Passion, Commitment, and the Journey to Success - Shambhavi Nautiyal

"Fuel your journey with passion, but anchor it with commitment. Success awaits those who walk the path with dedication."

Passion is a barely controllable emotion, and that’s wholly true if you ask me: Anyone can strongly hate or love a subject or job inexplicably, but this is where ‘commitments’ enter the chat. Whether we like something or not, if we want to enhance our skills and achieve a specific goal, we have to work towards our goal consistently. 

If we aim to succeed, we have to set aside all our distractions and “passions,” other than the passion for working hard and becoming successful. To remind ourselves of the spark and determination we had while setting our goals, we should remind ourselves of our purpose through vision-boarding and reading the transcript written at the time of goal-setting. 

Because our results seem unknown, we feel demotivated to work (which is pleasant in a way as it indicates our self-awareness), which is why we should romanticize the process of working and make that our goal. Consistency and discipline make up our commitments and should be our only goal.

Leave the rest to God.

Shambhavi Nautiyal
APS

Hope: The Eternal Guiding Light - Reveda Bhatt

"Hope is the anchor that keeps the soul afloat in the stormy seas of life."

Hope keeps us alive - it's the driving force that propels us forward, yearning for a better life, an enduring existence, or simply happiness in any form. Hope is the guiding light along life's journey, essential for reaching our destination. Without hope, life would be impossible.

Consider the marginalized communities within our society; despite facing adversity, they persist, fueled by hope. It's their belief that life will improve somewhere along the way that sustains their efforts.

Hope is akin to sight for the blind - an intangible force that guides us through darkness. It's like a beacon for sailors navigating treacherous waters, illuminating their path amidst the vast expanse of the night sky. Just as a star dims without hope, so too would our spirit’s falter.

Hope transcends barriers and fuels our aspirations. It's a vital force that sustains us, even in our darkest hours.

‘Hope’ you understand what I mean!

Reveda Bhatt

Is it what we do that matters or the attitude behind it? - Rishona Chopra

PC- Medium

"Hard work"-  the term says a lot in itself. It talks about "working hard". It's doing the things you do with full dedication and perseverance. It is about exploring and going out of your comfort zone and doing those things with full dedication. Hard work isn't limited to being industrious but also to branching out and challenging yourself to do something new and "hard " for you. 

A very common situation is related to our studies. I personally have my own likes and dislikes for school subjects but then you can't leave a subject you don't like. Even if it's something that you absolutely dislike, one has to do it. Now, even if one works hard and studies that one subject diligently, a very important thing is the attitude we do it with. Do we do it for the sake of marks or do we do it because we know it's vital and because we are eager to learn?

Our attitude towards something changes our perception towards it and improves the quality of our work. Not just now, in our school years but also in our future endeavours. It's not just what we do, it's the intention behind it. One can work in a profession of service and help several others but is that person in that profession for the money and fame behind it or because they really care? The intentions not only show in our quality of work but also affect our state of well-being. 

While studying something that differs from one's interest, if we find little joy in doing it, then it may become easy for us! 

In life, things can never always go the way we want them to go. People are different, their thoughts are different and so are their actions. The only thing in our control is our actions, thoughts and feelings. The feeling of co-operation and an optimistic learning attitude is what creates the difference. 

It's the difference in our attitude that makes "hard work" not so hard after all!

Rishona Chopra

Grade VIII 

Gyanshree School

The Seer and the Seen - Rishona Chopra

Photo by https://stock.adobe.com

The question about who we really are often bugs me. Who are we? Are we the mind? The body? Or are we the soul? 

There is a simple philosophy to finding this out. "The Seer Is Not The Seen". If I am seeing a plant, that means I am not the plant. So I, the seer, am not the plant (the seen). Now, I can see my body, that also means that we are NOT our body. We know our feelings and thoughts so in a way we can see our thoughts. But if we can see our thoughts that means we are not our thoughts so if we are not the body and not the mind, who are we? 

We are the conscious; our soul. But is my soul different from yours? No, we are all the same conscious and have the same guiding lights within us. We are only so different in our thoughts and body but we are all the same. 

The "God" we look for in temples and photos is within us. Our conscious and guiding light is God. Going by the definition, God is the creator and the light within us, in fact, the creator is the very reason for our existence. God is not living on Jupiter and noting our deeds in his long register. It's a power within us and that's what makes humans so special. We have the power to choose and to create. 

