Rich Franklin's advice to young MMA fighters


Rich Franklin has a great quote about how fighters should have a bit of amnesia when it comes to their losses and wins. Sometimes you can get an inflated sense of self and comfortfrom a win that can make you rest on your laurels, and when you lose you can let that overwhelm you negatively. For Rich, a certain level of forgetfulness is key to success:

I always talk to young fighters about this that lose and stuff...You have to have like a bit of amnesia both on the winning side and the losing side of this thing...On the losing side you need to be able to forget a loss to be able to move on and to be successful in your next fight. But on the winning side you need to be able to forget a win so you don't get stuck in this pattern of like, "I'm unstoppable". So there has to be a level of amnesia for a fighter.

Conor McGregor motivational words for fighters


Conor McGregor on believing in yourself and showing up at the gym:

Keep believing in your ability, believe in your shot, believe in your move, and show up at the gym. It is a recipe for success that cannot be stopped.

I wish I had known this.....

As Jack looked back , he had regrets in life in many areas - Life, Career, Family…

It was the last day of his life and all he could say was " I wish I had known this long back"

His thoughts went back to the times when he graduated from the top MBA school and had one of the highest paying jobs in the world.  He had always lived a life of prosperity, succeeding from one step to another to finally end up being the CEO of the company he started working for.

Still looking back, he was sad and unhappy. During his youth, he thought having the biggest mansion and car was ultimate sign of happiness.

All he wanted today was one more chance to pursue his dream life: to become a photographer and travel all around the world.  One of his friends did advise him to take the risk and plunge into his passion, but he waived him off saying that he wanted job security and he will pursue his passion once he has enough money.

Later never came and year after year, he chased after money, wealth and fame. But he had no chance now and all he had was memories and his fear of failure which stopped him to do what he wanted? Does the story sound familiar to you?


How many times in our life, now when we look back and wish in our lives that we had the courage to take risks earlier. I was listening to a senior executive in Google who graduated from Stanford and his biggest advice to the graduates was to take risks early in their career and be open to new ideas/thoughts. How he wished, he could have taken risks and joined Google when it was 6 person company?

Don't we all have our goals and are bogged down by the norms of society and big corporate names when it comes to finding a job or sticking to the societal norms and then later in our life, we wish we could have been daring and open to new ideas.  We wish we had this daring and bold attitude  which will  not succumb to people's expectations. But why don't we convert our wish to a truth…There is only one answer:

FEAR OF FAILURE.


Ok , so let's look at the times, when we were born, we always wanted to try new things. Remember your first fall as a kid when you tried to walk or bike, remember how we were carefree…Do we still embody that same spirit and as it has happened to us in our childhood, if we did, more often than not we will come out and succeeded. Why? Because when you take risks, you know that you will never regret in future.

What's the worst that can happen if you follow your passion:  You will fail and still emerge out happy and strong in the end, knowing that you tried. In fact failure is the best thing that can happen to you because when you will fail, you will know that there cannot be any worse situation than you will be in. From there, the only way is up.

Here are a few examples:



“You never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.

Remember if you will not try, we will end up being Jack in our lives. So what can you do now?

You are not living your last day, so remember this


"The future doesn't matter, the past is gone. There is only now. And Now is enough. It is more than enough. It is everything and that is why you run, you run and you run. And after that you run even more to reach your goals."

Every week I will share one inspiration nugget like this .If you like my page and want to join me on the journey of discovering our successes and failures, Don't hesitate to join me on the road to freedom....:)

You can always subscribe this blog Feed or join me on Twitter or Facebook or contact me directly on apekshaha@gmail.com

The ART Of Following your Dreams

"If you will not try, you will go to your grave with your song still inside you." -  Henry David Thoreau

I have just finished reading  The Art of Non Conformity book by Chris Gullibeau. This book is not meant for orthodox people who are not willing to change in their lives. If you are one of them, then I think you just landed on a wrong page.



But if you are willing to try and change with me, then you are most welcome to read on.

Are you one of those that sits in cubicles  for more than 50% of your day?

Are you one of those who does wishful dreaming of a perfect life doing what you have always wanted do?

Are you one of those who believe that life is tough but you can be tougher if you just had options?


Well if you are, then welcome to my world which has just been shattered to pieces by what I have read*.  There are many people who are not famous but still live the life that they have always dreamt of.  Not one, Not two, not hundred, there are thousands of people who are doing that.  Here are few of them:

  1. Leo Babuata who is the founder of Zen Habits , a website/blog with 260,000 subscribers and has six kids. Here is the catch, before this, he worked in a low level administrative job in GUAM ( ever heard of this place?)
  2. Chris Gullibeau himself was a volunteer worker in South Africa and did his masters from University of Washington. After that he decided to work for himself rather than going for a cubicle job. His website is one of the most famous ones ( The Art of Non Conformity) and has been featured in CNN and other top news channels in a span of 4 years. Oh By the way, he has also travelled 192 countries in the world in less than 50,000$ budget. He is just 35!
  3. The Excel Dude from India who started his website in 2009 and now earns almost $150,000 per year.

