• How to Overcome Negative Thoughts Effectively
    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    What’s the best way to deal with negative thoughts?

    We can’t live without having negative thoughts. They are an integral part of human brain. When we feel low, when things are not going according to what we planned, when we are not able to achieve our goals, or when someone close to our heart is suffering, there is no way negative thoughts will not cross our minds.

    Now, having positivity in life is very important; the idea is to acknowledge those negative thoughts and then convert them into positive ones. How to do that is the most challenging part; it’s very easy to talk about being a positive person, but putting it into practice is not.

    I read lots of self-help books to encounter negativity and subscribed to many channels on WhatsApp and Instagram that provide positive quotes each day.

    • Daily Motivation channel on WhatsApp
    • Strongmindsetelite on Instagram
    • The_deep_thinker on Instagram

    These are the external sources that keep me motivated. Also, I make sure to be around positive-minded people; I try my best to avoid pessimists. The reason is that the kind of person you are surrounded by makes you.

    The last and most effective way to handle negative thoughts is to consider the worst-case scenario in that particular situation. Trust me, when you think that, you will realize it’s not that bad and can be overcome. That gives lots of positivity.

    For example, given the market situation in the USA, driven by advances in AI, economic impacts, and government policies, the job market is weak, and layoffs are becoming common each day. Now it’s very common to have negative thoughts about job security. Now I think about the worst that can happen to me: job loss. I know that if I lose my job, it will also create an opportunity for me to move to a new organization that could prove instrumental to my career. It might take some time to get a new job, but it can never be the case that I will be jobless for the rest of my life. Even if it happens, I can do something else; one thing is sure, I will get something.

    I always believe that everything happens for a reason, and that it is always for good. At that time, we felt bad about the situation, but later, once we moved on, we realized whatever happened was for the best.

    What are your thoughts on it? Do you agree with what I shared?

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • Traveling Through Change: A Month of Growth
    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    The month is ending today, and it has been a bittersweet one overall. Harmit got a new job and had to move to Oklahoma City, which is a 7-hour drive from Omaha. On her birthday, she was not with me, so I had to travel to OKC with my kid to celebrate. We are grateful for this job, but it also means taking our test, as we are living apart. But that’s how life is: you get something, you lose something. The idea is to embrace everything with positivity.

    Most of you know I love traveling, and this month is all about travel. I drove to OKC 3 times, and we also took a boys’ trip to Telluride that took 14 hours.

    My dad, who is a cancer patient, is unwell. So we had to travel to India unplanned. First, I had to drive 7 hours to reach OKC, and then the next day, a 3-hour drive to Dallas International Airport. The trip to India itself was a 26-hour journey through a 7-hour layover in Helsinki, Finland. It’s our longest travel ever; thankfully, Aayansh didn’t trouble us and was cooperative.

    Things are OK and in control. Throughout all these trips, I captured various shots. My favorite ones are the following:-

    Which of these pictures is your favorite? what it reminds you?

    Happy Reading! Keep Traveling!!!

  • From Hating Veggies to Loving Them: A Journey
    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    What do you love now, that you hated when you were younger?

    I am in India right now at my uncle’s place, and we were discussing our childhood habits. During those conversations, my mom told me how I had changed over the years. Earlier, I hated veggies and would remove tomato and potato from curries, literally just touching the veggies with roti.

    Now I have no reservations at all; I can eat anything. I actually wonder: how can I not like potatoes in pulao and tomatoes in aloo-tamatar curry? Now that I know the importance of health and nutrition, I don’t mind eating anything good for my health.

    Few vegetables like Lauki, Torai were the worst one that used to bring tears to my eyes. I vaguely remember, I was so pissed of seeing such veggies in my plate and I used to take out “unwanted” ingredients from my curries.

    Now it’s my turn to see all this through my kid, who is 3.5 years old. He is just like me and doesn’t like any veggies; he will eat all kinds of junk food. I still feel he is a better version of me, though, as he likes broccoli, oats, and smoothies. So something better than nothing.

    Happy Reading! Keep traveling!!!

  • Transformative Books That Changed My Worldview
    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    What’s a piece of media (book, movie, song) that changed how you see the world?

    I am always fascinated by books. They carry so much wisdom and experience, and, amazingly, you get to read that compressed work in hours, days, or months. The movie is a great medium, too, but I always feel that reading a book is superior to watching its adaptation. The reason is that a book allows you to imagine the story from your own view, while a movie gives you someone else’s views, which has its own limitations.

    Books taught me a lot, and I am still learning. I am grateful to have this habit of reading. There is a famous quote by Frank Zappa: “So many books, so little time.” I totally feel it. There are so many books that changed my perception of the world.

    I used to read when I was in India, and then I got busy with life. When I came to the USA, my elder sister encouraged me to start reading again; she herself is a bookworm. Thanks to her, I started reading again, and the USA has a very powerful public library system. I wish we also had something similar in India. I am a frequent library member; other than that, I use the Libby app for digital checkouts, Kindle Unlimited, and Prime Reading.

    A few books that I want to mention here that changed my perspective on the world:-

    1. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
    2. Somnath by Acharya Chatursen
    3. Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
    4. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka
    5. E=mc2: a biography of the World’s most famous equation by David Bodanis
    6. Sophie’s World by Jostein Gaarder

    There are so many books like these that are shaping my life every day. Right now I am reading “The Gut by Payal Kothari”.

    What are you reading? Have you read any of the listed books?

    Happy reading! Keep traveling!!!

  • Memorable Hike with Stunning Views in Telluride
    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    This Sunday, we were returning to Omaha, and that’s a 14-hour drive. Saturday went pretty quickly, as it was our last day in the town, so I couldn’t write about it. This post was drafted when my friend was driving in the storm, and the mobile network was strong enough.

    In the storm

    As I said in the previous post, we were excited for our hike. We planned to start the hike at 6AM, but woke up late, arrived at the trailhead at 7:30AM, and finished the hike around 2 PM. It was a 10-mile hike with stunning views. The hike has 3 blue lakes and lots of waterfalls, and you have to cross them during the hike, which is fun.

    After our hike, we had a heavy lunch at the same Mexican place in Telluride and then came back to our hostel. The hot tub after the intense activity was very relaxing, and the shower after that relaxed the soreness of the leg muscles.

    We spent quality time in the hostel cafeteria, I tried a lemon-flavored tea and chemoline tea before we went to bed. It was a memorable trip, very well spent.

    Here are some pictured from the hike and other places:-

    Which of these pictures attracted you the most? Are you a hiker person like me?

    Happy Reading! Keep traveling!!!