The Law of Karma

Your actions have consequences. Karma is the invisible power that balances the universe. Your life today is just a reflection of your past. You created your destiny. Is your fate now sealed?

What is Karma?

The definition of  karma? For every action there will always be a reaction. Your actions create a ripple in the universe. Your thoughts and actions are powerful. They carry energy. They are like an echo. We have all taken a different path in life but somehow we are all linked. Whatever you do will always come back to you.
Your thoughts and feelings shape the world within you. Your words and actions shape the world around you. You are constantly changing your world, little by little.

The Law of Karma

Karma is a Buddhist term which comes from Sanskrit and relates to fate and action. You alone are responsible for your actions.
It is the law of cause and effect, an unbreakable law of the cosmos. You deserve everything that happens to you, good or bad. You created your happiness and your misery. One day you will be in the same circumstances that you put someone else in.

Your world today is just a reflection of your past. What you do today will mirror your future. Your actions create your future. What you are experiencing right now is what karma wants you to experience. Every feeling, every thought, has been prepared especially for you, so you can learn from your past.

The reason your fate is never truly set is because you have free will. Therefore your future cannot already be written. That would not be fair. Life gives you chances. This is one of them.

You can’t escape from your past, but learning from it will change your future.

The Invisible Factor

Do you really believe that when you leave this world there will be nothing? That you won’t exist? I’m not talking about religion. I’m referring to you, your soul, your mind. Call it anything you like. There will always be something left when you go. Those who fear leaving this world the most are the ones with regrets, the ones who hurt others.
Let’s look at an example. Imagine a situation. Think of a person you don’t like. Think of a way to upset that person.
Now imagine that you have executed your plan. You smile as you see this person feeling uncomfortable and eventually hurt and upset. You have just created “bad karma” for yourself.
You deliberately harmed someone. Your intentions were bad. It is intention that creates karma. Good intentions will always create “good karma”. You can hide your intentions from others but not from yourself or the universe. You are a small cog within many other cogs. When you move, you move all the other cogs.

You Will Never be Happy at Someone Else’s Expense

You came from the same source as everyone else. One day you will go back to that source. We all will. You will never be happy if you hurt those around you. When you think you are alone there are always observers. The most important one being you.
If you take away intention then there is no karma. If you genuinely didn’t mean to harm or hurt someone then the law of karma is now absent. It is your intention that invokes karma, good or bad. No one can violate natures law of karma.
You might well ask, what about those who have been bad? I see them doing so well! Where is their karma?
Karma is not linear (it does not operate in a straight line). The universe is complex, beyond human understanding. So is karma. You might think someone has escaped, but that is not possible as the video below explains.
You may be powerful or weak today but your destiny can be reversed at any moment. Your life can change in an instant. This happens every day.

Is Karma Real?

Yes, karma is real. Karma is your bond to the past. Karma is a universal law. It cannot be broken. Karma teaches you and makes your knowledge of the world more complete.
The universe wants you to understand the suffering of others. To do this your must experience life from many different perspectives. It is essential to understand why you did something and what the consequences were. A karmic experience allows you to reflect and correct your mistakes.
It is only when you step into someone else’s shoes that you begin to really understand how they feel. You will continue to have the same experiences until you learn what others have felt and experienced because of you.

Your Future is an Echo of Your Past

Most people are fighting an inner battle against something you know nothing about. Therefore you must not judge them. You haven’t walked in their shoes. You don’t know what they have been through. They might have been abused, faced hardship or never been loved. If you judge, then you will be judged. Accept others as they are.

Forgiveness relieves you from pain. It takes a great person to forgive. Revenge will harm you. Forgiveness does not mean you are happy with what was done to you. It means that you are kind and loving enough to move on. You will be setting a great example for others. Great things happen to those who forgive.

 Be grateful! This is so important. Did you eat today? Are you healthy? Do you have shelter? Those who are thankful are happy. Express your gratitude. It will give you inner peace.

The good and bad you see in others also exists in you. When you see good and bad in others it is just a reflection of yourself. Always look for the good in everyone.

Give love and love comes back to you.The energy you send out ALWAYS comes back to you. If you radiate happiness and positive energy then that is what you will receive back. That is why when you are in a good mood the world seems so beautiful. You are sending out wonderful vibrations.

What you give to others you will get yourself. If others need help and you give them very little then one day if you need help you will also receive very little. The way others behave towards you is their karma. The way you RESPOND will determine your karma.

