Diwali is a festival of lights

Diwali is a festival of lights.  

Arun was standing across the street watching children having fun.

He saw one of those kids take a rocket in his hands, light it and launch it in the air. Rest of the children started clapping!

Arun, walked across the street, pulled the kid away from others, slapped him hard on his face. Thrice!

Arun grabbed him by his neck, lifted him up and said, 

"You try to act smart again, and I will launch you with these rockets !"

The kid was shocked, started crying. loudly.

The elders gathered all over the place.

"Who are you to tell my son, how to enjoy Diwali ? Dare you touch him again! Are you a psycho? He is just a kid!"

"Just a kid ?  I see this kid of yours do it again, this society will have a kid less. Get it?", said Arun and walked away.

Kid's father wasn't wrong. Arun was kind of a psychopath. At least on Diwali nights. 

For someone who was responsible for his mother's death on a Diwali night, it was a win that he didn't kill himself

He has never touched a cracker since that day.  He goes to the orphanage down the street and brings new clothes, toys and sweets for kids there. 

The smile on those faces, more than makes up of for the scars of the past. That is what a "Happy Diwali" means to him.

12 BASIC ASANA'S (POSTURES) AND PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES)

12 BASIC ASANA'S (POSTURES) AND PRANAYAMA (BREATHING EXERCISES)

Asana is one of the eight limbs of classical Yoga, which states that poses should be steady and comfortable, firm yet relaxed helping a practitioner to become more aware of their body, mind, and environment. The 12 basic poses or asanas are much more than just stretching. They open the energy channels, chakras and psychic centers of the body while increasing flexibility of the spine, strengthening bones and stimulating the circulatory and immune systems. Along with proper breathing or pranayama, asanas also calm the mind and reduce stress. With regular practice one can ensure overall physical and mental health and the possible prevention of diseases such as diabetes, hypertension and arthritis. In time, performing the poses slowly and consciously, becomes a mental exercise in concentration and meditation. 12 Basic Asanas Headstand (Sirshasana)  Shoulderstand (Sarvangasana)  Plough (Halasana) Fish (Matsyasana)   Sitting Forward bend (Paschimothanasana) Cobra (Bhujangasana) Locust (Shalabhasana) Bow (Dhanurasana) Spinal twist (Ardha Matsyendrasana) Crow (Kakasana)  Standing forward bend (Pada Hasthasana) Triangle (Trikonasana) Pranayama (Breathing exercises)   By far the most important thing about good breathing is the Prana, or subtle energy of the vital breath.  Control of the Prana leads to control of the mind. Breathing exercises are called Pranayama's, which means to control the Prana.   First the basics of breathing will be taught and then the two main Pranayama's taught are Kapalabhati and Anuloma-Viloma (there are 4 stages in this, each done step-by-step).

Some Important things which you need to teach the KIDS

1. To Swim.

2. Getting rid of stage fear.

3. A Sport.

4. Teach more than 4 languages.

5. A musical instrument.

6. Watch sensible movies.

7. Respect women.

8. Respect a person based on their character rather than their age.

9. How to know whether a person is sexually abusing them.

10. How to fight a sexual abuse.

11. Listen to your heart.

12. Travel a lot.

13. Meet people.

14. DO not trust people easily/very fast.

15. Never bow down if you are not wrong.

16. Help the Helpless.

17. Read books.

18. Respect a person's ideas and privacy.

19. No matter what; be honest to the person you love.

Here are some things I really, really wish I knew when I was twenty...!!!

Here are some things I really, really wish I knew when I was twenty.

->Love hurts, but not as much as not loving.

->The friendships you nurture will have a greater effect on your life than where you work or what you earn.

->You are not your job. You are not your bankroll. You are not the sum of your possessions.

->The company does not love you. It has no heart. You are replaceable. Keep your parachute handy.

->Few decisions will ever shape your future life more than who you choose to marry.

->To marry well, you must choose well.

->Love is a commitment.

->Believe it or not, passions grow out of your values. Make early, wise choices to value what (and who) is good, trustworthy, and praiseworthy.

->Integrity preserved is honor won.

->Rejoice in your health. It fades fast.

->Find a passion. Pick a hobby, own it: photography, juggling—whatever. Get your 10K hours of perfect practice in early and change your life.

->Don’t bother comparing yourself to others—this only leads to heartbreak, anger, and disappointment.

->Most disappointments grow from unmet expectations.

->Set realistic expectations for yourself, based on your strengths, then strive to exceed them.

