Sunday, December 31, 2017

New Year’s Resolution 2018

Exactly one year ago – on New Years Eve – I made a New Years Resolution for the year 2017: 

I will try my best to “flower” and bloom wherever I am and with whatever I have...” 

I tried my best to keep my New Years Resolution. 

This New Years Eve – I am making the same New Years Resolution for the year 2018: 

I will try my best to “flower” and bloom wherever I am and with whatever I have...” 

“Wherever God has planted me  I will try to flower and bloom...”

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION 2018 
Introspection
By
VIKRAM KARVE

I learnt more about the Art of Living by reading good literature – rather than from hearing sermons and moral lectures  or from high-falutin philosophy or spiritualism.

One thing good about the Navy is that it inculcated and fostered the reading habit in me.

I read a lot of sea stories and novels like The Cruel SeaThe Caine MutinyRun Silent Run DeepHMS UlyssesTales of the South Pacific  and so many more.

One sea novel I like very much is: 


In this story  the protagonist is a Merchant Navy Officer who is frustrated because  owing to reasons beyond his control  he gets stuck in Tugs whereas he wants to sail in the main fleet.

Seeing his frustration  his Tug Captain gives him a maxim:

“ Ou Dieu vous a seme  il faut savoir fleurir ” 

which roughly translated means

“ You must know how to flower where God has sown you ” 

or

“ wherever God plants you  there you must learn how to bloom ”

The young Merchant Navy Officer takes this to heart  he works very hard on the Tug  and then  he works with dedication, sincerity and devotion to duty throughout his career on Tugs.

In due course  he becomes the most famous sea-going Tug Captain  and ultimately the owner of flourishing company with a huge fleet of ocean going tugs.

Inspired by this book – I too tried my best to imbibe this philosophy in my life  especially in my Naval Career – and – I tried my best to “flower” wherever the Navy posted me.

It is good philosophy to apply in your life:

“Wherever God plants you  there you must learn how to flower and bloom...”


NAVY MOTTO

LIKE IT OR LUMP IT” : If you don’t like it  just lump it

If you do not get what you like 

Then – you must learn to like what you get 

And – you must make the most of it 

Like they say in the Navy:

If you don’t like it  just lump it.

“Like it or “Lump it 

There is another saying I read a few years ago:

If life gives you a “Lemon  make “Lemonade.

Yes  when life gives you a lemon – use that lemon and make lemonade”  instead of cribbing and carping  wallowing in self pity  becoming bitter and spreading bitterness  and making your own life hell and everyone else’s life miserable.

Like they say in NLP :

There is no such thing as failure” 

There is only “learning experience

So  metaphorically  the lemon” is the failure  and  the lemonade” is the learning experience.

And this “learning experience” will enable you to “flower” and bloom wherever you are “sown” or “planted

Well  I have tried to follow this mantra: 

“ Ou Dieu vous a seme  il faut savoir fleurir ”  

When I was in the Navy  wherever the Navy transferred me  to whatever job they assigned me  whether they promoted me or not  I tried not to get disillusioned or demoralized.

And – in my own inimitable style: 

I tried to “flower” and bloom wherever I was “sown” or “planted

Yes  I made lemonade” with all the lemons that the Navy gave me.

I am trying to do this after my retirement too  trying to “flower” and bloom in the back-of-beyond lonely place called Wakad  on the outskirts of Pune  where God has planted me after my retirement. 

That is one of the reasons you are reading this Blog.

Yes  the result of all this “flowering” and blooming is this prolific Blog – and the couple of books I have written. 

Well  I am going to flower and bloom away and bash on regardless with my Blogging and Writing  since  this is the best thing I can do where God has planted me. 

God has given me the lemon” of loneliness. 

And  from this lemon of loneliness  I have made the lemonade” of my blogs  and my books  and all my writing.

Have a good day - whatever lemons” you get today  just keep making lemonade” and enjoy every drop of it.

Sometimes you may feel a sense of “failure”  you may feel that you have “failed in life.

There is no such thing as “failure”  it is all in the mind.

And still  if you feel a sense of “failure”  think of “failure” as a lemon” – and make lemonade”.

Talking of the lemon” of “failure”  let me tell you one thing that I have learnt from my own life experiences.

Sometimes  failure is good

You can take my word for it.

Remember the maxim:

“ Ou Dieu vous a seme  il faut savoir fleurir ”  

(wherever God plants you  there you must learn how to flower and bloom)

Apply this to your life  and you will “flower and bloom” wherever you are. 

Well – I am going to try and do it. 

What about you...? 

What is your New Year’s Resolution for the Year 2018...?

Dear Reader: 

I wish you a Happy New Year. 

May you “flower and bloom” wherever God has planted you.

VIKRAM KARVE
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Disclaimer:
1. These are my personal views. Please do your own due diligence while selecting a philosophy of life.
2. All stories in this blog are a work of fiction. Events, Places, Settings and Incidents narrated in the stories are a figment of my imagination. The characters do not exist and are purely imaginary. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

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