Time To Face Our Mirror?

 

Let's start off our day with a bonus question.  WHAT is the most difficult question we can ask ourselves?  YES you got it, examining our very own FLAWS is actually NOT the easiest thing to do.  You can challenge me on this but it's no mean feat as we innately resist looking at our truly negative qualities and traits, more as a matter of psychological self-preservation.  Accepting this explanation pushes us to a corner though📗📙📘

SO HOW?  HOW can we identify our own flaws [a.k.a. truly negative qualities] without seemingly punching ourselves then?  Frankly, for us to uncover our own faults and flows would need a big dose of courage and maturity, all rolled into one.  I came across a passage from Practical Psychology WHICH says:  THE SHADOW IS A MORAL PROBLEM THAT CHALLENGES THE WHOLE EGO-PERSONALITY FOR NO ONE CAN BECOME CONSCIOUS OF THE SHADOW WITHOUT CONSIDERABLE MORAL EFFORT.  Indeed, this is a tough call we need to face as there is no way to look the other direction💚💛💜

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung opined that each of us has that hidden layer of NEGATIVITY and denial known as the 'SHADOW'.  And that SHADOW is anathema to the face we show the world every day WHICH Jung coined as our PERSONA.  And that we wear that PERSONA as a mask to hide our ugly tendencies from public sight, ouchhhh.  And here comes the expert psychotherapists WHOSE main goal is to ingrate that SHADOW into our conscious personality, for us to acknowledge and accept it, thus becoming more authentic in the process.  Psychologists claim that we humans love to divide, classify and categorize things in our lives and about one another💥💥💥

Researches also showed that everyone of us do harbor our own respective 'demons'.  And the darkest part of our minds make up some of the most important parts of our identities.  BUT for the majority of our lives, social and private, we tend to repress those 'darkest things' that deeply define us.  And those studies did draw ourselves to that concept of the PERSONA!!!

Our takeaway:  From a philosophical standpoint, I'll opine that we need to reconcile with our respective SHADOWS because the harder we fight against it, the deeper those UNSEEN ones get more obscured. And I think the key here is for us to embrace that reality and figure out how to come up with a balanced way to express it in our daily life.  And WHILE that inevitably is a long, confusing, tiring and repetitive process, the result of its success is that 'harmony' with things we are sometimes denied.  True, accepting one's SHADOWS is crucial to complete acceptance of ourselves.  Truth is, our own DARKNESS makes us WHO we are, just as much as our goodness does.  TIME TO FACE OUR MIRROR, dude😡😡😡

Will 'GOOD THINGS' Come To Those Who Wait?

 

So sorry, I spoiled this poster because I just DON'T agree with it.  HOW often do we hear:  GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT  Seriously?  Everytime I heard that, I'll blurt out:  WHAAAT?  WHAT world are you living in dude?  The whole 'GOOD THINGS COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT' notion is no less than a fallacy for most of us.  The truth is that WHAT most of us experience is that doors DON'T just open and good things DON'T just come because we wait for them✅✅✅

Personally, I DON'T presume to know that this HASN'T been and is NOT the truth for someone, somewhere, somehow.  Maybe good things have come to some WHO have just waited.  Maybe doors have indeed just magically opened for some?  I accept that sometimes this might be true for the people WHO said them, WHO came up with them OR coined them.  Maybe that was their reality?  BUT it's NOT mine though and it ISN'T the reality for any accomplished ones I know❌❌❌

WHAT's interesting and WHAT pushes my curiosity farther and deeper is HOW and WHAT drives some people to excel, WHAT motivates their discipline and WHAT steps have they taken to realize their dreams?  WHAT I learned though is that successful and fulfilled people are NOT waiting for things to happen. Peope WHO are working in their dream careers are NOT waiting for anything to happen.  Instead, they pay the price.  HOW?  They hustle💥💥💥

Let me blurt things out here.  Waiting for good things to happen and hoping for someone to open a door to open reflects that passive and undetermined path towards one's success [and just the thought of it leaves me feeling so powerless, honestly].  I read this in one of our literary pieces before:  THE DREAM IS REAL BUT THE HUSTLE IS SOLD SEPARATELY.  Dude, that is NO LESS than a brutally frank statement.  SO HOW?  We just have to step up and lead our own journeys, create our own experiences and carve our own paths.  True, that is NOT a trial rehearsal, a pre-test OR practice exam.  This is it, dude😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  This thread poses more questions for us.

