I was agitated after a long conversation with a close family member last night. When I hung up the phone, I wanted to pull my brain out to erase any trace of this chat from my memory.
I attempted to cry to get out all the frustrations that were boiling inside me, but something did not feel right. So, I paused for a moment and remembered similar incidents that happened over the last couple of months with the same person. The pattern spoke for itself! Thanks to my vivid memory and strong determination to avoid reacting to others’ opinions about me, I decided not to waste any more time or tears.
I wanted to do something different with my anger this time. I unlocked my laptop screen and started editing the story that had been seeking my attention over the last few weeks.
At first, I started to work only to distract myself as a replacement for sulking. But soon, the impulse drive within me led me to deep-dive into the article, allowing me to indulge in every detail.
Losing track of time, I immersed myself in my story’s teeny-weeny bits and formation. What absolute magic the words can do to your heart and soul!
The clock reminded me of the 4-hour leap from when I started the edit. I finally hit the publish button on my newsletter. There was still more fuel left to keep on the burning desire to write more! The flow of energy seemed to be endless!
I could feel every inch of my heart quickly filling up with a sense of accomplishment. There was no more trace of any repercussion. Only pure form of bliss! I closed my eyes to dwell in that piece of heaven for a while more!
Every positive or negative emotion carries tremendous energy. It is in our control to make the best use of it by redirecting it to what matters most!
In my case, it was easy to divert all the energy to my writing, something I love to do even in the middle of my wildest dreams!
Now that I have a taste of orchestrating my emotions to deliver a powerful outcome, I can’t wait to experience another strong emotion!!
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This story was originally published in Magicbytes, my substack newsletter.
Aug 26, 2022.
It was around 11 am; I was waiting for a follow-up at the doctor’s office, hoping to return to my usual hectic routine.
After examining me, she ordered some tests. With a huge sigh, I agreed to finish it on the same day so that I could save some time!
I got my scan reports and was back in the waiting hall to see the doctor! I did what anyone else in this internet age would do. I typed my report results into google.
Spoiler Alert: This article is about what happened in the following several hours.
On top of the unwanted harm I had already inflicted upon myself by looking for medical answers from a google search, I called my Sister: A person, who knows by heart, every symptom of every damn illness related to middle-aged women. No, she is not a doctor but a Software Engineer with enough data!
I am generally not a person who trusts Google’s assumptions or an Engineer’s reassurance about human biology. But the helpless me was caught in a rut between reality and what-ifs.
My thoughts were shaken by a nurse calling my name. She walked me into the doctor’s office. The doctor, who looked at my reports, shook her head sideways[like gesturing a big NO], underlined something in red and confirmed that it was something serious.
She ordered a few more tests, reminding me repeatedly that something was very wrong with me.
I put on a blank look, dismissing any fear trying to express itself on my face. At the same time, my hands involuntarily held a tight grip on the chair I was sitting on to prevent me from falling. The world around me was moving circularly, flipping me upside down slowly but surely, leaving a constant ringing noise in my ears.
I continued to walk into the lab, where they drew my blood for further tests. I remember sitting on the plastic chair and feeling like a plank.
Riding back home after the tests, I couldn’t help but wonder how my life was altered in a microsecond. Suddenly, I was at the receiving end of it all, hanging on to my beautiful life by a thin thread. Is this how everybody else who goes through health issues feels?
I came home and dropped onto my bed. The mid-afternoon dark room ambience complemented my mood.
The script of my life kept scrolling in front of my eyes, even when I closed them. The worst part of Fear lies in its ability to contain us, like fire, in no time. Crushing all our dreams and desires into ashes ruthlessly. This is so unfair! It was my “Never have I ever felt so dark” moment.
After enough cycles of frustration and disappointment, I paused the complicated feelings inside me. I switched on the light in the room and my soul and started typing on my phone:
“Fear is meaningless. It creates unwanted connections between everything around us, leaving us scared and hopeless. Courage is a much simpler choice: To know that you will be ok, no matter what! Courage gives strength. Courage grants hope. Courage is YOU!”
