Your elusive creative genius..

I watched this Ted Talk recently by Elizabeth Gilbert, the famous author of Eat, Pray, Love and it continues to amaze me. One of my favourite talks of all time! If you haven't watched this you are really missing something!

She has a completely different take on creativity. What if creation is totally different than what you think it is? What if every single thing in your life - whether its your  business, projects, job, poem, music, book, song etc is an entity and has a life form of its own and you could invite it to play with?

Addiction to Perfectionism

Addiction need not necessarily be to a substance, we can be addicted to certain type of behaviours, feelings/emotions or thought processes like addiction to being right, being wrong, being perfect, to judgements etc.

A couple of weeks back I was listening to some of the talks by Marilyn Bradford, who has created The Bradford System of Right Recovery for overcoming addictions. Some of clearings made me realize that I have been addicted to perfectionism for a large part of my life. I have heard Gary Douglas (the founder of Access Consciousness) say that one of his daughters wanted to join the beginner's Ballet class but she wanted to have private ballet lessons before she even went to the beginners class. Oh my gosh, I was like that too! How many of us want to be perfect at the things we do even before we start doing it?

Perfection is a lie, it is not real. It is a judgement that we buy and then defend for or against it continuously. Because of this point of view I realized I had limited myself so much with starting new things. There were so many ideas to implement but it was not done simply because I was not sure that it would be perfect. It was almost like my life was put on hold. When I realized that I was defending this perfectionism, and cleared my beliefs around it, life has been unfolding in a different way. With every new idea I now look at it as how imperfectly can I do this?! That just takes away all the projections, expectations and conclusions out of it and interestingly things turn out far greater than I imagine it to be. Many of us limit our potential and what we can achieve because we want it to be perfect and if it isn't perfect then it isn't good enough for us. If you are one of them, then maybe it is time to change the belief and let go of that judgement NOW?

What if your imperfect self were the perfect invitation you’ve been looking for?  The very imperfections that you judge and allow to stop yourself could be your best selling point!  How could that change your life and what you create?

"How would my life expand if I was willing to do things terribly?" is a question I have started asking everyday and that has allowed me to simply jump into create new things in life. How does it get better than this?

Here is a tool you can play with. If you could pick ONE thing that you could do terribly this week, what would you try? when you start doing this by picking one thing each week, you open up your potential to explore your talents and abilities and do all those things which you didn't start just because you thought you won't be perfect at it :-)


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To know more about my work and what I do, you can visit my website www.reviveholistic.com or www.pratimanagaraj.accessconsciousness.com

Rebirth & Renewal....

Well, am not going to post something philosophical here but I am referring to the rebirth & renewal of this much neglected blog of mine! For the past 1.5 years, since the time I got married (can't believe its been so long already!) I haven't been actively posting here. It took me a long time to settle down in a new lifestlye - a new role, new country, and a brand new venture of my own. Writing used to be my favorite pastime but I just lost the inclination towards writing about anything till now (well, kind of a writer's block you can say!). But I somehow seem to have got that spark back in me now, so I am back here to get this blog rolling again and post my thoughts here more often!

Now there cannot be anything better to start off than writing about my first venture! It's been, officially, 8 months since I registered my company "Revive" here in Singapore and I am glad to see that it's going great, way beyond my expectations! Considering the fact that I moved here last November (to a new country where I hardly knew anyone!) and I started it in just 3 months after moving, the amount of progress I have made, makes me feel proud of myself! It's a great self-assurance to know that I have the ability to dream something different and bring it into reality. I must accept that it did take a lot of courage to give up a well paying, secure job after an MBA and jump into an unknown territory of starting a venture in a niche area. But the journey has been very pleasurable and the learnings have been invaluable! I have come to discover things about myself and grown personally & professionally. I had to break my barriers of being reserved about approaching new people and talking about "my venture" (well, actually selling it!). I forced myself to join networking groups to widen my contact circle & get visibilty. It was initially tough but now I have started enjoying it! I hardly spend on advertising or marketing and rely solely on "word-of-mouth". This is working wonders for me becoz I believe that business is not just about getting customers but building relationships with them!




If you are new to this blog and have not checked out my centre's website, here it is - www.reviveholistic.com and the facebook page www.facebook.com/reviveholistic

Adieus to Dubai

Finally the time has come to bid adieus to Dubai, something that I've been waiting to do for a long time now! Dubai is a nice place to work and earn bucks but I could never see a life here more than that and for some reason I could never make this my home! I always felt out of place and there was something significantly missing in life.... Am sure with my short stint, I haven't explored everything here and I also know a lot of people who love this place but this for sure isn't for me! :)

I still miss living in Bangalore but I don't think I'll ever miss Dubai ...so now Singapore beckons! Even before landing there, I have a nice feeling about the place and I am sure am gonna love it!

