NAVEEN NIVERTHY

AUTHOR, MARKETING & SALES LEADER, LIFE STRATEGIST

Think Better and Thrive. Step by Step.

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Health. Work. Love. Parenting. Spirituality.

  • When Knowledge Vanishes: Rethinking the Meaning of Pramāṇa

    What if we defined knowledge not by what we can gain, but by what we can never regain? There’s a quietly powerful idea that’s been simmering beneath the surface of philosophical inquiry, and it shifts the way we think about how we come to know anything at all. At the heart of it is this…

  • All We Ever Seek Is Freedom — But It Changes Its Face as We Grow

    Freedom is one of the most important ideas in human life. At its heart, it means the ability to live, think, and act without unnecessary limits. But it’s not just about doing whatever we want — it’s about having the space to choose, and the strength to live with those choices. What’s interesting, though, is…

  • A Decade Ahead: How AI Will Redefine Human Life by 2035

    As artificial intelligence continues to evolve, its impact on our daily lives is becoming not only apparent but foundational. I think the next decade will bring a sea change—disrupting our cities, job markets, educational institutions, and even the way commerce works. These predictions outline a future shaped by AI, not just as a tool, but…

  • The Universe ‘I’s: Alan Watts on Death, Consciousness, and Being

    Isn’t it remarkable that from the vast nothingness of what you don’t remember—your past before memory, before birth—you find yourself here, alive, conscious, watching, listening, being? Alan Watts, in one of his most haunting and poetic monologues, delves deep into the mystery that most people avoid thinking about: death. But rather than fear it, deny…

  • The Truman Show and Advaita Vedānta: Walking Through the Painted Sky

    “We accept the reality of the world with which we’re presented.” — Christof, The Truman Show At first glance, The Truman Show might seem like a dystopian science fiction film about surveillance and control. But beneath its Hollywood surface lies a profound spiritual metaphor—one that resonates deeply with the timeless teachings of Advaita Vedānta. For…

  • Money as the Currency of Love: Reconciling Spirituality and Abundance

    For many people who walk a spiritual path, the question arises at some point: is making money bad if I’m a spiritual person? It’s a question that lingers in meditation halls, in quiet conversations after yoga classes, or even within our own inner reflections. The unease comes from a common perception: that money, wealth, or…

  • Having vs. Being: A Life-Changing Choice We Don’t Even Realize We’re Making

    What if the biggest mistake we’re making in life is not about what we do—but how we exist? In To Have or To Be?, Erich Fromm draws a sharp line between two modes of living that shape our personalities, our relationships, and even our entire culture: the having mode and the being mode. These aren’t just philosophical abstractions—they’re practical, day-to-day…

  • Why Analytical Idealism Still Needs the Heart of Advaita

    Analytical Idealism has sparked a fascinating resurgence of interest in metaphysical questions once sidelined by modern science. Its central claim—that consciousness is the fundamental substrate of reality—resonates deeply with non-dual traditions, especially Advaita Vedānta. Thinkers like Bernardo Kastrup have offered rigorous, compelling arguments within the language of Western philosophy and analytic thought, demonstrating that consciousness…

  • Respecting Time: Beyond Showing Up on Schedule

    When most of us hear the phrase “respecting time,” the first thought that comes to mind is punctuality. We believe that if we promise to meet a friend at 6 p.m. at a café and we show up at 6 p.m. sharp, then we’ve done our job. We respected time. While that’s not wrong, it’s…

  • The Dance of Roles and the Silent Witness

    Life often feels like a stage on which I am endlessly shifting roles. When I travel for work and step into a workshop or meeting, I become the professional self—engaged, focused, fully absorbed in tasks, conversations, and responsibilities. In that moment, it feels as though this is the truest version of me, the role that…

  • Being Mortal: Rethinking How We Approach Aging and the End of Life

    It’s easy to see why Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande is a favorite for so many readers. It is one of those rare books that blends the precision of a surgeon’s mind with the compassion of someone willing to confront the truths most of us would rather avoid.…

  • Redefining Wealth: My Idea of a Truly Rich Life

    When we think of the word rich, our minds often leap to images of yachts bobbing in blue waters, designer labels, palatial homes, and private jets. It’s what pop culture sells us — the glittery symbols of affluence. But the more I’ve lived, the more I’ve realized that none of that quite resonates with me.…