WHO really wants to sit around waiting for something?

WHO among us is waiting around for the door to open?

WHO wants to yield all of his power to someone's whims?

True, sometimes miracles do happen [BUT those are very extremely rare outliers].  In those very rare instances, maybe a door will indeed get opened to us out of the blue.  Want to wait for those outliers?  Go ahead, good luck dude BUT should we NOT pay the price to make things happen?  Much as hope is good, even hope itself requires action so I strongly belief we need to go out there and hustle.  After all, GOOD THINGS DON'T COME TO THOSE WHO WAIT!!! 

Life Risks

 

LIFE RISKS, indeed this is kind of boring stuff to talk about.  BUT again, LIFE is about RISK.  Everyday is a RISK.  BUT to live a life aligned to our dreams, every RISK which takes us near our life's dream are worth taking.  So, do we worry RISK-taking in life?  If we're answering in the affirmative, NOT to be sounding like an alarmist, BUT we got to change our perception about RISK.  BTW, WHAT I observed a very common disconnect is the negative connotation RISK brings along its time that 4-letter word is heard💚💛💜

BUT can we agree that NOT all RISKS in life are indeed RISKY!!!  And ironically, WHAT is often missed out that during those times WHEN we decide NOT to take on OR face the RISKs, that itself could be a RISKY decision.  Thing is, in life, some RISKS are worth managing but some RISKS are worth taking to live a meaningful life.  No less than Facebook and Meta top honcho Mark Zuckerberg was well quoted:  THE ONLY STRATEGY THAT IS GUARANTEED TO FAIL IS NOT TAKING RISKS😡😡😡

If welook around, WHY are there INSURANCE companies?  They are there to give us the cover and [financial] protection from RISKS.  BUT here's a $64 question:  Do we need those INSURANCE companies for every RISK we will face in life?  NO sirrrrrrs.   There's a long list of RISKs WHICH we should be talking and taking in life in order to live our life without regret.  And taking those RISKs will cost us NONE, NADA, KEILNER!!!

• PURSUE YOUR DREAM - True, that could be RISKY and many things can go wrong.  Your $$$$, your career, your family, everything can be at RISK BUT those are the RISKs worth taking.  The most frequent regretful words I heard a zillion times is:  I SHOULD HAVE blah blah blah 
• CAREER RISK - Fact is, many people dislike their jobs and I guess this is a widespread feeling, that fear of changing their jobs, that fear NOT getting a suitable job
• RISK of FAILING - This paralyzes one to take action.  And WHAT's missed often is that only by failing will one eventually succeed as failing teaches us more

Our takeaway:  As we all have our own comfort zones, 'MOVING OUT' and 'MOVING AWAY' from it is the way to go IF you want to move ahead in life and take on the RISKs that get into your way.  With your courage, you are expanding your comfort zone as your courage is your willingness to take RISKs.  YES YES yowww, life is about RISK.  In fact, every day is a RISK.  Even crossing the street right next to your home exposes you to the RISK of being ran over by vehicles.  So, would you rather get stuck in your home!@#$%?

Whatever It Takes, EQ It Is!

