Does everything in life have a solution?

Here’s my answer, based on personal experience.

Actually, based on a few different personal experiences of mine.

One, it is in looking for solutions, that discoveries are made.

It is how I discovered Dr. Jason Fung and intermittent fasting.

Here’s the story…

In 2015, I was freelancing at Aruba (subsequently acquired by HP).

My team and I were eating lunch.

During lunch, I told my team I was going for a fasting blood sugar test, the next day.

“I am pre-diabetic, so I am worried,” I said.

In response to this, a team member chuckled, and said something to me, that baffled me at the time…

“Oh, I practically fast the whole day, before I go for a fasting blood sugar test, and I get a normal reading,” she said.

Totally ignorant about blood sugar, in those days, I was taken aback.

“What”, I said, “If you fast the day before a test, your fasting blood sugar reading will be normal?”.

“Yes,” she said, “works for me every time”.

I went home that evening, and because I didn’t believe her, I decided to do a Google search to find out if what she said was correct.

I typed… “Will fasting the day before a fasting blood sugar test result in a normal blood sugar test?”.

The answers to that Google search question changed my life.

One of the top search results was a video by a Canadian doctor called Dr. Jason Fung.

It was a video, in which Dr. Jason Fung talked about how intermittent fasting could reverse diabetes.

Fasting? A cure for diabetes?

I was very interested to learn more.

I watched the video.

I found out how, and why, intermittent fasting works on controlling diabetes.

My understanding of diabetes changed that day.

I started intermittent fasting.

And I watched other YouTube videos by people who belonged to the low-carb movement, and made changes to my diet.

I also bought a home blood sugar meter, and started pricking my finger, at different times of the day, to check what foods and activities increased my blood sugar.

I checked first thing in the morning, last thing at night, one hour after anything I ate, two hours after anything I ate, three hours after anything I ate.

I found out that foods like rice, wheat, potatoes, corn, and other starchy foods, and simple carbs, increased my blood sugar.

Hard though it was, I largely gave them up.

Minoo Jha

· 7y

What was the most amazing physical feat you’ve managed to pull off?

Hi, You asked, What is the most physically impressive feat you have ever accomplished? I was able to go low carb and do it successfully. This was a very hard thing for me to do. I grew up eating rice and bread and potatoes. And my favorite foods are either rice based like biryanis, ghee rice, pilaf, dosas, idlis, or wheat based - nans, puris, bread. Going low carb, I gave up all of that. And I gave up more than that. I gave up lassi and milkshakes and ice-cream. The only dairy products I have are heavy whipping cream and butter. I gave up fruit, including some of my favorite tropical fruits like mango, sapota, jackfruit. I gave up anything which had high-fructose corn syrup on the label…and you will be surprised by the number of things that have high fructose corn syrup on the label, including ketchup. I did this to reverse my pre-diabetes and I succeeded. But make no mistake, going low carb is a very tough thing to do. In fact, it’s my most physically impressive feat. I succeeded only because I wanted to reverse my pre-diabetes so badly. As I said in my answer to the Quora question, What are some tips for becoming successful? …motivation is the key to succeeding at anything. If you want to succeed at anything, you have to be highly motivated. If you are, you will achieve things you never thought you were capable of. I am so very proud of myself for succeeding at going low carb.

I learned so much from Dr. Jason Fung, and all the voices of the low-carb movement.

And it had a positive impact on my health.

So to go back to your question, "is there a solution to everything", what my experience shows is that...

One, in looking for solutions, discoveries are made.

How else can the search for solutions solve a problem?

Based on my personal experience again, I found, that in looking for solutions, I am able to find alternate solutions.

This is how I once hired 4 people, who arrived for an interview at the same time, when I planned to hire just 1 of them….

Minoo Jha

· 7y

What are good ways to make a decision quickly?