By now you must have understood that nothing happens by chance. Everything happens so you can learn. The Buddha said, “The greatest achievement is selflessness“.

 

You Will be Tested on Everything You Say

Any criticism you make will eventually be made against you. If you want to criticize others, be prepared to for them to scrutinize you. Judgement has a negative effect. The more you judge people the more you will be judged.
Be grateful, not arrogant for any abilities you may have that are better than someone else’s. A beautiful person becomes ugly when they put down those who are not like them. There is no one in this world who is not beautiful.

 

 There are no “other people”. We are all one. When you kick a tramp on the street you are kicking yourself. When you harm another, you are harming yourself. The law of karma transforms you into a better person. The more you are aware of the meaning of life, the fewer lessons you will need before you achieve your dreams. The repetition of lessons in your life is not punishment, it is help in learning for your future.

You Don’t Have to be Seen to Make a Difference

Being kind to others is the same as being kind to yourself. Kindness gives others hope. Your inconvenience is minor if you stop to help someone. But for them it means a great deal. Kindness is the most valuable gift you can give to someone. It changes them. By lifting someone in need up you automatically lift yourself. In that instant, you make the world a better place.
Give without hesitating. You don’t have to be seen by others. You are being observed by the whole universe. Isn’t that enough? The most important part of your life will be the unseen random acts of kindness you performed.
You have free will. It is you who makes the final decision.

Bad Karma

Nothing ever goes away until it has taught you what you must know. Your bad karma is a Blessing in Disguise
Guilt is a form of punishment. Painful results in your life come from actions you took that clashed with the goals of the universe. The pain drives home the lesson. What are the goals of the universe? Everlasting love.
Karma treats everyone equally. You won’t get special treatment.

 

 

Can I change my karma?

Can you change your karma? Yes. You cannot stop karma but you can change the direction of your karma. Anything you did in your past can be “undone” by doing good now. You have reaped what you sowed. You created your own destiny, now you can recreate it. How? You have free will. You can learn from the past.
A clear conscience cannot be bought from a moment of regret or shame. If you want forgiveness for your actions you must first take responsibility for them.
Regret is the starting point. Feeling bad about what you did sends a signal to the universe. You must really mean what you say. It’s about learning through compassion. That comes from very carefully imagining how others feel. You are saying that you understand your past actions were wrong. You have awareness. This is the beginning. You have started to undo what you did.
Sometimes, you have to experience what you have done to others. No matter how bad you have been, you can always begin again. You can only erase bad karma with regret, then practicing kindness and love. There is no other way.
If you ever harmed anyone, ask them for forgiveness. Their forgiveness will dissolve any bad karma and turn it into good karma. Your guilt will disappear. You will feel wonderful.

Love your enemies. Don’t seek revenge.

Only when everyone is your friend and you have no enemies do you become powerful. When you have to fight you are no longer powerful. You always have to look over your shoulder. Enemies bring worries. Friends bring happiness and most of all peace.
Revenge usually inflicts self-damage. When you hate or dislike someone it creates negativity. Wishing someone well who hurt you allows you to let go of bad energy. You just have to wish them well in your mind and mean it.
Anyone who has hurt you will receive their karma. You don’t have to do anything other than forgive them. It’s a difficult thing to do but will give you an amazing feeling of relief. You will be released to carry on with the good things in your life.
Do not seek revenge. You will only hurt yourself and others around you. Allow the universe to use its infinite powers to help you. No one can harm you when your intentions are pure.
Destroy your enemies. Make them your friends!
Be kind to those who are unkind and angry. They need it the most.
Our thoughts and actions are the forces we send out of ourselves. All life is expression. Your soul is trying to see itself in everything. The universe wants harmony. It seeks balance.

Jealousy

A little jealousy is natural, a sign of love. But too much is not good. Feel for those who are jealous of you. Have respect for their jealousy as they think so highly of you. They are counting your blessings instead of their own. They are not jealous of you but what you represent, what they always wanted to be.
Negativity is a sign of jealously. Forgiving jealousy is good karma. They are hurting themselves, not you. If you are popular or great in some way, sympathize with those who are not. Jealousy is also a test. How will you react to those who are jealous of you?

Does Karma have an immediate effect?

