Eight Life Quotes Translated (Part 2)

More quotes debunked!

5. You Only Get One Shot

When I was in middle school, elocution was a big event. I was a really good public speaker — I had the voice, the confidence and discipline it took to memorize the pieces. However, the two ‘big’ shots I got were both epically sabotaged.

The first one was for a national level elocution contest where the supervisor accidentally gave out the wrong date. This was during a time when you couldn’t just head online to go over rules and get instant updates. Information was passed on through ‘circulars’. I remember my teacher — the one who sincerely coached me — breaking down. I remember my parents complaining to the principal about the ‘careless overlooking’ on their part. I wasn’t devastated because if so, I wouldn’t have given it another go.

This time, the stakes were arguably lower. It was an inter-house competition and I didn’t spend as many hours after school rehearsing. I was reciting one of Ogden Nash’s poems. At least this time I physically got on stage! And it was amazing. I remember the feeling quite vividly. I was the good kind of nervous, giddy with excitement. The whole audience was hanging on to my every word. There were laughs all around. I was on fire!

And then I stopped. I just blanked out. Just stood on that stage and went silent. People in the audience were probably squirming on my behalf. I think I was escorted after like 2 more minutes of radio silence. But I remember not crying at all. I was beaming. This was hardly the most humiliating moment of my life. And I’ve thought about it once in a while. Isn’t this the sort of thing that scars a child forever?

If you are meant to do something, if you want it bad enough, you may get a couple of shots. You may ‘screw up’ one or more of those shots but it won’t matter if you were there giving your best, feeling 100% fulfilled and into it.

If you do have a golden opportunity, focus on soaking in that gorgeous moment. In the present. If you keep telling yourself that this is it or nothing, that’s a lot of pressure. And sorry but the world, Murphy’s Law, IRCTC, Taco Bell and a host of other things will teach you that you are only in charge of your mind in the present moment. Every other thing is variable.

6. Love Makes The World Go Round

Love IS the most powerful emotion that’s beyond all of us but it’s pain that binds people, moves things, and brings about change. Love is bliss which is just being. Actionable change comes from something else.

Black Lives Matter is a movement that is as strong as it is today because of the unbearable pain that every single black person and the many, many non black people feel at the injustice being meted out. Love provides the sustenance. It gives you faith, strength, hope to get up everyday and face the monsters. But commitment and drive come from deep pain and a need to feel validated.

7. Find Someone Who Loves You More Than You Love Yourself

This is not so hard to achieve if you have terribly low self esteem. Hehe. Loving yourself unconditionally is the highest form of love. It only takes about a lifetime to get there but once you’re aware of this, you look for a partner who also loves themselves and then you can bask in your joint love. Because love comes from love. You cannot give another person the highest degree of love if you don’t already revel in it. Yes, this cynical person has some pretty lofty aspirations when it comes to love!

And a note about loving yourself. This is not some narcissistic endeavor like Instagram has you thinking — quotes about love and embracing yourself somewhere in between laser hair removal endorsements, make up and #fitspo posts just preceding it.

It’s sooooo much more than ‘feelin yourself’. This brand of self love is phony, superficial and weak. Aspire for more.

A decadent day of ‘self loving’ can mean being very forgiving with yourself, no negative self-talk, laughing out loud at yourself, hugging and high five-ing yourself when you get things right, feeling the hurt of the past and loving yourself intensely more because look at you now.

8. What Goes Around Comes Around

True 100%! However, most times you don’t get to see it actually happen. And it isn’t as tit for tat. Maybe you’re always helping people out when they need money but when you’re broke, everyone’s MIA. Getting a refund on something or finding $100 in your jeans is still karma at play.

This statement is sassily thrown around during breakups and so lets explore that situation. If a douchebag from your past is ‘doing well’ (any where from Don Bilzerian to married) while you’re still putting up with cringeworthy Tinder talk, it is tempting to think that you may be bad luck’s chosen one ( I even started #SadLuckSandy on Twitter during one such time). Few things once the self pity party dies down: what you are seeing is the image/construct that this person is broadcasting. The justice system of the universe works a whole lot better than anything us humans ever created. You may not get to see the proceedings but if you have been wronged, best believe the person involved in the wrongdoing is going to pay. There are myriad forms in which this can manifest and unfortunately that is not our business. Rarely, introspection happens and you get a call back. But by this time, all of this is too highly steeped in irrelevance.

So don’t hold your breath waiting to be able to say these words. Instead, accept that karma works in mysterious ways and run in the direction of awesomeness! And vegan ice cream.