To try new things?

One of the best things about the world today is that you can pretty much do ANYTHING, and I kind of just realized that this weekend. So many times I notice, both in myself and in others, that when we're exposed to new experiences, we respond something like, "Oh my gosh! That's so cool! I would love to try that some time!"

Now if you just said, "I would," when would you do it? Would is the past tense of will, making it somewhere between the past and the future, but certainly not the present. I think it's time for a shift in semantics. Screw the "would" (haha screw the wood - I'm still five years old) and just do it. Try, "Oh my gosh! That's so cool! I'm going to find out how I can do it and do it the soonest chance I get." A good friend of mine put it well when she said, "We're all really good dreamers and planners. Not executors."

That shouldn't and doesn't have to be the case. I think our time here is too short not to be exploring what the world around us has to offer. I don't really know many other ways to express it, but just take a look at this list of things you might want to check out, and actually pick a few and explore a bit. Don't think so much about how something won't work for you. Try it and then figure out whether or not your expectations were confirmed or invalidated. You never know until you try. The essence of life is experience:

• Try Bikram yoga (or any type of yoga, for that matter)
• Do a charity walk

• Raise money for something meaningful
• Go to a sports event (if you're going to do it once, make it excellent -- try the US Open [golf or tennis], the Olympics [how often are the Olympics ever going to be within 1000 miles of you? Make an effort], the Superbowl, or something of equal magnitude)
• Meet someone random and do something they want to do within the first three hours of the encounter
• Go to a botanic garden
• Go somewhere scenic and be a photographer for a day
• Buy front-row tickets to a concert and really rock out/sing along like you mean it
• Listen to some classic rock music
• Go rock climbing
• Run a local race (whether it be a 5K, 10K, or a marathon -- whatever suits you)
• Go skydiving
• Go hiking
• Be in a movie (even if you're just that guy crossing the street in the background)
• Tell the truth
• Plant something
• Write a letter to a politician or celebrity
• Handwrite a letter of appreciation to someone who's really made a mark on your life
• Learn how to dance (even if it's just the basics)
• Play around at the foot of a waterfall
• Sleep outdoors
• Go pedal-boating
• Build something with your own two hands
• Speak to a telemarketer. Seriously.
• Go to a driving range
• Learn how to ski
• Keep a journal for a full month of your life. Update daily.
• Act carelessly, in a "childish" manner for a full day.
• Smile in the face of humiliation
• Live.

I know some things cost money, but really, when else will you have a chance to enjoy life except when you're actually living? Feel free to post some more ideas in the comments or email them to me and I'll throw them onto the post.

The last thing I want to think about when I'm older is, "What if?" or "I should have..." If you can resonate with that, start living.

Love,

Ankit

Don't Stop

I was looking back at my older posts on this blog the other day, and I saw a comment from my cousin, Arpit, on a post in 2007 where he said something like, "Keep doing what you're doing kid. There's obviously no stopping you." I didn't think much of it at the time, but I look back. It's that kind of thinking that has led me to any success I've ever noted in my own life and the kind of success I see in anybody that has had a hand in revolutionizing our way of thinking in this day and age (think Sergey Brin and Larry Page, founders of Google, Evan Williams, the guy that started Twitter, etc.).

If you want to make something happen, you have to actually make it happen.

There are so many people who are just waiting for your idea to fall apart, and there are just as many people trying to get you to stop just so you can fall back into the pit of the norm (anyone that points out the flaws of your actions and criticizes without construction). The rut that most of society is stuck in, away from ideas that are more progressive (often mistaken for ideas that are more radical), is only improved upon by people who don't let down when they're criticized.

You might have an idea that's awesome to you, ridiculous to others, and the goal might not be clearly within the range of visibility, but that doesn't mean you stop. If you follow through with it, there's a much greater chance that something worthwhile comes to fruition than if you let go of it just because you met some resistance.

And moving on with it doesn't mean that you accommodate all the proposed changes and then move on. Moving on with it means that what you're doing was essentially your idea in the beginning and stayed essentially your idea in the end. If you take suggestions, fantastic. If you absorb suggestions to the extent that your project BECOMES the suggestions, you've lost the point altogether. This is your work -- whether it be a material project, a personal development project, your own life, a recipe, whatever. When I say project, I mean anything that you put time and effort into.

One of the best signs of a great developing idea is the presence of an opposition. Find your opposition. Stick to your ideas. Then stick it to the opposition.

Much love,

Ankit

Jason Mraz - No Stopping Us

Love yourself, and love others

I don't know if it was the Dalai Lama that said it, but I couldn't find the quote on Google so I'll just paraphrase:

To love others, you must first love yourself.

Think about that. Pause. Okay.

I've slowly come to the realization that there's no other way to love than by loving yourself. It falls in line with the idea that your positivity radiates to those around you. When you appreciate yourself, knowing that you're doing what you think is right, knowing that you're doing what you want to do, you shed that layer of insecurity that surrounds so many of us, and you can look at others with a clearer mind and appreciate them and what they have to offer to the world the same way you appreciate yourself.

