Author: gaucho Page 3 of 4

Master Orator Championship 2017 Finals

On August 17, 2017

To begin with, this was my first time on a big stage in front of such a large number of crowd. Though always interested in Public Speaking, I was too shy and timid to take that plunge. And why did I take that step this time?
You’ll get to know about that in the video. *wink* *wink*

In this post, I’ll walk you through how I spent my time preparing for the Finals.

4 Days Before The Final

I was still not sure whether to use the same speech which I used in the semi final or go with a new one. Since I was running out of time I decided to go with the previous speech. So I typed the draft and got a printout and started my practice.

My goal was to get at least 75 rehearsals because Confidence is preparation and I needed to give my best for the final on Sunday. On Wednesday, I did 2 rehearsals and on Thursday the same number. All of them going over the deadline of 7 minutes and 30 seconds. Friday I had 7 rehearsals which were very close to the deadline. And my confidence, it started to wane.

So what do we all do when we are in need?
A friend in need is a friend indeed.
I did just that.

A Day Before The Final

I asked my closest friend to help me out with the speech, listen to me and make me better. She gladly accepted. On Saturday, I went to her home which had an empty warehouse and we began our practice there. From 2 in the afternoon till 7 in the evening I gave as many rehearsals as possible. Swathi with her suggestions, helped me improve my modulation, stage presence and aggression.

By evening, I was tired and just before going I went for one last try and it was the worst rehearsal of the day and my confidence, it hit rock bottom. Back to the start!!
I had to go home without any more practice as it was getting late. All throughout the journey back home I kept doubting myself. After reaching home my parents suggested me to get a good nights sleep and practice early in the morning.

The Morning of The Final

I got 7 hours of sleep that night and it worked wonders. My mind was very fresh and rejuvenated. I went to the terrace and my first rehearsal for the day went very well followed by the other rehearsals. Confidence back on track!!
I reached the event venue at 8:45 and the competition was about to start at 10:45 sharp. For the next 40 mins, the contest chair briefed us on the rules and regulations. All the 10 finalists were interviewed by the District Newsletter spokesperson and we also had to fill a couple of forms.

The Last Hour Before The Final

After the formalities all the finalists went out of the auditorium to practice for the speech and it was a blessing in disguise for me. I went on stage and made myself comfortable on it. For almost 10 minutes I walked around the stage, did a couple of hand and calf stretches, walked myself through the speech and made eye contact with the small number of audience who were already seated. The questioning stares, I got myself habituated to those in those 10 minutes.

I also checked my collar mike and its position so that my voice intensity is just right. Then I went to a secluded spot and gave my final 3 rehearsals. All of them went well.

Then to get into the zone I listened to some pumping songs mostly from Eminem and also from Hindi movies like Chak De India, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and one from MS Dhoni.

Moments Before

After the finalists were declared two weeks before, I went through their facebook profiles. Got intimidated. One was a stand up comedian and another an entrepreneur and two were from Bhavans – one of the best colleges in the city.

So what did I do when the last few moments creep me out?

Since I was the 3rd contestant I had 15 minutes of time before I went on stage and I made full use of it. I took out my notebook and wrote positive affirmations for myself. Not thinking about the competition and just focusing to give my best for those 7 minutes.

I also practiced the 4-4-4 breathing where I inhaled for 4 seconds, held my breath for 4 seconds and then exhaled for 4 seconds.

Just before my name was to be called, I had a minute to get ready with mike. I went to the sergeant at arms who would help me with the mike and at the back of the stage did a couple of wall pushups, calf stretches and jumped around to get rid of my nervousness. It works wonders. I felt very little nervousness when I went on stage and gave a very fulfilling performance.

After The Speech

There were 7 more contestants after me and each of them amazing!! I was worried naturally. So I took the notebook again and tried to grasp the message of what the speakers were trying to say. Jotting down points and also meanwhile reminding myself that I gave my best and results were not in my hand. That kept me calm throughout.

The Speech

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sTh_8II0uI&w=560&h=315]

Two questions that bother me a lot

What made me win the 2nd place?
What made me lose the 1st?

Though I have a couple of answers myself, I want you to give your honest opinion on it. Feel free to leave them out in the comments below or you can message me on Facebook. I would be very glad to hear them and I thank you in advance for your little contribution.