It felt so good to get my sanity back finally. I was prepared to face my results! I even laughed momentarily at all the drama my mind had caused for those few hours.
The following day, I went to see the doctor. She checked my results along with other reports. She asked me to come back the next month to redo all tests! She realised her prescription from the week before might be the culprit of my abnormal scan reports.
I was shocked she told me all of that with zero resentments. On top of wasting my money, time and blood, she appeared unapologetic for what she had made me go through in the last several hours. I was just another misdiagnosis in her medical history. I walked out of that place in disbelief and was determined never to go again!
On top of the relief I had, knowing my reports were a joke, I realised the profound beauty of my life. This misdiagnosis was a call to action for my life’s top priorities, which I had been pushing away for lack of time and energy.
This was my moment of caution about how things could go wrong in a split second. Only when my life was at stake did I understand that my biggest problems were nothing compared to life itself.
To be able to breathe is by far the best blessing. The second best is the ability to realise the gift of life!
My wish for you today is to seize this moment wherever you are and do what you have postponed until tomorrow, the next week or the following year. Right NOW!
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I want to shout out to Alexandra Duncan for this beautiful article about parenting:
It is never too late to live the life of our dreams. All we ever need is to believe!
When we believe in ourselves, we are already starting a beautiful thought process that will lead us to great things. Things that we never imagined possible. But on one condition: Our thoughts only get as much power as our FAITH. So, the only way to reap the full benefits is to trust our beliefs one hundred per cent!
Here is a simple exercise: Find a quiet spot, Close your eyes, and think about something you have always dreamed of. It could be finishing a marathon, buying a vacation home overseas, or starting a new career. Or just anything! Go big on your thinking without any limits.
Take a step forward and visualise your future self for a moment. For example: Imagine yourself posing at the marathon’s finish line after all the hard-core training for half a year. Simulate the emotions you may feel at the receiving end of your dream-come-true moment. If you got some chills there, then Congratulations!! You just experienced the power of visualisation!
This article is for all such big dreamers and aspirers of limitless thinking. Only you know the taste of “success” fruit while just beginning to plant the seed because you can already see what others are yet to see! The power of believing!
The Science behind a vision board
The human brain is the most complex system ever discovered in the history of mankind.
Human beings are visual creatures. Our brains are built for visual information. The human brain processes image 60,000 times faster than text. It takes only 13 milliseconds for the brain to process an image. 90% of information transmitted to the brain is visual.
The brain is constantly bombarded with billions of bits of information on a day-to-day basis. How does it know which ones to pick for processing and what to ignore?
Let me introduce you to the small part of our brain responsible for the most significant function of deciding upon what our brain should focus on: The Reticular Activating System(RAS).
RAS is a bundle of nerves at our brainstem accountable for filtering out all the unnecessary information and letting in only the critical data from our conscious mind to the subconscious. The good news is that it makes such decisions that validate our beliefs.
In other words, What we think or feel often, will find its way to us because our brain seeks such information in the world around us and brings it our way! This is the science behind the law of attraction.
A common example of the RAS in modern times is how often we notice the same type of car that we drive or someone we know. Because we see and think of that car very often, our brain has decided that car is important to us, so our RAS draws our conscious attention to that car.
The best way to simulate and activate our RAS to work in our favour is to create a vision board. Paint a picture of what we want and start telling ourselves that it is important to us and that we want it. This will enable RAS to look for opportunities to bring you closer to your vision.
All we have to do is: Trick our brains into getting what we want by visualising our thoughts!
Benefits of having a vision board
A vision board constantly reminds us of our intentions that help shape our thoughts and actions. Every day!
It acts like a road map that gives us clear directions about where to go when we feel lost or overwhelmed. It helps us overcome the fear of the unknown.
It is an instant motivation boost we need when life gets in the way. It promotes our focus on the bigger picture!
It gives us a sense of accomplishment with every step of progress, allowing our self-confidence to soar to new heights!
