DON'T 'Sell the Farm'

DON'T 'Sell the Farm'

Life is a cycle.  And it is a vicious cycle where we'll be hard pressed to cut and stop the juggernaut.  Add-in this 2-year pandemic and what we now have is a recipe for an utter disaster.  Despite all these, though, DON'T 'Sell the Farm', DON'T abandon what is now in place, DON'T give up on what are ongoing and DON'T dump whatever is on the pipeline.  Worst of everything, DON'T give up on your family because doing such is akin to giving up on yourself.

Such is life.  At various points in our life, we could be badly beaten, bruised or just totally obliterated.  But even if are clutching on straws, there is ZERO-reason for you to give up.  True, life is damn difficult when you face setback after a setback, a problem after a problem.  It will be extremely hard to remain optimistic and keep the same perspective of RESILIENCE  Indeed, when life is tough, GIVING UP SEEMS THE EASIEST ?

The reality is that when we contemplate giving up, there's a lot more in our INNER STRENGTH that remains untapped.  Heard of stories when Hurricane Katrina hit hard Southern U.S. ?  When residents are unable to explain how suddenly he was able to lift a refrigerator with bare hands ?  Or how a volunteer managed to overpower the sheer heat of the Australian wild bushfires all by himself ?  Or someone performing emergency PCR for the very first time and lo and behold, he managed to bring the dying patient to the hospital ?  The biggest challenge though for us when we are at our lowest point is how to OVERCOME that NEGATIVITY that starts to creep from within ?

I may sound morbid BUT the truth of the matter is that there is only one certainty in life and that's death.  As long as you are alive, you just do NOT have any excuse to declare that you CAN'T.  If you put your mind into it, you can practically do anything because anything is possible,  This might sound as a cliche advice that YOU CAN because YOU ARE ALIVE but this becomes extremely important because this should remind us of the ticking clock which is our life.

C'mon guys.  It's but time to get back on our feet.  BELIEVE IN YOURSELF.  That is a pre-requisite.  Then, you don't want to REGRET, right ?  So, dump that negativity.  On the other hand, you NEED TO PROVE [both to yourself and to the world] that YES YOU CAN DO IT.  And look forward to your future success because SUCCESS FEELS GREAT.  There's just no other better feeling in this world than knowing that you did face obstacles in life and only your true GRIT + DETERMINATION helped you overcome that mountain of a hump.  Lastly, remember this trajectory.  WHEN YOU'RE DOWN, THERE'S NO OTHER WAY TO GO BUT UP❗❗❗

Playing Not to Lose

Playing Not to Lose

This can't be denied.  That we're all deployed in long-running games.  You don't even need to know playing Chess, Checkers, Dominoes or even Mahjong.  We're all tied to our lives which are running a lifetime of games.  Hence this thread because it is worrisome to see some of us Playing Not to Lose because that's not the mindset we recommend and expect if only to survive.

Are you aware in what situations [or games] are you most effective and likely to excel ?  And what factors strengthen [or undermine] your motivation ?  Oh well, there is no one size that fits all because PERSONALITY MATTERS.  Thing is, motivational focus affects how we approach life's challenges and demands.  Promotion-focused people see their goals as a CREATING A PATH to gain or an advancement abd concentrate on the rewards that will accrue when they achieve them.  They are the ones eager as they PLAY TO WIN.   Downside is, all the chance taking, speedy working and positive thinking makes these individuals more error-prone, less likely to think things through and usually unprepared with a Plan B if things go wrong.

On the other hand, prevention-focused people see their goals as their responsibilities, and they remain focused at it.  They often worry what might go wrong if they don't work hard enough or aren't careful enough.  They tend to be vigilant and play NOT TO LOSE, to hang on to what they have, to maintain the STATUS QUO.  They are often more risk averse, but their work is more thorough and accurate enough.

Although everyone is concerned at various times with both promotion and prevention type of personalities, most of us do have a dominant motivational focus.  it affects what we pay attention to, what we value, and how we feel when we succeed or fail.  It determines our strengths and weaknesses as well.  And this explains why the decisions and preferences  of differently focused people can seem odd at times.

