Keep wondering

Authors : Maria Popova  

That we can wonder is what saves us!
The price, evolution has us pay for our
exquisite consciousness is an awareness of our mortality!

an awareness unbearable without the capacity for wonder
at the miracle of existing at all!
Improbable as we each are against the staggering odds of
never having been born!

alive on an improbable world
unlike any other known!

Wonder is the religion Nature invented
long before we told our first myths
of prophets and messiahs
the great benefaction of our fate as
borrowed star-dust
on a short-term loan from an Entropic Universe!

     

 

Thinking Time!

I need to do this @ office :
Just have a paper
and pen

And for next 30 minutes,

 just rest  my head upon left hand
and start writing- thinking
about the Gap and problems and opportunities 

Authors

mukund       

         Law of giving

Author : Debhashis Chatterjee  

Takers, Givers, and Matchers

Law of Giving: KarmaSutras!

Think of a situation:celebrating a Party

Takers: Expect others to give
Givers : First ones to Pay
Matchers: Will opt for going Dutch ;

Adam Grant's research shows that the Givers rise to the top :
Takers and Matchers are "Stuck-in-the-middle"

Why?
Givers grow because they create social capital
and you multiply that with intellectual capital.
it becomes reputation capital :

reputation capital = Social capital * Intellectual Capital!
Build your reputation!

     

Oneness : Seperateness

 

         Oneness : Separateness

Upanishads drive the message of "Oneness"
Self - what is within you - is the same in others as well!

There is but "One" Consciousness!

Feel the "oneness"
For example, as I stand on the terrace and observe the sky-
deep blue - beyond the form of the clouds!
I feel good ...Why?
probably becoming one with the Nature!

On the other hand, I sit in the room and even enjoy the most important hobby, say reading etc.,
I feel dissatisfied!
why?
because of seperatenedness!
Walls - create separateness! literally and metaphorically!

I am reminded of this again :
"I" leads to Illness
"We" leads to Wellness

Authors

mukund       

 

         Law of Diminishing returns

karmasutras

All material wealth diminishes in Time and in unfavorable circumstances;
And the law of diminishing returns of material wealth is -
the more you grab, the more you want
the more you grab, the more you crave
and more the gap!

and so goes the vicious cycle!

Consciousness is the spiritual affluence
spiritual affluence is the Cause
Material affluence is the consequence

So the question for inquiry is?
Can you operate in the plane of spiritual affluence?

Authors

Debhashis Chatterjee       

Popular opinion

 

Simply distinguish the good and bad without patterning your opinion from the populace

Seneca

Seneca says this :
Don't go with the mob!
for the mob chases one thing today
and another tomorrow!
It is hither and Thither

Rather work out the problems from first-principles !

Authors

Seneca       

7 Standards To Set For Yourself...

 7 Standards To Set For Yourself...

Daniel Koe

Let’s rapid-fire 7 standards that will lead to a fulfilling future:

1 hour of deep work – if you can spend 8 hours building someone else’s dreams, you can spend 1 hour building your own.

$100,000 in your bank – anything less is considered a problem to be solved. This standard provides financial direction and clarity in your choices.

10,000 steps a day –for physical and mental health. Burn calories, get sunlight, open your mind to new ideas. All major discoveries, like the creation of the atomic bomb, were discovered on a walk.

1 gram of protein per pound of body weight – this satiates you, builds muscle, and makes it easier to hit macro and micronutrients. Even if you aren’t building muscle, the thermic effect and micronutrient density of protein-rich foods should be prioritized. Most of your fat loss / diet in general falls into place when you do this.

Training 3+ times a week – run, bike, olympic lift, bodybuild, CrossFit, I don’t care. Do something that increases circulation, longevity, and acts as a meditative habit to rest your mind from work.

Self-investment per month – those who pay, pay attention. Swap wasting your money on quick pleasure for investing in education, business growth, and experiences that lead to the person you want to become.

30 minutes of self-education – if you aren’t learning something new every day you are dying. Self-education reprograms your mind. Without it, you can’t spot new life-changing opportunities.

