Leadership is not an external act, or a part-time job or something we just do. Whether we are entrepreneurs, engineers, writers or bankers, the leader and person are one. Leadership is who we are being. It is an expression of who we are; it is us in action.

This frenetic activity that leads to nothing purposeful is almost always the start of my period of restlessness. It’s when the outer world, through the deluge of futile information, somehow manages to take over and control my inner mind. It hijacks my attention and messes with my internal value system.

At the end of the event, a woman with a cynical smile approached me and said, “I enjoyed what you said about spirituality. But you’re hypocritical by being a businessman who drove into this place with that nice car and claiming you’re spiritual.” She wagged her finger at me, did not give me a chance to respond and walked away.

Let us say I took up meditation because I had heard on many podcasts how effective it is with all kinds of world-class performers like Bill Gates, Oprah Winfrey, the late Kobe Bryant, Rick Rubin, Jerry Seinfeld, Clint Eastwood. The list goes on and includes many billionaires. Because of this, I would be expecting that meditation would somehow give me inner peace and patience as a by-product only to make me successful like the above examples. I would quit as soon as the novelty wears off and I realize that meditation had not given me the success that I had imagined.

Psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, the director of an 81-year-old study on adult development, states in his famous TED talk that people with healthy relationships live much happier and longer lives. The study focuses on having fewer but deeper longstanding relationships.

Balram believes that the poor can only change and break out of the Rooster Coop if they are willing to sacrifice everything, including attachment to traditional morals and one’s family. However, that’s very rare, and only one in a generation can do that, just like the White Tiger’s rarity.

On Fridays, I do a 30-minute HIIT (high-intensity interval training) cycling session on the Peloton. This typically involves short periods of intense exercise alternated with recovery periods. Usually, it leaves me red in the face, exhausted and feeling miserable throughout the morning.

Self-awareness is, first, observing the thoughts, feelings and desires that often appear in our minds. Second, it is recognizing that we can pause for a second, not allowing that thought, feeling or desire to defeat us.

The reality is that when these moments of adversity happen to us, though many people do not respond, some of us do. However, it takes much longer than seen in the movies. This is because most of us are still fully vested and entrenched in our present lives. We see the need to change but we don’t feel it enough to take action.

I felt that since coming back from holidays they had slackened their efforts. What I said wasn’t nice. They were shocked. But I think I was kind to them in the long-term. The business world is ruthless and when we reduce our efforts slightly, we lose momentum and find ourselves playing catch up.

As at 2019, there were 500 million blogs. My blog is a wave in the many oceans that inhabit the universe. I’m bored with writing in a similar format as everyone else. I’m tired of writing on the common subjects that have flooded the internet.

We are less distracted with stuff that would dominate our day. All the doing things—going to the post office, laundry, shopping, socialising, work etc.— have been reduced to leave us with a lot of time to reflect and contemplate our lives.

James Stockdale was one of the highest-ranking naval officers to be captured during the Vietnam War. He spent seven-plus years as a POW in Hanoi. He was regularly tortured, kept in solitary confinement and had his legs in iron cuffs. His chances of getting out were slim, to say the least.

In Leo Tolstoy’s short novel, The Death of Ivan Ilyich, Ivan, a middle-aged lawyer who lived a life of mediocrity, devoid of many emotions, busy trying to earn the esteem of the people in his circle, was struck by a sudden illness. He laid down dying and reflected on his mortality. Like those around him, he had always considered death as something that happened to others.

However, Sisyphus finds happiness to the Gods ire when he achieves his goal of rolling up the boulder while standing at the top of the hill, be it momentary. He has accepted his fate, embraced the daily challenge and thrived towards that fleeting flash of happiness. Camus ends the essay with, “The struggle itself … is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy”.

Science has backed my instinct of using exercise to feel good. In the book, “The Joy of Movement,” Kelly McGonigal confirms that the part of our brain responsible for stress response is rich in Endocannabinoids, which are the cannabis-like molecules produced within our bodies. These are released after a sustained moderate aerobic exercise and immediately increase dopamine, increasing feelings of contentment, reducing anxiety, and making us feel more socially open and connected to others.

This idea of perfection is a myth, and the simple truth is that we are meant to be whole and not perfect. This includes both the joy of successes and the pain of failures. And the only way we learn and grow is through both differing experiences.

There is a big game being played out in the universe and we are just a minute part of it. There is a mysterious power that guides us to many of our achievements and we are only observers meant to experience those journeys. Nonetheless, the ego in us prevents us from accepting this reasoning.

I recall that the origin of the word “spiritual” is Latin. It comes from the word “spiritus,” meaning “breath.” Other words that share this root include inspire, aspire, and conspire, which suggests togetherness. It’s when we connect to our souls and the souls around us that we feel inspired—or in spirit.

As soon as Alexander the Great saw how tight the knot was, he pulled out his sword and sliced it in half with one stroke. Then, it is said that he declared, ‘Destiny is not something brought about by legend, but by clearing away with one’s own sword.’ He had no use for the power of legend and would forge his destiny with his sword. As you know, he then proceeded to become the great conqueror of all the territories of what is now the Middle East and western Asia. (Taken from “The Courage To Be Disliked: How to free yourself, change your life and achieve real happiness” by Ichiro Kishimi, Fumitake Koga).