I thought I needed complex skills to make high income. As I learned copywriting and started writing for clients, I realized that I have learned and practiced three skills in my childhood, which I can upgrade to build a high income career. I would like to share them with you today.
So, here are three basic skills you learned as a child that can be developed into career-making, high-income abilities:
Reading
Photo by cottonbro studio
While reading alone won’t guarantee you a high income, it creates an essential foundation for the other two skills.
Reading does more than transfer information—it transforms your mind. When you read a philosopher’s work, you begin thinking like one. Reading business books shapes your business mindset. Each book imparts the author’s clarity, perspective, and life experiences, enabling you to think like the successful people you read.
Your reading choices shape your thinking, actions, and worldview. Each new text you absorb either reinforces or transforms your perspective. (This is why it’s important to choose your reading material carefully.)
Reading helps shape the vision of who you want to become — builds your self-image.
Writing
Photo by Todoran Bogdan from Pexel
Writing is a powerful skill that can influence millions of people — it’s your tool to share knowledge and shape how others think.
You can transform your basic writing skills from childhood into a lucrative career. Here are some promising areas:
Copywriting: Put your writing skills to work creating ads, emails, web copy, and landing pages for businesses. Specializing in high-conversion copywriting can lead to substantial income.
Technical Writing: If you’re drawn to technology, science, or engineering, consider technical writing. You’ll craft valuable documentation like software guides and product instructions, making complex information accessible to users.
Content Marketing and Strategy: As businesses shift from traditional advertising to content marketing, they need skilled writers. By creating content that aligns with business goals and mastering SEO, analytics, and storytelling, you can build a profitable career managing content operations.
Ghostwriting: Social media has created demand for high-profile figures to maintain an active online presence. As these busy professionals can’t always write their own content, ghostwriters step in. Writing for influential people can become a rewarding career.
Scriptwriting and Video Content: The boom in video content across social media platforms has created opportunities for scriptwriters. Whether it’s feature films, TV series, or digital content for YouTube, creating engaging scripts can lead to a profitable writing career.
You can offer these writing services as a freelancer, full-time employee, or through your own agency.
Speaking
Photo by Caleb Oquendo from Pexel
When I first learned to speak as a child, I thought speaking was simply a tool to share thoughts and feelings. As an adult, I spoke my mind freely, not realizing the consequences. It took time for me to understand that speaking to people is much more complex than telling everything that came to my mind. It is a skill everyone needs to master, because:
Every word you speak reveals something about you—your knowledge, personality, social position, and self-image.
Speaking has a more immediate impact than writing. Whether addressing a small group or a large audience, your words generate instant reactions. Through speaking, you can create profound and lasting connections with people.
Mastering this skill can make you highly sought after for social gatherings, business conferences, and public events.
These fundamental skills we acquire in childhood can be refined into powerful professional tools that build remarkable careers.
Today is February 1, and we’re already one month into the new year. A lot of us have already forgotten our new year resolutions. Now that the enthusiasm has subsided, we can think with a cool mind and see what we can do about our resolutions. (I’ve found ONE method that can truly help you stick to your resolutions.)
So, let’s start with some basics. What is a resolution? A resolution is a decision you make using your willpower to “do something” for an extended period of time.
When you make a resolution, the imagination of the result makes you so joyful that you feel you’ve already achieved it.
How good it feels when:
You’ve doubled your yearly income
Transformed your physique as you dreamed
Changed your Self-Image that is free from bad habits
But, why is it not possible to actually achieve it? Why is it not possible to carry the same energy you had while making resolutions for the next, say, three months? Or maybe even for 3 days?
What are the reasons why you cannot hold onto your resolutions with the same energy until your goal is reached? The reasons are:
You’ve too many distractions
You’ve too many desires
Now, why do you think people go to secluded places? Not just saints, all those people who have achieved great results have found their own secluded places. Either physically or within their mind.
It is because being secluded reduces desires and distractions immensely.
While you may not be able to find a secluded place, you can make your mind free from too many distractions and desires.
And resolutions are made for the same reason — to reduce distractions and desires. But for some, the resolutions themselves have created more distractions. Do you want to know how?
Tell me, how many resolutions have you made on New Year’s eve?
Three? Four? Or is your calendar full of resolutions?
If you have a lot of resolutions, then they are not called resolutions. They are desires.
People fill their calendars from 4 AM to 10 PM. And resolve to complete all those tasks to be successful. 4 AM to 10 PM – at least 10 things you’ve planned to do. And that’s how you’ve planned to fail.
Because, among those 10 things you’ve planned, even if you miss 1 task, you’ll feel you’re not resolute enough. And when your guilt begins to weigh you down, your whole plan begins to crumble.
