The Beautiful Struggle: Pain in the Pursuit of Dreams

 Hello Readers

I hope you are fine today. It's good to be blogging after a while. I wrote about the pains and struggles, as well as what it takes to achieve something in life today. Hope all of you will like it. 

The Price of Greatness

Pain is inevitable when striving toward something extraordinary. It is the uninvited guest that accompanies ambition, silently lurking behind every effort, every sacrifice, and every arduous step. Yet, pain is not merely a hindrance, nor is it a punishment—it is the sculptor that chisels away weakness and shapes resilience, transforming dreams into achievements and individuals into their best selves.

The Struggle: A Path Paved in Hardship

Life is rarely kind when we aim high. The journey to achieving a goal often feels like climbing a relentless hill, with obstacles stacked like boulders at every turn. Yet, these hardships are the necessary catalysts for growth. Each failure teaches perseverance, each setback sharpens resolve, and every moment of self-doubt forces us to confront our fears and rise above them. Hardships are not the chains that bind us; they are the stepping stones that elevate us.

Consider the athlete training for the Olympics, pushing their body beyond limits to shave a mere second off their time. Or the entrepreneur working sleepless nights, risking financial security to build a business from scratch. Both endure pain—physical, emotional, and mental—yet it is this very pain that refines them, molding them into champions of their own domains.

The Efforts: Sweat and Tears

Effort is the currency of success, and pain often comes as its price tag. The relentless pursuit of a goal demands immense energy—a reservoir of determination that fuels the countless hours spent practicing, learning, or creating. These efforts are rarely glamorous; they are the moments few witness: the artist alone in their studio, the student poring over books late into the night, the marathon runner pounding the pavement in the early morning quiet.

Effort is the heartbeat of ambition, and pain is its echo. It reminds us that progress, though often slow and arduous, is still progress. Each drop of sweat, each tear shed in frustration or exhaustion, adds to the tapestry of our journey. The pain borne of effort is not in vain; it becomes the foundation upon which we build triumph.

The Sacrifices: Letting Go to Move Forward

Sacrifice is perhaps the most poignant form of pain. To chase a dream, we must often let go of comforts, relationships, or opportunities that do not align with our vision. This is not easy, nor is it painless. It is the parent missing a child’s recital to work overtime on a groundbreaking project. It is the student foregoing social outings to study for exams that will shape their future. It is the artist declining lucrative commercial work to preserve their creative integrity.

Sacrifice hurts because it requires us to choose what matters most, often at the expense of what feels good in the moment. Yet, it is in these sacrifices that we discover our priorities and learn the true value of our aspirations. Pain becomes the bittersweet companion of growth, whispering that every loss will be replaced with something greater on the horizon.

Embracing the Pain

Pain, though uncomfortable, is the marker of progress. It reminds us that we are alive, striving, and moving toward something meaningful. It is the fire that tests the mettle of our spirit, the weight that strengthens the muscle of our determination. Without pain, there is no growth, no transformation, no triumph worth celebrating.

In the end, pain is not the enemy; it is the ally we often fail to recognise. It teaches us patience, perseverance, and perspective. It strips away the superficial and leaves us with the essence of who we are and what we are capable of achieving. So, when facing the struggles, efforts, and sacrifices required to chase your dreams, remember this: pain is not there to break you. It is there to build you into the person who can proudly hold your dreams in your hands.

The struggle is beautiful. Pain is purposeful. And every hardship endured is a testament to the greatness that awaits achievement.

The above is my experience of how I face life with challenges in the hope to win those challenges some day.

Thanks for your time

Helios.

 

Person

 Hello Readers

 I hope this blog finds you well; it's been a while since I blogged.

 

Be a good person , but don try yo prove it.

-Unknown

 

What I wanted to discuss today came out during a conversation with my friend.

 

We were trying to define who is a "person."

 

I know it sounds simple; you define a person by their looks, gender, character, profession, etc.

 

 That is the simplest way of defining a person, but let's discuss there are more ways to this.

 

There is this famous statement that most of us would have heard. It goes like this " Birth defines a person's future and the possibilities of what they can become in life."

 

It is true, but there are some conditions and exceptions.

 

Let's measure it with the Maslow's need hierarchy index; for people who don't know what it is, I have shared this image below.

courtesy Wikipedia

  

Suppose the individual is born with a silver spoon. His possibilities are unlimited, he can be a damn successful person and basically become what he wants to be, so here you get five on five on the index.