 

Recently, I attended a clinic hosted by a well-reputed resource in Psychology and the event started off with him instructing us to do these:

• To close eyes & sit quietly in a comfortable position 
• Bring to mind something a little sad [BUT NOT much]
• Observe as to where in your body you feel sadness
• Place a hand @ that part of your body in a caring way
• Repeat the above steps BUT substitute different emotions for sadness like fear, anger and joy

Immediately after the exercise, I DIDN'T wait for another second to raise my hand and with that curiosity, I asked for WHAT was that exercise for.  The host enlightened us that increasing our awareness of these bodily sensations is key to becoming more EMOTIONALLY INTELLIGENT.  And WHEN we examine our emotions carefully, we see that they consist of a bodily sensation accompanied by a thought, an image OR both💚💛💜

Apparently, the more clearly we can recognize emotions in our bodies, the more clearly we know WHEN a feeling is arising within us.  Surprisingly, our resource said that sensations can serve as an 'early warning signal' for problematic OR negative emotions that we might NOT want to act on automatically.  LIKE for instance, imagine your spouse OR partner says something that upsets you in front of your close friends.  Take a moment to feel those sensations of anger in your body, BUT DON'T react OR say something [NOT EVEN take action] right away BUT instead wait a few moments till you can think clearly first way before you take that action OR reaction❎❎❎

Sometimes, people do end up mixing up IQ versus EQ [emotional quotient]  BUT they are simply poles apart as EQ is crucial for us to be navigating life effectively both in our personal and even professional life.  That then allows us to understand and manage our own emotions as well as recognize and even influence the emotions of others.  WHAT's sometimes lost in the maze is the fact that it more often, it takes 2 to tango.  The way you react will influence HOW the other party may react.  That's WHEN EQ kicks in💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  True all these are easier said than done BUT let's take stock of things.  If between 2 parties, if both can leverage on their acceptable EQ levels, it's like those interest incomes we either earn [in our bank accounts] OR those interest charges [in a bank loan] WHERE the amount compounds and multiplies.  That goes true WHEN that positive EQ kicks in, it will likely lead to better, clearer communications then leading towards better relationships [WHEN even gaps OR frictions are averted].  So, this all boils down to us asking ourselves if we recognize the emotion we are feeling?  And can we manage those feelings WITHOUT allowing them to swamp you?  If we responded in the affirmative to all these, it is likely that your EQ is NOT in a 'bad state' that needs to be repaired OR reversed.  Boring as it may sound, we need to increase and improve our EQ capability.  Ooops, advanced HAPPY VALENTINE's Day to our readership😀😀😀

Stuck OR Stalled?

 

WHO says we're destined to be stuck up OR stalled?  That's fiction and baloney NO LESS.  It's true we've seen OR witnessed some helpless OR hapless souls in that predicament BUT except for outliers, many of them were a huge factor for the reasons as to WHY they are either stuck up OR stalled in a place WHERE they would have wanted to leave [be it the workplace, business, relationships OR any of our societal collaborations]📗📙📘

Here's the thing though.  As humans, we have emotions and many times, we get attached a lot to things and WHEN it's time for the new things, we just CAN'T leave behind the old ones.  Even WHEN it's time for us to evolve, many times, we tend to stick to that old, rickety plan.  Our reason:  WHY FIX WHEN IT AIN'T BROKE, right?  Nope, that's very wrong dude.  Thing is, life punches us like anything and if we're NOT going to change, life is going to change you at any cost [even at your cost, in fact]😡😡😡

True, that evolution process is NOT easy and sometimes, it seems 'unpalatable' if NOT unattractive.  BUT eventually, WHEN crunch time comes, WHEN it becomes decision-point, we have to leave things behind and one many times, even our own emotions become one of those collateral damages WHEN we feel like something is being taken away from us [against our own will].  BUT hey, one hard lesson I did learn through the years is that life never fails to give us things behind.  And then our emotions get hurt.  LIKE we feel something is being taken away from us.  BUT dude, life never fails to give us things back with better interest.  And this cycle continues with time💚💛💜

