When I read the introduction to the book, I was afraid that it will be another Chicken Soup for the Soul. But I was pleasantly surprised. The author has taken various incidents that have happened in her life over the years and compiled them into little stories that are humorous and motivating at the same time.
The book is divided into five parts, each dealing with different issues. Here are some worthy mentions-
1. A-ha Moment- The author says "Who says you have to be a socialite or a Miss Delhi to experience the a-ha moment? We can create our very own a-ha moments". This holds true for all of us. We wait for the perfect opportunity and the perfect time to start what we want to start, always procrastinating because it feels like the time is just not right. But there is no right time. We have to go ahead and make the time right for us.
2. The Good Days and the Bad Days- Here the author describes perfectly how all things seem to go well on a good day and how on a bad day we find that even everyday things turn into nightmares. However, the difference between a bad day and a worse day is that we can make things go well with a little effort on the bad day but not on the worse day. When we know that everyone has their share of such days, we don't feel victimized by the Universe and find the will-power to continue on to the next day, be it good, bad or worse.
3. The Magic of Faith- This was my favourite story in the entire book. The innocence of children and their absolute trust in their parents was heart warming. A six year old believing that her mother has the power to tell the sun to not shine too bright is the sweetest thing. What is more important is the fact that she felt that the sun did not shine too bright because her mother bid it not to. This shows how faith can move mountains. This power of faith is used by faith healers and manipulators to get their way but it can also be used by each one of us to make our loved ones have a better day.
4. Siblings Without Rivalry- This story reminded me of how my cousins and I would frolic all summer at the village that our parents grew up in. It was an exotic place, an adventure to us city dwellers. It is only now that I realise just how much of it we took for granted. The tree climbing, mud hut making, animal chasing adventures are impossible to duplicate now.
5. The Little Black Dot- Here, the common example of a black dot on a white background is used to convey the message that we ought not concentrate on what is wrong but only try to look at what is right. We should concentrate on the larger scheme of things and not obsess over the minuscule details. This positive attitude will ensure that we keep our chin up and go through life with a zeal that will be hard for the Universe to squash.
6. White Lies- Here I felt like the author turned very preachy. The book certainly got the Chicken Soup-y vibes that I was desperately trying to avoid. I felt that it was a bit presumptuous of the author to suggest that things like not answering the phone or the door while she was working or just explaining things so that her partner saw things her way would work for other people too. There are plenty of people who live with an abusive or a dominant partner where just explaining things would be counter productive. I felt that the book would have benefited without these last couple of chapters
7. Family or Career- "Only if we are happy can we make our loved ones happy". This is something that I am sure all of us have experienced. One cannot give others happiness while being miserable on the inside. Like Master Shifu says "Inner Peace" is what is important for everyone.
It is a quick read that is full of funny anecdotes and positivity.
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