Personal Development

Things Which Matter Most Must Never Be At The Mercy Of Things Which Matter Least

hitesh2014

This quotation by Goethe is of constant importance to me. We give attention to things which are of the least importance. That person didn’t look at me. He ignored me. That person told me something which I didn’t like. Goethe is saying to not give importance to things which matter least but give importance to things which matter most like our dreams.

If we give more importance to things that are more important like our dreams, our goals, then we are definitely going to become less perturbed by the constant source of frustrations in our life and our life can become worth living.

mind, Personal Development

What does it really mean to live in the present moment?

hitesh2014

During a recent conversation, it clicked my mind that most people take ‘living in the present moment’ wrong and not what spiritual teachers like Eckart Tolle are telling them. Most people think that ‘living in the present moment’ means to take care of what is at present they have. For example, someone has a job. He thinks taking care of present job to the utmost degree is what the masters are teaching.

Taking care of present job to the utmost degree is really of utmost importance. There cannot be an iota of doubt about it. Otherwise, he will constantly dread of losing his job and will do nothing. A source of livelihood must be cared for in the best manner.

Eckart Tolle and others are actually talking of bringing the mind to the present moment. Mind doesn’t come to the present moment without effort. It takes immense practice to train mind in this. Whenever one finds his mind wavering to the past or future, it should be brought back by constant nudging or may be effort. It doesn’t mean that mind should never be allowed to wander. There are some moments when allowing mind to wander brings relief. The problem is that minds of most people doesn’t come to the present even for a few moments.

There is a blessing for most of us that our mind at least concentrates on work when there is some at hand. Though there have been cases of people, who cannot concentrate their minds to work at hand to the slightest degree.

Immense gladness is available for the person who can stick his mind to the present moment. When mind is at the present moment, it can be brought under control. It doesn’t mean that the mind cannot be made to think of the future or about the past. Actually, this is the beauty of bringing mind to the present moment that now it can be made to think or plan about the future or learn from the past. This can be done consciously and under control.

Be happy and live life to the fullest.

Personal Development

My 75% Rule

hitesh2014

I thought upon a rule. I call it the 75% rule.

This rule motivates me to change myself. This rule helps me to improve.

I will present it to you using an example. Let’s say one is a short-tempered person, and he is also surrounded by people who are themselves not known to control their anger. Now, if this person improves himself and becomes more cool-headed, he doesn’t get only 50% benefit, he gets 75% benefit or may be more than that. It’s because 50% of cases where he used to lose his temper will be sorted out. Furthermore, out of left 50% of cases where the culprit were other people to start with, on an average 25% of more cases will not create problems because he will not lose his temper in retaliation.

The 75% benefit is only the visible benefit. The invisible benefits and also the indirect benefits will be even more.

Hope you liked it. Please comment your responses.

Observations, Physics, Science

Science – Complete Knowledge is Perfect but Incomplete also Works

hitesh2014

Looking at this world, we realize incomplete knowledge works. People in ancient times didn’t know Newton’s Laws or Automobile Engineering. Nevertheless, they could develop oxcarts and hand-pulled carts using wheels. These constructs allowed people to move from one place to another and transport goods although they were very slow and cumbersome. We didn’t need complete knowledge of motion to create transportation mechanisms. Yes, the better knowledge we have, the better invention we are going to do. This is one of the beauties of our universe.

A nail can be driven into wall expertly using hammer and better still using a driller. But even a stone can be used to do it. Only the case will be that we will find it cumbersome, and we will not find that finesse as a driller will provide.

Is there a passing percentage in science to do a job? Students need minimum 33% to pass an exam. Do we need minimum passing knowledge in physics to do the thing to at least a workable condition? Can we mathematically derive such equations? Only time will tell when we will be able to answer such questions.

Personal Development

Winning Against Our Challenges Gives Lasting Happiness

hitesh2014

We constantly want to achieve new things to get happy. There is nothing wrong in it, per se. Achieving success does give happiness. Getting a new gadget make us go gaga. We constantly hanker after new possessions or a new achievement, but we forget one thing. The real challenges of life remain as it is. A new job gives happiness but for a few days. Even the previous job was good enough. The new job becomes like previous job after few days, and we then again want to switch to get happiness.

Achieving new things is a great thing and one must not shy of it. The point I want to discuss is whether we are doing anything for the real challenges. A new job definitely is not going to solve the problems of loneliness and isolation. It is not going to save one’s marriage. In most of the cases, there was never a real financial problem if one had a job before. A 25% raise is not going to solve the problem of living a meaningless life.

We shy of the real issues at hand because they are the real tough beasts. Getting a new gadget and a raise becomes a cover-up. At least, I am doing something, we think. Solving the real issues can provide lasting happiness and a feeling of worth and success. Later, these victories help in career progression and a peaceful and serene life.

Personal Development

Becoming More Aware Can Become the Starting Point on the Road to Happiness

hitesh2014

Life needs to be lived. Observing people daily begets a strange fact. Many people are not even living. May be they have lost that life in them due to constant struggles. Some of them haven’t lived at all from the onset. I am talking about awareness of being alive. Enough said, I do observe a sizeable portion of population alive and thriving. Yes, there are people who are relishing life even in one’s vicinity. The people who are depressed due to constant exigencies of life may not even be aware of them. Even when they come across these people, they assume other’s happiness to be only a facade. Most people have resigned in their quest for happiness.