Deep-rooted habits
Most of the habits that you’ve grown over the years cannot be changed by one resolution. They are deeply ingrained in your subconscious mind. You cannot change them all at once. So, the ideal way is to choose ONE resolution.
You are always tempted to do more than one thing at a time. Because you have many problems to solve. There are many things you want to change in your life.
But you cannot solve them all at once. You’ll have to prioritise your problems and tackle them one by one. To do that, you’ll have to have ONLY ONE resolution to begin with. And then you’ll have to work on it for a long time. As you go on doing it, you’ll develop a certain taste for it. Only then will it create subconscious impressions. To create subconscious impressions, you’ll need to do it for a long time – say 365 days, without breaking the chain.
Seinfeld Strategy
Have you heard of Seinfeld Strategy?
Jerry Seinfeld is one of the most successful comedians in the world. He created a small goal for himself – to write a joke every day.
To make sure he didn’t miss any day – he had a full-year calendar on the wall and marked X on the date after completing his joke.
As he continued to mark X on the calendar, after a few days, it looked like a chain (XXXXX). And if he missed one single day, that chain would break (XXX_XX). He had to continue writing daily to keep an unbroken chain for the whole year.
It appeared like a harmless habit, but later he went on to earn about 300 million dollars per year as a comedian and writer. That’s how huge the domino effect of his small habit was.
So, start small and do it with earnestness. Soon, you will begin to build a taste for it. It not only becomes a habit, but creative juices begin to flow, creating an inner push to do it more and more.
When you choose ONE resolution, your mind thinks more about that one thing consciously, and a lot of other unconscious habits begin to subside. Also:
You will stop feeling guilty about other unproductive habits that you have.
The ONE thing you focus on begins to grow. Soon it will have visible effects on your whole day.
You don’t need to force those effects. You just need to enjoy doing this one process.
Now, the only challenge you have is how to choose that ONE thing. And when you do that, you’ll begin your journey to life mastery.
“I am a Software Engineer. My job is not interesting. So I am thinking to quit my job to learn music. Please guide me”, one of my readers wrote to me.
Jumping from one field into another is a big decision.
You cannot take such decisions simply based on your emotions or desires. Changing into another field is not as simple as taking another job. It involves a radical change happening in your personality, identity and your life.
If you are also in such a dilemma, consider the following points before taking the leap. You will know why it is crucial to take a smooth transition instead of taking a sudden jump.
1. Downgrade from expert to student
As a software engineer, you are already an expert in a field. When you leave it to pursue another career, you are downgrading yourself – From being an expert to a student.
This affects your psychology in many ways. For some, money may not be a major factor. But, when entering into another field, where you are a beginner. You will have to work hard towards keeping your confidence level high.
Remember, you will not recognize the psychological downgrade happening within you immediately. But, handling that while focusing on learning is strenuous. So, it is better to transition from your day job to your interest in a smooth way.
2. Can you give 8 hours to music a day?
Secondly, as an engineer, you are working for about 8 hours a day. When you quit the job, you cannot put all those 8 hours in learning music. Because it is relatively a new field, you cannot focus for long. Even if you practice music for 4 hours, the other 4 hours will be spent on less productive works. This drains your focus and eagerness.
It takes time to tune yourself up to this new journey. Your body, mind, and your routines need to be tuned.
What to do instead:
Apart from the 8 hours you give to your job, you have another 16 hours. Isn’t it?
So, instead of sacrificing your 8-hour job, try doing this – Sacrifice an hour or two of your sleep, an hour of TV and an hour of social media. Now, you have 4 hours a day to practice your music.
Then slowly increase the time.
3. Dealing with the changed self-image
There is another thing you should keep in mind. That is your idea of yourself – your self-identity. Now you identify yourself as an engineer. As a software engineer, you have a self-image – the way you present yourself, communicate with others and also the people you meet and admire.
When you change your field of interest, you might undergo a radical shift in your self-image. Now you will stop reading the tech news, meeting or following those tech personalities. You will begin to read about musicians, meeting people with similar interests.
So far you were identifying yourself as a software engineer. And changing that identity does not happen immediately. It takes time to engrave the new identity in your mind.
That is why you need to transition smoothly.
4. Are you serious?
People are crazy. One day they dream of becoming movie actors. The next day, they dream about going back to the village and becoming agriculturists.
The problem with people is not the lack of energy. It is the lack of focus. It takes at least 6 months to know if you are serious.
So, when you go for a smooth transition, within 6 months, you will know how serious you are. If you are doing it because ‘others are learning music’, you will see soon your interest evaporating day by day.
