Archive for the ‘ goals ’ Category

The funnest thing about procrastination

So exams are now over, I am free to spend all hours of the day dedicated to whatever activity I want. All those activities that were so urgent during study can now be finally attended to.

But they no longer are urgent.

In fact there is nothing except the desire to be lazy. Where 1 week ago it was killing me that I couldn’t go outside, now there is no reason to really want to. During the exams the only reason that going for a skateboard seemed so important was because I wasn’t allowed to go skateboarding.

And that is why procrastination is such an awesome tool for productivity. It makes you want things that normally you wouldn’t care for, cleaning the room or fixing the computer are boring but when compared to working they seem like the most fun-filled way to spend the day.

If only there was a way to harness this motivation and apply it when it is actually needed.

2012
06/22
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goals
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Sleeping Patterns

You don’t have Insomnia, you have a messed up sleeping pattern.

I’ve had a pretty messed up sleeping schedule for some time now and last week I tried to fix this. I set an alarm for 6am and then another at 7.15. I would be woken up by the first alarm then I would let myself sleep the extra hour after getting a glass of water. Being awake I reckon was enough to slowly acclimatize myself to one day actually getting up at 6am.

In 4 hour body there is a section completely dedicated to getting a perfects night sleep which I’d read. However I believe it is more simple than that. Just forcing myself up early enough means I was actually tired when I go to sleep, which makes all the difference (Also some stuff on getting sunlight).

This was going great, I actually was feeling good during the day and having no problem sleeping. Then work got the better of me. I got home at 2am one night then the next few I was up until midnight. So I reverted back to my bad ways.

I’m going to start again tonight because waking up early has so many benefits. It feels like the day is wasted when you sleep in and over sleeping makes you drowsy.

This method worked almost instantly, however I don’t really know how to work around the late nights at work.

2012
06/13
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Quantitative stuff

A high school graduation speech where students get told they are not special. The one quote that stood out for me is:

even if you’re one in a million, on a planet of 6.8 billion that means there are nearly 7,000 people just like you

This is a very humbling idea, there is never a time where you should become complacent because somewhere in this world is someone who is equally skilled but has committed themselves to doing better.

It also compares you to the statistical anomalies in the world’s population. Most of the time you just look around at your peers and compare yourself to them. But the truth is that you share the same tiny blue planet as these greats and history will only remember the greats.

Remember that guy that gave up? Neither does anyone else

Guaranteed in this population is someone who was born in the ideal conditions, is superior genetically, is incredibly hard-working, and has seized every opportunity thrown their way. This person is certain to do great things. They will change the world for the better and will go down in history. Da Vinci and Einstein are examples of this.

Statistically there will always be the person that is  1 : 6,700,000,000 and that person will always leave a mark on the world.

Even the person coming 100th will do great things.

When you start comparing yourself to these people you immediately realise you need to lift your game.

2012
06/11
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Future
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High and Low Forms of Pleasure

Just finished reading Ikigai. I found that it is a book with awesome ideas but it was definitely preaching to the choir in my case. Anyway this one part on High and Low forms of pleasure got me (quote from the blog post itself):

I do differentiate personally between “low happinesses” and “high happinesses” – this isn’t ultra-scientific, just how I personally think about it. Low happinesses like contentment, sensory pleasure, etc… I don’t think those are important to pursue.

High happinesses – triumph, camaraderie, epiphany, wisdom – those I think are worth pursuing.

Genius

One of my mates keeps saying that heroin dumps the same hormone you get when you reach orgasm.. except at 100x the dosage. I guess that saying affected me differently to what he meant; I took it that if you care so much on getting laid why not just do drugs instead (Note: I love sex, I think putting heaps of effort into getting it is stupid). This concept in Ikigai perfectly explains why, it is such a low form of pleasure.

I love achieving goals. I love progressing at the gym, both in the mirror and on paper. I love that feeling when you catch an amazing wave. I love solving a difficult problems. I love learning. These are higher forms of pleasure.

And the funniest thing about higher forms of pleasure is that they shape you into an even better person.

<<<<<

2nd Note: Don’t do drugs

 

 

2012
06/10
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books
Future
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bad people

Another good book is Crucial Conversations. The author explained this one interesting point about frames of mind really well. Essentially saying:

“Villainous people do not exist, also you are not a victim. These 2 concepts are simply frames of mind utilized by individuals that make excuses for not achieving.”

Now don’t take that literally; some people in this world are bad, also some people get treated really unfairly. But in a developed society it is more common for people to blame others rather than accept responsibility.

Bad people are rare and a good proportion of these ‘bad’ people are simply regular human beings in bad situations (A product of their environment).

Anyway the idea is that anytime you start blaming someone else for your problems stop and walk in their shoes for a little bit.

2012
06/09
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Self Taught Education

So in coming to the end of my “Schooling” (Note: I will probably be back) I realise that much in the world I should be able to learn without a teacher or a mentor (With a few exceptions).

I never wanted to pursue an education in IT because I assumed that I could teach myself much of the content (It’s working pretty good so far) and this has extended to many other areas. I have learned that Wikipedia and similar sites are a tremendous gift and that Google is an omnipotent being.

However there is one area that interests me but is very daunting. This is mathematics, I did well but not great when studying maths in high school, further in IT and accounting there are some basic mathematic skills required. But the area of Pure Mathematics is something of a black hole.

