Blog of Susmit.

Confidence starts with keeping the promises you make to yourself. This guide covers how willpower works, how to use it well, and how to quiet the thoughts that hold you back. How willpower works Willpower is limited, and it's what lets you follow through on promises to yourself. To build confidence, it helps to understand it. Kelly McGonigal's book "The Willpower Instinct" is a good place to start. She has a Ph.D. and teaches a willpower class at Stanford. Willpower also works like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets. At first, building good habits and working toward goals takes extra effort. Over time, your whole self-concept can change. Use your willpower when it's strongest When do you have more willpower: tired, hungover, and hungry, or rested, fed, and motivated? The second, obviously. So schedule your day around your peak hours. A morning routine is one way to do that. Meditation, exercise, cold showers, and outdoor walks all fit. Do your har...

Some habits do more for your life than others. These key habits form the base of a balanced, fulfilling life, like the tiles in a mosaic where each one adds to the full picture. Health, wealth, and happiness Almost any habit or activity fits into one or more of these three categories, and neglecting one throws the others off. The seven habits below are split across them. Health habits 1. Sleep. Both the quality and the quantity matter. Track your sleep so you can see what improves it. 2. Exercise. It helps your mind as well as your body. Regular exercise adds to your overall well-being. 3. Hydration. Drinking enough water supports physical and cognitive health. Wealth habits 4. Learn something. Continuous learning helps your wealth, health, and happiness. 5. Work toward your goals. Pursuing your passions and goals is a keystone habit, not a luxury. It brings happiness, purpose, and confidence. Happiness habits 6. Social interaction and relationships. Relationships matter a great deal f...

A lot of us chase self-improvement by following whoever sounds most sure. A guru, a trend, a morning routine that went viral. The trouble is that a path built for someone else may not take you anywhere useful. This post looks at why, using meditation as the example, and at a simple way to find the habits that work for you. Meditation: great for some, rough for others Meditation can change a life, but it has downsides. A 1992 study found that 62% of meditators reported adverse effects, and 7.4% had severe ones. These included emotional stress, confusion, disorientation, and anxiety, together called "falling into the pit of the void." You'd never guess that from the market. Meditation apps, books, and gurus are everywhere, and the hype is hard to ignore. There is a lot of research backing meditation, but that doesn't mean it works for everyone. We are all different Something that works for a Silicon Valley executive who meditates for hours may not suit you. People diffe...

Disappearing for a month and returning as a more confident, more productive version of yourself sounds dramatic. It's also a workable plan. This post covers how to move from anxiety and low confidence to steady focus through self-growth, built on habits, routines, and goals you can track. Anxiety, low confidence, and why habits matter Plenty of us deal with anxiety and low confidence every day. The way out isn't a burst of motivation. It's building habits and keeping them, because a structured routine does most of the work. Six core habits form the base: sleep, hydration, exercise, socializing, time outdoors, and breathwork or mindfulness. On top of those, tailor your routine to your own needs. Decluttering, reading, meditation, weekly objective planning, and brain dumping are common additions, and there are many more. Tips for building habits that stick Set clear intentions. Track your habits consistently. Start with a manageable number. Stay flexible and mix up your routi...

Look at what people spend their conversations on. It says a lot about where they're headed. Some people talk about vision. Others talk about people: who did what, who said what, who got lucky. One keeps your eyes on where you're going, and the other keeps them on everyone else. Then there's action. Some people do the work first and talk about it later. Others dream and scheme for years and never actually start. A plan you never act on is just a daydream. Your circle matters too. Some people surround themselves with success-minded people who push them forward. Others pick the people who tell them what they want to hear. Comfort feels nice, but it rarely makes you grow. Even money gets two different conversations. One side talks about using money to make more money. The other talks about using it to buy stuff they don't need. None of this takes talent or a lucky break. It takes a few habits: think bigger, start before you feel ready, choose your people carefully, ...

Ever feel like the butterflies in your stomach are really dragons? You're not alone. One of the most effective ways to manage it is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and this guide walks through how to start using it. Understanding anxiety Anxiety is more than worry. It's a mix of thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and behaviors, and almost everyone experiences it. Understanding how those pieces fit together is the first step toward managing it. Anxiety disorders are the most common mental disorders worldwide. That's a sobering fact, but it also means plenty of people have studied the problem, and well-researched strategies exist. What CBT is and how it works CBT is a treatment, but it's also a way of seeing how your thoughts, feelings, physical sensations, and behaviors connect. Say you're anxious about a work deadline. A thought like "I'm going to fail" brings physical sensations: a tight chest, a racing heart. Those sensations push you toward ...

Most of us hit a wall with certain tasks. We mean to start, and we don't. This post covers why that happens and a simple technique that can help you start. Why we procrastinate Procrastination isn't always about laziness or incompetence. It can be a response to stress. Some tasks make us anxious, and putting them off gives the mind temporary relief. Seeing it that way makes it easier to stop blaming yourself. It's a way of avoiding something that feels stressful. What makes tasks stressful Tasks that feel negative, boring, or complicated can trigger that stress. If you can name what's making a task feel bad, you can deal with that directly, instead of just pushing yourself harder. The 5-second rule When you feel the urge to put something off, count down from 5 and start right away. The idea is that the countdown gets you moving before you have time to overthink and talk yourself out of it. Try it with a call you've been avoiding, a piece of writing, or a workout. Wh...

