Inside Out Stories - Team Nila Naren

Meet Bakthavatchalam Narendrakumar (Naren), a regular Team Nila volunteer at Queenstown Sport Centre during weekly Sporting Friday activities. 

Despite facing uphill challenges in his early career and having initial fears of how people judge him, Naren practices mindfulness and embrace his feelings to adjust his outlook towards people and life. We find out how he maintains emotional balance to achieve a state of contentment.

Here's the story contributed by Naren: 

The eldest of three brothers, I felt the most pampered. At age 15, I moved out of his parent's home for his studies. Between age 16 - 21, returning home once a month, eating my mother's cooking and spending time with my family gave me joy. At age 22 - 28, having started a career with very little, every step forward brought me joy. 

After graduating from college in 2008 amidst the tech recession, I did not end up in the tech job I always inspired for. I was hurt, confused and lost. The only certainty I could cling onto was hope. 

Life has taught me to be positive and to accept things as they are. I live by the mantra 'The joy is in the journey.' 

Most people have gone through the fear of being judged on their first day at work. I think it is necessary to have that fear so one can be well-prepared and perform at their best. 

Emotions may drive our subjectivity. Sometimes you'll only be able to join the dots by connecting backwards. Time is the answer for many things. 

Witnessing the loss of life, including infants, for no fault of theirs (war, natural calamity etc) makes me sad. I just let it take its course to pass on.

Anger is a feeling every human experiences. Anger indicates you stand for something. But that does not imply anger can be justified. Unless your anger is saving a life, in most cases it could simply lead to more harm than good. 

Nothing is permanent, including our sadness. Friends, family, travel, good food, and good rest could all work wonders for most problems in life. 

Hope is a good thing, maybe the best of things. 

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