BUT WHAT's the best part?  IF you are leaving something now, you will get things back with loads of interest.  YESSSS, life ISN'T meant to be lived in a boring way.  Because we DIDN'T come here to get into the boring things.  Question for us.  Just one life and you want to waste it in a boring stuff?  Frankly, even psychologists claim that we humans are meant for adventure.  Without it, it's like life is half-dead [WHICH we DON'T want at any cost, right]?  YES, if it's time to literally take that adventure initiative, go for it💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  Before some of us will feel daunted, we DON'T have to do all things in just one go!  BUT we should NOT veer into those 'boringness'  because even the experts are egging us to beat our old self.  Then, we call it progress.  BUT even then, we should NOT even aim for results to come out like that 'Big Bang' Theory because nature has its plans for us.  And as they say, it DOESN'T fail to add up some 'flavor' to our lives.  Simply put, it's framing our mindset, that we're NOT leaving for new things BUT if hear ramblings around, let it be, because they are eventually pushing you to WHERE you plan to go and let that be your 'Smart Alec move' and be gently reminded that there is NO perfect time to leave BUT everything boils down to our inner guts.  GO WITH YOUR GUTS, make things happen😁😁😁

Can Life Be Easier Than What We Think?

 

Describe life WHATEVER way you want it BUT as this poster goes, LIFE IS EASIER THAN YOU THINK.  BUT I do agree that there could be problems with wanting LIFE TO BE EASY.  This ISN'T intended to be a post in support of drudgery OR making life difficult for yourself.  Frankly, I'm all for doing things in the most straightforward and simplest way, HOWEVER, believing that life should be inherently easy and straightforward is often a fast pass to dissatisfaction, frustration OR worse, anger OR worst, even depression.  True, sometimes things will come easily to you and it is indeed important for us to enjoy those parts of our life that seem to slot into place.  HOWEVER, WHEN people assume that things should [REALLY?] come easily and [STILL?] believe at some level that the core aspects of life such as relationships and work should generally be plain sailing, it often leads to feeling cheated📗📙📘

Furthermore, it can also feel AS IF there is something wrong with you if you find certain parts of your life that challenging while other people seem to sail through it, right?  Finding things difficult can somehow become a fault OR even worse, an indemic character flaw OR defect.  Then, understandably, this often leads to people giving up OR can contribute to a perpetual sense of failure.  Relationships end because sometimes the parties involved feel 'too difficult'💚💛💜

So, WHERE does the belief that life should run smoothly come from?  Let's dip into some life hacks in our sleeves dude.  LIKE WHEN someone raises their voice.  True, each one of us did raise our voice at one point OR another in the past BUT having said that, yelling is NOT healthy for any relationship NOR is it a great way to yield healthy results💥💥💥

I remember one of Mark Twain's poems saying "ANGER IS AN ACID THAT CAN DO MORE HARM TO THE VESSEL IN WHICH IT IS STORED THAN ANYTHING ON WHICH IT IS POURED".  BUT before we react prematurely, we need to understand WHY someone is yelling and we need to be thoughtful as to HOW we will react to that yelling.  YES, in the end, it is the right and appropriate approach that can likely help diffuse an ongoing friction that seems to conflagrate.  In the quickest way, NEVER AGREE to someone's arguments you totally agree to it.  I've known first hand people WHO are so conciliatory, ending up to be nodding WHEN he does NOT agree to it😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  Looking back, I'd admit many times I was in those 'downtimes' and WHAT happened next, you can guess it right now, I ended up anxious and stressed.  My way out?  I grabbed my paper and pen, scribbled anything and everything I wanted to blurt out.  Psychologists have coined this as 'expressive writing' as you literally express out your inner thoughts and feelings with NO filtering.  Trust me, it can be an effective way of engaging with our bottled-up emotions WHICH, in turn, releases stress and would even boost our mental health.  So, CAN LIFE BE EASIER THAN WHAT WE THINK???

