2011 has been an eventful year, both globally and personally. With major
global events like the Arab Spring, Occupy Wall St and the death of
both Gaddafi and Osama, one thing is clear - 2011 was a year of people
crying out for change. We see not only a lot of unhappy people,
but also, more importantly, the desire for people to fight for what we
believe in, in order that we may see our vision of heaven eventually
reach earth. It may be unlikely to happen in our generation, but I'd
like to think we are beginning to finally believe again that it is
indeed possible, and we are taking steps towards making that dream a
reality.
Personally, I have been phenomenally fortunate not only to have had a breadth of experiences this year, but even more importantly to meet and spend time with most of you. I started this year off at a wonderful meditation camp in picturesque South India, and that tranquil state was also evident over the next 5 months in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, as well as the tropical tiny islands with untouched beaches, looking out into seas of turquoise radiance. But before I knew it, this peaceful lifestyle transitioned with 2 months of hectic travel across Asia, before I had to re-adjust to the ever-changing 'civilized' world at grad school in the US. While I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with an array of experiences that allow for rich opportunities for personal growth, they come hand in hand with steep challenges. In particular, I feel that a main challenge many of us are facing, is one of balance - how to maintain equipoise, especially in a confusing world that is moving so quickly that we are bombarded with multiple pieces of information with decisions to make at every given second. Essentially, how to remained centered in a world of continuous change.
People around us often help. In the past, I've undervalued the opinion of an older, wiser generation. Parents, uncles, aunts and mentors gracefully marry the lessons of their experience with adjustments to the context of today's world. There are the friends who support us no matter what, and those who always share their frank opinion no matter how we feel at the time. And, children. Kids retain the ability to simplify the most complex of questions, and amaze us with their idealism. Many times, I feel like it is us who have lost our way, rather than the happy kids who we fool into 'growing up'. Pearls of wisdom greet us at every turn - it is up to us to pay attention, and open our minds to new angles of thinking.
While it is usually useful to seek advice and perspective, ultimately we must all make our own final decisions, and be comfortable with them. In particular, 3 attributes have served me well to maintain equipoise while making decisions in the changing world we live in.
1) Optimism: Having a vision of what the end state of anything could look like is crucial for my self-motivation. And while determining a vision, what inspires me the most is having a bold idea of what I want. Figuring out the 'how' part is important, but a secondary question. First, we must identify what we want, and the method to get there curiously often seems to unfold almost magically at times.
2) Conviction: Once I have thought through my decision and have made up my mind, being steadfast is crucial. Even if things don't work out as I imagined, that doesn't necessarily mean that I made the wrong decision - factors outside my control obviously play a role, but I should be perfectly comfortable with the outcome so long as I know I did my best, given the knowledge that I had at the time. In particular, playing poker serves as a great example of this idea. As long as I am 'all in' with the best shot of winning, I am satisfied that I have played the game right. Of course, the outcome doesn't always go my way - people get lucky sometimes! But with faith that in the long run, the odds will work themselves out, I should continue to adopt the same strategy. More often then not, a positive net balance ends up being the outcome.
3) Drive: Having a plan is one thing, but execution is another. For me, having a passionate belief that what I'm doing leads to making the world a better place (whether in a small or big way) makes a huge difference. Coupled with an optimistic vision and the conviction that I'm on the right path, I end up at a state where I'm at peace with myself. Focused on finding an effective way to achieve what I want, working on it becomes an enjoyable part of my routine.
Thank you all for inspiring me in some way, shape or form. Whether it be sharing stories at a bar, engaging in deep discussions at one of our houses or even chats by email/skype, you've supported me through yet another eventful year and I appreciate it a lot. It never ceases to amaze me how so many of us from such different backgrounds can achieve such magnificent things - I can only hope to continue learning from all of you around me, and contribute in any way that I can to our journey of impact. Also, thanks a lot to those of you who have kept in touch - I love hearing about what and how you are doing, and hope that we continue to stay in touch for a long time to come. I finally have a break from grad school for the next month, so I would love to catch up with you via email/skype if I don't get to see you in person. I'm actually pretty curious as to what your goals/resolutions are for 2012!
My goal for 2012 is the same as it will be for years to come - to leave the world better off than it would be without me in it. In order to achieve that while maintaining my equilibrium, I'm planning to work on 4 resolutions, described as the 4 Agreements in one of my favorite short books on Toltec wisdom by don Miguel Ruiz. I'm happy to elaborate in more detail personally, but its a quick guide on how to approach the quest for Personal Freedom (freedom from fear, illusions, and the fear based beliefs in the mind. In essence it means to win the war over the beliefs in the mind. It is with Personal Freedom that we are free of the human condition of emotional suffering).
