Author: Rachit

Each day we learn and grow. I often find it amazing to learn about different perspectives. As I expand my horizon’s I am learning about seeing things from a value perspective. Too often I see things just at the surface level or take it for granted.

Recently I was debating about switching mobile providers. I thought to myself this time to look beyond the price and do some research on the company structure, network analysis, customer service, and a few other parameters. I was astonished to see the difference in approach and felt confident in making the switch.

I believe too often we need not look too far beyond the surface to find the deeper meaning. Value means so much more than money and in terms of value for value exchange, we have to do our due diligence.

There is a lot of background work that is never shown or taken for granted in many things that are part of our daily lives. The thing is that whether we realize it or not the work has been done. It is up to us to see the significance and decipher the meaning. From everything such as water pipe, road, ships, planes, the software we interact with, government institutions, it is time to be thankful and appreciate the value.

Lately, I have been taking the time to think and research about how to continually shift my perspective to look at the deeper meaning from the simplest decisions such as which coffee to drink to big decisions such as where one should live.

I get fascinated by the concept of how ships, planes, and spaceships get to their destinations. If we zoom out we can see how the vehicle took a certain path, however, when zooming in we can see there were so many minor corrections along the way to keep track of the destination.

Often times we need to have the bigger picture view of our life on a decade by decade basis to understand where we want to be in our life. Otherwise how we will know what course corrections to make if we do not know where we are going.

Recently in these last few months, there has been so much uncertainty and volatility in the financial markets. The hardest thing is sticking to the financial plan that you made earlier for the longer term. There are certainly opportunities to pivot and optimize in the short term but the overarching plan should be congruent with your goals in the long term.

We all know the saying, “This too shall pass”. I know that in good times and bad times nothing lasts forever. Every time an event or circumstance appears, there are lessons to be learned to grow as an individual. This helps us make the choices we do and to ensure we are thinking about the long term perspective as well.

These are uncertain times.

I have not seen such disruptive events in my life. I remember watching shows/movies that focus on such scenarios but never thought it is happening here and now.

My thoughts and prayers go out to all and hope for a resolution soon. Watching the news, hearing people’s stories, and positive actions show we are all working together and doing what we can to help out.

Reading my past posts and reflecting on this situation reminds me of the importance of remaining calm, practicing mindfulness, and embracing gratitude.

In reading about past world-altering events, I realize that we will overcome this. We may not know when but we will come through. This will cause all of us to think about how we make this world continually better.

Here we are in 2020!

The last decade has been a phenomenal growth phase for me, from graduating high school to university, travelling the world, and working. One thing that is for sure to remain throughout my life is constant change.

Through challenging times is where I grew the most. I welcome all experiences in the new year and new decade as that is the path to growth. From reading my self-improvement books to writing the first article on this website, it has been a good ride. The best part is we are all just getting started perpetually.

This new decade I will continue to build upon my ability to discern different opinions about events and can hear my inner voice louder.  To see things through different lenses and look at things from micro to macro perspectives. Understand others more as I can relate to more life experiences, build my compassion for others, and live in the present more.

I am excited to share my enthusiasm and optimism for this new year with you as it allows me to give more to the world as I better myself. There is so much dynamism in the world today and so many things to be looking forward to, from breakthrough technologies, global poverty and disease reduction, and general quality of life improvements.

Often I hear about being in the flow or just go with the flow. It seems like some generic line from a movie and I always wondered can there be such a sensation. Well, I am happy to report after extensive research both in knowledge and by the first-hand experience of visiting oceans, mountains, and serene places, yes you can be in the flow.
Let me breakdown the concept of what I think is Free Flow, the feeling of being in the know, letting go, and trusting the process.

Being in the know:

This comes from accepting responsibility in your life and by practicing excellent self-management.

Letting go:

This is a combination of ideas from stoicism and zen.

Trusting the process:

One might think that letting go and trusting the process are the same thing. Not quite as here I am referring to the concepts of universal good and submitting to a higher power.

After going the three stages I have experienced the euphoric sensation of free flow more often than I thought. Life throws curve balls at you and after facing challenges head-on and reflecting on the lessons, I can again go through the stages and work towards being in the “Flow”.

As I progress through life, my views change and naturally evolve. These last few weeks, they have primarily involved a renewed interest in stoicism as well as my primary life purpose of serving others.

I remember before I had these profound moments of being in the moment and realizing the vastness of it all. These moments were far and few in between and occurred when in nature. After practicing meditation, journaling, and general mindfulness I experience these moments more often.

Stoicism has always inspired me and calmed me at the same time with a central theme of focusing on only what is under my control. Understanding the concepts and the fact that over 2000 years ago people were grappling with the same issues as today is comforting. I have a deeper understanding of some concepts and as I gain knowledge it just makes me happier.

I feel as if in my mind I am thinking in terms of a giant 3D mind map of different life concepts. I zoom in and out on what knowledge I need and on what perspective each scenario requires. Then I take quiet time to just be in the moment and watch my thoughts go by. Each life concept gets worked on and new concepts are added or removed that no longer serve me.

My current understanding of my purpose is to learn lessons throughout my life and to give and receive love. Serving others and being useful to others is another key purpose. Providing value to others while at the same time striking a balance in my own life of self-worth and growth.