Tag: #winning

Intuition is a fascinating subject that has intrigued scientists, artists, and philosophers for centuries. But what is intuition, and how to know, access, and use it?

Intuition, at its core, is often described as a gut feeling or inner knowing that doesn’t rely on conscious thought or rational analysis. Instead, intuition is a profoundly intuitive sense that arises from our subconscious mind and guides our actions, ideas, and emotions. It’s a form of subconscious processing that draws on our past experiences and insights to guide us toward the right decision or action. When we learn to trust our intuition, we can tap into a deeper source of wisdom and creativity that helps us navigate life’s challenges more easily.

Intuition is often dismissed as a vague and mystical concept. However, scientific evidence supports its existence and importance in our lives.

Science has shown that the brain processes information unconsciously before it becomes consciously aware of it, allowing us to make split-second decisions. Intuition is rooted in the unconscious mind, which is capable of processing information at a much faster rate than our conscious mind. The subconscious mind can process information up to 11 million times faster than our conscious mind, found a study conducted by scientists at the University of California. This implies that our intuition can pick up on subtle environmental cues and patterns that we might not consciously recognize, helping us make more informed decisions. 

Research has shown that intuition is particularly effective when making quick decisions or dealing with complex information. Participants in a study published in Psychological Science journal found that those who trusted their intuition could solve a difficult problem faster and more accurately than those who relied solely on logical analysis. Another study published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology concluded that individuals more in tune with their intuition had greater life satisfaction, creativity, and self-awareness. The University of Michigan found that people who scored high on a test of intuition would make more successful investment decisions than those who scored low.

Several books have explored the science of intuition and its implication in life’s trajectory for realizing your unlimited potential. In his book, Blink, Malcolm Gladwell makes a case that our intuition can be incredibly accurate, even when we don’t have all the necessary information. He cites several examples, such as the ability of art experts to identify a fake painting in seconds and the ability of firefighters to sense when a building is about to collapse.

Rosamund Stone Zander and Benjamin Zander argue in “The Art of Possibility” that intuition is the key to unlocking our creativity and discovering new possibilities. Similarly, James Redfield, in “The Celestine Prophecy,” explores how intuition can guide us toward our purpose and help us connect with the universe’s energy. He notes that intuition is not just a tool for decision-making but a way of life that can help us live in alignment with our true selves.

Many successful people, from business leaders to artists, credit intuition for their success. For example, Steve Jobs was known for his intuitive approach to product design. He once said, “Intuition is a very powerful thing, more powerful than intellect, in my opinion.” Oprah Winfrey has been vocal about her reliance on intuition in making decisions. Albert Einstein credited his intuitive insights with helping him make breakthroughs in his work. He once said, “the intuitive mind is a sacred gift, and the rational mind is a faithful servant. We have created a society that honors the servant and has forgotten the gift.”

The scientific and real-life evidence suggest that intuition is critical for progress and well-being.Now, the question is how to tap into such a vital faculty and use it at your will to unleash your unlimited potential.

I learned some practices by listening to some great minds. I have been using them regularly and can confirm firsthand that these practices work. A few to start with are:

Cultivate presence – being present is the foundation of accessing our intuition. Practice mindfulness meditation, breathwork, or other techniques that help you connect with the surroundings and increase your mental presence.

Listen to your body – our bodies are powerful antennas that can pick up on subtle signals from the universe. Pay attention to how your body feels when deciding or pursuing your goals. If something doesn’t feel right, it’s likely your intuition telling you to reconsider.

Practice self-reflection – reflecting on your thoughts and emotions can help you connect with your inner wisdom. Journaling, meditation, or talking with a trusted friend can help you process your experiences and gain insights.

Trust the universe – the universe constantly sends us signals and synchronicities that can guide us toward our purpose. Paying attention to divine signs can help us uncover new possibilities and experiences. Remember, I always quote Rumi’s “What you seek is seeking you.”

Trust your first impression – our initial reaction to a situation or person is often a result of our intuition. Instead of dismissing this feeling, take a moment to explore it further. What is your intuition trying to tell you?

Don’t forget; intuition without action would be a waste. Trusting your intuition means taking inspired action, even if it may seem unconventional or outside your comfort zone. In my earlier blog, I argued that making quick decisions and acting on them with a positive and never-give-up mindset will make you truly unstoppable. Tapping into our deep subconscious mind for answers to challenging situations and trusting instincts for those split-second decisions, followed by action, will set you up for a life-long journey of unearthing your limitless potential.

