Sunday, December 04, 2005

What's your formula?

I'm often amazed at how amazingly different people are from each other.

The way they think, the way they behave, the way they react to situations, the friends they make, the values they have, the priorities they have, the way they treat other people, even the way they treat themselves. The way they live their life.

How does a person decide how to live his/her life? Is there a formula to it?

Perhaps there really is a formula. Each one of us has a formula by which we live our lives. A formula derived over the years by umpteen observations, experiences and experimentations, umpteen mistakes and umpteen lessons learnt from these mistakes. And the most amazing part is -- this formula keeps changing as the years go by. And no two people have the exact same formula.

It's a continuous process of improvisation. We add certain ingredients, remove some, some work out, some result in explosions, and then finally we come up with a suitable formula. Suitable for our life at that particular moment. Because come tomorrow, it may change. Heck, it will change.

Here are a few ingredients that go into the present formula of my life, that I remind myself of, now and then:

  • Never forget that the most important people in your life are your parents.
  • If you love and trust, do so completely.
  • Accept people for who they are.
  • A smile goes a long way. When you smile, do so from the heart.
  • Take your job seriously. Some day you will want to look back at it and be proud.
  • Play hard.
  • Be nice to guys. They won't always understand you. Understand that.
  • Do not neglect your health. It should be right at the top of your list along with dignity and self-respect.
  • There may be certain people who dislike you and piss you off, but for each of them, you have ten others who love you.
  • You can't possibly love everyone on the planet. It's okay to not like some people.
  • It's okay to be angry, hurt, jealous and negative at times.
  • Invest in your friendships. They are precious. And you have to work at them to make them work.
  • Travel more. There's a lot to be seen, and there isn't enough time.
  • Money is important. Save some of it.
  • Be polite.
  • Take time out for your hobbies. They are an important part of you. If you neglect them, you lose a bit of yourself.
  • If you are in a position to help someone in need, don't think. Just do it. You have no idea how fortunate you are just to be able to help.
  • Love people around you, but be prepared to steer your ship alone in a storm.
  • Regretting is a waste of time. Every day is a new beginning.
  • Don't sit and complain. Do something about the problem instead.
  • Don't hold grudges. They will only fill you with negativity.
  • Never lose your sense of humour.
  • Be tough in the face of adversity. Remember "Tough times don't last, tough people do."
  • Take time to dress up. Pamper yourself now and then.
  • Look good to feel good.
  • Feel good to look good.
  • Never miss an opportunity to surprise a loved one.
  • Don't let anyone hurt you without your explicit permission.
  • Don't ever forget how special you are.
  • Life is short. Live it up.
It's true, no one has yet discovered the one magic formula that would be applicable to everyone to live that 'perfect life'. Perhaps because there is no such thing as a perfect life. Perhaps because we need to create from scratch, our own little perfect lives, with our own little imperfections.

So this is my formula. At the moment.

Would you like to share yours?



41 comments:

ritzkini said...

me phursht !!
=))
and..for the first time..i am able to actually get each and every one one of your fundas for life !
:)
probably cos i read thru each one of them..and didnt go to sleep !!
:)
no offence..kidding..
"god-level " points..
except..
"look good to feel good"-thats a very girlish-funda..guys feel good irrespective of..whatever..
:)
atleast i do..
good post..

Just another ... said...

I so totally agree with your formula.

*thinkin' to myself ...*Is it because most of them are the same as mine!??

Kaala Kavva said...

It's true, no one has yet discovered the one magic formula that would be applicable to everyone to live that 'perfect life'. Perhaps because there is no such thing as a perfect life. Perhaps because we need to create from scratch, our own little perfect lives, with our own little imperfections.

dont be very sure of that sayesha... just a suggestion sayesha... just a suggestion..

and ya

my formula ??

It goes like this
1. Accept.
2. Enjoy and go to 1

Seems impractical ?
Ha ha..
Ha Ha

Anonymous said...

Nice list. I would copy-paste a lot of them to make my own list. The only entry I would think up and add is: watch Formula One. That will spice up your formula! :D

Sayesha said...

#Ritzkini,
Wow, a day of firsts, huh?
- You are the first to post.
- First time you didn't fall asleep over my blog.
- First time you actually finished a full post.

Congrats to you and especially to me! :)

//"look good to feel good"-thats a very girlish-funda

You'd be surprised, my dear! ;)

#Just another,

//Is it because most of them are the same as mine!??

Perhaps. But I am sure you have things in your list that are not here.

#Randomraj,
//dont be very sure of that sayesha...

