Minute Musings

Autodidact, Philomath

Posted on August 20, 2019 by Nikhil Anand

When was the last time you tried being surreal?

I have a habit of thinking, overthinking. I can be highly whimsical – my thoughts flicker. With so many thoughts in my head, I decided to put them down at one place. Surely I could have done this in a personal diary, but aren’t we all obsessed with reading personal diaries of people? So how about putting it all down for the world to see…

Who am I?

I am Nikhil. As I type this, I am a 20-something guy trying to ‘stay hungry, and foolish’.
Yolo-Solo? Lol, yes! I want to try anything and everything that I have ever thought of. And as I do it, I would want others to see. After all, affirmations is all that a human life is about.

I do not intend to convey any specific message through this site, nor do I have a plan of what I will put in it. There is no specific genre that I write on. Whatever I think, I pen it down.

(Un)Popular opinions

I have strong opinions on the topics that I come across. Not a lot of people might agree to what I say, or write. But does that stop me from putting things across? No.
We all try to settle in to our lives, moving towards the ‘average’, living in the illusion of being ‘successful’. What defines your success? Doing the same thing all the year around, what do you gain personally?
If these questions sound intriguing to you, I am sure you will be frequent visitor here.

Let me talk about my life now…The timeline

I was a shy kid back in school, who was an amazing scholar. I focused primarily on studies, and sports. Studies defined what an individual was made up of, or so people thought back then (perhaps, they still do?)

I had no option but to excel in academics. So being a topper – ticked! What next?

I squandered my years 2011-12, before getting back to my groove. A quote from a Professional Development teacher struck me hard in 2014 – ‘Needs create tensions, which forces you to work hard’. My personal crisis at the same time was not a mere coincidence, or so I would want to think. I had to get things moving – find what I liked the most.

Cricket fascinated me the most, but taking up the sport at the age of 18 did not sound too prudent. In addition to that, I had my finances to take care of. I took up Content Writing. I wrote articles for free back then, not knowing it had the potential to make money too.

2014 – Content Writing, Transcribing

The Fishbowl Network gave me my first break as a writer. I was thrilled to see my name in Google search results. But how long can you write only for your interests? Especially knowing you had two square meals to manage?

I took up Transcribing. This basically meant writing subtitles for popular movies, IIT lectures, and web series. It was SkyRay that provided me this opportunity. Do take note, all this while, I was a day time student at Christ University pursuing my Engineering Degree (2013-2017). Working with SkyRay meant parting ways with the Fishbowl Network.

A good thing that happened around this time was a guest post I wrote on Internshala about my time with Fishbowl Network.

2015 – Lifestyle writing, Cricket Journalism

Transcribing paid heavily, but was time consuming. The need of the hour was to find a field that not just paid, but paid for doing things I like, and paid more frequently. I took up Sports Journalism. I wrote for various websites – SportsOval, ModifyLifestyle, TipTopLifestyle, Cerebrate, Youthopia, etc. Some of these do not even exist anymore.

It was fun. I had become a popular freelance writer, and a cool LinkedIn profile landed me freelancing offers. The big break, however, was working with CricTracker. It is an amazing website that delivers cricket content 24/7. With over 5000 posts for the site, I became an integral member of the team in two years. I was happy to quit working for every other website, only to focus on CT.

2016 – Bartending, Broadcasting

Cricket writing continued to be my A game. But now, the needs plus the desires wanted me to jump in to another field that fascinated me. I loved the way Bartenders got their act going. With the help of a friend, I landed a deal as a Bartender at ITC. Another bucket list item ticked.

In addition to that, I wanted to explore more options in cricket journalism. Yet again, it was CricTracker and that helped me getting there. I co-hosted the IPL pre-shows, post-match analysis, and other features during the IPL 2016 for the channel. I was lucky to work with Mikkhail Vaswani, a renowned Times Now sports anchor. Trivia – back in 2009, I was a devoted follower of Mikkhail’s show ‘Dial C for Cricket’ on Neo Cricket. 7 years later, I was co-hosting a live show with him. Ticked!

2017 – FullStack Developer

I am a strong believer of doing things that you like, but not overdo it to make it boring for you. Writing was my passion. But there did come a stage when creative writing had taken a heavy toll, and I had moved to commercial writing. Data dumping was what I had started doing. I quit my work as an everyday writer. My college placements happened around the same time, and I was fortunate to crack the very first interview that I attended.

I bagged a FullStack Developer role at Epsilon. Amazing place to work. Although I was a 9.6 CGPA graduate, I was never a tech guy. And I had taken this job only to support my family, and to justify my graduation degree. Worked here for a while and moved to the next big thing.