I’m grateful for your time in reading this blog. In the comments section, let me know your experience and perspective on the subject. Please share the blog with your friends if you enjoyed reading it.

I have relentlessly argued through my blog that we all have unlimited potential, and that life is about stretching this horizon repeatedly. No other than David Goggins describes and lives this so vividly. David Goggins is a former Navy Seal and a never-finished endurance athlete. Goggins argues that mental strength is what it takes to overcome any obstacle. Goggins has found strength and motivation to do more from every adversity, including the people who want to pull him back, life situations, mental trauma, and physical injury. 

In his memoir, “Can’t Hurt Me: Master Your Mind and Defy the Odds,” Goggins chronicles his journey of overcoming personal and physical challenges through discipline, self-discovery, and mental toughness. The book provides tools to overcome obstacles, both physical and mental.

In his latest book, Goggins emphasizes that you are wrong if you think you have reached your pinnacle. It is just the beginning of a never-ending endeavor. He argues that our capabilities far exceed our wildest imagination, and the decision made in a split second can change your life forever. Goggins stresses the importance of being comfortable with change and taking control of your life. 

I highly recommend reading the book because every page is a lesson. 

The five key ideas I noted from the book are.

Change your mindset and be a “savage” – In Goggins world, being savage is a compliment. A savage defies the odds, has a strong will that cannot be tamed, and always gets back up when knocked down. Goggins suggests that if you want to maximize minimal potential and become great in any field, you must embrace your savage side. 

According to Goggins, you can become a savage by intentionally changing your mindset and using an alter-ego to turn the savage on or off. Goggins himself cultivated an alter-ego where David is his authentic self, and Goggins is his alter-ego who is fearless and unstoppable. This mental trick can help people overcome their fears and attempt things they never thought possible. Goggins uses alter-ego to power his journey to become the hardest uncommon amongst the uncommon.

Discipline and a positive attitude triumph over everything – The lack of discipline results in a half-hearted approach to life. Discipline can bend your reality. You can be born a loser, but that doesn’t determine your future. Despite life’s challenges, such as a lack of natural talent, difficult upbringing, or personal insecurities, David argues that discipline can alter one’s DNA and unlock the doors to success. Discipline provides the power to change your direction and trajectory. 

Goggins believes a bad attitude is the only thing more infectious than a good one. He says the more you dwell on the negative, the weaker you feel. However, the reverse is also true. Goggins simplifies a positive attitude with his “roger that” explanation, which is not just to note “order received” but really means “order received, expect results.” 

Denial is limiting, and embracing one’s pain is a strength – David believes that denial of shortcomings and fear of disappointing yourself or others can limit one’s potential. The circumstances in life are often out of our control, and it is our responsibility to take control of our future. David encourages embracing one’s identity as an underdog and never quitting when your pain and insecurity are at their peak.

Don’t be afraid to disappoint others – Goggins emphasizes that you must put your needs first, even if it means letting others down. No one will care about your problems as much as you do, so you need to take charge of your own life. To live the life you want, you need to be comfortable with the possibility of disappointing others. By doing so, you will be able to live a life that is true to yourself. David also sees negative emotions like hate as fuel and uses criticism from others as motivation to work harder and achieve goals.

Set your standards – the key message here is that don’t try to be the best among the herd, be the best version of yourself. David tells about his experience of training with Captain Connolly. David learned how to do more with less and that it was not just possible to dig deeper but mandatory if you strive to be your best self. David says that to stay humble, you’ll need to make sure you are living up to your own code for your development—far beyond the influence of parents, teachers, coaches, or other traditional mentors and their philosophies.

I would like to leave you with two quotes from Goggins:

I’m still haunted, but I’ve traded in my demons for evil-ass angels, and now, it’s a good haunting. I’m haunted by my future goals, not my past failures. I’m haunted by what I may still become. I’m haunted by my own continued thirst for evolution.

AND

The world needs all of us to evolve into the very best versions of ourselves. That’s a moving target, and it isn’t a one-time task. It is a lifelong quest for more knowledge, more courage, more humility, and more belief. Because when you summon the strength and discipline to live like that, the only thing limiting your horizons is you.

