The Illusion of “Just This One Time”: The Power of Discipline in Achieving Greatness

 

In the tapestry of life’s challenges, the phrase “just this one time” often presents itself as a whisper, a sudden moment of temptation. It’s a seductive call, a seemingly harmless indulgence. But peel back the layers, and you’ll find that this siren song can lead you far off target, especially in the realms of trading, investing, fitness, or what that matter, any pursuit of excellence.

The fascination of “Just This One Time”

I was watching an interview of Mark Minervini, a renowned trader in the financial world, and was very impressed with the way he emphasizes the dangers of succumbing to the “just this one time” mentality. Whether you’re trying to lose weight, get fit, manage your finances, or break bad habits, this phrase can be your worst enemy. Allowing your-self a single deviation from your plan or discipline can lead to a slippery slope of excuses and setbacks.

When we look at sporting legends like Roger Federer, Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, Virat Kohli, and Vishwanathan Anand, we see a common thread running through their incredible journeys – discipline. These icons of their respective sports never allowed themselves the luxury of “just this one time.” Their unwavering commitment to their craft and routines, even in the face of distractions, is what propelled them to greatness. I have taken example of Sports as most people can relate to, however legends are in every field, be it in music and arts, finance, defense, businesses an many more, but you will find the most common characteristic among them, and that is discipline.

Discipline isn’t confined to the realm of sports; it’s a universal key to success. In every field, be it business, the arts, or science, those who have achieved greatness did so by maintaining their focus and discipline. They recognized that the siren call of “just this one time” could lead to mediocrity.

However, it’s worth noting that these legendary individuals didn’t start practicing discipline only after achieving success. They understood the importance of early resistance to distractions. They knew that saying “just this one time” would erode the foundation of their dreams. Instead, they made choices that aligned with their long-term goals from the very beginning.

To achieve your own greatness, it’s essential to break free from the illusion of “just this one time.” Whether you’re pursuing financial success, a healthier lifestyle, or personal growth, maintaining unwavering discipline is the key. Emulate the champions of discipline, and remember that their success wasn’t built on exceptions but on consistent dedication.

In conclusion, the phrase “just this one time” may seem harmless, but it’s a trap that can derail your journey to success. Discipline, as exemplified by legends in various fields, is the true key to achieving greatness. So, let go of the illusion, stay focused, and watch yourself transform into the best version of you.

"Envy and Inspiration - The fearless spirit of Indian Youth"

As I concluded my recent journey, a surprise message from Indian Railways announcing the cancellation of my train left me with no choice but to embark on a roller-coaster adventure—a Volvo sleeper bus to my hometown. Anyone who's braved and experienced long bus rides knows the thrill and discomfort I am writing about. Prepared for a bumpy night, I managed to board the bus, only to discover that fate had conspired similarly for a group of fellow travelers. Among them were four spirited young women in very early 20s and a charismatic young man, all deeply engrossed in the world of film production.


Their destination same as mine, and as the bus rumbled down the highway, our destinies mingled with each other. They spoke of their upcoming short film project, with the young man proudly declaring himself an actor, a young and charming girl, introduced herself as cinematographer, while two other were shoot designers. The fourth one was very talkative and told me that she is the shoot director. They referred the guy as 'Sir' who happened to be few years senior to them having already acted in couple of short movies. Conversing with them was a breeze; their youthful enthusiasm knew no bounds, and they held nothing back despite the age gap that separated us.

I couldn't help but marvel at their career choices, their boundless confidence, and their unwavering passion. In their fearless approach to life, I saw a reflection of what I felt was missing in my own youth—a time when opportunities and adventures were aplenty, yet I remained cocooned in my comfort zone.

Growing up, my world had been confined to the familiar streets of Indore, with the occasional trip to Pune being the extent of my exposure. Yet here, in the dimly lit bus hurtling through the night, I witnessed a new India unfolding before my eyes, one filled with limitless options and unwavering self-assurance.

Envy mingled with nostalgia as I gazed upon these youngsters, and for a moment, I desired to turn back the clock and rewrite a few chapters of my own life story. Unfortunately, time only moves forward, but the memory of that chance encounter with the fearless youth of India lingers, a reminder that it's never too late to embrace change and newfound courage.

