How to Live Your Dream for the Rest of Your Life?

It took me around 7 long years to decide that I don’t want to continue working in call centers and focus on something creative that gives me pleasure from within. Well, I was not that brave enough then to take bold steps, but unfortunately life put me into that situation where I had no options. It was a Do or Die situation for me and I chose to do things the way I want to and not let life dictate how I want to move ahead. While all this sounds quite interesting when you read it in a book or view a heroic event in a movie, things are quite different in real life. Living on your terms is not that easy and you have to pay a price for it. There will be challenges, but there are ways to survive and thrive. 

Here I am discussing some challenges that you might come across and also some solutions to how you can handle those effectively.

Challenge 1 – Social Pressure

Well, you might think the biggest challenge comes from strangers, but the fact is that you might face tough time explaining things to your loved ones and friends and relatives. Remember this – Only a Dreamer can see his dream. If you have a dream you need to protect it, not just from strangers but from your loved ones and friends as well. They might not be able to see your dream, but you do. Be a little selfish and insensitive and focus on your goals. If you start caring too much about people you will find it hard to achieve your objective. If you have someone that really cares for you, share your dreams and your partner will make things easier for you.

Challenge 2 – Money

The world moves around money and at some point money will become a major challenge. It could be in any possible way. It could be that you don’t have money to start your new business or it could be that you are not making enough money from your hobbies. Never let it weaken your determination. Read some rag to riches stories and you will find that some of the people on the millionaire list were not that rich earlier.

Challenge 3 – Hard Work

We always see top executives and celebrities enjoying the best parties in town and going for that ultra-luxurious holiday trips taking their selfies and posting it on social networking sites. Well, don’t let that fool you. Living your dream isn’t that easy and you will have to work many hours at stretch to earn that kind of lifestyle. Nothing substitutes for hard work and when you are living your dream and doing what you love you will cross over this challenge with a smile.

Challenge 4 – Comparisons

We all like to compare and do a quick review of where we stand and how we are progressing. That’s good, but don’t start comparing your progress with others’ progress because that will discourage you. I often see some of my friends comparing their lives and their work with mine, that’s wrong. Focus on your individual performance few months ago with the current one and see if there is any progress. Push yourself to do better than before and take your performance to the next level. Others might probably do better than you in terms of money and job security and that might creep in some amount of envy and disappointment, but don’t let that bother you. Focus on your dream, not theirs.

Challenge 5 – Patience

Patience is the key to success, but it can be a challenge as well. When you are living your dream or working on your dream project you need to be patient and focus on the work rather than success. You need to understand that it will take time for your dream to turn into reality so you need to stick with it, in your head and in your soul. Many people give up on their dreams after some time because they feel it won’t happen. Don’t set unachievable targets and always consider unexpected issues that can mess your plans. 

Being a Ghostwriter – 5 Years of My Life

Last month I completed five years being a freelance ghostwriter and content writer on the internet and I am quite thrilled about it, but in some ways I still see some struggles and challenges that I still have to overcome. I am not really a Plan-My-Career type, so I moved into various job sectors until all my options crashed in 2009 – when the global recession hit the world. Like millions around the world, I lost my job. I was terribly scared about the entire situation mainly because I had very little financial backup in my bank account. There were jobs in the market, but the companies were paying peanuts which I wasn't happy with. After around three months of struggle, I finally found someone who was willing to offer me a job based only on my talent, and not on certifications. This was the moment I've been waiting.

The Initial Resurrection after Recession

I won’t mind if anybody called me an accidental writer because I never really planned to be one. Those days, I was desperately seeking out for options to make money and to explore the creative side of me and when I got the opportunity; I grabbed it with two hands. Since then I am into this work-from-home content and ghostwriting business that allows me to write on wide range of topics. To be honest, early on I had little confidence in my own articles. It took me almost a year to get that confidence. I made mistakes and knew things about SEO and keywords and all that. It was a tough phase for me, although I was sitting home. Of course, many of my friends never really understood the darker side of this profession and neither did I.

