Life in Bangalore

Bertrand Russell  The world is vast  and our own powers are limited.  If all our happiness is bound up  entirely in our personal circumstances  it is difficult not to demand of life  more than it has to give.  And to demand too much  is the surest way of getting even less  than is possible.  The man *  who can forget his worries  by means of a genuine interest in, say,  the Council of Trent, or the life history of stars,  will find that,  when he returns from his excursion  into the impersonal world,  he has acquired a poise and calm  which enable him to deal with his worries  in the best way,  and he will in the meantime have experienced  a genuine even if temporary happiness

  Maria Popova In my darkest hours what  had saved me again and again Is some action of unselfing , Some instinctive wakefulness to an aspect of the world Other than myself- An helping hand extended to someone else's struggle The dazzling galaxy just discovered millions of light years away- Cardinal trembling of the tree outside the window So to contact happiness of angry kind is To be dissolved into something complete and great  Something beyond the bruising boundaries of the ego.  The attainment of happiness then is then less a matter of pursuit than surrender to the world's wonder  Ready as it comes!!!

 A lone lion has an hunting success rate of only 15%. During a night hunt, their success rate can climb to over 40%. In areas with tall grass, they manage a success rate of over 50%, because they are able to get much closer to prey.  They look for high probability successes- before giving the chase Huge amount of patience waiting and watching for hours.- to find the best opportunity of chasing down the prey.  Lions are king of beasts, but they not waste time in low probability chases. When hungry they do not run into the Savannah And chase their prey randomly thinking That they will just chase it down and get their dinner!!! Lions Get into position first,  to have a higher probability of possession!!! Now is there a lesson for us here? A famous soccer coach said once to his student: you need to get first into position ,to get possession of the ball! So a solution is to make the move. The puck goes where Gretzky is they say! Anticipate...make a move....you stand better odds of possessio

  கண்ணதாசன்  அர்த்தமுள்ள இந்து மதம்  தொட்ட பின்பே பாம்பு என்றறியும் மனிதர்கள்  சுட்ட பின்பே நெருப்பென்றறியும் அப்பாவிகள் பட்ட பின்பே பரம்பொருளை நினைக்கிறார் !

  கண்ணதாசன்  அர்த்தமுள்ள இந்து மதம்  உண்டு உண்டு என்று அலைந்து  இல்லை இல்லை என ஏமாந்து  எங்கே எங்கே எனத் தேடி  இங்கே இங்கே என்று கண்மயங்கி ஆடி ஓடி  அயர்ந்து ஓய்ந்தேன் பராபரமே!!!

  Herbert Hancock  Maria Popova Blog  We usually define ourselves by what we do; I am a writer  Or I am a doctor  Or I am a dancer  Or I do construction  That's how we define ourselves  There's a big trip with all of that [....] We are not this or that thing  That We define ourselves as! The core of which we are is a human being,  It changes everything So music now,  I look at it from the standpoint of human being And use that as the foundation.  And then I use what I do to translate what initiates from my humanity  Into musical terms That why I am able to make every record be different From every other record!

 All the world's so called progress seems to be: Bringing the following,At the flip of switch or opening of a tap With scale and speed Air - Fan Water- Tap  Fire - Cooking gas Earth - House Sky - Air conditioning,  lighting  Now, does material abundance alone constitute civilizational progress? What about the scale and speed of spiritual abundance?

  Double down on what's working the best!!! -James Clear Focus on strengths! Strengths multiply! Find out the strengths Based on what's working the best! And make a list of what I need to do This is the life of blueprint! Not the life of Auto-pilot!!! To crave the results,  but not to the process  Is to guarantee disappointment!!! James Clear

  Taittiriya Upanishad  Pg.296 Lord, may I grow in spiritual wisdom And may I have food and clothes and cattle, May students come to me from far and near Like a flowing river all the year May i be enabled to guide them all To train their senses and still their minds May this be my wealth,  May this be my fame🙏🙏🙏 My notes: May this be my motto towards Education and towards being a coach !!!

