Sharing Ideas Sharing Thoughts

 Three things that are fairly straightforward and yet people miss them: 1. The importance of making good decisions 2. Keeping things simple 3. Common Sense I will touch upon decision making here.  We all make decisions daily. And we do well in them. But most of these decisions do not have a big impact on our lives (please read my post 10/10/10 Rule ). In our entire lifetime, we have to take just a few big decisions such as the one's below: 1. Our education - This one is perhaps the hardest because as kids or young adults most people are not sure about what they would like to do professionally. And therefore, our decision is influenced by the world around us.  Question for you - Were you very clear about what to study in college? 2. Choosing our work - For most of us, this is connected to the education part. But I think listening to our inner voice and doing the work that we are drawn towards is a better way to decide. It may take longer but we'd be happier doing the work ...

Today is a big day for me. Exactly 10 years back on this day, I started practicing meditation. I meditate twice a day (morning & evening) and I also do freehand exercises twice daily for 15 minutes. It gives me great pride to share that I have not missed a single practice of meditation or exercise (that is twice daily) since last 10 years. I consider this a great personal achievement. Were there days, when I wanted to skip? Yes of course, but honestly, not too many. However, there were circumstances that made this harder sometimes. For example, travel, uncertain schedules, social norms (dinners and meet ups) etc. The morning practice is easier. If one can wake up on time then the next couple of hours are absolutely yours. Evening practice can get tricky at times. That's when, one needs to adjust the schedule or meditate just before sleeping. In fact meditating just before sleeping and immediately on waking up is the best thing.   I also feel that it's important to 'will...

30 minutes before going to sleep and the first 30 minutes on waking up is what I call the Golden Hour of the day. In these 60 minutes one can connect with one's true inner self. Setting aside this time for yourself at the beginning and at the end of the day can be transformative. One can practice three things during this period:  1. Review 2. Affirmations and, 3. Visualization. The combo of these three is force multiplier.  MORNING: It helps if you are a morning person and are all by yourself during the first hour or so after you wake up. This is your 'Me' time. Practicing affirmations immediately on waking up - while you are still in the bed - accelerates the changes one is seeking within. After this having a cup of tea or coffee helps most people get their day started.  Next comes Visualization. There are three things to remember when visualizing - See clearly whatever you want, Believe that you deserve it and Feel that it is already yours. Do not complicate this simple...

Introspection is extremely important for moving forward. Reviewing your day before going to bed can give you extraordinary results and set you on the path of self-mastery. When we judge our actions objectively, it is good to be critical. But there is also just as much or more value in being one's best friend.  If I have to choose between a harsh critic or being nice to myself then I'd completely avoid being harshly self-critical and go for being my best friend.  There is no doubt that we all have noise in our heads. But the internal dialogue we have with ourselves and the story we tell ourselves projects into the future. We become what we feel. If you ever see someone giving harsh feedback to someone then it's quite likely that he will give himself feedback in the same heartless tone. They brutally lash themselves and others when they get a chance. This is definitely counter-productive. However, if we can see our mistakes objectively and develop the following shooter's ...

Last night I had a dream in which I was in a train station in India. This was my destination station and after the train stopped, I and my family started unloading my luggage on the platform. Since, we had some extra luggage, I had to go back in to fetch the balance luggage. While I was inside, I saw from the window that someone on the platform was trying to steal one of my items. I jumped out and followed this guy. By the time I caught hold of this person, I had come quite far. I was in a small shopping area on the station. I have clear recollection of the shops in the area. On my way back, I was a bit lost and couldn't come to the place where I was originally getting off. I had to then ask someone for directions. I navigated per his direction and crossed a small old bridge and then some steps and a heavy door that I had to open to come on platform number 3 where my rain was supposed to be. But, I found out here that the train was on platform number 4. I had to then take an underg...

Do actions performed sub-consciously count? Do they get deposited in our karma bank? No. Sub-conscious actions are based on past tendencies and are habit induced. Hence, these count as neutral actions. We do not move forward (or backward) when we are performing actions absent minded-ly. However, if we are conscious while performing a habitual action then it is counted. Indeed being mindful is blissful.  Being in the moment is supremely important.