 

If someone is born in a family, say a three or four on the index, they still can achieve what they want, but not as easy as the first category.

 

What if a person's life falls between one and two of the index? What happens to their life? Should we consider them not privileged? Can they achieve something in life, or would they be just trying to firefight their life and try to fill basic needs only?

 

So, my last para is actually a prelude to the other part of this discussion, "support systems."

 

Suppose you were fortunate enough to be born in a great support system even though it may be ideologically and monetarily weak. However, the support system's efforts are still pure and determined, and the only goal is the success of the "person." Mr. Abrasham Maslow's theory has an exception.

 

Can we question such a theory that is accepted worldwide in the world?

 

Of course not, but I can comprehend by saying the times have changed slightly. The caretakers are taking steps in the right direction at the cost of their own lives and being selfless to see the success in their offspring.

 

On the flip side, you were born in one of the wealthiest support systems. Still, they are very naïve and let you enjoy your royal life; maybe the true potential would be suppressed from day one!

 

These two examples should give you a clearer idea.

Example One: A wealthy man's children who get all the privileges just get into a typical career.

 

Example two: A poor father who just makes ends meet daily, saves all his little finances and helps his son achieve his goal. The result is that his son cracks the topmost government exam and becomes a responsible bureaucrat. 

 

When the support system is brilliant in all aspects, but the aspirant doesn't use the utmost use of it, then there is an imbalance there, but on the other hand if the efforts are going in sync, then the results will be brilliant.

courtesy Google images

 

Success stories of all the great and accomplished people in the world are like a unicycle of balance within them and the people around them.

 

So let us try to define a "person" now:  They are a consequence of their past and present situation in life, their birth even though determines a lot, still if the individual has a holistic mind, maturity above all and a support system which thinks only about their growth and prosperity with selfless thinking, the person can become a success in whatever they aspire to be, the possibilities are limitless.

 

I think that is how we should define a person before judging them by their success or failures.

 

God speed to all the determined and working on their goals and selfless support systems; that is the energy and positivity we all should get to.

 

Thanks a lot for your time, have a great week ahead.

Helios.

Roots and Blooms

 Hello readers!

 True teachers are those who help us think for ourselves.

-Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

 Happy new year to all, good to be blogging after a while.

 No cough, fever, can taste food, and Spo2 is above 96%; these are considered happiness these days; this is a meme making the rounds in social media.

 Looking at it a little seriously, I feel it is true; maybe staying healthy is only happiness. But, yeah, it is evident we are in the middle of bio war.

 I couldn't write for almost a month as I was caught up with a few things. Still, thanks to my readers who keep asking me if I was okay and why I did not publish these days, it makes me even more eager to create new blogs!

 I have written about teachers before, but I got a new perspective about it a few days back, so this one reflects those thoughts.

 Teachers are the first leaders and motivators in life because it's hard to guide young people without these qualities.

 Then what is that one niche quality of a teacher? It is selflessness.

I will talk more about selflessness a little later.

 What I admire about teachers is that they feel happy about our success. Do you think is that a big deal?

 Yes, it is a huge deal. But, in this world of comparison and jealousy, a person feeling happy by seeing someone else succeed and moving ahead is indeed a sacred act.

 The word teacher is something very different. We all get an image in front of our minds when we say the word teacher. It may be your favorite teacher in your school or college, or it may be an experience that taught you something.

 So, it is just not a person; it is life, actually! So yes, life is one of the best teachers available for us free of cost.

 Scientists refer to life as a semi-living thing because it involves both living and non-living things; of course, in this era of artificial intelligence (AI) humanoid robots, we learn from machines too and vice-versa.

 For a society, teachers become an integral part.

 Sometimes I feel our societies are not well informed due to a lack of primary education. But, on the other hand, there were enough opportunities and desires where some people wanted to become teachers but could not because of societal problems.

 They say the best teacher-student relationship was seen in the Indian Vedic schools in ancient times, which is still considered the summit of value education.

 Next comes the Chinese martial arts teacher and student an equation of accuracy and precision.

 Being a teacher in life is an opportunity, the best you can give back to society. So try to blossom the future of a few children who have the fragrance of intelligence just waiting for your watering to the roots, and they bloom!

Courtesy google images

 It is okay if we are not teachers by profession; let us guide people who seek our help and make them smile.