To fully understand why what you did was good or bad can take time. Many lessons are instant but some things can only be learned over time. So karma plants a seed. Over time it will grow. At just the right moment, the exact moment, you will receive your karma.
Remember the purpose of karma is not revenge. The universe is not vengeful. The purpose of karma is to help you become a better person.
The effects of karma are sometimes immediate and in other cases there is a delay. There will always be an effect, no matter how long the delay. The consequences of your actions good or bad may even follow you into the next life.
What you do is your choice and you have freewill. What happens to you as a result of your choices is no longer in your hands. Karma will decide.
It is impossible to avoid your karmic destiny.

Gratitude

When you experience good karma always remember to be grateful. Gratitude means you understand that your actions were good. Most people only notice their bad karma. Notice your good karma and say, “thank you”.
The more spiritual you are the faster your karma will be returned. The more you know, the more responsible you are. A person who understands spiritual laws and does not practice them suffers greatly.
The opposite is also true. When you are kind and loving your karma is returned in the most beautiful way. You have a magic blanket of protection around you. The most powerful forces are with you.
Do to others what you would like to be done to you, because it is being done to you!
That is the Law of Karma and now you understand it completely.

  

@ Lakshmi

 

 

She was done not fully being herself.

She realized she was the only self she could be—and not being unapologetically true to herself was a disservice to her soul and the world.

She was done listening to the noise of the world. She realized the quiet voice of her own soul was the most beautiful sound.

She was done questioning her motives, her intentions, the call of her soul. She realized questions seek answers, and maybe she already knew the answers.

She was done striving, forcing, pushing through and staying on the hard path. She realized toughing things out might be a sign to pick another path.

She was done with friends that admonished her to be more light and breezy. She realized they didn’t understand she swam in the deep waters of life, she felt at home in their dark depths and died if she lived on the surface.

She was done with the distractions, the denials, the small addictions that pulled her away from the true desires of her soul. She realized that strength of character came from focus and commitment.

She was done not following the desires that yelled out in her soul every day. She realized if she did nothing about them, they died a quiet death that took a piece of her soul with them.

She was done with dinner parties and cocktail hours where conversations skimmed the surface of life. She realized the beverages created distortion and a temporary happiness that wasn’t real and disappeared in the light of the day.

She was done trying to please everyone. She realized it could never be done.

She was done questioning herself. She realized her heart knew the truth and she needed to follow it.

She was done analyzing all the options, weighing the pros and cons and trying to figure everything out before leaping. She realized that taking a leap implied not fully seeing where she landed.

She was done battling with herself, trying to change who she knew herself to be. She realized the world made it hard enough to fully be herself, so why add to the challenge.

She was done worrying, as if worry was the price she had to pay to make it all turn out okay. She realized worry didn’t need to be part of the process.

She was done apologizing and playing small to make others feel comfortable and fit in. She realized fitting in was overrated and shining her light made others brave enough to do the same.

She was done with the should’s, ought to’s and have to’s of the world. She realized the only must’s in her life came from things that beat so strong in her soul, she couldn’t not do them.

She was done with remorse and could have’s. She realized hindsight never applies because circumstances always look different in the rearview mirror and you experience life looking through the front window.

She was done with friendships based on shared history and past experiences. She realized if friends couldn’t grow together, or were no longer following the same path, it was okay to let them go.

She was done trying to fit in—be part of the popular crowd. She realized the price she had to pay to be included was too high and betrayed her soul.

She was done not trusting. She realized she had placed her trust in people that were untrustworthy—so she would start with the person she could trust the most—herself.

She was done being tired. She realized it came from spending her time doing things that didn’t bring her joy or feed her soul.

She was done trying to figure it all out, know the answers, plan everything and see all the possibilities before she began. She realized life was unfolding and that the detours and unexpected moments were some of the best parts.

She was done needing to be understood by anyone but herself. She realized she was the only person she would spend her whole with and understanding herself was more important than being understood by others.
She was done looking for love. She realized loving and accepting herself was the best kind of love and the seed from which all other love started.

She was done fighting, trying to change or not her accepting her body. She realized the body she came into the world with was the only one she had—there were no exchanges or returns—so love and acceptance was the only way.

She was done being tuned in, connected and up-to-date all the time. She realized the news and noise of the world was always there—a cacophony that never slowed or fell quiet and that listening to the silence of her soul was a better station to tune into.

She was done beating herself up and being so hard on herself as if either of these things led to changes or made her feel better. She realized kindness and compassion towards herself and others accomplished more.

She was done comparing and looking at other people’s lives as a mirror for her own. She realized holding her own mirror cast her in the best, most beautiful light.

She was done being quiet, unemotional and holding her tongue. She realized her voice and her emotions could be traced back to her deepest desires and longings. if she only followed their thread.

