Random Musings 😏, Part-12
Soul Letter #40
Hello👋 folks, Shubham here.
I am back with another edition of Random Musings.
Instead Of Blaming The People Around You For Acting Like Clowns Ask Yourself Why You Keep Going Back To The Circus - Joshua Miller
I read this quote recently and it speaks to me at another level.
We frequently hear people complain about how others continually let them down. This may be true, but if that’s the case then why does one keep putting themselves in such scenarios?
Let’s see it by an example.
Messi won his seventh Ballon d'Or recently. The Ballon d'Or is an annual football award presented by French news magazine France Football that is one of the oldest and generally regarded as the most prestigious individual award for football players.
As expected this ignited online war among Messi and Ronaldo troops.
For the record, Cristiano Ronaldo has won 5.
Team Ronaldo went haywire claiming Ronaldo should have won because he scored the most goals and assist in the given calendar year.
Team Messi hitting back, by calculating the most goals and assists for the last two decades, according to which Messi should have won close to 9 Ballon D’ors by now.
Then there is Robert Lewandoski, who was yet another genuine contender. His fans are putting a strong case for him too.
My Twitter feed is bombarded with similar posts. Every day someone comes up with a rational argument why their chief should have won.
To be frank, it’s infuriating but then I ponder why do I keep coming back to the circus -Twitter.
Bookshelf 📚
Shoe Dog is a candid memoir by Phil Knight founder of Nike.
“It’s just business.” It’s never just business. It never will be. If it ever does become just business, that will mean that business is very bad. - Phil Knight
People often recommended me this book but I kept stalling it for some reason or another. It intrigued me what’s so special about it that I kept receiving so many suggestions.
Finally, on a lonely September night, I embarked on a journey along with Phil to build Nike.
Last night I finally completed the book and was at a complete loss for words.
Wow, Amazing, Exhilarating, Wholesome. Completely blown away!
Words don't do justice to how legendary this book is.
I couldn’t process the range of emotions I was experiencing. There was peace, contentment, happiness for sure. But there was an emptiness, the kind you get after watching or reading a life-changing film or book. A tinge of regret that everything had to come to an end.
You know how there are times when you're glad you read, and this was one of them.
I feel like buying multiple hardcopies and smacking them on the faces of each of my friends (I don’t care you like books or not. You ought to read this one).
Phil Knight shares his story, a young confused soul whose love for running transforms him into one of the best entrepreneurs. For him, it was never about money. The aim was to build something worthy that provides value to people, something which resonates among each one of us. He believed there’s an athlete in every person.
The writing is mesmerizing. Phil nonchalantly talks about the massive ups and daunting downs, adding humor at every corner. The company is about to collapse, but David and Goliath pun or a cheap shot on Adidas is a must.
It's like I was present with Phil in all those sleepless nights, business trips, court trials, board meetings, eureka moments that turned out to be crucial for the fate of Nike.
Kudos to him for staying honest in his accounts - articulating his insecurities and short-sightedness(he didn’t believe in the power of advertisements), giving due credit to others, accepting his wrongdoings, and being authentic.
I’d tell men and women in their midtwenties not to settle for a job or a profession or even a career. Seek a calling. Even if you don’t know what that means, seek it. If you’re following your calling, the fatigue will be easier to bear, the disappointments will be fuel, the highs will be like nothing you’ve ever felt. - Phil Knight
Being a sports enthusiast this book had hit me differently (especially the epilogue). I can’t predict how long will the hangover last (maybe months). 🙄
I admire Elon Musk and Steve Jobs, but Phil Knight sits on the top of the list now.
The anecdotes from the book will keep showing up in upcoming newsletters for sure.
Manifestation
Manifestation, Visualization, Power of the Subconscious Mind, Law of Attraction—the concept goes by different names.
I do believe in this notion, but am not overly invested in it.
Your actions got to match your thoughts to conjure the desired outcomes, or else all of us would be flaunting our six-packs.
However, a recent experience has consolidated my beliefs on manifestation.
During my pre-pandemic life, I used to stay in Bangalore. Being a sports fanatic playing badminton and football were part of my routine. We played for 2-3 days a week at minimum.
Moving on the pandemic struck impelling us to move to our hometowns(Kanpur in my case).
Well, it was clear I wouldn’t be able to replicate my Bangalore life here, but a part of me yearned for badminton.
I wasn’t in touch with most of my school friends. However, the petrifying second wave of COVID rekindled those dormant connections. Everyone was riled up like a headless chicken looking for assistance from any available source.
Our almost non-existent Whatsapp group was infused with a new life.
After things were back to normal, one Sunday on a whim I asked a few friends do they wanna play badminton?
And they immediately said yes.
Nowadays Sundays are badminton days. We have a separate badminton group. People ping me to let them know if we are short of players so they can fill in.
Yes the court is not as good (it’s protruded on one side) and we play only once a week, but something is better than nothing.
Most people are here because of WFH protocols, sooner or later they will leave which is slightly worrying for our badminton prospects. I believe the universe will bestow us with replacements whenever required.
Moving back I couldn’t fathom that badminton will return to my mundane life.
Did my thoughts make it happen?
To some extent, Yes, but there are incomprehensible higher powers that led to circumstances making it plausible.
We are also planning to play football, but I guess the stars haven’t aligned yet.
A Quick Heads-Up
Folks, I will be traveling for the next few days probably without my laptop so no Soul Letter🗞 for next week.
Inconvenience caused is deeply regretted :(
Hope you enjoyed this edition.
Signing off for today :) Until next time, Houdoe! 🙋♂️
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