Life by design

 Life by design

The (Wo)man who commences the day by a strict contemplation of the dangers of the next 16 hours is likely to arm himself against dangers which he did not dream of.

The Human Machine

Your hobby must be your brain
To discover your strengths, pitfalls

Spend time every morning to reflect and ruminate on this-
Failures, Success;
and to contemplate
How you can prevent the repetition of failures
and continuation of success!

Ensure to have the brain as your Hobby!
And turn everything into your own calm , dignity and Happiness!
And if you do so for an Year,
you will become a fine person!

Authors

Arnold Bennett       

Endeavor Each Day!

 Make it each day your endeavor to become a better (Wo)man

pg 5: Letters from a Stoic

Be consistent in your studies
and prioritize it over other commitments
consistency beats Talent in the long run;

Start with what you have
Do what you can;
Focus on the Present;

Humans are different from beasts in that
they have foresight
that becomes a bane
For we send our thoughts a long way ahead-
we do not adapt ourselves to the present
but rather keep "Looking forward" to the Future
Torment ourselves over that which is to come

In the name of hope, we 'look forward' to
In the name of looking forward to - we carry fear along with!

Focus!
Be Present!
And make each day your endeavor to become a better person!
Farewell!

Authors

Seneca       

On Hurry!

When you hurry through a maze,
the faster you go,
the worse you are entangled!

-Seneca

My Note:

Life is a maze
Dont Hurry through it
Worry will only be the outcome!
Rather go slow!
but steady
in the right direction!
Direction is more important than the speed!

Seneca seems to say this :
People while seeking happiness are
observing it in the material plane
Power, Position, Prosperity
now in all this
they keep adding bonding to themselves
Like a rope around the neck
that strangulates slowly!

they keep receding due to the burdens
they bind themselves with
and are set back more and more!

Authors

Seneca       

What is opposite of Happiness?

What is the opposite of Happiness?
Karma Sutras

The opposite of happiness is not -Sadness
The opposite is selfishness!
And Selfishness leads to sadness!

Selfishness comes from separation
Separation thrives in "I"

I am supreme kind of thing !
"I" means "Illness"
If you are feeling sad, worried, unhappy
Think Deep!
you may be thinking selfish!

This is mostly the root cause!
The symptom may be sadness!
but the Illness - is Selfishness!
"I" is Illness
"I" is separateness
"I"        is the grabber

"We" is Wellness
"We" is Onenes
"We" is Giver

Authors

Debhashis Chatterjee 

Beware of Crowd!

 More harm is done by a simple act of Indulgence or Greed

Seneca
Letters from a Stoic pg.7

When it comes to habits :
its either zero or one ;
Either you get to do it or not;

Seneca puts it more eloquently:
Familiar friend, if he be luxurious
softens us imperceptibly

Neighbor, if he be rich
rouses our covetousness

Companion, If he be slanderous
rubs off the rust upon us
Even though we be spotless and sincere!

So Seneca's advise is to be beware of the crowd :
"For they do not approve what you know: and
you don't approve what they approve"

"One man means as much as multitude ,

 Multitude as much as one man"
Democritus

Stick to your principles 100% of time!

Peace of Mind:

Art of living is about living in peace : 

in an environment in which one is 'Thrown';
what is the use of the Peace of Mind in an Isolated mountain?
You need to possess peace of mind in an environment of the world
among Friends, Peers and relatiosnhips .
That is the real peace of mind

You need to able to protect your sanity
during the daily grind
if not, you can assume that
what you have read is mere precepts
and you have not matured enough!

Authors

Arnold Bennett       

Passage Meditation

8 steps

Author

Eknath Eswaran       

pg. 22 -25 : How to find Happiness

1. Meditation for 30 minutes - Every Morning
2. repetition of Mantra : through the day to act as an speed-breaker
and slowing down Thoughts Per Minute
3. Slowing Down :
Anticipate who will cause hurry and set priorites and reduce stress, friction and stress

4. One-pointed attention : Focus on 1 task for 25 minutes (Pomodoro Technique)

5. Training Senses : Dont consume : Sight, Smell, Taste , Touch and Sound;

6. Put Others First : Pehle Aap!

7. Spiritual Fellowship : Spending time with others who follow meditation

8. Spiritual reading : Inspiration from World's great philosophers!

 

Unlucky? So what !

