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Kevin Kelly, the founding executive editor of Wired magazine gave away his 68 advices in his 68th birthday as 68 Bits of Unsolicited Advice which  find very helpful. Some of my favorites are:

• Learn how to learn from those you disagree with, or even offend you. See if you can find the truth in what they believe.
• Don’t be afraid to ask a question that may sound stupid because 99% of the time everyone else is thinking of the same question and is too embarrassed to ask it.
• Being able to listen well is a superpower. While listening to someone you love keep asking them “Is there more?”, until there is no more.
• Gratitude will unlock all other virtues and is something you can get better at.
• Pros are just amateurs who know how to gracefully recover from their mistakes.
• Don’t take it personally when someone turns you down. Assume they are like you: busy, occupied, distracted. Try again later. It’s amazing how often a second try works
• Promptness is a sign of respect.
• Saving money and investing money are both good habits. Small amounts of money invested regularly for many decades without deliberation is one path to wealth.
• To make mistakes is human. To own your mistakes is divine. Nothing elevates a person higher than quickly admitting and taking personal responsibility for the mistakes you make and then fixing them fairly. If you mess up, fess up. It’s astounding how powerful this ownership is.
• Show up. Keep showing up. Somebody successful said: 99% of success is just showing up.
• This is true: It’s hard to cheat an honest man.
• Before you are old, attend as many funerals as you can bear, and listen. Nobody talks about the departed’s achievements. The only thing people will remember is what kind of person you were while you were achieving.
• Anything real begins with the fiction of what could be. Imagination is therefore the most potent force in the universe, and a skill you can get better at. It’s the one skill in life that benefits from ignoring what everyone else knows.
• Art is in what you leave out.
• I’m positive that in 100 years much of what I take to be true today will be proved to be wrong, maybe even embarrassingly wrong, and I try really hard to identify what it is that I am wrong about today.
• Over the long term, the future is decided by optimists. To be an optimist you don’t have to ignore all the many problems we create; you just have to imagine improving our capacity to solve problems.
• The universe is conspiring behind your back to make you a success. This will be much easier to do if you embrace this pronoia.

This words from Book 12 of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius always inspires me to be patient and to live the present moment:

Everything you are trying to reach - by taking any long rounds, you can have it right now, right this moment, if you'd only stop thwarting your own attempts, if you'd let go of the past, entrust the future to providence and guide the present towards reverence and justice. You should never fear of ceasing to live; instead fear of never beginning to live.

Choosing is predetermined whether we are aware or not. There is always a connection between what we choose and why we choose.

We choose optimism over pessimism for some reason. We choose justice over injustice. We choose kindness over meanness. Likewise, we choose patience over impatience.

All of our choice is predetermined by our character.

This post will share my favorite and most impactful reads of 2020:

Book that inspired my journey... (January 2020)

Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins one of the best business books I ever read. His theory of "who" is more important that "what" has been so impactful in my IMIND journey and also in my daily life. His insight behind good companies and great companies is mindboggling.

Collins idea behind the transformation of good company to great is not overnight or there is no miracle moment, but it's the collection of every single step.

What taught me habits for rest of my life... (February 2020)

The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin by Benjamin Franklin... I've always been fascinated by the daily routines of the giants. His autobiography taught me very important lessons that will never be forgotten. His virtues Temperance, Silence, Order, Resolution, Frugality, Industry, Sincerity, Justice, Moderation, Cleanliness, Tranquility, Chasity and Humility drove him all his life from being a normal kid to a leading writer, printer, political philosopher, politician, Freemason, postmaster, scientist, inventor, humorist, civic activist, statesman, and diplomat.

In dealing with people back in 18th Century he said, "Truth, sincerity and integrity were the utmost important to the felicity of life." His daily routine inspired me to make my own.

Book I keep revisiting … (March 2020)

As A Man Thinketh by James Allen. Inspired by a very famous saying that goes, “Circumstances doesn’t make a man, it reveals him to himself”, this book has taught me to cherish my ideals and vision. He insight behind the effects of thoughts on health and body. “Body is the servant of mind” he said. Calmness, he explained as a beautiful jewel of wisdom. His concept behind Self-control as a strength, Right thought as a mastery and Calmness as a power were so immense.

What I’m reading and thinking about a lot … (March 2020)

Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari. From the Neanderthal man to Homo sapiens, the unique feature of Homo sapiens that made us dominant over other species. The power of fiction that only Humans are able to make. And the jaw dropping explanation from the Agricultural Revolution to Industrial Revolution to the Capitalism. This book I think should be read by everybody to understand who we are and how we will be in the future.

