Those 'OPTICS' In Life

 

Sometimes, "IT'S OPTICS".  Earlier tonight, I was watching the Netflix Series "The Staircase" and the husband of his late wife was about to be indicted and his lawyer advised him that he has to surrender himself to the police.  And as a piece of advice, bring 50 bucks and a bible.  He retorted, "A BIBLE? HOW ABOUT A QURAN?"  His lawyer then advised him in a serious tone, "IT'S OPTICS".  YES YES Yowwww, there are times in life where "IT'S OPTICS" NOT because one is deceiving OR deceptive BUT it's how things play out in life💚💛💜

Forget about those meddlers, busybodies, chatterboxes and kibitzers BUT the harsh truth is that generally in life, WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET.  Try leaving your home even for just a walkaround in your local community, with your eyes swollen.  WHAT else will folks conclude [much as they are NOT intentionally there to monitor OR track you❎❎❎

HOW often do we see splashed across media a long-wanted fugitive on the loose WHO [finally] gets captured by authorities. And in the next photo-op, you could see him clutching a bible or a rosary [for Christians].  NOT to nitpick on that fugitive BUT that's how OPTICS in life really play out.  And even WHEN all your hands are on deck, that's the most you can do and invoke, to leverage on those OPTICS in life.  WHY?  Because WHEN you are left with very limited cards to play besides being severely handicapped, that's your 'best cards' to play.  Obviously, you can opt NOT to 'ride that merry-go-round' and be WHAT YOU ARE.  BUT WHY NOT leverage on those OPTICS in life WHEN you are left with the least options to play on😀😀😀

YES dude, we're NOT encouraging people to be hypocrites or increase the number of FAKE ones with whom we co-exist.  We can find that cowing lothario WHO is exerting his darn best mindful of that 'best foot forward' mindset and ethically OR even morally, there's nothing wrong with that at all💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  Much as life can NEVER be perfect and we ourselves can NEVER be that 'spotless' even for the most petty stuff, at times, those petty stuff do matter and quite surprisingly, at times it does move those 'tectonic plates', either to boost OR shrink the perception people have on you.  BUT hold on, we're NOT encouraging you to keep track of people's perceptions because that's the least you can do except those OPTICS in life😡😡😡

A CLEARING In The Middle of a Fire!

 

A CLEARING IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIRE.  YES, it happens!  We DON'T need to be a meteorologist.  The thing is, FIRES abound everywhere, NOT that we welcome it BUT it's just a fact of life.  WHETHER it's storms OR fires OR even regional and global conflicts, there will always be a CLEARING IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIRE.  Just as WHAT happened in that war between the U.S., Israel and Iran.  After more than a month of unabated warfare, they flew over to Islamabad for ceasefire talks, WHICH, we all know, have failed miserably!!!

Swinging over to our personal lives, WHY are there narratives WHERE a very petty friction turned out into a full-blown fire? Rarely do we hear someone dumping barrels of fuel all over it.  SO HOW?  The most obvious reason is that generally, when friction turns into FIRE, almost every protagonist will add fuel to the FIRE with more fiery words, spewing out anger two, three OR ten times the magnitude.  Until everyone joins the fray and a line gets marked across the sands akin to the DMZ zone❎❎❎

BUT WHY can't we pick up a lesson or two from geopolitical players?  After both players are battered black and blue, seemingly impartial third parties will volunteer to mediate to create that CLEARING IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIRE.  BTW, that's the biggest opportunity for protagonist NOT just to 'recharge and regroup' BUT for 'cooler heads to prevail.  BUT is this really the way to go???

WHY?  For multiple reasons.  WHEN there's that CLEARING IN THE MIDDLE OF A FIRE, it's a given that emotions will simmer down and in its place, logic and reason will prevail [at least generally].  BUT the befuddling question is, WHAT adds FUEL TO FIRE?  Numero uno.  A third person OR even a fourth person joins the fray.  Segundo, the issue blows up and out beyond WHAT it was all along, originally😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  WHO's the culprit as to WHY cooler heads rarely prevail?  Let's all point our fingers to those emotions WHICH CAN'T be kept within those tightly closed jars.  WHAT this means is that emotions can become like those raging bulls in those famous [BUT dreaded Matador fests].  CAN'T we leverage a CLEARING IN THE MIDST OF FIRE???

