Ways to Stay Focused

 

Why to stay Focused?

We are living in a world that is so busy and full of many interesting options. As a student or a working person, we have certain main goals or targets from good to best, to achieve & find ways to stay focused. It’s a small attempt to explain.

This challenging world is a conflicting stage for all of us. We have to choose our track with our strength of will. So, focusing on our main goals is a must. How can we do this? It is the main question.

Few possible suggestions are given in this regard:

1. Have a clear look at your goals. If we are clear, we can be more focused to achieve them. If you are younger, then this responsibility will be shifted towards elders around you, most possibly parents. They must be clear and have to provide a suitable environment for their young ones. 
2. We must be aware of the demands of our targets. Keep high but realistic targets before you achieve them. Unrealistic targets can be discouraging. 
3. Try to make a schedule for every day, with the help of elders, or do it yourself. Then try to act upon it strictly. 
4. Schedule the timings for doing your work and assignments and for recreational activities, in a realistic way. 
5. Be very regular and punctual. This quality will help you all your life. Try to finish daily tasks on a daily basis and never leave them pending.
6. If we prepare our lectures beforehand, it will help a lot. We will be in a far better position to understand the materials: we have read before. It is a key to success.
7. Try to limit your screen time. It is detrimental to your eyes, physique, and studies. Prefer outdoor games and exercises to make you healthy and fresh.
8. Don’t depend only on your books. Try to get some extra knowledge. When teachers will examine your work, they will be happy to see some extra information and eventually it will enhance your impression and grades.
9. Try to be positive, optimistic, and realistic. Do not leave your targets unfinished. Try to be persistent to have them.
10. Do every possible and positive effort to get them. Make your canvas of options broader. It will help you to adjust in a better way. It will prevent you from feeling of discouragement.
11. Always start everything with prayer. Be optimistic and confident.

These attractions, if they refresh us for gaining those end aims, are good but if these are acting as hurdles, then these are negative and if these negative activities become our focus, then it is alarming. All these points can be helpful in making our lives more productive and meaningful. There must be some aim in our lives that is meaningful, not only for us but for the betterment of others. It will be a real flavor of our life.

Learning the hard way

 Yes! Learning the hard way. It is true. When you struggle to see what actually you are looking for. This is search and research. Nowadays it is very easy just Google it and a list of websites open up. You see it with examples. This way you will never forget it. 

When we are in school and college. If we go there reading the books beforehand it will be very helpful. The teacher only guides us on what is in it. Take time to read something or anything. Make a habit and read for some time say 15 minutes and then see the result.

Sometimes when you get something new like a mobile phone you start using it. Although it provides a user manual with it. But some people avoid consulting it. They think that they can use it immediately. They start fibbling with the equipment and after some time they get lost. But after some time they start to know what they were trying to get. This will never forget by them and this is known as learning the hard way. On the other hand, if they start using the manual from the beginning although they will learn to use the equipment they will take some time to learn and remember.

There are two schools of thought. One is first you read and learn the use of the equipment. The other is you start using the equipment and learn the way you use it. In both ways, you will learn.

Some time one say why do I need to read the manual? They are never successful. They start blaming the equipment which they were supposed to use. 

Learning the hard way can at times be a more efficient teacher, and letting students struggle before offering guidance may lead to deeper conceptual understanding and the ability to transfer what was learned to new problems.

 

Etiquettes

 Etiquettes are the set of conventional rules of personal behaviour in a society usually in the form of an ethical code, including accepted and expected social behaviours. In making a society from good to best these etiquettes play a vital role.

Etiquettes are different for every field of life, like the family, the social set-up, the job specifications and the religious obligations. These are the rules for acting properly according to the expected norms of that area. These rules make the life of people more managed and accepted.

These are some important etiquettes that can help us lead a managed and happy life.

1 Be thoughtful:

It includes that we should try to do everything purposefully and thoughtfully. Our aimless activities and acts can create problems for us and wastage of time is a compulsion. 

