Write Something Everyday

When I was young ( younger, that is - I'm 29), I used to overestimate the value of money. I wouldn't say it outright. I wouldn't tell people, "Money is everything." No, not like that. But deep within, I would somehow feel that a lot of money would make me continuously and persistently happy. My everyday sense of 'unease' and 'anxiety' would vanish. Now, I know better. First, I know that money has very little to do with happiness beyond fulfilling survival needs. Yes, it can help you live more comfortably but the question is: are you aware and conscious enough at that moment to enjoy that comfort? For example, you may travel to a place by bus. Or your may travel by cab. The cab will be more expensive. Yes, travelling in the cab is probably more comfortable (especially if the bus is crowded) - but are you aware and conscious enough to enjoy being in the cab?   Or is your mind drifting to -thoughts of 'what does he/she think of me', &#

So, I've stumbled upon a dead-simple, almost mind-numbing way to establish a new habit. I told my wife, "I'll give you Rs 600 for every day that I don't wake up at 6 AM and go for a jog." Every single day after that - I've done that - even if I slept late. In fact, this has happened now for 12 days. Wow, suddenly without a problem - this habit's on! Then I told my wife, everyday that I don't make the calls I need to make or complete the schedule I've set for my goals - I'll give you Rs 1000. Suddenly, my productivity increased manifold. My mind doesn't prefer social interaction - especially business related - as of now - but mind or no mind - ever since the Rs 1000 challenge - I'm doing EXACTLY what I need to do - like clockwork. I'm wowed  by the power of this 'negative consequence' tactic. I mean rewards are something my mind has seldom responded to. The response has been lukewarm at best. And what are rewards

Some days ago, around 9 days ago to be precise, I started jogging in the morning. I have woken up at 6 AM, gotten out and walked a bit and then jogged for a while. I've usually been home by 6:40-6:45 AM. Now, the first few days, it was just fine. In fact, I was exceptionally happy about doing this the first two days. Day 3 onwards my mind started getting bored. I changed my jogging path. Instead of jogging in the large park near my house, I jogged along the road for around a kilometer. Then my mind got bored of that too. Then I took a different path to the park and jogged in the park again. Today, I woke up on time but my mind was protesting too much. I gave myself some points (I give myself points daily - why and how is for another day) for doing something my mind did not want me to do  - and went out anyway. I took a completely different path - I didn't go to the park at all. Also, I didn't jog, I just walked a bit. Then I came back after 15 minutes and cycled o

They say our mind is like a monkey. It goes from one thought to another, one emotion to another. Spiritual teachers, religions, and just about anyone you meet will agree to this. After all, we know  that our mind wanders way too much. In the last one year, I've learnt a lot about the workings of my own mind - especially its weaknesses. I have learnt that: 1. My mind is excessively lazy. It doesn't want my body to move much. It doesn't want to start anything new for quite a long time. Any change which requires me to move my body requires a kick in the ass. 2. My mind is nuts about seeking pleasure. Whether sexual, culinary or entertainment based (eg. watching a funny video or playing a computer game) - my mind is obsessed with pleasure. It wants lots of it and enough is never enough. 3. My mind is remarkably hesitant in initiating  contact with other people (who I am not intimate with). This is especially true if I am required to interact with them for a reason. It

I don't have much to write about today. I mean yes, I went to the Delhi Jal Board's Janakpuri office (the water supply office) and got my bill amount reduced (it was an erroneous bill). Yes, my cheat day ended in the afternoon today (I have one cheat day every month when I can eat refined wheat flour, deep fried foods and sugar). Yes.... But what is there to write about, about these things? Not much. Maybe because I'm a guy, I'm not feeling the need to share what happened throughout the day. I do believe guys feel less of a need to share in everyday situations and women feel more of a need to share in everyday situations. This has been true in my experience. Well, coming to the point - time to write a short and silly poem. Written just for the fun of it in a short amount of time. This one's called What If The World Were Different: What if the leaves of trees were blue, What if the barks of trees were yellow, What if all fairy tales were true, And Newton

This thought that the title expresses made me feel peaceful today. It may not be applicable to everyone. Probably there are people who are wasting  way too much of their time. I, however, felt peaceful when I gave myself permission to waste my time. You see, I detected a background anxiety in my mind which, if put in words, would say, "Make sure you spend every minute of your life building your sense of self. Make sure you're working on your goals, building your wealth - oh my God, you took a break in the middle of the day - get on with it..." This background unease would say - you're turning 30 - you're still not successful - Oh my God! Your life is running out. Look at X, X just went to this country and had a good time - X has more money than you. Look at Y, Y is younger than you and is already so  famous...Oh my God! Get off your ass and work! Now someone people would say, "Great, that unease can be a great motivator." Not for me. That une