Author : Maria Popova     

Admit that , we have become the people we are
despite the unluckiness of what happened to us

Its my rotten luck that this has happened to me
Its my good luck that although this has happened to me
I still feel no distress
Since I am unbruised by the present
unconcerned about the Future

What happened could have happened to anyone
but not everyone could have carried on
without leading it to distress him

So why regard the incident as a bad luck
rather than seeing your avoidance of distress
as good luck!

Do you generally describe a person as unlucky
when his Nature worked well?
or
Do you count it as a malfunction of a person's nature
when it succeeds in the outcome it wanted?

Can what it happened to you
stop you from being
fair-minded, Moderate, Conscientious
Honest,moral, Self-reliant, unhasty
and so on
from possessing all qualities that
when present
enable a man's future to be fulfilled?

  

Ointment for the Spirit!

 

I am putting into writing,for I have formed them helpful in ministering to my own sores

Pg 8
Letters from a Stoic

I have begin this habit of writing ;
writing about philosophy;
what is Philosophy?
to live a life of wisdom - that is philosophy!

As I wake-up daily,
my body had got is rest
but my mind is restless
due to the dreams, the memory and the day ahead!

So what do I do?
I pick up Seneca's book : letters from a Stoic
A daily dose of Seneca!
I read one letter of Seneca that he writes to his mentee Lucillius

I make a note of "Gem" for the day from the 

Words of Seneca;

If possible write about it in my own words,
like this post itself
with the hope that
I may face the day better!

So what is today's gem ?
Seneca says that he is putting his thoughts
into writing for future generations
and he says that
that is more important than his day job -
Counsel in Court !
Stamping a Seal upon a Will!
lending his assistance in the senate!

And these words that he puts
were the ointment to his own sores
Seneca adds , even if it does not cure the wound
atleast it arrests the spreading of it!

Oh Wow!
I may not be able to cure the ill
but at least I can contain it!

Probably this is what the Journaling is all about!
write about your Ills
the goods , bads and uglies
and will you let it ink on paper ?
As you do so , 

may be there is a cure you would have found

Farewell!

2 Pranayama exercises

 

Raja Yoga

pg.41

1. Rhythmic Breathing: with mental chanting "Om"
Inhale + Exhale

2. Nadi Shuddhi: Alternate Nostril Breathing:
Inhale: Hold : Exhale:
Time Ratio: 1 : 4 : 2

Authors

Swami Vivekananda       

Grunt Works!

 Charlie Munger once said: the best source of new work is the work on your desk

Meaning : that if you do a good job on the work in front of you, the right people will notice and give you more opportunities to impress.

That simple maxim is pretty much the story of Adam wright’s Life;

Wright started out as an intern at Mid America Energy – back before Berkshire Hathaway even owned the Iowa-based utility.

And as an intern he was often asked to do the grunt work that no one else wanted to do

For example. Mid American purchased Northern Natural Gas from Dynegy in 2002

And all of the company’s operating manuals had to be updated to reflect its new parent company name.

This meant thousands of pages of tedious reading and striking out every mention of Dynegy or Enron and replacing it with MidAmerican Energy.

This job fell to Wright:

While I was doing that, I was reading the standards, I was reading the operating manuals , and I started asking questions like, “What does this mean?” or “How does this work? “ or “Do we still do this?”

I started to learn how we operate systems.

And from there , When new programs had to be built, they would ask me, “Hey you know the procedures and standards , You’ve been through them all, How about you write the new one?”

