Ajinkya Wadhwa

So what exactly is spirituality, as we’re using the word today, and what do we need from it?

In the same way our intellectual viewpoints are a function of our intellectual process, our intellectual process is a function of our intellectual motivation. We think the way we think in the first place mostly because it serves our purposes.

And when that happens, you get hit with a heavy tax that is emotional rather than fiscal: Regret.

This would be fine—cute, even—if the Rational Decision-Maker knew the first thing about how to own a monkey. But unfortunately, it wasn’t a part of his training and he’s left completely helpless as the monkey makes it impossible for him to do his job.

Understanding that we will one day see our families for the final time reminds us of how precious our moments with them truly are.

3) Decide where the mammoth needs to be ousted

The unsexy filter is similar to the schlep filter, except it keeps you from working on problems you despise rather than ones you fear.

There are two more filters you'll need to turn off if you want to notice startup ideas: the unsexy filter and the schlep filter.

Another common trick is to start by considering new work to be of a different, less exacting type. To start a painting saying that it's just a sketch, or a new piece of software saying that it's just a quick hack. Then you judge your initial results by a lower standard. Once the project is rolling you can sneakily convert it to something more.