Be a Flower, NOT a Weed

Be a Flower, NOT a Weed

Being partial or bias to flowers rather than weeds does not make us effeminate, right ?  So, there should be nothing loathsome if we all say in unison that we'd rather Be a Flower, NOT a Weed.  But of all things, why do we want to dump off the weed ?  Simple.  This is like comparing day and night, the sun and the moon.  There's just no room to debate that this is NOT all about gender but instead, just calling a spade a spade.  And we can epitomize the flower, then why settle to become a weed at all ?  In our global village, living life is pretty simple.  It's either you are on the right side or the not so right side.  Either you are on track or you're off track.  Either you'll end up a success or failure.

On the other hand, if we look at things scientifically, they even say that a WEED IS JUST A FLOWER GROWING in the WRONG PLACE.  So, would you rather be tagged as a flower growing in the wrong place because that means you're one of those weeds ?

C'mon, not to put down the weeds out there but here's another non-debatable take, that is, WHERE FLOWERS BLOOM, SO DOES HOPE.  So, that's a second argument for or against weeds versus flowers.  Would you still cling to be a weed if this poster screams that indeed there is HOPE where FLOWERS BLOOM ?  Let's swing back to our lives.  What keeps our life alive ?  What keeps our belly burning ?  What keeps our adrenalin up at an ante ?  What keeps us digging for the long haul ?  It's all about HOPE, the HOPE that we're on the right track, the HOPE that we will make it at the end of our journey, maybe bruised and scathed but another success story securing the success we have all dreamt of for the longest time.

This is all that will keep us going, digging for the long haul, regardless if we have stumbled numerous times.  In life, I can attest [on a first person basis] to witnessing people who not only buckled down but really gradually dissipated, evaporate and simply went pfffffft in thin air simply because they lost that remaining hope which they need to cling to, if only to keep them going, if only to keep them motivated every step of the way.

So, do we agree that generally, weeds do grow BUT they grow in DIFFERENT DIRECTIONS ?  Whereas most flowers we see, even before they bloom, we all effortlessly become aware of its eventual trajectory.  So, WILL YOU BE A WEED with a trajectory that will remain utterly unpredictable ?  Or will you be the epitome of a flower which offers much hope EVEN BEFORE IT BLOOMS ?  Think about the parallelisms of flowers and weeds versus our life.  There's just so much for us to continue learning and realizing what lies ahead in our life if we continue to be nursing so much HOPE❗❗❗

The Apple Does NOT Fall Far From the Tree

The Apple Does NOT Fall Far From the Tree

You don't need to have a green thumb to agree that the Apple Does NOT Fall Far From the Tree at all.  The fallout is as simple and straightforward as a straight line.  There is even no outliier in these cases because the trajectory never varies based on the gravitational force.  Such are opportunities in life as well.  Opportunities that are up for grabs don't need a drone or any other devices for you to drill-down on such opportunities as they are right there around you, within your periphery.  

Indeed, what explains why opportunities, like apples, cannot really fall far from the tree ?  This is a no-brainer.  If you're in the Americas Region, do you think an opportunity in Europe will suddenly pop for you ?  Let us take a cue from entrepreneurs.  They do not even wait for the APPLE TO FALL, not at all.  Instead, they even become the trigger or catalyst to CREATE AN OPPORTUNITY [effectively from nowhere].  And this is quite puzzling but this is indeed true.

So, if opportunities cannot just abound from afar and if indeed we can create opportunities like entrepreneurs, where's the beef ?  C'mon.  Entrepreneurs were tagged really as entrepreneurs because for them, an opportunity can all start as a seed that gets planted.  And how do we plan those seeds of opportunities ?  IDEAS IDEAS IDEAS. And I can attest that in the past, I finally had those opportunities because it all started as an IDEA

So, that's how things started for many of those opportunities I did grab in the past.  It started with a raw, untested and unproven idea.  Then I started to iterate it, validate it until it was bullet proof-ready for me to grab.  Had I sat on the ground and waited, those opportunities would not have come, that I can be sure of.  But how can IDEAS germinate to become a full-blown opportunity ?  VALIDATE if that idea will be feasible, in the first place.  If it is, proceed to PLANT that SEED on the right ground, with the appropriate sunlight it needs [remember, some seeds will not survive when exposed to the sub].

