Vitamin N?

As we grow, we tend to spend most of the time for Vitamin-M (Money). It’s necessary but not sufficient for living a good life. 

We need Vitamin-N (Nature) too. Each morning, get some sunlight. Walk barefoot on grass. Build hobbies that help you stay close to nature (e.g. photography or hiking). Sit in the balcony and hear birds chirping in the morning. Watch monsoon clouds passing by. Chase a good sunset. Plant a tree (or a sapling). Care for a pet. 

This becomes important in today’s world where natural spaces are being encroached by urban developments – and we are spending most of our time in curated spaces that has a lot of style but very little substance. 

Nature provides us with substance.

How about replacing or matching your “screen” time with “green time”?

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Keeping Promises with Self

When we make a promise to someone else, we are more likely to keep it. 

But what about promises that we make to ourselves?

The easiest person to take for granted is your own self. We have a tendency to put our plans on a backseat the moment someone else out there starts expecting us to do something. We have been taught that it is selfish to prioritize ourselves. It’s not.

That needs to change, IF you want to chart your own unique path.

Because constantly working on expectations of others makes you mediocre. It’s important to serve others and while you are doing it, be selfless.

Greatness comes from working on YOUR own priorities. When you work on your own priorities (whether it’s your health, well being, projects, career etc), be selfish. That’s when you can bring your real self into the game. 

That’s when you differentiate. 

That’s how you thrive. 

P.S: This is as much a note to the self as much as a note to you.

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Step Away to Solve

Stuck in something that you are not able to solve?

Take a break. Step away. Take a walk. Listen to your favorite song. Talk to someone about something different. Take a nap. 

When we step away to a place of calm, our sub-conscious mind builds perspective. It enables you to view the situation/problem through an different lens. 

That often leads to a breakthrough, a solution, a response. 

When in doubt, step out!

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Yet

“I am not good at that” is a language of victim. 

If it is your choice to not be good at something, say “It have chosen not to invest my time learning it.”

If you intend to get better at something you are not good at, you can say “I am not good at that yet.”

“Yet” changes everything. It changes your posture towards the possibility that you can be great someday. 

Using proactive language may make an impact on others, but more importantly, it changes the way you approach things. 

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Great Opportunities

Great Opportunities never knock the door or come with an announcement. When they come, they are hardly recognizable. 

That’s because they usually come dressed as “problems”. 

When we see problems as problems, we dread them. 

We we see problems as opportunities, we solve them. 

Next time you face a problem, ask, “Is this an opportunity in guise of a problem?”

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Travel Light

“Your enjoyment of travel is inversely proportional to the size of your luggage” – Kevin Kelly

I had to unlearn the habit of packing stuff that I would never use during the travel. I now pack the minimum I require to travel. 

In life as in travel, knowing how much you “really” need is everything.

We go through life with excess baggage of unnecessary emotions, thoughts, anxieties and dreams that are not truly ours. Then we feel burdened as we travel through our days.

Pack only as much as you need. Then enjoy the sojourn.  

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Different Choices

Choices that work for others may not work for you. 

Someone opts to learn Biology. Someone chooses Arts. Someone drops out to start a business. 

These are just “different” choices, not “right or wrong” choices. 

If people are unique, how can their choices be similar? What works for others may simply not work for you. 

Understanding this is a sign of maturity. 

Only then, you can play your unique game. Only then, you can truluy differentiate yourself. 

Yes?

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The Cost of Appearing Successful

The world we live in rewards the “appearance of success”.

You gain attention by driving a fancy car, even when the car is 100% financed. Appearance matters more, not the substance. Same is true for someone who has a fancy designation, even when he/she does not love the job. They pull on because that is what they think is valued by others. 

Living a life to simply “appear successful” is a treadmill that we need to get off. True wealth is simplicity.

N. R. Narayan Murthy, the founder of Infosys drove a Maruti 800 to office when many of his employees drove fancy and expensive cars. NRN once said that my job is to create wealth for others, not appear wealthy. Warren Buffet is known for being the richest man with a rather humble lifestyle. 