Saw the word "perhaps" in my statement? :)

Btw, I like your formula. Short and sweet. :)

#Viv,
You know, I was actually gonna title my post 'Formula one'! Man, you'd have jumped to read the post and groaned in disappointment after reading it! :D

Tar said...

//It's true, no one has yet discovered the one magic formula that would be applicable to everyone to live that 'perfect life'.

Yup and no one ever can, for each of us wud then lose ourselves...
N thats a nice list you have.

Kaala Kavva said...

It's true, no one has yet discovered the one magic formula that would be applicable to everyone to live that 'perfect life'

dont be too sure of this even. :D

Anonymous said...

Totally agree with most of what you said..
#I believe life is full of crap, get used to it..move on..there are much better things waiting for us..
#Don't burn bridges, you never know when you need to cross them.
#Never say never..
# Totally totally live life to your fullest..so much to do with so little time!
This post has had such a feel good effect on me...Thanks..

MeAwinner said...

Hey Sayesha..
Me 7th... gone down in the ranking...buhubuhuu...

I likes all ur formulas...I also believe in most...of life.. you inspired me to en-list my formula..check out here..
http://itsmeandmyworld.blogspot.com

Cheers !
Formula.. is sure of keeping you happy Go lucky...

Anonymous said...

my current formula

get up .. go to office .. do the work u did the day b4 .. come back .. do the same shit u did the day b4 .. go to sleep

:(

and hence life sux

Unknown said...

mmm...could be compiled into one of those worthy "life" manuals! Sometimes the best things are the simplest of things!

Rays Of Sun said...

Sweetie, thoda busy hoon. Shall read and post the comment soon:)
Hugs*

Pujya said...

to add to the list i have..trust ur conscience; keep ur words; never betray others, if someone puts faith in u, keep their faith.
and yes i still belive honesty is the best policy..so lie as little as possible.
and tell someone u love them, as frequently as possible.
--
and how come im never first..:(

Akhil said...

Don't let anyone hurt you without your explicit permission.

I don't understand this one, why would I ever give someone permission to hurt me?

Boundlessdreamz said...

Hmm...

1. With friends honesty is indeed the best policy.Truth may hurt in the short term but the long term benefits outweigh that.

2. Never lose your sense of humour.

3. A healthy dose of cynicism keeps disasters away.

4. Try different things.Variety is the spice of life .(Have started following it only recently)

5. Don't take life too seriously.It is OK to be not to be perfect.

6. Do what you think is right not what others think is right.Let society not dictate how you live your life.

7. Keep your word.

8. Be straightforward.Don't drop hints and leave others guessing.

9. Appreciate even the smallest good deed.Overlook the small mistakes of your friend.A friendship is worth more than that.
But try to sort out the important issues ASAP.

10. The 'sunk cost fallacy' applies to relationships too.

This is off the top of my head.I'm sure there is more.Btw I agree to most of what sayesha has written.

Anonymous said...

Right on Sayesha...good thoughts...good principles to live by...ofcourse all of those things are easier said than done. But the more one is commited to one's values and principles...the easier the adherence gets.

Sayesha said...

#Tar,
Thanks! :)

#Ze,
One "pray elaborate, my friend" type chapaat to you! :P

#Malika,
Thanks! :) Hey, I really like your first point! :P

#Awinner,
Just read your formula! Great going, girl! :)

#Spammy,
Come on... don't be so negative yaar. Kya baat hai, hamein batao. :)

#Vikram H,
Thanks! :)

#ROS,
No problem babes. I know what you're busy with! ;)

#Aethyr,
Hey, good points! :)

#Akhil,
Precisely.
ps: That is just another way of saying that a person can only hurt you if you allow him/her to do so.

#Manu,
I almost forgot #2. Very important! Will add that to my list, thanks! :)
ps: Thanks for taking the time to put down your list here. :)

#Freakshow,
Thanks! :)

Rays Of Sun said...

#Sash,
Agree with all the bulletted points,we live with the formulae that we make. We make our formula for survival:)

Anonymous said...

Bhai saab itni lambi list to yaad karte-karte hi khaat khadi ho jayegi! I'll remember the last point..

"Life is short. Live it up." :)

Tinku

shitij said...

Very nice thought ....though its not easy to formulate anything which involves living beings ...emotions,expectations,desires,dreams..........

Nice read,

God bless you.

Kathy said...

...We must see LIFE as simple, and simple is a very good thing.We must cheers and upbeat, taking everything as it comes!
You're very true sayesha..in all you have written,each one of us have different formulas in life.
The successes and downfalls that we experience can creat whom we are and the bad experiences can learned from.

