Napkin creativity. When I write on a napkin, ideas just flow. Things become clear, fast. There's something about it. The temporary nature, the texture, the limited space. Suddenly, a lot of clutter in the head just vanishes. Like, this is all there is. All in this small square. Doesn'
A space for boredom. Intermittent fasting does one thing well. It gives your digestive system time to rest. Time to do nothing. And that allows it to do what it does well when it's supposed to. Can we do the same for the nervous system? Create spaces of no stimuli, no tasks
On the train. If you board the train, you sign up for a few things. That it will move fast, mostly. That sometimes it would stop. But also, what food would be available, who would be around you, and the narrow or wide lanes to move through. As long as you are on
Following the sun... That's what most beings do. They adjust their lives with the ups and downs of the sun. The interaction of the sun & the earth, and sometimes the moon, have given us cycles that make the rhythm of life. Some are daily, some weekly, some yearly, and some
Without anxiety. Anxiety makes us believe that we are better off with it. That we will do better work, faster, if we are anxious. The hustle culture & the economic system driven by anxiety keep doubling down on this message enough that it starts feeling true. But... are you sure that is
Listening to the body. Most days we are telling the body what to do... to push through when we are tired, to show up when we don't want to do. And most days, the body does what we ask it to do. But it also tells us if it's not
Without the canvas. Da Vinci wouldn't have been able to make The Last Supper. The masterpiece starts with a blank canvas. So does everything else. Our creations will exist in space or time. But they need a blank first. An hour to write. A blank page to type on. A slot
What if you trusted yourself... ...for that big meeting coming up? ...for the project that matters? ...for that emotional challenge in front of you? What happens when you don't trust yourself? What happens when you do? Which do you prefer?
A part of me... "A part of me is angry" is different from "I am angry". Just like "my hand hurts" is different from "I am hurt". Both can be true. But they imply different things. A part of me is angry, and I am allowing
Fixing yesterday. You can spend a lot of time and emotional effort thinking about yesterday and trying to fix it. But it's gone. No matter what you do, you can't change it. What you can do is to see today, see what you want to do, see what
Hitting the ball back. How do you get better at ping pong? You can hire a really good coach. Yes. But that isn't enough. You need someone to hit the ball back to you. Again, and again, and again. If you find someone who is willing to do that, you would get
Make better things. The world is the way it is. Some people make things worse just to make an extra buck. Okay, many people do that. But most don't. Most of us show up trying to make things better. If it were the other way around, the world wouldn't
Evening you. Morning You might be full of energy... and it can expect the same from the Evening You. Same with Monday You assuming about Friday You. Empathy is hard. Self-empathy is harder. But it can be learned. Building the skill to empathise with different versions of you is worth investing
Do you know someone who... It's a simple ask. With a simple answer. Either the other person knows someone and they can connect you with them. Or they don't. It's generous for everyone. The person asking, the person connecting and the third person who is connected. Yet, we hesitate.
For a friend... If you had to choose for a friend, what would you choose? Would you order the same meal you are ordering for yourself? Would you ask her to work when she'd tired from the day? Would you tell her... just check your email once. Would you choose a
Gatherer-hunters. Before farming, humans were gatherer-hunters, not hunter-gatherers. Hunting was rare. Sometimes, they'd come across an animal they could hunt and feed themselves for a day or so. But mostly it was gathering. A variety of food - fruits, nuts, leaves, etc. A lot of exploration. And learning.
If you were free... What would you do, if you were completely free? For a moment, can you imagine? What would you eat? Who would you talk to? What would you make? What most likely would happen is the voices inside your head would start playing. Then how will I earn money. But I
Effort/outcome. That took a lot of effort. Or that got the thing done? Effort is a distraction. It makes us feel good. The thing that matters is whether the work got done or not.
AI butt-dialing. It wasn't me. It was AI. This holds as much ground as - "It wasn't me. It was my phone." Your phone may have sent the message. But it was you who used it to send it. Butt-dialling can only be used so many
Who runs the machine? The world is the way it is... because capitalists needed humans to run machines. That's why they built the concept of jobs, and schools, and management and everything, that's why we are the way we are. And over the 3-4 centuries, even though machines got
The necessity of rest. The body and the brain are amazing tools. And they are capable of pushing themselves much beyond imagination. But there comes a point where mind over matter simply stops working. Giving them a little rest allows us to keep showing up the way we do.
Imagine two things... Think of a situation where you don't feel comfortable being yourself. For me, today, it was being in a crowded gym in another city. I felt like everyone was watching me, and of course, judging me. Now, in the same situation, imagine how you would feel if you
Making someone feel special. People who matter to you. Friends whose company you like. Teachers who make your life better. People who bring joy to your life. We can tell them how much they matter. Gestures, both big and small, help. Sometimes, we can choose to tell them that they are loved, that they
One day old. You were at a time one day old. Everything that was true about your nature then is true today also. You are beautiful. You are loved. You are cared for. You matter. Just because we have covered the truth with layers of make-beliefs, doesn't mean the truth
Down the rabbit hole. That's where the magic happens. Not on the surface. Not where you know what's happening or what will happen. But when you surrender and take the jump, that's when things happen, never in an expected manner. And the deeper and deeper you go, the
