How many hours have you spent waiting for your photos to be liked on social media? The whole cycle follows Tweet, Retweet, Likes, Dislikes, Repost, Thumbs Up, and Thumbs Down. These social media buttons are everywhere, and often we just discard them as a feature of the app and we do not think about the power behind a single “push of a button”. The whole concept of like I feel is destructive. You know the little rush you get when your posts get more likes than normal. That is your dopamine. For every thumbs up or likes we get, there is a psychological rush in us – a shot of dopamine. The more shots we have, the more we want. A study on the effect of social media likes have on a teenager’s brain demonstrated that people are more likely to follow the herd mentality – engaging with posts liked more. According to GlobalWebIndex’s survey, an average person spends 109 minutes per day on social media; some of them only to see what others are doing. Nevertheless, the biggest question lies invalidation we receive through likes. Ask yourself; if there were no likes/views, would you still post on social media?

Is it hard for you to speak up what you feel? Do you constantly keep on telling people yes because of fear of getting rejected? Maybe you find it hard to stand up and ask for what you want? This can be because you find it hard to be assertive. In such situations, if you feel stressed, remember that not speaking up for yourself could stress you more. Assertiveness doesn’t mean rude but becoming aware of your own roles and responsibilities. Being assertive is a core communication skill. Developing a proper communicative skill is necessary for a better evolution of you as a human being. Assertive communication means expressing your good and bad ideas as well as feelings, in an open and honest way. It is the ability to speak up your ideas without harming or blaming others. It is crucial for us to know when and how to apply our assertiveness skills in inappropriate situations. All of us use this kind of behavior, however quite often when threatened we may resort to manipulative or aggressive attitude. The three C’s of assertiveness follow:

Being Confident. Believing in your ability to handle any circumstance.

Clarity. You should speak up your message loud and clear in order to promote effective understanding.

Controlled. Sending out your message in a calm and composed manner.

Importance of Assertive Communication.

YES, when you express yourself freely and confidently you give way to a greater sense of self-esteem and self-confidence. This can help with better stress management. Assertive conversations based on mutual respect reflects an effective and considerate style of speaking. It shows that you are aware of other’s rights and you do not mean to intentionally harm anyone. Undoubtedly, your message is important, nevertheless how you convey it also matters. An assertive personality, however, is self-assured, confident in expressing views, and even defending his or her own rights. If you communicate in a way that is too aggressive or too passive, your messages may not reach as people would be busy reacting to your tone. 

Passive Vs. Aggressive Vs. Passive Aggressive behavior.

If your style is passive; accepting everything that comes in your way, you probably want to avoid conflicting situations. However, in a long time, this can pose a problem. It makes other people regard your needs and wants. When you accept a task from your colleague, even knowing that it may require more time after your work, would lead to conflicts between your own needs. This would eventually lead to anger, stress, and feelings of resentment. Learning to be more assertive creates a win-win situation for both the parties and creates honest relationships. 

People often confuse assertiveness and aggression, however, they both are different. Aggressive communication leads to forceful behavior and pushing others around. An aggressive person damages his own self-esteem and only takes into account his own needs. Assertive communication is more clear and builds respect among others. If you come out as an aggressive person, you may come across as a bully who disregards the needs and wants of others. You may appear self-righteous and selfish. You may think that being aggressive may give what you want, nevertheless, it comes with a price to pay for. Other people may dislike you and untrust you as a reaction to your aggressive behavior. If you are passive-aggressive, you agree to something for which you internally disagree. You may complain behind other’s back instead of confronting things directly and openly. This attitude damages relationships and breaks trust, making it impossible to meet your own needs.

Aggressive Communication can be harmful.

In a moment while such a communication feels satisfying, nevertheless it is likely to create your enemies and hurt relationships. In a way, it caught you up into a vicious cycle from which you cannot escape. It comes with inhibiting your social skills and making situations awkward for you. Learning to progress from assertive to aggressive communication is a tough task.

How to be Assertive – Practicing Assertive Communication.