It improves our chances of success.
It helps us to shift our mindset and pushes our desire to succeed deeper than any other tool can do.
It can help give a whole new meaning and purpose to our goals.
A vision board drives us to commit to our limitless potential and nurture our sense of self-worth.
Steps to create a manual vision board
The visualisation has to be detailed, specific and emotion-filled [For example: Instead of saying, I want to lose body weight; Make it more specific about what you want to achieve. how much percentage of body fat you are targeting? What would the impact of the outcome be in your life? How would it make you and the people around you feel about it?]
Collect relevant pictures to support your goal.
Start making the board, including motivating quotes, inspiring words, and encouraging images.
Fill the board with positive affirmations, thank you notes, and lots of feelings!
The final step is to place the vision board where you would see it daily.
Are you ready to head to the stores to grab some sheets, markers, stickers, glue sticks, and highlighters? Oh, don’t forget to take prints of the photos. Also, make a sample copy first to avoid making mistakes.
Hold on before you grab your keys and head out of your home to buy everything. What if I told you, you could create a vision board in less than 5 minutes from the comfort of wherever you are right now?! It is called “Perfectly Happy.”
Perfectly Happy is the new home for your vision boards
Perfectly Happy is a vision board app and a gratitude journal that allows you to create your personalised vision boards in a matter of minutes. The app is available in both iOS and android play stores.
The logo of this app is a happy sunny face that perfectly depicts the purpose of including this app in our daily routine: Focus on the bright side of your life!
The app allows you to create vision boards and affirmations and enables practising gratitude/mood journals.
It also has stunning tutorial videos with empowering messages!
Create your personalised vision board:
Sign in to the Perfectly Happy app and start the 7-day free trial.
Let’s start creating the movie.
Choose a vision category from the following: Recovery, Nutrition & Weight loss, Sleep & Inner Peace, Career, Wealth, Lifestyle & Travel, House, Car & Boat, Family, Friends, Relationships, and Spirituality. Or create a new category.
Each category has a set of pre-existing images from the app. We also have an option to choose pictures from our device or pick from the web.
Pick at least ten images. We could create a separate vision board for each class or combine two or more types into one vision board. The choice is ours! I made three vision boards, each for a specific genre!
2. Add an affirmation to every 2nd or 3rd image.
Affirmations ensure we are fully charged and motivated to act on our goals.
Many such beautiful affirmations are available in the app for each category.
There is also an option to create our own. I added an affirmation to all of my ten images because I like it that way! I like the additional feature of being able to drag and drop to change the order of the pictures in the story, giving us more flexibility to make any changes if needed.
3. Choose a gratitude affirmation [Thank you note to the universe when our vision has manifested into reality!]
We can pick from the existing list of affirmations in the app, or we can create our own. In all honesty, the existing ones are too good and well thought out! I am pretty much happy with them!
4. Add some emotional music. This is the best and my favourite part of this app. It adds a whole new dimension to the movies created. We can choose the type of music you want: fast or slow tracks. There is also an option to select tracks from our device as well.
5. Choose a name for the vision board. Let’s goall in and make it look so real!
Drum roll…..Time to Play the story of our future selves!
I love the visual cue at the end of the story mimicking sunshine, making us believe we are already one step closer to our passionate goals!
How often should you watch the vision board in a day? The app suggests we watch the movie at least twice daily: First thing in the morning and before sleep. There is an option to change the frequency and time to play the film at our will.
There are options to edit, copy or share our vision boards!
The importance of Affirmations
The Perfectly Happy app has a predefined set of amazing affirmations that will enhance our self-esteem and push our limits to go the extra mile.
In my movies, I took this a step further. I added affirmations and compliments I have received so far from work and personal life. It adds a personal touch to my vision board, in addition to serving as a reminder of my abilities and strengths.
We can also opt to schedule the frequency of affirmations on our device.
These affirmations can also be included with the images while creating your movie.
