let’s have a heart-to-heart, shall we? Picture this: you’re yearning to leave your mark on the world, to stir things up a bit. But here’s the catch – can you really make waves if you’re just riding the same current as everyone else?
Think about it. If we’re all just carbon copies of one another, marching to the same beat, where’s the room for something new, something different? Innovation and change aren’t born from sameness. They come from daring to be different, from daring to stand out.
It’s like this – imagine you want to nudge the world in a new direction. To do that, you’ve got to show them something they haven’t seen before. It’s not just about being unique for the sake of it. It’s about being uniquely you in a way that inspires others. Whether it’s your friends, your family, or just the people you bump into every day, if you’re just echoing their thoughts and actions, how can you expect to be the catalyst for change?
Now, being different isn’t always a walk in the park. Let’s be real, it can be tough. You’ll run into folks who don’t get it, who might even push back because what you offer challenges their norm. But remember, we’re all a quirky bunch. Each of us has our own little quirks and idiosyncrasies, and that’s what makes life interesting, right?
Sometimes, being different will win you admirers, other times, not so much. And that’s okay. The world isn’t one-size-fits-all. We’re all navigating it in our own unique way. So, the real question is, how do you want to make your mark? How do you want to shake things up in your corner of the world?
You know, bravery doesn’t always look like scaling Mount Everest or reshaping the globe. More often, it’s about facing those ordinary days – those unremarkable Tuesdays and those seemingly endless months. It’s about pushing yourself forward when every part of you yearns to just sink back into the comfort of the past.
Let me tell you, I’ve been there. Those days when getting out of bed felt like my personal Everest. I realized that changing the world sometimes means changing your own world, bit by bit, at your own pace, as you mend your heart and soul.
Bravery isn’t just about loud battles and visible scars. Often, it’s a quiet struggle, a soft, persistent glow inside you that flickers even on your darkest days, reminding you of your strength, your growth, and the hope that’s always there, waiting.
I want you to think about this: What’s your personal Everest? What quiet battle are you fighting? Remember, every step forward is a victory, no matter how small. Each day you choose to move forward, you’re showing incredible courage.
So, here’s my challenge to you: Embrace your inner strength, no matter how soft or quiet it feels. Let it be your guide through the tough days. And most importantly, never forget that even in the quietest moments, your bravery is making waves. You are growing, you are strong, and above all, you are not alone. There’s hope, always. Let’s climb our mountains together, one small step at a time.
Meraki” (v.) to do something with soul, creativity, or love; to leave a piece and essence of yourself in your work.
Meraki, a word that resonates with the ethos of a true artisan, embodies the act of pouring love, creativity, and soul into one’s endeavors, leaving a lasting legacy through one’s work. | The Border of a Mind Studios
In the realm of creation and artistry, there’s a concept that transcends mere functionality—it’s called “Meraki.” This term, with its roots in Greek language, encapsulates the act of infusing one’s soul, creativity, and love into their work, leaving a fragment of their essence in everything they do.
Consider the tale of a Sculptor, analogous to the narrative of ‘The Carpenter’. Where a carpenter assembles structures, a sculptor shapes raw materials into expressions of their innermost feelings and thoughts, transforming stone or clay into timeless wonders.
It’s simple to fall into the trap of routine, to perform tasks robotically, whether at work, at home, or in one’s pursuits. The path of least resistance often leads to mediocrity.
Remember, mediocrity fades into obscurity. Mechanical actions fail to leave a mark. Merely existing in a role doesn’t carve pathways to excellence.
Reflect on Michelangelo’s words, who labored tirelessly to achieve his celebrated skill, reminding us that mastery isn’t a product of chance but of persistent, dedicated effort.
Attaining greatness, sculpting a magnum opus, demands more than hard work—it’s fueled by the passion that kindles this relentless drive.
On my conversations with numerous experts across various fields that I have come across, and each time, when questioned about their capacity for harder work, the unanimous answer was a resounding “Yes.” Yet, the pivotal inquiry remains: Why don’t they?