1. LISTEN CAREFULLY. If you listen to what others say, you can understand their point of view. If someone criticizes you, stay calm and positive and respectfully tell them what you feel about it.
2. USE “I” STATEMENTS. If you want to voice out your own needs, make sure you use statements like “I disagree with what has been decided.” Strong statements make an impact and project your own wishes.
3. BE CLEAR AND DIRECT. Always try to aim for honest and open conversations. When you make a point be specific and straightforward.
4. MAINTAIN BODY LANGUAGE. The way you present yourself makes a huge difference in how people perceive you. Sit Up-right, make eye contact, smile, and give good gestures to the people whom you are talking to.
5. LEARN TO SAY NO. People often worry about how telling “no” shall sound to others. However, you need to focus on yourself and your responsibilities. 
6. DON’T ACCUSE. Try not to react to situations by blaming others or accusing them. 

Remember learning assertiveness takes time and practice. By becoming more assertive, you get more of what you wish for.

The day for cultural diversity promotes peace among varied and diverse populations of the world. The day is an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the values of different cultures and strengthen our community. With approximately 190 countries and more than 7 billion people on earth, it is not hard to imagine that diverse cultures exist. Culture shapes our identity and influences our behaviour and makes us accept other cultures. Whether we work or study or even stay at home, our chances of interacting with people from different backgrounds are much higher. Cultural diversity not only means introducing your culture to another but also means accepting the positive sides of another one.

Accept and Respect – Being open to people shall make you expand your horizon and develop your interpersonal self. The first step starts with accepting that diverse cultures exist. We need to start thinking about the positives of another culture; for example, a person from a particular background may not have knowledge about history, but when he mingles with people from different cultures they would possibly learn about things they don’t know about. In today’s world, if we all are able to respect and accept each other’s cultures, life would be easier and we can learn a lot of good things from each other.

Diversity in the workplace – In this era of technology and globalisation, many companies are making an effort to create a workplace that is culturally diverse. A diverse workforce leads to increased productivity, better creativity, more cultural insights, good employee engagement and increased profits. The diverse workforce not only creates ideas but promotes higher multi-directional growth of an organisation. Most studies surrounding diversity in the workplace have found that, for every 1% increase in gender diversity, resulted in a 5% increase in the company’s revenue. Many recent studies have shown that companies with greater diversity in their workforce have faced increased profits.

“When employees respect each other and get along it is amazing to notice how productivity and morale increases.”

They say that Disney world is the happiest place on the globe, but is it also one of the most diverse places to work with? Disney recognises that diversity and inclusion are vital to any company’s success. It has set up various initiatives of its own like the Global Workplace and Women’s Initiative, giving promotions to Latinos and also expanded its workplace for various strata of people. A well-renowned company Accenture believes that no one should be discriminated against on the basis of their culture they belong to. Accenture is known to include people from various backgrounds to stimulate their organisation in a more productive way.

Cultural Diversity in Colleges – In the last few years, there has been a dramatic shift in the composition of campus populations in terms of different cultural backgrounds. For many students, the non-homogeneous population in the campus becomes their introduction to the real world as they come out of their sheltered places. The real world is diverse and a diverse college experience encourages students to think critically.

Student bodies that have diverse people bring value to the college. The most diverse universities create places for students to grow and learn; they expand awareness and help build social skills.  As per US News and World report, diversity prepares the students for work in a global economy and it lays the groundwork to be more comfortable around people. The US welcomes diverse people around the world to work, live and study. Cultural diversity is what makes the US be more innovative and successful. A study of Michigan university revealed that educational interactions among different ethnic groups generate positive learning outcomes. They also pointed out that students who attend diverse colleges and universities had strong critical thinking, problem-solving and writing skills.

“Diversity is a win-win solution when it comes to social development.”

Intercultural Marriages – With changing times, the concept of Marriage in the minds of people have also changed. Cross-cultural marriages not only increase the pride of a country but also induces self-betterment. Such institutions increase the possibility of learning a new language leading to better self-enhancement. They provide a richer cultural experience for the next generations who train themselves with an open mind and develop an understanding of two different cultures. Moreover, it is scientifically proven that genetically diverse relationships produce better children; being more intelligent and even physically healthier. The racial marriage barrier in the United States appears to be weakening as Americans have more contact with people from diverse backgrounds.

As our society becomes more culturally diverse, organisations understand that they need to work with others as a whole to turn up the sound is important. With the changing times, the concept of “Multicultural Collaboration” has come into existence.

