Come out of your comfort zone

Most of us might have heard this advice "Come out your comfort zone". 

Before coming out of comfort zone, let's think what is comfort zone? And how comfort zone is created?

To me, it's more about adaptability. If you are adapted to one condition or environment, it becomes your comfort zone. A new born cries immediately after it's birth. Because it's entering a zone which he or she is not used to. The comfort zone is the womb of its mom. But pushed to the uncomfortable zone. But he or she gets used to the environment, adapts to it and changes itself to a zone which is more comfortable for it. 

Similarly, one has to put a lot of hard efforts to make any zone his comfort zone. 

But is it applicable everytime? Have you ever experienced any situation where you meet some person for the first time and being more comfortable? Been to some new city and being so comfortable? Especially without any effort? You might have. When the thoughts are matching or when there is less dissimilarities or when the expectations are met, there comes the comfort. 

But that doesn't mean, less expectation will bring comfort. Less expectation brings less disatisfaction but doesn't bring comfort. 

So what brings comfort?

Its not just one factor but many factors influence it. More importantly the people. 

When you go to a new city, where you don't know the language, How will you feel when you are alone, when you want to buy something? In the same situation how will you feel, when you have your friend nearby. Though he doesn't know the language you will feel comfortable, isn't it? Number one factor.

Now let's consider some other scenario, a workplace. In workplace you may have colleagues who are friends, colleagues who cares you, cares your growth, positive influencers, role models, who aspires you, who inspires you and of course who pulls you down. Here, you can be comfort from day 1 but the comfort level keeps increasing because of the people around you. How many of you felt uncomfortable as the days go? Until unless there is a huge change. Why we become comfort? And why is it changing? Its none other than us who created the comfort. The comfort we needed. We struggle to create that comfort. In the process of creating comfort, we learn. Learn to make friends, learn to make process better, learn to be effecient, learn to be unconciously doing the process and learn to be expert. So when we become expert our learning stops. Comfort makes us lazy. 

Now let me talk something irrelevant. When a kid travels for the first time in flight, how excited it will be? Forget about kid. How was your first experience in flight? How excited you were before and after? Excitement level decreses after few boardings, isn't? Why? Have you ever thought? You become comfortable. The curiosity reduces.  Your excitement reduces. Your learning reduces. So? 

So,  they say come out of your comfort zone. Keep learning,  create new comforts. 

Stop expecting a comfortable ending of this passage.

Happy Reading!

You cannot master this!

To write about any topic one should be good at it, but here is one topic which one cannot master. I usually won't think much to decide the topic but this topic made me think for months not to collect the content but to take a decision whether to write or not. Yes, this topic is relevant for everyone in this world but no one can be a master in it.  If someone claims he or she is an expert in this,  it's obvious that they are not.

Yes you are right, It's maturity. 

A matured human knows he has not attained the level of maturity.  Only those who are half matured, thinks they are matured.  I had this question in mind, I'm not matured,  then how I can write about maturity? I shouldn't write. I had this question again and again, but if I am not eligible to write,  no one in this world is eligible to write about maturity because no one is matured. If so who will write,  who will talk about maturity? Who will educate this world? After thinking long, I took a decision to write about maturity. It's not a great decision though, it opens my thought process, atleast when I write and read this.  

I didn't read much about maturity, in fact I'm a poor reader and a very poor follower. So it's my view, you may be more matured than me and so your thoughts may vary. We can always discuss about it. So let me ask the default question "what is maturity?" Maturity (according to me) is understanding and acting best based on situation. In short, How you handle the situation. Do we realise while doing that we can do better than how we are doing? Or we realize it late? Realization happens only in the later stage and by the time we realize, the moment is gone.  Mistakes are done and some cannot be rectified. One cannot completely ignore the mistakes but can reduce it. Behaving immatured is not always a mistake but might hurt others. 

Not sure how many of you experienced it, but I have. Thought I am very much matured and all my decisions are right,  when i was in class 10, I looked down at class 6 students that they are immatured. But we realize we are not matured during school only while entering college. The feel of becoming a much matured Adult comes on day one of college. Realization of immaturity of college days come only when we step into the first job. Is that Maturity comes with age? If so dont we feel, our grand parents sometimes behave immatured. At every stage of life we feel we are matured. But actually we aren't.

Maturity is accepting that I'm not matured but behaving beyond that understanding.

Happy Reading!

One Third of my Life!

With experience comes perfection. But its nothing wrong to be imperfect. Trying to be perfect is always good. In pursuit of being perfect don't miss to try. This piece would have just missed from being an article but this thought made this possible.

I was looking for the right context and words to make this perfect. I was supposed to write it on 9th may, a week ago but I couldn't. And I thought I have missed it and had a hard feeling since it is important to me. "Better late than never" these words gave me the guts to write this though its late.  

It's about my life so it's important for me. Yes it's about one third of my life. There is nothing great to share but still i do. You may wonder, why i say there is nothing great. "Good is the enemy of Great". Great is defined by comparing it with something good or bad. Only then we will be able to find what's good or great. Everyday was great that I didn't have any day to compare and differentiate, what was good and what was great. I am talking about my days at my organization.

