Connecting The Dots [in LIFE]

Connecting The Dots [in LIFE]

Who says life is one big painting on a canvass ?  If it is, our lives would have been picture-perfect.  We would have been problem-free and worry-free. But that's just a myth no less because the stark reality is that life is one huge of a jigsaw puzzle that will take us our lifetime to piece it all together.  For the less success stories, even throughout their lifetime, it's not sufficient for them to piece it together.

And if your life now revolves around social media, shy away from it, that's NOT the path to take, that's NOT the way to go, that road is NOT paved for you to piece together this huge jigzaw puzzle of our lives.  Unless and until you literally extricate yourself from social media, you will never be able to CONNECT THE DOTS in your life because those DOTS are not within the digital landscape.  Instead, the DOTS are littered all over the place. all around your life and there's no automated script to run and CONNECT THE DOTS.

To CONNECT THE DOTS, this could be tedious and mind-numbing.  Let's take a real-life example.  There are real-life stories wherein someone is having issues at work due to his quality at work.  And when he's at home, once he steps in, tensions flare.  Why ?  Could it be one's lazyish and lethargic persona co-exist both at work and at home ?

If at all, yes LIFE IS A GREAT BIG CANVAS but it is an abstract painting no less.  ABSTRACT enough for you to figure things and it will take  huge amount of effort in interpreting and translating it, enough to be decoded in HUMAN TERMS.  But as we CAN'T CONTROL anything beyond us, focus on yourself.  If your relationships at work are strained and at home, your relationship with your partner/spouse remains strained as well.  So, WHO or WHAT is the COMMON DENOMINATOR ? Isn't it yourself ?  In our workplace, RCA's [root cause analysis] is always a pre-requisite before an incident ticket can be closed and until all relevant parties reach common ground for the RCA, that incident ticket remains open.

What's the plum awaiting us at the far end of our lifelong journey ?  It will be that ideal state in our life wherein the goals we plotted way ahead in the early stages of our lifelong journey will finally come into fruition.  But that's at the far end of our journey though and before we even approach the precipice of our success, let ourselves be the enabler to CONNECT THE DOTS so that our jigzaw puzzle won't end up with one missing piece❗❗❗

This 'ROLLER COASTER' Ride in Life

This 'ROLLER COASTER' Ride in Life

Is there a debate that life is a 'ROLLER COASTER' ride ?  Guess none, right ?  Nevertheless, there remains some hard core souls stubborn enough to argue that if we manage and live our lives in a controlled manner, there can be no 'ROLLER COASTER' ride.  On this basis, I'm more than willing to roll up my sleeves and debate on this till the midnight oil gets burned.  For multifarious reasons, life can never be in that 'STEADY STATE we've been angling to have in life.

Oh, this poster strucke me as it says that life is a CONSISTENT 'ROLLER COASTER' ride.  This can't be farther than the truth.  We're all in, into this consistent 'ROLLER COASTER' ride no less.  You can be one of the top billionaires in Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk but even these near-trillion moguls can never claim that their ride has been has not been akin to the 'ROLLER COASTER' every Tom, Dick and Harry.  Everyone has been through rough patches while most of us have been at the bottom pit multiple times.  What do we do then ?  If we can't avoid hitting rock bottom, gotta mitigate it.

Why don't we set our expectations and accept things as they happen in our lives:

CERTAINTY-let's NOT demand guarantees ! STATUS QUO-let's NOT expect a 'stands still' UNFORESEEN EVENTS-this is a fact of life ! HUMAN NATURE-DON'T force your will on others PERFECTION-this is an illusion you shouldn't expect HISTORY-DON'T relive the past.  Let it go, Let it go. STATUS QUO-DON'T dislike CHANGE. Embrace it.

These are our mitigations given our 'ROLLER COASTER' rides in our lives.  By anticipating the unpredictability of things, we could then be more prepared to either pre-empt or even reactively but effectively control when life goes 'down south'.  You can be at the top of your class in school but WHAT IF someone equally smart like you slips past you.  You can be the admired worker now but WHAT IF one day you cause a snafu ?  Your business could be burgeoning but WHAT IF it got hit by this pandemic ?  By anticipating all the WHAT IFs, we would be in better control of our lives.

