Too much learning is good, but…

Particularly in the West, we may take decades engaged in learning in schools and other institutions, besides what we learn at home, on the streets or temples. And it is not a bad thing.

In fact, learning as a desire, habit or hobby should be part of our personality, specially in our fast-changing world. Even to buy a new cell phone or going to a supermarket after a few months is a challenge.

The reason is that with every change, we need to adapt and to do that in a successful way, there is no alternative to learning. Well, maybe suffering…

And this is the age of changes, they are everywhere for every reason. So, it should be the Age of Learning too.

Why is not so? Why do we see more and more illiterate people in various areas of work or society? There are a few reasons for that.

The first one is to not follow changes. As the learning curve can be quite steep, it may be a wise decision, but not always practical, due to professional or personal commitments. It is the case of many parents having to learn the lingo of social media, so they can help their kids navigate in this new world, even though they may not want to do.

The second reason is that the learning curve is too hard for some people because of their age... There is a paradigm that connects age and change, which means many people just not even try to learn something because they are old. This means they will have difficult to use transportation, to withdraw some money and even to travel. This is not true and there are plenty of examples of people who have challenged these misconceptions. True, it may be hard for some people, but it is possible with some effort.

Another reason is that there is no time to catch up. It happens a lot for those who work in a fast-paced industry, as things can change brusquely and there is no time to really try and grasp what is going on. However, I do remember a former CEO who decided to take a course on accounting after his company suffered a fraud by their accountant. Discernment will guide those people to dedicate their time in learning what is really important, otherwise leadership will help to have the right people surrounding them.

Don’t think you cannot learn. You can, just understand how. And keep on learning…

 

How long do you take to make a decision?

We live in a very fast world and society, and there is a tendency for decisions to be fast. Very fast.

But how to make a decision in a fast way?

The main factor is not the speed. Here is an example: if you are an expert in cooking and you have almost finished a dish when someone tells you the double of people are coming, what will happen? OK, there will be some suffering internally, but as you are the expert, you will be able to devise a solution for that without worrying too much.

Now, think of the same situation with a non-expert chef, like me… It will be a disaster! Even though I may be faster than the expert…

The first thing we value, in terms of speed, is the expertise as that will make decisions faster or slower.

And yet, it is not enough. A comparison can be made between making a decision in certain areas of life and chess, as in both there are many factors influencing the final outcome. Of course, expertise will count as important, but what if the other person – or the various situations – is/are also expert(s)?

First of all, refine your expertise as it is something visible. It means training and talking with other people who are experts.

A second thing to speed decisions up is to understand your opponents. Don’t hate them, try to avoid all kinds of emotions at least for some time, even 5 minutes will be helpful, and then, within that time, reflect upon the problems you are facing.

As you can see, a fast decision will take longer than you think… There is a third tip that may help.

Along with understanding, use your discernment power. It means to make the decision first in your own mind or even in a closed scenario like a group of friends: visualize your different responses and the many outcomes that can come along with each possible decision. If you do that as a meditation experiment, it will be even more effective.

After the discernment process, you can implement whatever scenario you realized was the right decision for that moment. It will give the decision more power and probably it will be easier to make it. In other words, it will be faster.

Now it is your turn to make a decision…

Fast.

The power of gratitude

One of my comforts as a child was reading and one of my favorite sources was a magazine that used to come every month or so to my auntie, but it ended at my house, so I used to get to it first.

It came from a Japanese religion, Seicho-no-ie, and the stories were inspiring! But one topic was always present: be grateful.

I confess as the years passed by, I simply forgot about that, until many and many years ago, and since then, I started to practice the simple act of gratitude.

It can be a conscious act, like saying thank you, smiling in a cheerful way or send a message to a person.

It can also be unconscious. As I moved from Sao Paulo, the land of please and thank you – we say that all the time to anyone – I realized people used to look at me differently in situations when my thank you was not really clear, like thanking a bus driver. Slowly, I learned to express the gratitude I was taught in a more subtle way through a small gesture of the head or a different smile. Well, with some friends even a joke can work as an expression of gratitude…

Gratitude turns into a power when, besides the act, it is felt within in a deep way, generating a wonderful healing sensation that life opened its arms to me through this person or situation.

That power can break down obstacles, elevate a person so that they are higher than bad situations and even rebuild bridges with other people.

Be grateful.

Be powerfully grateful.

Define your direction, and move… Your destination is just ahead!

If you are lost, you look at a compass… Our modern times replaced it with asking around for directions, checking a map in the cell phone, or a GPS system, but the idea behind is the same.

Inside the individual, the same thing takes place, as everyone gets lost many times in their lives… For that, we also need a (spiritual) GPS to help us to find our own selves, but there is no such a machine yet!

Many of the modern problems come from being lost in relation to what the person should really be. By find themselves, the individual is able to live a full life and contribute completely to others.

There are three ways this can be done, and they are quite easy to implement:

• Live a life of aims and goals. Yes, go, fix a goal, and fulfill it, at least in relation to relevant aspects such as tasks at your work, your self-progress, family relationships, health, etc.
• Look at that imaginary place you would like to reach and compare it with the present you are living. Do the calculations of which changes you need to implement in your life so that you can really be what you are. This will motivate and generate a powerful dynamic for your life.
• The last possibility is to create your full personal compass by fixing a North (your final destination), understanding your South (your values), balancing your East (a spiritual source) and West (a pragmatical view). Finally, let’s not forget the point in the middle, a life purpose, which will balance everything.

In this way, you will experience focus and a life full of certainty, even during periods of deep uncertainty.

Changes when you are not well…

Often, change comes from the small tragedies in life. A few times, from the big ones.

Most of the changes in our lives, changes that we generate, come from something bad or inadequate that is taking place.

Very few changes happen when all is OK… and yet…

Many years ago, when I was still living in Santiago, Chile, a very wise yoga teacher gave a class, from which I remember very well a point related to this subject: she was saying if someone is well, that means they have more possibility to change and grow as a person. The well part can be that the person has a good position, respectable finances or a decent family situation, which can be reinvested and turned into a leverage for personal change. Instead, when the individual is not well, it will be difficult to keep pace with the change.

So, if you feel great in most of the areas of your life, this is the moment to change! Do it now!

If you are not feeling great in most of the areas of your life, and yet the change is taking place or it is necessary…

Do your best to adapt to the situation you are living, don’t struggle or fight against the change.

Discern and find a way to overcome at least the subtle effects of a harmful change, by finding the maximum cooperation from others.

Train yourself and prepare yourself for that change.

Meditate a lot, reflect a lot… Spirituality works very well to help you in overcoming the obstacles that come along with the change.