Busy day today! I was glad to be busy because my mind wanders to places even Lewis Carroll would call tame. I woke up earlier than usual and naturally not because of the commotion outside. One thing many people don’t know about me is that I only have lucid dreams. Apparently its very rare medically but I am not a doctor so I can’t explain why I have lucid dreams. It is enhanced when I eat sugar. I don’t remember all my dreams but some of them I will never forget. The mind is strange in many ways.

At the gym I made progress with hamstrings. The hamstrings need to be loose so I can perform splits and handstands as well. The reason is that the hips control the movements for these exercises. The key is not just core but also hip and hamstring movement. It wasn’t easy, being obese all these years made me stiff like tire rubber and the cold isn’t helping it. But you know its work in progress. I also did some skipping and battling ropes work for cardio. I was exhausted after three sets of rope work.

At home my mom made milkshake which vanished within seconds. It was thick despite not having ice-cream. She uses sweet potatoes instead as they are naturally sweet and provide a variety of nutrients. For lunch there was Bhakri, Bitter Gourd, Dill, Mung Beans and Rice. Yeah very little protein because my mom doesn’t eat non-vegetarian food on Mondays and Thursdays for religious reasons. I don’t mind as its low in calories and the vegetables provide essential fibers and micro-nutrients.

In the afternoon I had a client crisis which kept me busy, I managed to resolve it without much nuisance. In the evening when I went for my walk I met my friend Sagar. He went through a bout of fever and cold last week and has recovered fully now but was in bed all of last week. Exercise is a great way to heal the body and we don’t realise it until its practiced. My gallon of water is done but I am struggling with it since a few days. The cause behind it are changes in routine and fluctuations in work hours but it will be managed.

I finished reading my third book this morning. The book is called The Lean Startup and its thesis explains that startups need to operate on the fundamental principles of lean manufacturing which has been pioneered by the folks at Toyota over the last half of the century. The author Eric Ries has updated the methods to suit virtually all businesses and mentions three key steps to make sure that businesses thrive sustainably. The steps being- Vision, Steer, Accelerate. Each step has sub steps and helps the reader understand the decision making process behind product development, marketing and customer acquisition. There are methods where businesses can understand what their customers need and then how they can alter these products according to their needs. Then there are steps to recognize how businesses can make these products more efficient and reduce costs without losing the humanity of the product. In the end its about sustaining the business and developing new products to make sure the business retains it customers and earns profit long-term instead of earning it short term.

The author in the end note also suggested a new type of stock exchange called the LTSE which is a Long Term Stock Exchange where investors can earn money based on profits earned on product changes that are made using scientific evidence. These profits will be long term instead of earning money from the current stock exchange where the income is quarterly. The scientific innovation is done through innovative accounting which a crucial tool for making sure the company is still profitable while making consistent changes. If you ever think you want to learn about modern businesses or want to start your own, this book is recommended. Finishing the book was the positive highlight of the day. Day 61 was a success.