Mindfulness is a novel way of paying attention to little things around you. Mindfulness can help you cope up with everyday life and make you aware of many things that you might not notice normally.

What exactly is Mindfulness?

Mindfulness, as the name suggests, is you asking yourself to pay attention to little things in life, training yourself to pay attention in a specific way. When you are mindful you live and absorb the present moment, you concentrate on what’s happening around you. It makes your present meaningful.

We spend a lot of time in thinking about our future. Securing your future is undoubtedly good, but not living the present is equally bad. Do not forget to appreciate the moments you are living NOW. Mindfulness also helps you to relax and relieves you from stress.

You have absolutely beautiful blooms around the city currently – pinks and lavender, yellow and reds. Did you notice that around you or are you too busy in walking and checking your Whatsapp? I went on a 2km walk day before yesterday and thought of being mindful. I absorbed so much of my surrounding – I didn’t even know earlier that all these places were there around my house! Instead of walking on the road I walked through an abandoned land which resembles a field at the moment. The way every square inch is being developed into a multi-storied complex, it’s better to walk through the greenery till it lasts!

How to practice Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is an ancient concept and you will find it’s mention in almost every religious scripture. It’s all about how you focus. You can do meditation for some time, every day to control your mind, your thoughts and sharpen your focus. First few days of meditation means realizing how dynamic your mind is and how it wants to gallop like a wild horse!

Yoga is a good way of practicing mindfulness. It helps you in concentrating on the moves you are making, the calm surroundings, you probably can even pin point which muscles in your body are getting the pressure. That is basic mindfulness.

Do you need Mindfulness for a meaningful life?

You need a clear mind to focus on anything. Let’s see what all mindfulness can help you with

1. Mindfulness can help you lower anxiety
2. Mindful people are less angry or moody
3. Mindfulness helps you to have a better memory
4. Mindful people tends to be happier
5. Mindful people tends to get better sleep

That’s reason enough to start practicing mindfulness in life and be a better version of yourself.

I am taking part in the A to Z Challenge 2017. Are you?

1. Amazing Life
2. Believe in Your Self
3. Celebrate Life
4. Dare To Dream
5. Enjoy Life
6. Freedom in Life
7. Grow in Life 
8. Hope in Life
9. Inspire & Be Inspired
10. Joy in Life
11. Kindness in Life
12. Love in Life

 Drop by my food blog Twinkling Tina Cooks where I am sharing 26 Dessert Recipes.

Love is a not a word today it is an entire chapter. And thanks to Hallmark and films and fiction there’s only one way of love that is projected as the greatest love. But what is love? Have you asked yourself? Is love about dating someone? Finding the right guy or girl? If your answer was yes to those then I am afraid the reality is NO.

The only form of love that can be called love is unconditional love. The love doesn’t need to be between two people nor does it have to be romantic love. You can have unconditional love for anyone or anything. Some people have undying love for fitness, some people have unconditional love for their pets, some people treat their plants as their babies. Love resides in all of them.

Love can be given and expressed despite the circumstances. When you want love, you give love, it will come back automatically to you some way or the other. I somehow feel you are not a good human being if you can’t love and respect another person. There can be aversions to certain people and you don’t need to love everyone on earth but in general, you need to grow these virtues in your life.

Why is love in life important?

1. Love makes more impact than money or all other material possessions.
2. When you hug someone as a result of love and affection Oxytocin is released from the pituitary gland – it’s the feel good factor.
3. When you spend time with your friends and loved ones it gives you contentment
4. A lack of social support or human contact can lead to negative effects on health and emotion like higher Blood Pressure, depression etc
5. When you are in the later stages of your life you don’t look forward to your bank balance or your swanky car – you look forward to your friends and family.
6. Love is a path of self-discovery – you get to know yourself, your liking, your preference better

So don’t think too much and find your love, express it. Of course, don’t forget to love yourself. It all starts at home.

Self-love should be as important to you as Oxygen is important to life – Tony Payne

I am taking part in the A to Z Challenge 2017. Are you?

1. Amazing Life
2. Believe in Your Self
3. Celebrate Life
4. Dare To Dream
5. Enjoy Life
6. Freedom in Life
7. Grow in Life 
8. Hope in Life
9. Inspire & Be Inspired
10. Joy in Life
11. Kindness in Life

 Drop by my food blog Twinkling Tina Cooks where I am sharing 26 Dessert Recipes.

Do you fancy a day when you wake up and don’t want to be kind? Or do you want to fill yourself with kindness for little things – I am sure you will choose the second option. Practicing kindness in life doesn’t make you small or unimportant, it, in fact, is a very powerful thing. It’s all about the choice you make – kindness or spite!

I am a big fan of Maya Angelou and her inspiring words. The above quote stands true to the time. People will never remember what you said, they will not remember you how good you were at making a presentation or how you did your work. But they can never forget how you made them feel, they can never forget how good, compassionate you were with them. Kindness in life isn’t very difficult. Some time back I was walking back home after getting down from a public bus. I saw a visually impaired man trying to climb the footpath and he looked a little perplexed. I went ahead and helped him climb the footpath (in Bangalore you have footpaths and roads in very different levels, it feels like you are climbing a hill!) But then realized he’s not perplexed because of climbing the footpath, his stick was enough. He wanted the direction and bus route for a place he wanted to go. But he wasn’t feeling very comfortable to ask anyone, nor did anyone come forward to ask or help him out. After telling him the bus number I asked him if he wanted me to accompany him till the bus – he said no thanks, I don’t want to depend on someone! `That one line made me realize how differently I was seeing him. But somewhere I was happy I could help.