#youngprofessionals #indianyouth #passionatepeople #youngindians #indiagrowthstory






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हम तो किनारे पे कबसे ख़ड़े है 
न जाने कौनसी मौज़ ले आये उन सीपों को 
जो ढूंढे थे हमने उस किनारे पर 
घंटों तुझसे बात करते करते। 

दिल तो तब भी धड़कता था 
जब तुम्हारी कदमों कि आहट सुनाई देती थी 
दिल तो अब भी धड़कता है 



- प्रफुल्ल 

Hair Cutting Salon Saga :)

Amid bore dome, laziness, a drizzling weather I finally decided to do some time pass & went to my very old salon for a hair cut.   Its like being there so many times as a child, as a collage student, but still even now when I come home invariably I go for a hair cut to the same old salon, as far as I remember it must be there since class IV or so. Its hardly a walk of 10 minutes from my house if you walk gingerly. Accidently & pleasantly one of my oldest friend who happened to be in the town as well, who stays about 20 yards from my house, both of us along with lots of other close friends used to play cricket in the street we stayed. Now when I imagine more than 10 growing up children playing there in a narrow lane with such a high risk of hitting glass windows, pedestrians, cars, two wheeler lamps, etc etc its just unbelievable that we managed to play with full energy & strength for all those days, years.

Anyways I walked to his place & made a "Tackkk" sound by rolling & hitting my tongue on my teeth which was indication of someone calling in our olden days, I was doubtful if it will work now as well, but to my surprise it worked !! Yes my dear friend came out & I asked him if he would like to join me, he got tempted but the laziness overpowered his temptation & he went back to sleep.

As I walked towards the salon I realized that along with the people even the buildings were started looking quite old as compared to last time I saw them, of course few were demolished & new ones were build. I greeted few of them, waved at few & finally reached the place. It was same 8' x 5' Men's salon, the only change being the board was newly made in red colour & the father & son duo were proportionately looking older. Immediately they recognized me & asked rapid questions in typical Hindi & Marathi about my well being, if I got married, about work & now where I work. I answered all the questions & told them that recently I have moved to Mumbai which is quite closed to Indore as compared to the my earlier location Bangalore. The conversation went something like this :

Father  -तो बॉम्बे की लाइफ तो बड़ी फ़ास्ट है यार, एकदम बेकार , आदमी को आदमी  से बात करने की फुर्सत नहीं है , क्यों छोड़ दिए बैंगलोर यार।  वैसे अपन को इतना मालूम नहीं है फिर भी सुनते रहते है न लोगो से तो एक आईडिया आ जाता है. एकदम गंदिवाडा है वहा, और ऊपर से साली बरसात !! हे !

Me : बस कुछ नया opprtunity  मिला इसलिए बम्बई शिफ्ट हो गया, देखते है अब, कर लेंगे कुछ न कुछ। 

Son  :  अरे तो आजकल पैसा और तरक्की जहा, आदमी वहा !! शहर तो अब सारे ही एक सरीखे  हो गए है, क्या बैंगलोर क्या मुंबई क्या पुणे ,  सब जगह वही हाल है.

me : हा बिलकुल सही बात बोली आप्ने.

Father  : मगर एक बात बताऊ , सब शहर एक तरफ अपना इंदौर एक तरफ, इधर भी अपनी समस्याए है मगर आदमी की कीमत है यहाँ। 

Son : वो तो है यार भिया, कुछ भी कह लो, यहाँ की बात अलग ही है. चलो अच्छा एक बात बताओ, आपके आस पड़ोस में आप जानते हो किसीको ?

Me : hmm , बस एक दो लोगो को , वो भी बात चित एकदम कभी कभी होती है

son : वही तो बोल रहा हु देखो जरुरत में आस पड़ोस वाले ही काम आते है , मगर ये सब सिटीज में कोई साला बात ही नहीं करता ठीक से. पुणे की बात बताऊ मई आपको, हाल ही में जाना हुआ मेरा पुणे में, कोई मेरेज फंक्शन था छोटे काका के यहा. गया मै  तो , पर क्या बताऊ सिटी बस वो लाल वाली पुणे की उसमे बौठा, साला  साथ बैठा  आदमी लोग तो दूर कंडक्टर और ड्राईवर भी सीधे मुह बात नहीं कर्ते. कौनसी जगह उतारू जो पास पड़ेगी ये बताने को तैयार नहीं, अपना इंदौर होता तो अनजाने आदमी को भी घर तक छोड़ी आता इंसान, हे, मानते की नहीं बोलो.

It was as if he wanted me say yes he is correct & sadly yes he was very much correct. I said so & he completed my hair cut. I gave him a Rs 100 note & got Rs 60 back, which in Bangalore would have costed Rs 80. I was happily surprised & though how cheap is Indore as compared to other so called "big metros" even though the expenses have gone much higher in its own terms here.

