Those Slippery Slopes

Those Slippery Slopes

Yes sirs, we don't live in level rolling plains.  Instead, we go through various terrains to test our mettle but more than that, more often, we are constantly trekking up in slopes.  But here's the catch though.  Most of those slopes are not dry and firm enough for us to grip.  Instead, most of those slopes are too slippery at any given time.  And what's the catch when going up those slippery slopes ?  Once we slip down, more often it would set us back not just a step back but multiple steps back.  If you're trekking Mount Everest, that could mean throwing you back to base camp.

The thing is, life itself is already that slippery slope we all dread.  So what does it take for us to counter the slippery slopes in life ?  You don't have to be ruthless or cold-blooded to succeed in the world today.  Success does NOT require talent, good looks or inherited wealth either.  In fact, all success really requires is a determined mind that is committed to persist despite all challenges that may come your way.

In short, once you slip, persistence is all that matters.  Now the inverse is also true.  A lack of persistence is one of the best ways to guarantee failure in any endeavor you undertake.  But we are not here to see you fail.  Note that we are made to persist.  That's how we find out who we are.

How long should we try ?  Until when ?  Well, you gotta press on.  Nothing in the world can stop your persistence.  Permanence, perseverance and persistence, inspite of all obstacles. discouragement and impossibilities, it is this that in all things distinguishes the strong soul from the weak.  I'd like to quote Buddha's most quotable quote: 'in the confrontation between the stream and the rock, the stream always wins, not through strength but through persistence.

But as slipping down or getting thrown out from the slopes is sometimes inevitable, how should you prepare for such inevitabilities ?  Prepare for contingencies.  If it's all about your health, neven run out of your nutrients.  If it's your financials, you got to maintain that 'piggy back' which you'll crack up if needed,  Never get caught flatfooted because that could be your worst downfall which can be cushioned❗❗❗

Go 'OFF THE GRID'

 Go 'OFF THE GRID'

Being part of the mainstream has always been our comfort zone.   Be it in the latest social media buzz or the latest fashion fad or even the places most people go to dine out, conventional wisdom dictates that the majority can't just go wrong. Oh well, its aye for me in most cases but it can't be true through and through though.

How many times have you seen either a couple or bff's going out for dinner and out there, both are just so engrossed with social media, so oblivious that they have company for that dine-out.  Does this not defeat the very purpose of going out ?  To bond during your common spare window ?  Instead, each is in his/her own silo, not until the food gets served.  What happens next is as good as your guess.  They end up to 'EAT and RUN'.

Wall clocks anyone ?  Nope, that's a thing of the past BUT having said that this is the time to declare that we ourselves have become hostages to every tick of the clock.  And didn't you realize, for most of us, the last thing we touch base before shutting off our eyes is social media and come next morning, that's the very first stuff we make ourselves busy.  Didn't we realize that. subtly, we're ending up hostaged by the clock time ?

Heard of stories where an ambitious fellow did heed the advice of folks around him as he was overly ambitious to reach his 'promised land' the soonest with the least effort ?  And when he was finally atop that heap of fallacies and fantasies, he realized he was literally lost in the trail after he did heed the advice of all the people around him.  The harsh reality in life is that people are generally opinionated.  If there are ten folks around you, rest assured you will receive ten inputs that will lead you more dizzy and puzzled.  Have you approached someone to seek advice and you were curtly snobbed ?  Very hardly and rarely, at all.

Good enough, most of us know what we want.  And I guess, if we share any commonality, it's that dream to live an ideal life.  So, why don't we consider sometimes to go 'OFF THE GRID', sans social media, sans those apps, sans the kibitzers around you, sans the distractions within your periphery ?  Because we are entitled to our own Nirvana, that state of PERFECT QUIETUDE, FREEDOM, HIGHEST HAPPINESS and our liberation from worldly suffering❗❗❗

Can We Extend Our 'FLASH BULB' Moments ?

Can We Extend Our 'FLASH BULB' Moments ?

