On praying for more Epictetus - pg, 83 : "Say you are invited to a banquet - And ate what is before you. rather, if you were to call upon the host to set this food or that food or food that is missing, we could be deemed absurd" Yet in the name of prayers, we keep asking to God for what is missing; although he has given so many things; Be Contented ; I have enough mentality I ain't need more mentality!
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You have got to try hard - first to find out :what works for you - and then you need to work hard :on that which works for you! Say Yoga , works for you - you have got to double it up If it doesn't: try Gym workouts And if you are Gym person - Sweat it out at the tread-mill and weights! Same with diet Keto, GM or krypto 😃 whatever Find what works - make it the prime! Be smart to find out what works for you first And then work hard on it - as if your life depends on it!
Seneca - Letters from a Stoic - Pg.95 A Good company is a company of yourself ; Set an appoint then with yourself daily to ponder over some wholesome thoughts; What are the wins of the day? What are tensions running though you? Whom all towards you owe the gratitude towards? Reflect, Introspect and write them about it!
We are all chasing the "Gold Medal" in our life - External Validation of having arrived in life the pat on the back; Ozan Varol states that - What we can't control , we don't need to worry! Stoicism asks this : " A simple question - Things that worry you- Is this within your control? if answer is no, let it go " Is the gold medal with in your control ? No - It depends on many external uncontrolled factors - Focus rather on your North Star- and start the Journey - Enjoy the journey - Dont worry about the gold medal! James Clear - " As long as you are in the right direction, destination is not important"
For he is free , for whom all things come to pass according to his will and whom none can hinder Stoic 6 Pack : Epictetus : Pg-81 A (Wo)man has real freedom when (s)he can face the troubles with the endurance - knowing that Obstacle is not the barrier rather Obstacle is the way! A (Wo)man who knows this possesses real freedom!
Why dont I get down from my car and look at it and realize that there is flat tire, spark-plug not firing or the gear-box needs oil " The Human Machine - Arnold Bennett I need to get the perspective of the environment and myself- I should not rush into judgments that wife is wrong -boss is wrong - neighbor is wrong opinion of How things should be? I need to use the stoic perspective of react vs respond : react not to the events rather respond to my judgment of the event! Problem is not the problem My opinion of the problem is the problem! Another perspective on same topic from Yoga Philosophy : Me as analogy to Chariot Ì am a 5-Horses-Drawn Chariot : The Roads are the Desires 5 Senses are the 5 Horses Reins are my Mind faculty - perceptors of sensory inputs Charioteer is the Intellect Lord of the vehicle is the Soul If things are wrong it's probably me and not the world
That which you crave is not lead by forethought but by impulse Seneca Letters from a Stoic : Pg.15 Craving is the consumption of the senses ; Eating is not the only form of consumption ; Hearing - Seeing - Touch - Smell are all forms of consumption as well! Seneca says that , Cravings are not led by forethought - but by impulse; Impulse model : Stimulus => Reaction Forethought Model : Stimulus => Judgment => Response "You can show me no (Wo)Man who knows how he began to crave which he craves" Seneca Test your cravings then : Say, for example, you see a Potato Chips packet : Impulse model: (Stimulus) => An impulsive reaction would be to devour it! Forethought model: (Stimulus)=> How many calories am I adding ? Is it needed? => Response ; Response may be that you would still eat it! At least did you stop a moment and think if you really needed it ? That itself is an victory! What do you think? Send your response to mukundcs76@gmail.com !!!
"You have to set a batsman up in Test Cricket" Wasim Akram , Champion Fast Bowler , Pakistan In Cricket , Ordinary bowlers go with empty mind as they start their delivery stride; but an Expert bowler has at least 3 plans as they start their run-up; The best of the bowlers - Create a plot! - Shane Warne, Allan Donald, Anil Kumble, Muttaiah Muralitharan , Ashwin Ravichandran and Wasim Akram They set up a plot - to trap the batsman - As they execute the plot - some mishaps do occur- They go for a lot of runs ! but they smile at it! as that is again part of the plot ... Setting up the trap by giving the batsman a false sense of success! and they advance towards the plot - (Wicked fellows - these bowlers :-)) And if one plot goes for a toss, they have another up their sleeve and start posing that! Indian Spin Bowler, Anil Kumble says this : " I was constantly posing questions to the batsman with my each delivery" This posing questions goes on relentlessly throug
Ryan Holiday: –Having now been in pro locker rooms and board rooms and briefing rooms with special forces operators and the Senate dining room etc etc—all very different worlds, I have come to believe that elite performance is elite performance is elite performance. That while these folks all do very different jobs at very different levels of fame or fortune, they’re all basically thinking about the same handful of things, accessing the same core mental skills: Resilience. Creativity. Focus. Collaboration.
The Copy-writing Handbook Joe Sugarman First draft of an Ad is often terrible and real skill is in taking the rough draft and polishing it- If everybody were given the assignment of writing a draft of an ad for a product, the first draft of my ad would like be terrible compared to everybody else's. It is what I do with my copy , after first draft , that really makes the difference!!! (check here how to edit ) In the first draft, the goal then is to put something- anything - on paper - the emotional outpouring of anything - you are trying to convey about your product or service Don't worry about how it reads!
