Ironic as it may sound, after the post on micro vacations, I report live from quite the opposite – the heart of an extended vacation. Sitting here in beautiful Bali after week long visits to Toronto and Singapore, I find it nearly impossible to focus on writing this next blog post. Before embarking on this journey, I committed to writing my regular twice weekly posts from vacation. The city vibes from Toronto’s TIFF10 and Singapore’s buzzing energy and activities with friends made it easy and natural to keep the schedule for the first 12 days. Even the exhaustion from hours of walking and little sleep did not meddle with the writing schedule. [Read more…] about A Blogger’s Dilemma: To Post or Not to Post from Vacation?
For the Mind
Self-discoveries from Watching Films and the Best of TIFF10
Do you learn more about yourself from watching films or is it just me?
How can the same film produce such vastly different reactions from each of us?
I wonder why TIFF09 did not nearly have this effect on me. I discovered a great deal about myself during this second round of Toronto’s Film Festival, TIFF10.
I found that a very bad film – in my assessment of course – awakens some of my worst moods with questions around the plot – or a complete lack thereof. I realize that a director may very well be as pleased with negative viewer reactions as with positive ones, for an artist aims to awaken the heart and soul enough to receive any reaction other than complete indifference but alas, why do I experience the moods and at times an utter disgust which is hard to shake?
[Read more…] about Self-discoveries from Watching Films and the Best of TIFF10
A New Mindset on Passions and Professions
How many careers do you plan on having in your life?
How many passions can you turn into a profession in one lifetime?
Are we really bound to one single profession from our first chosen path to the rest of our days?
The Sense of Urgency
I used to think that the rest of my life may have something to do with engineering, just to be faithful to my schooling. Then I used to wonder whether my career is bound by the offerings within the corporate walls. Now I see the world far more clearly than that limited point of view. Experience and time shifts your perspectives and sooner or later (sooner being the much preferred one here), the passions left unexplored demand your attention and the gaping holes of your heart can go unheeded no more. You can no longer put off dreams of your burning desires and your unquenchable curiosities. You are finally ready to seriously pursue a passion, a hobby, a budding new profession against all odds. The waiting is over and the new beginning is here. [Read more…] about A New Mindset on Passions and Professions
A Step toward Change: Mastering our Reactions
My first reaction is not my best one when confronted with unforeseen circumstances – even at my own doing – but to my delight, my second reaction seems to be improving dramatically over time!
On a beautiful Saturday morning in August, my first reaction when I promptly locked myself out of my house was paranoia. I had no car keys to go anywhere and no house keys to get back in. I ran down the street to my best friend’s house to see if she was home. I knocked hard on her door several times. After all, this was an emergency (or so I thought at that moment)! No one home. I called and left text messages in hopes of finding her while at the same time, telling my husband, who had just driven 20 miles across town, in too many hurried words that this accident is partially his fault (I reasoned it out, don’t ask)!
End of First Reaction. [Read more…] about A Step toward Change: Mastering our Reactions
10 Smart Questions to Ask before Choosing your Next Language
Learning is exhilarating. Learning is rewarding. Learning is the best path to discovering who we are. We do not realize this until much later in life and often when we are conveniently out of school and have placed ourselves inconveniently in a rat race for survival but thanks to Google and technology, we can learn anywhere, anytime and on any subject under the sun to our heart’s content.
Learning is at the foundation of cultivating zen habits and discovering our best self in the process. We learn, we change. We learn, we grow. We learn, we realize our mistakes. We learn, we appreciate. We learn, we can teach others. We learn, we do things better. We learn, we open to new experiences. We learn and only then do we live fully.
And we don’t learn, we age. We don’t learn, we slow down. We don’t learn, we fester. We don’t learn, we forget. We don’t learn, we lose excitement for life. We don’t learn, we lose purpose for living. So never, ever let the wheels of learning stop from turning.
Speaking of learning [Read more…] about 10 Smart Questions to Ask before Choosing your Next Language
I am Farnoosh, the founder of Prolific Living. So glad you are here. My mission is to empower you to unblock your creative genius to live your dream life.