2023 and all it had to give - Rishona Chopra

2023 has been a fantastic year for me! There were lots of ups and downs and lots of learning to take away!

The start of the year was rather bumpy. It started with annual exams which weren't the best so that was a letdown for me.  But then the fact that I was going to another higher grade made me quite cheerful and excited. I must say, the new semester was a fresh start. It allowed me to improve from my past mistakes and learn from them. 

The first day of school was a new door. It was the day when I met a lot of new people. New students and teachers too. I did have some negative perceptions about a few people but now that I think about it those perceptions have changed drastically. I suppose you can't assume things without knowing someone first!

Then there were exams. I had mathematical formulas, equations and a ton of nervousness rushing through my mind but we did make it through the exams too. 

I can't go on about 2023 without mentioning my journey with My Good School. It was a fantastic year! From Meet and Greets with several authors and entrepreneurs, I not only expanded my collection of books but also expanded my learning by miles. Each Sunday session was valuable and priceless. There was something new to take away each time. 

Another highlight of the year was My Guide Inside. The sessions I did with Ms. Christa Campsall were invaluable and being able to conduct similar sessions with younger grades was the icing on the cake. MGI has been a huge part of 2023 and it's all thanks to the mentors who work hard to give us this meaningful bundle of learning and joy. 

My most trustworthy and silent companion was with me throughout this journey; That companion is a book. Books were a crucial part of 2023. I explored new genres and read some amazing books that are indeed no less than a treasure. I dived into the world of polar bears and dogs and some very touching stories of families. Books just take me to another world and make the year more memorable. 

I wouldn't have made it through the year without my family. They are the ones I do have disagreements with but also the ones most dear to me. I believe sometimes we take the gift of family for granted but it's important to realize that having parents to hold on to is a blessing. It's perhaps the greatest gift in the world and they are what made my year better than ever. 

There were a lot of highlights of 2023 and these are just a few of them. There were a lot of times in the year when my behaviour was rather negative and I will try to improve upon it. Of course, you can't permanently remove negative feelings from your life but it is vital to work towards positivity. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

To be human... - Rishona Chopra

Humans. That term rings a bell, doesn't it? What does it really mean?

Scientifically, humans are the most common and widespread species of primate.
Psychologically, humans are complex beings, and their behaviour and mental attitude result from interaction within and between their internal biological, psychological and social systems.

There are several definitions of "human", which are perhaps countless. I believe that "human" is just a term for creatures with two arms, two legs, two hands, two feet, two eyes, one nose, and two ears that can talk and express their words clearly. Apart from our distinct physical features, we are like any other living organism.  

There is so much we can learn from the smallest of creatures. Ants, for example. They work diligently in an organised manner and are quite industrious. They never fight with each other and don't interfere with each other's work. They simply do what they do. Even sheep, they only care about getting food and water. They don't realise that they're walking a new road every day. They probably don't see that the fields are different and the seasons change as long as we give them food and water. (lines from The Alchemist).

 This shows that sometimes we humans too, don't realise that every day is a new adventure, a new beginning to relish. We are so busy in our work that we don't care to look out the window and see the world's beauty. 

You might think that animals don't have feelings, but we do, so we are superior to them. But, have you ever been in the mind of an animal? Probably not, so you have no idea if they have feelings and thoughts too. And if you have been in the mind of  an animal, bird, or plant, tell me what you saw in the comments below!

It is right when we say humans are complex. Everything is perfectly laid out, but we unnecessarily make our  life complicated and create issues. We get puzzles to solve, telling us that the boy has to reach a box of cookies through a complex maze. We can just directly take the boy to the jar without really going inside the maze but going out of it! Isn't that so much simpler? 

We say animals' life is simple, but we don't realise that so is ours. We divide ourselves foolishly into castes and religions. In my opinion, it is nothing but our blindness to the truth. We separate ourselves based on different "gods", but there is really just one god, a power that guides us. "My guide inside", as some of us would call it. I wouldn't comment more on that but this is my opinion. 