New habits are hard to start and hard to keep. Part of the reason is how the brain works. This post covers the brain's layers, the "monkey mind," and a few ways to build habits you enjoy. The brain in layers Picture the brain as an onion. The outer layers are its most recent development. They handle things like enjoying a joke or music, and they're involved in conscious decisions. The deeper layers drive more reflexive behavior. Try this: Picture those layers for a moment. Remember that your conscious choices and your automatic reactions come from different parts of the brain. Meet the "monkey mind" The basal ganglia helps run patterns and automatic responses. Think of grabbing a snack when you're bored, or scrolling social media without deciding to. These behaviors are deeply wired in, so they're hard to break unless you work on changing them on purpose. Try this: Notice your own reflexive behaviors and the moments when they take over. That awarenes...

 Many people want to change but struggle to act. Understanding how habits work, and paying attention to how tasks make you feel, can help. This post explains the habit loop and how to use it. Start by noticing how you feel Mindfulness here means being aware of how a task makes you feel. That tells you which situations make you most productive. Once you notice your emotions and reactions, you can adjust your habits to get better results. The habit loop Charles Duhigg's habit loop describes how habits form and how they can change. It has three parts: cue, routine, and reward. Cue. A cue is anything that triggers a habit. It can be a place, a time of day, other people, your emotional state, or something you just did. Waking up in the morning, for example, can cue you to head straight for the coffee maker. Routine. The routine is what you do right after the cue. It's the habit itself, and it often runs in a half-automatic way. In the coffee example, the routine is making the coffee...

 I grew up in a house where money was something we talked about. This post is about that, and about one book my dad handed me that changed how I think about it. What I learned as a kid My parents taught me financial literacy early, including the difference between assets and liabilities. I didn't know it then, but it gave me a way of thinking about money that I still use. The book One day my dad handed me Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki and suggested I read it. I had no idea how much it would change my view of money. It became a staple of my financial education. What it changed The book showed me a different way to think about money than working for a paycheck. It introduced me to financial independence, the power of assets, and the importance of investing in myself. That changed how I handle my own finances and opened up opportunities I wouldn't have looked at before. My dad's recommendation made a big difference to me. His guidance helped me make informed decisions ...

Brain fog and trouble concentrating are common. Meditation may help with both, and you can start with just three minutes. This post covers how it might work and how to build the habit. How meditation may help Stress. Meditation can calm the mind and ease the mental strain that adds to brain fog. Mindfulness may lower cortisol, which could help you think more clearly. Focus. Regular practice trains you to stay in the present. Over time that can help you concentrate, resist distractions, and stay with a task. Memory. Some research links meditation to growth in the hippocampus, the brain region involved in forming memories. It may also support executive function, which includes working memory and holding on to information. Making it a habit Start with three minutes. Take short breaks during the day. Sit quietly, breathe, and focus on the present. Three minutes is enough to begin. Set a daily time. Consistency matters most. Pick a time and stick to it, and the habit gets easier to keep. Tr...

I grew up around a lot of negative thinking. Later I read a lot, and somewhere in that I found out how much positive emotions matter. I started choosing my words on purpose, saying "I'm" where I used to say "I don't." The change was small, and it shifted the mood around me. This post covers what I changed and what you can try. Don't blame, don't spread negativity Part of a positive mindset is to stop blaming and stop passing negativity around. When I catch myself looking for someone to blame, I try to focus on the good instead. That makes it easier for people near me to grow, understand each other, and be kind. It helps me, and it seems to help the people around me too. Small changes add up Small changes can lead to big ones. If you choose positive words and thoughts on purpose, you can reshape how you think. Swapping "I can't" for "I can" can make you feel more capable and open up new options. Replacing negative self-talk wit...

A line attributed to Elon Musk has been shared widely online: "My mentality is that of a samurai. I would rather commit seppuku than fail." This post uses the idea of a samurai's commitment as a starting point for thinking about your own goals, and it says plainly where the quote itself is shaky.     About the quote: A video of it was shared widely on Instagram by his followers. I haven't found an original source, so treat the attribution as unconfirmed. The samurai mentality The quote points to a samurai's code of honour and discipline. Applied to work, that means holding yourself to a high standard and not quitting when things get hard. It doesn't mean taking the line literally. Seppuku is ritual suicide, and no goal is worth that. Failing is survivable, and most of what you learn comes from it. Five ways to apply it These are general ideas, not Musk's own methods. Define your code. A samurai follows a code of ethics. Write down the principles and values...

Jane McGonigal's idea is to treat challenges and habits the way gamers treat games: as something you choose to play, where obstacles teach you something and failure means another try. Here is how that works for habits. Who is Jane McGonigal? McGonigal holds a Ph.D. and has studied the psychology of video gamers. After a debilitating concussion, she used what she knew about games to recover. She turned her life into a game, and that gave her the motivation and strength to work through it. The gameful mindset A gameful mindset means facing challenges with enthusiasm and a willingness to keep growing. It has four parts. Treat habits as games. Think of your habit goals as games you've chosen to play. That puts you in control of your actions and motivations. Be playful and curious about it, and see yourself as the main character in your own story of growth. See obstacles as chances to learn. Gamers treat obstacles as part of the game. You can treat habit setbacks the same way, as ma...