The Gratitude & Mood Journal
I love the Perfectly Happy app’s description of this feature: Creating an attitude of gratitude.
As the name implies, this feature aims at capturing thank-you notes and our current state of mind.
The tutorial in the app beautifully explains this feature. In addition, I would like to stress the profound importance of having such an attitude and the incredible difference it can have in our lives.
A grateful heart is the source of pure joy. Only a grateful mind resolves to see beauty in everything!
The power of having such a heart and mind is not only limited to appreciating good things in life. The more we count our blessings, we tend to attract good fortune.
As we saw in the previous chapter, when we consistently practice gratitude journalling, we also teach the RAS in our brains that it’s important to notice things to be grateful about, which will have a positive impact on our mood and mental state.
The mood journal keeps track of our emotions in our current state. It is the best way to reflect upon what influences our moods and understand ourselves at a deeper level.
The making of this story
This story is another testimony to the power of visualisation and attracting what you want.
I have been wanting to create a vision board for a while now. I have mentioned it to my close circle of friends and secretly wished there was an easy way to do it.
One fine day, as I logged in to my email, there was a compelling message awaiting me in my inbox from the founder of the “Perfectly Happy” app requesting a review of their app.
When I downloaded the app and found its purpose, I was enchanted to know that the app was the answer to my seeking.
Ever since I started using the app, it has been more than ten days now. I couldn’t be happier with it.
My wish for you today is: Set yourself free from all boundaries and think beyond limits. It is time to ignite the burning desires in you and start making the movies of your future self using the Perfectly happy app.
It is never too late to start shaping your life through your vision!
I burst into laughter. This has now become my preferred mode of answering that specific question.
Not all cries are created equal. There are times when the joy in my tears instantly replaces the last trace of pain in no time. Sometimes, I scream the hell into my pillow, allowing the longings to sting the corners of my heart with no mercy. After a few cycles, I feel lighter and get back to the living part of life with clarity!
By far, the most dreadful ones are the silent tears. I am absolutely mindful of it and let it happen only when I am ok to surrender myself to the distress, creating some space for the suffering, although only momentarily.
Yesterday night was one such instance, where my heart literally jumped out to check on my face to confirm thy feelings. Oh, poor me! I had to hold on to that gloomy phase for a bit longer to let the watery eyes wash away the strains of misery lurking deep inside my heart!
The irony of love is that those closest to me also know how to hurt me the most! Is it because they also hold the extra pair of keys to the core of my heart?!
It was time for me to relinquish the additional keys and declare some parts of my heart private, accessible only by me! The power of self-love!
A year back, if someone had told me that my words could uplift people across the globe, I would have laughed hard. But today, I swear by it.
I wake up energised by new ideas. There is a high urge to manifest such thoughts in my writing. I act on it with an impulse need, giving it all of me.
With an undivided focus and attention, the obstacles appear smaller in front of my will. My persistence puts any challenge to shame. Emerging through all the tests and trials, I have learned to go far, listening only to my heart.
So, what force keeps me going, pushing my limits and expanding my beliefs about myself?
What fuels my burning desire to work on complex projects, giving me limitless energy to thrive through the thick and thin?
What gives me the courage to risk going into the unknown, daring to do new things?
The powerful force that drives me towards my meaningful goals and helps me stay engaged with them is the big M word: MOTIVATION.
This article is about my fail-proof motivation process!
Know thyself
Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom -Aristotle.
Nothing is more liberating than living true to our beliefs.
It takes an enormous amount of time, effort, analysis, and self-reflection to identify one’s strengths/weaknesses, likes/dislikes, interests/abilities, and the purpose of our existence. But, it is the best investment ever!
Knowing ourselves too well is the only way to break free from other people’s judgements and opinions about us. With nothing to weigh us down, we are prepared to face any challenges that come in the way of pursuing our dreams!
In hindsight, I moved out of workplaces where I felt stressed by incompetent management. Being micromanaged, my vision was restricted to deadlines. I felt like a robot delivering the expected outcome. There was so much pressure to deliver under constant surveillance.
