October 11, 2023

Notes by Om Shreejay

Review 

Our RAW last week was to not eat our favorite food/snack. When the things we want are not around, it seems like we are in control. It will be more tempting if the thing we want is available. Think about how you would handle that temptation. You feel stronger when you give up temptation. Knowing you can be independent of the thing you want makes you feel stronger. When you give up things on your own terms you will be stronger. 

Story: 

Jake and Finn were in the same class and had the same assignments to complete but they had different approaches to their work. Jake was studious, organized, disciplined, and had a strong work ethic. He would spend his evenings doing his homework and preparing for next week’s exam for an hour every day. He also planned and had time for fun activities because he was so organized.   

Finn loved to have fun and was only interested in playing video games all the time. Because of this he didn’t get much rest at night. He rarely spent any time on homework. When he came to class he wasn’t paying attention as he was sleepy. 

At the close of the school year, the teacher announced that their final project was due next week after which the whole class was going to go to an amusement park. Jake is worried as he wanted Finn to be there but he thinks that Finn might not be able to make it as he might not be able to complete the final project. Jake tries to help Finn out but Finn refuses in the beginning. The day before the project due date Finn reached out to Jake asking for help as he was behind. But Jake had already gone to sleep by then. The next day when Jake meets Finn, he asks what to do and Finn says he has a plan to tell the teacher a story. Finn tells a story that makes everyone sad and makes everyone want to support him and look after him. He tells his teacher that it is because of this he could not complete his project. The teacher says it is okay and he could submit his project later, but he won’t be able to go on the class field trip. The teacher also tells Finn that he would need to go to summer school as he missed so many assignments. 

The teacher tells Jake that because he has been doing so well at school, he would get two tickets to take anyone (except other students). Jake took his brother and sister and had a lot of fun with them at the amusement park. Finn missed out on all the fun because he didn’t finish his work. 

Lessons from Story: 

1. Even though Finn makes excuses about his work that made today easier, he found that tomorrow got harder. Excuses might make today easier, but they make tomorrow harder. If we are disciplined in our work, it pays off for future us. 
2. When we are indisciplined (like Finn), our actions don’t just affect us – they affect others. When we balance what we want and what we need, and listen to what we need to do and make it a priority, our future selves are more peaceful and happy. We live a balanced lifestyle. 
3. Being indisciplined lead to stress – the work you have to do does not go away. When it is over very little time, it can be stressful. It gets harder when our minds and bodies are not working well. 
4. Do a little work every day vs. wait until the deadline to do it when it becomes overwhelming to complete. 

Activity: 

Close your eyes for a minute and focus on a black dot at the center of a sheet. 

Lesson from Activity:

Our minds find it hard to focus on one thing. The more single pointed our minds are, the better we do. Keep your mind where your hands are at work. Being disciplined with our thoughts is challenging, but can be done through training. 

RAW:

Practice being more disciplined. Each morning before breakfast, sit down with crossed legs and do not move for 5 minutes. Each day add 1 minute to this time – you should be up to 12 minutes no movement on the last day.

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Notes by Sahil Bhakta

Review: 

Raw from last week was to not eat our favorite snack. 

Keyword Moderation: to regulate what we put into our body. How do we balance what we want with what we need? When we balance what we need and balance, we benefit the most. 

Story

Jack and Finn were in the same class and were good friends. They also had the same assignments. They just had 2 different approaches. Jake was very diligent and disciplined as Finn rarely did his homework or thought about school. He was always wanted to have fun. 

The teacher gave them a final project to work on. The deal was to finish the final project and they get to go on an amazing field trip to an amusement park. 

Jake wanted Finn to go so he kept asking Finn if he needed help and Finn kept saying he was fine and didn’t need help. Jake completed his assignment and went to sleep. Finn waited until the night before and didn’t complete it. He called Jake to help but Jake was asleep. The next day Finn told them a story that was sad and why he didn’t get his assignment done. The teacher understood and told him he could finish it late but couldn’t go on the field trip. Jake was sad that his good friend Finn couldn’t go. Jake got two extra tickets to the field trip for being an excellent student. He took his family with him. Finn had to go to summer school too, whereas Jake enjoyed his summer. 

The Lesson of the Story:

Key Word: Discipline: 

• Work hard, and put what is important at the top of the list. 
• Do a little work every day instead of waiting until the end. 
• Not being disciplined leads to stress and disappointment. 

Raw for next week

Each morning before breakfast, sit down with your legs crossed and do not move for 5 minutes. Each day adds 1 minute to this time.