The Ghost Image

The funny part about being a ghostwriter is that everybody believes you are doing well. Financially. Mentally. Physically. How? Well, I am earning in US dollars, so I am financially well off. I have no mental stress because I am always home and have international clients just an email away and guess what I don’t have to commute on a daily basis. For many around me, I was enjoying the dream job of my life, while the truth is that it was quite a challenge having no prior experience and information about how to write and impress clients. I was equipped with passion and talent, but no guidance. I was home, yes, but I was typing and creating content for hours at stretch sometimes exceeding more than 20 articles a day. Gradually, I moved into a comfort zone where I was quite good at writing articles, but I was quickly losing my steam writing the same stuff over and over for multiple clients. I became a Human-Printer. The only difference between me and a printer was I had the intelligence to write the same content in multiple ways thus abiding to CopyScape guidelines. Thankfully, for me the initial launch was quite easy. Thanks to one of my friends Jyotsna who brought me enough projects and help me sustain and survive all these years. However, like any other profession, online writing has its own challenges that took me completely by surprise.

The Realization Part – I am a Ghost

When you are into ghostwriting you might be happy that you are being paid well, but you still don’t see your name anywhere. Almost after three years of ghostwriting, I realized that I really don’t exist on the internet. I was a ghost. Paid for writing skills, not for the name. So, if you are opting for ghostwriting as your career you have to realize that you need to put your name out without actually putting your name all over the content you write. Hope I am making sense here.

The Dilemma – Being Ghost, Being Visible

Most freelancers would agree that in the world of online writing it is all about “Being Visible” and that is something I am not good at all. I am not much into social networking sphere. I don’t meet too many people. So I had to start something afresh. In a desperate attempt to make my mark, I started my new travel blog and I have worked hard to get better visibility. I am not sure if I have achieved that amount of visibility, but in this process I have made some good blogger friends, true and supportive and creative genius in their own way. I would consider myself lucky that they allowed me to be a part of their group and that they read my blogs and articles I write. On a better note, they inspire me to write on different topics and let me keep my sanity.

There Are More Ghosts – Be a Ghost-Hunter

While online writing sounds exciting it can be extremely challenging especially in a developing country like India. Freelance writers are human beings that live as per jungle code. Find-A-Prey-and-Live-Another-Day. Other writers here are hungry for more work and clients and that means they are going to slash their rates and that will only make your quest for work harder. On the other hand, you have to live up to the expectations of the clients and ensure that you offer them what they want. Now that Google has modified the search algorithm, international clients are hunting for US writers that speak native language which means Asian writers are stooping lower making it harder for quality writers to make a living.

Being More than a Ghost

Content writing and ghostwriting sounds like a great way to earn passive income and to explore the creativity in you, but you need to put in more than just your passion and creativity. You need better social networking skills and you need to engage with more people that can help you out with your efforts, or you might just feel left out like me. You also have to be communicative and sort of stubborn about the rates you charge from your clients rather than stooping extremely low like most do. Create your own blogs and sites that works like your resume so that you can display the quality of work you do. However, the most important thing you will need being a ghost-writer is patience. Don’t expect overnight or short term success and focus on the quality of work you do. Ultimately, when you love what you do, things begin to roll the way you want it.

Interesting Facts and Legends Related to Lord Ganesha

When you come down to India, you will find Lord Ganesha or Lord Ganpati in almost all states across India. You will see small and large temples dedicated to Lord Ganesha and hundreds of believers and followers visiting the temple to offer prayers and asking for forgiveness and strength and wisdom to fulfill their dreams. While Indians pray to many more Gods, Lord Ganesha remains the most popular of all. During Ganesh Chaturthi, individuals and societies and communities bring in the idol of Lord Ganesha and worship it for ten days and then immerse it in the water. This time I am diverting from my usual topics and focusing on why Lord Ganesha is so immensely popular throughout India. I will also add some tales related to Lord Ganesha that probably my international visitors have never heard before.

