| CARVIEW |
Why do you care what other people think of you? Are they paying your bills? Are they giving you oxygen to live on this planet? No! Right? Because you’re the one who is doing all the hard work to earn and as we all know oxygen is free on this planet (as for now idk […]
It’s Your Sign!
Sometimes, you might feel like you’re nothing.
Like you’re failing or nothing is working out for you.
And yet, somehow, you’re still something!
Even when you believe that you’re falling behind, invisible or lost,
You should remind yourself: in someone’s eyes, you are enough!
You might even be the best part of someone’s day.
Maybe it’s the way you listen, the way you care, the way you show up even when it’s hard.
There are moments when your world may feel like it’s collapsing inward.
But take a pause, look around and notice:
You’re breathing!
You are ALIVE!
Your body works maybe not perfectly, but faithfully.
You can see the sky, the faces you love, the little things.
You have a voice and if no one else speaks up for you, you can still speak up for yourself.
You can hear people speak and their laughter.
You can enjoy the music and silence.
You should be grateful for the food, clothes, a place to rest.
You have a family who loves you not for what you do, but for who you truly are.
You have the POWER of learning, of changing and of trying again.
And most of all, you have HOPE!
Even when everything feels hard, and you can’t keep up with life but that dash of certainty within you doesn’t let you give up on your dreams.
That whisper that says:
Keep going. This isn’t the end. You are not done yet.
So, yeah!
Even when you feel like nothing…
YOU’RE STILL SOMETHING!
And that something is more than enough.
– Payal Saran
Life is not always a field full of thorns.
But it’s also not always a garden full of roses either.
On this journey of life, you’ll get both petals (joy) and prickles (sorrow).
So, if you’re crying because you’ve been poked by so many thorns, and you’re bleeding and can’t take it anymore, just wait and be patient.
The rain is about to come, and you’ll be healed when those very thorns will one day bloom, and soon there will be beautiful flowers in your garden.
And if you’re feeling happy, content, and all proud that nothing in life can snatch your garden full of roses,
So let me clarify this for you that this too shall pass.
As you never know,
A storm may be brewing silently, ready to sweep everything away from you.
And all your roses will turn to dust, and you’ll lose everything like literally, EVERYTHING!
So, be kind and humble when God blesses you with beautiful flowers in your garden.
And be patient and trust God when you’re bleeding in a field full of painful thorns.
To conclude, remember: everything, both joy and sorrow, shall pass.
– Payal Saran
Franz Kafka and Vincent van Gogh died believing they were failures, yet today, their works are revered long after they’re gone. Perhaps in their rebirth, they are now reading or watching their own creations and feeling a strange sting in their hearts without knowing why. Unaware, they’re admiring what they themselves have created once in their past lives.
What it simply means is that the act of creating, whether it’s writing, painting, or any other form of expression, goes beyond the limits of the present moment; means art doesn’t need immediate recognition or success to have value. It has the potential to resonate with future generations, long after the creator is gone.
I’m taking a cue from F. Kafka and Vincent van Gogh to create more, even if no one reads my work or appreciates it. I’m still a success within myself. I will continue to appreciate my own journey because I’ll never know when my time will come or when someone might stumble upon my words and art and truly see me. And maybe, just maybe, that moment will make me eternal.
– Payal Saran
What has this world come to?
Killing people because of religion, language and caste differences. Seriously, this is insanity. I remember when I was a kid, my school taught me the first thing to be secular, to treat everyone with equality, and be curious about new things (like learning new languages) and as I grew up I understood why my school emphasized on these terms. Back in school, I had a group of friends from different religions and castes (Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Jain and some of them are from SC and OBC Castes too) and we used to share our food during lunch breaks. We celebrated every festival together. It’s literally high time to just treat each other with kindness and bring back that kind of unity we once had. We’re here in this world to spread love and not hatred/violence.
And not only this, I’ve seen many reels where people in the comment section bully each other’s religion without any reason. I want to ask those people WHY? Why do you want to spread hatred towards someone’s sacred faith in God? And when they do the same to you, suddenly you’re offended? I genuinely don’t understand why some people want to prove to others that MY RELIGION IS SUPERIOR TO YOURS, like literally? Will our God/Bhagwan/Allah be happy with that?
– PAYAL SARAN
You’re not a magic crystal ball or some mystical oracle that can peer into the future and predict every twist and turn of your life.
You’re a human, that is, imperfect, uncertain, and beautifully unaware of what lies ahead of you.
And that’s normal because you’re not a psychic or anything like that, isn’t it?
The truth is that no one really knows what the future holds for us.
“Life is very unpredictable!” You might be aware of this phrase, right?
But do you really know the actual essence of it?
If not, then let me tell you,
Life is actually a mix of fairness and unfairness.
You might think that now my life is sorted after achieving XYZ goal, but guess what?
You face more challenges after achieving it.
In a literal sense let me impart this knowledge to you that life is full of difficulties, surprises, and opportunities that no one can foresee before hand.
But –and this is important– “Life isn’t entirely unfair!”
So, here’s the catch!
Since you can’t control your future, but you’ve the power to influence it!
Yeah, you heard that right!
