I. “One of the only true shortcuts in life is finding an expert and apprenticing under them.”

3 IDEAS FROM ME

​II. “Nearly everything in life is unfavorable once it grows to a certain size. It is entirely possible to have too many clients, too much work, too much fame, too much free time, and so on. Pay attention to when the thing you're chasing exceeds its usefulness.”

III. “The strategies that made you successful in the past will, at some point, reach their limit. Don't let your previous choices set your future ceiling. The willingness to try new ideas allows you to keep advancing.”

I. Military strategist Sun Tzu on preparation: “The art of war teaches us to rely not on the likelihood of the enemy's not coming, but on our own readiness to receive him; not on the chance of his not attacking, but rather on the fact that we have made our position unassailable.”

2 QUOTE FROM OTHERS

​II. Contemporary artist Ai Weiwei on taking action: “A small act is worth a million thoughts.”

How much overlap is there between what you say is important to you and how you spent your attention over the last month?

1 QUESTION FOR YOU

Improvement

3-2-1: Trying new ideas, preparation, and taking action

Our days fill up so fast, and are so rushed and filled with distractions, that they seem to be bursting.It’s a huge source of stress for most people, and stress is perhaps the most important factor determining whether we’re healthy or sick.So how can we simplify our days? It’s not incredibly hard, but I’ve found it’s best done in steps.These are the steps I followed, though of course calling them “rules” means we should test them and break them as needed. No rules should be followed blindly. I’ve found these to work really well, though.

9 Rules for a Simpler Day...

The simple version of simplifying is “Identify what’s important, and eliminate the rest.” So take time to identify the most important things in your life (4-5 things), and then see what activities, tasks, projects, meeting and commitments fit in with that list. Also take time each day to identify 1-3 Most Important Tasks (MITs), at the beginning of your day. Or the night before, for the next day.

1.Know What’s Important .

This is not so much because this “perfect day” will come true, as it is to understand what a simple day means to you. It’s different for each person — for me, it might mean some meditation and writing and spending time with my wife and kids. For others, it’s yoga and painting and a hot bath. For others, it’s time to focus on the important work, but still get other things done later in the day. Take a minute to visualize what it means to you.

2.Visualize Your Perfect Day . 

Now that you’ve identified what’s important, along with the “perfect day”, you need to start saying “No” to things that aren’t on your important list, and that are standing in the way of the perfect day. The biggest thing you can say No to is a commitment — membership on a committee, involvement in a project, coaching or participating in a team, going to an event, being a partner in a business, etc. List and evaluate your commitments (professional, civic and personal), and say No to at least one. It just takes a call or email.

3. Say No to Extra Commitments .

Each morning, list your 1-3 most important tasks. List other tasks you’d like to do. Say no to some of them. See if you can limit your list to 5-7 tasks per day (not counting little things, which you’ll batch). Limiting your tasks helps you focus, and acknowledges you’re not going to get everything done in one day.

4. Limit Tasks .

When are you going to do your most important work? Schedule it with a block of time (1 hour, 2 hours, 4 hours, whatever works for you). Make this your most sacred appointment. Become incommunicado. Close the Internet, all notifications, hold all calls. Just do the most important task, then the next one if you have time.

5. Carve Out Un-distraction Time . 

We rush through our days, almost in a single frenetic anxiety-filled non-stop movement. Instead, slow down. Life won’t collapse if you aren’t rushing from task to task, email to email. You can pause, take a moment to reflect, smile, enjoy the current task before moving on.

6. Slow Down . 

Stop multi-tasking. One task at a time, with full focus on that task. Practice mindfulness as you do the task — it’s a form of meditation. Watch your thoughts wander to what you need to do later, but then return to the task at hand. Your day will be much simpler, and much more enjoyable, when you practice being present with your current task.

7. Mindfully Single-task .

Email, paperwork, little things at the bottom of your task list (create a “small tasks” section at the bottom), minor phone calls, etc. … these shouldn’t get in the way of your important tasks. But they still need to be done sometime (unless you can let them go, which is best whenever possible). If you need to do them, batch them and do them in one go. It’s best to do these later in the day, when your energy is lower and you’ve done the important tasks for the day. Don’t let the small tasks get in the way of the big ones.

8.Batch Smaller Tasks, Then Let go . 

When you’ve done a batch of small tasks (including processing email), let them go, and get out. You don’t want to do this all day, or even half a day.

