Spartan Mindset for Success

The Spartans were renowned for their fighting prowess against tremendous odds and they won many battles. When they lost battles, they lost them narrowly, always keeping to their iron discipline and dignity till the bitter end.

Spartans are a people who I really admire. When they are mightily outnumbered, they do not flinch because they have in them a particular mindset which encompasses these 6 rules. I apply my own life as an example.  

Uncomfortableness. 

Look back at your life. Remember the days and months or years you took to achieve something that was meaningful to you. It was pretty damn uncomfortable wasn't it ? My running and completing of 10 full marathons was exactly that. I would 

a) Get to bed by 10 or 10.30 pm latest

b) Wake up at 5 am sharp day in or day out

c) Do all my toiletries and head out the door by 5.30 am. Reach the start point and just 'Go'

   The only exceptions  were when it was raining cats and dogs or when I was overseas on a business trip/

d) Sweat buckets as I hit the tarmac and ploughed out 10 km to 14 km DAILY.

This tough regimen may appear crazy to many, but as a serious marathoner, it was LIfe.

I am very proud to this day that I did and completed the full 10 marathons, and many many half marathons.

Was it uncomfortable ? Of course, I got out of my comfort zone a long time ago.

Self Discipline 

With that kind of schedule, I had to turn down numerous social appointments and kept to an early start of each weekday. The weekends Sat was reserved for the even longer run of 14km to 20 km when preparing for an imminent marathon.

Growth Mindset 

Always keep a mindset to learn new things. With the digital transformation age well upon us, we must always keep learning and not be afraid to say I don't know and teach me. Then go and learn as best as I can.

Have a Sense of Purpose

I do have a 3 and 5 year plan in place. I also try to reach out to others to help wherever and whenever possible

Establish an Exercise Routine.

Im struggling with this at the moment, with life changes and timelines. I know these are excuses, but I set aside at least 3 days a week, 2 for runs and 1 for karate training to keep my body active and healthy. 

Eating healthily (avoid the processed bar foods as much as I can) and keeping the drinking sessions to a minimum, are also on my watch and control list. 

Develop Mental Resilience. 

Diamonds are produced under tremedous pressure over time and also heat impacted. The strongest metals like iron and steel are also heat derived. The strongest minds must be resilience BUT at the same time open to new ideas which will come up and challenge even the smartest of us all.

Take the Mental Resilience Route, But stay aware for new ideas and threats. 

 

QRA International Test Lab is at 100 % Capacity ; We are so grateful to our loyal customers

 

Focus, Resilience, Luck and Grit 

I have a dream, to make QRA International the 'go to' Test Laboratory for the S.E.Asian region for biomedical and pharmaceutical manufacturers and we will go on from strength to strength.

We will weather all storms, from cashflow, to fighting or market share, keeping our place in the heirarchy of Test Labs and build the brand into a global No. 1 brand for the space 

Test Laboratory for Biomedical manufacturers. 

7 Dec 2016 Placa Catalunya and La Rambla

At  Placa Catalunya 

The Centre of Barcelona like in any major city is the Main Bus and Train Station. Called the Placa de Catalunya, it is somewhere at the middle of the town, and at the start of La Rambla. To the north, that portion of the city is called Eixample. To the right, Barri Gotic,to the left, El Raval and Montjuic and to the south, the Waterfront.

Where we stayed is right smack at the waterfront and our hotel has  a lovely view of the Marina and the Mediterranean Sea.

 The Waterfront view from the Hotel along Passeig de Colom

The walk along Placa de Catalunya to La Rambla is a truly unforgettable one. The street is lined with pushcarts, there are lots and lots of pickpockets (I was one of the unfortunate ones who had his phone stolen literally right under my nose !). The pushcarts or pop up stalls sell everything from hamburgers, hotdogs, Barcelona FC T shirts (fake ones) and all manner of trinkets.

We stopped and went into the Jamon Museum where we saw how the pigs are reared happily for their meat and for how long are the meat cured before they are sold in the open market. 

The highlights of this first visit must be the La Sagrada Familia and Parc Guell which I will write another couple of posts on. We were getting pretty familiar with the place and I recall putting on my running shoes early one morning and running all the way along the Waterfront road Passeig  de Colom to past the World Trade Centre to some highway and return. Such was my passion those days that I brought my running shoes with me for our holidays and I tried to run everywhere we went. 

Statue of Christopher Colombus pointing to the Western shores. 

Mirador a Colom 

Christopher Columbus was in fact of Italian origin. He was commissioned by Queen Isabella to go West and discover new worlds, in the late 15th century and he is credited in 'discovering' the Americas. Actually, there were already the inhabitants in the Caribbean Islands whom he thought were Indians.