2018 – Cloud Engineer

Developing code was not my cup of tea. I moved to network engineering. I cannot thank my lady love enough for helping me get there. Just like every other Computer Science engineer, the green terminal fascinated me. A bit of smart work, and I got a job at the Amazon Web Services – the top crop.

2019 – Author

Now that I have established connections in various fields of work, I am all set to tick off all the items that I have on my bucket list. Stay tuned. This post will be updated.

Here comes the first one: Author

Authored and published two books – ‘Hired – Modern-day Interview Hacks‘, and ‘Fitness Guide for the Absolute Beginner‘. Both books are available at the Kindle store, and Hired is available in the international market in Paperback edition as well.

Link:

https://www.amazon.com/-/e/B07WYZDFMM

2020 – Work In Progress

AWS Data Engineer Associate – Preparation Guide

Posted on August 24, 2024 by Nikhil Anand

It has been a while since I last published a post on this website, and it has also been a long time since I last authored and published a book.

I have worked at AWS for 6+ years now, and I have managed to clear all AWS certifications – the AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate being the newest addition to my cabinet.

I authored and published this preparation guide earlier this year, and if you are looking to ace this certification, this is all that you need.

AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate validates skills and knowledge in core data-related AWS services, ability to ingest and transform data, orchestrate data pipelines while applying programming concepts, design data models, manage data life cycles, and ensure data quality.

How will this certification help?

This is an in-demand role with a low supply of skilled professionals. AWS Certified Data Engineer – Associate and accompanying prep resources offer you a means to build your confidence and credibility in data engineer, data architect, and other data-related roles.

The book is live and available to purchase on Amazon.

Amazon UK – Paperback
Amazon UK – Kindle
Amazon India – Kindle
Amazon US – Paperback
Amazon US – Kindle
Amazon Australia – Paperback
Amazon Australia – Kindle

Also available on other AWS marketplaces around the globe.

Cut fat, build muscle

Posted on July 5, 2020 by Nikhil Anand

I will keep this post short, and try to include as much information as possible and use a very simple approach that anyone can follow.

Why am I posting this here: Well, a lot of people have been asking me how to go about getting in a good shape, and get a decent summer body. So, here it is – let me enlist the steps for you.

Firstly, the post suits well for those who feel their body is not losing fats, and they are not gaining muscle. Typically, this happens with people who are skinny fat. This the group of people who look skinny in clothes, but once they take their t-shirt off, you can see fat flabs in certain parts of their body.

The approach to get a decent body is simple – make it a two-stage process. Stage 1 – you lose the fat; Stage 2 – build muscle.

Let’s start.

Step 1

Firstly, calculate your daily calorie requirements. Very simple and very easy:

https://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html

Step 2

Download an app that tracks your calories. I use ‘My Fitness Pal’. Even the free version works amazing and that’s all you need. This is how it looks like:

Now, why do you need this?

Well, a lot of people ask me to share my diet with them. But the thing is, the stuff I eat might not be available around those people, or they might not like it. So this is what the cheat code is:

After calculating your maintenance calories in Step 1, subtract 200 calories. Say, it maintenance calories comes to 2000, keep a goal of 1800 calories per day for next 28 days. This is because we are aiming at fat loss, and hence, we need to be in calorie-deficit.
Now, these 1800 calories have to be wisely chosen. While you eat, make sure you enter the data in the app downloaded in step 2 to keep a track of amount of proteins taken. While in calorie-deficit (trying the fat loss phase), protein intake must be increased.
The daily protein intake should be roughly 2 times your body weight.
Lower Range: 2 x bodyweight
Upper Range: 2.2 x bodyweight
For example, if you weigh 70kg, you daily protein requirement must be (70 x 2)g to (70 x 2.2)g.
140g to 154g.
I won’t get in to the calorie calculation. Let’s keep it simple. The app does it for you. If you would still like to know, hit me up on Instagram at nikhil_anand45@.
This sets the tone for us in terms of diet.

Step 3 – Workout

Now, no matter how healthy you eat, if you do not workout to burn the calories, it will be of no use. You will not see any good results. Make sure you workout for at least 30 mins each day. Make it a high intensity workout.

For the ladies, follow any good youtube video for home-workouts (I say this because at the time when I am writing this down, all gyms are closed). You can choose home HIIT workouts, or Zumba workouts, or anything that helps you break the sweat.

For the gentlemen, I followed a popular Russian YouTuber Igor Voitenko. He has two workout plans on his site – 28 day Plan, and one Ultimate Summer Physique. Both of them are FREE!

The workout doesn’t take more than 25 mins each day, and shows great result when combined with the above mentioned diet plan.

http://igorvoitenko.com/from0to100

http://igorvoitenko.com/usp

Home workouts, no equipment needed, and works wonders! Try it out.

Step 4

Diet – check, Workout – check. Next is sleep.

