YOUTH SPECIAL,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, You too will lead a good life!

You too will  lead a good life!   A letter to youngsters at the cusp of life, worried and tense over what the  future holds for them! Dear Worried Young One, Why are you so tense? Carrying the burden of past regrets, present expectations  and future dreams, scurrying around to discover your place in the sun! Feeling directionless, and worried about your choices! Chill. Life knows the direction it is taking. It has been down this path several times, and will hand hold you through it as well. Your part of the job is to believe, to understand what you want, and to focus on it. I know everything seems chaotic right now, but out of this chaos will emerge order sooner or later. Rest assured -you will find your rightful place too. Remember what Steve Jobs told us about the unrelated stuff  he stumbled through, only to realise later how it all came together to  make future sense when he connected the dots back in time? That is  exactly how it happens with most of us. Everything you do or have done  has a place and meaning.Do not regret the past or the present. Believe  in yourself and your present moment -both have the potential to grant  you a great future. What are your worries? Let's list them -Am I on the right path? Did I choose wisely? Will I be successful? Will I be rich? Will I get a good life partner? Will my life matter? Will I make my parents proud? Success and love is what we all seek at every stage of life -and you are no different.  As far back as the 14th century, Persian poet Hafez said, “When all your  desires are distilled, you will cast just two votes -to love more and to be happy.“ Young worrier, you too are ultimately seeking a path to just those ends  -love and happiness. It is as simple as that. The rest is all just a means towards this goal.Choose your path intelligently and with awareness. What create chaos are the umpteen choices, and the myriad messages and advice from all directions -parents, peers, teachers and counselors. Listen to all and learn to sift the wheat from the chaff. Ignore some, absorb some, and file the rest. Observe and learn the lessons successful people share, especially those you adulate. There is no right or wrong way of living life. Most times we are as much the victims of circumstances as we are the creators of our Destiny. There is nothing wrong with either. That is how life hap pens. It mostly takes care of itself; it really isn't as big a monster as we make it out to be in our minds. So, what should you be doing? Understand yourself and your triggers. What is it that really floats your boat? Want to be a teacher, bureaucrat, scientist, journalist, doctor or author? What gives you a glow of happiness and a sense of wellbeing? Look for yourself in that direction. It may give you a hint of your future occupation.Can you build a life around it? Listen to your instinct; it will not lead you astray. Compartmentalise your day and stick to it; this will streamline life and help you stress less. Set aside time to think, to plan, to actually work. Carve out time to just be. Carve time for exercise and grooming. Carve time to worry, for that has its uses too! Keep time to just be, when you let your thoughts float away and allow your mind to be vacant;  such moments are enriching. Plan some fun time too as a reward for yourself. Do not forget some time to talk to friends and well-wishers. Hear out their worries; give voice to yours. Sometimes solutions come when you talk your issues out loud. There will still be times when you feel you lost the plot somewhere and are directionless. Bide your time; stay alert and attuned to opportunity. Things will work out. Just believe and allow instinct to take over. Someone somewhere always seems to have firm charge of the remote control.That's the way it has worked for most of us. Each one goes through  years of struggle, questioning, self-doubt and moments of utter despair when you wish to Alt-Ctrl-Del and start all over again. Nobody ever just sailed into the lives they comfortably straddle today. You will all become someone in your own right and lead the lives you deserve and are meant to live. You have the seeds of success and failure within you and the consequences wait outside. Believe in and be true to yourself; the rest will follow. You too will lead a good life : With best wishes for a life full of happiness and love!

^{vinitadawra nangia}

^TL20SEP15