Anyone who had those 'FLASH BULB' moments ?  Surely, each one of us had our fair share of 'FLASH BULB' moments.  In fact, we all had one too many of those moments where we were basking in the light of those moments when everything was going right for us, when there were no missteps, when lady luck was with us through and through.  But the bigger question is, did we capitalize well enough to the hilt those 'feel good' moments when you are lady luck's favorite and when you were on a winning streak or someone wearing teflon jackets such that nothing bad will hit you regardless of what steps you take ?

When the stars are aligned, those are the moments when you achieved a milestone success albeit not a major one.  OR that's when you were able to grab low hanging fruits and suddenly, an unknown player in the organization gets known.  OR that could be a minor breakthrough in business when you were able to find a very strategic location for a business location where you can expand your operations.  OR that could be those moments when, for the longest time, your relationship with your in-laws were historically strained, not until one day they woke up with the realization that you are not that bad, after all !

Indeed we had 'flashes in the pan' and as it says, it remains as such, those moments don't linger far and beyond but remember those are part of your 'FLASH BULB' moments as well so it pays that you capitalize [and need be, stretch it far enough].  Why do we need to piggy-back even on those 'flashes in the pan' ?  It's because we need to create that onrush of energy that translates to MOMENTUM.  Once we do gain traction in our MOMENTUM, more often, you'll be on your winning streak till it gets snapped.  Why do the lucky ones get luckier ?  Why are the success stories keep adding up their success stories ?  Hmm, primarily, it's because they managed to create that momentum and that keeps them going till they lose steam.

Do we agree here that the world loves WINNERS more than LOSERS, SUCCESSES more than FAILURES ? It's because winners and success stories all have the 'feel good' stuff that becomes the catalyst for us to further grinding hard.  And how powerful is our memory recall ?  Studies have shown that it is such a big factor that influences our next steps.  Where there is negativity, it's likely that that negativity will impact you even prior you make the next move.  And where positivity is all over you, that augurs well for you.

And BTW, positivity is damn contagious!  Your attitude at work will not only impact your career but even your general outlook in life.  When something goes wrong, they'll say 'stay strong'.  And those little-little affirmations will go a long way in helping you stretch those 'FLASH BULB' moments for you to stretch your winning streak❗❗❗

You CAN'T Choose Your Terrain

 You CAN'T Choose Your Terrain

In this planet, name a terrain, you have it.  And that's not far different from our life itself because there are much number of terrains as much as our planet earth has.  But there's a stark difference there.  While we can choose the terrain where we will live, it is next to impossible for us to choose the terrain we will trek in life.

Through the years, I heard many things like:  I WANT to take a course that will be EASY.  I WANT to join a company where they have these 'x' fringe benefits.  I WANT to migrate to the country of "MILK & HONEY".  I want a job role that is cut perfectly for the course and skills where I got trained and graduated.  I WANT to start a business where I just need to work no more than 8-10 hours daily with weekends as my break.  Whew lah !!!

For all we know, there could be opportunities for us to consider if we live in the countryside where we'll till our own land and raise our own herd of animals.  It may seem harking backwards to the previous generation but if that option offers you the modest benefits you can leverage on, why not?  And BTW, the eventual terrain you decided to choose may not be the most ideal option but that is the best you can take at that point in time based on a given set of circumstances at hand.  It's all about being pragmatic in life. 

I've personally known people who got stuck up 'in a foxhole' simply because he wanted another terrain of his choice.  And while you're entitled to choose your preferred terrain, out of expediency and being commonsensical, you may have to grab an option which is not at par with your ideal goal but it's not bad either because it guarantees you success.

In summary, dreaming isn't bad.  In fact, we strongly encourage everyone to dream and DREAM BIG but...... BUT just a cautionary note though.  Please NEVER choose the terrain you need to traverse.  In fact and in truth, you need to brace yourself for an all-weather and all-terrain mindset and be ready enough for risks and contingencies that may arise along the way because we're absolutely sure, our lifelong travel won't be a cakewalk.⏳

Sliver of a Clue

Sliver of a Clue

All things equal, the world we live in is never an open book.  Even for a worker in the operations floor where processes are automated via robotics and its technologies, to execute processes, you still need to reference the operations RUN BOOK whether digitally or otherwise.  But the biggest challenge in life are not the documentations but rather things that are UNDOCUMENTED.

