20 life-changing realizations from the world’s youngest VC Alex Banayan is a 19-year-old associate at San Francisco-based venture capital firm Alsop Louie Partners. His upcoming book will feature 25 of the world’s most successful people and reveal the little things they did to propel their careers. He previously wrote about the five traits of radically successful people. With only a few days left being a teenager, just thinking about what happened this past year gives me chills. Before I continue, I have to warn you: this post is not for everyone. The Transformation This past year has been a whirlwind of life-changing events, but I don’t take credit for any of it. To give you some insight on what happened to me, I’ll share with you a few things that show how my life was a year ago and what it’s like now. A year ago I was 40lbs heavier and I couldn’t run for more than 10 minutes. I never would have guessed any of this would happen. The following are the lessons I’ve learned along the way that have made this all possible. The Lessons Learned
Collected Quotes from Albert Einstein [Note: This list of Einstein quotes was being forwarded around the Internet in e-mail, so I decided to put it on my web page. I'm afraid I can't vouch for its authenticity, tell you where it came from, who compiled the list, who Kevin Harris is, or anything like that. Still, the quotes are interesting and enlightening.] "Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more violent. It takes a touch of genius -- and a lot of courage -- to move in the opposite direction." Copyright: Kevin Harris 1995 (may be freely distributed with this acknowledgement)
40 Photo-Illustrated Questions to Refocus Your Mind Asking the right questions is the answer… It’s not the answers you get from others that will help you, but the questions you ask of yourself. Here are 40 thought-provoking questions to help you refresh and refocus your thinking: Please share your thoughts with us in the comments section below. Also, check out our sister site, Thought Questions, for more photo-illustrated questions like these; and check out The Book of Questions if you’re interested in reading even more inspiring, thought-provoking questions.Title photo by: Helga Weber For all other photo credits please refer to ThoughtQuestions.com Related 40 Questions Everyone is Afraid to Ask Judge a man by his questions rather than his answers. April 13, 2012 In "Aspirations" 40 Questions that Will Quiet Your Mind Judge a person by their questions, rather than their answers … because asking the right questions is the answer. August 5, 2015 In "Happiness" 25 Photo-Illustrated Reminders to Help You Find Happiness
Incredible Wildlife Photography | Peachy Green Wildlife — By Stephanie on January 11, 2010 at 10:58 am Canada goose protects her young Ever have one of those moments when you think to yourself, “Boy, I wish I had my camera?!” Well, you can enjoy the good fortune of the photographers who were not empty handed when they shot these amazing animal pictures. These high-speed images are treasures that tell stories we rarely get to see – let alone capture – in stunning detail. Incredible wildlife photography like this takes a steady hand and sharp eye. Bringing home the bugs.... If you oohed and ahhed over the first couple of pictures, you might have to prepare yourself for the next image…. open wide! All in one bite? The best wildlife photography is often expressed through the unexpected. Hey! What is more adorable than a curious monkey – particularly one that wonders what all the photography fuss is about? Among cute animal photographs, you’ve gotta agree… this one tops the charts! Ready for my close-up! Synchronized stretching Owls in a fir tree
The Top 10 Relationship Words That Aren't Translatable Into English | Marriage 3.0 Here are my top ten words, compiled from online collections, to describe love, desire and relationships that have no real English translation, but that capture subtle realities that even we English speakers have felt once or twice. As I came across these words I’d have the occasional epiphany: “Oh yeah! That’s what I was feeling...” Mamihlapinatapei (Yagan, an indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego): The wordless yet meaningful look shared by two people who desire to initiate something, but are both reluctant to start. Oh yes, this is an exquisite word, compressing a thrilling and scary relationship moment. It’s that delicious, cusp-y moment of imminent seduction. Yuanfen (Chinese): A relationship by fate or destiny. From what I glean, in common usage yuanfen means the "binding force" that links two people together in any relationship. But interestingly, “fate” isn’t the same thing as “destiny.” Retrouvailles (French): The happiness of meeting again after a long time.
Various quotations | #318 & From up North | Design inspiration & news In From up North’s inspiration galleries we present the latest of our findings from the wonderful world of design. Amazing high quality artworks in various categories from great designers all over the globe. Personality gets the heart – Submitted by Vik West Top 6 Sites that Inspire and Educate If you’re a professional who likes to be intellectually stimulated and you enjoy keeping up with the latest news and breaking trends, the internet provides you with an endless choice of carefully curated sites to visit. Today, we bring you six of them that we believe are leaps and bounds above the rest. These sites will not only educate you on topics ranging from business and technology to art and design, they’ll motivate you to find your own, original ideas and see them through. They’re culturally relevant, they’re idea driven and most of all, they’re deeply inspirational. TED is short for three incredibly important subjects in our modern world; technology, entertainment and design. Started in 1984, TED brings together the most brilliant minds to teach us about issues that matter. Tip: Download TED’s free iPad app to browse through 800 videos by date, popularity or keyword. 2. Brain Pickings started from very humble beginnings. 4. 5.
Extreme Mountain Camping Normal camping is for pussies. Excerpts from "How to be Perfect" by Ron Padgett Wednesday May 30, 2012 Listen Download E-mail Share Excerpts from "How to be Perfect" by Ron Padgett Get some sleep. Excerpts from "How to be Perfect" by Ron Padgett, from How to be Perfect. © Coffee House Press, 2007. It was on this day in 1849 that Henry David Thoreau (books by this author) self-published A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, his first book. Thoreau had always been the introverted and studious one, while John was gregarious and fun-loving. Thoreau said: "To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts. And, "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived." It's the birthday of Harlem poet Countee Cullen (books by this author) , mostly likely born in New York City or Lexington, Kentucky, in 1903. Cullen was popular in the late '20s, and married the daughter of W.E.B.
A Bite of Buddhism The four sublime mental states are qualities of mind that we cultivate in order to alleviate the suffering we experience in everyday life and to feel more connected to others—and the worries and fears we all share. In the language of the Buddha (Pali), they are called the brahma viharas , which means "the dwelling place of awakened beings." The good news for us unawakened beings is that it's easy to begin cultivating the brahma viharas . Metta . I like to think of metta as the simple act of well-wishing. Sylvia once said that she practices metta by just looking at a person and silently saying, "I love you." Karuna . The Vietnamese Zen master, Thich Nhat Hanh, helped me learn to cultivate compassion for myself. Inspired by his teaching, I consciously cultivate compassion for myself by picking a phrase that speaks directly to whatever the source of my suffering is at the moment: "It's hard to be too sick to go out today," "My sweet body, working so hard to support me." Mudita .