Let me ask you a question, or why don't you ask yourself a question. What is your purpose on Earth? To get a good job, earn money, be a good citizen, be a good child, and be a good student? You would probably quote all your roles as a reply. I believe that your only purpose is to do good. I think we all have forgotten that very purpose and are physical humans but mentally we are not. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

The Wheels Of Learning Never Stop Turning! - Rishona Chopra

Yes, it is rightly said that the wheels of learning never stop turning!

Participating in the My Guide Inside program has enriched my thinking and perspective on several things. 

"Mind + Consciousness + Thought = Reality" is the base of this book.

Universal Mind is the source of all intelligence, and Universal Consciousness, allows us to be aware of our existence. And Universal Thought, which guides us through the world.

There are several learnings I took with me from the MGI Pilot Program. I think we can all agree on how each session had its own beauty and importance.I am going to be sharing a few of the key points I think are quite vital to understand and know about.

I learnt how we all are just lost thinkers. Our imagination is limited to what we know. Our thoughts and actions are based on the knowledge we know. It is vital to break that boundary and think beyond it. To add perspective to every situation. In any case, we think only from our perspective and stick to what we know. If we consider ourselves lost thinkers, looking at each view and reflecting on the day correctly, we might find peace and happiness with everyone. 

We all have our own separate reality, our own thoughts and our own world. All of us face differences of opinion at some point or another other, but it is vital to understand another person's perspective. Just like, we think what we know is correct, the other person feels the same. Instead, if we believe, "My thoughts are just a perspective, they aren't the best, and perhaps I should listen to others' thoughts and then evaluate." Things would get a lot better. 

I personally loved the line "Life Is Like A Piano". When I started playing the piano, I wanted to learn to play my favourite song, but it is essential to be patient and take a few steps back, learn and then strive to play the music to its best. Similarly, in life, we have to be patient and learn from others and listen to their thoughts and wait instead of directly jumping on the result. In this way, we can do a task to its full potential. 

Learning is something that never stops at each point in life, we learn something new and exciting, and at My Guide Inside, I learnt quite a lot and will continue to discover more!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

My pen's view on nature - Yashraj Sharma

                                                     

A big part of who we are or how we are recognised is the company we stay in, which means the type of people we are surrounded by.  

Mother nature is also filled with examples like this, like this picture I took today at the Pradhan Mantri Sanghralaya. Let me tell you the 2 ideas I came up with when I first saw this picture.

First, I thought that the part of the tree with the concrete wall in its background is the stage in a person's life when they have a fixed, enclosed and rigid mindset. But the part of the tree with the other trees in its background is part of a person's life when they are mixed with people with positive vibes and a "growth" mindset open to new thoughts and suggestions. This thought about the different perspectives of people depicted in this picture came to me from the 'My Guide Inside' session on Friday.

The second utterly different idea I came up with was that when the tree had the concrete wall in its background, it is the stage in a person's life when they sometimes get mixed in "negative" company. But the part of the photo where the tree has other lush green trees in its background. That is the stage when a person slowly progresses to be surrounded by people with positive feelings, thoughts, discussions and ideas.

These precious teachings and skills to live life to the fullest, provided by nature, are everywhere, just sitting in the landscape waiting to be discovered….

Yashraj Sharma

Grade: IX

Gyanshree School, Noida

The Lost Thinker - Rishona Chopra

Our imagination is limited to what we know. Our thoughts and actions are based on the knowledge we know. It is vital to break that boundary and think beyond it. To add perspective to every situation. In any case, we think only from our perspective and stick to what we know. If we consider ourselves lost thinkers, looking at each view and reflecting on the day correctly, we might find peace and happiness with everyone. 