Hi, You asked, What are some examples of quick decision making? Here’s an example from my life… I was an advertising copywriter in my first career. After several years of working for ad agencies, I started my own creative shop, Purple Patch. Soon after starting Purple Patch, I decided I needed to hire additional copy help. I was willing to train someone who had the copy talent and potential to grow. At the time, I was guest lecturing in Advertising Copy at Loyola College, Chennai. I thought, why not, just hire one of my students. They had class only in the morning, so they could come to my house in the afternoons. I operated Purple Patch from my home which was not far away from Loyola College. I looked at the homework assignments and identified 4 suitable candidates from my batch of students. I asked these 4 students to come to my house for an interview. Little did I expect, they would arrive at my house together since their interviews were half hour apart. Anyway, when they arrived, I took them one by one into my home office to interview them, leaving the others sitting in my living room till it was their turn. I interviewed all the 4 students, and then I told them I was going back into my office for a few minutes to decide between the 4 of them. This was when I made a quick decision. I had planned to pay 3000 INR per month to the student I hired. A new thought suddenly occurred to me… What if I hired all 4 of them and paid them 750 INR each? I would have 4 talents instead of one. I made a quick decision about this and went back into the living room. “Do you want to know who I have decided on?” I told them. They looked at me with the excitement and nervousness of those on American Idol. “All 4 of you,” I said, and quickly added, “And I thought I’d pay you,” and then I stammered out, “750 INR each. They jumped up from their chairs in unison and shouted “Yay” as if they had won the Powerball or Mega Millions lottery. I was very proud of my quick decision making that day, especially in all the months and years to come running Purple Patch.

One last and final insight about the search for solutions, based on my personal experience...

If when you are looking for solutions, you have a resource crunch - such as limited money, time, health, or other resources to use, this often forces you to think creatively.

And if something embarrassing happens to you, or there is an embarrassing lack in your life, it will force you to come up with ways to live a fulfilling and meaningful life.

In both these circumstances, the solution you are likely to find to your problem will be, not an ordinary solution, but an inspired solution.

Which makes the solution wonderful, even miraculous.

This is true, whatever the problem, whatever the situation.

Two examples, a personal example where my "limited resources" forced me to think creatively.

Example 1 - resource crunch, based on a personal experience...

Minoo Jha

· 7y

What are some unique ways to prepare avocado?

Hi, You asked, What are some unique ways to prepare avocado? Avocado Pani Puri. Instead of putting potato in the puris (puchkas), put avocado. Just substitute potato with avocado. I discovered this recipe by accident and wrote a post about the discovery. Reprinting an adapted version below: My Avocado Pani Puri Story: I meditate on asteya. Asteya is one of the yamas (ethical precepts) of yoga. It means taking from the world only what you need -- without greed, excess or wastage. I am far from where I want to be when it comes to asteya, but I get a little better every day. One day I spotted a can of beets and a can of pineapples in my kitchen cupboard. The cans had been sitting there forever. I had picked them up and never gotten around to using them. They were a glaring example of not living by the principles of asteya. But now I looked at the cans and decided “Enough is enough. I need to use these cans and not let them lie around gathering dust anymore.” Of course, there was the challenge of what to do with them. I thought if I opened the two cans and mixed the ingredients together - they might pair well. But the pairing needed something to make it work and taste good. That made me think about fruta picada – the Mexican street vendor snack they sell at the Beryessa Flea Market. It is a mix of chopped fruit dusted with lime and chile. “Fruit chaat, that’s it,” I thought, “All I need to do is add some chaat masala to the beets and the pineapple.” It worked. This got me thinking about the avocados I had in the fridge. “I wonder how they would taste with chaat masala,” I thought. I gave it a whirl. This was a successful experiment too. Encouraged, I wondered what avocado pani puri might taste like. I typed avocado pani puri into the Google search box. Several recipes came up. Avocado pani-puri turned out to be a great spin on pani-puri which is traditionally made with boiled potato and garbanzo beans. Thanks to constraining myself to use up all the canned food I had at home, I experienced one culinary breakthrough after another. My avocado pani puri was a family hit and I was asked to make it at family events for at least a year or two. Here is the recipe: Avocado Pani Puri (Serves 3-4) * 1 Avocado * 1 Lemon * 30 Puris (Crisp, hollow, spherical crackers) * ¼ Cup fresh mung bean/dal sprouts * Salt and chilli powder, chaat masala to taste * ¼ Cup sweet tamarind chutney * Pani or spiced water (recipe follows) 1. Slit the avocado into 2 halves and remove the seeds. Scoop out the flesh using a sharp-edged spoon and cut it into chunks. Transfer the chunks to a bowl and squeeze some lemon juice all over the chunks. Sprinkle with salt, chilli powder and chaat masala to taste. 2. When you are ready to serve, crack the tops of the puris and make a hole just enough to fill them. In each puri add an avocado chunk, some mung sprouts and a dollop of sweet chutney as the filling. Pass the Pani (spiced water) in wide-mouthed cups, one for each person. Dip the filled puris in the Pani and stuff the entire puri in your mouth.

