Next time you go for a walk, find a small round pebble that you can carry around with you always.
This pebble will be your good luck charm. It would bring you good luck as long as you carry it with you. In good times it would remind you to be grateful for your good luck. During bad times it will keep you aware that things could have been much worse, if not for your good luck.
The only condition is that you have to have complete faith in your good luck charm. If you doubt the power of your little pebble, it cannot work as your good luck charm.
Don't believe me?......Try it out. Get your good luck charm.
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Using your subconscious mind can substantially increase your productivity and your multitasking abilities.
We have two minds, the Conscious and the Subconscious. The conscious mind acts within our awareness. It works under instructions and/or approval from ‘Self’. The subconscious mind acts in the background. We become aware of its activities, if at all, only after the activity has been executed, hence it is spontaneous and fast. Our 'Self' does not interfere with the actions of the subconscious mind. There is no self doubt, no dilly dallying, and no instruction or approval delay.
We use our conscious mind for activities that we are not used to. With practice and experience, the sub-conscious mind can take over most activities. For a new driver, stopping the car requires him to consciously step on the brake pedal, look into the rear-view mirror and steer the car to a side. An experienced driver can stop the car, without consciously stepping on the pedal. His subconscious mind would take care of all the necessary steps. Similarly, if a writer is experienced at typing, his conscious mind can concentrate on the article, while the subconscious mind can do the typing.
You can increase your productivity and multitasking abilities dramatically by letting your subconscious mind take care of more and more activities. In addition to practice, it would also require conscious efforts to develop the confidence of leaving things to your subconscious mind.
The outcome of the game depends on the cards that got dealt to you, and the way you play your cards. It also depends on the cards that got dealt to others, and the way they play their cards.
You cannot do anything about the cards that got dealt to you or to others. You also cannot do anything about the way others play their cards. The only thing in your control is how you play your cards.
Playing your cards well is necessary if you want a positive outcome. But it is not a guarantee since others may be playing better. However, not playing your cards well almost guarantees a negative outcome, because at least some of the others would be playing their cards well.
[Prior Reading: The Concept of Groups]
The Stock Market is a perfect representation of group behaviour.
Millions of individuals (and Financial Institutions – run by individuals) participate in the buying and selling of stocks. Each individual takes a buy, sell or hold decision for each security based on his/her perception of the expected price movement. The actual price movement, in turn, depends on the sum total of the buy, sell, or hold decision taken by each individual. In a cyclic process the individual decisions are influenced by price movements, and the price movements are influenced by individual decisions.
Despite the Stock Market behaviour being a reflection of the consolidated individual behaviours, no individual or entity is able to consistently and correctly predict the price movement. People form perceptions on the price movement with all kind of analysis, but no one can be sure. There are heavy weight opinion leaders in the industry, e.g. large fund managers, historically successful investors, etc. They can influence the perception and behaviour of a large number of investors. Yet they are not able to predict or influence the actual price movement.
Sometimes positive sentiments create a self reinforcing cycle, often termed as the Bull Market. The prices of stocks keep on rising despite no major fundamental change. The Stock Market moves up. The investors feel that it would move up further, and hence they are willing to trade at higher prices. This in turn, further pushes up the stock market. The reverse is termed as the Bear Market, when the prices start falling without any fundamental change. This happens when the negative sentiments get triggered. The trigger may be something completely unrelated.
Despite all expertise, analysis and experience, the Stock Market behaves like an independent entity with a life of its own. Each and every individual influences the behaviour of the Stock Market, yet no single individual can understand, control or predict its behaviour.
Understanding the concept of groups is required to be able to appreciate the insights on group behaviour that I would be posting over the next few days. The insights on group behaviour are important because our behaviour is almost always masked by the perceived group behaviour.
Groups are a set of people with some common characteristics. A group can be as broad as "All Men on earth" or it may be much smaller such as "The Class of 1997, Harvard". Groups may be temporary, e.g "people on Times Square on 31st Dec 1999". Or they may be permanent, "All women born in the year 1985". All of us are part of many groups. We may be part of a group by choice (e.g friend circle, work group, club); by birth (religion, ethnic group); by situation (e.g. At Times Square on 31st Dec 1999); by force (e.g. passengers on board a hijacked flight); or by many other criteria.
