gratitude Archives - Hope With Anirban

Ishq! Ishq! Ishq!!! (Love! Love! Love!!!)

The author writes about a poetry show he and his sister went to see the previous day. It was quite an unique and a great experience.

I just can’t get yesterday evening’s “Ishq Hai” poetry show by Priya Malik out of my head.

Story Time: Ishq Hai

So yesterday my sister and I went to HSR Layout in Bangalore to attend a poetry show by Priya Malik that we booked on bookmyshow.

A group photo with Priya Malik(3rd from the left) and Tanmay(4th from the left)

And it was a good decision. In fact it was a great decision.

I still can’t forget that experience.

The show wasn’t just about “Ishq” or love, but it was about the subtleties of love.

How “pyaar” is different from “ibadaat” and how there are 7 levels of love and how the former six are different from “Ishq”, which is the seventh level.

And I realized yesterday that I have only ever had infatuations and that I had never felt “Ishq” for anyone.

It made me feel quite hopeful instead of sad.

At least now I know where I stand.

I also love the story of her life, the story of her and her mother.

How she would say “kuch nahi” when her mother asked her about her day. And how that changed. (don’t want to spoil too much for future audience members)

Priya Malik said that it is the distance from and absence of a thing or a person that makes us realize their value. I don’t remember the exact words though.

But I think these positive feelings of bliss and gratitude will last for days. And that’s also great for my mental health.

Why I Attended The Show

So my sister and I went to the show yesterday after my sister’s duty at NIMHANS.

At first I was hesitant but then I thought “What the hell! Let’s try something new.”

Because generally I go to music concerts and action movie screenings. But this was the first time I went to a poetry show on “Ishq Hai” which is an emotional experience.

There’s nothing to think or analyze like I do with my data analysis career.

All you have to do is open your heart and feel.

Yes! That plain old “feeling” in this age of AI.

And after watching the show we had dinner at Leon’s Burger.

Then we returned to our rented place.

So yeah yesterday evening was filled with blissful thoughts and intense feelings.

And I’d never want to forget yesterday evening even if the photos get lost.

Also Priya Malik did a “meet and greet” and we got her autographs and clicked a group photo.

Conclusion

And yeah! That was quite something!!!

One thing I learnt from this experience is that everything happens for its own good. There’s nothing to worry about.

God is there and things will happen at the right time.

All we need to do is surrender to God!

Thank you for reading this line! It means a lot.

Expressing My Gratitude To God(part 1)

The author writes a short gratitude letter to God for being there with him ALWAYS.

Dear God,
I refer to you with many names through many religions. I remember you through my heart. And I want to express my gratitude through this letter.

I’m reading the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, etc. and I am in love with you. I want to thank you for everything that you’ve given me in this life.

And I don’t know if there is rebirth or not, I just know that this present moment is all I got. There’s no past, no future, only this moment.

Thank you for this moment, for being with me for the times I can and can’t remember.

Thank you for giving me loving parents, good siblings, good friends, good education, good health, an intelligent brain.

I don’t know if good things will continue coming to me in the future but I know you’ll always be with me.

I want to thank you for my seeming weaknesses because they taught me to go to you for strength.

Thank you for my natural strengths because they taught me to believe in myself.

God, you are great. This creation of yours is amazing. Earth is amazing.

All the good things, good people, nature, etc. are beautiful.

Thank you for creating the ugliness in the world because they teach me to remember you for hope.

I want to express my gratitude to you for being there with me ALWAYS.

And thank you reader for reading this line. It means a lot.

Yours loving,
Anirban

Face Your Fears: Stop Being Toxic

The author writes about his experiences with fear, what happens when he doesn’t face them and what happens when he does.

Fear is an obstacle for everyone.

If you don’t face your fear, your life becomes toxic.

I don’t know why that happens but I’ve noticed it in my own life.

When I don’t face my fears, I become toxic.

I start to say negative things.

I start blaming God.

I start hating myself.

I stop being grateful.

But when I face your fears, I start waking up early, saying positive things, loving God, loving myself, and becoming grateful again.

Because fear is a strong emotion.

But fear is also an illusion.

It isn’t real.

So face your fears. Follow your dreams.

Thank you for reading this line! It means a lot.

What are my thoughts on the concept of living a very long life?

I think being satisfied is more important than the age you are at.

I think the question of living a short or long life comes up because when we grow older we become weak and various diseases affect our health.

In short, it’s not pleasurable to live a long old life.

So if I write “Life should be lived now to the fullest rather than waiting for a day in the future when we would have ‘enough’ money for retirement”, I would do injustice to the fact that irrespective of whether you live now or later, the most important thing is to be content and be satisfied with what you already have.

So if you are young and trying to enjoy life now, but you still want more, more of everything, then you’re not living life.

And if you are old and have enough money for your retirement, but you hate every moment of your life and have a lot of regrets because you lost your youth and good health, then you’re also not living life.

The truth is you can enjoy your life at every moment of your life if you are content and happy with what you have.

