Listening for clues, from within
#101 - speaking to some very clever people
Hi there,
As John Humphreys said on Classic FM just now, “only 7 days to go”. To me, Christmas doesn’t mean presents (although I have been working away at our school charity project, the ‘Giving Tree’) but music and Christmas cards, both of which will be involved in the next few days with our 4 school concerts and then ~100 cards to write. 😯
It’s been a stretched-out week with lots of conversations, starting with hyper-concentration on my interview (more below) and then finishing with some School Captain stuff. The cycle of tests and getting them back continues, no shockers so far, hoping I’m not gifted one for Christmas this week (getting one more back).
Highlight of the week: my Cambridge interview on Tuesday. ‘Highlight’ doesn’t need to mean it was awesome…no, I think it went ok. The pattern from all I’ve spoken to seems to be a successful first one and then a testing second, which is my experience as well. I tried to show who I was and enjoyed doing some maths with fellows maths lovers so we shall see… January 24 is “D-Day” 🤞
I. Winter in Britain - dark nights, cold fingers, longing for Christmas and a sticky cold. This pattern seems to appear every year, and I’ve fallen prey to the clingy phlegm again, which has been stuck with me for over 2 weeks now. Evolving from headaches, and sore throats to runny noses, it’s low-key now but nevertheless present.
Blowing my nose a lot has meant a couple of minor nosebleeds when I’ve put too much pressure (I’m sorry if I’ve made you squirm), which has made me back off a bit on the tissues.1 It’s made me realise the need to heal the nose by getting rid of the cold as soon as possible, whilst being gentle on myself and my nose.
II. I’m not usually one for naps during the day; however, I sat on my bed for a second on Friday evening (a time which, as shared before, I LOVE working and being productive) and the next thing I knew, I’m being woken up at 9 pm by well-meaning parents telling me I won’t be able to get to sleep later2
Am I tired? Do I need this Christmas break? The week has shown me something I didn’t grasp when a teacher said it earlier this term - “it’s the longest one and, by the end, everyone is exhausted”. As he put it on Friday, “This is the time when people are all tired, and start to get grumpy to each other”.
It hasn’t really meant much to me: I’m often told by many, at home and school, that I don’t ‘rest’ enough. To me, I don’t properly understand what ‘rest’ is, it doesn’t have to be just sleep. And whilst I feel like I can keep going (I need a tankful of energy for these 5 days ahead, don’t ask about it), I have been saying “We’re nearly there at Christmas” to people at school, so maybe I do need a break from the stress and tire of what this first term has been.
Anyways, enough about me. What these 2 examples are trying to exemplify is the need to “listen to your body” and look after it. Pain is supposed to be a signal that ‘something is wrong, pay attention and do something about it’ and so is tiredness. Come to think of it, that’s what, for example, shivers, bruises, eyebags and bloating, are meant to show - that’s not normal so you need to change it.
As my parents tell me, “your body will only cope with so much” when I don’t sleep enough. It will eventually collapse, even if it isn’t now. And your future self won’t be grateful.
It’s time for an excerpt from a speech from by the wise man Warren Buffett,
When I was sixteen, I had just two things on my mind - girls and cars. I wasn't very good with girls. So I thought about cars.
Let's say that when I turned sixteen, a genie appeared to me and said, 'Warren, I'm going to give you the car of your choice. It'll be here tomorrow morning and brand new”. I would say, 'What's the catch?' And the genie would answer, 'There's only one catch. This is the last car you're ever going to get in your life. So it's got to last a lifetime.'
Can you imagine, knowing it had to last a lifetime, what I would do with it? I would read the manual about five times. I would always keep it garaged. If there was the least little dent or scratch, I'd have it fixed right away because I wouldn't want it rusting.
That's exactly the position you are in concerning your mind and body. You only get one mind and one body. And it's got to last a lifetime. Now, it's very easy to let them ride for many years. But if you don't take care of that mind and that body, they'll be a wreck forty years later, just like the car would be.
It's what you do right now, today, that determines how your mind and body will operate ten, twenty, and thirty years from now.”
Similarly, life is always trying to show us what’s right and wrong, what to do more and less of. This may seem a bit woo-woo, but it’s thinking about the events happening to you, sticking by the belief of “whatever happens, it happens for a (good) reason” and trying to take away the value in it. Whether it’s an obstacle or an opportunity you’re presented, it’s seeing what you can take away from it.
We all face challenges in our life, I’ve certainly had my fair share of them this year. It is seeing these as tests, by God, the universe or ‘life’, whatever you want to frame it as, to see how you respond to them and what those events are trying to communicate to you.
Here’s another reference that comes to mind, from the book ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ by Robert Kiyosaki.
Life is the best teacher of all. Most of the time, life does not talk to you. It just sort of pushes you around. Each push is life saying,” Wake up. There's something I want you to learn.”
If you learn life lessons, you will do well. If not, life will just continue to push you around. Some just let life push them around. Others get angry and push back, against the wrong person or thing”
A few learn the lesson and move on. They welcome life pushing them around. To these few people, it means they need and want to learn something. They learn and move on. Most quit and a few like you fight.
There is something to be said for intuition; your first instincts aren’t always correct but there is certainly a good reason it was your first reaction. What’s the ‘gut feel’ of an idea, a thought, a plan? If it’s good, can you justify it to others? Is there logic and reason behind it? If it’s a negative one, can you evidence it with why you feel that way? If you can’t, that’s fine, but it’s useful to remember to back away if you need to.
You might not be able to explain it or it may not make sense but it can be a useful compass to make decisions on. Sometimes, not every feeling can be explained. It’s annoying for a planner and reason-based person like me, but there’s definitely a spectrum of pure mind and pure feel decisions.
It is to harness these messages and learnings that I love reflecting, especially with my blog posts. Journalling is also a favourite of mine, giving you the space and time to be honest with yourself, pausing to reflect. I’ve been off it this year, want to be more regular and intentional with it in 2024, and hope you consider some thinking time as well. This is where the ability to wind down over the Christmas break will help, being able to head into the new year with purpose and clarity.
Being self-aware, and knowing what you want (in life), what you enjoy and what you (and your body) need, helps to guide your actions and thoughts towards that. To go into a fully spiritual mode, everything in the Universe is energy and the Universe is always giving you signals to nudge you towards your greatest life. What you need to do is be still and open to discern these messages from the noise, understand them, process them and act upon them.
Podcast of the week🎙️
Deep Dive with Ali Abdaal: Why Manifestation Isn’t Just A Trend: How To Manifest – Roxie Nafousi
Looks like these spiritual ideas of meaning and energy have resonated a lot with me this week, here’s a great podcast, even if you are a sceptic.
Thing I’m grateful for this week 🙏
The many Maths teachers who gave me mock interviews this week, allowing me to practise my technique as well as learn to gain composure. Becoming familiar with the environment of a maths interview certainly helped me to perform better.
Quote of the week 💬
Sometimes bravery is simply choosing to take the next step without fully knowing the path - Glennon Doyle
Not the most ‘this is what you need to do’ strategic posts but hope the examples made it real and allowed you to consider if you’re listening carefully. Till next time, Christmas Eve, have a good week.
Adi
I’ve learnt it’s probably because a blood vessel inside has split or damaged.
…which was true, I had a late night in the end, journalling.