In life we move on to bigger cities & metros for better opportunities, life styles, money but what we leave behind is the life we once cherished, the interpersonal relations with people around you, neighbours, the chakki wala, the glossary store, the hair cutting salon, even the postman, but as I say all this the change is inevitable & we have to move on & must go back to the place where you work, signing off with yet another good start to the day here in Indore.  

Quite Hilarious ...!!

Someone shared it on my fb wall, thought of sharing it on this space ;-)

I wonder how many of us would be doing this or must have done this at some point of there life :-) without realising this very simple fact :) :) 

" LAGAAN " Leisurely Reviewed & Enjoyed Yet Again

It was one of those Saturday evenings when we dint know much what to do, so we decided to spend time at one of our friends place. We were surfing through the channels & the films which were getting aired on the television. Not to my surprise, there were few movies which are actually bought out by these channels like "Jab We Met" is bought by almost all the channels & there are hardly any weekend when the movie is not aired by any one of these channels. Other movies like "Welcome", "No Entry" all parts of "Golmaal" except the classic old Golmaal ofcourse, " Hero-the lone warrior" , "Deewar- Men at work", "MAST" & "Mai Hu Angrakshak/ Vinashak/ & a long a long list of Mai hu..s"  some South Indian Dubbed Movies out of huge collection to name a few, etc etc, are few of them which are as happily aired as if the channels knew that no one will watch these movies so just to keep the channel running with something they run these movies. Sorry I am getting a bit carried away with the television scenario these days. One of the channel was showing Lagaan which was the best choice out of the options available even though I must have seen it n number of times. All of us unanimously agreed to continue with the movie rather than wasting time in surfing through the channels. 

As we were watching the movie I thought of reviewing the movie with few new things which might not have been reviewed by so many writers, critics, viewers & I may find some thing more in the movie other than the usual so many good things which has been written & talked about. So the below are some of my observations which might make people watch it again : 

       

1. Best thing about Lagaan is its story line with a realistic theme yet modified keeping the modern cinema in mind. 

2. Ashutosh Gowarikar along with the art director/ designers created an authentic replica of pre-independence era Indian remote village & named it as Champaner of 19th century. 

3. The villagers who lives in Champaner are mostly farmers, potters, blacksmiths, the Pujaris & the Vaidya or Baidh, I am not sure (doctor). All of these characters gelled perfectly in the story line. 

4. Both Aamir & Gracy have really done all they could to look like a simple young yet ambitious young villager man & and a simple village girl who is very happy in her own world with Bhuvan as her Hero respectively. 

5. The entire album of the movie is amazing, you can go on and on listening to these songs yet you will find them fresh every time you listen to it. The music has Rehman's class all over it & so do the lyrics of Javed Akhtar. 

6. Amitabh Bachchan's narrative skills were never a question, which also makes the audience glued to there seats through out the movie, I think his voice is best utilized in this movie. 

7. All the characters were so articulately chosen & portrayed that you get so absorbed into them that you tend to forget there previous appearances. For eg the Khachra (leg spinner) was associated with Ashutosh since Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa days but you do not seem to remember that till you watch the movie over & over again. 

8. Apart from the above various aspects of the movie like locations / set ups / languages used / background scores, cinemetography etc etc surely played a big role in making the movie a Big Success.  

9. The movie also touches base with untouchability, hindu muslim unity etc etc which are bigger issues in our country. 

10. Most importantly the cricket match played between villagers & the English men steals all the lime light of the movie. 

Well, well, well, I am sure after reading the above you must be thinking what are the new things which were there which are not discussed earlier, so a few of the below observation which I feel may not have been discussed a lot earlier, though it is the reader who has to decide it for himself. 

1. After watching the entire match shown in the movie, I realized, they have utilized all possible aspects of the a cricket match in one single match & you have the below count for your self : 

a) New ball & its inability to spin as well as showcasing its ability to spin as soon as it becomes old by a day. 

b) The use of the wrist technique to spin a ball, in this case, the players handicap turns into his advantage 

c) Batsman getting run out in a rare fashion of bowler touching it while on his follow up & the batsman found out of crease. (ref : Deva getting out when Bhuvan hits a straight drive) 

d) Use of offensive language to distract a batsman

e) Use of "beamer" ( a full toss above batsman's waist) to dismiss Lakha (the woodcutter) 

f)  Double touching the ball - Guran hitting the ball twice in one go

g) Not so fair play instance 1-  - when captain Russel kicks a ball to boundary to keep Aamir at the other end. 

h) Not so fair play instance 2 - when the English pacer runs the young kid out as he runs before he delivers the ball ( you need to give warnings to the batsman atleast 2 times before running him out in this fashion) 

i) Last ball No-ball & crossing over of batsman giving him another chance. 

j) Last ball Six !! (please spare Chetan Sharma from your thoughts for a moment :-P) 

2. Apart from the above I must admit that Kulbhashan Kharbanda displays amazing acting skills every time he is a part of an audience watching a thriller, he did it previously in Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander, & yet again in Lagaan, the excitement on his face is so real that you will believe literally that there is a real sports happening at the other end. hats off !! 