“Being humble is the starting point to being creative” – Hrithik Roshan

Humility and kindness go hand in hand. I find Hrithik a very inspiring man with very inspiring and motivating words (and I am completely unbiased when I say that). In an interview, he had said, “If you don’t find humility, humility will find you some way.” He explains if you are not humble and kind life will bring you in situations where you to learn to be humble and kind. If you give it a thought you might find the quote very true. There is no way you can escape kindness in life and it, in fact, helps you to become a better person.

Why is it important to practice Kindness in Life?

Kindness broadens your frame of mind, kindness brings you respect.

Being kind is a feel good factor

Kindness helps people feel respected and not alone or cornered

Kids will learn from your example of kindness

Kindness brightens our world and softens our heart

Kindness creates loyalty

I am taking part in the A to Z Challenge 2017. Are you?

1. Amazing Life
2. Believe in Your Self
3. Celebrate Life
4. Dare To Dream
5. Enjoy Life
6. Freedom in Life
7. Grow in Life 
8. Hope in Life
9. Inspire & Be Inspired
10. Joy in Life

 Drop by my food blog Twinkling Tina Cooks where I am sharing 26 Dessert Recipes.

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. John Quincy Adams

Inspiration in life is important. Inspiration awakens the mind, inspiration helps a person to look at life differently at times.  Inspiration helps and transforms the way we perceive our own capabilities. I draw inspiration from a lot of things around – people, their stories, their struggles, or even the amount of effort a toddler puts in arranging things properly. Always remember to Inspire and be inspired.

But you don’t need to draw inspiration from celebrities always. Though I do draw a lot of inspiration from two of the icons I worship. And one of the biggest lessons learned from them is humility, and being true to yourself will stand the test of time. But let’s take a look at some inspiring people like you and me who have made humanity proud.

Inspire and Be Inspired Personality #1 – Sindhutai Sapkal

Sindhutai Sapkal, a.k.a “Mother of Orphans”, the 68-year-old is an inspiring personality. Married at a tender age of 10 to a 30-year-old man, this girl from Pimpri Meghe Village, Maharashtra was pushed into a life of abuse. Her dreams of education crushed at an early age she was subjected to severe abuse at the hands of her husband. She was beaten and thrown out of the marital home when she was 9 months pregnant. After giving birth to her daughter in a cow shed she walked to her mother’s place at that condition but sadly she was refused shelter there. She started begging at the railway station to support herself and feed her daughter. That’s when she realized there are many children who are abandoned by their parents. She begged keenly to feed them as well. Eventually, she adopted the children as her own.

Till date, she has adopted and brought up over 1,400 orphans – giving them shelter, food, education, financial support and many of them today are doctors, lawyers, and engineers.

“When I was out myself on the streets begging for food and fighting for survival each day, I realized that there are so many orphans who have nobody to go to. I decided to take care of them and raise them as my own,” Sindhutai (Source)

None of those kids were given up for adoption to any wealthy being but raised as her own and to remove partiality among the children she gave up her own biological daughter. She has won several awards for her selfless work towards orphans. She is using all those financial helps in constructing homes and shelters for the orphans.

Image Source

“When your Daemon is in charge, do not try to think consciously. Drift, wait, and obey.” — Rudyard Kipling

Inspire and Be Inspired Personality #2 – Raja Mahendra Pratap

Raja Mahendra Pratap a youth from Hyderabad is a story of inspiration, belief, hope and courage all embroiled together. A freak dare at the age of 5 altered his life forever. When friends challenged him, at the age of 5, that he couldn’t hold an iron rod on a live electric wire he took it up and ended up in a hospital for months. The dare resulted in getting all his limbs amputated. For 10 years he was confined to home subjected to embarrassment from parents and relatives. He read his sister’s books and finally ended up giving his exams. He went on to finish his B.Com and MBA in Finance.

Currently working in ONGC and drawing a handsome salary, Pratap said he designed his own shoes and got a cobbler to make it for him. He draws attention whenever he’s in the public because he looks different physically but he has no qualms about it. He works on his computer, climbs stairs and does almost everything.

Assign me any work; I am capable of doing all of them. I don’t need sympathy of people. Treat me normally and I will love it. I wish that people and society treat disabled with respect and accept them., Pratap (Source)

There is no way you cannot be inspired in life by anyone. Everyone has the capability to teach you something good, something nice. Some give you courage, some motivate you, some make you look at yourself with a different perspective. Open your mind, Inspire and be inspired.

“We all have a life story and a message that can inspire others to live a better life or run a better business. Why not use that story and message to serve others and grow a real business doing it?” Brendon Burchard

I am taking part in the A to Z Challenge 2017. Are you?

1. Amazing Life
2. Believe in Your Self
3. Celebrate Life
4. Dare To Dream
5. Enjoy Life
6. Freedom in Life
7. Grow in Life 
8. Hope in Life

 Drop by my food blog Twinkling Tina Cooks where I am sharing 26 Dessert Recipes.