Real success and wealth are silent. 

But how do you find independence from such a sticky and invisible treadmill of living to other’s expectation?

Two things come to mind immediately:

1) Do the work you love for the cause that you care for. Sure, it takes time and experimentation to find the work you truly love but it’s worth the effort. Doing work that you don’t enjoy drains you. 

2) Live below your means: Real indepence from the treadmill of appearing successful is to live a modest life. People take expensive loans to buy things they don’t need to impress people who don’t care using money they don’t really have. What’s the point? Enjoy the fruits of your labor, but always be mindful that you save/invest enough before you spend. 

If you can do the work you love and learn to spend less than you make, you’ll be okay. You won’t appear successful, but who said success is about appearance?

Success is about balance, remember?

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Protect Your Mind

Preserving your Mental Health

• Do not expect too much from others.
• Never say anything more than necessary.
• Be clear on what you are asking, or what is being asked from you.
• Never brag. Make your accomplishments visible and then let it do all the talking.
• NO is a complete sentence. Don’t be afraid to say it.
• Let go of your need to be perfect. Perfection is a journey, not an outcome.
• Different people will have different opinions. Sop trying to please everyone.
• Keep your emotions in check. They can overpower your intelligence and logic. 
• Know your boundaries in relationships. Don’t let others cross it.
• Don’t overthink things. It’s sometimes okay to let things be the way they are.
• “This too shall pass” is a powerful mantra. Works in good times to keep you humble. Works in bad times to kep you hopeful. 
• Accept criticism only from those people who you’d go to for seeking advice. 
• People don’t care as much as you think they do. That can be painful, but that can be equally liberating. 

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Act on What You Learn and Experience

If you have read this blog so far, congratulations. You have gained INFORMATION.

If you have put even ONE idea from what you have read so far into PRACTICE, you will gain KNOWLEDGE about how it works. More importantly, KNOWLEDGE about your own self. 

When you start adapting your actions according to what you learned from doing, it makes your own life better. Now, you have acquired wisdom.

Therefore, here is my suggestion:

STOP READING THIS BLOG if you have not been able to put a single idea so far into practice. 

Real learning happens when you DO something about what you read and experience. 

Without DOING, all your reading is simply stuffing your mind with information. It is intellectual stimulation. 

That’s barely useful, right?

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T H I N K

Your words attract energy.

If you use toxic words, you will be surrounded with toxicity.

If you use kind words, you will attract kindness in your life. 

Before you speak, THINK: 

• T: Is it True
• H: Is it Helpful?
• I: Is it Inspiring?
• N: Is it Necessary?
• K: Is it Kind?

When what you speak isn’t any one of the above, the best expression is to choose silence. 

This does not mean you soften your language or be too submissive. This is not about being weak. 

Saying what is true requires firmness. Saying what is helpful may not always be platable. But you still say it with words that clarify your intent. Words that gets other person to think. Words that generate energy. 

When you consistently choose words using THINK acronym, you build trust of others. You solve problems. You build relationships. You become a better person yourself. 

Then, you attract the right energy. 

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90:90 Rule

Sometimes, we really want to do something but we cannot because we think we don’t have time. 

The rule of 90-90 comes in as a handy tool. 

Find out what you truly want to do or learn.

Spend first 90 minutes of the day doing it.

Do this without a break for 90 days.

You will see the change. 

P.S: For me, being creative is what I want to be. So I spend first 60-90 minutes of the day writing this blog, creating sketchnotes, reading a book and consuming ideas that are important to me. This habit has been a game changer for me. Give it a try!

P.P.S: 90 minutes may be too much if you are time constrained. Start with 20 minutes a day doing what you truly want to do. Increase it as you find momentum.

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You are what you focus on

You are what you attend to.

You are what you focus on.

If you don’t own your focus and attention you are a slave, a commodity, some ‘thing’ for others to use as they wish.

Make no mistake…

This is about your freedom and liberation to create your own life.

Own Yourself.

Own your ability to attend to your own life, to focus as you know you can.

