Reading in the feeble light of

a glowworm

Going through life with a frown are also no doubt bad

But they are not the worst

Most harmful to oneself is to reduce life to passivity

To lack intensity of desire

To bear everything

To become a creature of routine

Most dangerous of all is the death

of our dreams…

–The Most Dangerous

(A few paras translated by Tejwant Singh Gill)

Heya –
If you are an adrenaline junkie then one of the most dangerous thing that you can do is- stop learning. There is an obscure scientist with a crazy hairdo and a mustache. I’m certain that you wouldn’t have heard of him, he goes by the name ahem… Albert Einstein and he said – Once you stop learning, you start dying. Well, if it was good for him then it’s definitely good for us. And, I thought I will just talk about it here because I feel it’s important.

Do you remember calculus? The first derivative? Can you solve C = G + LT?

Huh! What has this to do with growth? Or, learning? Well, everything! It has the secret of your career success! Here’s a profound post to show you the power of constant learning and how it can accelerate your career. It’s a timeless classic by Eric Sink. Read it. You can thank me later.

Make 1 Percent Rule your mantra for life

Are you the victim of Winners-Take-It-All? Do you see inequality everywhere? Why? Why do a few people, teams, and organizations enjoy the bulk of the rewards in life? Small differences in performance can lead to very unequal distributions when repeated over time. Read this by James Clear to know why the margin between good and great is narrower than it seems. What begins as a slight edge over the competition compounds with each additional contest.

More evidence for 1 Percent Rule

Do you know how many years did Mozart wrote lyrics every day before becoming a master? Do you know how many years did Kurt Vonnegut wrote every day before publishing his best seller? Read this article by James Altucher. No, it ain’t about some teenage boy trying to make his relationship work & the girl being a bully. Well, I lie. It is kinda about that but then all of a sudden it hits you and convinces you that 1 Percent Rule could be a complete life changer. Go on, read it.

You had me at C = G+ LT. Now, tell me how to find the time to read?

Wow dude, that was easy! Well, if you have finally convinced yourself that constant learning is the drink of gods then this teaches you how to find the time to read and get completely intoxicated onyour growth.

Caution: Your side effects may vary

How do I make constant learning a habit?

Duh! And, I thought you would never ask. Well, the answer may surprise you – Deliberate Practice. Okay, I know. It really didn’t surprise you. But, there is a difference between regular and deliberate practice. While regular practice might include mindless repetitions, deliberate practice requires focused attention and is conducted with the specific goal of improving performance. Read it. Be ready to be surprised.

So, where should I begin?

I would say begin with believing in the growth mindset. There isn’t a better book than Carol Dweck’s Mindset – The New Psychology of Success. You can find a quick summary of the book here. Surprise! Surprise! It has the link to her wonderful TED talk as well.

Enuff about growth mindset, reading, and books

Maybe one of my all-time favorite timeless classic song by Pink Floyd could convince you to take charge and invest in a growth mindset. It has deep philosophical and meaningful lyrics. Here is the opening verse –

Ticking away the moments that make up a dull day
Fritter and waste the hours in an off-hand way
Kicking around on a piece of ground in your hometown
Waiting for someone or something to show you the way

Tired of lying in the sunshine staying home to watch the rain
You are young and life is long and there is time to kill today
And then one day you find ten years have got behind you
No one told you when to run, you missed the starting gun

To listen to the entire song – Time by Pink Floyd

Onwards and Upwards,
Tarun

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