Eventually. that 'ROLLER COASTER' ride will taper off, albeit not overnight and not that too early in life.  You gotta go through tons of ordeals in life first, dude.  But farther down the road, you would achieve that 'SSSS' in life namely, that SAFE phase, STEADY state, that STOUT period, that STURDY juncture in your life where you will be entitled to go through the CELEBRATIONS in our LIFE ❗❗❗ 

Your KRYPTONITE In Your Life

Your KRYPTONITE In Your Life

Good day, folks.  Our topic for today is KRYPTONITE and to be on the same page [for those unfamiliar with KRYPTONITE], let me share a brief info:  KRYPTONITE is the fictional character in SUPERMAN who is described as an 'alien mineral' who has that unique 'property' to deprive SUPERMAN of his powers.  Question:  Do you have your KRYPTONITE in your life ?

Regardless if you're aware of 'KRYPTONITE' or not, it doesn't matter though.  Fact is, there is that probability that we have our respective 'KRYPTONITE' in life.  'KRYPTONITE' in school.  'KRYPTONITE' in business.  'KRYPTONITE' at work or even  'KRYPTONITE' in our relationships.  In layman's term, that's our 'achilles heel' in life, the chinks in our armor which are reflective of our weaknesses in life.

Even in the Roman Empire, 'KRYPTONITE' was non existent as there were no SUPERMAN movies those times but instead, everyone knew about the 'achilles heel' because that that was the most familiar exposure the warriors can get hit and get downed.  Fast forward to our modern day jungles today, we got to reassess if there is any 'KRYPTONITE' in our lives because not being aware with it means we can get caught blind-sided by goings-on in our lives.  A 'KRYPTONITE' may not be a person.  It could be circumstances or factors that negatively hamper you when performing specific task.

So, what are samplings of real-life scenarios where you get hampered by 'KRYPTONITE'?  Could be in business.  When you deal with a particular supplier, your sales would dip instead of notching up.  Could be in school, When it's with the Economics subject, you frequently end up poorly in the exams.  Could be at work when performing the same routinary tasks [everyday at that], frequently you commit a slip-up.

But c'mon, we can turn 'KRYPTONITE' into a positive spin, something that motivates us to either correct ourselves or improve ourselves by a notch [at the very least].  Matter of truth is, for most of us, we all work hard NOT TO FAIL when in truth, you need to start working hard to succeed.   To quote Steve Harvey, all those setbacks you had to endure, they are just a setup for your comeback ✅✅✅

You Don't Need to be a ROCK to Impact

 You Don't Need to be a ROCK to Impact

We all dream to be 'primus inter pares', the first among equals, to be that ROCK that impacts.  Not bad to DREAM BIG because we're all entitled for it.  But besides DREAMING BIG, what if we fall short of our BIG DREAMS ?  Can that awaken us to realize and recognize what are our limits ?  Can we then change the goal posts in the middle of the game ? While we all want to stand out like that big imposing solid rock which can't be overshadowed across the landscape, nothing wrong to shave off our goals.

if our original goals were too grandiose and aggressive, shave off from it those aspects that are not doable but retain the very core of your goals.  While we keep preaching that we should 'aim for the sky', in real life, we gotta ensure that both our feet are very much grounded such that we aim for something we can achieve, not just within our dreams.

This is spot on, to quote: 'WHEN SOMEONE TELLS YOU YOU CAN'T DO IT, BE THE TREE, NOT THE ROCK'.  This hits the nail on its head.  All it says is that we really DON'T NEED TO BE A ROCK.  We can be in all other forms but the rock and still achieve the goals we plotted to achieve. But again, that's easier said than done.  In school, if you aimed to be a Dean's Lister, you may have realized that you deserve secondary honors.  At work, you might have aimed to be the Vice President but if a 'Nino Bonito' has been groomed for that role, what's wrong if you settle one rung lower ?  If you dreamt of having a supermarket business, why don't you start with a grocery ?  At the end of the day, what matters is that SENSE of ACHIEVEMENT is within grasp rather than just dreaming ?  THINK ABOUT THAT❗❗❗