2. Be helpful and cooperative:

It is very important to help people around us, especially those who are in trouble. It will make others relaxed and make us satisfied. It will result in a society that is more peaceful and satisfied.

3. Be cheerful: 

We try to remain relaxed and happy in our general life situations by looking positive side. Most of the things have their pros and cons. If we consider only the cons, we may remain in tension. So, to see cons or at least having a balanced view will create a positive impact. 

Always remain polite with others and speak gently. In this way, we can make others feel good and positive. It will encourage them to do something valuable, not only for them but for society as well. 

4. Don’t be bossy:

If we remain bossy with others and behave authoritatively, it will not only make others unhappy but make the whole atmosphere sad and unpleasant. We should be kind to others in normal conditions. If it is demanded to be somewhat harsh, then we must be within a certain limit and try to create some positive change. In this way, we can act more positively in our surroundings. 

5. Respect others’ views:

To make society peaceful and improving, it is crucial to respect others’ views and acts. If we are thoughtful, it is very much natural to have a difference of opinion. Everybody has the basic right of having a personal mindset. If we feel that there must be some change, we can try but by remaining kind and sincere. 

Etiquettes are the helping tools to run a society. These are different for different aspects of life. In our family, etiquettes are different from the etiquettes in offices or in mosques or in school or in-ground or in market.  Every place has different demands on people. The etiquettes of mosques are different from that of job and etiquettes of the market from that of driving. Success in all fields depends upon taking care of the etiquettes of that field. Those who don’t try to do this, cannot survive. 

The image of a nation depends upon the etiquettes its residents follow. If they follow these specific rules in their lives, they contribute a lot not only to image building but to the progress of their nation. 

Live and let live

 “Live and Let live” is a proverb, it means that a person should live as he or she chooses and let other people do the same. The base of it lies in the fact that we all are human beings having the same kind of nature and having same type of needs and requirements. To make our lives good to best, it is crucial to take this proverb into our consideration.

As human beings, all are equal and have the same rights and needs. So, we must on one hand try to have our own rights, as possible as we can. On the other hand, the rights of others are also having the same importance. The right of one person is the obligation of others. It will not be right to try to have only our rights and ignore the rights of others.

According to one meaning of this proverb is to accept the people as they are and do not try to change them. If we feel that there is some problem in others way of thinking or behaving, we only can advise them very politely and wisely, according to the relation with them. We can change their behaviour by presenting our better example or we can pray for them. No harsh words or action will be allowed. In this way, we can make our surroundings more positive.

This is a broad term, including several branches like:

1. The basic requirement is to work decently and honestly without lying and stealing, not killing or exploiting anyone and not cheating or harming others.
2. It expresses idea the idea that all should be able to live their lives in the manner they want to, regardless of what others may think of them. There will be no unnecessary pressures on people to do certain acts and not to do some others.
3. It is especially related to our attitudes regarding minorities on the basis of religion, language, ethnicity, colour or cast. All have equal rights to act according to their special group of reference.
4. There must be tolerance of others opinions, believes and actions. If we don’t like it, and usually we don’t, we must tolerate and accept it. Otherwise, there will be no peace and harmony in society. It will be the responsibility of the administration to ensure this in society.
5. There must be a democratic atmosphere, which requires tolerance and acceptance of all others views and actions. In this way, we will have a better opportunity to know the views and beliefs of the other. In this way, we can compare and can choose the better options for us.
6. It is good to have differences in our society. Imagine a world where all behave in a uniform way. It will look strange and no colour of difference will exist. It is more interesting to live in a world or society, where differences of opinion, attitude, likes and dislikes, behaviours and actions. It will make the world just like a beautiful painting, full of colours, expressions and impressions.
7. In a society, where there is acceptance of others, with the attitude of making it easier for others to live their lives in a better way, with more benefits and facilities. In this way, an ideal social setup will be there. In such a will society, there will be a better opportunity to lead a peaceful, successful and cheerful life. Personal growth, social encouragement and governmental development will be enhanced. This will lead to an ideal situation for all of us.

