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AVIS Viswanathan Quotes

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Famous AVIS Viswanathan Quotes

“No matter what you are going through, the process of Life is beautiful. It may be challenging, painful and, at times, agonizingly slow. Or it may flow freely, generously, bringing you all that you want. But, unfailingly, Life never ceases to amaze or surprise. It is this inscrutable quality of Life that makes the process beautiful. When you accept the process of Life for what it is, for the way it is, unquestioningly, you see its beauty. That’s how you learn to be happy despite the circumstances.”

“Grief has a lasting, and often transformational, impact. It pervades every pore in your body and settles in your soul. You may surely find Happiness over time. But it will be a very different experience being happy again after you have experienced what grief is. What grief does is that it makes you understand contentment as the truest form of Happiness. And that’s what Happiness really is – it lies in living each moment fully, gratefully, with what you have, with what is.”

“We are all waiting. Someone’s waiting for love, another is waiting for understanding…someone is waiting for recognition…yet another is waiting for money…some are waiting for healing and some others are waiting for death…Life is eventually a game spent in waiting. And the only way to make the wait meaningful, and be happy through all the waiting, is to be patient and trust the process of Life!”

“Three factors are important to live Life well. Time. Health. Money. Chances are that you may often have two of those factors within your reach. Rarely, on occasion, you will have all three. Yet people often postpone living their lives well waiting for all three factors to fall in place. It makes better sense to go live your Life when you have two out of the three factors within your reach! Particularly, when you have time and health, and perhaps some money. Because when you don't have health/age on your side, you can't do anything even if you have a lot of time and money!”

“Three factors contribute to your choosing to do what you love doing, they hold the key to your Happiness. These are having enough time on you, good health and a reasonable amount of money. You often believe that you need all three to do what you love doing. You may not be wrong. But getting all three together in one phase in Life is rare – chances are you may get two of those three factors in place but not all three. Most people therefore keep postponing their Happiness in the hope that they will be happy, they will do what they love doing, when they have all three – time, health and money. And when they eventually realize this isn’t likely to happen, it is too late. Think about it. So, please don’t postpone your Happiness, just make the best of what you have, of what is, of the conditions as they are.”

“Anything can happen in Life. Absolutely anything. When you try to approach a challenging situation in your Life with logic, and try to reason why things are the way they are, you will often not find the answers you are looking for. That’s when you will awaken to the inscrutability and suchness of Life. And it is in accepting the suchness of Life that you discover inner peace and Happiness.”

“It is only one Life that you have; just this one lifetime! So, please don’t postpone Happiness, don’t postpone living. Of course, you can’t avoid the lows, the crises, the tragedies. But you can learn to be happy despite the circumstances. You do that by accepting whatever comes your way and by letting go of debilitating emotions. Remember: only when you let go of something can you receive another…clinging on never helps…so, to receive grace and abundance…let go, let go, let go…of all that makes you unhappy and…simply flow with Life!”

“It is Life’s nature to, at some point, hang you at the edge of a precipice. You will find the darkness suffocating and the pain unbearable. What do you do, when you don’t know what to do? Well, in such times, think deeply about two aspects that you don’t normally consider: 1. Your Life is a gift that has been given to you without your even asking for it. 2. There are many who don’t have what you always take for granted. So, don’t complain. Be grateful. And watch how gratitude soaks your Life in abundance!”

“Don't imagine you are in a worse place than you actually are. Things could have been far worse. So, seize the day, count your blessings and move on. You can survive a crisis only by dealing it with one day at a time. Don't add up all your problems in your mind and think you are finished. Compartmentalize your problems; put them in different buckets and project-manage them separately. This is how you live through uncertain times – making decisions when there are few or no options to choose from. You never see it this way when you are going through a crisis. But, unfailingly, every crisis leaves you stronger, wiser – and happy!”

“Life happens at its own pace and in its own time. It has a mind of its own. Your rushing through it only increases your stress levels and makes you anxious. You can do nothing to Life. At all times, in all contexts, you are never in control – Life is! And all you can and must do is to learn to live fully with what is. This does not mean inaction – trusting the process of Life is a lot of action; of keeping the faith and being patient. So, sit quietly doing whatever you can in a given context. And whatever must happen alone will happen; whatever is due to you alone will flow to you…on its own. When you are calm, you are non-worrying, non-frustrated and non-suffering and only when you are in this state will you see how perfect your Life really is!”