When we talk to God, almost always we are asking for something. Make this OK, if only I can get this, help me get that, change this, make that happen etc. The language, tone and the form may vary but our relationship with Him is always of a 'taker'. We are always in a desire fulfillment mode. We have an idea about how our life should unfold in the short and long term and we desperately want that. As if that particular 'outcome'(s) will make us happy. And this method (or idea) of ours never works. It has never worked for anyone, ever. Firstly, God doesn't give you something because you asked for it. Secondly, getting what we asked for will make us temporarily happy and then we will be ready to ask for the next thing.  So what's a better way. I guess - instead of asking try and give your love. Unconditionally. And say - "let it be your will dear Lord". After that just do your part well. However, the following prayer taught by my Guru - Paramhansa Yoganan...

 We all have heard about the tribal chief who is telling the story to his people of two dogs that are constantly fighting in his mind, and the one he feeds wins. We are a sum total of our habits. Good habits propel us forward and the bad one pull us back. Surprisingly, we act sub-consciously when we act per our habits. So, how do we change our habits?  It's quite simple. Action is the food for habits. Feed good habits with corresponding actions and refuse to cooperate with bad ones.  This may feel hard in the beginning but efforts will accumulate and it gets easier as we go. Being conscious of our actions (and thoughts) is important. Then comes the will to act. To summarize - Be aware, use your will power to act and have patience. Bonus: Reviewing our day before sleep helps. 

Three things help in better memory: 1. Attention - Are you mindful during reading and listening? If not then it's likely that you may not remember the details. For example, if you are talking while driving then you are likely to miss a turn. Consciousness is where the awareness is.  2. Association - Neurons work on associations. the stronger (and weird) associations we can form the better will be our recall for that data. 3. Sleep - Having 7-8 hours of sleep is essential for goog health and memory. I think this pretty much sums it up.  PS: People complain that they cannot remember names. Imagine, if I asked you to remember someone's name and gave you $ 1 million each time I asked you and you gave me the right answer. Will you ever forget it?

Imagine this! If we can access the minds of other people through a device. Won't we then experience gratitude and empathy simultaneously? Everyone has a noise in their head. That monologue is loud. We all have unique narratives, struggles, challenges. If we had access to other's mind then we would know their pain and be able to empathize with them. Simultaneously, we will feel grateful for so many things that we have and most other people don't. You don't need a device to actually connect to someone's brain. A bit of imagination helps. If we put in the effort and devote the time to practice the skill of empathy and gratitude, we can get better at it.

 We would like things to happen in a certain way. We try and control behaviors (hugely), we are obsessed with outcomes and we dislike change.  What if we focused on the present, give our 'A' game and merge with the outcomes. And then we take on the next moment. And so on. If this sounds possible then I am happy for you because we improve as a person only when we are focused in the present moment. Call it mindfulness / awareness / being conscious / concentration - it all means the same. What if we flow with things and not resist them. In martial arts one does not stop an opponents blow with brute force. Instead, one is trained to use the opponents force and use it against him (or her). Each person sees the world differently. They have their own narratives and own judgement. No one is right or wrong. We are all unique - with diferent experience, data and goals. Then why should I expect someone to see what I am seeing. I can share my POV when asked and give an advise when someone...

 It gives me great pride to share that I have not missed a single day of meditation since last 9 years. God's grace! I meditate twice a day and also do freehand exercises twice daily for 15 minutes. This makes me say that when one is intrinsically motivated he/she can do anything. Step by step we can travel a million miles. 

When a decision seems hard, think about how you’ll feel about it in 10 weeks, 10 months, or 10 years from now?  It’s quite likely that you won’t even remember it was a big deal. This can help you put things in perspective.  This hack simplifies decision making and now you can focus on the more important aspect - the action.  

After the Covid pandemic is over and when we start going to office as usual, a question may pop-up in our mind - how well did we use this time? Were we  productive or we wasted a golden opportunity? Isn’t this a time to do all that we always wanted to do but never had time for? There are so many things that we can do. Such as - Learn Something - Coding, a language, an instrument, cooking etc. Read – good time to catch up on your reading. Write - Share your thoughts & experiences. May be write a book or a blog. Or may be write just for yourself by starting a journal.  Organize – Your data, house, kitchen, wardrobe. Throw stuff you no longer use. Fitness & Well-being – Exercise, meditation, deep thinking. Build something – Home improvement, work in your garden Financials – Re-evaluate your finances and make a new plan. Play and have fun – Spend time with family. This is a good time to bond together. We also have the choice to sleep ...