Example 2 - embarrassing events or lack...

Think of Mahatma Gandhi's embarrassing experience of getting thrown out of a first class compartment, on a train in South Africa, in spite of being an Oxford educated lawyer, and what he decided to do with the rest of his life, as a result of having this unfair and embarrassing experience.

Or think about the initial ouster of Steve Jobs from Apple, and the events that unfolded after. Would Toy Story have ever been created? 

Yes, sometimes the more embarrassing the circumstances and events, the more it stirs our spirit, the more it steels our determination.

So to summarize my answer to "Does everything in life have a solution?"...

In looking for solutions, discoveries are made.

In looking for solutions, alternate solutions are found.

In looking for solutions, and having limited time, money, or materials, or an embarrassing situation or an embarrassing lack, powerful, inspired solutions are found.

So this is why., even when you think there are no solutions to your problem, you should never give up searching for them, never stop putting your mind to it, and never stop looking for answers.

You never know what answer you may find.

And you never know how much delight, or how much satisfaction that answer will bring to your life.

What personal traits are key for turning consistent failures into success stories?

If the failures are “consistent”, there is a problem.

It means, nothing was learned.

Success involves learning.

Learning that trying to copy someone’s success strategy is a fool’s game.

Learning that to inspire people, you don’t have to have a superpower.

Learning that there is a right way and a wrong way to do everything, even a simple thing like asking your boss about leave.

Learning that if it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

Success is as much about learning from failures, and avoiding the pitfalls, as it is about resilience and perseverance.

Resilience, discipline, and a growth mindset are good traits, but insufficient.

An ability to be a continuous learner is also necessary.

What life events in my past changed my financial situation today?

Becoming self-employed in my first career.

It made me a better negotiator, a think-on-my-feet decision maker, a smart time, money, and talent resource allocator. I am the only one among my siblings to pursue self-employment, and as a shy, dreamy, introverted child, it could hardly be predicted that I would choose to become self-employed at any stage of my life. Entrepreneurs need not necessarily show an entrepreneurial bent as a child. There are a few different reasons someone may become an entrepreneur.

Becoming a freelancer in my second career.

It made my interest in all aspects of money, from taxes to insurance to credit, to options for saving and investing money, go from zero to 100. It is amazing the things you discover, once you start paying attention. You discover how not to waste money, and you also discover how to put your money to productive use.

Reading Rich Dad Poor Dad.

It provided a wake-up call, at the crucial time when I still had enough career runway to play catch up on saving enough for retirement. While I didn’t follow his “passive income from rental properties, using OTM” path to financial stability, a friend I introduced Rich Dad Poor Dad to, did so, and she is very comfortable with where she is at today. Rich Dad, Poor Dad led me to other thought-provoking money-related content, such as Mr. Money Mustache’s Retirement Calculator and Nick Maggiulli’s Climbing The Wealth Ladder.

Developing a Money Workshop for kids, and then for young adults.

I took what I learned about earning, spending, and saving money, and turned it into a Money Workshop for the 4th-6th graders in my daughter’s elementary school, later adapting the same Money Workshop for young adults. Nothing like teaching to bring clarity.

Surviving the 2007–2009 stock crash.

I developed an investing philosophy, which turned out to be astute, and has completely proven itself.

How does a partner who blocks communication affect the way you view them?

When you try to communicate with your partner, depending on what you are trying to communicate, they might block the communication, by doing one of the following…

Not responding.