Now that I have a music system in my car, I listen to the radio at least 2 hours a day while commuting to work, thanks to bangalore traffic! So recently, I heard this ad on Radio One about 'Privilege Matimony', which is supposed to be a "personalized" special matrimonial service offered by Bharatmatrimony for all the busy and young professionals who have no time to find a suitable partner for themselves... and of course it comes with a premium cost. Hmmm... I am still unable to find a logical reason behind this concept.....extremely stupid and silly! How can a relationship manager decide whether you are compatible with someone or not? Searching the profiles online can be done personally on any of the regular matrimonial sites, so I dont understand this "personal relationship manager" concept at all. One of the basic and most important decision of people's lives is being treated like a mere business transaction...

Well, I believe, if you are so busy that you dont have time to invest in finding someone special, then you probably dont need that special someone in your life!

I am not sure if anyone has *actually* benefitted from this, but to me, the concept itself sounds hollow and like just another money making tactic...

It's been ages since I wrote something here. I have been getting mails from many people asking if I am ok and why I have not updated anything here. Well..it is nice to know that there are people who actually read what I post :) It has never so happened that I've lost interest in writing coz it gives me a lot of joy and I myself was surprised to see that every time I opened this blog to write something, there was a complete lack of enthusiasm & interest, in addition to having a crazily hectic work life... Hope I find some time to update this space more often...

I've been watching this Ad which is an aircel initiative, about Save the Tiger campaign. I absolutely love it. The very first time I saw it, it touched my heart. Definitely does it's part to raise the social awareness & hopefully influence people to raise their voices and do something for the cause! I don't know what I can do about it but as the Ad says 'spread the message'....here I am, posting the video :)

Books...I love thee!

I saw this Cadbury Celebrations Ad for Raksha Bandhan which has been playing on TV for quite a while. But yesterday I noticed something more in it. This kid gives his sister a gift for Rakhi and she asks him what it is....he says "Book" and the sister makes a sad face and then opens the box to find chocolates and is very thrilled about it....

Well... for me, it would have definitely been the other way round! A good book is one of the nicest gifts that I could get (I do love perfumes and flowers too ;-) )... I'd treasure it more than anything, 'coz I am extremely possessive about the books I own. I hate getting them dirty, having folds or mishandling them while reading and I *always* use bookmarks. I hate it when people fold the pages to mark their readings! That's one of the reasons why all my books look brand new even after I've read them multiple times. I love keeping hard copies of my favorite books...I love the smell and feel of it! I might sound a bit cynical but I find it hard to lend my collection of favorite books unless I know that the recipent will handle it with care...

It's sad to see these days how the passion for reading has reduced and television, video games and other sources of entertainement have taken over. To me, a book would still be the first choice whenever I have time to spare. Leave me in a book store, and I'd forget the whole world around. It can be quite unnerving to someone who accompanies me coz I can spend hours browsing through the books and still be left un-satiated...

Sitting in a coffee shop, in a book store with a good book and a hot cup of green tea is like a perfect afternoon for me....... Ah! my life would be so incomplete without books!

Vacation blues

Well, here I am, back from my week long holiday...it's been 4 days but I still seem to be lingering in that mood with little or no interest in getting back to my normal routine. With all the planning and anticipation of the trip and the trip itself getting over, there is a sudden drop in the excitement and a strong feeling of nostalgia which has left me longing for more.....making it really hard for me to get back to reality & the pre-vacation routines.

I miss that city, the partying, the food, the people....the sight, smell and sounds... and every moment of my time spent there! This was one of those vacations which was so "perfect" that I sometimes fear none of the future ones might even come close to it...

After almost 2 weeks of the strong feeling in the gut, I am very close to figuring out what it is all about! My brain seems to be registering it now, whereas my subsconscious mind seemed to know it much before...hmmm..

One of the readers of this blog (you know who u are :-) ) who has also learnt pranic healing, dropped me a mail reading my previous post, reminding me that there are different energy/astral layers through which the thoughts cross before they actually enter the physical body and the brain can comprehend it. That info was helpful to me, coz I practiced the meditations taught in Arhatic Yoga which actually helped me calm down and become more aware of the "thoughts" or "events" associated with the gut feel. I could still be wrong... but I *think* I fairly know what it is! Only time can confirm...

