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I’m sure that each of us, who has been a part of the life classes @ FS; must have seen some or the other transformations. Be it in their behaviour, mindset, personal or professional life , there’s something which has happened for good. Since years I’ve always believed in the power of positive thinking. Yet there were times when I used to feel helpless and quite low. The 7 habits classes helped me in identifying my circle of concerns and that of influence. It helped me to set my personal mission statement which indeed is work in progress still. But I’m glad to atleast consciously work upon that. The love classes worked like a wonder in my personal as well as professional life. More of acceptance and less of expectations keeps me calm and at peace with myself. The principles learnt in these classes are the key to live a meaningful and a content life. The sharing during the classes makes you think, you can make some connections with your personal life too. At times it gets difficult to accept that such things can really happen with someone. The courage that is shown by the participants is commendable. To be very honest, many of the times I’ve thanked god for blessing me with a less difficult life!!! But yes we know life is difficult, but the acceptance and the learning prepares you to deal with life; with courage, hope and believe.

And now is the time to be principled and work on those weakest points in me. That’s what integrity is all about! Though few simple things seem quite difficult as if I’ve no control on that. But having known that, I don’t give up. Because I ‘m responsible for my life and I ‘ve the ability to respond to the circumstances. I look forward to see yet more positive transformations in my as well as my colleagues’ life. I’m really grateful to god for giving me this wonderful opportunity which we all know as Fountainhead School !! It’s great to be a part of FS .Today I also take this opportunity to thank all my friends, facilitators and co-facilitators for guiding me through this learning journey.

Being a part of the life classes for all these years and especially attending Integrity for the past three years has made me more patient, a better listener, non-judgmental, empathetic and above all resilient.

This platform brings out the diversity as well as the core commonalities of individuals. We are all vulnerable, have our own fears, miseries, insecurities, complaints etc; which are manifested in different ways. But when you have a closer look we are all sailing in the same boat.

It’s not about how life treats us or what life gives us. It’s about what we want to make out of our own lives. This is a dais which brings us closer to reality, learn from each other, open up our lives to each other. There is a fear of being ridiculed, being judged, but in reality we all emerge as stronger individuals. Every participant gets to see his or her own life from a variety of perspectives.

There is always this apprehension that as a group; we may end up advising or misleading someone. But with the best intentions, we can surely avoid the worst. I read this somewhere – “It is more important to be of pure intention than of perfect action.” And this is what keeps us going.

Accepting that life is difficult but taking up the challenge with open hands opens makes life beautiful and worth living.

After attending the life classes, the most prominent change which I find in me is “The way I look at things now”. Initially, when I attended the life classes the only question in my mind was “How will the sharing done by others help me??”. Gradually, I started listening to others’ problems and how creatively they find the solutions for the same which made me more empathetic. Later, I realized that everyone has to face some or the other challenge in their life but the intensity and the way we respond to it varies. The principle “Bring life to the workshop and workshop to the life” worked miracles for me. I became more observant and even had many paradigm shifts. I have learnt to leave illegitimate pains which made my life easier and took a closer look at the legitimate ones with the thought “Those things that hurt, instruct”.

I am on the path to be self-disciplined by teaching myself to do the unnatural and transform my very own nature. It is extremely difficult, but life classes have taught me not to give up. I thank Zahabiah and Falguni ma’am for being my life class facilitators. Thank you Vardan sir for believing in me and developing the ‘YOU CAN’ attitude in me. I truly appreciate and value everything I have learnt from you.

I want to express my deepest gratitude to Parag bhai. You have been an excellent friend, teacher, mentor and a great inspiration for me. A true master !!

To conclude, I would say that life classes have a lot of things to teach and they are truly worth taking back to your life.

Life is difficult but NOT ALWAYS…!

“Life is complex.

Each one of us must make his own path through life. There are no self-help manuals, no formulas, no easy answers. The right road for one is the wrong road for another…The journey of life is not paved in blacktop; it is not brightly lit, and it has no road signs. It is a rocky path through the wilderness. ”

― M. Scott Peck

And to follow this trail, tenacity is crucial. It is very significant that we do not begrudge our lives but possess the inner strength and wisdom to always polish our lives, learn everything we can where we are and develop the means by which to support our lives. We cannot make the gem inside our lives shine with easy going efforts.

Maslow said that less than 2% of human beings are truly growth-oriented; the vast majority are deficit-and-repair oriented—more interested in finding comfort.

I was no exception to it. Being part of life classes has helped me learn to respect my own life and appreciate my struggles.  I stopped escaping or detaching myself from struggles and started making conscious efforts to translate my learning into action. And, believe me, I was able to overcome and transform the causes of suffering in my life. The resultant was the self-induced change in my life. It helped me change the negative vision of my life fundamentally.

Listening to the participants facing hardships head-on, led me to imbue courage and hope in my own life. These one to one life interactions were the source of support and encouragement that helped me transform my feelings of inadequacy and weakness. I became more strong and compassionate and could expand my life state.  On the other hand, sharing my own struggles and experiences helped me unfold my life and look into the deeper aspects of my life.

We all can transform any negative circumstance into a source of growth and benefit. All we need to do is to courageously engage with the harsh realities of our lives and squarely confront our challenges.

I am truly grateful to one and all, and I want to continue developing my life, always continuing to cultivate inner hope.

Regards,

Ruby

The five principles of learning which we follow during our life classes are:

1. Learning is a lifelong process.
2. Bring life to workshop, and workshop to life.
3. No one can teach you by force, you can only learn if you are willing.
4. The best way to learn is to teach, and the best way to teach is to learn.
5. You have to pay a price for learning.

These principles have added value to my life and have transformed me as a person. If I rewind my journey of Life classes, I can see a drastic change in me. I used to feel sharing life with people, whom you do not know personally makes no sense as they can just advice but can’t empathize. But, now I see things with a different perspective. In fact those people who were not a part of my life helped me deal with my problems effectively, not by advising but by helping me to find out the root cause of the problem.

When I took the decision to facilitate the workshop, I was apprehensive whether I will be able to do justice to the role. But, when I took up the challenge I realized the principle ‘The best way to learn is to teach, and the best way to teach is to learn’ really works.

I would like to thank Falguni ma’am, Zahabiyah ma’am, Vardan Sir, Mita ma’am and Parag Sir for being the facilitators, mentors and guides for this journey of learning.

Regards,

Kruti.

Life Classes @ FS

How does one define change? Is change really necessary and desirable? What if one is happy with the status quo? If one is wrestling with these questions, Life Classes @ FS is the right forum to get answers to this natural skepticism and queries. I have experienced tremendous positive changes in my life first as a participant of 7 Habits, Love and Integrity workshops and then as a facilitator of 7 Habits and Integrity workshop. I have become more empathetic, patient and most of all humbled by the trust placed in me by the participants. I see astounding possibilities for growth in each and every participant and I have truly understood the process and importance of delayed gratification. Clarifying expectations has become second nature for me and this genuinely makes life easier, both at the professional as well as the home front. I usually remain in quadrant 2 and encourage people around me to do the same. I have experienced the miraculous healing power of forgiveness (which has empowered me in every sense), have learned the fine art of ‘carefrontation’ and above all I have changed my focus from the problems to their solutions through these workshops. So yes, question the status quo, take risks and play the Russian roulette, go that extra mile and witness amazing positive changes in your life. The best is yet to come!

Ayman Shaikhmahmud