The Art of Awesome Living

by Sunil Bali, 22-04-12

Let me give you two imaginary tasks.

Task A.

Walk from one end of a wooden beam to the other. The beam is on the floor and is twenty feet long, twelve inches thick and twelve inches wide.

How do you feel about the task: pretty straightforward? I guess you could do it without any hesitation?

Task B.

Walk along the same beam. This time the beam is suspended 100 feet above the pavement between two buildings.

How do you feel this time? Has the thought of falling entered your mind? Maybe a little fear, doubt and not quite so relaxed?

So where is your focus now? Has it shifted from being totally focussed on walking to the other end of the board?

If your focus has shifted by even one or two per cent, then you won’t have the optimum mindset to perform the task.

Research clearly shows that great performers can focus on their performance to the exclusion of everything else. They can engage so completely in the task at hand, that there simply isn’t any room for self-doubt, fear of failure or wanting to give up.

Any sense of self-doubt, or wanting to give up, is usually a signal that you need to get out of your own way and give more…..more energy, more commitment, more focus…..because it’s only the focussed who flourish.

Quotes

The awakened sages call a person wise when all his undertakings are free from anxiety about results – Bhagavad Gita

The mature human being goes about doing what needs to be done regardless of whether that person feels great or terrible. Knowing that you are the kind of person with that kind of self-control brings all the satisfaction and confidence you will ever need – David Reynolds

People who strive for something personally significant, whether it’s learning a new craft, changing careers, or raising moral children, are far happier than those who don’t have strong dreams or aspirations. Find a happy person, and you will find a project – Professor Sonia Lyubomirsky

Why should the way I feel be dependent upon the thoughts in someone else’s head? – Emerson

The secret of being miserable is to have the leisure to bother about whether you are happy or not – George Bernard Shaw

Humour

Immigration Control

The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, arrives at Passport Control at Athens International Airport.

Nationality …?" barks out the Immigration Officer."

"German", she responds.

"Occupation …?" continues the Officer.

"No, just here for a few days …!!!!!"

Food for thought…..

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, then doesn’t it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked, and dry cleaners depressed?

If 4 out of 5 people SUFFER from diarrhoea…does that mean that one out of five enjoys it?

If people from Poland are called Poles, then why aren’t people from Holland called Holes?

If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

As we’ve just started a new tax year, have you ever noticed that when you put the two words "The" and "IRS" together, it spells "THEIRS"?

If FedEx and UPS were to merge, would they call it FedUP?

Why isn’t the number 11 pronounced onety-one?

Do workers at a tea plantation take "coffee breaks?"

If a cow laughed, would milk come out of its nose?

To your success,

Sunil