5. Creativity and hard work
As a software engineer, mostly you are doing the same thing every day. But with music, after a level, you will start experiencing creative juices flowing from within. And the joy pushes you to go deeper/higher. It is a hard journey. Are you ready for it?
So, what is a smooth transition?
Think of an hourglass. The sand starts slowly moving from the top part into the bottom one. This is how you should change your career.
Now, you are interested in learning music. Instead of leaving your job, make the best use of your free time to learn music. Also, develop your interest, reverence towards the art. Can you devote yourself to this completely? Like there is nothing else in your life? Even devotion takes practice. So, practice it.
Start practising music. Read about music and musicians. And do Satsanga.
Satsanga?
No, I am not talking about Bhajans.
Satsanga is when you spend time with people who energize you towards your goal or greater ideal.
Talking and reading about tech titans is Satsanaga for a software engineer. But, to become a musician, you should start having Satsanga with great musicians.
Also, build a long-term plan for your new field of interest.
While doing all this, observe how you undergo a change in your personality. This helps you understand yourself better.
The bicycle mechanic who owned the store called me with a smile and asked me about the issue. The gears didn’t change without a hitch, and I said that to him.
He took some time to do the repair work, took a road test and handed me the keys.
During that period, I noticed how cool, relaxed and confident he was. The kind of self-assurance – where did that come from?
Now, I’m going to leave you with one simple logic using two situations. And then give you a bottom line based on that. Then you can tell me whether my logic is accurate or not. And finally, I’ll tell you what you can do to build trust. works?
Let’s begin.
Now, the first scenario is when the same mechanic visits a hospital and meets a doctor for a medical check-up.
Is the mechanic going to show the same level of confidence that he showed in his garage? Or will he face a man more relaxed and confident than he is – the doctor – at the clinic?
The mechanic is not going to show his confidence when he’s in front of a doctor. If he does, he’ll sound silly and arrogant.
Let’s imagine the second scene – the same doctor visits the same mechanic’s shop to get his bike repaired.
Who do you think will be more confident in this situation?
Of course, the mechanic.
Perhaps he is more modest because the doctor who treated him is now his client. Nevertheless, his level of confidence is superior to that of the doctor.
The doctor can walk like a king in his clinic, but when he is in the mechanic’s shop, he needs to be quiet, listening and watching. Just like the mechanic at the clinic.
You understand the point I’m trying to make?
Both scenarios tell you a couple of things:
You should not attempt to express your confidence when you are in an unknown location or a strange situation.
If you want to build your confidence, you’ll need to build your forte.
Self-confidence is not something you develop by posing to be confident. Or by using auto-suggestions. It develops by knowing who you are and where you fit into the world.
You’ll have to learn a skill and practice it so well that you’ll be the best in the world. (`Best in the world’ is a debatable topic. But you can be as good as possible for you.)
If you do that, self-confidence will follow you like your shadow. Because you’ve built your world around your skill.
But even in your world, you could go over the edge with your self-confidence. A mechanic with too much confidence can wreck a vehicle. And an overly confident doctor might kill a patient.
Is there some other way we can focus on strengthing self-confidence?
Well, there is one.
And that is CONSCIOUSNESS.
Consciousness is about being aware of oneself and its environment at the same time.
If you practice being aware all the time, you may be able to do well both in your world and in other people’s world.
As you develop that consciousness, you will naturally react to any situation. You won’t make mistakes. (Or a little bit.)
You have experienced this in many places, especially in offices.
Your manager or boss talks about big ideas and uses words that are full of hot air. And in every meeting, he (or she) speaks the same thing. Again and again.
Or sometimes, he suddenly gets angry, or is always reserved, or acts as if he is hiding something.
If you observe closely, behind this brimming ego, what you’ll see is a lack of knowledge or skills.
But, he fears admitting that he doesn’t know something.
To admit that you don’t know something is a big relief. It makes you humane and creates empathy among your co-workers, friends, and family.
But it’s not true that only certain people do this all the time. You and I have done this at least a few times in our lifetime.
I remember something I did when I was in high school.
One day, I was walking from the classroom towards our dormitory. One of my classmates was passing by, and she stopped me. She wanted to ask me the meaning of a Kannada term from the subject she was studying. I told her the meaning without a second thought.
During that time, my classmates thought I was very good at the Kannada language. And to some extent, I was good too. I used to read a lot and practiced creative writing most of the time.
That was exam time, and I still remember her reaction when I answered her question. (Oh God, he knows everything.)
But I was not sure. I went back and checked the dictionary. I was wrong. (No, I didn’t go back and admit it with her.)
But I felt ashamed at what I did.
I had to change how I dealt with such things. You can’t keep the reputation by doing such dumb things, you see.
And not exactly from that day, but over the years, I developed my mindset to admit when I didn’t know something.
