Fuel and Oxygen

We think fuel burns the fire. Fuel is our ability to work hard tirelessly. 

But remember – fire does not happen without oxygen. Oxygen is our ability to stop. Take rest. Rejuvenate. 

The secret to doing interesting creative work is not to focus simply on more input. You have to factor rest, boredom, wandering, exploration and white space in whatever you do. 

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Relax

Life is like grains of sand that you hold in hand. If you squeeze it tightly, the grains will slip away. But if you open your palm and hold the gains, they stay. 

The secret to living a good life is to not squeeze it tightly. Not to remain eternally busy. Not to be fixated on the goals and outcomes. 

It is to do things slowly, do the right things. Focus on the process. Do things with a sense of calm. Do them well. Share it all along. 

When you relax, you make the most of it. And you get the most for it. 

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Micro-regrets

This I learned today. 

Small regrets of today can snowball into big regrets later in life. The little things you neglect today can compound into bigger problems later in life.

So, when you hit your bed and if you are feeling:

  • I could have eaten cleaner today.
  • I could have worked harder today.
  • I could have been more kind with that person.
  • I could have wasted less time today.
  • I could have called that friend.
  • (Add anything you are not happy about in your day)

These bed time regrets can snowball into deathbed regrets. 

Paying attention to these micro-regrets ensures that you go to bed each night knowing that you did your best in big buckets of your life. 

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Simplify with Action

Sometimes, action is the simplest thing you can do. Thought can complicate it. 

  • Missing someone? Give them a call. 
  • Want to meet someone? Invite them.
  • don’t like something? Fix it. 
  • Like/dislike something? Say it.
  • Want something? Work towards it. 
  • Love someone? Tell them.

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Calm confidence

I once had a car accident. I was driving to office when a cow suddenly gallopped in front of me. I had to apply brakes and the car right behind me hit the hood. 

Applying brakes was not my fault. Not maintaining a safe distance and speed was his problem. Knowing this, I decided to approach the situation with calmness. 

The more the other person was agitated, the calmer I became. My calm confidence allowed the other person to understand what I was trying to tell him. He admitted to his mistake and we resolved an otherwise conflicting situation. 

This experience taught me one important lesson about life: Play it calm when things don’t go your way. Never ever react in anger. 

This helped me face some of the fiercest battles: from health emergencies  of loved ones to helping family members navigate through a messy financial crisis. Situations will happen – but you have a choice to react proactively or reactively.

When we make calm our highest purpose, we are able to see clearly.

Calmness breeds confidence.

Calmness solves more problems than anger ever will.

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Trust yourself

Ask people who you trust for their advice because it opens up perspectives you may not have considered. 

However, your growth only happens when you learn to trust yourself – by listening to your intuition. 

A lot of my decisions in life were totally against the conventional advice that my wellwishers gave me.

Guess those were the only decisions that were game changing ones for me. 

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