Last week, at a meeting about a writing project I’m involved in, someone said, “Only people with a growth mindset will want to read this.” This made me think about how a growth mindset is a key determinant of success in life. Read on to learn how someone with a fixed mindset can take steps toward adopting a growth mindset. The Difference Between a Fixed … Continue reading How to Develop a Growth Mindset
When I was 17 years old, I worked in a grocery store. One day a co-worker and I were pushing a giant skid full of milk cartons through the store. The skid was piled high with milk crates and was much taller than we were. We were using a skid mover, which was being steered by yet another coworker; driver in the front, two “engines“ in the back. Continue reading Judge Me, Judge Me Not
Yoda famously said to Luke Skywalker, “Do or do not, there is no try.” And even though I understand what the great Jedi master is talking about, I’m going to risk the wrath of the force by disagreeing with him. After all he’s just a little green puppet in an old movie. There is “try”. Or at least there should be. Continue reading There Is Try: Why Yoda Was Wrong
“No fair,” cries my son when he thinks his sister got a bigger piece of candy. “No fair,” he cries when I tell him he can’t go outside and play until he cleans his room. I politely remind him that sometimes, life isn’t fair. We see this often with children, but we don’t recognize it in ourselves as adults. How many times have you ever … Continue reading “No Fair”: Fairness isn’t real
We can all learn something from our losses. Some of you may remember Yoda saying on Star Wars: The Last Jedi – Pass on what you have learned. Strength, mastery, hmm… but weakness, folly, failure also. Yes: failure, most of all. The greatest teacher, failure is. Somehow, Yoda finds himself explaining how failure is a characteristic that often differentiates a beginner from a master. There … Continue reading Re-framing Failure: Learning from your losses
“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do, so throw off the bowlines, sail away from safe harbor, catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – attributed to Mark Twain I had a friend ask me about fear, how to think about it and handle it. I … Continue reading Are You Using Your Fear Properly?
Have you ever felt like quitting? Whether it’s a martial art, a marriage, or a job, we’ve all felt like giving up the fight at some point in our lives. So what do we do when we face the temptation to walk away? Why people quit. Some do it because of the stress involved in the activity. Others may stop because of a particular person … Continue reading Quitting: Should I walk away?
Inside this chest pounds a heart so steady. Inside this head lives a brain so alive. And somewhere in between rests a spirit so gentle, even the tiniest of scratches leaves a scar. . . . How would you describe your spirit, Dear Reader? What inspires you? What shakes you to your core? (Such easy questions to answer, I know!) 🙈 We’re in this thing … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On The Gentle Spirit.
I fondly remember the days of grammar-school playgrounds; of brown-bagged lunches; of field trips to museums, caverns, and coal mines. I remember the sense of belonging within those classroom walls. There was a constance amongst us kids: a comradery that strengthened with each lesson, each game, each talent show. The questions we asked were not stupid, but welcomed. We were family. And as the decades … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On The Same Side.
Greetings, Dear Reader! The SnapDragon Family is currently on the road, seeing some sights during this all-too-depressing season of lockdown during winter in Pennsylvania. (starts shivering, and hides head beneath a blanket) We’re cozied up in our Berkshire Class-A RV, embracing the open road and relishing the chance to travel to the American southeast. Sure it’s just us three—we’re still in a pandemic, mind you—but … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On All I Need.
Hello, Dear Reader. It’s nice to see you again. I’m still here. I’m still SnapDragon, but now I’m a mom! (gasp!) Our little boy came ten weeks early, and while it’s been an insanely stressful adventure, I’m happy to report he’s doing well. He’s our little champ, getting stronger every day. And so, in this new year and new journey into motherhood, I’m assessing all … Continue reading SnapDragon Speaks: On Being Lost & Found.
It’s That Simple Life is so simple and beautiful. More than anything, it so magical and alive. I can see it dancing everywhere around me in the form of my surroundings. A few minutes earlier, I was sitting in my balcony. Luckily, my head slowly tilted upwards as I looked into the sky to watch the clouds. Their beauty left me speechless. They were so alive, so … Continue reading Life Is The Dancer And We Are The Dance
And How It Can’t Traveling Definition — Google Search to go from one place to another, as by car, train, plane, or ship; take a trip; journey: to travel for pleasure. to move or go from one place or point to another. to proceed or advance in any way. (As found on dictionary.com) I’m talking about the first definition. Where you use a mode of transport to lift your … Continue reading How Traveling Could Make You A Better Person
Tell The Truth To Yourself, Not To Me (The image tells us that he’s a developer. But let’s assume he’s a writer.) I’m going to ask you this one question: Is writing authentically your passion? Understanding passion Long ago, I was in doubt. Is writing actually my dream? Is it what I genuinely love and relish doing? Or is it just something else? The fame, the … Continue reading Is Writing Your Passion? Really?
Brace Yourself Know what? I’ve found it. I REALLY HAVE! I mean I’m serious about this. People know how to decrease your problems or get rid of them. Even Google knows that. Go ask it! You’ll find tons and tons of articles about freeing yourself from problems. There are even books about that. But I’m here with this article with something else. Something revolutionary. Revolutionary! … Continue reading I’ve Found The Life Changing Idea You’ve Been Looking For
But I Forget That… Writing is a part of the writing job. Checking notifications isn’t. (Or is it?) It could be. ‘Cause it feels that way. When I check notifications and emails, it feels as if I’m doing some important work. Every time turn this device on and log in to Medium, my eyes get fixed onto the bell icon. Dear Medium,You need to reposition that … Continue reading I’m A Writer, Not A Notification Checker
It’s Driving Us Nuts There’s your brain, 👆 blasted to nuts. Thoughts are thoughts. No more, but thoughts. And above all, they are not yours! We take every thought with a straight face. It is the main cause of our mental imbalance. An imbalance that we can’t see, but is there. It has become very common and thus, considered to be normal. But it is not. Imagine this … Continue reading We’re Taking Our Thoughts WAY Too Seriously
And I Got Committed For At Least 5 Minutes Today, I actually saw myself standing on a podium, lecturing people. About what? I don’t know. It was a daydream, to be honest. But there is some stuff that I took seriously. I Want To Give The World The Best Of Me Nothing less than that. That’s why I’ve decided to change. Not just change, but transform. I … Continue reading A Few Commitments To Myself
It’s Okay If You’re Not Feeling Well-Mannered There’s a development related process in psychology. It takes place during our childhood. When we’re kids, we’re egocentric. Till the age of at least four to six. After that, we turn into social animals. Allocentric people. Egocentrism means that you give a damn about what’s happening right now or what the others might think. If you want a … Continue reading Stop Burdening Yourself with Unnecessary Ideals
That’s Why I’m Switching Back To The NOW… This has no context with the post I’m writing. But since I liked the car’s pose… 😁 The future has become a monster for me. Every time I try to peek into it I come back burdened immensely than before. Thinking about anything that isn’t here and now has become intolerable for me. I can’t handle the stress … Continue reading The Future Has Started Troubling Me
