The Second Arrow


Amar Pandit
A respected entrepreneur with 25+ years of Experience, Amar Pandit is the Founder of several companies that are making a Happy difference in the lives of people. He is currently the Founder of Happyness Factory, a world-class online investment & goal-based financial planning platform through which he aims to help every Indian family save and invest wisely. He is very passionate about spreading financial literacy and is the author of 4 bestselling books (+ 2 more to release in 2020), 8 Sketch Books, Board Game and 700 + columns.

October 8, 2021 | 2 Minute Read
There is an insightful story of Buddha’s teaching in the book “Ichigo Ichie” by Hector Garcia and Francesc Miralles.
“If a person is walking through the forest and is shot by an arrow, is it painful?”, asked Buddha.
“Of course,” answered his follower.
“And if he is then shot by a second arrow, is it even more painful?” continued Buddha.
“Of course, much more than the first.”
The first arrow represents the bad things that happen to us, which we cannot avoid,” the Buddha concluded. “Those things over which we have no control. But we are the ones who shoot the second arrow, inflicting unnecessary damage on ourselves.”
Regulation, Change, and Competition are examples of the first arrow.
We have been hit by so many first arrows over the last 12 years. Our reaction of overthinking, resistance and worrying causes more pain. This is our Second Arrow.
First Arrows are a part of our life as well as our industry/profession and there might be many first arrows waiting for us. There is no escaping these first ones but what we can definitely avoid are the lethal second arrows.
It helps to remember Buddha’s powerful saying, “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.”
One way to remove or avoid the second arrow is to simply DO the Next and Most Necessary Thing. Read Tuesday’s post in case you missed it.
What about your Second Arrow? Do you have any?
By the way, you can’t remove any arrow that you pretend isn’t there.
Similar Post
Nano Learning
Your Tribe
Another lovely idea from James Clear. “If you want to be in the top 1% of a particular domain, then you can’t take your cues from and follow the social norms of 99% of peopl ....Read More
10 December, 2021 | 2 Minute Read
Nano Learning
The Busybee
What does the word Busybee remind you of? The first thing it reminded me was the Late Behram Contractor and his newspaper. Behram Contractor, popularly known as Busybee, was a ....Read More
18 November, 2022 | 2 Minute Read
Nano Learning
Remove these Knots
This is a super powerful visual that I saw last week. Look at the 3 knots that are holding back success. a. Distractions b. Inaction c. Limiting Beliefs Aren’t these the 3 ....Read More
25 March, 2022 | 2 Minute Read
Nano Learning
Investment Mindset or Cost Mindset
It is so ironic that despite talking about investments, most founders in this industry/profession do not have an investment mindset themselves. One of the influencers in the indust ....Read More
26 June, 2020 | 1 Minute Read
Nano Learning
Map versus Compass
A Map gives a specific direction between 2 places. A Compass on the other hand only gives Direction. We often look for a Map in everything we do. However sometimes, a compass is al ....Read More
18 December, 2020 | 2 Minute Read
- 0
- 0
0 Comments