How's Your OWN Shelf Life?

 

Not too long ago, WHEN we huddled with our Regional CEO, our discussions can cut across from financials to logistics to product sourcing and managing highly demanding markets like the Japan market WHICH was our primary market for our premium fresh produce like Asparagus and even Anthuriums.  Fast-forward to today, I realized that times have changed and they have changed so drastically to a point WHERE I tend to get mixed up and confused WHERE product cycles and shelf life would converge OR part ways.  And it made me realize that looking at our own selves, we as a product must have gone through a 'sea change' the past years.  It used to be, you can hear of an employee WHO started as an accountant and retired as an accountant.  HOW does that sound today???

NOT to sound harsh BUT indeed, times have changed and I realized of late that those changes could come out as harsh for some of us.  Today, one CAN'T start off in that junior accountant job role and feel secure to retire as an accountant.  WHEN the latest software and toolsets get rolled out [way before AI kind of takes over], I am honestly unsure WHAT happens next to our accountant WHO, decades back, would have felt so secure in that job role to even dream of retirement☝☝☝

YES dude, much as food has its shelf life, so do we.  So, WHERE's the distinction between our own shelf life and food itself?  It lies in the fact that WHILE food itself are very much managed in a controlled manner across the food chain, times have [drastically] changed for us humans.  In fact, refurbishing ourselves will be a gross understatement.  IF we needed to reinvent ourselves WHO used to work in a 'brick and mortar' environment, go for it!!!

WHEN I was an entry-level executive trainee in the technology space, I [wrongly] thought that I was at the 'top of the league', kind of feeling I was at the NBA rather than in any of the NCAA Division leagues.  What contributed to my distorted appreciation of things was the coincidence that I was working with one of the biggest global MNC's, an organization that was always tagged as one of the premium and blue-chip corporate accounts of those technology giants, e.g. IBM, HP, Oracle [oh yes, I have to intentionally omit Microsoft because at that point, Microsoft was NOT yet in technology's big league]💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  Dude, our SHELF LIFE should NOT be mapped with our human SHELF LIFE WHERE aging mechanisms like DNA decay limit us [despite the fact that human shelf life is generally estimated between 120-150 years].  To manage our own product cycle that trickles down to our SHELF LIFE, catching up with the quantum leaps in technology will be a gross understatement.  Dude, you and me and everyone else would NOT want to end up utterly obsolete and irrelevant, all because of PRODUCT CYCLES and SHELF LIFE😡😡😡

When Is Change Due?

 

WHEN IS CHANGE DUE?  Oooops, I might hear someone question WHY is CHANGE a talking point at all?  YES YES yooowwww, dude, CHANGE is and will always be a talking point.  Of course, we would hear:  WHY CHANGE IF THE CAR AIN'T BROKE?  ok ok ok.  I used to embrace that one-liner unconditionally.  BUT let's do some random samplings.  If we look back in our own life journeys, were everything seem to be PERFECT enough such that CHANGE was NOT DUE at all❌❌❌

WHAT IF in school, you were constantly an A-Dean's Lister from Day-1 till you graduated from university?  WHAT IF you were getting PERFECT ratings in your annual performance reviews at the workplace?  WHAT IF you were receiving salary merit adjustments every year?  WHAT IF your cash register in your startup business never ceases to stop clicking?  WHAT IF you finally have acquired the properties you want in life?  WHAT IF life seems to be constantly shiny and dandy?  WHAT IF year-on-year you ticked all the boxes in your wish list?  WHEN IS CHANGE DUE???