Now you’ll ask me, “How, Payal? How can we influence our future without controlling it?”
So my friend, let me tell you, “The choices you’re making in the present moment, like your thoughts, actions, and your intentions, will serve as the seeds of what’s about to come in the near future.”
Each moment holds the power to steer your life in a positive or a negative way.
Every small decision you’re making right now builds the foundation for the outcomes of tomorrow.
Let me explain to you with an example.
So, imagine yourself as an artist and your future as your Canvas.
As for now, you can’t see the final painting (your future),
But with each brushstrokes you make on the blank canvas (every action you take and every thought you nurture), you’re actually painting the picture of what lies ahead of you, and that’s your masterpiece (your future).
If you choose vibrant colors like positivity, consistency, patience, mindfulness, growth, and good intentions, you’ll create a future that reflects those attributes.
But if you choose dark colors like negativity, procrastination, impatience and bad intentions then you’ll end up creating a future that’s equivalent to your nightmare.
The beauty of this realization can empower you.
You don’t have to predict the future as it’s always been a mystery!
You simply have to make the most out of today.
Now you’ll ask me, “How can we do that, Payal?”
So, the answer is quite simple,
That is, by focusing on what you can do right now.
No matter how small or insignificant it might seem, you’re shaping your destiny in ways you can’t yet imagine.
Try to make the most out of the present moment through your actions that’ll help you mold your future in a better way.
Ask yourself: “What choices are you making today to create the life you deserve?”
“Are your thoughts and actions leading you towards the life you want, or are they keeping you stuck?”
Remember that the future isn’t set in stone, it’s crafted moment by moment by the person you are today.
So, make each moment count!
– Payal Saran
The apparent luminosity of the waning gibbous, fills the persona of a dying soul to live up to life.
And the fishes in the ponds get agitated while seeing such vista.
The birds chirped while going back to their respective nests.
The spaceship orbited around the Jupiter landed on a great red spot and perished inside of it.
In all, it was just a weird vision that ella doesn’t want all and sundry to hear.
-Payal Saran
“You’re the captain of your own ship!”
Aren’t we all familiar with that phrase?
But we often forget that and tend to blame everyone else for our shortcomings rather than ourselves.
Don’t we say “Don’t let anyone else take the wheel” in addition to that phrase?
So basically, if we’re responsible for our actions and words, then why blame others when we don’t succeed in directing that ship to the right destination?
If your ship has a hole in it or is broken, you’ve got to repair it.
If your ship has been encountered by a storm, you’ve got to navigate the ship accordingly.
No one will direct your ship to the right destination.
You’re the only one who’s responsible for directing this ship to the right destination.
In the same way, the journey of a ship is like one’s life.
You’re the captain of your own life.
You’ve got to fix the problem when you encounter one.
You’ve got to repair (rejuvenate) yourself when you’re broken (hurt) in your life, just like that ship.
So, it’s your life; you’ve got to steer your life and keep going until you reach where you’re destined for.
And god, oh god, stop blaming others for your unaccomplished desires when you fail to direct the ship to the right destination!
– Payal Saran
In this day and age people’s attention span is gradually decreasing on a daily basis.
Yeah! We’re humans and not bots or AI so we are ought to have limited attention span but because of the new technological advancement and updates in the existing apps like IG, SC, X, YT, FB, etc. has introduced shorts, reels, etc. that are affecting our brains adversely and the worst part is that we aren’t aware of it yet.
Although it’s not anyone’s fault!
It’s actually the information boom that’s happening these days at a rapid pace that we can’t even control ourselves and we end up getting invested in someone else’s life on social media whom we don’t even know in person.
Not only that the algorithms are sorting out things for you so that it can grab your attention for a few seconds and let you in it’s loop.
And guess what? Now you’re becoming addicted by watching those few seconds clip which later builds up to a longer period of time and bam your half day is gone just by scrolling through Social media.
But that’s what we people like – SIMPLE THINGS in life!
Remember when we were kids and had to mug up the whole syllabus for our exams so we trick our brains to study the easiest chapter first then the second easiest one until you finish your entire syllabus by getting your brain intrigued throughout the learning process?
That’s how these algorithms has tricked our brains to get us intrigued by their 10 to 20 seconds of clips so that when we get bored instead of watching a series of 10+ hours we just grab our phones and start scrolling through these reels and shorts which has unique interesting information, gossips, memes, etc in a one go!
And before you knew it you’re slowly but steadily becoming a technological servant.
Yeah, You heard me right!
You’re becoming a technological servant!
Payal, what do you mean by that? Are you so saintly that you have never been controlled by technology?
Well! I’m not denying that at all.
There were times when I’ve been glued to my phone and using it non-stop for days but after wasting few days and got nothing out of it!
I realized this was of no use at all and since then I’ve adopted healthy habits and started to practice self control.
So back to the main point like how are these algorithms are making you a technological servant?
Basically all these zeroes and ones are designed nowadays to catch your attention in a fraction of seconds and make you waste your precious time into looking up someone’s so called ✨AMAZING LIFE✨ on social media.
But we already know that whatever these social media influencers show on social media is not all true.
