Here are some reminders especially now I’m turning 25. Heuristics to ensure peace. Constantly changing.

“Self-learning implies a fresh, eager mind - a mind that is not committed, a mind that does not belong to anything, that is not limited to any particular field. It is only such a mind that learns” - J.Krishnamurti

Work

1. Actions over words. Do your work well.
2. Escape competition through authenticity
3. Work smart (not hard)
4. Say less than you need to.
5. Operate within your circle of competence
6. Follow your genuine intellectual curiosity
7. Look for people with Energy, Intelligence and Integrity (Buffet)
8. Always ask questions. At school 24/7
9. Learn outside of your field. Having distinct subsections of knowledge is a man made construction. There is a unity of knowledge.It all inter-relates and mixes.
10. You can learn whatever you want on the internet. Information abundance, scarcity of desire to learn.
11. Internet allows for permission-less creation. The tools of creation and distribution have been democratised.
12. As always: you know nothing. Reason from first principles, and be aware of where you are not doing so.

Habits and Life

Habits are everything. They characterise the momentum of a life. As the adage goes:

intention becomes thought, thought becomes action, action becomes character, character becomes fate.

1. Discipline is overrated. Habits are far more effective.
2. You don’t rise to the level of your expectation, you fall to the level of your training
3. Compound interest is the 8th wonder of the world. Do it every day
4. Prioritise sleep
5. Eat well (plant based, fish, nuts, vegetables). Nutrition has a profound biological effect
6. Exercise and mobilise ( work on ensuring you maintain or improve range of motion)
7. Strength train : calisthenics is effective and minimal
8. Integrity above all.
9. Radical honesty. Be open about your faults, private about your successes
10. You are the average of the 5 people you spend the most time with.
11. Writing is thinking. Journal to know what you think. Journal to make important decisions
12. Information overload scatters attention. Be single pointed with attention whether doing a task or listening to a friend.
13. Read - people much smarter than you have thought about it.

Dating, Relationships, Communication

1. Core values of a partner have to align. Then the small things don’t matter
2. Unconditional love is not yours to receive. But free to give.
3. Judgement and comparison harm you first in every way. A hot coal you hold in your hand.
4. Don’t assume you understand the others viewpoint. Ask questions to make sure you do
5. As always, be open to learning here.

Self and Mind

Meditation is the most important skill I’ve learnt in these 25 years.

1. Be kind. Words do matter.
2. Accept. Life is a river of sensory information, largely up to your interpretation.
3. Create good stories.
4. Sit and listen closely to your mind. The thoughts, the undulations of the rustling leaves, feel wind blowing in between your fingers. Be curious. There is something profound here. It’s a different way of existing and relating to the contents of consciousness. Non dual awareness.

Grief, Death and Time

Losing the closest person in my life

1. Old age and death are an indelible aspect of existence.
2. Not ‘bad’, but the reality : ‘pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.
3. Grief : words can never explain a persons life.
4. Grief comes in waves. Rather than resist, be curious and look. What is it that causes pain? Potential futures. Reminiscing about the past. Both stories.
5. Time and attention are all you have. Allocate them well
6. Be grateful for the time you have. Everything is on loan.

Fun

1. We all need humour. Jokes, but never at the expense of another
2. Total immersion in Netflix binge’s
3. Long hair don’t care. Witcher goals
4. I’m hopeful for Gen Z. Tik tok is great

I’m sure I’ll look back on this and disagree/ cringe. But here is a snapshot of current 25 year old me

I used to be against taking pictures on holiday.

But that wasn’t it.

I was really against taking pictures and then spending time looking at them, rather than looking at the beautiful sunset, or hearing the subtle undulations of the breeze blowing through the trees.

Worse was taking pictures purely to post them to social media.

In that, there is a subtle loss. You are now living for the validation of another. Not taking the picture for yourself.

I now tend to just take pictures, and not look at them. Maybe afterwards, comb through them. But take and forget.

Otherwise it is like grasping at sand flowing through your fingers. The moment is gone, yet we try and hold on through captured photons etched on sensors.

We can take pictures, simply to take pictures.

Do and let go.

I enjoyed this video on how we should delete the majority of our photos:

Short post sparked by the restrictions on travel due to Coronavirus.

Many people are lamenting the fact that they can’t travel. It brings to mind a well known Zen thought : ‘Wherever you go, there you are’.

If you travel to the top of a mountain seeking peace, your mind follows. You can be restless regardless of location.

I’ve always thought that the most important journey’s in life don’t involve going anywhere physically.

Learning a language, learning an instrument. Writing a book. Reading. Sitting down and understanding your mind. Developing your physical capabilities. Connecting intimately with family and friends.

These are the real destinations. I have nothing against travelling, but due to modernity, it is easy.

Maybe in the past, travel involved a level of hardship. But nowadays, it is commoditised and glamourised in the pursuit of likes and retweets. There is a view that it expands you as a person. Maybe it does, but actually you do that yourself, regardless of the destination

I do want to travel. To seek new experiences. I think part of the value in travelling is spending 24/7 with the people you are travelling with.

But I think it is foolish thinking that you will get something out of it that you can’t get just alone. Learning to be alone is a skill. One that you can train. Once you can do this, you can share your life more easily with others.

I’ll end with this :

“If you have a garden and a library, you have everything you need” - Cicero.