Friends of Words

Tag: motivation

  • What Does Not Kill You, Makes You Stronger: Meaning and My Take

    What Does Not Kill You, Makes You Stronger: Meaning and My Take

    These words from Friedrich Nietzsche have inspired many of us over the years – and like a perfectly-aged whiskey, they have only gotten better.

    The times that we find ourselves in today amid the COVID-19 crisis, these words are more powerful than ever before : What does not kill you, makes you stronger.

    Here, let me ask you a question: what did your life  look like just two weeks ago? And what does it look like right now?

    Maybe a couple of weeks ago, you went for dinner at a fancy restaurant, attended a work party or were out there vacationing with no care in the world.

    Today’s picture is not that, regardless of where you are in the world.

    If you do not live under a rock, you probably are constantly hooked to news channels, looking at statistics, gleaning off every little piece of information about Coronavirus that you can find, pretty much like a trader hooked to a Bloomberg screen.

    You want to know how the situation is going to evolve so you can make decisions. You want to be in the know. Knowledge is power. Isn’t it?

    You want to be able to control, and there is nothing wrong in that. After all, it has been scientifically proven through numerous studies that humans that feel they are in control are happier than those that are not (I humbly invite you to read Stumbling upon Happiness).

    And the loss of control on your life right now is unsettling. It is scary. It is okay to feel scared, angry or sad (and one of those bad days, all of those three things at once).

    However, the key is to NOT dwell on those emotions.

    After all, how much worse could it have been that it’s not already?

    You might think that you have hit absolute rock bottom. But think again.

    You are still breathing.

    You still have people in your life that you love and can count on. You can still listen to your favorite music, read your favorite books and continue on with your Netflix marathons.

    If anything, technology has ensured that you can still keep in touch with them. You have an entire planet with people experiencing almost the same scary emotions as you. This you can be absolutely sure of. There are millions of people out there feeling the same emotions.

    You are not alone.

    Yes, life could have been better. And it will be. But we have time from now until then and the quality of this time that we spend is directly proportional to our willingness to put a positive spin to our circumstances right now.

    Yes, we are on house arrest, longer than we would want to be.

    But, I want to draw your attention to the perks it brings – wearing pyjamas to work EVERYDAY, not having to take a bath everyday (how awesome is that!), watch two movies a day, go on a ‘Call of Duty’ mission on your computer, listen to music while working… the list can be as long as we want it to be.

    We are the choices we make.

    And lucky for us, Corona or not, we still call the shots.

  • The Missing Piece Meets The Big O: Summary, Meaning and 4 Life Lessons

    The Missing Piece Meets The Big O: Summary, Meaning and 4 Life Lessons

    The Missing Piece Meets the Big O is a short story (conveyed through poems and drawings) written by Shel Silverstein. It was first published in 1976. The story revolves around a “Little Piece” who is looking for its perfect match that would ‘complete’ it.

    “I was hoping that perhaps I could roll with you…”

    “You cannot roll with me,” said the Big O, “but perhaps you can roll by yourself.”

    This exchange between the Little Piece and the Big O captures the essence of a heartwarming tale of self-love and discovery in ‘Little Piece meets the Big O’ by Shel Silverstein.

    He nudges us lightly to the unexplored lane of self-love. His genius lies in the simplicity with which he has relayed his heartwarming tale. Behind his simple words lies the profound truth that there is no such thing as a perfect match.

    The Missing Piece Meets the Big O: Summary, Meaning and Plot Analysis

    The book is centered around Little Piece – who is looking for its perfect match that would complete it.

    Cover of The Missing Piece Meets The Big O
    Cover of The Missing Piece Meets The Big O

    it saw all kinds of pieces coming up to it; some fit but couldn’t roll and some that could roll, but didn’t fit. It learned to avoid the hungry and fragile ones, found and let go of the over-analyzing ones and even tried to make itself attractive for the ones it liked.

    None of that worked until it found one that fit, atleast at the start. All was well until the missing piece began to grow. Both of them were not expecting or ready for that to happen.

    This was heartbreaking for the missing piece and eventually they both part ways, making the missing piece alone again. The Missing piece again finds someone that it thinks might be a perfect fit. It has now found the Big O.