Most of the people these days are going through depression but still they’ll post on social media like “Hey y’all! I’m having an Amazing time doing this or that”
I don’t include everyone in this category but honestly most of the social media influencers have become like this these days.
And what some people do is just utterly insane. They begin to compare themselves to these people.
(This for the people who compare themselves to other people’s life based on few posts on their social media : They’re having fun? Good for them! Also you don’t really know them personally and even if you do then it’s none of your business. Okay that went rude let me put it this way maybe they have really worked hard to achieve that luxurious lifestyle so instead of getting all jealous you should get motivated and work hard to achieve that lifestyle too)
We’ve actually forgotten why social media came into existence in the first place.
It was meant to get us connected faster than ever before but idk what happened but it’s separating us even further away.
Sometimes I think it was much better before when people used to send each other letters via postal services, talked to each other on telephones, waited all day long to watch their favourite show on T.V. that used to air at 8 PM.
But because of these technological advancement we’ve everything on our fingertips (Ps : Yeah! That’s also a good thing that we’ve achieved such a great deal of technological advancement in a few decades but because of all this we’re becoming less human day by day)
We’re forgetting to cherish little things in life and instead of that we’re judging or nagging about everything.
Okay! These last few paragraphs went completely out of context but who cares? It’s my blog I can literally write anything I want lol
Jokes aside let’s get to the main point!
So basically because of this tidal surge of information from all around us we can only focus on the biggest and most eye catching news at one time and guess what?
If I’ll ask you about that particular information after a few months. You won’t remember anything about it!
That’s what social media is doing to your brain it’s limiting your attention span to mere 10 seconds all thanks to it’s new updates (Pun intended!)
So what do you think is social media a curse to humanity or is it a blessing in disguise for a tech-savvy?
Lmk your thoughts in the comment section!
– Payal Saran
Don’t let your past memories shadow your beautiful present. If you do that then you’re eventually distancing yourself from your much deserved happiness as life exists in the present moment neither the moments that has long been gone nor in the moments that are yet to come.
But instead of that what we eventually do in the present is either to sit in silence and overthink about the worst moments that had happened in our past or overthink about the future on the basis of our dreams and intuitions.
We base our joy and sorrow only in these two phases of our life that is past and future while the life exists in the present.
If we see any kind of upcoming hurdles in our near future we began to strategies about it in the present to eliminate our future sorrows or sufferings.
But by eliminating our troubles from the future, do we gain or lose in the present? We never ask this question to ourselves.
Albeit! The truth is that whenever there has been any problem, the solution also took birth with it but we emphasize more on our problems rather to look for the solutions which has always been present in front of our eyes. Isn’t it?
Okay! Look at your past experiences then you’ll realize that whenever there was a situation you felt helpless and sorrow has surrounded you from every direction, the solution comes into existence simultaneously with the crisis.
This is not only true for human beings but for the nature as well. This is how the World works.
Albeit! When the crisis comes in our lives it’s for our own good.
Now you’ll say, “But how Payal? How can a crisis be good to anyone? “
Well! A Crisis is the reason for the birth of a Power.
You see whenever you’ve come out of a crisis you become more stronger, confident and better not only for yourself but also for the society.
You develop certain abilities which you had been lacking before that crisis happened.
Actually A CRISIS IS A BLESSING IN DISGUISE!
Yes! You heard it right!
I said, “Crisis is eventually a Blessing”
As the birth of a crisis is the birth of an opportunity to change oneself and to develop our thoughts to strengthen our soul and enlighten it with wisdom.
One who overcomes a crisis by doing this is a leader but who fails to do so is a menace for the world.
– Payal Saran
When You’re mindlessly scrolling through social media you’re just numbing yourself from the real problem by giving your brain and body a temporary relief through memes, reels, YT shorts, etc.
By doing this, you’re restricting yourself from your much deserved success, happiness, and more.
Avoiding your problems by these maladaptive coping mechanism won’t help you in the long run.
It’s just going to stack up more problems until it reaches the tipping point that leads you to hit rock bottom.
But guess what?
You don’t have to hit rock bottom to realize that you’ve to fix your action in order to be successful.
You just need to get aware of your unconscious habits that craves for temporary happiness like watching movies, overeating, drinking, smoking, mindlessly using your phone not knowing what time or date is today?
These all are the unhealthy habits that needs to be eliminated from your life right now.
I’m not saying you should completely stop watching movies, drinking, smoking or using your phone for fun.
Do all the things but in little amount that doesn’t harm your mind and body.
You just need to get aware of your addiction before it dooms you.
You might be thinking,
Okay!
But how to do that?
Simple!
It’s these 3 things you need to practice :
• Self Awareness
• Self Control
• Being Disciplined
These are the keys to quit unhealthy habits and adopting healthy ones.
Yeah! Here comes another question.
Payal! How do I know that I’m doing certain things unconsciously for my temporary relief to avoid my problems?
My friend! That’s what I’m saying, “You need to be self aware of what you’re doing in a day. Try journaling if it helps to keep a track of your time.”
List out all your problems that has been bothering you for long. No matter how small or big that problem is.
Because the problems you think is minute rn will become huge over time.
After listing all your problems you got the idea what you need to work on NOW.
The next time you’ll use your phone or watch movies or go for partying with friends, etc.
