May 2024

The best gift your environment could give you

Self / /

There is a TED talk that discusses the fact that we are a product of the 5 people closest to us. And I believe that there is much truth to that. Because we all live in our own bubble. And the people you interact with the most, determine what comes into your bubble. In hindsight, being aware of this could be the best gift your environment could give you.

Show me your friends, and I’ll show you your life

I’m not convinced that the people closest to you determine who you are but they influence your life and habits. There is a quote that says: “Show me your friends and I’ll show you your life”. The question remains: “How much of what we want is determined by our environment?”. Throughout our day we move on auto-pilot. For example, you probably don’t even remember your commute home. And once you become comfortable with the people in your life, you become numb to the situations they bring into your life.

Moving to a different environment

One great way to test how much of what we want is determined by our environment is to travel. When you move to a different city or county by yourself, you are on your own. The people back home won’t see all the decisions you make. As a result, you have to make decisions solely for yourself. And it might turn out that you make different decisions once your environment does not surround you. Also, you get to step out of your comfort zone and try new things. You might have to get to know new people. So you join a club for a sport you already play (or want to learn). You try a new hobby you’ve always wanted to try. When I moved to New York City, I loved that I could create a completely new circle with all my new interests.

Realizing when to let go

Trevor Noah said it best in an interview (see clip below). He said that safety belts on planes are there to protect you on-air. But once you land, it is keeping you from exiting the aircraft. The same holds true for people in your life. After a while, you outgrow people and environments and when you hold on to those things, you are basically holding yourself back. Read more here

Source Image: Unsplash, Ben Stern

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Why ownership of your life can improve the quality drastically

Business / /

In the previous post, we discussed why life is a never-ending journey. Now that we know that, we can make decisions accordingly. Some people might not realize that their life changed and they continue doing the same things. But rather, when you take ownership of your life, the quality of your life improves drastically.

Where are you headed?

Life is made up of infinite possibilities. The only question is … Where are you headed? Have you decided where you are going? Or have you let other people decide for you? Right now, is the time to take action. There is a great quote from the book “Whatever you think, think the opposite” 

Everything we do we choose.
So what is there to regret?
You are the person you choose to be.

Ready, set, action!

The pressure to choose the right path can feel heavy whenever we need to decide what’s next in our lives. For me, at least, it did. Especially as an adult, you feel like you have to make the right decision straight away. But the truth is that you can change your mind as much as you like and that there is no “one right career path”. The right path will be made clear once we take steps in any direction. I’m simply asking you to make a decision and reflect along the way.

Source Image: Khyta

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Keep putting in the hard work

Self / /

In life, it is good to have goals. Because that’s how we get out of our comfort zone and grow. But the downside of it is that it gets really quiet after we reach a goal. You might think that when you have reached a goal, your life is awesome. Well, let me tell you… it’s not. Because to me life is constantly about evolving.

Keep putting in the work

Life is no bus stop where once you get off the bus, you sit on the bench and do nothing all day. Rather, I would say, that life is like a commute where you get off the bus and have to walk a couple of blocks to reach your destination. And after a few hours, you probably have to commute to another location. It is a constant event. And there are two ways to look at this. One perspective is to think: “This whole life thing is tiring because I constantly have to create and reach new goals”. Another perspective is to think: “This whole life thing is great because now I have a chance to make adjustments that align with my view for the future”.

Life can shift your perspective

Suppose you read the previous paragraph and think: “Well my life has been pretty much the same for a couple of years and I’m fine with the way it’s going”. That is great! But I also have to tell you that any big event can flip your whole life upside down and might even change your perspective. For example, you might experience loss or you might get into an accident and as a result, you have a long recovery ahead. This could change your future plans and even make you reconsider your identity. This way you have to reinvent yourself in a way and evolve.

Stop and smell the roses

Now I might not have the most productive way to tackle all those pivots that can occur, but personally, I found that just being mindful of the fact that the work is never done is really helpful. And also, stop and smell the roses. We can get so caught up in improving habits by 1% each day or chasing goals that we forget how great life is. A big part of evolving is rest, so enjoy what you have now and look forward to all the things that are on their way to you.

Source Image: Gaurav Baya

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