Why CULTURE Matters

Why CULTURE Matters

Is there such a thing as cultural exclusivity?  No way, Jose.  No one size fits all.  You can be from the White Race, Yellow Race or even the Colored Race but no culture can claim monopoly and superiority over the rest of the crop.  No such thing as a SUPERIOR culture.  Neither is there an INFERIOR culture.  This all boils down to today's piece as to why I got to pitch Why CULTURE Matters.

Even in the U.K., while there is a very admired British culture, let us not overlook the Irish culture. Besides the long list of famous Irish [I admit I'm a fan of Liam Neeson], let us not loose sight why IRELAND is famously called the 'Emerald Isle'.  But besides that, Irish culture stands out as well.  And don't forget the St Patrick's Day, the famous irish holiday celebrated from DUBLIN to TOKYO.  Besides the irish Rugby, horse racing,  shamrocks, cliffs, castles and the world famous Guinness Beer, the irish hospitality is so revered everywhere.   [NOTE:  this is NOT an advertisement]  We can continue to rattle off but this page won't be sufficient to even scratch the surface to discuss about the Irish culture.  Suffice to say Why CULTURE Matters

Even the Nordic countries like SWEDEN can't be left off from our conversation as to Why CULTURE Matters.  Besides Alfred Nobel and ABBA, do a fast forward now and we got the SPOTIFY apps and the mammoth-sized IKEAs all over the planet.  BTW, DON'T forget H&M, one of the most popular retailers today [my family never misses it when we go to the malls].

And INDONESIA? No way I'll downplay the Indonesian culture.  If there's a country I've visited more than any other place else, it is INDONESIA.  Of course Bali and Borobudur + the nasi goreng are all patented Indonesian.  But more than that, I admire their 'GENUINENESS'.  More than 20 years ago, my departing flight from Soekarno-Hatta Airport got cancelled [for reasons I'm bewildered].  And I ended up spending the night, lying down in a bench outside the airport but I felt SO SAFE as Indons were playing chess next to me.  That's one aspect of the Indonesian CULTURE.

BTW, even in the NBA, why is the Miami Heat ballclub one of the most-sought after team to be with?  It's all because of culture.  When the Boston Celtics finally nailed down the spot against Miami Heat in the NBA Eastern Conference Finals, the Celtics guy were saying in union that "THERE'S LOTS of DOGS" in that team.  And that boiled down again th the famous Miami Heat culture.  This is Why CULTURE Matters❗❗❗

DON'T Wait For The Game To Come

DON'T Wait For The Game To Come

Oh, this is our perennial problem.  We always [wrongly] thought that, having nothing on our plate yet means 'WE JUST SEE HOW LAH' [as the Singaporean slang says].  Sometimes we're even ill-advised that to be prepared in life means waiting for things to come, for a trigger to ignite, for an event to kickstart the next flurry of tasks.  BUT hey, just DON'T Wait For The Game To Come.

That is not the correct equation in life.  Passiveness and being laidback are, in fact, the ingredients that chart your path towards FAILURE, yes that's BOLD and in upper case. It's because failures are NOT pre-plotted across the fields the way the land mines are 'planted' by opposing troops in a state of war.  Just DON'T Wait For The Game To Come.

Are you IN for a 'waiting game'.  No sirrrs, not even in the game of Ahedres [Chess].  Many times I've watched chess combatants spending thirty minutes [or even more] before pushing for the next move.  And initially I was befuddled as to what the 'hell is going on'.  Not until I came to that realization that these players DON'T Wait For The Game To Come but instead, they're bringing things on.

