Tao of Fiscal and Physical fitness

Fiscal & physical fitness are both required to live a stress-free life. Any overconsumption of fat and money can lead to fiscal as well as physical obesity. Debt and Obesity are major problems for a lot of people these days. The problem is, even if they know they want to get rid of it, they have a hard time figuring out how to start. Both debt and fat are easy to accumulate but very difficult to get rid off. Some very big service industries are already thriving, counselling people to lose fat and debt from their lives. The mental trauma which both debt and fat create in our lives is paramount. However, we still play games with our physical and fiscal fitness. Stop doing it!!!

Disclaimer:- I am not an expert on any of these two fields. What I am sharing is my own struggle to get rid of both debt and fat.

Here are a few key points that have helped me and may help you too. These points are based on a few common sensical things we know but have difficulty remembering them at crucial times :)

1. Acknowledge the problem - This by far is the most important point that will actually help you get rolling in this process. Although we know we have a problem, we still live in denial, thus elongating the recovery process. The earlier we acknowledge, the lesser the damage will be.

2. Take baby steps for giant recovery - Remember the old adage? The journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. This is exactly what we need to do here. No one has eliminated the debt of 50,000 dollars or shed 25 kg in a week. Take baby steps, be mindful, closely watch how you are spending and what are you eating. Brisk-walking for 20 minutes and not eating at the cafeteria can go a long way.

3.  The Law of Debt & Diet -

Debt => Expenditure > Income
Obesity => Calorie consumed > Calorie burned

You don’t need a degree from Stanford to understand these two equations. It is plain common sense, yet graduates from all top universities also tend to accumulate big debts. Reduce your calorie intake and live within your means.

4. The Frugal way - Become frugal with what you are eating and how you are spending. Avoid that evening coffee at Starbucks or pizza at your favorite outlet. Stop watching TV or reduce it to a bare minimum. Instead go for a walk or run or spend some quality time with your family and kids. This will help you cut down on your electricity bills as well as make you lose extra pounds.

5. Income and Exercise - What extra income does to debt is what exercise does to fat, right? Both help you reduce fiscal/physical imbalance. Take up an extra job to increase your income and send that money straight towards debt. Extra physical work will also help you shed more calories.

6. Be Publicly Accountable - Tell your friends what you are doing and the likelihood of you making the commitment to reduce debt and fat will increase. Talk to your close ones about this; their motivation will definitely help you maintain the spirit to achieve your fiscal and physical health goals. Your spouse will be happy to see you working for them.

7. Eat at home - A simple yet ignored fact. This one change can help you become fit physically as well as fiscally. By preparing food at home you will become more aware of your eating habits and thereby spend less money. Pack your lunch box for office and you can easily save $200 in a month. Double the benefit if you are dining outside.

8. Avoid the car and instead bike to office -  Though not feasible for everybody, cycling to office can help you shed more calories and also save money on gas. The calorie offset of cycling will be enough to avoid gym and its membership fees.

9. Kick the ‘lattes’ and punch the ‘cappuccinos’ - Instead of spending $4 - $10 per coffee on lattes and cappuccinos switch to green tea. It is beneficial for both the body and the pocket. Green tea helps in increasing metabolism and boosting immunity.

10 Pay yourself first - Last but not the least, pay yourself in terms of both money and health. Your first expenditure of the month should always go into your savings account. Spend what is left after saving and not vice-versa. If we see closely, both problems are intertwined. We are driven to chase money in our life thanks to the consumerism trend and excellent marketing campaigns of various companies, thus neglecting our health. Then we pay the same hard earned money to buy-back our own health by paying to gyms and weight loss programs.

Although this is not a foolproof guide to become healthy and wealthy, it is intended to re-introduce you to the common principles of health and wealth. It has helped me and I am sure it will also help you to get rolling to achieve a healthy and prosperous life.

From Siddhartha to Buddha: A journey of Self-awakening

"At times he heard within him a soft, gentle voice, which reminded him quietly, complained quietly, so that he could hardly hear it.  Then he suddenly saw clearly that he was leading a strange life, that he was doing many things that were only a game, that he was quite cheerful and sometimes experienced pleasure, but that real life was flowing past him and did not touch him.” Excerpts from Siddhartha by Herman Hesse

I think this emotion inflicts each one of us who is unable to find direction or purpose in life. Someone who feels that he is not living a meaningful life.

