Sunday, March 21, 2010

The power of being you! - Part I

At the risk of sounding like a self help guru, or a "paid to talk for an hour"counsellor or a crappy over- bearing self proclaimed guardian, I am going to write a few posts on being "you". I doing this, because, the blog is about my take on life and as life as gone on, I have realised a few things about being me, that seem worth sharing...

In the late 1980's, I started watching tennis for a girl, few years older than me, in pink flowery tennis dresses, giggling at her own mistakes and clapping when the opponent returned a brilliant shot she could'nt attempt, taking losses very sportively, her aggression coming through only in her game - At that age, I identified with her, I dont know why....I loved tennis for her - Monica Seles. When she was attacked in 1993 and stopped playing, my interest for tennis died there...I still watch it once in a while, but very dispassionately.

She has remained an inspiration of sorts for me... the earliest and most entrenched...recently, D gifted me, Monica's autobiography and as I read it...I can understand, why I identified with her..All this intro for an excerpt from the book that I am going to put here as a prelude the posts that will follow,

" I have come up with a three point plan for surviving the tempests in life:
1. Clean house: This means getting rid of everything that is'nt essential in your life at that moment
2. Dont be afraid to say the magic word: It is'nt please. It's "no". People wont be as upset as you think they will be.
3.Embrace the power of being you, without apology: It's a power that is too often overlooked and squashed by others and by you."

The reason, why I am quoting this is because, I want to talk more elaborately on point 2 and 3 in the following posts. Collectivist societies in the East, ingrain in us the opposite of these rules and I personally have had enough in my life, trying to live up to others' expectations, saying yes when I want to say no and being guilty for being "me".

Soon...

4 comments:

Ingrid said...

hullo! i just stumbled across your blog, and i like it quite a bit. i'm interested to read your next posts about Being You - it may seem silly, but everyone questions who they are and what they stand for!

i'll be back soon!

BlanyAshwin said...

1 more Seles fan:)...wanted to take that book wen I came last time..but Swamiji..dint let me:(...maybe ur blog wud make things easy for me....So that I can only the best from the whole book...eagerly waiting for ur updates.....in ur next blog

tulekah said...

isn't it odd that i don't believe what i tell myself but coming from someone else it is so obviously the truth.

wundergal said...

Thanks keith and Ingrid, hope you'll read the following posts too.

-WG