The big secret.

So, I went hiking last week, which I normally do but this time I would like to share this experience because I learnt some lessons that just reminded me as you might guess, that life is amazing. So  there is this building on top of the Rhodes memorial, Table Mountain national park very high up called the King's blockhouse , I've always wanted to reach there since I see it everyday from school , plus it sounded like a challenge. So I grabbed me, some sneakers,  a bottle of water and off I went. After a couple of hours, I was back to planet earth with a couple of lessons.


It all starts with that first step.
Just like everything in life, considering we were all born knowing nothing. I didn't how to get to the top, I just knew that I had to go up that was all I needed. To accomplish anything all you need is the commitment to do it and to take that first step.

Never give up, ever.
Life isn't perfect, nobody is perfect. That should be enough reason not to give up. Once you have a clearly defined goal, you will be tested as to how badly you need it. But that is no reason to give up. As long as you are still alive there is something for you,so hang in there.

Enjoy the journey.
You can't really tolerate the hard blowing wind against your face or the fatigue and muscle soreness that comes from hiking unless you really enjoy it. You wont live through the disappointments and failures in your way unless you enjoy what you do. So yeah, enjoy what you do, it might be the only string keeping you alive.

Take risks.
Who knows what will unfold from it? The world not to mention the universe is too big to stay comfortable. As Nelson Mandela, put it, "It always seems impossible until it is done."

That's it folks, I just uncovered the secrets of the universe from 3 hours of hiking. Definitely worth it. Maybe you should try it too!Go make life more amazing.

Hey ,what you do matters!

   

Newton was a genius, but he had no social life. He did good for humanity but he couldn't make a family. She's good but she isn't charming enough. He's smart but he can't do this or that.  Sounds familiar? Welcome to the real world, a world where people are constantly looking for the 'buts'. It could be for the right reasons or just for conversation starters, but truth is we don't want to be reminded of these buts especially if we already know about them. We all have them , the buts , they are called weaknesses, and when you get so good at something, people will go looking for them. I'm here to tell you something else. What you do matters.It doesn't matter whether you can't you can't do tight jump or you make coffee for a living. Whatever it is that you do for the better, it matters , even when no one appreciates it.

      If you don't know who Carl Sagan is, I'm gonna fill you in. He was a research scientist in the field of astronomy and he wrote one of my favourite books, The Pale Blue Dot. His mission was to show  how astronomy can make us better people by considering how small we are in the universe. He knew best how to explain physics in layman's terms. Carl Sagan was actually dubbed  the world’s best known scientist in the late 20th century.  With every great introduction, comes a 'but', so here it is. The pursuit of his intellectual interests left him no time for other activities, you know the things normal people do, Sports, Photography, Musical instruments, movies, family, none of it. He got that pre-occupied with research that nothing else mattered.  Some would say he had so much ego, some would say he lacked discipline, but I don't think there is anything wrong with that. Ambition is good, afterall ,we all want to leave a mark on this world.

     We all know the story of Sonya Carson, the woman who raised the world's best neurosurgeon ( Ben Carson)and one of the best mechanical engineers (Curtis Carson) as a divorcee and housekeeper. Well, you don't have to be a rocket scientist to make a difference. Maybe you'll need resources , the brain and all, but these things come naturally after you make it clear to the universe that you have a mission. Like I always say, the Universe responds to that.


The 'buts' we hear from all around us, makes us feel small. So we  start concentrating on what we are not than what we are. Well here is the moral of my story, you don't have to be superhuman to do great things, and extra ordinary things come from ordinary people who make extraordinary decisions. You just have to be good at what you love and apply it to the fullest potential. Stop worrying about what people will say. We have a tendency to think that the next achievement will somehow erase the 'buts'. Sorry to say this but it won't. As long as you are still alive, there will always be challenges and with life comes opportunities to improve. So whatever you do, just do it for you and humanity. You know why? Because what you do matters. Keep making life amazing.

Hold on..

This is probably shortest post I have ever written. It is short not because I have nothing to say but because what I have to say today is better said in fewer words. It is simple, hold on. Life isn't always turn out what you want it to be. Sometimes it gives you what you want, sometimes it just shows you alternatives. Either way it is amazing. Hold on because it is your right. You have the right to live, the right to access to resources, the right to speak among many others. Underneath all this is simply the right to optimism; the right to hope. If you have ever missed a deadline then you know what its like to be denied that right. We all need hope , it is what moves us forward. Take risks, make mistakes, fail, start afresh because that is what living means. Pay attention but listen to no one , no one escaped failure, not even Isaac Newton, Socrates or Nelson Mandela. Hang in there, somewhere amidst the confusion lies answers.That being said have a amazing week ahead.

Hello human..

As naive as this may sound, I believe no one is evil. Yes, there is wars, deceit, manipulation, malice, ulterior motives, malice but I still believe all humans are good people, for no other reason but the fact that I'm human too. Even the world's most evil people were good people, they had good intentions , they just made decisions that had detrimental effects.

We all know that Albert Einstein played a huge role in the making of the nuclear bomb. What he did was  wrong by all standards. He used his authority to invoke the president of the United States to initiate the Manhattan project. Wrong decision but in his defence he did this because he thought the Germans had started on the project already. Even with good intentions this decision led to the death of so many innocent souls in Japan. He also admitted that that was this was the  greatest mistake in his life.