Real Happiness

 Real Happiness is a relative term, differs for everyone. What is common for all may be the feelings of calmness, peace and enthusiasm. Real happiness is the most important to make our lives good.

There are different meanings of happiness, expressed in the quotes about it. Someone says “Whoever is happy will make others happy”, “Real happiness doesn’t come from getting everything you want. It comes from sharing what you have with people who matter” and “The real happiness is self-contentment”. These are some quotes about real happiness. All present some colour of this term and shows the depth of it.

Happiness is a human construct or an abstract idea with no equivalent to actual human experience. Happiness is a state of human experience, which is found occasionally, not constantly. It is an internal feeling that makes a person cheerful in a certain time period.

The cause of happiness varies from person to person. Some feel happy about having some good remarks from others, some on buying a new car, some on eating a favourite food. Some on seeing the play, some on listening music of interest and some by making others happy. It is also possible that one thing is valued by someone but not by others.

In our common life, we can have some ways to make ourselves happy, for example, be with those people who make you smile, expect good by being positive, do things you love or at least do your tasks in your desirable ways, to your heart, push yourself not others, find purpose in your life and make others happy.

Our attitude towards life can make us happy or unhappy. Positive attitudes lead towards positive feelings. Those who remain calm do not find faults in themselves or in others usually remain happy. Every event, every situation and every person have different aspects and can be taken differently. Those who always see the dark or grey area of everything, remain unhappy and vice-versa.

Helping others can make you happy. Those help others by their behaviour, attitude, talk and gestures remain happy. It gives you a feeling of satisfaction. The base of establishing giving others welfare institutes lies in the real happiness, that can be found after providing comfort and relief to others. It can give you real self-satisfaction, resulting in happiness.

If we lead such a life that revolves around ourselves can give us satisfaction and happiness. These are definitely a noble cause in our lives and values a lot. If we want to have a true kind of happiness in our lives, we must adopt any purpose before us like adding something valuable to our surroundings. That can create a positive change by providing something good to others that make them happy.

Motivation is the Fuel for Success

 Motivation is the presence of purpose and desire to achieve any goal in life. It works like the fuel for success and is crucial for doing our jobs in our daily routine. It has the actual power to make our lives good to best. 

Motivation is important, simply to lead our lives. It makes our life meaningful, colourful and successful. It requires to start anything new, with positivity. To generate new ideas, then to set our goals, to focus on our goals and to stay positive, motivation works as the force for all these. If we are not motivated, we are not able to achieve any big achievement. 

How can we keep ourselves motivated? There are some tips that can help:

1. If we do things, we are not interested in, and those are boring, we lose our interest in them. So, try to choose those tasks, you like, if possible. If you don’t have any choice, then try to perform that task in such a way, that creates some interest in it or do it in your own way. You also can try to take an interest in it by knowing it in some detail.
2. Try to make a priority list of the tasks, you have to perform. Then do one task at one time, with proper care and interest. This will increase the speed and quality of work. This will help us to maintain our motivational level.
3. Understand the importance of the task, you are going to perform. This will increase and maintain our motivational level.
4. If your task is very big and exhaustive, it can also lose your motivation. Then try to divide it into small, doable portions. In this way, we can increase our motivational level by having a sense of accomplishment in completing one part of our bigger task.

By using these tips, we can enhance our motivational level which provides the base for our performance. If we are motivated, we can do many such things, which seem impossible without motivation. The famous people, including great spiritual leaders, innovative scientists, realistic poets and writers, sincere teachers, successful professionals and devoted students, definitely have a high degree of motivational level. Though their type and source of motivation will be different, but definitely that was there.