Frankly, if I were right in those random scenarios I listed, I'm NOT optimistic enough that I can ask myself WHEN IS CHANGE DUE?  Sadly, human nature tells us that WHEN everything is good, WHY talk about CHANGE?  Do we throw a monkey wrench when the waters are silent and stabilized?  Kodak.  Enron.  Polaroid.  Worldcom.  This is just a handful of companies WHO were lording it across their industry and eventually succumbed NOT until they folded up.  Question: Did they ever ask themselves as to WHEN CHANGE WAS OVERDUE in their respective organizations💥💥💥

That's the thing.  The path we take, whether it's for our personal pursuits or commercial initiatives, those roads are and will never be paved for us to throw out the window that question WHEN IS CHANGE DUE.  WHY?  Because CHANGE is due even WHEN things are perfectly good.  Because CHANGE is due even WHEN problems have not surfaced.  In our corporate world, we always crafted as SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS😃😃😃

Our takeaway:  NOT to be too pushy but even things are 99% good and almost perfect BUT if that smooth run ISN'T giving you any headaches yet, it DOESN'T mean that you can hold in abeyance your thoughts as to WHEN IS CHANGE DUE?  MAYBE, at that optimized 99% performance, you can still achieve with a slight fractional notch with LESS efforts and/or LESS time to 'deliver the goods'?  Thing is, it's NOT the results that's showing up on the surface.  It's the not-so-obvious need for SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS even when the sun is shiny and dandy.  So, WHEN IS CHANGE DUE dude?  NOT WHEN the red flag surfaces.  NOT WHEN the symptoms are staring on your face!@#$%?

Enamored With Perfect Life?

 

YES, it's a 'FEEL GOOD' day today, WHICH explains WHY we've got this damn giveaway question😃😃😃  ENAMORED WITH PERFECT LIFE?  YES, I'll be the first one to raise my hand and admit that everyday in my life, I've always been ENAMORED WITH PERFECT LIFE?  BUT there's nothing wrong to be ENAMORED WITH PERFECT LIFE as we have every right for that, right???

I DON'T need to look farther from moi.  Right from Day-1 WHEN I could claim to transition towards adulthood, I always thought there is nothing to be AIMING FOR THE SKY regardless of my endeavors and pursuits.  BUT admittedly, I have accepted things all along that there is no such thing as a PERFECT LIFE, nothing, nada, nichts!!! Yet, you might wonder WHY I remained ENAMORED WITH PERFECT LIFE?  There were multiple reasons behind it💚💛💜

Firstly, everyday in my life, I knew it that I really need a CATALYST from deep within me.  WHILE there are multiple external motivators, and that starts with your parents and mentors, your very own self is the PRIMUS INTER PARES, you are first among equals insofar as motivating yourself every tick of the clock.  I DON'T think this is even debatable but if there's a counter-argument on this, I'll take on that challenge to retort because this is simply stating the obvious💥💥💥

On the other hand, there's this other school of thought that tempers us from being ENAMORED WITH PERFECT LIFE, all because of some scary narratives that will, in the end, only push us down deep into that morass.  LIKE it will lead you to a different path which is altogether unrealistic.  OR you will end up wasting so much efforts coupled with stress aiming for something unrealistic.  OR once you have emptied your fuel tank, your frustration will seek at an all-time low😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  YES dude, there are always two sides of a coin.  And that's a-ok.  WHAT's NOT ok is WHEN we end up off-track by being engaged [i'll call it 'hostaged'] to opinions that seem to be veering towards cynicism way beyond pessimism.  If the upsides far outweigh the downsides, WHY shoot down the kite that will bring you to heights hitherto unreachable?  WHY do we end up with those WHAT IFs that are veering more towards pessimism WHEN you have your whole life to pour things out to pursue and aim towards achieving the very end goal you have earmarked for you.  At the end of the day, I firmly believe that we will reap more benefits being ENAMORED WITH PERFECT LIFE than NOT AT ALL!@#$%?

Why Failures Are A-ok!