The word Siddhartha is made up of two words in the Sanskrit language, siddha (achieved) + artha (meaning or wealth), which together means "he who has found meaning (of existence)"

I am not here to preach you a dogma or a philosophy because I am just trying to share what I have discovered through my life. Like Siddhartha, we all are living a fear based life.

Let me ask you a question? What is the opposite of fear? Is it courage right?

If you said courage, then no doubt your answer was wrong. The opposite of fear is love. Love based life dispels all fear. Living a life you love requires tremendous courage, doing a job which you love requires courage. You may or may not get all the money you aimed for initially, however I am sure If you start doing things you are passionate about you will become happy. Isn’t it the purpose of  life is to be happy? This was the awakening of Siddhartha and thus becoming “Buddha”. Buddha in japanese means awakened, enlightened.

The moment we shed our fears and start living life we always wanted we become buddha. But this one small change requires tremendous love towards our own life. Even writing this article was so much joy for me as it came out of love to share my love with all of you. I faced my fears to be able to write an article. I am writing it with no goals in mind. I am not planning to achieve a particular readership target or an adsense revenue target. It came from “love center” of my being. I’m feeling liberated to be able to write everyday. Writing gives me a channel, an outlet to let my creative thoughts share in my micro-universe without fear of judgement. A quote from movie Peaceful Warrior “Its the journey that gives us happiness, not the destinations”. Lets start this journey towards our awakening to live a love centric life, to be able to do work towards what we love most with no goals in mind.

The awakening of Siddhartha paved way for Buddha.

Bureaucracy & the Limiting Belief

The tiny buddha was amazed to see how a big fat elephant can be tethered to tree using thin ropes. He ran towards zen master to enquire.

Master, may I ask you a question?, the tiny buddha said.

Yes, master said!!

How can elephant owners can tie big fat elephant with crappiest ropes which even I can break?

This is bureaucracy, master said to tiny buddha!!

It all started in her youth when she was constantly fed with limiting belief, said the master

“In India, when the elephant is young, she is too weak to break the cord. She tries, but eventually she gives up. When the elephant grows up, she does not try to escape her puny bonds because she believes she will fail.”

“So cord is not what is keeping elephant tied, its her mind that is keeping her tied to this rope.”

We all have limiting beliefs of all sorts. We can brag 1001 ways why we can’t do something or why something is not possible. When we are doing this, believe me, we are feeding the devil inside who is constantly telling us that “we can’t ”.

Let’s start taking tiniest of steps, even the half ones are okay, to change our lives, to do something we have always wanted to do, to live life we have always aspired for.  Lets not live the life of a prisoner outside the prison.

"It is difficult to free fools from the chains they revere" said Voltaire. He said it very rightly, as man is born free but is chained everywhere.

I always wanted to write, as writing and speaking are my greatest passions. But still I waited very long to be able to pen down this article. Actually, I was not waiting, like that elephant I was also tied to a tree with the crappy rope of my limiting belief and self-doubt. I was afraid, how people will react to what I will write? Would I be able to produce an error free piece of article? Can I inspire people? The answer to all these questions was “No” till yesterday when I stopped feeding my inner devils. I realised that I needed to inspire myself first to be able to inspire others. They say it very rightly “Beggars can’t donate.”

Let's not conspire against our potential by helping our inner demons. Let’s stop supporting them.

“So the cord isn't the thing keeping the elephant in place,” said the enlightened tiny buddha smiling.

He squinted at zen master, “That’s very interesting, but what does that have to do with Bureaucracy?”

“Bureaucracy,” said master, “is waiting for a red traffic light in the middle of the night when no one is coming.”

Hello Tao!!

Hello!!

UrbanZen is my sincerest effort to reach out to the world and share my views to raise the collective consciousness of the society thereby increasing my own consciousness.

Tao in Chinese means "Way". So effectively "Tao of Life" means "Way of Life", a collective effort to know a way to live life by raising our consciousness.


Urban Zen focuses to declutter your life. Its the Tao to reduce complexities in our life and make it very simple.

Moreover, its the Tao to be happy in life. Isn't it the purpose of Life? To be really happy?

Welcome!!