Now for the harsh reality.  To play merely to participate is SELF-DEAFEATING.  It is a recipe of MEDIOCRITY.  The thing is, WINNING is all that matters in life and in fact, it is the ultimate criterion of SUCCESS.  Bluntly, if you want to wake up come next day simply because of it, you're positioning one foot into the precipice of failure.  But do you really deserve to lose after PLAYING NOT TO LOSE❓❓❓

Don't Disappear Into the WOODPILE

Don't Disappear Into the WOODPILE

True, there will be extreme and stretched circumstances in our life when we may just disappear altogether but it should not be caused by a one-off thing.  Otherwise, the stern reminder to us all is:  Don't Disappear Into the WOODPILE.  Why ?  Simple.  Unless it is the 'end of the world', then it is NOT yet the 'end of the world'.  And if it's not, why do you need to Disappear Into the WOODPIL ?  No one deserves to end up in ignominy unless nothing can be worst than you.

Breakups.  Bankruptcy.  Controversy. Crisis.  Medical Illness.  Natural Disasters. Tragedy. These are all givens in life but not anyone of these should cause us to Disappear Into the WOODPILE because that is akin to raising the white flag.  But still, this is just not acceptable at all.  Why give up when you've got an ounce pf energy yet ?  Why throw everything to waste when you have invested so much time, efforts and probably $$$$$ ?  Why let everything that have been exerted, spent and exhausted suddenly go down the drain ?

BTW, you may have not [yet] disappeared underneath that WOODPILE but if you are just one of those books inserted incognito in the endless run of bookshelves, that does not make things much different because INCOGNITO mode is still INCOGNITO.  But after going through all the chalenges, do you deserve to be in INCOGNITO ?

Why do we need to suffer in IGNOMINY ? Even if our fuel tank is almost running empty.  You still got a liter or two left, right ?  At worst,  you've got that fuel tank with you.  Truth of the matter is that things usually feel out of control when we begin to neglect or ignore the things and people who matter to us, even if it is temporary.  It's at those times that we start wondering how to to get our life back on track.  It is also about understanding that once you let one thing slide, it will become easier to let other things go, which will cause us to feel off balance.

So how do we get back our life back to track ?  This is no simple formula but whatever it takes, you got to anyway.  So how ?  DO A LIFE AUDIT.  You need to figure out what things are running out of control.  Sometimes when life takes over and the frenetic fluidity takes place, we tend to neglect the vital areas that cause us to sacrifice our health, and even overcompensate our time and energy in relationships and things that aren't serving us.  Regardless, please Don't Disappear Into the WOODPILE❗❗❗

Our Weakest Link ?

Our Weakest Link ?

Good morning America and Canada.  Good afternoon Europe and Good evening Asia. Whether you are still up on your feet now or you're still in your deep slumber, we all share this commonality, Our Weakest Link that is.  Unfortunately, the human race is one damn bunch of species.  They all fall on their knees after they have outstretched their fortunes from strength to strength until it goes kaput.

BTW this real-time snapshot of the new Covid cases in the United States is just a sampling.  But across almost all countries today, the number of daily new Covid cases just didn't spike.  Spike will be a misnomer because the stratospheric increases has proven that everyone of us is wrong to a fault, and that includes almost all governments save for states with a tight grip like Malaysia and Singapore.

In Malaysia and Singapore, while theirs are indeed democracies, their governments know enough when to extend the carrot and when to crack the whip.  Swing over to the so called democracies where protest rallies and lawsuits will sprout like mushrooms.  Where do they stand now ?  One particular Asian state had as low as 200 new Covid cases a week ago.  Today, there are 10,000 new cases [and still counting], whew !

What does this all tell us ?  It's that MADAM COVID does not recognize countries, not even the G-10 or other axis of powers.  MADAM COVID is simply that Sword of Damocles hanging on top of us waiting and raring to swoop down once it becomes the best time to spring up the latest surprise [over and over again].  But hey, isn't this deja vu ?  How many times we insisted that we all subscribed to this poster that WE ARE ONLY AS STRONG AS OUR WEAKEST LINK but from thereon, it is all lip service.  No thanks to a human race of a FREE WORLD now kneeling at the mercy of MADAM COVID.

Ooops my apologies I am not trying to sound out Armageddon, not yet anyway.  But how SOON and how QUICK can we learn our lessons ?  When governments clamped down all industries because of this pandemic, the greedy BIG BUSINESS prayed and strongly LOBBIED to open up the economies for the sake of the country.  I hate to bluntly tear off that alibi because BIG BUSINESS is simply motivated by $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Now who is paying the price ?  Poor people.

