Dont think you are, Know you are

These are words from the movie "Matrix". If you have watched the movie, my favorite scene is the Kung Fu fight. Morpheus tells Neo these lines "Dont think you are, know you are".

How often do we think we can do it and don't make it. There is a difference between "I think I am in love" and "I know I am in love". You cant think that what I feel is love; when it is love, you will just know it. Those of you who have been there can understand this. The rest will have to wait for that beautiful day. But you may be able to relate to this with something else that happened in your life.
There are things that happen in our lives everyday that we just know. What does not happen is all that we just think about.

Every one of us has that special something within you, that treasure that is bigger and more powerful than anything you can fantasize about and yet we are all lost in a maze, the matrix of life. When you think you are, it is outside of you but when you know it, it is within you and you are the one in control.

When you look beyond you for something, you have to depend on the environment and the outside for support. We have the ability to create, develop and grow something really big but we wait for a creator so we do not have to take the first step because we have no belief in what we hold.

Everything in our life that was created by another man is not someone who is an extra-special creation but someone just like you and me. What do you think that he had that you and I do not have? But we are afraid to explore ourselves to find that special gift within us that can create the extraordinary.

At this point of time, your mind is questioning this and probably saying "I don't really have it". "It is not in me". "I am not one from that special pack". Just ask yourself why?
So you tried and you failed on some attempt at life. Maybe it was not meant for you or someone else's dream or the right thing but you did not give it everything.
Did you stop walking as a child because you fell down not once, twice but many times. You knew you could walk and you wanted to so you walked.

Well now you are saying, it is not a simple as walking. Why not? For a baby who could only crawl, walking was like climbing the everest, maybe? That it is simple or it is complicated, is only in your thinking and only you can change that.

Express your inner strength, build on what you find, and let it serve you and humanity to enrich the world you live in.

If all those people thought like you, we will still be in the dark ages hunting for food. Not that they did not do well, they survived with very little and used only their own abilities to grow our race.

This is not a one time event, a one day affair but something you have to work on everyday to get from where you are to who you really are.
Start with breaking down all those negative patterns that arrest your behavior and jail your thoughts within a very limiting space. Do not blame yourself for any of this because you were conditioned to believe that you have limitations. We are limited by our genes, our birth, our race, our religion, what our parents told us, what are peers show us, what our leaders taught us...

Tear down those walls that do not allow you to be. Build a new foundation, reinvent your structure of who you are, not who you think you are.

It is not as simple as I know "I am a mother", "I am a manager", I am a student. I cant even give you an example because that would limit you with my own thoughts beliefs and experiences. This is only about you, not what the world wants or thinks you are.

You may now say that it cant be me because I have family, duties and responsibilities. Yes you do. This is not about being selfish or acting irresponsibly. This about living completely but harmoniously with yourself and your world. You cannot take away from another one's life to live your own.

Know that you are the special one and in this world anything is possible.

Thinking patterns

Did you know that your thinking may follow a pattern that many others may share? Though each one has a unique pattern, there is a standard classification available that makes your thinking fall into a particular pattern. Though the pattern may be adapted based on the environment, a predominant pattern is available that can really help one understand one's way of thinking. It can really help one come to terms with any stress that may be associated with one's thinking.
An important point is that no pattern is superior to another and all patterns have their plus and minus. If a thinking pattern is restrictive and an individual would like to break a pattern, an understanding of the pattern can help accept and evolve so your thinking can be tuned to your needs.

Based on the thinking, one may also have a language associated which could be an instant reaction. Identify your thinking and see if you have an associated language, a standard response to stimuli.

Why would one want to identify the thinking pattern?
Behavior is preceded by thinking. You always think before you act though it may seem at times like you acted before you think.

As an handwriting analyst, one can identify the thinking patterns by looking at the m's and n's.

A Cumulative thinker has rounded m's and n's without a marked "v" in the m. There are no sharp edges or lines. The person is a smooth thinker who builds on the thinking like they are building blocks. This may take longer with repetitive steps to confirm and absorb. This leads to better retention. They have the need to consider all the facts and figures, can be logical, will use previous knowledge and experience, take longer to grasp new facts and learn better with demonstration. They do not get bored easily.
They may not learn more than is necessary and may have a tendency to avoid learning new things. They may miss on opportunity to act because of the delay in the thought process yet they may show great patience.
If you are a cumulative thinker, look at how you respond to a new situation or new learning. If you stress out when you have to learn a new subject or get irritated when you take longer than others, be patient with yourself as you may not have to relearn as others may have to do. Identify situations where you have to act quicker and you can ensure that you do not lose out too.

