Learning Unlearning Relearning

Tag: inner growth journey

  • The Thing About Prayers

    Whether you agree or not!

    Photo by Fa Barboza on Unsplash

    The thing about prayers is that you know that there is someone – don’t know who that is, what gender that is, don’t know about the shape, size, colour, don’t know about the whereabouts – because I don’t need to know. Yeah, many times, many, many times, you don’t need to know, and you don’t want to know about anything of this sort, because the trust in the entity, the belief, the faith in the entity, in the energy, in life, in the universe, is itself enough. Actually, it’s more than enough.

    It’s between you and the energy. It’s between you and the entity. It’s between you and the pure belief in you. It’s between you and the deep faith inside you. It’s between you and the deep trust inside that says “everything is working out wonderfully, beautifully, and peacefully in my favour, for my greater good, for everyone’s greater good”.

    It’s just that. It’s just that. And that is enough. Trust me, that is more than enough on any given day.

    When you feel the presence of almighty in your life, when you see the blessings in your life, when you choose to speak, talk, and share your heart out with that one without any filters, inhibitions, when you already know that the universe is listening to you, seeing you, is helding you, protecting you, and making way for you everytime you seek its help, when you have that deep trust and faith in the life, in the cosmos itself to make everything happen for you beautifully, lovingly, and when life itself starts to feel like the extension of the countless blessings of almighty, you don’t need to know the shape, size, form, name, gender, religion, ethnicity of the one you believe in.

    Your belief, your pure belief in the goodness in you and the goodness around, your deep faith and trust in the life, universe, and this grand cosmos will be enough always.

    The thing about this belief is that it can’t be forced, and shall never be forced. The pure belief, trust, and faith in the goodness of life and in the divine universe can only come naturally. It’s something that your heart tells you, your intuition nudges you.

    The books, the scriptures, the mantras, the rituals – everything is secondary. Your belief, your pure belief in the goodness inside you and around you, is what changes the trajectory of your life.

    It shifts you inside. You feel the shift, you feel the connection. You feel it without performing any grand ritual or ceremonies at any holy shrine. It’s the internal shift. Externalities will only make sense when you feel the change, the shift, the connection inside.

    Prayer is one of the simplest ways to feel that connection. It doesn’t require anything grand. It just requires you, your honesty, your honest and pure intentions, and your story – the part of your life you want to share with the universe, with the almighty.

    Do your prayers with all the rituals, tools, techniques, mantras, chanting, and ceremonies you are told to, but make sure that you don’t leave your honest and pure intentions while talking to the one you believe in the most.

    The extraordinarily satisfying feeling and assurance that someone is listening to you wholeheartedly and is sending all the help you need your way is the miracle prayer brings to you.

    For me, that’s the thing about prayer, whether you agree or not!

    Have you experienced something similar to this? Do you believe that prayer works?

    How is your relationship with the universe, the almighty? Have you ever thought something like this?

    I would love to know about your thoughts, feelings, and stories about this. Do share your experiences, please. I am looking forward to reading your stories.

  • Show Up

    Because You Need To

    Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

    Sometimes, you only need to show up. Yes, that’s it. Just show up. Show up, because you owe that to yourself. No matter when your day starts and when it ends, show up for that one thing, for at least that one hour you need to.

    Many times, we don’t need inspiration or motivation, but momentum – the one thing that makes you sit and do your work, and get it done without thinking much about your relevance in this universe. Yep, it’s true!

    And I have started quietly loving this version of mine (very recent though), and my loved ones, where they have such clarity of their goals that whatever happens throughout the day, including the emotional ups and downs, they show up. They just show up when they are required to without any fuss.

    You want to read more? Read a few pages, or just a single page every day from any book you want to read and explore. Just one page every day. I’m pretty sure you have that much time.

    You want to write more? Do you feel like you have nothing to write when you sit in front of your laptop? Fine. Start with how your day has been so far. Just start it. Scribble the story, and finish your rough draft. Now you have a draft ready to edit and publish later.

    I know, you have 100s of ideas, headlines, storylines, and content pieces saved in your Google Docs, in your Notes, in your LinkedIn and Instagram saves, and in your Medium and Substack reading list. Oh, and the one in your private WhatsApp chat (with yourself)!

    My dear writing friend, I know you have all of these, and you still wait for inspiration. You need action. Just start scribbling that one blog piece, and the story will come to you. Show up for the sake of your sanity. Please!

    Has health gone downhill? Want to be fitter and more confident? Then show up. Move your body. Outdoor walk, indoor walk, walk on treadmill, deep breathing exercises, basic beginner-level cardio & strength training, dance workout – do anything in the world you can do.

    Just do it. Do it at least for half an hour 4 times a week. It won’t give you a celebrity-like figure, but it will break your inertia, your initial resistance, your lifelong wait for motivation, and you will finally feel the process happening through you.

    When a few pages read every day brings you to page no 300 in a 400-page book, or when even 30 minutes of everyday walk builds your discipline and mental strength to keep going on in this journey ahead within a month, then you actively start to focus on the momentum, not motivation.

    Yes, motivation is important. But choosing to do the things that move the needle, that’s a game-changer. And I can say this from my experience that sometimes doing less is more – just make sure that you show up for the things that get you into the flow you need to be in.

    Inspirational content is superb to watch, but small changes made every day, out of clarity and intention, can inspire like a dozen motivational talks can never.

    I hope you got my point.

    Note: This piece was originally written for my LinkedIn post, but it exceeded the character limit, as you can see, so I edited and shortened my LinkedIn post a bit, and this is the original version.

    I hope you found it useful.