Fragile- Handle with care !

Dr Sumedha Kushwaha *

I am not gold- you cannot melt me!
I am diamond- test me under pressure, I will shine and sparkle more!

I wrote these lines a few weeks back. Still a contrary statement you might find in the next line- Fragile, Please handle with care. I wish god created humans with that tattoo explicitly describing what we truly are. The first thing to crop up in your mind when you read this line would be your ‘ego’.

I am very strong, all this is not applicable to me! I am sure you are strong. I believe in you more than anyone ever will.

But, just observe that there are times in life when you understand that god gave us a heart- that breaks, he gave us hope- that shatters, he gave us ego- which gets hurt, he gave us dreams- which do not fulfil, he gave us a vision- which is blurred, he gave us mind- which breaks down. Yes, it is all fragile- Handle with Care!

But, the more you break, the more you build. If you are in the phase of breaking now- believe me it’s the most beautiful phase of your life. Unless, you demolish the weak you, you cannot create a stronger you. Be assured that good and bad are just phases in life. Like happiness, sadness is not eternal as well. The way you embrace the good, please embrace the worst too.

There might be tears flowing from your eyes, but don’t stop dreaming. Your hopes might be shattered, but not let your trust in yourself break. You might be under debt today, don’t give up the vision of being a billionaire someday. Your family might not support your love today, don’t give up on that relationship, where you feel home.

Just keep going. “IT IS EASIEST TO GIVE UP ON YOURSELF AND HARDEST TO BELIEVE IN YOURSELF”.

This line, if anyone understands well, shall understand the importance of self. As a young mother but an entrepreneur a few years back- I used to be breastfeeding my baby, cradling him to sleep, changing diapers yet replying to calls and emails, attending client meetings and still envisioning how to raise revenues. I realized that the situation that I am in is not an easy affair.

On one hand is the love of my life, the sole purpose of my existence- My Work! The thing that I swear by. On the other hand, is a baby whom I have to nurture, to raise into a fine human being, it is my main responsibility in life. Both tasks are equally important and would take equal strength.

I used to break every night and gather myself in the morning to just let the time pass. Not giving up on either. It’s a hard thing. For someone who has 100% time and concentration on work versus someone like me who has less than 50% focus on work with people around me telling that the child should be the main focus of life. I understood that it is not the society whom I answer to, it's only and only myself.

We usually write in the newspaper in third person. But I want to share this personal experience because for workaholics like you and me- it's mostly that after working we forget that we require a “Founder’s Mind Space” - a time of the day where we can imagine. As visionaries, we have to keep imagining.

We have to keep building on our thoughts, we have to envision the unseen. That’s our job! But, we get so caught in work or emotions or debt or stress or health issues- that the fragile mind space we have- shatters- Hence, handle with care. It is your absolute duty to protect the sanctity of that space, that temperament, that drive to achieve and work.

I talk with experience here, when you start giving into the falsehood of others- you give them power over you. You start colouring your beliefs and ideals with those of others. You give up. It is really better to quit at that time and start from zero.

It is okay to reset. Because with eyes flowing with tears, there are sometimes no dreams. With a mind full of sorrow and guilt, there is no mind space to create. With a heart full of grudges, there is no light. Life is surely a race against time. But don’t you think it is easy to run and win without baggage!