Once that seed lives past its survival stage, nurture it till it matures enough, in time for your picking.  Thinking of those opportunities like LOTTO ?  Forget it.  Your life will be doomed if your life will hinge on LOTTO.  Enough of that LOTTO mindset.  Bluntly, it's time for us to realize that, IN LIFE, there is NO FREE LUNCH.  We got to earn for it, dude✅✅✅

The Sun, The Moon and The TRUTH

The Sun, The Moon and The TRUTH

We may not be Buddhists but I'd like to share this widely quoted statement from Buddha:  THREE THINGS CANNOT BE LONG HIDDEN, namely THE SUN, THE MOON and THE TRUTH.  And this should not be a hard-sell anymore because the sun and the moon are everyday givens.  But with THE TRUTH, that's where we'll get stuck up for a bit as we dissect it down further.  Through generations, societies across have varying versions of THE TRUTH.  And that's when things become murkier because in the real world, how can there be more than a single version of THE TRUTH ?

Do we really need to spend time and debate about THE TRUTH ?  Absolutely since these times, THE TRUTH often have a second version and surprise of surprises, sometimes there is even a third version.  But why is Buddha widely quoted for this ?  It's because tons and tons of TRUTH versions have been churned out by governments, by private entities and in our personal lives, we could bear witness to more than just one version of it.

 Few days  back, in Oslo Norway, this year's Nobel Peace Prize awardees were feted with no less than the Swedish Royalty gracing the occasion.  And if there was anything significant about this year's awardees, both are journalists who have been fighting for the TRUTH and nothing less than that.  And in the midst of their struggles, both of the journalist awardees from Russia and the Philippines were fighting institutions and sometimes, their very own governments

And what happens if we do end up as the vanguards of TRUTH ?  But instead, what if we end up peddling either the half-truths or worse, the non-truths ?  Here's the take.  While you may want to conceal the TRUTH to gain benefits out of it, such dividends will be very temporary because as Buddha says, eventually, the TRUTH will come out and that will be a huge setback for you because you may end up in a situation much worse than what you have been had you settled for the very TRUTH itself.

Look back your academic life if you're still in school.  Look back at your work.  Look back at your relationship with your loved ones.  Look back at your business.  Do you think you will be better off and in better shape if you peddled things other than the very TRUTH ? Think along those lines because we do not want you to end up in a miserable state simply because of your own undoing, that of not realizing that the TRUTH is what matters❗❗❗

Be Wary of Shortcuts

Be Wary of Shortcuts

We all love shortcuts, don't we ?  It save time and probably effort and even money.  But is that true of all shortcuts in life ?  No sirrrrrs, a log of us either failed or at least stumbled down because of shortcuts. And who is to be faulted for those stumbles ?  Don't blame the shortcuts because they never sold themselves to you but instead, you leveraged and stretched them out thinking that they will solve you a big chunk of time, effort and even monies.  This is the irony.  We seem to easily succumb to the shortcuts in life simply by word of mouth.  Why do we easily fall prey to many purported shortcuts in life ?  Be Wary of Shortcuts

The mother of all ironies is that no one is hard-selling us to go for shortcuts.  It's human nature to fall prey to shortcuts even if no one has proven that indeed those shortcuts do work.  Shortcuts in school work.  Shortcuts at work.  Shortcuts in one's relationship[s].  Shortcuts in the business you're running.  What is the common denominator of all those foul-ups ?  We were either misguided or misinformed that that particular shortcut really works when it has hardly been proven.