Believing in a higher power may help to have such a tranquil mindset.

So be grateful for what you have. Be content and satisfied with what you already have.

Thanks for reading this line. It means a lot!

10 things that inspire me that might inspire you

Here are 10 things that inspire me that might inspire you-

Leaders (because it shows me that one man can change the world). For me it’s Gandhi and Dr. B R Ambedkar,etc. For you it may be someone else.
Parents’ love (because it’s truly selfless and unconditional)
Wild and stray animals (because it gives me hope. Why do stay animals strive for survival even though they don’t have much intelligence, no plan for life, no careers? Maybe because they aren’t or can’t suffer in thought obsessively like us.)
Doing what I love (because it gives me joy. I love reading novels, writing blogs, learning stuff,etc. And it gives me joy.)
Realizing my mistakes (I am open to learning my mistakes and I am flexible to learn my mistakes. Maybe that’s my gift. But it inspires me because it makes me grow as a person.)
Being grateful (because it is one of the truths of existence. “You haven’t created the air that you breathe, so stay humble because someone else did it for you to be alive.” which is something a person I know said to me.)
Overcoming fear (because it makes me grow as a person and allows me to do things I can’t do or haven’t done before.)
Doing something creative (because it gives me self-knowledge and the pleasure of helping people feel good from my creative work gives me joy.)
Accomplishing something difficult (because it gives me a sense of accomplishment and pride.)
Praying to God (because it feels good. I’m just like the average person who prays to God for a salary hike next quarter. But I feel it’s my duty to pray to God for no reason.)

There are other things that inspire me but here’s the top 10.

I’m glad you read this line. Thanks a lot!

People pray for people

When I was going through the worst phase of my life during my psychosis in 2017, my parents told me that that a neighbour’s family in our building prayed for my well being.

When I heard that it gave me hope.

Why would strangers pray for me?

I didn’t help them in any way in life. Nor do I have anything to give them.

But still they prayed for me.

Maybe it’s just that they closed their eyes and asked God,”Please help that boy God!”

It still brings tears of gratitude in me.

I’m grateful that you read this line. Thanks a lot!

Image credit – https://unsplash.com/photos/person-in-black-long-sleeve-shirt-holding-babys-feet-aPa843frIzI?utm_content=creditShareLink&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=unsplash

3 Ways To Feel More Grateful For A Better Life

Have you ever felt like you ran out of things to be grateful for? Everyday you seem to repeat the same things in your gratitude journal and not feel as grateful.

That’s why I am writing this blog post where I will share 3 things you can do that will definitely make you feel more grateful. Plus these 3 things will improve your life and make it better.

Before I list the 3 things and explain it, I would like to share a story.

2 months ago, I was feeling very bored and unmotivated. I also wasn’t taking care of my body and was overeating and not following a routine.

So my family and I went to Gangtok, which is a place in the Sikkim state in India. There we saw snow and went to places high up in the cloudy mountains.

We saw Nathula pass, Changu lake and Baba mandir. We also went to Darjeeling where we saw Tiger Hill, and many other places of which I forgot their names. We had a lot of fun.

When I came back home, I felt very motivated. And started to take care of myself, my body, my mind and my daily routine.

I saw a video by a girl on YouTube (thewizardliz). And I was inspired.

I bought a bathing loofah and a back scrubber and a face wash. And I used them daily to keep myself clean. I still do.

I bought a yoga mat and started doing freehand exercises. I still do them.

I started living a self-loving life. And my life, and my mental health improved. Every area of my life from studying, to health, to peace of mind, moods, to anger issues, to motivation, all of them improved.

What I want to convey through this story is that although gratitude is a feeling, gratitude could also be an action or a habit that is oriented towards values like gratitude, honesty, kindness, cleanliness, friendship, positivity, persistence and so on.

It doesn’t have to be just about writing 3 things in a gratitude journal. It can be more than that. It can be an action or a habit.

Now I would like to give you the 3 ways or habits or actions that will make you feel more grateful for a better life-

Cleaning Your Room Regularly– We know the saying “Cleanliness is next to Godliness”. Cleaning your room will make you feel more positive, more decluttered and it will also make you feel grateful when you do it with a mindset of gratitude.

Ask yourself (and I am taking this key idea from Marie Kondo’s book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing”) if the thing that you want to keep or remove while decluttering, will spark joy.

This is a new idea I got from brainstorming. I myself have done it. It feels very positive and grateful and it is also productive. I also see it as a way of making myself more positive.
Read An Inspirational Biography– I read biographies and I feel we can learn many things from them. Learning from the lives of people whom we assume as superficial can be eye-opening.

I am currently reading Tim Cook’s biography and I am shocked by how much struggle Tim Cook had to face. Just from his childhood, there is a lot to learn.

I used to think of Tim Cook as a superficial person who went to good schools and whose family had a lot of money from the start. But that’s not the truth.

I mean there’s a lot to learn about life from biographies. And it will help you feel more grateful when you do it consistently.