There's a difference between narcissism and self-love. Narcissism refers to the superficial appreciation of oneself (i.e. "I love myself because I look damn good today"). Self-love is a true appreciation for what you do. For example, I love myself because what I eat treats my body well. I love myself because I take care of myself in the sense that I make a conscious effort to keep myself educated with academics and current events. I love myself because I do what I can to help those around me whether it be through direct contact or through this blog. I love myself because I surround myself with amazing individuals each of whom offer so much to my life. I love myself because I always have a reason to smile (refer to the four reasons listed above).

Because of this love for myself, I find it a lot easier to see the light in the character of each of the individuals around me. I know each person has his or her own flaws, but I think we stop at the flaws too often and don't really take the opportunity to find the positives because we're so wrapped up in the negatives. When you love yourself, you know you have flaws, but you look passed those and learn to appreciate yourself for what you do have going for you. That mentality essentially trains you to do the same when interacting with other people you meet. You love them after realizing that everyone is flawed.

Try this exercise: during the next week, keep a little notebook on you. Whenever you do something that you look back at and react happily like, "Huh. That was pretty great," write it down. Keep a little log of these things, and after the week. Write anywhere from one to five general reasons you have to love yourself. Remind yourself of these and smile a bit more. If you're ambitious, keep that list with you. Post it up on your wall. Do whatever you need to to remind yourself of why you should be loving yourself and maybe, just maybe, you'll stay to love the people around you a little bit more.

Love (or at least try to),

Ankit

What is this blog even about?

A common misconception I often see about this blog and others like it (I guess you'd call them personal development blogs, but I stray a little bit every so often) is that the readers assume that the writer is this guy who does everything he preaches. I couldn't imagine a thought more untrue than that when it comes to my writing. I am so far from the ideals I write about here, but I write this blog because all I can truly say about myself is that I've raised my awareness to these different things, whether it be the excessive nature of complaining, the need for some positivity, the lack of individualized action, why we need to live, or anything else.

This blog is filled with things that everyone already knows. You don't need to read this blog to gain insight on any of the things I write about, but I do offer a perspective you may or may not have considered previous to reading this, and that's why it's here -- for your use, to provoke your thoughts.

This might be totally weird, but I even read my own material, watch my own vlogs (which is kinda creepy watching myself talking to myself), and learn from my thoughts even if I wrote/recorded the post a week ago. The way I see if, if someone can resonate with something I'm posting and they might think it's something that they could incorporate in themselves for the better, then humanity might have improved a little bit. Even if I'm not the one improving by incorporating my own words, someone else is, and that's really all that matters right (after you look past the whole personal gain thang).

Someone once called me out on acting totally out of character with my blog, and they saw that as a reason to act blatantly against everything I stand for through the blog. It fell on them like a rock when I told them that the blog isn't about me and my actions. It's about how you might be able to improve yourself with a new perspective.

Love you tons,

Ankit

Expectations? Psht.

People often tell me my ideas are too idealistic. I believe too much that everyone is going to do what works best, that people will take account for their own actions, that people will understand that complaining doesn't make sense, that people will take control of their health, that people will LIVE. Society doesn't work that way. I know society doesn't.

However, just because society doesn't function a certain way doesn't mean I don't have to. I do what I feel works best. Too often I see people just do what they're "supposed" to.

Society works this way. It's too crazy to think people will (eat the way their supposed to / maximize their lives / live in the moment / stop spreading so much negativity).

People will never say, "What's the point of trying?" but without realizing it, that's essentially the message they convey. Don't fall into that category. Be progressive. Be radical. Be YOU. If you want to take control of your life, defy societal expectations.

Much love,

Ankit

[Vlog] Receiving Criticism

Vlog: Receiving Criticism from Ankit Shah on Vimeo.

Discussed:
- My '90s teen TV star look (and my pubescent acne/facial hair)
- Our love for criticism, only if it's positive
- How we tend to respond to negative criticism (i.e. nitpicking at fallacies in the opposition's argument, failing to actually consider the criticism as a whole)
- That all criticism is constructive, whether that's the intention or not; there is always something to learn from the criticism.

Happiness: A State of Being

There's a big difference between pleasure and joy. Pleasure stems from immediate gratification of something that tends to be superficial (i.e. new clothes, gadgets, a successful hookup, whatever). On the other hand, joy, which I personally prefer any day, comes from a sustained happiness that occurs as a result of a good life -- usually from appreciating little daily happenings that might typically run by you without you taking notice (a good friend, quality weather, the trust and respect of your colleagues).

I don't know if there is an answer to which is better (except I thought I did when I started writing this post), but what I do know is that for more people than not, pleasure is not sustainable. It often leads to lows that might not need to be dealt with if the focus were more on overall happiness (aka joy).

The thing about pleasure is that it's nice, but only in moderation. In excess, it loses its ability to be thoroughly appreciated. Unless you're someone like Tucker Max, chances are, pleasure won't do IT for you (whatever it is) all the time. Funny enough, though, it's what most of us seek more than anything. We want new clothes. We want more girls/boys. We want more skin-deep relationships.

It might be a redirection of focus that could make all the difference. The thought, "Will this actually fulfill me? Will I be joyful after this?" might sway many decisions. It's one of the reasons I practice a primarily raw foods lifestyle. Sure, fries, ice cream, bagels and all that jazz provides me that pleasure, but in the long run, I will be happier with myself if I eat healthier foods.

Consider your lifestyle. Are you seeking pleasure OR are you living joy?

Love you,

Ankit