What is inspiring and rejuvenating … (April 2020)

The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Don Miguel Ruiz. This is the book suggested by Tim Ferriss. Ruiz tells that our image of perception is the reason we reject ourselves, it’s why we don’t accept ourselves they way we are and why we don’t accept others the way they are. The four agreements explained in this book (Be impeccable with your words, don’t take anything personally, don’t make Assumptions, and Always do your best) are the lessons for life.

What surprised me and made me think… (May 2020)

The Millionaire Next Door: The Surprising Secrets of America's Wealthy by Thomas J. Stanley.  His ideas behind UAWs and PAWs.

His Millionaire Next Door Formula (Multiply your age times your realized pretax annual household income from all sources except inheritances. Divide by ten. This, less any inherited wealth, is what your net worth should be).

The seven common denominators of wealthy people in America were one of the important lessons I learnt, which are:

1. They live well below their means.
2. They allocate their time, energy, and money efficiently, in ways conducive to building wealth.
3. They believe that financial independence is more important than displaying high social status.
4. Their parents did not provide economic outpatient care.
5. Their adult children are economically self-sufficient.
6. They are proficient in targeting market opportunities.
7. They chose the right occupation.

Book that is surreal and what I keep revisiting… (June 2020)

Principle: Life and Work by Ray Dalio. One of my mentors/advisors in defining my and IMIND’s Principles, Raymond Thomas Dalio, an American billionaire hedge fund manager and philanthropist wrote this masterpiece that I keep revisiting. Every single word in this book is like a dose that makes you build an outstanding and long-term successful organization. His idea behind Idea-meritocracy and radical-transparency are most important but neglected factors when it comes to building an organization. I can’t address more here because when I do it will lose its essence. This is a book of the century.

What I’m fortunate enough to read… (July 2020)

Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking by Malcolm Gladwell. I was so fortunate enough to have this book in my library. This book was with me since 2019 but did not have the tick to read. The reason I picked this book in 2020 was that one of my friends asked me How do I make decisions (Actually, it was a scenario question. If I remember it correctly it was: if was driving a train and saw a child in a way, what would I do? Would I save that child by risking all the other passengers?) This was a tough question. Gladwell, in this book, explains our decision-making system. This book has helped me when it comes to decision making.

What I’ve started and still reading… (August 2020)

The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell. Suggested by billionaire Ray Dalio, I started this book, which is a different genre than what I usually read. The idea of myths and the hero’s journey in this is so fabulous that I keep analyzing every step of my life with this book.

Books that I read and suggest others as well… (September 2020)

Capitalism, Alone by Branko Milanović. This is the book that I am still reading and helped me understand the that the current world is driven by capitalism. The idea of Liberal Meritocratic Capitalism and Political Capitalism is very insightful that it was a must read during this current time.

The mindboggling book/articles/ Eastern philosophies… (October 2020)

The Art of War by Lao-Tzu. The lessons from this book is very helpful in dealing with people in daily life which I’m applying.

Tao Te Ching by Lao-Tzu. This is one of the most insightful books ever read. “When nothing is done, nothing is left undone, Lao-Tzu said.

The Great Learning: The idea of superior man, knowing the root, making thought sincere. A superior man must be watchful over himself when he is alone, a must important but underestimated lesson for years. It teaches virtue is the root, wealth is the result.

The Doctrine of the Mean: It’s a Eastern philosophy which is natural. It taught me: There is nothing more visible than what is secret and nothing more manifested than what is minute. Therefor, a superior man must be watchful over himself when he is alone. It also shows a way to be in equilibrium which is attained when there is no stirrings of pleasure, anger, sorrow, or joy.

Book that I re-read after five years … (November 2020)

Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankl. It’s one of the best books ever read. I came back to this book after five years but never lost its essence. Frankl was one of the prisoners of the Auschwitz Concentration Camp, the biggest concentration camp, where all of his family member was burnt in the gas chamber. He writes about his days in camp and how he managed to survive and find peace when his pregnant wife was burnt. He said, “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedom.” If there is a meaning in life at all, then there must be a meaning in suffering too, he said in this book.

Book of my life and need it right now… (December 2020)

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. One of the great books that I should have read earlier in my life. But timing doesn’t matter. Written as a journal by Marcus Aurelius back in 1st Century, it talks about four stoic virtues: Courage, Wisdom, Justice and Temperance. My introduction to stoicism is brought by this book which in my opinion is the greatest discovery. The idea of death and meditating on mortality is breathtaking. “Memento Mori” one of my favorite words is introduced by stoicism. From book 1 to Book 12, this book meditation is full of wisdom and shows us the way to live a meaningful and sound life.

Self is not universal, and it changes over time and situation. For an example: Cyberneticians came to a different notion of self, accessible from the outside, identified with feedback systems—an account of the self that emerged from Norbert Wiener’s engineering work on weapons systems during World War II. Today’s world, we see a new notion of the self-emerging; we start by modeling artificial intelligence on a conception of who we are, and then begin seeing ourselves ever more in our encounter with AI.