“Everyone has a reason for saying or doing what they do. So, don’t judge people without knowing their story. You don’t have to agree with them at all, but don’t judge them, don’t label them. Let them just be. If they interfere in your Life, draw a line and tell them to step back. But, again, don’t black list them just because they differ with you. When we judge people we agonize more than them – because we are cooking in our views of them. They continue to be who they are – because they believe what they are saying or doing is right, that it is justified. So, why invite suffering in your Life by giving them so much importance? You stay focused on your inner peace. Don’t let anyone disturb it – not even your views of others!”

“Every Life experience is teaching you a lesson. It is likely you may not see the experience as an opportunity to learn – not when you are going through it. But your experiences are always shaping you, teaching you; they are helping you understand who you really are and what your true potential is. So, don’t hate what you are going through if you are currently dealing with something that you didn’t bargain for or didn’t want in your Life. Just step back, climb onto the fly-on-the-wall position, and observe your Life. You will then notice unmistakable teachable, learnable, points of view embedded in your experience. To take them or leave them – well, that’s your personal choice! One thing’s for sure though, you will be a lot more at peace – and happy – when you learn from your experiences!”

“Intelligence is really the ability to decide which battles to fight in Life…and when you employ your intelligence this way, you will awaken to the choice that perhaps, in most cases, it is best not to fight (any battle) at all. Almost always, the best way to live (and to win, if you like) is to not fight anyone – or anything. This understanding will interestingly help you choose wisely and in the event that you do choose to fight for a cause that you truly believe in, it will teach you to be detached from the outcome. When you are engaged only with the process, you discover the opportunity to be happy without getting keyed up about the result.”

“Life serves us all wake-up calls at different times. Through experiences, events, conversations. You can surely turn off the alarm clock and go back to sleep, which is you can ignore the call, but you can’t deny that it is time you woke up. What is interesting is that if you don’t heed the wake-up call the first time, Life will come back and knock you on your head again and again. It is your choice to process that stimuli or not that makes all the difference.”

“There is no need to respond to every provocation around you. Sometimes you may be the victim of someone’s wily designs, or their stupidity, or someone may blatantly harass you, or someone may just be plain insensitive. Every such act will provoke you. Your mind will justify the need to ‘fix the person’ then and there. But don’t rush into doing that. The best way to disarm someone is to not fight them at all. In fact, focus on the situation, on the issue that separates you both and not on the person in question. Give the situation and the issue time – give them calm, reflective, thought. And then respond unemotionally, to the issue – but respond only if you really must. Sometimes, even choosing to remain silent is a powerful response! Protecting your inner peace must be your priority, not settling petty scores!”

“Don’t think about what has not happened. What has not happened has not happened. Simple. It has not arrived. So why worry, why fear? Of course, when it comes into your Life, you have to, and must, deal with it. But why lose your precious present, your sleep, thinking about the unborn future? Living in the now is not an art. It is an absolute necessity for you to be happy. It is like breathing. You (can) breathe only in the now – your having breathed in the past is over, it is done with; and your breathing in the future is irrelevant at the moment. The only Life you have is what you have in the now. So, stay here. Be present. Be happy with what is.”

“Sometimes Life will hang you at the edge of the precipice. And fear will grip you. You will not know what to think, say or do. But don’t despair. You see, Life has always been and is intrinsically risky. Your education and your money trick you into a fake sense of security. But look at what Manohar Parrikar, who passed away yesterday, had to say: “You are alone in the final act of the drama when the end of the show is visible. Nothing, and no one, can help you.” Such is Life. It has always been fraught with uncertainty and has never been in your control. So, don’t fear dead-ends or no-go Life situations. Face your fears, gracefully accept the darkness. Learn to hang from that precipitous edge, live dangerously – and when you do that, you will, interestingly, not feel scared, instead you will feel calm, content and happy!”

“Everything happens in its own time, place and pace. You may wish for something to happen. Or you may wish against its happening. But you cannot force the outcome. What has to happen alone happens – always! So, go with the flow. Understand that it is what it is. Accept every happening in your Life that you didn’t want, and which you dislike, as your new normal and keep going. This is what intelligent living is all about. It doesn’t change any reality but frees you from unhappiness, from misery. It helps you anchor in peace and be happy no matter how challenging your circumstances are.”

“There’s a part of all of us that is always wanting to be warm, willing to adjust, open to accommodate and ready to tolerate. But let all the warmth, adjustment, accommodation and tolerating happen at a material level. And let it stop there. Please don’t allow anyone to affect your dignity just because they are older to you or more powerful – whoever they are, even if they are a parent, sibling or spouse. Because when you allow that you end up becoming intensely unhappy. And, more often than not, you suffer silently. Let this be your guiding light – your inner peace and happiness are the only wealth you have, so, protect them till your last breath!”

