Beginnings/Starts/Any-Other-Word-Which-Means-The-Same

Hi Reader!

First things first (as always; I mean the always as known to the readers of my old, albeit, slightly dysfunctional blog here), I’m gonna apologize for the really late post. I’m gonna explain it with the following chain of events.

1. I read my friends’ works on WordPress
2. I keep reading all their posts over several months
3. I stare left and right in awe
4. I decide to start a WordPress myself
5. I wait for months (still following my friends’ WordPress’es)
6. I start one
7. I wait for weeks (still following my friends)
8. I put up an introductory piece
9. I wait for days again
10. I curse my lazy ass and land here to type

Yeah, that’s just how lame I was being. But, who knew that a lazing around weekend, a tub of really bad pasta, and a karaoke session would all pile up and bring me right here? But, they just DID!

So, here I am, starting my beautiful, and hopefully LONG conversation with you all!

Today is going to be about new beginnings. Because I am such a procrastinator, and a lazy ass to boot, I wanted to write myself and of course, you, an inspirational ‘Start-that-thing-you’ve-been-meaning-to-for-ages’ post.

Dreams Vs. Laziness

It’s instinctive for humans to dream. I don’t have much idea about the dream cycles of animals myself, but I can tell you for sure that we, as a race, are born dreamers. Everything remotely related to creativity stems from the capability to dream that humans have. And everyone has at least one creative spot imprinted on their soul.

We dream of eating that chocolate chip muffin we’d tasted at that quaint café that one time, we dream of besting our sibling at wheedling the best Christmas present out of Maa and Daddy, we dream of having that killer body two days into a regular gym routine, and so on, the list is pretty endless.

(Excluding those weird, alternate-dimensional dreams were you play Laser Tag with Pink Floyd, the rational, doable ones are the targets of this discussion. Maybe, the right term would be daydreams..? Oops, my bad! That’s okay though, you now know what I mean.)

Hence dreams, are one of the trigger hormones of the human psyche. Dreams are the way we envision a pretty, self-enviable future for ourselves. And they’re also the way we crush our own hearts when they don’t happen. They’re like a time-bomb of pink confetti, which, ironically, is triggered manually. They do not manifest by themselves and they have a hard time battling their monster, Laziness.

Laziness is this stupid, clingy boyfriend. He seems to the One for you. But really, he is the worst sort of cancer, which holds you out to roast slowly on the pit fire until death.

Everything that could go wrong with you executing your steps to achieving a dream of yours, but doesn’t, and everything that could hold you back from trying to execute those steps, but doesn’t, and everything that might stand in your way towards the dream, but really doesn’t, is roughly and forcefully translated into DOES in your head. All thanks to Laziness.

He keeps feeding in random why’s and why not’s and whatever’s, that all of your efforts seem moot. And your real, and solid reasons to wish for that dream, get cut up into ribbons and fade away in the murkiness.

Dream to have a perfect body? Laziness stops you from starting that diet chart.

Dream to score the best grades in sixth grade? Laziness stops you from starting that extra study hour in the morning.

Dream to own that shiny new convertible you liked to watch in the showroom catalogue? Laziness stops you from starting that savings fund and keeping the accounts.

Battling this monster-slash-boyfriend has been an endless internal war with most humans. But, forfeiting the war and nurturing your battered dreams is pretty awesome.

Cast away the weapons, they won’t help much. But you can mold your will power to cast a Shield Charm on the enemy! Just like the manner Laziness attacks the head, you could build up the will to hold him at bay, and the dreams will break out into the prettiest confetti ever.

Ideas Vs. Status Quo

I’m guessing this battle is a declaration of the Indian mindset (I’m not being racist, I swear, but I do not know other societies in which the villain Status Quo is more vile than in India). Let me start with Ideas.

Ideas are fascinating little thought-nuggets emerging from the what-if’s of the brain. They’re enchanting little buggers, and promise all sorts of magic shows.