Let's call a spade a spade now.  I've witnessed some folks out of job and guess what keeps them busy?  Their common denominator?  They're waiting and hoping that a friend or a friend of a friend or a relative of a friend of a neighbor's friend will ring them up and toss a job offer served with a platter.  Guess how and where are they now?  Till now, they haven't lost hope that that call will happen.  Pitiful state indeed. 

hey, why can't we have our LADDERS 24x7 so that when nothing surfaces for us to grab, we go and climb up that LADDER and search for the good tidings we have been fervently hoping for?  Can you imagine if we DON'T Wait For The Game To Come but instead, it is us lurking around, searching with both PATIENCE + PERSISTENCE + PERSEVERANCE until we end up with that 'pot of gold' in life?  BTW, even 'pots of gold' are not like sitting ducks.  You got to unearth them beneath the surface.  You got to shovel it.  DON'T Wait For The Game To Come❗❗❗

 

When The Rabbit Hole Gets Deeper

When The Rabbit Hole Gets Deeper

Rabbit Holes anyone?  Who cares anyway, right?  But if those rabbit holes are akin to the challenges in our life, surely you would agree we have tons and tons of it, littered all around our lives.  Question is, how did we handle things When The Rabbit Hole Gets Deeper [in our life]?  For the moot and academic cases, they simply threw in the towel and gave up.  Others are so resigned in their life such that it does NOT matter anymore to them anymore.  It's like their life is still under a 'general anesthesia' and do what you want in his life's travails, it has no bearing anymore to someone helpless and likely hapless.

But hey, this is no casual mundane challenge in life which you can simply shrug off. Truth is, When The Rabbit Hole Gets Deeper, we got to do something about it else things will simply spiral downwards till you're in a FREE FALL.

Free fall, anyone?  That's the scariest though because once you're in a 'free fall', you leave everything to whatever is in store in your fate.  But could that 'free fall' be still averted?  Absolutely BUT here's the BUT.  DON'T wait for the rabbit hole to get deeper.  You can only buy and bide your time so much because by then, you DON'T have much wiggle room.

Oh yes, once you're down that rabbit hole, never get comfortable because it means things have tilted against your favor.  Akin to being in a small boat when water starts to sip in and while you can do some quick fix to plug that hole, that 'fix it' thing can only be good enough in a short turnaround.  No long hauls for those 'quick fixes' at all.

Surprised as to why even rabbits would rather be OUT of that rabbit hole?  Ironically, they claim that FEAR IS THERE TO KEEP US SAFE because you gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look FEAR IN THE FACE.  But if you got to do something, do it NOT BECAUSE it is easy but do it because it scares you.  Just DON'T STAY WAY TOO LONG in that rabbit hole✅✅✅

Can You Keep Doing the UNDONE?

Can You Keep Doing the UNDONE?

Why is it 98% of tasks done are the same tasks done over and over again?  It's true successes are one too many but again, 98% of successes are the replication of other successes.  This is NOT to downplay success stories because we CANNOT PUT A GOOD MAN DOWN.  In fact, we got to credit him [and pat his pack] for a job well done.  But akin to Twitter, do we know WHAT'S TRENDING?  A paltry 2^ of today's successes are solid proof and outcomes that the best and the brightest Keep Doing the UNDONE.  Seriously, these are the success stories that can be future hall of famers.  So Can You Keep Doing the UNDONE?

So you might argue, why are we playing up and stirring the waters here?  It's because there are one too many enormous opportunities for us to Keep Doing the UNDONE but we are missing that opportunity.  With all modesty aside, sharing with you some of the tasks and things I think I've done [which until that time [and even as we speak now] remains UNDONE.  

Two decades back, I left my home country to explore uncharted and untested waters.  How?  I went on to flu to another country to explore for an overseas work without getting clearance from my country's Department of Labor.  And that saga went on and on until I took my Oath of Allegiance to renounce my original citizenship and embrace the citizenship of that Southeast Asian country where I resided for nine years.  Can You Keep Doing the UNDONE?