Cheers!!!

Define or Defy @ MOC-2017

By gaucho

On August 2, 2017

In Uncategorized

Toastmasters International is an organisation which strives for improving your public speaking skills, communication skills and most importantly, your leadership skills. It has member clubs all over the world and if you would like to change your life in a positive way, Toastmasters is one such great platform.
There are member clubs all over the world and you can find one nearest to you on their website.

I recently participated in the qualifiers of Master Orator Championship 2017 – a public speaking competition organised by the Toastmaster clubs of Telangana and Andra Pradesh, two South Indian states.
Quoting directly from their website :

Master Orator Championship is a hunt for the best orator in the college circuit of the two states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Nagpur and Raipur cities. The students are sieved through multiple rounds of selection starting from qualifiers to the finale where 10 contestants across colleges deliver 5 to 7 minute speeches that are mentored and evaluated by a panel of experienced Toastmasters.

This was my speech for the qualifier round and it got me through 2100 participants to the final 150 for the semi-finals. I later went on to final 10 for the finals.

NOTE :

Every BOLD word illustrates the stress on it.

MASTER ORATOR CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 – Qualifier Speech

A very Good Morning everyone (smile)

Before we start, let me ask you ALL (pause) a VERY SIMPLE question.

RAISE your hand as HIGH as you can if you believe (pause) you can be a Master Orator.

Come on, don’t be shy. Nobody is gonna punish you.
(wait for audience)

That’s awesome guys!!

Can you now raise your hand (pause) a little higher!!

LOVELY energy out here.

Thank you guys.

Respected Contest Chair and judges and MY fellow orators (open arms) (pause).

Today I’ll share with you a very enlightening experience I recently had.

How many of you like cycling? (pause)
(wait for audience)

I LOVE cycling. I am an amateur cyclist and I recently took part in a 200 km brevet.

LONG story short (fast pace) (arms wide then close),

I had to complete the last 10 km in the last half an hour.

Normal circumstances??? Piece of cake (smirk)

But now?

I was completely drained. 0 energy. (Show 0 with hands). And worse, I had run out of both food and water.

Now my mind started playing games with me.

GAUTHAM. You’re gonna DIE

GAUTHAM. You shoudl GIVE UP.

GAUTHAM. This is your LIMIT.

Should I give in to my brain? ( pause)

Should I give up on my goal? ( pause)

I could have told myself that this is my limit and it’s OKAY to give up or (low voice) I could push myself. And I did JUST that.

I pumped myself.(fist pump) I SCREAMED.

People’s stares didn’t matter to me because I was focused on my goal. My goal of reaching the finish line. And I did finish my goal.

I completed the 200 km but sadly (pause) I was 7 min late. Just 7 minutes.

Sad ending right??(smile)

Maybe, but I learned something from this.

The Human mind (pause) works in funny ways.

Whenever we face a challenge and we hit a rough spot, the brain tricks us into thinking that THIS IS IT. NOT ANY MORE. THIS IS YOUR LIMIT.

But (pause)

we are FAR from our limits. We haven’t even reached 40% of what we are capable of.

Think of it. Be it mid way during a marathon or working through a tough coding problem, we ALLL face it.

So what do you DO in these circumstances?

Do you give in to your mind and stay in your comfort zone ?

Ladies and Gentlemen!! ( raise hand up)

THIS is our comfort zone and with

THAT extra effort (raise your hand higher and higher) and

THAT extra push is where (pause) the magic happens. (Palm closes)

Remember…

Only YOU can Define your limits.

And only YOU can Defy your limits.

Define or Defy. Only you can.

I HEARTILY congratulate you ALL for coming out on this Sunday Morning, ALL the way (pause), to speak in front of so many people.

Definitely out of your comfort zone. ( Take a small dramatic step to your right).

I would like to conclude by quoting Neil Armstrong :

A small step (pause) for the present you. (extend a step to the front)

A giant leap (pause) for the future you. (extend welcoming arms and extend feet too).

I wish you all the very best. (smile wide)

Thank you 🙂

Over to contest chair .

