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We all fear failure.
Most often, we aren’t afraid of failure because of the expectations we have from ourselves.
It is what others will think of us when we fail, which is what we fear. 

However, how will we ever learn to fly if we continue to live for the validation of others.
How will we ever be able to take risks if others define that risk for us.?

Freeing ourselves from the image people have of us, is our freedom to fail.

How do we operate when no one is watching?
What’s a complete no-no, even if it is an immediate gain for us?
Do we want others to win, or is it just a sole game in a team?

Values aren’t something that we just write and let it be there. Values are who we are, something that we would never compromise on. 

When things fall apart and values don’t, it means we are on the right track. More than anything else, we know we are practising them right when others know us through those.

Our values are our foundations. While it is lucrative to work on the building, nothing keeps the building stable if there isn’t a foundation.

Managing our time, having a great attitude and unlearning and learning every day is wonderful.

However, what makes us indispensable is how we manage people (including ourselves).

Everyone is from different upbringing, different belief systems and a different approach to life. They  offer us a new challenge everyday. 

If there is one person who benefits the most by dealing respectfully with them, it is us! It’s hard, it requires emotional labour. However, that is what humans are – not a piece of code rather a weird permutation and combination to solve for.

Knowing ourselves is important. Understanding others is priceless.

I often talk about the fact that we are the stories we tell ourselves.
There is, however, a corollary to that.

A king returned to his palace one fine morning after his morning walk in the jungle. Upon reaching the palace, he discovered that his horse was lost.

He immediately sent his minister to search for the horse in the jungle. The minister saw a blind man outside the jungle and asked him, “Hey you blind man, did you happen to hear the sound of bells around a horse’s feet? Did a horse pass from here?”, to which the blind man replied, “No, I didn’t.”

After the minister didn’t return, the king sent his viceroy next. The viceroy saw a blind man outside the jungle and asked him, “Hey you blind man, did you happen to hear the sound of bells around a horse’s feet? Did a horse pass from here?”, to which the blind man replied, “No, I didn’t.”

Finally, the king took matters in his own hands and headed for the jungle. He saw the same blind man and asked him, “Hey Mahatma, did you happen to hear the sound of bells, indicating that a horse passed by?”, to which the blind man responded, “No His Highness, I didn’t!” 

Perplexed, the king asked him, “How do you know I am the King?” “Through the words you used for me,” came the succinct response.

The stories we get to hear are the stories we tell others.

In Abilene Paradox, a group decides to do something that no one in the group wants to do because everyone mistakenly assumes they’re the only ones who object to the idea and they don’t want to rock the boat by speaking up.

Strange how much of our life is driven by simply fitting in.

Not speaking up is wise, if it is just to speak. However, it isn’t wise not to voice our concerns, if only we wonder what others would think

Sometimes, speaking up helps someone else as well, along with your own voice being heard. Isn’t that precious?

Gossip ain’t good. We know it. We still gossip. Not just out of habit, rather because it makes us believe we are doing nothing wrong. It’s the other person that needs to change.

This self validation is addictive especially since it doesn’t involve responsibility.

If we take responsibility instead, we’ll have to abandon the comfort zone.
That might mean failing a lot.
However, whenever we succeed we will never fail to amaze ourselves.

Commentary will be easier than playing on the ground.
But each time we do play, we surprise ourselves of how much better we are capable of.

O, he’s pursuing music after engineering.
Look, she quit her job for creative pursuits.

Whenever we get out of our comfort zone to pursue what we want, the mind subconsciously starts thinking what others would think.

In doing so, we start neglecting what’s most important: what we really think and want. The chatter of critics starts taking over the voice of intuition.

Thinking is powerful. If someone else’s thinking could affect us to such an extent, imagine what our own would do!

When we talk about high performance, productivity and happiness, it almost comes down to thinking right and doing the right things at work.

Little credit is unfortunately given to what we eat.

Do we crave more of what we eat, or does less make us fulfilled?
Do we eat to look cool on the gram, or do we eat because it nourishes us?
Do we leave empty spaces for the food to get digested, or do we eat more, “just in case”?

When it comes to feeding our body, less is more.

Happiness and high performance do not live in isolation from peak physical health.

The brain could play cool tricks on us.
In order to look smart, it would want to remember things.
Perhaps it doesn’t want to give away power to the notebook.

However, when we note things down, a remarkable thing happens: the brain gets its freedom.

Freedom to think. Freedom to get bored. And freedom to wander around for new ideas.
In the pursuit of trying to hold on to remember things, it never knew how powerful it was.

Thus, noting down things is an act of power, not that of a lousy brain.

How will the brain work on growing the wisdom it needs to, if it is busy working on remembering things it doesn’t need to?

One, inspiration for work.
If we wait for inspiration to get work done, we would hardly get it done.
Creativity is instead a process.
If we show up and do the work, creativity will show up as well.

Two, inspiration while dealing with life, aka Motivational quotes.
People believe they are bookish. That they don’t work in reality.
Except that they do.
They are the roadmaps and mental models to help us think right.
In their absence, we would be working hard on the same situations over and over again.
Quotes provide a structure. And perhaps change our lives :)

Don’t wait for inspiration to work. But do the work on your inspiration.