But admitting that you don’t know something doesn’t solve the problem.
By accepting you don’t know something, you may appear truthful for the time being. But such repeated admissions create a bad impression about you in the long run. Also, you’re not helping either yourself or the person asking the question.
So, whenever such situations arise, I use a different approach. I answer the question by saying: “I think <THIS> is the answer. But, let’s Google it to make sure”.
This stops me from growing my ego, or even meekly accepting my lack of knowledge.
And when you’re working in a particular field, you cannot escape by saying you don’t know. You will have to try to understand it and be able to answer as quickly as possible. The best is to do it immediately.
If you neglect that, your colleagues or subordinates won’t respect you.
But an even more dangerous situation is when you maintain you know everything. With that, you begin to create an inner fear. And subconsciously you try to cover it up by keeping yourself reserved. It makes you angry often or you begin to talk bigger nonsense.
So, if you don’t work to learn your trade well, you tend to grow an unnecessary ego.
Again, learning is not about reading something and thinking you know everything.
For example, imagine that your team is implementing a new SaaS product. Reading the product instructions or watching a YouTube demo is not going to be enough.
You’ll have to have hands-on experience with the product. Because that’s how you’ll know the actual challenges your team is going to face. Otherwise, you’ll be clueless when your team talks about it in meetings.
If you do that extra work, you’ll be able to answer them well, and you’ll be a good leader.
Remember, if you don’t grow your skills continuously, you tend to grow your ego.
Improving or increasing concentration is not a one-time problem.
It’s a problem that you face every moment of your waking life.
So, a one-off solution is not going to help. You need a solution that not just solves the problem in different situations, but also creates an impactful, long-term and life-changing effect.
Here is a solution that is going to help you build a laser-like focus. So, let’s get started.
Why I’m not able to concentrate
How to improve your mental focus
It’s the most common problem people face. Some consciously think that they need to improve their concentration. But, for most people, they don’t even know there’s a lack of concentration that’s hurting their life.
They feel they don’t have enough energy and carry a sad face. They don’t know the root of the problem and they fight in the dark. There’s always an unconscious struggle within.
Lack of concentration is a problem that needs an immediate solution for everyone.
Students have many subjects to study, but their mind is craving to go out and play. Professionals have a lot of pending work, but they cannot put their mind into the work.
You see here, their initial problem is not even concentrating. The real problem is getting the work started.
During my college days, whenever there was an exam, a friend of mine would do something strange. Whenever we decided to sit and begin to study, he would open his suitcase and start cleaning it up. And it would take an hour. That was his first ritual before starting to prepare for an exam.
And when I thought about it, I realized I also did something like that. Whenever I have something to write, I get tea, watch some YouTube or do some research on the web. And tell myself that these are all preparations for my writing.
But, they’re not. These are delay tactics employed by my mind. Are you not doing these kinds of rituals that only delay your actual task?
If you’re doing that often, consider these two things:
First, there’s a lot of unconscious actions happening within your mind. And these random actions are preventing you from focusing your mind on one action.
The second one is, your mind DOES NOT want you to find focus. (Why so? I will explain in a while.)
This leads us to a crucial question…
What is the mind?
This question is crucial. Because if you understand what mind is, then you’ll know the root of the problem.
First of all, understand that your mind is not you. You’re a different entity using the mind. The mind is an instrument that you use, and you are not the instrument itself.
Next, the mind is not the brain. (Yes, some people don’t know the difference.) It’s not a physical entity but an entity that you call it yours.
So what is the mind? The mind is simply a flux of random thoughts.
That’s why Yogis say the mind doesn’t exist. Because when there are no thoughts, there’s no mind.
If you ask how do you exist without the mind, a simple answer is you’re beyond your mind. When there’s no mind, when there’s no thought, your pure consciousness is operating. But that’s an ideal situation. That’s a different journey.
Let’s get back to solving the immediate problem.
Scientists say you and I think about 60,000 to 80,000 thoughts per day. That’s about 50 thoughts per minute. And about 1 thought per second?
I don’t think it’s that simple.
The mind is a flux, and every second wave of thoughts are moving in different layers of the mind. Some you recognize and some pass without you noticing them. You catch some of them and spend time with those thoughts — and call them YOUR thoughts.
They were not your thoughts. They were some passing random thoughts. From the moment you own the thoughts, they begin to influence your actions – both physical and mental.
Now the next question is, how can you catch only some thoughts and not all of them? Is there a pattern to these thoughts that you catch?
If you observe carefully, you don’t catch any random thought. You catch only a type of or a pattern of thoughts.
If you have a habit of thinking sad thoughts, you catch sad thoughts easily. If you’re a happiness seeker, you identify only positive aspects of every situation.
