When I Became Me

Having been on a journey within for over six years now, I instantly related to this message that I received from my friend and relative Col. Girish Nair this morning via Whatsapp. Of course, most of these mobile applications aren’t exactly what one can term as a friend-in-need. I mean, which friend wakes you up at midnight with a buzz? Or which friend expects you to respond immediately to that buzz?

Don’t mistake me! None of those who send message ever await our reply. It is just that somewhere inside our head, we believe that we need to be clued-in (isn’t that the word one hears constantly during corporate training programs?) and ends up being glued-in instead. The difference being that the first makes us aware and the second makes us aware of only our smart phone. So, we become less smarter, don’t we?

Anyways, I digress! While thanking my friend and nephew-in-law (now! that’s a complex one) for the message, I made the point that the contents of that message resonated well with my self-appointed task of seeking myself from my ego space – an effort in which I am hardly successful till date. So, here’s what the message is:

Days slip into weeks, weeks turn into months and months transform into years. Calendars are changing and so am I.

1. After loving my parents, my siblings, my spouse, my children, my friends, now I have started loving myself.
2. I just realized that I am not “Atlas ” and the world does not rest on my shoulders.
3. I now stopped bargaining with poor vegetables and fruits vendors. After all, a few rupees more is not going to burn a hole in my pocket but it might help the poor fellow save for his daughter’s school fees.
4. I pay the auto driver / cabbie and walk away without waiting for the change.The extra money might bring a smile on his face. After all he is toiling much harder for a living than me.
5. I stopped telling the elderly that they have already narrated that story many times. After  all, the story makes them walk down the memory lane and relive the past.
6. I have learnt not to  correct  people even when I know they are wrong. After all, the onus of making everyone perfect is not on me. Peace is more precious than perfection.
7. I give compliments freely and generously. After all its  a mood enhancer not only for the recipient, but also for me
8. I have learnt not to bother about a crease on my shirt or a spot on my trousers. After all, personality speaks louder than appearances
9. I walk  away from people who don’t value me. After all, they might not know my worth, but I do
10. I remain cool when someone plays dirty politics to outrun me in the rat race.After all, I am not a rat and neither am I in any raceI am learning not to be embarrassed by my emotions. After all, it’s my emotions that make me human.
11. I have learnt that its better to drop the ego than to break a relationship. After all, my ego will keep me aloof whereas with relationships I will never be alone
12. I demand  for whatever  is due to me. After all, accepting injustice is almost as bad as doing injustice
13. I’ve learnt to live each day as if it were the last. After all, it might be the last
14. I am doing what makes me happy. After all, I am responsible for my happiness, and I owe it to me.

AND I’M LOVING THE NEW ME!!

As I said, this is the journey I began six years ago and am just about reached the first of a hundred milestones… the journey of differentiating the ‘I’ from the ‘Me’

Do share how your own journey and where you think you’ve reached. Because, the best way to continue the journey is to learn from our fellow travelers.

Life is Good!