Make sure you get at least 7-8 hours of sleep everyday. It is very important to let your muscles recover.

Step 5

Make sure you drink lots of water. Since you will be on a high protein diet, it is absolutely important to ensure you stay well hydrated to avoid excessive heat in the body.

Supplements?

If you are able to meet your daily Protein requirements calculate in step 2, you don’t need supplements. But if you are falling short, buy a good Whey Protein.

1 scoop of whey protein contains 20-24g of protein.

To cut down costs, consider buying unflavored whey. You can always add a bit of chocolate sauce to it or a banana to get some flavour.

You can also go for raw unflavoured whey concentrate. 1 scoop (30g of whey concentrate contains 24g of protein). And it is cheap.

If you have a good digestive system, you can go for whey isolate. 1 scoop (30g of whey isolate contains 27g of protein). Slightly expensive, but an advanced option. Do not try this straightaway.

Personally, I have tried Nutrabay unflavoured whey, and AsItIs unflavoured whey lately (whey concentrates) and both of them have shown good results.

This completes stage 1. After 28 days of staying in calorie deficit, everyday workout, you will see changes.

Next, you can repeat the steps by recalculating the calories and then going in a calorie surplus to kick off the muscle gain phase.

Good luck!

Bahut waqt se main khush nahi khud se…

Posted on June 10, 2020 by Nikhil Anand

Filhaal abhi tak aisa koi kaam nahi kiya
Jisse main khush rahoon khud se,

Filhaal bahut waqt se main qaid hoon
Karke gunaah phasa khud ke zehen mein;

Filhaal haal-chal aaj kal kam puchhte hai
Log mujhe khud se,
Filhaal mere sapno se door
Mujhe karne pe tule mere apne filhaal mera…

Bahut waqt se nahi khud pe zor,
Dil tootne ke baad mehsoos hui chot
Pehle toh mujhe laga sab aasan
Bade bade channels karein mujhe call,

Sar pe ghamand Chadha jaise gira khai mein,
Todha maine rishton ko baithe jhaai mein
Aankhein khuli jab tak ho chuki thi der,
Maine khoya mere apno ko apno se apni ladai mein..

Babe, tu hi sahi teri jagah
Mere jaise insaan saala kisi ka nahi hoga
Sun, mujhe kar dena maaf
Jo main mar jaun kal par aisa bhi na hoga…

Yeh mujhe dekh maare taaliyan
Par mudte hi dene lage gaaliyan…
Khair mujhe pataa toh hai sab,
mujhe pataa toh hai sab…

bahut waqt se main khush nahi khud se
main kore kagazon ka ghar bana baitha,
main bolta tha aag hoon main beta par
khud ke hi haathon khud ko hi jala baitha;

bahut waqt se main soya nahi chain se
main khaali qalamon se baatein bana baitha
main sochta tha phelna hai mujhe
par khud ke hi haathon khud ko hi daba baitha…

Jin doston mein mere charche nahi the
wahi doston mein gaane mere chalte hai ab,
bhale aaj kal dikhta main mehenge se kapdon mein
maange hue kapdon mein tha main kal tak…

Maine chhod diya khaana, kaam kiya zyada,
pata nahi kab soya, aankh khuli kab,
laga muje galat raasta bhi sahi chun liya
jahaan jahaan dikha mauka gira, utha, aur bhaga…

kapde safed daag lage sau,
main leke ghooma saath shakalein jinki do…

na khud pe bharosa karna chahoon main khud
lage zindagi mein jeene ki wajah di maine kho

bahut waqt se main khush nahi khud se
aaine mein khud ko main dhoond raha,
kise kahu meri taqleefein kya,
kise kahu mai har din toot raha…

bahut waqt se main khush nahi khud se
bahut waqt se main khush nahi khud se…

5 ways to Forgive and Stay Mentally Strong

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Nikhil Anand

It is always said that forgiveness is the attribute of the strong. But in the real world, nobody knows what people mean when they use this term “strong”. How strong is one supposed to be in order to be in a state of forgiving someone’s sin or forgiving some of his close friends and relatives for having betrayed them? The answer is largely unknown. The art of forgiveness is a tough one to handle especially if you have to forget your lover for cheating on you. How to master this art of forgiveness and be strong in every sense of the word? Read on to know more.

Look Back at Your emotions and Thought

It is a common thing to notice that people tend to get engrossed in this forgiveness dilemma that they stop looking at their own emotions. If something is stereotyped as a bad thing, you don’t even bother to ask your own opinion and just go with the flow that the mistake committed by your loved one is a big mistake. This is simply not the right way of handling things. If you have issues with your past or the worries of future are bothering you, then you should know that it is your mind that is playing tricks with you and not you who is creating them. You should be strong enough to be the sole creator of your own emotions and watch them carefully. This is beautifully described in a bestseller titled ‘Power of your Subconscious Mind’. Sometimes it is better to forgive and forget than to remember and regret, isn’t it?