On a different note, I am eagerly looking forward for the 8 day long vacation starting next week. It's been ages since I actually took off for so long and I am glad I am going on a long break...which I badly needed...

More when am back next month.......

Kahi door jab din dhal jaaye.....

I was stuck in a crazy traffic while driving back from work today and was held up on the road for quite a while. It can sometimes frustrate the heck out of you, especially if you havent slept the previous night and studied the whole day and given a 2 hr exam in addition to a stressful day at work... My car doesn't have a music system, so that leaves me with very few options at such situations! I was just gazing through the window and it was just that time of sunset and I found this very pretty sight and cursed myself for having forgotten my cam. Anyways....got whatever I could with my mobile, but disappointed that the pattern it formed in the sky couldn't be captured (image above). There's very little that a 3.2mega pixel cam without a zoom can do :)

There is something about watching the sunset that I really like.. it's such an indescribable feeling...very relaxing and extremely soothing! Watching it across the sea or atop a hill would give me the best feeling ever!!

Whos Among Us..

I found this pretty cool site (stat tool) Whos.Amung.Us which tracks the visitor statistics of your blog. I use both Google Analytics and Feed Burner for my blogs which obviously are quite detailed and exhaustive but the best part I liked about this site is the tracking of visitors "hour wise".
So it gives u a widget (scroll down the right bar of my blog) that displays the number of users currently viewing your webpage and clicking on that takes you to their site where you get a detailed report of the users online per hour, a map pinpointing the location of the users down to their city, and a monthly statistics report.

To top it all, u dont even need to register to use all these features, it starts tracking right from the moment you link it to your blog......its free and simple! :)

Om Mani Padme Hum...

All of us have heard of the mantra "Om" which is considered as the universal sound, made of 3 basic sounds A, U, M.... Each sound creates a different vibration; so it is used to cleanse the mind and body and its one of the most powerful sounds to meditate on. I've noticed that just playing the Om chanting in my room it has a very calming and cleansing effect...

That being said, not many of us would have heard of "Om Mani Padme Hum" (Hail the jewel in the lotus). It is derived from Sanskrit and the originations are traced back to Buddhism and associated with Dalai Lama. I read a couple of books by Thich Nhat Hanh a few months back and that's when I had come across these words but never bothered to find out more. Yesterday a friend of mine told me the meaning of this and I immediately read up more about its benefits and also found a link to the chanting in Youtube....

Just listening to it for 10 mins had such an amazing effect! It's incredibly peaceful & calming and the tune used is so soothing that it takes just a few mins to relax your mind and body... It's purpose is to generate positive, peaceful vibrations and mainly vibrations of compassion.

OM (Ohm) - symbolizes the pure noble body, speech and mind
MANI (Ma Nee) - the jewel, symbolizes factors of method, compassion and love, the altruistic intention to become enlightened
PADME (Peh-d-May) - means lotus and symbolizes wisdom. Growing out of mud, but not being stained by mud, lotus indicates the quality of wisdom, which keeps you out of contradiction.
HUM (Hum) - means inseparability; symbolizing purity & can be achieved by the unity of method and wisdom

More details here if you are interested:
Wiki Link

Meaning and Pronunciation

Now I play it in a loop even when I am browsing, reading a book or sometimes just in the background and the whole atmosphere feels rejuvenated and peaceful... Try it, to experience it! You can even meditate on this by just closing your eyes and listening to it and focusing on the words or reciting it yourself....

There are different versions, but I liked this the best...

Pranic Healing

I was introduced to Pranic Healing 2 years back by a friend and just a few sessions had immense benefits on me. Right from that day I've been wanting to learn this myself and explore the fascinating subject further...to create a good mental, physical and spiritual health.

Over the weekend I attended the Basic Pranic Healing Course for beginners (Level-1 Certification) which is a 2 day course conducted by the Pranic Healing Foundation Center in Bangalore. With this basic course itself you actually learn all the techniques to heal your own self as well as others, starting from minor physical ailments like headaches to major ones like Cancer, strokes, tuberculosis etc. This includes distant healing as well (the patient can be in any part of the world). You can also heal to a certain extent, psychosomatic ailments related to emotional stress, anxiety and tension. But the Psychotherapy by itself is a Level-3 course, before which the Advanced Course needs to be completed.

