Idea Almanac

“These discussions always seem to evoke high emotions with people feeling judged or categorised, which is a shame, as all that scientists are trying to do is to help us to understand ourselves better. There are of course always exceptions to the rule with both sexes, and research continues to throw more light onto this as we go forward. So, anatomically and physiologically, there are differences between the male and female Computers. There are also different responses to some neurotransmitters (chemicals that send messages) in different parts of the brain.”

Excerpt From: Peters, Dr Steve. “The Chimp Paradox.”

Idea Almanac

One of my favorite quotes about that comes from Patanjali. He wrote in the second century BC: When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bonds. Your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great, and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties, and talents become alive, and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.

 

It’s a marvelous quote. Each word beautiful, every sentence poetic, and all of it true.

Excerpt From: John O’Leary. “On Fire.” – Amazon Link

Book Review

“The world is simple, and life is too.’ ‘But keeping it simple is difficult, and it is there that the passage of days become one’s trial.”

Idea Almanac

“PHILOSOPHER: No, that is not why. That is only a secondary, superficial reason. The main reason is the presence of a cutthroat system of reward and punishment.
YOUTH: Huh! How so?
PHILOSOPHER: One is severely punished for breaking rules and praised for obeying them. And one is recognised. In other words, the people are not actually obeying out of support for the leader’s character or his thoughts and beliefs, but simply because they have the goal of being praised or not being rebuked.
YOUTH: Well, sure. That’s just how the world is.”

Excerpt From: Ichiro Kishimi. “The Courage to be Happy

Idea Almanac

“I typically start my workshops for business leaders with brief introductions.
People tend to share their name, their company, what they do, how many employees they have. All superficial stuff. No real depth. No authentic connection. No personal truth. So I always do a second round of introductions. I don’t let things stay at that first level. I want people to take off the masks. I do something simple that immediately allows the conversations to go deeper, the tone in the room to change, and relationships to begin to grow.”

Excerpt From: John O’Leary. “On Fire.

Idea Almanac

“When Sukumar turned twenty-six, he noticed two things: Everyone around him was getting married and he was growing a paunch. Both came out of nowhere. Only months ago, it had seemed like everyone was single and he was still that skinny guy from Chennai, India. But now Sukumar’s belly spilled over his pants, and after parties, his friends went home with their wives while he went home alone. The same phrase kept echoing in his head: What girl is going to want to marry me?”

Excerpt From: BJ Fogg. “Tiny Habits.

Idea Almanac

“They can make great bosses because they’re clear about setting expectations and are highly disciplined themselves. An Upholder boss would be clear about what’s expected from a particular position, fair about enforcing rules and schedules, and far-sighted in following a long process toward a conclusion; an Upholder boss wouldn’t suddenly change goals, methods, or deadlines. However, Upholders sometimes get impatient when others struggle to meet expectations. An Upholder boss may resist answering Questioners’ questions, saying, “We got a memo about the new deadline from Corporate, and I’m sure they have a good reason for changing it; let’s stop arguing about it and get to work.”

Excerpt From: Gretchen Rubin. “The Four Tendencies.

Idea Almanac

“Most of us have two lives. The life we live, and the unlived life within us. Between the two stands Resistance.Have you ever brought home a treadmill and let it gather dust in the attic? Ever quit a diet, a course of yoga, a meditation practice? Have you ever bailed out on a call to embark upon a spiritual practice, dedicate yourself to a humanitarian calling, commit your life to the service of others? Have you ever wanted to be a mother, a doctor, an advocate for the weak and helpless; to run for office, crusade for the planet, campaign for world peace, or to preserve the environment? Late at night have you experienced a vision of the person you might become, the work you could accomplish, the realized being you were meant to be?”

Excerpt From: Steven Pressfield. “The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle.”

Idea Almanac

“In the teachings of Judaism, one finds the following anecdote: “If there are ten people, one will be someone who criticizes you no matter what you do. This person will come to dislike you, and you will not learn to like him either. Then, there will be two others who accept everything about you and whom you accept too, and you will become close friends with them. The remaining seven people will be neither of these types.” Now, do you focus on the one person who dislikes you? Do you pay more attention to the two who love you? Or would you focus on the crowd, the other seven? A person who is lacking in harmony of life will see only the one person he dislikes and will make a judgment of the world from that.”

Excerpt From: Ichiro Kishimi. “The Courage to Be Disliked.”