 

FAILURES ARE A-OK!  Seriously?  YES dude it is. Dan Hurley, today's most revered and respected U.S. NCAA basketball coach was consoling his team at the locker room at the aftermath of their loss to the Michigan Wolverines for the national championship.  WHILE Hurley has always been recognized a 'colorful' person WHO would show up with all his emotions at the U.S. NCAA basketball games, during those moments at the locker room, he was as cool as a cucumber, consoling his team that 'HEARTBREAKS ARE GOOD'💚💛💜

Dan Hulry went farther:  HEARTBREAK MEANS YOU'RE IN THE FIGHT.  AS LONG AS IT'S LIKE JOY OR HEARTBREAK, I THINK YOU'RE ON THE RIGHT PATH IN LIFE.  And as the U.S. national media was following the 'heartbroken' UConn team through the locker room, everyone seemed to be looking for the most authentical emotional version of Hurley, they witnessed on the team's journey from the stadium to the hotel and NOT on the sidelines of the post-game disappointment.  Surprisingly, the very watchful hordes of U.S. media lurking around were expecting more than that👃👃👃

If I attempt to dissect from an amateurish standpoint, Coach Dan Hurley's overall composure after that heartbreaking loss right splashed across national TV is a reflection of the failures he went through in the past, making him much more resilient, very much contrary to WHAT everyone knows him☝☝☝

To share my limited personal journal, I recall the multiple times I fell flat, black and blue at that, right on my fact.  And it was damn hard over and over again.  BTW, I DIDN'T pick up my lessons either instantly OR overnight.  I had to absorb things and learn my lessons akin to those pills tagged as 'time-released'.  Looking back, the job market is a very humbling experience for me because I thought all job markets across all countries are similar in behavior, practices and even in actual execution of company mandates.  Alas, that is farthest from the truth WHEN I took that BIG LEAP to migrate to Singapore💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  This life-long lesson revolving around FAILURES as part of that quite treacheour paths towards success CAN'T be understated.  There is not an iota aspect in life that is exempted OR immune from this given.  I did bear witness [close up front] of some people WHO rarely got hit with FAILURES in life.  NOT until, one day, kaboom, WHEN lightning did strike, they seemingly crumbled like a cookie that has long lapsed and expired way beyond its shelf-life.  Look no farther than the success stories either by business moguls and even in the competitive world of sports.  These all tell us as to WHY FAILURES ARE A-OK😁😁😁

When There's So Much Smoke, There Has To Be Fire [Obviously!]

 

WHEN THERE'S SO MUCH SMOKE, THERE HAS TO BE FIRE [Obviously!].  BUT that's really NOT our concern.  It's our tendency to ignore when the billowing smoke is NOT that heavy yet.  We would at times shrug off our shoulders and just exclaim, that's someone smoking his cigar over there.  The thing is, we humans tend to be complacent to the extent that our being so relaxed and at ease with things would sometimes lead us to miss out on those tell-tale signs of a brewing problem.  I'm one of those guilty over and over again in the past.  If the billowing smoke is something that does NOT scare me yet, I would exclaim, that's just another neighbor burning the dried leaves he just swept.  And that assumption seems cast in stone over and over again💚💛💜

Everyone of us is NOT immune to receive OR be aware of multiple warnings in life.  Could be relationship RED FLAGS.  OR ignoring some manifestations of a potential illness.  OR even ignoring our intuition a.k.a. gut check.  OR a failing business whose operating costs keep going up while revenues are nosediving very much unabated.  OR it could be business partners, one by one, parting ways with you???

So, one might ask, CAN WE JUST IGNORE those billowing smoke?  BUT of course you can but that decision [OR I'd rather call it indecision] can be consequential because inaction has its costs.  LIKE in those recurring cycles.  IF it keeps repeating, it will remain so unless the root cause of the main concern gets resolved.  And do we think that recurrence is a non-issue?  Frankly, a recurring issue can be one's death knell.  LIKE those missed opportunities WHEN we allow it simply pass through our fingers.  LIKE those missed opportunities.  How can you go, grab and get it💥💥💥

