There are few life lessons worth making a bumper sticker for. In my opinion, the expression ‘Embrace the suck’ deserves one. Especially in a society obsessed with instant gratification and consumed by digital distractions. What does embrace the suck mean? ‘Embrace the suck’ is a military expression to stay the course when things seem pointless or … Read more
The practice of silence has been traditionally valued across all cultures. Now, more than ever, as we talk ourselves into greater strife and chaos, there is an urgent need to get started on this practice. Discover the benefits and power of silence and how to get started on the practice of silence. Silent beginnings As … Read more
To live well and be present, we need to learn the art of letting go of negative thoughts. Here’s a simple strategy to strengthen resilience. Two Monks and a Maiden This is not a bar joke. Just so I’m clear… Two monks had started to cross a river on their way back to their monastery. … Read more
Don’t let limiting beliefs undermine what you can do. Find a way to think outside the box. That’s where the magic happens. First, a couple of stories Let’s begin with the stories of two people. The two stories seem unrelated in many aspects, but there’s a common thread between these two that we’ll analyze later. … Read more
Motivation alone is not enough. If you have an idiot and motivate him, you have a motivated idiot – Jim Rohn Motivation alone is not enough. You need concrete action items to turn vision into reality. Use this 4-step guide to fine tune your motivations. Closet stories Raise your hand if any of this relates … Read more
To be happy, you first need to define your enough. Understanding three key theories that impact happiness will help us go from always wanting more to saying we have enough. Travel Diary Years ago, on a visit to India, I was on a road trip with my family. We were traveling between two major cities, … Read more
Pretending to be someone else is hard work. Authenticity is a city that most of us have lost the directions to. To be peaceful and content, we should remap those directions soon. A morning encounter On an early morning run, I spotted an older lady about a quarter-mile ahead of me. From my vantage point, I could … Read more
If I had a magic wand, I’d make people read more. Since I’m no sorcerer, I’d settle for their listening to Audiobooks instead. We landed on the moon Picture this iconic scene from the movie Dumb and Dumber: Jim Carrey’s character Lloyd, not a well-read man (to put it mildly) notices a framed picture of the Apollo … Read more
Living well should matter as much as living longer. Here are 11 scientifically-backed reasons, on the importance of exercise to our survival.
Cicero: Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues but the parent of all others. Here are the insights I gained from SpaceX’s successful mission. The Mission Very few man-made objects can match the jaw-dropping spectacle as a rocket being launched into outer space, especially a human spaceflight. Like many others wanting a break … Read more
Your to-do list should provide you comfort instead of filling you with dread. Find out some key list do’s and don’ts whether Apps or manual lists work well. This is the final part in the Time Management lessons / Productivity Hacks series. We created a Master list in Part 1, categorized the list in Part 2, pruned … Read more
Why do we indulge in behaviors that aren’t in our best interests? What are the signs of self-sabotage? How do we stop self-sabotage and why does it matter? Captain Cautious A few mornings ago, I woke up, determined to get an 8-mile run in before work. I was about 4 miles in when I got … Read more
Having a great to-do list is only useful if you can make progress by checking off items on your list. Here are 11 rules on how to schedule tasks on your list. The whole point of making a to-do list is to let you focus on task-doing rather than task-planning. The former gets you results … Read more
If you stop learning, you start dying. Learning something new is key not just for growth, but for survival. Let’s learn why. When was the last time you truly learnt learned something new? My Commonwealth upbringing keeps wanting to use the term ‘learnt’ but my location-based spell-check software (in California) keeps correcting it to ‘learned‘. … Read more
This is Part 3 in the Time Management lessons / Productivity Hacks series. Part 1 discussed the importance that Lists play in Time Management and how to get started with the Master List. In Part 2, we discussed how to analyze the list by asking the question ‘What kinds of tasks are on the Master … Read more
I closed the 3 rings for Activity, Exercise, and Movement on my Apple Watch for 200 consecutive days. This essay contains the 11 lessons on Grit I learned through the process. Mihajlo Pupin I stumbled upon this story by accident but I’m so glad I did. It’s about a scientist named Mihajlo Pupin (1858–1935). Pupin … Read more
Part 1 of this series emphasized the importance of Lists in the planning process and how to build a ‘Master list’. In this post, I’ll try to explain how to break this list down into categories to ultimately determine ‘What tasks belong on your to-do list’. There are 4 simple, yet profound questions that you … Read more
Task lists, Action lists, Gratitude lists, To-do lists, To don’t lists – this list is endless (pun intended). Regardless of whether you love or loathe Lists, the power of lists in helping you achieve goals in life cannot be overstated. In jest, I have made some not-so-complimentary references to how lists rule my life, in … Read more
This is the first post in my new ‘Productivity Hacks Series – Things I wish someone had told me a decade ago’. Hindsight is 20-20. There are many things I wish my younger self knew. For instance, I wish someone had told me about the myths and truths about Multitasking. “Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t live … Read more
If you are someone with a Type A personality or if you have to deal with a family member, coworker or friend with a Type A personality, then this post may be of interest to you. Lessons from furniture About 50 years ago, Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman, two cardiologists in the Bay Area, bucked … Read more