Relationships

All humans have an inner urge to be connected - to living and even non-living things. And this urge makes us get into relationships. However silly it might sound, we do have relationships with our homes, cars, watches and other things, the most important of which is money. That is why we always try to be in control of these things, take care and cherish them.

On a more personal level, we also have relationships with other people – be it our spouse, children, parents, friends or colleagues. And similar to the relationships with inanimate things, we always want to be in control and take care of the other person, while cherishing their company.

The complexities and challenges faced by personal relationships is what make humans distinct from other species.

It is human tendency to get deeper and deeper into relationships and get attached to other people. The base root of all relationships is love – literally. However, the love that makes relationships also breaks them. Commonly, too much love for a particular person leads to attachment and the urge to have total control over the other person. And human nature also makes one expect the same from that other person.

Love in the truest sense means taking the minimum and giving the maximum. But when this equation becomes imbalanced – giving the maximum and taking (expecting) the maximum as well, problems start cropping up. We start antagonizing the same person whom we had loved so much. What a paradox!

So, how do we maintain excellent long-term relationships with our near and dear ones?

Just need to follow one simple mantra – accept the people we love, as they are and not try to control or change them. We have to understand that everyone is unique and everyone has their own strengths and weaknesses.

These things might sound simple and clichéd to some people. But just think about it. Problems arise in relationships only because we forget this fact from time to time.

Most of us are selfish in most parts of our lives. However, when it comes to relationships, we ought to be selfless. (Note: This does not apply to business relationships or those in which money is involved!)


Warm regards,
Team Ashni

Smartness

Most people think that only some people are ‘lucky’ to get opportunities to succeed. But luck is an often misinterpreted term. It is smartness that actually makes people successful. Smartness here means much more than the way we dress, the way we talk or the number of educational degrees we hold.

Smartness is the ability to be aware and capable enough to capitalize on every opportunity that comes our way. Smartness is the ability to be at the right place at the right time, and with the right guidance. If we analyze the lives of successful people, we will realize that all of them have been smart enough to grab opportunities that changed their life.

How can we be smart enough to succeed?

There has probably been more than one occasion where you heard about someone who has made it big and told yourself, "I could have done that as well." Opportunities are always out there. It takes knowledge and awareness to identify, conviction and persistence to exploit.

Knowledge: In whatever profession we are, we should gain in-depth knowledge about every aspect involved. We should be the master of our trade.

Awareness: Once we have gained the knowledge, awareness will help us identify opportunities. To gain awareness, we should keep ourselves up-to-date with the latest happenings in our profession, as well as in general. We should be able to relate happenings with opportunities.

Conviction: We should then develop the conviction to pursue the opportunities that we think are right. We have to believe in ourselves and our goals. Strive to achieve them with passion and diligence.

Persistence: This is one word that has been used many times in articles. Our road to success will more often than not, be accompanied with challenges. Only conviction and persistence can overcome challenges.

The combination of the above four attributes culminates into smartness, which leads to success. And no one is born smart. We can always learn to be smart and grab life by the horns!


Warm regards
Team Ashni

Discipline

Discipline in life takes us to the highest level of living possible. Discipline in short, is consciously doing the right thing at the right time, every time. Initially, it might seem difficult, but once it becomes a habit, the results will be remarkable.

Discipline can help us gain knowledge, maintain physical fitness and also build character, which ultimately leads to a more fulfilling life and enhances relationships. It can keep our mind under control and develop positive thinking, which would dramatically improve our confidence level and productivity.

How can we become disciplined?

Through focus and persistent efforts.

Focus: To make ourselves disciplined, we should to focus on particular aspects for which we wish to be disciplined. For example, if we want to make our day effective and optimize time utilized for various activities, we need to focus on planning ourselves. If we want to maintain our physical fitness, we need to work out or do yoga religiously everyday.

Persistent Efforts: Once we decide what aspects we need to focus on, we have to make persistent efforts towards the goal we wish to accomplish. It takes hard work to become disciplined. But the hard work is only for a short duration of time – at the beginning.

Success outside begins with success on inside. And the inside story always starts with discipline and self control. Discipline will also help us realize and tap into our vast potential, rewarding us with success and happiness.

Warm regards
Team Ashni