"APPRECIATION" - Geetankshi Tamta

https://goodschoolsalliance.godaddysites.com/my-good-school

Small word, huh? Sure is, but it holds a tremendous meaning.

Appreciation- A feeling or expression of admiration or gratitude. 

Is that it? I don't think so. 

We often describe 'appreciation' as a core value. When in reality, it's a habit.

Yup! You read it right. Appreciation is not a value. It's a habit which you have to practice daily. 

Now You must be wondering why you should practice appreciation? Shouldn't it come from the heart?

Well, yes, my wonderful readers, you are right. It should come from the heart. But for that too, you must be conscious enough to realize the good things happening around you. In a world full of negativity, consciously and willingly choosing to look at the bright side of everything is what makes appreciation a habit.  

To appreciate something, you should take the time and patience to realize its value, whether it's an opportunity, a thing, or even a person. You can't appreciate a three-course meal you get each day unless you stop complaining about the taste of the food or about how much you hate potatoes. And take time to realize how blessed you are to receive that meal. You won't be able to appreciate your friend's efforts if you won't stop complaining about their bad jokes or loud laugh. Take time and appreciate them for their companionship and support. Instead of being upset with your mother for not buying you that colour box, try appreciating her for her kindness and love for you.

The world can be a whole different place if everyone starts appreciating each other for all the good things they do instead of complaining about their faults; we have to be conscious of actions to make appreciation a habit.

And as Mahatma Gandhi said- 

Your beliefs become your thoughts,

Your thoughts become your words,

Your words become your actions,

Your actions become your habits,

Your habits become your values,

Your values become your destiny. 

So, let's start it today. From now on, each day take a few minutes from your day to sit alone. And with a deep breath, think of all the amazing things and people you can appreciate in your life. Trust me. It will make a huge difference [in a wonderful way]. 

P.S.- It is my first-ever blog.

Written by-

Geetankshi Tamta

(Brand, PR & Marketing Agent at My Good School)

The Heart or The Mind ? - Anvesha Rana

The battle between the heart and the mind never really comes to an end. It is just like a tennis match. The ball goes back and forth, back and forth, until finally, the eyes give away, and we doze off. We talk about listening to the heart or mind, but most of the time, during crucial decisions, we are not even consciously aware of whether our heart or mind made this decision. Staying conscious about our inner voice, along with the doubts that it offers, is a part of being human. 

We often do not heed the voice within, but our best advisor is our own voice rather than family, friends or anyone. Whenever you find yourself running at a tremendous speed, you are running so fast that the faces of your loved ones have blurred away, then stop, pause and observe yourself. Being aware of who we are is life. 

Once we learn to listen to ourselves, the question of the heart or the mind arises. The mind always resonates with what makes sense, but the heart believes in the power of intuition, going with the flow and love; it complies with whatever feels right. The difference between the two is that the mind tells us what is wise, whereas the heart tells us what we will do anyway. 

It is up to us to decide whether we follow our heart or our mind. After all, we alone hold power to decide who we wish to follow. However, we can only find peace of mind once we listen to our hearts. The heart opens up doors of ecstasy, imagination and joyfulness, but the mind keeps us rooted in this material world where practicality implies the cornerstone of each decision. 

The key to mastering the heart and the mind is to strike a chord between the two. The heart and the mind play on a see-saw, but to muster up the courage to sit at the fulcrum of it is winning both. 

Anvesha Rana

Grade 11

Gyanshree School

Burning the Ravan in our personality - Rishona Chopra

Dussehra is a festival that celebrates the victory of good over evil, shown in a battle between Shri Ram and Ravan, in which Shri Ram defeats Ravan and kills him by shooting an arrow aimed at him in his navel.

The navel represents the body's consciousness, the root cause of the 10 central vices. The 10 main vices are lust, anger, greed, attachment, ego, jealousy, hatred, deceit, stubbornness and laziness, which are represented by the 10 heads of Ravan. It is shown in the Ramayan scripture that when Shri Ram tried to bring down any of the 10 heads of Ravan, they came back. Ravan got killed only when Shri Ram aimed at Ravan's navel. Only when we become soul-conscious and remember God or the Supreme Soul and finish our body consciousness by doing that do all our vices get destroyed. 

Shri Ram is symbolic of God, and Ravan is symbolic of evil that rules over every soul's personality in the world today. When we imbibe God's goodness in our personality, we burn the 10-headed Ravan in our nature. Burning the effigy of Ravan every year is a symbolic representation of this process, which takes place when God performs the task of world transformation and establishes Ram Rajya or Heaven in the world by destroying Ravan or evil from and purifying all the souls of the world. 

Every year, the height of Ravan's effigy is increased compared to when it was burnt in the previous year. This is symbolic of the vices in the world, which are growing every year, and impurity and negativity in their different forms are taking control of human beings more and more with time. 

When God performs the task of world transformation at the end of every World Cycle, i.e. at the end of Kaliyug or the Iron Age, every soul who is the child and also the beloved of God is represented by Shri Sita in the Ramayan is in sorrow and under the negative influence of Ravan, imprisoned by him. 

Rishona Chopra
Grade VI
Gyanshree School, Noida