lost

It is good to be lost. We have more opportunities to think, introspect and question ourselves and the decisions we have taken so far in our life.

Being lost is not a bad thing as we fire up more of our neurons and get in the zone of pushing more for seeking uncomfortable questions.

Most of us are just living, we are not asking hard questions with self. That is the reason we feel everything is sorted and we never get lost.

vulnerable

We are all vulnerable. So with our identity and others with reaching somewhere. Being vulnerable can be a burden and burns lots of our neurons. We start self-doubting, questioning everything happening to us which can be good or bad.

We should ask ourselves why situations or conditions make us vulnerable. What can we do to get over it? Is vulnerability a manifest of our own mind?

old age

My friends keep telling me, Instead of living now I am preparing for old age. My response to this is simple: I have to stay healthy and independent.

To be both healthy and independent I don’t have t prepare or wait for old age. It is a virtue one can inculcate now and live every moment. When you are healthy, you can act/think and operate more rationally. When you are independent financially you can live life on your terms.

airport

I find the airport center of innovation. Every time I travel I get to see something new. The premise is more efficient, making things get done quickly. Be it luggage drop, security check or getting your booking pass.

Once you are inside an airport, you find a complete cosmopolitan. People from various sectors, society, backgrounds immersed in a single place. Each has own reason for the travel: leisure, vacation or health reasons.

I also see elderly escorted by their sons and daughters.

With the advancement in technology, our lives have gotten much better. We are traveling more, spending more and have gotten closer to the world.

human brain

Our brain is the most volatile organ. It is the operating system of us. If the brain is in shape, we are good. If the brain is out of place we are fucked. In the book Behave, Robert Sapolsky throws some light on the same. For simple reading, I have collected my learning about the brain. It is a collection of many other books.

The brain gears:

Basal Ganglia
The controlling instinct sits at the base of the brain. Simple survival (fight/flight) and decision making are controlled from here.

Limbic System
The emotional part of the brain which helps us associate behaviors, memories with positive and negative experiences.

Cerebral Cortex
The part of our brain which does all the thinking. It utilizes its effort in gathering and analyzing information before making a decision.

What affects our brains?

Food
The brain uses more energy than any other human organ, accounting for up to 20 percent of the body’s total haul.

What we eat defines who we are. Does that mean eating can affect our thinking and responses to a certain situation? Going by current research on guts aka the tiny colonies of bacteria residing inside us it indeed us. These bacteria are alternate brain. These gut bacteria communicate with our brains and let us thrive.

People
We become what we read and the people we are surrounded with. As a hunter-gatherer, we were always worried about our survival. This has continued with us until now. With advancement and consumerism, we got into hoarding and seeking more of everything. Surrounding ourselves with virtues people will help us become better and avoid falling for the trap and living life of a mouse always chasing cheese.

Habit
Our brain is lazy, it takes shortcuts. It helps in saving energy. It loves automaticity. When you have a daily habit of something glass of coffee and reading, the brain will fight less and let you read. The same applies to brakes and changing gears of your car. Your brain has automatized it for you.

Exercise and meditation
It has been proved by science that meditation and exercise have a great effect on our brains. The flow of blood in our brain helps in better functioning of our brain.

References:

  • Behave by Robert Sapolsky
  • Daily Rituals: How Great Minds Make Time, Find Inspiration, and Get to Work
  • Guts by Giulia Enders
  • The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do, and How to Change
  • Spark: How exercise will improve the performance of your brain

story

Ever imagined about the story of you cabby, cook, guard or cleaner. We are so busy with ourselves that they are nonexistent. If you ever get an opportunity, you will hear inspiring stories. Your hardship, grit, and perseverance will not come close to theirs. Every day is a new challenge, rebirth.

competition

At times my friends tell me I am competing with a certain product, market or industry. This conversation gets dragged to infinity at times.

I have a standard template for the reply, I am painting my world with a unique paintbrush. I am working on solving customer’s pain points while sitting next to them. The only competition I see is ensuring customer happiness and delight.

Do I always succeed? I don’t, but I try to.

We need a small set of anchor customers and we have to delight them. Spending time on competitors is a distraction.

nationalism

Nationalism has existed since the inception of divided territories. In recent times it has become a medium for propaganda. Be it, politicians, sales or marketing everyone is milking Nationalism.

We have divided the creativity and formed a wall on the concept of nation. Be it a developed or developing country, everywhere we have politicians talking about the country and reminding us about its past glory. Why do we have to drink kool-aid of the past when in present most of us are barely surviving.

What happened to the meritocracy? Did it turn into a thing for the continual showcase?

Why do we have to sell nationalism in our sales pitch or in our marketing brochures to get eyeballs?

Why is your LinkedIn profile says India First or helping Indian founders when the reality is the opposite? Why is this duality in positioning and practicing?

Does that mean I am not proud of being born in India? I am very much, but I dislike throwing nationalism as a cure for all the problems.


“Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one” 
 ― John Lennon, Imagine