Keep Your Eye On The Ball

 

WHETHER you're into sports, in business OR even in your personal life, allow me to piggy-back on this age-old quote:  KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL.  Let's start with our careers.  When we were like the upstarts @ the workplace, FUN would have prevailed on us many times [and that's just fine] BUT sometimes, things get stretched to the extent that our eyes get caught up with another thing other than the ball WHICH we need to focus on, UNTIL we lose sight of the ball.  Guess WHAT happens WHEN you lose sight of the ball📗📙📘

From our career, let's sneak into our health.  WHEN we start reaping the initial FRUITS OF LABOR, it's fine we reward ourselves left and right BUT sometimes, WHAT gets sorely missed [OR I'll bluntly say IGNORED] is our health.  Unlimited booze, chain-smoking, frequent late nights and long-night sorties even on a Monday OR Tuesday [WHO says we should only sing TGIF during Fridays?].  Count years OR to be realistic even a decade OR two after, let us hope that that kind of a 'high risk' lifestyle DIDN'T take its toll on your health?  I really pray and hope so BUT I've been through tons and tons of narratives WHERE, many years after, we would be saddened with very bleak updates with regard deteriorating health conditions of people WHO we know up close through the years.  Question is:  Can we still arrest that alarming skid?  Absolutely can BUT if at all, we got to start it early in the game and for the duration of the game we're playing, KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL because if you breach and miss that ball, you might miss the ballgame itself💚💛💜

Business are NOT different from our health and our career.  Businesses, WHETHER we're talking of small-scale endeavors OR the big-time ones, FOCUS is required and that is needed from the time you kickstart your bright and brainy idea until you kickoff that business and for the duration of it, KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE BALL, no exception💥💥💥

Let's swing over to relationships.  I've witnessed first-hand the known diasporas of people working 10,000 miles away from their home country, to earn a living, to support his family and so on.  And I'd say roughly 95% of those very legitimate purposes are achieved.  Fast-forward 10 to 20 years later, can you guess how did things develop and evolve after the dutiful breadwinner steadfastly ensured attending to all his 'financial commitments' to his family?  Many families have been negatively impacted by these labor diasporas because WHAT's missed there is the fact that if the breadwinner is 10,000 miles, there is a good chance he CAN'T KEEP HIS EYE ON THE BALL [even these days with all the Zoom and MS Teams] and before the breadwinner finds out the end-result, the kids he raised [albeit remotely] have grown up off-track, misguided at least😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  Anywhere and everywhere, there is always the BALL we need to KEEP AN EYE.  No one is shielded OR exempted from this imperative.  If we will compile all the travails and tribulations at least amongst people we know, I am very confident that we will secure an uncontestable consensus that we all need to KEEP AN EYE ON THE BALL for the duration of the ballgame we are checked in [UNLESS we want to get derailed OR off-tracked in our journey?  It's NOT too much to ask dude, for us to KEEP AN EYE ON THE BALL, right???

Confusions With Controls

 

Of all topics to thread on, I'd guess 'CONTROL' is one of the most talked about topics [over and over again].  Kinda boring?  NOT really if we can dive-in at least for today.  The very existence of the term 'CONTROL FREAK' indicates our innate need for control can go too far and beyond.  BUT the expers tell us that we humans naturally want to to feel they're steering their own ship.  To quote author Raj Raghunathan, 'HUMAN BEINGS HAVE A DEEP-SEATED DESIRE FOR CERTAINTY AND CONTROL'.  BUT there's a glimmer of hope these days because there is a recent study showing a semblance of that sense of autonomy being the #1 contributor that makes us achieve HAPPINESS💜💛💚

Perhaps then, we should NOT be that surprised that so many measures of our collective mental health seem to be heading in the wrong direction these days.  BUT given the fact that the world looks unlikely to grow less crazy anytime soon, does that mean that we're doomed to be miserable until our lives feel more controllable?  Recent researches however, have disproved this.  And WHILE we may NOT always be able to control events, we certainly can CONTROL our reaction to them, and that can make a world of difference simply based on the fact that there's the primary CONTROL [WHICH we are in CONTROL] and secondary CONTROL [that is beyond our powers]💧💧💧