You’ll be aware of the things or problems you’ve been neglecting for these temporary reliefs.
This my friend is Self Awareness!
After knowing about your unhealthy habits you need to work on yourself in order to quit it and replace it with the healthy ones.
For example if you’re addicted to your phone then keep your phone away from you for certain hours (set a timer for like 3 hours) in that allotted time do something productive like write, paint, read, go for a walk or whatever suits you but make sure it needs to be productive which should help your mental or physical health.
Now you know you’re avoiding certain things and doing things for temporary pleasures.
Here comes the role of self control.
If your friends are asking you to hangout with them tell them, “No! I’ve got some work to do” I don’t want you to be rude instead I want you to respect your time more.
If you’ve an assignment to submit or give presentation to your boss instead of working on that you’re watching TV then switch it off immediately as it’s not gonna take you anywhere.
If you’re obese and can’t control your unhealthy overeating habit. Firstly, try to analyze yourself that what’s triggering you to eat more is it any stressful situation or something? But whatever it is try to cut down junk food and eat fruits & veggies instead. Do this over a period of 10 days and BAM! It’s now becoming your habit to eat more healthy food.
If you’re an Alcoholic! Try not to drink on week days and limit yourself for weekends and later on cut on that too and drink only occasionally. BAM! you’re doing great and achieving the 2+ years soberity targets.
There are more such examples I can give and I can go on and on and on about it but the final call is YOU who have to stop that unhealthy habit and start the healthy ones right away until it becomes extremely catastrophic for you and leads you to hit rock bottom.
Remember : IT’S ALL WITHIN YOU! IT’S JUST THAT HOW FAR YOU CAN PUSH YOURSELF?
Ik you might have heard this a lot that YOU’RE YOUR LIMIT and it’s true.
So why not you just set yourself free from that limitations and let there be no limits for you?
Now it’s all up to you!
Are you ready to go an extra mile in order to live a life full of happiness, success and more?
Again! Your brain is the only limitation, remember that!
You’re capable of so much more that you’re yourself not aware of it yet.
– Payal Saran
Why do you care what other people think of you?
Are they paying your bills?
Are they giving you oxygen to live on this planet?
No! Right?
Because you’re the one who is doing all the hard work to earn and as we all know oxygen is free on this planet (as for now idk about the future as at the rate this humanity is recklessly deteriorating this planet at all levels. Yeah! Yeah! I’m not gonna start on climate change)
Back to the main point!
So basically you’re not entitled what other people say or think about you, right?
Then why this overthinking has become a new norm?
Like what if I do this then what other people will say or think about me?
Listen! I know you’ve heard this a lot but literally I mean it by writing it down here and you should also absorb it or imbibe it within you!
People are gonna say things about you no matter what either you’re doing good or bad they don’t care.
They wanna socialize and they use you or other people in their tete-a-tete!
You can’t help it!
You can’t just wake up one fine day and decide that I’m gonna change people’s thinking.
Dude! That’s not gonna happen as it’s not in your control.
So, JUST BE YOU and DO YOU!
That’s all!
You might be overthinking about something lately?
You know what?
Here! It’s your SIGN!
Show some guts and DO IT!!
Look! There’s only two things are gonna happen.
Either it’s gonna work in your favour or not!
That’s all!
But what the difference it’ll make if you do that particular thing?
You won’t overthink about it!
Okay! I’m not gonna go on and on about it.
Just! JUST! DO IT ALREADY!
Whatever that has been bothering you for so long.
I hope you got the point!
– Payal Saran
Don’t follow trends,
It’s not Authentic!
Wear yourself instead,
That’s Authentic!
Because no one can be you,
They can just imitate you.
Something got someone’s attention and boom that’s a new trend for a month or so.
Everybody’s like : “OMG! THAT LOOKS COOL!!!”
Just because that went viral on net,
People start to make IG reels and YT shorts of it as everyone else is doing it!
While others are following the new vogue,
Guess what?
You don’t have to!
Why?
Because you’re Authentic!
Be the one that everyone wants to be like.
You just be YOU!
Don’t read that as a signboard apply it in your lifestyle and see the changes happening around you.
After applying this in action,
The next time when you’ll walk into a room filled with people,
You’ll be noticed by everyone because of the uniqueness you carry along with you while others are trying to be another Jenna Ortega, Anya Taylor-Joy, Timothée Chalamet, etc;
I’ve seen some people imitate or wants to be like a movie character which is not even real that’s like made up in someone’s head (pun intended)
Stop being a yo-yo-ed version of other people,
Be your own authentic self!
Let me take an example of an artist to make my point more clear.
If you’re an artist,
Draw your heart out on a piece of paper!
That’ll be a unique work of art which belongs to YOU!
Stop looking up on Picasso’s work and start drawing it.
I myself is an artist and I used to look up at famous artist’s artworks to be inspired when I was in high school.
But not now because you know what?
If you’re aiming to become next Picasso or Bob Ross people won’t appreciate you just because they already got the taste of it.
So, if you wanna create something new then try to be authentic!
Stop aiming to become next Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, J. K. Rowling, Colleen Hoover, etc;
Start aiming to be YOU!
