Dear Millennials - A Letter to the Lost Generation.

Dear Millennials, 

We're the most educated generation in history. Generation where a 10-year-old is an app developer, where a 21-year -old is leading a successful life and also a generation where 14 year olds are giving relationship advice!

We're safer than we've ever been. We're educated, technologically advanced. We've got it all....

BUT It is also a bitter fact that Millennial generation is extremely internet nerd. We spend more time before virtual world than the real world.

There's a famous question: "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound??"

Now see how this question has evolved today: 

• If you don't post a picture of your dinner on Instagram, did you still eat it? 

• If your friends doesn't upload a picture with you on Facebook, are they even your friends? 

• If you wake up with no notification, no friend requests and no messages, do you even exist?

Coming back to the question - "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?"

You know what? 

It does!

We're Degrading With the Advance in Technology.

Allow me to tell you how!

You know what's the most disgusting thing about our generation?

This! 

Do you see that little dot in the water? That's a man who was drowning. 

A group of teenagers not only recorded him drowning but laughed and mocked him while he was crying for help and struggling to save his life. 

"We not gonna help your ass. Ain't nobody gonna help you. You shouldn't have gone there, you dumb." 

These are direct quotes from the video. When the man went underwater and never returned, they laughed. (He's dead ahahaha) 

They watched a man lose his life right in front of them and did nothing. Instead, recorded a video and laughed at it. When interviewed about this, they showed no remorse. Sh!t like this makes me sick.

This was just an instance. Things like these happen everyday and everywhere. 
Remember the Arjun Bhardwaj's case? 

Who is to be held accountable for such happenings? It's You! It's we Millennials who cannot think about selfie trend. Go out and have a look.. are there people walking or just a technology slave in the name of human!?

We youngsters keep talking so much of crap for which we have zero idea but like to brag everything from Instagram followers, Quora views, Youtube fame to Business strategies and hacks on how to become "RICH."

NO! This is not any hate or negative letter. But the thing is. . . Along with all the positives- the internet and social media world has opened a box of disasters.

What else should I say?! 

It's not a thing to Say, but to Understand!!

Don't forget this - Our parents and their parents and their parents had no access to mobiles phones and internet, but they not only survived but actually lived. 

Sincerely yours,

A Fellow Millennial! (1992)

You Are What You Think.

Our mind is a very powerful thing. I have always heard the statement 'You are what you think you are' from some great folks including my Dad. So one day I decided to give it a try and did an experiment on myself. I was suffering from acne problem. It was not the kind of acne which would pop up occasionally. But the one which kept on coming and increasing making it worse. Despite visiting number of skin specialist none of their treatment worked for me. That's the time when I decided I would begin telling myself that 'I am having a clear, flawless skin.' I would repeat this statement to myself. And you know what? It worked. I am now having a clear, flawless skin.

The Law Of Attraction

Image Source: Pixabay

Simply put, the law of attraction is the ability to attract into our lives whatever we are focusing on. Whether we believe it or not, we are responsible for bringing both positive and negative energy into our lives. If you spend your days moaning over the past mistakes and regrets, you'll likely see more negativity appearing; but if you're optimist who try to look for the silver lining in every situation, you'll surely find more positivity around you. 

Happiness or unhappiness is not a natural phenomenon. Happiness or unhappiness is a learned trait, which is the result of the wrong conditioning of mind.

• An animal does not know how to be unhappy. Hence, animals are never unhappy.
• A child does not know how to be unhappy. Hence, children are never unhappy.

A grown up man, however, learns a million reasons to be unhappy. Hence, he is unhappy most of the time as one or more reasons are always present in his life all the time.The only way to become happy in life to get rid of the false notions that are making us unhappy.

Just like a man becomes naturally healthy, if freed from all illness; a man becomes naturally happy, once he discards all the notions of unhappiness learned by him since his childhood.

This is the key to the law of attraction... Whatever we will think, we will attract that into our lives. Think positive and positive things will happen.

Watch Your Thoughts.