“Invest in experiences not things. Surely, build an asset and savings base for a rainy day. But don’t kid yourself thinking you are really ‘secure’ and ‘settled’ just because you have money. Anything can happen in Life – that too, in a nano-second! Besides, as you age, you will realize that what you can do when you are 20, you really can’t do when you are 40! Which is why, invest in experiences, in doing what you love doing. Your experiences shape you. They intricately weave your learnings from each experience with your idea of Happiness to create a beautiful fabric that stays in your subconscious even when people and things around you perish over time. In the end, what will count most in your Life, are who you loved, how you were loved back and how you enjoyed doing all that you loved doing!”

“Responsible citizenship is about trusteeship. Think of trusteeship like this. You are a trustee of the Life that’s been given to you. And you are a trustee of the planet that you inhabit. So be responsible with how you live and how you use the planet’s resources. Recognize that you need only so much to live and to support your immediate family. Beyond food, clothing, shelter, education, a reasonable healthcare and retirement plan and hi-speed internet connectivity through a smart device, whatever you have, whatever comes your way, give it away. Give, not because you have to give, not because you are asked to give, but give because you want to give. Recognize that just as this human form, this Life, is a gift, every thing, every resource that you acquire in this lifetime, is also given to you. So, be responsible by employing all that you receive for human good, to make the world a better place.”

“Over time I have realized that having an honest conversation over a complex issue with someone is never difficult provided you are given an equal opportunity to present your views. Which is, as long as there is dignity and decorum between the parties concerned, the conversation is relevant and possible. You state what you have to. They state what they have to. You may both agree or disagree but both parties respect each other’s points of view and stay focused on resolving the issue on hand. But the moment someone tries to demonstrate power or is being deceitful, the conversation has lost its purpose. Then you must simply leave the conversation. There is no point in trying to counter the other party’s machinations while ruining your inner peace. Sometimes, the best way to make an important point is not to say anything at all.”

“Undoubtedly, you will be subject to the pulls and pressures of everyday living. You will feel angry, left out, let down, jealous, disturbed, fearful and insecure. Events, people, things – any of these can trigger off these debilitating emotions. Don’t resist any of these feelings. Hold them up. And examine them closely. What do they make you feel? Don’t they make you intensely unhappy? If they do, let them go. Anything, or anyone, that makes you unhappy does not have a place in your Life. Know that you have a choice to walk away from them or throw them out. Exercise that choice. This is personal leadership. This is why happiness is an intensely personal choice.”

“Busyness” is not doing many, many things. It is not about being busy and not having enough time on your hands. It is about inflicting a lot of activity upon yourself without a sense of Purpose, without mindfulness, without understanding what matters most in your Life and why! "Busyness" leaves you constantly struggling, suffering, harried and unhappy.”

“When it comes to money, let’s learn from the ubiquitous ATM. The ATM does not print money; nor does it hoard money. It receives and dispenses money. Albeit, metaphorically, requiring a small sum for maintaining and sustaining itself. So, here’s the opportunity for each of us. Let’s realize that all the money in our life is what came our way. We are basically custodians – not owners – of our wealth. Of course, we can keep some for ourselves, to make our lives comfortable. But to make our lives meaningful, we will do well to share our wealth. So that we can touch another Life, wipe a tear and make a difference!”

“Money is a human invention. When we work without being shackled by economic considerations, we work to the best of our abilities, we deliver High-Performance. Then we are creative and resourceful, we follow our Bliss, we are truly happy. This happens because Life wants us to be happy doing what we love doing. This does not mean money is not important. It is. But we must learn to treat money only as an important resource. And we must learn to live Life fully despite either its presence or absence. This, as we understand it, is intelligent living!”

“2 + 2 doesn’t always add up to 4 in Life. Integrity and hard work, for instance, don’t always deliver (worldly) success no matter how talented you are. Which is why faith and patience are critical on the journey. So, trust the process of Life. And be patient. Over time, you will learn to love the Life that you have. And, eventually, what you want will flow to you, on its own.”

“The starting point of every crisis is always ridden with confusion and cluelessness. If we knew how to solve a problem, we would solve it, right? It is Life’s nature to present us with a problem that we are confounded by, that which we can’t immediately fathom, understand or solve. We begin by first denying the problem exists. Then we try resisting, try pushing back. But the problem does not let go of its stranglehold. Intuitively our response to a crisis is swift, aggressive, decisive action. But often times, when you can’t solve a crisis that way, you must pause, reflect and take calculated decisions, calmly. That’s the whole reason why a crisis arrives in the first place – to teach us faith and patience.”