She was done having to be right. She realized everyone’s truth was relative and personal to themselves, so the only right that was required was the one that felt true for her.

She was done not feeling at home in the world. She realized she might never feel at home in the world, but that feeling at home in her soul was enough.

She was done being drained by others—by people who didn’t want to take the time for their own process and saw shortcuts though hers. She realized she could share her experience, but everyone needed to do the work themselves.

She was done thinking she had so much to learn. She realized she already knew so much, if she only listened.
She was done trying to change others or make them see things. She realized she could only lead by example and whether they saw or followed was up to them.

She was done with the inner critic. She realized its voice was not her own.

She was done racing and being discontent with where she was. She realized the present moment held all it needed to get her to the next moment. It wasn’t out there—it was right here.

She was done seeing hurt as something to be avoided, foreseen or somehow her fault. She realized hurt shaped her as much as joy and she needed both to learn and grow.

She was done judging. She realized judging assumed the presence of right and wrong—and that there was a difference between using information to inform and making someone else wrong.

She was done jumping to conclusions. She realized she only needed to ask.
She was done with regrets. She realized if she had known better she would have done better.

She was done being angry. She realized anger was just a flashlight that showed her what she was most scared of and once it illuminated what she needed to see, she no longer needed to hold on to it.

She was done being sad. She realized sorrow arose when she betrayed her own soul and made choices that weren’t true to herself.

She was done playing small. She realized if others couldn’t handle her light, it was because they were afraid of their own.

She was done with the facades and the pretending. She realized masks were suffocating and claustrophobic.
She was done with others’ criticism and complaints. She realized they told her nothing about herself—only informed her of their perspective.

She was done yelling above the noise of the world. She realized living out loud could be done quietly.

She was done needing permission, validation or the authority. She realized she was her her own authority.

She was done being something she was not. She realized the purpose of life was to be truly, happily who she was born to be…and if she paused long enough to remember, she recognized herself.

 

A Lesson from Avengers 2: How One Great Hire Can Be Worth $596M

How much is a great hire worth?

Well, in the case of Robert Downey, Jr. and Avengers: The Age of Ultron, about $596 million or so.
The movie starring the actor as Iron Man is set to open this Friday in the United States, and it will likely be one of the highest-grossing movies ever. After all, the first Avengers movie raked in $1.5 billion – making it the third-highest grossing movie ever – and Age of Ultron has already made $200 million in 44 overseas markets.
Some people mistakenly think that the success of comic book movies like Age of Ultron is inevitable, that they capitalize on a product – Marvel’s beloved characters – that have been in our lives since our childhood. And yet, when you really analyze the numbers, that isn’t the full story.
Yes, the name recognition of a Spider-Man or Captain America helps, but Marvel isn’t just capitalizing on its characters. It’s also capitalizing on the talents of the Downey, whose proven himself to be a revenue-generating superstar.

2008: A bleaker time for Marvel’s movies

At the start of 2008, movies starring Marvel’s characters had a much different reputation. The past seven major motion pictures featuring a character from the comic book company had an average Rotten Tomato score of 35 percent, meaning most critics didn’t like them.
And while they made money, they were making less money than what the company expected. Overall, those seven movies – which were released from 2004 to 2007 – brought back roughly $2.60 for $1 spent on them.
That sounds good, but the historical return for a movie featuring a Marvel character to that point was $3.02 in for every $1 out.

Then came Downey

That abruptly changed in 2008 with the release of Iron Man, starring Downey. The movie earned $585 million off of a $140 million budget and garnered a 93 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, the second-highest score ever for a movie featuring a Marvel character (the first is Spider-Man 2 with a score of 94 percent, in case you were wondering).
The main reason Iron Man was so loved? Well, look at this quote from Rodger Ebert’s review of the film:
“At the end of the day it ‘s Robert Downey Jr. who powers the lift-off separating this from most other superhero movies,” Ebert wrote.
Since Downey’s first appearance, there have been 14 more major motion pictures featuring a Marvel character without him in it. While those movies were critically successful, averaging a Rotten Tomatoes score of 67 percent, they returned just $3.10 for every $1 spent on them, or about 3 percent higher than the company averaged before.
Meanwhile, the four Marvel movies starring Downey averaged a stellar Rotten Tomatoes score of 84 percent and made a total of $3.92 billion (almost $1 billion a movie!). Two of them – the first Avengers film and Iron Man 3 – are among the six highest-grossing movies of all time.

