12 Rules for Life - An Antidote to Chaos

I was been reading the wonderful book written by Jordan Peterson, 12 Rules for Life - An Antidote to Chaos.




All the rules he has given on quora(From which he selected 12 rules to write the book):

• Pay attention.
• Tell the truth.
• Be precise in your speech.
• Do not do things that you hate.
• Nothing done well is insignificant.
• Be grateful in spite of your suffering.
• Dress like the person you want to be.
• Maintain your connections with people.
• Do not transform your wife into a maid.
• Do not hide unwanted things in the fog.
• Be careful with who you share your bad news with.
• Read something written by someone great.
• Stand up straight with your shoulders back.
• Pet a cat when you encounter one on the street.
• Pursue what is meaningful, not what is expedient.
• Act so that you can tell the truth about how you act.
• Make friends with people who want the best for you.
• Do not bother children when they are skateboarding.
• Make at least one thing better every single place you go.
• Don't avoid something frightening if it stands in your way.
• Try to make one room in your house as beautiful as possible.
• Set your house in perfect order before you criticize the world.
• Do not try to rescue someone who does not want to be rescued.
• Do not let your children do anything that makes you dislike them.
• Do not carelessly denigrate social institutions or artistic development.
• Notice that opportunity lurks where responsibility has been abdicated.
• Plan and work diligently to maintain romance in your relationship.
• Write a letter to the government if you see something needs fixing.
• If old memories make you cry, write them down carefully and completely.
• Treat yourself as if you were someone that you are responsible for helping.
• Compare yourself to who you were yesterday, not to someone else today.
• Assume that the person you are listening to might know something you need to know.
• Ask someone to do you a small favor, so that they can ask you to do one in the future.
• Remember that what you do not yet know is more important than what you already know.

Read the book to get more about these rule and try to apply it to your life one by one. You will see it change your perspective of life in a positive manner. 

Optimal Living - Philosopher's Notes

I was reading Brian Johnson's Philosopher's Notes. It is an amazing read.

I have made MindMap of the book's concepts.

Brian Johnson has read so many good books and has distilled the very essence of the concepts most of the books deal with and captured it into is amazing book "Philosopher's Notes".

The following are the books he is referring in this Video:

• The Obstacle is the Way
• Daring Greatly
• The Gift of Imperfection
• Power Sleep
• Take a Nap !
• The Compound Effect
• With Wining in Mind
• Your Life is your message
• Play - How it shapes the brain
• The Emotional Life of your brain
• Mindfulness
• Enough Already - Alan Cohen
• The Pleasure Trap - Lisle
• Unbeatable Mind
• The Art of Mental Training
• Non-violent Communication
• Getting Things Done
• Superman by Habit - Tynan
• Self-Compassion
• Mind Gym - Mack Casstevens
• Spartan Up
• Wealth Warrior - Steve Chandler
• MindSight
• The Tools - Phil Stutz

Slowing Down To Accelerate Up

If your life is not in control, then it is time to Slow Down.

Slowing Down will help you to gain control in life.

Universal Truths-I

You will become what you repeatedly think of. Mind is a rich soil, you reap what you sow.

Whatever you bought for money, you can replace it if you lose it.

Whatever you got for free(your mind, body, family), you can't replace it if you lose it.

One Day At A Time - Philosophy

Sometimes when I feel lost in this world full of distractions, there is a single quote which will bring me to my senses. And those words are:

"One Day At A Time."

Living one day at time is a very simple philosophy. Sometimes worries and anxiety creeps and fogs your mind, in much moments repeat yourself the quote.

I could still hear one of the favorite quotes from favorite School Teacher Oscar-sir, who used to say "One Donkey At A Time" when the class is almost in a chaos.

Mariah Carey - Hero (Awesome)

There is Hero - best motivational song I have ever heard.
Lyrics:

Hero

There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are

There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

It's a long road
And you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold

You can find love
If you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt
Will disappear

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

Oh ho, Lord knows
Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away, hey yea

Hold on
There will be tomorrow
In time, you find the way, hey

Then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

That a hero lies in you
Mmm, that a hero lies in you

Mini Me...

In the film Austin Powers (Gold Member), there was a character named "Mini Me" who is a clone of Dr.Evil.

Everyone has a "Mini Me" (Inner Child). Unless you take good care of him, you cannot grow. The problem is most of us ignore the "Mini Me" in us.

Nurture your "Mini Me", you might have had may of childhood dreams like gardening, stamps-collection, aquarium, pets, biking, etc ... Try to bring out your dreams of Inner Child and give it Life. You will be amazed by the results.

To Think About

I read it just now, I just got inspired by the depth of this Message. This Message is from "Evan Almighty".

If Someone prays to God for more Patience, what do you think God will give him.

Patience or Opportunity to be more Patient.

If Someone prays to God for more Courage, what do you think God will give him.

Courage or Opportunity to be more Courageous.


If Someone prays to God for more Family Love, what do you think God will give him.