3. The last but unique thing that we observed this time, rather my wife spotted it, was that in the song "raadha kaise na Jale" there were hell lot of strongly built men dancing around playing garaba along with Bhuvan but none of them were fit enough to ply the cricket match rather they went on with guys who were lacking stamina, old, handicapped, fortune tellers, etc etc to name a few :-) . Well if you can not spot it for like 15 or 20 time but if you spot it on 21st time, its really not a point to discuss about or pull some one up for. 

Over all, hats off to Ashutosh & the Team Lagaan entertaining us on yet another weekend. 

Cheers !! 

Yuhi ek din....!!

     Yuhi ek din....

Kabhi yuhi ek din khayaal aaya

Ki waqt tu theharata kyu nahi hai

Kyu daudata rehta hai tu

Kabhi samundar ki gehrayi tak

Kabhi parbato ki uchaai tak

To kabhi aasama se jameen tak

To kabhi mulko se sarhado tak

Ruk jara ki do ghadi aaram mile

Thehar jara ki bhatake huo ko raah mile

Apano ko apano ka saath mile

Rishton ko rishton ka gyan mile

Duriyon ko mitane ka, Nafrat ko ghatane ka

Pyar ko panapne ka, ijahaar ko bayan hone ka

Thoda sa to waqt mile, thoda sa to waqt mile.

Is tarah daudate rehna to baimaani hai,

Waqt tu kyu itna abhimaani hai,

Daudte rehna to bas baimaani hai, bas baimaani hai…!!

The Poem I wrote to one of my sweetest friend ... :-)

Hey People,

Today I was going through my old emails & chats & I found a poem which I wrote for one of my bestest, sweetest & cutest friend ever......

When you find yourself alone & you have nothing to do, you generally bank on all the memories of old & good times, the poem I wrote took me to the old good days I shared with my friend. It goes something like -

" I saw a girl with her heart so humble,

Carrying a smile with a beautiful dimple.

Looking at her, you ask yourself a question,

How can God make such a wonderful person.

Her smiles broadens a hundred times,

with a brown bomb every day one time. (brown bomb is an ice cream served with loads & loads of Chocolate)

When her mood goes off,

A cup of coffee does a good job.

While people spent lot of time thinking of life on Mars,

She waste no time in enjoying lots & lots of MARS (thodi bakwas line thi, but chalata hai)

When she is annoyed she will raise her hand,

telling dont mess up with me now & keep a distance of 1 hand.

But I am sure i can bring a smile on her face

by making some cartoonish face...

I dont wanna lie, so leemee confess my little pie,

I will not forget you ever till I die.

I know its all in the hands of fate,

I cant forget each & every day - JAB WE MET ... JAB WE MET ...JAB WE MET !!! "

I have copy right for the above poem, so please please do not print it on your name :-)

Love

Praful

An Auto Rickshaw walah.... !!!

Hello,

Auto rickshaw, a vehicle most commonly used in India across almost all cities / towns & provides earning & living for quite a big number of auto drivers. Just a few days back I met one such auto walah. In Bangalore, getting an auto is quite a task as most of the rickshaw walah will either not show any interest in the place you ask them to go or they will just ask you randomly some amount to pay which is like twice or thrice the actual. I have even seen few who will not even look at you, few will give expressions like what man...go catch some other auto, I do go to such places !!!

Among all these, I met this guy a few days back when i was going to my friends place from Koramangala to Indira nagar. I took the auto around 9.30 pm & he immediately asked me to pay one & half ! I looked at the watch & agreed to pay him the same. The auto wallah was a pakka Kannadiga driver, he spoke to me in Kannada only. I learned Kannada while staying in Bangalore over the last few years. Since I made a few grammatical errors he realised that I am not from this part of the country & he asked me immediately from which place I belong to ? I told him that I am basically from central india, Indore (MP). He was quite impressed by the fact that even after being a north Indian I could speak Kannada well. He started talking to me & told me that even he knows more than 5 languages which includes kannada, tamil, telagu, hindi, malayalam, marathi & little bit of understanding in English. He said as a child he wanted to learn all the languages but he could not study more than 8 th standard due to there poor condition. He said but that day he decided that his child will learn all that he could not. Today he is a proud child of an engineer son who works with big company in Bangalore. I was very impressed with his attitude & asked him why he still continues to drive auto when his Son is quite well paid & is taking care of him. He can see the curiosity on my face to know the answer, he replied - " sir, when I was young I thought I will learn all the languages, but I could not study them in school, but my profession has allowed me to meet people of all cast / creed / religion & i stated talking to people to understand whet they speak. I drooped even the foreigners & able to learn English. So today as you told me you are maharashtrian I wanted to test my marathi & so I started to talk to you. This way I am learning almost all the languages without spending anything & just to keep learning I drive the auto." He indeed spoke to me in marathi & spoke quite well. I taught him few more sentences & he was happy to learn more of the language.