Instead, I flourished in my work when I had the freedom to do it my way. I woke up to do my meaningful job, which made me feel valued and trusted. I felt motivated to work beyond expectations, making a huge impact on the project.
Shrinking myself to fit into places I never belonged, I have come far enough to say NO to projects that will not drive me from within.
Find your superpowers
Knowing oneself is the first step to realise the superpowers, a combination of innate qualities and expertise developed through life experiences.
My superpower is making life choices that align with my beliefs, come what may!
To fight until the end of the battle without giving up on my values!
In best times and worst, all I ever need to kickstart my motivation button is to remind myself of my superpowers!
Replacing “why me?” with “only one me!” lets me look at the situations from a different perspective.
I believe every obstacle is an opportunity waiting at my doorstep to unlock my potential: To show the world who I am!
Own your story
The best part of living life on my terms is:
It is never too late to make new changes.
I am not afraid of making mistakes.
I take responsibility for my actions.
Like a butterfly effect, the source of all good things in life comes from our thoughts! Thoughts originate from our good intentions!
When we constantly replace negative thoughts with positive self-talk, our minds are trained only to think positively. What we tell ourselves is what we eventually become!
My belief that I make a positive impression replaces any fears or doubts in my mind.
Following my heart’s way, I stand tall, watching the insecurities bow to my self-confidence.
Escaping the mundane, flying high with limitless thoughts, I realise the true wonders of life.
The story I tell myself inspires me to create many more beautiful chapters in my life!
You either walk inside your story and own it, or you stand outside your story and hustle for your worthiness -Brene Brown.
Find your tribe
To be your best self, find your people!
I am so glad I have mine.
When my hopes are drowning, and everything falls apart, I am blessed to have people in my life who can pull me out of the deep waters in no time. All they would ask me to do is to stop fussing and just get out. And that is precisely what I would love to hear too!
Finding like-minded souls has been a game changer in finding my motivation.
They are my well-wishers, invested in my growth.
They aspire me to be my best, living up to my fullest potential!
They help me find my light in the dark.
They are my power backup when the battery blinks red.
They are constant reminders of where I should be headed.
Being with the right people at the right time doesn’t hold true for me anymore. Because when we are with the right people, the timing is always right!
Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; Spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life -Amy Poehler.
Takeaway
Motivating ourselves from within is the only way to become unstoppable in the journey of pursuing dreams. To keep nurturing our inner fire, all we need is:
Know yourself to turn your motivation ON at any time!
Own your story. It is never too late to create a new chapter.
Find your tribe. They are the main characters in your story!
Written in response to Ellie Jacobson’s prompt, “Think back to your first memory of independence.” Thank you, Ellie, for the free writing Friday tips and the beautiful prompt!
I was in high school. I remember leaving home on a bicycle to write the chemistry exam on a weekday afternoon.
The school was a few miles away from my home. On my way, in the middle of the route, it started raining. My first thought was to ride as fast as possible to reach my destination. But rain accelerated its pour, beating my pedalling.
The road was steered clear. Nobody else but just me and the rains. I chose to not stop and keep going, no matter what. Riding alongside the rain on my way to independence. To prove to no one but me that I can do anything I want if I set my mind. The best one-on-one conversation I ever had with myself!
The rain never stopped, but my school arrived. Just when I parked my bike, I realised I was soaking wet. I had been out in the rain enough to get every inch of my body wet. I sneaked into the exam hall and finished my exam in the next 3 hours.
It was the first time I broke any boundaries. I was well aware that there might be consequences, but I wanted to literally test the waters to know what it meant to be fearless. The experience was out-of-the-world! With every drop of the pour, my fear of moving to the new house, new school, new friends and all the unknowns washed away. I felt like a new person. I was ready to face life!
To my surprise, nobody in the school or home questioned me about getting drenched. Of course, my friends gave me that crazy look. But that was it. When I brought this up with my mom, she simply laughed at me. Until that point, I have never seen my mom so cool. Maybe she sensed the change in me too.