Do Something You DON'T Normally Do

Do Something You DON'T Normally Do

How's life in this pandemic ?  The chorused refrain we will hear will be.... BORING, BUMMER, COLORLESS, DULL, HO-HUM, LIFELESS,  MONOTONOUS, STALE,  UNEXCITING, name it, you will run out of adjectives. BUT didn't we notice something ?  That most of us [and that includes me many things] have been doing the same things over and over again.  Do we now pass the blame to this pandemic ?  Let's turn things around.  Had there been no pandemic a year and a half ago, would things have turned out different in our lives ?  Would we be doing things today we DON'T normally do in life ?

I have to defer and disagree.  Had we not been hit by this pandemic, there is a 99% likelihood that till today, we still keep doing things that we normally do.  Which is fine per se but how about pursuing 'unnormal things' normal people do ?  Simply put, why can't we do things beyond what is normal for us?  You might stomp and question me as to why we should do things we DON'T normally do ?

Let's go into our household.  True our wifey has been the in-charge of everything related to cooking but the question, why didn't you attempt learning to cook ?  If your wifey has been going to the wet market, would it have helped you if you joined her going to the wet market as well?

In simple analogy, our bed is one of our favorite COMFORT ZONES.  Many of us are struggling to rise up every morning.  Yet we all fail to realize that, THAT BED could represent our entire life.  The problem though doesn't get fixed when you finally rise up from bed.  That problem could linger the rest of 'wake up' hours because we're afraid you might be left doing things that you do normally do ONLY ?

Now for the STRAIGHT TALK.  There are just two zones in our life, namely, the COMFORT ZONE and the OPPORTUNITY ZONE.  Obviously, there is a third zone a.k.a. DANGER ZONE.  Now, it's your call.  Do you want to remain stacked in your COMFORT ZONE ?  Or are you nursing hopes for OPPORTUNITIES ?  Or, do you still want your business to grow ?  Your career to progress ?  Yourself to achieve that SUCCESS Trophy atop Mt Everest ?  Then, DO SOMETHING YOU DON'T NORMALLY DO.❗❗❗

When Life is so FINE & DANDY

When Life is so FINE & DANDY

Luv it, Luv it, Luv it.  When life is so FINE and DANDY, when life is so good, we just can't ask for more.  When everything runs in our favor, when various variables happen true-to-form, there will be neither snafus nor hiccups that can spoil the smoothness of our winning streak in life.  But as it is in life, all good things don't last forever.

We can't be blamed though when we humans are more [notoriously] famous for 'painting the town red' whenever the STARS are ALIGNED.  Parties here and kampais there, it becomes the 'talk of the town' until you end up TOAST [when finally the well dries up].  Which reminds me of the oil wells in the Saudi Arabia where its oil reserves is estimated at 268 billion barrels, whew !  Yet, over there in Saudi Arabia, the "PARTY's OVER" as early as five years ago.  They have clamped down on the unlimited entry of the foreign workforce via the SAUDIZATION Law they started way back five years ago.  Today, the big chunk of the foreign labor force is literally feeling the heat because these days, to secure a Saudi working visa, one has to go through the wringer no less.

Of course, if life was fair, the PARTY should NEVER BE OVER at all but that's not life.  That's fantasyland instead.  How many do we know [including us maybe] who indeed have splurged in the past during those days when the sun kept on shining ?  And never anticipating that when rain comes, you need an umbrella ?

if we were a Saudi Prince, indeed the PARTY can go on maybe for another decade with no threat of the wells drying up so soon.  But we're just another Tom, Dick and Harry, right ?  So, how do we fix things ?  Let us always have that 'WHAT IF" assumption in life.  God forbid, WHAT IF something serious happens and my life takes a turn from good to bad ?  WHAT IF force majeure strikes me down ?  WHAT IF I receive the pink slip because my company is [finally] feeling the financial impact of this long-drawn pandemic ?  WHAT IF my sales pipeline dries up ?  Will my life skid from there ?