Warm Love Feeling or Opportunity to be Love each other.

Remember God don't give you Hurdles, they are "Stepping Stones" disguised as Hurdles.

Lost On Moon

I was attending a Team Building Training a month back, one of the exercise we have to do is to prioritize a list of things for survival when you are "Lost On Moon".

I have listed below some of the items in the list:
* Signal flares
* Parachute silk
* Food concentrate
* Box of matches
* Stellar map (of the moon’s constellations)
* Oxygen Tank, etc ...

This has to be a group activity. Once we sorted out the priority, the trainer showed us the results and the reason for those result.

It is a great eye opener exercise, because whatever we considered useless "On Moon", was indeed very useful from an other perspective.

Today, I was thinking to myself, we have some "Strengths and Weakness" within ourselves. We are been given "Things for Survival", when we are "Lost On Earth" for a whole life. It is the perception we have on life makes us to decide on the priority of the things we need for "Survival" or Living.

What to Try Lost on Moon, Click Here

Super Fruits - 20

List for Top 20 Fruits with High Nutritional Value and Fiber Contents:

1. Mango
2. Fig
3. Orange
4. Strawberry
5. Goji (Wolf-berry)
6. Red Grape
7. Cranberry
8. Kiwifruit
9. Papaya
10. Blueberry
11. Cherry
12. Red Raspberry
13. Sea-berry
14. Guava
15. Blackberry
16. Blackcurrant
17. Dates
18. Pomegranate
19. Acai
20. Dried Plum Prune

Confessions of an Ex-Workaholics

What are you ?

Are you living to work ? Or, Working to live ?

Some of the Software Engineers are living to work. They do not have any "Personal Life" of their own and don't recognize other's "Personal Life" as well.

They simply live for working alone. These guys work on weekends, holidays, most of the times 24 hrs on office.

For them "Life = Work." Most of them are bachelors. They don't enjoy themselves. They are, in a means, Addicted to Work - Workaholics.

These Workaholics not only spoil their lives, but others as well. Since, these guys are hyper-productive (with hyper-tension), they build up "Peer Pressure" for their colleagues.

Workaholics also ruin their health (both mental & physical).

Some tips to Workaholics:
1. Have some hobbies (Star/Bird Watching, Science Club, ...).
2. Read Books.
3. Have a weekend workout or visit gym.
4. Visit your parents.
5. Contribute to the society by free Tuition.
6. For god sake "Meditate".
7. Listen to Music.

Wisdom

To Err is Human,
To Re-Err is Foolish,
To Learn from Other's Err is Wisdom.

Two days before, my two-wheeler got punctured and I had to get office through other means of Transport. I was lucky for the first day, I had a colleague who used to commute through Share-Auto. We need to take 2 trips to reach our Office.

First, from Velachery Bus Terminal to SRP Bus-stop and then from SRP Bus-stop to our Office in Kottivakam. When we reached SRP Bus-stop, my colleague advised to cross the road across before getting a Share-Auto.

I questioned him, because there were lot of Share-Autos which are standing nearby. He told me that they will charge Rs.10 instead of Rs.5 if we cross the road. Blindly, I took his advice and we crossed the road and took a Share-Auto for Rs.5.

Yesterday, It was my turn to come to Office all alone. My laziness caught me, I took the Share-Auto which was nearby, rather than crossing the road. I was thinking that who will ask Rs.5 extra for just a 10 feet before.

But to my dismay, the Auto-walla charged me Rs.10 when I got down at my office.

This is one of the daily lessons which we learn from our own bad experiences and trial-and-error methods. There is no need for us to go through the same bad experience which already happened to others. We can learn from others. That is WISDOM !!!

But, we must scrutinize the authenticity for such information without bias.

Books are means of communicating the Mistakes done by oneself.

Auto Rickshaw Quote - 2

I have a (bad/good) habit of reading "The Quotes" written behind Auto Rickshaws. Some quotes are good, some are bad, some are ugly. But occasionally some quotes will shock you.

This particular quote which read yesterday, when I saw waiting for a GREEN Signal, shocked me.

The Quote is (in tamil):

"Dear Two Wheeler Friend, Please check your SIDE STAND".

I'm ... what ... ?

I'm not what I think.

I'm not what You think.

I'm what I think You think I'm.

- Robert Schuller.

It is not much complex, isn't it.

For A Diary Page

"How I'm going to cross the mountain ?" asked the disciple.
"One step at a time." said the Master.

When you view the life as a whole, the life may seems to be a big beast or a very long journey. This view might send a lighting into your spine, it may shock you. To make it easy, Norman Vincent Peale, the author of Positive Thinking, advises to live in Day-Tight compartment.

When we have a Big Goal, a Big Dream, as it is big, it might seem IMPOSSIBLE. But when you break it, it becomes I M Possible. Step by Step, one step at a time, start living the dream. Don't worry about the BIG GOAL, start concentrating on the break-ups.

Think about the Small Step, however small, which you can take toward the realization of the BIG GOAL.

