Am Lucky to Have my Dad

It is often said forgiveness is a gift you give yourself. I love my father, he has been the most incredible father. Growing up, he was actively involved in my and my siblings’ lives. He checked our homework daily, attended parent-teacher conferences, and took us to our sport games.

A huge part of why I am enjoying a great life is because of the security and upbringing he gave me.

After the Stroke

I was shocked when my father had a stroke. My family was also overwhelmed when it happened. Thankfully, my father’s health became quickly normal. But the aftermath, dealing with bills and other unexpected events, was just too much.

My father is a nice man, too nice actually. Several events unraveled in my family’s lives because he hadn’t dealt with certain things in the past properly and trusted people too blindly.

Forgiving My Father

I won’t go into detail, but it was not an easy time for our family. Several times, I felt anger towards my father. I wondered why he allowed those things to happen to our family. I wished he had not been so flexible with people and safeguarded our family’s interests. I even behaved rudely towards him in many instances.

But finally, I forgave him. My father has been there for me in my life and I’ve come to understood he is not a perfect person, just like me. I let go of everything and accepted all that occurred. I started my relationship with my father over again. It has provided me with immense peace and relief.

Have you forgiven your loved ones for something? How did you feel? Please share with me in the comments.

Being in a relationship with the right person is beautiful, soft, and enlightening. There is much romantic advice everywhere – whether the Internet, books, or movies. If I had to pick one parameter to look at in a partner, I would say:

Be with Someone Who Has Your Back

I was watching Gerard Butler’s interview recently and they asked him for the millionth time what qualities does he look for in a woman. He has answered that question in a dozen different ways, but this time, he answered he wanted to be with someone who would have his back. And, vice versa.

A light bulb flickered in my mind.

When I date a guy, I evaluate his looks, profession, and personality. But why not his other qualities, like patience and generosity? Why don’t I ask myself this key question: Is he going to have my back?

Ask Yourself this Question

At some point, you consider a guy from a long-term perspective. If you’re going to consider sharing a future with him, then the most important thing is whether he would have your back. You want someone who will support you through the ups and downs of life.

Your looks, finances, career, and many other things in life are not always going to be the same. Change is the only constant in life. But you don’t want someone who dashes away the moment things are not looking that great.

Look for quality in a man. That’s always going to last.

What is the #1 quality you look for in a person? Please share with me in the comments.

This is a question I asked myself several times.

The Answer is YES!

The answer to this question is definitely a big YES! I am crazy to be following my dream of writing a novel, but I feel immense happiness and pride in doing so.

When I started saying yes to my desires, I listened to my inner desires and heart. I started to live life in a love-driven way, instead of a fear-driven way like most do.

Related: Make the Most of Your 20s – What You Do Matters

My Personal Growth

I grew so much when I followed my dreams. When you stretch yourself to go beyond your comfort zone, you learn what you are capable of. You learn nuggets of wisdom. Some that you already knew, but through experience you actually FEEL this wisdom.

You’ll Stop Dreaming Altogether if You Don’t Follow Your Dreams…

If you don’t follow your dreams now, then you probably won’t ever do so. You’ll stop dreaming altogether. You’ll lose your idealism and live a numb life.

Along the way, there are many tears of joy and even sometimes sadness. But imagine you are a living a full life as a human being.

Nothing in the World Would’ve been Invented if People weren’t Crazy…

Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, President Obama, and many more would not have been known in the world. Magic happens only to those who dare to believe in magic.

You have to be a little crazy to want to follow your dream, otherwise you’ll give into the supposed million practical reasons on why not to do something. Bill Gates would’ve never founded Microsoft, Steve Jobs would’ve never created the iPhone, and President Obama would’ve never became the president of the United States if they hadn’t dared to dream.

How are you following your dream? Please share with me in the comments!

In my earlier post, I wrote about the importance of writing a contract to yourself and binding yourself to living your life with integrity and beauty. When you sign on the dotted line on an employment contract for work, you likely feel this sense of commitment to conducting yourself professionally and doing your job well.

Perhaps the same feeling wouldn’t be there if you hadn’t signed such a contract… I believe that there is a similar impact when you write down your goals.

When you write down your goals, you commit yourself to making them a reality.

Here are 3 Reasons Why You Should…

• Holding Yourself Accountable – It helps you to hold yourself accountable and stay focused on your goals.  

• Motivates You to Take Action – When you write down your goals, it creates a feeling. You feel the feeling of it becoming a reality and it becomes stronger in your mind. It also motivates you to execute your goals. If you leave this piece of paper lying on your desk or someplace easily visible, you’ll read it more often. This will lead you to review your goals more often as well.   

• Celebrate Your Progress – Writing down your goals is also a moment of celebration.  You’ll take more action to execute them. And even if you haven’t fully realized your goal, any progress is a cause for celebration.

Do you write down your goals? Have you noticed any transformation or changes to you since you did? Please share with me in the comments.

One weekend, I had lists of things I needed to complete. It was important I get them done so I could focus on other things the following week.

That’s My Personality – An Organized & Control Freak!

It’s who I am. I love to plan and organize. I can’t tell you how happy I feel when I open up Microsoft Excel and create spreadsheets. I have spreadsheets for managing my finances, novel outlines, and now for Enchanted Silence’s marketing campaign.

Suddenly, I got invited to a really fun party. I was leaning towards not going because of all the work on my plate, but I decided to go anyway. I ended up crashing at the party because it was a late night. And I didn’t get anything done.

But you know what? I had an absolutely fantastic time! I lived life in those moments. And the odd thing is – it actually provided me with the perfect inspiration for a scene I was working on in Enchanted Silence for some time.

When You’re Too Busy Planning…You Miss Life

The thing is though when you’re too busy planning and scheduling, you miss out on life. Have you heard of this quote? “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”

Life can be presenting something gorgeous right in front of your eyes, but you still miss it.

When you’re too busy trying to control the outcome, you can’t see what life has to offer you. Surrender and trust, because what if life knew better than you?

Be Open to Receive and Follow

New possibilities do not enter your life giving you a heads up. They don’t say, “Hey there, Priyanka, I’m gonna be coming your way around this time, so be prepared.”

New possibilities and opportunities simply come! You can’t time it. Let life lead you.

How do you let spontaneous moments and changes allow you to live an authentic life even when you have something else planned? Please share with me in the comments.