Life in Bangalore

  by Scott Adams (Founder of Dilbert Cartoon Strip) Have System Instead of Goal System - Do Everyday Goal -Something you achieve in future System - improves the odds of achieving something Goal - something you achieve or don't achieve Example : Goal: Running a marathon in under 4 hours System: Running daily for 6 days a week Goal: Making a million dollars is a goal System: Serial Entrepreneurship is a System Have System Instead of Goal Authors Scott Adams       

Inspired by "art of Living" Arnold Bennett "Art of Living is defined as the expression of the Soul by means of the Brain and Body" Arnold Bennett My interpretation: Most of us are living in the world outside-in driven by impulse and the impressions of materialistic objects on the mind we go wayward - living outside-in choosing to be regulated by others rather than regulate our own mind and thought! Live Inside-out, by forethought through Purpose=>Principles=> Conduct=> Reflect! Authors Arnold Bennett       

  2 kinds of appetites The Practicing Stoic - Ward Farnsworth Natural appetites such as hunger are finite and fully satisfied; of course,        they can recur but there is a limit to it you feel rich at the end of it On the other hand, an unnatural appetite such as the wish for status can never quite be satisfied They have no limits so you shall feel poor even as you attain it! If there is no limit, there is no denominator there is no bottom How long can you go on and on? in chase of the Horizon Even a beggar's bowl has a bottom while a craving man is holding a bottomless bowl! for how much ever it intakes, does not get filled! does not satiate him Seneca says: "There is no terminus to what is false" Necessity has limits Superfluity does not! Where necessity ends, superfluity begins! Johnson- The Idler No. 30 Authors Ward Farnsworth       

pg.501 : the Enchiridion Epictetus essay 15  Behave in Life as in a Banquet A dish is handed around and comes to you put your hand and take it politely If It passes you Do not stop it It has not reached you don't be impatient to get it rather wait till your turn comes Bear yourself thus to - Children, Wife, Office, Wealth and one day you will be worthy to banquet with Gods! Authors Epictetus       

  Play the part well! The Enchiridion - pg,502 - Epictetus Remember that you are an actor in a play -the playwright chooses the manner of it If He wants it short, it is short If long, it's long If He wants you to act poor man you must, with all your powers If your part be a magistrate or plain man so too - work your part for your business is to serve the character that is given to you and act it well The choice of the cast- though He decides!!!

            Value Montaigne, Of Presumption - pg.158 I value too lightly the things that I have because I have them and overvalue things that are foreign things that are absent and dont belong to me! Authors Montaigne       

           False Opinion pg.36 marcus aurelius meditations To the Jaundiced, Honey tastes bitter To those bitten by mad dogs, water causes fear A confused soldier mistakes the dust raised by cattle as incoming Enemy troops Do you then think a false opinion has less power than the bile in the jaundiced or poison in him who is bitten by a mad dog? It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing not to be disturbed in our soul; for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgment! Accustom then yourself, to attend carefully to what is said by the authority and as much as possible, be in the speaker's mind then you shall realize, why they said what they said! Authors Marcus Aurelius mukund       

           If you cant come send nobody if you can't come send nobody, William E Conway (President/CEO - Nashua Corp) Mr.Conway said this to a Vice-President of another company who was asking to visit Nashua Corp. but later said he was busy and wanted to send his Deputy what this means is : If you don't have time to do your job, there is not much i can do for you! Authors William E Conway       

Pleasure or Pain Meditations - Pg.38 - Marcus Aurelius Ruling faculty does not disturb itself (Vrttis - in Yoga Philosophy)  it does not cause itself - pleasure or pain so no other thing or another person - can disturb you because Ruling faculty has the power of forming an opinion and will not deviate into such a judgment for it wants nothing and therefore it is free from pertubration and unimpeded! Authors Marcus Aurelius

Change! pg.38 -marcus Aurelius - Meditations hey Man! why are you afraid of Change? Think! what can take place without a change? Can you take bath, unless the wood undergoes change? Where will be your food, unless the sun burns itself out to give you energy? And can you be nourished, unless food undergoes change? Can anything then that is useful be accomplished without a change? why then do you not see  that for yourself to change is for the better? and equally necessary for the universal nature! Authors Marcus Aurelius 

           What you have ! what you dont! What you have ! what you dont! MArcus Aurelius - pg .39 Think of what you possess! Think not of what you don't! Now,Out of things that you have-  - select the best! And then regularly reflect how eagerly you would have sought -them if you had them not! At the same time, don't accustom yourself to overvaluing what you have so as to be disturbed even when you should not have them! Authors Marcus Aurelius       

           Universal Nature pg.38 - Marcus Aurelius - Meditations Universal Nature- out of the Universal Substance makes or breaks A wax moulded as Horse Horse when broken-up - used as material of Trees Man - after his life- passes as fertilizer of tree And each of these subsists for a short-time but it is no hardship for a vessel needs to be broken-up just as there was none in being fastened together! Authors Marcus Aurelius       

