I get to take complete control of my thoughts to get a bird's eye view of where life is heading gives me more perspective than chatting on the IM client for 2 hours with a friend. I am not even remotely against spending time with friends, chatting on the net etc. After all, what life without sharing a laugh with an old bud. But I somewhere life is more than that.
Lasting happiness was indeed, possible only through personal achievement. When you and the soul, grow together. When you kindle the inner fire that lurks within you. Achievement defines me. When I achieve, I keep others around me happy because I AM happy. I live with more vitality and add meaning to my life. I make my life more richer and delightful, and thereby, yours.
I continue to advance confidently in the direction where my goals are. If I could wish one thing for you, it would be this. As for me, life has come full circle.
































