I have noticed that I have a habit of cribbing with colleagues about the
issues at work. Whenever there is something to discuss, the cribbing creeps in
from nowhere and you go on an endless loop from one matter to the other.
It seems cribbing is a part of human nature. Humans gravitate towards scarcity
more than what they already have. It is easier to complain than find solutions
to the problems. Cribbing connects you to a person who shares the same outlook toward
an issue. As a service, there are many issues that have a bearing on all. Then
you have the comparison game going on between services.
Despite knowing that all the suggestions and revolutionary ideas
discussed between the four walls of your office go nowhere other than resonating
repeatedly in your mind and fizzling out, you continuously live that feeling of
scarcity and wrongdoing that has affected you.
If you hop from here you have the idea to crib about your snobbish and
sadist leadership. The loop never ends and you end up depleted and drained with
a hangover of negative vibes that spoil your remaining day.
It is better to avoid small talk and cribbing. It actually does nothing
for you except from causing heartburn, and relative deprivation.
Learnings of the Day
Book:
I am currently reading “Influence” by Robert Cialdini. It is a book on the psychology of persuasion. I have already read a part of the book earlier. Now I am picking it up again. The main idea I learned today was the Shocking (no pun intended) experiment of Stanley Milgram which he named “Study of Memory”.
It was an experiment that involved 3 participants at a time- a researcher,
a Learner (both actors), and a Teacher (actual subject). The setup of the
experiment was that the Learner(actor) would have to learn pairs of words from
a long list till they are able to recall each pair perfectly. The teacher’s job
is to test the learner’s memory and if the answer provided is wrong he would
administer a shock to the Learner and increase the intensity of the shock with
each wrong answer.
The researcher(actor) is a
figure of Authority who directs the Teacher to still administer a shock if he seems
to be hesitant about the higher intensity of the shock. When the current goes
beyond the bearable limits the recipient even screams to stop. The Authority persists
that the Teacher still administers shock and does not stop.
The catch of the experiment was that there was no shock being used
in the first place and the Actor (Learner) would fake the pain or scream and
request the Teacher to not press the lever for the shock.
The shocking outcome of the study was that the Teachers (unaware
subjects) budged to the authority and went on to administer 440 Volts of shock (64%
complied).
The experiment shows the impact that an authority can wield on the psyche of a subject or a subordinate who disregards the impact of his actions. The subject may even be aware of the outcome but is overpowered by the dominance of the authority passing instructions. It is hard to digest how one can be so naïve in accepting orders when they know that it may be causing harm to others. The holocausts and genocides that the world has seen over the past centuries give supportive evidence to the extent the acceptance of authority can go.
Podcast:
Vishal Khandelwal’s podcast with William Greene on Charlie Munger, Good Parenting
and Secrets of a Happy and abundant life.
The key takeaway for today was the importance of kindness in one’s life. He
says that people like Warren Buffet and Charlie Munger consider kindness as the
most important trait that a human could have. Both these gentlemen are one of
the richest people on the planet and nearing 100 years of age with a life full of
wisdom, experience, and expertise in the world of investment. They are considered
wizards of the craft of value investing.
For Charlie money was important but not at the cost of his honor and
Integrity. He maintained it throughout his life and along with his partner
Warren Buffet went on to amass an unthinkable amount of wealth.
They point out that if you have done well for yourself in the first half of
your life, it is important to be an even better person in the latter half. They
profess the importance of giving, donating, and passing on the wisdom to the
needful.
William Greene points out that your kids observe you if you live up to what you say. It becomes important to practice what you are trying to impart to your children. In the process, if you falter it is Ok to rise up again and do what you are supposed to do.
Exercise
Strength: Chest Day.
4 sets of Bench Press moderate weight. 4 sets of Incline Bench Press light weight.
4 sets of Incline Dumbbell Press moderate weight. 4 sets of moderate Chest
Press Machine. 3 sets of Seated Calf Raises. 1 set of Tibialis Raises. 1 set of
Pullups.
I had back issues last week after Chest Day. I used foam roller post-workout.
Will check at the end of the day how it goes.
Rehab: McGill Big 3. (2 sets each) for Core stability.
Lock Big 3 for shoulder stability. Cat Camel Pose.
Cardio: Running
Zone 2-3 Training: 30 mins. For the week 61 mins. Last week 95 mins. Going strong. target 180 mins for the week injury free.
Homework for Life
People are so occupied with material possessions. Case of a batchmate who frets over allocation of room to the successor instead of the rightful person. Attachments make you more prone to feeling scarce for other things.
Anything I like to share/ Habit Tracker
Clean for 117 days.
Target weight 85.40 Kg by 31.05.23.
Pic of the Day
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| Grilled Fish with the spicy red sause on a road stall in Bali, Indonesia |
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