->Don’t drive others to meet expectations they’ve committed to —lead, inspire, and help them do it.

->Don’t set expectations for others when they haven't or cannot commit to them.

->Don’t complain. Either change your situation, learn to cope, or change your perspective.

->Don’t worry about making big bucks out of the gate, worry first about doing whatever you have to do excellently.

->Little stuff matters—even in lowly jobs. The boss notices and even if not, your peers and colleagues do.

->Ultimately, privacy is a myth: God sees everything. The cloud records everything. NSA files everything. So, live transparently and don't waste useless energy hiding failures.

->Don’t look down on others because they don’t have what you didn’t earn —your intellect, your beauty, and your culture of birth are undeserved gifts…be humble.

->Failure is an opportunity: no great man or woman ever achieved significance without great failures to learn from.

->Never withhold an apology when it’s merited. Deliver it quickly, sincerely, and personally—before resentment festers.

->You don’t need to nurture old guilt when you're forgiven. But remembering the shame can help you avoid repeats.

->Mere belief in anything signifies little more than assent.It's trust and behavior that reveal where convictions lie.

->The main thing you need to do quickly is to stop doing things quickly. Trade hurry for calm, confidence, and precision.

->Everybody needs an editor.Everybody.

->Get your work done first so you can play without guilt. Even better, make work play and the fun never ends!

->If you want to develop your passion and gift, stop worrying about the things you do poorly. Go with your strengths!

->Avoid fights. Seriously. Avoid them like a plague: nobody wins in a fight, even if you walk away unscathed. But when a fight picks you, leave everything on the mat and give it your all. Hold nothing back.

->If you're bored, you’re doing it wrong.

->The skills that will help your career most are the abilities to assimilate, communicate, and persuade.Keep learning.

->Nothing in this life—no pain, no agony, no failure—compares to the eternal joy of Heaven. Live in light of eternity.

->Protect your joy. Nothing is easier to lose by over-thinking, over analyzing, and second-guessing. On the other hand, always consider the long-term consequences of your choices: stupid decisions made in the moment can rob you of years of joy and happiness.

->Your purpose in life determines how you frame events. You can maintain your joy in the most dire circumstances if you find meaning for your life. Dig deep.

->It truly matters what you think about. Think well by reading good books, building good, loving relationships, having good conversation, and imitating great people.

I'm still learning — in fact I haven’t fully appreciated most of the list I made, myself. And I’m still adding to it. But I’m getting better.

Because, as most people say, “love is blind,”

Because, as most people say, “love is blind,” it’s quite hard to choose whom you fall in love with and that’s why you should learn a few things about how to avoid getting romantically involved with the wrong person. That way, you won’t get your heart broken. I know you might be tempted to say that sometimes there's just nothing you can do and that one can’t simply avoid falling in love with a certain person who might ultimately make them unhappy. Even though we can’t always control our emotions, we can still control our thoughts and our actions and we can prevent certain mistakes from happening, mistakes we might regret later. Here is what you should know about how to avoid getting romantically involved with someone that is simply not good for you and who could really break your heart.

1. LOVE YOURSELF

One of the most important things you can do if you want to learn how to avoid getting romantically involved with the wrong person is, of course, to learn how to always love yourself. Embrace who you are and try to know yourself much better. You are the most important person in your life and your happiness should always come first. Don’t put other people’s needs before your own and accept yourself just the way you are.

2. DON’T BE AFRAID OF BEING SINGLE

Even if you’re not seeing anyone at the moment, you shouldn’t think that you’ll never meet your Prince Charming. You never know, your true love might be just around the corner waiting to meet you. By always feeling alone, you’ll become more vulnerable and you’ll be easy “prey” for the people who are not interested in having a serious relationship. So, take care of yourself and protect your feelings from getting hurt by being patient, by waiting for the right person and by never settling for less.

3. DO YOUR HOMEWORK

I know it may sound a bit paranoid, but there’s nothing wrong with taking care of yourself. That’s why I recommend you to do your homework and check if the things your new love has told you about himself or herself are in fact true. You could even check criminal records and you can do it very easily on the internet. After all, you never know who you’re going to meet and there are a few people out there who are brilliant con artists. It’s always better to protect yourself from getting hurt than to regret later that you didn’t do anything to prevent it.

4. DON’T FALL FOR THE SWEET TALK

If a person really likes you and really wants to be with you, then you should make them prove it to you. Don’t fall for the sweet talk! It’s always easy to say a lot of things you don’t really mean, but someone who is being honest will do anything in their power to make you believe that what they are saying is true and that their intentions are very serious. Be wise and cautious and don’t believe everything you hear!