Saying, “I’m sorry, I am too tired for this. Can we talk about this later?”, only to never actually talk about it later.

Raising their hand to indicate, “Stop. I don’t want to hear any of that.”

Saying something snarky.

Making a firm declaration, such as “I’m not doing  that. Take it or leave it.”

Outright shouting, or screaming, at you.

Making threats.

Doing something angry, which scares you, such as smashing their fist into a wall, or throwing something.

Doing something which makes you feel bad about bringing up the subject, such as getting up from the table, and going to bed, without finishing their food.

Storming out of the room, or even storming out of the house, for several hours.

It is unfortunate, but you can conclude one of the following, from their reactions…

They don’t like conflict.

They don’t know how to deal with conflict.

They do not like engaging on some subjects.

They want to be left alone.

Sensitive subjects might include money, expenses, health, social events, chores.

Living with a partner, like this, makes everything tougher - maintaining a house, managing expenses, raising kids, socializing.

It is love, sacred vows, kids, social mores, and financial dependence, that makes us keep going, even though we may be dismayed, disappointed, and dissatisfied, with how things are.

Eventually, you may find peace apart.

Or your partner may mellow over the years, and through mellowing, and sometimes, through faith, wisdom, and self-reflection, improve on all fronts.

As they become more caring, and more considerate, you may experience a renewed closeness with them, or even a closeness, better than you ever had before, a closeness that’s precious, and you never thought possible.

I have observed this, having observed many couples, through decades of ups and downs.

You may discover, as those couples have, that you loved, and still love your partner, and your partner loved and still loves you, through all the ups and downs, through it all.

Which is precious.

Suggestions to make you achieve this precious closeness faster…

Minoo Jha

· 6y

Is it fair to judge someone's level of love if they don't show it the way we think they should?

Yes and no. Here’s a piece I wrote on the importance of tuning in to the other person in your life… The Secret to Good Relationships - Tuning In Let’s talk about radio stations. If you want to listen to the KFOG radio station, you have to tune in to the frequency of the KFOG radio station. 107.7. You can't tune in to the frequency of the KBAY radio station and expect to hear the KFOG radio station. KBAY music plays on the KBAY radio station. So if you tune in to the frequency of the KBAY radio station, you will hear the music played by KBAY. So now how is this related to dealing with the significant people in your life? You need to tune in to the station of anyone who is significant to you, so you can really hear them. But what happens if you don't like the music that's being played on their station? This is where the problem arises. You don't like the music that's playing on their station. What's more, you may not be able to escape it - living under the same roof, or having to deal with them day in and day out. So you decide the next best thing is to just tune it out. Block out whatever they say as best you can. Using tools like your imagination. While this is a coping tool, it's not a solving tool. It would be nice if you could say to the people in your life, ”Hey I don't like what you are playing on your radio station; can you play this instead?” But of course, that's wishful thinking. It's never going to be as simple as that. If you do that, it will only make things worse. So the same thing goes on and on. And maybe you continue to do what you have always done - try to tune things out. You can live a whole lifetime like this - with nothing changing. And with profound dissatisfaction on all sides. If you desire to have a meaningful, caring, and more easy-going relationship, no two questions about it... You have to tune in. If the dial is stuck, you may be tempted to use your developed reflex to tune out and block out whatever you do not like. But really, you should consider using your alone time as reflection time. And come up with a strategy to replace “blocking out” with “tuning in”. Tuning in might be to ask someone, "What are your thoughts right now?" Or, "What would you like to do right now?" Or, “What is bothering you the most right now?” Or, “How can I make things easier for you?" Or, "Why do you think that?" Life gets more challenging for everyone as we go along. Life gets more challenging physically, mentally, and emotionally. Tuning in may mean acknowledging the increased physical, mental, and emotional challenges the people in your life face. And doing what you can to alleviate them. Tuning in many also mean acknowledging the small things that bother other people. Sometimes what's small to you may be significant to someone else. We are all different. The most successful relationships are those where both people are tuned in. How can you craft and implement the right “tune in” strategy today?