Fast forward, nine years after I renounced my original citizenship, I then renounced my adopted country's citizenship.  Why did I do a 180-degree turnaround?  Hmmmm, well it's because I have to humbly admit that till today,  I Keep Doing the UNDONE.  Not bad to be a copycat for success stories but at the end of the day, you got to LEAVE YOUR MARK [just like 

Miami Heat's Jimmy Butler who keeps doing the UNDONE even in the ongoing NBA Playoffs❗❗❗  Why are there billions of good people on Earth?  Yet there are a much much smaller number of great people.  And how about the great of the greats?  They are just a handful.  In the world of NBA, 'His Airness' [that's Michael Jordan] and the late Kobe Bryant all belong to the NBA's Mount Rushmore.  Why can't we LEAVE OUR MARK as well as those greats do not have a monopoly of being great, right ❓❓❓

When The Ball Bounces Your Way

When The Ball Bounces Your Way

Oh I love it, really, whenever I hear someone proclaim 'WHEN IT RAINS, IT POURS'.  Who does not relish those times when we are awash with all the good tidings, all the good news, all the blessings.  But our mentors never missed out to remind us that if during those times When The Ball Bounces Your Way, what else would keep you busy during those episodes?  Celebrating?  Partying?  Pampering yourself no end?  Holidaying till your body just gives up?  Or probably just locking up yourself away from your daily chores till you think you need to go back to work?  Or to your business?

Oh yea, really?  Probably you bagged the TOP SALESMAN Award? Or let's just assume you hit pay dirt with the Lotto Jackpot.  Surely you are entitled for a break, for a respite, and even for a celebration.  But for how long is it?  Is your reservoir of wealth comparable to that typical Middle Eastern Prince who, when he travels for his annual holiday in Europe, he charters an Airbus 380?  Along with a coterie of his cordon sanitaire?  I may not lay claim for having that royal pedigree but unless you are a member of the 'HOUSE of SAUD', no one is entitled to celebrate till the barrel dries up, till the chefs clear up the kitchen of their frenzied culinary preparations.  Even Former U.S. President Donald Trump who we all know as having been born with a 'silver spoon', he knows when to stop and end his holidays.

Two aspects of ethics which we need to dice and drill, namely CHARACTER ETHIC and PERSONALITY ETHIC.  While these two are very much inter-twined, we need to agree that these two subsets of ethic evolved and get shaped separate of each other although in life, it shapes up as just your ethics, inside out.

True, this issue about ethics may be more generational.  But hey, are we now to blame the millennials?  or Gen Z?  And how about us?  Don't we have a responsibility to take on that challenge to become the key influencers to shape up the latest generations who may seem to be OFF-TRACK?  As long as we DON'T get 'swallowed' by them.  I heard of stories where the influencer ended up being influenced instead.

Thing is, in our life, everything can be indulged in MODERATION and REASONABLE enough.  When all the 'LAZY DUCK' mindset becomes the norm, those are tell-tale signs that we ourselves are OFF-TRACK,  Point is, WHEN THE BALL BOUNCES OUR WAY, let's enjoy those moments but let's put a cap to it.  When the PARTY'S OVER, the PARTY has to be OVER ❗❗❗

WHAT IF You Don't Have the PEDIGREE

WHAT IF You Don't Have the PEDIGREE

This piece is NOT about our various social strata.  Instead, we'd like to face the reality that each of us would have our respective origins in life.  And factly, most of us do NOT have that PEDIGREE in life.  BUT WHAT IF You Don't Have the PEDIGREE?  Does it matter?  Answer is, absolutely that should NOT matter at all because that's a given.  How many are born with a silver spoon in their mouth?  And how many were innately gifted with high-valued talents and capabilities? Surely we can count in one hand people whom we know to be PEDIGREED because they could be as scarce and precious as rare gems.

So, where does this lead us to?  In case we are not PEDIGREED?  Simple but easier said than done though.  But first things first, we need to accept and admit that indeed we are NOT PEDIGREED.  The dilemma with some [and I know a handful] is that they feel they belong to the rarefied PEDIGREED.  It's akin to NOT having any Royal Blood in your lineage yet some still feel they have that running through their veins?

So, how can we move forward? Primus inter pares, BELIEVE IN YOURSELF, period.  Even if everyone recognizes you with your capabilities or at the very least your potentials, BUT if you think it otherwise, NO WAY JOSE, you cannot move forward with your goal-setting, goal-searching.  In the tough and cruel world in the NBA, lesser souls get waylaid along the way.  As the NBA moves from its regular season to the post-season, 'MANY ARE CALLED BUT FEW ARE CHOSEN'.  As an aspiring NBA player, it is already an achievement to be a rotation player.  But your journey should never end there, bro.