I don’t remember anything else about that day. All I could remember is that it was an immense feeling to take back my power. To be me, and do what I wish to do.
The Universe was waiting to teach me one of the best life lessons. I am glad I learned. It was also my starting point to living a fearless life ahead!
God created humans with the most complex system ever, the human body! The body’s unique design allows it to self-heal and live through adverse weather conditions and extreme environments.
While He carefully chose to automate the body’s internal working, he willfully left the maintenance work to our common sense.
The rest of the article is about how we care for such fantastic bodies!
Eat
The best advice I ever received is “Eat well.” It is funny how I only learned it the hard way.
After falling for all the fad diets in my 20s, I lost much more than just my body weight. Although the lost pounds returned once I resumed eating normally; I had to work harder to build back the strength in my body.
I lost 15 lbs in 2 months, eating only salads and soups. The occasional sandwiches were my treat. I avoided carbs. I mainly ate fresh fruits, vegetables and pulses and believed it was enough for my body. I never cared to listen to it. I kept dismissing its signals.
I resisted hunger. I distracted myself to avoid eating, so I could look good. While my outward appearance looked great, my body suffered deep inside.
The worst part was no one else knew the truth but me.
I realized something was wrong when I lost my sleep to chronic knee pain. It bothered me so much every day that I reluctantly agreed to visit the doctor.
The doctor’s advice hit me harder than the pain in my knees. He asked me to avoid walking or standing for a long time and lifting any weights. I listened to him staring at his prescription for a bunch of pain killers, vitamins and minerals supplements.
His voice echoed in my ears long after he finished talking. This knee pain resulted from all the nutrients you had cut from your diet!
It was my wake-up call to eat healthy food for my body. I realised it is the only way to nourish the body and allow it to function optimally. There is no shortcut.
Our body needs a balanced diet. Cutting carbs/protein/fat or any other essential nutrients may eventually only lead to long-term health issues.
Choose a diet, you can live with for life. Because Food is Love. Food is Life -Rujuta Diwekar.
Exercise
My knees badly wanted those pain relievers at the doctor’s office, but I promised them something else.
I took a gym membership and started strength training with the help of a personal trainer. I never believed in love at first sight until I worked those weights during my training. At the end of every session, I was the one in charge, conquering my pain a bit more than yesterday.
One year later, I was in my best form, performing deadlifts, 1.5 times my body weight. The trainer calls me a natural, crediting the performance to my best asset: My Legs!
Three years later, my knees thanked me for keeping my words at the finish line of the half-marathon race when my daughter was a year old — a massive accomplishment for someone who was once susceptible to her body weight, let alone carrying a baby through the pregnancy!
Another baby later, I returned to running and trained for another half-marathon race. A few years later, I am now back to lifting weights in the gym, and I cannot thank my body enough for delivering the best! All I ever have to do is feed it nutritious food to help it recover!
I am glad I did not settle for the doctor’s prescription or the norms about women’s weightlifting or long-running. I could have never found the robust version of my body that had long yearned to outperform the thoughts in my mind!
I thank my body for going above and beyond! The bounds of confidence and positivity it brings into my daily life are priceless!
Surprising facts and the most infamous question
In my best form of health, I was 10+ pounds heavier than my pre-pregnancy weight, even after all the hardcore training. I lost inches and gained a super-toned body with an excellent muscle mass percentage! So, the next time you dread the weighing scale, grab the measuring tape!
I started running again after my second pregnancy and was surprised to find how easy it was to catch up and improve my mileage. Thanks to muscle memory. It works wonders! Mind you; Every workout counts!
Being healthy looks different for everybody!! According to the BMI calculator, I am borderline overweight. But, my running and weight lifting performance have peaked at an all-time high!
Fitness is not about having a picture-perfect image. It is about feeling good, inside and out!
My favourite part of my current lifestyle is that I don’t put on weight even when I have not worked out for more than a week or ten days. My body conveniently sticks with its current weight, allowing me to be comfortable in my skin!