So here's wishing us some helpful ingredients that will contribute to a recipe for thriving in 2012: rays of hope, dashes of courage and doses of determination in our pursuit of happiness, baked with amazing people around us with hearts full of love. Happy holidays, and hope to hear from you soon!
Personally, I have been phenomenally fortunate not only to have had a breadth of experiences this year, but even more importantly to meet and spend time with most of you. I started this year off at a wonderful meditation camp in picturesque South India, and that tranquil state was also evident over the next 5 months in the rainforests of Papua New Guinea, as well as the tropical tiny islands with untouched beaches, looking out into seas of turquoise radiance. But before I knew it, this peaceful lifestyle transitioned with 2 months of hectic travel across Asia, before I had to re-adjust to the ever-changing 'civilized' world at grad school in the US. While I have been fortunate enough to be blessed with an array of experiences that allow for rich opportunities for personal growth, they come hand in hand with steep challenges. In particular, I feel that a main challenge many of us are facing, is one of balance - how to maintain equipoise, especially in a confusing world that is moving so quickly that we are bombarded with multiple pieces of information with decisions to make at every given second. Essentially, how to remained centered in a world of continuous change.
People around us often help. In the past, I've undervalued the opinion of an older, wiser generation. Parents, uncles, aunts and mentors gracefully marry the lessons of their experience with adjustments to the context of today's world. There are the friends who support us no matter what, and those who always share their frank opinion no matter how we feel at the time. And, children. Kids retain the ability to simplify the most complex of questions, and amaze us with their idealism. Many times, I feel like it is us who have lost our way, rather than the happy kids who we fool into 'growing up'. Pearls of wisdom greet us at every turn - it is up to us to pay attention, and open our minds to new angles of thinking.
While it is usually useful to seek advice and perspective, ultimately we must all make our own final decisions, and be comfortable with them. In particular, 3 attributes have served me well to maintain equipoise while making decisions in the changing world we live in.
1) Optimism: Having a vision of what the end state of anything could look like is crucial for my self-motivation. And while determining a vision, what inspires me the most is having a bold idea of what I want. Figuring out the 'how' part is important, but a secondary question. First, we must identify what we want, and the method to get there curiously often seems to unfold almost magically at times.
2) Conviction: Once I have thought through my decision and have made up my mind, being steadfast is crucial. Even if things don't work out as I imagined, that doesn't necessarily mean that I made the wrong decision - factors outside my control obviously play a role, but I should be perfectly comfortable with the outcome so long as I know I did my best, given the knowledge that I had at the time. In particular, playing poker serves as a great example of this idea. As long as I am 'all in' with the best shot of winning, I am satisfied that I have played the game right. Of course, the outcome doesn't always go my way - people get lucky sometimes! But with faith that in the long run, the odds will work themselves out, I should continue to adopt the same strategy. More often then not, a positive net balance ends up being the outcome.
3) Drive: Having a plan is one thing, but execution is another. For me, having a passionate belief that what I'm doing leads to making the world a better place (whether in a small or big way) makes a huge difference. Coupled with an optimistic vision and the conviction that I'm on the right path, I end up at a state where I'm at peace with myself. Focused on finding an effective way to achieve what I want, working on it becomes an enjoyable part of my routine.
Thank you all for inspiring me in some way, shape or form. Whether it be sharing stories at a bar, engaging in deep discussions at one of our houses or even chats by email/skype, you've supported me through yet another eventful year and I appreciate it a lot. It never ceases to amaze me how so many of us from such different backgrounds can achieve such magnificent things - I can only hope to continue learning from all of you around me, and contribute in any way that I can to our journey of impact. Also, thanks a lot to those of you who have kept in touch - I love hearing about what and how you are doing, and hope that we continue to stay in touch for a long time to come. I finally have a break from grad school for the next month, so I would love to catch up with you via email/skype if I don't get to see you in person. I'm actually pretty curious as to what your goals/resolutions are for 2012!
My goal for 2012 is the same as it will be for years to come - to leave the world better off than it would be without me in it. In order to achieve that while maintaining my equilibrium, I'm planning to work on 4 resolutions, described as the 4 Agreements in one of my favorite short books on Toltec wisdom by don Miguel Ruiz. I'm happy to elaborate in more detail personally, but its a quick guide on how to approach the quest for Personal Freedom (freedom from fear, illusions, and the fear based beliefs in the mind. In essence it means to win the war over the beliefs in the mind. It is with Personal Freedom that we are free of the human condition of emotional suffering).
So here's wishing us some helpful ingredients that will contribute to a recipe for thriving in 2012: rays of hope, dashes of courage and doses of determination in our pursuit of happiness, baked with amazing people around us with hearts full of love. Happy holidays, and hope to hear from you soon!