And the thoughts that you catch depend on your personality type. The personality type you’ve developed over the years of your life.
Because you have enjoyed thinking about them, now it has become a habit for you to think only those patterns of thoughts (Some people easily catch fearful, depressing, jealous (collectively called negative thoughts…).
Power of thoughts
Until now we discussed what is mind, what are thoughts and how individuals have their own pattern of thoughts.
Now, let’s see the power of thoughts and how they influence the world.
Basically, thoughts themselves are not powerful. Thoughts that pass through your mind are very random and contradicting in nature. (If you just observe them, they pass like waves, and behind them come more thoughts.)
Let’s see how these thoughts are random in nature. Let’s say, you think that you want a new car. If you have that one strong and pure thought, many doors open for you. You’ll find a way to get that car.
But, as soon as you think of owning a car, there’s an opposite thought that you don’t have enough money to buy that car. Or that you don’t need that car for now. Even while you’re thinking all this, some more random thoughts are passing aimlessly through your mind.
Because of this kind of multiple and directionless thoughts, you’re not able to create powerful intentions.
When there are no powerful thoughts and intentions, you cannot create new things. No miracles happen in your life.
Also, because this random thinking has become a habit, you’ve lost the ability to focus.
Now, if you really want to develop the power of concentration, you’ll have to create a new habit of thinking.
And that begins by making efforts to understand, analyse your current thought pattern. And then choosing what you want to think.
But there’s a nature of the mind that you can use to develop new thought patterns.
And that nature is – you can bend it by choosing to think new thoughts. And thinking those thoughts more often to make it habitual.
So, when you choose a new thought habit and work on it consciously for a few days, your mind will soon adjust itself to the new pattern. Soon, without your conscious effort, your mind will start catching the new pattern of thoughts.
For example, you want to become a singer. But, there are opposing thoughts that you don’t have that talent.
Now, you decide to create a thought pattern of you becoming a singer. (Try it as an experiment, without stressing yourself.)
Keep that desire for a few days. Imagine yourself singing. If you do that sincerely, your mind will prompt you to spend more time singing and listening to good music.
Wherever you go you will see hoardings of music concerts on the road, music stores on the street and you will begin to notice music-related news in the newspaper and magazines. (Those hoardings, music stores and news stories were always there. But because you started a new thought pattern, they’re becoming clearly visible to you.)
If you now compare with your life a few days back, you’ll find that a new life blossoming around you. And it all started with a single act of working on your thoughts.
Observe what is happening with your life from now on.
People interested in music begin to appear in your life. You will soon become a part of a community that loves music. And these people become a strength for you and your music career.
See how powerful your thoughts are?
You didn’t consciously think of a community that loves music or visualised people coming into your life. You focused on music and those thoughts created a world around you.
(This is how the Law of Attraction works. But, you don’t need to directly work with the law of attraction and force things to happen.)
I can give you more examples of how your thoughts if focused properly, can impact your life. But for now, just understand that your thoughts have the power to change the world around you. But if you focus on changing the world, you have deviated from your purpose. Don’t worry about the results. Now, let’s move on to…
How to create thought patterns
There is one secret you need to know at this point – you don’t need to CLEAR old thought patterns to create new ones.
In case of a blackboard, you need to rub off what is already written on it before writing something new. But with the mind, you can directly start writing new ones. The old ones will fade away by automatically.
To create a new pattern, the first step is to calm your mind. There are many ways to calm the mind, like meditation, intense work and practising systematic breathing.
Once you feel you’ve a calm mind, start thinking new thoughts. As discussed in the previous example, start thinking about your music career.
Remember, don’t begin by thinking that you are a great musician. The Law of Attraction teachers teach this method. But it is a difficult path. It’s overwhelming and you will soon feel tired. When you’re creating a new thought pattern, start slow.
If you are trying to create a pattern of being a sportsperson, begin by watching the sport that you are interested in. Focus on one kind of game. If you want to be a footballer, for the time being, don’t watch other games like badminton or volleyball.
Start reading about the game and people who have achieved great heights in that game. That way, you’re strengthening your new thought pattern.
If you continue to do this, soon your mind will create more avenues and opportunities for you to go in this field. You become more knowledgeable than other people in the field.
And after some time, you don’t need to consciously force yourself into this thought pattern. The mind has become habituated, and it will take you further. As time passes by, you will become an unstoppable force that’s moving towards creating wonders.
Note: There is one thing I want to clarify at this juncture. When I started telling you about focusing on your interest, I didn’t tell you to – go to a secluded place or to NOT watch TV or to NOT meet negative people.
I didn’t tell you about things you should NOT do.
