Habits

Out of following five things which makes the most difference in your life
Talent, Hard work, Education, Connections, Attitude

Wouldn't Attitude and Hard work be the topmost. People having no education, no inbuilt talent and no connections whatsoever, have made it really big in their life. They have acquired success that we always dreamt of, with die-hard attitude and focused efforts.  

Question is, What is success?
Isn't it just becoming somebody who you always wanted to be, being somebody that you always dreamed about. Who better than you can define this?

God has done justice with everyone by giving equal number of hours to everyone. So the people who achieve and the people who do not achieve have the same number of hours. So what really makes difference?

Now its easy to give excuses like, these successful people are born with talent ,few of them are born with lot of wealth or few of them might have godfather to guide. But the fact still remains that there are large number of successful people who did not have any of these things.

Let me ask you this. Which is your biggest enemy?

Don't you think it's laziness? What is that one thing that separates passionate people and people who have given up on life?

How would you feel, if you become somebody that you dream of?
For example somebody with attractive personality, with great communication, wonderful attitude, lot of energy and passion, doing exactly what you love doing, making good money and helping people to do the same.

So start visualizing that person that you want to be from today. Start living that life today, be that person and think like that person.

There would be distractions, there would be negative thought, there would be failures, but, hey come ‘on, did all the successful people became successful overnight. They all had to go through the transformation, put that effort to reach their destination.

And if you look at all these people, the simple thing they all did was get into action and these actions have to consistent and focused. Because practice makes man perfect and what other thing can help you achieve this than a strong habit. A habit that is built over a period of time, but becomes like second nature.

So build your habits and you would have built your life. The difficult part is building a habit, but once you have built it, nothing can stop you from getting to your destination.

Start with the most difficult thing. Say talking in front of a group of people. Start with a routine of talking in front of a mirror for half an hour for one month and then present yourself in front of your family. Continue for three more months and present yourself  in front of your friends. Do you feel better, are you more confident now. Continue for three more months and speak in front of your colleagues. If you continue doing this for a year, it won't be difficult to speak in front of an audience of say 200 people. The more you do it the better you would get at it. So the simple solution is build a habit  and let the habit built you.

You can apply the same technique for building habits like getting up on time, keeping fit through regular exercise, allocating time to call your contacts and network with people, allocating time for family, a daily ritual of meditation and connecting with self. It need not make your life mechanical, it simply means you do the things which are most important with utmost ease and no second thought, while leaving lot of other time for few ad-hoc things.

By
Darshan Vartak

https://livethypassion.blogspot.in

Please feel free to reach me at darshanvartak@gmail.com

Lagos

A peaceful, contented walk to the resort, enjoying the Algarve weather and soon we were in bed.  Next day tour was going to start at 2:30 in the afternoon. After a pizza margarita, fried mushrooms in olive oil and a sandwich, we took a stroll around the resort admiring the cute houses and beautiful neighbourhood. Rua De Amanheia had some of the familiar garden plants like Cactuses, Periwinkle, Boganvellia  etc.

The pickup Van arrived on time and we were soon transferred into a bigger bus with Vanda and Tiego taking over the control for rest of the day. The journey through the vine yards and orange farms was interesting. The cute and colourful houses with their distinctive Moorish chimneys kept me busy and the sunny weather added to the energy. This time of the year it was mainly the elderly generation who were part of our bus crowd. The younger generation or the families flock here during July and August, which is the summer break in this part of the world.

As we moved towards Lagos, I could get few glimpses of the urbanized Portugal with taller buildings, wider roads and beautiful roundabouts. The trees in Portugal were much closer to those found in India and I was happy to meet them here. It was more like meeting few old friends. Nilgiri or Eucalyptus tree were prominently visible and so were the banana trees. The Portuguese language has huge Arabic influence apart from the architectural influence.

The major crops in this area as informed by Tiego were Oranges, Olives and Almonds. As we passed few thick lines of trees on the roadside, Tiego gave us information on the corks. Right from how the cork is being produced to how the natural wooden cork is better for wines. Passed a huge bridge on river Arad at Portemao and also could have a look at a flock of Flamingos, quite symbolic of this colourful culture. I am not sure if Portuguese culture has it but, the flamingo dance in equally colourful outfit is part of Spanish culture.

Tiego kept us entertained in his humorous way of sharing the information and it came naturally to him. I was surprised to hear Potato being called Batata in Portugese and realized the name in Marathi (Local language in state of Maharashtra) must have come down from Portuguese language.  The pottery houses exhibited some of the classical pottery, giving insight into Portuguese art.

Our first halt was at one of the classy rock formations near Lagos. Lagos at this place is at its best and it was a treat for me to capture few of the stunning views and pose against few of the spectacular rock formations. My Galaxy S3 did good justice to this place, full of rock formations, caves and stark green sea.

