Courage, creativity, love
Hello friend,
This edition is slightly longer so here is a quick 3-point summary of the newsletter.
- Launched a new podcast, called Little Courage (Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcasts)
- A video clip on the role of creativity by Shah Rukh Khan
- Thought of the week- Falling in love is easy, it takes courage to grow in love
If you are interested in background stories, how I spent my Valentine’s Day, and the fun Bollywood context behind my understanding of love, read until the end 😛
So, let’s dive in!
(Oh btw did I tell you that you are awesome for still reading this despite the summary in the beginning? :D)
Last week, I talked about channelizing emotional pain and anguish into physical activity.
Unfortunately, I took it a bit too far and ended up hurting my knees. :/
That means no running or walking 10K steps for a few days at least. That’s a bummer as I had begun to enjoy my morning physical ritual.
But, most importantly, I had to find another way to channel the angst and anxiety I had been feeling in the past few weeks.
So, I did the next best thing I could do from bed- I CREATED A PODCAST!
drumrolls Announcing Little Courage-
A podcast about stories, reflections, and lessons on taking a leap of faith and finding little courage to do big things in career, life, and love.
I am not sure about the cadence yet. I want to do it weekly but I am leaning towards a monthly or fortnightly cadence for now.
Meanwhile, you can listen to the first episode which is about 5 minutes.
Listen on Spotify | Listen on Apple Podcasts
Video clip of the Week- On the role of creativity
In this video clip (13:25-14:35), Shah Rukh Khan talks about creativity and how it can be a trusted companion in times of loneliness.
“Some creativity has a bigger role to play. It is to keep you company when you’re alone. When you need a friend, when the world doesn’t seem to understand you, your creativity, whatever that may be, will be the only thing that will keep you inspired and satisfied.”
Shah Rukh Khan
It makes me wonder about the creative response and how certain experiences can trigger it.
These experiences can be positive, for example, a deep meditation or a long relaxing retreat. But, these experiences can be painful as well, for example, processing grief or going through a heartbreak.
An underlying theme of these experiences seems to be that they all open up your heart in some way or the other. The degree to which you can feel emotions leads to the intensity of the creative phase.
Of course, that does not mean creativity cannot arise without such experiences.
But sometimes, these triggers are needed to get you to take the first step without overthinking or overanalyzing. After that, it depends on you how you sustain the momentum.
(Oh btw let me tell you that you are really mind-blowingly awesome if you’re still reading this! I love you! :D)
Thought of the week- Courage to fall grow in love
It was Valentine’s Day yesterday. I took myself out for a solo movie date to watch one of my favorite movies- Tamasha (a 2015 movie that was playing for a limited time during Valentine’s week)
There are only three characters from movies that I closely relate to in my real life- Ved from Tamasha, Aditya from Jab We Met, and Surinder Sahini from Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi.
These characters represent two powerful types of love that I find fascinating- selfless love and love that leads to personal growth.
Aditya personifies the idea of both selfless love and personal growth driven by love. Ved experiences a significant personal transformation when he falls in love. Surinder Sahini personifies selfless love without sacrificing one’s own individuality.
Both Aditya and Ved don’t just fall in love. They are not the typical romantic heroes who chase after the girl to woo her and win her heart. In fact, they also go through rejection initially. But despite that, they experience a profound transformation and grow in love.
And that is the lesson I want to try to learn and imbibe in my life.
Falling in love is easy. Growing in love- individually and/or with your partner- is difficult.
People change with time. Sparks rarely exist forever. Chemistry is impermanent.
Sometimes they don’t feel the same for you. Sometimes the circumstances are not right. Sometimes you are not on the same page in other matters. Sometimes you realize they are not the person you thought they were.
But, it takes courage to love someone without expecting them to love you back. It takes selflessness to love them as they are without expecting them to fulfill your expectations from them. It also takes an understanding to realize that it is not their responsibility to make you feel happy. That is an inside job.
This is where courage, selflessness, vulnerability, and a commitment to grow (either solo if unrequited love or with a partner, if you are in a relationship) come into the picture.
If you can love like this, then whether you end up together or not no longer matters.
Maybe this is what they call the true nature of love. No conditions. No demands.
Because a love like this is complete in itself.
You don’t require anyone else to complete your love as most cliched romcoms make you believe so. You are whole. You are complete. You are love.
What do you think?
Do you resonate with any of the ideas above?
I am still refining some of these reflections and thoughts and might do a detailed blog later if it resonates with anyone.
That is all from me folks this week,
Until next time
Love
Vishal
PS: Wow, you read till the end! It means a lot and I am truly grateful to have you on this list, really! 🙂 <3