Birth and Rebirth

Every life on earth starts with a birth. The story of birth of Lord Ganesha is as interesting as the God Himself. Lord Ganesha is the son of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati. The legend goes like this – Once, while Goddess Parvati wanted to take a bath she found that there were no attendants around to guard her and stop anyone from accidentally entering the house. Utilizing Her powers she creates a statue of a boy out of the paste which she had prepared to cleanse her body. She infused life to that statue and this is how Lord Ganesha was born. Till now, Ganesh was just a regular boy with a human face and not the elephant-headed God that you see in the pictures. Parvati ordered his son Ganesh not to allow anybody enter the house. Ganesha obeys her mother standing right at the door ensuring no one enters the house. This is when Lord Shiva walks in and finds this strange boy standing at the door.

Ganesha immediately warns Lord Shiva to stop and return which sort of displeases Lord Shiva who was gone for years for war and had returned home. Lord Shiva was known for his quick-temper and excellent sword skills. He was not happy with how the boy warned him and asked him to return. After all it was Lord Shiva’s home and this boy was actually denying the access to his own home. Lord Shiva warned the boy again and demanded that he let him enter or suffer the consequences, but Ganesha was obedient and brave. He didn’t move. Feeling insulted, Lord Shiva drew his sword and sent Ganesha’s head flying off far into the distance. Inside the bathing area, Parvati heard the commotion and she decided to check the scene. She was terribly distraught at the scene seeing her son’s beheaded body. She screamed at Lord Shiva, “You have killed our son!” Lord Shiva felt pain and was filled with remorse when he realized that he accidentally beheaded his own son. He promised Parvati to bring back life to his son. He hurled his trishul (a traditional trident weapon) and commanded the weapon to bring Him the head of the first living creature that came across. It happened to be an elephant. The elephant head was attached to the body of Ganesh and he was brought back to life.  While Ganesha lost his head, he gained respect and love of Lord Shiva for the bravery and obedience. Lord Ganesha becomes the second son of Lord Shiva and Parvati along with Kartikeya as his brother.

The Lord of Intelligence and Wisdom

Lord Ganesha is considered the God of prosperity, wisdom and good fortune. This is why Hindus pray to Lord Ganesha before starting any new project or buying a new home. It is believed that Lord Ganesha will offer them the intelligence and wisdom and keep them on the right track and bring prosperity and success.

Here is one legend that symbolizes just that.

As per Hindu scriptures, Narad Muni gives a special gifted-fruit to Lord Shiva and Parvati saying that they should give it to their favorite son. For a long time, both Shiva and Parvati discussed about who should get the fruit, Ganesha or Kartikeya as they loved both their children equally. Finally they decided to test and let the winner take the fruit. Lord Shiva and Parvati called Ganesha and Kartikeya and asked them to race around the world three times. The one who comes first is the winner and will get this gifted-fruit. Kartikeya was quite certain that he would win because he had a peacock as his vehicle so he would just fly around the world and win the race while Ganesha’s vehicle was a mouse. A mouse is no match to his fast peacock Kartikeya thought and so he flew off wasting no time. Ganesha stood there for a while and then he started circling his parents. He made three rounds and stopped. Lord Shiva and Parvati asked him, “Ganesha why are you circling us and why are you not going for the race?” Lord Ganesha answered, “You, my parents are my world and my universe and so circling around you is as good as circling the world.” This answer immediately impressed Lord Shiva and Parvati and they decided to give the fruit to Lord Ganesha. When Kartikeya returned he accepted the wisdom and intelligence of his brother Ganesha and he let him win the gifted-fruit.

History of Ganesh Chaturthi Festival

Ganesh Chaturthi marks the day when Lord Ganesha was born. Hindus have been celebrating this day for many centuries, but it was not like the 10-day festival that we see these days across India. This style of festival came up in 1893 and was first started by Lokmanya Tilak, an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer who transformed the traditional home festival into a community event. At that time, India was under the British rule and Britishers would not allow Indians to form groups on a social level or publicly fearing uprising, scheming and formation of rebel groups. This was the time when Lokmanya Tilak decided to bring in the concept of Ganesh Chaturthi that allowed people to come together on a social scale and which British officers would not deny considering that there is religious sentiment attached to it. It also brought many high and low class people on the same level breaking class and caste barriers. Eventually, this concept grew across the nation and many communities and societies decided to bring in idols that they could worship and bring in more people to unite and celebrate as One.

Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Days ago, (weeks ago should be the right now that I am posting this article almost after a week I actually wrote it) I read an article written by Damyanti on 'who do you follow'. Honestly, that was an interesting question, but I am not going to talk about that here. I am here to talk about the complexity about being in the social networking sphere or not. It is certainly a tough choice to make, especially if you are harnessing the power of internet to promote your talent and creativity. There are many others that can certainly switch on and switch off to social networking sites because they are exploring that just out of curiosity. On the other side, there are individuals like me that put down our thoughts and feelings on blogs and sites and we crave for some amount of readership, both on personal and professional level.

Individuals like me are caught in the net because we want some amount of sensible and like-minded people that can share their viewpoints and information, but instead we see this huge list of people that are just there to feed us with spam. The problem is quite impossible to solve because if you follow certain people and ignore the rest you might not get the kind of response that you want. If you keep following more and more people chances are that you may find people that might be interested in quality communication, but then you also have to handle the garbage that comes with it. The answer lies somewhere in finding the right balance. You have to sort out the good ones from the bulk and use them appropriately and be useful to them in return.

I am certainly not the guy meant for social networking. Not that I have not used the potential of these sites. These sites have helped me make new friends globally (I am glad about the small close knit group I am part of), but making hundreds of friends and followers is not the thing I aim for. I would certainly go for quality of friends and contacts, but I have my own problem. I am a writer and I would like to communicate to millions out there. This is paradoxical in some way because I don't want tons of people in my profile, but I need them to read my content. This is probably what many others feel and they often feel like doing away with social networking sites, but they cannot. Why? Because the world is out there. On Facebook, Twitter and many other social networking sites. Its like the current under your feet, you got to flow along with it, or disappear forever. If you're not on Facebook or Twitter  no one is listening to you. Even the giant corporate firms that have the financial power to hire the most popular celebs feel the need to harness the potential of social networking. If you don't you are left out.

I am not here to dissect social networking into good or bad. It may be bad to some and probably to some it may be the best thing in the world that also depends on our individual experiences. It all comes down to what we choose and how we sort out the garbage in the right way. Probably, at times you might just feel that you are stuck between the devil (other social networking sites) and the deep blue sea (Facebook).

What Influences You?

Even before I start writing any further, let me tell you this one is inspired by one of Dan’s blog posts (one of my blog group friends), so in a way I am dedicating this one to him. Dan, you deserve this. Well, in his post, Dan talked about LinkedIn invitation for subscribing to some top influencers which he ignored and also some of the offers to “Go Pro” which he rejected. To be honest, I am not a people’s man. You don’t see me attending parties, social gatherings, functions, or any local events. I am living in my own world. As rightly pointed out by one of my friends, I am a “kuaa no dedko”. Now, that is a local Gujarati phrase which means “a frog who lives in a well”. I am not bothered about my neighbors, my society people or anything else.

However, that does not mean I am not influenced by people. In fact, I am a distant observer. I don’t talk to you, I don’t “hello” you, but I still see you, observe you and I collect information about you through what others speak about you. I cannot really say how and when this thing hit me, but I guess I can at least say that it was mainly after I joined Elphinstone College that I got hit by this wave of knowledge and certain people that changed me into what I am. Of course, my mother has influenced me a lot. I still do things that she taught me when I was too young to differentiate between right and wrong, but there are others and other things that has influenced me and made me what I am.

I agree with Dan’s idea that there cannot be certain set of people that can influence you because you can influenced by millions of things around you, not just human beings. For instance, after I took Sociology, my perception of life in India has changed completely. Similarly, I am influenced by many people that I don’t speak to. It can be just anybody, even a stranger sitting next to me in the train. I don’t have to be friend with him or her. Similarly, I know many of my friends who are influenced by me. I feel this quite strange that someone can get inspired from my acts and my decisions, but I have seen that happening. Honestly, I sometimes feel awkward that someone should follow what I am doing, but the truth is they do. I get influenced by movies, I get influenced by poems, by songs, by inspirational quotes that I see on some poster or on computer wallpapers. It’s a feeling of realization and it has an effect on your character from that very moment.

