Training Concubines
Howdy! Woah 10 days already?! WTF?! Where did they zoom by!?
How are things with everyone. Today has been an up and down day for me, it's already 10pm and yet the many things I was all fired up to do today when I first woke up have zoomed past me :\. I think I'm getting more and more greedy day by day to the point sometimes when it's Sunday my laziness and greed start becoming good friends to attack me with wanting to do so much but constantly feeling like I deserve to take it easy and do it later. Ahaha then again, isn't that everyday for everyone?
So the interesting thing is that I finally got a chance to re-organize my room and workspace. I now enjoy much more space on my desk now that my monitors are pushed further back, my chair has been set to recline nicely backward so I can finally enjoy a lazy-boy like seating arrangement even when working (because some tasks need me to relax and do rather than be uber focused). The problem with this is obviously I now have a clutter of stuff that needs to fit into my currently lovely room. I got posters from a recent Chthonic show I was at and I really want to hang them up, but at the same time the big white virgin wall near my bed really shouldn't be messed with... once I ruin that wall it's all over, I'll start my obsession of filling it up completely...
For anyone who was at that show and was anywhere near me I apologize on behalf of my crazy sweating. It was hot like you won't believe but I was determined to keep my front spot right next to the guitar and in clear view of the drummer! Rah! Last time when I was at the Metal Safari show, I stood in the back (was having a really bad day that day so I was in no mood to mosh nor head bang) and boy did that suck...
Well, things are going wild as usual and now that I've worked out a better way of organizing myself and my daily routines, it sure as hell has improved in my staying consistent to my routines if not my work as well.
On the other hand, I've recently got myself hooked onto the show Hell's Kitchen. Let me just say, Gordon Ramsay is my kind of mentor/teacher. His brutally honest attitude is something I can so appreciate! But the sad truth is not a lot of people are used to that style. I've had many encounters where my straightforwardness with people have often driven them away or up the wall :P. I guess everyone has their own style really, but I'm a firm believer that the greatest students come from the harshest teachers. Heck, it's even something you read about in (my #1 favorite book!) Art of War! The story of the king telling Sun Tzu to train his concubines was one I really loved! That level of seriousness Sun Tzu took when spending his energy in training someone is exactly what I'm talking about. For many, this is far too extreme, but for me, this is the way to success. Sometimes you have to feel that sharp blade of a master's sword poking into you for you to wake up and realizing that achieving greatness is no joke. I recently had a chat with a friend who was thinking of starting a business. We chatted as usual but when it came down to real business, my mind switched gears and I kept asking her questions about her "business". The truth was she was still in the "what business should I start?" phase. This is fine, but it's the phase that many dream about, much like saying "what musical instrument shall I master?". It's a step everyone needs to take before they can ever dream of any musical abilities. But it's also the stage many people already give up or have no idea what they're getting into.
Heck, take my drumming for instance. Before I started playing, my observation of drummers was whoever was faster and louder was a better drummer. Now that I've actually played in front of a kit, I've learned to appreciate so much more, even those that may not be the fastest and loudest, I've learned that there is so much more to drumming that meets the layman's eye. Sure sometimes this makes you overcomplicate things when in the end no one really wants the complication, a simple groove would have done, but it also makes you realize there's so much more to drumming that just keeping a simple beat, you can make and break a song just through drumming!
I also recently did my monthly review of my personal goals and was happy to see that my drumming has improved significantly in the last 30 days! I'm on track with many of my other goals but on the other hand, there are a few that I am far from where I should be, now being July already! An interesting fact I've discovered is that I've recently developed a new value for time. For free time or basically time that has potential. If I knew I was on my way home and I'd probably just plop into bed with a snack and watch comedy then sleep, I'd probably not rush home because I won't be saving myself any significant productive time. Sure it's feel good time but if I were to, say, take a taxi to gain more feel-good time, I'd probably not do it. But if I knew that by getting home sooner, I could prepare myself better for tomorrow, when I wake up, then chances are I'd zoom back and make sure it was worth it! The more I've done this, the more I've realized that my time is getting more and more precious. Perhaps also because my time is getting less and less now that I'm reaching higher levels in many things I'm doing (I used to be able to practice for 1 hour at my drums and cover a wide range of things, but now 1 hour really means absolutely no more than 3 exercises if I really, really crammed).
Perhaps this is also why I've realized my patience has reduced when it comes to time-wasting people. I used to convince myself that sometimes, you have to let go and let someone work the way they work at the pace they like and you just follow. But recently, if someone is wasting my time, I usually tell them to leave and end up wasting my time to do the task instead. This sparked when I was watching Hell's Kitchen where Gordon had a no mercy attitude towards the Chefs because you either do things at 100% of get out of his way. Many chefs crumbled under that pressure while others cracked but realized what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger and ended up learning a very good lesson through all that torment. As they say, no pain no gain.
I guess after these crazy 10 days, and even writing this blog for so long, every time I re-read even just myself from 10 days ago, it makes me feel good about the paths I took and the sacrifices I made. I'm sure a lot of people reading this can relate and I can only say, there are always going to be people around you who mock you for your passion, your methods of achieving your goals and straight tell you you won't succeed. But you know what? With that attitude, neither will they. So trust yourself, failure is not an option and go for it! Consider yourself as your own concubine, and don't end up slitting your own throat! :D
Let's rock these next 10 days out! :D
How are things with everyone. Today has been an up and down day for me, it's already 10pm and yet the many things I was all fired up to do today when I first woke up have zoomed past me :\. I think I'm getting more and more greedy day by day to the point sometimes when it's Sunday my laziness and greed start becoming good friends to attack me with wanting to do so much but constantly feeling like I deserve to take it easy and do it later. Ahaha then again, isn't that everyday for everyone?
