Naren Raykar - Design Happy Life

I have often wondered about the difference between being busy and being fulfilled.

They can look very similar from outside.

A busy person has many things happening.

A fulfilled person also has many things happening.

But maybe the difference is not in the number of things.

Maybe it is in the connection we feel with those things.

Are we spending our time on what truly matters?

Are we present with people we care about?

Are we taking care of ourselves while taking care of everyone else?

Over time, I have realised that happiness is not always about adding something new.

Sometimes it is about bringing our actions closer to what we already know matters.

A little more awareness.
A little more intention.
A little more honesty.

Maybe that itself is a form of designing life.

Do you ever feel busy, but not particularly fulfilled?

It has been a while since I posted anything about my favourite things - happiness, habits, running, meditation and life.

Not as a plan. But was busy doing things than sharing.

So finally back to where it takes me to do what I enjoy most . Design Happy Life.

With 5 years since I left corporate life , I realised that looking back that
We plan our careers, money and responsibilities carefully. But health, relationships, time and happiness are often left for later. Always believing we will have time for all that later.
Then After 45, one starts asking a few questions.

Am I taking care of my health?
Am I giving time to what matters?
Am I designing my happiness, or only hoping it happens?

I did not and do not have all the answers. I am still learning through work, running, meditation, coaching and life itself.

This space is for practical reflection. No preaching. No dramatic promises.

If this connects with you, stay around.

If you would like to connect , Don't hesitate . What it takes is just messaging me on WhatsApp and discuss/chat on the DESIGN.

Being out of comfort zone is the exciting phase of learning. So 'raising the bar' is not only for setting the bigger goal, but to spend good amount of life outside comfort zone and keep the exciting phase alive.

Things I didn't learn after the first half marathon , but learnt 11 years later.

1. It gets easier than it appears. Stay at it
2. It is more enjoyable if you learn to love it.
3. You may be alone for the majority of the time but not being lonely is a choice all along.
4. You can continue to improve at any stage .
5. What you let your body and mind consume determines the result.
6. Don't get tied to a goal, but you must have one.
7. Enjoy other people's success
8. A smile, a cheer, few words, friendly gesture is enough to connect someone's journey with yours, even if it lasts a few moments
9. Dreams don't let you sleep, even when it is the same dream you are reliving
10. Time gives the best returns possible on any investment.

Here are interesting points from "The Joy Diet" by Martha Beck. She presents these as 10 "menu items" to be practiced daily for increasing joy and zest:

1. Nothing (15 minutes daily)
- Practice absolute stillness and mental quietude
- Start each day with mindful presence
- Observe thoughts without engaging them
- Foundation for all other practices

2. Truth-Telling
- Practice radical honesty with yourself first
- Notice when you're telling yourself lies/stories
- Ask "Is this absolutely true?" about negative thoughts
- Journal your true feelings without censorship

3. Desire
- Identify what you truly want, not what you "should" want
- Pay attention to physical and emotional responses
- Follow your genuine interests and attractions
- Ask "What do I really want right now?"

4. Creativity
- Take one small step toward a desire each day
- Brainstorm multiple ways to achieve your goals
- Try new approaches to old problems
- Break out of routine regularly

5. Risk
- Take one small risk daily
- Step outside comfort zone incrementally
- Face one fear in a manageable way
- Celebrate attempts regardless of outcome

6. Treats
- Give yourself three genuine treats daily
- Must be healthy and conscious choices
- Can be small but should feel special
- No guilt or "earning" required

7. Play
- Engage in one purposeless activity daily
- Do something just for fun
- Let go of productive/achievement focus
- Reconnect with childlike wonder

8. Laughter
- Seek opportunities for genuine laughter
- Share humor with others
- Don't take yourself too seriously
- Keep a humor journal

9. Connection
- Make meaningful contact with others daily
- Share authentic feelings
- Listen deeply to others
- Express appreciation

10. Feasting
- Savor one thing fully each day
- Could be food, experience, or moment
- Use all your senses
- Practice complete presence

Beck recommends adding these practices gradually, starting with "Nothing" and adding a new one each week. The key is consistency rather than perfection

Enjoy trying!

Nothing is 'Absolute" when it comes to our brain's understanding of the world and the reality

You will discover how happy you are only when you meet more unhappy people
& you will discover how unhappy you are when you meet happier people.

You will know how poor you are when you meet richer people and how rich you are when you meet poorer people.

Our brain can not judge anything external in absolute terms be it anything.

But when it turns inward and looks for the reality of existence within, there is only one absolute reality; it experiences all-pervasive awareness or consciousness.

just experience it.

Send a message to learn more

It is good to look for hope from the future than trying to tie joy from the past

Honesty in its purest form is brutal.

However beyond the brutality lies some opportunity to free ourselves from suffering. The suffering which is caused by having fake or dishonest elements in our behaviour .

I wish this Deepavali , the diyas we light, will help all of us see life in more honest light and inspire us to be less hypocritical while being compassionate and selfless as much as possible

With a hope that it will bring peace and calmness to enhance mental and physical health.