“The key to deal with Life's upheavals is to remember that every phase in Life has a tenure. So, we must trust the process of Life. And go with the flow. Faith and Patience are critical to flowing with Life. Just cling on to them like you would to a raft in choppy waters…Life will take you to the shore, to where you must arrive. Always.”

“Life = a series of complex, inscrutable, events, relationships, that in turns, bring joy and grief. The only way to deal with Life when it becomes challenging is to flow with it, with graceful acceptance. Accept that there are and there will be imperfections. Deal with them, with faith, with patience, to the best of your abilities…and keep flowing…gracefully accepting what is and working calmly on what can be…”

“No event or experience is ever out of sync with your Life’s design. Everything that’s happening to you is what you are meant to go through. Each experience is shaping who you are. And with time, you evolve; learning to understand Life just a wee bit better. So, don’t resist what you are going through. Have Faith in Life. Be Patient. Faith is not about being ritualistic or religious; it is simply trusting the process of Life, going with the flow no matter what you are faced with. And Patience is not some “difficult-to-practice virtue”. It is being calm, being non-frustrated when you don’t get what you want, while knowing that Life always gives you only what you need.”

“How do you last a torrid time in Life? 1. Accept the reality that you are in the throes of a crisis. Stop wishing that it didn’t exist. Acceptance always delivers inner peace. 2. Know that the storm will always be strong. By even thinking of its ferocity, you are only going to feel debilitated. At the epicenter of a storm, it is always calm. Find that center, your center. That’s where you will find strength. 3. Your center is where you lose sense of time, place and thought. Art – anything inherent that makes you come alive – often leads you there. 4. Trust the process of Life. Do what you can do without losing your inner peace – daily, diligently. 5. No matter how intense it is, no storm lasts forever. All storms pass. So, be patient, surrender completely, let go…and offer yourself to be led by Life…”

“Faith is not a ‘thing’ you have in an external God that you have been conditioned to worship. Faith is simply trusting the process of Life. You are because of Life, because you are alive. So, if you have been given this lifetime, in this human form, without your even asking to be born, trust that you will get all that you need and you will eventually reach where you must arrive. And until you see Life’s magic and beauty, until you realize that it is what it is, be Patient with the process of Life. Which is why, Faith and Patience are truly the most empowering keywords or philosophies in Life. When you have Faith and Patience, Life is beautiful, just the way it is!”

“It surely will help if children understand Life’s simple, unalterable truths early on: 1. What goes up, comes down and will go back up again; also, what goes around, comes around! 2. Until we get what we want, we must be patient. 3. Life happens through us and not because of us. 4. This human form, this lifetime, is a gift that we must be eternally grateful for. So, even if we can’t teach them or give them anything else, let us imbue in our children an appreciation for Life through these four perspectives – Faith, Patience, Humility and Gratitude. This is how we can prepare them for going through Life with equanimity, happily, despite whatever circumstances they have to deal with!”

“To be sure, there is no method, no single way, to anchor in Faith and employ Patience. Letting go, trusting the process of Life and living with Faith and Patience, is the way. Living through our crippling bankruptcy for over 12 years now, Vaani and I have realized that Faith does not always solve our problems immediately. But having Faith in the process of Life – that what goes around, comes around; that what goes up will come down some day, only to go back up another day – certainly helps us to cope with our problems better. Keeping the Faith also teaches us Patience. Unless you embrace these twin philosophies, and live practising them together, you will not see the miracles in your everyday Life.”

“The free will versus destiny debate will rage on. But actually there need not be a debate. You see, there is certainly an inscrutable quality to Life. You may call it destiny. But despite Life’s inscrutable nature, you still have to make choices. And that is free will. So, the choices that you make, because of or despite the circumstances that are beyond your imagination and control, are undoubtedly important. Bottom line: There is a beautiful interplay between free will and destiny all the time. Together, they write the screenplay of your Life.”

“There is no debate necessary about free will and destiny, about which one is more powerful and relevant. Actually, both are an integral part of your Life. Destiny is Life throwing situations at you. Free will is the choice you exercise in response. Consider this example. You are walking on the road on a rainy day and a motorist splashes muddy water on you while speeding past. Now, that’s a Life event, that’s destiny, happening to you, at a very trivial level. If you get angry, unhappy, frustrated and point your middle finger at the motorist, that’s free will. Or, after overcoming the shock, you shrug your shoulders before walking away quietly, that is free will too. So, in every situation in Life, destiny and free will interplay constantly. You can’t control Life, you can’t control destiny. And only one of your free will choices in a given situation can lead you to Happiness. Intelligent living is knowing what that choice is, and exercising it, every single time!”