#5: On passionate growth, learning from interactions and more
Ten motivational bullet-sized content shared weekly to 'Get you started'
In this newsletter, each week, I share ten things with you:
👉three motivational quotes written by me on Personal growth, Building relationships, and Mental Well-being — what I call The Three pillars of growth
👉 five life lessons by others that get me started
👉 two photographs which intrigue me
It’s never too late. So, let’s GET STARTED!
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Quotes by me
1. Personal Growth
Growth without passion would be fire without fuel, it might burn but would not last long
We all wish to grow in our lives, but we rarely wish to grow with a passion. Growth has this funny habit of getting tired and bored with time as things start becoming monotonous, strenuous and often forced.
On the other hand, passion is like fuel to fire. It keeps us going even in tough times, wakes us up on groggy days, makes us fight the toughest battles, and keeps our optimism levels high to ensure we do not start feeling burnt due to tiredness but feel the heat due to the fire within!
Pro tip: Try and build your passion slowly and then see if you wish to make it a part of your growth. Chances that automatically the passion will start shaping your personality as you would be working your way out even when you are stuck in tough situations. I am able to write consistently, even when I do not get monetary benefits, as writing is my passion which has shaped my growth over the period of time.
2. Building relationships
It’s better to learn from interactions than dictate from speeches
We might be in different positions, where we have people junior (in age/experience/designation) to us. Due to the ways in which we are conditioned to behave, we start assuming the power of authority and think that our speeches or thoughts are always correct and can universally be applied in all situations. As a result, we start dictating and imposing decisions on the subordinates. Instead, it is wise to become position-neutral and learn from people who might not be the same as your age/experience/designation, but they might have something very valuable to offer to you, which might change the way you perceive that aspect altogether. Give it a try; it’s worth it.
Pro tip: Do not be shy to learn from juniors. It is not going to make you feel foolish. On the contrary they will like to be heard, and would respect you more for listening to them or acknowledging them for their skill, knowledge or uniqueness. I draw a lot of my learnings from people who are younger than me. Love their energy and understanding of new skills.
3. Mental well-being
The world is full of elements and ideas which we can appreciate once we are ready to do so. All we would need is a little time to pause and admire the element.
When did you last wish to slow down and admire your surroundings?
We have become so preoccupied that we tend to skip micro-details embedded in our surroundings. The leaves venations, the butterfly wings, the hand stitch on your handcrafted bag, the distressed wooden door in your neighbourhood, which is painted a bright ochre yellow — these small elements, when appreciated can change our thought process.
When we pause and admire, we are essentially dissecting the element in a fashion where the mind starts drawing abstract figures, which then turn into creative ideas ready to become a source of inspiration for our next project/presentation. This exercise might sound difficult for non-creative people, but then try and turn to a 3-year-old who is painting from nature and creating abstract but meaningful images (in their unique ways); and you will realise it is a similar practice — appreciate and create.
Pro tip: The appreciation process should be done consciously but without prejudice. It should be a mix of curiosity and spontaneity, as it's best to spot something when you are least expecting it. Most of my writing pieces result from slowing down, admiring, and creating.
Life Lessons by others
4. About growth
“As long as your intentions are solid and about growth and progression and being productive and not being idle, then you're doing good in my book”.
Frank Ocean
5. Happiness
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world”
J.R.R. Tolkien
6. Best versions
“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.”
Judy Garland
7. Politics
“Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy.”
Ernest Benn
8. Childhood
“Many of our deepest motives come, not from an adult logic of how things work in the world, but out of something that is frozen from childhood.”
Kazuo Ishiguro
Photographs that intrigue me
9. Colors of nature
Here is an interesting play of colours from a random evening. One can spot hues of nature—the dark blue-grey sky, the pop of red, and the shades of green as the base colour—all coming together to paint a beautiful natural landscape.
This jellyfish kept me captivated for a very long time. It moved so fluidly and had such a calming effect. I could watch it for hours as it looked so surreal.
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Hope this newsletter helps your mindful growth journey GET STARTED 🤜
Love,
Parul ✨
If you decide to share any other content from the publication, kindly credit me. All content is copyrighted © material by Parul Kapoor and would carry legal implications if published elsewhere without due credit. It is a product of hard work and love for the craft.