Open Thread: Sunday 12/28/2013 Thoughts

I can't believe this year is coming to a close now. It has gone by very fast. Lots of exciting things happened for me this year. One of the most exciting things of them all is the birth of our second daughter in December. We named her Aarya.

I am working through the holidays this year as I used up all my vacation earlier. It is nice to work in the office when there is literally nobody around. I had lots of time to reflect upon my life goals this past week.

One particular thought that crossed my mind this week was what if I took early retirement at the age of say 45. I am 36 right now, so that leaves about 9 more years. I am not sure if I would be saving enough nest egg in the next 9 years that will last me the remaining half of my lifetime. The answer is likely no. I have not crunched any numbers. But, it is good thought that I will ponder upon into the next year. At the very least, it will help me set priorities and set up goals. Even if it is not 45, then may be it is 50.

Over the past few weeks, I have been trying to practice mindfulness in daily life. Being mindful is harder than it seems. Our minds are like monkeys, they are un-restrained, go from one thought to another. These thoughts are always about the past or the future, but never about the present moment. Mindfulness brings our minds, awareness, and focus to the present moment.

One of the techniques to bring your awareness from past and future thoughts to the present moment is to pay attention the in-breath (as it comes in) and out-breath (as it goes out) and the sensations it creates. It is quite hard to keep focus for long. But, with practice one can prolong this mindfulness focus.

Anyway, I came across a website called Wildmind Buddhist Meditation. The author, who is a Buddhist meditation teacher, is running multiple meditation programs throughout the year 2014 called The Year of Going Deeper. I have registered for all of them.

I am currently in the process of reading Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ by Daniel Goleman. Through vivid examples, Goleman delineates the crucial skills of emotional intelligence, and shows how they determine our success in relationships, work, and even our physical well-being. What emerges is an entirely new way to talk about being smart. I am only halfway through, but the book is very insightful.

This is it for this week.