A few days before my retirement from Bangalore Airport, my boss, the Vice President- Engineering & Maintenance, suggested me that I should make a PowerPoint presentation in the send-off party on the last day of service. He observed that it would be better if I give some tips to the staff on how to lead a contented life. Well, I made the presentation as he wanted, and it was greatly appreciated by the audience. The content of the PowerPoint presentation is reproduced here in a series of blog as requested by some of the staff members of airport.
Certainly, I’m asked to make this presentation because my life is seen as a contented life by others. Upon a review of my life, I too believe it’s true. Yes, I am a contented person and my life has been a contented one.
When we talk about contentment, in fact, the past should not come into the way. The present moment is what is important. Live this moment. Don’t live in the past; neither should you worry about the future. What is important is this moment; live it. (I don’t recollect who said it; but I heard it last from my teacher of Art of Living training.)
I’m asked to make this presentation on my Contented Life so that you all, or some of you, would be able to take away some tips to apply in your life so that your life will also become contented as mine. Well, the idea is very appealing; but the fact is, I don’t have any such formula that can be applied universally in order to be contented.
At the onset, let me tell you that I am a simple and ordinary person blessed with all the agonies and hardships in life as anyone else in this world. As a senior staff member, I was assigned to counsel some juniors when they were in problems. When they unfolded their miseries before me, I realized that they did not have any real problems and I myself have had ten times more problems than them. So, please understand that I have most of the problems you have.
I assume that no one present here is expecting a life with only happy moments and free of all miseries. It’s not possible; why to dream about it? Let us accept the fact that life is a mixture of happiness and sorrows, good and bad times, gain and loss and success and failure. A person of balanced mind will not be too sad during bad times or loss or failure. He will not be too happy either during the best moments of life or gain or success. Actually, only those who can maintain this mental equilibrium can have contentment in life.
You may ask me whether it is easy to acquire such a mindset. Really, I don’t know. But you must try, anyway. I had such a mindset from childhood. Later, years of yoga practice and meditation might have sharpened the mindset further.
Certainly, I’m asked to make this presentation because my life is seen as a contented life by others. Upon a review of my life, I too believe it’s true. Yes, I am a contented person and my life has been a contented one.
When we talk about contentment, in fact, the past should not come into the way. The present moment is what is important. Live this moment. Don’t live in the past; neither should you worry about the future. What is important is this moment; live it. (I don’t recollect who said it; but I heard it last from my teacher of Art of Living training.)
I’m asked to make this presentation on my Contented Life so that you all, or some of you, would be able to take away some tips to apply in your life so that your life will also become contented as mine. Well, the idea is very appealing; but the fact is, I don’t have any such formula that can be applied universally in order to be contented.
At the onset, let me tell you that I am a simple and ordinary person blessed with all the agonies and hardships in life as anyone else in this world. As a senior staff member, I was assigned to counsel some juniors when they were in problems. When they unfolded their miseries before me, I realized that they did not have any real problems and I myself have had ten times more problems than them. So, please understand that I have most of the problems you have.
I assume that no one present here is expecting a life with only happy moments and free of all miseries. It’s not possible; why to dream about it? Let us accept the fact that life is a mixture of happiness and sorrows, good and bad times, gain and loss and success and failure. A person of balanced mind will not be too sad during bad times or loss or failure. He will not be too happy either during the best moments of life or gain or success. Actually, only those who can maintain this mental equilibrium can have contentment in life.
You may ask me whether it is easy to acquire such a mindset. Really, I don’t know. But you must try, anyway. I had such a mindset from childhood. Later, years of yoga practice and meditation might have sharpened the mindset further.
Mathews Jacob