Archives for October 2015

Is failure bad?

Our error rate in any activity is inversely proportional to our familiarity with that activity.

So if you’re making very few mistakes, then you’re operating in your comfort zone.

Comfort zone is a dangerous place to be in. You feel good but you stop learning. The growth stops.

When we are doing things that have no precendence in our experience, then we will be making our fair share of mistakes.

So failure isn’t bad. Provided you aren’t making the same mistakes repeatedly.

The Moghul Emperor Akbar once asked his wise minister Birbal to invent a sentence which, if spoken at the time of happiness, will bring sadness and which, if spoken at the time of sadness, will make you happy.

Birbal thought for few minutes and replied, “This too shall pass”

Are you happy now? Enjoy and savour every moment while the happiness lasts for this too shall pass.

Are you sad and overwhelmed with stress? Keep moving for this too shall pass.

Success and failures, triumphs and tribulations, happiness and sadness, life and death are all ephemeral.

Have you ever noticed your body when the anger arises?

The breath becomes short and shallow. The hearbeat increases. Muscles are tensed up and ready to spring into action. The body is getting ready to go into a war.

The funny thing is that the moment you become aware of these sensations in the body, the anger dissolves. Completely.

What about when you’re feeling happy and joyful?

The eyes tend to close down. The breath becomes deeper and cooler. There is tingling sensation in the whole body. But contrary to anger, being aware of our bodily sensations, in this state of happiness, intensifies the experience.

That’s the beauty of AWARENESS. It dissolves the negative and amplifies the positive.

Bring more awareness in your moments. Be present.

How would you feel if you received a letter from your future self? Yes, a 20 years ‘older you’.

Isn’t it quite difficult to imagine what would be in that letter?

Okay let’s make it easier for you. Why not write a letter to your 20 years ‘younger self’? What would you tell him/her?

It may sound like a useless activity but it’s not. Give it a try.

 

 

The goal of a ‘Goal’ is to push you forward.

Goals serve an important purpose but only in short term. Sytems are more important than goals.

A system, a sound process with a focus on activities, is something you do on a regular basis that increases your odds of happiness in the long run.

Drawing an analogy in investing – buying undervalued companies and holding them for long term is a system. Whereas buying a stock and expecting it to go up by 20% next year is a goal.

Chasing goals exhaust you but following a system is very easy. It’s like habits which don’t consume any willpower.