Taking a break. When we work for someone else, the weekend is defined. It’s a drag for us to work on a weekend and if that happens multiple times, we start looking for another job. But as creatives, we tend to merge the weekend with the weekdays where we no longer know
Hope and fear In Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, the protagonist fights a battle in hell against the demon and it’s about how hope defeats fear. I think like everything else, hope needs engagement, effort and hard work, while fear is easy to give into. It is true for creativity, it is true
Stress. Stress comes from wanting things that are not in our control. If we focus on what we can do, and stick to that, then a lot of stress will go away. Also, we would get so much more in return, because we would be able to do so much more.
That voice. That voice is cunning beyond all measures. That voice of rationalisation. That distracts us from what we need to do and instead makes us run amok in distracted pursuits. The only way to counter the voice is through action, the right action. The action that needs to be done now.
Effortless. It’s important to create boundaries, to compartmentalise. That make life effortless. We get more done and we feel less stressed. Work does not need to be tiring. We can get enough done and then move on to things that bring us more joy. — If you liked reading this, consider
Connect. When the mind and body are connected, we take wholesome decisions. We start moving forward in the right direction. The key to connect is to slow down. Find yourself and connect with yourself. — If you liked reading this, consider subscribing. If you are already a subscriber, do share with your
Taking time to prioritise. We can invest our time, energy and attention in multiple things. Urgencies, emergencies and distractions keep cropping up from all directions. Moreover, we have a tendency to not focus on the 1-2 important things that matter. Sitting down and identifying the 1-2 top priorities and moving beyond the immediate urgencies
re-decisions. Revisiting a previously made decision may sometimes be a good choice. It can help us take new information in context. But most of the times, the revisit to a former decision is not due to new information, it is because we are reluctant to put in the physical and emotional
where do ideas come from? I was listening to Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert in the morning and she talked about ideas in a magical manner. Ideas going from one person to another, inspiring them, nudging them to take action. Most of the time, most of the people say ‘I’m busy. I don’t
Intent. Most of us like going with the flow. Getting things done as they come on our table. There is another way to look at life. That is to put things on your table with intent, deliberately. To identify what you want to get done and then proceed on making it
Empathy is difficult. It might be the most difficult thing that there is. And the irony is, that it seems easy. Whenever someone learns the concept of empathy, they seem to think ‘What’s difficult about that? Of course, I can understand what the other person is feeling.’ But when you go deeper,
Before the deadline? Yes, we can get it done just before the deadline. Most of the people can. But can we get it done much before it needs to be? Can our internal deadlines matter to us more than any external deadline? Once we shift our tasks away from the deadline, our stress
Adding one more. How did Seth Godin write more than 7500 blog posts? He just kept adding one to the count every day. How did Tim Ferriss record over 500 podcasts? He just kept recording one more every few days. I know it’s not ‘just’, but it is also not much more
shipping. when the act is done. there’s nothing more to add. then you move on. to the next thing. that’s what shipping is about. a lot of stress in our life is because we are not shipping enough. — If you liked reading this, consider subscribing. If you are already
Turning Pro is a choice. It’s not for everyone. You can’t fake it. If you’ve got to beat Resistance, you need to turn pro. Turning pro is simple, but it is not easy. — If you liked reading this, consider subscribing. If you are already a subscriber, do share with your friends.
love. There is nothing more powerful than love. And the most powerful is the love we feel for ourselves. When we connect the body, mind and soul, we become one with the universe. I hope you find the love you seek within you. — If you liked reading this, consider subscribing. If
Courage and creativity There are few acts in life that require more courage than creativity. To be a creative is to show up consistently and generously. To show up even when there is no one to show up for. Even when you don’t know what you are going to perform. Creativity is
Choosing less. Less chaos. Less stress. Less trouble. It takes emotional labour to choose less. The default is always to choose more. — If you liked reading this, consider subscribing. If you are already a subscriber, do share with your friends.
Don't worry! Does it help? It doesn’t. It takes our focus away from our practice and our work. It takes the focus away from the details that we need to pay attention to. The way to get rid of worrying is by showing up generously and by being kind to yourself.
Fight, flight or freeze? When we are in a state of panic, for instance, when a lion shows up in front of us, one of the three modes above takes over, and each person has his/her own default. In our lives, mostly there is no lion showing up in our way to office,
The opposite is also true. There are few, if any, absolutes. And when things are relative, there is always an opposite side. The interesting part is that the two sides need not be mutually exclusive. It might just need a change of perspective to see the truth in the other side too. ulta karke dekh
What to write and whether to write? I think I need to declare war. I don’t think there’s any other way. Without war, with these tiny skirmishes, I just keep losing. Enough of peace. Enough of compromises. I don’t want to live like this. Not anymore, at least. I remember the last war, when
Trust your 'Self'. Not the voice in your head that tells you that you are worthless. But that silent deep self that wants to help you. To guide you. To make you reach where you want to reach. Trust your self. And take those strides. — If you liked reading this, consider subscribing. If
Default or design? Design takes intention and labour, more emotional than physical. Design works. It makes things better. Design is not about how things look. It’s about how things work. The absence of design is default, and living by default makes life stagnant. Add a bit of design to your life. — If
guilt is the joy-killer. There is joy in enjoying food, in watching a TV series, in hanging out with friends. But when guilt gets in, it kills the joy. We do things we do not want to. But we don’t seem to escape from it. A good strategy would be to stop as
