I came across the above picture here, and it spoke to me. Now I’m no fan of Beyonce and I actually liked Destiny’s Child back then. But it kind of puts my life in perspective. I’ve had my lows and highs, and I’m sure it’s nothing compared to the struggles that millions of people endure every day. Yet, it has left a mark on me; it’s part of who I am, and who I want to be. It has also made me more self-aware and conscious of my moods, thoughts and feelings – what makes me happy, sad, angry, upset, excited, irritable, and so on. So here are a bunch of fresh insights that I have gathered over the last few weeks.
Social media:
I’d be lying if I said that people’s behaviour on social media does not affect me. Every time I see a new album full of air-brushed images of a place they’ve been to (it’s practically their backyard, for all you know), with long pretentious write-ups and unimaginative captions thrown around, I burn deep inside. But today, my friend’s mom had a refreshing take on this, and I’m sharing her message here:
“Among the many excellent uses of Facebook, I wonder if anyone has considered the ‘bhavsagar taran’ aspect. I think FB has the potential of liberating us from the relentless cycle of death and rebirth by letting us also live the lives of so many of our friends doing wonderful stuff. Why should I hanker to travel here, climb there, eat this or that, see wondrous sights when it is all being done and described for me? I feel most gratified by the daily celebration of life as found on FB, and feel relieved to tick one more item off my wish list…because I know how it feels, now. Thanks, friends, for sharing your moments and making life replete and whole. I hope we are all assisting each other in the process of achieving liberation from earthly desires.”
And she was not being sarcastic. This is the kind of positivity she exudes. So here’s the deal: when people share their happy moments on Facebook, they are (most of them at least) not trying to mock your life or show off their awesomeness. I believe that it has to do with a natural human tendency to share happiness and good news. It strengthens relationships and brings people closer. It’s not about you. So, let them post their vacation pictures in peace.
Saying ‘yes’ and saying ‘no’
I’m one of those people who can’t say No. If a friend wants to meet or if someone asks me a favour, I usually hesitate a bit, if I don’t want to do it, but eventually convince myself that I have to do it. Just because I can and I should. Also because they asked, and you’ll hurt their feelings if you said No.
Today, I think I may have stood up a friend who demanded I meet him for lunch. I had no intention of going and I politely told him I have work. But he insisted, so I said I’ll try. And then I ignored his calls. Which is something I usually don’t do, but in this case, I had to resort to the extreme step of ignoring his calls. And the thing is, I do not feel guilty at all. Simply because this has happened way too many times, and every single time, I have said Yes when I should have said No, and later regretted it. So I’m relaxed now; it’s okay if I may have unintentionally burnt a bridge. I never needed to get to the other side anyway.
I have also had difficulty saying Yes to many things. Like, a new adventure, a new hobby, a new assignment, a fun party with people I do not know, a bowl of salad, an extra round of cardio. Why? Because I wasn’t confident enough to pull these things off. I thought people would find me boring, or I would suck at a new hobby or assignment, or I’d be too scared to take up a new adventure. But surprisingly, I have been proven wrong on all the above instances.
I went zip-lining and hot air ballooning in Rajasthan and loved the adrenaline rush – I’m now looking forward to going white water rafting in the Ganges. I tried my hand at painting a mug recently and realised I wasn’t bad. I thought I’d be terrible at cooking but I’m a proud, confident amateur home cook now, and I’m at this stage in life where baking has become a favourite hobby. I thought I did not have it in me to do magazine-style travel writing but it’s one of the many things I’m doing these days to make a living, and editors have appreciated my writing style and ideas. And it’s only because I took a chance with people that I found M, the absolute love of my life, and it’s also how I made new friends in this new city, which has been my home now for over a year. Random plans and parties. Open bar. Open mind.
So, I’m getting to a point where I kind of know when to say Yes and when to say No, and I use it at every opportunity. Takes a big load off your chest, trust me.
People are just like you and me
I don’t mean that in a homogenising way; of course, each of us has our own individuality. But fundamentally, most people fear the same things you do. Scared of flying? So are millions of people, most of whom are frequent flyers. Have a weird fetish? There are possibly plenty of others who have their own quirks, and are as uncomfortable about it as you are. Worried about coming across as a bore at a party where you don’t know half the people? You are not alone. It’s probably how everyone else is feeling too; they probably don’t know half the people at the party, they don’t know what they’re doing there or how to approach a stranger, what to talk about. Yet, we all try. We make an effort. And we fail. We also discover amazing people, create great opportunities and enrich our lives, in the process. We are all novices at this game.
Most people also like the same things you do. Enjoy travelling? Scores of people would be genuinely interested in your stories. Like music? Great! You’ll have plenty of music-filled evenings to look forward to. It’s not all that difficult to interact with people once you find commonalities. It builds empathy, and it is key to building relationships that last.
It also makes you feel like an equal, because you don’t have to feel inferior to someone else just because they have a better lifestyle or a successful career. You’ll never know what their problems and struggles are; you’ll never know what they lost to get to where they are. They are perhaps lonely, or have a huge debt. So instead of judging people and having preconceived notions about them, approach them with genuine interest and curiosity; you’ll be surprised at how well they respond to you, and how relieved and happy they will feel that you chose to initiate a conversation with them. This is, of course, going to make you feel happier and more confident too. Treat every situation as if it were net practice, It’s okay if you screw it up. Everyone has good days and bad days.
And it’s okay if they don’t share your interest or your views. One of my learnings, ever since I left college, has been that you don’t even have to be on the same wavelength as your friend. And no, you don’t have to be ardent GOT fans either, or bond over your love for Hugh Jackman’s abs. After a point in life, to make genuine, lasting friendships, you simply need empathy and an open mind. Most importantly, you need to love yourself. More on that later.
This is turning out to be a super long post. You know what that means right? Yeah, Part-2 coming your way soon, whether you like it or not.