Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Goodbye 2014 - Welcome 2015

It is that time of the year when most of us would sit and analyze how good or bad the year has been. I am also in that reflective mode today.


How did 2014 treat me?

On personal front year 2014 did not start off well. All efforts to hold on to a close relationship turned out to be a futile exercise. I learnt that no matter how good your intent is; if people are hell bent on misunderstanding you, things will fall apart. Not just the beginning of the year but almost the entire year personal relationship was put to test. In second half of the year, it was a close friendship that did not stand the test of time. I realized that for relationships or friendship to be successful, the most important factor is trust. 2014 did punch some severe blows but it could not manage to knock me out. I was down but not out. I only hope that someday better sense would prevail and things will improve.

All the emotional turmoil did affect me but my faith in the Almighty is what kept me going. A spiritual journey that I had been putting off for so many years worked out like a charm this year. I am glad that I could embark on this journey. It was a welcome break which really helped me to put everything in perspective. The way it worked out also strengthened my belief in divine grace.

On the professional front things were mostly steady. I was successful in ensuring that personal issues had no influence on my work. For most part, it was routine stuff on the work front. Towards the end of the year though something unexpected happened. I got an opportunity to contribute by writing a blog for the corporate website. I also got appreciated and rewarded for it. It was nice to realize that an article I wrote was good enough to find space on corporate website.


What about 2015?


I will be stepping into 2015 with renewed hope both on personal and professional front.


On personal front I will ensure that emotions do not get the better of me. Lessons learnt in 2014 will help me achieve that. Peace of mind will have precedence over anything else in life. Daily meditation is already helping me in that regard. I will continue practicing it in 2015 to advance spiritually. I will take up the challenge to devote more time for reading and learning new stuff. Cooking is also on my to-do-list. My wife will definitely have a sarcastic smile on her face after reading this. :-)


Professionally, it would be great to try something different to stimulate the creative mind. More opportunities to showcase my skills is something I hope for. I also aim to get out of my comfort zone by learning some new skills that will widen the scope in my career. Prime goal professionally is to break the routine and get into acceleration mode. 


My gut feeling is that 2015 will turn out to be a very positive year for me both personally and professionally. I hope the same holds true for everyone. I wish everyone a very Happy and Prosperous New Year.



Saturday, December 6, 2014

Life is precious - cherish it

This blog post is about an incident that I witnessed and one which made me value life dearly.

Tonight on my way back home from office as usual I reached Kanjurmarg station. I was on the foot over bridge when I saw a man running down the steps towards the platform to catch a train to Titwala that was about to leave. By the time I reached the platform I could hear people shouting but didn't know the reason. At some distance I could see a man lying on the floor and people gathered around him. I moved closer to the crowd and realized that the same person whom I saw earlier on the foot over bridge had met with an accident and was lying on the floor. This person tried to catch the running train but slipped and fell on the platform. He was very lucky to have not been dragged by the train else the accident could have been fatal. He did injure his head and his body got bruised too. However, he was able to walk when couple of guys lifted him up. They made him sit on a nearby bench. One gentleman offered some water to the petrified accident victim. Few people gathered around were yelling at him, when they were supposed to calm him down. One person asked him as to why he was in such a mad rush to catch the train that had already started moving. He replied stating that he wanted to be with his kids at home. Possibly there was some urgency involved but I think reaching home safely was more important than not reaching at all. After a while couple of cops arrived and they were tending to him. My train arrived by then and while I was boarding the train, I saw couple of guys accompanying him possibly to a nearby hospital for first-aid.

This was not the first time that I have witnessed such foolish acts at Kanjurmarg railway station. In the past I have seen similar accidents on two occasions. Luckily on each occasion the accident did not prove fatal or cause major injuries to the individuals who were involved.

We all have just one life and I think we should cherish it not only for our own self but also for our near and dear ones who are dependent on us.