There are times when we think and think and think to the maximum of our brain’s capacity. That’s right, we sometimes exhaust our brain by thinking too much while trying to make decisions in life. As the famous Buddhist saying goes” be like an empty cup, free from all confusions and thoughts. Only then you will give way to new beginnings”. We must spare our mind the burden of overthinking. Overthinking is just as same as being in a comfort zone. It is a place where you can stay forever but it will not let you go anywhere.
It makes you like Dormamu and Dr.Strange, stuck in an eternal loop of thinking. I was once a victim of overthinking too. It made me get stuck for weeks thinking through a decision I had to make. But unlike everyone I had a little help. It was my grandma, the angel who lighted up my path which I follow even today. It was such an eye-opening revelation that has been helping me in every situation. So, I decided to share it with you too.
I was 23 years old when my grandma taught me the concept of “Don’t Think”. I was struggling to make the most important decision of my life. I couldn’t make any progress because of the situation as I was too involved in trying to figure out what to do.
My grandma who was living adjacent to my house decided to pay a visit. She saw me in a state of chaos, so she decided to step up and make the decision on my behalf. Within just two minutes she came to a conclusion and made her decision which I was struggling with for almost two weeks. I was amazed how quick she solved such a complex process. When I asked her, she said it was a simple tool called “Don’t Think”. Educated people complicate things so much thinking we know a lot. As a result, we forget that even complex problems have simple solutions.
My grandma was a package of brilliance covered by a village breeze. Not only my grandma but I was born and raised as a villager too. We forget that our villages have a simple cure to even the deadliest diseases in the world. And their lifestyle and thinking gives us the key to unlock great achievements. One such key was given to me by my grandma which is “Don’t Think”.
From that day onwards every decision I made was successful. It helped me start a non-profit organisation named IndiaTeam.org along with my friends. Second, I started the community radio at Stanford called Saaral in the year 2003. I worked and lived in US for 15 years as a software engineer. Then too I had to make the difficult decision of returning to India. However, I still had the key my grandma gave me when I was 23 so I came back to India and commenced TICKETGOOSE.COM which quickly crossed to do a 100 core GMV in the year 2007. And then a series of events like setting up a Digital Village and becoming a public speaker to writing y own book my grandma’s advice was a golden key which opened many successful doors in my life.
The life of a villager can be divided into three
- Clean
- Build
- Do
Clean:
Cleanliness is not just for the body but also for our inner selves. It doesn’t require you to travel to meditation centres all it takes is a little gratitude for oneself and the nature around. Wake up early so that you accompany the sun while it rises. In that way you rise along with the star. Go out for a walk and inhale the fresh air which is a gift not many of us work to receive. Observe the music of the new day and how nature thanks for another beginning by her song through birds and trees. You can also add your own music to it like our villagers who sing while working. Having done these you are 60% villager now.
The circle:
Eat and burn more, read and write more, share and help more. Whatever we say about people it all comes down to one planet one home and one family. The world is nothing but a giant ball floating in space and we are living on it. Isn’t that enough to make us one big family? There is always someone in need of your help.
Like John Masefield’s poem goes
“Laugh and be merry together, like brothers akin,Guesting awhile in the rooms of a beautiful inn,Glad till the dancing stops, and the lilt of the music ends.”
We are all temporary stayers in a beautiful place. Celebrate it like a new-born and enjoy it like a poem.
I DO!
Knowledge and talent without action is like biryani without salt. So, get up and do what you wanted to do. Practise if you think you require more skill and don’t forget to think like a villager.
That’s how we have Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Karthi Easwaramoorthy. Let’s all practise “Don’t Think! Be a Villager!” Let us start our journey together to understand the life of a villager! Learn the habits of a villager! Experience the life of our villages.
Thank you for the journey with me