Some groups are almost always dominant on us, e.g. family. Other groups are dominant for a brief period, e.g. the diners in a restaurant. At any given time our behaviour is heavily influenced by the groups that are dominant on us at that time. The behaviour of the group, in turn, is the sum total of the actions of each individual in the group. This is a self reinforcing cycle. On one hand it can lead a group to lay down their lives for a cause; and on the other, it can lead to violent mob behaviour that can shame mankind.
Confidence is the faith and respect that you have for your gut feel.
You make hundreds of conscious or subconscious choices every day. Many of these choices result from decisions. As discussed in an earlier post, a decision is choosing an alternative from logically similar alternatives, based on your gut feel. Each alternative is equally good or bad, intelligent or stupid, safe or risky.
You appear and feel confident when you support your gut feel and focus fully towards achieving the objective of your decisions. Your focus and commitment helps you achieve the objective, which in turn increase your faith in your gut feel, and hence increases your confidence. This is a positive confidence building cycle.
When you do not support your gut feel. You start doubting your decisions from the very beginning and attempt your objectives with fear, apprehension and concern. Your lack of support for your decisions often leads to failure which further reduces your faith in your gut feel, and hence decreases the confidence. This is a negative confidence destroying cycle.
To increase your confidence, start supporting your gut feel. Your gut feel cannot be wrong because the outcome of your decision depends more on the support and respect that you have for your decision, and less on the decision itself.
Respect for your own decisions is the foundation of your confidence.
Your decision is the choice you make when faced with alternatives that have logically similar risks and benefits. Decisions are always based on gut feel. When you make a decision you choose an alternative together with its benefits as well as risks.
However, once the decision is made, many of you start getting uncomfortable with the risks associated with your own choice. You also start regretting the benefits (of other alternatives) that you gave up as a result of your decision. This is normal and expected since the alternatives were logically similar in risks and benefits. This leads to post decision dissonance and the associated discomfort and lack of confidence.
You need to respect your decision once you have chosen the alternative and avoid thinking about the other alternatives. Don't forget that the other alternatives had their own risks, as evaluted by you before taking the decision.
Have faith in your gut feel and respect your own decisions. Don't look back once the decision is made. This simple practice will dramatically improve your confidence and effectiveness.
Decisions can never be made logically. Logic can, at best, help you identify the obvious choice.
When any alternative in decision making seems logically better than the others, the choice is obvious. E.g. the alternative ways of going up to the 15th floor of a building is to take the elevator or the stairs. Taking the elevator definitely seems to have more logic, hence the choice is obvious and no decision is required.
Real decision making is required when the alternatives are logically similar. Consider that you are getting late for your flight, and there are two routes that you can take to the airport. Route A is much longer but is likely to have less traffic, whereas Route B is shorter but is likely to have much more traffic. Both routes have their positives and negatives. Whichever route you choose, there is a risk of missing the flight, either due to distance, or due to traffic. It is not possible to make a logical decision on the routes as both routes seem equally risky.
Clearly, decision making is required only when all alternatives have logically equal risk and/or benefit. Hence you always have to rely on your Gut Feel to make the decisions.
Humans are a confused concoction of mixed emotions
When the going is good, and you are achieving one success after another, you become very positive about the future. Sky is the limit, and the goals that you set are high. With each achievement and success, your goals become even higher. Your achievements always fall short of the goals. You try harder, achieve more and push your goals even higher. This cycle continues till you either burn out or give up. You feel powerful and confident due to all your successes, but you feel frustrated and unsuccessful as you are not able to achieve your high goals.
When things are not so good, and you have not met with much success, you feel low and disappointed. Your expectations are low and you set very low goals for yourself, always fearing the worst. Your achievements are almost always better than the worst possible. And hence there is always a feeling of relief and happiness at each achievement. You do not feel powerful or confident due to lack of major successes, but you feel happy and successful as you are able to achieve all your low goals.
Feeling Successful is an emotion that is not really related to Success.
Consider that everyone in this world is running a race. Everyone is somewhere in the race. The beggars and homeless are somewhere towards the end, whereas the likes of Bill Gates and Ophra Winfrey are somewhere towards the front. You are also somewhere in the race, running and trying to move ahead of those in front of you.
Also, consider that everyone is suffering from myopia. Therefore, no matter where you are in the race, you can only see 5 people ahead of you and 5 people behind you. A small shop owner somewhere in the line can only see and compare with similar 5 people ahead, and 5 people behind. This shop owner cannot even see Bill Gates or Ophra Winfrey. If the shop owner moves ahead, he would have a different set of 5 people ahead and 5 people behind to compare with. Similarly, a multi-millionaire somewhere in the race can see and compare himself only with 5 similar multi-millionaires ahead and 5 behind.