The answer lies in commitment. To elevate one’s efforts, one must deepen their emotional investment. Greater care breeds more substantial action, leading to profound development and creation.
Recall a moment from Steve Jobs’ youth. Observing his father meticulously crafting both visible and hidden parts of a fence, Jobs learned a valuable lesson about integrity and commitment in craftsmanship, understanding that true artistry is recognized by its creator, irrespective of external validation.
In a world where many settle for the basic, those who adopt the role of a true artisan, a sculptor of their fate, stand out. Their dedication to their craft draws admiration and demand.
The journey to becoming an artisan isn’t swift or straightforward. It’s a path strewn with trials, failures, and lessons. It demands persistence, resilience, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. Embracing your work as an art form, pouring your heart and soul into it, will eventually lead to mastery, enriching the world in the process.
Meraki, a word that resonates with the ethos of a true artisan, embodies the act of pouring love, creativity, and soul into one’s endeavors, leaving a lasting legacy through one’s work.
Channel your passion and soul into your pursuits.
Imprint your essence into your creations.
Craft masterpieces that are the very embodiment of your love, effort, and artistic spirit.
Don’t let your food get cold watching someone else’s plate.
In the banquet of life, where abundance spills from the cornucopia of opportunities, there lies a subtle but profound wisdom: to savor your own. The phrase “Don’t let your food get cold watching someone else’s plate” is a metaphorical morsel to chew on, reminding us of the perils of comparison and the distraction of envy.
It beckons us to focus on our own plate, our own journey. Each of us is served a different portion, spiced with unique challenges and garnished with personal triumphs. To gaze longingly at another’s feast is to let our own pleasures go unappreciated, our own blessings unnoticed.
Embrace your plate, for it is yours alone – full of the flavors you have chosen, the ingredients you have gathered, and the meals you have prepared. Let not the glint of silver from your neighbor’s setting cause you to miss the warmth of your own. For it is in the appreciation of our own sustenance that we find true contentment, and it is by tending to our own harvest that we grow.
So, as you sit down to the table of life, take a moment to inhale the aroma of your own endeavors, taste the richness of your own toil, and bask in the warmth of your own creations. Your plate is as full as you make it – don’t let it go cold.
“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.“
Marcus Aurelius
The Border of a Mind (dot) com
In the intricate interplay of interpretation and existence, we navigate the delicate balance between what is uttered and its deeper significance, what is observed and its true essence. Our conversations and observations, akin to echoes in a silent hall, are colored by the shades of individual belief and experience. Each word spoken is a stroke of opinion, creating a portrait that may diverge from the actual hues of fact. Our vision, too, is not a clear lens to the world, but something that shapes the world according to its own design, often adjusting or leaving out details to fulfill its vision.
We often pirouette between what is said and what is meant, what is seen and what is understood. Our conversations and observations, like whispers in the wind, are tinted with the hues of personal belief and experience. Each word spoken is a brushstroke of opinion, painting a picture that may not mirror the true colors of reality. Our eyes, too, are not mere windows to the world, but artists that sketch the world as they see fit, often adding or omitting details to complete their masterpiece.
Consider a mother watching her child play, seeing not just the actions but a tableau of potential and dreams. Or ponder a scientist peering through a microscope, where each discovery is shaded by years of knowledge and expectation. These are not just acts of seeing or hearing, but intricate ballets of interpretation and meaning.
Our journey through life is punctuated by these moments of misinterpretation and clarification. Memories, like old photographs, fade and warp with time, leaving us with an impression, not an exact replication, of events. This distortion is not a flaw, but a feature of our human experience, urging us to question, to wonder, and to seek deeper understanding beyond our immediate perceptions.
As we wade through the river of our experiences, we should hold our truths lightly, knowing they are but reflections in the water, susceptible to the ripples of new insights and perspectives. In embracing the uncertainty and fluidity of our perceptions, we open ourselves to a world richer and more varied than we could have imagined.
Illustration of Ehan drawing. The young artist at work, his hands now shaped by visions, spreading color upon the bare canvas of imagination. With each mark and stroke, a new world emerging – ideas given form, creativity set free to paint what lights his soul and lift the corners of tomorrow’s dawn.