Even if you read just for 15 minutes everyday, it will be worth it. The key is to approach reading through the lens of curiosity.

I feel extremely grateful to get to learn about Tim Cook’s life.
Daily Journaling– I write in a journal daily,whether digital or paper journal. I love to write.

Although it may seem obvious that most people do gratitude journaling. So of course you might be journaling already. But here I am not talking just about gratitude journaling.

I am talking about consistent journaling about everything from your feelings to your stories to how your day went and so on.

You will definitely feel grateful once you approach journaling through the lens of self-improvement.

Re-reading your journal once a week or more frequently is important. It is important for healing and feeling grateful.

There could be more ways but these are some things I do myself and that’s why I shared them.

I see these activities as a commitment to my belief in myself.

Swami Vivekananda taught me to believe in myself. And he also said,”You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself”.

So first you must believe in yourself. All the ways I shared will strengthen your belief in yourself because you are essentially doing self-care and living a routine lifestyle through these habits.

I also believe that gratitude is a way of seeing the world. It’s not about thinking 10 things to be grateful for. It’s about being grateful even if something bad happens to you.

Can you be grateful even when you lose a leg or when your girlfriend leaves you? Can you be grateful when you don’t get the result you want?

It’s easy to feel grateful when you are doing well. But to do the same for the opposite condition should be the ideal goal.

So I share with you three ways to feel more grateful for a better life and I also share with you a new perspective of gratitude.

Please comment on what you will do to feel more grateful every day?

3 Things I Am Grateful For

Here are 3 things I am grateful for and why I am grateful for them is given below. No big deal, just 3 things:

The first thing is miracles.

I am grateful for miracles. Miracles that give us hope, a sense of wonder, and a sense of gratitude itself.

A story I would share with you about miracles is finding amazing friends.

I had the opportunity to make friends who are like me.

When I was in the mental health hospital for my psychosis treatment, when I was in high school when I was in my happiest and unhappy moments.

I think friends are miracles. What a concept the thing is- FRIENDS! Some person whom you can be yourself with, outside your family!

So when I was in the mental health hospital, I met a person M, who helped me get through all those days. I was playing badminton one evening, and she asked if she could play too. I said “Ok”.

The next day we chatted and became friends very quickly.

But I was having problems with my mental health. She was there to talk. I was also there to support her.

I mean to say that before this I used to believe that I couldn’t make friends because I was an introvert. But I realized that friends exist like a handful of people made in heaven for us.

I used to think that I was forever doomed to be depressed and that I was indeed in deep depression. But friends made me realize that miracles exist.

The second thing is my privilege.

I am very privileged. My parents have money, and I am loved and I am intelligent enough to read dense philosophical books, I also have ambitious genes, I can introspect, I am a sensitive person, I am a Libra, and my parents own their flat, etc. I am born in India where great leaders like B. R. Ambedkar, Sidhu and Kanu, Birsa Munda, Gandhi, Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Rabindranath Tagore, etc were born.

I am very privileged.

The story I want to share for the privilege is of my sister. She always put the right thoughts in my head. I am a naive person. And she always inspired me. She is a true leader and she taught me to be grateful for my privileged.

One day when I was young about 15 years old many years ago(I’m 22 now), I didn’t know much about the #metoo movement. I made a very rash statement to her about #metoo. And she scolded me and told me the facts.

I learnt to respect women and have a realistic perspective from my sister. I told you I was privileged. I am truly lucky!

The third thing is God.

I am listening to a song called “I Bet You Don’t Curse God” by Christina Grimmie right now. It’s a beautiful song!

Through thick and thin, through my psychosis, depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, etc. God is the reminder and fact that kept me going.

This story is about my philosophy tuition teacher madam R.

On the first day of my philosophy tuition year when I was in a Philosophy course in college, she asked me if I believed in God? I at first said a diplomatic answer, neither yes nor no.

Then she asked me this. “What is God to you?”

I still remember what I answered.

I said,” I think God is what remains when everything is stripped from existence and nothing remains. Then what remains is God.“

What I meant when saying this, I don’t know to date. Because it’s a feeling to me.

Madam R said,” You alone deserve to study Philosophy.”

What I meant to tell you through this story is not to brag about me. But to tell you that God is the reminder and the fact.

It doesn’t matter what religion you belong to. What matters is faith.

I am naturally more of a doubt guy than a faith guy. But life has reminded me to have faith over and over again.

I still get frustrated when something bad happens to me. But I also always look for the feeling when I say “I think God is what remains when everything is stripped from existence and nothing remains. Then what remains is God.”

By the way, I stole the idea from a song from the music “Kun Faya” from the Bollywood movie “Rockstar”. I don’t want to take credit. But I say it only because I strongly believe and feel its truth and that’s what happened when I said it to madam R.

Conclusion

So to summarize, the 3 things I am grateful to God for are:

1. Miracles

2. My privilege

3. God

So thank you for reading this blog post. A question for you: What are you grateful for today? You don’t have to tell me why. Just mention three points.