After immersing himself in the Northern Natural Gas Manuals, Wright moved over to that company’s operations group and eventually rose to VP of marketing before re-joining MidAmerican en-route to becoming CEO

“If you just simple plow the ground beneath your feet, you will unearth all this value, all this opportunity. If the land that you’re standing on isn’t producing fruit, nine times out of ten its because you’re not plowing the field, you’re not tilling the soil. You’re not getting up early. You’re not doing what you have to do to plant the seeds to reap the harvest later. If your would just stand there and do that – work hard in that area- there will be opportunities in front of you. “

Genius!

 

Belief in Inspiration: Nietzche:

Artists have an interest in others; Believing in sudden ideas , so-called inspirations ; as if the idea of a work of art, of poetry , the fundamental thought of a philosophy shines down like a merciful light from heaven.

In truth, the good artist’s or thinker’s imagination is continually producing things good, mediocre, and bad, but his power of judgment, highly sharpened and practiced, rejects, selects, joins together;

Thus we now see form Beethoven’s notebooks that he gradually assembled the most glorious melodies and to a degree, selected them out of disparate beginnings. The artist who separate less rigorously, liking to rely on his imitative memory, can in some circumstances become a greater improviser;

But artistic improvisation stands low in relation to artistic thoughts earnestly and laboriously chosen.

All great men were great workers, untiring not only in invention but also in rejecting ,sifting ,reforming, arranging.

My note:

All things we call genius is then merely sustained hardwork!!!

Attitude and Orientation

 

Chris Hadfield , Astronaut

In space flight, “attitude” refers to orientation:

Which direction your vehicle is pointing relative to the Sun, Earth and other spacecraft.

If you lose control of your attitude

2 things happen:

The vehicle starts to tumble and spin

Disorienting everyone on board

And it also strays from its course

Which

If you’re short of time or fuel

Could mean the difference between life and death

In the Soyuz, for example

We use every cure from every available source

Periscope ,multiple sensors

 The Horizons

To monitor our attitude constantly and adjust if necessary

We never want to lose attitude since

maintain attitude is fundamental to success.

 

In my experience, something similar is true on Earth.

Ultimately, I don’t determine whether I arrive at the

Desired professional destination.

Too many variables are out of my control.

There’s really just one thing I can control.

My attitude during the journey:

Which is what keeps me headed in the right direction.

So I consciously monitor and correct,

If necessary,

Constraint and Creativity!

 Maria Popova

I know of no greater catalyst

 of creativity in our life than constraint!

It is the boundaries chosen or imposed

 that give shape to our life!

 It is within them that we become 

Truly creative about the kind of life

 we want to live.

 Without the constraint of the bone

 there would be no wings .

Constraint then, 

is the catalyst of creativity!

Love

Siddhartha

Herman Hesse

 "You don't force him

 you don't beat him

 you don't give him order 

because you know that :

Soft is stronger than hard 

Water stronger than Rock and 

Love stronger than Force"

What can you do?

 Siddhartha

Herman Hesse

What can you do?

 Only three Noble and undefeatable facts

 I can Fast!

 I can Wait!

 I can Think!

And you may ask what is the use of the above!

 what is that  good for 

Siddhartha replies :

"It is very good sir !

when your person has nothing to eat ,

fasting is this smartest thing he can do,

 then for example Siddhartha had not learnt to fast

 He would have to accept any kind of service

 before this day is up,

Because Hunger would force him to do so.

 but like this Siddhartha can wait commonly 

he knows  no impatience 

he knows no emergencey 

for a long time he can allow hunger to 

Besiege him and can laugh  about it.

 This sir, is what Fasting is good for!"

Compass

 By Henry david Thoreau 

Walden

Every man has to learn 

the points of compass again 

How often has the awake 

whether from sleep or any abstraction

 not till we are lost another word

 not till we have lost the world

 to be begin to find ourselves and realise where we are and

 infinite accent of our relation my note this is what I noted I have group fees every morning I need a to leave Discover myself even do my body has got another my mind everyday morning today I need to do that everyday

Results-oriented!

 

As I wake up and I realise one thing

 I am too addicted to the results 

that quick wins 

the instant gratification 

Especially with respect to my creative pursuits

great things take time - I should realize!