Seeking Vengeance? Do it the other way!

When you have issues with something or when you are simply getting mad at someone, the best way of making them feel bad is by giving a sweet smile to them instead of back answering them or talking to them. Smile when it hurts the most. This thing can confuse people. When you react to something bad being done on to you, others seem to enjoy because they know that their actions are bothering you. So why make them feel so special? You should instead continue smiling and walking in your journey of life without looking back at those people. There can’t be a better revenge than this. Never try to seek vengeance. Forgive all and move ahead in your life. You can take revenge by living a better life without those people and making them realize that they had no rights to spoil your life and you are happy in your life without them. Forgive and forget and then live on.

It is not necessary to forgive every mistake

Yes, we all know that forgiveness is something that everyone must have in their character traits. But at the same time, you should be sensible enough to understand which mistakes are meant to be forgiven. Not every mistake deserves forgiveness. Imagine a situation in which someone murders your close one. You cannot simply be a sage and forgive the murderer for doing so. Yes the example was a very vague one; but the intent of the example is crystal clear. Try to read between the lines to understand this.There is a thin line between mistakes, crimes, and sins. You can forgive someone for their mistakes, the almighty will take care of the sins; but you cannot forgive anyone for the crimes.

Love is the answer

Most of the times when you get disappointed because of the actions of some of your friends and closed ones, you tend to feel that loneliness. Sometimes you should know that you need to forgive without expecting any apologies from the other end. If you keep your ego at the back of your mind, than there is no reason why your relationship will not get jeopardized. It is often very easy to sabotage one’s relationships with other people because of a few fights and misunderstandings. You should rather think of those people with love and compassion. Forgive the past, forgive yourself, forgive others, and love the present moment for what it’s worth. Loving is never easy, especially when times are rough, yet it is easily the most formidable and positively persistent action possible. yet again, forgive and forget.

Take a break; Introspect

Yes. This is probably the most important aspect of your mental health and your mind. You might be in two minds when it comes to forgiving people. You shouldn’t be. Always remember that you have enough time to take the right call. You might forgive someone in the rush of time but later regret it. Similarly, you might punish someone and later realize that maybe you could have forgiven them. Should you forgive? The most important part of forgiving someone is the alone phase. Have some time with your inner self. Try to analyze the situation and understand what perspired and what the possible reasons were for that. Introspection will give you the right frame of mind to decide. Who knows, you might end up changing your decision in this process and eventually take the right call? Always take a break when you are hurt. This is the secret of life.

Perfection doesn’t exist. Forgiveness is habitually the simple apprehension that there is nothing that actually needs to be forgiven.

The post was originally posted on tiptoplifestyle.com in 2014. I had penned down this post for Dose Media.

7 Qualities Your Partner Should Have

Posted on April 5, 2020 by Nikhil Anand

While the reasons we fall in love are often a mystery, the reasons we stay in love are far less elusive! The early months of a relationship can feel effortless and exciting, but successful long-term relationships involve ongoing effort and compromise by both partners. Building healthy patterns early in your relationship can establish a solid foundation for the long run. There may be no such thing as the perfect partner, but an ideal partner can be found in someone who has developed themselves in certain ways that go beyond looks, charms and success. Here are some of the qualities an ideal partner should have.

Qualities of an Ideal Partner

A partner should be able to Build, Explore and Establish

Build a foundation of appreciation and respect. Focus on all the considerate things your partner says and does. Happy couples make a point of noticing even small opportunities to say “thank you” to their partner, rather than focusing on mistakes their partner has made. Explore each other’s interests so that you have a long list of things to enjoy together. Try new things together to expand mutual interests. Establish a pattern of apologizing if you make a mistake or hurt your partner’s feelings. Saying “I’m sorry” may be hard in the moment, but it goes a long way towards healing a rift in a relationship. Your partner will trust you more if he or she knows that you will take responsibility for your words and actions.

Maturity

This statement is not meant to echo the ever-advised mantra that maturity is important. Being “grown up” isn’t merely a matter of not acting like a kid anymore. It’s not about a boyfriend who remembers to take out the trash or a girlfriend who never runs late. These qualities are nice, but to truly grow up means making an active effort to recognize and resolve negative influences from our past. They develop a strong sense of independence and autonomy. As they evolve within themselves, they are less likely to look for someone to compensate for shortcomings and weaknesses or to complete their incompleteness. Instead, they’re looking for someone to share life with as equals and to appreciate independently of themselves. Naturally, becoming emotionally mature ourselves helps with this process and dramatically improves our chances of achieving a solid and rewarding relationship.

