Misc: 25 things I have learned about life

http://startuplife.quora.com/25-Things-Ive-Learned-About-Life?ref=fb

When I turned 25 a few months ago, I wrote down some of the things I've learned over my short time on earth. The last year has been a crazy roller-coaster ride which has enabled me to see certain things like never before. Last year during this time, I was working at what I would consider my "dream job" - well, before I discovered my current "job" (I don't think I can even call it a job). Over the last year, I've tried to learn from people who have "made it" in life - entrepreneurs, figureheads, lawyers, bankers and even politicians. I've realized that there is no formula to success in life, but there are definitely lessons that can be learned to help along the journey. I came up with the following list which I hope to someday come back to - but for now, I think it's a pretty accurate depiction of how I think ;) So without further adieu:

1. Take risks when you're young. The older you become, the harder it gets. But they should always be calculated.
2. The most important thing you learn in school is how to learn. Once you master that, nothing will stand in your way. Never stop learning.
3. I would rather say that I tried and failed than live a life of regret. You miss every shot you don't take.
4. Dream big. Life is too short to only be mediocre.
5. Music is the cheapest and simplest cure to life's problems. Queue up your favourite play list, put on some headphones, and take a walk. You'll instantly feel better.
6. Drink beer. Lots of it. It makes you think more creatively. Oh, and wine too.
7. Join clubs and put yourself in as many different social settings as possible. It will help you understand people and make you a better communicator.
8. Start your own business as young as possible. Even if it's a lemonade stand, it will teach you business lessons you'll use for the rest of your life.
9. If you're going to fail, fail fast and make it public. Don't drag it on. Then pick yourself back up. Knowing that others watched you fail will encourage you to prove them wrong.
10. Meet lots of different people. Life is serendipitous in many ways and you never know what can happen.
11. When life throws lemons at you, make lemonade. Then pour it for all your friends. Be optimistic. It spreads like wild fire.
12. Success does not lead to happiness. You need to be happy first before you can become successful. Find what makes you happy. Don't stop until you find it.
13. Many people don't want to start businesses because they are scared. Successful entrepreneurs got to where they are because they were willing to tread where others wouldn't. If you're too scared to leave your 9-5 job, entrepreneurship is not meant for you.
14. Surround yourself with people way smarter than you. That is the only way you will be challenged to grow.
15. Only those who are with you during the struggles deserve to be with you when you celebrate the successes.
16. Pick and choose your battles carefully. There are only 24 hours in a day. If something isn't worth your time, just say no...or outsource it to India ;) (thank you 4 Hour Workweek)
17. The most important asset to invest in is yourself. Take classes to make yourself a better person and never stop learning. Buy books. Lots of them.
18. True friends will never question why you disappeared off the face of the earth. They will be there for you unconditionally.
19. The more comfortable you are with a job you don't want to be doing, the harder it will become to leave it and chase your dreams. Learn what you can, then go change the world.
20. A dream job does not exist. You have to create it.
21. Travel as much as you can. You will come back with a wider perspective of the world and more ideas on how to change it.
22. "Thank You" - the most powerful two words in the English dictionary.
23. God gave us all a purpose. Don't settle until you find yours. I didn't think mine was to sit in front of computer screens and trade foreign exchange, so I kept looking.
24. The world may seem big and scary. But the older you get, the more you realize that everything is man-made. Nothing is set in stone. Don't stick with the status quo.
25. Life is not easy. But having the right support group with you during your journey goes a long, long way.

Misc: 4 simple steps to freedom

http://tinybuddha.com/blog/4-simple-steps-to-freedom/

1. Don’t take anything personally.

Nothing anybody says or does to you has anything to do with you. Each person’s opinion is solely the product of their own life and reality.

It’s hard to imagine this. It’s way easier to get offended, mad, or pissed off or to internalize and believe what they said. Rather than getting consumed by it, obsessed over it and letting it affect you, just let it go. Hear what they say, accept that it is a reflection of their world and poof. See the thought disappear.

This is also true when someone is giving you advice. Have you ever shared your biggest dream? The responses can be all over the place. One person may say, “Good luck with that, maybe you should come back to earth” while another may be all about it, “YES! Go for it!”

Does that mean the first person doesn’t believe in you? Absolutely not. It means (s)he doesn’t believe in himself. In other words, it is hard for that person to imagine your dream in his own realm of possibility.

When someone says something to you, whether it be an insult, piece of advice, or anything at all, connect back to your awareness. Only you can know what is true or not. By taking another person’s opinion of yourself to heart and choosing to believe it, you are doing yourself a huge injustice.

2. Don’t be a victim.

It’s easy to think that the world is against you. Have you ever had one of those days where everything goes wrong? It happens. There are things in our control and out of our control. You can’t control the world around you, but you can control how you react to things. Don’t fall into the downward spiral of the victim trap.

Embrace each and every thing that happens as an opportunity. When something “bad” happens ask, “What is the universe trying to tell me?”

Often it’s saying stop, slow down, and come back to the present before your life zips passed you. And if it’s not saying that, it’s saying something. So listen.

Accept situations as signs or opportunities, and remember that there is a purpose and a greater good to each. Look for the lesson rather than getting stuck in victim mode.

My new favorite mantra when the times are tough is “Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!” Feeling gratitude for all things, at all times is incredibly freeing.

3. Be gentle, kind, and compassionate with yourself.

As the awareness behind your thoughts, acknowledge what you say about yourself. Are your thoughts kind? Or are you your own worst critic? When you look in the mirror, do you see pure beauty or do you pick yourself apart?

Imagine having a little person on your shoulder telling you horrible things about yourself all day long. Sounds awful, doesn’t it? How do you think that would affect your life? Well, that is what we’re doing to ourselves if we stay in a place of constant negative self talk.

Work on shifting your thoughts to ones that are more loving and kind. Every time you think something negative about yourself, replace it with a positive. Focus on the good things and give attention to your awesomeness. Eventually you will start believing them. Doing so allows you to have the freedom to just be you.

4. Practice forgiveness.

The powerful F word. Oprah said it best: “Forgiveness is letting go of the hope that the past can be changed.” Forgiveness isn’t about saying that whatever happened was okay, right, or just, but about letting it go.

Forgiving is releasing the power that a certain event has on you. By not forgiving you are keeping your mind in the past, thinking and wishing that things could have been different. This traps you and makes you feel powerless.

Forgiveness puts you back into the present—the only time that truly exists—where you have the power to live free and happy.

Next time you feel stuck, turn your awareness within. What do your thoughts look like? Allow your mind’s grip to release so the joy can flow in.

Short film: Pixar's The Blue Umbrella

Pixar's has finally officially anounced the new short film that will play in Monsters University. I had the luck to work in the project as a lighitng artist and I have to say that it has been one of the more memorable projects I have worked on. 

You can read a little bit more about it HERE:

you can also take a look to the tumblr account that the Director setup a while ago and where he was giving away some information about the film while it was still in production and the project hadn't been announced yet HERE.