::NEW YEAR::

So, somehow all of us survived the harsh and relentless 2016. Well done! Like every year, even 2016 came with its share of lessons for everybody. It taught me the following things:

• Stay happy with what you have, but do not stop striving for more.

• Nobody asks for the bullshit hand life deals us with. We just have to accept it and make it work in our favour and try to use it to our advantage.

• Acknowledging what you cannot do is not the same as giving up. It just means that you forgive yourself for not being able to do something.

• It’s okay to have a handful of friends as long as you are happy and comfortable with them. These friends are there to make up for what you cannot do and possibly even guide you towards the stuff you might be able to do. If you have such friends, what else do you want?

• Regretting your past decisions is the best way to harm yourself. Just learn your lesson and walk it off. You have to stop touching a wound in order for it to heal.

• If you believe that you might be able to do something, do it without worrying. People will try to make you doubt yourself, and once you question your own beliefs, it’s over.

• There’s no such thing as a lesson without pain. But if you are able to endure that pain and get over it by yourself, you will have a mind strong enough to overcome any difficulties that may come.

• It doesn’t matter how naturally good you are at something. If you don’t work hard,you won’t accomplish anything. Hard work and consistency is the key to everything.

No matter how shitty the year was for all of us, I can say that we are going into the new year much wiser and stronger than before and will be able to face anything 2017 may throw at us. 2016 was just warm-up; 2017 is game time. Happy New Year to all!

#Peaces

-Jatin Jawale

::A LETTER TO THE THING THEY CALL FATE::

Dear Fate,

               Though you do not have a form or shape, I know you exist. All the things that happen here are all because of one being- you.
                
                Reality is just a sequence of coincidences we call fate. So in a way, you are reality. Now, some may say that its the miracles of God that make things happen in the world. But then, even God had to come from somewhere, right? He was fated to become what He is (if He is).
                
                Coming to the point, I want to express my gratitude towards you. THANK YOU for everything you've bestowed upon me. THANK YOU for such wonderful parents, such understanding family and such uplifting friends that you have given me. THANK YOU for keeping me healthy and giving me a reason to believe that all that happens will eventually result in something good. All the failures I have gotten through have actually made me a better and stronger person. My mistakes are what have honed me. You have your own weird ways of doing things, but in the end, it all ends well.
               
                 I don't want to ask you for anything because I believe that you will give me what I deserve. Karma is your friend, right?. I know you will give me what I need and not what I want. That's all fine because I am not greedy for all that stuff.
               
                 Once again, THANK YOU for all the knowledge and wisdom that you have granted me with. I will make sure to make the correct use of it. You don't need to worry about that. Last and definitely not the least, THANK YOU for existing. The world would be nothing without you.

                 Thanking you,

Yours faithfully,

      .           

::GIVING UP.?::

"Don't keep knocking on a wall hoping it will transform into a door."

For a long time, I used to have that kind of mentality. Every time I got stuck in some problem and couldn't find solution fast enough, I left tackling it. I gave up on stuff quite easily.

But then something taught me that giving up is never an option. You have to hold on to what you want till you don't get it. You will obviously face many problems when you're on the way to achieving your dream; but no matter what, you should never even think about giving up! People will hate you for one reason or the other, but you need to accomplish deeds so great that they obliterate all the reason that people hate you for and finally begin to acknowledge you and your efforts. You need to hold on! It might take quite some time, but sooner or later, you will emerge victorious. That's a certainty. 

Giving up easily is a lot worse than trying and not getting what you wanted. If you're willing to give it all you have, then not even the worst storm can stop you. But if you give up on it, then I'm sorry but you're a loser (Yes offence).

Never going back on your word and never giving up despite what the odds may tell you- if you follow this path, then you're guaranteed to succeed. No matter how unrealistic your dream might seem- by sheer will power, you can achieve it. Believe in yourself.

Oh and about that line "Don't keep knocking on a wall hoping it will transform into a door."? I'd now like to say that if that particular wall is standing between you and your dream, keep knocking till it breaks down completely. You don't always need a door. Make your own unique way.

#BelieveIt

-Jatin Jawale

::What Is And NOT What Should Have Been::

After more than a year, I'm back!

Very often (here 'often' means 90% of the time), we think of the past. We keep going back in time, sometimes even questioning our own existence. We spend more time thinking about what 'should have been' rather than what 'is'. Isn't that true?

Now, in the past, we all have either been happy or sorrowful. When we recall the happy moments, we feel good and nostalgic; it makes us want to relive that moment! On the other hand, sad moments make us feel worthless; at times making us not even want to live. And unfortunately, people often (remember 'often'?) choose to recall just the sad moments. They let the ghost of the past attack them, thus hurting them and making them feel vulnerable. They self-implode. I am sure all of us have been through such times.

Some people are sensible enough to 'learn' from the past. They introspect, try to understand what made them sad and try never to repeat that mistake again. But they still end up clinging to it even when they don't want to- because of regret. That one thing they want to forget, ironically, is the one always on their minds!

If you want to remain happy, the one thing you need to do is forget the past. Let the past that should be dead and buried, remain dead and buried. Forget all the wrong that happened to you, forget all the people who hurt you or left you, forget all the mistakes you made and start again! At any given moment, you have the right and the power to stand up to yourself and say 'This is not how its going to end'! Say that to yourself whenever you feel like you're failing. Say that to yourself whenever you feel you're at a dead-end. SAY IT SO MANY TIMES THAT YOUR MIND AUTOMATICALLY KEEPS REPLAYING IT!! Say it till you're no longer dwelling in the past- till you're concentrating on what 'is'.

