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I have always found teacher-student conversations fascinating.
No, not the ones in school :))

The ones where there is no school, there is no class, there is no curriculum.

There is simply curiosity.
From both sides.

Find that teacher, by becoming that student.

Because the best teachers are not born.
Their best is brought to the surface by their students.

Tomorrow - A mythical land where 99% of all human productivity, motivation and achievement is stored :))

“Your content is really inspirational.
I also want to create content.
However, I feel I have nothing to share..”

This is the fear of a lot of people struggling to create content online.

We are constantly thinking what we know isn’t good enough.
What we do isn’t cool enough.
What we have accomplished isn’t attractive enough.

And so we do not share.
Thus allowing someone else’s content to come out.
Someone else who believed their work was good enough.

Sharing what you know isn’t about what you know.
It is about how you feel about yourself.

??From an early age, thinking about money was not encouraged.

It was the unsaid rule that money is important, but thinking about it is evil.
After all, money was the reason behind the fights, the wars, the disagreements.

Now I know, it is not money that is the cause.
It is the importance we attach to it, in our lives.

Money is simply a medium of transaction.

When it becomes an emotion, that is when it consumes us.

And that is true for all things in life!

1. When speaking to people, look into their eyes.
It makes you look attentive and unbiased.

In virtual meetings, look into the camera pinhole and not their face (will take some time getting used to).
That way, you look straight into their eyes.

2. Asking simple questions with predictable answers makes you instantly likeable.

That’s why, start a first meeting with standard questions.
“Where are you from?”
“What do you do?”
“Who all are in your family?

3. If you want people to agree with you, begin by asking for a small favour that they will say yes to.

It could be anything.
Even something as basic as “Could you please pass me that pen?”

Chances are high they will agree/say yes to what you ask after.

4. To show that you are listening, keep nodding.
It will make them express more.

Ranveer Allahbadia is a master at this.

5. Your last impression is just as important, if not more, than your first impression.

People’s memory of an experience is heavily dependent on how it ended.
Make that last impression count.

Anger is an unhealthy emotion. So we want to control it. However, when it arrives, it arrives in a wave sweeping all our resolutions away.

No matter how much you resist it, anger wins each time.

The key is in not resisting it.

Yes, you read that right. Don’t resist anger. Rather spend time with it.

“Why do I feel what I feel?
Which need of mine is unmet?
Why am I letting my denial take over where I could have an open mind rather than being a sceptic?”

As we answer these questions honestly, there would be no need to resist anger.

Because then it won’t arise in the first place.

The extreme emotions are usually a result of not spending time consistently with our own selves.

As kids, all we heard were stories.

True stories.
Fiction.
Mythology.

And these stories shaped up our worldview.

Our fears, hopes, desires and imagination stems from these stories.

But as we grow up, logic takes over.

1+1 becomes 2 and nothing else.
History becomes fact and nothing more.
Nature becomes evolution and nothing beyond.

And we forget how much we loved stories.

We forgot how, hearing stories, makes us go back to who we were!

We have suppressed the child within us.
But it is still alive!

If I can find the kid in me and bring him back, that will be the best gift I can give myself.

If you died, your manager would put out a job posting in 48 hours looking for a replacement.

Your friends and family will never get that chance.

As much as your job is necessary, do not ignore the relationships where you remain irreplaceable.

Our parents are the people we disagree with the most.
We have differing opinions on the smallest life issues to making big life decisions.
And that’s okay. And a different thing.

Right now, our parents need a different thing from us: Our presence.
When they were our age, they witnessed tremendous hard work, lack of opportunities, and struggle to make ends meet.

Life hasn’t been easy for them. But we can make it a bit easy by being there for them - making them talk about their favourite topics (our childhood, their childhood), listening to them, or simply engaging with them.

1) The Energy Drainer:

You feel tense and uneasy after each interaction with them.

2) The Pessimist:

They have a negative outlook of the world.
Always try to talk you out of your dreams.

3) The Criticizer:

They don't support you in your decisions.
They criticize every move you make.
They make you feel like you can't do anything right.

4) The Manipulator:

They try to control everything.

Pretend to like you and other people.
But they just want to make every decision for themselves and others.

5) The Victim:

They blame others for their misfortune.
Constantly seek attention from others.
Talk mostly about their excuse for failing.

Which of these have you encountered the most?

Harder question:

Which of these are you often?