I can go on and on about the examples, but that's not the point here…The point is about thinking what we are doing, is it the right path or the wrong one..

This book has got me thinking that should I go for a cubicle job or should I go for doing something that I want irrespective of what the society thinks? All these examples are of people like you and me , yet they have carved out a way by which they are following their dreams. So why can't we?

Everyone dies but not everyone lives. The question is where are we going ?

Just another person in cubicle or someone who followed their dreams…. 



*The book that I have mentioned is one of the brilliant books that I have read and I would highly recommend to anyone who wants to follow his passion but is afraid of the so called society norms and pressures.

Every Friday I will share one inspirational nugget like this. If you like my page and want to join me on the journey of discovering our successes and failures, Don't hesitate...Let's walk together on the Road To Freedom...

You can always subscribe this blog Feed or join me on Twitter or Facebook or contact me directly on apekshaha@gmail.com


I wish I had known this.....


Nick "The Tooth" on not taking things so seriously


Nick "The Tooth" Gullo speaks on not losing the fun of life by taking things too seriously:

My approach to life is always just don't take yourself so seriously, and don't take life so seriously. It's not that serious.

Old Story with a Good Lesson



A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package... 

"What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered - he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. 



Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning.  "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"
The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said,  "Mr. Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it."


The mouse turned to the goat and told him "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"  The goat sympathized, but said, "I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it. "


The mouse turned to the cow and said, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"  The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse.  I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose. But wish you well; be assured you are in my prayers "


So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap-- alone.


That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound  of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was  caught.   In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught.  The snake bit the farmer's wife. 

The farmer rushed her to the hospital  and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard  for the soup's main ingredient.  But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her  around the clock. To feed them, the farmer  butchered the goat.  The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. 


So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat  for all of them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in 
the wall with great sadness. 

So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember that when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk.  We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another because directly or indirectly we might have to suffer!!!

If you have any questions, you can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com


The Monkey with the Wooden Apples


There once was a happy monkey wandering the jungle, eating delicious fruit when hungry, and resting when tired. One day he came upon a house, where he saw a bowl of the most beautiful apples. He took one in each hand and ran back into the forest.

 He sniffed the apples and smelled nothing. He tried to eat them, but hurt his teeth. They were made of wood, but they were beautiful, and when the other monkeys saw them, he held onto them even tighter.

 He admired his new possessions proudly as he wandered the jungle. They glistened red in the sun, and seemed perfect to him. He became so attached to them, that he didn't even notice his hunger at first.

 A fruit tree reminded him, but he felt the apples in his hands. He couldn't bear to set them down to reach for the fruit. In fact, he couldn't relax, either, if he was to defend his apples. A proud, but less happy monkey continued to walk along the forest trails.

 The apples became heavier, and the poor little monkey thought about leaving them behind. He was tired, hungry, and he couldn't climb trees or collect fruit with his hands full. What if he just let go?

 Letting go of such valuable things seemed crazy, but what else could he do? He was so tired. Seeing the next fruit tree, and smelling it’s fruit was enough. He dropped the wooden apples and reached up for his meal. He was happy again.

 Like that little monkey, we sometimes carry things that seem too valuable to let go. A man carries an image of himself as "productive" - carries it like a shiny wooden apple. But in reality, his busyness leaves him tired, and hungry for a better life.

  Still, letting go seems crazy. Even his worries are sacred apples - they prove he's "doing everything he can." He holds onto them compulsively.

Remember, you can only decide what kind of life do you want to live?

If you have any questions, you can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com

7 Principles Of An Eagle – Dr. Myles Monroe





While following my regular daily reading ritual, I came across this beautiful post so thought will share it with everyone. Let me know what do you think?

Eagles were the symbol of almost all conquerors, be it Caesar or Hitler the reason is!! Read on.....Inspiration from the "7 Principles of an Eagle" : Author Dr. Myles Monroe:

PRINCIPLE 1

Eagles fly alone at high altitude and not with sparrows or other small birds. No other bird can got to the height of the eagle. Stay away from sparrows and ravens.

Eagles fly with Eagles.

PRINCIPLE 2

Eagles have strong vision. They have the ability to focus on something up to five kilometers away. When an eagle sites his prey, he narrows his focus on it and set out to get it. No matter the obstacles, the eagle will not move his focus from the prey until he grabs it.

Have a vision and remain focused no matter what the obstacle and you will succeed.

PRINCIPLE 3

Eagles do not eat dead things. They feed only on fresh prey. Vultures eat dead animals, but eagles will not.

Be careful with what you feed your eyes and ears with, especially in movies and on TV. Steer clear of outdated and old information. Always do your research well.

