The Feeling of Real

Sometimes moments strike you and you know in your heart this is real.

I feel this way when listening to P. Diddy ft Keyshia Cole - Last Night. That song really strikes accord with me and I feel its raw emotion, the beauty, the deep meaning that it expresses. I feel the same way when viewing the stark images from the winners of the World Press Photo contest.

I felt this way tonight when I sat outside alone listening to the drops of rain falling amidst silence in a penthouse looking out into the night sky.

Livin the Dream

Over the weekend I read about a brilliant entrepreneur named Elon Musk. Musk wrote and sold his first software aged 12 and then went on to co-found Paypal and Tesla. Eight years ago, at age 31, he founded SpaceX, currently the most advanced and ambitious private space company with the aim of one day taking humans to Mars. In between, he flies fighter jets, dates actresses, and contributes to philanthropy.

Musk's story has reinvigorated me and given me new purpose. His story is inspirational. His determination to succeed is clear. His passion is evident. He works 100 hours a week. He knows why he does what he does and is driven to that pursuit. He aims for the stars.

After I read this story one thing came to my mind.

Every day you are living the dream because you are pursuing the dream.

I am very excited about the future. My life is moving to a very exciting phase. I know that there are two choices in life - to control my life or let others control it for me. I have chosen to control my life and I have made a conscientious decision to live my dream everyday. I choose to live a dream fulfilled life.

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Another thing that got me excited this weekend was The Giving Pledge started by Bill Gates and Warren Buffett. As of August 2010, forty billionaires had committed to giving at least half their wealth to charity. This wonderful cause will bring great benefit to many.

What Makes Me Happy?

I have been compiling a list of stuff that makes me happy and unhappy over the past six years from 2006 to 2011. It is good to refer to this list to know exactly what makes me feel good and do more of the stuff that feels good.

Sources of happiness (number of occurrences denoted in brackets):

• Out with friends (42)
• Activities - water, food, dance (17)
• Holidays - visiting sites (16)
• Game, dates (10)
• Contentment and self belief (8)
• Exercise - cycling (5)
• Family (5)

Sources of unahppiness:

• Job rejection (14)
• Pick up - not going well, rejections (8)
• Work - job, university (8)
• Feeling down, low state, introspection, unsure (7)
• Computer, mechanical problems (5)

Update (13/3/2011): I have come to the conclusion that my dream life (and how it looks every day) is not so extravagant. It is pretty simple. Do more of what makes me happy and less of what makes me unhappy. This list is different for different people. But for me, is a mixture of the above and living it every day of my life.

Update (10/8/2012): Work (13%, 2 happy days - 13.5 sad days), investments (44%, 3.5 - 4.5), and business (57%, 4 - 3) do not make me happy, especially when compared to my total happiness score of (74%, 102 - 36) over the last four years.

Update (9/6/2013): I come to realise that the high life, good food and accommodation does not make me happy. I want a companion, but this has not necessarily made me happy in the past and in fact, the desire has made me unhappy.

World Cup

The world cup has come and gone. The greatest sporting spectacle on this planet.

I vividly remember the moments of past world cups. The captivation it brings to nations, the euphoria and the heartbreak. A rollercoaster of sheer emotion.

This world cup has been no different. After the final whistle as Spain triumphed 1-0 over the Netherlands, I was riding a wave of epiphanical proportions. It was beautiful. Spiritual. I felt that anything is possible.

The whole day was the world cup. From the celebration in Spain to the replays that flash across my mind. The culmination of festivities to Paul the oracle octopus. It was beautiful.

Complaint Free World

Many people are stuck in the cycle of negativity. I know I have had times where negativity was affecting me and preventing me from doing what I wanted.

A Complaint Free World has created a challenge designed to break this negativity, thereby creating positivity. It is based on the premise that a habit of gratitude forms when you go 21 days without complaining.

Basically, you put a wristband on one wrist and every time you complain you have to switch it to the other wrist. The objective is to try and keep it on one wrist for 21 days. Sounds simple enough, but much harder in reality.

Similarly, you can apply the same principle with the wristband to other negative behaviours, such as blaming others, impressing others, comparing yourself with others, and being with negative people.

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Instead of complaining, learn to relax. Being in a state of relaxation is good for the mind, body and spirit.

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I had an experience where I was initially focusing on bad things that happened to me and then I switched my focus to good things that I was grateful for. I noticed how much happier I felt when I was focusing on the good and how much I was swearing and getting pissed off when focusing on the bad.

Ask Yourself

Q: What stands between you and your dreams?

A: You. Oftentimes, you may think it is money, time, resources, people, talent. But it is up to you to make time, source capital, find people, build knowledge to make it happen. Time is running out - do what is important to reach your dreams.

Although, sometimes there are structural reasons blocking your dreams, for example where you are not physically capable of it.

Redefining Success

In business as in science, it seems that you are often most successful in achieving something when you are trying to do something else.

The more importance that you place on a goal, the more unnecessary pressure is placed on yourself, leading to stress and unhappiness. Let go of the need for success at all costs (and if it fails, move on). Selfish goals, such as making more profit or finding a marriage partner, should be supplanted by a higher aim that is connected to the goal, such as living and breathing a passion. Learn to enjoy and live the higher aim and success will come as a result.

Goals may lead to underachievement, cutting ethical corners, or impairment of other areas of your life. Behind our fixation on goals is a deep unease with feelings of uncertainty. Learning to accommodate feelings of uncertainty is not just the key to a more balanced life but often leads to prosperity as well. In an interview with 45 successful entrepreneurs, all of whom had taken at least one business public, almost none embraced the idea of writing comprehensive business plans or conducting extensive market research. Rather than choosing a goal and then making a plan to achieve it, they took stock of the means and materials at their disposal, then imagined the possible ends.