Always keep a Daily Journal, near your bedside. So that before you sleep, fill it up with the Day's Accomplishments, however small. You don't need to worry about the Life's Big Challenges. All you need to think about is, how to make My One Diary Page as much beautiful just for this Day(Just Today).

There is only TODAY, no TOMORROW. TOMORROW Never Comes.

Sword of Truth

I'm currently Reading "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind. It is the first book in the series of "Sword of Truth". It has lot of good quotes in it.

"You are what you are, neither more nor less" - a great quote. It can be said in many ways:
* We are what we think we are.
* Cognito Ergo Sum (I think wherefore I'm, I'm what I think)

Perception is very important aspect in life. Every one has their own unique perception. A Mouse will have a Perception of a Cat, which is entirely different from the Cat's own. So, Watch your Perception, it might be a delusion.

The Spark

I just read an article posted on an Orkut Community. It was speech given by a well known author Chetan Bhagat. In it he talks about how to keep up and nurture the spark in everyone. The Spark he refers to is nothing but Enthusiasm.

3 Things That will Nurture the Spark:

=> Reasonable Goals
=> Balance in Life
=> Don't take life too seriously

4 Things That could put off the Spark:

=> Disappointment
=> Frustration
=> Unfairness
=> Loneliness of purpose (Isolation)

My French Class

I have started attending French Classes from Monday (28-July-08). I'm attending it for my own self interest. The classes are conducted in my company (CARC) by professor Shobana Varma from Alliance Francaise.

For the Past one week I have learned:
* Greetings in French (Bonjour, Au revoir, a demaine, Je vous en prie)
* Days of the Weeks
* Months of the Year
* Number (0-69)

There are few French phrases we often use without knowing its French Origin. Here is the List:

* Tete-a-tete
* L'oeuf (in tennis - love-all, it means egg)
* RSVP (Repondez s'il vous plait)

I like learning French.

Knowledge Portfolio

Your Knowledge Portfolio is very important to your career, so keep updating it. In this hot industry, the only thing that is not changing is 'Change'. Change is everywhere in IT industry, so it should be one of our goal to be up-to-date with the change.

Here are some of the tips from the Book, The Pragmatic Programmer:

=> Learn at least one new language every year. Different languages solve the same problems in different ways. By learning several different approaches, you can help broaden your thinking and avoid getting stuck in a rut. Additionally, learning many languages is far easier now, thanks to the wealth of freely available software on the Internet. (You can start by learning Haskell/Lisp/Prolog)

=> Read a technical book each quarter. Bookstores are full of technical books on interesting topics related to your current project. Once you're in the habit, read a book a month. After you've mastered the technologies you're currently using, branch out and study some that don't relate to your project. (Stalin, this is not for you)

=> Read nontechnical books, too. It is important to remember that computers are used by people—people whose needs you are trying to satisfy. Don't forget the human side of the equation. (You can start by reading GEB, Infinity and Mind, Books by Roger Penrose, Richard Meyers, Steven Pinker) (Stalin, this also is not for you)

=> Take classes. Look for interesting courses at your local community college or university, or perhaps at the next trade show that comes to town.

=> Participate in local user groups. Don't just go and listen, but actively participate. Isolation can be deadly to your career; find out what people are working on outside of your company.

=> Experiment with different environments. If you've worked only in Windows, play with Unix at home (the freely available Linux is perfect for this). If you've used only makefiles and an editor, try an IDE, and vice versa.

=> Stay current. Subscribe to trade magazines and other journals. Choose some that cover technology different from that of your current project.

=> Get wired. Want to know the ins and outs of a new language or other technology? Newsgroups are a great way to find out what experiences other people are having with it, the particular jargon they use, and so on. Surf the Web for papers, commercial sites, and any other sources of information you can find.

40 Tips for Better Living

1. Take a 10-30 minutes walk every day. And while you walk, smile.
   
2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day..
   
3. Sleep for 7 hours.
   
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
   
5. Play more games.
   
6. Read more books than you did in 2007.
   
7. Make time to practice meditation, yoga, and prayer. They provide us with daily fuel for our busy lives.
   
8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
   
9. Dream more while you are awake.
   
10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
    
11. Drink plenty of water.
    
12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
    
13. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
    
14. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with his/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
    
15. Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
    
16. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class, but, the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
    
17. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
    
18. Smile and laugh more.
    
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
    
20. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
    
21. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
    
22. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
    
23. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about. Don't compare your partner with others.
    
24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
    
25. Forgive everyone for everything.
    
26. What other people think of you is none of your business.
    
27. GOD heals everything.
    
28. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
    
29. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
    
30. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
    
31. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
    
32. The best is yet to come.
    
33. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
    
34. Do the right thing!
    
35. Call your family often.
    
36. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.
    
37. Each day give something good to others.
    
38. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
    
39. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
    
40. Please Forward this to everyone you care about
    

I'm publishing this post using XP Word. Try it out, its cool.