Nature does not hurry

 but it still gets things done 

patient & perseverance 

Doing something for the passion of it 

not for the reward !

As Steven pressfield says in his own way:

" the hardest work is to put the bum on the chair and to start working "

Result and Outcomes 

all grand work with No Strings Attached

 no outcome expected 

deep work for the next 30 minutes is all that matters most!

Solitude

 Solitude 

Henry David Thoreau 

This is a delicious evening

 when the whole body is in one sense and 

imbibes delight to every pore

 I go and come with the strange Liberty in nature

 a part of herself 

as I walk along the stoney shore of the pond

 in my shirt-sleeves

 though it is cool as well as cloudy and windy

 and I see nothing special to attract me 

all the elements are unusually congenial to me

 the bull-frogs trump to usher in the night 

and note of the whip-poor- will is born on the rippling wind from over the water 

sympathy with the fluttering alder 

And poplar leaves almost take away

My breath;

Yet like the lake 

My serenity is rippled not ruffled!!!

Solitude

 Solitude 

Maria Popova blog

There is a silence at the centre of each person

 an untrammeled space 

where the inner voice grows free to speak

 That space expense in solitude 

To create anything 

a poem 

a painting

 a theorem 

is to find the voice in the silence 

that has something to say to the world

 In solitude we may begin to hear

 In the silence, the  song of our own lives!

The Gym - a Sanctuary

 

Source: @SeekWiser

Goods and Services

What is a Good?

Anything I own is a Good!

 

According to Seneca , There are only three types of goods

1. Joy , 

2. Endurance of suffering,

3. Calm, Honest countenance and modest gait

Point seems to be that: 

Mortal things : such as

Power, position , money and fame 

All decay and worn out; 

Exhausted and replenished

So they cannot be treated as Goods ! 

Mukund, pay upon yourself in Services using

Above three real Goods that Seneca talks about! 

Its my work then to how to build and maintain

Those Goods in me! 

If I dont do this ! 

I need to then pay tax - Dumb Tax

Tax associated with

ambition, anger, envy, jealousy, attachment!

Form and Truth

மரத்தை மறைத்தது மாமத யானை

மரத்தின் மறைந்தது மாமத யானை

பரத்தை மறைத்தது பார்முதற் பூதம்

பரத்தின் மறைந்தது பார்முதற் பூதமே !

திருமூலர் , திருமந்திரம் 

A child looks at the toy elephant

and does not notice the wood it's made of!

A carpenter looks at the toy only sees the wood

And not the Elephant!

We,the ignorant children of God 

Observe the World

as made of the 5 Elements

A Jnani ,on the other hand, sees only Lord 

Everywhere - in Living and Non-Living! 

He is not aware of the material world as we see it! 

Jnani Sees the quality - One-ness

Unity in Diversity! 

Cure for the Spirit

 Cure for the Spirit

Pg.96 : Letters from a Stoic

Seneca

Cures for the spirits have been discovered

And handed down by Ancients! 

Just like, Body is sick and you have fever

Your mind is sick 

And you need to treat for the depression

If your spirit is sick - you have ego

And continue to chase the riches

Even if you may have enough! 

Wisdom becomes then the cure for the spirit that is Ill

Wisdom! Ah!

Is the  medicine that you need to drink!

Before you chase the Riches! 

Seneca had for this to say about his Gurus:

“Shall I admit into my soul
With (not) less than the highest marks of respect
Marcus Cato- the Elder and the Younger
Laelius , the Wise
Socrates and Plato
Zeno and Cleanthes
I worship them in very Truth 
And always rise to do honors
To such noble names"

Loss aversion

 Loss aversion

Pg.61 : Letters from a Stoic

Seneca

“It is not the loss that troubles us

With reference to these things,

But a notion of loss”

Look about the things

That drives you mad

Which we lose

With a flood of tears

It is not the loss

That troubles us

But the notion of loss

That mind tells you so

He who owns himself

Has lost nothing

How only few are blessed

with ownership of self!