You might throw the kitchen sink to me and ask as to why there are shortcuts in all the apps we have in our devices?  Oh let me clear the mix up before things get so blurred.  The shortcut in an app is obviously confirmed to be functional 'cos that's part of the apps and solution.  But that is not the case in our lives.  And what is the most common road wrongly taken by most of us ?  It is that road that supposedly leads to our goals, to our success.

And I have to pity many of us who got caught in the quagmire because of the supposed shortcuts in life.  That SHORTCUT to BIG BUCKS.  That SHORTCUT to SUCCESS.  That SHORTCUT to a TOP CAREER.  That SHORTCUT to the most ideal relationship.  That SHORTCUT to be an IMMIGRANT.  True, many do succeed but more than 90% fail.  Why ?  They get lured by offers simply because they are blinded by offers to be an immigrant in a western country.  They end up duped by money-driven tricksters and defrauders.

If there are NO SHORTCUTS, what do we have then ?  Only SURE CUTS, as my brother coined this long time back.  And I admit I took the SURE CUT when I did hurdle my school deliverables.  I did take the SURE CUT with the end view of becoming an immigrant [which I did become until I became a naturalized citizen of my adoptive country].  I did take the SURE CUT in my relationships as well as I did bide my time until I was sure of things.  And I did take the SURE CUT till I realized that the company I've been working with for close to eleven years now will likely be the company I'll eventually retire✅✅✅

Seize the Day RIGHT NOW

Seize the Day RIGHT NOW

How familiar is this one-liner:  OH YEAH, EVENTUALLY I PLAN TO SEIZE THE DAY BUT RIGHT NOW I'M JUST PACING MYSELF ?!@#$% whew.  Seriously, I bear witness to hearing and witnessing that one-liner amongst and within my relatives and circle of friends.  And a zillion times I pitied them because to me, they are that miserable to miss SEIZING THE DAY RIGHT NOW.

Why do we need to pitch for everyone to SEIZE THE DAY RIGHT NOW ?  Isn't this a no brainer.  No sirrrs I vehemently disagree that this becomes moot and academic [because it's NOT].  On a first-person account, I have witnessed numerous, repetitive moments when people PUT OFF FOR TOMORROW what can be SEIZED TODAY.  In real life, I've seen people who were jobless but they were angling for the most ideal job [and that's fine] but what's regrettable is that numerous opportunities for alternative job options slipped.

Carpe Diem. this is a Latin aphorism translated as SEIZE THE DAY.  It urges us to MAKE THE MOST OF THE PRESENT.  It's a given that we have lofty aspirations.  Even the not so competent and qualified persons do have aspirations that sometimes seem to go well beyond the roof and that is the sad part because people end up stuck with non-progress.  Pitiful indeed.

What's the antidote for this ?  Yes sirrrs. RISE UP & ATTACK THE DAY WITH ENTHUSIASM.  A zillion times people confided to me that they start to feel the jitters when Sunday is almost over because the next day is Monday.  Others confessed to me that they felt drained on a Monday morning, what ??? In a counselling manner I talked to those people who confided to me in confidence.  I tried to understand where they were coming from and when I did dig up for the triggers of those pitiful confessions, the common refrain is that during Mondays, there are one too many tasks to be done.  Oh geeeeeez.

Sharing my practical solutions [and I can attest this works]. Firstly, remember you can only do so much, so if you're at work, that means prioritizing your tasks realistically to be done [in a normal pace] within that 8-hour window.  If tasks seem back-to-back, allot quick logical breakpoints or respites in between tasks.  That is task buffering [but hey, please DON'T buffer an hour in between tasks].  Five to 10-minute breaks between tasks should be reasonable enough.  If a task will entail travelling/driving, factor-in the reasonable total elapsed time [barring unforeseen events along the way].  When it comes to our relationships, if it seems dented or strained, dump off to the trash bin that misplaced PRIDE and instead, reach out by SEIZING THE DAY right now and reach out to your partner/spouse.  Why put off that attempt to reach out when your misplaced PRIDE allows you ?  What comes with that misplaced PRIDE will be a PRICE you have to pay.  Shape up dude❗❗❗

