Greetings!
Welcome to this edition of the Voyages of Discovery Newsletter, the newsletter that is all about you and your voyages of discovery of your genius. If you missed our previous newsletters, get them here from our archives.
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Capture your ideas forever
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Turning wishes into action and results!
Capturing Mechanism
Ideas pop up at all times. They actually pop up most times when you are not ready for them. And since you are not ready for them they are gone faster than they came. The mind is a metronome of thoughts, sentiments, hopes, frustrations, fears and yes ideas. Ideas mill around in your head all the time. However, the early bird catches the worm. You need a system to bag them, capture them forever in your idea bank. If you have one. The tragedy most times is not that you do not generate enough ideas but that you have not established a mechanism to recognize their coming and add it to your idea repository.
All this happens because you have no time for anything other than your daily rigmarole - wake up, dress, have breakfast (if you are fortunate,otherwise even this is sacrificed), take train, drive car, walk whatever may be your mode of transport and then you lose yourself in the mire of work. The only time you pause and look up is when it is time to head home. Then the evening rituals happen - reach home, change, have dinner, watch television (if you are fortunate to reach home early enough) and then thank god for that, go to sleep (again if you are lucky, otherwise many of us forsake that critical period of relaxation as well). No wonder ideas have no chance. They are hardly in your scheme of things in life. And so many an idea dies an ignominious death at the hands of your punishing daily routine. When the weekend comes you are so drained that you do not want to do any thing at all - just laze around and wait for Monday morning to arrive and the vortex starts operating again.
Breathing Space
Ideas need breathing space. Just like you need oxygen, they need too. They need it even more than you do. For the brain needs to absorb and assimilate. And for that the most critical component is time. You need to give time to your brain to sink its teeth into the idea and then come up with aha moments. And believe me, if you give the brain that much needed time space it will deliver. Alas, however, how can you give something which you yourself do not have! Time is your most critically wanted element. And so the idea which could have taken off stratospherically (we are talking about potential here) actually gets buried in your mundane schedule. What an opportunity and what a waste of that opportunity! No, I am not some doomsday merchant who peddles melancholy! I am only highlighting what could have happened.
The Capture
And so, let me prove that I just don't carry miserable news but can actually suggest something constructive. So, here goes.
Your phone is these days an extension of your arm metaphorically speaking. And irrespective of whether you are a patron of Apple or Google or Microsoft (the three top guns peddling mobile Operating Systems), you will find in their offerings of a smartphone something like Note Pads or Sticky Notes. In fact, you are likely to be inundated by the embarrassment of variety on display.
Pick one App in that category (you should find it in Productivity). If you are an Apple junkie (no, that term is strictly meant to denote a fan and not an individual given to smoking other than conventional cigarettes), pick one app called Notebooks. It costs US$ 6 for an iPhone version and US$8 for an iPad version. There are hundreds of other FREE Notes Apps which you can also choose. The reason I am recommending Notebooks is its chameleon qualities. It can sync seamlessly between your iPhone, tablet and notebook to boot and can generally do everything from creating a simple text note all the way to a web page with images and text. In fact, all my Newsletter articles (like this one) are written from my iPhone.
Anyway getting back to taking notes, get into the habit of capturing thoughts as soon as they germinate - just scribble a couple of keywords to trigger you later when you take a look at it again. That is all is needed. The brain is a marvel at recognizing patterns and picking up related stuff and those keywords will set it buzzing but the crucial thing is to capture them. Reviewing them regularly comes later.
Let me leave you with this thought.
In all your frenetic lifestyle, you should set aside a morsel of time to capturing your thoughts and ideas.
You owe it to yourself to reach that "aha" moment.
It may well be life changing - for you and the world at large.
Leave your comments about this article by clicking here.
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| Are You always playing safe? |
Is risk taking anathema for you?
