Motivation

I came across this 43Folders post on Paradox of Motivation. It talks about the Shankar Vedantam article on When Play Becomes Work. The thoughts in this article are very similar to what I have also been thinking all along. Nice that it is able to verbalize what I wanted to express more clearly.

Work is best when not driven by rewards and punishments. It is best driven by its own value - the difference it makes when the work is done, or the lost opportunity when not done.

The article ends with an observation that is very true.

So why are rewards and punishments employed so liberally?

"People like it because it is easy," Deci said. "It is easy to offer a reward, but it is not easy to help people find their own motivation."

Inspiration

I realized that being inspired from within is far better and preferable to being inspired from outside.

Often times, we like doing things because some one we admire executes something wonderfully - perhaps play an instrument to perfection, speak and motivate people, program well etc. I have been fortunate to have found myself among many talented people, and many of them I have wanted to emulate. I have learned so much from all of these people. But the most fulfillment I have felt is when I achieved something of my own accord - when I have inspired myself to do something. It is an irony that at the end of such an experience when I am able to express myself with clarity, I end up feeling that I couldn't have done it myself. I guess that is the beauty of it.

It is good to be inspired from people around us. But it'd be great if all of us can seek inspiration from within ourselves. It is in there - without doubt. And the best way to find it is to accept ourself for who we truly are - our strengths, our weaknesses, our imperfections, our guilt, our desires, and then, do the right things with a strong faith that it will find us.

Rebirth

Teachers guide us to walk towards self-realization, so we will be relieved of these continued rebirths, and delusion of elation and dejection.

Here is another perspective. One birth doesn't seem enough for me to experience the magnificence of life. I don't seem to be able to consistently live those moments when I am able to "listen" to the music, "see" the beauty, "taste" the food, "smell" every breath, and "touch" feeling the life within. God, give me time and the energy to understand the abundance of your creation, even if it means dying to be born anew.

What is life about?

I saw this quote in the signature of one of my friend's emails.

"The sign of life is enthusiasm. The sign of success is smile and joy."
- Sri Sri Ravishankar

Makes a lot of sense. Couldn't be anything else.

Wisdom Flash

My aunt pointed me to a very beautiful website full of flash animations with inspirational messages.

http://www.consciousone.com/wisdomflash/

Some of my best were "Live your Passion" and "Illusion vs. Truth". Take a peek!

A study circle topic

Last night, I was reading this section from the Wayne Dyer book about how to decontaminate your environment from negative energy. Dyer talks about an Eight Point Plan of Decontamination suggested my Mother Teresa of Calcutta. It just occurred to me that it would be interesting to have a study circle on it.

"People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you spend years building, someone may destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, people may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you've got anyway.
You see, it the final analysis, it is all between you and God;
It was never between you and them anyway."

There was another quote by William Butler Yeats in the same book which also stuck to my head. It goes as follows:

"At certain moments, always unforeseen, I become happy... I look at the strangers near as if I had known them all my life... everything fills me with affection... It may be an hour before the mood passes, but latterly I seem to understand that I enter upon it the moment I cease to hate."

I cannot agree more!