Ana's Sunday Roaster- 29th October 2023
Second brain, mental observations, Forte Labs team and more
Building a Second Brain
I am currently almost at the end of a course I took a month ago. With every sprint, the course exceeded my expectations, the line up of amazing facilitators, subject matter experts, additional workshops and I specially loved insights from cohort members. I want to now mention some of the most apparent and non so apparent things I learnt during the duration of the course.
Some more apparent stuffs which I expected to learn-
I now have a second brain, a system that I can not only trust but a system that also allows me to foster my thoughts and findings of life without wasting a breath.
I have cultivated the habit of capturing stuffs that I resonate with and most importantly removed all the friction that earlier prevented me from doing so.
I learnt to save a lot of mental effort and time organising thoughts and ideas because I exactly know what goes where. I also have a designated place for stuffs that I currently have no use of but might ignite some interest in the future.
I now know how to distill not just the notes I take, but distill the projects I am working on step by step, to the extent that I can take meaningful action constantly toward completing the tasks.
I have a list of open ended questions in front of me, which I can refer to at any time to validate what ever life throws at me.
I have a perspective map to recognise what matters to me personally and I can work on finding opportunities which leverage my specific value system.
Some very surprising things I learnt
This is one of the most important things I never thought I will learn from this course. I learnt that, the feeling, that sensation, a goosebump, the dilation of the pupils, or racing of heart beat which happens when we come across an idea that resonates with us is not to be taken for granted. It is definitely telling us much more than we can grasp. All of us have had it at some point in our lives, and it is worth everything, to save it in some form so we can experience it later and do something about it!
Take away from previous point- I don’t need to wait for an epiphany to happen in life. I have a record of it which I can refer to when I need to start or refer to when I lack confidence or need that additional push.
I realised the importance of speaking with clarity. The COO of Forte Labs, Monika, I learnt this from you! When I heard her for the first time answering questions of people, I was blown away by the clarity of thought and speech she has. The ability to explain something in its totality, incorporating all the impact points needed to be put together, and then to present the exact thing out, in order to best convey the message that needs to be delivered. I have obviously marked it as one of the skills I want to develop.
I learnt new ways to look at my projects and work in general, it doesn’t have to be boring or tedious at all. I can get the resources and ideas from my second brain in a few clicks.
I looked at my life beyond my weekly calendar! I started to look at the bigger picture, focussing more about what really matters to me in this cosmos and how do I want to present myself to the world.
I learnt tech! The cohort taught me tech in a way that I never imagined. I am overwhelmed by the intelligent ways in which people use tech in their lives. And I hope to use more and more tech toward bettering my system and making my life easier.
I got to teach yoga to some people from the cohort and the experience was truly enriching. In return I have some sessions lined up for myself on different skills.
I met a group of immensely talented, thoughtful and intelligent people from all around the world! I will forever cherish the experience of being able to learn with and learn from all these lovely people. Truly Grateful
This course has been an immersive, enriching and enlightening journey. I just want to thank all the people I met and interacted. I am thrilled to take on life from here with confidence.
On Mental Health- Emotions Wheel
If you are working on your mental health in any way, journaling or talking to therapist or expressing feelings in general, emotions wheel can be greatly helpful to navigate to the root cause of your distress.
Feelings wheel was invented by psychologist Robert Plutchik. It arranges emotions in concentric circles where inner circles are more basic and outer circles more complex. Notably, outer circles are also formed by blending the inner circle emotions.
Often when we want to express our emotions we use the words we are most adapted to, and that word may not best express what we actually want to express. Specially at times when we want to dial down our emotions to an event or a certain trigger that may have happened to us, spinning the feelings wheel can immensely helpful. Next time when you process your emotions, spin the wheel! :)
I will write about the ways I am using to deal with stress and anxiety in detail in the upcoming editions. Stay tuned!
That’s all Folks!!