5. TAKE YOUR TIME

Don’t hurry love! Take your time to know each other better and decide if he or she is the one for you after you’ve discovered both their qualities and their flaws. You might not be able to really know your partner in the beginning of your relationship because they will be trying to impress you, so wait a little bit in order to see their true colors.

6. LISTEN TO YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY

One of the best ways to avoid getting romantically involved with the wrong person is by always listening to your friends and family. After all, they are the most important people in your life and their opinions should matter to you. Maybe you are blinded by your feelings and you are not able to see your partner as they really are. Remember: your loved ones are only trying to protect you and they want to see you happy, so you should always take their opinion into consideration.

7. YOU DESERVE THE BEST

You should never settle for less in your love life because you are afraid you might not meet someone that will truly deserve you. You deserve the best and your happiness should be the most important thing in the world for you. Don’t make bad compromises that might get you hurt later! Pay attention to whom you entrust your love and make sure they truly deserve you. Don’t waste your time on the wrong people and “if something doesn't feel right, odds are it most likely won’t be.”

Sometimes it’s really hard to decide whom you’ll fall in love with but it’s not impossible. If you’re not taking care of your feelings, then no one else...

~ pearl

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.”

“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.” ~Jon Kabat-Zinn

A lot of couples see conflict as a time to bail—either because they were already looking for a way out or because they freak out and feel threatened. When our ego feels threatened, it activates our flight or fight response. Sometimes it may be hard to get resolution on a conflict, making matters worse.

Instead of seeing conflict as a threat to a relationship, what if we reframed this and saw conflict as an opportunity and a sign of growth in a relationship?

This requires understanding that conflict will inevitably occur in a close relationship. The only way of getting around it is to not share your opinion at all, which is not healthy.

So what if we focused on sharing our opinions in a way that is productive?

To do this: 

1. Remember not to sweat the small stuff.

Instead of making every little molehill a mountain, agree to not make something a battle unless it’s truly important. Realize that not every disagreement needs to be an argument. Of course, this doesn’t mean you bow to someone else’s demands when it’s something you feel strongly about, but take the time to question the level of importance of the matter at hand.

2. Practice acceptance.

If you find yourself in the midst of a conflict, try to remember that the other person is coming into the situation with a totally different background and set of experiences than yourself. You have not been in this person’s shoes, and while it may help to try to put yourself in them, your partner is the only person who can really explain where he or she is coming from.

3. Exercise patience.

Granted, it’s hard to remember this in the heat of the moment. But, stopping to take a few deep breaths, and deciding to take a break and revisit the discussion when tensions are not as high can sometimes be the best way to deal with the immediate situation.

4. Lower your expectations.

This is not to say you should have low expectations but it is to say that you should keep in mind you may have different expectations. The best way to clarify this is to ask what another’s expectations are in a scenario. Again, don’t automatically assume that you come into the situation with the same expectations.

But what if you are in the heat of a conflict and you don’t seem to be doing anything other than polarizing each other?

5. Remember you both desire harmony.

Most likely, you both want to get back on track and have a peaceful relationship. Also remember the feeling of connectedness that you want to feel. It’s hard to feel threatened by someone when you see yourselves as interconnected and working towards the same result.

6. Focus on the behavior of the person and not their personal characteristics.

Personal attacks can be far more damaging and long-lasting. Talk about what behavior upset you instead of what is “wrong” with someone’s personality.

7. Clarify what the person meant by their action, instead of what you perceived their action to mean.

Most of the time, your partner is not deliberating trying to hurt you, and getting hurt happened to be a byproduct of that action.

8. Keep in mind your objective is to solve the problem, rather than win the fight.

Resist the urge to be contrary just for that reason. Remember that it’s better to be happy than right!

9. Accept the other person’s response.

Once you have shared your feelings as to what a person’s actions meant to you, accept their responses. If they tell you the intended meaning of their action was not as you received it, take that as face value.

10. Leave it in the past.

Once you’ve both had the opportunity to share your side, mutually agree to let it go. Best case scenario, your discussion will end in a mutually satisfactory way. If it doesn’t, you may choose to revisit it later. When making this decision, ask yoursel how important it is to you. If you make the lb kdecision to leave it in the past, do your best to do that, rather than bringing it up again in future conflicts.

Conflict can be distressing. If you see it as an opportunity for growth, it can help you become closer and deepen your relationship.