The Complicated World of Emotions !

In this article I am using few key learnings from the movie “Inside Out” to share about the complicated world of Emotions.

The world of emotions is very delicate but quite complicated. It can capsize our lives if not catered to appropriately at its different stages through sufficient awareness and proper management. All said and done, there’s no escape from emotions – we would have to undergo them (at any cost) as they occur (and they occur all the time) and the best we can do is to gather an understanding of how they work inside us. This understanding would help us act in accordance with the productive/ constructive outcomes that we may envisage or hope for in these emotional  turbulence.

The movie “Inside Out” is an excellent depiction of how emotions work in us. From the plenty of learnings that I derived from the movie, I am sharing here few of those key learnings

·    Negative Emotions create a dominoes effect if fostered. One negative emotion sets in motion a multitude of similar ones and gives rise to a whole bunch of negative emotions ready to take control of our mind and body. This results in breaking of all the castles (family, friends, relationships, etc.) that we hold dear in our life. To save us from the emotional disturbance that may occur and leave us mentally and physically crippled (inactive), we need to rein-in the horses of negative emotions by not feeding  them with more or allowing them to grow in magnitude so that they do not set in a chain reaction which will be harmful for us.  The mantra for diminishing Negative Emotions is “Make it as small as possible”.

·   Positive Emotions breed slow initially when we have been hit by a spate of negative emotions but once positive emotions set in we need to reinforce them regularly with more supplementary and complementary pieces/ portions. These emotions need to be sustained with daily doses of positivity (thoughts and actions) whether big or small to avoid negative emotions taking control over us.  The best way to break the  shackles of negative emotions is through a  lockpin of strong positive mind-body combination. The mantra for Positive Emotions is “Make it as big as possible” because accentuating the positive help build strong defense mechanism against negative emotions

· Communication with others at an Emotional Level – Every human is an embodiment of emotions that we undergo regularly. So, the best form of communication is to connect with other at an emotional level.  Getting adept at understanding emotions helps us gauge the emotional state of the other person in that particular situation/ circumstance  and provide us with an opportunity to make the interaction positive, constructive and productive.

Let‘s be emotionally healthy through better awareness of their impact on us so that emotions do not act as a deterrent towards our living a happy and satisfied life !

Say "Yes" to Life !

Life’s a matter of choice and we make a choice daily when we wake up –either to perceive life as an opportunity not to be missed and to be lived fully and completely or to let life drift past us without a whisper. Life is all about growing, moving forward, becoming our best and making a difference in the world.

Don’t wait for Life to Happen to you, Say “YES” to the following and Make Life Happen !

Positivity – Positivity in thoughts and actions spur an optimistic and healthy outlook towards 
life and this enables us to get the best out of any difficult situation, circumstance or person by equipping us with an attitude to turn negative into positive, convert challenges into opportunities, perceive solutions instead of problems, transform adversity into advantage. Just remember “Every cloud has a silver lining” and say “YES” to Positivity.

Action – As the famous American businessman Arnold Glasow said “An idea not coupled with action will never get any bigger than the brain cell it occupied” which clearly suggests that Action is the key to achievement. We need to take the first step to move from “Ideation to Execution” and then keep taking small steps to get us closer to our defined goals. Without action, our dreams remain unfulfilled wishes. So, say “YES” to Action today !

Goal – “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there” said Lewis Carroll, the famous English author. The quote so clearly underlines the importance of goals in our lives. Life is a journey and goal is the destination that gives direction to our actions. A “goal-less” life is a wastage of our talent, potential and energy. So, let our life not be like a rudderless boat but be purposeful with the presence of realistic, achievable and time-specific goals in our lives. So, say “YES “ to Goals and be and Achiever !

Dreams – To achieve Big in life, one needs to dream and dream BIG. Dreams are the thoughts that we hold in our subconscious mind and most of the times these thoughts are our aspirations in life. To make our aspirations a reality, the simplest formula is – “Dream it, Believe it, Achieve it”.  As Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American poet puts “Dare to live the life you have dreamed for yourself. Go forward and make your dreams come true” which implies that we should say “YES” to Dreams and put in the necessary effort to make it a reality !

Focus –  Being focused is the mantra to succeed in this age of distraction, mutli-tasking and information overload. Learning the art of filtering out the trivial and attending to what matters most would pave the way for a more abundant and productive life. So, say “YES” to Focus !

Above all, learn to say “YES” to “yourself” as there lies all the resources to make Life Happen !