Because it is possible.
I only recently realized that I’ve overcome great odds stacked against myself to live a happy and fulfilled life. Now it’s time to share my incredible transformation story with others that are struggling. Monday blues, struggling to get up early in the morning, and persistent confusion are things from my past. I love my life and work. I have a sense of purpose. And I’m happy. I wish the same for you, so I want to share my insights.
A casual mention of my self-guided meditation practice always generates a lot of questions from my friends: What exactly do you do? Do you feel any benefits? How do you keep yourself from thinking about different things?
After sharing my experience with a few friends, I decided to write about it here.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
-Reinhold Niebuhr
Here are some words of wisdom I turn to when I feel unmotivated.
Time is Not a Limitless Commodity – I so rarely find young professionals that have a heightened sense of urgency to get to the next level. In our 20s we think we have all the time in the world to A) figure it out and B) get what we want. Time is the only treasure we start off with in abundance, and can never get back. Make the most of the opportunities you have today, because there will be a time when you have no more of it.
-Jason Nazar, http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonnazar/2013/07/23/20-things-20-year-olds-dont-get/
The Iowa Gambling Task was a psychological experiment in which the participants were presented with four decks of cards that were turned over. Depending on the cards that they chose at the top of the deck, they either gained or lost money. The people who designed the experiment made some decks more rewarding than others, which the participants figured out over time. However, one of the interesting findings from the experiment was that long before they were fully aware of which decks were favorable or not (and quite early into the experiment), their bodies showed signs of stress as they chose the bad decks.
According to scientists, in the very early universe, there were particles, which became hydrogen atoms after protons were developed. (It makes sense, right? Hydrogen in its usual phase has a single proton.) When stars were formed, nuclear fusion caused hydrogen to convert into helium. During the later phases of stars, carbon was also formed from radioactivity. To make it a short story, all materials in this universe- including the things that make up humans- are born from stars.
The substance that we are made up of is actually ancient: they have been through five stars. (In case you didn’t know, stars are constantly being created and destroyed.) I know that perhaps it appears that I’m just repeating what Carl Sagan said, in a much less sophisticated manner, but I swear I thought of this before I knew about Carl Sagan!