We cram our tasks and meetings together, and leave no spaces between them. The space between things is just as important as the things themselves. Leave a little space between meetings, even tasks. Take a break to stretch, walk around, get a glass of water, perhaps do some simple breathing meditation for a minute or two. Enjoy the space.

9.Create Space Between . 

9 Rules for a Simpler Day - zen habits

I.“There is a difference between moving fast and rushing.You can move fast and be thoughtful. When you rush, you sacrifice thoughtfulness.Conversely, when you are thoughtful but not moving fast, you are overthinking it. Procrastination in disguise.Don’t rush, but don’t wait.”

​II. “The more you create, the more powerful you become. The more you consume, the more powerful others become.”

III. “The antidote to a bad day is a good workout.”

I. Mathematician and philosopher Gian-Carlo Rota on teaching: “A good teacher does not teach facts, he or she teaches enthusiasm, open-mindedness and values.”

2 QUOTES FROM OTHERS

​II. Author Karen Blixen on the healing power of story: “All sorrows can be borne if you put them into a story or tell a story about them.”

What if you stopped trying to think your way through it and started to act your way through it?

3-2-1: The antidote to a bad day, teaching, and the healing power of story

No matter whether it is work or life, no one can go smoothly, life will always be unsatisfactory. For example, when you are late for work, some people will complain about traffic jams on the road; when the work is not completed on time, some people will complain about colleagues not cooperating; if you cannot leave work on time, some people will say that the company is squeezing employees. When you are always complaining or always feel unsatisfactory , More should be to reflect on oneself, to find the reason from oneself.

Change yourself right now!

Change is easy to say, but it is not easy to do. If you still don’t know how to do it, you can help yourself to develop these 5 small habits first, and gradually change yourself to make you better and better!

Learning a new skill every day, the improvement of ability is gradually accumulated. A little progress every day, with the accumulation of time, there will be great progress.You can start learning from small skills, such as learning to memorize a Photoshop shortcut every day, memorizing 10 foreign language words and so on. You don’t have to learn difficult and hard-to-implement things as soon as you come up. One small trick every day can help you improve.

1. Persist in learning a new skill every day

If you want to save money, you must first know your monthly income and expenditure. Only by knowing where your money is spent can you save money and save more money.Insist on keeping accounts every day, whether it is income or expenditure, and whether it is a large or small. Keeping an account is to know the direction of each money flow.If you keep keeping accounts for a period of time, you will know what your expenses are, which are fixed monthly expenses, which are unnecessary expenses, and what money can be saved. Every time you save a portion of the expenses, you will save more money.

2. Learn to save money and keep keeping accounts every day

Life lies in exercise. Exercise can not only make the body strong, but also make the mood happy.Nowadays, most young people’s lives are two-point and one-line. Every day is home and company. After returning home, they either watch TV or play games, and often stay up late, and their bodies are in a sub-healthy state.Appropriate exercise and fitness are good for physical and mental health, such as brisk walking, jogging, yoga, etc. 20 to 30 minutes of exercise a day can refresh you and refresh your spirits.

3. Exercise and fitness, only with health can you have everything

Persisting in exercise can not only have a healthy body, but also keep you away from diseases. The dopamine and phenolphthalein secreted by exercise can also make you feel happy and have a better state to devote yourself to work and study.

Reading is to replenish yourself with energy. Read 30 minutes before going to bed every day, no matter what type of book it is. Reading can broaden your horizons and enhance your cognition.It is best to read more books of philosophy, history, biographies, etc., which are very helpful for personal improvement. Even if you don’t like reading, you can read about 20 pages a day, and you can read only 3 to 5 books in a year.

4. Read before going to bed, broaden your horizons and improve yourself

Don’t feel that reading is useless. Reading has a profound impact on a person. This is a good habit that deserves long-term adherence. Maybe it won’t help you for a while, but it will bring you great help one day in the future.

Three times in my day, self-examination can make you progress faster. Everyone has shortcomings. Do meditation before going to bed to reflect and review, think about what you have done well, where you have not done well, what you have gained today, etc. This can make you know and understand yourself more clearly. Continuously improve and improve yourself. Learning to self-reflection, constantly adjusting and optimizing yourself can make you better and better and become your ideal self. If you don’t reflect and think, it will be difficult to grow.