Image Source: Pixabay

There are people who are always more happy, positive and fulfilled with their lives. And there are people who are unhappy, depressed and pessimist. What do you think makes them different from one another? Sure, circumstances plays an important role in influencing a person's mind. But the main difference between these two types of people is in their thoughts! People choose, with their own free wills to either dwell on the positive side or on the negative side. The people who are always happy and upbeat have chosen to look on the brighter side of things, even in the worst scenarios imaginable. The negative kind of people have chosen to dwell on the bad stuff that can go wrong. So in order to be happy fill your mind with happy thoughts.

How To Use The Power Of Your Mind.

Image Source: Pixabay

• To begin with, imagine your life the way you want it.
• Create a picture in your mind and visualize it all day long, especially before going to bed.
• Have a strong belief that whatever you're thinking in your mind, you'll make it happen. Your belief should be powerful enough to turn your imagination into reality.
• This is how it all works. Ask for it, believe it will happen, give thanks for all you have with passion and it will happen.

But hey, don't expect the results coming overnight or within just a week of practice. It will take time. It took me some 8 months to a year for my skin to be acne free.

The Unbelievable Power Of Belief.

I came across this amazing stuff somewhere on the Internet, which I would like to share.

During a brutal study at Harvard in the 1950s, Dr. Curt Richter placed rats in a pool of water to test how long they could tread water. On average they'd give up and sink after 15 minutes.

But right before they gave up due to exhaustion; the researchers would pluck them out, dry them off, let them rest for a few minutes, and put them back in for a second round.

In this second try, how long do you think they lasted?

Remember - They had just swam until failure only a few short minutes ago...

How long do you think?

Another 15 minutes?

10 minutes?

5 minutes?

No!

60 hours!

That's not an error.

That's right! 60 hours of swimming.

The conclusion drawn was that since the rats BELIEVED that they would eventually be rescued, they could push their bodies way past what they previously thought impossible.

I will leave you with this thought : If hope can cause exhausted rats to swim for that long, what could a belief in yourself and your abilities, do for you?

Believe in what you want so much that it has no choice but to materialize!

Is Technology Killing Human Touch? Resulting in Depression!

A lot of stuff has been said and written about Depression since the death of Arjun Bhardwaj. A 24 year old student who committed suicide on 3rd April jumping from 19th floor Taj Lands End Hotel in Bandra. What is more daunting is that, he went live on facebook minutes before committing suicide. In the video, he explained 'how to commit suicide' and posted it on Facebook. He then broke the window of his hotel room and jumped. Report says he was depressed. 

Almost everyday youngsters commit suicide. What's exception in this case? It's the fact that Arjun smoked, drank and gave a suicide tutorial online- actions that amazed people far more than the suicide itself. It's the fact that 'WE' the generation of 21st century have become so advanced that we can live chat with a person from miles away but we've failed to reach out to a person who is just beside us.

 In Facebook, Instagram world where everything is just so outward; where the happiness of a youngster is directly related to the number of likes on their Facebook dp.. we're good at putting filters, we're good at clicking pictures of our food and posting it on social media, we're good at showing people that life is Amazing- even though You're Depressed! Depression!! A state of low mood which makes a person feel sad, hopeless, helpless and worthless. Everyone fails or feels horrible at some point in their life. 

Arjun Bhardwaj, I don't know what made you take such a drastic step. Was it because you failed in your exam? or because you had been depressed? Whatever the reason might be.. all I know is, 'Suicide' was Not an option!!

Images from his video tutorial.

• Didn't you for a moment thought of all the countless success stories where people rose high in their lives despite all the failures and hardships?!
• Didn't you thought about the influence your video might have on young minds while live streaming it?!
• Didn't you for a minute thought about your parents?!
• If only you had communicated with your parents or friends, they would have told you how much you mattered for them.
•  If only you would have understood life better, you would have know that nothing remains the same. A year from now your life would have taken a completely different turn. 
• If only....

Lately I've watched a video on MTV on Millennial where they have interpreted our generation so precisely. This is what was said..