There are three positions of the eye 1. Looking upwards 2. Looking straight 3. Looking down Aren't we looking down when we are using screens (especially mobiles). And we do that " A LOT". Looking down is a sub-conscious act. It makes us passive.

Because we don't understand the nature of life. We are not the director of this movie. We just have a role to play. And all we need to do is to play our part well. When we want the life to happen our way and when most of the time it doesn't (obviously) then we feel unhappy. Loss of control makes us suffer. So desires are the root cause. Further, our ignorance - that we are separate from God - is the deeper reason for our suffering here. We identify ourselves as an individual and see God as something elusive or separate. Our consciousness is limited to the small sphere around our mind. If and when we can expand this consciousness, we will experience greater peace and joy. Let's come back to the first sentence now and understand the nature of life? The answer is  - Change is the nature of life. There will always be ups and downs. Duality is built into this illusive, relative world. When we realize that whatever is happening to us (and others) is as per God's gr...

Today marks the 8th straight year of my exercise and meditation routine. Twice a day, everyday, since March 09th, 2012, I have been doing my freehand exercise and meditation. I feel proud that I didn't miss the meditation or the exercise even once. God's grace!

I am very proud to say that my daily routine of meditating twice a day has been uninterrupted since March 09th, 2012.  I have also been exercising twice daily for 15 minutes since the above date. These are freehand exercises. Feels great to say that I didn't miss the meditation or the exercise even once. God's grace!

We do this to ourselves by having negative self-talk, by doubting our capabilities, by willfully reducing our self-worth, by failing to set high goals, by failing to try, by feeling low, by not believing in ourselves and by finding innovative ways to beat ourselves up. The marginal cost of degrading ourselves is worth considering. Because it adds up. 

My lifelong endeavor has been and will continue to be - how to be a better human being? How can I do better than yesterday? How can I be more authentic, more present, how can I give more and ask less, how can I be more positive, and maintain my sanity in spite of all the noise in my head, how can I expand my consciousness to see that we are all connected?

This may be a good way to live your life - "How to be your best in the present moment; without attaching yourself to the fruits of your action." "Wholehearted Action" in short.

There are people who try, work hard and don't give up. And there are people who don't. Know what you want, make a plan, give your best and don't rest till it's done.

Let me skip discussing the importance of planning. Focus or concentration is super-important for succeeding. All great business person, sportsmen, leaders, scientists etc. exhibited an ability to remove all distractions and focus their attention on one object. The next part is to visualize the execution. It does not mean wishing or hoping that one will succeed. It is about mentally (visually) rehearsing all the steps that will follow. Now execute and give your 'A' game. The prize is already yours. You just have to go and get it.

Learn to trust life

Consciously or sub-consciously, if we evaluate a situation for our personal benefits and ask "what's in it for me" then we may need to reflect a bit. Similarly, during social/professional interactions if we judge a person by his status and ask, "how can this guy be useful for me / how can I benefit from him" then we need to reflect more. Perhaps we are taking more than we are giving. And there should be no shame in this because we have been moulded like that. And we act out of fear of losing something. What if we decide to challenge our assumptions and start seeing things differently? What if we see how can we help someone and how can I give more?

Why are we here? What is the purpose of our lives? These are interesting questions. I think: Our roles are defined and the script is written. All we have to do is to 'play our part well'. It's a complex, real-time, 24x7, 3D, immersive movie. Our interactions and events are defined and the stage is set. We are hooked to this world through our senses which results in our 'ego' taking over our wisdom. What we have to strive for is - to give our 'A' game in ' each ' moment and stay untouched by this delusion? It doesn't matter what our role is; we have to live our part well so that this cosmic movie is a grand success. PS: We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the game - Randy Pausch

I have been meditating twice daily since March 09th, 2012. Today, I complete 6 years of this activity.  I have also been exercising twice daily for 15 minutes since the above date. These are freehand exercises. By the grace of God, I never missed the meditation or the exercise even once. So I devote at least an hour daily to these two activities. Lets do the Math. 6 x 365 = 2190 hours. I am closer to the 10,000-hour target.