WHILE it's a foregone conclusion that we humans really prefer primary CONTROL, studies showed that secondary CONTROL can go a long way to promote feelings of both moment-to-moment HAPPINESS and even overall life satisfaction.  WHICH reminds me of that ageless Frank Sinatra song, 'MY WAY' WHERE a man is looking back on his life and he generally feels satisfaction with HOW things turned out BUT it WASN'T all HAPPINESS because apparently, there is a richer notion of WHAT it means to live a good life💥💥💥

Surely, we can easily agree that that's an attitude that DOESN'T downplay the negative experiences of life and yet it allows for a different kind of engagement with life so that reappraisal and learning can occur and lead to much greater satisfaction.  This gets at WHAT secondary CONTROL is all about, being able to fit one's experiences into that much broader narrative of life.  In fact, even events may often get out of our hands, WHICH, in other words, it is HOW we interpret them instead😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  Much as there are many facets of our life WHERE secondary CONTROLS limit WHAT we can do, many studies tell us that we can always CONTROL HOW we tell our own narrative, our own story.  And if this sounds familiar to you, that may be because it is far from the only study coming into that similar conclusion.  OR perhaps, we might recognize this as reminiscent of advices dispensed by many wisdom tradtions, from Buddhism and over to even Alcoholics Anonymous.  At one time OR another, pretty much all of us have been told that IF we CAN'T change something, we should change HOW we think about that something.  Trying to CONTROL WHAT happens might be a recipe for stress and disappointment BUT hey, that's NOT the only kind of CONTROL open to us, right?  WHERE we CAN'T steer events, we can steer HOW we think about them.  There you go, our CONTROLS and CONTROLS dilemma!!!

What If You Know You're Right [BUT You Don't Insist]

 

In the NOT so distant past, we were often taught to FIGHT FOR WHAT IS RIGHT, right?  And that was rightfully so.  BUT things have changed.  The global village we live has evolved.  Everyone is instantly within reach via social media [we DON'T need to place an IDD [international direct dial] call at all.  BUT at WHAT price?  When we get into clashes and frictions, WHAT happens next?  Suddenly the messaging platform becomes hyper-active with messages [a.k.a. arguments] literally overflowing.  More often, we can quickly conclude as regards the flurry of messages.  More often, it's because each party feels he's RIGHT!  SO WHAT IF YOU KNOW YOU'RE RIGHT? My late realization here is that knowing you're RIGHT and choosing NOT to insist you're RIGHT can be a manifestation of emotional intelligence [a.k.a. maturity] 📗📙📘

Even taking things literally, HOW many fatal 'road rage' deaths have we heard of?  Quite a lot if NOT a ton.  After many years on our global village, the mirror has taught me quite a list of lessons learnt the hard way.  And one of the most important one is that we DON'T always have to be right.  The first time you gave in [even if you were so sure you were right], you can bet, you will have one of the most amazing experiences [EVER] in your life.  Seriously.  Been there.  Done that.  Felt it.  And it just CAN'T be better.  That burden of gnawing the argument down to the bone will be over and then you can walk calmly away from that person, BUT more importantly, you will be filled with 'love for yourself'.  Albeit belatedly, you will realize that.  I bet😔😔😔

Let's face life itself.  Have you ever noticed that WHENEVER you'll have a disagreement with someone OR have experienced a conflict of some sort, that you will end up spending lots of time [and enormous effort + strain] explaining and defending yourself, your version of the story OR narrative, going over WHAT really happened, making your case for WHAT you're RIGHT.  And that you do all of that explaining and proving to and for yourself.  Inside our own heads, we are left constantly explaining WHY we're RIGHT and then, we go over to explain WHY the other person is to blame and WHAT the truth is, after all❌❌❌

After all these, WHAT transpired is we end up spending a big chunk of our lives presenting our case before an IMAGINARY jury and in an IMAGINARY court, all of WHICH takes place right inside our head.  YES, have we ever wondered to WHOM are we presenting the case of our rightness?  And WHAT are we hoping OR believing will happen if our IMAGINARY jury deems our version of the truth to be 'CORRECT'?  WHAT happens next?  We end up to use the narration of our RIGHTNESS✅✅✅

Our takeaway:  One key realization I want to share here is that WHEN we stop engaging in our mind's defense of our RIGHTNESS, something interesting and wonderful does happen and that is, we can enter and enjoy our PRESENT MOMENT, LIVING IN THE MOMENT, even if it's noticing the wind again, the trees and its leaves, the skies.  So, WHAT IF YOU KNOW YOU'RE RIGHT?  What gives???

