Saturday, February 7, 2015

Power of Introversion - The quiet ones - Life Positive Feb 2015

Read an excellent article in Life Positive today. Excerpts from the article is given below. For full article refer: http://lifepositive.com/quiet-ones/

Common introversion traits:
Introversion is marked by a number of different sub-traits:
•    Very self-aware
•    Gets drained by excessive crowds and small talk
•    Thoughtful
•    Enjoys understanding details
•    Interested in self-knowledge and self-understanding
•    Tends to keep emotions private
•    Quiet and reserved in large groups or around unfamiliar people
•    More sociable and gregarious around people they know well
•    Learns well through observation

Dreamers, thinkers and creators
That explains why some of the greatest minds and creative thinkers have been introverts. Albert Einstein, Issac Newton, Charles Darwin, Marie Curie, Warren Buffet, Steven Speilberg, Vincent Van Gogh, Mirza Ghalib, almost all spiritual masters, and many leaders and thinkers have been introverts.

Following their bliss
"Introverts seem to think more carefully than extroverts, think before they act, digest information thoroughly, stay on task longer, give up less easily and work more accurately.”-Susan Cain

“Since they prefer the inside world to outside stimulation, thankfully their need for fame, glamour and money is far less,” says Susan Cain, author of Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking.

“Many may secretly desire it…but it is not necessary that they would be comfortable handling the pressures that come with it. When they realise this, they mostly choose their private space to public glare,”

Innovative Leaders
Introverts seem to think more carefully than extroverts, think before they act, digest information thoroughly, stay on task longer, give up less easily and work more accurately.”

“I have naturally formed the habit of restraining my thoughts… Experience has taught me that silence is part of the spiritual discipline of the votary of truth. We find so many people impatient to talk. It is so much waste of time. My shyness has allowed me to grow. It has helped me in my discernment of truth,” said Mahatma Gandhi.

Know yourself
One of the most popular and perceptive tests is the MBTI test (Myers-Briggs Type Indicator), which determines types based on four parameters: introversion/extroversion, thinking/feeling, sensory/intuitive and finally, perceptive/judging.

Says Sheela Mendes, “It was only after I took the test that I realised that I was an introverted, intuitive, feeling, and perceptive type (INFP). As an introvert, I understood that depth was my strength, that my hold on facts and figures may be blurred, but my capacity to see the big picture was exceptional. I realised that I belonged to the category of visionaries, with a unique capacity to contribute to the world.”

Be in balance
Yet there is no such thing as a total extrovert and a complete introvert. We keep oscillating between the two swings of the pendulum. However for a healthy balance, both introverts and extroverts need to embrace their true leanings, while at the same time, overcoming their limitations. If an extrovert finds that his inability to go into the depth of the problem is coming in the way of his effectiveness, he needs to work on that part of himself until focus naturally becomes a part of who he is, instead of imposing it on himself. Similarly, if an introvert is hobbled by his lack of social skills, he can cultivate this as a natural extension of himself.

Full article at http://lifepositive.com/quiet-ones/

Sunday, September 14, 2014

9 to 5 Motivation - How to Love Your Job




 I read this in Reader's digest - Sep 2014. Found it very simple and useful. Attaching the same.

Friday, September 12, 2014

Keep Calm and Carry On

Stress is defined as mental agitations created by unfulfilled desires. When one has excessive desires or too many expectations from people and situations around them, then one invites a great deal  of stress into their lives.

Improving the quality of our desires reduces stress. One should try to avoid becoming a slave to desire. Instead, be a master of desire and live like a queen.

"You want your kids to be Einstein but don't forget they have your genes. Don't drive them bananas "

By - Jaya Row, Founder, Vedanta Vision
Read in India Today, September 2014. Page - 18

Learn to be gentle with yourself. Strive for inner beauty instead of only being concerned with outward appearances.
By - Sara Abdullah Pilot
Social Entrepreneur and Yoga teacher.

Sunday, August 17, 2014

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Life is easy. Why do we make it so hard? - TED Talk by Jon Jandai, TEDxDoiSuthep

Jon is a farmer from northeastern Thailand. He founded the Pun Pun Center for Self-reliance, an organic farm outside Chiang Mai, with his wife Peggy Reents in 2003. Pun Pun doubles as a center for sustainable living and seed production, aiming to bring indigenous and rare seeds back into use. It regularly hosts training on simple techniques to live more sustain-ably. Outside of Pun Pun, Jon is a leader in bringing the natural building movement to Thailand, appearing as a spokesperson on dozens of publications and TV programs for the past 10 years. He continually strives to find easier ways for people to fulfill their basic needs. For more information visit http://www.punpunthailand.org

TED Talk Link

Excerpts from Speech

  • True Civilization : four basic needs: food, house, clothes and medicine must be cheap and easy for everybody
  • But now, to be happy, we need to come back, to connect to ourselves again, to connect to other people, to connect our mind and body together again. So, we can be happy. Life is easy.
  • But, life is harder and harder. We make it hard for whom? We work hard for whom right now? I feel like it's wrong, it's not normal. So, I just want to come back to normal.
  • my life is easy and light now. my life is easy and light now. That's enough for me. People can think whatever they want. I cannot manage anything outside myself. What I can do is change my mind, manage my mind. Now, my mind is light and easy, that's enough. If anybody wants to have a choice, you can have a choice. The choice to be easy or to be hard, it depends on you.