In her TED talk - my failed mission to find God - Anjali Kumar shares the 3 common things that we all seek; Health, Happiness and Love.  This isn't something we don't know and yet these 3 simple things are usually out of our reach.  In my view, these are not goals but a way of life; and with practice, we can experience fulfillment in life. So, what can we do? 1. For health - eat right, think right and exercise. [Not feeling good about oneself will likely lower immunity and bring sickness.] 2. For Happiness - I am still figuring this out. Let's find out WHY we get unhappy. It is when things don't go as EXPECTED. Aha! DESIRES are the root cause. Maybe focusing on the action instead of the result is the key. Thinking about the outcome makes us worried and fearful. We can learn from kids who are happy without a reason. So how about reducing control, 'letting go' and loosening ourselves a bit. Additional thoughts. Giving freely, practicing kin...

This one is for the teenager's and young adults When someone asks you a question, 1. Listen deeply and understand the question. Know what exactly is being asked. 2. Don't be in a hurry to answer. Let him finish. Think through your response. Use the time to create a structure in your mind. 3. Get to the good stuff ASAP. Preferably in the first sentence. And then support your answer with evidence and reasoning. 4. Be brief and to the point. 5. Use examples, stories to illustrate when required. An Example: Qn: What is your short-term professional goal? An average answer is like: Well! I have been discussing this with my friends and mentor's and there are a number of things that I am passionate about. I have always been interested in the financial world but I also have a strong bias for technology. But, I think I'd like to become a successful wall street trader in 5 years from now. A better one: I see myself as a Director in a top financial firm in 5 years. ...

Why do we eat? Because we are hungry or to provide nutrition to the body to stay healthy What do we sleep? Because we are tired or because we are re-charging our body for the next awesome day. Why does a student go to school? To get certifications or to learn. Why do we work? To make money or to seek fulfillment by doing something that excites us. To follow our purpose, our passion. Why do we wake up in the morning? Because we have to go to work or because we are drawn towards a higher goal - to serve others through our unique gifts. In the above questions, if you answered the former then maybe you are drifting in time and space - you are sleeping. And if you chose the latter then you have propulsion and rudder - you are awake.

We want an ideal life. Everything in our lives should be right. We seek good health, lots of money, happiness, love... But that is not the nature of life. Life will have it's ups and downs and we should face those enthusiastically. We want consistent results. Instead, we should aim for consistent effort. We must strive to play our part well and to give our best in every moment. While simultaneously having fun because challenges make life exciting. Will you go for a movie in which everything is perfect from the beginning to the end? So enjoy this roller-coaster ride, stop comparing, give in your best and be grateful for what you have.

In life, we win some and lose some. And we try and maximize our wins. In the process, we let our emotions impact our performance. Constant worry about the prize may make us fearful. A better way to live life is to always give our 'A' game without worrying about win or loss. PS: This does not take away the importance of goal setting. Rather, it implies to focus our mind on the work and not the result. 

"Don't change my circumstances, change me". "Kindly guide me and strengthen me" This sounds like a good prayer because we are asking God to give us the strength to overcome the obstacles. We are seeking success through empowerment. Instead of begging to God, we can express our need in simple words and assure him of our best efforts. Similarly, when we ask someone for help, the main component of work must stay with us. And the other person should be the source of guidance and support. 

When someone says or does something that we do not approve, we get hurt. And we mull over the incident over and over again, thereby preventing our emotional healing. To heal a wound we need to stop touching it. To stop thinking about it we must "let go" - forgive. When we forgive (genuinely), we stop feeling hurt and that gives us joy. We feel encouraged to engage with that person again and then re-establish the relationship. At times, we may realize that there was some misunderstanding or maybe we were partly responsible.  Forgiveness requires compassion, empathy, a willingness to understand the other person (someone hurts you when he is unhappy himself). It also requires common sense - because we should do things that are beneficial for the good of self and others. One of the ways to forgive someone is to visualize good things for him. "To forgive is to set a prisoner free and discover that the prisoner was you." - Louis B. Smedes

I have been struggling with this question since last 15 years. I used to think it was awareness. Which is true but I am sure there is more to it. I think consciousness is - " Your sense of being" - "Your identity as you know it". It is the sum total of who you think you are. All your experiences, knowledge and wisdom. The above explanation links it to the "ego". And that is how we limit our consciousness. We draw boundaries, we consider ourselves as separate. We fail to see the inter-connected-ness. For example, the wave in the ocean may feel it is separate from other waves and/or the vast ocean. In reality - they are all the same. When a wave dies, it merges in the ocean. And then rises again as a new wave. That is why wise people ask us to expand our consciousness. To realize that we are all one. The following talks are helpful to develop the understanding and Paramhansa Yogananada has explained it beautifully in his works. Consciousness -- th...