Take A Chance And Go LIVE LIFE!

 

Allow me to quote Irish action star Liam Neeson WHEN he said:  TAKE A CHANCE AND GO LIVE LIFE.  This was his well-quoted one-liner after his beloved wife, Natasha Richardson, died at that young age of 45 years after a tragic skiing accident at Mont-Tremblant in Canada.  WHILE she DIDN'T die immediately, her condition DIDN'T get better.  For this loving couple, they had talked way back that in case something happens, they DON'T want to stay alive hooked up to machines.  Instead, she wanted to volunteer her organs if possible.  Feeling that deep pain, Liam Neeson was quoted many times: 'TAKE A CHANCE AND GO LIVE LIFE.  TELL THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE THAT YOU LOVE THEM EVERY DAY. DON'T TAKE ANY MOMENT FOR GRANTED.  LIFE IS WORTH LIVING'.  WHILE that says a lot, he could have NOT expressed it more than that way.  Look around you, HOW many times have we witnessed bereaved family members sulking in sorrow upon the sudden demise of a loved one???

Let's face it.  WHEN you find yourself stuck at work OR without the person you love, do you think you could probably be living your life better?  WHILE it may be that easy to feel that you have NO control over our existence, from my experiences, I'll opine that it's the opposite in fact.  WHY?  Because it's only us WHO can get to decide HOW to live our life and HOW we would want to live life to the fullest.  Sadly, I am quite sure everyone of us did bear witness [even at first hand] bereaved folks WHO were struggling upon the demise of their loved one.  And often, the unsaid part is the 'unverbalized' regrets, regrets for missing out to LIVE LIFE well enough💧💧💧

The kind of silly question I sometimes heard is:  HOW and WHERE do we start, once we talk about living life to the fullest?  Nothing fancy here, first things first, let us define WHAT HAPPINESS is to us, on our own terms and NOT anyone's else.  True, there will be multitudes of people in your life WHO will peddle their own views as to HOW you should go about your future.  I even always opine that, generally, once you walk into a room with 10 people, expect 10 varying opinions.  The trap here is that some of those opinions will tend to be articulated as FACTS, and it then boils down for you to validate its veracity💥💥💥

And here's WHEN things can turn from good to bad OR from bad to worse.  Seeking validation from others will only ignite and stir your own feelings of inadequacy and that needless pressure, further hindering yourself from living and experiencing life by your own rules.  Others may be happy living a simple yet peaceful life BUT WHEN you no longer define HAPPINESS based on other people's definitions, you will then start to feel lighter and at peace.  Many years back, I did thread those circuituous roads before I realized that I was lost and I had to regain control of things❌❌❌

Our takeaway:  All along, we prioritize things, goals and dreams.  HOW often have we heard us prioritizing PEOPLE?  The defensive ones will blurt out LIKE 'BUT I LOVE THEM'.  BUT HOW often we are able to match our words with deeds?  Again, it aill starts with that firm commitment for the people WHO truly really matter in your life [till your last breath].  Knowing WHO is most important to you further prevents that potential risk of you neglecting OR at least disregarding them, NOT until those last moments of one's life.  To piggy-back on Liam Neeson's touching advice:  TAKE A CHANCE AND GO LIVE LIFE.  TELL THE PEOPLE YOU LOVE THAT YOU LOVE THEM EVERY DAY. DON'T TAKE ANY MOMENT FOR GRANTED.  LIFE IS WORTH LIVING💙💛💜