Let us take the example of two pots kept in a room. In that room air flows. Both pots also enclose air in them. But can we see that the air in one pot is different from the other? No, not at all. The air in both of them is just the same. Can we also say that the air enclosed within the pot is the "pot's air" alone? The same air is enclosed in the room too. 

Similarly, consciousness is one, but we assume each has a different soul by looking at different thoughts and looks. But the soul in each is the same and one. 

Rishona Chopra

Grade VII 

Gyanshree School

Questions I ask - Rishona Chopra

Photo from https://www.peakpx.com
Nature is so perfect, But why are we so wrecked? Why are we with flaws? Why do humans have the habit of going against the laws? Why aren’t all of us patient and kind? Pure and with a clean mind.

Why do people steal?
Why do people not feel?
Why do we lie and cheat?
Why are people poor and on the street?

When I ask these questions, I realize,
I don't have to look for the answer up in the skies.
The answer is within me,
I am the holder of the key.

God is the fuel of the car,
Helps the car move like a bright star.
But it's the driver’s fault that the car has met an accident,
The fuel isn’t responsible for the mistakes and accidents.

God has given us this body and mind,
Given endless freedom to humankind.
Gave us materials so we have enough food,
But we’re the ones who wrongly viewed.
We made alcohol and tobacco,
We blamed god for our troubles although,
We were the ones to blame,
We were lost in making money and fame.

God gave us the mind,
We had an option to be kind.
But we’re the ones who made the other choice.
And lost the pureness in our voice.

Rishona Chopra

Gyanshree School

Grade VIII

International Mother Language Day- Shambhavi Nautiyal

International Mother Language Day

The indispensableness of knowing our mother language is understood by all of us. It connects us with indigenous culture, people, traditions, and history. It helps us learn where we come from and who our ancestors were, as they are who we are since we are compact from our ancestors. They reside in our bodies, shower us with blessings, and guide us from the subtle realms.

A testament to this is in the fact that we can find fragments of our ancestors in our countenance, devolved virtues and values, how our ancestors can find semblances of them in us and how they can tell with a single glance that we belong to their lineage just by the aura and mien we have may they be dead or alive. To me, connection with my mother language means connection with my ancestors, who may be from a millennium ago or just a generation ago.

The expressions, slang, speech, and literature in their era let me know what kind of people they were, how the times gone were and how it would feel getting to know them. By learning about our mother tongue, we get to know them through word of mouth or writing, which may divulge the allegory of their life, how they reacted to their plight and what I can learn from that.

Even though in the present times we have several translations of our scriptures, and I own to have read them too yet, there is an implicitly distinct sentiment of being connected to your roots, almost like watering the roots of a tree and maybe even discerning how our past life had been like because there is a reason for everything, including why we were born on this part of the universe, belonging to our peculiar ethnicity, may we be aware of it or not.

The reason for that is to learn something new and succeed in our spiritual advancement by picking up something from this realm, the people surrounding us, and the language of our ancestors bequeathed to us. And that's why try at least learning to be fluent in speaking our mother language.

Shambhavi Nautiyal

Ahlcon Public School

Grade- IX

Tribute to Parents- Shambhavi Nautiyal

How can you give tribute to your parents?

I tell my mother that I love her at least eight times a day and try to act as infantile as I try not to hurt her feelings and, in its truest sense, make her feel happy. Ever since my infancy, the dynamic has been like that, and I can never ignore how her face brightens. That’s maybe the reason I am not able to implement my emotional maturity with her because I still feel like I’m five and, so I’m not able to act my actual age until we have some ‘grown-up talk’ because I don’t feel like a thing has changed between me and her and, I hope that she can constructively share her experiences in the future so that I can view her as a rational adult willing enough to understand me and forgive me in the best way that she can.

To pay tribute to your parents, you can write letters of admiration for them, maybe like a ‘Thank You Letter’.  I'm going to be doing this for this 'Mother’s Day'.  It is on occasions like this when I feel like I can be inherently open about my feelings without the fear of getting roasted or hit by the reality of the nature of my conduct towards my mother. I don't feel shy about speaking sweetly to my parents, and I feel like that as that’s how I have been wired by the media I consume.

I am pretty bad at the respect part, I believe, because my parents keep telling me that and this is probably the first time I am mentioning my ‘darker side’ or mistakes in one of these blogs. What I have focused till now is more on the flaws of my parent’s parenting skills, and I have also recently discovered that I have had the ‘perfectionist syndrome’ in some way because I used to think of things as black and white, so I couldn’t bring myself to love and forgive both mine and others’ mistakes.