As people want something new EVERYTIME!
Again : Be real, be YOU!
– Payal Saran
Life is too short just like a dream that you experience at night while you’re sleeping.
In this lifespan of your dream you can be anything you think of by making your mind still.
How do you make your mind still?
Through Meditation!
Meditation helps you to focus on the present moment and makes you more productive.
It also helps in increasing patience and tolerance, helps you in gaining new prospective on stressful situation which in turns helps you in your holistic development.
When you’re productive with persistent action and have patience then you become unstoppable.
There’s no anything in this world which can stop you to do what you want to be in life.
So stop thinking and start taking immediate action in order to succeed in life because you don’t know when you’ll wake up from this dream of life.
You’ve to make most of this lifetime because there’ll be no one like you ever in this World again.
And if you want to be remembered by everyone and to make an impact on everyone then you gotta do something about it NOW or it’ll be too late.
You can take a cue from me. (Ps – ik I’m not a bigwig rn but I’ll be in the near future for sure)
As you’re reading my jotted down work which is some how making an impact in some way in your life to do better.
Idk you might be thinking that, “Yeah! Payal is right so from tomorrow onwards I’m going to hit the gym, read few pages from a book, meditate or do something productive.”
But whatever you do be consistent with it.
No matter you do it just for 15 minutes but do it EVERYDAY!
(Here the keyword is Everyday in order to be consistent with your work)
Take action now or you’re going to reach the end of your dream of life soon without realising that it’s too late.
REMINDER – Again! Life is too short just like your dream but rn you don’t realize it.
ACT NOW!
– Payal Saran
The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz is one of the the best self help book which tells it’s readers how to achieve personal freedom. Not only this it also tells the readers about the four agreements to follow in order to experience a life worth living in this enormous space.
The Four Agreements are :
1) Be Impeccable With Your Word
2) Don’t Take Anything Personally
3) Don’t Make Assumptions
4) Always Do Your Best
This book really changes the way people preceive things in a more optimistic way and reminds it’s readers every now and then that LIFE IS SHORT ~ Past is gone and future is not yet here. What you’ve now is the present to live.
The writer wants to convey through his words that no matter how hard a situation is, you can always change that particular situation by choosing how you’re going to react to it.
“The only reason you are happy is because you choose to be happy.”
Here Don Miguel Ruiz is trying to emphasize that Happiness is a choice, and so is suffering. You can change your life in a matter of seconds by choosing either.
The writer also tells how one can achieve enlightenment when a person let their heart be open to seek love and give love to every being in their surroundings.
Personally speaking I really enjoyed reading this book. This is one of those books which made me intrigued throughout the whole process of reading it.
I’d highly recommend this book to those who wants to welcome positive changes in their lives or the people who are always overthinking about things and surround themselves in negative thoughts. It’ll help the readers not to worry about the future and not to overthink about the past which is already gone.
Well! If you’ve already read the book so don’t forget to share your thoughts about it on the comment section. I’d like to know your take on this enlightening book.
At last I’d like to say that this book has literally cast a white magic on my heart. I’m truly awe of this book.
– Payal Saran
People say, “Be present in the now and you won’t miss out from your life. “
People say, “Think positive and everything good is going to happen in your life.”
Ultimately they’re saying the truth but most of the people don’t know the actual meaning of these words.
Most people react to these words as just a sign board and don’t really understand the very essence of it!
That’s where they’re lacking to achieve a happy life and welcomes the way of negativity in their lives although they least want it.
And they will become anxious, angry, frustrated, and have continuous conflict within and all the suffering eventually surrounds them.
So, what’s the solution?
Okay! Let me get straight to the point.
Take a moment to breathe in and breathe out.
Now look around you.
Is there anything bothering you? Any thing that is making you feel uncomfortable, angry or frustrated?
If, so! Can you do something about it?
If, yes! Then do it.
If, no! Then make peace with it.
Some of you’d say, “It’s easy to just write or say and difficult to apply in action.”
I concur with you!
Sometimes it’s difficult but sometimes we gotta try this to make our inner being at peace.
Let me ask you one question!
Right now you’re reading my jotted down work are you completely present in the moment and reading it wholeheartedly or something else is also going on in your mind?
If you’re attentively reading this then you’re consciously present in this moment.
In case something else is going on in your mind then sorry you’re missing out from your life by not being in the NOW.
It’s funny how we just think about our past and future continuously and completely neglect our present.
But you know what? Your being in the present define your life neither past nor future.
Be happy in the NOW. If you can’t then atleast try to be happy.
– Payal Saran
Be Your Own Sunshine by James Allen is a very inspiring book for me because it has really altered my life towards positive thinking.
It has been rightly said that, “A Book Can Change Your Life”. For me, it is this book which has changed my life and my habits.
This book has taught me the importance of “Thoughts”.
Yes, Thoughts! James Allen says, ” They themselves are makers of themselves “ And for this he means that our thoughts plays a vital role in our lives.
A person can experience a life of heaven by their Rightful thoughts and can make thier life a living Hell by their unpleasant evil thoughts.
The author not only explains the importance of positive, peaceful and serene thoughts in our life and how it influences our habits but also tells it’s readers how to practice it.