  My high school soccer coach had a saying that I love:   If you’re not in possession, get in position

  "The 2-step process for exceptional results: (1) Spend a little time each day thinking about the highest leverage activity available to you. (2) Spend a little time each day working on it." James Clear

 Problem solving  More deliberation is needed in settling than propounding a problem Seneca, letters from a stoic  My notes: Problem solving requires a deep state of mind as  It involves both IQ and EQ . EQ because you should not first become unsettled by the problem. IQ because you need to deliberate upon the problem and find a solution towards solving it. Problem solving = IQ *EQ

 Value what you have,  not What you want to have! Imagine that you lost something that you possess Something today  A purse, money or phone See , how valuable you feel about it then! Now start to assign the same value when you have it now! Value what you have, not What you want to have!

  Stamp them with special labels  Seneca Letters from a stoic  Show me how I am able to see through this resemblance: Enemy comes to me full of compliments disguised as friend; Vices creep into hearts under name of virtue Rashness lurks under the appellation of Bravery  Moderation as sluggishness  Coward is regarded as prudent; My words: Beware of the trickeries and word- plays  Not to know does no harm Mastering them does no good!

  D H Lawrence  Maria Popova Blog If you live by the cosmos You look into the cosmos for a clue If you live by a personal god You pray to Him If you are rational, you think about things over But it all amounts to the same thing in the end Prayer or thought or watching the flight of birds It is all the same process, ultimately of divination All it depends on is the amount of true , sincere religious concentration  You can bring to bear on your object An act of pure attention,  if you are capable of it Will bring it's own answer.  And you choose that object to concentrate upon  Which will best focus your consciousness.  Every real discovery made   every serious and significant decision ever reached,  Was reached and made by divination  The soul stirs   and makes an act of pure attention,  And that is a discovery  [•••] It is the same with the study of the stars Or the sky of the stars Whatever object will bring consciousness into a state of pure attention  In a time of perplexity , W

 Ability to think deep about a problem -  Through writing, and Finding the next actions  is the most important thing to do! Infact that is the only thing I can do! Don't allow things to boil in mind alone!

 Mediations, Marcus Aurelius  If you work at that which is before you Following right reason vigorously, calmly Without allowing anyone / anything else to distract you But keeping your divine part pure, As if you should be bound to give it back immediately  If you hold to this, expecting nothing, fearing nothing, But satisfied with present activity According to Nature, And with heroic truth in every word and sound you utter, You would live happily!!!

  Marcus Aurelius  Meditations Like physicians who have always their knives and instruments  Ready for cures which require their skills So do you have to have principles for understanding  Of things divine and things human And for doing everything, even the smallest, With a recollection of the bond that  unites divine and human to one another! For neither shall you do anything which pertains to human without having a reference to things divine Nor the contrary!!!

  Theory of moral sentiments  Adam Smith The private man has no other funds to pay them for But the labor of his body  And activity of his mind He must therefore acknowledge superior knowledge of his profession  And superior industry in the exercise of it He must be patient in labor Resolute in danger  And firm in distress!!!

 LoC i1018  Adam Smith , Theory of moral sentiments  “Love (passion) is commonly succeeded by ambition; But ambition is hardly ever succeeded by Love” That passion, when once it has got entire possession of the breast, Will admit neither a rival nor a successor ; To those who have been accustomed to the possession  Or even to the hope of public admiration  All other pleasures sicken and decay ; Are you in earnest, resolved never to barter your liberty  For the lordly servitude of a court, But to live freely, fearless and independent? There seems to be one way to contrive in that virtuous resolution- and perhaps but one; Never enter the place from where so few have been to able to return  never come within the circle of ambition  Nor even bring yourself into comparison with those masters of earth Who have already engrossed the attention of half of mankind before you!