Question you might ask me know is as to WHY people often ignore those warning signs.  Is it because one is overly optimistic to the extent that he ends up attempting to avoid those short-term pains, WHICH ultimately result in higher long term costs.  Admittedly, there are cases WHERE it becomes attributable to one's past experiences, e.g. WHERE recognizing bad behavior does NOT factor-in as a non-survival option at all☝☝☝

Our takeaway:  This should be a non-debate, that is, ignoring those indicators of a potential RED FLAG has been tagged by experts as a 'vicious cycle' that can lead us to being stuck in situations that are NO longer serving us.  The key here is accepting reality rather than chasing an idealized version of it, and recognizing that boundaries are necessary.  YES dude, WHERE THERE'S SO MUCH SMOKE, THERE HAS TO BE FIRE [very obviously dude]😡😡😡

Sourcing Our INNER STRENGTH

 

Sourcing our INNER STRENGTH?  Tough question indeed.  Of all things in life, stuff that are intangible could be the toughest nuts to crack, sourcing to be specific.  BUT the bigger question behind that is this:  Do we really need to build that?  Can that be kind of organic and 'home-grown' WHERE it just grows over time?  BUT INNER STRENGTH quite encompasses the whole nine yards in fact.  Count in those positive feelings such as calm, contentment, and caring amongst others.  And unlike fleeting mental states, INNER STRENGTHs are stable traits that can be an enduring source of our well-being, our very core in fact💚💛💜

True, we've heard a lot about INNER STRENGTH and yes, it covers all those intangibles, positive mood, common sense, integrity, inner peace, determination and even that 'warm heart' amongst others.  Experts have identified other INNER STRENGTHS and that includes self-compassion, emotional intelligence, and learned optimism☝☝☝

Let's NOT go farther than our day-to-day realities.  Let's say our morning alarm goes off and you'd rather snooze so that you'll find to get up BUT with the loud decibels of noise around your home, instead of yelling, you would get in touch with that INNER PLACE within you that remains firm and NOT angry.  OR you're embarrassed about a mistake at work so you would call up a sense of worth from past accomplishments.  You get stressed racing around so you find some welcome calm with those long exhalations💥💥💥

Listening to the medical and psychology gurus, they exclaim that HOW you feel and act, both over the course of your life and in specific relationships and situations, is determined by these three factors, namely:

• Challenges you face
• Vulnerabilities these challenges create
• Strengths you need to meet challenges

True, we all have vulnerabilities.  WHO does NOT have?  Personally, I wish it were NOT so easy to become worried and self-critical💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  The great martial arts expert Bruce Lee said it all:  DO NOT PRAY FOR AN EASY LIFE, PRAY FOR THE STRENGTH TO ENDURE A DIFFICULT ONE.  YES YES yowww, INNER STRENGTHS are fundamental to a happy, productive, and even loving life.   From a health perspective, experts claim that they also strengthen your immune system, protect your heart and in the long-term, foster a healthier and longer life.  All these should lay to rest any remaining doubts for us to be sourcing our INNER STRENGTH, dude!!!

Play The Hand You're Dealt

 

PLAY THE HAND YOU'RE DEALT.  YES, WHILE life is complex indeed, it can be summarized in those fewest words.  Remembering some of the petty moments, I've heard [probably a zillion times] people looking OR asking for something that definitely they CAN'T find at that place at that time.  At the luxury shop, someone asked for a 'budget-priced' item?  At the budget-store for ladies bags, someone asks for Balenciagas and LV's?  At a fastfood store, someone asked for Michelin-standard dishes?  Upon boarding the coach class, someone complained about the limited legroom, ouch💚💛💜

As India's great former prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru was once quoted:  "LIFE IS LIKE A GAME OF CARDS.  THE HAND YOU'RE DEALT IS DETERMINISM, THE WAY YOU PLAY IT IS FREE WILL".  Well said indeed.  Nehru's words are the simplest channel for this messaging.  WHATEVER HAND WE ARE DEALT IS THE HAND WE MUST PLAY.  BUT although I've never been to Las Vegas strips, WHAT I overheard from players out there is that IN MOST CARD GAMES, EVERY PLAYER HAS A CHANCE TO PLUCK new cards.  Then, that can lead one to an entirely 'new ballgame'💧💧💧

