What Patriotism is all about

These were the pick of the queries received via WhatsApp and answered by life coach Adarsh Basavaraj. Keep them coming!

What is Patriotism? What is it supposed to be? Free thinker

Dear Readers,

Today is a historic day as exactly 69 years ago, we Indians got to celebrate our very first Independence Day! We are not only lucky to reap the fruits of the struggles, sacrifices and even loss of lives of every great soul who did it for the sake of our freedom...but are also privileged to enjoy better living standards as a result of the development our nation has endured over the years. We've always been one amazing nation, with such diversity...yet unity!

Our Honorable Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "Today as we live and breathe in the air of Independence we again think of all those courageous men who laid down their lives, spent their youthful days in jail, those who didn’t mind hanging by the noose for the cause of India’s Independence"

Honestly speaking, we could have done much better and reached greater heights. That's exactly why I decided to have this conversation about patriotism this week!

The intent of this week's conversation is not only to express my views but also a humble, genuine and honest appeal to all of you... Especially the YOUTH to be the DRIVING FORCE in shaping the future of our country. Let's first start by being aware and understand that we play the most pivotal role in this aspect.

We've come a long way, from being a country...

Perceived to be full of snake charmers and slaves to becoming one of the most strong economies in the world.

Which was not at all on the list for companies to launch their products to becoming one of the largest markets of which, every business wants to grab a pie of.

Where all the sub standard products were dumped once upon a time to having the best of everything including the ICONIC FORD MUSTANG which was launched recently... We have come a long way, haven't we?

Yes we have! But is it enough?

We definitely are much better compared to the war ridden and terrorist infested countries, but this is where we can't be satisfied just as yet, as we could have done much better. To play a key role in the future of our country, Let's all first understand what Patriotism is all about.

In my opinion, Patriotism is the emotion of having a strong SENSE of BELONGINGNESS to our country and refers to the exhibition of extraordinary support for one's country.

But! let me make you aware right here at this point that in order for us to be PATRIOTIC in all genuineness, we have to first develop a sense of responsibility in all aspects towards our nation. Be it from the basic aspect of maintaining cleanliness all the way to being proactive in eradication of poverty and corruption.

This is where I would request you all to join me in taking a pledge to: First Be an INDIAN! Period! Let us stand UNITED and not let, Caste, Creed, Religion, Region, Sex, Political Agendas or any other factor divide us! Become Pro-active citizens not REACTIVE citizens! Let us be the ones who shall INITIATE CHANGE & not the ones who sit and point fingers at the government or others.

Be responsible to choose the RIGHT leaders or become RESPONSIBLE LEADERS ourselves!

Be PROUD of who we are and make our nation the BEST not wait for it to become better to be proud of it!

Be the first to spring into ACTION when our country requires us.

Be it to DEFEND or CHARGE AHEAD, to SAFEGUARD or ERADICATE & finally to be the STRONGEST FORCE or MOST POISED.

Be Unconditional Unsung Heroes without expectations. Protect Women & EMPOWER THEM, rather than expecting them to be safe & capable.

Educate as many as possible, rather than just making them STUDY!

Support our economy by buying products made in Indian and ensure that everyone MAKES IT IN INDIA!

Stop the BRAIN DRAIN, but rather utilise our potential and contribute to the betterment of our nation, in turn starting the phenomenon of BRAIN GAIN.

Support every individual to pursue their passion and facilitate them to convert it into their profession.

Effectively utilise the resources to facilitate SHARING of resources and NOT EXPLOITATION! To create an IMPACT only for the POSITIVE & DAMAGE only the NEGATIVE!

With Regards,

Adarsh Basavaraj

The Coach

Hi. I am a Diploma II year student. I want to have good communication skills. How do I learn them? Please help me. Young gun

I completely understand your question. Especially since I'm  a Communications trainer, the first basic tip I want to give you is... You should never worry about what the other person will think. The major reason why people don't develop communication skills is because they are worried about what people around them will think and start getting tense to communicate. The reasons might be different, it might be fluency in English or any other language, not able to talk on a stage or feeling hesitant to talk to a group of people... But always remember, we all learnt it as a process. Nobody became a good communicator overnight. The next step to be a good communicator is to be fluent in the language that you want to communicate in. Since majority of people have a hard time becoming fluent in English, I'll give you tips on the same. First step, start conversing with people who are fluent  and who are supportive only in English and not your mother tongue, so that you can talk with them and they can correct you when you make mistakes. Second, start reading English newspapers like ours which have impeccable English. Last but not the least, Watch English movies with subtitles so that your subconscious registers and integrates words into your mind.