Multicultural Collaboration between two or more groups consisting of members from different cultural backgrounds or with goals oriented towards different cultures is increasing tremendously. Culture is one of the most powerful forces in the world; it creates and builds our understanding and perspective. Such collaborations are effective as in They get everyone together; people having varied community concerns eventually come together to solve problems of the community. It emphasises common interests rather than differences. Becoming aware of our similarities, along with cultural differences, need not have to divide us. Togetherness creates community and if we look at each other as neighbours, we would be capable of taking better care of each other. We can build a society to help make things better and promote each other’s well-being. 

The MAHATMAN philosophy advocates living with greatness; Great Health, Great Wealth and Great Wisdom. Differences in people do exist but those could determine our strengths and drive humanity ahead. Learning from others and improving yourselves for a greater being is what acceptance teaches us. One has to strive for realising his own potential and be a greater and better version of himself.

There are people whom you love and respect. They are called family. “Blood is thicker than water” is a cliché which is used to explain the impetus of a family over any other relationship. But this most sacrosanct of the relationship comes with its own can of worms. There are inhibitions and restrictions and a pecking order based on hierarchies. There are two kinds of bonds that exist between people. The bonds based out of respect also have a flip side. They then distance people. The connection based on love is the purest of all but it also has a Damocles sword of expectations hanging around all the time. There is another kind of relation which is neither distant nor too close to be stifled by expectations. This is perhaps the most meaningful and fluid of all relations possible. It is Friendship. 

“No Man is an island is an old maxim. Even in the movie Castaway, the protagonist played by Tom Hanks carves ears, eyes and mouth into a coconut, gives it a persona, because, isolated and marooned on this Island, he is desperate to speak to another human being. This is his frantic effort at getting as close by creating a simulacrum of a human being. We all believe in co-existing and the need to collaborate and socialize and grow and evolve together. Throughout our life, we cross paths with many people and we establish lasting bonds with some of them. These are the bonds of Friendship. 

Friends are an integral aspect of our life. They bring a shared sense of security and cohesiveness to our life. They are the instruments of our catharsis, we consider them our confidants and open our hearts to them. They are the only people with whom we choose to be vulnerable without fair of slander, gossip or a backlash. People progress in their friendships through common economic and socio-cultural goals. Friendship is an anomalous institution which neither needs any legal sanction nor is it shackled by religion. It is the most ubiquitous dynamics that exist in any place where people cross paths. But in a much-layered world we live in today, Friendship is fraught with the perils of selfish and vested interests. 

As a Mahatman, we believe in the positivity that a Great Friendship brings to the person. True friends are honest with each other. A friend will never say what makes you happy, he or she will say what according to them the right thing is. A great friend will be a hard taskmaster, brutal and honest. He or she will nudge their friend to do what it must take to become a better and greater person. A great friend will be a stickler for no excuses. Difference between fair-weather friends and true friends is that the first kind will stick around with you when you are doing well, the later will stick around to ensure that you do well. Friendship is a bridge between two people and it is two-way osmosis. Both individuals feed into each other for the betterment of each other. It is a give and takes of perspectives, ideas, great intentions and synergy. 

Friendship is not a thing for entertainment. It is not a pastime. Friendship is a potent catalyst for self-actualization. When you are surrounded by the right kind of friends, you will evolve and actualize at a faster pace. Friendship is all about collaboration. It is also about healthy competition. It is like the race where competitors dare each other to put their best forward, it is also like the Ubuntu where they have a blast no matter who wins. Friendship is a highly private space in the arena of the mind. There can be no trespassing and trespassers for all their effort will be hopelessly lost. 

And friendship need not be a privilege of people who are unrelated, it is also a beautiful ombudsman between relations of various kind- Husband and wife, siblings, parents and their kids. Vincent Van Gogh is known for his extremely powerful and tempestuous painting style. This artist who was crazy about his passion for his art was also extremely innocent when it came to matters of life and survival. It was his brother Theo who unconditionally supported him through his maelstrom life of 39 years. Theo supported him financially at the cost of taking a pinch with himself and his family. Theo even named his own son as Vincent. When Vincent Van Gogh shot himself at the age of 39 in a frenzy of passion, Theo was so broke he never recovered, he himself languished to his death within the next six months. 