One must start loving life. Also, one must be more aware. Awareness is a perfect starting point of real change. Everyone knows that he is a living being but is he also aware of it. Knowing and being aware are two different things. The founder of Transactional Analysis (TA), Eric Berne, considers “awareness” to be the real tool for change. All the religions teach us “awareness” if we try to delve into them. All the great philosophers and saints have talked about it. Buddha talked about it. So, did Mahavira. Old age adage “Know Thyself” is also a coercion in becoming more aware.

May we all try to be more aware of our thoughts, surroundings, our loved ones, people we deal with, our internal states, our proficiency and productivity. When awareness will seep into our life, we will find ourselves doing everything properly. We will be solving our problems with greater dexterity. And, when we start winning against our challenges, life becomes happy and blissful.

Personal Development

Why does Self-development Doesn’t Deliver results for Most of Us

hitesh2014

The honeymoon period of self-development doesn’t last much long and most of us get over dreams of seven rainbows very early. One basic fact here is that the most important ingredient of self-development is changing ourselves. This is the most frightening hoop that we have to jump through.

Human beings resist change. Changing oneself is the most difficult, tedious and procrastinated work in the world.

We are not able to get dividends out of self-development because change is hard. It is the hardest thing in the world. We must know and accept this. It is like sculpting oneself with chisels and hammers. The sculptor and sculpture are the same person here.

Personal Development

Make Hard Choices Today To Make Life Easier Tomorrow

hitesh2014

We all remember what our elders used to say. “Work hard now to enjoy your life later.” They used to say this with respect to career and making a living. Adding to it, I must say this advice can be applied to every area of our lives.

If we constantly dread taking the hard way of struggle, hard work, keeping our promises and become better at making right promises, then life is not going to smile on us later.

Whenever I gulp a fizzy drink, I remind me a warning. Whatever junk is going inside my stomach is going to show its fruits by bulging me at the seams. Whenever we eat or drink junk, once it reaches inside, it is going to do harm. Our wishful thinking is not going to save our health.

Similarly, in life if we don’t learn to listen others properly, not work hard on our studies, not take care of our health, not make judicious use of our time, we are not going to survive later the hard realities of life. Stephen R. Covey writes eloquently in his masterpiece – “The Seven Habits Of Highly Effective People” – “When we pick one end of a stick, we pick its other end also.” Such a simple observation describes beautifully the truth of life.

Take hard choices now to make life beautiful and a pleasant experience later. Easy becomes easy when its hard and sharp edges had been filed up to give it a smooth experience.

Personal Development

Beware of What You Focus on

hitesh2014

Life is a simple game. If we master this simple rule which we will discuss below, we can change our lives. Enough said, we know simple doesn’t translate to easy. Simple adages are most difficult to practice. “Work hard.” A simple adage but one of the most difficult to practice.

Nevertheless, the rule I am discussing here is different. The rule is – “Whatever we focus on, we will improve in our lives.”

If we see ourselves solving our financial problems, we will be able to solve it. If we consistently focus on the financial problems and how they have made our lives miserable, we will get more financial problems.

Say it “Law of Attraction” or whatever you may. May be it is just a logical thing as mind starts working on the command that it needs to solve the financial problem. When one focuses on problems, mind is not been made to work on the problem at hand. It is actually just told that one is in a mess.

Our brain and its abstract equivalent – mind, are strangely complex and powerful instruments given to us. They are much more powerful than supercomputers on this planet. All the billionaires and leaders have been inspired by this fact. They realised the power they have up there at the topmost floor of their body architecture.

This power is with us as it is with these movers and shakers of the globe. Only we have to give these instruments their due credit. It is as simple as that. With due practice, we will be able to realise the tremendous power we hold.

Personal Development

Just Start Doing it

hitesh2014

We have to do a work. We have to shave our beard and our moustache with it. We want to call a friend and have some nice chitchat.

What do we so? We wait. We wait for some seconds, then some minutes, then a hour or two passes.

Our lives have become so stuck that even calling a lovely friend looks like a task that we don’t do instantaneously. We know talking with that friend is not a chore, it will actually be a fascinating thing for the day. What do we actually do? We procrastinate even in things that is surely going to bring happiness at both ends of the waves.

Actually, the panacea for this is to make a habit of starting the task at once. If there is nothing to be thought about or plan for that particular task, we must start doing it at once. These things should not wait just for the sake of waiting.

We will find that the call we were dilly-delaying on came out to be a wonderful experience. The blog post we were fearing to start, gave us immense satisfaction on its completion. The office work we started working without delay provided us a pat on our back, from ourselves every time and may be from our bosses.

This practice will build a real strength in our character. The starting few seconds are the crucial one. It is not as if we cannot start if we lose this early period but starting at once gives a sense of control. It nourishes the soul. Waiting for no reason actually feeds the ego.