You will always be more disappointed…

…by the things you dint do, than by the things that you did.

says the wise Owl.
Does that mean that man is bound to achieve less than what he aspires to? Man is limited by the very fact that he thinks more than he does. An active man thinks actively. And is therefore left with more that he regrets not having done! A lazy thinker would not have many things that he wanted to do. Complacency and acceptance and a ‘Whatever’ kind–of–attitude, pervades his life.
So if you have a line up of things you regret not having done
Do not despair
It only shows that you have an active thinking mind and an active body that is trying desperately to keep pace.
Just keep a tab on the kind of things that are piling up in the ‘things you dint do’ list. For that too is a part of your culture along with all the 'things that you did'.
Well, we are all everyday creating our own culture.

I finally did it……

I went and bought a kitchen fan. Plugged it in. switched it on. And cool air filled the room.

Last June we shifted from a city that hovers between rain and more rain to a city that hovers between heat and more heat. And you can imagine…
I simply hated going into the kitchen. That room has no AC, it has a pot steaming, a hot tava and a load of vegetables to cut. I could have opted for a cook. But… I like cooking…so that was not an acceptable alternative.
I knew a fan would solve the problem. I knew where I could get one. It was not as if there was going to be a big drain on the pocket or anything like that. Why then did I wait for a year before investing in one?
Do you do that too?
Think a lot. Think again. Decide what you need to do. And then not do it
Aaah!
Height of stupidity. eh?
It’s not enough if we decide. Right?
The essence is in translating the thought into action.
Like Nike says: just do it.

More Choice More Twinge!

There was a time when I had 5 sarees in my wardrobe and two silk ones carefully preserved for special wear. And I was never at a loss about ‘what to wear’. Today my shelf is overflowing with clothes and I catch myself saying ‘I have nothing to wear’!!

I walk into a store and find 6 flower vases on display and I need to choose a gift. One is beyond reach, 2 are straight away NO NO … so I practically have to select one of three. Aaah! Done in a jiffy. A no brainer!
Have you been to a shop that overwhelms you with choices? I went to this small shop to buy a lipstick the other day. 30 different specimens are on the tray. The salesgirl kills me with sweetness and loads me with information. I try them all. My wrist is a colourful palette. Finally I fail to make a decision, and turn away promising the sweet lady to return later. She is helpful and gives me so many options.
But that is my undoing. My thoughts become befuddled. My mind begins to wander. Perhaps unable to assimilate so much at a given moment it tires and forces me to opt out.  I notice that this applies to any decision making process.
Sometimes we think so much we land with an alarming array of 'what will happen ifs...'. Then we become confused and are at loss to freeze on the best action.
What we need to do when faced with crushing options is to weed away those that don’t really count. Bring the options to a manageable 3 or 4. Now apply your mind to these four issues. And bang! The decision is made.
How do you know which is wheat and which is chaff? Well you don't all the time know that. Still, the process helps you get to your gut feeling. And that is good.
Or you could
Read Malcom Gladwell in BLINK.