My note:

Daniel Kahneman talks about similar concept in his book: Thinking Fast and Slow

“When you are about to sell a thing 

You overestimate the value

When you are planning to keep it

For ever

You underestimate the gain!

This is a crucial and polymorphic behavior of Human!”

Avoid Single-loop thinking!

Avoid Single-loop thinking! 

Single-loop thinking is all about:

Reacting to stimulus 

Without thinking why the stimuli occur! 

Single-loop thinking leads to: reacting:

Rushing to judgment and Hypothesis : 

Kind of - strengthening the self-fulfilling prophecies! 

What Daniel Kahneman calls as : confirmation bias! 

Blaming the arrow for the injury! 

Rather learn to respond using Double-loop thinking! 

Why is something happening what is happening?  

Slowing down enough to test out

And verify your hypotheses! 

Time is a great leveler of thoughts

Focusing on the archer rather than the Arrow! 

In Physics, a sudden impact load causes 

Twice the effect as compared to an equally applied gradual load

Spread out over few seconds! 

Order emerges from Chaos with time! 

Avoid Single-loop thinking! 

Farewell!

Standards of Performance

Standards of Performance

Bill Walsh

The Score takes care of itself

Guidelines:

1. Come up with specific actions

2. Come up with specific attitudes

3. Focus on building expertise

4. Interdependent - Collaborate and Complete others!

Performance

 Performance

Bill Walsh

The Score takes care of itself

The key to performance under pressure 

Is being prepared! 

You cannot try harder and harder on the field! 

The only thing is to be prepared 

And work it out! 

(Through practice)

Champion Mindset!

 Champion Mindset!

Bill Walsh

The Score takes care of itself

Champions behave like champions before they are Champions! 

I read somewhere this : 

Become a millionaire! 

If not for the money, the 

Standard of performance that you need to hold

To become a Millionaire! 

So to become a champion behave like one!

Standards of Performance

 Standards of Performance

Bill Walsh

The Score takes care of itself

The primary directive was to implement

Standard of performance

The primary directive was not - Victory

I had faith that the

Score will take care of itself;

If we figured out,

Standards of Performance,

Values and

Behaviors!!!

Wise man!

 Wise man!

Seneca

Letters from a Stoic

There are people with Ego! 

Like those Heavy trucks with ‘Wide Loads’ red flag! 

So you may not be friends with them

No issues

But Seneca warns:

Don't make enemies with them! 

As you come across them

Pull over!

Give way !The right of pass

As they say in Hindi, ‘Pehele Aap’

You First!

In this way there are benefits: 

One : you are checking in your own ego level

Second : you avoid getting run over !

Farewell!

Essential Daily Pill

Essential Daily Pill

Walden

Henry David Thoreau

What is the ‘pill”

Which will

Keep us Well, serene and content?

Is there a Nature’s Universal, vegetable , botanic

medicine that Keep us well? 

“Let me have a draught of undiluted morning air -

Morning Air! 

If men will not drink this 

At the fountainhead of the day

Why then

We must even bottle-up some and 

Sell it in the shops

For the benefit of those

Who have lost their subscription ticket toMorning time in this world! "

Drink the morning air!!!

Emotional Intelligence

 Emotional Intelligence

Walden

Henry David Thoreau

By conscious effort of the mind

we can stand aloof from actions and

their consequences

and all things, good and bad

go by us like a torrent!

I may be either the driftwood

In the stream,

Or Indra in the sky

Looking down on it

I may be affected by a theatrical exhibition

On other hand, 

I may not be affected by an actual event

Which appears to concern me much more

…

I am sensible of a certain

Doublness by which 

I can stand as remote from myself

As from another

However intense my experience

I am, conscious of the presence and

Criticism of a part of me

Which as it were 

Is not part of me 

But spectator

Sharing no experience

But taking note of it

And that it is no more “I” than it is “You”

My note:

This is the best example of how to be emotionally intelligent! 

Be an observer of yourself - in real-time! 

Imagine as if your guru is watching you behave! 

Imagine as if there is closed-circuit camera recording you

How will you behave then? 

Stand as remote from yourself as if you are looking at another!