Life Lessons
You Need Only Three Interests for Whatever You Want in Life
I wish someone told me these simple interests.
Let me start with a proverb my grandmother used to say.
Do not put your feet in two different boats. It will take you nowhere.
I relate this proverb to my interests.
I am an inquisitive person.
I am always looking at how things work. And why do they work in a certain?
That’s why I love math, especially engineering discipline, in a broader sense.
Deep down, things are always connected to make logic.
When I was a kid, I remember, I used to walk around the home with a screw. My mother says I have opened all the machines around the house. Some I fixed, but most I destroyed to feed my curiosity.
Fact: The things I fixed worked for a long time. But my mom had to hire a technician to fix the things I could not.
Then, I transformed my curiosity from machines to reading.
Reading is the best activity for feeding your curiosity.
My father was a cop and a farmer. He used to read a lot of books. Our room was always piled up with old books, mostly magazines. He had some subscription to feed his curiosity.
He has always read fiction.
I never saw him reading a self-help book or a biography. He always read novels or fantasy stories.
He also encouraged me to read but not his novels or magazines. He advised me to read textbooks.
As a policeman, he had to travel for work, and sometimes, he had to leave town for 2–3 weeks. During that time, I would always sneak around to read his books.
Mom was okay as long as there was a book in my hand.
My mother never went to school, but she gave us the best education —
hard work and discipline.
In my mid-30s, I still feed my curiosity through books, but somehow, my interests diverged to reading only nonfiction books. I had no idea when I started to read self-help books, autobiographies, biographies, history, philosophy, technology, and AI — the appetite has no end.
However, one thing is common: whenever I pick a book, I always have a certainty in my mind that this book will help me.
This particular book will solve my specific problem. Although most of the time, the book never helps me solve that problem; it does give me a sense of direction so that I can pivot in a certain way.
At this stage of my life, I have only three interests.
My first interest is to make money.
Money driven
Since 2016, I have been looking for an optimal way to make big money.
Sometimes, I make a lot of money by just looking for ways to make money.
I am a highly money-driven person. I don’t ashamed or hide this curiosity.
I love money, and if someone in your social circle says no, that person is lying.
I love money because it gives me freedom.
For me, freedom means more time, nothing else.
I am not inclined to buy massive material things, which is out of the equation.
I am not into expensive cars, shows, clothing brands, etc. In fact, I wear the same brand when I was a student or now when I make good money.
I have a comfortable life, but making money is always on my mind.
It’s a skill that takes time to develop.
People say money is a tool, and I agree, but to get that tool, you need to develop a particular skill. Focus on developing high-income earning skills.
I used the headline as a money-driven personality, but I am not looking for any validation from society or my family/friends.
I like money because it gives me freedom.
Freedom to have more time
Freedom to have more choices
And it’s so powerful (choices) that make you happy.
Activity driven
My second interest is living an active life.
I do not know how a villager like me falls in love with walking and hiking to lead a good life.
I am fortunate to have a home gym, and I make sure to hit the gym 3 to 4 times a week to strengthen my body.
No one is there to motivate me; it’s me vs. me.
I love the outdoors. Therefore, I do a lot of hikes.
Recently, I wrote an article about how hiking has the power to change your brain.
How Does Hiking Affect Your Brain
I have done many 30-day challenges. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, more effective than long walks and hiking to boost your mental health.
I truly believe that there are only two things you can do if you want to live a healthy and long life.
Healthy life — gym followed by a balanced diet
Long life is directly proportional to long walks.
It’s my utmost finding that if you want to live a long life, embrace long walks. Period
Curiosity-driven
Reading is my third interest.
The first two interests, making money and staying fit, help me function and contribute to society.
How to contribute and how to make money comes from curiosity.
Let me explain!
I read.
I read a lot — These 28 Reading Rules Transformed My Life
If someone says they got nothing while reading, they did not read enough or long enough.
Reading is not a passive activity that will work while watching TV or grabbing a book for 5–10 minutes once a while to boost your life. No, no, and absolutely no
Reading is an active form of learning.
You have to devote time every day. If you say, well, I tried, it never worked for me.
Try hard.
How Does Reading Affect Your Brain
Find a way that might work for you.
Always keep trying; you never know what will work for you. While reading, maybe an idea jumps into your mind that resolves all your life problems.
The bottom line
These three interests have helped me in all parts of my life.
I never thought in a million years that a kid born in a tiny village, the son of a farmer and a cop, would live an extraordinary life based on only three interests.
It’s your time to find out what interests you; yes, you, the reader. I am talking to you.
Feed your curiosity to find ways to live a healthy, happy, and meaningful life.
All the best, and let me know what interests you in the comments.
As a new reader, please check my holistic health, productivity, and well-being stories reflecting my reviews, observations, and 30+ days of experiments (29 completed so far) to build a sustainable healthy lifestyle.
I also write about the general philosophy of life. For your convenience, here are the links.
Technology, Mental Health/Brain Damage, Hiking, Coffee yes/no — (New Research), Healthy Lifestyle, Life Lessons, Productivity, Learning, Money
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