*Do read the Disclaimer
How can you become better physically, mentally and emotionally?
A general rule could be to do things that challenge you and not in the scope of your current skills. You have to train and practice in the aspects that you are currently weak. You have to try to make progress on the things that are not in the realm of your current abilities and capabilities.
To become stronger physically, you need to attempt on doing something that challenges your current physical strength like trying to lift a heavier weight than what you could lift comfortably. In order to have better emotional strength, you need to either do activities that support your emotional health like meditation, deep breathing techniques or yoga or even read books.
In order to adopt and grow in any area of your life, you need to strive to force yourself to do uncomfortable and suffer for a while that helps you reach higher standards.
*Do read the Disclaimer
Most people are so dependent on the old established systems and protocols defined by various establishments that they are paralyzed by the very system they believe in. Some of the examples of public systems are healthcare systems and whole nexus of hospitals, insurance, pharma industries, the educational system, political systems and governance etc,. Some other systems are localized to the family or community like caste, family traditions and culture, superstitions etc,.
In the process of strongly sticking to one’s own beliefs and age old practices, many people tend to not critically think if they are even relevant to current times and if they are at least working in favour of them or actually hurting them more than anything.
Many people will adhere to their limiting beliefs and support the systems they are dependent on at the cost of their lives. People could die supporting their ideology and beliefs in spite of clear evidence that they are causing them more harm than good. Many people’s lives are intertwined with these established systems which are rigid and archaic.
They need to be revamped to empower a common man to realize his potential. Instead they run on the obsolete policies and practices that disempowers people and keep them where they are and dependent.
Now we cannot change the system and it has its own lifecycle. System are run by people and hence they have a collective life of their own. Many systems give livelihood to many people. Our intention should not be to feel helpless for not having better systems and facilities in place but our focus must be to take full responsibility for ourselves and become self-reliant. In this age of information, ignorance is a choice. We have all resources available to enlighten ourselves and do the best for us and for our loved ones.
Yes, many old systems, practices, traditions, establishments, protocols are still relevant to an extent and they could show us a direction. But we need to equip ourselves with latest knowledge and information so that we could think objectively and take rational decisions instead of blindly following obsolete guidance and instead of simply doing what majority of people are doing.
Choose to do something that majority of people are not willing to do. Take a cause that majority of people are not concerned about and work on it. Work on what you are willing to struggle and develop yourself. Provide some value and benefit to others through your skills and passion. Be willing to walk on a path that is less travelled and be the one to show direction. Look around you and choose to do something or practice a daily routine which gives you unique advantage.
*Do read the Disclaimer
If you take the example of trekking a mountain which involves a lot of challenges, pain and effort, time and sacrifices then the person taking the mountain trek must be passionate and self-motivated to climb the peak.
If you decide to climb a mountain, then it must be your choice based on your own passion. You should choose to do it because you have clear reasons behind doing it and also you have a meaning attached to it. That means when you attain the challenge , you feel satisfied, gald, delighted instead of expecting some kind of recognition or appreciation. You did it for yourself and you know the kind of improved version you have become during the course of reaching the top of the peak.
We should not choose to climb a mountain just because it is freely open for us to climb or just because we are having time to climb it or we are feeling bored so let’s do it or someone has asked us to climb it or just because many people are climbing it, so let’s do as well or just because of pressure from family or peers or someone you admire told you do so.
If you choose to climb the mountain for above reasons or any other reason, then you might most probably lose the plot in between and become disappointed. If you jump into anything due to external pressure, then you would not be able to give your everything which would result in unsatisfactory results. Going with half heart would mostly result in low quality results. This could weaken our will power to make progress and try it again. Hence higher chances of failing in your endeavors.
Similarly, this same rule applies to what we pursue in life. Take up an activity or cause because to you feel close to it and willing to struggle in the process of reaching your goal. If you do not love the work you are doing and feel passionate about it, there are high chances that you would find reasons to give up in the middle. You would allow any external factor to give up on the promise you made to yourself if you do not care enough for it. Attaching a meaningful value to what we are doing could help us to stick to it when things get difficult. The reasons and the purpose behind your endeavour would pull you through challenging times during the journey.
*Do read the Disclaimer
When a plant does not grow properly, first we will check on the health of the soil, check and ensure that plant is receiving optimum sunlight and water. Essentially we are checking the environment that the plant is growing and we try to place the plant in a better environment in order for it to grow better.
So if you are not growing in your life, if you feel like you are stagnant and not feeling fulfilled by the work you are doing, if you feel that your life does not have meaning, your work no value, if you are feeling stressed, anxious and depressed, if you are feeling low energy and losing strength, if you are feeling restless, if you are unable to concentrate and unable to take care of yourself and others, if you are unhealthy physically or mentally and so on – You need to First check and review the environment you are in.
When a flower does not bloom, when a plant does not grow properly, when the plant is becoming unhealthy, leaves are falling, instead of uprooting the plant we need to work on the environment in which the plant is growing like moving it some other place where there is better sunlight, water it optimally and move it a better soil manure . Similarly if something is not working for you in spite of your sincere efforts and dedication, then we need to look around and review your environment. Like what are you interacting with, what kind of people are you talking to, what are you consuming, what are your watching and listening to, what are you reading, what kind of nutrition are you taking etc., The environment plays a huge role in our path to achieve anything in life.
