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Random forays: Let’s weave a web of motivation
Those who have lost dear ones during the pandemic, or have suffered themselves, are even more in need of a soothing, calming, presence in their lives
With the mood of the world rather low, with despondency on the rise and with people in requirement of mental planks of support, motivational interventions are much in demand, and direly needed. In fact, there are too few of us who are (almost) whole time motivators, or at least try to be so!
Society has never before needed, to such an extent, an embalming effect, healing prayers and kind words. People young and old are in their shells, almost as if the enemy is unleashing a barrage of mortar shells, which in a way, this unseen enemy has actually done.
Those who have lost dear ones during the pandemic, or have suffered themselves, are even more in need of a soothing, calming, presence in their lives. With all this negative air floating around, there is a crying need for freshness, enthusiasm and inspiration.
Thus, the need to create a strong and wide network of motivators who will make it their passion, if not their vocation, to spread vibrations of cheerfulness, hope and positive energy all around.
Motivators need not stick to any strict regimen, or even be trained in motivational speaking skills, they just need to know that one of their goals in life is to inspire people they come in contact with. A youngster who spends time chatting up and listening to an elderly couple, is performing his or her motivational role very well.
“Be an encourager. The world has plenty of critics already.” Author David Willis came up with this and similar quotes to show that our attitude is what really matters. Everyone can be an encourager, an ambassador of motivation, a walking-talking transmitter of peppiness. All one needs is to carry a ‘portable paradise’ within the heart, as the saint advised us to do.
Easier said than done? Indeed so. Times are testing and tumultuous. Waves of fear and its terrible cousins — worry, anxiety, and depression — are incessantly beating against the shores of our minds. The all-conquering forces of social media are invading our beings and are changing our mindsets almost irrevocably.
Yet if an armada of young students and old pros join hands and pledge to ameliorate the mental suffering of humanity at large, much can be achieved by way of improving the general state of mental health of the world’s population. Children in particular, if urged to come up with innovative ideas to motivate those who are down in the dumps, can work wonders. Through story-telling, through arts-based therapy sessions, through small group discussions, through music, games and sports, through video messages of the humorous and bouncy kinds, the young brigade can conquer the armies of gloom that have threatened our collective state of mind in recent times.
My younger daughter, Kavya, has been remarkably successful in making youngsters of her age feel much elevated in spirit by holding online arts-based therapy sessions with them and using fine art, music and writing therapy to improve their motivation levels. The youth are aware of unending innovative ways in which to reach out to the lonely and morose. By transforming their efforts in a focused manner through a sustained campaign, they can work wonders and help society at large.
Our Think Tank, SUVICHAR, has embarked upon a programme to ‘motivate the motivators’ so that large numbers of people can be encouraged to join hands and make a mark throughout the land. An online series of webinars is being organised with speakers from all walks of life who are speaking from the heart and making a real impact by inspiring viewers to shun fearfulness and embrace mental toughness as well as resilience to combat the current crisis.
I, too, have been doing my bit to address audiences online from every nook ‘n’ corner, whether in English, Hindi or even in my ‘toothi-phooti’ Punjabi, so that I can motivate viewers to adopt calmness, balance, creativity, cheerfulness, compassion, and such like qualities. I also tend to beseech youngsters in particular to try and win the battle of the mind by eschewing all thoughts of failure and sickness.
The problems that mankind faces are real, of course. But an inspired ethos will enable us to defeat them all, and more.
vivek.atray@gmail.com
