I choose my choices in life. I choose “my attitude”, “my voice of my heart”, “my inner calling”, “my way of living”. Where I stand and look, I take care in my sense not to hurt or disturb others. When I drive, it is my utter responsibility not to hurt myself, my vehicle and also other vehicles or someone on the road. When it comes to traffic chaos when no policemen are present, vehicles behind are so impatient they keep honking continuously. Over the years, I have learnt not to react to their honking and drive.
Maybe, I drive a bit slowly at times to ensure no damage to anyone and avoid rushing. My entire focus is on moving forward and not giving attention to the honking behind. Though it is irritating to hear the continuous honking and once I have surged ahead without reacting, I compliment myself saying that “I didn’t react to the honking”. Recently one of my friends who was with me in such a typical situation called me “thick-skinned”. It set me thinking.
Am I being less sensitive in not reacting to the honking and swallowing my frustrated scream? Then came a cart-load of thoughts and interrogative signs all along. When I listen to my heart and do my things (say in terms of quitting a job, starting a start-up, pursuing it in spite of challenges) ... am I being thick-skinned to what my friends and family around me (my loved ones) insisted upon, as most of them did not like what I was doing? Whenever I face challenges, I smile and move on.... am I thick-skinned because I moved on? Can all situations in life become a win-win for both parties?

Even when I am writing this, my train of thoughts are moving in one direction.... My mom chooses this very moment to have a discussion. Even though I was not at all interested in the topic, I did some small talk not to hurt her sentiments. Am I thick-skinned in not pursuing the discussion, which nowhere concerns me or am I focused? Next, the electrician came, next my dad, next the maid and my phone alerts sounding now and then. Am I thick-skinned to pursue my writing in spite of everything?

Intent behind every action

I have realized that the intent behind every action matters. What might look as insensitive to someone watching me and passing comments does not matter as the person has not walked in my shoes and not felt what I have felt. If the intention is good and comes from the core of your being then you are sensitive to your inner voice and feelings. I am sure no one would require anybody’s approval no matter how close the relationship might be.
We ask for other’s opinions and tend to get hurt only when we are not sure of what we are doing. Then we become insensitive to our real feelings and become sensitive to what others say. This results in getting dejected and hurt. We make ourselves miserable by processing all unwanted thoughts and many a time make a victim of ourselves. We are self-abusing ourselves.


Being sensitive

Become sensitive aesthetically to appreciation. Appreciate everything genuinely around you even if it is feedback from loved ones that you don’t approve of. Their feedback is their way of showing their love, care, and concern. Accept the feedback gracefully and choose to act of your own decision. This will make us more human, create more softness in us and will evoke gratitude to every being.

Ponder Points

Are we allowing others to condemn us?

Do I feel good when I become sensitive to other's comments?

Am I absolutely sure of my intention in important decisions?

When I pay attention to feedback, I also take care to see from whom the feedback is coming from? Yes/No.



Action Points

Write down how you usually do you take feedback/
suggestions from peers/managers in office/family. Is it in anger/gratitude/grudgingly?

Do you implement it for the sake of implementation or benefit of the organization/family?

Do you go back and thank when you start seeing favorable results?

Technique: Touching eyeballs as a feather

Anytime during the day, relax on a chair and close your eyes. Put both your palms on your eyes. Allow the palms to touch the eyeballs with no pressure. Just a touch, just a meeting. Don’t press – that’s the very significant thing. Just touch like a feather. Touching as if not touching. When you simply touch, energy starts moving within.


When you touch and don’t press, your thoughts will stop immediately. In a relaxed mind, thoughts cannot move, they get frozen. Thoughts need tension to move. When the eyes are silent, relaxed, and the energy is moving backward, thoughts will stop. You will feel a certain quality of joy and that will deepen daily.

Do it as many times in a day whenever your eyes feel exhausted, dry of energy after studies, seeing a movie or working on a laptop. Just close the eyes and touch. Immediately there will be an effect. As a meditation do it for 40 minutes.

Conclusion

Be sensitive to your feelings and emotions. Give yourself the freedom to acknowledge your feelings and be true to them. Meditation will make one more sensitive and will bring in a sense of belonging to the world. This sensitivity helps in creating new friendships and bonds with self as well as with nature.While this article is truly inspiring and insightful, the book Erupt With Joy has a lot more content that you cannot miss reading. The book is available both on amazon.com & amazon.in for you to grab a copy of your own.