Hiralious

Idea: Don't be swept away by EVERYTHING!

Subject: Sarah Jessica Parker in Sex and the City & Kiara Advani eating sliced apples with peanut butter.

First of all, I love Sarah Jessica Parker. At 58, she can carry any fashion look under the Sun. One of the things I really admire about her is that she never got a nose job despite being the absolute fashion icon in the ruthless entertainment industry. Apart from the strength and self acceptance she represents, she is a joy to watch. I find her extremely elegant, feminine and poised. I love her voice and how she speaks.

 I loved the blingy word of the women in STC, specially because my sister accompanied me on those blissful summer evenings where we sat glued to HBO, watching Carrie (SJP) and her girlfriends.  There is an ease to watching such shows and movies ; the no-brainer aspect of visually pleasing entertainment. Watching Carrie  in every outfit has been a delight.

All this praise being valid, I will now put it to the side.

When i watch such shows, I must remember, I am not SJP or any of her friends, and I am not existing in their universe. It's very evident on the surface that I am not SJP but here I am talking about the internal experience of having desires about her lifestyle. I am talking about being swept away with things you watch, an experience many people will confess to having when they watch shows like Gossip Girl or STC . In most circumstances, when you look at something on screen and say: '' oh I want it'' Or that, '' I think I should have it'', you should first question your inner philosophy.

Recently, I saw a clip in which the bollywood actress Kiara Advani was talking about how her favorite snack is sliced apple with peanut butter.  Her fitness is admirable , and the novel food combination struck me as interesting.Inspired, I tried a whole apple with spoonfuls of peanut butter. It was good indeed. But the difference between me and Kiara Advani is that, she has this snack before an intense workout, wisely positioned between other very healthy, oil free, low carb, portion controlled meals, to maintain a size 2 that looks good on screen. She has a lifestyle suited, and even required for her job and she is sharing glimpses from it. 

On the other hand, I had that apple and peanut butter on top of the fried chicken sandwich from Shake Shack and a whole plate of fish over rice. Of note, I had also had two cups of my new favorite iced matcha latte. And there was no workout on that day! This random inspiration just added clutter and extra calories to my life because her lifestyle is not MY lifestyle. Her job is not mine. Her goal is not mine. As mine is not hers!

 I work 60 plus hours a week and I am a doctor. Mostly I am concerned with staying awake and alert at work. Now I have nothing against being inspired, but that inspiration has to fit into YOUR life plan and YOUR lifestyle. If I admire something about SJP or Kiara Advani, I should be clear and precise about that and then begin to incorporate what that is, into my life in a realistic manner instead of just bringing random clutter in my life, either in the form of desires or material things. Why? Because that distracts me from MY life story.

The way social media and entertainment works is that you, the common man, are exposed to such attractive faces doing doing attractive and glamorous things at all times. Even if you are scrolling mindlessly, or you are watching something for fun, you begin wanting things that may not be for you and they add unnecessary clutter to your life if you have not set up filters for yourself. Such sporadic pursuits have never made ME a happier person at least.

The vibe I dig about any of the people I see on TV, the look I admire, is not a one-off instance. It involves a lot of work and commitment on their part. Their whole life revolves around curating that image and looking that good and being that fit. It's a whole job that requires hardwork.

Having a bucketload of abandoned goals in my basket, I know it serves to have very clear idea about the goal at first and not to be easily distracted by EVERYTHING charming and flashy.

Even if its something as good as SJP killing this combination of colors.