I have seen so many ups and downs in my past. I tried to forget them, but it is impossible, because of which I am failing in my studies. I am confused will I be strong or will I fail again? Confused soul

The ups and downs of life are a part of our life it is what defines our life and ensures that we learn and become more mature. There is no meaning to life if you haven't faced this. Life would have been very monotonous. The reason why you're finding it impossible to forget is because you're stuck in the past. You have to move on. PAST IS PASSED, whatever has happened has happened. There's absolutely no use sitting and brooding about what happened (Past) nor should you worry about what happens (Future). Live in the present, enjoy the NOW. Failing in your studies because of what happened in the past sounds very immature. I cannot say just because people would call me FAT in the past, I never learnt driving. It just doesn't connect. Either you're too lazy and need a reason not to study, because of which you keep brooding about the past, or you're too adamant about something that you want and are letting your studies go to pursue it. Understand one thing very clearly, if you're failing... It's because of you and not because of what happened. It's in your hands and nobody else's. My first advice, pull up your socks, start getting more focused and remember that it's only you and your family who's going to suffer and nobody else. So don't let that happen. Whoever or whatever made you weak. Study well and prove that you're better off on your own. Take this as a challenge and prove to the world! Next, focus only on the UPS that you've had. Count your blessings and remember that you have been lucky too. Just put in your efforts and focus on what is important in life. Prioritise! Finally, getting strong is something that happens over time. This is why, you need to live in the PRESENT. The faster you bounce back and get back on track, the stronger you become. Spend time with people who are supportive towards you, write and practice, take it up as a challenge to prove to the world what you're capable of. If you do this with complete genuineness, you'll be someone who can inspire many

How can one be completely dedicated to his own goal? Mr Determination

An excellent question, I must say! The simplest formula I can give you is, Dedication = hard work minus distractions! So the first thing that you need to do is be aware of your distractions. The main distraction being your phone as social media, games, chat apps and all just gobble up time to such a level, you'll be shocked.

If you're a victim of distraction... You need to put your foot down and stop using you phone or whatever that distracts you during the time you've set aside for a particular task. The next step, you need to understand and be aware, why you have this GOAL in the first place. It's like when you want to quit, remember why you had this goal in the first place.

That will help kick-start your motivation again. If required, write down quotes that motivate you towards your goal. Finally, ensure that your goals aren't very pressurising and big. Having  vague goals that are too big will only make you more demotivated and lose focus.  That will make you postpone, procrastinate and finally lose interest. Chunk down your goals into smaller goals and reward yourself for every goal that you accomplish. This will definitely keep you on track.

Hey Coach, could you tell me how to deal with social anxiety?  Anxious one

Let's understand one thing clearly, social anxiety is something that's in your hands. Since you're able to term it as that, I'm pretty sure you know what it is. So the first step to deal with it is to remember that you're also a Human Being like everyone else and that's it! Period!

All the other tags come later. You're as equal as anyone out there. The reason I say this is because a majority of my clients who face this type of anxiety suffer from LOW SELF ESTEEM, because of which you're half the time worried about what others will think, say or feel.

My first advice is to improve your self esteem. To do this you have to remember and keep telling yourself that "I am as strong and capable as anyone around me" To make this more effective, look at yourself in the mirror and repeat this ten times when you start your day. Sounds simple... Has a very strong impact.

Next advice is to make yourself FEEL GOOD. It might be wearing the best clothes, or decking yourself up with the best accessories. This subconsciously makes you more confident.

Last advice, keep a notebook or diary handy and make a note of what kind of social situations make you uncomfortable. It might be talking to people at work, stage fear, or might be as simple as even conversing on the phone. Once you're aware of this, next time a similar situation arises "Close your eyes for a second and remember what you told yourself looking at the Mirror in the mirror" that will reinforce your confidence immediately.

Remember that you're no less than anyone. We all are special and posses our own special skills. One thing I always say is remember that you're a BORN WINNER as you won the RACE amidst millions of sperms to EVEN BE BORN! So anything else is just a piece of cake.

These tips sound really simple, but trust me... Goes a long way. Do this religiously and write back to me. I'm always here.

But please don't be disheartened.

This should definitely help.

All the very best for your future endeavours.

Take care

Confused about where your life is going, what to do next, how to handle life’s curveballs or where to get great relationship advice? Never fear, The Coach is here. Life guru Adarsh Basavaraj will answer all your queries on WhatsApp! So what are you waiting for? Total anonymity will also be extended on request, and select queries will be answered in Edex

That’s Right! We’re Now Available on    WhatsApp Too!  +91 73580 29990

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