Being Respectful of and sensitive to the other

It’s a necessity to respect one another, in terms of goals, success, accomplishments, thoughts, feelings and desires. Respecting each other’s qualities gives immense support to make the relationship work. If you dislike something about your partner you must not make fun of it and let your partner feel ashamed about it. That’s where you need to be a friend and support your partner and help him/her overcome it. Ideal partners respect the others’ interests separate from their own. Keeping in mind that everyone is not born perfect, you must learn to accept your partner the way he/she is.

Being open and non-defensive – Restrain yourself!

Research has found that couples who “edit” themselves and do not say all the angry things they may be thinking are typically the happiest. An ideal partner should be true, undefended and vulnerable. He/she should share or speak out his/her ideologies, feelings, thoughts, dreams, desires. This helps in better understanding. Also, one must accept his/her faults because every relation is built on the thread of trust, which once broken can never be as smooth as the initial one. A “win-win” stance means that your goal is for the relationship, rather than for either partner, to “win” in a conflict situation. Ask yourself: “Is what I am about to say (or do) going to increase or decrease the odds that we’ll work this problem out?”

Sense of humor

An ideal partner has good sense of humor. The ability of a partner to laugh at one’s self and at the foibles of life helps in decreasing the stress between both the partners. Here, a life-partner acts as a friend where he/she tries to sort out trifles or bigger issues with lesser stress and lesser impulsive decisions. Sense of humor acts as a life-saver in a relationship. It allows a person to maintain a proper perspective while dealing with sensitive issues. Moreover, it’s always good to have fun with your better half.

Communicating with the partner

Disagreements in a relationship are not only normal but, if constructively resolved, actually strengthen the relationship. It is inevitable that there will be times of sadness, tension, or outright anger between you and your partner. Reduce the communication-gap and listen to what your partner wants to convey to you. Be a good listener and resolve any conflicts that are creating distances between you and your partner. Give yourself permission to try out some new ways of handling conflict.Contrary to previous notions, the best time to resolve a conflict may not be immediate. It is not unusual for one or both partners to need some time to cool off. This “time-out’ period can help you avoid saying or doing hurtful things in the heat of the moment, and can help partners more clearly identify what changes are most important. Healthy communication is critical, especially when there are important decisions regarding career, marriage, and family to be made.

Establish an Atmosphere of Emotional Support

Emotional support involves accepting your partner’s differences and not insisting that he or she meet your needs only in the precise way that you want them met. Find out how your partner shows his or her love for you, and don’t set absolute criteria that require your partner to always behave differently before you’re satisfied. Providing emotional support to your partner will strengthen your relationship. Both the partners should be there for each other when one requires support relating to any kind of family and personal problems. Your partner will bestow that level of trust on you, and you will definitely be more than a life partner for him/her.

The post was originally written for www.tiptoplifestyle.com in 2014.

5 Things to Stop NOW, to Avoid Lifelong Regrets

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Nikhil Anand

If I tell you this is your last day, will you be doing what you are doing right now?

10 odd years down the line, there will be many events, decisions, and people you would have regrets about. This is purely natural. After all, to err is humane. And we pretty much know that we will have regrets about our past actions. It is not very easy to make the right call in every situation. But this particular sort of a mental damage can be marginalized to a great extent by following some simple tricks of living your life.

As an individual, you may come across many new challenges in your day to day life. How you deal with them; lies completely in your hand. Here are the list of 10 things you should stop doing in the present in order to avoid lifelong regrets. Read on.

It’s not your Dream!

The most common regret that people have in their life is that they feel they missed out on the opportunity of fulfilling their cherished dream. People have the habit of trying to live someone else’s dream. In the process of doing so, they forget themselves and their own aspirations and desires. In most cases, people in their younger age fail to recognize their own talents and dreams, and thus fall prey to the wishes of their parents or the society. Even if they do not have the right will towards doing something, they tend to pursue career in that particular field which their parents choose for them. Find your dreams and know what you are good at in the early stage of your life and live with no regrets. No matter how severe the obstacles are, never quit. Strive hard and hard to attain your goal. Try to get a best of both worlds?

Trying to be Someone Else

We have role models and we revere celebrities. There is no harm in it. But sometimes people idolize other people who are entirely different from them. Soon they start changing themselves in order to be like their role models. They start living a life of person who they are nowhere related to. What is the point of living someone else’s life? This is yet another regret that people have in their life. So just be yourself and stop committing this mistake. You are good and unique the way you are. Love yourself and let the regrets go away!

Building a Web of Lies

One thing that I have learnt from my mistakes is that I should never lie. Funnily enough, I do not even remember the things I have lied to different people. I know I could get in trouble because of that.