Engagement with social media and our cell phones releases a chemical called Dopamine. That's why when you get a text you feel good. It's why we count on likes because we know when you get it, you get a hit of dopamine which feels good. Dopamine is the EXACT same chemical that makes you feel good when we smoke, when we drink. In other words it's highly, highly addictive. When significant stress starts to show up in our lives, we're not turning to a person, we're turning to a device. 

 This is exactly where we're going wrong. When you feel lonely, rather than sharing you feelings with people you are close to, you switch to your cell phones scrolling through all the unnecessary sites.. making yourself feel more isolated. 

Can a depressed person feel low to the extent that he or she is ready to give up on life? May be. May be not! But yes, all a depressed person need, is to talk to someone, to let his distorting thoughts come out of his mind and someone to say him/her.. 'I'm there with you my friend, you're not alone!'

Some things which I would like to remind people of this generation and to the one who thinks that they're 'Depressed.'

• Don't be hard on yourself. We all fail in life.
• Keeping those disturbing thoughts within yourself can kill you from inside. Don't suffer in silence. Know that there's always going to be someone to help you out.
• Technology have certainly made our life easier. Everything we want we can have instantly. Except Strength of Relationship and that bond, that personal communication. There is no app for that. There can never be.
• Death is any easy way for people. Fighting is the solution.
• Spend more time with your family or friends. Build a support system so strong, that you will never feel lonely.
• Remember that no issue, however serious it might be.. has a dead end. Every cloud has a silver lining.
• Every life is precious. Ask the one who has lost their loved ones.
• Don't be another Arjun Bhardwaj.

Peace! 

If You Worry A Lot, You Need to Read This.

'Worry.' I can write a whole book on this topic with all the science and psychology behind our worries. But I'll try to make this article short and to the point. Because, yeah..my readers have a lot of things to worry about. 

I think the most common and destructive habits of the people living in this world must be the habit of worrying. We keep hearing from people that 90% of what we worry about never actually happen. Despite this truth we tend to remain the same. I think it's difficult to control our thoughts, specially when it comes from the negative side. We spend most of our time thinking about the negative outcomes rather than the positive ones.

Think about this for a moment- You wake up every morning, take your bath, have your breakfast and then proceed for your job or college or class or whatever it might be. On your way to your destination there are some days when it's too hot, days when it's raining heavily and days when it's too cold. How do you respond during such times? Do you just carry on with your stuff or do you go on worrying and stressing about the climatic conditions every single day? For most of us the answer is definitely the former one. Because we know there is NOTHING we can do to change the atmosphere as it's natural. All we can do is to simply adapt and protect ourselves from the earth's nature.

This is Exactly the same with our worries. There are things which cannot be controlled and changed. Worrying and cribbing won't change anything. It will only stop you from enjoying the present. 

What Percent of your Worries Come True??

99% of the things you think will happen, never happen! There are things, I would rather say plenty of things I predicted never came true, both good and bad. I was very sure that I would be a Psychologist one day, which certainly never turned into reality. Similarly, I never imagined myself to be a teacher and a blogger .But here I am, writing articles and trying to inspire people across the globe. 

When I look back on all these worries, I remember the story of the old man who said on his deathbed that he had a lot of trouble in his life, most of which never happened. - Winston Churchill.

When you're confronted with any problematic situations in your life simply ask yourself these two questions:

1. Would worrying help?? The only answer one can make, I think, is NO. So what's the point distressing!?
2. Is there anything that you can do to change the situation?? If you get a yes as an answer and if a problem is fixable then there is no need to worry. If it's no, then there is no benefit in worrying whatsoever.

You see, in both the cases there is no place for 'worry.'

Why we Worry??

We worry out of the fear of Future. Most of our worries steam from questioning the unknown-- what if??

• What if he/she rejected me?
• What if I lose my job? How am I going to pay my bills?
• What if I cannot come up to my parents or society's expectations?
• What if I die tomorrow?