5. Meditate before going to bed, summarize and reflect

No matter whether it is work or life, no one can go smoothly, life will always be unsatisfactory. For example, when you are late for work, some people will complain about traffic jams on the road…

5 Small Habits That Can Make You be Outstanding

No one feels good after receiving harsh feedback or making a mistake. It’s natural to feel bad about yourself when you face a setback. But for many people, negative thinking can seep into your mind in other sneaky ways.

Perhaps you feel like an imposter as if you’re not qualified or cut out for your job. Or perhaps you spend a lot of time consumed by comparison. You worry that you’re falling behind. You judge yourself against colleagues, friends, and strangers on the internet who appear to be more successful than you.Negative thoughts are natural. No one can be positive 100 per cent of the time. Mindset missteps are common among even the brightest, most well-meaning people. It’s simply part of being human, an evolutionary response designed to keep you safe and protected.

Why We Have Negative Thoughts

But problems arise when your irrational thoughts run amok. It can not only interfere with your productivity and focus but also limit your success. Recognizing and releasing unhelpful thoughts is critical to letting go of the stress they bring and maximizing your potential for creativity and success.An effective way to work with negative thoughts is by following a simple mindfulness exercise, aware, which stands for allow, watch, acknowledge, release, expect.Here’s how it works:5 Ways to Battle Negative Thinking and Win

Allow your thoughts and feelings to come and go like the weather. This helps you accept that negative thoughts are a temporary response to a situation, not a sign that you’re a bad or incapable person.

1.Allow

Pay attention to the stories you’re telling yourself, such as, “this always happens,” “I never do anything right,” or “I should have done….” You can choose a helpless narrative or an empowering one. Pick wisely by asking yourself, “What is within my control?”

2.Watch

Name the emotions that arise for you. Instead of, “I feel bad,” go deeper. Do you feel worried? Resentful? Scared? Research shows that labelling feelings are a powerful way to cope with stress and develop better emotional intelligence.

3.Acknowledge

As mindfulness experts Dr. Bob Stahl and Steve Flowers say:“You don’t have to believe everything you think. Why stay in a prison of self when the door is wide open? Let everything go. Let everything be.”

4.Release

The final step in the AWARE framework is to practice self-compassion. Expect realistic improvement. Be patient with yourself. Changing your mindset isn’t an overnight process.Negative thoughts will still appear from time to time. That’s OK! Think of them as an opportunity to practice your new habit and soon it will be second nature.

5.Expect

No one feels good after receiving harsh feedback or making a mistake. It’s natural to feel bad about yourself when you face a setback. But for many people, negative thinking can seep into your mind…

How to Silence Negative Thinking

We spend a lot of time discussing how to spot a toxic person or relationship, but I believe we also need to recognise what healthy relationships look like, for a variety of reasons.First and first, I believe we must know what we are seeking for in order to recognize it when we find it. Second, we must have a mental vision of what a good relationship looks like in order to know how to strive toward it and develop it with our teammate.So, instead of talking about red flags, how about some green ones?

How to know if you’ve got the one.

Both teammates will recognize that the other has skills that they lack in a productive relationship. In what may be described as a ‘power couple,’ you function like a well-oiled machine in both routine and unusual activities. At parties, your differing levels of organization and inventiveness help keep things in order, and your personalities balance each other out. The game is won by the team.

You value each other’s differences and capitalize on them

No, not on a regular basis. No, not in a harsh way. However, arguing shows that you both have strong beliefs and are willing to adhere to them. This is a positive development. If there are no disagreements at all, it could indicate that someone is concealing something, suppressing their sentiments, or simply not being honest about their true feelings. They may believe they are preserving the peace, but in the long term, none of this is beneficial.

You squabble

No such thing as a part-time relationship exists. Either you’re in or you’re out. Both parties must be entirely dedicated to one other and to the relationship as a whole in the proper relationship. This entails sticking together and dealing with life’s obstacles as a team. See the first point.

You’ve all agreed to participate

Nobody is without flaws. However, if we are constantly attempting to persuade others that we are, we will never be completely at ease with them, and they will never get to know our true selves. We are open about these things with each other in the appropriate relationship, and the wonderful part is that they will still love and accept you for it.

You no longer hide your weaknesses

Communication is essential in developing a happy, healthy relationship, and this applies outside of the bedroom as well. It’s critical for both partners to be open and content in this area if they want to be happy together, and it should be something that two mature adults feel comfortable discussing.

You talk about sex a lot

Have you ever had a friend with whom you could sit in a room and be silent without feeling uncomfortable? Do you like to be alone or appreciate each other’s company? This is also a crucial aspect of a relationship: not always having to talk and sometimes just being together.