YES, through the years, we have witnessed those recurring 'square pegs in round holes'.  At the workplace, I did bear witness to varying versions of outliers [NOTE that I'm tagging them as OUTLIERS].  LIKE someone who would blurt out that he's NOT FUN OF NUMBERS but he has to work on Excel worksheets.  Name an office worker WHO is exempted from using Excel worksheets.  LIKE someone venting out as to WHY the boss [or the typically demanding customer] would ask for something very much AT THE LAST MINUTE.  BUT dude, customer is always right, right?  And so is the boss [unless there is a blatant breach of labor regulations or workplace rules].  So, WHY can't we PLAY THE HAND WE'RE DEALT?  Exactly my point here dude💥💥💥

One time before, I was working for a client WHO was in a tough situation.  They had just made a huge move then in the market and a month after, they thought that it was a mistake.  Things WEREN'T going as well as they had hoped for and potential RED FLAGS were starting to surface, albeit in a long-drawn manner.  And WHEN they did a post-mortem, it was concluded that they did arrive at an informed decision, factoring-in multiple dimensions, indeed things DIDN'T turn out the way they expected.  At the make-or-break meeting with the top honchos, no less than the executives gave the standing orders to PLAY THE HAND THEY WERE DEALT☝☝☝

Our takeaway:  We can take on all forms of challenges, including someone WHO might ask, WHAT IF I DON'T HAVE CARDS DEALT?  But that's baloney.  Everyone of us is DEALT those cards to play at any point in time as no one can be deprived of it.  Even at one's lowest point, WHEN one is at one's worst situation, there will always be CARDS DEALT and it is how you PLAY THE HAND YOU'RE DEALT.  Worst case scenario if you lose bty default as you refuse to PLAY THE HAND YOU'RE DEALT😡😡😡

When The Pot Is Closer To Boiling

 

WHEN THE POT IS CLOSER TO BOILING, WHAT happens next?  This is a no-brainer because sooner and maybe soonest, that will reach boiling point and likely, will overflow and may even create a problem of a much bigger magnitude.  On the other hand, there's that lingering old school of thought to let things BOIL and BOIL because it will eventually simmer down [we can consult our Physics teacher on that and likely he will concur].  BUT do we just sit WHEN THE POT IS CLOSER TO BOILING💚💛💜

Regardless of the magnitude of that pot that is CLOSER TO BOILING, everyone says we need to equip ourselves with RESILIENCE no less.  It's a very understated word BUT it will be difficult to ignore that in the midst of those BOILING POINTS in life, stress and adversity are need to be faced head-on💢💢💢

YES, we're all witnessing one crisis after another across the world.  That global pandemic, regional and even economic wars, they have become the catalysts of turmoils that have pushed the water to reach boiling point.  On a personal level, anyone could get hit the typical kinds of crisis WHICH by itself, from health to financials and even those ugly divorces.  At that point, to admit that the protagonists would be struggling will be a gross understatement☝☝☝

Question:  Is it an option to 'chicken-out'?  My loud answer is a loud 'YES' but I can guarantee things inside-out that that crisis will never dissipate OR evaporate in thin air just because you chickened-out.  Likely, it will chase and haunt you no less like a leech clinging even on teflon.  Where RESILIENCE comes in is best apparent in the high tolerance level of a person even in the midst of distress😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  We all go through bad times, we all experience different levels of disappointments, losses and impactful changes in life.  BUT building RESILIENCE can significantly help us to maintain that positive outlook and face head-on even the worst uncertain future with less stress, fear and anxiety.  These could be mother statements BUT if you're the protagonist in a raging crisis, HOW easy will it be for you to extricate yourself from that POT CLOSER TO BOILING?  NOT that easy BUT with RESILIENCE, it will be less difficult.  Trust RESILIENCE no less dude!!!