As the river of time flows on, winding through the valleys and canyons of life, I’ve come to understand my conscience as a lighthouse, piercing through the thick fog of perceptions that fill my mind. The harshest critic lies not in the eyes that view me, but in how I believe they see me—a hall of mirrors reflecting my self-doubts like glaring spotlights.
All labors of passion hold equal worth; the baker kneading the pliant dough, infusing it with care; the painter splashing the waiting canvas, colors dancing into shapes; the gardener nurturing the fertile soil, seeds blossoming with patience; the teacher shaping young minds, igniting their potential. Riches jingling in pockets often masquerade as success, their metallic sheen veiling a soul’s true wealth within. Real prosperity resides in one’s essence, beyond material things that rust and fade. It takes a man of wisdom, kindness and wit to be admired yet unfettered by fortune’s gilded trappings, fame’s seductive allure. The drive to unveil such inner gold becomes his golden key to achieve whatever great heights he desires.
So, I ask you, as a valuable reader, what secret dreams stir within the depths of your heart? What passions blaze in your soul, yearning to shine forth, to prove your worth? That treasure lies inside you, waiting to be unearthed. Delve the caverns of your mind, unearth your hidden gold, and let your inner light glow, as bright as the sun. For your true wealth lies within, untouched by outside eyes, resplendent and free.
the uncredited multitudes, whose names we neglect as we leave the theater, collectively create the movie’s essence. So too in our lives
As I traverse through the three and a half decades of my existence, I grapple with the transient nature of human connections. It is a reality that eludes romanticism or poetic grace. To those who have traversed my life’s path and those yet to do so: My love is yours. My longing, unending. Should you ever yearn for a return to me, you shall find the rear entrance unlocked.
In the world of cinema, it is not the musical accompaniment that entices the audience, yet it remains an indispensable element in enriching our visual and emotional experience at the theatre. So too, in life, are the myriad souls who subtly enhance our existence, though they may not occupy the limelight. The Careem cabbie suffusing your commute with good cheer. The office attendant who grasps the precise alchemy for your tea and coffee. The building maintenance expert who diligently rectifies an issue that has been gnawing at you. The familiar autorickshaw driver gifting you a hometown mango without embarrassment. The pediatrician offering a lolly pop to your toddler son after a checkup. The pharmacist who devotes extra moments to elucidate a doctor’s prescription with tenderness. In life, as in film, we focus on the stars – our lovers, family, friends. Yet the uncredited multitudes, whose names we neglect as we leave the theater, collectively create the movie’s essence. So too in our lives. Yet, it is those unsung heroes, whose names blur into the background as we exit the theater of life, that contribute to the wholeness of our life’s narrative. Think about it for a while.
I am not a big admirer of a culture of haste and frenzy that prioritizes material wealth and status over the quality of our inner lives and deeper human connections. With a lofty aim to unlock our innate creative potential, I believe undivided stretches of focused time represent one of our greatest resources for artistic productivity and spiritual growth. I sometimes discuss with Netta on the importance and benefits of undivided time during our we moment discourses.
A plate painting done by my two-year-old son. The swirling coalescence of colors on canvas, artlessly applied by tiny fingers yet conveying profound depths, stops me in my tracks. The brushstrokes of my two-year-old son, perhaps guided by some innate yet untutored wisdom beyond his years, reveal the ineffable dance of chaos and order, signifying nothing yet containing the whole universe in their abstract simplicity. I see eternity in a grain of sand, infinity in a child’s primitive painting. The small hand that mixed the paints with such care, adding depth and texture through the miraculous alchemy of color, bestows upon this humble work a luminosity that belies its humble origins.
In essence, there’s a new wave of understanding that challenges the pervasive culture of haste and frenzy that has arisen in the wake of globalization, driven by an insatiable quest for material abundance and social status rather than a focus on the intrinsic quality of life and the essence of existence. Despite their 35-hour workweek, the French exhibit greater productivity than their American or British counterparts. Meanwhile, Germany has instituted a 28.8-hour workweek, resulting in a remarkable 20% increase in productivity. I can see this trend influencing authorities in Middle east as well where I’m residing.
