Author: Rachit

Love the journey of life. Make peace with life and yourself.

Every few months I reflect on my life and think about how I have changed for the better. I have a few metrics that I track such as health, emotional, mental, financial, character, spiritual, career, and habits. As I make these self to self-comparisons I realize that often times you progress more in one area and others take a back seat. Over the course of the year, I try to balance all of the areas to reach overall yearly goals.

I have a bigger vision for my life and long-term goals however what amazes me is that how quickly certain circumstances quickly alter your life as you know it. These can be both good and bad and you have to accept them as part of life. Making the most of these circumstances and viewing them as opportunities for growth is the magic of life.

Living in accordance with your values and truly living for yourself is a lifelong quest. This really excites me as it forces you to be creative and look for opportunities that you never thought possible. Understanding that life is a gift and to use it for the greater good is the big picture concept.

By firstly making peace with yourself you can then focus on serving others in a meaningful way. Then by making peace with life and understanding the big picture, you can contribute to society at large through unconditional love, peace, and forgiveness.

The most rewarding part of life is definitely gaining awareness and the constant shift in your perspective.

Awareness of one’s self, as well as awareness of things around you, are a key part of life. Just knowing, understanding, and appreciating various aspects of life vastly improves the quality of your life.

The second related part of this concept is the in the ongoing development of the world and yourself which results in varied perspectives you have gained over the years. As you change, the world seems totally different than before.

I find this phenomenon of seeing things differently to be one of the most satisfying parts of life. The change in thought, attitude, and beliefs you have is serene. This gets me excited and motivated to constantly reinvent myself as well as continually question my existing notions of what I think is the right thought or way of doing things.

Imagine a rock and water flowing over it, under it, besides it, carrying it, and so many other ways water adapts. I never want a rock or challenge to keep me stuck in my ways, I want to flow around it with ease. Gaining awareness is that there may be rocks of different sizes along my path. Changing my perspective is realizing there will be many ways to flow over and around these various rocks.

Knowing what I want is only half the challenge, working backwards helps me fulfil my goals.

It is such a simple concept and yet difficult to implement in daily life. Understanding where I want to be in the next 5 years in terms of my health means I have to start developing healthy habits today. Planning and creating a vision for where I want to be is essential, however, it is the daily tasks I do each week that will get me there.

I find that all these small investments I make in my life to improve one area of my life all become interrelated as time progresses. Here are the simple steps I follow to work backwards:

1.      Think and plan on what I want to become for a future date

2.      Break down the steps on what I need to do in manageable chunks

3.      Be aware of new information/trends

4.      Reflect and change the plan or stay the course

5.      Review the steps and alter as necessary

6.      Follow the steps until the goal is completed

There is a large commitment required to follow the small steps as each one builds on the other and it is often easy to ignore them. When new information arrives it can be easy to abandon everything. When what you are working towards is challenged or no longer relevant, that is the most important time to get a hold of yourself.

This saying I read a few years ago resonates with me today, “If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there”. Now, I realize not only do I have to know what road I am travelling on but also to look ahead for roadblocks and always have alternative directions for my planned destination.

There are many thoughts racing through our mind everyday. Too often we just zig zag from one thought to the other. There are a few moments in the day where we have no thoughts and just focus on the present. I cherish these moments dearly.

For me, these zero mind moments happen when you are totally immersed in an activity such as swimming. My mind is empty and I am simply focused on the motions of the activity. Previously, I embarked on a practice of being calmer which has yielded great benefits. I now feel serene and have a greater satisfaction in life. I feel combining all of this with having more “zero mind” moments I can live with greater intention.

What a concept it is to think about nothing at all. You are present and nothing else. You are so involved in the task such as driving on a scenic road that you are there in that moment and only there, not lost in your thoughts. I remember getting inspired by this concept from a show that elevated my passion for cars. When you see a great musician play an instrument or you see a great sporting moment, you feel that wonder, clarity, and sense of being one with humanity. I want to experience more of these momments.

Acceptance and enjoyment is what I strive for.

Sooner or later I was bound to realize there is never enough, just constant flow. As life progresses from one stage to the next, when do you take a moment to look around and take this moment in?

Who defines if you made it or not? What if the bar keeps moving forward, how much are willing to give up to be on the edge?

Books, travel, and life experiences have taught me that this is it. My emotions and reactions is all I have in this world of constant change.

In this fast paced world of updates, connections, and notifications I have found peace. Everything is the same but I have changed, my perspective has shifted to contentment.

A deep satisfaction in my self and life. Filled with gratitude and optimism, I feel calm and relaxed. I have faith everything will work out and I trust the process.

Just a few years ago, I would have never have these thoughts or this zen attitude. It’s a blessing and I am excited to have embraced it.

This feeling of serenity is what I cherish the most, I feel free and liberated. Being humble, kind, and calm are my guiding principles.

What a feeling it is to accept yourself and enjoy your own company. Observing your own thougts and reflecting on them gets easier. The ease of swimming in your lane and not comparing with others. The satisfaction in knowing there is enough for everybody. Realizing that by knowing all this you already made it in life…

I’ve been fascinated by the power of economic freedom. The power of free markets, free trade, and private property. Only by researching and understanding the value of my freedom do I realize how thankful I am to live in the select few countries that believe in freedom.

The declaration of independence is one of the most inspiring documents I have ever known about. Just the fact that you are free to be what you want to be and to strive for your dreams. So many wars and lives have been lost for this privilege of freedom. How precious it is and yet often it is taken for granted.

Widening your perspective about the world through education and travel are great to gain appreciation. It is also easy to fall into a life of routine and not optimize the gift of freedom. As I gain understanding of the many gifts and privileges in my life by living in the first world, I become inspired to make the most of it.

The power of personal responsibility and freedom work together to make extra ordinary changes in your life and others. Just in the last 100 years, society has been transformed many times over. People before me have yielded the power to create the world I live in now. How are you and me going to use this precious gift to leave the world in a better place than we are in?

I yearn to make a large contribution to society to make it a better place through my economic freedom.

The transient nature of life is the catalyst for change.

I’ve heard this saying before that most people overestimate what they can do in one year and underestimate what they can do in ten.

Opportunities are everywhere. I never realized how much you can change over a short period of time and how the world around you is changing rapidly.

The only question is are you at the front of the pack embracing change or waiting for everyone to change. I remember hearing this quote before the best way to predict the future is to create it.

I get deeply inspired when I see a rocket take off, defying gravity and going into the unknown. Makes me think, what is my take off? What can I do to think big and go for it?

The only thing that matters is how willing you are to step up and take action. Ultimately you are responsible for your take off.