Yes, they do. We are who we are because we reinforced our belief with certain thoughts. A child who feels that he is not good at Math constantly tells himself that he can't understand Mathematics. Similarly, a woman who thinks her nose is imperfect or someone who feels that he is clumsy is augmenting their belief with those thoughts. And we rationalize this by saying - "It is true, I see it all the time". Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.” Years of telling ourselves something makes us who we are. Similarly, if we keep good thoughts and practice affirmations, we will get into a virtuous cycle. 

Success does two things: 1. It makes you bolder 2. Doubters become Believers. It may take a little longer but eventually - "The man who wins is the man who thinks he can". Do not ever give up. Never. Never. Fight another day. Have the patience and persistence of a hunter

Let's take health. Mr. X's teeth keep troubling him. He constantly lives with pain and regularly visits his dentist. He wishes that he had taken good care of his teeth when he was younger. Mr. Y has heart issues and he has had several interventions to keep him alive. He realizes that the oily food he consumed in past is the culprit. Now, all he can eat is raw, bland food. Do you think we should motivate our children to reduce their screen time and help them maintain good vision? Apart from health, where else would you make changes if you could live your life again?

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning are hot topics nowadays. I would like to flip this and ask - are we humans, naturally intelligent? In general, we can distinguish between right and wrong. And we know what is good for us. For example, we know about eating right, the importance of exercise, positive thinking, spending our money wisely, maintaining relationships etc. And yet we continue to repeat our mistakes. Why? Maybe we are not as good learners as we ' feel ' we are. However, simple things may help. Such as reviewing our day before going to bed, challenging our thinking and our assumptions, asking for feedback. This will give us a list of things to work on. Choose the most important. Practise till it becomes a habit. And then move to the next item. Nowadays even machines are working hard to learn and get 'intelligent'. Therefore, an ability to learn is very important. But as humans - Aren't we naturally intelligent? PS: Common Sense is anot...

Asking the hard questions can be extremely uncomfortable. But we don’t learn and grow by sticking with what’s comfortable.  Some of the questions, we may ask ourselves: How do people see me differently than I see myself? What do I want my life to be like in next 5-10-40 years? Am I thinking long-term? What would I do if I wasn’t scared? What’s stopping me from doing the things that I should be doing? What’s the most important lesson I’ve learned so far in life? Am I living that lesson? What do you care most about? What do you really want?  Am I a driftwood or am I a boat with a rudder? Can I think for myself?  Do I love?

Happiness or Success? It turns out that the two are not related. Someone can be happy without being successful ( How we define success is another question)) And someone can be super successful and yet super unhappy. Many of us believe that we will be happy when we achieve our goals. But did it really work? Happiness says - I won't be yours with pre-conditions? Maybe we can learn from the children who are happy without a reason. But if I really have to choose one before the other, I'd say that someone who is happy has a positive disposition which helps in attracting success. Feeling good about oneself may be a pre-condition for success. 

What is our internal dialogue when we are sick? We say things like - I am not well. I have this pain. Etc. And how are we feeling? We hate the experience. We resist it. How about? 1. Ignoring the negative thoughts and having a positive conversation with ourselves. Such as, I am well. This is temporary and will soon be over. I am getting(feeling) better. 2. Surrendering instead of resisting. Knowing that our transgression from health laws in past has resulted in this dis-ease. And I accept it. It's OK.

Further to yesterday's post... 1. Right food - Have 3-4 small meals. First meal of the day is important. Eat slow. Chew well. Eat consciously and savor your food. Include lots of nuts & fruits (these are good snacks when hungry). prefer veggies over meat. There are plenty of protein options in vegetarian food. Avoid very spicy. oily, sour food. Reduce salt, sugar, refined flour and processed food. Eat at least one home-cooked meal. Don't be greedy for food. 2. Exercise - preferably in the morning, freehand - stretching and strengthening exercises, running is helpful. 15-30 minutes daily is good enough. Maintain the routine - rain or shine. 3. Right thoughts - Positive thinking. Be happy. Smile Additionally - sleep and wake up at the same time. Try to sleep early and wake up between 4-5 am 