  • Tossed by the Tides: Fear, Anger, and Desire in the Ocean of Samsāra

    Much of what we call “life” — its highs and lows, the triumphs and heartbreaks — is quietly steered by three powerful undercurrents: fear, anger, and desire. So deeply woven into our personal, professional, and social worlds, they often move us without our even knowing. Decisions we think are rational, reactions we believe are justified,…

  • The Power of Repair: Why It’s Never Too Late to Reconnect with Your Child

    If you’re a parent, chances are you’ve had at least one moment where you’ve lost your temper — maybe even more than one. The kind of moment where you say something you regret, where the anger spills out before you can pull it back in. The guilt that follows can be crushing. You tell yourself,…

  • If I Could Turn Back Time: A Meditation on Youth, Memory, and Moving Forward

    At 42, I find myself often caught in a quiet, persistent thought: I wish I was 20 years younger. It’s not an unusual yearning, I know. The desire to rewind time is one of the most human longings there is. But even as I say it, I understand how impossible it is. Time doesn’t play…

  • New Ways to Be Happier: Practical Wisdom from Vanessa King and a Growing Global Movement

    We all want to feel happier and more resilient, especially when life gets messy. But what does it really take to build lasting wellbeing—not just for ourselves, but for the people we care about? For me, this question became personal. I’ve not only championed the Action for Happiness movement in my own life, but also…

  • The Beautiful Trouble of Raising a Human

    Parenting is not a profession, a project, or a plan—it’s a wild, messy, magical relationship. From the moment a child is born, a parent is thrown into a lifetime of balancing joy and frustration, love and fatigue, laughter and tears. It is both the hardest and most rewarding journey a person can embark on. And…

  • The Journey Is All There Is: Naval Ravikant on Time, Happiness, and Success

    Part 2: In a deeply reflective conversation, entrepreneur and philosopher Naval Ravikant sits down with Chris to dissect the complex interplay between time, happiness, success, suffering, and fame. It’s not a motivational soundbite session, but rather an honest, often self-revealing discussion on how to live a good life—not just by chasing goals, but by understanding…

  • The Silent Power of Self-Esteem: Lessons from Naval Ravikant and Chris Williamson

    Part 1: In a thought-provoking conversation between Chris Williamson and Naval Ravikant, they unpack one of the quietest, yet most significant forces that shapes our lives — self-esteem. Far from being a motivational buzzword or self-help cliché, self-esteem, in their view, is the silent engine behind confidence, decision-making, success, and even our ability to love…

  • More Than Happy: Embracing the Four Pillars of a Meaningful Life

    We live in a time where happiness is marketed as the ultimate goal. It’s on magazine covers, in self-help books, and on Instagram feeds. But what if the secret to a fulfilling life isn’t happiness at all, but something deeper—something steadier? Writer and positive psychology researcher Emily Esfahani Smith offers a profound answer: the key…

  • Squeezing All the Juice Out of Retirement: A Journey Through the Four Phases

    Retirement: it’s the dream we all chase, a distant horizon filled with leisurely mornings, no commutes, and endless personal freedom. But what happens when the initial thrill wears off and you’re left wondering, “Now what?” That very question is what drove Dr. Riley Moynes—educator, author, financial advisor, and now retirement researcher—to dive deep into the…

  • The Success Graph: Why Agency Matters More Than Talent

    Imagine a simple two-axis graph. One axis measures your talent—your innate abilities in areas like art, science, athletics, or music. The other measures your agency—your will, discipline, and drive to act. This graph, in all its simplicity, holds the blueprint for understanding why some people thrive while others merely get by. Everyone falls somewhere on…

  • From Regret to Wisdom: What the Dying Teach Us About Living Fully

    When we imagine the end of our lives, we hope to look back with peace, not regret. But for many, the final days bring clarity—and painful reflections on what truly mattered. Bronnie Ware, an Australian palliative care nurse, spent years caring for patients in their final weeks. In her book The Top Five Regrets of…