You may not communicate at all at times

Consider the first point’s sports analogy. If you attempted to pitch like a pitcher or catch like a catcher all the time, you’d soon forget what position you actually play on the team since you were putting so much effort into looking like everyone else. When you’re in a relationship, it’s critical to keep your individuality and not lose yourself. If this happens, you may find yourself being overly selfless and essentially a doormat, unhappy in your situation but unable to express it since you don’t know what you want anymore.

You keep your identities separate

Yes, you’re a team, and the whole “what’s yours is mine, and what’s mine is yours” thing is good, but you’re still two different people with the right to privacy. This means no checking through their phone or spying around. This is a betrayal of trust that healthy relationships do not engage in unless they have given you a pretty good cause to be suspicious about something.

You are considerate of each other’s privacy

The importance of trust is enormous. Without trust, none of the other positive elements that hold a relationship together can exist. You can’t be comfortable with the person you’re with going out without you, or spending time with friends, or even at work if you don’t trust them. You can’t be, and it’ll eat away at your relationship’s basis like termites until it falls apart.

You have faith in each other

Two people in a secure relationship will have to have difficult conversations about difficult problems at some point. If you avoid discussing the ‘taboo’ themes for fear of offending each other, it may lead to tension and the repression of essential feelings. Of course, the other side of this is that the talk will be held in a calm and courteous manner, keeping the other person’s feelings and opinions in mind.

You have faith in each other(Contd...)

Every one of us has a history. Other significant persons are frequently present in our pasts. When you’re learning about someone or getting to know them, you’ll almost certainly come across significant events in their lives that involve someone other than yourself. You’re cutting out a big part of their lives if you trash their exs or refuse to hear about them. All that matters is the present.

You’ve come to terms with each other’s pasts

Whether or not you share the same interests or goals in life, when you truly care about someone, you want to see them succeed and be happy doing what they love. When they put forth effort toward achieving a goal, this means standing beside them, not in their way.

You encourage and support each other’s interests and endeavors

It is not about giving and taking in great relationships; it is about giving and giving. Each teammate’s contribution to the relationship should be consistent, as well as recognized and appreciated equally by the other. The union is doomed when one or both parties quit trying.

Long after you’ve ‘had’ each other, you both continue to put forward effort

I addressed communication in the bedroom before; it should go without saying (but frequently does not) that communication is essential to the success of your relationship in all areas of life. Open, honest, unfiltered communication with your spouse, who you both feel safe opening up to without being judged, and who you know feels the same way about you.

With each other, you are always open, honest, and straightforward

This is an undeniable sign of a happy relationship. Someone should not try to change your personality or character, but being encouraged to develop yourself (both for yourself and for them) is a good indicator. Avoid people who try to diminish your objectives, as Mark Twain advised. Small people do it all the time, but the truly great make you believe that you, too, can achieve greatness.

You want to be the best version of yourself while remaining true to yourself

We spend a lot of time discussing how to spot a toxic person or relationship, but I believe we also need to recognise what healthy relationships look like, for a variety of reasons. First and first…

Relationship

You’re in the Right Relationship If You See These 14 Signs

Recently, I found myself stuck. You know the feeling. It wasn’t a particular problem that had me spinning my wheels; it was more of an all-encompassing frustration, a massive mental block preventing me from accomplishing anything at all. My attention was scattered. My energy was low. I was putting minimal effort into my work.

But, as I have many times over the years, I ret urned to the advice a mentor gave me long ago: When you’re overwhelmed, confused, or lack drive, look for the hard truths you’re probably ignoring. Then, make a list. What do you know to be true but wish wasn’t? What do you want to change but know you have to accept?

You probably don’t have to think very hard for the answers. We all have a list, and I’m willing to bet that they’re all only slightly variant from one another. More often that not, the unwillingness to face one of these truths is what’s keeping you stuck.

Accepting each reality head-on almost always loosens the knot, and frees up your energy to accept what you can’t change, and change what you can. Most recently, my “hard truth” list looked like this:

We all spend most of our mental energy thinking about ourselves. But it’s not necessarily a bad thing. Self-reflection is how we become stronger, which in turn makes us better equipped to help others.

1.People are self-absorbed, myself included. 

Sometimes I try to chase every single opportunity that comes my way — and most of the time, I’m not as talented, competent, or brilliant as I think. The good news: This gives me a reason to only focus on the things I’m truly good at. Isn’t that liberating?