Look at your motivation level tracker.  At the very least, you got to be at a maximum overdrive mode.  Less than that, you'll be a casualty.  That explains why players who become rotation players get ambitious to become starters.  Once they become starters, they wanna be a star.  And when he achieves his star player status, he would aim for PAY DIRT by going for the most rewarding 'max contract', whew✅✅✅

Being 'HARD NOSED' is Putting Your Nose Out There & Leaving It Out There

Being 'HARD NOSED' is Putting Your Nose Out There & Leaving It Out There

Please DON'T get us wrong.  There is nothing wrong to be 'HARD NOSED'.  Being 'HARD NOSED' is Putting Your Nose Out There & Leaving It Out There.  In the tough NBA world, the games are extremely competitive.  And after they wrap-up the regular season, your fingers won't be enough to count the number of injuries being endured by each of the teams.  By the time it reaches the playoff stage, your guess is as good as mine.

That acrimonious and bitter Best of Seven Series between Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks was a classic one as finally, the defending NBA champions, the Bucks, took their unceremonious exit from the NBA when the Boston Celtics dealt them the most serious blow ever they can get hit.  And obviously, even NBA star players do have their off nights.  But off night or otherwise, it all boils down to being Being 'HARD NOSED' is Out There & Leaving It Out There.

BTW, to be 'HARD NOSED' is NOT confined to competitive sports.  It so happens that sportsmen exemplify the best traits of being 'HARD NOSED'.  And how do they live and breath the ethics of being 'HARD NOSED'?  They give it all NOT when the game starts.  They pour it all NOT in the midst of the competition.  Not known by anyone else except themselves and their trainer, they train with their 'butts out' as early as 3am.

In life, you need not be 'HARD NOSED' but where does that bring you to?  Likely you will end up in life somewhere within the median, one of those with average performances, average successes.  The laidback and passive souls will, IN FACT celebrate if they end up as part of the majority.  And they're willing to settle for any result less than being stellar.

But why settle for less when you can achieve more?  Are you settling for a life with MORE LIMITATIONS?  And ARE YOU GIVING UP on your dreams and goals?'  And settling for less means you're settling for LESS THAN THE BEST?  And settling for less means like TRYING TO MAKE DO WITH SOMETHING MEDIOCRE instead of going after the best.  Can you be HARD NOSED in life❓❓❓

If You Are in the Building, ARE YOU THERE?

If You Are in the Building, ARE YOU THERE?

Of course, you were at work when at work.  Of course, you were home after work.  Of course, you were still that partner/spouse in that relationship.  But can you attest to that?  If You Are in the Building, ARE YOU THERE?  Which reminds me of the very recent Game 6 at the NBA Playoffs between Miami Heat and the 76ers wherein the latter has no less than James Harden who, in the past, can take over the game.

lights out.  But on that fateful Game 6, ESPN's Stephen Smith blurted that James Harden was "HORRIFIC & IMPOTENT' in that game, whew!  In real lives, there could be tons of 'JAMES HARDENS' who do exists physically, period.  Beyond that, it behooves to ask everyone of us, what have you done yet besides being physically existing whether at work, at home or in a relationship?

In any endeavor in our life, it can't be half-half.  Not even 90% effort.  Life is a game of 'X' and 'O'.  It's either you perform a task thoroughly or not.  If you exerted 90% of all yourself into it, it's probable that that task or activity still prospers but if over time you will pursue your goals with a 90% focus + effort, eventually, that 90% will dwindle, promise.

Not to beat my chest but it is inevitable.  Even at work, I demand and expect 100% focus from team members in the same way that I pour out at the very least 100%.  WHY AT THE VERY LEAST?  Because I DON'T just work to 'DELIVER MY DELIVERABLES'.  By force of habit and self-discipline, I go beyond my very scope, i 'LURK' around the deliverables of my team, expecting and demanding from them no less 100%.