if there is a role model that should remain a fiction at that, it's Sponge Bob because in real life, it can't be FINE and DANDY for a long long stretch.  If you're going through a stretch in life when $$$$$ is overflowing like an oil well, PLZ PLZ PLZ put a cap on the nozzle even it means that we're spoiling your party.  Why is of more paramount importance anyway ?  Is it your PARTY now ?  Or is it your TOMORROW, your FUTURE ?  Can  you just pull the breaks and ground the car to a halt so you can prepare for your FUTURE ✅✅✅

Tool to Help Avert SCAMS

 [ADVISORY]  Tool to Help Avert SCAMS

Quite a departure from our normal top favorite blogs, today we'd like this to be more as an ADVISORY to help the public mitigate the very unusual high increase of risks we have been facing ever since this pandemic blew up.  My apologies for this ADVISORY as this may sound DRY and BORING.  Nevertheless, with the uptick for our need for online payments, I just thought that I should resuscitate this discussion so that we can help in our modest means to send a REFRESH alert to my readership because I owe this to you no less .  Otherwise, If I were remiss in sharing all these, I could be equally guilty if you fall prey to the endless runs of SCAMS now hovering all over us.

At the forefront is ECOMMERCE FOUNDATION, which was organized by worldwide national ecommerce associations, online and omni channel selling companies from industries such as retail, travel and finance.

Here is an actual verification of the website www.microsoft.com which shows that the 'TRUSTSCORE' of microsoft.com is 100%, so if you verify the credibility of the website and if it results to 100% TRUST, you are guaranteed to safely proceed with your online transactions.

Today, I was all set to purchase something online and after ADD TO CART but before CHECKOUT, I went to "SCAMADVISER" and checked the website [a.k.a. URL] by typing the exact website details in the 'SEARCH WEBSITE' below. And the result in terms of "TRUSTSCORE" will be in percentage format.

End result?  The TRUSTSCORE of that website was 55% !@#$ whew ! What happened next ?  I cancelled my planned online purchase.  So if you ask me, what's the surest TRUSTSCORE ?  It's 100% dude, NO LESS ✅✅✅

Working Beyond Your 'PAY GRADE'

Working Beyond Your 'PAY GRADE'

Does this scenario look familiar:  your boss asked someone to temporarily work on something because another colleague is not available for whatever reason.  And what was the familiar refrain ?  I'm sorry that's BEYOND MY PAY GRADE, whew !  Share with you how I reacted when I witnessed those tit-for-tat quite many times in the past.  I hated as much as I sympathized that person.  WHY?  He blew off that opportunity being given to him on a platter.  In two shortest words, that was LOST OPPORTUNITY for him. 

Turn things upside down.  If you were jobless, would you have turned down that request for help ?  Surely NOT, right ?  But it's downright pitiful how shortsighted someone can be to turn down a request from your boss.  BTW, you're not in a retail store where you need to weigh in every gram of it.  Think about it.  Face your mirror all over and ask yourself.  Would you rather remain stalled now in your current job role till the sun sets at your horizon ?  Or are still nursing hopes [a.k.a. ambitions] for you to go up the corporate ladder ?  If it is the latter, rethink your thoughts so you can have the best decision ever.

On the other hand, have we seen how humans reacted when a coworker does go above their paygrade ?  Does ENVY prevail ?  Does jealousy surface till it leads to resentment ?  Problem is, things go south when we start comparing ourselves with our coworkers.  It's just a no-no.   We gotta realize that we all live and co-exist based on our own merits, not just because our coworker have taken that extra mile which simply impressed the bosses.

As it is in any option in life, there are always Pros and Cons for working beyond our PAY GRADE.  Let's start with the Cons.  Working beyond your PAY GRADE may eventually demotivate you if ever you expected to reap dividends so soon.  Again, this is more setting expectations, aligning with reality.

Whatever your expectations though, are many more upsides of taking that 'Xtra Mile'.  As it is, you will be in a Win-Win situation because there's just nothing to lose here.  Plain and simple, you're 'INVESTING' and putting something at stake for a future thing which is not guaranteed though.  My sane advice, working beyond your PAY GRADE should be embedded within yourself because eventually, you will reap the fruits of the seeds you have been sowing.  Word of caution:  do temper expectations.  Optimism is fine but it has to be tempered.✅✅✅

When Do You Move Your 'GOAL POST' ?