Oh, this bland poster hit my nerves stating that incognito is a fabric of life.  Well said, very true indeed and I couldn't agree more. With so many things in life not visible on the surface, it behooves that we need to exert tons of effort in unearthing anything and everything that remains as such.  Why ?  Because missing links do matter.  Because the unknowns do matter.  Because those unseen variables are often crucial pieces of an equation.  Let's paint real-life scenarios.  A couple enduring a strained relationship may not be on 'talking terms' for quite sometime until one day, the spouse started preparing the hubby's meal on the table.  That is a 'SLIVER of a CLUE' 

If you're a newbie either in school or at work, you're totally blind of everything around you.  Not until either a colleague or a schoolmate reaches out to you via a 'SLIVER of a CLUE' that opens up as an opportunity for you to ease up your transition as a newbie.  How that 'SLIVER of a CLUE' surfaces, it is for you to figure things out.

If there's we should never miss out, it is that  'SLIVER of a CLUE' that will remain as such. Where you're facing a floundering relationship, you gotta ACT fast, MOVE fast especially when you do see that 'SLIVER of a CLUE'.  Frankly though, be forewarned that the way you dissect a 'SLIVER of a CLUE' may be off-track [and that's fine because you may end up with a misreading 50% of the time]. BUT that still puts you in good shape because looking at that glass of water as half-full instead of half-empty, it means that 50% of the time you were able to grab those opportunities and leverage on it.  

Hey, even in the technology space, Google does not want to be left out so they also introduced running Google in INCOGNITO mode.  Which is ironical because conventional wisdom dictates that technology should lay on the platter as much data and information as possible.  But hey, we will always go back to that 'SLIVER of a CLUE' where we need to figure things out, especially if those are opportunities to rekindle a relationship, repair a strained interaction, those intangible which will MAKE or BREAK you all because either you did catch or miss on a 'SLIVER of a CLUE'✅✅✅

On The Cusp...

 On The Cusp...

Nope, sorry Senores, this piece is not related to the cosmic world, not even astrology but take it for what it literally means, this is all about CUSP and how being in that CUSP is most crucial to influence and shape the end-result that will happen next.  Come next day, most of us won't be in that CUSP.  Instead, the likelihhod is that, come next day, we could have ended up in a much better shape or things simply worsened with our situation.

In real terms, after we pass through a CUSP, either our umbrella is still standing upright or the umbrella has been blown away.  But instead basking in the light of a success or sulking as an aftermath of a failure, can we step back and do a post-mortem as to what exactly happened during the CUSP ?  How we handled the CUSP decided today's outcome.

So what exactly are these real-life CUSP scenarios ?  In the academe, you could be in that CUSP where in your senior year, you were about to overtake the previous #1 ranked student for you to garner the valedictorian award !  In relationships, you could be in that CUSP where your relationship with your spouse was about to take the next level of robustness.  At work, your career could have been in that CUSP where your trajectory was going upwards ?  If you were an entrepreneur, your business could have reached that CUSP where it was about to take a quantum leap in terms of sales revenues ?

In general terms, in numerous times in our life, we are ON THE CUSP towards achieving SUCCESS and while a good percentile do end up successful, what throws us off the chair is that high mortality of FAILURES despite being ON THE CUSP of SUCCESS. Two common culprits of failures despite being ON THE CUSP:  C & C [over-CONFIDENCE and COMPLACENCY], period.

Nothing fancy in this poster except that this tells us that FAILURE is not an option in life and regardless of your travails in life, it has to be SUCCESS or bust.  And you won't settle on a result even if it s a half-step away from SUCCESS because even a shortfall of about a half-step is still a failure no less.  Lessons here?  Let us NOT miss out grabbing every opportunity if that leads us closer to the very portals of success.  BTW, being ON THE CUSP does not equate to success.  It does not even round off to success.  You gotta hit pay dirt before you declare that you're BEYOND THE CUSP.⏳⏳⏳

Back Up, NOT Back Down !

Back Up, NOT Back Down !