I’m grateful for your time in reading this blog. In the comments section, let me know your experience and perspective on the subject. Please share the blog with your friends if you enjoyed reading it.

You would agree that at some point in our life, we go through negative experiences and emotions that shake us to our core. The pain, suffering, and misery are so overpowering in some cases that many never recover. The experiences, predominantly negative and during the early years, shape how a person evolves in later years. The first thing the therapy counselor wants to know (if you have ever been to one) is your childhood experiences, especially the traumatic ones, and where you felt the most pain, humiliation, inferiority, or embarrassment.

Even we, ourselves, do negative self-talk and create negative emotions. We are hesitant to admit our laziness, continued procrastination, and lack of will and blame how external factors stop us from doing all the great things we ever wanted to do.

However, we are always advised to suppress negative emotions and only remember the positive ones. We know it is hard, but we bury them within ourselves and move on without realizing the power of transformation they offer. Negative experiences and emotions are inevitable, but how we respond determines if we will use them as a source of strength or allow them to hold us back. Negative experiences don’t always feel good in real-time but offer immense opportunities for personal growth and uncover an even greater limitless potential.

I subconsciously and thankfully learned to harness my negative experiences and emotions early in my life and use them to convince myself that I must change my reality. I was bullied many times and made fun of. I felt sad several times for not having the means to do things and how our family’s situation was in my early life. for instance, I was embarrassed when I did not even have the bus fare to go with my friend to Delhi, who was traveling just to buy a jacket. There are several other such experiences where I felt inferior and that I’m not enough.

I have felt ashamed for not being able to converse in English correctly. In one incident, I could not understand the American accent or communicate with some people during my first visit in 2006. I had to eat onion rings for two weeks straight for lunch because I could not speak adequately to ask whether there was meat in other options. Similarly, when I started working for an American company, they had a weekly all-staff call, and I HAD TO SPEAK. I was terrified every single time and tried to find an excuse.

There have been several experiences where everyone doubted my abilities or decisions, including my family and friends. Even today, at every step in my journey, to become the best version of myself, people always tell me that I’m thinking beyond the realm of possibilities. They will try and instill self-doubt, discourage you, and want to hold you back. The doubts often come with sharp and disheartening words that could never leave you and, most of the time, do not let you live to your potential.

However, in all these experiences, one other thing was common. I willfully did not want to forget them. I will memorize every little detail. Even to an extent where I would remember what I was wearing, where I was, the surroundings in all colors, what was explicitly said, and every emotion that crossed my mind and heart in its tiniest expression. I promised myself that it would not happen again and that I will change this reality no matter what. Whenever I feel that I’m deviating from my objective for a few days, I will relive these experiences as vividly as I can imagine, not in fast track but in slow motion. I would feel every emotion I had at the time and recall my determination not to let it happen again.

David Goggins suggests in his book to record your inner dialogue in detail by spilling out all dread, laziness, and stress into the mic. He advises playing it back to yourself many times. Chances are that you would not like yourself cringing. This should be used as motivation to change the situation for the better.

Self-talk is essential. Regardless of how loud the negative voices are, know that you have the power to liberate and redefine yourself. Listening to ourselves out loud clears the mind. At this very moment, we know the right thing to do is to keep moving forward with force. These words become actions, and our actions establish habits that can code our minds and bodies and set us on the journey to unearthing our true potential.

I can tell you with my first-hand experience that the negative emotions you have been suppressing or trying to forget have real transformational power.They have helped me shape my life for the better. Sometimes I found my calling regarding what I wanted to achieve, and sometimes it was about not letting something happen to me again. Nevertheless, these negative emotions and experiences gave me light and put me on a path of endless discovery. Now, they have become an extension of me.

I’m in no way advising you always to suffer negative experiences and live miserable lives while you chase your dreams. I’m suggesting they provide a lot of strength and motivation if you can use them at your will.

Don’t avoid, ignore, or suppress your emotions. Instead, face them, accept them, and own them. Rumi said, “the wound is where the light enters you.”

I have successfully used these negative emotions to my advantage and overcame many hurdles in my life. However, I’m not done yet…there is much fuel left in the tank.

#neverarrive #limitlesspotential

I’m grateful for your time in reading this blog. In the comments section, let me know your experience and perspective on the subject. Please share the blog with your friends if you enjoyed reading it.

