Vision for Life

An exercise to see where you are in your life right now. What you were i.e roles you played in the past, what are you now ?, what you would like to be 5 years from now.

My Life Right Now

2008

• College Student
• Blogger
• Runner
• Lover
• Friend/Webmaster

2013

• Runner
• Speaker/Reader
• Entrepreneur 
• Traveler
• Financially Independent

2018

• Runner - Finish running a marathon in  50 States, 7 Continents
• Reader/Speaker/Writer - Finish writing a book
• Entrepreneur - A multi million dollar company that touches peoples heart and makes them happy
• Traveler - Travel atleast 100 countries of the world
• Stand Up comedian - Do some shows

Meaning of Life - It Is What You Make It To Be

Meaning of Life

It is what you make it to be

We are very small in the grand scheme of the things.

"Whatever You Do In Life Will Be Insignificant, But It's Very Important That You Do It Because Nobody Else Will." ~ Mahatma Gandhi

It could be an Endless quest without knowing what the quest is.  It is as realistic as it is imaginary.

It could be pre destined but you can change it.

May be Destiny is just telling you. It knows about you, It knows what you might do.

Weight Of Mountains - We Live and Die

"We live and die, may be we are reborn, it might take millions of years. Until then we are quiet, humbled, modest and haunted by absent things"



The Weight of Mountains

Gift - How Much Can You Give ?

Gift

Being rich is not about how much you have but about how much you can give

How Would the World Be If You Were Never Born ?

Adapated from the Short Story "The Greatest Gift" : "Its a Wonderful Life"

Wow. It's a great Movie. A gem.  A classic

Sometimes we take things for granted and not notice how we touch many lives and how the world is a better place because of us. This is a feel-good movie. Not only was it an inspiring movie for that generation which got over Great Depression. It is a timeless movie. Great  encouragement for this generation as well.

The last ending scenes of the movie are epic. I became so emotional when I first watched it.

Some of the quotes I like

• "Is he Sick ? No, he is Discouraged"
• "No Man is a failure, who has friends"

https://vimeo.com/113419668

How Will You Measure Your Life ?

On my way back from the India trip, I was waiting to board the flight to the states and had some calendar time to pass.

What did I do ? Just made my way to the book store. There were so many interesting books and I finally made the call on a book which was titled

"HOW WILL YOU MEASURE YOUR LIFE ?" 

- Finding Fullfillment Using Lessons From Some of the  World's Greatest Businesses

 by Clayton M. Christensen, James Allworth & Karren Dillon

It is a good book and helped pass some good time while posing some interesting questions and making me think

In Summary it talks about 

• Finding Happiness in Your Career
• Finding Happiness in Your Relationships 

How Motivation Factors will help you be motivated and love what you do as opposed to the hygiene factors which will get you a good paycheck not necessarily the satisfaction that we all crave for.

Motivation factors a.k.a Motivators 

-- challenging work

-- recognition 

-- responsibility 

-- personal growth

Good Hygiene factors will just stop you from hating your job 

Hygiene factors 

-- status 

-- compensation 

-- job security

-- work conditions 

-- company policies

-- supervisory practices

It focuses on having a deliberate strategy and balancing it with unexpected opportunities. A strategy would be a good intention if you don't allocate the energy and time to execute it.

Strategy is a combination of 

• Priorities 
• Balancing plans with opportunities 
• Allocating your resources 

Deliberate Strategy Vs Emergent Strategy

It asks you to spend more time with family and friends before its too late.

Purpose of Life : In Search of Happiness and Meaning to Life - Is that all What We Need/Want ?

I have read and thought about this topic profoundly  and the patterns I found could be  summarized into two

1.  "Happiness" and 
2.  "Meaning" for  Life

Happiness is an emotion. You have a need and when it is satisfied you are happy.  You are hungry, you eat, you feel satisfied/happy, you are exhausted, you sleep, you are happy. Human beings have needs/wants - they are satisfied and they are happy

 Happiness in the modern days could be mostly after material progress and on external (tangible stuff) or  occasionally through intangible feelings for that special someone who Completes You.  Either way it is an emotion which follows the law of impermanence which means it won't last forever.

So you adapt your brain and heart to deal with it  but "Meaning" on the other hand is something bigger than yourself.

Simply put while happiness could be taking, meaning is giving.  When you give/and are looking for something above and beyond you, that gives meaning for your life.

 I really like some of the examples in  the book "Man's search for meaning" by Victor Frankl where he mentions about how unhappy and painful a mother in labor is but it is the most meaningful thing for her life, giving birth to the baby.

As such Victor interviews people in the holocaust camp who don't know when they would die

one of the scientist says all he wants his research work to be published and that will bring meaning to his life

Another father says, if he can meet his son once before he dies that will bring meaning and purpose to his life and he hopes to meet him one day.

Victor Frankl mentions it is important to find meaning for life.

So did I find the meaning of my life ? Did you ?