A Life Less Ordinary

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. It is a brand new start. Today I have decided to live a life more intentional, a life more deliberate. To not just go with the flow, lovely as it may sound. For, as experience has taught me, the flow may not go any place I want it to. It may not even actually 'flow', but may just pool and puddle and do nothing else but look at me with large droopy eyes, waiting for me to create a wave. I am going to take initiative. Give wishful thinking the promise of reality. No more finding excuses for not doing the things that I really want to do and for not learning more about the things that really interest me.

You ever met one of those people who can take 24 hours and make 48 out of them? They are the ones who do what we can in a day and then so much more. They work, study, play, party and are pretty darn successful at all of these. They find the time to do things that they have to (like work) and then find some more time in the day to do things to are important to their soul. Things that they are passionate about and things that actually make their day worthwhile. This does not happen by incident or accident, rather it does by desire, focus and smart prioritizing.

I know a person just like this. For starters, he works 10 hour days in a high level stressful job. Now if he were a regular jock, he would spend the rest of his time between bed, bath and tv and wishing that he were not missing out on all the fun things in life. But no, this boy - he is way beyond ordinary. He devours fantasy fiction. You know he has read a lot of it when he can quote from them verbatim and then give you a history lesson on when the book was written and what made the author tick. He works out - his physique does not reflect it but hopefully his heart and arteries do. He keeps track of current affairs - nothing like a meal with him to bring me up to date with all topics that I know nothing about - national politics, implications of the budget, new age swamis, and the perils of being in the IITs and IIMs. He does yoga in the mornings, every morning irrespective of the night before. And he listens to music with an unbridled passion. Rock bands from 20-30 years ago are his thing. He knows his bands, he knows their first albums and their last. He listens to them everyday. I learn from him everytime we meet. More than anything I see how rich his life is because he gives his 100% to everything he does.

So here's to a new beginning. I'll start small, big starts always scare the hell out of me. There are so many things that are close to my heart and that I really want to do - re-learn the piano, start a 2nd business, travel more for pleasure, walk everyday, nurture certain friendships, read more of the kinds of books that leave an impression, learn to cook the kind of foods that I like to eat... I've always wanted to write - this blog is my start to a life less ordinary.

"Work like you dont need the money, love like you've never been hurt and dance like no one is watching" - Randall G. Leighton