   

It's a decade now with my Organization. Oh really! I asked myself. The very first day when I joined here, I thought I should really serve long term - 5 years was my goal. Gradually after a couple of months I thought 3 years would be enough and I can switch to other companies. I used to wonder looking at my colleagues who had spent 5 yrs or 8 yrs with this wonderful Organization. I don't even remember how 3650 days passed by but each day was challenging and demanding. This keeps me moving. I have told many of my colleagues and friends that I'm gonna quit here or looking for change. Don't laugh, I might have told you as well.I have been telling this for past few years  but I haven’t quit. When I interospect, neither there is a push factor internally nor a pull factor externally. 

Some may say, our workplace is an extended family. But I would call it a family. May be I'm blessed or lucky to have people around. If I quote their name I need to attach an excel sheet and mention their name, sorry your name. Yes! You. Each and everyone who is reading this would have contributed directly or indirectly in these 10 yrs motivating me, guiding me, being with me and shaping me. 

I'm not exaggerating here. You may feel bored reading this. Of course, reading biography of a successful person would be interesting even if he drinks coffee, but a normal person's biography sorry story wouldn't be. Yet I should quote few things which I shouldn't miss. There were many ups and downs. But I cherish each and every moment. (I don't quote the names here for some reason) Have you played badminton with the Head of the function, not just one game but casually most of the days? Has your boss ever asked you, give me your details, let me find an alliance for you? Has your colleague become your friend accompanying you to look for alliances? Did your head become your friend planning trips with you? Head becomes care taker and stays with you in hospital when you are sick? Colleague invites you home for dinner, not once for formality but everyday when your parents were not at home? There is much more that i can't express. If all these happens with office colleagues, aren't they your family? 

Employees leave when they are less engaged. But for me, it happened without realization. I was engaged without any engagement programs. I should definitely mention here the world class gym facility, which is another pull factor that helps me wake up early in the morning and attracts me towards office. 

More importantly my friends,  my family,  my near and dear one who support me blindly in all my foolish activities, are the reason for whatever I have achieved. They are also the reason for the level of my madness. 

I feel grateful to all those who are with me and who were with me, for who I'm now.

Thank you for shaping me and making me!

I know you are more curious to know why I didn't mention the name of the Organization. If you know me you will know that as well.

Happy Reading! 

You decide the topic

I didn't think to write.. I didn't want to waste your time.. I didn't want to waste my time neither. But i am helpless. Im wasting my time to waste your time. Now i am not writing this with the intention to waste your time. No No. "Now" you are reading by wasting your time, I am not writing. Which is true? I know I'm writing is true because right now I'm writing. Only because I'm writing now, you can read it. So you agree that I'm telling the truth? If so aren't you reading now? If you are true then i am false. And if i am true. You are false. 

True or False is not the topic of this article. The title is "You decide the topic". So how will you arrive at the topic? We water the plant regularly, if we don't, it dies. But we don't water the fish instead we feed them. Different beings need different types of food to live healthy. For my blog the feed is my article, for me its writing and for you its reading my blog. 

Read and feed your brain! 

You can decide the topic and suggest on the comment. The best suitable title will not be rewarded instead considered for next title as a token of wasting time.

Happy reading!

The Unknown Legends

Usually when I start writing any piece of blog, I start with things which are irrelevant to the subject. This time I am not going to divert you because I am going to write something serious and important. Mmmmm wait, Let me be myself. Because, anything serious conveyed seriously won't reach the targeted audience effectively. So I have to take this route of conveying indirectly. 

Think about any personality whom you like or follow. I am sure you will not think about the one whom I am writing about. Have a list of best personalities may be 5 or 10, still you won't think of the one in our subject. When we think of personalities, we think about celebrities, cricketers, speakers, authors, etc. But I am sure, this type of person would have made a difference in your life, yet we don't remember them. 

The world has recognized the best singers, best authors, best speakers, and best in all kind of arts but failed to recognize the one who is more important than all these personalities. Take a moment to think about those personalities who influenced your life positively. 

Humans are meant to face both ups and downs. When we are happy we talk, we express, and we enjoy the moment.  But when we are down, usually we won't express at least to those it doesn't matter. Yet we wish to express it indirectly to the one whom we trust and love. We expect them to understand us. And we want them to listen to us. 

Have you come across anyone, with whom you share your downs and when they listen, you feel light? I'm sure it’s an YES. You don't need advice but just a listening heart. 

Listening is a skill. It can be developed but it should come from the heart. 

We come across the term communication very often. He doesn't know how to communicate. His communication skill is poor. He is bad at communication. When we say this, are we right? Here we mean only the words. Communication is not just the words which we speak or write. It’s more about Non verbal and Listening. We tend to forget the most important part of it. I am not a good speaker, but a good listener. If you feel so, next time when someone comments you, your communication is not good, give him back. [But it’s always good to improve the speaking and writing skills] okay let’s not talk management. Let’s be practical.

Have you thanked someone who has been a good listener to you? Have you listened to someone who is in need? Some of us might have come across or heard from others, had I been there to just listen to his words, by this time he will be with us. Many lives are lost because they feel there is no one to listen to them. Listening is more powerful than speaking or writing. Speaking or writing can change the life of many but listening can save one's life. 

Be a good listener. Listen by your heart. It won't take a much deal to be a good listener. But it brings a lot of difference. You won't be popular being a good listener. You won't influence hundreds of people but you can be a life saver. 

This piece of post is dedicated to all "The Unknown Legends" who listened to others when needed. This is for you too, because by reading this, you are listening to me, to my heart what I am saying. 

Keep Listening!!!

Keep Reading!!!