8 life lessons to take away from Dear Zindagi

Love your zindagi and see how happy you can be!

Life is like a jigsaw puzzle. One can help you find the pieces but completing the game is your job. If you haven t watched the movie assuming it s about heartbreak and healing, please book tickets right now. There s so much more to the movie than just a failed relationship. It gives you an entirely new perspective to life. For me, it was a liberating experience and not because I am experiencing a heartbreak. But I came back smiling ear to ear and the smile and positivity hasn t faded away yet. Here are the life lessons from Dear Zindagi that I came back with:

Express openly Rona, gussa, nafrat kuch bhi khul kar express nahi karne diya. Ab pyar kaise express karein . This very powerful line sums up our lives today. We are just so scared to express any emotion today that when we want to love, we fail at expressing that too. Whether it is your love, your hatred or some inner thoughts. Just talk about it. If you have issues with your parents or siblings, communicate. A lot of problems are solved through mature conversations and unless you convey or express what you feel to the other person, they aren t going to understand. He/she will read my mind is not going to work.

Be open to love Don t be bitter in life. One failed relationship shouldn t stop you from being in love again. Don t stop trusting everyone just because your loved one cheated on you. Be cautious but don t be foolish by being suspicious about every person you meet. You might just lose out on the right person in the bargain. So be open to love and keep trying more chairs till you find the ideal recliner for yourself. Here s why being cheated upon may actually be good for you.

There can t be a perfect person This was my favourite dialogue in the movie when Shahrukh aka Jehangir Khan explains to Koko that there can t be one special relationship in life. You ll have one special coffee friend, one special intellectual friend, one special soul-sister or brother and then there is one romantic relationship. You can t burden this the love of your life by expecting that one person to fulfil all your special friend needs.

Love yourself Yes. As selfish as it may sound, it is important to love yourself before you love anyone else. Place yourself on top of your priority list. That s also one lesson I learnt from a session on marital harmony I attended. It is not about being self-centered. So don t burden yourself with these thoughts. Jehangir Khan explains it beautifully through this dialogue Jab hum khud ko samajh lete hain na, tab aur koi hamare bare me kya sochta hai, fark nahi padta which means that once you start understanding and loving yourself, what others think of you doesn't matter ever.

Learn to forgive Alia found peace when she decided to forgive her parents for abandoning her. Whether or not you know the reason why someone was not good to you, or has erred, learn to forgive and move on. There s no better way to heal. Once you are able to forgive, it ll be easy to forget and it will make your life so easy.

What others think is not your problem So what if someone things you re gay or Lebanese, oops lesbian because you aren t married yet. Don t get fizzled by such judgmental people. Just because you ve chosen an offbeat career doesn t mean you are less intellectual than Sharma ji s son or daughter. Take ownership of your choices and be bold enough to share the passion with people around. That also means, you never judge anyone!

Treasure the 5 people in your life We all have a certain number of people in our life that make us happy. They form our inner circle or comfort zone. You don t need to pretend with them and can be absolutely crazy too. It can be the 3 am friend or your sibling or parent. Always be clear who these people are and don t take them for granted. You might have umpteen friends but the ones that are actually important are quality people. Don t lose them ever especially at the cost of your relationships.

Don t let your past ruin your futureDon't let your past blackmail your present to ruin your beautiful future . This is the line that everyone must have up on their bedroom walls or as screensavers on their gadgets. It s a lesson that must stay with you and motivate you to keep moving on happily no matter what.

Image Source: Shahrukh Hatela/Instagram

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