$596 million

Here’s the bottom line: there have been 31 major motion pictures featuring Marvel characters that didn’t have Downey in them. In those 31 movies, for every $1 spent on them, they’d bring back $3.06.
Compare that to the four Marvel movies Downey has been in. In those movies, for every $1 spent on them, they brought back $5.19 – a 70 percent higher return-on-investment than average.
Bringing it back to the beginning, we often ask how much hiring top talent matters. Most of the time we say it’s incalculable, it’s too hard to put a price on.
Well, with Downey, using trend data, we can make a pretty informed guess what he’s worth to Avengers: Age of Ultron, which has a $280 million budget:

• Without Downey, the movie should expect to see a 306 percent return-on-investment: $280M X 3.06 = $857 million
• With Downey, the movie should expect to see a 519 percent return-on-investment: $280M X 5.19 = $1.453 billion

When you subtract $857 million from $1.453 billion, you realize the “Downey effect” is worth $596 million. Not too shabby.
Guess hiring the right person really matters after all.

The Smart Way to Start a Successful Company While Keeping Your Job

Most aspiring entrepreneurs face a dilemma. They want to start a new business but they don't want to give up their jobs--and the security of their paychecks--until they absolutely have to. On the other hand, launching a successful company is all-consuming enough without combining it with full-time employment.

What do you do? Most either sacrifice sleep and family time while they struggle to serve two masters, or else they leave their jobs and live on savings, spouses, parents, or investment money until the company begins generating revenues.

There may be a third option: Create something your company needs and make your employer into your first customer. That approach worked beautifully for serial entrepreneur Steve Elliott when he founded his newest company, agile software development tool AgileCraft.

As chief technology officer at his firm, Elliott knew that an agile development tool that would work for an entire company was badly needed. He knew he could create one. But he didn't want to give up his job. "I went to the company I was working for and said, 'I'm looking at doing something innovative to solve a problem. I will let the company use it for free, but I will retain the intellectual property (IP)."

His bosses agreed, and Elliott and his team spent eight years perfecting AgileCraft while still gainfully employed. "They were very pragmatic," he says. "They knew we could solve a problem for them and they didn't have to pay for it. They were fine with that, as long as I kept up on my core responsibilities."

Keeping his job meant Elliott could start his company with minimal upfront investment. "It was painful," he says, "But we were careful about hiring and stretching as far as we could before taking on real money." That meant creating a remote and largely contractor work force, which was fine with Elliott. "With some of the software you can get now for payroll, it's easy," he says.

The strategy paid off big. With eight years of development and testing in real use by a real company, AgileCraft came on the market in 2013 as a fully mature product. "Most start-up software companies have to spend millions to develop their product," Elliott says. "Our customers say, 'This company has been around for less than a year--can they really have solved this big problem?'"

Yes they could, and it wasn't long before acquirers and investors recognized that fact and came calling. "This is the only startup I've ever been involved with where we received four serious inquiries in the first year," Elliott says. They had just about said yes to an acquisition when Houston-based investors Jim Crane and Hunter Nelson came along with an offer AgileCraft's founders couldn't refuse: a deal that valued the company at 34 times revenue, put millions on the balance sheet, included payouts for the founders and left nearly half of the company's share in the hands of the founders and employees.

It all came about because Elliott chose to start his company and keep his job at the same time. "A lot of people try to moonlight and build something on the side, which they may not be allowed to do under the terms of their employment," he says. "I like the way we did it. There are some employers that wouldn't go for it, but I believe there are a lot that would."

సోషల్‌ నెట్‌వర్క్స్‌

ఏవండోయ్‌, ఇక నటించింది చాల్లేండి! లేవండి షాపింగ్‌కి టైమ్‌ అయ్యింది. నేనా? నటిస్తున్నానా? నిజంగా నిద్రపోతుంటే ఏంటే నీ గోడవ! అబ్బో, మీరు అబద్ధం చెబుతారేమో కాని మీ వాట్సాప్‌ (whatsapp) లోని లాస్ట్‌ సీన్‌ మాత్రం అబద్ధం చెప్పదండోయ్‌! అనే స్థాయికి సోష్‌ల్‌ నెట్‌వర్కింగ్‌ సైట్లు వచ్చేసాయంటే నమ్ముతారా!