Friendship is a commitment without commitments. It is a rubric without fences. Friendship has more fluidity than any other relationship. It can take the shape of any relationship and fill up the void. That is why friendship is one of the most paramount relations in one’s life. Let me step into the shoes of Polonius and tell you all my dear Hamlets three great things about Friendship- 

1. Friend speak- Great Friends never judge each other, but they do give earnest advice. Advice that is critical and need of the hour. Friends will never call you out in public, but they will always play the devil’s advocate and tell you what you should hear rather than what you want to hear. Be wary of people who always sit on a fence when asked for advice. Friends will plunge all the way and squeeze your heart out. Friends know that what needs to be said must be said. They will bite the bullet for you. 
2. Friendsmism- Great Friends will never display behaviour that brings down the energy of the group. They will always try to be a solution rather than the problem. They will criticize with an intent to improve. They will always make it about the process and not about a person. They will never make you a scapegoat. Their optimism will give you immunity.
3. FriendSjest- Great friends unhinge you from the seriousness of life. They do this a colossal amount of humour. Humour has a great potency to improve our mood, fill us with energy and see the challenges of life in a different light. Humour is nothing but a literal twist on the struggles and ironies of life. Friends are those syringes which keep injecting us with our daily dose of humour. 
4. FriendSone- Great friends form very intimate ubuntu of sorts. It is a web of camaraderie which operates on all levels – physical, mental, emotional. Nothing heals like the rapt attention and well-intended words of a friend. A pat on the back or a warm hug conveys goes a long way into bolstering the fabric of your emotional health. 

Tissot is not a watch, it is opulence. Mercedes is not a car, it is a class. Reebok is not footwear it is a panache. Every product mentioned here is much more than its nut and bolt existence. It is a huge nebulous cloud hovering on the top and swirling in a vortex over the skin of that product. A brand is an intangible iceberg that hides beneath the diminutive microcosm of its own tangible existence. A brand is a story, a message, a lesson, an anecdote, a legend and a meme with the potential to become immortal. A brand is the unspoken awe of the painted evening sky brought about by a red ball of fire going down under. A brand is a lifestyle that is palpable to the heart beyond the touch and feel of a product. A brand is an art beyond the craft. A brand is a perception that rings truer than a fact.

I have been asked by people, what is Mahatman? Is it a Yoga Institute? Is it a chain of organic products? Is it a new line of Merchandise?  Well! Left to their own devices people have groped at different parts of an elephant, and some have settled for a log, a fan, a rope, a dagger as their interpretation of what it is all about. Time to get the whole pachyderm aboard. Mahatman! Mahatman is a zeitgeist in itself. It is the proclamation of a revolutionary and groundbreaking thought process. Mahatman is the churning of old mountains for new truths. Mahatman is the compassion of the monk centrifuged with the hubris of the warrior. It is said Nature is red in tooth and claw, Mahatman is shaded more crimson. It is the claws and daggers of hard work. It is the scabbard and whetstone of the process of becoming, of actualization. Mahatman is belligerently youthful in its demeanour, it is the shovels and spades of extreme ownership and massive action.

Mahatman stands robust on the edifice of three pillars- Great Health, Great Wealth and Great Wisdom. A Mahatman is the tenacious rough-edged warrior in his sinews. A Mahatmans is the enterprising Turk who rules the roost and rides on the manifestation of affluence paving the path with opportunities. A Mahatman is the fountainhead of compassion blended with the insanity of a bohemian artist. A Mahatman is the body rooted in the substratum of the deep swamps of hard knocks while the spirit soars to engulf the sun of a thousand blazing dreams. A Mahatman burn burns on the inside with the urgency of a miracle. A Mahatman is running ad nauseum ad infinitum on the Mobius strip of becoming. A Mahatman is defined and shaped and sharpened to the last of the jagged edges by the friction of his or her becoming. A Mahatman is not the smooth topography of peace; A Mahatman is a border heavily serrated with the fjords of work-life integration. A  Mahatman is not the placid lake of enlightenment, it is the tossing ocean of actualization, tempestuous and volatile in its quest for betterment. Mahatman is the frenzied painting of the great Vincent Van Gogh, always trying to jump out of the rubric of mediocrity and complacency.

