"Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes... the ones who see things differently – they’re not fond of rules. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things... they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius, because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do."
— Steve Jobs
Pondering...
Be like water
Bruce lee
“Water Mindset.” Bruce Lee believed that we must be like water. Water always adopts the shape of its surroundings.
“Don’t get set into one form, adapt it and build your own, and let it grow, be like water. Empty your mind, be formless, shapeless — like water. Now you put water in a cup, it becomes the cup; You put water into a bottle it becomes the bottle; You put it in a teapot it becomes the teapot.”
— Bruce Lee
When Lee says to be "formless", he means that people shouldn't allow themselves to be trapped in a certain mindset. Instead, a person should be able to adapt to certain situations, grow, and change; that's how one can adopt the qualities of water. That's the basic interpretation of the phrase.
Lee discovered that no matter how hard he struck the water, he couldn't hurt it. Though it seemed weak, it could "penetrate the hardest substance in the world"
It's formlessness and adaptability led to Lee deciding that he wanted to become like the "nature of water"
In 1967, Lee took his ideas and founded his own martial arts philosophy, Jeet Kune Do, a "formless" fighting style that embodied all of Lee's principles, particularly his "be like water" quote, as Jeet Kune Do focuses on reacting and adapting, and dispenses with the tradition and rules that go along with all other kung fu styles.
When it comes to improving your mind, you want to be in a relaxed, more flow-like state. You want to feel good, energetic, and rested.
We are so consumed with labels! associating ourselves with a type, form, society or religion.
We are actually living organisms that are constantly changing and evolving and that we have the innate potential to transform in a consistent manner.
Because we are constantly labeling ourselves, and because we are constantly putting ourselves in some kinds of boxes, we are not able to manifest real change and transformation in our life.
In fact, without holding on to any labels, we can exist in a much more meaningful way. We can exist with much more freedom of choice. We can be more and do more.
True transformation takes the audacity to stand alone. True transformation takes determination to go deep within yourself to find your true nature which is not influenced by your parents, education, and society.
True transformation takes place when you realize that at the core of your being, you are empty. The emptiness that is beyond all thoughts and feelings and emotions. The emptiness that is full of love and creativity. The emptiness that can be transformed into any shape and size you want. The emptiness that is full of life.
Thought-provoking...
Kobe Bryant Day!
Famously known as The Mamba, he was born on August 23rd and wore the Number 24. He played 20 seasons for the Los Angeles Lakers.
The basketball legend nicknamed himself the “Black Mamba”
August 24th was chosen as the date to honor the former Los Angeles Lakers legend.
While it’s his legendary skills on the basketball court which many remember, the athlete’s inspirational “mamba mentality” clearly had just as much of a lasting and powerful impact.
Aspire to constantly strive to be the best version of yourself.
"That is what the mentality is. It's a constant quest to try to be better today than you were yesterday."
Hard work outweighs talent -- every time,”
Put in the hard work, dedication and practice and do more than the next guy. Without effort and determination you can only rely on fate - Kobe said “I don’t do fate”
Kobe was famous for his relentless work ethic and his intolerance of those who did not share it. He once said, "I have nothing in common with lazy people who blame others for their lack of success. Great things come from hard work and perseverance. No excuses."
If you want to be great in a particular area, you have to obsess over it. A lot of people say they want to be great, but they're not willing to make the sacrifices necessary to achieve greatness. They have other concerns, whether important or not, and they spread themselves out.
It’s easy for people to point at masters like Bryant and remark that their talent is simply God-given. But the reality is that even though some might have natural attributes or abilities, what distinguishes the ordinary from the extraordinary is the amount of work and dedication put into perfecting a craft.
Mamba mentality is more of an approach than anything else. It’s about attacking what’s in front of you with passion and purpose, without fear and doubt and without an ounce of quit. No matter what it is, good/bad; success/failure that’s your approach.
The Mamba Mentality transcends basketball and sport and is applicable all through life. Whoever you are, wherever you are from and whatever you want to achieve, if you have focus, a purpose and dedication you will find a way to succeed.
Following his retirement, he even opened the Mamba Sports Academy, to help rising NBA players as well as children wanting to get into basketball
Mamba for life, 8, 24 KB - The legend lives.
While the far-reaching power of Bryant’s words can’t be denied, it was in his own home that he likely hoped the mantra would be most cherished and adopted
Kobe to his daughters: "Those times when you get up early & you work hard, those times you stay up late & you work hard, those times when you don't feel like working, you're too tired, you don't want to push yourself, but you do it anyway. THAT'S THE DREAM."
Video - Dear Basketball
The Mamba Mentality - Get the book here
6 Important Lessons I Learnt From Kobe Bryant - Click here
The philosophy of Kobe Bryant - click here
Widget of the Week...
80/20 Principle By Richard Koch
The 80/20 principle (also known as the Pareto Principle),
teaches us that 20% of our efforts generate 80% of the positive results in our life and guides us to identify how to do more with less. Less effort and fewer resources, by simply concentrating on the essential.
This principle was discovered at the end of the 19th century by Vilfredo Pareto when he observed systematic and predictable imbalance in the distribution of wealth. Pareto discovered that 80% of the wealth in Italy was controlled by 20% of the population. That is why it is also called Pareto’s Law.
This paradoxical law states that most productivity and the best achievement are attained from the least effort and time spent.
If used effectively this phenomenon can benefit our lives tremendously, by unleashing huge potential.
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world: the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself.”
— George Bernard Shaw
The things that work fabulously need to be noticed, cultivated, nourished and multiplied. At the same time, the rest — the majority of elements that always turn out to be of little use — should be abandoned or reduced to a minimum.
To engage in 80/20 Thinking, we have to keep asking ourselves: what is the 20% that leads to the 80%? We can then use 80/20 Thinking to change behaviour and to focus our attention on the 20% that counts.
This principle can be applied to all parts of our lives, social, business and relationships.
Even though it seems so practically simple, it is seldom used effectively.
In the book, Kioch provides example after example and shows how you can apply the 80/20 Principle to your business, your work habits, your career, and your personal life to achieve more success with less effort by focusing on the items that provide the most leverage.
In the world of business, The 80/20 principle is very useful: to reduce cost, eradicate waste, focus on profits and make money.
Prosperous companies sell a narrower range of products to a lower number of customers and order stocks from a smaller number of suppliers.
Focus on the 20%
Standardise. Improve. Every time something starts to become complex, simplify it. If you cannot, eliminate it.
The power of simplicity
A simple business will always be more successful than a complex one. The large and simple business is the best. The way to create something extraordinary is to create something simple. Progress requires simplicity; simplicity requires ruthlessness. This could explain why simplicity is as rare as it is beautiful.
The 80/20 Principle is a life principle, not only a business principle.
The objective of 80/20 Thinking is to generate action that will make significant improvements in your life and in that of others. This requires exceptional intuition, reflection and introspection.
Although the application of this principle to everyday life seems fairly pragmatic, why is it that most of us spend a lot of time with people we do not like, do jobs that we are not enthusiastic about and waste “spare time” on activities that we do not particularly enjoy.
Focusing on the 20% is to live a more purposeful life. Make validated choices and do only that which generates positive impact in our work and life. It's easy to get distracted in today’s world, and therefore equally important to keep aligned with what is vital to us.
Enjoy this practical read - click here