 My respect to all the people in my life who have helped me become the person I am today, who taught me lessons with their good guidance or made me learn the hard way.

 Finally, I bow to my experience, which has always been a loyal teacher!

 Thanks a lot for your team; 2022, more blogs coming up!

 Have a great day ahead.

Hatchway

Dear Readers,

 I hope you all are doing fine and safe. 

 The remedy for weakness is not brooding about it but thinking about strength.

-Swami Vivekananda.

 Finally, we see some dip in the corona Virus cases in India, and I think the Bell curve is flattening up, great we could achieve a billion doses of kudos to all the people involved in it. 

 Today want to discuss an all-important topic.

 We all know what we mean by “door” it is a piece of furniture that protects a particular place from trespassing and helps maintain privacy.

 On the contrary, doors are entry points to a new place that is ready to explore.

 That was a material aspect of doors; let us think a little bit from a literary element.

 I mentioned doors are gateways to explore new places.

courtesy google images

 Similarly, now, if we consider our life as a journey and in this journey, we enter many places, and each of these places has boundaries, gates and doors that we need to knock, open and finally go inside.

 Each of those barriers or doors is the problem you face in life, and every time you open that door, you enter a new world which we can call the solution.

 But it doesn’t end there; your new world will have other rooms locked, there you have the task to work upon to unlock those rooms again and explore!

 So the cycle actually continues, you enter a world, you see things there, enjoy them, you suffer from them and move on, and again you move to a different world.

 Many of you reading this would have played the game “Mario” by Nintendo, where he finally clears many worlds to meet his princess.

 Doors matter in life, and as you grow old, the doors will be solid and hard to open, but you need to become strong and competent to open these doors and start exploring the world.

 Unless we do not understand the root cause of our problems in life, we will always open new issues or not close our current ones!

 It is just like carrying the wrong keys to open doors; either you are stuck or may enter the wrong place, by which I mean creating new problems for yourself!

 Just keeping it simple for today, as I see many people are lost and thinking about things which don’t matter. These are times they need to think and work on resolving their issues and move on!

 All the best, practice moving on in life. 

 It seriously helps. It has seriously helped me at times where I needed to! Let it be a job or a person. Once you understand the crux, you need to move on!

 Get busy living or get busy dying!

-Andy Dufresne to Red Redding -The Shawshank redemption.

 Thanks for your time, have a lovely weekend.

 Helios.

Emotional Pillows

 Hello Readers

 Hope you all are safe and well!

 The world breaks everyone, and afterward, some are strong at the broken places.

-Ernest Hemingway

 When I was in college, I faintly remember reading, even though success is measured in your assets, positions, and various things, your attitude and emotional balance define your true success.

  Always wanted to write about this aspect of looking at life, but I guess I had to undergo situations to arrive at what I wanted to tell.

 The time feels right now to spill some beans on what's on my mind.

 Life is a sum of experiences, and these graphs of your experiences, even though they don't arithmetically progress, will increase in volume as we age.

 To be even more straightforward, each day in your life is an event.

 I am a bit of a stock market buff I follow the markets rigorously; do we know what the most challenging thing for a person who wants to book positions is? It is maintaining emotional balance.

 Emotional balance is simply being in composure come what may, even if it is the worst of situations in front of you and breaking into pieces.

 You should not break alongside the broken situation; instead, you bring up the tape of hope and positivity and stick those chunks together.

 You control your emotions and channel them in the right direction to achieve what you desire in life.

Courtesy Google images

 Emotional Pillows:

 They are not any memory foam or a high-priced cotton pillow available in the market.

 They are people, whose shoulders you put your head on when you are really stressed out or see a way out of a problem.

 I think, for most of us, it is our mothers’ as they have the power to observe our stress and make us breathe easy.

 For some, it is their siblings elder or younger doesn't matter, and for some, it is their best friends.

 But I have a question for all of you, who do emotional pillows take support from? Do they also have some way to release their stress or emotional load?

 Well, that is an open question; I really would love to hear your answers.

 My answer would be that the bolsters do not get any other support. They just pray to the stars to give them more strength to withstand! Yes, they get blessed from above most of the times I feel.

 Looking forward to your answers, Thanks a lot for your time.

 Have a great week ahead.

 Helios.

The Olympics - An event with different meanings.

 Hello Readers

 Hope you all are safe and fine.

 

“The most important thing in the Olympic Games is not winning but taking part; the essential thing in life is not conquering but fighting well.”