So now I just want to say to my parents, “I am so proud to be your daughter, both of you, equally and  I think I realise your true value and role in my life journey and mindset” because I don’t know when or if I would ever be able to say this to their face, because you know it’s easier with friends because they only show their best side to you but with family, it’s different. You know each other inside-out and if you’re able to love each other unconditionally despite that, then you are gold and the luckiest person on earth with one of the best subconscious minds and emotional patterns.

There is conflict in families only when, one of the members isn’t able to accept, forgive and love the other member’s mistakes and starts shaming them for being an irresponsible human, which sometimes may also be unfeasible which is why you should always do the inner work and healing so that you don’t create an unhealthy environment for others.

According to me, if the toxic member happens to be you, then question yourself, if their mistake is something changeable. If yes, immediately call out your toxic behaviour and remind yourself that it’s okay to be human and commit mistakes. Never make someone hate themselves to the degree that they can’t ignore it anymore. Also, if you want to get tribute then you need to make yourself worthy of it first, whether child or parent, don’t make your behaviours nullify all the formal work that you do, especially, to the point, that your child or parent, isn’t able to remember all your good efforts.

First, learn to love yourself and then propagate it to others because it all starts from the self if you ever want to become a parent, keep questioning yourself- Would you want your child to go through something you're going through at the moment? And to the person who observes this kind of ‘behaviour’, first, acknowledge what’s happening to you and then slowly start empathizing with the other member, be the bigger person and forgive them. Kill them with kindness and it shall all come back to you. Just try maintaining that abundance mindset and pay your tribute.

Shambhavi Nautiyal

Ahlcon Public School

Grade- IX

Injustice according to Guru Nanak - Sakshi Singh

In Guru Nanak's view, injustice isn't just a problem in society; it's like a sickness in our souls. When we mistreat others, we're straying from what's right and ignoring the fact that we all have a special spark inside us. 

Thinking about this, I realize how important it is for us to look out for each other, speak up against unfairness, and ensure everyone is treated equally and kindly. 

It's like a reminder that we must live in a way that respects others, following the wise teachings of Guru Nanak.

Sakshi Singh

Grade X

Gyanshree school

Seize the moment - Saikiran Sahu

Seize the moment 

The memories once that were present-

The present we didn't value.

The only times when we keep pondering,  

On our sad past and tense future.

Forgetting those precious pearls-  

That is in our hands now and will not be forever. 

For now, we all beg for our past -

And some reminisce about it and some cry over it,

As if it could have been changed just by blaming. 

Then comes our future as if there is a portal to it,

You overthink and spend that time-

that's continuously moving out of your hand.

So why not do something more useful,

Build memories that are as sweet as honey,

To be worth cherished and to be looked back.

The precious souvenir of every perfect time with your- 

Loved one or the deeds that make people happy,

And most of all that makes you, yourself merry.

It is better than living a life where people are always-

Remising about decisions that they were influenced about. 

Live the present as if it is the last day to be spent  

Because life is all about having no repent!

Saikiran Sahu

Grade-X

Gyanshree School

Image Courtesy-Verywell Mind

Navigating Grief - Sakshi Singh

 

                                                        Dealing with someone you love

Losing someone you love is tough. It hurts, and you feel sad, confused, and lost. Whether it's a family member, friend, or even a pet, the pain is real. Let's talk about how people feel and cope when someone they love dies.

At first, it's a big shock. You might feel like everything is falling apart, and it's hard to believe it's real. You might feel numb or not really there.

Then, anger can kick in. You might feel mad at the world, yourself, or even the person who died. You might wonder why it happened and wish things were different. It's confusing because there are lots of mixed-up feelings.

Next, there's bargaining. You might try to make deals with yourself or with a higher power to change what happened. You might feel guilty or wish you could turn back time. But deep down, you know things can't go back to how they were.

Depression can hit hard. You realize the person you love is really gone, and life feels empty. Things that used to make you happy don't anymore. It's okay to feel sad and ask for help during this time.

Finally, there's acceptance. It's when you start to find peace with what happened. You know the pain won't go away completely, but you can still live your life. You find ways to remember and honor the person you lost.

Everyone copes with loss differently. But talking to friends, family, or a therapist can help you feel less alone. Doing things that make you feel good, like exercising or being creative, can also help. And finding ways to remember the person you love, like through rituals or acts of kindness, can bring comfort.

Losing someone you love is really tough, but with support and self-care, you can get through it. It's okay to feel sad, and healing takes time. Remember, you're not alone, and there's hope for brighter days ahead.