    It proposes to roll with it only to be told in response that it could try rolling by itself. It finds the idea strange, the idea of a pointed missing piece to be able to roll by itself, nevertheless, she tries to explore that idea and Lift-Pull-Flop… Lift-Pull-Flop…. it was able to roll by itself!

    an image of a page from missing piece meets the big O

    Why I love The Missing Piece Meets the Big O?

    This tale is an amazing testimony to the simplicity with which Silverstein has driven the profound message home in so few words, the way he has named these characters: the Missing Piece, the Big O… it’s genius!

    The number of myths that this tale has busted, the quintessential silver lining and not to forget the happy ending!

    Want to read The Missing Piece Meets the Big O?

    The Missing Piece Meets the Big O is available on Amazon if you want to get yourself a copy. You are welcome to use the links given below to order a copy:

    Check Price on Amazon US
    Check Price on Amazon Canada
    Check Price on Amazon India

    4 Life Lessons from The Missing Piece Meets the Big O

    There is no perfect match

    While the missing piece feels alone waiting for something that will come along and complete itself, it inherently assumes that it is not complete by itself. It thinks that something more is needed for it to feel good about itself and it fails to look at the world without that assumption embedded in it.

    How many times have we turned into a ball of wax when we see Tom Cruise confessing to Renee Zelleweger in Jerry Macguire – ‘You Complete me’?

    Don’t stop trying

    Other pieces took advantage, ran over her, some were too fragile to have plopped right in front of her; some it scared away with its flashy behavior, but never once did our little missing piece quit.

    image of a page from the book the missing piece meets the big O
    A page from The Missing Piece Meets the Big O

    It kept the faith alive and even resorted to tricks to make her dream more achievable, like making itself attractive, it tried to solicit interest, it even asked people explicitly if they would take it along.

    Be open to experimentation

    Believe that what you end up getting might be different from what you envisioned, but in no way does it mean that what you end up with, is any less than what you had in mind before.

    Every relationship, bitter or sweet, has a place in our lives

    The Little Piece learnt from being ignored that it needed to do something to attract attention, when attracting too much attention, it realized that it was scaring the shy ones away.

    When trying to appear attractive, it realized that it was taken advantage of and while Big O didn’t take it along with her, it learned the very important lesson of self-discovery and contentment.

    Every experience, bitter or sweet makes us better.And what does not kill us makes us stronger.

    We might start off in a relationship believing firmly in our hearts that this is the best and that nothing could go wrong with it. This may not be the case, as many of us discover in the course of our lives.

    People grow out of their relationships… that’s the truth. While this realization is painful, it nevertheless makes us prepared to take our lives forward. Preparedness facilitates coping.

    Albert Einstein once famously remarked “The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple.”

    He might very well be referring to Shel Silverstein.

  • Who Moved My Cheese: Summary, Plot Analysis and 3 Reasons To Love It

    Who Moved My Cheese: Summary, Plot Analysis and 3 Reasons To Love It

    Who Moved My Cheese is a short story written by Spencer Johnson. It was first published in 1998. It is a motivational story about 4 characters – two of them are mice and two are humans (of very small size). It highlights the importance of anticipating change, adapting to one’s environment and not taking things for granted.

    “The quicker you let go of old cheese, the sooner you find new cheese.”

    Too simple a truth, eh? For cheese and non-cheese lovers alike ! In his world renowned book ‘Who moved my Cheese’ Dr Spencer Johnson treats us with many simple truths like these, leaving us wondering – how could a business self help book be such that it applies to all areas of our life, and doing that in a language that may seem too simple but one that is still  heavy with abundance of life-changing truths.

    Let’s jump right in.

    Who Moved My Cheese: Summary and Plot Analysis

    The story revolves around four characters- Two are mice named Sniff and Scurry and the other two are humans , about the size of mice themselves, called Hem and Haw. They live in a maze and depend on cheese for their survival.

    In their cheese hunt, they chance upon a spot with supply of cheese enough to last their lifetime, they end up spending a lot of time there.

    While the mice are agile and ready to move when the cheese disappears, the humans are stuck in their old ways, All they do is simply take the cheese for granted, sit back and brag about it.

    Eventually cheese runs out.

    book cover of who moved my cheese
    Cover of Who Moved My Cheese?

    While the mice moved on to find new cheese, Hem and Haw, too set in their old habits, are afraid of what lies out there in the maze and simply complain about them deserving more after all of their hard work.