Different ages have different concepts of self, defined by the contemporary availability of technology from stone age to present day modern world. The most fascinating thing is that all the technologies are triggered and discovered by ‘self’, and in the end it is that technology that rules us. Think about what happens when AI overrules human mind, the effects it creates in jobs and employment: We have invested billions in AI. For what reason? Jobs will be at risk when human works are completed by AI more efficiently and more productively. How do we be able to progress our “self” to challenge AI? Can we complete with AI in the future? If not, then how will the world looks like?

PS: Repost from here.

It is a human nature that we overestimate what we know and underestimate the uncertainty. We always tend to underestimate the uncertain events.

We just can't predict. We humans are so bad at prediction. None of us predicted the likelihood of computers 40 years ago, the internet 20 years ago, Tesla 10 years ago and the examples goes on and on. There is a huge difference between what we actually know and what we we think we know. This has increased the likelihood of prediction that has harmed us in many events.

Our ability to predict the future by underestimating uncertainty increases the probability of unpredicted implying the greater and greater role of unpredicted.

Nassim Nicholas Taleb in his book "The Black Swan", wrote the following, which I find very insightful:

"There is one thing in this world you must never forget to do. If you forget everything else and not this, there's nothing to worry about, but if you remember everything else and forget this, then you will have done nothing in your life.

It's as if a king has sent you to some country to do a task, and you perform a hundred other services, but not the one he sent you to do. So human being come to this world to do particular work. That work is the purpose, and each is specific to the person. If you don't do it, it's as though a priceless Indian sword were used to slice rotten meat. It's a golden bowl being used to cook turnips, when one filing from the bowl could buy a hundred suitable pots. It's like a knife of the finest tempering nailed into a wall to hang things on.

You say, "But look, I'm using the dagger. It's not lying idle." Do you hear how ludicrous that sounds? For a penny an iron nail could be bought to serve for that. You say, "But I spend my energies on lofty enterprises. I study jurisprudence and philosophy and logic and astronomy and medicine and the rest." But consider why you do those things. They are all branches of yourself.

Remember the deep root of your being, the presence of your lord. Give yourself to the one who already owns your breath and your moments. If you don't, you will be like the man who takes a precious dagger and hammers it into his kitchen wall for a peg to hold his dipper gourd. You'll be wasting valuable keenness and forgetting your dignity and purpose."

A 300-year history of an idea: "Greed is Good", has been considered as the DNA of Capitalism. In 18th century, Adam Smith, father of Economics, described Capitalism as an economic system based on self-interest.

It is not from the benevolence of the butcher, the brewer, or the baker, that we expect our dinner, but from their regard to their own interest. We address ourselves, not to their humanity but to their self-love, and never talk to them of our own necessities but of their advantages.

(Smith, p. 14, Modern Library edition, 1937).

Smith further added, If I’m poor you will be poor too since I cannot buy any products or good from you. If I’m rich, you will be enriched too since you can now sell me something.”

One of the most important and underrated questions for centuries is: What is the driving force of Capitalism? Anti-capitalists frequently accuse Capitalism of being a system driven by Greed and Selfishness.

But is it unethical or immoral? Isn't greed a human nature? By nature, man is greedy, which is why  socialism never works. The irreplaceable question is: Is greed and selfishness the driving force of modern capitalism?

Human Self-interest is not only the driving force of capitalism, it is, in fact, the driving force of every human actions. The choice of food, the habit of brushing teeth taking medicines, travelling, and all human activities are the result from self-interest.

The fact that America is one of the biggest capitalistic country in the world does not make it the greediest country. In fact, America is number one in donations and other social activities.

It's unfortunate that Capitalism is considered as greedy economic system, but this is the one and only future of economic system which is driven by the combination of  freedom, empathy, and self-interest.

Marcus Aurelius in his "Meditation" journal of Book 11 wrote that following are the properties of rational mind:

i. Self-perception

ii. Self-analysis

iii. Affection for their neighbor

iv. Truthfulness

v. Humility

Furthermore, he mentions rational mind understands that those who come after us will see nothing different and those who came before us saw no more that what we do.

One of the best therapies I've discovered for me is running. My goal of running is not to maintain physical fitness or gain something but just to run. After all, at the end, all those come as a by products.

The clearance of the mind, the illuminance of the imagination and the resonance of the breathe are all enhanced by running, making myself a super human, free from all obstacles, hindrance and attachments.

While its hard to learn temperance in daily life, running boosts self-control, equanimity and strength. The cold shower after the running is a next biggest therapy for the anxiety, pain and imbalance.

Well, all these are some of my biggest findings...