  Theory of moral sentiments  LoC 1078 Adam Smith To deserve , to acquire , to enjoy the respect and admiration of mankind Are the great objects of Ambition and emulation! First road to attain above is by Acquiring wealth, greatness ,  proud ambition, ostentatious avidity,  More gaudy and glittering  That which forces attention of every wandering eye And attract a great mob But transient and fleeting! Second road to attain above is by : Study of wisdom Practice of virtue Humble modesty  Equitable justice  Beautiful in outline Attracting scarce attention of anyone Of even a small party But steady and lasting!

  Not that I have accomplished perfection-but I want to do the best with cards I am handed over William T Sherman satisfaction comes not from perfection  But in attempting to be the best with what was given! (Being resourceful!) There are multiple paths But to choose the optimal path Is  the thoughtfulness Rather than peering without direction  Choosing to slow down with direction  To give yourself 3 to 4 years And optimise life over it Not instant gratification  But delayed one! That is the way to deal with the cards handed over!

  Letter CXVIII Seneca Letters from a Stoic There is no vice that at the start is not modest But afterwards the trouble spreads more quickly- widely; Every emotion at the start is weak Afterward it rouses itself and gains strength by progress It is more easy to forestall it Than to forego it! All emotions flow as if it were from a natural source From within! As a natural spring  Nature has intermingled pleasure with necessity  Not in order that we seek pleasure  But in order that the addition of pleasure Makes the indispensable means of existence  Attractive to our eyes; Should it claim rights of it's own It is luxury!!! Let us therefore resist these faults Demanding entrance  For it's easier to deny them admittance Than to make them depart!

 What a great-souled action it is  To be the only person  Who is canvassing for nothing Offering prayers to no man And saying: " Fortune, I have nothing to do with you  I am not at your service  I know men  like Cato are spurned by you Men like Vatinius are made by you I ask no favors" This is the way to reduce the favor to its size This my dear Lucilius Is a noble thing To canvas for nothing- And to pass by all the elections of fortune!

  Pg 470 letters from A stoic  Seneca This is the complaint against the stoics  " Your promises are too great Your counsels too hard I am a mere mortal Unable to deny myself everything- Cannot I sorrow a bit? Can't I desire moderation? Cannot I give way to anger a little?" Do you understand why are you asking me this? It's because you are in love with your vices You prefer to give excuses rather than shake them off The reason is - unwillingness  The excuse- Inability!!! ( my note : oh my god! What a powerful last two sentences!!!)

 Pg 483 letters from a stoic The noble soul, knows its better nature  To take care to conduct itself Honorably and seriously at the post of duty Where it is placed Counts - none of these extraneous objects as it's own But uses them as if it were a loan Like a foreign visitor hastening on his way- And when we come across such a person- (noble soul) How can we help being conscious of the image of a nature so unusual?

 Pg 483  Seneca  Letters from a stoic The greatest proof of an evil mind is Unsteadiness And continued wavering between  Pretence of virtue and love of vice! A kind of wandering-off into opposites- Changing plans and prayers- day by day One day he imagines to be "would-be" King And another time - really unassuming- One time - he scatters money Another time he steals it- It is a great role to play The role of 'one man' But none can be 'one man' Except the wise man!  The rest of us often shift our masks!

  CXXIII letters from a stoic Pg 491 A man who is patient The real strength of mind he possesses Is by viewing one's own troubles not only fairly but calmly  Not flying into fits of temper Or worldly wranglings Supplying ones own needs by not craving  Which was really due and  Reflecting that our habits may not be satisfied  But never our own real selves!!!!

  Pg.492 ,Letters from a stoic- CXXIII Seneca just as you have attended a  concert And then you carry about music in your head Trash talk also leaves the seeds of trouble in the soul And the evil which is sure to spring into new strength  Follows us about even when we have parted from them Accordingly  ,close your eyes against evil talk And right at the outset too For when such talk has gained an entrance  And the words admitted in our minds They become more shameless!!!