Notes by Saadhvi Mamidi

Last week review: The wise are content – they access this through gratitude.

This week: Balance & Independence 

Qualities of the Wise

1. Balance – every passing should not dictate thoughts, feelings, actions; we should be balanced in circumstances
2. Independence – take responsibility for our actions and happiness; peace is a choice in every experience

Activity: We read an article on a scientific approach to a perspective of purpose & reflect.

• It is not our peak moments & achievements that define who we are, it’s how we deal with adversity and integrity! 
• We must love ourselves at our worst to love ourselves at our best
• Purpose is a skill that we must practice
• Purpose makes it more easy to stay balanced
  • When we work towards this purpose, we feel independence → others may help us, but we have the power
  • In each of our problems, we have the opportunity to rise above

Independence

When your parents use a GPS to get to a location, they feel a bit nervous when they get close to the destination. The music turns off, and everything becomes quiet. We lack independence.

Now, imagine you’re driving to a location you know well. There isn’t a need for a GPS, and there isn’t a dependence on quietude! Now, we have much more freedom of mental resources. When we are independent, we are able to fully use our potential.

Balance

Imagine you’re walking in the dark with a flashlight in front of you. There is so much unknown, and this robs us of our ability to be calm. 

Purpose pulls performance! It proved clarity – there are no doubts in our mind & it makes us more efficient. Our priorities become clear.

In the small picture, we are imbalanced and dependent. When we look at the bigger picture, we can work towards being balanced and independent.

Practice: Write down 5 goals for self-development & 5 goals for academics for the next year.

1. Be more disciplined – don’t get distracted and stay focused

This activity doesn’t end here! Continue it as you go through life! Our education goals and self-development are not separate – when we focus on self-development, academic benefits will always follow.

RAW Last Week: Write down 3 things you’re grateful for at the end of every day and read the list every morning

• We woke up feeling more grounded and calm
• Our anxious feelings at night and morning were reduced

RAW: Each day, pick a part of a room and organize it.