The Right Kind of Bad

"Acceptance of what has happened is the first step to overcoming the consequences of any misfortune."

- William James

Good from Bad?

Lately, I have been thinking about the good that often comes out of bad things. Yeah... I deliberately used the word 'often' right there :)

That reminded me of this blog post that was written in July 2009, based on an unfortunate incident in October 2008.

Challenging Convention

While on a brief phone conversation with my lovely friend L this morning, we both agreed that a simple and uncommon life can be profoundly fulfilling. Such an unconventional life is hard to come by however, and often involves much sacrifice, courage, resilience and unrelentingly sticking to one's stated objectives.

Going against the grain often seems a bad thing, but I'm willing to bet that it is the right kind of bad.

The Benefits of Tragedy

That aside, we often undergo difficult and unfortunate situations in life. They often seem insurmountable, hitting us at the worst possible time. Two women had such experiences, and they proceeded to draw much needed insight and shared this with the world. It is indeed true that beautiful disasters exist.

In the following video, Jill Bolte Taylor had a stroke of insight...

http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf

For Stacey Kramer, an unwanted, frightening, traumatic and costly  experience can turn out to be a priceless gift.

http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf

See the GOOD in BAD

Have you recently had a misfortune that you find very hard to understand?

Well, there is something worth learning in that misfortune. Even better, it is most likely that there is much benefit in it too. So stop whining and seek to uncover, learn from and benefit from your bad experiences.

Living a Simple Life. A Life most Uncommon.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication."

- Leonardo da Vinci

Today's discussion on the Easy FM breakfast show was quite interesting. It sought to address the firmly held belief that the only way to achieve and make it big is to move to the towns.

I have always believed that you can actually make it regardless of where you are. If only you start small, start now and think big. It is the here and now that ultimately shapes one's future.

Success, Riches and Wealth

These three terms will invariably pop up in any discussion that touches on achievement. Interestingly, almost everyone aspires to be wealthy. Many however, mistakenly believe that it takes riches to be successful or wealthy.

Jim Collins, one of my favorite authors, writes that

"there are two ways to be wealthy. One is to have a huge amount of money. The other is to have simple needs."

Personally, I will opt for the latter any day.

Simplicity

Much has been said about simplicity. Rules of Simplicity have been formulated, talks given and reality shows created in an effort to depict simplicity. In fact, one of the best known non-fiction books is Walden [Life in the Woods] by Henry David Thoreau.

This past Saturday, I was honored to sit with a dear friend and at one point, we discussed how human beings complicate life. All in all, we were in agreement that life can be significantly simple and manageable if we took time to focus on things that matter, dispense with what doesn't necessary concern us and try to seek long-term fulfillment in the stead of transient satisfaction. And this is very much possible when we are living within our means.

Life Uncommon

Seeking to live a life that is simple, fulfilling and worthwhile inevitably demands that one goes against the grain in most situations. We can however take heart from Steve Jobs's words as he gave a commencement address at Stanford University.

Don’t let the noise of others opinions drown out your own inner voice.

Most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition...

All in all, it is possible to live a simple life. That life however , will be most uncommon.

Now say hello to a worthwhile, simple and most uncommon life. Because as Steve Jobs continues to say,

"[your heart and intuition] somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

What Can Happen When One Doesn't Lose Hope

"The important thing is not that we can live on hope alone,

but that life is not worth living without it."

- Harvey Milk

We know that animals usually act instinctively. They however willfully do some things that totally amaze us.

There is a lot that we can learn from animals.

Unwavering Hope

Faced with danger, some animals will exhibit highly unconventional behavior.

Consider the following monkey that literally escaped from a crocodile's jaws.



I bet the monkey will now live its life to the fullest, having got a second chance in life.  :)

In the following video, an elephant demonstrates that we only start dying when we lose hope, that it is never too late to try yet again. Carefully look at what happens between 06:48 and 08:48.

http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf

What a poignant reminder that things can indeed be alright even when all looks lost!

All said and done, never give up. Never lose hope. Ever.