Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Pursuit of Happiness

"Chak de" has very diversified meaning. It is used to pick up something from down and said "Chak de", meaning "Lift up". So why not use these words in our life when we are feeling down or under depression? Why not say "Chak De" to mean "Lift up” your spirits".

It doesn't matter who you are or what you do there are times when you feel down and discouraged. These aren't times that you like but nevertheless you have them. The important thing here is that you learn how to not let feeling down control or dictate the outcome that you are working towards. Its tough to get out of this, but there are two possible options. Let the feeling haunt you; wait until that feeling goes off. I know this is tough but usually people prefer this option when they do not want to share their feelings. And the other option, don’t let the feeling stay; forget about what’s happening and say "Chak de"...!! :)

While emotional variety can spice up your life, hopefully you’ll agree that remaining stuck in a prolonged negative emotional state is something to be avoided. So if you find yourself in one of these states, what can you do to boost your motivation and keep it high?
To start with, surround yourself with people who are an encouragement to you. Notice I didn’t say to surround yourself with people who will encourage you. Although this can be a good thing for you, sometimes it’s not even necessary to have people encourage you. Talk to them, not necessarily about the reason why you are feeling down, but it can be as simple as saying a Hi or Hello. Start a conversation, talk about the good times spent with them, crack a few jokes (PJ's in my case), also you can do some leg pulling... :) If you are comfortable with that person, ask them for an advice. Now, doesn’t that sound interesting? Don’t you think this will bring a smile on your face? Out of my experience, this is the best thing you can do to change your mood.
There were times when I used to feel down when something goes against me or doesn’t happen my way. It used to be difficult to get out of such feeling. So, it’s always better to get a proper perspective. A lot of the times, the reason we are feeling down isn’t really a valid reason. Sometimes what you need to do is step back and get a proper perspective on the situation. Your mind can be your worst enemy sometimes. Instead of letting your thoughts take control and warp your perceptions, use your mind to see the truth. Most of the time you will see that it’s not as big a deal as you originally thought it was.
If you are feeling down because you keep failing in life, try going to volunteer at a physical rehabilitation location. Oops, this one sounds a bit weird, but trust me; it works. It won’t take long to see people with bigger problems then you working hard to succeed. Just being around these people could be all the encouragement you need. If you start comparing them with yourself, you will have 1000 reasons to be happy.

We don’t have a problem remembering our failures. It’s easy to remember when we screw up or embarrass ourselves or let someone down. But how often do we remember the good things we’ve accomplished. How often do we remember when we’ve helped someone or accomplished a goal or made someone’s day that much easier. The usual answer is we don’t take the time to remember those days when everything goes right. We tend to focus way too much on our screw ups. Put yourself in a state where you feel positive and generate positive results; don’t overstrain yourself to the point where you’re feeling great about mediocre results. "The pursuit of happiness is a most ridiculous phrase; if you pursue happiness you'll never find it."