We start visualizing it's consequences :

• Am probably gonna die single if he/she rejected me. 
• I would starve if I lose my job. . . producing results which are quite disturbing and frustrating. It all started with just one imaginary thought and ended up deteriorating your health and your peace of mind. 

However, in some cases worry is good for you. For example- If you don't worry about being hit by a car while driving, you might not drive safely with all your attention on driving. If you don't worry about being sick, you might not take care of your health. That being said doesn't mean that you should worry and keep worrying. Try to understand the difference between Concern and Worry. Concern encourages you to take action; whereas Worry is of no good. Some concerns are real, but many are unnecessary.

We suffer more often in imagination than in reality- Seneca

It's certainly easy to sit and write an article conveying people to stop stressing about your career, your future, your bank balance, your family or whatever you're stressing about right now. But difficult to get rid of this destructive habit. You may read this article, feel motivated and may take a vow to never worry ever. Be honest, how long do your motivation make you forget about your worries? 5 minutes, one hour, a day or a week? As soon as you get back to the reality of your life- worry and stress bang you in the face. With the competitive world out there, struggling to finish your deadline. . it's hard not to worry. 

But friends, Worry is no joke. The more you worry and stress about, the more your body suffers.

• High blood pressure
•  Anxiety
• Panic attacks
• Sleep problems
• Cardio-Vascular problems
• Headaches or Migraines are the numerous health problems caused by Stress. You read that right. Worry certainly is the reason behind many of our health issues. You can refer to Stress related health problems.

But Worry Not!  Here are some ways to deal with worrying. You can also watch Ted Talks videos. These videos are bound to help you to get away from your worries. And whenever you start with your worry habit, just slow down your thoughts. Remember that health is always more important than anything else in this entire world. 

Now go. . . Explore, follow your passion, hang out with your friends, eat, drink, sleep. Do whatever you want to, BUT- Without Any Worry! 

The Other Side of Failure.

How exactly would you go on defining failure?
What if I say you, there is no such thing as 'Failure!'
Putting it in simple words..

There was a time,
when you performed badly on your school exams.
Sitting at one corner..
moaning over it later.
That was only your lack of effort dear
And you called it Failure...

There was a time,
you couldn't balance that bicycle
failed miserably and got injured.
That was only your way towards practice
And you called it Failure...

There was a time,
when people whom you loved and cared for,
cheated on you and broke your heart.
That was your pure, innocent soul..
with the ability to see good in every other soul.
And you called it Failure...

There was a time,
when you were unable to perform
well in your new job.
That was only your way to preparation and proficiency.
And you called it Failure...

Failure can be more accurately termed as 'setbacks.' People criticising you, being rejected for a job interview, imbalance in relationships..none of these things are really failures, as long as you pick yourself up and keep going.
When the time comes to experience as you call it 'failure' just welcome it as an opportunity to learn, grow and bounce back.

Give up on everyone and everything if you want to. But don't give up on yourself..because the moment you give up on yourself you FAIL!!! As Gena Showalter quote it "Giving up is the only sure way to fail."

Fail. Fail often. 
Keep failing and Keep learning.

Demonetisation: Boon or Breakdown for the Economy??

Let's skip the usual introduction part. We all are very well aware about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's demonetization of notes to combat corruption and terrorism. While this decision is appreciated by most Indian citizens, effect however, appears to be mixed.

-Firstly, we need to understand that Black Money, by its very nature, is hard to estimate accurately; therefore the gain from demonetization is also difficult to quantify. 

-We also need to understand that black money is not just in the form of hard cash. If someone has black money, they are likely to keep it either in the form of property, gold and jewelry, foreign currency or any other possessions or they have pushed it out of the border through the 'hawala' route.

Well, talking about the good part of demonetisation -

• Demonetisation has become a party pooper in Delhi-NCR as cash-based alcohol sales in bars, pubs and ‘ahatas’ have been going down since the announcement.

• Definitely a hit towards Fake Currency, the same cannot be said about Black Money. 

• Death of drug mafia and terror networks.