Are You Playing the LONG GAME

Are You Playing the 'LONG GAME'

Our lives can never be simple as we want it to be.  Truth of the matter, life itself is a complex web of intertwined equations with variables and unknowns.  But the question that keeps bugging us is how do we discern that indeed we are  playing the 'LONG GAME' [or NOT] ?  That is a very crucial unknown that needs to be pinned down because we need to align our actions with the realities.  Because at the end of the day, it is NOT for life to adjust to us but instead, it is for us to tweak and twist ourselves to the turns that is popping up in our life.

But do you know that TO PLAY THE LONG GAME, you gotta get yourself into the much shorter game ?  Taking a leaf from that old adage, a JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND STEPS STARTS WITH A FIRST STEP.  So, let's not be overwhelmed and get misguided by the thought that long-term goals need a long-term approach.  Because that statement is double-edged.  Because it all boils down to taking the correct first step for you to be on track.  Take that misstep and you are far from taking the next misstep as well.  

Let's even take the most simplistic example of gaming.  How will you approach that kind of gaming ?  It's either way.  If that is a one-off thing, obviously, you'll take the short game but where you are into a grueling marathon, the way to go is to PLAY THE LONG GAME.  If you're a student, are you aiming for high grades within the semester?  Or are you aiming for honors when you graduate ?

To simplify things, nothing beats setting long term goals because our trek in life is never short-term.  Let's talk about relationships ?  How come things are siZZLING so hOt at the start and yet things seem to fiZZLE out in the long run ?  Simple.  It's because either or both partners were playing the short game rather than the long game  Not that they treated it as a one-off thing but by skipping or failing to set your LONG-TERM GOALS, you end up getting trapped into the cocoon which is very much a short-term game.  If that couple framed their relationship for the long haul, they could be very likely still together till now.

Now, before you get me wrong, you might ask me:  DOES PLAYING THE LONG GAME assure me of SUCCESS ?  No Senor.  No Sir.  You still have to eke things out but what's the difference when you PLAY THE LONG GAME, by default, you will have more options, more iterations to play around your options before you finally take that shot.  Lesson here:  NEVER FAIL to SET your LONG-TERM GOALS✅✅✅

When Man Fails the Tests

When Man Fails the Tests

It's not everyday we go through all kinds of tests in life but when we do go through the rigors in life, the question is, what is our batting average ?  When Man Fails the Tests, what are the ramifications and consequences in life ?  Obviously, that varies but that's not the point though.

A big chunk of those tests though need no more than what is logical and/or practical.  Many of us [yes sirs that includes me in the past] tend to find a scapegoat to cover up our shortfalls and we never stop to blame the left, the right and practically every Tom, Dick and Harry.  If you're a student, failing tests does not mean failing academic tests.  Your academic professor can be testing your attitude when he/she tossed up a need for volunteers [but you KEPT MUM ?].  At work, you may have a colleague who needs to take an emergency leave so someone needs to backfill [but DID YOU VOLUNTEER ?].  

Despite the many 'tests in life', the ultimate tests we need to handle with aplomb are tests related to our relationship with our partner, our loved ones.  Your partner may have indirectly mention that he/she feels to have neglected him/herself but how was it ?  Did you react, if at all? Or did you life instantly become deaf and mute that moment ? Or in business. your new-found customer tested your mettle by requesting a small-small add-on in the toppings [but did you instantly react by saying THAT THAT REQUEST costs $$$$] ?

BTW, when you fail a test in life, what is it really you did fail ?  It could have costs you some things money can't compensate.  You could have lost the CONFIDENCE in you by your academic professor.  Or the TRUST in you by your partner/spouse.  Or the FAITH in you by your boss at work.  Or the GOODWILL you previously earned from your customers. Or you could have lost a fair mix of all those, all rolled into one.

