No Regrets

It is pointless to live a life with regret.

I have to make a decision to be confident and do what I want. The main thing is self assurance and doing what I want. With this comes freedom.

Take time to stop and think. Think about your actions.

Ask yourself, 'what will I think of my actions one year from now?' and 'what would you do if you were going to die soon?'. Use this to guide your current actions.

Make the most of the time you have. Live with no regrets.

Musings on Time

There are two things certain in life - birth and death. You decide what happens in between. We live this life cycle - birth, new life, and death - our time is deceptively brief.

During my holidays, time was always on my mind. The time to check out, the time to catch the plane, the time to meet people, the time back home. Time and life are so interconnected.

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Time is everything. Time cannot be bought.

Nothing in this universe is permanent. Everything is temporary.

Nothing really matters. The only certainty is change over time.

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For everyone, the clock is ticking. We will likely become the result of what occupies the majority of our time and the people around us, unless we take action to change it.

Life is a series of decisions. We make the decisions all the time. Our decisions have led us to where we are now. The habits we form and the decisions we make affect the rest of our lives.

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.