Mahatman is futuristic, it is the click and drag of tomorrow in the brick and mortar universe of today. It is the flaming baton of leviathan endeavours to be passed down from future to the present. Mahatman is the arsenal in the canons of drudged discontented existence, waiting to be blown to smithereens and resurrect with the throbbing vigour of cocoons exploding into an abundance of butterflies. Mahatman is the fabric of the pursuit of greatness and its limbs –health, wealth and wisdom are the trinkets and baubles of metamorphosis. Mahatman is the constantly whirring wheel of thorns needed to weed out the thorn of idolatry, sloth and irrational beliefs. If Mahatman is to be personified, it is the sum total of more than its parts- half-machine, all clinks and tinker, supercharged with the courage of one’s convictions and it is half-human, the compassion and equanimity of Buddha and Christ. Mahatman is IM at the start of the Probable and the LESS at the end of the Limit. If the Planet was to be moved with a lever, the lever is indefatigable hard work and the resolute unflinching, unyielding mindscape from where the lever is pulled is MAHATMAN. 

There is a saying “Early to bed, early to rise, makes a man, healthy, wealthy and wise” Clichés are .the hammers and screwdrivers of language and sometimes they give us epiphanies. We are going to deconstruct this maxim and concentrate on the words in bold. These words from the inner shrine of our philosophy. So yes we are all about health, wealth, and wisdom; but we are not just that, we take it further, higher, faster, and stronger. We are about Great Health, Great Wealth, and Great Wisdom. These are the three pedestals of our edifice and they all need to be strong and robust for the edifice to stand unshaken for eons.  We want every person to be an archetype of Great Health, Great Wealth, and Great Wisdom. Physical effort, sweat, stretch, strain, pushing limits, being high on momentum and adrenaline, always in a state of dynamic flux, like a vortex, that is all very fundamental to our concept of great health. Mahatman is about power, power is manifested in many ways including physically and we want everyone to have a robust and ripped constitution, one that is capable of taking massive action. We have a plethora of health and nutrition products, sports, and fitness gear that shall support everyone in these extremely pivotal endeavors. We have a goal, the goal is to live and work and enjoy life for at least a hundred years. For that, the body needs to be kept well-oiled and running. Also, it is very important that we understand the importance of the Brain-Body Nexus. Everything we do it for the Brain and the Body. This must also extend to our choice of products. 

The second pillar of great wealth is all about hard work. Most people can work smart. It is the hard worker, the hustler, the outperformer who will go places. It is this person who takes extreme ownership, he or she will be able to do really great work. Everyone must be a hustler. We must not be content. We cannot stay rooted in happiness. We have to aim for greatness. Happiness is a starting point, but greatness is something that must try to achieve. Under Mahatman University we will have a lot of courses geared to becoming money wisely. Financial knowledge distilled from the stalwarts of Wealth management like Tony Robbins, Warren Buffet, Deepak Chopra, Robin Sharma, Robert Kiyosaki, and so many others. We will want everyone to work hard for their money, but we also want their money to work hard for them. We need both in life. We need everyone to thrive and proliferate through their struggle. And last but not least we want everyone to be magnanimous with their giving. It is only through giving that one receives. Please read the book “Unapologetically Great” to understand how giving feeds into opulence. 

The third pillar is about wisdom. Rational wisdom sifted through various philosophies across the world, but only after it passes the litmus test of rational and life-affirming thought processes. Mahatman does not believe in being sacrificial or being a martyr. We place great importance in self-love, self-esteem, self-confidence, self-reliance, self-communication, and selfishness. Only when we are fulfilled, then can we give to others. Only when we are full then can we cascade it to others. Mahatman will organize many retreats, workshops, boot camps, and webinars through which we will pass on the Mahatman philosophy to everyone so that they can take better control of their lives. Mahatman is about energy and momentum. It is a journey from realization to actualization. Mahatman is also about passing the great wisdom as a legacy, as a gift, as a souvenir to the next generation and to the posterity. We believe in immortality. We believe in living forever through the medium of great work and great ideas that we must pass on for future generations. We must traverse this journey from realization to actualization and we must share this journey with everyone who wishes to live a better and a greater life. 