But things do happen.  And they happen for a reason. But when this poster says KEEP CALM, why do we think it is encouraging our calmness ?  It's all damage control, folks.  During those moments when failed the tests, you could be on the verge on giving up, even on yourself.  But what do we gain to KEEP CALM ?  It's simply because we need to get back on track.  Think of those trains that get derailed and go off-track ?  They all got to be back on track.  In life, we do make mistakes.  And we do fail some tests.  But what matters is how quick and swift can we be back into motion.  Word of caution:  be prepared to exert double the efforts to REGAIN the CONFIDENCE, FAITH, GOODWILL and TRUST.  Regaining all these losses require that much efforts all over again.  Trust me✅✅✅

When is JUST ENOUGH not REALLY ENOUGH ?

When is JUST ENOUGH not REALLY ENOUGH ?

How often do we hear that WHEN IT IS ENOUGH, INDEED IT IS ENOUGH ?  Many times probably. And that's bad because that means many of us are getting it all wrong when just because things are ENOUGH, then that should be ENOUGH and that would be acceptable? So do we now know why quite often, we see people 'stuck in the mud?  Fairly simple.  It's because many of us all get so enamored by the old adage "WHY FIX THE CAR IF IT AIN'T BROKE" ?  But hey, that is not an apples-to-apples thing because cars are not akin to life and vice-versa.  When we talk about life, we don't even wait for us to get broke in life, right ?

Who feels secure within the comfort zone?  Obviously everyone does.  But the bigger question is, will you accept things hook, line and sinker just because you're still in that comfort zone ?  Quite often, that comfort zone may, literally speaking, offer that 'comfort' to us but does that lead us to the path towards achieving success ?  May not necessarily be true in most cases.

Oh, I love this cute poster not because it is minimalist but because it speaks volumes!  And isn't this true enough ?  Many of us would cling to our favorite 'sorry' moments over and over again.  But hey, how come you still end up with that deja vu feeling ?  Hmmmm, it's because we keep saying sorry instead of CHANGING OURSELVES.  Did that hit the bullseye ?

And what's the mother of all culprits ?  It's our tendency to cling to the STATUS QUO.  For many of us [including me in the past], the STATUS QUO is my safest haven.  Not until I realized that I was 'stuck in the mud'.  But you can play devil's advocate and ask "WHAT IS IT IN IT' for us to get out of the STATUS QUO ?  Plenty.  A lot  Too many reasons but I'd like to zero-in on OPPORTUNITIES.  Frankly, are we still nursing hopes for OPPORTUNITIES during the STATUS QUO ?  No Senor.  No way Jose.  We must be day-dreaming to hope for OPPORTUNITIES when you refused to leave the STATUS QUO and go beyond it.

As a first-person testimonial, I hate to say this as I am hesitant to beat my chest but if I may admit, I would not be what I am if many years back, I didn't leave my comfort zone, I didn't take risks, I didn't decide to take the huge, big, quantum leap where, had I failed, I would have suffered quite a setback.  Lo and behold, I was fortunate to convince myself that JUST ENOUGH is NOT REALLY ENOUGH❗❗❗

Practice and NOT Instincts

Practice and NOT Instincts

I guess everyone agrees with the old adage which says 'PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT' but behind that is this rationale 'Practice and NOT Instincts'.  this darts board should not be new to everyone.  We've seen darts ending up thwarted all over the place except on the bullseye.  So, what's the most exploited pitch here ?  It's PRACTICE PRACTICE and PRACTICE

But why is Practice and NOT Instincts a hrd sell ?  Simple.  Many of us [including me in the past] are simply damn stubborn.  Many of us simply refuse to heed the advice of PRACTICE PRACTICE and PRACTICE.  Why ?  Because, all along, they always believe that what matters is INSTINCTs and nothing more than that.  And that's where the huge disconnect comes into form [left for us to drill and dice].