Hey Guys, I hope you enjoyed the speech. The finals will be on August 13th and the venue is ISB Hyderbad. Master Orator Championship 2016 (though I did not participate) completely changed my life. It might change yours too.

Tickets will be available on the website in a short while.

And if you loved the post, please do like the post and share it with your friends. Just a small click 🙂 . And please do subscribe for more.

Thank you

Week #1074

By gaucho

On July 16, 2017

In Reflections, Weekly Newsletter

Videos of the Week

“It’s easy to feel hopeful on a beautiful day like today, but there will be dark days ahead of us, too. There will be days when you feel alone, and that is when hope is needed most”. This video from Amazing SpiderMan 2 always moves me to tears.

Why we do what we do. You will be amazed by the charisma this man has. Biggest takeaway from this- treat problems as surprises!!

4 tips for Public Speaking by Dananjaya Hettiarachchi. Also check out his championship winning speech.

Audios of the Week

All of the Stars. This is my favorite of all the Ed Sheeran songs. Got back into my playlist this week.

The 10 Commandments of Startup is a podcast episode by Reid Hoffman who is the co-founder of LinkedIn. He covers what mistakes a startup should avoid in early as well as later stages.

Gummadi Gummadi. This yesteryear song has been my anchor this week. It’s child like innocence is what captures me.

Articles of the Week

Sorry! Too many articles this week. Couldn’t resist because every single article deserves a read.

Life is very unpredictable. You never know which moment is your last with your loved ones.

You are in your 20’s. Start early and build your personal brand. Be it blogging, vlogging or podcasting or anything which would grow you an audience. Deal with fear and take the plunge.

An alternative take on Ramayana.

Sonam Kapoor’s advice to teenage girls. If you are a girl, it’s a must read. If you are boy, read and share it with your girl friends.

A very moving article on the growing rate of depression among people. Do read it. You might realize a friend or two might need your help.

The best of the lot. If you had to read only one article for now this would be that. What’s deep inside you?.

Experiences of the Week

Hardly it’s been a week since we started with our 4th year of Engineering and the placement drives have already started. And what else do you think has started?
Reality Checks!!

Where do I stand in a crowd of around 2000 people in my college?
How unique am I? What value am I providing?
Are my skills up to date?
Am I just another engineer mass produced every year?

All these questions haunted me this week. I attended two placement drives so far. One went well and the other brought me back to the ground.

Failure of the Week

The two things I have always had trouble with: Sloth and Unreliability.

I did not have my resume until the last minute on the day of my first interview. I did not prepare either the frequently asked HR questions or did I take a glance at some programming questions.
Am I taking it too easy?
Is being in my comfort zone taking a toll on me?

As I said earlier, Reality Checks!!!!

Inspiration of the Week

Mrs. Jyoti Reddy – from a Agricultural Laborer to C.E.O of an American company.
Read more about her here.

Vishal Kante. He was my riding partner for my the 200 BRM. He did not complete his first 200 km brevet but then went onto complete 200, 300 & 400 km brevets.

Screenshots of the Week

Stand up straight and Don’t hunch.

Stop the knowledge porn

Love is always 50-50. When one gives 80, the other gives 20

What are your reasons?

Is pride hurting you?

Quotes/Lines of the Week

“On average geniuses weren’t qualitatively better in their fields than their peers. They simply produced a greater volume of work, which gave them more variation and a higher chance of originality.” – Adam Grant

Person of the Week

Hampi Reddy. 3 qualities of her which inspire me.

Consistency : She has been hitting the gym consistently for the past 9 months. Remarkable difference in her!
Persistence : She started with mobile application development a while back and has already got proficient in it and is minting money now.
Collaborations : You can’t learn everything on your own. She has the ability to team up with her friends and learns things at a much faster rate.

Lot to learn from her. Cheers to you Hampi!! Keep going.

Big Wins of the Week

Blog Cast : Got my first blog cast published after lot of brain storming and editing. I believe it will be the U.S.P of my blog. The 2nd one also got published today.

Week #1070

By gaucho

On June 25, 2017

In Reflections, Weekly Newsletter

Best Videos of the Week

Bhuvan Bam is famous for his YouTube channel BB Ki Vines. His 2 videos Originality- the way to success and Stand Alone to Stand Apart were very inspiring nonetheless hilarious. He is indeed a very gifted orator.

