Reflections of a Survivior

As 2009 reaches its final hours and as we welcome 2010 with great hope, anticipation and enthusiasm, it is essential that we look back and reflect upon what happened in 2009.

Was the year good? Did I achieve the goals that I set during the beginning of 2009? How many of the 2009 resolutions were put into practice? Was the year satisfactory? Was there anything that should have been done but couldn’t do? Are there any regrets? Did I miss something or someone? Was there anything I could have done better, if I had tried more? Did I give my best in all the tasks that I did?

Answers to questions like these would give us a sense of how the past year was. As we analyze the past year and reflect upon the answers we will be able to find out where we did a good job and where we goofed up. We can also find out the reasons why some things went wrong while some others went exceptionally well. We can identify our strengths and weaknesses. We can pinpoint the reasons for our overall performance. We will also be able to find out how to do the things better as we all can learn from our mistakes. Once you do the reflection part, you are armed with what are the things that you didn’t do in 2009, why you didn’t do it, and how the performance could be improved.

This is also the time for new resolutions. One of the things that we should do is to constantly reinvent ourselves. Each day, we should do something that will make us better than what we were yesterday. It can be small improvements like increasing your typing speed from 40 wpm to 42 wpm or improving your vocabulary by learning a few new words or improving your health by exercising regularly. But over the next 12 months, if we try to improve our weak areas, by the end of 2010, we could be proud of ourselves and we would have changed a lot and have morphed us into better versions.

So this year when you make the New Year resolutions, try to set realistic goals and quantify them. Quantifying the goals will make it measurable and at regular intervals we can measure our progress and see whether we are on the right track. For example, instead of making a resolution “I will read more” quantify it—”I will read 120 books this year.” So that means you have to read 10 books a months on an average. So, each month you know whether you are achieving the goal or not. Similarly, rather than making a resolution like “I will exercise and reduce my weight” you should make a resolution like “I will exercise for a minimum of 30 minutes at least 5 days a week and reduce my weight by 6 Kgs.” This again gives you a quantifiable measure that can be monitored.

There is no point in making lofty resolutions and not achieving them. It is better to set realistic and achievable goals. The first one makes you feel good while making them but make you feel miserable at the end of the year. In the second case, you will have a sense of achievement and satisfaction at the end of the year.

I wish all of you lots of happiness, success, love and good health in 2010.

Do you love reading? Are you a book lover? How important is reading to you? Would you feel bad or starve if you miss your daily dose of words and stories?

If the answer to the above questions is affirmative, then please answer the next question. Do you get as much time as you want to read?

If the answer to the above question is negative, then kindly answer the next question. What are you doing about it?

Sam Sattler in his blog Book Chase asked the following question:
What would you give up to keep reading? He lists some of the activities that he has given up to make more time for reading.

People who are passionate about books and who love reading would somehow find time to read; at least a few pages or chapters every day. For them reading is like eating. If they don’t read they starve. I started reading at the age of 5 and have never stopped. During school and while in college, I used to find time to read. When I was doing my M. Tech., I used to cut classes to read!

While I was working I used to stay up till the wee hours of the morning with mugs of black coffee and pack of cigarettes reading my favorite books. The only furniture I had in those days was a reclining chair, as I spent most of my time on that. I never thought it necessary to buy a cot and a mattress. I was used to sleeping on the floor and only thing I need was a couple of newspapers. Anyway, I slept only for a few hours and so it really didn’t matter. But for reading, I needed a comfortable chair as I used to spend hours on it.

I bought books, loaned them from libraries, or borrowed them from friends and colleagues. If I liked a book I borrowed or rented, then I would go and buy them. Most of my salary was spent on books and by the second half of the month I had to write home for money. My dad always used to ask me what I was doing with my salary. But he knew about my love for books and used send me money.

After my accident, I started writing. My reading increased. You need to read if you want to write better. The more you read the better you write. This has been said again and again by many masters of the craft from William Zinsser to Stephen King. To me reading and writing are two things I can’t do without.

Now coming back to Mr. Sattler’s question. What would you give up to keep reading? I have given up television. I rarely watch it these days. I don’t go out. That gives me a lot of time. Even though I miss going to good bookshops and browsing the books, the proliferation of good on-line bookstores have made buying books easier. But it is not the same as going to the bookshop, looking at the books on the shelves, taking out the ones that interest you, browsing through them and buying the ones you like.

I read whenever I get some free time. I always have a book with me. So even when I get a few minutes of free time, I read. I am sure that most book lovers like me read whenever they get time. Some read on the way to the office, on the way back and often in the office. Others read while waiting for the bus, train or flight and while traveling. When there is a will there is a way. So if you really love reading, then you will somehow find time to read.

But most of the kids these days are not interested in reading. I have a good library at home containing books of all kinds and for all ages. I ask the kids who visit me whether they like books. In 80 percent of the cases, the answer is a ‘no’ or silence that can be interpreted as a ‘No’. But I have met a few, who genuinely love books. Their eyes lit up as they see the books and they start asking questions about books, characters, authors, etc. It is a pleasure talking to them.

I have been trying very hard to convert my nephew and niece to book lovers. So far I have not been very successful. Now what I do is read books to them. Once they are hooked to the story, I will stop. Then I will make conditions like if you read a page, I will read the rest of the chapter. But the progress is slow and success is not guaranteed.

A few days back I asked Ahswin: “What would you give up to keep reading?” He didn’t answer my question but asked me a question. “What do I have to do to get more TV time?” I told him that whatever he does is not going to buy him more TV time. He was not happy. He gave me a look which said, “Whatever you do is not going to make me read more.” But I have not given up hope. I have banned TV on weekdays and restricted TV viewing to 2 hours on weekends. I am thinking of disconnecting the cables, so that there won’t anything interesting to watch.

TV is the number one enemy of reading. With so many channels and programs, the books are no match for the TV. From my experience, Oliver Twist, Peter Pan, Tom Sawyer, or Charlie Bucket are no match for Ben 10, Transformers, Power Rangers and the like. I don’t think even the magic of Harry Potter and genius of Artemis Fowl can compete with the allure of Samurai Jack, Johnny Bravo, Powerpuff Girls, Aaron Stone, or American Dragon!

So this Christmas, when you are buying gifts for your kids, nephews, and nieces, instead of buying fancy toys or video games, buy them books. Books appropriate for their age. Do make sure that the kids read the books rather than keep them unopened on the bookshelf.

Take the kids to the local library and get them a membership. Make the habit of going to the library at least once every fortnight. Next time, when you go to the bookstore take the kids with you. Now most of good bookstores have reading areas that are really nice where the kids can browse through the books while having a cold coffee or ice cream. Talk to them about books and do whatever you can to make them interested in books and reading. Don’t forget to disconnect the cable of your TV.

Inculcating a love for books and a passion for reading are two gifts that you can give your kids. If you want some professional advice then get the book ‘The Gift of Reading’ by David Bouchard and Wendy K. Sutton. I wish you success.

Happy reading…

I wish all of you a merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010.