Over to our toddlers, have they heard them insist that they all have the INSTINCTS and therefore won't need for PRACTICE ?  It's never challenging to see our toddlers PRACTICE and PRACTICE and yet, why do we need to squeeze people hard and dry?  Hmmm, it's all because of the fallacy that we don't need PRACTICE because our INSTINCTS will take care of the rest.

If you're a student, PRACTICE should not be a hard sell.  If you're a worker, PRACTICE should be a given.  Else, how can you improve your competencies ?  If you're into a relationship, you need to find your flaws and your lapses.  From there, PRACTICE to rectify your shortfalls.

What happens if you remain stubborn and a tough nut to crack ?  Expect to commit the same foul-ups over and over again.  Expect to fall into those trenches again and again.  DON'T expect your travails at work to dissipate but instead expect things to go from bad to worse.  DON'T expect your business challenges to evaporate in thin air because you remain intransigent and as stubborn ever.  The collateral damage that will inflict more damage and impact to your life will be those scenarios where your relationships go through rough patches that will never smoothen unless you wake up and realize that you end up in a topsy-turvy world in despair and very much beyond repair ❓❓❓

Are You the 'LAST MAN STANDING' ?

Are You the 'LAST MAN STANDING' ?

Do you recall being the 'LAST MAN STANDING' ?  Probably for some of us, we could hardly discern those situations when we seemed to be the 'LAST MAN STANDING'. And by the way, there are zillion scenarios where you could be the 'LAST MAN STANDING'.  In a bit, let me convince you why it pays for us to be aware if we're the 'LAST MAN STANDING'.

Let me share various real life  'LAST MAN STANDING' scenarios so we can all relate to this.  If you're a student in school and the professor throws a question and no one happens to volunteer.  Will you take the cudgels to be the 'LAST MAN STANDING' and volunteer ?  At work when your client sends you a request for help that is OUT-of-SCOPE.  Will you just shrug off your shoulders ?  Or will you go out of your way to explore measures where you can still give that VALUE-ADD to your client ?

 Currently, I'm in 5th session of an academy training I'm taking [after my work shift ends] which training will culminate by end-FEB 2022 and in our last session last Friday, after our breakout sessions ended, our resource [of a US$ 9bn US technology player with annual revenues close to US$5bn] called out our group number to present in the sales presentation.  Alas, there was eerie silence and before we trigger the ire of our resource, I thought I was the 'LAST MAN STANDING' and volunteered.  Why did I volunteer ?  Good question.  It's because I take that as an OPPORTUNITY for me to grab !

                             

Hmmmm, well in life, we are akin to those dominoes.   Before the game starts, dominoes are all upright but after rounds of skirmishes, there could be that solitary domino that could be the 'LAST MAN STANDING'.  So, let's look at the upside of things.  By volunteering, by taking the step forward to take the challenge, what are you up to ?  If you're one not to cower in fear of challenges, then opportunities like this should be 'music to your ears'.

Here's some breaking news.  Awhile go,I heard the voice of the street-vending tofu vendor so I rushed out to buy his tofu stuff and unknown to him, I was 'sizing' his situation so I asked as to why the past week I would hear his voice close to noontime when throughout the past years, before 9am, i'll hear his voice outside our gate.  

He admitted he had an appointment with an Indian loan shark so he can buy a bicycle with a side-car so he does not need to walk several kilometers with more than 20kg on his shoulders everyday.  Without letting the cat out of the bag, I gave him my mobile phone number and advised him to send me an SMS message once he reaches home.  Not know to him yet, my wife and myself have already decided to finance and buy for him that bicycle alongside the side-car so that his daily selling will be tremendously less difficult instead of walking many kilometers under the heat of the sun carrying more than 20kg of weight on both his shoulders.  Why did my wife and myself decide to give this life-hardened vendor some one-off financial relief ?  It's because we felt we were the 'LAST MAN STANDING' and this was an OPPORTUNITY to MAKE A DIFFERENCE❗❗❗