People continuously move ahead or behind in the race. Their position keeps changing with successes and failures in their own lives and in the lives of others. However, no matter where they are, their position remains the same from their own perspective. There are always 5 more successful people ahead, and 5 less successful people behind.
Extrapolating further from Luck is Relative Part 1 & 2
Satisfaction felt from any event does not depend on the actual event at all. It depends solely on how the actual event was, as compared to the expected event. Expectation is often a result of imagination. Thus,
Your satisfaction from any event depends on the actual event, only as compared to your imagined event
You feel happy if you are able to catch a flight that you expected to miss. (Ref. Are you Happy when you should be Sad?) Catching the flight has nothing to do with your happiness. You wouldn't have given it a second thought if you had reached the airport comfortably before time.
You feel sad if you have to travel in economy section when you expected to travel in Business Section. (Ref. Are you Sad when you should be happy) You wouldn't have thought twice about travelling in the economy section, had the attendant not created the expectation of your getting upgraded to the Business Section.
The same event can make you feel satisfied or dissatisfied based on what you were expecting.
Most for us are tuned to ignore whatever we have achieved and to feel unhappy about whatever we have not achieved.
In the last stage of Miss Universe beauty pageant there are three finalists left on stage. The judges announce the name of the Second Runner-up. Now there are two finalists left, one of them would be crowned Miss Universe. The judges announce the name of the First Runner-up. Now there is only one finalist remaining, and she is crowned Miss Universe.
While walking away from the stage should the First Runner-up feel Happy or Sad?
Surprisingly most people tell me that she should be feeling sad at losing the crown. But shouldn't she be feeling happy for being the second most beautiful woman in the Universe?
Truth is one of the many acceptable perceptions of Reality. Truth is often mistaken as Reality. Reality is unknown.
There was a time when everyone believed that the Earth is round, and the Sun and the Moon go around the Earth. This Truth was the perception of reality at that time. Only a madman could say that the Earth is round and it rotates like a top and goes around the sun. It took many great thinkers and scientists many years to change the perception and make everyone believe that the Earth is round and goes around the Sun. This is the Truth today. However this is not Reality. We have no idea what reality is.
For those who are not convinced, allow me to offer another perspective of Reality - “The Earth is stationary and is at the centre of the Universe. Everything else, including the Sun, the moon, all stars, galaxies etc. go around the Earth.” I challenge you to prove that my statement is not true.
Could the prehistoric human ever foresee that their persistent efforts at improving life, by continuously improving their hunting stones, would one day create New York !!!
Even without being consciously aware, each one of us plays an important role in the future that is getting created. I welcome everyone to create a future that empowers humanity.
Are you Happy when you should be Sad?
Consider that your cab breaks down on the way to the airport. You have to catch an important international flight in 30 minutes. You are truly stuck as no replacement cab can reach you before 2 hours. Walking down to the airport (1 KM away) seems to be the only option. So you try and make it on foot, lugging your suitcase and hand baggage. You try your best, but by the time you reach the airport, it is already 10 minutes late. Feeling very upset and tired, you make your way to the airlines authorities to find out about the next available flight that day, if any.
And voila, they tell you that your flight was delayed due to some technical snag, and you still have 15 mins to check in, so rush.... You move fast, all tiredness disappears, you complete the check in formalities, reach the aircraft and sink in your seat, tired but happy, thanking your lucky stars.
Lucky and happy, aren't you? Your good luck saved your day.
Think again.
Your cab broke down, you had to lug your suitcase for a KM and your flight got delayed --- and you still think you are lucky?
At each moment in life, there is a PAST (that was) and there is a FUTURE (that can be). You are free to choose your being in PRESENT based on the past (that was), or the future (that can be).
Your being in Present based on the Past (that was), will ensure that your Future would be a continuation of the Past.
Your being in Present based on the Future (that can be), will ensure that your Future would be as designed by you, unconstrained by the Past.
Simply because Kids look at entry barriers as an interesting challenge....whereas, grownups look at them as pain.
So next time something appears difficult, check your interest levels.
For most of us "lack of habit" is the biggest entry barrier to adoption of anything new. However, the 'habit' can only be formed by adoption and practice. Clearly there is no alternative but to go through the pain of crossing the entry barrier.
Recall the effort required to learning cycling, swimming, driving, typing.... how much effort does it take now?
