Inspire and Get Inspired

By Kajal Kataria
Home maker, Bangalore

Foreword by Venkat
In several ways, looking at life from the lens of physical and natural laws aligns us towards the deeper meanings in life. It is no wonder that pure science and philosophy seem to unroll down to the same essence of nature. By conservation of energy, when potential energy reduces, the kinetic increases or by conservation of matter, we can neither destroy nor create matter. If one continues to look at reductions and losses as something bad or ill-fated, then one remains ignorant of the increases and gains lying elsewhere.

In a beautiful narration from her personal life, Kajal brings two important lessons here: 1. What we experience depends on what we give attention to 2. Inspiration can come from the very person we want to inspire.

Feel the evocative spirit of things between Kajal and her daughter while deep, soul stirring meanings transpire in her!

About Kajal Kataria

“As a stay at home mom, I realized I was passionate about creating value for my children and developing their seeking spirit. Then any subject you take up, it becomes interesting. Hence, I realized talking with people, with children, and talking and reading to them not only encourages them, but makes us aware of how creative the young minds can be if given the right environment. I hope to continue in this pursuit of making my kids always be inspired with this journey of life.“
~Kajal

Inspire and Get Inspired

There is no age limit when it comes to inspiring or getting inspired. Life has taught me, big or small, rich or poor, human or animal, everything has a story to tell and these are the stories which inspire us to be better humans. It is so easy to inspire others when we are successful. But the greatest inspiration is when we hear of failures and yet the people have the same eagerness to move forward and try harder. The zest for life is what makes even the ordinary extraordinary.

When I started writing, I thought of the numerous celebrities, and other great people who have inspired me. But then I realized, one person who has always pushed me to become better (unknowingly) is my own daughter. Her silent strength has always stumped me and I always wonder, is she strong enough to withstand this world. Should I inspire her more. And then I realized, I have learnt more from my 10-year-old about resilience in life, than I have taught her.

With the birth of my second child, my time got divided between my new born, my house work, my need to be with friends and my daughter’s school, daily routine etc. In that time, I was very tough on my then 5-year-old daughter and expected her to become mature and become independent. The need to getting everything perfect and not be left out for meeting my friends and finishing chores and be on top of her studies and play time, I never realized that while I had expectations, she too had expectations. Slowly she was sometimes left out and not invited to some of her friends’ houses. Life got tough for her. I still remember her trying to go down to the gardens and trying to make new friends and somewhere not being able to play, my heart used to break into tiny pieces. But she persevered. She realized on her own that she didn’t need people who do not respect her. She would play alone, come up and then spend her time with us happily.

My 5-year-old daughter held her head high and kept her self-respect and, in the process, taught me how to be grateful for smallest of things in life. And what she taught me was, life has much more to offer and we owe to our lives to do more meaningful things. Our responsibilities to our bodies, minds and the world are far greater than our mere social standing. Spreading happiness and joy to others should be our motto. Being there for others, providing courage and compassion to others gives us greater joy than constantly wallowing in self-pity.

My daughter, who is now 10, is kind and compassionate and tries her best not to leave out any of her friends and always be inclusive. She inspires me everyday with her silent strength, and makes me proud. My hope is to always, in turn, inspire her to be a better human, and not just become an achiever in academics and financially, but create a vast heart where we have a place for everyone in our heart forever.

By Kajal Kataria

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