As one goes through this book, they can see positive changes happening in their lives. This books tells the difference between what is right and what is wrong, who is wise and who is evil and how to avoid bad habits and follow good habits.
James Allen through his words tells the readers that it’s neither the surrounding that let’s you make bad decisions nor any person influences you to fell into the prey of evil deeds but it’s you who by your thoughts makes your life an wholesome abode or a prison-hole.
I’d greatly recommend this book to those who are trying really hard not to procrastinate and get their work done by the end of the day without any signs of regret of not doing anything because they fell into the prey of procrastination.
To me this book has really done wonders as I’ve seen positive changes happening in my life. I’ve been really productive since the day I started reading this book.
– Payal Saran
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life by Francesc Miralles and Hector Garcia is the best book for those who wants to develop good habits in their lives and excel in their career and to be happy. This book helps a person to stay focused on one task and be a master in it. This book helps people to realize the importance of healthy lifestyle by eating, exercising, meditating and sleeping good. Not only this it also tells the secret about the long life of Japanese people.
This book ask it’s readers to have a goal in life because life without an aim is worthless. One should have a task and the motivation to live their life, otherwise their lives will be useless.
One should focus on eating good fruits, herbal tea, green veggies, etc to develop a healthy lifestyle mentally and physically in order to find their ikigai. This way the people will be less exposed to disease and illness because the healthy lifestyle makes a person’s body strong to fight back diseases.
At last, I’d like to say that this is the best self help book I’ve read so far. It made me realize the importance of adequate sleep, being an expert in one’s own stream, eating healthy food and to meditate.
If you’re looking forward to make healthy changes in your life, so, you’ve come to a right place because this is the book for you.
– Payal Saran
Sometimes life seems tough and you’ve to face so many hurdles and failures in your life but you know what?
There’s going to be more ups and downs in your life.
Failures, disappointments and non-fulfillment of your dreams that you’ve been working hard for all this while.
But you just gotta get up every time and be stronger than ever before.
Don’t waste your life being unhappy when you’re unable to make up to the mark.
Instead of beating up yourself on your unsuccessful attempts;
Tell yourself, “It’s okay! You gave your 100% to it. If not this time then it’ll be next time for sure. “
Give yourself treat instead of blaming yourself for your failures because you know more than anybody else that how hard you worked for it.
Be gentle on yourself because It’s just life which is very unpredictable.
You thought you’re gonna get into it this time but guess what? You don’t!
Great things happens when you least expect it to happen. Read that AGAIN!
So stop whining about it and get up, brush up yourself and keep going.
And be happy that you’re at least half way there.
Failure is not an end.
Albeit! Failure is the first step to success.
– Payal Saran
In 1988, it was a winter time in Okaneville which is known for it’s Prestigious 7 Star Hotel, “Hotel Azrak” which is located in the deep forest.
For tourists and visitors who loves to spend their time in nature as well as luxury they pay their visit to Hotel Azrak during their weekends and holidays.
Being a luxurious 7 star hotel, it has a dark secret which no one really knows but some forest dwellers talk about eerie stories related to that hotel which no one pays much heed to.
The forest dwellers usually say that there are some evil spirits in that hotel which is in room number 267 where once a hotel manager used to live with his family. It was a tragic story that the hotel manager killed his wife and 3 childrens of which 2 were girls and one was a boy who was only 6 months old. Well! The actual story is still unknown that why he killed his family and where did he go after that? No one actually knows about it! Some says he committed suicide when he saw that he killed his family with his own hands while some says he went out in the forest and disappeared in the void.
So, it was the time for Christmas in Okaneville. Grace and her friends (Stacy, Chris, Carl, Max and Lily) were planning to spend Christmas together this year and doesn’t want to celebrate it with their family because it was their last Christmas together because they were planning to move to different cities after their graduation.
Stacy, Grace’s childhood friend suggested to go to this Azrak Hotel to celebrate their winter holidays for a week but it was too expensive for them but not for Chris, he’s a spoiled rich kid in the college.
Chris really wanted to go to this luxurious but spooky hotel with his friends and told them, “Hey, guys! The manager of that hotel is my father’s friend. I know if I ask him to arrange something for me and you guys then he’ll definitely do it. Y’all just pack your bags! We’re going to this Azrak hotel.”
So, now everything is arranged by Chris’s parents. Grace, Stacy, Lily and Max were ready with their luggage and waiting for Carl and Chris to pick them up.
Stacy asked her friends, “Where are these two? We’ve been waiting for them like for past 40 minutes and they’re still not here! “
Grace to Stacy, “When I last talked to Chris on phone he said he’s going to rent a Car and pick Carl on his way and then come to pick us. “
Max after hearing them talk about Chris and Carl, “Okay! I’m gonna call Chris to ask him where they are! ”
When Max was about to call him, Carl and Chris came in a very cool black posh car. Everyone was awestruck by the car design.
Grace to Chris, “From where did you rent this car? It’s so cool! Let me drive this. “
Chris to Grace, “No! I’ll drive and y’all are just going to listen to the playlist on the back seat. “
Then everyone got in the car and was really excited to start off their road trip to the Azrak Hotel!