Thanx to maneesha coz i got here from her blog...if not, then i will probably missed one great blogger^_~ like you.

your on my fave list now^_^
Done...yaar^_^ arigatou! (thanx in japs)

-kathy-

Anonymous said...

Mine includes all thaat n "keep erotic thoughts at bay.. cos there are more worthy things in life" :p - Saumitra

Angelsera said...

I like this list and somehow when I read it,felt like I was reading quite a lot of the ingredients I use in my own life :)

Anonymous said...

nice list you came up with and your posts always make up for delightful reading. sunny optimism for life with a zeal for humour. girl, you rock.

Anonymous said...

>> Would you like to share yours?

Heres some of mine :

- have an interesting and meaningful (to you) job. you spend 1/3'rd of your life at work.

- learn new things that you don't need to but always wanted to. most things are easier than they seem at first.

Cheers
Kais

Sayesha said...

#ROS,
Aye aye, captain! :)

#Tinku,
Arre Tinku aap Anonymous kabse ho gaye?? And once you absorb the list, you don't need to consciously 'remember' it. Yeh hai formule ka kamaal, sab kuch dil-o-dimaag mein hai! :)

#Shitij,
Thanks! :)

#Lil Kath,
Hey, welcome to Sayeshaz! Glad you liked my blog. :)

#Saumitra,
Wow, that's an interesting thought. :)

#Angelsera,
Thanks! I think many of the elements in my formula are common to many people. :)

#Spark,
Thanks! :)

#Kais,
Brilliant points! :)

Anonymous said...

Excellent list Sayesha! I have been a silent visitor here since Rediff covered it. But this time could not resist myself from commenting :-)

shub said...

nice:)

Sayesha said...

#Doncy,
Hii! Since you've been here for months now, no point me saying "Welcome to Sayeshaz!" :P

Thanks for leaving a comment, it's always nice to finally meet a silent reader! :)

#Shub,
Thanks! :)

Raj said...

My rules:

- Do what you feel is right.
- If people are bad to you, be worse to them.
- If people are nice, be nice to them.
- If people are too nice, be rude to them until they r nice or rude to you.
- Once you realize you did something stupid, try apologizing. If it doesnt work, forget about it.
- Create a new rule when needed.

Thats all i could think of right now or maybe thats it.

Leon said...

//Never forget that the most important people in your life are your parents.

It's sometimes so easy to forget this simple fact.. especially with friends all around you..

Anonymous said...

Oh, didn't realize you had a new post up Sash :-).

A very true, and inspiring post.
I loved the point about keeping in touch with your hobbies, or we lose a part of ourselves. That's very profound.

Hmm...I would certainly repeat most of what you said; let me see what comes to mind immediately..

-Never give up on your dreams. They sure can come true. But you have to work for it.
-Expect the unexpected.
-Whatever you do, do it well. Even if it is something you don't like to do.
-Surround yourself with people and things that do good for your spirit.
-Stay away from any kind of politics.
-Live creatively.
-JUST DO IT. (lol)

that's all i can think of right now Sash. :-)

Ravi said...

My formula as of now:

Keep reading others formulae to get inspiration. :)

Sayesha said...

#Raj,
Awesome list! I love it! :)

#Leon,
You're so right you know. That's why I put it as my first point. Need to constantly remind ourselves...

#Harshi,
//-Surround yourself with people and things that do good for your spirit.

This is a BRILLIANT one! I believe in it too! :)

#Ravi,
Hahaha! Smart idea! :)

Anonymous said...

:-))) (@ Ravi's comment) :-)

Shruthi said...

Too cool! Simple and straightforward - and very very true :)

Sayesha said...

#Harshi,
Hahaha! Smart chap, huh? :)

#Gangadhar,
Thanks! :)

#Shruthi,
Thanks! :)

#Vikram,
Chal chal jaane de, thodi hawa aane de! ;)

Thanu said...

Great post. If I was toput a list together it will look a lot similar to this. (Hence not putting my list up). Loved the statement about parents.

Anonymous said...

Wonderful post.

Ravi said...

#Sayesha
#Harshi
Yeah!! Thank You Thank you. :D

My comment was not meant to be only funny. When I thought about my formula "deeply", this is what I found to be the case with me. I am still discovering my formula, hence the comment. Thats the truth. Promise ;)

Sayesha said...

#Thanu,
Thanks! :)

#Myepinoy,
Thanks! :)

#Ravi,
It's not just funny yaar, it's a brilliant strategy! :)