    Too scared to set out, Hem and Haw start blaming each other for their troubles. Over a period of time, Haw gets smarter and decides to explore the maze for more cheese.

    Finding that Hem is hesitant to come along, Haw continues to explore further, leaving a trail of messages for Hem, if he ever decides to follow him.

    Eventually, he does find a ton of cheese , deep in the maze only to find Sniff and Scurry there already. Learning from his past, Haw is now a vigilant explorer, he monitors the current cheese supply to avoid the same fiasco from happening again. He decides it best for Hem to explore by himself to find his way to him.

    3 Reasons to love Who Moved My Cheese?

    1 – Where you are and where you will be is your own doing

    Times got tough for all four of them. They were all faced with the same challenge. Was the result same for all four? No!

    Why?

    Because each of them chose to respond to the situation in a different way. While Hem and Haw were busy in their blame games and petty squabbles, Sniff and Scurry were already resting with their newfound cheese chest. Haw finally did see the error of his ways and changed eventually to find himself rewarded, who’s to say what happened to our poor old Hem?

    2 – Complacency is your worst enemy

    Times do get easy and that’s when our worst enemy, complacency, strikes! We are blinded by comfort to an extent that nothing else is visible- even the dangers staring at us right in the face.

    Amy Lowell, American Poet, was right on point when she said –‘ Happiness, to some, elation; Is, to others, mere stagnation.’

    3 – Stay aware, Be Prepared

    Stay away from ‘Bury your head in the sand’ syndrome. The first step in the preparation is to acknowledge that there is a need to change.Like Sniff and Scurry, be aware that the cheese could disappear and you might need to explore and find novel ways to get to the new and better cheese.

    7 Wall Writings from Who Moved My Cheese?

    The simplicity of this book is priceless. Consider, for instance, the lessons that Haw writes on the wall for Hem.

    1 – Change Happens They Keep Moving The Cheese

    Change is everywhere- work, home, our communities, you name it . Heraclites – the Greek philosopher – wasn’t wrong when he said “nothing is permanent but change.”

    2 – Anticipate Change Get Ready For The Cheese To Move

    Regardless of us seeing change everywhere, how often are we caught by surprise? How often do we see ourselves complaining about it?

    3 – Monitor Change Smell The Cheese Often So You Know When It Is Getting Old

    Are we ever proactive enough to see what lies ahead and what the impending change might entail for us?

    4 – Adapt To Change Quickly The Quicker You Let Go Of Old Cheese, The Sooner You Can Enjoy New Cheese

    Are we ready to make a move when the change happens? Are we prepared?

    5 – Change Move With The Cheese

    Are we changing ? Are we ready to reroute our actions around what the change calls for?

    6 – Enjoy Change! Savor The Adventure And Enjoy The Taste Of New Cheese!

    It could be difficult adjusting to change, let alone enjoy it at times, But are we those
    nimble agile kind of people that can actually savour change?

    7 – Be Ready To Change Quickly And Enjoy It Again They Keep Moving The Cheese.

    Are we ready to change again and faster the next time?

    So, we have Sniff and Scurry and Hem and Haw…. which one of those are you?

  • Jonathan Livingston Seagull: Summary and Plot Analysis

    Jonathan Livingston Seagull: Summary and Plot Analysis

    Jonathan Livingston Seagull is a short novel (or novella) written by Richard Bach in the 1960s. It is a story of a seagull whose name is Jonathan Livingston who is trying to perfect the art of flying.

    Over the years, this novel has become a classic and is often considered one of the best inspirational or motivational books ever written.

    Who wrote Jonathan Livingston Seagull?

    Jonathan Livingston Seagull is written by Richard Bach.

    Interestingly, it was not written as one complete novel initially; Bach wrote it as a series of short stories which was published in a magazine called “Flying” in the later half of 1960s.

    Then, the series of short stories was compiled by Richard Bach and was first released as a book in 1970. The book was illustrated by Russell Munson.

    jonathan livingston seagull book cover
    Cover of Jonathan Livingston Seagull

    Within a few years of publication, Jonathan Livingston Seagull became a best seller and sold millions of copies and became known worldwide.

    Who is Jonathan Livingston Seagull?

    Jonathan Livingston is the name of the protagonist of book Jonathan Livingston Seagull. He is a seagull who tries to perfect the art of flying.

    The name of the novel is also the name of the protagonist of the novel’s story.

