Aconcoctionofobsessions - Elusive

Aishwarya Rai, Taal, 1999.

Wonderful Women of History: DURDHARA, fl.4th century BCE, wife of Chandragupta Maurya and mother of his heir; according to tradition, relative of the dynasty he deposed.

1) irresistible, difficult to be stopped.

2) difficult to be borne or suffered

3) difficult to be accomplished.

4) difficult to be kept in memory.

                                                        - Translations of Durdhara’s name in Sanskrit

It is anger that saves her, buoys her up from drowning in despair. Things come; things go. She should have known this before, should have been taught this at her father’s knee. Instead she is reeling, now, uncertain of everything but that she must survive.

“You are stronger than you believe,” says Chandragupt, and he bends his head – that of an Emperor’s!– to kiss her wrist.

She loves him, then. 

(Requested by @chaanv)

all that matters is water and streams and rivers

What do you think is required from a person to succeed ?

I study successful people on a daily basis and it’s one of my favorite hobbies. I read their biographies, befriend them, interact with them regularly, and learn from them. Most important personality traits I’ve isolated and identified:

Required

Discipline (linked with consistency): Work ethic, dedication, timeliness, organization, and consistency of effort. On consistency, it’s okay to change your mind (Ne-dom and Ne-aux types, are you listening to me right now?) but change your mind within a consistent framework. For example, DO: “If x doesn’t happen, we’ll change our method and try y.” For example, DON’T: “Let’s do A, B, C, M, Z, Y, K, your mom, Jumanji, I’m coming in to work today but not tomorrow, nm I won’t be coming in at all, let’s study cars, let’s study balloons, hey let’s go over here, there, everywhere.” Being inconsistent will lose the trust and respect of your peers and superiors. It’s also annoying as shit.

Competence: Every successful person has a ‘pocket skill’, something they’re exceptionally good at, something they’ve practiced and perfected, and something they’re known for. Warren Buffett for investment, Ben Carson for pediatric neurosurgery, Roger Federer for tennis, etc. Never stop learning and developing your craft.

Charisma: Communication skills, listening skills, people skills, networking skills, compassion, empathy. The ability to understand people, what they want, what they need, and how to convey your thoughts and ideas to them with impeccable clarity and precision. To be successful you must have the ability to make people not only like you, but trust and respect you.

Resilience: The emotional, mental, and psychological fortitude to endure stress, the ability to recover from failure and setbacks, the physical strength to work long hours. To be successful you must be able to endure pain, discomfort, disappointment, and fatigue because nothing will come easy and the road is long and hard.

Passion: The strong belief in a goal or cause, the commitment to achieve high levels of performance to serve that goal or cause. Passion is not the same as ambition.

Summary

Successful people are disciplined and consistent. 

Successful people are skilled at something. 

Successful people are liked, trusted, and respected.

Successful people are durable and undeterred. 

Successful people have a sense of purpose. 

Optional (and helpful), but not required

Intelligence: All the thinkers will be surprised that I listed intelligence is optional, but it is. There are a lot of smart people who never make it in life for various reasons. Filtering the external factors (like being born in a third world country or a war zone), discipline is the key differentiating factor between an intelligent person who succeeds and one who fails.

Money: It’ll help expedite your way to success, but it’s not required.

“In my garden of dreams, springtime came only with you.”                                                                          – Jodhaa Akbar (2008, dir. Ashutosh Gowariker)

Saw this doing the rounds on Facebook 😂