If there a word I loathe down to the skin, it is to peg any work or output as being 'PASSABLE'.  I'm sorry but to me, that is mediocrity to say the least and what I fear most in mediocrity is that it is one of the very ingredients that will turn your side from BAD to WORSE.  Whether it's your self-discipline, your mindset or your work ethics, the COLLATERAL DAMAGE for that mediocrity will be your very values as it will shrink both in value and in essence.  Bottom line is, IF YOU ARE IN THE BUILDING, YOU NEED TO BE THERE heart & soul❗❗❗

Numbers Without Context Are MEANINGLESS

Numbers Without Context Are MEANINGLESS

Sometimes [and probably often times], we are so number-centric such that what seems to matter is the face value of the number itself.  But hey, numbers without context are MEANINGLESS.  Yet, many of us are so wrongly obsessed with the face value of the numbers at hand.  Is it because that's how low one's level is?  Or is it because they are simply stooping that low?  Either way, they're OFF-TRACK.

Without context, WHAT DOES DATA offer?  Very frankly, unless we appreciate the context, that becomes hollowed data no less.  And this analogy is worth tagging to our relationships.  Be it our work relationship at our workplace or our personal relationships with our partner/spouse and immediate family.  If all we offer in those relationships is a lip service, what you have at hand is a charade no less.

Thing is, we got to CONNECT THE DOTS.  We need to establish the co-relationships across the numbers at hand. If we tie this up with our relationships both with our bosses and peers at the workplace or even at home with our partner/spouse, at the very core of such relationships, it must be firmly founded on solid and honest-to-goodness good faith and goodwill at the very least.  Any slightest intent of deception and deceit will throw away the validity and legitimacy of such relationships.   Without the context at its core, there's NO WAY to connect the dots.

Corollary to all these, it all boils down to leading a PURPOSEFUL LIFE no less.  Not just any kind of life BTW.  We can forever do all the number crunching and process all the mountains of information that tends to overwhelm us more.  But unless and until we inject context into our lives, YOU [or me myself] will likely end up on the losing end because the charade, deceit and deception that envelopes one's life will never really bring us forward in life.  In truth, our life will likely retrogress but where does that bring us?  So, let's put context into the numbers before life turns from BAD to WORSE❗❗❗ 

Are You Still on a 'LEASH' ?

Are You Still on a 'LEASH' ?

Nope, this piece is not about our dogs still on a leash.  It's still all about us, figuring out why many of remain UNLEASHED, figuratively speaking though. Are You Still on a 'LEASH'? From our early years, true we all remained still on a leash because obviously in our early years, we did deserve that leash.  But decades after, are we still on a LEASH?  Me thinks, many of us are still indeed on a LEASH.

Truth of the matter, many of us are in our respective various shades of 'LEASH'.  Some are on a LEASH within their respective relationships.  Some are on a 'LEASH' within their own selves.  Probably arising from conflicts and inconsistencies from within oneself, a sampling of which are the 'chameleon' types who would show up with different shades of personality.

Why do we need to UNLEASH ourselves?  A zillion reasons will tell us why.  UNLEASH our self from being LESS sincere, LESS genuine, LESS truthful.  UNLEASH ourselves from 'doublespeak'.  Coaxing your words to project an 'intelligible aura' when you are probably LESS THAN THAT.  UNLEASH one self from building up an image where you want to build a front that is a different YOU versus your real YOU.  Sounds familiar?  Hmmmm, that's least surprising because within our midst, we do see various forms and shape of a sheep clothed differently, conveniently changing its cloth.  Why?  It's because that person still remains to be ON A LEASH. whew.

Can you just untangle yourself when ON A LEASH?  Why has this been one of the most pestering enemies from within?  It's because we ourselves, when caught in a bind, are much more easily swayed and flipped to be the 'OTHER' version.  The biggest challenge we all need to overcome is for us to become the true YOU, the genuine YOU, the genuine YOU inside out because at the end of the day, you have to face your judgment and be judged for such.  NO WAY you can extricate from that deep 'shit'✅✅✅