Focus is freedom…

Source

At a time when most people spend hours on social media, they forget that they are the product being used by those companies. They hijack our most valuable resources – time and attention. 

Focus is freedom. Discipline is freedom.

You be mindful about your FOCUS, INPUT and PROCESS. OUTPUT takes care of itself eventually. 

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Where Does Stress Come From?

Stress at work doesn’t come from hard work.

Stress comes from complacence. It comes from not taking action on things that you can act on. 

It comes from ignoring things that we shouldn’t.

It comes from not investing in relationships. 

It comes from putting things off for some other day. 

So, next time you are stressed about something, take action. 

Discipline, action and consistency are an antidote to stress. 

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Choice > Chance

My dad was detected with heart condition but doctor mentioned that there is no emergency for surgery. We did not leave it to chance and chose to voluntarily get the surgery done.

It was a proactive decision. This choice allowed us to plan it meticulously and get mentally prepared. 

Had we not chosen, we would have left it to chance and let an emergency happen. Why bother when there is no immediate symptoms? Leaving things to chance is never a great strategy – especially when our health is concerned. Emergency situations lead to immense stress, especially when you could have anticipated it and managed it proactively. 

This applies to a lot of decisions that we don’t take because there is no pressing need for it right now. We don’t act because we can’t see the consequences. 

One thing is clear from my experience: Being able to CHOOSE > Leaving things to CHANCE. 

You can only leave things to a chance AFTER you have done everything you could have done. Then, those are circumstances you have to accept. 

Our ability to see things before they happen and manage them proactively through right choices is our super power as human beings. Animals don’t have that gift. We do. 

We need to make good use of it.

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Daily Wins

I was in a meeting with an author whose book I was illustrating. 

He mentioned something so simple and yet profound, that it struck the chord with me.

He said we need 3 daily wins:

A Physical win – You can tick it for the day if you worked out. It could be anything from intense workout at gym to doing a spot jog or a brisk walk or taking stairs.

A Mental win: Tick it if you fed your mind through reading, writing, learning and creating something new. It could be as small as writing a small paragraph in your journal to reading a few pages of the book. It could be drawing a sketch or having an insightful conversation with your friends or family. 

A Spiritual win: Tick this if you spent time meditating, sitting still, observing your own thoughts, praying or reflecting about your own self. Just a few minutes of stillness provides much needed spiritual energy.  

The more we focus on winning in these three areas, however small the win is, the better we become. 

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The two sides of a coin

Life is not a coin with just one side. There’s always other side of it that we need to pay attention to. 

• There is no reward if you are not willing to take risks. 
• There is no growth without pain. 
• There is no clarity in your action without clarity in your intention.
• There is no relationship in absence of trust. 
• There is no talent without discipline.
• There is no love without acceptance and commitment.
• There is no wealth without investment. (Yes, saving is not enough).
• There is no learning without reflecting on our thoughts, actions and behaviors.
• There is no education without an open and curious mind. 
• There is no creativity without imagination. Greatness and creativity are the outcomes of working on “What could be” rather than working on “what is”. 
• There is no self-esteem devoid of courage to stand up for what you truly believe in.
• There is no improvement without “trying” things out. 
• There is no success without any failure. 

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The Rule of 1%

Consider this:

We often focus on big goals and high-effort activities to reach that goal. In the process, we underestimate the power of tiny actions when done consistently leading to big outcomes. 

A brisk walk for 20 minutes today is tiny. Done consistently each day for a year, it results in massive gain in health.

Investing a few hundred bucks each week feels tiny. But when you do that for 3 years consistently, the return amazes you.

Writing 100 words today might not feel significant. Writing 100 words each day for a year means you have a book in the making. 

Tiny actions compound to create big results IF they are done consistently and improved upon.

“Success is a few simple disciplines, practiced every day; while failure is simply a few errors in judgment, repeated every day.” – Jim Rohn

Even Math proves it:

Key questions to ponder upon:

• What areas in your life can benefit from improving just 1%?
• What does that 1% improvement looks like?
• Is that 1% smal enough to be sustainable?
• Are you committed to really improve?

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