Foreword - 

Why did I  choose to be an inspirational writer at the age of 53?

It has been a journey of 50 years in my life and in these years I have gone through the roller coaster of life and seen the deep valleys  and  the highest peaks. Did all the normal things a man is supposedly does.

At this stage I began to think thatsomethings I thought were important were not really so and some how felt there may be some thing more to life than these normal meanderings.

In these past several years, I  read fiction, non -fiction, the self help books and the professionally related books. Some how I felt I understood many things about the self, the love, relationships, profession and also the best things of life. I also felt that I had hit some kind a satisfactory peak which a 50 year old normal man should hit. 

Then some where from within me it began to sprout a kind of mixed feelings, thoughts, emotions, ideas, and a bit of a churning. Initially it didn't bother me nor I bothered to notice it with much interest. In short, the question that arose in me was.... 'Is this all to life?' 

However over a period of time this question appeared more often and ultimately forced me to notice it. The more this process occurred, the more intense the question became. Though I had felt learned and kind of self made man.. doubts started poking their nose in my point of view of myself and this world. I thought I was perfect in the position I was in this world and had grown respectable in the eyes of people around me. This mental state didn't last long....and what appeared about myself to be important started looking and feeling mundane! 

This was the beginning of a new churning in my life. The things that interested me didn't appeal anymore the way they use to and by and by the work, money, social respect etc..   didn't help much, instead the very same things started looking stale. I started wondering as to why those things for which I worked hard, under the impression that they were the main things, sought after by every one in life and considered so and acknowledged by my peer, my the family and people around me didn't bring a sense of joy in me?

Having reached that stage I should have felt satisfied about my life. But that was not at all the case.

So, I started wondering about the relevance of the normal things such as the amount of momey, property, social standing, etc. that are considered as bench mark for a successful person. I also started wondering about my own state of mind and my perception of myself . 

New questions kept creeping in me.... about my competence and about my judgement about myself; my so called achievements, the so called respect people showed about me and about the praise and appreciation bestowed on me by all the people connected to me.

I somehow started feeling inside me that I am not what I perceived myself to be and what others said about me. This new perspective of myself was not a pleasant one for myself and all that was being said about me started feeling shallow. The seed of doubt about 'genuineness'  sprouted into a sapling. I stared looking at myself closely. I was asking 'am I acting somebody's perception about me in addition to acting my self- imposed perception about me?'

This felt ......strange. I was not being my true self, but was acting some one else's perception of me and also my imposed image about myself. 

So I was acting my tags and labels, rather than being  myself. I realized that, in order to retain those labels I was putting my everything in a slot to conform to those labels. 

This thought started confronting me. why am I doing things I am doing? I irealized that I didn't want to disturb people's perception about me and also didn't want to shake off my own perception about myself. So I had very systematically  created a prisoner out of me in my own labels and my own perceptions and the perceptions of the people around me. The result was that, I wasn't able to say no when I really ought to have said no and express my opinion openly.   That meant that I either tolerated the agony of pleasing people to save my labels or simply gulped those opinions to keep my labels intact.

Thus the question acquired snowballing proportion and it was time I dealt with it head on and confronted and faced it boldly and courageously.

This perhaps was the beginning of my search for that 'something' which may be the churning going through me. 

Then I began writing and one such writing was "Life span perspective - it will change your life for ever".. [article is available on my blog http//vdharmraj.blogspot.in)

After this my entire perspective about life changed and then  I decided that  it was time enough that I pursue my dreams dear to me before the remaining years of my life roll by me ....And that's how I am here!.. to pursue my dreams of being an inspirational writer and speaker and would love be an inspirational and motivational trainer re human values that inspire people to share their wealth and time with others which will enable them to truly experience the joy, love and bliss of living.

My decision stands fortified by a writing titled - The five regrets people shared before they died!!! (article is available on my blog http//vdharmraj.blogspot.in)

So here I am treading my new path and expressing myself in ways that I feel right about things and concepts. I can tell you with all sincerity that though the churning is still on - yet I am enjoying this new journey - new life and the new path as freshly as a new sapling planted in an open arena of this new world seeking to grow and contribute! 

I am with all of you in this new journey..

Wish me all the luck in my new journey!