 When Do You Move Your 'GOAL POST' ?

We all have our GOAL POST, right ?  Who does not anyways.  And there should be no debate either as to why we should have that GOAL POST. Because having that leads us to be focused every step of the way towards achieving that final GOAL POST.  But as it is in life, nothing is guaranteed.  In fact, a good 90% of us all do achieve our respective successes but not in the most ideal fashion but nevertheless a success enough when measured against the probability of achieving the ideal state.  But the fallacy we always hear around is that the GOAL POST is cast in stone and cannot be moved at all, not by any circumstances.

No Senores, while the GOAL POST may be your very covenant, there are convincing reasons for us to move that coveted GOAL POST.  When?  

WHEN we realize that moving means achieving WHEN we revisit the feasibility of achieving it  WHEN we do fall short and realize the reality WHEN we step back so we can go forward      WHEN we become pragmatic and less idealistic

What are the implications of moving GOAL POST? Firstly, call it whatever, it is a setback for you.  BUT hey that setback will not be like the monkey on your back forever.  If at all, that setback is just for now.  Won't you welcome a setback early in the game now instead of a setback at the FINISH LINE ?  Secondly, changing your GOAL POST means recognizing the constraints you realized along the way.  Accepting reality is the only way to go forward.

Beyond what we can control within our means, there are multifarious circumstances that can prevent us from achieving our goals.  And this is force majeure.  In fact, by changing one's GOAL POST, it is a concrete manifestation that you are damn focused towards achieving your goals whatever it takes as long as they are doable and realistic.  Bottom-line is, remove the outliers that can derail your road to success.

After all these mouthful of inputs, you would ask me, how can I translate all these words so it gets concretized.  First, it pays to have a mentor cum coach, someone who selflessly gives you his/her inputs, not self-motivated with his/her ulterior motives.  It pays that your mentor/coach is someone who puts your goals up front and way above any other variables in life.  Word of caution though.  To mentor you means that that someone is 'hardened enough' in his life because anything he shares with you should dovetail and map his previous success stories against your GOAL POST.   Just don't settle for any tom, dick and harry.❗❗❗

Taking a Step Back is NOT That Bad

Taking a Step Back is NOT That Bad

Who says we should NOT retreat and NOT take a STEP BACK ?  Only the naysayers I guess but unfortunately, we're easily swayed and influenced by those at the other side of the fence.  Too bad we hear more often that taking a STEP BACK is a manifestation of DEFEATISM, HOPELESSNESS, NEGATIVISM and in the shortest statement, raising the 'white flag' to RETREAT & SURRENDER.  But that's not what stepping back really is.

All those arguments are all traceable back to cynicism when in fact, more often, all we need is a timeout, a break, a temporary respite from being in the middle of those struggles.  A timeout literally stops the clock from ticking.  And once it stops ticking, that gives us the time to re-energize and regain our drained 'battery strength'.

Whether it's about your relationship, your business, your career or even your health, there will be crossroads in our life when we need to make a call, for us to STEP BACK. Too bad we developed that very WRONG idea that the only direction is UP and any other direction is a FAILED one.

How then do we handle things if we are in a quandary ?  #1, DON'T ever go for a quick fix.  There's NO SHORT CUT, only a SURE CUT.  #2, re-evaluate and reassess things all over again, top-down and if you need to flag down yourself for misguided decisions, so be it.  #3, DON'T SECOND-GUESS yourself.  When forced to make decisions that force you from your comfort zone, FEAR REARS its UGLY HEAD.

Do note that although changing paths is scary, the cost of sitting on your hands doing nothing about your unhappiness is much worse for you.  Studies showed that sticking it out DESPITE YOUR UNHAPPINESS can lead to illness or emotional exhaustion.  So, rather than dwelling on the time you'll lose, look ahead at the challenges that can boost your happiness, leaving you fulfilled every day.  Despite the dark clouds, the SUN is behind it.  All we need to do is look at that 'BIG PICTURE'. ❗❗❗