The design should be that he is pointing Westward. The travel guides like to joke that he is pointing to the Red Light District of Barcelona !!   

 

Street Artist along La Rambla 

I was setting goals since 2003 or 21 years ago. Here are 2012 goals

 

A Leather Bound Diary for a Stubborn Bricks and Mortar Man 

Good Goals - are so hard to achieve in one year 

I guess the burning question you who read my posts are these. Did I hit the goals of 2012 ? Well yes and no. I did hit hit most of those goals but nor as quickly as I wanted them (in 2012), but the key this exercise each and every year is this ; Set these goals. Set lofty goals. Keep them always in your mind.

Out of the 5 goals, so far, the Flying License and the 2 marathons per year are not fulfilled.

Am I ashamed I did not achieve them ? Well they are lofty and I am rather thick skinned. 

So only I am accountable to my lofty goals.

Set the goals, Yearly, 3 Yearly, 5 Yearly and break them down to quarterly, monthly, weekly and daily and DO THEM day in day out.

There is no other way.

Else I will have deemed myself as an abject failure with aimless motives in my life. 

5 Dec 2016 Day 2 Barcelona La Sagrada Familia

 

Picture taken from La Pedrera 

Designed and built with a team of top engineers, La Sagrada Familia is the stunning symbol of the city of Barcelona. Anthoni Gaudi was born in 1852 and studied in Barcelona's School of Architecture. His principal patron, industrialist Eusebi Guell commissioned to design the following iconic places and buildings 

a) Palau Guell

b) Parc Guell (we visited it and pix in later posts)

c) La Pedrera

d) La Sagrada Familia

In English the La Sagrada Familia is known as the Expiatory Temple of the Holy Family, which he embarked at the age of 31 or 1883. To date, it is still not finished, and there are vert few sharp or pointed edges of the Temple. The expected date of completion is 2026 

In 2010, the Nave was coveted and consecrated in an elaborate ceremony with Pope Benedict XVI as the chief guest. 

Inside the church you will be awestruck at the opulence and marvel at the engineering feat of creating the huge domes, which used counter weights and reinforced buttresses. A major engineering feat of the late 19th century then.

Inside the church you will see a huge statue of Jesus at the cross, and this is apparently the only one where he has his legs up and knees bent. The significance of this design is lost on me, but I recall with awe how the lowly shepherds and the poor working class in those days would take in the entire interior of the church with absolute gratitude and compliance. 

The fact that it took decades to finish and that the poor architect died a pauper's death (he was knocked down by a tram in 1926), when he was knocked down, no one knew this was THE Gaudi and he was not given any special treatment, as the story goes.  

5 Dec 2016 Day 2 Barcelona La Sagrada Familia

 

The awesome La Familia Sagrada Church 

4 Dec 2016 Day 1 Barcelona La Pedrera and Bodega la Puntal

 

La Pedrera 

The world famous La Pedrera is shown as above in a model, with all of its alien looking chimneys at the top. Originally slated as an apartment complex, it is now a mix of museum, boutique shops and some apartments and people from all nations come here to pay homage to one of the great architects of the 20th century. Mr. Antoni Gaudi.

At the street side below La Pedrera 

He was an eccentric man, from all accounts and died a rather tragic death. Apparently he was knocked down in the street (which was quite a miracle) by a street tram on the road. It was in the late 1920s then and no one recognised the Master when he was brought to the hospital.

He died of his injuries, or what we have been told by the tour guides.

He always kept a steel comb in his pocket and was prone to priming his long beard ever so often. This is another urban legend from the tour guides.

My rather tired half smile atop La Casa Mila.

Bodega la Puntal is a tapas restaurant beside the hotel. It served pretty decent tapas, and as is the custom in Barcelona and in all Spain, people of all walks of life will come and meet friends after work, have some wine, a Sangria or a Vermouth schnapps (I kind of took a liking to this drink) and a couple of small tapas snacks and chit chat about the day or week's happenings. 

The interesting thing about Spanish culture is that between 12 - 2 pm most of the boutique shops are closed, for their siesta, so if you feel the need, do make plans to eat during that period and then shop. All the places of interest, by the way are open during the daylight hours.

A famous tapas place bar none. 

To be honest, this was practically our first time trying Spanish tapas in Spain. I had only been to Spain once before in my undergraduate days, so this was quite the experience for us. The dishes were small, tasty and oily. They were  the croquetts with Jamon ham and potatoes as well as some anchovies and small other forgettable bar bites. 

                                                                          Tapas with a View