You know why?
Most people do it the wrong way.
Whenever people want to build focus first start by fighting with their current thought patterns. They force themselves to STOP watching TV or to STOP having junk food.
Remember what I said about the blank board?
Don’t try to erase the old writing. Don’t try to remove the old thought patterns.
Because when you try to remove old patterns, you’re actually concentrating on them. And giving them more energy with your focus. And the more energy you give them, the more it becomes difficult to erase them.
Don’t worry about the current pattern. If you are obsessed with TV, Netflix or junk food, let them be there. Just focus on what you want now. Soon you will see that your old obsessions will begin to subside.
Remember, your mind does not recognise your words. It recognises your focus. So don’t struggle with the Don’ts.
So, how long do you need to focus on new thoughts to make them permanent?
It takes 21 days to create a new pattern.
For a lot of people, focusing for 21 days is a struggle. But see it’s a challenge for your commitment. If something is going to change your whole life, are you not willing to commit for the next 21 days?
If you fail in the beginning, start again from the first day. This way, you’re concentrating more and giving more power to yourself. And your power of commitment becomes stronger.
And the more committed you are, the more respected you will become in society. Remember how society respects committed people?
Have you not observed this? People who are illiterate, poor and those who cannot speak a sentence properly become popular leaders. How? Commitment Boss.
So 21 days.
And this is the problem with the majority of people. They lack commitment. And if you want to grow above the mass, you’ll have to commit to your self-development.
Did I inspire you enough? Now, let’s move onto the next part.
How creating a new thought pattern builds you a personality
Your personality is what you think, what you do and what you care for. This is what the world sees in you.
As long as you are entertaining hundreds of thoughts, you are clueless about what to do. You don’t know what to respect, what values to stand for. You are just a confused personality. That means you have nothing to offer to the world but more confusion.
Some people may love you and others hate you, but if you have clear thoughts and goals, the world looks at you with awe and respect. Continuously breathing proper, uniform and intense thoughts give uniqueness to your personality.
The thought pattern you cultivate crystalizes your personality traits. And they directly influence your actions.
Some people have a crystalized negative personality. If you observe them, they always find negative sides of people, events and always complain. For them, even if great things are happening in their life, they can’t recognize them. Because they have tuned themselves to negativity.
If you have built a positive personality, even in the darkest night you will be able to see the light. That’s because you have trained your mind to see only the light.
When you are that kind of a person, people who are seeking the light desperately start coming to you. Because you are their hope.
Now let’s go to our primary question.
How to improve concentration?
With everything you have read above, you have understood the following:
Concentration is not focusing on things that distract you
Concentration is not forcing yourself into something that is an interesting
Building concentration is about transforming your complete thought patterns. It’s about creating a personality for whom focusing is a natural inclination.
Now, I have a question for you – what type of methods did you practice to develop concentration? And how did it work for you?
The day I bought my brand new car, I was too worried.
For a few days, it was nightmarish even to think about parking it inside the compound. Through that narrow lane.
‘Should I use an L-board’, I asked a friend.
`No’, she said.
I was in a dilemma.
Because I had rammed the car into a compound wall only on the third day of buying it. While parking.
And what might happen when I drive it through the heavy traffic of a city road?
But, the idea of admitting myself as an L-board, I didn’t like it. Even though it was my first car, and I was learning to ride.
As an L-board, you have many benefits.
People on the road, won’t show anger on you when your car’s mirror collides with theirs.
They always try to keep a safe distance.
Even police will understand if you’re involved in an accident.
Everything is good. But, what about your self-image? How do you feel yourself when you are declaring that you are an L-board, a novice?
Every time you sit inside your car, you’ll feel that you’re not good enough.
`Do you want that?’, she asked me.
What are you feeding into your own mind?
This is not just about driving your car. Listen to people around, most of them doubt their own capabilities.
“Novelist, me? No way”
“Starting a business? Not in my blood”
“That person, unlike me, is genius.”
Now, look at the high achievers around you. When they started something, they too felt like an L-board.
But they decided to throw the board away as quickly as possible, while most of us clung to it.
Because they believed in the projected image of themselves as masters. This is the leap that they took towards the unmanifest – the possibility of being a master.
So, if you want to be a master in any field, the first step starts with the belief that you are capable of. This belief has to grow into your whole being. Then it starts working for you. It changes your body language and behaviour.
So, whenever you start a new endeavour, the first step starts with your mind. You have to create an image of success and feel it. Feel it as deeply as possible, until you know what it feels to be successful. And begin your endeavour with that feeling. Hold on to that feeling even when you are failing.
This is how you get out of the trap of being an L-board, an average.
Here, all you need is a little courage. The courage to throw that L-board.