This place is quite high up the hill, with steps to reach out to the bottom, to touch the sea. After few clicks, we followed the steps down to the sea. The steps are carved out of the stone to take you close to the beautiful rock formations. As we descended close to the sea, the beauty of the serene sea and dramatic rock formations got more intense.

Sheetal being in her third month of pregnancy was slow, but then did not want to miss any of this beauty and made down few 100 steps to touch the sea here. The boat rides were ready to take people through the cave formations, similar to the one that we did a day earlier. Although this place is quite touristy we went during the off season, leaving all the beauty for us to enjoy.

The next stop was Lagos Marina and the slave market. We followed the footsteps of some of the early navigators, sailors and slaves as well. When Portugal as a country opened up new avenues in terms of sea faring and reached out to remote corners of the world via sea route. This was the time when the Europe had started looking out for options to silk route, the age old trade route for many-many centuries.

Come to think about it, was such a crucial turning point and Henry the Navigator stands there as a testimony to all this development. People who dared to think differently and break out of the crowd have always contributed immensely to the ways we live our life today. It’s that passion of mankind that has driven him to reach those heights and challenge others.

Today this place is a very cute square with a fort on one end and the marina and a beach on the other side. A greenish looking statue, quite similar to statue of liberty stands there. The narrow alleyways are dotted with cute houses, cobbled pathways and the inviting roadside cafes are having their own unique ambiance. The fish delicacies is the most important dish in their menu and it was nice to see the tourists, enjoying this laidback life for few moments and immersing in the atmosphere of hospitality, fun and love.

The abundance of fish and the clear waters at the marina was amazing. The Sunny weather had added lot of vibe to the atmosphere and our fellow travellers were busy catching all this beauty in their cameras to cherish for long. Moorish influence was again prominent, exhibited through the fort build in stones with narrow alleyways.

Our next stop was “End of the World”. This was the most dramatic sea shore I had visited in my life and I was stunned by the sheer beauty of this place. The rocky cliffs, roaring sea, green expanses of clean water reaching out to the horizon, was quite exciting place to visit and cherish. This is the place, which people at some point imagined as the end of land, until Columbus reached America.

But then this place still has its significance for the mesmerizing view of the Atlantic Ocean, the beautiful light house and freshness of air and makes you feel like flying. It might have inspired many people to dive into the roaring sea and feel that amazing thrill. The only way to express my ecstasy was to breathe the fresh air, standing on the cliff, facing the sea, feeling like flying and being at the top of the world.

The day was well spent in getting few glimpses of the Portuguese culture, understanding the beauty of Algarve and getting lost into the stunning views of the dramatic sea. Tiego’s energy was still 100% and he briefed us on the inefficient toll road and few of the uncompleted projects as well, wasting hard earned people’s money and some of the well-known inefficiencies of their local government, quite typical to our own democracy. Well all governments are more or less same, isn’t it?

I really wanted to spend the evening again at Marina, at the sound of the waves, buzz of the tourists, relooking at beautiful yachts and attractive cafes, crowded with beautiful people, letting themselves into the atmosphere of peace and livelihood, allowing them to be happy and exchanging smiles, admiring the Portuguese hospitality and pampering their taste buds. The marina has it all, it has that life and I had fallen in love with it. But then Maitri and Sheetal did not really have that energy left and we decided to enjoy the hospitality in our very own, Cafe Rio.

The dinner and treatment at Rio Cafe today was exclusive and I was amazed at the change in demeanour of the lady who appeared quite rude in the morning. Human nature is so inexplicable.  The bread with cheese, tuna spread, piri piri chicken gravy with rice, grilled salmon, banana split and a large beer turned out to be a proper Portuguese dinner in the ambiance of a beautiful cafe.

Natural Therapy

Natural Therapy For Headaches !
In about 5 mins, your headache will go.......

The nose has a left and a right side.
We use both to inhale and exhale.
Actually they are different.
You'll be able to feel the difference.

The right side represents the sun.
The left side represents the moon.

During a headache, try to close your right nose
and use your left nose to breathe.
In about 5 mins, your headache will go.

If you feel tired, just reverse, close your left nose
and breathe through your right nose.
After a while, you will feel your mind is refreshed.

Right side belongs to 'hot', so it gets heated up easily.
Left side belongs to 'cold'.

Most females breathe with their left noses,
so they get "cooled off" faster.
Most of the guys breathe with their right noses,
they get worked up.

Do you notice, the moment you awake, which side breathes better?
Left or right ?
If left is better, you will feel tired.
So, close your left nose and use your right nose for breathing..
You will feel refreshed quickly.

Do you suffer from continual headaches?
Try out this breathing therapy.

Close your right nose and breathe through your left nose.
Your headaches will be gone.
Continued the exercise for one month.

Why not give it a try.....a natural therapy without medication.