Motivation is a blessing of God. Those who are blessed with it, do something good and valuable. It gives us the force and strength to do miracles. All messengers presented a unique example of the divine force which made their supreme task, of changing the lives of mankind, easy for them. Then we also have some more examples of national leaders who changed the fortune of their nation like Quaid-e-Azam, who achieved a very difficult goal, despite of extremely negative circumstances his weak health. All who achieved something in this world, definitely have some strong motivation behind it.

It does not mean that motivational success is only nature-gifted. It can be developed in ourselves by using some techniques:

1. Praying and meditation can help us to develop or increase our motivational level.
2. A good night sleep can help.
3. Healthy nutrition also can help by enhancing the body and mind activity, which is a must.
4. Reading of the biographies of famous people, to know how they defeated the odds in their lives.
5. Reading motivational quotes. 
6. Helping others in their difficult situation always uplift our motivational level.
7. Making a priority list of our lives according to our choices. This will help in achieving those tasks according to their importance.

We must try to have some noble aim in our lives, beyond our own life interests. This may be helpful in making our lives more meaningful and beneficial for our society.     

Patience in Life

 Patience is a human quality that values a lot. It means to tolerate unfavourable circumstances with courage and positivity. Patience in life is inevitable to make life good to best.

Human life is very unpredictable and risky. Different kinds of circumstances can occur at any time. Patience enables us to analyze things and situations beyond their face value. Positive ones, having self-control, are calm, empathetic and patient. They are always relaxing and helpful to others. These qualities give them inner peace in difficult situations.

An impatient person is often restless, easily irritable and might not hesitate in saying things that can hurt other people’s feelings. This kind of attitude, if continue, can offend other people. In this way, we can lose our relations. On the other hand, a patient person behaves in a reasonable way and does not lose temper in critical conditions. This quality may increase his likeliness.

To achieve anything in life, cannot be easy without patience. Our education, career, place in family and society all require patience. There is no other way to achieve any desirable thing, without patience. All high positions require a long struggle with patience. We observe that to achieve any respectable position in this world, maybe academically, spiritually or professionally, we have to do hard work with patience. We see that Pablo Picasso, a great painter could earn 5 million in 30 seconds, after the practice of 30 years with patience. Hellen Keller, a great writer, who cannot see and hear, get this position only and only by working patiently.

In our daily lives, we have to use this quality many times. We have to develop our relations with love, respect with patience. We have to compromise in our many life situations and it can create a difficult scenario but with patience and self-control, we can deal with it successfully. It is observed that the results of this patient behaviour always pays back to you in another way.

A very important life situation, where patience is required is on roads. If we drive with care, according to the rules and regulations and patience, we can reach our destinations in time, without any psychological stress and risks to our safety. Back in 2003 when I was visiting someone in London and I was to take a local city train. I went to the station and saw a new ticket machine. As it was new for me and there was no one at that time so I took some time to read the instructions. By chance I looked back there were about 12 to 15 people standing and waiting for their turn. Not a single soul said anything. They all were watching. So I asked the man standing back for assistance which he did very nicely and I apologized to the group that I had taken their time and thanked them for the same. This is patience. If we do our daily tasks with patience, by making a queue and priorities, it will look good and will save our precious time as well.

There can be a lot of negative events in one’s life. All demand different types of behaviours. Those events which are extremely sad and not in our control can only be tolerated with patience. It will be better to accept the will of our creator, as soon as we can. If this acceptance will be with patience, it will affect us in a positive way and will be helpful in adjustment.

Some other critical events occur continuously, sometimes for a long time. Some people have to face extreme financial issues, that make them so much disturbed. In these conditions, one has to do an effort to earn something by doing some job, but patience is very necessary.  Another time that is very critical and requires effort with patience is any serious health issue. If the patient himself and his caretakers focus on treatment with patience, results in a positive way.

It is also observed, this quality runs in families and generations. Usually, if parents are patient, their children grow with this quality. They learn how to behave in difficult situations. So, we must try to face problematic and critical life situations with prayers, courage and patience. In this way, we will be making our lives more peaceful, successful and helpful for our loved ones.