DON'T Hurry Please !

DON'T Hurry Please !

Of course no one gets to admit that he/she is HURRYING UP although in reality, he/she is really HURRYING UP. You could be a student in the academe, a worker in a new job, a partner in a serious lifetime relationship or an upcoming entrepreneur.  Regardless, please.  Once you get into that HURRY UP mode, that throws a monkey wrench to everything else. So, we plead. DON'T Hurry Please !  Regardless of your circumstance, you will be going through a journey [and without being a pessimist or worst an alarmist, it could be a roller coaster ride].  The outcome of that journey ?  We can only speculate but we won't thread into unknown waters for now.

Not our fault that many of us have been so blessed for back-to-back-to-back blessings showered on us but the downside here is that we end up getting used to be on the HIGH ROAD of success.  In the end, when we hit those rough patches, it's like the whole world has crumbled down on our feet and there's no way to eke out.  Can't we just accept the fact that ours is a roller-coaster ride and that will be till the finish line.  What happens then is what should motivate us.

RUSH ?  if at all, the only places where RUSHING will be a constant are the central train stations of New York and Tokyo.  Other than those transit points, there is NO reason to rush through life.  But the harsh reality is that today, we RUSH to do everything, from eating, getting information, from judging and making premature conclusions down to even adulting [because no one wants to be a kid anymore, whew].  But what's the whole point of rushing really ?  Truth of the matter, everyone is in that RUSH mode because we can hardly wait.

    

What a life, indeed.  There is this constant feeling of never being good enough.  Now to insert this latest breaking news [yesterday from local showbiz], the celebrated couple mutually agreed to call it quits [after a whirlwind of about three months since they let the cat out of the bag].  But how did this 'power couple' quit lightning quick ?  My prognosis:  they RUSHED into that commitment phase as if time was ticking out.   

Rushing into action, you FAIL.  Trying to grasp things, you FAIL.  Rushing a project for completion, you FAIL. Isn't that the TRUTH OF LIFE, though ?  Constantly moving.  We are always looking for the next BIG THING.  We DON'T want to be stagnant.  Whether professionally, personally or in our relationships, there is always that constant feeling of us NOT BEING GOOD ENOUGH.  What does this all tell us.  It all boils down to the fact that as much as nothing is good enough to us, we got to accept that LIFE is a PROCESS and there are no shortcuts to go through that gauntlet.  Can we accept this mantra that LIFE is a PROCESS ✅✅✅

Don't Close the Barn Door After the Horses Left

Don't Close the Barn Door After the Horses Left

I guess it's just human nature, that instinct, when we lose or missed out on something, the tendency is to 'shut off' our blinders Whether you failed in a job interview OR you failed to hurdle defending your thesis as part of your university graduation OR your partner/spouse walked out of the door OR your creditors for your anemic business are abandoning you  Whatever situation you are now locked in, just Don't Close the Barn Door After the Horses Left because for multifarious reasons, that is NOT the next logical action you need to take.

If there's a four-letter word we need to dump now as in now, it is the word QUIT because to QUIT means the end of things.  This akin to being dead even before you die.  For the self-doubters, allow us to convince you why you should NOT QUIT.  Where you are now, that is meant to happen.  And so is the fact that you're still alive and kicking.  And who wants to regret for giving up ?

What can keep you going ? Oh yeah, you can have your support structure, your helpline but they can only do so much.  At the end of the day, it's only YOU who can make or break things.  Your loved ones can put up the pressure on you but no one will be better and effective than YOU yourself in cracking the whip, in letting you grind and grind till you hit a concrete wall that's insurmountable

Even when things have seemingly dried up, look up because the fruit-bearing tree will still bear that fruit.  But what's the trade-off ?  Tons and tons of patience, perseverance and persistence.  In three curt words, NEVER GIVE UP.  On a personal note, I can share how did it when I was at my lowest point [at that time when I was not yet an immigrant in that country where eventually I acquired my citizenship naturalization.  Rather than risk the ongoing process of my immigrant papers, when the immigration bureau stamped my visa to expire in two weeks, I made sure I'll fly out [airborne and not via land travel] a day before my visa expires.  Why did I have to fly off and fly back come next day ?  It's simply to comply with immigration re-entry policies.

