"Take it to the next level"

Inspired by a forwarded mail, but the thought has been coming to me since I watched that nike ad with the same motto. It is evident that quite a moving ad it was.

 

 In second semester, I went for cricket trials. I had never played with leather ball before, but somehow the trials went good and I was called up for nets. Well that is a different matter that I never made it up to first team. Then I tried again in third year and this time again I failed to make it, in fact I got so pissed off with cricket that I erased any form of cricket from my life for coming year.

 

So as soon as fourth year started I was on football field. Well this is the time when all sane minded people leave playing and extra-currics and start focussing on future prospect which their accumulated CG’s  open for them. Well I didn’t have good cg to ponder about and was more interested in football rather than cat. Obviously I was out of my mind. But in my friend circle I think everyone was like that only so I didn’t feel anything different.

 

Also in football too I didn’t made it to first team. Well I may be seen as a failure by some and I say it is justified too. But I am not writing this to justify myself in anyway so I wont dwell on this subject. What I want to emphasize is the topic. During my first year in cricket with leather ball I took my game to next level. I used to get a good amount of swing and I had pace. Same thing didn’t follow next year. I was stagnant. I was not able to move ahead. One reason for this was that instead of focussing on improving I was rather focussing on getting into team. I could never think that if I kept on improving eventually I would get a chance. Also in the process I would continue to enjoy the game.

 

When I started playing football, I made a point to enjoy the game, learn skills and understand the game or rather taking it to next level. And the results were very good. I improved my game. I remember that coach’s opinion changed from “you only know how to run fast” to “your football has improved”. Still even when I am in job I take time out to play football.

 

By and large many of us fail to understand this basic thing. Not every one of us can become a ruler in every field. But every one of us can take a skill to a next level. If we work with this motive the results are palpable. Also the frustration part is taken care of because there are visible improvements in front of you. Till date I have applied this principle to many things and I have got very good outcomes.

 

Next time you start doing something; just “Take it to the next level”. And keep on doing this. 

Unwrapped

It was a gloomy evening. Everything seemed to carry a tinge of sadness, man and animals alike. Coincidently it was year end too. Saket was trying his best to keep his spirits high. Past 3 years he had spend his 31^st dec travelling due to one reason or the other. How much he craved that time to have a travel less 31^st dec and how much he was regretting it today. It had been barely 6 motnhs in the job and so the cribbing part wasn’t over yet. In fact the reasons to crib were increasing day by day.

 

It was around six when someone called. The moment he heard hello, he knew it was ankur on the other side. So long it had been. This was good enough of a reason to smile. At once a plan was made and the evening was set. He had got a companion to crib with. So they met in a mall, far from their places so that there would be no reason to visit each others place. This place seemed as if it had been gift wrapped, with a promise of something good inside. And everyone was afraid to initiate the unwrapping part with the fear of getting acquainted with reality. And so everyone seemed contented.

 

They started roaming around watching human robots with every expression that was synonym of happiness, on their faces. He at once knew the secret as he bore the same expression. After endless discussion about who was being treated worst by his employer, they decided to have snacks as no one was feeling hungry, and none of both wanted to celebrate the beginning of year.  

 

While holding a burger in his one hand and a can in other saket moved out and was waiting for ankur to come. Standing few steps above the ground he took the first bite and at once knew that it was horrible. It seemed that all the frustration of whole year was finding a reason to get out and it had a genuine one now. He at once flung the burger towards garbage can. It didn’t go into can but landed just outside. Suddenly 2 living soul rushed towards it. A child in ragged clothes and a dog. The similarity was in the expression of hunger. Unwrapping was over, though unintentional and he knew why everyone refrained from it.

Electronic GOD and his beloved son

I some times wonder if there exists an electronic god, I mean the way ancient greeks or Egyptians used to have. If there exists a god like this then he is damn unhappy with my friend atul, lead character of my previous blog “comp katha”. Either He is angry with him or atul is his most beloved child, put to test every now and then. So we continue where we left in “comp katha”. After the computer was decimated, atul with indomitable spirit , converted his HD to xternal one. He also bought a new lappy.

Till the lappy was delivered in packed box it was all fine. No, no don’t jump to conclusion. This time it wasn’t cracked or anything else. This time the problem was with “partition magic”. Something happened and everything was  ground zero. The OS refused to start. And there was our champ faced with one more battle. Well by evening everything was good. What a fight back.

After that came a bigger problem, this time it was xternal HD. Since it claimed lineal descent from that wrecked comp so it was bound to have problems. What happened was quite elusive. All the data in the HD started disappearing, well this was quite an awe to a metallurgist and a civil engineer.  One of our frnds rohit barnwal, a true devotee of electronic god, enlightened our souls with his profound knowledge. Also he suggested a possible remedy to this problem. Well rohit barnwal is like oracle in matrix and this software, recuva , as I remember proved to be “keymaker”. So atul and recuva were on mission with a vision to recover.

For 2 days in row atul was nowhere to be seen. Finally at the dawn of third day, electronic god smiled and data was back. Yes it was back. Triumphant once again, pumping his small fists in air came out atul. I truly believe that there is an electronic god.