Good grief.  Guess we're all in the same boat, that boat that struggles through the rough seas, sometimes causing it to capsize and just evaporate in thin air.  And it is indeed saddening that if we survey our population, at the very least, approximately 30% did back down and simply gave up when faced with those debacles and struggles where any weaker soul will simply give up.

We can't blame many of us especially when all the odds are stacked against you, when your back is against the wall, people thought that the only option left was to raise your hand and simply give up.  Obviously, man's weakest link are these fronts:  HEALTH and FINANCIALS.  When we get hit with issues either with HEALTH or FINANCIALS, that will be the ultimate litmus test one has to hurdle.

And we're not even talking about force majeure because that leads us into a world way beyond us to grapple its unpredictability.  So what exactly should we do in the face of these HEALTH or FINANCIAL challenges ?  Hmmm, you gotta deal with it.  How do you deal with such nerve-wracking challenges ?  Face it head-on.  And DIG DEEP into your arsenal and draw out all the ammunitions and strength you can retrieve because there's no other way but to slay that dragon even if you're like David [and not Goliath].

Battling health and/or financial challenges should be akin to crossing the Rubicon because that can dictate one's success or failure.  Hurdling your health and financial challenges should remove your one foot in the hole because by them, you can feel you're back into the mainstream.  And what's our ultimate goal ?  It is your MENTAL HEALTH, no less than that.

Numbers-wise, statistics have proven that eventually, the good things and blessings in life will eventually prevail regardless of the volume and severity of your challenges.  Eventually, the waves will taper off, the floods will dry up, the incessant pressures in life will eventually give way to the blessings in life.  Wonder when those blessings will come into your life ?  Sweat it out first dude, kick your ass damn hard.  You gotta grind damn hard before you're back in track.✅✅✅

Going Off The Charts

Going Off The Charts

Being 'OFF THE CHARTS' can be either good tidings or good riddance, depending on which side of the fence you are now seated on but generally, when we claim that we're 'OFF THE CHARTS', it usually means good tidings because you are on the path to achieve unprecedented results that would likely surpass and exceed your pre-set goals by going 'OFF THE CHARTS'.

But if going 'OFF THE CHARTS' pertains to your health, it would be the last news we want to hear, when your health goes down on a tailspin.  But even then, our state of health doesn't take a 180-degree turn from good to bad simply overnight.  Be conscious of manifestations and behavioral symptoms that may be creeping and threatening your state of health.  I did witness in the past when a person who used to be in the pink of health through the decade suddenly gets warded in the hospital for a serious illness.  Simply put, DON'T IGNORE the slightest manifestations.

A subtle threat in our life which shouldn't go 'OFF THE CHARTS' as well is our stress level.  Probably, you're driving and stuck in a traffic gridlock [that was prior to this pandemic], late for a client meeting, watching the minutes tick away.  Your hypothalamus, a 'tiny control tower' in your brain, decides to send out the order: 'SEND IN THE STRESS HORMONES'.  Those stress hormones are the same ones that trigger your body's 'FIGHT or FLIGHT' response.  So, do check out your stress levels.

Now, let's be positive inside-out.  In school, let's aim for the A+ final marks.  At work, let's be the top performer.  In business, let's see your revenues gallop for the coming years.  And in your personal relationships, let's ensure that our relationship with our partner/spouse be at the maximum optimal level of robustness no less.  If conflicts may arise within the family circles, as long as you're on the right path, stick it out with your partner/spouse, get glued and stand by each other come hell or high water.

Whichever side you are in now, that PAYBACK TIME should always be our bottom-line.  Reaching our FINISH LINE where we could savor the fruits of all frustrations and fears thrown in our way.  Who wants to succeed without realizing that it's PAYBACK TIME ?  A word of caution though.  When's the time for that PAYBACK TIME ?  It is very much dependent on how hard you grind in life.  Grind less and it could take you forever.⏳⏳⏳ 

ABCD [Above and Beyond the Call of Duty]

ABCD [Above and Beyond the Call of Duty]

So sorry for the confusion.  This piece is not intended for the Pre-School toddlers as this ABCD is a discourse for ABOVE and BEYOND the CALL of DUTY.  And this is not about the military environment but more about us, how do we go about in our deliverables, whether at home, in school, at work or even in your own business.

