People around you can teach you more than all your books
The simplest things you do in a day has more impact on you than you think. Simply because you do it a large number of times. Basically everything you do impacts how you will grow up. Your subconscious starts with an empty slate and learns from what you do consciously. This feedback is what makes practising something repeatedly a way to become a person you aspire to be. Our daily life consists of so many things. We do not think about each of them.
Our daily routines will teach sub consciousness things about us. So if you are eating wrong or walking in a weird way eventually your body will let you know but years later with an anomaly. Same way with your mind. If you are sad every day about something you are doing, or blind yourself from seeing something, you will grow up to be that way. It happens over years and we do not realise it happening.
Delay gratification. Put in the effort now for the future. Live everyday in a healthy way, you’ll be thankful years later.
Even though you might ‘think’ you are not that person, you acting like that will make you that person. Your daily routines are influenced by people around you too. You knowingly or unknowingly start to think like them and if you are not careful (and daring) you might become someone you didn’t want to be. You will learn to respect when you see people around you being respectful. If people around you are working their ass off, you will also feel that to be a norm and start working above your level and vice versa.
There is no future self. What you do now will decide what you will become in the future. So start acting exactly how you want to be. Don’t reason with yourself about present and future. Just be.
This is really important in a college or an office environment. Colleges are more energetic and everyone will be trying to prove a point and almost no one will know anything about being an adult. So colleges are ever evolving environment and have more margin for error. Offices are more difficult since either we start believing the current state to be the right way or no one wants to disrupt the way things are going on. You can only present yourself honestly. Connect and communicate sincerely so you end up with the right kind of people.
You have to make sure you absorb the best things. There is no point in regretting your time at a place later on.
You are the average of your closest friends or the ones you interact regularly. I do not intend to choose friends based on their abilities. But, I chose to grow myself constantly. It helps to put yourself in places where people around you are an inspiration to do things better. Live among people who do things differently and if there is something worthwhile, pick up those practices.
When I studied at a tuition where we had to clear an exam to get admitted, I thought the teacher wanted to teach to only the smartest kids. Only later, I realised that the smartest kids push each other and all of us rise above together. There was a kid who could recite the entire periodic table with all sorts of values. I felt totally discouraged. I knew it wasn’t impossible. He was also a kid of my age. I realised I hadn’t planned on working that hard. It was a whole new way of looking at challenges. I had to be in that tuition to realise it first hand. Just theoretical knowledge won’t suffice. Studying in a good university or working abroad will provide an opportunity to learn and live among high performing individuals. If you are looking for life lessons, living among monks will teach you more about life than any book.
There is no pleasure more than the one of good company and perfect human connection. We usually pick things we like from other people and create a personal version of it in our life. You may know a lot of things that will improve your life. But, once someone in your circle starts doing certain things it will gain a whole new value. If 4 out of your 5 colleagues work out, you will also gain interest in exercising. Even though you knew all along exercising and healthy food is a must for a productive and high performing life. It is important to show interest in what people around you are doing to gain advantages in life. Everyone will have their own priorities and connecting this way will expose you to things people are doing and the issues they are solving. This is life knowledge and the best way to collect this knowledge is from other human beings.
It is important to show interest in what people around you are doing to gain advantages in life. People are getting entire body health checks done so you know what issues you may encounter in the future. A few of my friends collect old coins, so that may be an antique collectible in 20 years. You should drink water sitting down and not standing up, I’m not gonna explain why but you can feel your nervses more settled when you are sitting. You can find the ones that will have meaning and importance only after you go through a lot of these. So start participating in other’s lives for no one, but you.
This is why I want to live in Japan.
There are thousands of reasons to live in Japan. I want to live there because they try to create a social space that is harmonious and accommodating. Road crossing, footpaths, metros all expect you to follow certain simple yet effective social systems. Everybody sacrifice a little so everybody else has a pleasant experience. I want to live in Japan and absorb those traditions of respect and discipline. When you respect everybody, you cannot put yourself against the crowd. By practising a little self-control, you can define a great experience for everyone. I have never been to Japan, so I am not commenting on the country as a whole, but only on the aspects that they are known for. Japan is one experience I crave the most. The Japanese expect you to walk on a certain side of the road and behave a certain way in public places. The philosophy of Japanese life is expected to be acted out and not just preached. There is no freedom for one person. But freedom for all.
Living like that might seem absurd for an Indian since we have almost no system to improve the social experience. This affects us more deeply than we think. Someone who drives every day in India will become aggressive over time. If you do it for such a long time in your life, you will become an aggressive person. I could be calm in India too, but when you live in a society where most of them are living peacefully (even though because of a system) you can be sure there is something you can learn.
Connect with people around you. Learn from them. Absorb the best things people are doing. Knowledge in the form of life experience is the highest form of knowledge. Do not let your lazy monkey mind reject anyone or any thoughts. Try to learn about people you don’t vibe with. Everyone is working on something, that is human by definition. You can only get the most out of your surroundings if you take part in it.
Thank you for reading. if you have any thoughts please comment below.
Have a great one. Bye.