1. Body posture - Keep your back straight and chin up, at all times. If you do this, you will be healthier and be able to think better. A straight back ensures that life-force energy traveling through the spine flows freely and does not get blocked. A bent back squeezes the diaphragm and lungs do not expand fully, thereby  2. Drink 10 glasses of water daily. Body and brain is about 70% water. 3. Sleep on your back for 7-8 hours. Avoid soft beds. Our body needs to be recharged and the brain cells realign during the sleep time.  4. Expose the body to 10 minutes of early morning sunlight. Please do not think of an alternative for this. Vitamin supplements are not enough.  After all, we need, food, water, air, and sunlight to stay alive.  Good health is governed by three things: 1. Right food  2. Exercise 3. Right thoughts I will write a separate post to cover the above points.

30 minutes after waking up and 30 minutes before going to sleep - is sacred. Internalize yourself during these periods. You may do the following In the morning - 1. Meditate 2. Do affirmations. 3. Think. (You may plan your day. In the order of priority, list the three things you intend to do that day) At night: 1. Review your day. 2. Meditate. Additional activities: Read and write during these periods. You may have to extend the time then. Don't's 1. Do not check your phone or computer 2. Try not to speak. Practise silence.

How does one get better? How does one become Great? The following three things help. 1. TRY - Curiosity drives us to try new things. When was the last time you tried something new? A new cuisine, a new language, a new routine. This is the beginning of our quest to grow. If the mind shouts a "BIG NO" then ignore it. The mind may say the following: - It is not practical (Conforminism) - Why do you want to do this - there is no need. (Laziness) - There is no time for this. (Efficiency, Productivity, time management issues) - It 'seems' risky. Are you crazy? (Fear) Don't be rash and stupid. But try developing the ability to take some risk. Get out of your comfort zone. Explore & experience wonder. 2.  LEARN - When you will try new stuff, you are likely to "FAIL" in many things, many times. Don't get disheartened. Analyze and learn. Most people feel that they are good learners, but very few actually are. The good news is - we can learn t...

At work, do you regularly have, "hair on fire situations"? Are you always in a catch-up mode? Is it often that you have an urgent task at hand?  Don't worry! you are not alone. Most professionals, on most of the days, are frantically chasing the next thing? But why can't these smart people learn and find a better way to manage their time? Why do we live lives of physicians in an emergency room?  Please see the picture below: It's a good idea to focus on few important things and stay in quadrant 4. Planning and prioritizing will be essential for this. I use the following spreadsheet to stay in the 4th quadrant. I call it my weighted To-Do list. Items with the highest total will ascend to the top - and must be done first. You will notice the override column. I use this to award extra points to a task that needs to be done first but may not come on top of the list on its own (and vice-versa) How do you stay efficient & productive?

"The good traveler doesn't know where he is going next. The great traveler doesn't know where he came from" - Chuang Tzu. Do you like your travels perfectly planned or do you leave options for adventures? Traveling opens me up in amazing ways. My best thoughts come pouring in when I am on the move. And my best memories are from the unplanned travels. 

Imagine a small fishing village on the coast of Morocco, where every morning men go into the sea to catch - Tuna. You are a young fisherman and do the same. Every afternoon when you are back from a hard day at sea you load your catch in your truck and drive to the nearby fish market. Business was fine until recently when the brokers started demanding shrimp instead of tuna. Since your boat was good for shallow water and to catch shrimp one had to go farther, you along with many others continued to catch Tuna. Prices fell due to excess supply and you initially ignored the change. You started saying things like, "I've been in this business for 20 years and this change is temporary. You "hoped" things will change. But hope is not a good plan. Soon the truth was staring in your eyes and there wasn't sufficient demand for tuna. You also realized that you didn't have the capital to invest in a boat that could go farther to catch shrimp. You went out of business. ...

If a radio is broken, it cannot play a song. That does not mean that the signal is missing. Rather, it means that the radio is incapable of tuning to the broadcast. Similarly, success, wealth, health, joy etc. is always around us. We just need to tune ourselves to what we desire. We also have to believe that we deserve it and work towards our goal. And then magic will happen. Not only we will get what we want but it will seem effortless. But first, we have to be ready to receive. Friendly tip - a radio can only play one station at a time.