- Pierre de Coubertin (primarily responsible for the revival of the Olympic Games in 1894)

 

The Mood of this blog is jubilant and cheerful.

 

That is what I feel; after enjoying a visual treat this past week, yes, some of you would have guessed it already. The Olympic Games at Tokyo 2020.

 

The various sports and their brilliant contenders.

 

When you see a sporting event, there are different ways of interpreting the same. We would enjoy the event, that’s obvious!.

 

When I was enjoying the spectacle, I was viewing this differently.

 

First, I could see the excitement among all the participants in all the sports they participated in.

 

Their raw emotions of happiness or sadness in each moment while they played.

 

The burdens and hopes of their countrymen which they carry.

 

Finally, their trainers constantly trying to motivate them, whenever they can, whether a team event or an individual sport.

 

I think the Olympics is one such event the world comes together forgetting their borders, race or Colour and speaks the only language which is a sport.

 

Imagine the synergy and the positivity present there!

 

An actual demonstration that we all can live with differences yet come together and acknowledge the victory of each other after a fair competition.

 

We can learn a lot from sports; it can measure a person’s determination, goal-seeking ability, and true grit to achieve what they desire to succeed.

 

Finally, the trust between teacher-student or a trainer and contestant in a more sporting sense.

 

That is, a bond of trust which exists between them is unique. Do you know why? Whenever their pupil fails to lead the competition, the coach will go to a different level to motivate their student.

 

They trust each other to the core; that is the gift of the Olympics. When you know someone in your life and decide to become their well-wisher, a teacher, or a simple guide to them, I feel when you know someone in your life. You need to build trust in them and support them.

 

That is the identity of a mature guide.

 

Can you be one? Well, try to do it starting today!

 

“It is the inspiration of the Olympic Games that drives people not only to compete but to improve, and to bring lasting spiritual and moral benefits to the athlete and inspiration to those lucky enough to witness the athletic dedication.”

- Herb Elliott (Australian middle-distance Runner)

 

Hearty congratulations to all the winners of the Indian contingent and the other countries part of Tokyo 2020. who proved that it is possible to come what may! Their success stories are unbelievable and heart touching!

Courtesy Google images

Let us all learn from such joyful events and apply some of those principles in your life! Starting with believing in ourselves!

 

Thanks a lot for your time. Have a great week ahead.

Helios.

Platoon.

 Hello Readers

 Hope you are doing well today!

 It has been a while since I wrote, always feels good to be back to blogging.

 It always seems impossible until it's done.

-Nelson Mandela

  I am writing about the concept of groups today; I have etched about this before, but I will give a different dimension to it.

 When I say groups, i am talking about social groups, private groups, and finally, even a family is a group of people.

 There are numerous quotes, sayings, and whatnot on being in the right group of people to achieve what we want.

 How important is a group that we are in?

I feel it is very much essential of what group we belong to.

 The simple reason being our brain is wired like an ape; for a fact, we all are the advanced version of simians!

 So, the tendency to mimic what others do is very normal.

 Let us consider a child; when it is born, the child's brain is very fresh, like a clean glass bottle that can be filled with nectar or poison.

 Nectar is the good values, qualities, and other good things you can fill and nurture the kid.

 The poison is the act of superior and inferior, the logic we plant in their mind about the world's systems that are not so perfect, like differentiating people based on race, ethnicity, caste and creed, faith, religion, the list goes on!

 We need to move on; a baby is like a sculpture; you can turn it into a masterpiece or trash it.

 That brings me to the right groups; if the child is born in a robber’s group, it will grow to become one. There are exceptions for any group, for sure. Your birth defines who you will end up in most cases, but this has also been disproved many times.

 Sometimes, irrespective of where the kid was born, it blossoms to be the best individual; this is where reincarnation and rebirth of a great soul are evident!

 My point is very subtle and simple; either the person should have an in-built maturity to judge what is wrong or right. Or he should develop friendships and relationships with groups which help the person to grow and motivate him.

 Let us leave some old practices which are really old and evil and not be judgmental on people based on their birth, let us accept them for what they are by understanding them with fairness.

 

Courtesy Google Images

 

 Even if the person is an introvert, atleast he or she should have people he or she considers as friends who help them get up when they fall and guide them.

 Remember, we are driven by our platoons and sometimes tend to lose ourselves in the storm.

Always think good for yourself and the people around you.

 Thanks for your valuable time.

Helios.