Did you ever feel your reading speed needs to be improved? Then you definitely need to watch this. Tim Ferriss gives us a 4-min video in which you’ll get to know your current WPM (Words Per Minute) speed and how to improve it by 100-300%.

This video by 101India features Raghav Meattle who is a Mumbaikar and gave me a very refreshing outlook on life and running.

Best Audios of the Week

Teri Meri Kahani has got me grooved this week. This song is by Bhuvan Bam and was pretty euphonious to me.

The theme song of Game of Thrones was my song anchor this week. Very catchy!

The interview of Tim Ferriss by James Altucher dealt a little about suicide and depression and the necessity of having routines to get you back to normal each day.

Best Articles of the Week

This 1-min article by Darius Foroux is a must read

35 Things You Should Know Before Becoming “Successful”

Best article I have read so far regarding Higher education in U.S.A

Experiences of the Week

I’ve had the pleasure of having 2 school reunions albeit small ones. Caught up on so many things and recalled many memories.

It was my second visit to the Wall Ride Park on the Go-Skate Boarding Day. Did my first couple of small stunts. Improved speed in the pump track.

[wpvideo h8a79pZG]

Failure of the Week

* The 15-Day Blogging Challenge was a part failure. Blogged for 8 days and then gave up for 5 days. As Charles Munger says – two things you need to avoid: Sloth and Unreliability.
* This week was pretty bad in terms of sleeping habits. Owing to this I missed two of my cycle rides by which I would have completed 100 km more.

Inspiration of the Week

My preparation with G.R.E was a bit inconsistent these holidays. I had a long conversation with my batch mate Chaitanya about this and he rekindled my spirits. Thank you Chaitanya 🙂

Screenshots of the week

On what makes a great programmer.

On how to talk to strangers.

On why the best things are often with the ones who struggle.

Quote/Lines of the Week

“I opened my mouth, almost said something. Almost. The rest of my life might have turned out differently if I had. But I didn’t.” – Khaled Hosseini

“If you arent different in a world of infinite choice” – Ramit Sethi

“Don’t aim at success. The more you aim at it and make it a target, the more you are going to miss it. For success, like happiness, cannot be pursued; it must ensue, and it only does so as the unintended side effect of one’s personal dedication to a cause greater than oneself or as the by-product of one’s surrender to a person other than oneself. Happiness must happen, and the same holds for success: you have to let it happen by not caring about it. I want you to listen to what your conscience commands you to do and go on to carry it out to the best of your knowledge. Then you will live to see that in the long-run—in the long-run, I say!—success will follow you precisely because you had forgotten to think about it”- Victor E. Frankl

Person of the Week

Hamza Khan is the owner of Wall Ride Park and he’s just 23. His vision of taking Skating and Cycling in Hyderabad to a whole new level is amazing.

Big Wins of the Week

I was consistent with 7-min workout this week. Considerable improvement in the state of my body.
Day 4, 5 and 6 of the 15-Day Daily Blogging Challenge were very tiring but still didn’t stop posting. Had to go past 12.

Hey there, if you loved this blog post and the articles inside it then please give it a thumbs up and also share with me what you found interesting this week, in the comments below.

Footnotes:

Image Courtesy: Google and my smartphone

5 Bullets

By gaucho

On June 20, 2017

In Ideas and Reflections

Book I’m ReadingHooked by Nir Eyal. Do you know why you are so addicted to whatsapp or youtube or facebook or pinterest and all the well-known apps? Because these apps have the ability to form a habit with you unconsciously. Nir Eyal takes you through the four steps of how to form habit forming products and these insights also apply to your personal life in sticking to good habits and overcoming bad habits.
What I’m Struggling with
The 15 Day Blogging challenge has really kept me thinking a lot. Postponing the writing to the evening has really affected my sleep patterns. The quality has been going down since the last two posts. Proper planning and execution is a must.
Present Micro Habits
I’m presently taking a warm shower before going to bed. Started doing this after reading an article on how a shower 45 min before sleep reduces your core temperature resulting in better sleep.
Another micro habit is the 7 min workout in the evening. Been doing it consistently with some misses here and there. I see an increased chest and shoulder.
Excited AboutFirst is the Go-Skate Boarding Day tomorrow. An evening full of adrenaline.
Second is the application for Microsoft Student Partner which involves me taking a video documenting the journey so far and my contributions to Microsoft till now and hence forth in under 2 minutes.
Person I’m following
Gary Vaynerchuk is a 40 year old entrepreneur and his short videos and podcasts on Instagram and SoundCloud have really kept me going. His videos on You tube are no less than exhilarating.