Three years back I wrote a post - What is that one thing knowing which everything else is known.  - in which I shared my concern about information overload. Imagine a large funnel on top of our head through which we selectively pour books and articles, audio's and video's, conversations & experiences. Ideally, the brain should process this vast amount of data and produce a few actionable points. In reality, we go through information indigestion. How can we make these things a part of our lives? Short answer : Take one thing at a time and work on it with full concentration till it becomes a habit. Then take the next. Remember, there are no Quick Fix solutions . 

Just as we cannot know the speed and position of an electron at the same time, we cannot give our 'A' game when we are attached to the outcome. Goal setting and Planning is extremely important but while executing, if we start worrying about the results, then we are injected with an unhealthy dose of emotions which prevents us from giving our best. In other words, the mind is distracted. One may use it to either be completely absorbed in the activity OR use part of it to worry about the outcome.

Let's understand this cycle. Although each step is important, let us start with Judgment. We will never have enough inputs or time to make a decision. Therefore, we make a judgment based on our experience or instinct or intuition. This ability to discriminate is what we know as wisdom. Having judged well, it becomes easy to take a decision. The next important step is execution. We take required actions completely believing in our judgment, therefore, we are committed and intrinsically motivated to give our 'A' game. With heightened awareness and visualization we mostly end up with the desired result. This result is not a prize but another opportunity created by us and the cycle continues. Are we wise enough to judge correctly? 

Success = Concentration + Practise It is not possible to succeed in everything. Therefore, choose a few things and perhaps only one thing. It is extremely important that this 'one thing' is what you love to do and are passionate about. There is no secret formula for concentration. Removing the distractions results in concentration. This may sound over-simplistic and yet this is the essence of concentration.  Mind needs to be trained. It is restless by nature and therefore when mind wavers we have to bring it back to the point of focus. One would agree that focusing is effortless and enjoyable when we are on what we love to do. Hence, choose to succeed in the thing you deeply care about. You will not give up because you love what you do. You are possessed with this idea. Taking baby steps, having shorter goals, building a routine and getting disciplined helps. Slowly things will change. But practise is essential to develop concentration. Life is all about making ch...

How painful it must be for a caterpillar to transform into a butterfly? I don't know. But the joy to finally be a butterfly must be transcendental. Great pain is followed by indescribable joy. If the caterpillar resists this painful process then the transformation will not happen. If it hangs between accepting the pain and resisting it then the process will be prolonged. Only when it embraces the pain it will finally be liberated. May be there is a lesson here. Opening up to the pain is necessary for the birth of this 'new' thing. This is the process of creativity. Complete absorption & surrender. Sometimes we want to change things within us. We want to give birth to a 'new me'. But if we resist the pain then we will fail. This does not mean that we have to be brave; it simply means accepting, opening up and to let it happen. But what is the seed of this thought? I think we sow the idea when we want a thing badly. As badly as want to breathe. The litt...

Our life unfolds as a series of moments, like frames on a film reel. Each frame captures a single moment, and we experience them one at a time, illuminated by the light passing through. The frame we see is the one lit in that instant. We truly enjoy the movie of life when we are fully present in the moment, immersed in that single frame. Do you know what symbolizes the light and the screen? God creates each moment, sustains it, and eventually allows it to fade away. In a sense, this Trinity is constantly at work, bringing the movie of life to light.

I have been meditating twice daily since March 09th, 2012. Today, I complete 5 years of this activity.  I have also been exercising twice daily for 15 minutes since the above date. These are free hand exercises and a type of pranayam. By the grace of God, I never missed the meditation or the exercise even once. So at least an hour daily. Lets do the Math. 5 (years) x 365 (1 hour everyday) = 1825 hours. I am closer to the 10,000 hour target.

I fully agree that having a goal is important. If one is not clear about who he/she 'is' and what he/she 'wants' then all energies go waste. But rational thinking just gets you from the center of the comfort zone to the edge of this circle. To cross the chasm that is immediately afterwards one needs faith. An enthusiasm to go on and a knowledge that failures would happen. It is often seen that on taking this leap of faith an unexpected support is presented. Not that one counts on this invisible hand but it feels good to know that magic does happen.  World has never been shaped by people who just got by in life. And by no means I wish to be seen as a world changer. I just want to go forth and seek, experiment with life, try new things, challenge myself and grow. I am as scared as anyone else. Just that other are scared of making small errors and I am of my irrational thinking. But I derive solace from the thought that it always does work out well.  I have often...