Our environment involves people, place, nature, air, food, water, sunlight, what we watch, listen and read etc., Essentially anything that goes inside us, that we can feel and experience can be considered as our immediate environmental factors. Working on improving the quality of our environment (including people) would definitely improve the quality of our life.
*Do read the Disclaimer
It is unfortunate and miserable for a person to continuously make decisions and choices throughout the day. It is mentally exhausting keep deciding and thinking about what to do on an average day in our life. We need to have a no compromise routine and activities that we must have to take on any kind of day without dependence on external circumstances .
For example, me waking up in the morning early to workout first thing is a feeling less, thought less and unemotional task. It does not involve me thinking whether to do it or not. Working out is something that I do and there is no negotiation involved. It is a must to do no matter what happens in external world. I will not spend much energy on making decisions around my healthy lifestyle practices because I made a commitment to adhere to them no matter I feel like.
Giving partial commitment would not reap satisfactory results or it would not reap enough benefits that motivate tus to keep going. 100% commitment is easier, better and more sustainable than 98% commitment. Not giving everything may give low quality results. This in turn may make us lose our focus and momentum. So we continue to work with half heart and may again dissatisfactory results. Gradually we give up completely once day.
Hence, the only way to see success and sustain it further is give our 100%. If you fail, then try it again and keep trying. If you strongly believe in something and want to pursue something that you are passionate about, then the only way is to consistently nurture it with what you have and where you are. You need to show up again and again resist the idea of quitting in between.
*Do read the Disclaimer
Momentum means the force or energy (impetus) gained by a moving object.
Gaining momentum is like learning something new for example driving a car. First you would be awkward, you don’t know where the clutch, where the accelerator is , you get confused, you may press break instead of clutch etc,.
For a while as you keep on consistently pushing yourself and learning, you create patterns in brain that make you drive automatically without much of a conscious(decision making) thought. Now you talk on phone or eat a burger or simultaneously shout at your children and squabble with your spouse all while driving the car. Since the habit pattern in brain is created through learning and gaining skill your momentum would help you in doing certain things automatically.
It is similar in changing one’s lifestyle and sticking to healthy habits for long term. It takes time to try, learn and unlearn, do trial and error with the healthy habits you want to inculcate. Whether it is sticking to a sustainable diet or workout routine or meditation or to sleep on time, it takes time for our body and mind to get aligned.
You got to remember that it requires consistent effort and significant will power to push yourself in the beginning. Our brain resists any change or energy consuming task. Some studies suggest that it could take 60 to 90 days of consistent effort for something to become a habit. Until then you got to push and pull yourself to get that momentum. Once you gain momentum, you would continue with lesser mental resistance to do the things that are healthy for you. For example, a train engine requires lot of power and energy while starting as it has to pull all the compartments behind it from halt to motion. Once the train gains certain speed, then the engine consumes lesser energy and keeps going.
*Do read the Disclaimer
When you are having victim mentality, when you don’t take full responsibility for where were you, what you are doing and where you are going, when you believe that all things are out of your control, when you complain and put blame the world external factors and other people for the misery in your life then essentially all you would do is ‘do nothing’ all day long.
You want your life to be better but victim mentality will make you addicted to postponing things endlessly , it makes you believe that you are helpless, give rise to hopelessness.
Victim mentality will addict you to ‘feeling happy about not doing anything at the end of the day because of all factors that are out of your control’. You would convince yourself that there is nothing worthy to work for and justify your lack of initiative.
Choosing to be in victim mentality for long would make you weaker psychically, mentally and emotionally.
Feeling victim would prevent your from fully committing to a cause and prevents you from giving your 100% in whatever you are doing. You get mediocre results when you put mediocre effort. You would get unsatisfied results when you are not fully involved.
Alexander Graham Bell ~ “What this power is I cannot say; all I know is that it exists and it becomes available only when a man is in that state of mind in which he knows exactly what he wants and is fully determined not to quit until he finds it.”
*Do read the Disclaimer
*Do read the Disclaimer
I am brave, I am strong, I am courageous, I am honest, I am trustworthy, I am disciplined, I am self- responsible, I am self-reliant, I stay committed and consistent for long lasting fulfillment in life
Most people don’t see the world the way it actually is, but they see the world as they are. Means they see the world through their eyes and the information from the outside world is processed in the brain. Our brain has been evolved and will keep evolving through out our life. This brain evolution is highly dependent on the environment we grew up in and the kind of circumstances we are exposed throughout our life.
We consciously and unconsciously (subconsciously) would have formed various beliefs based on the experiences and our exposure to outside world/people. We value certain things in life and our identity is defined by our values and beliefs. So we see the world through the lens of all these factors which run automatically when we form our opinions and make any decision in life.
Our perception of the external world is highly contaminated and influenced by our internal beliefs, values, thoughts, feelings, emotions, mood.
The world we believe in becomes the world live in. As many philosophers say that the world becomes better when we (our mindset) becomes better.