Only we know our bodies, the best! There are days I wake up feeling bloated because of sleepless nights or stressful work. And that is ok. Life happens, and judging my body is unfair because I slipped a few days!
The only way I have found to measure my progress is by looking in the mirror and beating the damn performance of that person I see there!
Some days, I want to rest, and sometimes, I must force-stop myself to avoid overuse injury! Rest and Recovery are as crucial as the workouts to achieve the best results!
Fitness is a lifelong commitment; I don’t believe in cheating my body to indulge in that sizzling brownie with ice cream.
I bet I burned more calories answering the most overrated question: How much weight did you lose?! For starters, weight loss was never my goal. So, please ask me what I gained instead!
Body weight says nothing about our underlying health condition. I have friends who look slim with high cholesterol levels and people who are on a diet with hormonal disorders. Next time you want to go on a crazy diet to lose weight, ask yourself: Is it worth your body?
The game-changer of my fitness journey has been my beautiful body! Falling in love with it and accepting it has been the best decision ever.
Health is not just being disease-free. Health is when every cell in your body is bouncing with joy -Sadhguru.
Magic bytes, my substack newsletter, was born early this year out of my burning desire to thrive and attract energy from like-minded souls to find my purpose.
Ever since my first post, I have been fuelled by nothing but passion for connecting more with people and sharing my experience of love, life, and everything else in between. Because I believe in making a difference in others’ lives and my own, in every way possible!
Life has shown me that anything is possible when we dare to dream. Nothing can stop us from bringing those dreams into reality if we believe in ourselves! All answers we are looking for lie within us!
Start living today, and experience your life differently through a grateful heart full of love. Life is nothing but a series of magic and miracles!
Magic bytes deliver hope and happiness to your inbox, reminding you to look for joy and beauty in your everyday life.
My subscribers’ testimony about their experience
Bridie Dillon: Magic Bytes makes dull sparkle and painful, uplifting. Like me, Tamil is on a journey to being more mindful and kind, her words help me uncover an impatient urge to bring myself to the moment better than the last. I wake to read Tamil’s words and find a glowing source of inspiration & hope. I feel less alone reading her brightly shining heart, the stories sink into my world truly refreshing this cynic’s mind. Each new story brings a wonderful hunk of potential into the world. To really take a beat and take things lightly, live every moment as it presents itself. Every week in Magic Bytes Tamil will surprise you (in the best way!) with an intense zesty love for life. I’m so glad you found me Tamil! Thank you for being you and sharing your heart with the world ❤.
Zaha Hyatt: I love receiving Magic Bytes in my inbox. I can count on it to uplift my mood. The newsletter is filled with motivation wrapped in personal stories that resonate with me. I love that it is short and packed with positivity. Always a pleasure to open and always a new story to warm my heart with magic and joy. Thank you, Tamil for writing this newsletter diligently. I have enjoyed every issue and it has never failed to lift me up. ♥️
Trista Signe Ainsworth: Tamil’s newsletter, Magic Bytes, is pure magic indeed! Today I read about a moment of pure flow and intention that came about in her life. The way she described it instantly calmed me and set the tone for my day. She writes Ruth in all of her senses and you can tell how much she interprets the world with her whole heart. Thank you, Tamil, for inviting me into your lovely world through your writing.
My heartfelt thanks to my lovely readers Bridie Dillon, Zaha Hyatt, and Trista Signe Ainsworth for such beautiful testimonials. Your words spark a light in my soul, adding more shine to my world of words❤️.
Here is the main article that was written for the CC6 challenge:
Every snowflake is unique. Leaves of the same tree differ in their shades of green. Every sea wave is formed at a different speed than the others. Nature never stops amusing me.
With each passing day and night, I realise miracles are within our reach.
All it takes for us is to believe! And continue to believe, through the thick and thin!
What you believe, you receive -Gabby Bernstein.