Same goes for the Robert J . Oppenheimer who was the actual  demon behind the Manhattan project. He used his abilities(of which he had plenty) for the security of his country.  If you read history you'll find that even Hitler good intentions when he put Jews in concentration camps, had it not been for the war, these camps would have been in much better conditions.

Point is , we all decide to make our lives better, whether it is to help ourselves or help others. Every decision we make is justified by a cause, or by some experience. No one is completely evil, afterall we all started as the innocent little babies once upon a time. People also like challenges. If people don't agree with you,it doesn't mean that you are a failure, it just means that you have different interests, or rather are challenged by different things, as we all know everyone likes a challenge. If people do stuff to hurt others, it doesn't mean they intend to, they are probably making decisions under stress or pressure. Remove stress, remove pressure and what you get good people. People who want the best for our planet. At least that what I believe.

We all have a common goal,we just speak it in different languages. Someone said the world's biggest problems are solvable by a 10  minute conversation. That is true and is definitely a reason to believe that life is amazing.  Now, before putting a label on people, or shutting them out or hesitating to approach them, keep that in mind. Because the way, if you carefully examine yourself you'll realise that you are just the same. With that in mind I wish you an amazing week ahead.

PS: I'm not a world peace activist, I'm just an introvert human with good intentions.

A maze...

Take this route,
Take the corner,
As you step foot to foot,
Remember tts a maze with no end,

With every corner is a new path,
A new challenge arises,
It can sometimes fill you with wrath,
For there is just no end,

Just when the storm is over,
New clouds hover,
A bigger distance to cover,
Where exactly is the end,

When its overwhelming seek out a helping hand,
Cause that's how you set the success trend,
So don't give up dear friend,
For life is a maze with no end,

You are gonna die.. soon..

You'll wake up tomorrow morning, accomplish what you planned, probably more, probably less. you'll probably give up at some point, or succeed beyond your expectations. Oh yes and you'll definitely die, somewhere in your well planned future. Yes, as harsh and far fetched as it may sound, its the truth. No one lives forever. So,whats the point? Why hold on? It doesn't matter how hard we work, how much we give, we'll all decompose to some resourceful organic matter which won't have your name on it.

Everybody dies, not even Isaac Newton , or Albert Einstein or Michael Faraday or Steve Jobs or Nelson Mandela could escape such fate. But there is something different about these individuals, their names are immortal. Its like they never died because we feel their presence in every aspect of our lives. Perhaps that's the kind of death we should strive for. Perhaps that's what will make death a little less terrifying, perhaps nothing ever goes in vain, perhaps...

We wont all be as famous or as innovative as the above names and that's the point, we are all unique. We have the opportunity to make each other's lives better. Whether that means saving lives, teaching them, engineering useful machines, or simply putting a smile on someone's face. In some way your name becomes immortal to that and perhaps that is the point, perhaps that is what really matters.

As you go through life, people will tell you not to be ambitious, perhaps because they care that you will get
hurt when you loose, perhaps because they are actually bad people and do not want you to succeed. Either way, you should realise you are stronger than what they think. You are capable of so much more than you know.

Before you reject that project or pass that opportunity or even give in to procrastination, remember that you will die, pretty soon actually,  the legacy you leave behind is literally the decisions you make and literally what you do next. So rule of thumb, do your best,and do no evil (credits to Google's motto). You probably wont be the next Mark Zucherberg, or Thomas Edison, but perhaps that's what really matters, after all ...

Everybody lies...

We have a tendency to admire successful people. They are smart, hardworking, all-rounded , all the qualities we want for ourselves. Here's one thing you don't know about them, they are liars. They lie so much that it has become part of their subconscious. Of Course, they don't lie to the world, they lie to themselves.

Lying is not good, not by any standards and I don't advocate it at all. There is a different kind of lying, lying to yourself about yourself, its totally legal and its actually encouraged. You have a bad day lie to your subconscious that its a very good day that you don't want it to end. You are feeling incapable? Lie to yourself that you are so smart that worldly standards don't have a category for you.  This t
technique has worked for so many people.

Richard Feynman was a theoretical physicist who has been named among the top ten most influential physicists of all time; his name is mentioned of the likes of Einstein and Newton. But he had an average IQ of  126 (In comparison, Albert Einstein had an IQ of 160). The interesting part is that he knew about it, he took the IQ test while in high school. But he knew better than that, that he was smarter than any test could ever reveal. He went on to excel in Physics and Mathematics, producing theories people of 130 IQ would never dream of.

Its actually a trend in the scientific community. James Watson , the co discoverer of the human DNA had an IQ of mere 124. He failed to make 130 twice. E.O Wilson, the father of sociology has an IQ of 123. At this point, am starting to think if Newton took the test, we shouldn't something abnormally high.

So what's the missing link  between low IQ's and world class research? Between success and mediocrity? A little habit called lying aliased as faking. The IQ test reads low, lie that you have a higher IQ. You have only been shortlisted, lie that you actually got the job. Everything is going downhill, lie that life is so amazing that you have never been better. What have you to loose anyway?

Fake it till you make it. The adage never gets old. Some call it believing, some call it faking, some call it lying, whatever it is that you do to counter the negative self talk. Do it, the universe responds to that, that's simply the law of attraction. On that note, I too have a confession too! Life is not always amazing but I fake it until it is, after all everybody lies. Have an amazing week (or at least lie about it).