Instead, it's all about doing things ABOVE and BEYOND.  In school, do you just prepare for the lectures taught ?  At work, do you just perform a task based on your roles and responsibilities ?  In business, did you just deliver the ordered foods on the table nary anything else, not even a 'bon appetit' ?  And that brings us to a sensitive touchpoint, when we tend to do things JUST ENOUGH and NOT ABOVE and BEYOND ?  Do we realize that by doing and delivering things JUST ENOUGH translates to LOST OPPORTUNITIES which we could have grabbed and leveraged on ?  Too bad, many of us would miss that point by just doing things JUST ENOUGH.

Back in our relationships. are all the breakups and divorces still news fodder? Me thinks it's not anymore.  breakups and divorces seem as trivial as the air we breath but hey, all researches about divorces have confirmed that the #1 culprit is conflict that doesn't get resolved because either party does NOT GO ABOVE and BEYOND but instead, they remain nested in their cocoon.

At work, surely at some point in time, you worked ABOVE and BEYOND but here's the BUT.  Either your boss told you so OR you had no option but to do things that way OR force majeure came into play such that things were beyond your control ?  I just hope I'm wrong with these speculations BUT in real life, this is the harsh truth though.

Why can't be that "OA", that "OVER ACHIEVER" ?  What do we lose by being "OA" ?  Probably you would have exerted some extra joules in terms of the energy spent for that undertaking.  Anything you lost for being "OA" ?  Probably that Xtra push and pressure on yourself to deliver things ABOVE and BEYOND but otherwise, effectively you don't materially lose anything else.  Truth is, by doing things ABOVE and BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY, you are paving the road leading to newer opportunities for you to uncork down the road⏳⏳⏳

The BEST THING Out of this Pandemic

 The BEST THING Out of this Pandemic

Of all threads and topics, I'm sure that the pandemic as a thread has flooded across our global community BUT here's the BUT.  I still want to bat for pandemic as a thread at least for this thread because despite all the destruction and defacement we all have endured for about a year and a half now.  With too much negative impact to our lives, we cannot deny how much this pandemic has wrought havoc on us.

Instead, not to blame each of us as we've been through the worse yet, we're not sure if the worst is yet to come.  But as we are as helpless as we can be, it just makes sense we look around and ask ourselves what is the BEST THING OUT of this pandemic ?  And without sugar-coating, I'd like to harp on that BEST THING OUT of this pandemic.  And to magnify things, where it not for this pandemic, we would not have benefited and experienced this BEST THING OUT.

Now, I'll let it out of the bag and let you know what is that BEST THING OUT of this pandemic.  And this is supported by a global study which has confirmed that these months of uncertainty gave us the huge opportunity to SAVOR & APPRECIATE the small things in life which in the past were not recognizable at all.  Those mugs of coffee, we used to gulp it fast before but this pandemic, its a different story.

As UNCERTAINTY is stressful and perhaps even harmful to our health, researches suggest that it could drive us to cling to our social groups to the exclusion of others.  But a most recent study has uncovered a surprising UPSIDE to feeiing UNCERTAIN:  it might drive us to appreciate the little things n life.  In one experiment, researchers stationed on a sidewalk handed out flyers that said one of two things:  

"LIFE IS UNPREDICTABLE:  STOP and SMELL THE ROSES" or "LIFE is CONSTANT:  STOP and SMELL THE ROSES".  A short distance away was a table with a dozen red roses on it and a sign matching the flyer they've just received.  The research assistants then hid behind the bushes to see who stopped and who didn't - and it was the people who read that LIFE is UNPREDICTABLE who buried their noses in those fragrant flowers. two times more often than the others.  

Why ?  Savoring and appreciating the small things in life may be a coping response that our minds activate when we feel overwhelmed by the ambiguity of it all.  Savoring pulls us out of fears and worries about a fuzzy future and into the clear, pleasurable sensations right now.  So, let us all bring out the BEST THING OUT of this pandemic.⌛⌛⌛