While in the car, Lily told her friends about the spooky stories she heard about that hotel.
Then Max and Carl made fun about it because Lily is really scared about these creepy places.
Grace, “Guys! Enough of these spooky talk. Let’s have fun! Chris turn up the music now.”
It was evening when they reached the forest, there wasn’t any street lights, the road was in absolute darkness and no car was to be seen in front nor behind their car.
Lily was a little petrified by the situation that why there’s no any car around as it’s the Christmas time and the hotel is very known in Okaneville and there should be lot of visitors coming and going from this route why it’s completely empty?
Suddenly Grace saw something on a tree. It looked like a girl sitting on a tree with long black hair wearing a white gown but she didn’t mentioned anything with her friends because Lily was already scared and they’re still on one hour distance from the hotel and Grace thought that it might be her illusion as they’ve been traveling since morning and it’s 18:13 PM at the moment.
It was 19:39 PM they finally reached the Hotel Azrak. The Hotel was really Beautiful and Luxurious. It was like their exertion from the journey was all gone looking at that Splendid hotel. The hotel looked like a Palace from the classical era, which it was.
They entered the hotel and they all were awestruck by the materialistic things of the hotel like a big stunning chandelier below which a girl was playing “Rue Des Trois Frères” on a grand piano. İt was really spacious, huge and beautiful. Everything was shinning, glittering and splendid. They go to the receptionist to get their room numbers and all. The receptionist ask them to wait a little then a waitress came with welcome drinks for them. The welcome drink was really refreshing and delish.
They got their room keys, Lily and Max got R. No. – 265, Chris and Carl got R. No. – 266 and Stacy and Grace got R. No. – 267 (the evil room). Grace was least aware about what’s going to happen to her and her friends. They unfortunately know the half story about the hotel and doesn’t know anything about room number – 267.
They entered their rooms. The rooms were like Roman ancient style luxurious room. So beautiful like they’ve entered some kind of fairytale world.
After spending one night there. Grace was feeling a bit uneasy. At night she saw a dream about the same woman she saw on a tree while traveling through the forest and she woke up and got in the washroom to wash her face then she heard something from behind and saw someone was coming out of the bathtub it was a little girl in pink dress. Grace freaked out and screamed out loud. She woke up it was an Eerie Dream which seemed utterly Real.
It was a Christmas Eve. Everyone got an invitation from the hotel that they’re going to have Christmas Eve party tonight. They were really excited for it and getting ready for the night.
Grace was still not feeling well. Stacy asked Grace, “Hey! What happened? You seem a little off.”
Grace, “Nothing! Maybe it’s just because of the exertion from the road trip and I didn’t slept well last night too. Maybe if I’ll get some rest then I’ll feel good. “
Stacy to Grace, ” So you’re not coming with us? “
Grace, “No! I want to go but I can’t! I’ll take medicine and sleep a little. Y’all go and have fun! “
Stacy, “Oh! Poor Grace! Get well soon, hon!”
Grace, “Thanks, Stacy! “
Everyone wanted to see Grace before going to the party but Stacy said she’s sleeping now and we should not disturb her. Let her get some rest.
They all went to celebrate whereas Grace was in her room and she didn’t sleep at all. She was feeling awful from inside and petrified by seeing creepy things around the room like the blood dripping from the wall, a woman who’s completely dressed in black cloth whose face can’t be seen through that black cloth, was coming towards her. She can hear giggles of little girls and also a crying baby and she started screaming but no one can hear her as everyone were celebrating the Christmas Eve but after a little while everything hushed for a moment.
She stopped screaming and put off her hands from her ears and she got really scared she tried to run from that room but as soon as she tried to open the door that creepy woman who dressed in black came from behind her and tried to choke her. Grace was trying to pull that woman’s hand away but suddenly she saw the face of that woman behind the black cloth, her face was covered in red blood and it looked like it was smashed by something sharp like axe then that woman vomited something black into Grace’s mouth and Grace blacked out.
Stacy came in the room and saw Grace was lying on the floor. She got scared called all her friends to look at Grace’s condition. Stacy sprinkled some water on Grace’s face and Grace regain consciousness and saw everyone worried faces.
Stacy asked Grace, “What happened? How did you faint?”
Grace, ” I don’t actually remember anything. I had my medicine then I was in my bed trying to sleep. That’s all.” Grace didn’t know that she got possessed by an evil spirit.
Chris said, ” Okay! You take rest now and we will talk about it tomorrow.”
Lily, “I was telling you guys this place is creepy “
Stacy, ” Lily now please don’t start with your nonsensical horror stories”
Grace also said, “Oh, Lily! I love this place. I just got a little sick. I’ll be fine by tomorrow. “
Lily, ” Okay! If you say so. Take care, Grace! Good night!”
Suddenly Grace heard a creepy voice saying, “KILL THEM! KILL THEM! KİLL THEM!”
Everyone was looking at Grace that she was froze for a minute and didn’t replied to Lily. So, Stacy shook her and Grace said , “What?”
Stacy said, “You’re acting weird. You literally froze for a moment. “
Grace, ” I’m tired maybe because of that I’m like this. Okay! Y’all go to your rooms. I’m going to sleep. Good night! “
Lily, Chris, Max and Carl went to their rooms. While Stacy was with Grace as they were sharing the room. It was past midnight when Grace woke up and heard the same creepy voice, ” KILL THEM!”