ఇక పిల్లల విషయానికొస్తే స్కూలు-కాలేజీల్లో ఇచ్చిన హోం వర్కులు చేస్తున్నారో లేదో తెలియదు కాని అన్ని సోషల్‌ నెట్‌వర్కులలో స్టేటస్‌లు (status), ఫోటోలు అప్‌డేట్‌ చేయడం మాత్రం మర్చిపోవట్లేదు. ఇంక అసలు ఏ పనీ -పాట లేని వారి గురించి చెప్పనక్కరేదు. పొద్దున లేచి కాక హోటల్‌లో తాగిన ' టీ ' దగ్గర నుంచి రాత్రి పడే 'డోస్‌' వరుకు అందరికి తెలియజేయడానికి ఈ సోషల్‌ నెట్‌వర్కులను బీభత్సంగా వాడేస్తుంటారు. అలా అన్ని మంచి-చెడూ తేడా లేకుండా అన్ని వీటి ద్వారా చెప్పేస్తుటారు.

'మా బామ్మ చనిపోయింది' అని ఒక్క స్టేటస్‌ పెట్టి ఆమె ఫోటోకి దండేయకుండా నైనా సరే ఒక్కసారి ఫేస్‌ బుక్‌లో అప్‌డేట్‌ చేస్తే చాలు, ఓ వంద లైక్‌లు యాబై RIPలు అదేనండి Rest-in-Peace  కమెంట్ల రూపంలో ఎగిరొచ్చి పడిపోతాయి. ఇలా ఒకటి కాదు - రెండు కాదు జీవితంలోని ప్రతీ నిమిషం గురించి సోషల్‌ నెట్‌వర్కింగ్‌ సైట్‌లలో పెట్టేస్తుంటారు. ఇప్పుడు కాలంలో ఓ మనిషి గురించి తెలుసుకోవాలంటే వాడి ఫేస్‌ ని చూడనక్కర్లేదు. వాడి ఫేస్‌ బుక్కుని బ్రౌజ్‌ చేసేస్తేచాలు.

ఈ మధ్య కాలంలో మనిషి దేవుడ్ని దర్శిస్తున్నాడో లేదో కాని మన గూగుల్‌ తల్లిని దర్మించడం మాత్రం మరవట్లేదు. ఈ సోషల్‌ నెట్‌వర్కులలో ప్రాముఖ్యతను గాంచిన దేవుళ్ళు చాలానే ఉన్నాయండోయ్‌. ఫేస్‌ బుక్‌ దేవుడు, ట్విటర్‌ దేవత, యూట్యూబ్‌, గూడుల్‌+, యాహు అని చాలా రకాల భగవంతులను ఇంటర్‌నెట్‌ లో ఆన్‌లైన్‌ దర్శనం చేసుకోవచ్చు.

మన ప్రభుత్వం జనాభలెక్కల కోసం ఫేస్‌బుక్కుని పరిశీలిస్తే చాలు ఇట్టే అందరి వివరాలు తెలిసిపోయే పరిస్థితిలో ప్రపంచం ఉంది.

ఒక నెలలో యూట్యాబ్‌కు ఒక బిలియన్‌ ప్రేక్షకులు వస్తారంటే నమ్ముతారా! ఏ టీ.వి చానల్‌కు కూడా ఇంత మంది ప్రేక్షకులు లేరు. మరి నేనేం తక్కువ తిన్నానా అంటూ ఫేస్‌బుక్‌ కూడా పది మిలియన్‌ యాప్స్‌తో అందరిని ఆకర్షిస్తుంది. ఒక్క గూగుల్‌ జూశ్రీబర లోనే అక్షరాల మూడువందల నలభైౖ మూడు మిలియన్‌ల వినియోగదారులున్నారంటే నమ్ముతారా!

మరి వీటిని ఇంతగా ఎందుకు వినియోగిస్తున్నారో తెలుసా! ప్రతీ మనిషికి తప జీవితం కంటే ఎదుటి వారి జీవితం మీదే ఆశ ఎక్కువ. ఈ ఒక్క కారణంతో సోషల్‌ నెట్‌వర్కులు ప్రపంచాన్నే ఏలేస్తున్నాయి. మనిషికి తన జీవితంలో ఇవీ ఒక భాగమైపోయాయి.

