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How to not get affected by criticism?
Is it even possible to not overthink it?

Whenever we are affected by criticism, , an important reminder is to ask ourselves is – how do we feel when the opposite happens? How do we feel when we hear praise? 

Because if we feel really good when someone appreciates us, we unconsciously hand over the remote control to our emotions. That remote control will determine our state of mind for good and for the bad. 

To not get affected by criticism, start with not getting affected by praise.
Calmness is power.

“Guruji,” a disciple asked his master, “I want to be as enlightened as you. What is something that you do that could help me get there?”

The master replied with ease, “When I’m hungry, I eat. When I am meditating, I am there. When I’m sleepy, I sleep.”

Perplexed, the disciple asked respectfully, “That is what even I do, how is it different?”

“When I’m eating, I’m only eating food, not thinking about the next task for the morning or the next meeting,” the Guru explained, “I’m focussed right there, neither in the past, nor in the future.”

Presence is the present of the present.

Be here now. – Ram Dass

You responded impulsively.
Had no choice.
The matter happened in a spur of moment.

That, although, is far from the truth.

Between every stimulus (angry human, instant challenge, etc.) and every response (responding with more anger, feeling fearful) there lies a window of 0.25 second. And in that window, lies our opportunity to choose.

We can choose anger. Or be calm.
We can choose fear. Or be strong to face the situation.
We can choose nothing. Or we can be aware that we have a choice.

Every impulsive decision was not a result of an impulse.
It was a result of giving up the choice to think and respond.

Maybe you’ve opted for a course because your family wanted to.
Or you are still struggling to decide.
Maybe you feel lost in your job.

A lot of people feel this emotion because they feel they have to “settle” down in their 20’s.
You don’t have to! 

20’s are meant for exploring, trying out multiple things, and most importantly, never settling.

It’s okay to not know what you need to do.
It’s okay to know that you don’t know.
It’s okay to do something different than what is mentioned in your degree.
It’s okay to not be okay when things are not okay.
It’s perfectly okay (read: important) to pursue your happiness.

The best way to spend your 20’s is realizing there is no best way to spend your 20s.

Want to learn a new skill, but don’t have the time?
Want to double your business, but don’t have the time?
Want to network with people, but don’t have the time?

Here’s a question: Who has more time than us?

NO ONE!
All of us have the same 24 hours that you and I have. 

Perhaps what we need is to choose  where our energy is best spent.
Perhaps what we need is to change where our energy is drained.

We don’t need more time. We just need to decide. – Seth Godin

Old phones.
Charge for an hour.
Lasts for a week.

New phones.
Charge multiple times.
Lasts less than a day.

In the old days, phones were used for just one purpose: calling. Now they are used for shopping, watching movies, chatting on a video call, paying our bills – virtually everything! Since the functions have increased, they need to be charged more often.

Similarly, as we’ve grown up, we do multiple things – read, work, attend to family, hobbies – everything, which wasn’t the case when we were kids. 

The question is: “How often do we charge ourselves?”

When we don’t charge ourselves, we are drained out.
And a drained out phone doesn’t work, despite all the specs.

Not satisfied with the salary?
Want to change your job?

Not happy in a relationship?
Want to get out of it?

When we do not get what we want – we want to leave.
The problem isn’t in leaving, the problem is in not understanding the reason why we want to leave.

Do we even know why we want to leave?
When we don’t ask ourselves the reason, we might blame someone else when instead it was us that perhaps had to change. 

Don’t ask what you want to change.
Ask why you want to change what you want to change.

Do not listen to what they say.
If they believed it, they could have done it themselves.
They are advising us, and haven’t executed that advice in their own lives.

When we receive advice from someone who hasn’t put that to use in their own lives, our instant reaction is to question its credibility. 

However, what if their advice could be for our good?
What if the advice comes from a place of regret?
What if they wished they had also received that advice?

Listening to advice who haven’t applied it in their lives isn’t foolish.
It might save us from the same mistakes that they made. And didn’t wish they did.

Ability to watch an IPL match seamlessly.
Watch movies on Netflix.
Have a Zoom call without “can’t hear you”

This is what a stable WiFi connection gives us.

No buffering. No waiting.

What if our life’s WiFi connection was stable?
What if things that gave us energy and joy were just right?

What if there was no buffering, no wandering around in circles, no waiting – everything just right?

Clarity is power, and anything that gives that to us is priceless.

Struggling to find a unique idea?
An idea that would create a dent in the universe?
An idea that would change the world?

What if you never find that unique idea?
Will you wait forever?
Never act on it?
Not acting till we find that unique idea, is procrastination.

We are hiding behind the excuse of lack of an idea while what is really stopping us is the lack of courage.

What if we solved a problem that an existing idea has?
What if we came up with a unique solution versus a unique problem?
What if we started asking different questions? 

Most successful businesses were not unique business ideas.
They were unique solutions to existing ideas.