Avoiding risk
Childhood was adventurous. Your mind knew no boundaries. There was nothing you could not do. You were afraid of nothing. You just went and did it. You were a risk taker. Contrast that with your approach as an adult. Are you always playing safe? The word "risk" is alien to you. You fear it. You have no inclination to stick your neck out on anything. In short, you have settled into a cozy comfort zone. Welcome to the world of brain atrophy. Use it or lose it. The more you are going to exercise some risk taking (I am by no means suggesting impromptu quasi maniacal activities like bungee jumping, drag racing, sky diving or even jumping off cliffs!!), the more your brain is going to provide new avenues and fresh inspirations.
Childhood Vs Adult Activities
Hark to your childhood days. Treading the unknown was an every day activity. The brain was buzzing with new stimulation.
Try this for yourself. Compare your activities during childhood Vs as an Adult.
Many years back I created an interesting Mind Map for myself on this comparison. I used the activities that as a child I regularly indulged in and then compared it to the ones as an adult and I was astonished at the results. I am giving below the dominant activities in my case.
Do one for yourself. You may be shocked too.
Dominant Childhood Activities
Drawing (Sketching, Painting)
Outdoor Activities (games, sports)
Reading
Music
Dominant Adult Activities
Eyes glued to Computer Screens
Watching Television
Almost zero outdoor activities
Reading (see explanation below)
Stark Contrast
As a school boy I loved sketching and painting. I particularly adored cartoons. The characters seemed larger than life. I had sketched every single Walt Disney cartoon character and colored them with felt pens. My sketch strokes were fluid and smooth. To this day I carry those pieces of treasure. They remind me of a drawing skill that I today find almost impossible to believe I have. This is reinforced by the fact that today I find it hard to draw a straight line without it looking like the meandering of the mighty Colorado river cutting through Grand Canyon. Moreover, today my hands are not as steady and sure, there is hesitation there. All this points to the irrefutable fact that I had let that skill dissipate with disuse. As said before, with the brain, it is Use it or Lose It!
Outdoor activities
When I was in school I was never home. After school and on weekends I used to play, walk, roam around without a purpose (a fantastic source of inspiration for the brain) and generally stay out. I came home more or less only to have my meals and sleep. I had tons of friends with whom I shared my love of the outdoors and adventure. Today, I am barely outdoors other than my gym schedule and the weekend dinners out or visits to the mall. I cannot even remember vaguely when I last played a game or sport for a continuous period. And of course, I was now spending more and more time staring at either a computer screen or watching television. Don't get me wrong. There is nothing wrong in either of the activities. They can be educational too. But they are a stark contrast to my childhood days. Think back, you may have a similar story. If you have managed to be active and sustain your childhood insouciance, consider yourself blessed.
Reading
Reading was another area where I found great differences too. Childhood saw me devour fiction books at such a pace that it landed me with prescription glasses caused by reading in poor light and in all types of contortion that the human body can achieve. I still read voraciously but my reading focus has shifted dramatically. I rarely read fiction and now my reading is about metaphysics, philosophy, psychology, self improvement, brain potential and so forth.
Music
In music too my tastes have undergone great changes. I now listen to instrumentals more, soulful and motivational songs. It is as if that carefree personality who used to love scintillating and often loud music has mellowed down to more earthy choices and sedate melodies.
What a shame! In many ways, these are a reflection that creativity and risk taking have deserted us as we grow into adults. Remember what Pablo Picasso said: "We are all born a genius but how long we remain so after becoming an adult is the question."
I suppose to a certain extent you cannot always be like the child you were. But there is absolutely no need to let go of that brain neuron enhancing attitude towards life that you had as a child. You can celebrate life for that does not need to change. But you will clearly notice that as you grew from child to adult, the magnificent is replaced by the mundane, risk by restraint, joy by conservatism. It is as if you are born again.
If you are to regain some if not all of that amazing childhood sangfroid, you need to do some introspective soul searching.
Let me leave you with this thought:Is this what your life was meant to be? Are you celebrating life or are you merely existing? Hark back to the nectar of your childhood. It will galvanize you into action if not risk taking. Life will be an adventure worth living! Leave your comments about this article by clicking here.
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| Next Issue (see you in May 2013) |
 | | The road to your passion |
Design is ubiquitous. It touches all facets of your life and every waking moment. Read why and how.
Imagine having the capability to paint like Picasso. No honest? You can! Find out how.
and many more......
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