I would really like to learn more about this,

Strategy:

  • Find some Good general books on mathematics.
  • Find some Good lecture notes (Provided by online university).
  • Use Khan academy to develop basic skills some more.

I have already found some books and notes that I think would be useful but I need to look more into it.

Challenge Accepted!

2012
06/02
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goals
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Happiness and minimalism

There is this TED talk about synthesized happiness, it talks about how you can be equally happy without something as you would be with something and I like it a lot. The simple idea is that materially receiving something (Or losing something) only gives you a temporary boost in happiness. Who knows this best?

“Buddhist monks, they live off nothing and are always happy.”

Minimalism is the idea that you should disregard consumerism, learn how to differentiate between actual needs and stuff you just really want. In fight club his apartment explodes, he is left only with his one suitcase with 6 shirts. This is what its like to become a minimalist (But due to synthesized happiness it becomes a good thing).

I acknowledge that I have too much crap, and the worst thing about consumeristic behaviours is that it is expensive.

“The best things are free”

but there are some areas which are good not to skimp out in. Food and experiences.

Buying good food makes you healthier, makes you feel better etc. Experiences broaden your horizons, give you stories, develop you etc.

So eat better food, spend less money on consumeristic crap, work less because you don’t need as much money, then use the extra time you have and experience the world. This is my strategy to maximize happiness.

2012
05/21
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goals
philosophy
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Practice

If I miss one day of practice, I notice it. If I miss two days, the critics notice it. If I miss three days, the audience notices it”. (Ignacy Jan Paderewski)

I heard this quote when I read The Talent Code and then noticed it’s effect when I wrote my last post. I fell off the wagon again and hadn’t written in ages, partly because assessment tasks were weighing me down, partly because I got sick. But when I went to write again the words didn’t flow well; now writing this is really forced.

The explanation behind this has to do with how the human brain works. Brains are incredibly adaptive and can learn patterns in even the most abstract situations if practiced enough. Writing is a perfect example of this, however if you stop practicing the connections that your brain has made immediately begin to deteriorate.

There are some skills that take forever to lose (Riding a bike) however if your skills become so finely honed that your brain can make sense of the most chaotic of situations (In professional athletes) then all it takes is a single day off for the skill to decline.

The only upside is mental attitude is under your control. If you do something once you will rarely tell yourself that you can’t do it again, even if out of practice.

2012
05/14
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goals
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Success

There are many books that are inspired by Malcolm Gladwell’s book Outliers (The Talent Code is a good one) and it’s easy to see why. Almost immediately after reading it I came to this conclusion; being super successful isn’t decided by a single factor, rather EVERYTHING gets taken into consideration.

Whatever the field, be it multi-billionaires or super athletes or winners of the Nobel Prize, every super successful person was given every advantage possible AND pushed themselves hard and far.

This may seem against the grain because opinions (On success) are normally one way or the other (Either Hard work or Luck).

The best example I can think of would be Bill Gates, his success was brought by incredible luck (Down to being born at the right time), but that luck would have been useless had he not spent his time at college programming 16 hours a day (Read Outliers for more info).

My interpretation is that if you have the opportunity DO NOT MISS IT. But also working super hard towards something is a long shot.

Now this realisation is a little depressing to me as I used to think you could always make a name for yourself by working hard enough but.. it is reassuring that in 30 years time we will all be replaced by robots anyway.

2012
04/10
CATEGORY
Financial
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Becoming a Man of Knowledge

I have a tiny interest in the story of Don Juan, so when I came across The Teachings of Don Juan I naturally was pretty interested. Little did I know this book had absolutely nothing to do with the Libertine who seduces women but rather was a story about an apprentice learning the ways of a Mexican shaman. The book is an amazing piece of work that although has been proven to be fiction comes across as a legitimate recount of the authors experiences. But the book is divided into 2 parts, the first is his diary like notes and the second is his interpretation of his apprenticeship.

The second part greatly fascinated me, a couple of the concepts he put forwards are (not all of them):

  1. Anyone can become a Man of Knowledge if they overcome 4 obstacles
  2. A Man of Knowledge uses the help of “Allies” who allow him to accomplish greater feats than what is possible alone.

Although a Man of knowledge is a temporary perfection the 4 obstacles are:

  1. Fear: scares an apprentice away from knowledge.
  2. Clarity: At this stage there is a false sense of what is, it causes one to rush when patience is needed and vice versa.
  3. Power: after overcoming the first 2 obstacles you will have gained some form of power, this power corrupts.
  4. Old age: the desire to rest that results from seniority must be overcome.

Then you will gain powerful insight, note that this perfection will only last momentarily. Then the struggle must continue.

The second concept, about allies, is interesting. In the book the allies are drugs that brought the protagonist to non-ordinary realities, however if you extend the concept they could be many things. Essentially there is the limits on what is humanly possible but anything that forces you beyond this limit is an “Ally”.

And to become a man of knowledge you must utilise these allies.

The other thing I found interesting is about life pathways. All pathways lead to death, the only difference is that some have a “Heart”. Whether a path has heart is for the person following it to decide, if the answer is no then they must stop following the path immediately.

 

2012
03/12
CATEGORY
books
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