DON'T FORGET TO SHARE
CURE FOR ACIDITY:
Acidity, it is said, is worse than Cancer. It is one of the most common dis-ease people encounter in their daily life. The home remedy for Acidity is Raw Grains of Rice.

The Process:

1.     Take 8 - 10 grains of raw uncooked rice

2.     Swallow it with water before having your breakfast or eating anything in the morning

3.     Do this for 21 days to see effective results and continuously for 3 months to eliminate acidity from the body

The Cure:

Reduces acid levels in the body and makes you feel better by the day.

CURE FOR CHOLESTEROL:

Cholesterol problem accompanies with Hypertension and Heart Problems. This is also one of the common problems in people who have High Blood Pressure and Diabetes. The home remedy for Cholesterol problem is RAW SUPARI.

The Process:

1.     Take Raw Supari (Betel Nut that is not flavoured) and slice them or make pieces of the same

2.     Chew it for about 20 - 40 minutes after every meal

3.     Spit it out

The Cure:

When you chew the supari, the saliva takes in the juice that is generated and this acts like a Blood Thinner. Once your blood becomes free flowing, it brings down the pressure in the blood flow, thereby reducing Blood Pressure too.

CURE FOR BLOOD PRESSURE:

One of the simple home remedy cure for Blood Pressure is Methi Seeds or Fenugreek Seeds.

The Process:

1.     Take a pinch of Raw Fenugreek Seeds, about 8 - 10 seeds

2.     Swallow it with water before taking your breakfast, every morning

The Cure:

The seeds of Fenugreek are considered good to reduce the blood pressure.

CURE FOR DIABETES:

There are 2 home remedies for Diabetes. One is Ladies Finger and the other is Black Tea.

BLACK TEA: Due to high medication, the organ that is worst affeccted is the Kidney. It has been observed that Black Tea (tea without milk, sugar or lemon) is good for the Kidney. Hence a cup of black tea every morning is highly advisable.

The Process:

1. Boil water along with the tea leaves (any tea leaves will do).

2. Drink the concoction without addingmilk, sugar or lemon.

The Cure:

Black Tea will help in enhancing the function of the kidney, thereby not affecting it more.

LADIES FINGER or OKRA:
Ladies finger is considered to be a good home medicine for diabetes.


The Process:

1. Slit the ladies finger into 2 halves vertically and soak it in water overnight.

2. The next morning, remove the ladies fingers and drink the water, before eating your breakfast.

The Cure:

After the ladies fingers are soaked overnight in the water, you can observe that the water becomes sticky in the morning. This sticky water is considered to be good for people who suffer from Diabetes.

Never Quit

Once upon a time in distant land in India, there was a village. The villagers made their living mostly through farming. The crops were in abundance and they never faced any issues. Years went by and everyone lived very happily.

One of the monsoons the villagers had sown their crops and waiting for the rain. But this year there was no sign of rain. Villagers started getting worried and one of the wise men suggested, they go to the musician in the village. He can play flute to make “Rain God” happy and soon there will be rain.

Villagers flocked at the flute player’s home. The flute player agreed to play “Raga Megh Malhar” to make the “Rain God” happy. The power of music was astonishing and villagers were happy, as they hoped, this would play the trick, the “Rain God” would be happy soon. The musician kept playing, but there was no result.

The flute player started getting impatient and soon and lost his hope. He stopped playing and went back to his home. The villagers now had lost their hope as well. The flute player was their last hope and now they were left with no hope at all.

One sunny morning the villagers happened to meet a stranger passing through their village. He had flute and seemed quite a happy looking man. Looking at his flute the villagers decided to give a last try. They requested him to play “Raga Megh Malhar” to make the Rain God happy. The stranger gave smile and agreed to help the villagers.

The stranger started playing his flute, he was not an expert but he still had the sweetness and melody to enchant everyone. Time went by, but still there was no rain. The stranger never stopped he went on and on. Soon there came a day when the “Rain God” was happy and started showering over the village.

Villagers admired the stranger and thanked him for saving the village. But then the villagers were curious to know, while the other flute player in the village also did his best, why couldn’t he make the “Rain God” happy. The stranger smiled and said, the only thing I did was “kept playing the music until there was rain”.

The story leads to a very bare truth about life and that is most of the time in life people quit, when they are very close to success. People tend to forget that, for each one of us there is a unique journey and definite destiny. People tend to believe in all other things outside, but themselves. It’s the faith in self, that you are God’s unique creation and you have a definite purpose. It is this belief that has created those personalities that, we always aspire to become. The only key is not to quit believing in self.

"If I have ever made any valuable discoveries, it has been owing more to patient attention, than to any other talent."
― Isaac Newton

“Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.”
― Thomas A. Edison

“Our greatest weakness lies in giving up. The most certain way to succeed is to try just one more time.”
― Thomas A. Edison