*Do read the Disclaimer
Where were you, Why are you here and Where are you going are three important questions we need to keep asking ourselves as we move on in life. What did you do, What are you doing and what are you planning to do, who did you become, what are you getting and what are you going to get in life.
Our enter life depends upon the time spend after an event happens and our response to it. The time between occurrence of the event and our response to it is nothing but our “consciousness”.
Finally our life is a expanded version of our responses or reactions. Our quality of life comes down to the decisions we took and choices we made in our consciousness.
*Do read the Disclaimer
The man who loves the process of walking, walks further than the man who loves the final destination (just to reach the winning line).
What it means is giving importance and more meaning to the process that you need to follow, the system of approaches that you need to follow in order to pursue your final goal. When you are more interested and keen on gaining expertise and mastering the process and enjoying the journey to the destination, then every day is a destination in itself, every day is rewarding, for you everyday would be a success story.
When you enjoy the journey there are many victories and successes throughout the life but when you target the final goal most probably you would not find anything to do after reaching your goal.
What you become during the course of time and during the process of achieving your goal is more important than the goal itself. For instance, consider that you took up some fitness course or a program and you are trying to transform your body. So when you focus on the daily activities, in the small insignificant things like waking up on time, getting ready, preparing for the workout, preparing your post workout meal, going to the gym and trying which workout works for you, step by step giving importance to progressive overloading, failing and trying, learning and unlearning. This is how you grow, this is how you learn, this is how you improve and this is how you win a little bit daily which becomes a success story you can be proud of one day. This is how discipline is developed.
This way you can not only enjoy the fruits of your efforts when they are manifested but also get to appreciate the journey on the way to success. Since you focused more on the process of becoming success, tomorrow is not a different day for you after the victory.
Since you know the trials and tribulations in the path to success, you appreciate the importance of daily wins and those daily habits that got you here. So you would not take the next day for granted and run through the daily ritual of rewarding yourself with daily small wins. When you stick to fundamentals and give importance to minutia, you will be enabled to handle bigger better things that come your way in life with much more gratitude and respect.
*Do read the Disclaimer
Train your mind, know your mind, program you mind and run your mind as per your own agenda. If you are not training your mind, mostly the external world including your loved ones are going to train your mind as per their beliefs and agenda. And it is done unconsciously and without your knowledge.
It happens so delicately that you would not even realize that it is happening. It happens daily in various instances and it happens slowly, in minor steps incrementally. Next unconsciously without applying much thought we would be running around working for others ambitions and agenda, we believe what others believe and make us believe instead of having out our beliefs which are based on our reality. We stick to beliefs and systems which keep us where we are instead of instilling beliefs that transform us into better human. We keep woking as per the programming of society, family members, big corporations marketing, politicians, celebrities, friends.
External events and situations that are out of our control start having a big impact on your personal life as you do not have a strong belief system, standards and principles of your own. You are tragically pulled into whatever life has to offer rather than having control over your own life.
Then one day you look around and look back at your life and start analyzing why I am thinking this way which is not serving my best interests, where are these beliefs coming from which seems illogical, why am I having these values which are taking me in wrong direction, why is my attitude and behaviour not giving me the results that I deserve, why am I taking decisions and making choices that does not make sense but yet continue to do them uncontrollably, why am I doing stuff that I know is unhealthy but unable to be better, why am I stuck instead of reaching new heights in life, why am I staying in the same place instead of improving, why am I unable to keep promises that I make to myself and others, why do I keep procrastinating instead of taking action immediately, why are things not working out for me even when I give my everything etc.,
Program yourself or Be programmed. Have an agenda for yourself or run others agenda. Form beliefs that are in your best interest instead of blindly believing stuff that actually is not doing you any good.
If you stop fighting for what you want, what you don’t want will automatically take over your life.
*Do read the Disclaimer
Don’t focus of creating a network of people as a different task and a separate activity just for the purpose of having people around you.
Networking must happen in parallel to the core job that you are doing.
Real bonding between different people happens as a result of the kind of valuable work one is offerings and the value one to could offer to the other person.
A long lasting network must have common core values and work together for a common objective.
A network of people without a common sense of purpose and mindsets do not have strong relationships. This kind of bonding would be superficial and temporary. Having a network of people without real meaning would be transactional and need basis. For example: In the corporate world many people talk to others to realize their business/career needs. May be to get a business deal or to get that promotion etc.
*Do read the Disclaimer
Many people choose to suffer until they are tired and sick of their own self-created suffering. They do not take an action until it becomes a life and death situation. Many people choose the suffering of laziness and procrastination instead of having basic disciplines in life.
Many people prefer to stick to their self-limiting beliefs instead of accepting the reality and transform themselves by inculcating healthy lifestyle.
Many people choose to die a slow death due to unhealthy lifestyle instead of leading a quality life which requires one to follow some basic healthy practices daily.
We need to have compassion to such kind of people and must not judge them. They have the complete right to lead which ever life they which to have. They are the best people to judge their habits and behaviours.
People will change only when they want to change. Any ‘forced’ change may not work and it would be short lived even if someone changes for a while.
*Do read the Disclaimer