No matter how old you are, you always have some things in your mind which you hesitate to leak out simply because you fear the reactions of other people towards your call. As a result of this, you end up with a lie which forms the base for a series or a web of lies. Believe it or not, these lies will never let you live with peace in your life. No matter how severe the impacts could be, always stick to the truth. If you build up your present on the basis of such lies, you will end up nowhere in the future. The most content man is the one who has no secrets and nothing to hide. He lives a life with no regrets. The secret to a happy living is giving up on all lies and telling the truth in every situation and thus avoiding regrets in life. You might get into trouble because of this, but this trouble is always a short lived one. Never have regrets speaking the truth.

It is about Living the Moment

Most of the people refrain from doing things simply because they are scared of the reactions and the outcomes that may perspire in future because of the things they do in the present – the fear of failure?

Due to this, they fail to enjoy the very essence of life. It is a very common thing to see people not live in the present. In this process of regretting the past and planning for the future, they forget to live the present moment. The past is inevitable and the future is unpredictable. So why live your life around these facets of tenses where all you can have is mere regrets? You should always live in the present and stop worrying about the things that could possibly happen because of your actions and thus remove these regrets from your life.

Not having a Stand

If you believe that whatever you are doing in your life is the right thing, then you should have the chutzpah to stand by your own actions and words in the future. There is no point in living a life where your decisions and mindset flickers every second and you are preoccupied with regrets. If you see something wrong happening right in front of your eyes, have the guts to take action against it and stand for yourself and for others. If you do not do this in your life, it would be a sin committed and the regrets would linger forever. This would give very deep regrets and in the future even if you try to change your actions, you would be found wanting to do so.

Life is all about making right calls and living without regrets. No decision is correct or wrong. It is up to you how you see the things and avoid such regrets. Take the decisions and then try to prove them right. This is the essence to a happy living.

The post was originally posted on tiptoplifestyle.com in 2014. I had written this post for Dose Media.

7 Books You Should Read For Self-Improvement

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Nikhil Anand

Growing up, I was never an avid book reader. I used to think of my sister as a boring soul only because she was a bibliophile. Over the last couple of years though, I have realised that books are our best friends. No matter what mental state you are in or where you are, if there is something that can give you a perfect company in every situation is nothing but books. Life is a journey which is meant for you to understand the tricks and trades of life as it comes your way. And there are some books which can be the perfect guides for you in this journey of life. Here is the list of books I have found to be great for self-improvement:

The 48 Laws Of Power

Penned down by the writer Robert Greene, the book is full of inspirational stories and anecdotes from different perspective of life. The book contains all the motivational quotes, probably the best ones that you could ever read! Right from Goethe to Caesar, from Tsun Zu to the anonymous quotes; this book has everything in it! It will help you rebuild yourself as an individual and grow in every aspect of life.

The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: Powerful Lessons in Personal Change

This book by Stephen R Covey is known for its simplicity and authenticity. The book tells you that different people in the world have different perspective and hence the importance of putting forth your viewpoints is highly essential. Do not curb your ideas. Let them flow. Because these are the habits of highly effective people! This book teaches you the real meaning of wisdom and it is its clarity of explanation which makes it one of the efficient books which most people love to read including the entrepreneurs!

Eat That Frog! 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

We all know how to procrastinate things. No, do not be ashamed in admitting this as it is one of the most common habits of the people of the present generation. We believe that there is no urgency of doing any work at any stage of time. We procrastinate big time. Read this book by Brian Tracy and you will find a million effective ways to manage your time in a fruitful manner and get the best of both worlds in everything that you do. Tracy has beautifully described how to effectively deal with procrastination before this particular evil paralyses us. It is one of those books which would help you set your priorities right and also teaches you the efficient ways of segregating the important and unimportant tasks accordingly.

The Attention Revolution: Unlocking the Power of the Focused Mind

This book is written by Allan Wallace is one of those books which will give you spiritual wisdom and the ability to think wisely. Wallace has focused on the “Shamatha” which is a Buddhist meditation state of mental peace. This mental condition is free from any vague thought or any sort of distractions. This book is a great inspiration for all the young people as it clearly shows the powers and the ability of the human brain to do great things. You will understand your own capabilities when you end up reading this book.

How to Win Friends and Influence People

This book is one of the hot favorites for the people of the business world. But the claims and powers of this book is not limited to the business and entrepreneurial class. A juggernaut among all books, this book is the most sought after book for self-improvement. Dale Carnegie penned down this book about 78 years ago in 1936 and this book is still shaping the modern entrepreneurial world. Over 15 million copies of the book have been sold and the numbers are still counting. The book describes how to charm people and influence them for your ideas. Warren Buffet read this book when he was 20 years of age and we all know what he has achieved in life!