PRINCIPLE 4

Eagles love the storm. When clouds gather, the eagles get excited. The eagle uses the storm’s wind to lift it higher. Once it finds the wind of the storm, the eagles uses the raging storm to lift him above the clouds. This gives the eagle an opportunity to glide and rest its wings. In the meantime, all the other birds hide in the leaves and branches of the trees.

We can use the storms of life to rise to greater heights. Achievers relish challenges and use them profitably.

PRINCIPLE 5

The Eagle tests before it trusts. When a female eagle meets a male and they want to mate, she flies down to earth with the male pursuing her and she picks a twig. She flies back into the air with the male pursuing her.

Once she has reached a height high enough for her, she lets the twig fall to the ground and watches it as it falls. The male chases after the twig. The faster it falls, the faster he chases it. He has to catch it before it falls to the ground. He then brings it back to the female eagle.

The female eagle grabs the twig and flies to a higher altitude and then drops the twig for the male to chase. This goes on for hours, with the height increasing until the female eagle is assured that the male eagle has mastered the art of catching the twig which shows commitment. Then and only then, will she allow him to mate with her.

Whether in private life or in business, one should test commitment of people intended for partnership.

PRINCIPLE 6

When ready to lay eggs, the female and male eagle identify a place very high on a cliff where no predators can reach. The male flies to earth and picks thorns and lays them on the crevice of the cliff, then flies to earth again to collect twigs which he lays in the intended nest. He flies back to earth and picks thorns laying them on top of the twigs. He flies back to earth and picks soft grass to cover the thorns. When this first layering is complete the male eagle runs back to earth and picks more thorns, lays them on the nest; runs back to get grass it on top of the thorns, then plucks his feathers to complete the nest. The thorns on the outside of the nest protect it from possible intruders. Both male and female eagles participate in raising the eagle family. She lays the eggs and protects them; he builds the nest and hunts. During the time of training the young ones to fly, the mother eagle throws the eaglets out of the nest. Because they are scared, they jump into the nest again.

Next, she throws them out and then takes off the soft layers of the nest, leaving the thorns bare. When the scared eaglets again jump into the nest, they are pricked by thorns. Shrieking and bleeding they jump out again this time wondering why the mother and father who love them so much are torturing them. Next, mother eagle pushes them off the cliff into the air. As they shriek in fear, father eagle flies out and catches them up on his back before they fall and brings them back to the cliff. This goes on for some time until they start flapping their wings. They get excited at this newfound knowledge that they can fly. 

The preparation of the nest teaches us to prepare for changes; the preparation for the family teaches us that active participation of both partners leads to success; the being pricked by the thorns tells us that sometimes being too comfortable where we are may result into our not experiencing life, not progressing and not learning at all. The thorns of life come to teach us that we need to grow, get out of the nest and live on. We may not know it but the seemingly comfortable and safe haven may have thorns.
The people who love us do not let us languish in sloth but push us hard to grow and prosper. Even in their seemingly bad actions they have good intentions for us.

PRINCIPLE 7

When an Eagle grows old, his feathers become weak and cannot take him as fast as he should. When he feels weak and about to die, he retires to a place far away in the rocks. While there, he plucks out every feather on his body until he is completely bare. He stays in this hiding place until he has grown new feathers, then he can come out.

We occasionally need to shed off old habits & items that burden us without adding to our lives.

If you have any questions, you can mail me at apekshaha@gmail.com

Enjoy The Coffee

                                                Story of the Day


A group of friends visited their old university professor. Conversation soon turned to complaints about 'STRESS' & 'TENSION' in life.
Professor offered them coffee & returned from kitchen with coffee in different kinds of cups (glass cups, crystal cups, shining ones, some plain looking, some ordinary n some expensive ones.

When all of them had a cup in hand, the professor said:
"If you noticed, all the nice looking & expensive cups are taken up, leaving-behind the ordinary ones. Every one of you wanted the best CUPS, & that is the source of your STRESS & TENSION. What you really wanted was "coffee", not the "cup", but you still went for the best cup.  
If life is coffee, then jobs, money, status & love etc. are the cups. They are just TOOLS to hold and contain life
Don't let the CUPS drive YOU. 
Enjoy the COFFEE. 
If you have any comments, feel free to reach me at apekshaha@gmail.com




Mark Munoz on leadership


 
 
UFC middleweight Mark Munoz on his viewpoint on being a leader. He takes a holistic approach in trying to lead others in every realm of life and do so via setting a great example as a human being:
 
What it means to be a good leader is to lead by example...Your actions speak louder than your words...For me, what it means to be able to lead other people is to be able to impact them in a positive way: mentally, emotionally, spiritually, physically.

Frank Shamrock on Following the Warrior's Code

 


Frank Shamrock on the code of the warrior:

All my life, following the warrior's code has taken me to places I was afraid to go. But always when I got there I was glad I made the journey