A couple of days back I wrote about how to be romantic. Let’s talk about how to be a better partner. I have heard many couples complain that they do not get what they want to find in their partners. I cannot ask them enough if they turn the light on themselves and focus on what grounds they are lacking. Yes, we all have short-comings. The trick is not to hide them; the trick is to address them head on and then redress. Do you get the laundry out when you had promised to do so? Do you pull the volume of the TV down when your partner has a headache? Do you head to the Chinese cuisine for your partner’s sake, though you don’t fancy Chinese food?

It’s interesting how we expect people to compromise with us while we remain rooted to our opinions. We expect a lot from our partners, but when it comes to us, we fall short of meeting their expectations. It doesn’t take much to listen to your partner and try to understand his or her point of view. When you are colliding head-on, it’s better you focus on making your partner happy than proving yourself right. Going all out to prove your point may win you the argument, but it may cost you the relationship in the long run.

Everyone, no matter how close to you, needs space. Respect the individual space of your partner. Nosing around, checking your partner’s mobile phone or email, is a strict no-no. Never have this fallacy that because your partner does not protest, behavior like this is unacceptable and will only drive your Significant O up the wall. If you have to talk out something, do that straight. And maintain a life of your own at all times. Your friends and family have been with you when your partner was not around. They deserve a part of your time. It also keeps your relationship healthy, otherwise you tend to cling on to your partner. And that is a recipe for disaster!

As I keep saying, even the best laid plans can go wrong if you are not committed to it. So if you really want your life to be painted in brilliant colors, love a lot. The rest would automatically follow. There can hardly be an exhaustive list for this, but you can add to this one. Do you want to add to this list? Chime in.

If you do not hope, you will not find what is beyond your hopes. - St. Clement of Alexandra

Rachael always liked the story of Pandora’s Box. She asked me and Liz to read that story to her repeatedly. She wouldn’t listen to any other stories for a long time. It was a phase in her childhood. When I came across this quote, the memory of those days came back to me. I don’t know why. Hope is something that stays with you even when you have decided to never rely on hope. I’m sure even the most hard-nosed cynics has hope. It is practically impossible to wrench this feeling out of yourself. So why not use this omnipresent feeling to your advantage instead of neglecting it as a weakness?

I say this because, frankly, many of us are in the worst possible situation. Many of you guys have problems related to work and the subsequent stress on your relationships. It might be that you have been made redundant by the company you served with a lot of dedication and sincerity. It’s very likely and normal that you would lose hope and throw up your hands in despair. But that would only make it worse, don’t you think so?

There’s a lot of difference in losing and being a loser. You may lose, but never let that be a part of your system. Dust yourself off the ground and begin afresh. It’s easier said than done, I know, but I’m afraid that is the only way forward. If you have the hope kindled in your heart, you will see that little flame light up things around you. It’s your duty to nurture it because in these dark times, we all need light.

I’m a very optimistic person and ‘hoping against hope‘ continues to be one of my favorite phrases! I try not to take a cynical point of view because that disturbs me. I’d rather try and fail than not try at all. What is your outlook to life? If you want to tell us an inspiring story, we’ll listen to you. Go ahead!

Would you believe that American Idol, which is in Season 8, was turned down by numerous TV producers before it lit up your drawing rooms? Yes, that is the truth that has been revealed by Simon Cowell. Simon tried this on British television before he decided to try it on the American TV circuit. He thought that getting hold of a producer would be a walk in the park, but he was disappointed. Producers couldn’t cozy up to the idea of having a show about music on prime time. So they rejected his pitches and someone even threw him out after 30 seconds!

When Simon Fuller took it up, history was written. American Idol became one of the most popular TV shows ever. It gave to us singing sensations like Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood and Jennifer Hudson. American Idol also proved extremely beneficial for products like ice-cream, amusement parks and video games. Once there is a success story, it will definitely have effects on related sectors. American Idol has also been able to raise huge sums of money for charity work. It was, of course, a lot of money for Simon Fuller’s 19 Entertainment and FremantleMedia which collaborates with 19 Entertainment for American Idol.

The moral of the story is, we must be able to think out of the box. If we have an idea that we are confident about, sooner or later, it will have takers. The main part is to believe in the project yourself and not let the cynicism and negative criticism to get to you. You must also have had instances when your idea got turned down but later on, that same idea got your generous dividends. Would you like to share such experiences with us?