• What if I took the long route home, it seems like a beautiful drive up the hill than around it?
• What if I bought the frozen peas instead of the regular ones, they save the shelling process?
• What if I took a tap-dancing class, Fred Astaire seems to like it so much?

All of these idea-hormones buzz through your veins like electricity and you start taking the left turn up the hill, you start reaching out to the freezer handle in the store, and you thumb through the yellow pages for that tap dance class. Then, the whole world freezes. All of your life flashes in front of your eyes (just those parts which involve the idea in question, to be fair). Everything you’ve been thinking of till that moment gets translated.

• What if I took the long route home, no one seems to be so stupid as to drive for hours to a place which could be reached in minutes?
• What if I bought the frozen peas instead of the regular ones, no one would willingly waste a bunch of peas to the unpredictable electricity fluctuations and the fridge halting everyday?
• What if I took a tap-dancing class, no one would appreciate a bumbling baboon like me tap-dancing?

Vile, old Status Quo.

“I’d like to try this, but I don’t know if people like me have tried it before.”

Mean, cruel Status Quo.

“I really like the sound of that, but would people appreciate the thought?”

Stabbing, rusty Status Quo.

“Oh, that sounds wonderful, but it’s really not my thing, you know?”

Honestly, this is the lamest excuse anyone can ever come up with to avoid starting something. At least with Laziness, it’s a little bit involuntary. This is the most self-destruction one can ever inflict.

And to all those who fall prey to it? Get off your high horse, dude! Nobody cares what you do! Nobody cares what you might look like! Nobody is least bothered to take notice and gape at your foolish idea!

Just try it, for crying out loud! It could be your thing! It could be the best thing you’ve ever experienced! It could be something you’d never want to stop doing for the rest of your life!

It could be your Calling.

Innovations Vs. Comfort Zones

Okay, I know this is cheating. Innovations are basically Ideas and Comfort Zones are basically the Status Quo’s you place yourselves in. But, let me explain what I mean differently here.

Innovations = Ideas that people have never had before.

Comfort Zones = Status Quo’s assigned by yourself, for yourself (Wow, that sounds like the definition for a democratic government).

Let me take up that weird cricket innovation narrated in Hasee Toh Phasee. I know it’s a really bad example, but whatever! (Classic exhibition of Laziness, the ‘whatever’)

The protagonist proposes a new set of rules, flying fielders, a rotating pitch and what-not in the most popular team game watched here in India. It ends up interesting to the much-awaited sponsor for the other protagonist’s business and he gets his biggest break. But nobody ended up actually implementing or trying it (the movie wasn’t about re-inventing cricket, and the business-guy was also nowhere close to cricket in the story line). But nobody would even try, that much I can recognize.

Why?

The Comfort Zone!

I’m fine this way, I like pizza, I enjoy my afternoon nap, I love ready-to-eat meals.

These would be the answers to,

Would you like to try a new kind of soap?

Would you care to try our new exotic chicken pasta dish?

Will you come to a basketball game with me this afternoon?

Shall we try to make Dal Makhni ourselves?

(I know I skipped out on the re-invented cricket. Sorry.)

I’m re-assuming Innovations to just plain Ideas, which originate elsewhere or which change your pattern of life.

Grave threats, I’m sure these are.

But, they are just changes which shake your patterns a little bit.

Ask yourself ‘what-could-happen’ questions the next time you squirm at that new way of things. Shake your fog-addled head and nod purposefully. Sure, you’d be a tad uncomfortable, so what? You’re not neurotic. You’re not Monica Geller.

Start the new genre of books. Start the cold-morning runs. Start those DIY tutorials to fix yourself lunch.

Break your own rules. Those are ones which, on breaking, give you the best high ever!

I’m not sure if I’ve covered them all, comments below if I’ve missed out on some!

PS : First post on WordPress, please be kind!

PPS : I LOVE post scripts too much! 😛