Thinking, Fast and Slow

Author Daniel Kahneman has penned down all his life experiences and his accounts in this beautiful book. How some of the life experiences taught him to think wisely and effectively, is discussed in this book. The author has won the Nobel Prize and that itself speaks volumes for his hard work. So no wonder why this book is a good pick to read for you if you want self-improvement. He is the founder of behavioral economics – the way our psychology affects our decisions – and explains in simple prose how our thinking is divided in two systems: one fast and one slow.

The Power of your Subconscious Mind

This is one of the recent books that I read, and I found it quite motivating. The book by Joseph Murphy oozes positivity like none other. It teaches you a way of life where you dictate terms. Whatever you wish to get in life, in your professional life, personal life, or anywhere else, your subconscious mind has the power to get it done for you. Beautifully written with many examples. It is an international bestseller with translated versions as well.

Image result for power of subconscious mind

Which one did you find motivating?

The post was originally posted on tiptoplifestyle.com in 2014. I had penned down this post for Dose Media.

6 Things to do instead of Complaining!

Posted on March 25, 2020 by Nikhil Anand

I have met a lot of people who feel that the world is a selfish place to live in and they always complain about one thing or the other – could be heartbreak, a failure, or sheer disgust and disappointment. Obviously, when the chips are down and your back is against the wall, you are left with no other choice than complain. It is the human psychology that makes them feel better when they rant or express their disappointment. You must have seen a lot of people telling others ‘don’t keep it in your heart, express it, express your anger…”.

Why though?! Instead, you can do other things instead of complaining. Why should you be thinking about the problems when you can simply think about the solutions and make a change instead? Thinking and talking about a problem only attracts it more towards you. Try doing one of these things instead of complaining:

Say Thank You instead

The act of gratitude is the best that one can do instead of complaining in most of the situations. If some person is giving you some serious problems, simply turn up to them and say a thank you. Complaining will never be a solution. The more you complain, the happier other people get because that is what their agenda is, to trouble you. So why let them be successful in their evil deeds? Say a thank you and take them by surprise. Sooner or later, they themselves might realize that they are wrong and things might get easier to you. And all of this would come without any complaining issues! In cases when you can’t thank the people, spare a minute to thank the almighty for the situations he has created for you and have faith that things would get better.

Let go

This is more of something that follows the previous point. You need to thank people for whatever they have done to you. The moment you show an action of gratitude from your end, you should consider yourself free from them and start a new road. Sometimes it is a lot more prudent to let go than to keep holding on to situations and relations. You need to take a few bold steps at some stage of the other. So instead of complaining, let things go. This might help you control your own mind and soul. “Living in the past is living with regret, living in the future is living with anxiety, and living in the present is living in peace.”

Exercise

Yes. This is a good way of keeping the habit of complaining away from you. When you do some physical exercise, your mental stress reduces and thus your chances of ranting and complaining reduce by quite some extent. Moreover, exercising enables you to shift your mindset from a negative one to a positive one.

Have a plan of action

You start complaining when you see that things are not working out the way you want them to work out for you. So instead of complaining, you should take the responsibility of changing the situation around you and thus be a help to yourself. It can be difficult to get started, so by writing everything down, you will start developing more and more focus and the will to change everything will grow manifold which is bound to change the atmosphere around you. This is a good way of getting rid of the complaining zone, isn’t it? Use your calendar to schedule time and you will be in a much strong position from the start.

Praise Others

Most of the times, you might be wondering that things are just so not in the right place for you. So you should be optimistic enough to see how things are turning out to be for the others. There is no harm in feeling good for others when you yourself are in dire straits. Moreover, when you are in a grumpy mood and have no reason to stop complaining, you should remain strong enough to deviate yourself from this grumpiness and praise others. Believe it or not, the more you praise others, the better you start feeling. Just like the act of appreciativeness, making someone else happy by giving them commendation and appreciation will make you happier. Why not make someone else feel virtuous and spread the joy around?

It is the Success that Matters

People are often lame enough when they focus more on their weaknesses than on their strengths. If you have failed in any of your efforts, than instead of blaming the circumstances and complaining about the spilt milk, you should get your act back together and try to gear up for bigger challenges and get success for yourself. Your focus should be more on the success part rather than on the failures. This is the reason people who come from disadvantaged backgrounds are more likely to remain part of a disadvantaged group. You should know that failures, be it in any of your business endeavors or in any relationship, are the stepping stones to success. Its an old adage that we all know but still doubt our own capabilities. Stop being pessimistic and start focusing on success. Stop complaining right away!

“There is no way to happiness, happiness is the way.” Don’t sit around waiting for your life to change; go out and change it. If something makes you unhappier, don’t sit around complaining—do something about it.