By this time we reached Indira nagar, I took out the wallet & pulled one & half of the meter reading. He promptly said " sir, when I asked you for one & half, i just wanted to communicate more with you, so that you will bargain & will speak more to me before getting into the auto. I do not want one & half, you just pay me the meter & more over you taught me few more sentences in marathi." I was taken aback & was falling short of words. I was surprised that the man who must be about 58-60 years old by now has not given up his eagerness to learn new things. It was quite an experience that day which I thought will be worth sharing.

In life we do our jobs - the routine jobs but we do not try to do something new, we just keep on following what we see people doing around us. Life is an experience & each day brings something new to learn if we care to observe things differently around us. That day I learnt that we should never give up on learning new things irrespective of what age we are at, what profession we are into, what ever we learn can never go waste.

Keep discovering yourselves !! Cheers !!!

regards,

Praful

Fooling your mind...AALL IZ WELL !!! A fantasitc movie

Its another one from me folks.....though it should have came long time back !!! Never the less, "der lagi aane me tumko shukra hai phir bhi aaye to" :) , so here it goes......

Those who have seen 3 Idiots & haven't missed out on one of the greatest piece of work from Amir khan yet again, may able to recall the conversation between the 3 guys, where Baba ranchordas enlightens them by revealing the secret of life - that every problem is created by the human mind, and if you are able to fool your mind, you will have piece, calmness & happiness. So he comes up with a one liner -say AAl izz well n fool you mind even though if you are in middle of a hopeless situation. Even though the movie almost convinced that it works, but I still have my own doubts about how practical it would be in day to day life. (I am in most hopeless situation in my life & irrespective of how many times I say All izz well, nothing seems to go well ;-) , one of my friend, the closest one will know what i am talking about ..haha)

All and all, 3 cheers to the movie makers, actors, writers, who created such a fresh movie which will be yet another jewel in Amir's crown who has a habit of delivering hits after hits. Even though if the movie is based originally on chethan bhagats book, still to present the characters & the situations in reality is a art in itself. While I am writing this blog, I am already prepared to view the 3 idiots yet again.... So all those who have not seen the movie, you people are really missing out on something ...............

On the note that I hope & I wish if all of us would or could become what we want to, then no doubts that we can all say " AALL IZZ WELL "

Spirit of mumbai

I was thinking to write this particular incedent which occured more than 4 years back but somehow could not push myself hard enough to write it on web all this years. Anyways its never too late to start with this one ! Those were the days when I was desperately searching for a job in mumbai after completing my engg in textile tech. I got one just for sake of starting a career & to find living for myself. One fine day when i was at dadar railway station (you know how painful it is to catch the local train during the evening peak hours if you are a mumbaikar) . Anyways I kept walking on the plateform after finishing a relatively bad day in office. I was feeling quite low that day & was thinking which way I was moving in life. Incedently i saw a family of begger women with her two daughters & only son. She climed upto the plateform from railway track along with her two kids & the third one, a little child was left behind & the women dint gave a damm to it & kept walking. The little girl was trying hard to climb the plateform when a quite good looking, a upper middle class girl came walking from the other side of the plateform. She was in her own world & suddenly saw the girl trying hard to climb up. She gave her helping hand to the girl & took her up from the track & just guided her towards the safety of her mother who was still not worried about her missing child & there she goes again in her own world.This is a very normal incedent most of you will think, but it meant lot to me & made me think hard that how many of us would have under the same circumstances would have actually thought about that girl & would have helped her ? It is also an example that the humanity in this world is still there & people are still helpful to each other irrespective of the society towards whom they are lending there helping hand. i really admired that girl from my heart that day & it was just so nice gesture that it is hard to forget. I do not know the girl & but wherever she is - just hats off to you, you kept the spirits of manking & mumbai going. i still have the whole incedent right in my memories & will not be able to forget this for rest of life. have a great day Praful