Way to Success – Practical Thinking Skills

Lately, I have been reading about philosophy and life. In the past whenever I have read philosophy or studied it as a part of my college curriculum, I have always felt that it is impractical to apply it to the real world. Most ideas that thinkers shared were applied by them in a context and may be relevant to those times, but would not apply to current human circumstances.

Recently, I came across an online program on 'success-practical lessons', and it changed my views on the application of philosophy to a certain extent. I read about some thinkers and some impressive and influential personalities who carved their niche in this world with their ideas of life and their inspiring actions. Here, I will refer to my learnings and how I see its application to our lives. Certainly, I attempt to make this blog a paradigm shift for us.

Bruce Lee

1. Bruce Lee, the martial arts guru, spoke his views on Buddhism and Taoism He said ‘Be like water’. It can take any shape and form. It, at the same time, can cut through objects and travel. Its force can overcome resistance. Water is the softest substance in the world, but it cannot be destroyed by any weapon. 'Be water, my friend'..this thought originates from Taoism.
Learning for us- Be like water. Be agile, soft, but when required by circumstances, you can be the strongest and the most powerful force. Life must go on.. in continuity.. steady water gets spoilt.. life always survives in flowing, freshwater.

2. Another analogy given by Bruce Lee is the concept of the 'emptiness of the cup'. As per Buddhism, it reflects the emptiness of the mind, which has infinite possibilities of filling up with anything.
Learning for us- Believe that you have the power to fill your mind with the right things. It is in your hands.

3. He also said that we live life from our perspective. That is our limited self-knowledge. Common stuff, like knowledge about the world, is also put by us in our perspective and viewed.
Learning for us- Therefore, it is necessary to remember that our perspective is 'just our side of the story', but is not synonymous to the 'truth'.

4. One of his poems for harmonious peace of mind is called 'for the moment'. It reads: The surrounding utters no sound. Time ceases. The paradise of dreams come true. Here, speaking of dreams, he emphasises on attitude. Your attitude determines the way you are, and what you become.
Learning for us- All of us have a paradise of dreams. It's called paradise, as it's a beautiful positive wish, desire, which we make in our hearts. But the manifestation of these dreams is dependent on our attitude.

Nick Vujicic

5. Nick Vujicic, born with a congenital condition called Phocomelia, which is that he doesn't have limbs and the rest of his body is functioning well. He was bullied and tortured at school in the early years of his life. To the extent that he thought of ending his life. But the love and support of his parents and siblings made him change his mind. The first step which he took was 'to forgive' those who bullied him. He says that it changed his entire outlook towards life. Hold the attitude of empathy and forgiveness.
Learning for us- New beginnings require us to leave behind the old. Forget and possibly also forgive. Easier said than done. But an attempt is always required.

6. Nick's positive and never say die attitude has made him a motivational speaker, author, and most of all a happy man. He says that by changing your attitude you can change your life. Most importantly have an attitude of gratitude. He says he is thankful to God for the tiny little foot he has, which makes him manoeuvre around.
Learning for us- Look at what you have, rather than concentrating on what you don't have. Have gratitude and you will be much satisfied with your life, rather than cribbing about the absent aspects.

7. Nick also says that anything you want should be not just a thought, it should be converted into action, and that action will determine your success. It determines what you truly have in your heart.
Learning for us- Journey of a thousand miles begins with your first step.

Jack Ma

8. Jack Ma, the founder of Alibaba, said 'Everybody should have a dream. What if that dream comes true?' Challenges are opportunities, the bigger challenges you solve, the bigger opportunities you have. He also talks about living a life happy and healthy; it goes hand in hand.
Learning for us- Only if you dream and take challenges to make it true, then you will be able to someday make it happen. A happy life is in our own hands.


9. Steve Jobs, the man needs no introduction. He said you cannot connect the dots looking in the future, you can only connect them looking backwards.
Learning for us- When we look back at our the incidents of our lives and gradually towards our present state, we can connect all the dots, why you are, what you are.
 

Steve Jobs

10. He said, 'Love what you do. You got to find what you love'. He said, that dropping out of college is one of the best decisions he made. That made him find, realise, and do what he loved to do. Stay hungry stay foolish.
Learning for us- If we engage in something which we don't enjoy doing, we will not do it for long. We will give it up soon.

Hope this was inspirational for you too and we can all incorporate some of this in our lives.