The essence of success

To laugh often and love much;

to win the respect of intelligent persons

and the affection of children;

to earn the approbation of honest citizens

and endure the betrayal of false friends;

***

to appreciate beauty;

to find the best in others;

to give of one’s self;

***

to leave the world a bit better,

whether by a healthy child,

a garden patch or a redeemed social condition;

to have played and laughed with enthusiasm and sung with exultation;

to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived

***

— This is to have succeeded.

– Bessie Anderson Stanley

Power of Intention

“When you change the way you look at things, the things you look at will change.”

– Wayne Dyer

Notion #11: There is no gene for the human spirit

There is no gene for the human spirit.

– Gattaca

There will be times when rationality dictates us to abandon pursuit of our innermost dreams lest we perish in the journey forward. We will console ourselves saying we weren’t meant to be or that we weren’t cut out for this or that life isn’t fair. But sometimes, you got to do the impossible to achieve the unattainable. And that includes “keep trying”.

The movie Gattaca is one of those rare gems that is a tribute to the indomitable human spirit. It successfully presents the story of the struggle of the unwavering endurance of the human spirit to reach for its dreams against the fragile limitations of the human body and the unfairness of life itself.

The scenes below, I think, sum up the essence of the struggle we all go through in life, time and again, and the decisions we take reflected in both the brothers: Anton & Vincent.

We might have everything going for us but if we don’t expect the best out of ourselves we’ll live up to only those expectations. On the other hand, we might have everything going against us, but if we keep believing in ourselves and our potential for achieving greatness, one day things will take a turn for the better.

There is no weakness that our resolve cannot beat. Overcoming ourselves is the first step to the path to living a life without regrets. Don’t settle for something just because the world says so.

Follow your bliss, wholeheartedly, single-minded.

You are limited only by your imagination.

Stare life in the eye,

even Gods must blink

someday.

◊♦–

Your masterpeice

In reality, all men are sculptors, constantly chipping away the unwanted parts of their lives trying to create their idea of the masterpiece.

Eddie Murphy

Life’s surprises

“Life, if you live it right, keeps surprising you, and the thing that keeps surprising you the most…is yourself.”

– Jane Austen, Northanger Abbey

On the purpose of life

“For as long as space endures
And for as long as living beings remain,
Until then may I too abide
To dispel the misery of the world.”

– Santideva

Alchemy

Why, oh why, do you go

chasing after butterflies,

trailing after shooting stars,

racing after passing clouds?

***

Dear heart,

if only you knew,

Passing clouds don’t last

Shooting stars are dying wishes

Butterflies, they be fickle flimsy creatures.

***

If only you saw

your struggle is your potential

breaking free from the cocoon

pouring down from the dark cloud

shining bright through the nebulousness

To become the brilliance called YOU.

***

And they’ll say: My, oh my!

You are the Sun, Rain and the Firefly.

¼½²

Anything is possible

To live in a great idea means to treat the impossible as though it were possible.It is just the same with a strong character; and when an idea and a character meet, things arise which fill the world with wonder for thousands of years.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, The Maxims and Reflections of Goethe

A spark is all you need

The mirror and I