~ Reflections ~

What would you do if someone asked you to appraise yourself.... will you do what the word is trying to say i.e. ap'praise' yourself (considering your next years salary, and in some cases the job, is dependent on it !) or will you take a step back and actually do what it takes. It is very easy to say that what we write is genuinely what we believe has been our contribution... but more often than not (unless we are delusional), we know the truth about where we stand... This is not just true about our professional lives but also our personal lives... So how do we do an honest one, atleast in our personal spaces... because it doesn't seem easy to take a step back and look at the situation and how one is faring.... Mirror mirror on the wall... who is the fairest of us all !

I am a strong believer that the more you try and chase something, the more it evades you... and the more you avoid something, the more it chases you.... Despite believing in this, I tend to try and chase material things... Promotions, Increments, Praises, Appraisal.... Maybe because it is "that" time of the year.... maybe it is the to be recognized, for a change for what I am responsible for... But as always, the more I harp about it, the more it moves away... needless to say it really messes with the head and spoils the mood. “I can resist everything except temptation.”  ~ Oscar Wilde, Lady Windermere's Fan

"The ego is a leaky balloon, forever requiring helium of external love to remain inflated, and ever vulnerable to the small pin pricks of neglect." ~ Gurcharan Das, The Difficulty of Being Good We all claim to be sane. Not engrossed in ourselves. Not influenced by flattery. But we all are.  I think most of us realize once the other person is overdoing it.. but till then, it's all music to our ears...

There is a fine line between praise and flattery... What sounds like music to our ears needn't always be true... But what if the words are well meant, and you think its flattery... What is worse... believing flattery.... or hurting someone you love... Where do we draw the line.... Or do pessimists always assume the worst !!!