Frankthoughts

The last few months have been anything but normal for each of us. A tiny virus that is not seen or heard, has completely disrupted our lives and plans. The many weeks (in some cases months) of complete lockdown, loss of livelihoods, critical illnesses, and death, has shaken many of us to the core.  With the ‘Unlock’ rules came a bit of relief and a few of us started moving about, but our normal ways of existence have been reimagined in every way possible. Many of us moved out easily and adapted to this new normal. However, there are still many who are still coming to terms with this new way of life. They are probably Anxious as the virus is still continuing to spread; Angry about the way others are flouting the rules of social distancing and wearing of masks; Stressed about the new changes and adapting to a new normal; or, even Confused about why the rules have been relaxed and if they should follow the others as they move about. Post the complete lockdown, I have been bold enough

A proposal for marriage is expected to be romantic, well planned, and equally well executed. Around 9 years ago, I proposed to the love of my life and it was epic (self-declared)! I have narrated the story of my day-long, themed proposal multiple times, and with 8 years of us being married, I thought for posterity sake, I should document it somewhere...so here goes! It was the September of 2010, when the planning began, and I was sure that I did not want my proposal to be a simple Hollywood style one - with a formal dinner at a fancy restaurant and then the one knee and ring proposal! That one moment would not be able to capture how I felt, so well, I came up with a theme - ‘8 ways to say I love you!’. As it suggests, I used 8 different ways to profess my love to my girlfriend of 8 years! How this unfolded, we shall find out.  Before I started executing my plan, I wanted to get the permission and blessings of both our parents. So without her knowledge, I went over to her place and in

Hi, I am an introvert ...it is a normal state of being, and all introverts are normal! This is for all those who think otherwise. There I have said it! A few weeks ago a leading Hindi film and television actor committed suicide. As the news of his death circulated the airwaves, a video of him speaking at a leading engineering college surfaced. This post is not about him or anything related to his death. What he said at the start of this speech, is what really prompted me to write this post.  He said, "I became an actor because I had a problem, I was an introvert..." He goes on to give a very articulate and informative speech about his life decisions and choices. But this statement stayed with me.  Why did he think being an introvert is a problem? Is it really a problem? Do other introverts feel the same...well, I am an introvert, and, for a very long time, I too felt like it was a ‘Problem’ or ‘Weird behavior’ that I had to deal with. If you think it is a problem, or know som

The last few months have been tough for all of us, to say the least. We have been forced to rethink almost every aspect of our lives as the world has moved from 'Controlling the #coronavirus' to 'Living with the #coronavirus' . What this means for us in terms of our daily lives, only time will tell.  Job losses, dealing with the pressures of work and home, as well as adjusting to the new paradigm, has many of us anxious, lonely, and depressed. In a world where we have been pushed into our corners (literally), I am reminded of the old adage by Greek philosopher Epictetus - We have two ears and one mouth, so that we can listen twice as much. What this means is that listening is so important that our physicality is designed to listen more and talk less. If there is any time for us to live by this, it is now.  As a communications expert, I have always stressed that the most important aspect of becoming a great communicator is to master the art of liste ning....really listen

The first experience of anything is always magical. If it is an experience that has given you a sense of accomplishment, then it etches a memory that is so vivid that it makes you feel like gold every time you think of it. In the last year or so, I was fortunate enough to experience some such ‘firsts’ that have motivated me lead a healthier life. Below is a summary of these moments. Start of a Journey: It all started last spring with an intent to participate in an activity that would not only be fun but also mean pushing my existing physical fitness limits – which at that point was abysmal. I enrolled on my first professionally organized high-altitude trek to Rupin Pass (15250ft, 60+ Kms over 8 days). Climbing an elevation of 2000 feet every day in high-altitude is not easy, what makes it tougher is a 10+ Kg backpack. The motivation of completing the trek pushed me to achieve the required fitness level of being able to run 4.5 Kms in 30 minutes. At the top of the pass, the