2.I suck at a lot of things. 

And that’s okay. If I can get comfortable with myself — comfortable enough to present the truest version of myself to the world — the acceptance I get will be that much more valuable. And the people who provide it will become the ones who matter most.

3.Most people won’t get me.

When life is easy, we become complacent. Growth comes from doing things that require serious effort.

4.I only get stronger by doing hard things . 

I have a finite amount of time in a day, and anything I do is a choice about how to spend it: Will I catch up on email or meet my friends at a bar? Will I spend an extra hour at the office, or will I go catch a movie? I also have to be a person outside of work. Navigating that balance requires an endless series of decisions.

5.Making a living requires making difficult choices.

When you give away all your time or work for free, others won’t value it.

6.Free things are worthless.

Never take people for granted, or they might walk away.

7.Maintaining relationships takes effort. 

A little bit of pain can bring a lot of perspective and empathy. Don’t be afraid of it.

8.Suffering is good.

I don’t have to be around people 24/7. I also don’t have to be friends with people I don’t enjoy spending time with, or be in a relationship with someone who doesn’t make me happy. I’m better off when I can think of myself as good company.

9.It’s okay to be alone

All relationships take effort, people are self-absorbed, it’s okay to be alone, and other uncomfortable truths that increase motivation when you have the courage to face them.

Self Improvement

Uncomfortable Truths You Must Accept to Be Happy

Philosophy can be the most interesting topic in the world.The problem? These books are so dense, and you need to really slave away to find the nuggets of wisdom.

Introduction

While every philosopher has sought to explore reality, they really are just a confession of their inners fears and desires. Reality can be viewed in so many ways. Let’s take a look!

I want to break down 10 philosophers into one sentence.

Reality is what we derive from our own sensory experience.

John Locke- Empiricism

Reality is not absolute, unmoving, or God-given, but created by human values through rugged individualism and battling collective insanity.

Friedrich Nietzsche — Existentialism

Knowledge is power, but not in a good way like we heard growing up, Foucault aims to show how institutions use power to control information and thus control reality for the rest of us.

Michel Foucault — Structuralism

If you take enough different stimuli, mix them together and flash them fast enough, it can simulate a reality that we tend to hold true.

Jean Baudrillard — Postmodernism/Inspiration for ”The Matrix”

Reality is a fleeting, promiscuous, and violent inner battle, humans connect where our wounds bleed together in the process of communal sacrifice.

Georges Bataille- Metaphysician of Evil

Reality is not something known but surrendered to, as an energetic lifeforce called the “will” tests us in expressing its own true nature.

Arthur Schopenhauer — Metaphysical ethics

Reality is both the isolating and liberating freedom that’s put in our hands, the burden of creating the world based on our decisions.

Jean Paul-Sartre — Existentialism

Reality is based on an economy where objects and subjects battle for supremacy and capitalism can never succeed because it relies too heavily on the exploitation of subjects.

Karl Marx — Marxism

Reality is a duty, upheld by our reasoning to do the right thing.

Immanuel Kant- Enlightenment thinker

Reality is just a network of experiences that we’ve chosen to believe are connected in order to understand our world.

David Hume- Another Empiricist

This is not just to save you time, but maybe to point you in the right direction towards exploring the thinkers that speak to your interests.I know that trying to break down entire philosophies of reality into one sentence is going to fluff the feathers of any hardened philosophy buff, but genuinely, I would be interested to see what debate can come out of it.

Conclusion

The problem? These books are so dense, and you need to really slave away to find the nuggets of wisdom. While every philosopher has sought to explore reality, they really are just a confession of…

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Nidheesh Menon
@ns_menon

3-2-1: Trying new ideas, preparation, and taking action

9 Rules for a Simpler Day - zen habits

3-2-1: The antidote to a bad day, teaching, and the healing power of story

5 Small Habits That Can Make You be Outstanding

How to Silence Negative Thinking

Bite-sized knowledgeto upgradeyour career

Nidheesh Menon@ns_menon

3-2-1: Trying new ideas, preparation, and taking action

9 Rules for a Simpler Day - zen habits

3-2-1: The antidote to a bad day, teaching, and the healing power of story

5 Small Habits That Can Make You be Outstanding

How to Silence Negative Thinking

Bite-sized knowledge
to upgrade
your career

Nidheesh Menon
@ns_menon