Sakshi Singh

Grade X

Gyanshree School

The Growth Of Social Networking - Etash Deb

Image courtesy https://chrisnwest.com, used by Etash Deb for representation only. 

 THE EVOLUTION OF SOCIAL MEDIA: FROM SOCIALIZING TO MARKETING

Social media has come a long way since its early days as a place to chat with friends and to promote small-scale businesses. Now, it's evolved into a major marketing tool for businesses all around the world.

Back when social media started, sites like MySpace and Friendster were where you'd go to connect with friends and share updates about your life. But then, platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter came along and changed everything.

Nowadays, these platforms aren't just for chatting with friends; they're where businesses go to connect with customers. Take Instagram, for instance. It used to be all about sharing cool photos with your followers. But now, businesses use it to showcase their products and connect with potential buyers. Influencers, who have lots of followers, play a big role too. When they endorse a product, it reaches a huge audience.

Twitter is another example. It started as a place to post short messages, but now businesses use it to interact with customers, share news, and even provide customer service.

The key to social media marketing is engagement. Businesses need to create content that people want to like, share, and comment on. That's how they build a following and reach new customers.

But it's not just about posting ads. Businesses also need to engage with their followers. That means responding to comments, answering questions, and being a part of the conversation.

Overall, like all things in life, change is inevitable. Social media has evolved from something insignificant for mankind to a vital development tool. It has evolved from simple networking platforms into powerful marketing tools. It's changed how businesses connect with customers and has been going strong for a while. Thus with the growing development of the world, the ever-growing expansion of social media is also inevitable.

Etash Deb

IX-B

Gyanshree School

Image Reference-

https://chrisnwest.com/social-media-strategically-2023/

Insights from "What Did You Ask At School Today" - Ritu Jain

 Unlocking the Keys to Motivation in Education

"Action isn’t just the effect of motivation, but also the cause of it".

We tend to think that we have to wait for inspiration or energy to hit us, and we get deflated when it doesn't come. We might think that we're doing something motivating or proactive when, in fact, we're not.

Motivation – a word that holds the power to drive us towards our goals, to fuel our aspirations, and to propel us through the challenges we face. Yet, despite its significance, understanding motivation, especially in the context of education, remains a complex endeavor. In the thought-provoking book "What Did You Ask At School Today: A Handbook Of Child Learning Book 1" by Kamala V. Mukunda," the essence of motivation is explored, shedding light on its intricacies and its pivotal role in the learning process.

The book begins with a chapter on how the human brain develops and learns from infancy. It 'peers into the brain', using insights from great scientific studies of the past as well as from modern technology, to explain neurogenesis and learning. 

"What makes us do the things we do? What motivates us to begin an activity, and keep it up until some goal is achieved, sometimes even in the face of great difficulty?" This fundamental question sets the stage for a deeper exploration into the dynamics of motivation. While the answer may vary from person to person and situation to situation, there exists a universal aspect to motivation – the inherent capacity within all human beings to be motivated.

The passage underscores an essential insight: the perception of someone as 'unmotivated' often stems from their deviation from the expectations of others. As educators, understanding this distinction is crucial, as it allows us to navigate the complexities of motivation in the classroom effectively. When students exhibit enthusiasm for learning, teaching transcends mere instruction; it becomes an enriching experience, characterized by mutual growth and fulfilment. Conversely, in the absence of motivation, even the most meticulously crafted lessons can seem futile, dissipating into a void of disinterest and frustration.

In essence, the heart of effective teaching lies in answering the pivotal question: "How do I motivate my students to learn?" This question encapsulates the essence of the educator's journey – a quest to unlock the keys to student engagement, curiosity, and intrinsic drive. It beckons us to delve into the myriad factors that influence motivation, from the allure of discovery to the impact of environment and personal agency.

At its core, motivation in education is not merely about coaxing compliance or incentivizing performance; it is about nurturing a genuine passion for learning, a thirst for knowledge that transcends the confines of the classroom. It requires fostering a supportive and empowering educational ecosystem where students feel valued, challenged, and inspired to embark on intellectual adventures.

In conclusion, "What Did You Ask At School Today: A Handbook Of Child Learning Book 1" by Kamala V. Mukunda" serves as a poignant reminder of the profound impact of motivation on the educational experience. It beckons educators to embrace the challenge of nurturing motivation in their students, recognizing it as a cornerstone of meaningful learning and personal development. 

So let us embark on this transformative journey together, fueled by the belief in the boundless potential of motivated minds.

Ritu Jain
General Manager @My Good School