In fact, if anybody of LinkedIn is reading this, I would like to tell that even those top influencers whom they put into that slot are influenced by common people like us. To be brutally honest, these top influencers might be paid users that are using LinkedIn services and probably that’s why the company is putting their profile in such slots. How do you know that these set of guys are going to have some potential influence on my mind? Only because they are holding higher positions or they are in the same field as me? Influence, as rightly pointed out by Dan is not just an exclusive set of people because then you are just limiting yourself and how you think. If you really want to be influenced you have to focus on everything around you and not just people. Sometimes, even hard time and complex relationships can influence the way you think and understand life. It is all about how you perceive and take things in stride as you continue your journey of life. 

Knowledge is Power...Not Pressure: Just a Random Rant on Education System in India

When I was young, probably in the fifth grade or so I came across a phrase “Knowledge is Power”. Back then I was just a reader, a regular Indian student who was more worried about securing good marks and move on. I had no idea about how knowledge can be associated with power and I never really bothered about asking it to my parents. However, it was only after all the hardships and experience I started realizing the true meaning behind this short phrase. Few months ago, I met this bunch of people, extremely talented and friendly and who are located in different parts of the world. For them, I am an unofficial Indian ambassador who takes them on a ride across India through my blogs and pictures. This time I am talking about the education system in India

Although, I am an Indian, my friends often find me criticizing against the Indian system and probably they even label me as a foreigner. I hate that. Because being critical is not a symbol of being unpatriotic. Anyways, I don’t mind that now because I am used to it and post marriage I have cut down the debates and my so-called caustic questions that can boil the blood of true sons of the land.

Educational stages in India are very similar to that in the UK and there are virtually no changes at all. Parents enroll their kids to nursery and the kid gradually moves up the ladder to Higher Kindergarten and then to first grade. This stage is called the pre-primary stage. First grade to fourth or fifth grade is called the Primary section. While from fifth grade to tenth grade is called the Secondary stage. So, every kid has to go through ten years of schooling that combines primary and secondary stage. In the tenth year, students have to appear for Senior Secondary Certificate (SSC) examination which would certify that they are good to go. Locally, we call them “board exams”. Once cleared, students can move on to college. They will have to go through two years of junior college, so its 10+2. Students then have to appear for another board exam to clear their twelfth grade which is called Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) examination. If cleared, students can choose from three field; Commerce, Science and Arts and continue their education for graduation. After three years (10+2+3), there will be a graduation board exam and if students clear that they are Bachelors of whatever subject or field they have chosen. For Masters they can proceed from here on for another three years and then to higher studies and Ph.D.

Surprisingly, the student suicide rates in the UK and India are on the rise and that is what bothers me the most. As per the report by the Health Ministry of India, there were 16,000 suicide cases reported in the past three years which means every 90 minutes one student decides to end his or her life. This brings to around 16 students per day, 112 per week and 480 students per month. To be brutally honest, I must say that the education sector has been bitten by the money bug and now everybody here is cashing on the future of the students. From principals to teachers and even universities they are more concerned about the donations and money they make to keep their institutions going. There might be bunch of good people that are genuinely helpful, but that is not helping the cause. 

The syllabus is packed with information that is just good to know and sometimes not even of that caliber. In fact the knowledge that is imparted in the schools is more on the theory side rather than preparing the students of how to handle challenges of life and overcome it. Another brutal truth is that syllabus is designed in a way that leads to more books that students have to purchase. It’s a hand in glove deal between the educational administration and publishers to churn out more money. However, educational administration is not the only reason for the increasing student suicide rates. I would also like to point out the amount of pressure from parents and peer groups. There is immense competition not only to clear the exams, but to top it as well. Many students that cut short their lives are usually those who are unable to cope up with the ever-growing expectations and demands from all sides. 

