Yesterday was Krishnav’s first day at pre-pre nursery school…

Yesterday was also the most nervous I have felt in the past few years; I guess the last time I felt really nervous was during my 12th standard exams; and that is like more than two decades ago!

Well as far as I can remember, I never enjoyed school while I was young – I felt bound, and tied down; felt much more comfortable on my own at home or in a play ground. As a result, when I look back, I realize that I must have missed out on so much fun that I see kids having at schools these days. I must confess that I really secretly wished that Krishnav does not take after me on that one aspect; and rather takes after my wife Shubhra, who is much more bubbly, open to newer experiences, and full of life.

So yesterday, when Krishnav was to go to a local toddler-school (a pre-pre nursery school; accompanied by Shubhra) for the first time, I was really nervous. I imagined my phone to ring anytime with a panic message from my wife conveying anything from – “please come to the school cause Krishnav just refuses to go in (like he does when we visit his doctor),” to “he is crying inconsolably and wants to get out of the school,” or “he refuses to get off the car at the school gate,” etc. So when I did not get a call from my wife even several hours after his first day at school was supposed to end, I did not know what to expect.

When I called my wife later during the day, I was wishing for the best! And, I am glad that I heard that – Krishnav REALLY loved his day-one at school. He was high on energy, interacted with other kids, charmed their moms (wink!), and impressed the instructors. He danced when the music was played, was the first one to participate in group activities, had no qualms about asking for toys or stuff that he wanted, and was on the move for the full two hours that he was there.

Yaay, that made my day; and Thank You God for getting your genetic engineering right on this one!!

Sitting by the window on a fast train…

Do you ever feel that you are sitting on a fast train and the world is just whizzing past as you gaze out of the window. And scarier still, does it ever seem that this train is headed in the wrong direction! I have been feeling this way for the past few weeks. First I thought it was one of those “downs” in the rollercoaster called “life,” but lately I have been thinking if someone (or something) is urging me to take control of the “train.” I don’t know…

I was trying to Google for some gyan on this during lunch-hour today, and here is a summary of the guru-speak I gathered; says nothing new, but is an interesting read. So here goes the seven step process to take control of the “train”…
- Get in touch with your values: Maybe your priorities are not aligned with your values, so you are not focusing on the right things.
- Decide what motivates you: If tomorrow you knew you could do anything and not fail what would you do? Is there something you are passionate about but are afraid of trying?
- Set goals: Goals fuel your intent and make your desires concrete.
- Take action: If you have written long-term and short-term goals and prioritized them, you have a plan of action. Just take it one step at a time and do something everyday that takes you closer to where you want to be.
- Manage your time: Plan your days and prioritize your time to get the most out of the time you have.
- Do what needs to be done: Whether it is a mundane task or internal work, putting it off gets us nowhere.
- Self-discipline: This final step takes all that we have learned and puts it into action.