    Book Summary: What is Jonathan Livingston Seagull about?

    Jonathan Livingston Seagull, a book by Richard Bach is a story about a seagull’s unbounded passion for flight despite rebuke from his clan, his friends and his most loved ones. His perseverance, and his unquenchable thirst for achieving perfection. Touted as One of the 50 timeless spiritual classics , you will be amazed how he has put this profound truth in such simple words.

    Our seagull is bored with the mundane struggle for food every day and disheartened by the lack lustre passion-less lives the seagulls around him love and expect him to conform to. The lack of encouragement from his fellow folk does not deter him from following his passion and he continually keeps pushing himself to learn all he can about flying.

    This lack of conforming to the norms does not go down well with his folks and he is subsequently expelled from the flock, bringing shame to his family. A new outcast but free nonetheless, he continues to learn, coming closer and closer to his goal of achieving perfection.

    This skill acquired with practice brings him immense joy and resulting contentment in his life.Although alone now, he is a happy seagull.

    One fine day, two seagulls meet him and tell him of a better world found through perfection of knowledge, he meets a fellow seagull that has the same passion for flight as himself. His dedication and love for the craft makes him a very distinguished bird and Jonathan prides himself in the fact.

    white seagull flying over blue water
    Jon’s dedication and love for the craft makes him a very distinguished bird. (Image by Bruno Glätsch from Pixabay)

    Here Jonathan makes friends with a wise gull that reveals to him the secret of
    instantaneous movement anywhere in the world, Jonathan marvels at this skill, eventually acquires it and is humbled by his knowledge. He has acquired what he wants , but still feels empty.

    Jonathan now feels the urge to return to earth to find others like himself to tell them what he’d learned and to spread his love for flight. He is successful in this endeavor and soon finds himself around other outcast but passionate seagulls.

    The first of his students, Fletcher Lynd Seagull, is quick to grasp learnings from Jonathan and ultimately becomes a teacher in his own right. Jonathan leaves to teach other flock thus spreading his love for the flight and the timeless truth of
    limitless human potential.

    Life lessons from Jonathan Livingston Seagull

    “He spoke of very simple things- that it is right for a gull to fly, that freedom is the very nature of his being, that whatever stands against that freedom must be set aside, be it ritual or superstition or limitation in any form.

    “Set aside,” came a voice from the multitude, “even if it be the Law of the Flock?”

    “The only true law is that which leads to freedom,” Jonathan said. “There is no other.”

    Of all the great things Jonathan Livingston seagull has said in Richard Bach’s book of the same name, this speaks the most to me.

    To me Jonathan Livingston seagull brings 3 life lessons:

    1- Our potential is limited only to the extent we let it to be

    And I do not mean in ‘we as humans use only 10% of our potential’ way, but more often than not, we are limited by our perception of what we are capable of achieving. Changing that mindset is solely under our control. Why should we let someone else tell us what we can and can’t do?

    Remember Chris from the movie ‘Pursuit of Happyness’? The scene where he tells his son, “Hey. Don’t ever let somebody tell you… You can’t do something. Not even me. …’.

    That about sums it up.

    2- Find your passion and be relentless in your pursuit of it

    Our seagull Jonathan was exemplary in illustrating that sometimes following our passions can take us away from places and people that we hold dear, but in no way did that deter him from following his passion, or giving it his all. It’s because at the end of the day, he was answerable to himself. And so are we.

    To quote Steve Jobs, “Stay hungry, stay foolish”. Being loyal to our passion brings us
    profound happiness and contentment and that’s the state that we all ultimately strive for. Don’t we?

    3- Pay it Forward

    Jonathan didn’t just stop at achieving perfection, he took it a step further. He thought it best that learnings be shared with others, to let them know that we can think beyond our present circumstances for a blissful future.

    It may not be entirely selfless given that there is a significant upliftment we feel when we help others , but Hey! its feeding two birds with one scone.

    I cannot help but quote Film critic Roger Ebert who praised the book by saying ” the book was so banal that it had to be sold to adults; kids would have seen through it.”

    Food for thought.

    Want to read Jonathan Livingston Seagull?

    Jonathan Livingston Seagull is available on Amazon if you want to get yourself this book. You can use the links given below to check the price of this book:

    Check Price on Amazon US
    Check Price on Amazon Canada
    Check Price on Amazon India