The one thing you should never do is regret your decisions. Learn from those wrong decisions, note down the moral, but after that, don't even think about it. "If you begin to regret, you'll dull your future decisions and let others make your choices for you. All that's left for you then is to die. Nobody can foretell the outcome. Each decision you make holds meaning only by affecting your next decision." - Erwin Smith (Yeah that's an 'Attack On Titan' quote. Anime teaches you stuff, bro.)

If you want to win the race, you've got to keep on looking forward. Looking back will just slow you down. And then that would be your another 'what should have been'.

#BelieveIt

-Jatin Jawale

(Sorry for messing the title up, Led Zeppelin)

RANDOM

When we were little kids, we used to like going out to play with our friends. The more the number of friends to play with, the better. But then, after we start growing up, we notice a slight change. The number of people around us starts decreasing. In school, people usually have kind of a large group of friends. And after school is completed, the number decreases considerably. I'm almost 17 now, and I have seen a drastic decrease in the number of people I surround myself with. 

Now, most of you would think that I'm living the life of a loner. But mind you, it is the opposite- I don't feel lonely at all. The few people I have in my life right now are the ones I truly need. The others can come and go whenever they want to, but those few are the ones I'm never gonna leave no matter what. And even though we might not talk on a daily basis, the bond never weakens in any way.

I said all this because I'm sure a lot of you feel lonely and all that. But the truth is, no one is ever lonely! There surely are people who are really your 'friends', but its highly probable that you haven't noticed that yet. There surely are people who care for you, but you probably just thought you didn't have anybody, and so kept it all to yourself, never really giving them a chance to help you out. There ought to be at least one such person, if not many.

And its not bad even if you have just one single person; because I believe that one person is all everyone ever needs. That one special person- who would do anything to see you happy, lend you a shoulder to cry on and walk the path of life alongside you- is all you need. And that's a good enough reason to stay happy and satisfied, because sometimes, people find themselves in a dilemma despite having multiple acquaintances; they have so many people around them that they don't really see the true friends among them.

Its surely a good thing to have many such special people, but even one person is enough to serve the purpose, and that person (or people) could be anybody. They could, and probably are already in your acquaintance....you just need to give it time.

One person is all everyone ever needs.  

#Peaces

-Jatin Jawale

::JUDGEMENTS::

So the other day I was going to my college by bus. I had forgotten to carry my earphones (I hope you know how fatal that feeling is). I had nothing to do! I was soooo bored! So in the end, I ended up looking out of the window of the bus and started imagining how the people I was looking at were living their lives. I saw people of various kinds- few homeless people, few in lavish cars, few carrying their briefcase and going to their office; and began imagining in what manner they were living their lives. I wondered if they were happy with their lives or not, how their nature was and blah-blah-blah.

But then I asked myself- what the hell are you doing, you piece of awesomeness? (:P) I did not know the answer myself. Then I realised that I was just judging strangers to pass my time. But mind you- there are people passing time judging the people they know; and the 'people' I'm talking about are the seven billion Homo sapiens (humans, duh) who are living on this planet. Let's deal with it- we ALL judge people. We all have some or the other opinion about different people. We even make certain people the victim of prejudice! 

But is judging people the correct thing?
Personal opinion- HELL NO! Has the person given you the right to judge them? Fella, even God doesn't pass his statement until the Judgement Day, so I don't think you are correct when you judge people. If you have ever heard about what other people think about you, and you think that it is completely wrong, normally you'd be hurt. Well, that's how the other people would feel when you pass any judgement about them (because after all, they are Homo sapiens too :P). You cannot judge them because you don't know everything about them or their life. You cannot solve he equation till you have all the variables (unless you're preparing for JEE- in that case, you just CAN'T solve the equation).

Sometimes, others ask you about what you think about a certain person. At that time, if you say something wrong, that would be held against you some time. What I choose to do, is to quote Abraham Lincoln- 'they are just what we would be under similar circumstances". I choose to do this. You can do this too. Don't pass judgements. 

"Judge not, that ye be not judged"- Matthew 7:1. Follow this, and you shall live peacefully.

#Peaces

-Jatin Jawale

::MATTERING::

In sooth, we all wanna matter. We all wanna be important in some or the other way! In childhood, we found importance in becoming the class-monitor or something. In adolescence, our way of mattering changes- we wanna matter to our friends, be the soul of our peer-group, be the one everyone likes talking to and all. And then again, as the years go by, we look forward to becoming important to the world by doing something great and praiseworthy. We wish to be rich and famous. At different ages and stages of life, we wanna be important- we wanna matter.

But is mattering really that necessary? Many people would say it is, many would say it isn't. Even though desires devastate, the only desire we cannot give up is that of mattering. And in the process of making that desire come true, we take steps. Sometimes the desires come true. Sometimes the steps don't work, but we still end up mattering in some or the other way.... (All Hail Fate!)

Take the case of Captain America. In spite of being skinny and physically weak, he (Steve Rogers) wanted to be important to his country by fighting the WW2. He didn't get enrolled initially, but because of his bravery and desire to serve his country, Abraham Erskine decides to carry out the scientific experiment on him, making him a super-soldier with extraordinary abilities, eventually making him a superhero, rather than a soldier. He ended up mattering more than he wanted to.
There could be many such examples. There could be many people who ended up mattering in a different way than they wanted to.

In spite of all this, I believe that mattering to the world isn't really the only way to be important. Even if we matter to our friends and family, its more than enough, because our family and friends are more or less our entire world. An adage says 'something is better than nothing'. And if you feel you don't matter in either way, you are wrong; because you do!

I quote John Green (yet again) "And so we all matter-maybe less than a lot, but always more than none." And this is damn true.

#Peaces

-Jatin Jawale