For the benefit of those who haven't heard of this term, first of all Pranic Healing (PH) is NOT the same as Reiki. It is based on the same principle of energy and life force, but the technique is completely different and more advanced and powerful than Reiki. Surprisingly, I came across this article on Natural Healing in TOI today & it clearly describes the essence and the basic principle of PH as below-

We all have a subtle body made of energy. This subtle body is made up of life force energy; it runs through subtle pathways or meridians and centres of energy, also known as charkas. One of the main ways that a skilful healer helps the body to heal is simply by stimulating and unblocking the meridians so our natural energies flow freely bringing mental, emotional and eventually physical balance and well being. This is the main way that most natural healing therapies work. Life Force Energy is the subtle foundation of all life, a sort of cosmic soup that supports, nourishes and sustains the cycle of birth, life and death of all forms of life....

The real meaning of natural healing is to restore a person to wholeness and having a healthy body is only a small part of this. A good natural healing treatment has the effect of restoring openness to our energy system so we can receive a well balanced flow of Universal Life Force Energy that is often cut off or restricted by illness. Being cut off from this life force is often the cause of much illness

So fundamentally it is based on "Life force" or "Prana" or "Breath". The same principle is used in Yoga and Pranayams. By regulating the breathing and making it rhythmic you can activate the different energy centers (chakras) in your body which in turn control the health of different organs (see image below)...That is why yoga is both a spiritual as well as a physical exercise...It works on the subtle energy layer (aura) which is invisible to the naked eye and nothing mystical. (The concept is scientifically proven - these energy centers/chakras are nothing but the points where a large group of nerves join together which when activated send signals to the organs that they control....)

The 2 days workshop was truly an amazing experience. We not only learn the theory but also perform healing on each other in the class so that by the end you are confident of using the techniques. You will learn how to sensitize your hands to feel the energy layer and the experience was mystical. You will be amazed to feel something that is invisible to the naked eye! It's performed completely by non-touch, scanning only from the distance without touching any part of the body and I was surprised to see some of my minor pains like headache and cramps disappear within a few minutes of self healing on the very first day of the class (without taking any pain killers!). I've also tried healing my mom thru distant healing and she could notice the relief significantly....

You also learn the "Twin Heart Meditation" which is the basis of PH which energizes your body with prana (divine energy) and it can increase your psychic, intuitive and healing abilities, leading you towards spirituality. It is one of the most powerful forms of guided meditation techniques that I have come across and doing it just for the last 4 days has helped me immensely. (Will write a separate post on this soon...)

PH is not a substitute to medicine...especially when its a chronic problem. PH is more of a parallel healing method which helps in increasing the body's natural ability to heal itself faster. Some of the top hospitals in Bangalore now have a separate department for PH and they do recommend patients to try this and some of them have been cured miraculously even when the doctors had completely given up.

PH works mainly on faith. If you have faith in the technique, you can heal; if not, u won't see an iota of difference! The person being healed should at least be neutral/receptive even if he/she doesnt believe in it... a complete mental block prevents the healing...

Last but not the least PH is a skill and needs to be mastered gradually (just like driving). You cannot acquire it in few days or give up hope. It is said that healing comes only by practice & sometimes it takes years to develop the skill. But just following the basic steps does give you the desired relief, till u master it!

Looking forward to doing the Advanced & Psychotherapy Courses (level 2 & 3) in the next couple of weeks...

Federer wins wimbledon... Roddick wins hearts

Yesterday's wimbledon finals was way more sensational than last year's. Roger Federer was playing for his 15th grand slam and Andy Roddick for his first wimbledon title. The synopsis - "Roger beat Andy in 5 gruelling sets. For almost 30 games, they went back n forth holding their serves until Roger broke Andy's serve to end the longest fifth set and create history".

But the 4hr15mins game tells a slightly different tale! Before and after the match started, most of the world including me would have wanted Federer to win. Winning a 15th grand slam & making that mark in history is something I felt he deserved.

But Roddick shocked the millions of Federer fans by winning the first set and left us groaning! Then on continued his impressive play till the last game, with an amazing level of energy, grit and determination. Even Federer couldn't manage to break his serve...not once in the entire 4hrs!! Roddick played exceptionally well, it was not only his serve that was strong but once the ball was in he was so aggressive and controlled the points at the baseline, running to the net and thru the entire court!!