The philosophy of leisurely deliberation does not imply a reduction in productivity or accomplishments; rather, it advocates for the pursuit of excellence, efficiency, and meticulousness in one’s work, all while minimizing stress. It calls for a rekindling of the importance of family, friends, and leisure, emphasizing the present moment, tangible and specific, over the abstract and global. The movement urges a return to the core human values and the elegance of simplicity in life.
This paradigm shift promotes a more contented, buoyant, and efficient work environment, where individuals can revel in their innate talents and expertise. It is now imperative for organizations to pause and contemplate how they can achieve superior quality and efficiency without haste, thereby enhancing the caliber of their products and services while preserving the essence of their raison d’être.
Countless individuals spend their lives in a perpetual race against time in a rat race. Others, consumed by anticipation of the future, neglect to embrace the present moment, which is the sole temporal reality that truly matters. Time is a universally equitable resource, with no individual possessing more or less of it than another. The distinction lies in how each person utilizes their allotted time. It is incumbent upon us to savor every instant. As eloquently expressed by John Lennon, “Life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.”
Once upon a time, a man found himself in a new situation. He had purchased a cow, but he was not familiar with the ways of cows. As he was trying to take his new cow home, he made a mistake – he held onto her horns and tried to drag her along. The cow was resistant, as she longed for her old home and previous owner.
As fate would have it, a wise saint happened to be watching the scene unfold. He kindly approached the man and offered him some sage advice. “It seems you are new to this,” he said, “and that you are not familiar with the ways of cows. This is not the right way to approach it.”
The man was perplexed, and asked the saint what he should do. “I am not that strong,” he said, “and the cow is stronger than me. She is dragging me along and I don’t know how to handle her.”
The saint then gave the man a beautiful green grass and instructed him to leave the cow’s horns alone. “Take this grass and move ahead of her,” he said. “Keep the grass close to you, but don’t allow her to eat it. As she moves towards the grass, you move towards your home.”
The man followed the saint’s instructions, and to his surprise, it worked! The cow was so enticed by the beautiful, green, and fresh grass that she forgot all about her old owner and her old home. All she could think about was getting her mouth on that delicious grass. And so, with the man slowly leading the way, the cow followed him all the way to his home.
Now, think for a moment if you can correlate this with your life.
“True love begins when nothing is looked for in return. “
– Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
“selfless connection” – fine art by theborderofamind studios
The search for true love is often a pursuit filled with misconceptions. Many people interpret the theme in different ways. But to me, it speaks to the ultimate goal of love and how we get there.
Some believe it means simply waiting for love to find you without any action on your part. But I believe it’s about what you do after finding someone. While it may start as passion or friendship, true love is about being with someone because you want to be with them – for no other reason.
True love requires a shift in perspective, moving beyond seeking something in return and toward pure selflessness. If we are only with someone because of what they offer us, we are in a transactional relationship. But once we stop seeking compensation and simply give, we transcend into a higher form of love.
This concept applies to all forms of love, not just romantic relationships. Consider your relationships with friends, family, and even humanity as a whole. List what you get out of each relationship and consider if it’s necessary for your love. The answers may provide insight into what you’re really seeking in life and how you relate to others.
Love is not a business transaction, it’s a state of being that transcends beyond receiving and into giving. So let us open our hearts to the purity of true love and embrace the selflessness that it requires. Try approaching your friends, aquaintances and your circles with an approach expecting nothing in return from them. You’ll notice deeper bonds and influences. Even if such people have been across your lives for a very short period of time, you remember them and they leave an influence on you. It’s very heartwarming to cultivate relationships with souls whom we come across in our lives with this genuine connection expecting nothing in return from them. I always truly believe in leaving people better than how I found them. Afterall, behind the vision of maintaining this portal lies my sincere wish to enrich your souls with positivity and to maintain your spirits high. Thank you very much for taking time to read. God bless : ) Love to hear your thoughts.
