Surprise yourself…

The road of life can only reveal itself as it is traveled; each turn in the road reveals a surprise.

It is unfortunate that the vast majority of people get up and go to work and return home and go to sleep and simply repeat this cycle till one day they drop dead. Most of them are simply creatures of habit who rarely venture to find out the treasures that exist outside the routine.  Many others are so weighed down by the cares of daily living that they are just happy to be alive and are reconciled to their fate. If one were to just pause and look around and take a step or two away from the beaten path one would discover surprises that nature has provided in abundance for everyone. It could be a new flower, a butterfly or the sheer beauty of nature’s bounty or it could be forging new relationships, making new friends or the pleasure of helping a passerby. What is important is that we need to go out in search of those surprises.

Each of us is blessed with some very special talents. Some are more visible like the ability to draw, paint, sing and dance. Others are more subtle like the ability to patient, being a good listener or the ability to play second fiddle. We are prone to downplay these special abilities till someone persistently draws our attention to it and then we are pleasantly surprised. Self belief is vital to discover surprises both within us and around us. It is when one has self belief that one becomes embolden and proactive. One will be surprised then to note that we have a reservoir of potential that is now being tapped. It is when one exploits one’s self belief that one would venture into the unknown be it attempting to participate in a quiz or debate competing or trying extreme sports like bungee jumping.

A person with initiative will be the one who will make things happen and surprise everyone. Initiative will ensure that one takes the risks to explore avenues never tapped into be it finding a new picnic spot or arranging theme party or reorganizing the working style. Initiative ensures change and change in any form ensures surprises. Try using a different route when travelling to your daily destination. Some roads might be more crowded, others more circuitous but each road will have something new that will surprise you. Imagination is what enables one to identify surprises. Many a surprise comes dressed up as something very ordinary till one puts on the imaginative cap and sees amazing things in it. In fact we are all born with an amazing imagination that unfortunately got lost in the maze of logic and reason. Look back and remember how a tooth fairy looked in your imagination or how did you visualize an evil witch who may have been central to many a childhood story.

Finally it is attitude that determines the number and quality of surprises that you can clasp with both hands. If you are positive and look forward to a lovely day everything you encounter will be a pleasant surprise. Even a flat tyre on the way to work will give you an opportunity to see how some fellow travelers on the high way will surprise you with their care and concern. If you attitude is defeatist and embittered then even winning a lottery will simply make you feel more miserable; you will hurting inside that the prize should have come a few years earlier.

Remember: “The moments of happiness we enjoy take us by surprise. It is not that we seize them, but that they seize us.” Ashley Montagu

Try this

1. See the following link and let your imagination help you visualize the characters that the shadows throw up http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c4yvHhZTPCg&feature=channel
2. Go to the following link and attempt to do the challenge given in the last paragraph  http://poweract.blogspot.com/2010/07/shape.html

This post is courtesy www.actspot.com

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