Did I hit the payoff ?  Yesirrrrs, I eventually secured my naturalized citizenship after all the hardships which really pushed me against the wall.  And at the cost of forking several hundred USD for each round trip airfare ticket [to two other nearby countries where I travelled alternately solely for the sole purpose of 'resetting' passport's re-entry stamps so that I can get stamped for a fresh 30 days].  Just many ways to skin a cat✅✅✅

The Day After

The Day After

Happy New Year !  The Day After New Year's Eve has been always been the most sought day of the year.  And everyone prepares for it, which is that understandable considering that, whether you are Tom, Dick or Harry, we all want to have be the best prepared self come New Year's Day.  But other than that pre-occupation, what other efforts have we exerted for us to deserve the dawning of New Year's Day ?  Surely though, everyone deserves to await New Year but that's just scratching the surface.

BTW, it's true the next 365 days MAY lead to opportunities for us but not to sound an alarmist, those opportunities may NOT arise. Not because they will be as scarce as the Covid vaccines but rather, more often, we are the catalyst of such opportunities.  In fact and in truth, an opportunity may be right there staring in our face but unless we have the motivation and the gumption to take it, it may just slip way behind us.

What then is the FIX ?  Simple.  We got to WALK THE TALK, as this poster from the World Health Organization shows. All the preachings has got to stop.  It's time for us to match the words with actions.  Plans ?  Plans cannot be in the doldrums forever.  Sounds familiar ?  You could have witnessed this kind of conundrum wherein people are so gifted with glib such that he keeps blabbering all bout his PLANS PLANS PLANS but that's it ?

But is it that tough to turn words into action?  YES and NO.  YES if you seem to be steel-footed that it's an agony to lift it.  NO if you put your ideas even if they are initially vague and ambiguous idead and thoughts crystal clear enough as inputs when you grab the pen to start scribbling it.  Truth is. in life, a complex thing can be much more than just complex if we so thought that way.  Voila, a simple thing can even be much simpler simply because you think so.  

Why can the three-letter word 'ACT' seem that simple ?  Simple.  Because ACTION CHANGES THINGS.  No amount of hosannah can really alter this paradigm.  It's akin to crossing that river.  The odds may seem insurmountable and the cards may be stacked against you but if did figure out an action plan to frontally attack it, only then when ACTION CHANGES THINGS  As we clocked in to the first day of 2022, let us think of THE DAY AFTER✅✅✅

Somos Lo Que Hay

Somos Lo Que Hay

 In a few hours, we bid adieu to 2021 and welcome 2022.  Oh, this has been our annual ritual, right ? And towards New Year's Eve, we hear left and right folks coming up with their NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION.  Whew, again ?  Since when have we been going through that cycle.  If my memory serves me right, I can vividly recall this repetitive cycle way back my grade school days.  I even remember no less than my teachers way back elementary and high school days requiring us students to come up with our respective NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONs even during those times when we were grappling and struggling for words.  

Oh yes, SOMOS LO QUE HAY is a Mexican movie way back 2010.  Simply put, it means WE ARE WHAT WE ARE.  Ahd despite that Gregorian calendar, it serves nothing than just flipping up the dates, come next day.  But not to cast aspersion with our best intentions, many of us [and that includes me in the past] innocently thought that all it takes is to write our NEW YEAR's RESOLUTION.

Without aspiring to be prophetic, very likely, come 2022, we would ask WHERE ARE WE ?  Simple though.  WE'RE BACK WHERE WE WERE YESTERDAY.  Without being a pessimist, come 2022, we would hear this refrain over and over again: 'THAT WE'RE BACK WHERE WE WERE YESTERDAY. If we were a lazy dog yesterday, there's a good change we'll remain that day come new year UNLESS we take a serious effort for it.

If we behold to be a success story by next year, I will and I will bet on you.  And if you were a lazy in the past till now, the good chance is you will remain that way unless you take that conscious effort.

