Remove Laziness From Your Life on Kali Chaudas this Diwali

In 2014 Kali Chaudas is on Wednesday, October 22. This 14th (“chaudas”) day of the month Ashwin reminds us to get up and make use of our strength to overcome the evil and darkness (“kali”) in our lives such as laziness, jealousy and negativity. We worship Kali Mata, the Goddess of Strength (“shakti”), on this day to give us the strength to overcome our own weakness and to for the courage to help others.

Get Rid of Your Laziness on Kali Chaudas

I try hard not to use the phrase “I’m busy” in conversation, but it inevitably comes out. The truth is I wouldn’t have it any other way. I’m currently working full time, taking two classes for my MBA, newly married (hey it’s only been 1.5 years), learning how to balance family time while living at home with my parents and brother, all while learning to becoming an expert in online marketing. I’m not telling you all of this to brag, but instead to share something Bhumi pointed out to me recently: it is my family environment and the recent choices that I have made better allow me to overcome my laziness.

It is because I have parents who don’t know how to sit that I’m always a little weary any time I sit down in front of the TV. I  have to ask myself “is there something better I could be doing?” Don’t get me wrong, I watch every Bears game, most 4th quarters of Bulls games (yeah I’m still waiting for D-Rose), and one or two tv shows during the week – but the key is that the tv watching is planned. Otherwise I would never get my 4 to 6 hours of sleep every night!

Strength in Numbers

The other key to my ability to handle everything I do is the fact that everyone pitches in to help around the house. Most of the cooking and housework is shared between my Mom and Bhumi and we help out when possible. My dad has been cleaning the house since his return this summer – and by cleaning I mean slowly tossing anything that is deemed “junk” that has piled up over the years. Everyone is at a different stage in their lives and we each have individual goals, but our strong home is the foundation that enables us to succeed in other aspects of life. Having a structured day with dinner readying when you get home from work and lunch ready for you when you’re leaving in the morning helps so much! I get to worry less about the daily stuff and focus on growing my career and school so I can help more with the costs of living. I am thankful for the strength of my family on this Kali Chaudas. We’ve all been through a lot, but we’ve come out of it together.

That’s not to say it’s all smiles and sunshine, but I read somewhere that one of the biggest reason for arguments is “close proximity” (and I’m sticking to that ha). Think about why they always tell you not to live with your best friends in college. We all have our preferences and priorities and they don’t always align, but I appreciate that his experience teaches me to think more about how my actions affect others, and we know the parents appreciate us being home. A few friends who are also living at home with their parents recently shared their experiences, and it’s pretty much universal: it doesn’t matter if you’re 22 and straight out of college or 32 with your first child – small arguments are a part of the package – but the benefits far outweigh the “growth” that you have to go through haha. So fellow living-at-home friends, I assure you you’re not alone.

Pick An Excuse Not To Be Lazy

As I mentioned earlier in the post, my excuses are that I want to be an online marketing expert, rock my MBA finals and learn how to be happier than I was yesterday. That is why I am sitting here writing a blog post with keywords that my fellow Hindus are searching for right now during Diwali even though I have 3 finals to take this week. There’s no better way to learn how to do something than by doing it – very often. Having your “excuse” is the other key to overcoming laziness (Don’t worry you don’t have to move back with your parents). Whether it is getting a promotion, raising X dollars for hurricane Sandy victims, finishing a marathon or developing a good habit that you want.

1. Pick something or multiple things that drive you, that really motivate you to do something.
2. Write them down on a piece of paper.
3. Put the list where you can see it.
4. Make a schedule and plan of attack.
5. Finally in the great words of the baller Sam Pitroda, “Just do it.” It’s really that simple, I promise.

The only reason I find myself being lazy is that I forget why I am doing something. If you can tangibly see why you’re getting up every day and what you’re working towards everything becomes easier. Then you can shrug off the people (and yourself) who will come at you with “you’re always too busy” and firmly say you’re glad you were up until 1AM last night because you accomplished something that you consciously chose to. Unfortunately there are those nights I too give in to the laziness and venture off into Reddit and Facebook-land. That’s when “you’re too busy” is valid. Don’t use being busy as a mask for your laziness.

I don’t have much to complain about, it’s just easy to get caught up in the stress of work, school and life. That’s when it’s nice to have family and friends around – friends such as Dumbledore who would say: “Happiness can be found in the darkest of times, if one only remembers to turn on the light.”

Well friends you too can turn on the lights and use Kali Chaudas as a jump-start to your battle against laziness. Diwali is here & the lights are on in our house! How bout yours?

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