Small Apps. Big Difference

By gaucho

On June 19, 2017

In Ideas and Reflections

Today I’m going to share with you 3 very simple apps which have brought a great deal of organisation, productivity and vigor in me. And the best news? All of them are free!!
Each app solved 3 deep engrained hiccups of mine.

Procrastination

Everyone suffers from this, but very few do something about it. Google “How to overcome Procrastination” and you’ll definitely find a Pomodoro Technique there. Pomodoros are 25 min chunks of time. When lazy just start your work without any distractions for just 25 minutes. And TIDE helps you in just that. It has 5 different modes- night, rain, forest, muse and café. Each mode has a very soothing natural sound and a timer set for 25 minutes, just enough time for you to gain some momentum with your work. The pleasing music helps you get into the zone. Thus, also helping you get rid of the background noise.
So just put on your headset and turn on Tide and get into your flow! I write all of my blog posts using Tide.

Health

We all know that exercise and proper food intake goes a long way in maintaining a healthy body. Sometimes I just eat all the trash I find and lay on bed the whole day. All I needed was a simple reminder throughout the day to remind me “Garbage In. Garbage Out”.

To Do Reminder came to my rescue. This app lets you puts reminders throughout the day which can be looped.
I have put three major reminders:

* One reminder for every hour to nudge me to drink some water
* A second reminder every two hours to prompt me to have some light food
* A third one in the evening which reminds me to complete the 7-min Workout.

It’s been great so far!

Commute

My institution is 40 km away from my home. That’s a total of 4 hours commute every single day. Two things I always go to during this time are- books and podcasts. And for podcasts, I love Podcast Addict. Tons of content just waiting to be heard. Wide range of topics from history, politics, comedy, showbiz, entrepreneurship, business, markets, etc. My favourite is the Tim Ferriss show where Tim deconstructs world class performers. He’s almost done 250 episodes with over 150 the* best in the world. Some other recommendations would be Freakonomics, Invisibilia and Intelligence Squared.

So please do try out these three apps and I’m very positive that you can improve your life dramatically with these.

TIDE : https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=io.moreless.tide&hl=en

REMINDER: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ToDoReminder.gen&hl=en

PODCAST: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.bambuna.podcastaddict&hl=en

If you have any apps which had a similar impact on you, please leave it in a comment below.
Happy with the post? then like and share this post with your friends and family. Thank you!

An Evening at the Wall Ride Park

By gaucho

On June 18, 2017

In Escapades

I regularly check the events and rides organised Bike Affair and I was pleasantly surprised when that week’s event was a 20 km ride to a Skate Park followed by some pumping 😛 . I never expected a BMX/Skate Park in Hyderabad. Maybe in Mumbai or Bangalore but not here.I went through the Skates Park’s Facebook Page and it totally blew my mind. Going back to January’17, in an event organised for all the cycle enthusiasts and contributors in the city, I came across a guy in his twenties who explained his idea of having a skate park in Hyderabad and guess what? it was already under way. I was very excited about it back then but I slowly forgot about it. Coming back to now, I was more than animated upon knowing that the park was completed.

Along with 4 of my friends, who were skeptical of cycling 20 km till the park decided otherwise and we started for the park on our motor vehicles at 7:15 pm. The park is on the Chevella road behind the Telangana State Police Academy [TSPA]. We reached there by 8 and were greeted by Hamza and his father, both lively and amiable people

About Wall Ride Park

The half-acre park basically has two divisions – one being a pump track and the other a skate track. The pump track covering 60% of the land.

The Pump track: This track consists of a series of zig zag ups and downs which help in building momentum necessary for the pumping.

The Skate track: This track has a curved incline, inclined planes and a couple of fixed rods. A lot can be done only if you know how to skate :p

There was also a canteen serving pizzas, samosas, sandwiches, energy drinks and water. Toilets will be also be available (they were still under construction when we went). The charges were 50/- per person on that day but will be 220/- for every hour henceforth. The entire park has flood lights so you can stay there till 11 pm. The timings might be 6 am till 12 pm and then 4 pm till 11 pm.

The Pumping Starts

Hamza walked us through how to handle a BMX mongoose bike. In a pump track, there is no need for pedaling. You have to use the pumping motion of your body against the ups and downs of the track to generate momentum. He first showed us how to keep your legs leveled on the pedals and then demonstrated how one should pump the body on the track. Then we each took turns to ride the bike. You probably would have to pedal in the first 4-5 rides but once you get the hang of the pumping motion, I’m sure you wouldn’t get off the bike. Too much fun!! We started at 8:30 and went on till 11. That’s how much addictive it is!! In between we had some delicious Pizza and sandwiches followed by some energy drinks. During the end, we rode with our biker gloves on and there was a remarkable difference. See for yourself!! There were many fun moments throughout the night. Even kids had fun here. Hamza kept doing many stunts. A 180 degree turn, many flips and the best of all, a wall ride. Many other skate boarders joined too. They showed us how to skate. I tried some stunts but wasn’t successful. Will try harder the next time. Overall, an evening well spent and worth every rupee.
I’ll be going again this Wednesday on 21st June, 2017. A Go-Skate Boarding Day is being organised. Very much excited 🙂

Hey there, please do visit this park if you are in Hyderabad. If in any other city, try to visit a pump track nearest you. An experience worth having.

Foot Notes:

* Image Courtesy : Facebook
* Watch some pumping videos before you go.

Prompts

By gaucho

On June 17, 2017

In Ideas and Reflections

This is an exercise I would like you to try at least for a week. Only two simple steps.

Step 1: Every morning take a neat A4 sheet paper. Fold it and put it in your pocket. Also carry a pen/pencil with you.

Step 2: Whenever a thought worth noting comes across your mind, take the paper and note it down.
Repeat this process throughout the day and daily for a week.

This is heavily inspired from James Altucher. Undoubtedly I had nothing but a very positive experience from this. A lot of ideas and insights.

If you found this exercise helpful after a week then come back and hit like and also comment your experience below. Share this post with your friends and family too. Thank you 😊

Foot Notes:

* Try writing your prompts only with your non-dominant hand.
* Be specific about what you write. Trust me, you’ll forget what it means after a month or so.
* Image Courtesy : Google.

Cycling Tips

By gaucho

On June 16, 2017

In Ideas and Reflections

Cycling so far has given me a bucket load of memories which I will cherish forever. Besides being a very sociable activity, it is considered by many as a full body workout. Calorie burner I mean. Cycling has also many other benefits.
I’ll put down all that I’ve learned so far in the 6 months of cycling I have done so that you will know beforehand what to expect and prepare accordingly.

Note: This will be a brief post and I won’t be going into the mechanics of cycling. If you contradict with any of the below mentions, please leave a comment below. I will be more than glad to rectify myself.

Accessories for Bikes:

When you first start cycling, more than the pain in your legs and thighs (as you would expect) the pain in your shoulders, neck, spine, wrists and buttocks will be greater. If you start taking precautions early, you’ll definitely have a smooth experience.

Considering you will be cycling regularly (long and short distances), you have to buy a couple of things.

* First will be a cycling short. Why? When I cycled long distances the only real bothering was the pain in my butt. A real pain in the ass I mean!
The cycling short adds extra padding to your bottom and helps in preventing discomfort and numbness. It might cost you around 500/- to 1500/- for a good one.

* Your head is your most vital organ. You wouldn’t want to risk its safety. So, take time to buy a helmet. Also, the vents in the helmet help in the air flow and your sweating will be reduced. Remember to put a cloth over your hair to prevent hair damage.

* Next would be to buy a pair of gloves so that your palm wont twinge you. I prefer a biker gloves to bicycle gloves. The only problem with biker gloves would be with removing the glove every time you need to use your hands for say eating, handling phone, etc.

* If you are the kind of person who’s concerned about the tan ( I am!!) you need to buy a pair of sleeves and also a face mask to protect from the sunlight.

* To carry essential things like some fruits/nuts, phone, keys etc you either should have a rider shirt (which has pockets) or a light weight bag.

If you are tight on the pocket, of all the things mentioned above a helmet would be sufficient. Rest of them you can buy eventually depending on your commitment to the sport. I use a helmet, a pair of biker gloves, my laptop bag and a hand kerchief as a face mask.

Cycling Types :

There are different types of cycles suited for different reasons. For starters, hybrid bike would be a good choice and a good one would cost you 10,000 to 15,000 in INR.

* Single Speed Bikes : These are the regular bikes we see. They don’t have gears. Suitable for casual ride and exhausting on longer ones. I presently own a single speed bike.

* Mountain Bikes (MTB) : These are the bikes best known for off roading. It can handle all types of terrains.

* Road Bikes : These are the bikes on which fastest speed can be achieved due to their light weightedness, build dynamics and flatter tyres.

* Hybrid Bikes : As the name suggests these are bikes built for both on road (good surfaces) and off road (uneven and rocky surfaces).

Shifting Gears:

Note 1 : Might be confusing if you never looked at a gear cycle.
Note 2 : 2-7 means 2^nd gear on the front and 7^th gear on the back.

Moving on now, what you need to know is how to efficiently shift the gears. If you do it correctly, then you can easily cover long distances without any fatigue. This is what helped me. (with respect to 3front gear + 7rear gear).

* Always shift the gears while in pedalling motion. Do not shift when your legs are stationary.
* Never have a higher front gear(3) and a lower rear gear(1,2,3) or a lower front gear(1) and a higher rear gear(5,6,7). This will create a lot of tension in the chain and it might break. But, for the front gear of 2 you can use the rear gear range from 1-7.
* Never shift directly from 3-7 to 2-7. Go down from 3-7 to 3-5 and then shift to 2-5 and then move to 2-7. Applicable vice versa for moving from 2-7 to 3-7.
When it’s Uphill :

Shift your gears down to 2-5/2-6(front gear-rear gear) 10-20metres before the incline.
If you shift early, then you wouldn’t face the extra effort you’d have to put when you shift late.

As you go up the incline shift to 2-4/2-3/2-2 based on your requirement. If it’s gets too uphill, shift the front gear down to 1.

When it’s Downhill :

Shift slowly from 2-x to 3-5 by the top of the slope. From there on, shift from 3-5 to 3-6 to 3-7. Though you might feel like just letting go, cycle hard in the slope. It makes a lot of difference in the pace you maintain. Trust me.**

Other things to remember :

* To prevent shoulder and back pain, you need to position your back properly. Check online videos for proper posture. Also proper pedal positioning and saddle height are very important.

* Always use your rear brake predominantly and use front brake only when it’s completely necessary.
When you use the front brake suddennly shift your body weight on to the rear wheel by moving your lower body to the back positioning it in the air.

* When I ride long distances, I usually listen to podcasts so that I focus on what’s being spoken and this takes away the pain from my mind. I rode 166km on an MTB for the first time with podcasts playing a major part towards the end. ( I love you Tim Ferriss).

* Don’t eat anything heavy before riding. Check for proper chain and air leaks.

Thanks to the Hyderabad Bicycling Club I’ve been cycling consistently for the past 6 months and completed 1500 km. My goal for the next one year would be 5000 km.
So, when are you going to cycle?

Hey there, check out this Youtube channel for proper guidance on cycling. Also check Meetup for cycling clubs near you. If you found this blogpost useful please like and put a comment below and also share it with your friends. Thank You!!

Foot Notes :

* Image Courtesy : Google
** Considering you would want the fastest time.

Take Your Time

By gaucho

On June 15, 2017

In Ideas and Reflections, Reflections

One of my favourite writers on Quora, Nicolas Cole once wrote in an answer “You are exactly where you are supposed to be. Don’t Worry. “. And he’s absolutely right.

Let me give you a couple of excerpts from my life.