A Curious and Investigative thinker has m's and n's that are sharper and extend into the upper zone from the middle zone. A promininet "v" can also be identified. These thinkers ask questions and learn with little efforts. They will dig for more information. They have a tendency to be good at math and science where facts are available. Solving problems can also thrill them.

A Comprehensive thinker has sharp m's and n's that stay in the middle zone and would stretch across the middle zone but does not extend into the upper zone. These thinkers are very active and makes instant decisions that may not involve others. They think and evaluate rapidly, are motivated and action oriented. This may also lead to them getting bored and can impact relationships too.
They may have difficulty relating to slow thinkers and a tendency to believe they are smarter can also be expressed. The way to deal with these thinkers may be to give them their space to perform.

A Surface thinker shares the qualities of the comprehensive thinker and is a quick thinker too but will take other people's opinions.

The analysis of my handwriting shows that I am a surface thinker. I analyzed my thinking to see if it matches the qualities.

I love to surf and learn a lot but I may pick up the gist of the subject rather than delve deep into a topic unless it really tickles my imagination. I have the tendency to move from one subject to another rather quickly. I may not be happy with limiting myself to knowledge only from one source. I google a lot about every subject of interest.
My professional life has also scanned more than one line of work and I have worked on excelling in each area but I do get bored and have to move. I do not like mundane and monotonous tasks.

I do have difficulty dealing with people who are slow talkers and who repeat their dialogs. I prefer to hear new things. I like to explore the new and the unknown. Change challenges me too but I may give up half-way at times if the interest wears out or if there is'nt something new to look into.
I do not remember everything I learn for too long and have to keep a record of my learning as reference. I can exagerrate my thinking and write pages with just a few points.
I have a special ability to write and play with the English language. I have more difficulty with very technical subjects and though I can grasp the basics, I do not enjoy researching more.

I think quickly and move from one subject to another that may be totally unconnected. I do not really look into the parts but think as a "whole" and attach words to visual images.

When I read or am exposed to something new, I get excited. I read and absorb the basics. If the subject interests me I would explore more. I tend to create connections between new knowledge and previously-imbibed knowledge to retain the information.

This may not define a surface thinker completely but it confirms why I am a predominant surface thinker.
I loved this exercise and it helps me understand my perceptions and behavior. It gives one's personality a lot of meaning.

Discover your own thinking pattern and enjoy the experience.

Terror in Mumbai

As I was watching a movie, last night and randomly switched to another channel, the news of Mumbai totally shook my senses.

It almost was like another movie at play. The images of blood, destruction, fire, and chaos made one feel as helpless as the police forces there. The unused guns in the hands of our police looked like toys in the midst of the weapon of a rather young terrorist but his gaze was like he was obsessed with an inhuman ghost. My body was tense as I watched the image of a police van driving in firing shots at people gathered in curiosity and a man fell down and I think he lost his life to curiosity.

Finally the tears fell as the news flash about the death of Hemant Karkare was confirmed. A few minutes earlier, he arrived at the scene and calmly placed his communication gadget in his pocket, tried the helmet and then wore the bullet proof jacket that did not seem to good enough to protect the officer. As he walked into the scene bravely, the image faded into what was only the mouth of death.
Three officers were dead within minutes and no one can tell us what happened inside to take these men away from our midst but India owes more than homage to the commitment of such men of valor.
If the images disturbed me so deeply, I imagined the plight of the family who watched their dear one walk into the dark tunnel of death. Do any one of us have the heart to send our loved one into the jaws of death.

When we question our police forces and the men in the army, let us remember that these men have done what one of us would not do. If they are not prepared for the attack or lost in the hands of terror, it is the organization and the system that has to be blamed but not on any individual policeman, officer, or chief. I sense their helplessness through the images as they try to win over this situation which is yet not over.
The truckload of army men were sombre and I wondered what would go their minds before they entered the hotels not knowing what waited for them. They could walk into gun shots, bomb blasts or fire but they knew that their mission was to try and save those inside. The life of another was more important than their own life. I do not know if I could ever do that for anyone. Can you?

If a small group of terrorists can make puppets of a huge force, the design and plan of such an attack questions our ability to protect our nation and counter terror. Let us not raise questions in front of our idiot boxes but look beyond news flashes and our instant reactions.
What will it take for us to think and act responsibly in the wake of such terror?