మనిషికి నడకలు నేర్పిస్తున్నాయి. మనిషని నడిపిస్తున్నవి కూడా ఇవే! ఒక మనసుని - ఇంకో మనసుతో కలుపుతున్నవీ ఇవే ! పలానా కష్టం వచ్చిందని ఒక మాటలో స్టేటస్‌ (status) పెడితే చాలు వంద చేతులు మన కోసం వచ్చేస్తాయి. ఇంత బిజీ ప్రపంచంలో మనుషులను కలుపుతున్నది ఈ సోషల్‌ నెట్‌వర్కులే. దూరాన్ని కూడా దగ్గరగా చేసేస్తున్నాయి.

అసలు మాట్లాడటానికి ఇష్ట పడని వాటి గురించి కూడా ఇక్కడ చర్చలు జరిగిపోతుంటాయి. ఒక విషయం గురించి ఒక్క ట్వీట్‌ చేస్తే చాలు లిప్త పాటు సమయంలో ఇది అందరికి చేరిపోతుంది. కొన్ని క్షణాల్లోనే మిగిలిన వారి రిప్లయ్‌లు (reply) రెస్పాన్స్ (response) లు వచ్చేస్తుంటాయి. ఎక్కడా వీలుకాని స్పందన - ప్రతిస్పందన ఇక్కడే సాధ్యమవడమే దీని ప్రత్యేకత.

ఈవెంట్స్‌కు ఇన్విటేషన్లు, బిజినెస్‌కు సంబంధించిన ఏవైన సరే ఇక్కడ మనక కనిపిస్తాయి. గేమ్స్‌, యాప్స్‌, లైక్స్‌, కమెంట్స్‌, గ్రూప్‌లు ఏది కాదు- ప్రతీది ఇక్కడ ఉంటాయి.

ఇంకోందరైతే కరెంట్‌ కట్టే పనిలేకుండానే సోషల్‌ నెట్‌వర్కుల్లో షాపులు తెరచేసి నగలని, చీరలని, పిల్లలకు సంబంధించినవి బమ్మలని-బట్టలని ఒకటి కాదు రెండు కాదు ప్రతీది అమ్మేస్తుంన్నారు. ఎలక్ట్రానిక్‌ వస్తువులు కూడా మనతో ఇక్కడే కొనిపించేస్తున్నారు. ఇలా షేరింగ్‌ అండ్‌ లర్నింగ్‌  ఇక్కడే సాధ్యమని చెప్పాలంటే

లక్ష్మీ దేవి సరస్వతీదేవి ఇద్దరూ ఈ సోషల్‌ నెట్‌వర్కుల ద్వారానే మన ఇంటికీ వచ్చేస్తారు !

I AM GOING TO SEARCH FOR MYSELF

I want to feel free. 

I want to take that stupid corporate identity card strung around my neck, 

chuck it into the gutter and walk out of my damn office. 

I want to stop scrolling for a while.

I want to log out of Facebook and not give a damn that a website won’t remind me about the birthdays of my friends I don’t bother to remember anyway.

I want to delete my Twitter account and stop that nonsensical one-upmanship of jibes and jokes and rabble rousing.

I want to take my phone and shove it into a vat of hot chocolate and say “Screw you, you Candy Crush enabling piece of shit!”

And after that, I will eat every last piece of that chocolate and love every moment of it. 

I want to follow my dreams.

I want to do whatever the hell I want.

I’ll become a sail boat captain. I’ll go teach orphaned children. I’ll buy a pack of crayons and doodle on a big ass piece of chart paper.

I will go get a block of stone, a chisel and a hammer, carve out the shittiest sculpture the world has ever seen and make my friends clap for it.

Because it’ll make me feel happy.

I want to travel.

I want to go to the most secluded place I can find nearby and sit there for hours.

Once I’m there, I want to do nothing but let the wind caress my "ugly" face that all the commercials on T.V say should be "fair and pimple free and perfectly toned."

And away from all that consumerist bullshit, let nature tell me, “You silly bastard, you’re fine just the way you are. I made you this way.”

I want to go on an adventure every month.

I want to climb Mt. Everest. And then brag about it to the next douchebag that shoves an iPhone 56 into my face and see him try to top that.

I want to bungee jump from somewhere really high and dangerous and feel the adrenaline rush as I scream out all the air in my lungs. 

I want to scuba dive in the Andamans because I can’t afford to go the Great Barrier Reef.

And there, I’ll  high-five a fish. Because I fricking feel like it.

I want to get to know my family better.

I want to sit down with my Dad and ask him about what he did in College.

His biggest achievements and his biggest disappointments.

Hopefully, I’ll be counted in the former.

I want to thank my Mum and hug her. Every single day.

And ask her to kiss me on the cheek because I need her love.

