What are you running away from? What is the one thing that you need to do that you aren’t doing? All our misery, our anxiety are signs that we are not working on that one thing. Remove all the clutter and find that one thing. Focus solely on getting it done, on shipping it. The
Shallow to deep mind. The shallow mind is very good at sticking. It’s an uphill battle. It takes focus and effort to access the deep mind again. — If you liked reading this, consider subscribing. If you are already a subscriber, do share with your friends.
Breaking the pattern. When you feel stuck, it’s good to break the pattern. To go for a walk, or to work out of a new setting, or to meet someone new. As a creative professional, we need to recharge our creative energy on a consistent basis. Tim Ferriss recommends scheduling your mindfulness
Exhale slowly. When we face a danger, our body switches to a fight/flight/freeze mode by default. Our brains have not evolved to distinguish between physical and psychological dangers. Staying for too long in the fight/flight/freeze mode is not healthy. One of the ways to counter the anxiety is
Minimum, not maximum. As creatives, we have a tendency to go for maximum. We make an idea so big in our thoughts and in our talks, that when we sit down to work at it, we feel paralysed. What makes sense is to have a minimum mindset. What can you not take away
Zoning in. It’s tough when we are zoned out. It becomes tougher as we remain zoned out for a long time. To zone in, we need to pass through the membrane of focus. It is not going to feel good initially. Resistance will be at its peak. But when you sit
Gaining back control. You don’t gain back control by thinking or talking or by discussing your situation with anyone but your coach. You gain back control by sitting down and ploughing your way through the clutter. The brain is not equipped to zone in by thinking about it, we can only do
Closing time. It’s important as creatives to have a closing time. To create a clear demarcation between work and non-work. To be able to sustain our work in the long run, we cannot compromise on life in the short run. It’s a question we should be able to answer:
If not now, then when? We keep putting things off for later, the things that we really want to do, the things that would make our life better, the things that matter. Later becomes a habit and decades pass without us doing those things. The busyness of the status quo takes over. In our minds,
Empathise, instead. It’s easy to shout, to be angry, to be frustrated. It’s easy to consider the other person as stubborn, as not so intelligent, as someone who doesn’t listen. What’s hard is empathy. To actually put yourself in the shoes of the other person and see the
Shipping is the cure. When in doubt, ship. Send that email. Reply to that message. Post that photograph. Publish that podcast. Say ‘hello’ to that cute girl. Don’t keep things in your mind. Don’t analyse. Ship. — If you liked reading this, consider subscribing. If you are already a subscriber, do share with
Assumptions. We assume we don’t have stress. We assume we have everything in control. We assume we don’t need rest. It makes sense to challenge your assumptions every now and then. — If you liked reading this, consider subscribing. If you are already a subscriber, do share with your friends.
Working on self-image Self-image is something that needs conscious, mindful effort. For most of our lives, our self-image is formed by default by the behaviours of those around us. In most cases, it is distorted and not true to ourselves. To rebuild your self-image, with intent, under the guidance of
Fear has many faces. Self-doubt, rationalisation, hiding, criticism, procrastination, perfectionism and whatnot. What’s worse, the voice of fear speaks in our heads as if it is on our side. It makes us believe that we have it in control. The role of a coach is to help someone face their fear and
Renew your vows. With your creativity. With the books you read. With the podcasts you listen to. With the people you serve. With yourself. — If you liked reading this, consider subscribing. If you are already a subscriber, do share with your friends.
Right in front of your eyes. Those are the things we are most likely to miss. When we see them, it seems so unlikely that we didn’t see them for so long. But as soon as we see them, they make all the sense in the world. A good way to build this skill is
Don't assume. We have a tendency to assume an understanding from the people we are close to. We think, yes, she’d understand. Instead of seeking permission from them, we take decisions on their behalf. Trust is very difficult to build and very easy to break. It’s important to respect the
The amygdala noun (plural amygdalae | əˈmɪɡdəliː | ) Anatomy a roughly almond-shaped mass of grey matter inside each cerebral hemisphere, involved with the experiencing of emotions. Physiologically, it’s the amygdala, the fear centre, that drives a lot of the actions that we are not able to comprehend. It is the animal brain,
Who's it for? Your work, who’s it for? Who is the one person you are serving? Is it the student or the parent? Because if it’s both, then you aren’t actually doing justice to any of them. You have to choose. A lot of people are serving the parent. Rarely
The perks of being stupid. When you are stupid, you can follow your heart. You can take risks, you can engage with possibility. You can raise your hand to bring about the change that you seek to bring. As creatives, we choose to be stupid over being smart every single day. — If you liked reading
The good fight. The good fight is hard. It needs patience, assertion, forward motion. We need to trust in ourselves, in what we are doing, in the universe. There is no room for doubt in the good fight. In the end, as Dhoni says, the one who panics last wins. — If you liked
Talk. Do not assume. Do not analyse. Do not have conversations in your head with imaginary people. If you want something, go and talk to the people. Listen to them. Understand them. But ask. And be assertive. So many people say no to themselves before anyone else does. — If you liked
Taking feedback is a skill. We are always ready to give feedback but taking feedback is a skill. It requires the generosity and empathy of listening to the feedback, understanding how it can help in our own context and feeling grateful for the entire process. In the moment, receiving feedback can feel like handling criticism,
Assumptions. It’s hard but it is always better to clarify whatever is ambiguous. There is a tendency to assume and just go with the flow. When we put things off for later, they tend to become worse. — If you liked reading this, consider subscribing. If you are already a subscriber,
Shipping is a skill. Shipping is different from merely creating. To ship means that you cannot work on that idea anymore, at least not on that version of that idea. Pressing the publish button on your blog or podcast, or the send button on your email means that the task is now shipped. It’