In the 5th set, though my heart was wishing Federer to win, I did secretly pray for a Roddick win sometimes. Not because I started disliking Federer but Andy Roddick was undoubtedly playing better tennis and he truly deserved to win yesterday's match. With too many unforced errors and inability to convert multiple break points, Federer definitely did not play his best game...not expected out of someone who has won 14 grand slams before. But he did show his class by shooting out aces like fireworks and showed his experience and character by maintaining a calm & composed outlook as Roddick came forward and attacked him, though he was not having his best day.

"I just want to say congratulations to Roger", Roddick said after the match. "He's a true champion and he deserves everything he gets....It was a pleasure playing him today". The sight of watching Roddick see Federer lift that cup, with moist eyes wud have brought tears to most of the viewers. But sports is cruel, there can only be one winner. The sad part is, Andy won 39 games and Roger 38 and yet ended as a runner-up! Hmm...so is life..its unfair...

I feel Roddick played like a true champion and he deserved the tile as much as Federer, if not more. To me, they both were winners, even though Roddick lost the match..

200

Ah! I just noticed that this is my 200th post after 3yrs of starting this blog :)

Why is it a big deal? Well, it's really not but it's just a small milestone and we all know the importance of milestones in life. It's these small targets that act as checkpoints through which we keep track of our progress and they remind us that we are on the right track of achieving the larger goal...in any aspect of life. They are small yet significant events (or turning points) which indicate that we are moving closer to our destination. So go ahead and set up these small milestones to fulfill bigger dreams in life!!

The best way to mark this post is with this pic I took a few months back at Hesarghatta :)

Earth Hour - Do you want to make a difference?

Switch off the lights between 8.30 to 9.30pm on March 28th
For more information and to sign up for the event, visit www.earthhour.org

Two years ago, a movement called Earth Hour was started in Sydney. Millions made a statement by switching off their lights. Just for an hour.This year, on March 28 we the citizens of the Earth, will make a pledge to do the best we can. Earth Hour will reach global proportions!
Close to a billion people from 930 cities across the world will join this show of solidarity against climate change. They would turn off the lights of their homes and offices for an hour between 8.30 pm and 9.30 pm (in their respective time zones) to tell the world leaders they want something done... Participating in Earth Hour is easy, fun and absolutely free!

So, what are your thoughts?

Show me the money..

A great article by Thomas.L.Friedman on Obama........... a must read! He always amazes me with his writings!


[President Bush, because he was so easily demonized, made being a free-rider on American power easy for everyone — and Americans paid the price. Obama will not make it so easy.
So to everyone overseas I say: thanks for your applause for our new president. I’m glad you all feel that America “is back.” If you want Obama to succeed, though, don’t just show us the love, show us the money. Show us the troops. Show us the diplomatic effort. Show us the economic partnership. Show us something more than a fresh smile. Because freedom is not free and your excuse for doing less than you could is leaving town in January.....]

Blog Analytics..

Been a while since I logged into google analytics for my blog. Interesting to note some of the statistics for this blog in the month of September...

Visitors:
381 Visits from 21 countries/territories
260 Absolute Unique Visitors
62.73% New Visits

Traffic Sources:
25% Direct Traffic
41% Referring Sites
34% Search Engines

Now for the most interesting part :) The top 10 keywords from search engines that people have used to visit this blog....

1. Pratima Jayaram
2. pallavi anupallavi
3. how to do long stitch
4. long stitch embroidery
5. oye amritsar
6. pratima jayaram blogspot
7. isb leadership summit
8. lead india ad
9. lead india advertise
10. pallavi anupallavi review

Thank u all for dropping by... and keep visiting! :)

One movie...

Ah! So that post yesterday did really do the trick ;-) I do feel like writing about something finally!

I actually came across this post through my google reader in the morning and I found it pretty interesting! So as per that blog...
If somebody told you that he/she is allowed to watch just one more movie in his/her life. Just one. Which movie would you recommend to that person?

I have been trying to pick one, but it's harder than I thought it would be! First of all, there are so many good movies on my 'to be watched' list that are highly recommended. So my list wouldn't be that vast, nevertheless...from the top of my head, I picked out 3 and I am trying to decide among The Godfather, As good as it gets and Little Miss Sunshine.

It would probably be 'As good as it gets'...the movie really touched me and I have seen it multiple times and wouldnt mind watching it again... amazing direction, story, acting, with a good sense of humor...

What would it be for you? Note that, it can be from any language... no restrictions!

Blogger's block...

Experiencing the "Blogger's block" syndrome...Hope to be out of it soon! I thought at least this post will trigger something and make a start.. :)

Any tips?