Most of us are prisoners of our own minds, held captive by our own beliefs.

And the irony is that this prison has no door. No walls too, in fact.

It is simply something our own creation. Created by our own ignorance. It's very simple to get out of this prison. But not easy.

Your mind has been conditioned by years of conditioning, ever since you were a little child. By your parents, society, education, own experiences etc.

See these beliefs as what they really are. Beliefs, and not facts.

The root of most of our problems is insecurity.

Yes, our own insecurity.

//Thread// 👇 Even if we have all that we need to be happy in the present moment, we will not be happy till we are assured that we will still have all these conditions for happiness 15 days from now, a year from now.

Such is our dire need for security.

(2/n)

Have you ever wondered why you are asked to focus on your breath during meditation?

A short thread.

#zen #meditation

(1/5) 1. Your breath goes with you wherever you go.

Hence, you can always turn to it in order to reorient yourself.

Anytime. Anywhere.

(2/5)

A thread consolidating all the book reviews done by me on Twitter so far.

Will keep on adding to this thread as and when I do more book reviews.

(1/n) (2/n)

https://twitter.com/position_trader/status/1233016710405423105?s=20

A short thread on meditation for those who are new to it. And for those who gave up on it after a few attempts.

When you try and meditate, you will find your thoughts running all over the place - even more than usual!

But don’t be discouraged by it. This is a good sign!

(1/6) The very fact that you are noticing your thoughts running all over the place means you are aware.

And that's a great start!

What is to be done with these random thoughts that keep coming?

The short answer is NOTHING.

(2/6)

Here are my notes from "The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living" by The Dalai Lama.

(1/22) The purpose of life is to be happy.

That’s it.

That’s enough.

(2/22)

A thread consolidating all the books reviewed by me on Twitter so far.

Let's start with the book that has influenced me the most. It's not just a book, it is a way of life.

1. "Letters from a Stoic" by Seneca - written in 65 A.D.

https://twitter.com/position_trader/status/1233016710405423105?s=20

2. Atomic Habits by @JamesClear

"Habits are compound interest of self-improvement."

https://twitter.com/position_trader/status/1152808371814191105?s=20

People strive to label you, to put you in a bucket.

They do this for THEIR benefit, not yours.

They attempt to do this from their very first impression of you - how you look, how you dress, what you do etc.

For example, when two strangers meet at a party.

(1/n) The first question invariably is in regards to your profession.

A familiar profile and they know what to talk to you. On any topic.

An unfamiliar profile and they would be lost to what to say to you. Not just about your job, but on any topic at all.

(2/n)

I read these lines and immediately knew I was in the presence of genius.

This is Man at his creative best. This is Man doing what he was meant to do. This is the power of the written word.

The following lines are from A Confession by Leo Tolstoy.

(1/n) "My life came to a stop. I could breathe, eat, drink, and sleep; indeed, I could not help but breathe, eat, drink, and sleep.

But there was no life in me because I had no desires whose satisfaction I would have found reasonable."

(2/n)

If you are feeling anxious and worried, I would highly suggest picking up any of the books by Thich Nhat Hanh.

I promise that you will lose yourself in the present moment.
You will find yourself in the present moment.

A thread on some of his quotes that inspire me.

(1/n) "I breathe in and calm my body and breathe out to let out a smile."

What could be simpler than this?
What could be harder than this?

(2/n)

A thread on my notes and highlights from the book "Letters from a Stoic" by Seneca.

Written in around 65 AD, the book is a literary masterpiece, and has had a great influence on me. I try to re-read it at least once a year.

(1/n) “For we are mistaken when we look forward to death; the major portion of death has already passed. Whatever years be behind us are in death's hands.”

The fear should not be of dying. The fear should be of not having lived life enough. We actually die everyday.

(2/n)

A thread on "How to Say No Effectively" based on notes from the book Essentialism by Greg McKeown.

"Half of the troubles of the life can be traced to saying Yes too quickly and not saying No soon enough" - Josh Billings

(1/n) 1. Separate the Decision from the Relationship

You are saying No to the particular request, not to the person or your relationship with them. Understanding this separation makes it much easier to say No.

(2/n)

Stuck in a 6 hour car ride. Taking this opportunity to read The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran.

Going to share my notes and highlights as I read the book. The book itself, obviously, needs no introduction. (1/n) One page into it, and it is already clear that the book is a literary masterpiece. Have to read a few lines again and again to appreciate the writing.

One such lime follows as Al Mustafa gears to leave the city he has lived in for last 12 years. Right from the first page (2/n)

Here are my notes and highlights from “Atomic Habits” by James Clear.

The book deals with how to go about developing good habits, one small bit at a time, and letting go of bad ones. It is a well-researched book and a highly engaging read, full of practical solutions. (1/n) “Habits are compound interest of self-improvement.”

Habits automate behaviour and actions, leaving you that much more time for other parts of life. Habits, thus enable you and give you freedom.

Good habits compound, but bad habits compound too. (2/n)

I started out as a trader, using technical analysis, and though am mostly into long term investing now, I still maintain a small trading account. Here is a thread on a few suggestions, based on my experiences, for those who are new to trading. (1/n) 1. Trading is hard, actually make that very, very hard. There is a reason why over 95% of short term traders fail. If you succeed, you will be an exception rather than the rule. (2/n)

A thread on my highlights and notes from "The Art of The Good Life" by Rolf Dobelli. It is a well written book with plenty of anecdotes. Parts of it will make you question some common long held beliefs. Definitely worth a read. (1/n) 1. Avoid stupidity. Concentrate on avoiding the downside rather than getting the upside.

2. The best way to solve problems is to avoid them in the first place.

3. Don’t listen too much to your inner self. Most of the times, it is as confused as you are. (2/n)

A thread on my notes and learnings from the book "Thinking in Bets" by Alan Duke, a poker champion turned business consultant.

The book deals with how to make better decisions when dealing with uncertainty. (1/n) Resulting - The tendency to judge the quality of a decision with the quality of its outcome.

Bad result does not equate to bad decision.

Beware of hindsight bias. (2/n)

A thread on my highlights and notes from "The Lessons of History" by Will Durant. To even attempt to write a book of this nature opens one up to ridicule. To do so in 128 pages.....well, here are a few interesting perspectives. (1/n) “We are all born unfree and unequal.”

The time, family, religion, society, country we are born in ensures that we are all not equal and products of our immediate environments and circumstances beyond our control. (2/n)

For the uninitiated, Letters from a Stoic is a collection of 124 letters sent by Seneca, ancient Roman philosopher to his friend, Lucilius, in around 63 AD to 65 AD.

Here is a thread on my notes and thoughts on Letter XIII - On Groundless Fears. (1/n)

#SundayMotivation "There are more things, Lucilius, likely to frighten us than there are to crush us; we suffer more often in imagination than in reality."

We cross our bridge of worries many a times before we even come across it. And very often, this bridge doesn't even exist in reality. (2/n)

Here is a series of tweets offering suggestions to new traders. From a blog post I wrote 7 years ago. Have to admit I would not be able to do a better job if I was to write a new post on it today. (1/n) 1. Trading is hard, actually make that very hard. There is a reason why over 95% of short term traders fail. (2/n)

Here are my notes and thoughts on the book “Your Money or Your Life”. The original version was published in 1992 and has been acknowledged as a one of the pioneers for the Financial Independence (FI) movement. An updated version of the book has been released recently. (1/n) If I had to summarize the book in one sentence, the book basically forces you to look into and re-examine your relationship with money. We spend most of our lives chasing it, mights as well look into what it means to us. (2/n)