            3 principles pg.41 : marcus aurelius : meditations - The prime principle - To be social; And second : Not to yield to persuasions of the body And Third : Freedom from error and deception , by using rational constitution; here I am reminded of the 5 Vrttis (Chatter) of the Yoga Philosophy: 1. Right Knowledge 2. False Knowledge - Error 3. Imagination 4. Sleep 5. Memory Authors Patanjali Marcus Aurelius       

         Art of Life! pg.41 : Marcus AUrelius - Meditations The art of life is more like Wrestler's Art that the Dancer's that it should stand ready and firm from onslaughts that are sudden and unexpected! Authors Marcus Aurelius 

    Approbations pg.41 : marcus aurelius - Meditations! Constantly observe those whose approbations you wish to have! what ruling faculty they possess! what are the sources of their opinions and appetites! Then you will neither want their approbations nor blame those who offend Authors Marcus Aurelius       

 Busyness Marcus Aurelius pg.36 : Book Seven The idle business of show plays on the stage- flocks of sheep  exercises with spears a bone cast to little dogs a bit of bread into fresh ponds running about of frightened little mice puppets pulled by strings alike It is then your duty in the middle of such things to show good humor and not a proud air!!! Understand that every person is worth just as much as things are worth about which she busies herself!!! Authors Marcus Aurelius       

           As if a dream! As if a dream! pg.33 marcus aurelius - meditations Imitate that you have as good a conscience and return to sober senses call yourself back - as if you aroused yourself from sleep and perceived that they were only dreams that troubled you Now in your waking hours - look at things - around you as if these are the dreams! Authors Marcus Aurelius       

           Do everything as a disciple of Antoninus pg.32 Marcus Aurelius Meditations Do everything as a disciple of Antoninus -Never let anything pass - without having clearly understood it and carefully examined it! - Bearing people who blamed him, without blaming him in return - Doing nothing in a hurry - being exact in the examiner of manners and actions - with how little he was satisfied - of lodging, bed, dress, food, and servants - How able he was on account of his sparing diet! - how he tolerated freedom of speech! -how religious he was without superstition! Be a disciple of Antoninus and imitate him - that you may have a good conscience in the present Hour! Authors Marcus Aurelius       

           The art and science of Entropy maria popova blog In 1865, Rudolf Clausius coined the word - Entropy to describe the undoing of 'Being' : the thermodynamic collapse of physical systems into increasing levels of disorder and uncertainty - the dissolution of cohesion along the arrow of time. Inescapable, Irreversible, Inclining towards Indiscriminate 'Dust' this transformation of Order into Disorder Constancy to Discontinuity is how we register "change" - and distinguish one moment from the next! without entropy - Universe will be vast eternal stillness - a frozen finity in which 'Before' and 'After' is one without entropy - there would be no Time - no us - the creatures of time! Clausius derived the word Entropy - from the word 'Trope' which means transformation Entropy is the twin of energy Entropy is the taker of Life, Energy is t

  pg.31 : Meditations : marcus aurelius Every art aims at this: the thing that is made, shall be adapted for the work which it has been made vine-planter: looks after vine horse-breeder: after the horse Dog trainer : after the Dog so too the education and teaching of youth: value of - education then is to cease to value many other things so that you will be free, sufficient, and without passion and that you shall cease to be jealous, envious, and suspicious of those who can take away those things! and to plot against those - who have that which is valued by you value of education then is - to stay away from perturbation - who wants these things - and to reverence and honor your own mind that shall make you content with yourself in harmony with society and in agreement with Gods praising all that they give and ordered! Authors Marcus Aurelius       

pg.30 : meditations marcus aurelius Don't fall for the impression that arise by the appearance of Things Don't fall for Assembly of herds or nourishing food neither clapping of hands nor clapping of tongues for these are things that separate and part! and not worthy of being valued! what then is worthy of being valued? you ask! To give away chasing this worthless thing called fame and to move me and restrain myself in conformity with my rational faculty! that is what is to be valued! Authors Marcus Aurelius       

 73. The Boron Letters by Gary Halbert Gary Halbert was one of the best marketing geniuses . He single handedly generated 1 billion dollars in revenue in 1980s. At age 46, and peak of is career, he landed in the Boron prison due to a fraud.  From the prison he wrote letters to his 16 year old son on his life lessons: Here is the summary: Chapter 1:son, do the roadwork: 30 min to 1 hr of running everyday morning. The difference between the people who reach the mountain top and in-ground is simply a matter of showing up every day. Chapter 2: fasting: 1 day a week You should do roadwork to order your day You should fast every week to order your week Chapter 3: Winners revise their plans over and over and constantly reassess. Write your goals every day and go over to everyday Chapter 4: Rely on your own strengths than someone's compassion. The real motive of a great businessman is often self-reliance not money Chapter 5: Be