• This decision will help institutionalize the Real Estate Sector bringing more transparency in the Indian real estate industry.

• Demonetisation has come down hard on dowry seekers. According to a report a groom’s family in Bihar sought Rs 20 lakh dowry from bride’s parents. Now, demonetisation drive has dissolved bridegroom's family demand.

For the ones who can see only the brighter side of demonetization, here I go :

• Bankers are being overburdened with the exchange process and handling the restless queues.

• Weddings are being cancelled and are getting postponed as bills to wedding halls, florists and caterers are typically paid in cash across India.

• During announcement of demonetisation PM Modi said that, for few hours Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 notes will be acceptable by petrol pumps, hospitals, medical stores and for paying bills. While there have been reports of doctors denying treatment because patients had only 500 and 1000 rupee notes with them.

• People abandon their work to exchange money.

• Very difficult for more than half the population who are not well versed with the card transactions.

• In rural areas, where 833 million Indians or 69% of the population lives, the journeys will be long and arduous. We are possibly seeing the greatest churning of the subcontinent’s population since the Partition of 1947.

• And most importantly, people have DIED. Died waiting in ques, died in hospitals who didn't took old currency, died working in banks. 

How can you justify DEATH because of a poorly executed policy in the name of greater good?? 50 deaths have been reported due to demonetisation ( excluding all the fake dead news). Yet, this is only a 'little inconvenience' so we ought not unzip our mouths and criticize.. as we get branded as anti-nationals. 

Shortage of change issue. 

The new 2,000 rupee banknote is like a mighty, impractical sword when all one needs is a knife. Armed with this forbidding violet bill, Mumbaikars can scarcely buy food or medicines since few retailers can provide change.

"My daily requirement is a loaf of bread which comes for Rs 22, a litre of milk for Rs 50, vegetables worth Rs 50 and maybe Rs 40 for transportation. My weekly requirement of medicines is worth Rs 150. Each item is available at a different outlet. Which vendor will give change for Rs 2,000? This new note is of use only to those who hoard black money. For the middle class it is a showpiece that has no utility," said Anita Sitlani, a resident of Bandra.

The delayed arrival of Rs 500 notes and shortage of Rs 100 notes has hit all segments from homemakers to daily wagers, blue collar workers, middle class and the elite. Uday Singh, a security guard at Lokhandwala Complex, wondered what his family back home in Badaun, UP, will do with his monthly despatch this time. "There is no method of exchanging such big banknotes there yet. If in Mumbai I find it difficult how will villagers manage?"  (Source : The Times of India)

Do read an article published in Wire  by Rashmi Venkatesan here, if your views on demonetisation are still unclear.

Here are some questions which needs to be addressed :

   1. If people across India are facing problems due to a decision taken by government of India, which even lead to deaths, then who should be blamed and should be responsible for that?

   2. If government believes that black money is held predominantly in the form of notes of large denomination (500,1,000),why introduce a new note of a higher denomination (Rs 2,000)?

   3. There are still millions of people who are living in rural areas, who are not having access to bank facility. How is Govt going to handle such situations?

   4. If black money was aim of demonetisation, does Rs 2,000 note defeat the purpose?

The government recognises this is a problem but it is attempting to paper it over by invoking the spirit of voluntarism and sacrifice. We are told that a measure of “inconvenience” is necessary for the nation; temporary pain is “for larger gain”, as parliamentary affairs minister Venkaiah Naidu put it.

 Whatever the aims of the scheme, it is clear its impacts will be massive and hard to predict. No one is against curbing black money BUT if we literally had only this option of sudden announcement to grab those with black money then there should be proper arrangements and sufficient currency flow. Unless cash supply is set right quickly, the distress could deepen. It will take years to fully understand the effects of this shock to the economy, which politicians have insisted is just a "temporary inconvenience"


This video below will surely raise questions in the minds of demonetisation supporters. 

Well, I leave it up to you to decide whether it's a boon or breakdown for our economy?

 Take care peeps.!                                                                                                           

India Against Terrorism.