So, never think that you will start something after you are ready. You are never ready unless you believe it. So, feel it first, create a belief and then begin to act.
Apple, the world’s biggest tech company was started in a garage. With the help of a bunch of boys from the neighbourhood. But Steve Jobs, one of its founders and an iconic leader, always talked like they were into something huge.
This very mindset pushed them into creating iconic products that transformed the world.
Remember, L-board is always a dent in your confidence.
So never say, I am an aspiring actor, aspiring writer or aspiring businessman.
You are an actor, that’s why you act. Cut that `Aspiring’ out! Because, even after you did your best work, you remain an actor.
And when you believe in that, opportunities begin to come in search of you.
You’ve heard a million times that a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. But, this first step is not physical.
My grandfather’s family lives in a remote village. More remote when I used to visit it as a kid.
Almost a mile before we reached our grandfather’s house, there stood a handpost, at the intersection of three roads.
We called the handpost, with a local name Kai Mara, which literally meant ‘a tree with hands’.
The handpost always mesmerized the child in me.
There, I used to stand under it, and raise hands and say: ‘the left hand directs me to one town, the right one to another. But I choose the middle one, which directs me to my grandfather’s village, where my heart wants me to go’.
The image of the handpost has always been with me ever since, helping me make my decisions.
Whenever I was in confusion, I would imagine myself standing below the handpost, and try to make a decision – Which is the right path for me? Which one my heart is really asking me to choose?
And whenever I took a decision, I felt myself as very powerful.
You might have felt it too.
Good or bad, take a decision, and instantly you will feel your personal power.
That is the power of integrity – integrating all your outflowing energy in one direction. It is so satisfying.
Indecision is a sin. It is like a chain tied you to the handpost.
Imagine yourself tied to a handpost. You’re struggling, weeping. While you remain there, your friends are moving on, from success to success.
Every time you are indecisive, you are at the handpost.
If you are seeking success and happiness in your life, you should not stay at the handpost for longer. You should remove the shackles of indecision and move on.
If the decision you make is wrong, you will soon know it. You will feel an uneasiness within. If it is the right one, you will feel the power.
But, why is the decision so powerful?
The power of decision
The problem with most people is – they don’t know what to do. Some people have dreams, but they are not determined to achieve it.
I have had friends who wanted to become novelists. But, I never saw them doing something for it. Such as reading classics, writing regularly and learning the craft. They kept on dreaming that someday somehow they would become ‘famous’ novelists.
The wishful thinking.
And behind this wishful thinking, there is an inherent thought – some day, SOMEBODY will make me a novelist.
Some fortune, some god-force or some guardians will bring it into my life. Isn’t it?
You dream like this and until the end of your life, you continue to dream. But, nobody in the universe will make you a novelist.
The only one person in the whole universe that can do it for you is YOU.
You DECIDE to do it, and you DO IT. Whatever it takes.
This decision TO MAKE IT HAPPEN is the greatest leap.
When you make this decision, different energies working within you come together to become one force. When this one force starts operating, the universe starts to set things up for your success.
Remember, you have a cosmic force inside you. But, if you don’t make a decision, the energy forms are moving with randomly, cancelling each other.
Making a decision is like turning on the ignition.
If you have not made a decision to what you want to create, achieve and become, you’re still under the handpost.
Divided in mind, wanted to be somewhere, living somewhere else.
We all want to become leaders. In becoming a leader, the deeper reason is not just to rule others, but to escape from being ruled by others. More by stupids and idiots at that.
We all have struggled to be leaders at some place and we know that it is not easy. And when learning to become one, we are told that a leader should be courageous, caring and strong.
How do these qualities — courage, care, and strength — grow in us? Does merely forcing these good qualities make us a better leader?
As I tried to study and experiment with the psychology of leadership, I found that this question — How to become a leader — is absurd. There is another question we all must ask ourselves, which makes us leaders NOW.
I will reveal it in a bit. Before that, let us take three important instances in our life, where a good leadership becomes necessary.
Firstly, let us consider politics. How do you become a political leader? First, you choose a constituency to work for, you find the biggest problem the region is facing, and you work to solve it by consolidating people’s support, isn’t it?
Let us take some examples of the world’s greatest leaders. Mahatma Gandhi, the Indian face of freedom struggle, did never strive to be a leader. For him, the biggest issue was India being colonized by the British. He started the freedom movement, and people followed him.
Lenin, who freed Russians from the clutches of Czars, or Mao who brought communism to China or Martin Luther King Jr., who fought for the Black Americans — all these people had issues to fight against. They did not strive to become leaders, but people, whose problems they worked to solve, made them.
Now tell me, whom do you respect the most — the ones who fight for a cause or for the power?