Most meditation practices begin with the breath, and there's a good reason. Here's how the breath anchors you in the present, why a morning practice helps, and how focusing on specific behaviors turns good intentions into results. Always hold fast to the present moment. For it is the representative of a whole eternity. Why start with the breath The breath works like an anchor. It holds your attention in the present and pulls it away from the chatter of your thoughts. Its steady rhythm connects you to the here and now. It also links mind and body, since each inhale and exhale sends signals to the brain that help center your thoughts and support mindfulness. Meditate in the morning Starting the day with intention sets the tone for what follows. The morning is a fresh chance to line up your thoughts and actions. Meditating then gives you calm and focus to carry into the day's challenges. From intentions to behaviors Aspirations and intentions are natural, but they stay abstrac...

Pleasure and happiness feel alike, but they aren't the same thing. This piece looks at how dopamine, habits, and new neural pathways shape what we chase, and how to find more peace and enjoyment in everyday life, including the hard parts. Pleasure Is Not Happiness We often mistake pleasure for happiness. Dopamine, the molecule tied to pleasure, keeps us chasing more without ever leaving us content. That chase can slide into addiction and suffering, which is a good reason to look again at what we actually want. The "Monkey Mind" and Your Habits The basal ganglia is where habits and patterns come from. The "monkey mind" is the restless part of us that acts on them: scrolling without thinking, buying things we don't need. These actions often don't match what we say we want. Seeing how the process works is the first step toward breaking habits that aren't getting us anywhere. Building New Neural Pathways To replace old habits, build new neural pathways. ...

Some habits take hold and others fade. The difference often comes down to how appealing the habit is, how small you start, and how you handle the days you slip. Here are seven ideas that work together. 1. Make the habit attractive We tend to want what looks appealing, and that includes habits. Whether you're learning a skill, getting fit, or building a healthier routine, a habit you find attractive is one you're more likely to keep. 2. Start with two minutes Spend two minutes on the habit you want to build, whether that's writing, exercising, or learning. Starting small takes the intimidation out of it and helps you show up consistently. Those first two minutes lay the groundwork for the rest. 3. Start small, recover fast, show up often Three rules go together: Start small. Begin with something achievable, like those two minutes. Low resistance makes it easier to stay committed. Get back on track. Don't miss a habit two days in a row. One missed day is a slip; two start...

Saurabh Mukherjea's The Unusual Billionaires looks at Indian companies that have built lasting value, including Marico, Page Industries, Axis Bank, and HDFC Bank. Below are the main ideas, each with a practical takeaway. What counts as a great company? The book says there's no standard definition. A great company attracts top talent, earns respect in the business world, and usually trades at a premium. Share price is one measure, but Mukherjea sets two concrete tests: Non-financial companies: 10% revenue growth and 15% ROCE (return on capital employed) every year. Financial companies: 15% loan book growth and 15% ROE every year. Takeaway: Set success metrics that fit your industry, and check yourself against them regularly. Persistence and the IBAS framework The book opens its argument with a line from Robert Half: persistence makes the impossible possible, the possible likely, and the likely definite. It then uses John Kay's IBAS framework: innovation, brands and reputatio...

Murphy's Law, Kidlin's Law, Gilbert's Law, Walson's Law, and Falkland's Law each give a rule of thumb for work and business. They cover things going wrong, defining problems, growth, making money, and when not to decide. 1. Murphy's Law: Expect Things to Go Wrong Murphy's Law says that if anything can go wrong, it will. It's a good reason to plan for trouble. Project planning: Build in contingencies. Things tend to fail at the worst time. Performance management: Expect errors, and help people steer around the common ones. Risk assessment: Prepare for the worst outcome and limit the damage. Practical creativity: Think through odd scenarios, because problems can show up in unexpected ways. 2. Kidlin's Law: Write the Problem Down A problem that is stated clearly is half solved. Kidlin's Law says that once you can articulate a problem well, a solution is easier to reach. Write the problem in a short, precise statement. Look at it from several angles,...

Habits rarely go smoothly, which is why resilience matters. This guide covers rewards, mindfulness, motivation, how the brain handles repetition, and a goal-setting method called WOOP. 1. Work With Human Nature Resilience isn't only about getting through hard times. It also means sticking with the slow part of building a habit. Most of us want results now and don't want to put in the effort. So use that impulse. Celebrate small wins and reward yourself when you follow through. That ties good feelings to the habit, and a habit you enjoy is easier to keep. 2. Reward Right Away A reward works best when it comes right after the behavior. The brain's reward system, which involves dopamine, appears to link the good feeling to what you just did, so you're more likely to do it again. A simple way to try this is a "Trip Fund" box. Each time you stick to the habit, drop a little money in. Repeat it enough and the behavior gets easier to sustain. 3. Notice What You Feel ...