Aruna Gobalan's Blog, page 7

Carpe Diem: The Power of Spontaneous Giving and Why We Shouldn’t Wait to be Kind.

Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind. Henry James.Unsung HeroI heard this uplifting tale on NPR’s Shankar Vedantam's Unsung Hero segment of the Hidden Brain podcast. About 18 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, Alexandra Middlewood, a political […]

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Can We Create Our Own Luck?

You create your own luck by being ready to grab opportunities as they come to you. Richard Branson. True or False?Luck: That which can’t be explainedImagine you've planned an outdoor party and learned too late that a storm is forecasted for your area that day. Or picture yourself in the middle of a Zoom meeting when, […]

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The Journey to Simplicity: Five Lessons Learned from Decluttering

The art of decluttering is the art of letting go.It’s all about the stuffNow, I'll admit, this isn't my first post about decluttering and conquering the chaos of "stuff," and I'm pretty sure it won't be my last. If there's one aspect of my life that would get a barely-passing grade on a report card, […]

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Unlearning: Why Dropping Brain Baggage Is Harder Than Packing It In

In a world that constantly emphasizes the importance of acquiring new knowledge and skills, the concept of unlearning might seem counterintuitive, if not outright perplexing. After all, why would we want to let go of what we’ve spent so much time and effort learning?You must unlearn what you have learned. Yoda, Star Wars.What is unlearning?Imagine […]

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Take Your Time: Embrace the Joy of Unhurried Living

Take your time. Embrace uncertainty. Some of the most beautiful chapters in our lives won't have a title until much later. Bob Goff.The Road Less Traveled – Scott PeckIn The Road Less Traveled, Scott Peck recounts his journey of learning patience and problem-solving. He writes, "One day, at the end of my 37th year, while taking […]

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How the Protestant Work Ethic Has Turned Us into Productivity Chasers

In a world dominated by the Protestant Work Ethic, our worth is often measured by our ability to produce. This leaves us feeling inadequate when we forget that our value extends far beyond our professional accomplishments.The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it. Henry David Thoreau.The Protestant EthicAt the beginning […]

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The Power of Curation: How Intentionality Can Lead to a Better Life

In his book The Creative Act: A Way of Being, Rick Rubin explains the Power of Curation:If you choose to read classic literature every day for a year rather than the news, by the end of that time period, you will have a more honed sensitivity for recognizing greatness in the books rather than in the […]

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The Healing Power of Awe: How Embracing Wonder Can Transform Our Lives

Wonder is the heaviest element on the periodic table. Even a tiny teaspoon of it can stop time. Diane Ackerman, describing the Power of Awe.Songs of the Humpback WhalesAfter many years studying moths, Tufts University researcher Roger Payne headed to Bermuda to study whales. There, he met a US Navy engineer who, while monitoring Soviet […]

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From Control Freak to Hakuna Matata: Embracing the Joy of Surrender

"I'm not a control freak. I know exactly how things should be done, and if you'd all just do it my way, everything would be fine!"This article in the NY Times describes a micromanager who was so much of a control freak that she “cleaned out employees' desks when she felt that they were too […]

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Moral Licensing: Why We Justify the Ice Cream After the Gym

The paradox of moral licensing: the more we pat ourselves on the back for our goodness, the easier it becomes to turn a blind eye to our lapses. “I worked really hard this week. So, I deserve to binge-watch five episodes of The Crown this weekend.” “I ran 6 miles today. What’s the harm in eating […]

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