Another very different kind of book inspired me recently (thousands of books do that to me by the way ! )
A very tempting title screamed out to me ! 101 Things To Die Before You Die
Above that in small print was 1) Attempt 2) Complete and 3) Expire !!!
Richard Horne, the author has put together an amazing book - or should I say LIFE Kit ?!
The whole approach is - "Handy Guide to doing all the coolest things in life" !
The book has a sheet full of "Star" stickers which you peel out and stick on the things you have completed from the list ! It also has a compact list of all the 101 things to be neatly folded and put in your wallet so u can integrate these things into your life 24x7 ! Very Professional !!
Just check out some of the THINGS !
1. Write a Best Seller
2. Bungee Jump
3. Drive a Car at Top speed
4. Join the Mile High Club ( i.e. make out in a commercial airline flight !)
5. Leave a job you hate
6. Get barred from a pub or bar
7. Get something named after you
8. Invent something
9. Study the Kama Sutra and put theory into Practice
10. Sky Dive
11. Throw a Dart into a Map and travel where it lands !
12. Shout "Drinks are on me" ! in a Pub or Bar !
13. Sell all your junk on ebay and make a profit
14. Be an extra in a FILM
15.See an erupting volcano...
and there are 86 more !!!
Each page describes the activity in some detail highlighting the pleasures / risks and has a activity noting page for you to note down details of your personal achievement !
So, I bought a copy - and the next day bought a few more to "gift to friends" !!
I felt that the book touched a chord - with a simple message - LIVE LIFE !!!!
and more importantly, LIVE LIFE NOW !!!
The question that comes to mind is "Hey, am I living my life now ? " and if I am not living my life, what EXACTLY am I doing ?!!!
I honestly don't know the answer to your personal question - but I sure as heaven know mine !!!!
I have been living my life 2.3 % of the time - and I just need to LIVE and PLAY big !!! What are we here on this planet for ?
To commute for 3 hours a day to office and back ?
To earn a salary and crib about it
To have a relationship and be insecure about it ?
To never be satisfied ?
To never be happy ?
Also, who decides whether I am happy ? My boss ? My wife ? My pet dog ? ( I actually have one !)
No No No !!!! Its me !!! (believe it or not !)
I decide whether I am happy. I decide how I want to live my life - regardless of the size of my Swiss Bank account !!!
And as far as I am concerned, I want to ENJOY life !!! Every single moment !!
And, does that mean that I have to follow Richard Horne's list ? Well, I might take a few ideas from there - but I would rather have MY OWN list, draw it up and start ticking it, while my Life clock is ticking !!!
So, I leave you with this question -
"What's your list ? and when are you going start ticking ?!"
Posts
2 comments:
Dear Abhijit,
Interesting post … you know I asked myself the same question in Dec 2003. One day I just got tired of being depressed and miserable about my life. I was unhappy with the fact how my work hours had hijacked my life and my personal time, I was upset with friends who didn’t seem to understand me , a heart break was troubling me for over 2 yrs, I had put on a lot of weight and that too made me feel more miserable about myself …it’s almost like u said that in ur earlier post ( Bad News creates Fear and Fear creates more bad news.)It was just a vicious cycle and I got fed up of it … So just decided to take drastic steps …didn’t plan a list but just followed Nike “ JUST DO IT’.
I began with joining a GYM in spite of a hectic schedule, then pottery classes on weekends (never ever thought it would interest me), took leave and went for a trek to the Himalayas with complete strangers ( 1st ever trek too that came as an offer out of the blue), At the trip jumped from 30 ft height into the freezing holy Ganges as part of my rafting session …( just to give the context I don’t know swimming .. just took the chance in the hope that the life jacket would HELP!), I started my blog …considering I never thought I could write I actually have lots of friends who appreciate my post and look forward to them, then u introduced me to meditation classes near my office. And there’s lots more I have my eyes on … The point I am trying to make is that at times making a list seems far easier than executing the same …but if we have a strong intent to make changes in our lives and feel happy then most miraculous opportunities come our way …Just like they are for me ! :-D
Cheers
Payal
abhijit.....perfect timing!was getting too worked up with the project...now i guess i am not...thanks a ton :)
mugdha
Post a Comment