LIFE is not about the BREATHS we take, but its about the MOMENTS which take our breath away….

It was a struggle during school, a long marathon towards the proposed 'finish'. Yet, never was a pebble left unturned. Morning and evening , sacrificing along the way, the pleasantries of growing up, I gave more than what was demanded. The 'rat race' was kind to me and I was fortunate to finish it. The success took me to the grandest institutions of all. Diplomas naturally embraced me, so did other people who were willing to pay me more than I have ever dreamt of. I ignored the finer side of my existence, brushed aside competition with ease. I took a step at a time but never looked down again. The urge to… kept me going, every triumph as sweet as the morning's dew. The thirst never died until I reached the zenith. I was on the top of the food chain. I was the alpha male. I had more than what I wanted, the success, the money. Then it struck me, 'Now what?' After going to the top notch schools of knowledge, after being among the crémé-dé-la-crémé, after owning every material possesion a man's heart could desire, I had nothing. Each and every day, going to the same gigantic concrete structure, earning millions and millions, an emptiness left me hollow from inside.

Love, friendship, merry making, the clichéd concepts that I once thought were detrimental to my success, seemed as distant and hazy as a dream. Had I forgotten all of this, did had I ever even know any of this? On my way up the ladder, had I ever stopped to think? Had I ever thought of giving a part of my success? I could get anything that money could buy but could I enjoy the sunrise with my morning hot cup of tea? Could I enjoy a cold wintry evening with a friend and a bottle of Jack Daniels? Could I sit on the beach in the arms of a loved one and feel the waves touch me? No, because all this is priceless. Life is not about the breaths we take, but its about the moments which take our breath away. These cannot be bought or prepared for. They are the smaller, finer things which make our life worth living. Success and achievements are the hallmarks of a life well lived, but are they everything? Is success worth dying for? Or is living like a dead corpse worth success? What is life after success if success was your only goal?

Life is worth living only if it is lived for someone else. The cause to keep going is much more than just satisfying your materialistic needs. There is nowhere to climb after reaching the top of the mountain, don't try to just stay there but bend down and help others on the way up. Don't forget to listen to your child's first word, don't elude it for a business meeting. Don't forget to be with your family during a festival, ditch the work trip at hand. Don't forget the clichéd concepts of love, friendship and merry making.

Living an incomplete life is useless, immortality is not blessed upon the human, there is only one life, relish it and all its offerings.