Because nothing else in the world can make me feel as special or as wanted.

I want to live my life.

For the precise reason that it is mine to live.

You do not own it. You cannot claim it. And I will not let you dictate it.

I am going to fill it with love, travel and the search for myself.

And that is all that matters.

It Only Takes 66 Days To Change Your Life, If You’re Strong Enough

There’s no denying that we are, indeed, creatures of habit.

Our minds and bodies are dependent on stimulants, actions and patterns that come to define who we are. Our habits are our security blankets, enveloping us in their consistent presence and comfort of familiarity.

We do them unconsciously, sticking fingers and cigarettes in our mouths and cracking our knuckles only to find that we can’t remember when this habit began.

According to Charles Duhigg, author of “The Power of Habit,” habits are not born, but created. Every bad, good or insignificant habit starts with a psychological pattern called a “habit loop.”

Duhigg reported to NPR, the “habit loop” is a three-part process. The first step is the trigger that tells your brain to let a certain behavior unfold. The second step is the behavior itself, or the routine it creates.

The third step is the reward, or “something that your brain likes that helps it remember the ‘habit loop’ in the future.”

Once we’ve formed habits, they are hard to break because, many times, we forget we’re doing them. Because of the habit loop, we are able to do other things without thinking about our habit.

We will be working on something else while simultaneously biting our nails, not realizing the moment we put them in our mouths.

We become slaves to our habits. They become inhibitors and some have the power to control our lives.

Though some substances we use have addictive qualities that make the habits almost impossible to break, there are ways to replace those bad habits with good ones… and all it takes is 66 days.

In a study released in the European Journal of Social Psychology, Phillippa Lally and her team of researchers surveyed 96 people over a 12-week period to find exactly how long it takes to start a new habit.

Over the 12 weeks, the participants chose a new habit and reported each day how automatic the behavior felt. At the end of the period, Lally analyzed the results and found the average time it took for the participants to pick up a new habit was 66 days.

While her results were focused on the time it takes to create a habit, we can look at it inversely, and the time it takes to kick an old one and pick up a better one.

If a habit does not include addictive additives or stimulants, which make the withdrawal and brain processes different, who’s to say it won’t take you 66 days to cut out all those nasty habits that have been overtaking your life?

If you take the habit out of your life, the same way you put one into your life, you will find yourself free of the unconscious and, many times, detrimental patterns that habits cause. You could replace those old bad ones with new good ones.

Instead of watching Netflix before bed, you make yourself read a book. Maybe instead of soda with dinner, you make yourself drink water for 66 days.

Whatever your motives, this research should be the catalyst you need to kick those bad habits and start picking up some good ones.

Because there is no better time to turn over a new leaf (or habit) than in the fall.

Be Obnoxious (Days 1- 22)

Shout about it. Tell your friends, family and coworkers you are on a mission. Enlist them as officers to patrol when you’re slipping back into your old ways or not keeping up on your new ones. Tell them you want them to yell at you, bother you and constantly remind you.

Add extra pressure on yourself. The pressure of disappointing other people and going back on your word will make it that much harder to go back to your old ways.

Because sometimes it’s easier to disappoint ourselves than it is other people.

Self-Analyze (Days 22- 44)

Take a good look at your life. This is the time to really dig deep and do some soul-searching. What do you want in life? Why are you doing this? How do you want to represent yourself?

Whether you’re quitting a bad habit or picking up a healthier one, get to the core of why you’re doing this and how it’s going to affect your life.

If you can find that reason buried deep in your unconscious, you will be able to carry out these 66 days much easier. You will have an internal force pushing you.

Find The Light (Days 44- 66)

The third stage is the final push. As far as you’ve come, you still have to make it these last 22 days. It’s easy to burn out, get tired and forget why you are doing this. It’s easy to revert to your old ways because, up to this point, you have yet to rid yourself of the habit.

At this stage, you must find something to hold on to. Something that will that push you to that final goal. It’s the last 22 days that prove how strong and willing you really are.

At this point, it’s about seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s about realizing that though you can’t see the other end, you can still see glimpses of it.

Treat Yo’ Self (66 +)

The only way to solidify the end of an old habit or the birth of a new one is to celebrate it. Throw a party, have some champagne, shout it from your Brooklyn rooftop. Make a day of it or call up your friends and have a swanky dinner party.

If it’s a habit people have been hoping you would break they will be more than willing to celebrate with you. Who knows, you can even make it a yearly tradition.