Mahatman way of life is a philosophy which reflects in our thoughts, our ideas, our books, our poetry, our quotations, our merchandise, and our products. We are robust, we are consistent, we have arrived and we are here to make things better. To shape lives inside out. On the outside, we want to make a difference through our great products. Our products will be our face, they will be the face of our high benchmarks and consistency and integrity towards excellence. On the inside we want to make that transformation, that metamorphosis, that is why we will have various retreats and boot camps which will play the role of catalyst in your betterment. We as Mahatman are a lifestyle focused on 360 degrees tripartite evolution in the spheres of health, wealth, and wisdom. We want to do this with substance and élan. We are great stuff in the making. From the material to the spiritual we leave no stone unturned. We are set to be a paragon, a hallmark, and a benchmark of greatness which will reflect in our thought process and our products. 

Be Great 

Sam Adettiwar 

Family is a unit consisting of generations of people who live, share, care, protect, motivate, and help each other to explore, expand and actualize one’s potential in all directions. Mahatman parents are the one who instills the values of great health, great wealth, and the ability to acquire greater wisdoms like self-love and self-discipline.

Mahatman family model thrives on compassion, equality, and freedom of life itself in an effort towards inspiring people to create a great family,MAHATMAN FAMILY.

Friendly, not patriarchy or matriarchy- Mahatman model suggests every family member should practice earning trust and friendship of each other starting from parents, to siblings. When there is not one decision-maker then decisions are usually made with a great deal of discussions or maybe sometimes arguments. This is much healthier than surrendering to male/female/eldest leader of the house. Yes, democracy begins at home. Such families practice personal independence yet find support in each other. The responsibilities are also evenly shared and the family machinery excels. Children of such families are more successful in the outside world given the training of being extremely communicative, enduring criticism, performing in teamwork, higher acceptance of people with difference in opinion hence creating great interpersonal relationships. Parents of such family structure are less likely to feel depressed in old age in the absence of their adult child due to their ability to express and share anything with their kids. When you are connected to the foundation of friendship, the family is less likely to fail.

Not forcing your religious or spiritual opinion – While you follow your faith and tend to involve your children in any related festive, you should not force them to follow any such activity.  Festivity or gathering are probably the first point of contact for kids to socialize. This is great! But they can question or oppose due to their curious mind finding some reason. Research has shown that forced religious practices have been a major reason for the rift between parents and their adolescent children. This quite mysteriously has become the cause of psychological trauma visible at later stages of life in many individuals. While the present world is such a connected web that kids have access to various information today which enhances intelligence and ability to dissect information.They have friends and acquaintances following various religions and some being atheists and humanists too. Hence it’s important that you share, explain, provide logical reasoning and discuss why’s and how’s of practice while not curbing their freedom of thought and actions. It is important to raise a knowledgeable child who can take responsible decisions as an independent individual later in life. Most importantly, you may not want to miss out on your child’s affection by being a dictator!

No brainwashing politics– Politics does affect our daily life. But should this affect your children’s upbringing too? Whether you are capitalist, socialist, communist, or centralist, do not brainwash your children with your political opinions. A minor’s age is for learning the basics of academics and life. While a healthy argument helps adolescents create interest in subject matter and create an opinion later as an adult. Recent psychological research suggests raising kids with blind or one-directional approaches lower acceptance of other and violent tendencies in kids. This is not healthy in a multicultural and global structure of the business, work, and society today. This tendency creates bad interpersonal relationships and loss of opportunities as an adult. While lessons learned at an early age are better than later!

No emotional blackmailing, guilt-tripping, fear-mongering, marginalizing or manipulating– Deal with your children carefully. Just because they are under your control, it does not mean you have to ‘control’ them. Any of the above acts done to your child in order to get done what you want is harmful to your child’s mental health. While all the way you think all these are for their good, you don’t realize it’s literally all about you. The source for the same may be self-defined societal pressure, unfulfilled dreams of your own life, or simply not trying enough to understand the pain and suffering of your child.