  • Emptiness vs. Consciousness: Madhyamaka and Advaita Vedanta Compared

    Among the richest philosophical traditions in human history, the Madhyamaka school of Buddhism and the Advaita Vedanta school of Hinduism have long stood as towering articulations of non-duality. Both traditions aim to lead the practitioner toward liberation through the realization of ultimate truth. Yet their paths, while converging in some experiential sense, diverge sharply in…

  • The Four Stages of Life: Why You Might Be Stuck and How to Move Forward

    Most of us grow up thinking life is a straight path: go to school, get a job, build a family, and retire. But life rarely unfolds that neatly. Mark Manson, best known for The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck, argues that life actually progresses through four distinct stages — and many of us get…

  • The Everyday Science of Meaning in Life

    For as long as humans have reflected on their existence, the question of life’s meaning has hovered at the edges of philosophy, religion, and literature. Is life meaningful? And if so, how and why? While these questions may sound like the domain of poets and mystics, modern psychology has quietly built a robust science around…

  • How Do We Measure the Meaning of Life?

    What makes life feel meaningful? Is it having a clear sense of purpose, achieving personal goals, living according to one’s principles, or perhaps feeling that life itself is inherently valuable? For decades, philosophers and psychologists alike have wrestled with these questions, and in recent years, the quest to understand and measure “meaning in life” has…

  • The Illusion of Self: What Altered Minds Teach Us About Who We Are

    What if everything you thought you knew about yourself—your memories, your body, even your sense of being—was not as solid as it seemed? Science writer Anil Ananthaswamy invites us to explore this provocative idea through the lens of “altered selves,” experiences shaped by conditions like schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s, foreign limb syndrome, and out-of-body phenomena. His exploration…

  • Press Pause and Reflect: The Power of a Life Audit

    We live in a fast-moving world. Days blur into weeks, and before we know it, months have slipped by. We chase goals, tick off tasks, juggle responsibilities—but how often do we actually stop and ask ourselves whether we’re on the right path? That’s where a life audit comes in. It’s not just another to-do; it’s…

  • Occupying Death: Why We Must Take Back the End of Life

    Death, once a part of everyday life and openly discussed within families and communities, has become a medical event hidden behind hospital curtains and euphemisms. Dr. Peter Saul, an intensive care specialist with decades of experience, challenges us to reclaim the dying process from the high-tech medicalized model that now dominates how we leave this…

  • What It’s Like to Be a Bat: Why Consciousness Still Eludes Science

    In 1974, philosopher Thomas Nagel published an essay with a title that sounds like it belongs to a children’s book: What Is It Like to Be a Bat? But behind this seemingly playful question lies one of the most profound philosophical challenges of the modern age: the mystery of consciousness. Specifically, whether we can ever…

  • The Great Methods of Advaita Vedanta: A Journey Through Its Prakriyās

    “Like stepping stones across a river, each method of Advaita guides us from confusion to clarity, from appearance to truth, from bondage to freedom.” Advaita Vedanta, the crown jewel of India’s spiritual philosophy, doesn’t teach by dogma. It teaches by methods — carefully crafted, time-tested methods called prakriyās. These are not just dry academic tools,…

  • The Lobby of Echoes: What David Eagleman’s “Metamorphosis” Tells Us About Death

    What if death wasn’t just the end? Not of breath, not of body, but of story. That’s the unsettling, poetic lens David Eagleman gives us in Metamorphosis, a story from his book Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives. In a deceptively simple narrative, Eagleman transforms the abstract weight of mortality into a strangely mundane yet…

  • One More Year or One Less Regret? A Reflection on Joe’s Message About Retirement Fear

    Every once in a while, a message cuts through the noise—not with hype, but with truth. That’s exactly what Joe delivers in his video, “One More Year”, a candid, sobering talk about fear, time, and the tough decision of when to retire. It’s not your typical financial pep talk. There are no charts or calculations…

  • When Life Slows Down, You Begin to Wake Up

    Sometimes, you come across a video that feels like someone is speaking the words you didn’t know you needed to hear. That’s what happened when I watched Reflections Of My Life on YouTube. It wasn’t just a personal story — it was a mirror. A wake-up call. A gentle but powerful reminder that life is…