In that Bare Bears movie, the bears decide to run away from America and live a new life in Canada.  And indeed they did, and as tey believed in themselves, leading a new lease o life in Canada, all that was left was for them to keep their focus as they wanted a new lease of life in Canada.  But bare bears or nothin, no one can foretell that your NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTION will give you a guarantee to succced next year❗❗❗

Don't Take Your Feet Off the Gas [Way too long]

Don't Take Your Feet Off the Gas [Way too long] 

Who says we CAN'T TAKE OUR FEET OFF THE GAS ? Of course we can.  When?  When things are sailing smoothly.  When we have reached a milestone achievement.  When we feel we deserve all the kampai's and self-reward.  But here's the big BUT.  Sometimes, our merriment gets way too long, it gets stretched way too far.

So, when exactly should we keep our foot on the gas ?  Simple question = simple answer.  Once you have patted yourself.  Once your celebration is over [with NO Part 2 or Part 3 sequels please]. Once you need to keep grinding again because that is our way of life.  Once you need to focus on the next goal, next target in your journey to achieve your ultimate goal.  Once your previous chapter is done and it's time to commence the next chapter.  Lastly of course, to state the obvious, in case you don't deserve a respite because your situation demands you to continue keeping your FOOT ON THE GAS.

Thing is, celebrations need to have a START end END.  It can't be akin to a TV Series, with a sequel.  Eventually, the PARTY has to be OVER.  Even assuming you reached the very pinnacle of success.  You still need to grind.

So what's the fix to this conundrum ?  It is living and running the balancing act in your life.  You can only allocate so much of your time [and attention] to the social part of life.  Your intestinal fortitude should cut across every facet of your life.  And you need maintain that equilibrium balance because life can't tilt much on either side, else the ship can turn upside down.

So how to fix things ?  First off, acknowledge that you can't continue grinding TAKING YOUR FEET OFF THE GAS altogether. Second, MANAGE YOURSELF, and NOT TIME.  Third, do a PLUS-MINUS.  Add the tasks that are MUST-DOs in your life and remove tasks which are optional at best.  Next, when you get asked for HELP, if you can't, then say NO.  Next, always LIVE with a PURPOSE.  Nothing beats that.  And not to forget, Don't Take Your Feet Off the Gas [Way too long] ❗❗❗

Get All the Ducks in a Row First

Get All the Ducks in a Row First

Get All the Ducks in a Row First.  Ok Ok Ok I agree this is indeed a very idiomatic expression so, for us to be on the same page.  Simply put, this tells us to ORGANIZE OUR TASKS and SCHEDULES to make you ready for the next step, next move, next phase.  With all humility, I'd admit that I have deeply embedded this as part of my self-discipline way before I execute a plan, whether it is a project or operational plan at work or personal/family plans, e.g. holiday travels, planned medical procedures, amongst others.

Oh well, what could be the outcomes when you don't GET ALL THE DUCKS IN A ROW first ? Oh my, the possible outcomes would be any combination of nightmares but in the briefest one-word adjectives for those outcomes, it could equate to a mix up, a foul-up, a failure, a flop, a disaster.

Let's a real-life sampling in aa family-of-5 going for an overseas holiday that coincides with the business trip of the hubby.  And if you want to combine both, all rolled into one.  Can it be that simple ?  With all travel bookings exactly with identical ETDs & ETAs? And how's the hotel bookings ?  And when do the sightseeing tours get squeeze considering the hubby will be on business engagements?

When I was at my planning phase to kickstart my planned immigration to another country two decades back, things were not just complex enough as it was even compound-complex, whew !  Besides planning meticulously and in precise detail, I had to make a few assumptions that had to be etched on stone, e.g. this is my total budget while temporarily billeted in a hotel, this this is my budget enough to sustain me on an assumption that I will finally get a job and get my first check after 'XXX' days/weeks/months from arrival.                     

And right on my front seat, I bear witness to numerous TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE FLOPS not because of a streak of bad luck and force majeure but simply because people didn't Get All the Ducks in a Row First.  In the midst of the pandemic, someone was virtually tendered a job offer and pronto, he signed on the dotted line.  The catch ?  He had yet to renew his passport, whew.  So, that job offer died a natural death.  Another sampling here.  He got so tied up for the passport processes of his wife and baby.  Presto, they got hold of their passports but here's the snag.  When he initiated arranging their flight bookings [as they were migrating[, the hubby's passport was expiring in less than 6 months.  Whew.  If only he Got All the Ducks in a Row First❗❗❗