Let’s consider some usual cases that we see around us:

1. Forcing your child to bring good grades else you will not allow him to meet his friends is what you do to emotionally blackmail.
2. Forcing your teenager to choose between her lover or you with your house, destroys her emotional wellbeing, and leads to a depressive state of mind.
3. Warning self-harm and denying food just to not let your child move out of your house or explore a certain passion or career path of his/her own and continuously suggesting them to pursue paths that you think are right for them are yet another example of manipulation and fear creation.
4. Forcing your adult ones to live life on your terms like wear clothes approved by you, eat, talk, and maybe even breath as you want else you will stop talking to them. You are here creating in them the fear of getting disconnected from parents they love so much, guilt-trip them for not being there with you or not being just enough for them for the sake of enjoying lost power/control over them and also in the name of societal respect.
5. Telling them they don’t know enough, they can’t think or decide rightfully, they are stupid or ugly or comparing them with others is the example of marginalizing your child. It affects the self-esteem of that individual for a quite long run, maybe his whole life if the condition remains unattained.

       Well, does that mean, doing just what your child says? The answer is no and yes. While they can be wrong in their decision but you can still be right if your decision is your child focused and filled with compassion explained here, in the next point.

Child-centric means no punishment- Punishments are for the lawbreakers, you don’t punish your child! There is no mistake or difference of opinion which suggests you should punish them. It leads to psychological issues that sustain in all growing stages of life if remained uncured. Low self-esteem, lack of ability to love oneself, fear of doing wrong, fear of humiliation, and fear of the unknown who is ready to punish for their actions are some visible issues from the list. This further creates an inability to take action leading to a lack of performance in the real world. There are no issues that cannot be discussed and talked through. When your family decision is child-centric filled with compassion and a desire to alleviate your child’s pain and suffering, they will for sure make you feel proud. When you are so much into motivating them, teaching them how to build their world and be in charge of it, precisely building the self; then you become the strength of your child to deal with any societal, communal, national, global, or inter galaxy pressure. It’s a difficult task, it is involvement, it is cognitive thinking, it is a great deal of effort which you should not get away with. Most great people performing out there in the world be it Elon Musk, Barack Obama, Priyanka Chopra, Salena Gomez and many more have parents who not just believed in them but who dreamt their child’s dream for their child and walked extra miles for them to make them what they became. Believe me, it’s tough but it’s worth it.

Emotionally secure to promote extreme expression- Here is the catch! While we see a  very happy, friendly, loving, and sharing family, the individuals in the family still hold on to their extreme emotions unwilling to disturb others and make them feel worried. Your love for each other should not itself become an obstacle or burden. Sometimes due to external factors to a human internalizes these emotions, the family not necessarily being at fault. Hence, it’s important that we create space for outbursts of extreme expressions like crying your heart out, extreme outbursts of laughter, a bad day or bad months, etc, and not just be ok with it but also be available. When a person shares his/her deepest feelings and thoughts it is important to not only be a good listener but also respect the emotion and try to understand. It’s not necessary to always be a pro in providing suggestions. An emotion expressed nearest to the source and in a secure environment is very healing else there is a possibility of being channelized into a harmful decision or series of wrong decisions.

Embracing Dysfunctionality – This is new normal! With changing times, socio-economic dynamics in the world, it is foolish to view every aspect through traditional lenses. Dysfunctionality comes in different shapes. While the USA is best known for dysfunctional families, now this structure is thriving in various countries in the world. Parents having more than one partner end up having children from them, this brings in the context of many half brothers and sisters. In a gathering, you may get confused about who is who’s? You know, all are one family, everyone is everyone’s and for everyone. Children get to have more parents who come from different cultures and different upbringings, this helps in the healthy personality development of children in the family. Have you read ‘Rich dad, Poor dad’, just like that.  I call it the new joint family. Children brought up in polyamorous parenting are also benefitted similarly. Due to imperfections, one does not miss out on its blessing of the opportunity to build strong bondings with each other. In families with problems, begin with trusting each other. Yes, it is a lengthy process but important. A family has to support and inspire each other through all that it goes through.