Many parents work hard to pay higher fees for reputed schools and colleges and in return they expect that their kids perform exceptionally well. Kids do realize and understand the efforts and sacrifices of their family, but unfortunately not everybody can score big. Depression and low self-confidence creeps in gradually to make situations worse along with peer pressure which acts like a final nail in the coffin.

While there are consultants and suicide prevention centers here in India, they are not really effective which is clear from the numbers of suicide rates in India by students. The only way this can be curb is when families support their kids in every possible way. It is understood that there are many sacrifices that parents make for their kids to have the best of education, but that does not give them the right to load their expectations and dreams on their kids’ shoulder. Coming back to my original phrase, I would say, “Knowledge is power……not pressure”.

India Shining, India Whining - Cleanliness

Pura system corrupt hain (The entire system is corrupt). This is exactly the first thing that we usually say to each other when we are talking about some political news or small talks that involve government or anything related to the overall society at large. I am an Indian and extremely passionate about taking India to the world and I do that through my writing. This time I am focusing on something else and that is the People of India. Recently, the newly elected government has created lot of positive buzz and I certainly believe that the People of India have stood up to vote for a government that can make things better and take India to the next level which we all dream of. We, as Indians love to see India Shining and being a superpower in the Asia region and also across the globe, but is voting for the right government our only responsibility?

I am no moral police. I am not here to judge people, but I would certainly like to make people aware that every person is a part of this system, this corrupt system that we keep blaming all the time, helplessly. What if I keep nagging about how inefficient my maid is and that she does not bother to clean the apartment the way I expect her to? Well, the options that I have here is either to tell her to be efficient and to work as per my expectations, second is to replace her with someone more efficient, and lastly I can do all the cleaning work myself because at the end of the day it is MY apartment. For many years, India has tried the first option telling the government to do better, this time India chose the second one giving an opportunity to someone who can do better and I think that is a good move, but we haven’t really made attempts to clean our home so far, have we?

For instance, let’s take Mumbai which I think is so overpopulated that most people almost live and travel in sub-human conditions and we know that and I am sure international visitors also know about it. I am not focusing on the space here; I am talking about the quality of the space. Every monsoon we read in newspapers about floods and water clogging and we hold BMC, the municipal corporation for poor job and their inefficiency. Has anyone ever thought where all that wrappers, plastic bottles, soft drink cans, plastic bags and other filthy stuff come from? Well, it is us who throw it there and that is what comes back to us. 

We spit on roads, piss on roadside walls and pavements, eat at roadside food stalls sitting comfortably in our luxury cars and throw paper plates, plastic glasses on the road and drive away casually. Who said cricket is the most favorite and most played game in India? It’s not cricket, it’s the Blame Game, because we all are pointing fingers at each other rather than working collectively towards a single goal. Government blaming the Opposition, people blaming the municipal corporation and in return they blaming the overburdening population and the chain never ends. It runs like an endless loop until you forget where it all started.

India is now depending on the new government to make a huge leap in every possible way, but no government can succeed on its own merit. It requires equal amount of dedication, effort, discipline and responsibility from its citizens as well. We often take pride in going abroad to some exotic locations like Switzerland, Dubai and so on and we boast about how clean those countries are. Well, that is not just because the government is taking measures to clean up the city, but also because people are mature enough to keep it clean. It is again a collective effort and the laws that ensure that everybody gets a better lifestyle and living experiences for the hard-earned money they pay in taxes.

Let me put it this way, even if you have the best maid in the world, it still depends on you to keep your apartment clean. Expectation is a good thing, but when you expect something from someone, you also have to be ready to deliver something in return. Even if the existing government does well and come up with better infrastructure and facilities are we ready to improve? Are we ready to stop pissing on road? Are we ready to walk out of the car and dump those plastic plates and glasses in the dustbin? Are we ready to act like grown-ups and do something about cleaning our city and make it a better place? Or are we just interested in the chhodna-yaar (just let it be) attitude that is so common among us, so common that this habit has become a part of our DNA in some sense.