Let’s do a bit of self diagnostic of environment in which we wake-up every morning, drag ourselves until the day is over and ask just one question, how do I classify depression?

• A state when I feel no energy
• When I can only think of bad things
• Do not see light at the end of tunnel
• Fail to focus on issues (lack of concentration)
• Unhappy feeling
• Sleeplessness, fear and craving for food
• Unwell feeling on getting out of the bed in the morning

If you face any of the above in 24 hours, you might be experiencing depression, and it makes you powerless!

I wonder how many realize that one of the easy ways to shed off depression is by changing your focus to small positive things around you and also use of words that are not too negative.

World renowned transformation speaker Anthony Robbins, in his book “Awaken the Giant Within” writes the following:

“Once you understand the power of words, you become highly sensitized not only to those you use, but to those that people around you use as well. As a result of my new understanding of Transformational Vocabulary, I found myself helping other around me.”

If a little shift can change your mental state from depressed to “Fully awake” and as Tony says “Turbo Charged”, will you not experiment it? After all it is your health and career at stake!

I recently experimented it in my office with simple stuff –

When we all settle down after seeing our emails etc, we start with smiling at each other, at times we laugh without any reason. It is contagious and we all continue this crazy laughing for few minutes.

Honestly speaking, this small effort pushes extreme energy in our bodies for the day. We particularly make it a point to laugh when we are under pressure to meet some time lines.

(did you just observe, I replace the word deadline to a better and more positive word time-line).

It is as simple as that.

Lets examine the bottom line … why get a degree? why study at all? No jobs on the market, ultra qualified executives backed with experience can’t land a decent interview, so why bother at all? The general suggestion among the entrepreneurial circle for aspiring workers of tomorrow is to either land a blue collar gig, [...]

Recession Backed Layoffs Reach Asia, Further Negate Value of Education is a post from: PakMediaBlog All Rights Reserved.

“last man standing after an all night drinking marathon” Bill Cardoso, 1970

Hunter S. Thompson’s disparaging innuendoes have me all hot and bothered. Sometimes, you gotta live it to love it. Last man standing, yes? Here we go again. Coherence be damned.

After a half-night of incoherent, inarticulate boozing and a morning of colorful dreams accompanied with a massive headache, I can’t help thinking of Thompson and his suicide. Considering that my evening began with talk of a friend’s suicide, it makes sense. Was I resentful? Did I feel anger? I think I was broken a little. My friend lived the myth, right to the very end. I wish you love.

Visual artists of Pakistan, where are we headed? One of us gave in and ended his life. One can attribute personal disorders to such behavior and shove it under the carpet. I refuse to let it go. We are all responsible. I claim responsibility. I claim friendship and love. I claim empathy. It has been 2 years. I don’t think I can ever forget.

The myth (the goddamned myth) comes and bites us in the ass, yes? Am I fighting the myth or living it? How can I dissect something without objectivity? How can I be objective when I am so deeply immersed? Oh the burden of pop culture. It weighs me down.

Sometimes, nothing can be done. However, I get this nagging feeling that saying that, or thinking it even, is the easy way out. Perhaps I am too emotionally invested? Maybe I need to quit blaming myself and everyone else. But that again, is only natural. Maybe in a few years, I will come to terms with the entire business and have something more intelligent to say about it. Though, I doubt if one can ever be intelligent about the loss of a friend.

Meanwhile, I keep watching them as they live out their fiction and I live mine. Fiction is often the best fact – just like Thompson said. Just like he said.

William Cow­per was a famous English poet of the 18th century, he oft­en strug­gled with de­press­ion and doubt. One night he de­cid­ed to com­mit su­i­cide by drown­ing him­self. He called a cab and told the driv­er to take him to the Thames Riv­er. How­ev­er, thick fog came down. After driv­ing around lost for a while, the cab­by fin­al­ly stopped and let Cow­per out, he found him­self on his own door­step:  He believed God had sent the fog to keep him from kill­ing him­self. Even in our black­est mo­ments, God watch­es over us.

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sovereign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not thy Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

. . .

I am a person holding a strong perception that any movie, be it animated or a fairytale, a love story or a tragic drama, a humorous one or a heartbreaking one, is some way or the other a true story. It may not be your story or my story but out of 7 billion people on earth, there is at least one person who owns the crux of the story. This perception has been dwelling in my mind for quite a long time but today after watching a really depressing movie made in USA, portraying the story of a loved one I have in my life, I strongly sense the way people connect themselves with each other no matter where they are or what they do. 

For me, fiction is just a way of adding fancy stuff to true stories to make them look good. Its just like adding cream and cherry on top of the black forest cake where the soft sponge is the one that makes the most of the cake but people buy it not because of the sponge but because of the cream and cherry on top of it. The oven burns the cake-batter to give it a shape of something concrete, edible and good to be thought about. That is the true story. Fiction is decorating it with elements that appeal to people so the baker could make money out of it. 

It is a stupid perception but I would like to share a thought here. If you use anything that is owned by someone else, give them the credit. Be it tiny little thing or be it big. Give the credit to people who provide you with favours and you just use them unconsciously. For instance the tea bag you use, give credit to Lipton and not to your own self for making such good tea. Because lipton’s tea leaves are true story and you adding milk to it and having fun is Fiction

Spread the word around with fiction of love added to it!