Life is about creating yourself
Until a few years back, I used to think my problems were big. Planning vigorously for the future, I caught myself time and again in the waves of anxiety. I never understood “slow down”.
I was busy ticking the checklist of my goals, one by one. Every Monday, I waited for Friday evenings. I wanted the weekends to go on for a bit longer.
My life plans were based on wishful thinking. I used to save my best clothes for occasions and wait for the marked days on the calendar to have some fun!
When my daughter was born, everything changed. She has an innate love for nature. She enjoys going on nature walks. Swaying her hands, she listens to the singing birds. She collects peculiar rocks and shells on the beach. She stops by to smell some flowers and gets excited to see the roly-poly bugs. With every step, she pauses to pay attention to everything around her.
She walks at her own pace, dismissing the concept of time. To my surprise, the world waits for her!
She enables me to experience the beauty in everything around me.
I have come to realise the power of living in the moment. Life is happening in the NOW, and there is no better time to live it fully.
Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself -George Bernard Shaw.
Life doesn’t happen to you. It happens for you
Quote: Jim Carrey
A flip in mindset can turn a stone into a diamond.
In hindsight, the best parts of my life happened when my plans failed. 99% of the time, what I worried about never happened. People I met by accident became the game changers in my life. I find a piece of myself in every other person I meet!
Life has so much to offer if we care to notice the small details around us. There are beautiful surprises everywhere, waiting to be unwrapped. All we need to do is be present at the moment and become more aware!
Self-awareness is the key to living mindfully. The more we know about ourselves, we handle our situations more efficiently and live life on our terms.
When we train to detach our emotions from the problem and look at it without judgment, it becomes easy to spot the opportunities hidden within the problems.
I am always more curious to find out how my story unfolds! Life has shown me that anything is possible!
At times, when life situations overwhelm me, I drop everything and take a break. As I sit down with my high-energy companion, I notice the brown shade of my coffee warms my heart. Nothing awakens my senses like its aroma. I savour the eternity from the cup while its scent still lingers within me, long after every sip.
The best part of Coffee and Life lies in their bitterness. How we treat such bitter moments defines us and determines the level of our happiness and success.
This is my simple formula to live life, my style, with no regrets.
The essence of life is in the simple joys of living
When I think of happiness, the memories that come to my mind are the ones that have my signature laughs engraved on them! I feel proud of those times when I helped someone in a heartbeat. My heart instantly melts when I think about the unexpected compliments received for the work I did.
In all of the above instances, I was present at the moment to give and receive!
My days would be incomplete without these simple joys in my life: laughing out loud, running outdoors, picking my daughter’s brains, watching my son play, pranking my husband, chatting with my siblings, a long drive, an extra hot cup of coffee, and the list goes on…
I add unexpected flavours to each day, so my life is not a predictable timetable. I surprise myself by trying something new very often. And touch others with my kind words and warm compliments, I truly mean.
I share what I have found out in my life without holding back. Because I believe the joy of living lies not in finding but by sharing!
Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. -William James.
Bring out the child in you
Last week, I was out on a family vacation, and my brother texted me to bring out the child in me. Little did I know then about the impact of those words.
On the first day of the trip, my family went for a walk from the hotel to the waterfalls. The path was curvy with freshly painted green leaves all over the trees, the stunning pink flowers competing with the purple ones. With the constant whistling birds in the background, we walked in the direction of the falls. In the midway, it started to rain, and we had to walk back to the hotel. However, I wanted to go for that walk one more time but alone.
The following morning, I woke up a bit early to go for the nature walk but had second thoughts about if I should really do it. I then remembered to bring out the child in me and instantly jumped out of my bed.
I created some breathtaking memories that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.
Takeaways:
It is never too late to create the life you want! Experience Life in the NOW!
Switch your attitude, discover opportunities in the given problem, and become ready to live life to the fullest!
Be present to savour the simple joys of life. The little things in life make up the best memories!
Awaken the child in you and experience life at a whole new level!
Life is a series of thousands of tiny little miracles. Notice them -Unknown.
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