The Work you do - may or may not be the one you liked to, but you still need to do! But the workmanship that you can display in your work - is still in your control! Workmanship is the hallmark of a professional! The care , the attitude , the quality , the attention to work you can still influence! Workmanship is more important than Work- because thats the best tool you can still bring it to the Work-bench every day! To produce your art and craft! If you liked above post:reply with your thoughts to mukundcs76@gmail.com
Jiddu Krishnamuti Book of Life pg. 56 My Notes: Most of us are living through our lives half-asleep - in a state of trance without attention to the present - always 'looking forward to' or 'looking backward' The result - lack of care We are busy creating ideas, analyses and forecasts - of what might be? How to become? and end up with a loitering mind . I look back at my life - most of it went like above! a life of egocentricity, pride and acquiring possessions All matters of Gross! No subtlety whatsoever! it was certainly not a life of attention! JK calls it this way - "There is goodness only when , there is total attention An attention that has no motive- to be or not to be When there is a motive for attention, is there attention? If i pay attention to acquire something, the acquisition, whether it be good or bad - is not attention - its a distraction - A division! "
It cant be done by Will alone - May Sarton Gardening is like poetry in that it is gratuitous, and also it cannot be done in Will alone; What Will can do , and only thing it can do is make time in which to do it; Young poets enraged because they don't get published right away! They confuse what Will can do and what it can't! Will cant make a tree grow to twelve feet in an year and it cant force the attention of publishers Only it can create the space necessary for achievement little by little!
Life seems to happen in triads : idea of three ! Be <=> Do <=> Have Observer <=> Observed <=> Observation Word <=> Knowledge <=> Wisdom In PowerPoint presentations they say : Stick to maximum of 3 takeaways : that is the maximum the audience can hold! Think in Triads! In business growth as well : this idea of Three works - Start with One ! - be idea or people or revenues! Grow to 3X ! Then by one more factor of 3 to 9X ~ which I approximate to 10X Then 30X , and then by 100X ! you may ask why 3 : why not 2X or 4X ! because data says that at 3 is the least factor of growth for which you cannot keep using the current ideas ! rather you need to learn, unlearn and relearn! 3X is the factor to attain which , What got you here wont get you there !
Futility Arnold Bennett, The Human Machine An unwise man wishes to have a different environment Just glancing at his own faults momentarily , looking away again what he wants is - " A pipe that wont put itself in the mouth A glass that wont leap of its own accord to his lips Money that wont ship untouched out of his pocket Legs that will carry him certain miles everyday in open air Habits that practice themselves Spouse that will adjust according to humors A wise man knows that this is all futile he cant have these things resigns himself to the Universe!
யோக நிலை , கர்மயோகம் பகவத் கீதை ஞான யோகம் - நமது உண்à®®ையான இயல்பு ஆன்à®®ாவே கர்à®® யோகம் - கடமையை செவ்வனே செய்! பலனை பரிபூà®°்ணமாக à®…à®°்ப்பணி! செய்யுà®®் செயலை தரத்துடன் செய்! துà®°ிதமுடன் செய்ய வேண்டுà®®ென்à®±ு தரத்தில் கோட்டை விட்டுவிடாதே ! துà®°ிதம் - பலனை எதிà®°்ப்பாà®°்த்து செய்வது! தரம் - கடமையை செவ்வனே செய்வது! தரம் à®®ுதலிடம்! துà®°ிதம் இரண்டாà®®் பட்சமே! Karma Yoga Bhagavad Gita Jnana Yoga - Our true nature is soul Karma Yoga - Do the duty ! Devote the fruit ! Do what you do with quality! Don't compromise on quality to do it quickly! Speed - Expecting Results! Quality - doing duty perfectly! Quality is primary! Speed is secondary!