Let us take the second point — You are an employee of a company and working on a project. If your aim is to become a team-leader, observe the current team-leaders. Probably they know more about the projects than all other members, they work harder, and they are more responsible.
Of course, there are leaders who don’t know much about their projects or make efforts at learning, and those who are arrogant and abusive.
Now, answer this question — Who do you want to become? The responsible one or the arrogant and abusive?
Thirdly, as the head of a family, you need to treat everyone equally. As a head, you must know that your own needs are less important than those of your family members. If you cannot take this responsibility, you lose their respect.
Considering all this, let us break down the important traits of a leader:
A leader will select an area to work for and try to solve the most pressing problems.
He is ready to spend time in studying and understanding a problem completely.
He is ready to devote himself to solving a problem.
For him, the safety and happiness of his people are more important than his own.
Now, you might have realized that any of the mentioned leaders did not try to attain some absurd qualities of braveness, humility, and strength. They just did one thing. So, Your Easy Step to leadership is this:
Take an issue, and take responsibility to solve it.
There is no need to strive at acquiring good qualities because you already have all of them within you. Give them a vent by choosing to be responsible for something.
If you can take a responsibility now, you become a leader NOW. The bigger the responsibilities you take, the bigger a leader you become. The bigger a leader, the bigger risks you need to face. So, it is always good to take small responsibilities, experience and grow.
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, write in the comments section below:
“The strongest single factor in prosperity consciousness is self-esteem: believing you can do it, believing you deserve it, believing you will get it.” ~ Jerry Gillies
This is one of the biggest questions people ask on various Law of Attraction forums and social media – I tried everything, but I could not manifest what I wanted.
They try every method out there to create their dream house, big car, dream girlfriend – they ‘write down their dreams’ repeatedly, ‘they visualize’ and ‘fake it to make it’ and so on. But, nothing happens.
People repeatedly ask, why is this dream not becoming a reality? What is this unknown hurdle that is preventing me from getting what I want?
Let us analyze this situation.
First, consider these two points to understand:
We all know that the law of attraction is the law of belief.
The universe is not responding to what we want but is responding to what we have.
Now, there is a salesman working in a mobile shop for a monthly salary of Rs.15, 000. He can imagine buying a pulsar bike that costs about Rs.75, 000 (about $1200). But, for him, buying a car is a distant dream. Meanwhile, a software engineer who earns a salary of Rs.12 lakh per year can easily imagine buying a Toyota Corolla, but not a BMW i8.
This simply means that it is difficult for a salesman who believes he is worth Rs. 15,000 per month to visualize having a beautiful car. When there is an inherent belief that he cannot afford a car, all his visualizations go against his deeper belief and remain daydreams.
Self Image
However, if he imagines having his own mobile shop one day, it can be achieved. When he can own a mobile shop, he can easily buy a car without having to visualize it for days and months.
In this case, he is not dreaming about a big car, a big bungalow, but he has raised his own bar.
So, your car will not make you big, nor does your big bungalow. It is your own vision about your self-image that can make you big.
It is always easy to dream yourself to be in a bigger position than dreaming of having bigger things in your life. When you take greater responsibilities, you expand your consciousness. Your expanded consciousness can naturally let more wealth and abundance in.
Firstly, understand that you have an unlimited potential within you. What do you want to become – a great writer, painter, businessman or a scientist? Whichever the area you choose, the cosmic potential within you can help you achieve it.
Your Highest Self
There is another reason why you should always strive for a bigger position. When you have the self-image of a poor man, you will find it difficult to handle a fortune and lose it easily.
If you always feel that you are lucky for having a big car, you are sending a signal to your own inner being that you are less valuable than that car. With such feelings and belief, the dream car gradually becomes a burden for you. And soon, someone will steal it or it will get crushed in an accident.
This is the reason why those who get instant fortune through a lottery, game shows or any other means tend to lose it fast.
That is why you should have your worth bigger than all those that you want to possess. You should know that even that posh car should feel lucky to be with you. That is how you create your self-worth.
When you feel yourself be of great worth, all these things – the money, the bungalow, the relationships – start flowing towards you. You will no more be running towards them and lose your way.
Now, let us recall the two points we talked about earlier.
First, the law of attraction is a law of belief. Believe that you are destined to be a millionaire, you tend to be that. And when you think from that abundant outlook, as the second point says, the cosmos responds with more abundance.
This is the reason why mere visualizations will not work.
So, here is Your Easy Step:
“Instead of visualizing abundance in life, visualize yourself achieving that highest potential you ever dreamed of. With that self-worth come all those things you dream about.”
Thank you for reading. If you have any questions, write in the comment section below.
