13 Life lessons from 2013. 2013 was an eventful year. As I journeyed across the sun, one full revolution, here are the 13 Key learning’s to take away from 2013.

” Any fool can know, the point is to Understand”- Albert Einstein

“There is divine beauty in learning… To learn means to accept the postulate that life did not begin at my birth” – Ellie Wiesel

           13 Life lessons from 2013

13. Positive thinking will not give you anything you want.

“The Secret” you were sold, the “Think and grow rich schemes” you buy in, they cannot give you anything you want. They all can, however, give you everything positive that negative thinking won’t. So better than thinking positive is “Act Positive”.
This year had its own beauty, met many wonderful people, and equally wonderfully awful people. What was most amazing was everyone was sold with the thought of “Thinking positive” , and for once it was to the extent that a friend of mine lost his car and he said, No I do not wish to go to police station, there must be something positive.
Last 12 months, personally were more like living the indecision and not acting enough. There were endless stories which mind was filled with, lot happening in professional and personal front, which eventually hit the spiritual life. What the key message I take away was Don’t just think positive “Act Positive”. There is something very very incredible about “Action” the man who does. Next time you are confused and stuck, just take a decision and Act, eventually it will be all right.

12. Calmness is the lethal weapon you must have in your Armour.

Admit it, we are creatures who are in constant comparisons, relativity is what keeps us burning as well as alive.You may encounter certain species who will say they do not care about grades, but lets face it, you work hard, you expect the promotion. And if you are breathing in a professional environment proving your work better than someone else is the need of the hour. In this ruckus of daily mine and yours, what I lost was the calmness. Saying I lost is not enough, probably I never had the calmness. This year was able to take one day of complete silentness, observed silentness and lived it. For one day, din’t took a phone call, dint uttered a word, and trust you me, this is euphoric.
It begins by being positive, to being miserable and leaves you with acute power.
Two key takeaways, just let your face not be strained next time you hear someone shouting, raising voice or abusing, don’t loose your calm.

As Dalai Lama said, “The greater the level of calmness of our mind, the greater our peace of mind, the greater our ability to enjoy a happy and be joyful.”

11. Change the orbit change the haters.

We all have people who hate us, and its absolutely marvelous to be hated because they help you not act like god. Life for us is a routine, and breaking away from this routine is what we yearn for ( these weekends love). And we are able to do it once in a while, just to be back to same state same revolutions. The best thing you can do to yourself is evolve from the daily revolutions, and there is one way I have discovered on how to change orbits.
The one thing is, go forth and do work of international standard. Set your standards and then break them, improve, better on your older self.
If you are in job, push yourself harder, do much more than what you are paid for and soon you will be paid more than what you do.
Change your orbit before you are lost in the same place.

10. Chaos loves us: better start loving it unconditionally.    
Remember the murphy law, the last minute additions, how good you plan, the last minute things will kick in, they are going to happen. But heres a trick you can use to trick this chaos.
Keep aside a specific time for tackling chaos. This might be an hour a day, or a day for your project. Love chaos and you will be loved less. Both cannot love, one has to repel.

9. Be tough or face a tough life.

It boils down to pretty simple truth: If you can be tough on yourself, life is going to be infinitesimally easier on you. And yes, that’s truth, accept it, or belong to a group who say they are going through big trouble.

8. Hard work ( neither Smart work) is the Key to success:

Every donkey works hard, every monkey tries to work smartly, but neither are respected in the market. Its the Horse which gets the best bet, every wondered why. Realize that Horse is not taught to shake hands or say hello, or bring news papers, that’s what dog does ( and offcourse we are not born to be dogs). Horse does one thing, he runs, and he prepares to run, he is fed to run, he is rested before run. He is disciplined animal, and so its the discipline which is the key to success.
You cannot eat that cookie and expect to be slim, you cannot have that extra drink and think of being worldclass athlete.
Discipline and discipline alone will make you what you are born for.

7. Goals and Plans are not just keywords

Most people don’t plan very few have goals. Why? because its tough to sit with yourself and think and break it down to achievable goals.
Take the pain of planning, and you will avoid the pain of being lost.

6. Authority doesn’t come with Designation

Authority doesnt come with designation, it comes from helping people get what they want. The quote of Zig Ziglar is apt, ” You can get everything you want in life, if you just help enough people, get, what they want”.
So help people what they want, but keep your set of principles intact. Someone can be the head of the heads in a company, but what beyond that. There is a world out there which doesnt respect any designation, any experience any card. It respects work and the way you are.
You got to set your principles in place and must protect those principles irrespective of who says what. You might get hurt a few times, but people will respect you for what you are and you will reach places.
Invest in people, and not in designations.

5.  Stop Multitasking

Stop multitasking, trust me on this, you can get much more done in a day by focusing on just one task at hand rather than trying to multitask every project. Stop that mobile data connection for an hour, put your outlook on offline mode for 3 hours loop, mute those watsapp group messages, and focus on one task in hand.

4. Read more, but specific

“So what do you read?” asked my friend, and I showed him the book I was reading ” Malcom Gladwell, David & Goliath”. She says, “Oh you only read business books, I like reading fiction”. I said, ” Even Fiction is interesting” which one have you read recently.
” Any thing for you Mam!, a Love story”.
Wow, I said, and that was our last conversation.
Am not against reading fiction, nor on reading such books, but in the age we are, and if you are ambitious, you are always time strapped. Anything you do, will either advance you in your career or will keep you stuck were you are.
I suggest reading things, which either motivates you for the day, or aid you to see things in a different life.
If one of the two things is happening by reading “Anything for you Mam”! Please continue doing it.

3. Invest in yourself: Professional: PAY FOR IT

I could not do this, but feel this is crucial. What set of traits or characterstics have you added/enhanced in this year which makes you more joyful. Is it some new skill at job, a spiritual course , a silent retreat, a new training ( company training not included ).
The reason I insit on Paying is, if you pay from your own pocket, you take the responsibility of giving your best.

2. Time Changes and it changes everything.
People topple from position, business takes new twist, life changes upside down. What remains with you, is how you have made people felt about themselves, that’s what they remember forever.
Some people are never pleased, some people think of themselves as too aristocrat, some are filled with ego, some with knowledge which raises eyebrows.
The really great ones, are easily accessible, constantly update themselves and are looking to make a impact with their work rather than dwelling in pity issues of life.
They understand that time changes and it changes everything, so time must not change the way you are treated by others.

And the last

1. In life, there will, always be the one you cannot have.

What has been your key learning’s in 2013? You can comment in post.