Revolutionary technological advancements will shape our immediate future (2-5 years). My assessment is based on simple observations, some readings and common sense. To give you an idea, see what the governments, big business houses and entrepreneurs are currently engaged in and then you may make your own judgement. 1. Computing will be at the heart of the revolution. It will generate and process great amount of data to help decision making. It will make the existing hardware more efficient and our lives more productive. The crunching, storage and applications will shift to cloud . The devices (mobile phones) will simply access the servers. Which means that high speed internet proliferation through wireless (say LTE) will pave the way. That further means advancements in mobile phones (both hardware and software). And so it is very easy to see why most of the work is happening in SMAC. 2.  SMAC . Social media, Mobiles, Analytics and Cloud computing.  Social med...

This is a three part series. Please read Part I and Part II before you start reading below. He arrived early and chose a spot that offered privacy and a good view of the sea. After going through the menu and briefing the steward, he waited—impatiently!! Gazing at the horizon, his mind drifted to how everyone sees the same world differently. Everyone around here had their own ideas about what they wanted from life. But in general, most people wanted to make loads of money and be successful. There was an urge for recognition and status in society. People wanted their kids to do well, to be healthy, and so on. He wondered how he had missed these two important aspects that make life complete—money and health. They had their place, too. Perhaps the contestant on the ramp had given a better answer than he'd initially thought: health, wealth, and wisdom. She was practical and honest. He was certain there was no absolute right or wrong here. People made choices based on their experie...

This is a continuation of the last post . Girl : "You aren’t dancing?" Captain : "I would love to, if you’ll join me." Dancing came effortlessly to both. They quickly found a rhythm, moving in sync, letting their hair down and savoring each moment on the floor. When the DJ finally called it off, they were reluctant to stop but were already looking forward to meeting again that evening. Though it was past midnight by the time the Captain returned to his room, sleep didn’t come easily. His mind wandered, questioning why he had never really pondered some of life’s deeper questions. He realized he didn’t quite know what he truly wanted from life. Perhaps spending too much time in the combat zone had numbed him, leaving no space for such reflections. Maybe thoughts like these were distractions in combat, where survival demanded focus. After all, he had faced death more often than life in those moments. With that rationale, he let himself drift into peaceful sleep. The C...

Gardening with children is a great way to teach about life... read on

The young Captain watched the May Queen beauty pageant at the local military club. After spending two years in the rugged Himalayas, he was savoring the change of pace—the cosmopolitan air, the vibrant atmosphere. Life felt good: a job he enjoyed, close friends, money in his pocket, a bike, and the freedom of a wandering spirit. Standing beside his close pal, he watched the young women striding confidently down the ramp. He felt a controlled excitement within. Though tempted to grab a beer like everyone else, he resisted. Eye contact and friendly smiles from both familiar and unfamiliar faces added to the evening’s charm. The attraction he felt for the girls wasn’t one-sided, but he found himself avoiding them with the same restraint he exercised toward alcohol. He knew he wasn’t made for settling down—he was like a wild goose, and it felt safer to stick with his friends. During a break in the program, they headed to the bar, refilled their glasses, and returned to the crowd. The Capt...

Came across this inspiring article that features 100 ways that we, as parents, can practice to connect with our children. As we all know so well that it's not always the big extraordinary things we do for our kids that makes them happy - often it's those small, unexpected and joyful acts of love on ordinary days that make their hearts sing. http://creativewithkids.com/100-ways-to-be-kind-to-your-child/

In my earlier post, I had shared my basic thoughts on parenting. Mastering the basics and integrating them in our lives would take us beyond the 80% mark. But if one is hungry for more then the following may help. Again, connecting the dots will be up to you and don't bother if some dots remain unconnected after the figure is formed. Me and my wife have this simple aim : Help Harsh (our son) become a good human being. Period. The following will add up to fulfill this honorous task. 1. Health & Hygiene . Food...He should have a good relationship with food. Saying a prayer before starting to eat is a wonderful thing. Encourage him to eat healthy, eat slow and to avoid overeating. However, occasional indulgence is absolutely fine to offset the pier influence. Again if we lead by example then the kid will not be confused. The point is do we have the common sense, discipline and self control that we demand from our children. Exercise...Ask him to join you when you...