Beginning of Philosophy is to know the condition of one's mind Epictetus - pg.86 , Stoic Six Pack Philosophy begins as you move from the gross body to the subtle body. How do you do that? Through everyday practice of contemplation and reflection. Writing is the best means to contemplate..write what ? you may ask ? Write about your thoughts on purpose - Why do I exist? "To care about everything I do" can be a purpose ...something bigger than you - that is unselfish and carried you to the spiritual plane - that makes you look forward to the day! Its easier said than done ...the purpose thing! especially as we are caught in the whirlpool of the day's events - but essentially we need the purpose -the North Star to navigate this swirls - Walking is another way to reflect and contemplate - i mean walking alone - without iPods and phones blaring music into ears - however soothing they may be - Contemplation is not about the external noise / music blaring into you ....c
True wisdom is : To learn to wish that each thing shall come to pass as it does ... Epictetus "And how does it come to pass? As the disposer has disposed it" Man proposes. God Disposes; God not only decides the event but also the timing; Most of are aware of the possibility of the event to happen- but we are shocked only when it happens to us and at the timing of it! "Why me" is the common reaction ! "Why not me" seems to be a more viable proposition to deal with uncertainties! God disposed that : Vice-Virtue ; Summer-Winter; Autumn-Spring; Luck-Misfortune shall coexist all such opposites for the harmony of the whole ; so learn to say to yourself - "It can happen to me as well and I shall not behave schadenfreude rather I shall behave with empathy"
Morning 7:30 am Location: Gym As I ramped the speed from 7 kmph to 13 Kmph on the treadmill, I start running fast so not to fall-off😀 And after 2 minutes of running at 13 Kmph, I am about to lose breathe, Heart is pumping, And body wants to stop, Mind wants to continue I cannot think of anything else Except to continue running for next 30 secs! Those 30 seconds though seem like eternity And then after 30 seconds , the longest 30 seconds of my life! I ramp down treadmill speed back to 7 kmph As I am gasping for breathe while walking I notice a welcome change! My mind is cleared of fuzziness All the morning's thoughts and imaginations and worries seem silly I am set for the day! Feeling like bouncing with energy As if there is a spring in my feet! I feel like Richard Jefferies experience after climbing the morning hill : (as written in his autobiography "The Story of my Heart") By the time I had reached the summit I had entirely forgotten the petty circumstances
Success = Talent + Luck Great Success = little more talent + Lot of luck! Thinking Fast and Slow Daniel Kahneman Day 1: Talent + Luck ↑ Day 2 : Talent + Luck ↓ So a person who did well on day1 ; all likely - will drop performance on day 2 due to role of luck! Same level of performance which was good on Day 1 was dreadful on Day 2; This is called the "Regression to the Mean" Regression to the mean is an important concept to remember especially for smartest people! The problem with success is that it lulls smart people into believing they know what they're doing ...Bill Gates As Keith Cunningham adds in "The Road less Stupid" - Sucesss does not make you invincible or bullet-proof. What success does best is to make you complacent and egotistical, which by themselves are sufficient to create disaster remember, Ability, Intellect and Work ethic are not enough to overcome the surprise the life can throw at us ! Beware of lady luck that may smile or frown upon in
By Bill Walsh: The Score Takes care of itself! Outcome = Talent + Luck + Hard work + Intelligence When you work with activities and people - there are things you can control there are things you can influence there are things you cannot control! Luck is certainly one thing that is absolutely out of your control! Luck plays a major role in the outcomes! So understand the role of luck - in your outcomes and as long as you can put in Hard work , Intelligence , Talent be contented - irrespective of outcome! Bhagavad Gita Says : "You have the right to the Work but never to the fruits of the Work"
A mind that is fast is sick; A mind that is slow is sound; A mind that is still is Divine! -Meher Baba, Sufi Saint Amelia Barr says, the successful novelist says: Don't do work in hurry. go into details. it pays in every way. Time means power for your work. Mediocrity is always in a rush. But whatever is worth doing at all is Doing with consideration; For genius is nothing more no nothing less than doing well what anyone can do badly! My Notes: 21st Century is running on steroids! moving at break-neck speed with little knowing of where we are heading! here are 8 ways to slow down by Eknath Eswaran : 1. Give yourself more time 2. Dont crowd your day 3. Ask What is important (not what is urgent!) 4. Take time for relationships 5. Take time for reflections 6. Dont hurry 7. Cultivate patience 8. Slow down your mind!
How to live 24 hours a day Arnold Bennett You practice physical exercise for 30 minutes a day , morning and evening and you are not astonished that your physical health is beneficially affected every hour of the day! Why should you then be astonished that an average of one hour a day, given to the mind should permanently and completely enliven the whole activity of your mind?
How to live 24 hours a day - Arnold Bennett I am entirely convinced that what is lacking in life of average well-intentioned person today is a Reflective mood: We don't reflect upon important things: -problem of our happiness -direction in which we are going -what life has given us -If reason (or intuition) is determining our actions relationship between principles and our conduct If you have not done reflection, and yet you are in search of happiness? and no wonder you have not arrived yet!
Body is a weight on the Soul - Seneca "Engage in Philosophy to lighten your soul from the heavy burden of desires to be freed - even the body is a weight on the soul and as load presses down the soul its crushed" Seneca - Letters from a Stoic - pg.96
Nature does not hurry still gets everything done -Leo Babauta , Author, Zen habits.net Epictetus Says, " All great things are of slow growth. Look at a grape or fig. If then you say to me now, I deserve a fig, I shall answer, it needs time - wait till its first flower, then cast its blossom, then ripen. even the fruit of tree, reaches not maturity suddenly not yet a single hour , Do you nevertheless desire so quickly, and easily to reap the fruit of mind of human - NO! expect it not! " My notes: This is a lesson in Change Management - don't expect others to change suddenly If future state is a fruit, it takes time to develop a fruit How does a plant develop a fruit? Flower => pollination (change introduction)=> Ovary => Hormone growth => Ovary walls expand and thicken => Ripening => Fruit! Don't hasten Change : for (wo)Man does not only object to change , but also hate the other who causes change - so be slow! Be a catalyst!