Welcoming arguments (healthy/unhealthy) – Disputes between husband and wife or parent and children are inevitable in family life. “If your family never has arguments, it means that issues within them are being avoided”. To become productive adults, children should be able to voice out their opinions even if there is a disagreement. Parents and kids should welcome every argument not with the intention to fight but to come up with a solution over it. They should be selective about the issues they fight over; are they really worth the battle? It is okay if the other person wins sometimes! When parents and their kids argue, the more they need is the ability to listen calmly. Nevertheless, healthy arguments within boundaries could go on for a long time; they should be controlled and respectful while moving towards a solution. But discontinue such arguments when they turn unhealthy. Together communicate and take a look at the root cause of every argument that arises. Communication is the key to arriving at the best solution in any battle. Do not forget that children model themselves like their parents.

Sexual openness to promote sexual exploration and embrace all sexual preferences – Parent conversation with their kids about sexual relationships play a critical role in reducing their risky sexual behavior. It is important for parents to develop an open-minded attitude towards their children’s sexual life. It is a changed era and parents need to adapt to the changing times. Similarly, it is equally important for kids to be honest about their own preferences to their parents. Sexuality encompasses a child’s physical development, sexual knowledge, attitudes, beliefs, and values. Talking with each other about sexual life gives a space of openness and acceptance. Sexual exploration often becomes a problem nowadays. Why? We all have choices and opinions which vary throughout. People may have their own choices and we need to respect them positively. Parents should listen to their child and acknowledge their feelings. Respect and promote your children’s self-esteem; be encouraging and help your kids to feel good about themselves. Let them explore and share their thoughts over sexuality; keep the lines of communication open with them through deeper conversation. It is a life-long process wherein each person develops attitudes and values that guide choices, relationships, and understandings.

Creating a Family Foundation and volunteering together for a cause – Volunteering through family foundations can be a dynamic and enriching experience for parents as well as the children. There are many reasons to get involved from improved health to better quality time, family benefits while engaging in community strengthening. Volunteering transmits values among kids in a family who learn through observation. It strengthens your community making it better off. It helps people understand the “benefit of sacrifice” – by giving up a toy to a poor child, a kid understands how it is good to sacrifice.  Working on community service can bring kids and teens in touch with people of different backgrounds, abilities, culture, and education. Family foundations create legacies of work towards society. The Whalton family foundation is a family-led foundation. Three generations of the founders now work together to create access to opportunities for people and different communities. They help in improving education, protection of rivers and oceans and investing in regions.  An effective family foundation will establish a clear mission explicitly and plans to give back to the community. One study found that volunteering helps achieve greater life satisfaction and better physical health. A 2009 study by John Hopkins University revealed that volunteering through such means can actually improve a brain’s functioning. Moreover, such foundations help you stay physically and mentally active impacting your health at a later stage. It increases understanding and respect among each other and towards each other’s opinions.

Remember, raising kids is a task you choose to do and your child learns what you do not what you teach. It takes great parenting to raise great children,MAHATMANS.

In this journey from happiness to greatness, one requires great health and great wealth.  Greatness is perched like an eagle’s nest atop the three pillars of health, wealth, and wisdom. We all must endeavor to work towards great health, great wealth, and great wisdom. If one of the pillars is weak then the edifice will crumble.

Socrates has said “No man has the right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training. It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” You have the blueprint of great health inside you. It is time you brandish your health like a sword made from Toledo steel. There is no right age to start building great health. Fauja Singh was into his eighties when the successive deaths of his wife, daughter, and then one of his sons, jolted him out of his pedestrian routine, and with a renewed zest for life, he took to competitive running at the age of 89. He held 8 world records at the age of 100. The Turbaned Tornado retired at the age of 102 from competitive running. We should have people like Fauja Singh as our inspiration, he is the quintessential example of the zest for a healthy and fulfilling long life. We must decide that we will live to the age of 100. 

For great health, a basic thing we need to understand is we have to do each and every activity with mindfulness and passion.  Today we live in a world where we have so many options when it comes to taking care of our body and yet we often neglect to do the same. Right from walking down the lane to dancing your soul out, every activity expands our soul within releasing hormones. Even something as mundane as brushing our teeth or tying our shoelaces can be done with a lot of energy and passion. We need to understand that everything we do is for the brain and the body. Every small activity that we undertake is going to benefit our brain and our body in some way. For Great Health: