I stumbled upon this book as my first read of the year without any particular reason, apart from its popularity and reputation for being an easy-to-digest book. However, I am glad I picked it up because Naval's philosophical insights on various aspects of life, such as spirituality, relationships, happiness, and wealth, deeply resonated with me. His eloquent articulation of ideas made me feel as if he was expressing my own thoughts but in a more refined and precise manner. This book has been an eye-opener for me, and I have marked certain sections that I intend to revisit throughout the year. Here are some of my favorite takeaways:

1. Nothing comes before health - physical, mental, and spiritual

2. Read a lot - reading is not about finishing a book or a race - the better the book, the more slowly it should be absorbed. 

3. Apply knowledge with leverage. All returns in life, whether wealth, relationships, or knowledge, come from compound interest. 

4. Happiness is a choice. We can train our brains to be happy. Desire is a new contract you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want. 

5. “There is no meaning to life. There is no purpose to life. It’s like writing on water or building houses on sand. The reality is you have been dead for the history of the universe, 10 billion years or more. You will be dead for the next 70 billion years or so. Anything you do will fade. It will disappear, just like the human race will disappear and the planet will disappear. No one is going to remember you passed a certain number of generations, whether you are an artist, a poet, a conqueror, or anyone else. There is no meaning. I think after this life, it’s very much like before you were born. Remember that? It’s going to be just like that.” 

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One of the strongest take-away from this book that has changed my perception about money forever is that "Money is Freedom". Controlling your time is the highest dividend money pays. The highest form of wealth is the ability to wake up in the morning and say, " I can do whatever I want today",  without having to worry about securing my tomorrow because my future is already secured.

Morgan talks about how money moves around in the economy and that the way people deal with money is largely dependent on their perception and past experience with money. He explains how one can make the right choices for money to work for them instead of against them by sharing 19 short stories of success and failures. 

Here are some of my favorite excerpts from the book:

• Saving is a hedge against life's inevitable ability to surprise the hell out of you at the worst possible moment.

• Saving after a certain limit is the gap between your income and ego. 

• Compounding - $ 81.5 billion of Warren Buffet's $ 84.5 billion net worth came after his 65th birthday. 

• The chief ingredient in the growth of a portfolio is time. 

• Your personal experiences with money make up maybe 0.0000001 % of what's happened in the world, but maybe  80% of how you think the world works - The power of perception. 

• No one is as impressed with your possessions as much as you are. 

"My Life in Full" is an inspiring memoir by Indira Noyi, the former CEO of PepsiCo. Noyi's remarkable journey, from her humble beginnings in Chennai to the top of the corporate ladder, teaches us about the power of effort, grit, and perseverance. Throughout her 12-year tenure as CEO, Noyi prioritized health and environmental sustainability, and her story provides valuable insight into what it takes to lead a successful global corporation.

As I read this memoir, I was struck by Noyi's incredible work ethic and unwavering dedication to her craft. From her early career in textiles to her tenure at Motorola, Noyi's passion for learning and deep understanding of her products drove her success. Her story serves as a reminder that regardless of industry, success comes from a deep understanding of one's product and a relentless pursuit of excellence.

In addition to Noyi's professional achievements, she shares the personal sacrifices and challenges she faced along the way, including juggling family responsibilities and missing important moments. Through it all, Noyi maintains a can-do sense of optimism and a must-do sense of responsibility that is truly inspiring. Her memoir is a testament to the power of hard work, passion, and dedication, and a must-read for anyone looking to make their mark in the corporate world.

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This is a one-time, quick skim-through read. Great insights and action points for a happier and content self. 

1. Quit nagging

2. Don't expect praise or appreciation

3. Fight right- fight for resolution not to win

4. Give proof of love - There is no love, there are only proofs of love. Whatever love I might feel in my heart, the other person will only see my actions

5. Acknowledge the reality of people's feelings

6. Stimulate the brain in new ways

7. Find an area of refugee - whenever in a bad or negative mood - go for productive distractions. (Easier said than done)

8. Life is too short to save your good china, or your good lingerie, or your good anything for later because truly, the later may never come.

9. I have an idea of who I wish I were, and that obscures my understanding of who I actually am

10. There are times in the lives of most of us when we would have given all the world to be as we were yesterday, though that yesterday had passed over us, unappreciated and unenjoyed. - William Edward Hartpole Lecky

11. One of life's small pleasures is to return something to its proper place  - declutter

12. When life was taking its ordinary course, it was hard to remember what really mattered

13. You can choose what you do but you can't choose what you like to do. You can do anything you want, you cannot do everything you want. 

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