5MB #2: The Favourite Disciple And Other Reflections.

Ideas for transformation!

5 IDEAS FOR A BETTER YOU

Productivity

The comfort zone is the worst zone to be in while living life or pursuing a career.

Because it stagnates you. You stop growing. You take things for granted.

Stepping out of the comfort zone and embracing constant discomfort has always been the first step towards success.

Never arrive. Be always a work in progress!

Fitness

Count nutrients on your plate instead of calories. This is a simple hack to eat right.

If you count only the calories, you may end up eating empty calories devoid of nutrition.

When you become nutrition conscious every time you eat, you lay the foundation for a healthy and fit life.

Health and fitness start with the foods you eat every day. Physical workouts and mental conditioning work as a force multiplier! Without the right eating, they cannot do any good.

Mental Health

No one is immortal. Everyone has to die after a few years of existence.

Remind yourself of this fact daily. It will relieve you of many mental agonies of modern life.

There is no point in getting attracted to the chimera of self-importance. Your existence is temporary.

It is better to focus on living each day and make the most out of it. Without bothering about what everyone else is up to!

Personal Finance

Wealth is not created with income. You can earn and spend it all.

It is always created with saving. You must consciously keep your expenditure significantly below your income.

Focus on saving and you may end up creating significant wealth even with a reasonable income.

Habit Building

Nothing is tough or easy.

Tough things become easy when repeatedly confronted by enabling habits!

Easy things become tough when enabling habits are forgotten.

Your habits eventually determine your ability.

1 INSPIRATION TO CHARGE YOU UP

This is a lovely tale with a big message from Indian mythology.

Once Narada Muni asked Lord Vishnu, “I am your biggest disciple and yet at the door of your temples there is a statue of Garuda.”

Suddenly a noise was heard.

Lord Vishnu said, “Narada, please check out what has happened. Since I had sent Garuda for some other work, you will have to find out the cause of the noise.”

Narada rushed out and came back after a few minutes. He said, “A milkmaid fell on the road and her pots containing milk were broken.”

Lord Vishnu asked, “What was her name?”

Narada once again rushed out to find.

He came back and said, “Sharda.”

Lord Vishnu asked, “How did she fell down?”

Narada again rushed out to find.

He came back and said, “A snake came in front of her and she panicked.”

Lord Vishnu had another question.

“Has all her pots containing milk been broken?”

This time Narada became angry and said, “You go and find out yourself. I have already gone out so many times.”

Lord Vishnu smiled and said, “Narada, please go and find out. I will buy her milk.

Narada again went out to find.

He came back and said, “Two pots have broken. She can sell the milk of the remaining pots.”

“At what price will she sell?” Lord Vishnu asked.

“I didn’t ask that. Let me go again,” Narada said with an irritating face.

At that moment Garuda came back. He was unaware of all that happened in his absence.

Lord Vishnu stopped Narada and asked Garuda to find out the cause of the noise heard sometime back.

Garuda returned in a few minutes and said, “A milkmaid named Sharda fell on the road when a snake came in front of her. Two of her pots were broken. Now she is worried. I told her to sell the remaining pots to you. You are the husband of the Goddess of money, Laxmi.”

Lord Vishnu smiled and asked, “At what price will she sell the milk?”

“4 copper coins,” replied Garuda.

Lord Vishnu smiled and started looking at Narada. By now, Narada had understood why there is a statue of Garuda on the door of any temple of Lord Vishnu.

Here is a big lesson: You become valuable to someone when you can anticipate what they may think and need, and then ensure that you provide them with the bulk of that information in one go. Your boss will also love a person like Garuda.

1 THING YOU MUST TRY NEXT WEEK

For next week, try working a fixed schedule. Let’s say finish your workday by 6 PM.

No exceptions. Plan your workday in such a way that you stick to the 6 PM close.

If you can do it for a week, I can bet your productivity will significantly go up because you will be forced to concentrate more during the day by minimizing distractions.

And once you can do it for a week, you will have many reasons to stick to it on most days. You will start saying 'No' to many time-killer tasks and activities.

Try it!