A common thought you may have heard is that you are how you hang out with, or as John Rohn said, “you are the average of the five people you spend most of your time with.” 

I tend to disagree. People say to choose wisely whom you associate with because that defines your life’s direction. This situation parallels what came first, the chicken or the egg. Your social circle determines your destiny, or you define it first and then choose people for help. Either way, your wins are 100% your responsibility—it starts with you and ends with you. Of course, there will be people along the way that will, in some ways, be instrumental, but you don’t rely on them for your mindset. You have limited control and reliability over the outside world, but you can regulate your mind and effort in finding your true potential. Rumi says, “Set your life on fire. Seek those who fan your flames.”

One key message; when I say winning, it is not relative to anyone else. It compares me to me. I’m winning if I’m getting better. I win if I can defy my mind, which is talking me into not grinding myself, to still getting up and finishing. I win if I overcome social bubbles that do not want me to leave the herd and do something extraordinary.

Looking back, I think my experiences and events in life so far have made me who I’m. I firmly believe that the motivation, moral, and emotional support we get from others is temporary. It is imperative, but the fuel it provides is generally short-lived. The inner drive makes us unstoppable.  The motivation and courage to do anything extraordinary in our life, whether for a career, relationship, or even spiritually, comes from within (if interested, read more about me here). 

Human evolution is such that we become social animals and are wired to live in tribes. It was essential hundreds of years ago when the environment was unsafe. Even after millions of years of development, social security and approval are assumed to be vital for our existence. The rules of a particular society lay the framework under which we operate, and it essentially becomes the world of limiting possibilities—a sort of bubble.

You have no control over where you were born and who your parents are. We also know that most of our life is defined by childhood experiences and the interests or skills we develop early on. The success or the failure can be traced back to some events that happened in the initial years of our life. Most of you would also agree that the friends we make during school are for a lifetime because, at that time, there was no purpose for friendship. However, at such an early stage, we were not choosing friends. At least, I wasn’t. Most of the time, it just happens, and you do things together and make and keep the friendship in good and bad times. 

Mostly, the people surrounding us are our social cushions. Your 2 am friends, if you have any, would often listen to your ideas and desire for growth very carefully, be concerned and try to contribute. Even family will always provide our reasons as to how good we are. We fall back to them in times of difficulty, which is good but doesn’t support our relentless growth. They will typically not tell you to your face that you are not living up to your capabilities.  They will not push you beyond your limits because they are too scared of your growth. Being among the herd is what everyone thinks is essential for well-being. 

Your growth (personal, professional, mental, and emotional) is 100% your responsibility. You are the only person accountable for your win after win after win. You absolutely cannot outsource this responsibility and accountability. If at all anyone is needed in this journey is someone who could keep you accountable for your growth. This is a rare breed, and you would be fortunate to find this someone as a friend, coach, mentor, or life/business partner.

How do you keep yourself so focused on who you really are? Of course, you must have a clear goal and keep taking steps toward it. A crucial aspect is mental. It would be best if you kept out the social talk. As I mentioned above, people feel comfortable if you remain in the herd, and if you do anything to break the bubble, they will do everything to talk you down. Keep away from these thoughts. 

A discrete strength I developed early in life to filter what I absorb in my psyche helped me immensely. I remember vividly that I would not keep any thoughts that I thought were talking me down or taking me away from my objective.  Later in life, I learned that it is called Vishuddhi Chakra.  In ancient yogic practice, active Vishuddhi, which is assumed to be in your throat, filters poison referred to as negative emotion, idea, energy, or impulse and provides freedom. I’m not saying in any way that my Vishuddhi is active at all levels, but I believe it is helping me stay on course by avoiding any negative external thoughts and even negative self-talk. 

Who we are is, no doubt, sadly influenced by external factors, but the key is to trust yourself, listen to yourself, and hold yourself accountable fully for your objectives. The people who have looked beyond external factors and social bubbles have changed the world. You and I are perfectly equipped with everything we need to go beyond limits. 

Confucius says you have two lives, and the second begins when you realize you only have one. Let’s go live it to our true self!

#neverarrive #limitlesspotential

I’m grateful for your time in reading this blog. In the comments section, let me know your experience and perspective on the subject. Please share the blog with your friends if you enjoyed reading it.