So the interesting thing is that I finally got a chance to re-organize my room and workspace. I now enjoy much more space on my desk now that my monitors are pushed further back, my chair has been set to recline nicely backward so I can finally enjoy a lazy-boy like seating arrangement even when working (because some tasks need me to relax and do rather than be uber focused). The problem with this is obviously I now have a clutter of stuff that needs to fit into my currently lovely room. I got posters from a recent Chthonic show I was at and I really want to hang them up, but at the same time the big white virgin wall near my bed really shouldn't be messed with... once I ruin that wall it's all over, I'll start my obsession of filling it up completely...
For anyone who was at that show and was anywhere near me I apologize on behalf of my crazy sweating. It was hot like you won't believe but I was determined to keep my front spot right next to the guitar and in clear view of the drummer! Rah! Last time when I was at the Metal Safari show, I stood in the back (was having a really bad day that day so I was in no mood to mosh nor head bang) and boy did that suck...
Well, things are going wild as usual and now that I've worked out a better way of organizing myself and my daily routines, it sure as hell has improved in my staying consistent to my routines if not my work as well.
On the other hand, I've recently got myself hooked onto the show Hell's Kitchen. Let me just say, Gordon Ramsay is my kind of mentor/teacher. His brutally honest attitude is something I can so appreciate! But the sad truth is not a lot of people are used to that style. I've had many encounters where my straightforwardness with people have often driven them away or up the wall :P. I guess everyone has their own style really, but I'm a firm believer that the greatest students come from the harshest teachers. Heck, it's even something you read about in (my #1 favorite book!) Art of War! The story of the king telling Sun Tzu to train his concubines was one I really loved! That level of seriousness Sun Tzu took when spending his energy in training someone is exactly what I'm talking about. For many, this is far too extreme, but for me, this is the way to success. Sometimes you have to feel that sharp blade of a master's sword poking into you for you to wake up and realizing that achieving greatness is no joke. I recently had a chat with a friend who was thinking of starting a business. We chatted as usual but when it came down to real business, my mind switched gears and I kept asking her questions about her "business". The truth was she was still in the "what business should I start?" phase. This is fine, but it's the phase that many dream about, much like saying "what musical instrument shall I master?". It's a step everyone needs to take before they can ever dream of any musical abilities. But it's also the stage many people already give up or have no idea what they're getting into.
Heck, take my drumming for instance. Before I started playing, my observation of drummers was whoever was faster and louder was a better drummer. Now that I've actually played in front of a kit, I've learned to appreciate so much more, even those that may not be the fastest and loudest, I've learned that there is so much more to drumming that meets the layman's eye. Sure sometimes this makes you overcomplicate things when in the end no one really wants the complication, a simple groove would have done, but it also makes you realize there's so much more to drumming that just keeping a simple beat, you can make and break a song just through drumming!
I also recently did my monthly review of my personal goals and was happy to see that my drumming has improved significantly in the last 30 days! I'm on track with many of my other goals but on the other hand, there are a few that I am far from where I should be, now being July already! An interesting fact I've discovered is that I've recently developed a new value for time. For free time or basically time that has potential. If I knew I was on my way home and I'd probably just plop into bed with a snack and watch comedy then sleep, I'd probably not rush home because I won't be saving myself any significant productive time. Sure it's feel good time but if I were to, say, take a taxi to gain more feel-good time, I'd probably not do it. But if I knew that by getting home sooner, I could prepare myself better for tomorrow, when I wake up, then chances are I'd zoom back and make sure it was worth it! The more I've done this, the more I've realized that my time is getting more and more precious. Perhaps also because my time is getting less and less now that I'm reaching higher levels in many things I'm doing (I used to be able to practice for 1 hour at my drums and cover a wide range of things, but now 1 hour really means absolutely no more than 3 exercises if I really, really crammed).
Perhaps this is also why I've realized my patience has reduced when it comes to time-wasting people. I used to convince myself that sometimes, you have to let go and let someone work the way they work at the pace they like and you just follow. But recently, if someone is wasting my time, I usually tell them to leave and end up wasting my time to do the task instead. This sparked when I was watching Hell's Kitchen where Gordon had a no mercy attitude towards the Chefs because you either do things at 100% of get out of his way. Many chefs crumbled under that pressure while others cracked but realized what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger and ended up learning a very good lesson through all that torment. As they say, no pain no gain.
I guess after these crazy 10 days, and even writing this blog for so long, every time I re-read even just myself from 10 days ago, it makes me feel good about the paths I took and the sacrifices I made. I'm sure a lot of people reading this can relate and I can only say, there are always going to be people around you who mock you for your passion, your methods of achieving your goals and straight tell you you won't succeed. But you know what? With that attitude, neither will they. So trust yourself, failure is not an option and go for it! Consider yourself as your own concubine, and don't end up slitting your own throat! :D
Let's rock these next 10 days out! :D
Labels: day 10
posted by Vivek Mahbubani at
9:40 PM
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