Sometimes, in situations at home that we experience with family or friends, we try to do the same outside. If someone misbehaves with us, we act the same way with other people. This happens because of all the feelings accumulated in us. We want to let it all out, and doing the same with others worsens things. We all need someone who understands our importance in this world and truly knows us, but no one can understand us better than we do. We have to be that 'someone'. Only then can we find true happiness. 

You need to reflect and move on. You can't simply be ignorant and move on, and you can't keep remembering forever, either. Both steps are part of the journey. 

Life is like a contact sport. Let us take the example of football. There is winning and losing in the sport. But what matters is what attitude we play with. Do we play for the mere joy of playing or for winning? If we play for pleasure, we will be happy even in the hard times. If we take life to be a field with ups and downs, winning and losing and yet a place full of joy, we will never feel disheartened in the tough times and know there is always a ray of hope. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

Living in the present, leaving the past in the dust - Rishona Chopra

Life is like a piano. You are the master; you choose the keys and create your own tune. But to make that memorable tune, you must first learn life's chords and rhythm. Understand the essence and be patient; only you can be the master and create a marvellous theme.

It is our world, our decisions and our choices that we have to make. One cannot make a choice for us, but we should always lend an ear to good advice. Life is like an open book. It starts with an introduction followed by the growth of the story and, in the end, a conclusion. Whether we plan to make it a horror, fantasy, comedy, happy, emotional, or any other way is up to us. But we notice in the story that one is never alone; there are a thousand helpers.

The pianist can only make a good tune with the piano's keys, and each key is critical. Do the keys fight with each other? No, they all know they are equally important, and the song is incomplete without any of them. Therefore, we should understand that no one is the best or the worst. No one is any greater or less than us. We are all equal and have nothing to fear. We have our own unique qualities that bring us together. 

"We all are one soul in different bodies."

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

Flawsome and Fun - Our True Identity - Rishona Chopra

http://www.inyouth.in

Often we find faults in ourselves. In whatever we do, we consider ourselves to be the worst and keep finding spots in our own work; not only that, but we also start judging the work of others and keep finding flaws in it. It is never good to criticize ourselves or anyone, but knowing our mistakes and learning from them is good.

Instead of finding faults and criticizing ourselves, we should look at it with a positive attitude thinking that we shall not make this mistake again. We all make mistakes and learn from them. We must not have a delusion about ourselves. Therefore we are flawsome - have flaws but are yet so awesome!

Sometimes, we try to change ourselves for someone else, we tend to show off and change our look, personality and style just to make friends but that does nothing. It simply pressurizes us. Therefore we should have an open character and know we are flawsome yet fun.

On the other hand, criticizing the work of others is clearly wrong because we need empathy and fairness towards others. We must understand the feelings of others. If we spot any mistake in their work, we mustn't show it to them rudely. But politely point it out with the intention of looking out for them only if they ask for our opinion. We shouldn't misguide them. 

None of us is perfect with no mistakes, but our imperfections make us so perfect!

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School

The Lure Of Being Secure - Rishona Chopra

I think something we all feel is insecurity. At some point, we start rethinking our decisions and doubting ourselves.  Insecurity is simply a negative feeling which is really a disguise to fit in. It can be caused due to jealousy, and a lack of self-determination and optimism. Before raising our hand in class, do we feel a slight doubt about asking a particular question? We might feel what will other students think? Will they think that we don't know the answer to such a simple question. 

It is usually the thought "What will others think" that bothers us and affects us. No matter how much people say that we shouldn't care about what others say. Deep down, at some point, we do care, or at least I do. When someone says something about me in a negative way, it affects me if the person saying so is close to me as a friend or family. 

Whenever we feel something like that, we can always talk to ourselves. When I feel jealous of someone I tell myself that I am turning green with envy and that I have to turn normal again. It makes you feel better and makes a good laugh. 

Sometimes, we stop being ourselves and put on a personae of insecurity just to fit in. But, why fit in when you can stand out?

Rishona Chopra
Grade VII
Gyanshree School