Grace was not in her senses she saw a knife and started stabbing Stacy with it. Stacy screamed, shouted but no one heard and she died.
Grace drank Stacy’s blood and heard a knock on the door. It was Chris who forgot his phone in her room when they came to see Grace after the party.
Grace’s mouth, jaw, cheeks, neck and cloth was all covered in Stacy’s blood and she had a knife in her hand, she opened the door. It was slightly dark but Chris can see she was covered in blood.
Chris freaked out and said, “what happened to you?”
Grace said, “I killed Stacy and drank her blood. It was delicious. Do you wanna try? “
Chris, “What? What are you saying? İs this some kind of prank? Stacy you in there? Grace has gone completely mad! “
Grace smilingly said, “I told you she is dead now, I killed her. It’s now your turn. “
Grace pulled him in with her one hand and stabbed in the same way as she stabbed Stacy.
Grace cleaned all the mess by herself and put their body in the bathtub.
Next morning, Carl was searching for Chris everywhere as he was not in the room. He asked Max and Lily they also don’t know about Chris’s whereabouts.
Then they knocked on Grace’s room and she opens the door. They comes in and asked have you seen Chris? Then Grace said, ” Oh! Chris and Stacy went out in the forest for a walk this morning. They asked me to come with them but I denied because I wasn’t feeling much better then but now I’m feeling good. “
Everyone was confused that they went for a walk without informing them. So Carl said, “let us also go to the forest then”
Then Grace said, ” Oh! I remembered. Chris told me that when everyone wakes up tell them to meet us (Stacy and Chris) on the lake side in the midst of the forest“
Max, “But that’s too far! ”
Grace, “Yes but y’all know that how much Chris loves to walk in the morning. Poor, Stacy! She will be so tired by now walking with him. Let us go with the car! What say? “
Everyone agrees! They all get in the car. Little did they know what lay ahead of them. Grace after driving for a while, suddenly stops the car in the middle of nowhere. Her friends asked her what happened? Why did she stopped the car?
Grace, “I don’t know guys it suddenly stopped.”
Carl sarcastically said, “Grace what did you do to the car? Chris is going to be heart broken when he’ll see his darling (the car Chris rented) in this condition haha”
Everyone laughed and Grace got out of the car. Carl said, “Is she okay? I was just kidding”
Lily said, “I don’t know she has been acting all weird lately.”
Everyone gets out of the car. Max looked at the car finding the reason why it’s not working. While Lily was admiring the beauty of nature and Carl was being suspectful that something is going wrong with Grace.
Grace suddenly came to her senses and realized that she had killed her two friends and started to cry.
Carl who was looking at her with suspecting eyes saw her crying. He walked towards her and asked, “Is everything okay? “
Grace hesitatingly said, “I killed Stacy and Chris. “
Carl said, “What?”
Grace sobbing, “Yes! It’s true. I killed them with my own hands. “
Carl sarcastically, “Yeah, sure! And then you were planning to kill us, right? Haha you can’t kill a bloody mosquito and you’re saying you killed two humans…Good one! “
Grace in a very serious tone, “Carl! It’s not a joke. I’m serious and yes when I was in the hotel this morning I was literally planning to kill you guys. I lied to y’all about Chris and Stacy”
Carl, “I was suspecting you about that but this is insane. You’re talking all rubbish and sounding all creepy like Lily. Stop it already now. It’s not funny. “
Lily and Max came to them and asked what they’re talking about. Lily saw Grace was sobbing and asked, “What’s wrong? “ Carl told them everything that what Grace said to him.
They started laughing! Max sarcastically said, “Grace, please don’t kill me haha”
Grace, “Why don’t you guys believe me. That’s a creepy hotel I saw and heard weird things there. I think we should get out of here ASAP! “
Max, “Okay! Now you’re sounding like an absolute Maniac. If you really killed them and wanted to kill us too then why are you telling us all this thing now? You need a doctor immediately. I have fixed the car now let’s go! “
Lily listening to all of them realized that Grace might be telling the truth and she might have got possessed by some evil spirit in that hotel room.
Lily, “Guys! I think she’s telling the truth! “
Carl, “Lily! Please now you don’t start.”
Max agreeing with Carl and said, “We will talk about it later. Let’s get out of here. “
Everyone headed towards the car. Grace heard the creepy voice again, “You’re Weak! You can’t kill them but I CAN! “
Grace turned around and Shouted loudly to her friends, “RUN! She’s going to kill us all.”
They all got scared by her action and bewilderedly looked at each other. As soon as they could process the situation, they all got perished in the forest soil out of nowhere in front of Grace.
Grace saw that all her friends got buried in the soil in front of her eyes and knew that the evil spirit is going to come after her next.
She suddenly runs towards the car and starts the car while reversing it she heard a cracking sound of a finger breaking of someone amongst her friends who got burried under the soil.
She drove the car and disappeared in the void just like that manager who killed his family in Room Number : 267 and disappeared forever.
– Payal Saran
Payal's blog