This post was initially posted on tiptoplifestyle.com. I had written this back in 2014 for Dose Media.

Quarantined – Isolated?

Posted on March 15, 2020 by Nikhil Anand

Covid-19 is quite scary, but it did give me (and possibly many other working professionals) a thing that that they longed for – Work From Home!

The day my manager notified us all that we would have WFH until further notice, I jumped in joy. I know how it feels when you WFH. Having your home as your workplace is perhaps the best thing that you can ever wish for. I have been a freelancer and I know the perks of it.

Cut down – 3 days later.

It has been 3 days since I last visited office. I stocked up essentials after the city lockdown, and I have largely confined myself to the four walls of my room. I have everything within reach – food, water, books, laptop, phone, speakers, good internet connection, guitar, and everything else – you ask for it, I have it all around me. Do I need anything else? Perhaps, no.

But as I sat down with my laptop this Sunday morning, a thought struck my mind real bad. I read many reports of people being ‘quarantined’ and ‘isolated’ to prevent the spread of the infection. Yes, the infected, and the suspected, were isolated. And so were we – everyone else as well.

I already received messages from a few close friends about how lonely they are feeling at their homes, and how badly they want to get back to their social circles. Me? Not much. I don’t mind it either way – social or anti-social – it has never really concerned me much.

Well, that’s not the point anyway!

This is not what bothered me much. There was another thought that this news led me to. I thought of a person in my life who has been alone and isolated for a long time now – maybe years. And yet, people around her failed to notice it. I am talking about my mother.

The Art – I recreated it from a source from Internet.

She is a homemaker who lives in a different city. I visit my parents twice a year and I am sure those few days are the best ones for them. So why do I only talk about my mum here?! Well, dad is a working professional too. Every morning he leaves for work, gets to meet new people, talk to his colleagues at office, go on field visits, and yes, be among other people.

Mum? Not so. She is a blood pressure patient with a medical record that could make a lot of people panic. She is literally confined to the boundaries of the house. Not by choice or compulsion, but by the environment around her. She is not at the best of terms with dad, so there’s very little talk that she has with him too. Don’t get me wrong, they aren’t separated, it is just that dad has his own ways of occupying himself post-work – be it with work, with colleagues, or whatever.

People in the society are occupied with their own work. Her children, precisely my sister and I, are busy making money to settle down in to a lavish life. All this while, she had one good friend who ran a shop nearby. Every time mum was bored and felt alone, she visited her friend and the two used to have endless conversations. The day I got to know that she has found a friend, I was happy because I could see her happy.

But fml, her friend had a heart attack recently, and is now hospitalized with critical illnesses. I won’t get in to the details here. But now when I see my mum share WhatsApp stories like ‘Miss you friend’, it is like an arrow running right through my heart. I know I have failed her by not being with her, by never noticing that she has been alone all this while, and even now, when I do know this, there is very little that I am doing about it.

People are quarantined by diseases and infections for a short while, but she has been quarantined for quite a long time now – the infection still unknown.

I will make up for this. I promise, Maa.

Make Your Own Diet – A Nutrition Guide

Posted on December 13, 2019 by Nikhil Anand

Sports |Fitness has always fascinated me. Ever since I started working out, I realised how important a role nutrition played in getting to that shape you wished to be in.

Curiosity has taken me places. And the curiosity to learn more about the science of nutrition took me a Professional Diploma course in Sports Nutrition. This was on my to-do list for quite some time. In September 2019, I managed to complete this course from Napier-Edinburgh University and now, I am a proud holder of a Professional Diploma in Sports Nutrition course.

So what next?

Well, now that I had a sound knowledge in this field (or so do I claim, bleh!), it was time to make it count. I penned down my third book – Make Your Own Diet – A Nutrition Guide – to summarise what I learnt in this course.

This book can help you make your own diet plan based on the macro-nutrient needs of your body. The book will not tell you what to eat or what not to eat; rather it will tell you the nutrients you are supposed to take to ensure you meet your goals – be it weight gain, or weight loss, or maintenance.

Unlike most health books, this does not stick to one individual, and instead, can be used by each and every one irrespective of your gender, body type, or age.

This is a short handbook which should be a two-hour read. It is not one of the books that you read and trash down. The correct way of using this book would be get back to it every time you are preparing a diet chart for yourself or for someone else. This will involve some basic calculations and hence, a calculator would always be handy to have when you are working with this book. Also, do have your pen and paper to jot down the numbers you figure out for the calculations, and then formulate your own diet. Needless to concede, once you have your diet chart ready, stick to it, follow it religiously, never cheat on it, and of course, show it off to others – to inspire others, and certainly to feel good about yourself.

Book is now available on Amazon –

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Also, do check out the other books that I have penned down in the past!