** This was back in Dec’15 and I was at a family get together. My cousin from U.S.A asked me what my hobbies were. I was completely stumped by that question and I didn’t have an answer to that. With a hesitation, I replied “I don’t have any”. I really didn’t get anything else to say. He snickered and asked me “How come you don’t have any hobbies”. His chuckle embarrassed me. To be honest, I didn’t have much of a hobby back then. I played football, badminton, sudoku and chess but not frequently to be considered a hobby. So, I responded with a lie. “Well I’m into programming”, I said. The remaining conversation? Too trivial to remember.

** Moving forward to Feb’16. The same question from my brother’s friend. I was better prepared this time. “I blog about chess and web applications”… I lied with a smile on my face.

** My English teacher asked me if I would like to be the Master of Ceremonies/Anchor at one of my college events in my 2^nd year of college. I was a bit doubtful of the proposition as I was a very shy and timid person. I don’t have it in me to speak in front of an audience, I thought. I denied.

** Our college did not have a proper football team when I just joined. We formed a team and participated in three tournaments in a period of 12 months. And the results were 0-4, 0-2 and 0-1. Our team never scored a goal.
Too many Failures? Read ahead.

Fast forward to June’17

** Eventually I cultivated some hobbies.
I finally started writing for my blog (Nope. Not about chess and web applications).
I am cycling regularly. Two rides a week at the least. Close to completing 1500kms since Dec’16.
I’m in love with podcasts and books. My favourite is The Tim Ferriss Show and I’m averaging about 3 books per month.

** Our Football team won its first match on 30^th March’17 followed by another win the next day. Felt amazing. ( Didn’t make it to the finals though).

** I also got the chance to introduce our chief guest on our college’s annual day. Finally got to speak in front of an audience. Also giving more presentations in my class and attending many Toastmaster events.
Along with these I also visited the state of Rajasthan three months back. Alone. My first solo trip.

These may not be too grand to call as success but I am proud that I’m making progress. A little late compared to my peers but I’m in no hurry 😊.
Take your time. Don’t rush your life. Things will happen at their own course. Don’t compare yourself or your life with that of others. Everyone is running a different race.

Now stop for a second. Get up from your chair, go to trash can and dump everything I just said in the last 10 seconds. Done?
One thing you should always remember and never forget is that Life is what you make of it. I accept that circumstances [Schooling, College, Friend Circle] play their part, but you need to digest the fact that it always has been and will be so on YOU!! Results are never in our hand, but efforts always are.

I’ll relate again.

** The first time somebody questioned me about my hobbies, I should have introspected and started investing my time in a better way. Cultivating some hobbies. Probably guitar, dance or even beatboxing.
Which I didn’t.

** After refusing the offer by my English teacher I should have taken the time to improve my presentation skills, dialogue delivery and body language.
Which I didn’t.

** When our team lost the first match we should have analysed our game, practised more often and done all the things which would have made us better.
Which I didn’t.

I left all of them to chance.

Life belongs to the prepared. “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation” – Arthur Ashe.
** You should not rush through life. But you should seek to be a better version of yourself each and every day. Suffer the pain of discipline or suffer the pain of regret.

** Things will happen at their own course. But you should not leave everything to chance. Even the Gita preaches to never focus on the results but to focus on the efforts. For example, I can’t expect my blog to go viral or reach XXX number of views. But I can put my daily effort into writing, say 500 words per day.

** Don’t compare yourself or your life with others. But you need to know where you stand. What skills the world would be requiring? How can you make yourself more useful? . You should know what strengths you can capitalise on and the weakness to work on.

** Everyone is running a different race. So study their mistakes. Don’t make them. Try to learn something from everyone. Develop a lattice work of mental models.*(1)
You are what you think you are.
You are what you do.
You are what you make of your time.

My next goals?
** A great university after graduation.

** 5000Km on cycle by June’18.

** 250 Blog posts by June’18.

** Make it to at least one football final by the end of the year.

** Work upon the mobile applications which I have been postponing upon.

And I sure as hell won’t leave them to chance.

Hey there, Nicolas Cole is one of my favourite writes on Quora and I look up to him. Do check out his profile and his answers. Very helpful and very insightful. And also please do like and comment on this article below and also share them with your friends and family if you liked it. Thank you 😊

Foot Notes:

(1) Mental Models of Charles Munger