           Life and Time Life and Time Maria Popova Blog Life unfolds in Time ;  Don't separate Life and time Life is a bunch of uncertainties that unfold with Time only to be bookended by the certainty of Mortality! so your strategy for Life should be based on certainty - Mortality- How do you plan your life with that certainty coming up and staring at you? What <------------------------> Aspire <-------------> Long Duration What <------------------------> Practical <-------------> Day/Week My notes: Be prepared for the worst case: Pick any externals: Power / possession / People / Prosperity Be prepared for loss - mentally - and when you think of it that you may lose it = you shall start to see the value - and then gratitude for possessing it in the first place this will lead to the "gain" mindset rather than the "gap" mindset!

           Self-Knowledge How do you know if you have attained self-knowledge? pg.59 : Bhagavad Gita :  Eknath Eswaran When a person has attained self-knowledge they have banished all selfish desires Their senses and mind are entirely trained So that they are free from sensory cravings and self-will Identified completely with the Self, not with Body or Mind they realize their immortality on Earth     

  Self-less action leads to Self-realization pg.58 : Bhagavad Gita : Eknath Eswaran Bhagavad Gita's emphasis is on the mind; Most human activity , good and bad , is tainted by ego-involvement; such activity cannot purify consciousness because it goes on generating new karma in the mind we go getting entangled in what we do on the other hand Selfless work purifies consciousness because when there is no trace of ego involvement new karma is not produced; the mind keeps working out the karma it has already accumulated  As an example, say, you engage in philanthropic activity but still, carry ego involvement such work is good, but not Yoga because action done with a selfish motive entangles a person further precisely by strengthening the motive so it is likely to prompt selfish action again Action without selfish motive purifies the mind The doer is less likely to be

           Meditation Prof. B. Mahadevan In Meditation : the first step is to gather yourself first! you can do it by following :  1. sit in a place - clean and in solitude 2. close your eyes for 30 minutes 3. After this ,practice Asanas and Pranayama 4. do it for continuous - 6 months -Daily 5. Soul will now guide you what to do! Meditation is: getting us to a state: where everything is in moderation and nothing to the extremes! Most of us, are put down by little silly things every day - If I win them over, I have won over life! - through moderation! - through endurance -through humility -through detachment from externals so put a little step forward - best foot forward - as you would protect a flickering lamp! - through practice and detachment (Abhyasa and Vairagya)    

           Paradigm to operate Prof.B.Mahadevan External                                                             Internal Power, Position , Money                    - Satisfaction , Peace, tranquility Belief in body & external objects      - Deep belief in Inner self Animal Instinct                                  - God Instinct your happiness remote-controlled     - your happiness controlled from within from outside     

           take into your hands! take it into your hands! pg.161 Stoic 6 Pack: Epictetus Say your nose is running would you sit down and pray that your nose may not run? Fool, have you not hands? Did not God, make them for you? wipe yourself rather and not blame Him similarly when faced with anxiety and Fear, Use the 'Hands' of Endurance, Magnanimity and Courage that God has provided you! Authors Epictetus       

       On Habits pg.161: Stoic 6 Pack: Epictetus Every habit is maintained and increased by the corresponding actions you learn to walk by walking you become an author by writing you become a good reader by reading if you want to strengthen a habit do it for 30 days continuously! if you want to weaken a habit - say Anger stop being angry for 30 days  continuously      If 30 days of habit streak  sounds too much Start with 1 day  Then a 2 day streak Then 3 days ... And so on So you shall create an habit spiral! Creating new ones Unshackled from old habits!

           How to deal with anger? pg.162 : Stoic 6 pack : Epictetus Epictetus calls Anger as an example of Appearance So when the anger appears  be not hurried away by the rapidity of the appearance But rather say! Anger ! - will you wait for me a little Let me see who you are what you care about Let me put you to the test let me bring in calmness and serenity to oppose you and cast you out! And if you exercise this way you shall see what - shoulders, sinews and strength you have and this is the mark of a true athlete! my notes: when you have an appearance attack you, recognize it, and balance with another beautiful and noble appearance Authors Epictetus       

           Tuning the instrument! The musician tunes the instrument Flute, Violin, or Vocal Chord before the actual performance - every time! this sets the right tone in place! so too, I need to tune my body,my breathe and my mind Every day, day after day! through - physical exercise, yoga , reading, and writing thus way I shall become an artist  making my day a music and my Life's canvas ,a Work of Art! Authors mukund       

         No good! who is a good man? Pg.158: stoic 6 pack : Who is the good man? you asking me that - I don't know! but I do know, who is not a good man! No good man, laments or groans or weeps No good man, is pale and trembles No good man, worries - how will he receive me? No good man, thinks - will he listen to me? Authors Epictetus