Where The Rubber Meets The Road

Where The Rubber Meets The Road

One facet in life where we're NOT forewarned at all is that at some point in our life [and in fact, from time to time], it is Where The Rubber Meets The Road.  Meaning, everything we learned either from school or from theories or even in life, they will be tested in real-life scenarios.

And this is very much akin to tires/tyres.  You can choose to buy the premium Goodyear or Michelin products but the very acid test will be Where The Rubber Meets The Road.  Once you hit the road, most [if not all] of its functions will be tested to the hilt and what better way to test it as when you finally hit the road, especially once you go full throttle.  By then you can attest if the tires/tyres are that good enough in their traction at various points

Unfortunately, many of us [including myself many times in the past], we end up getting stuck up with IDEAS & IDEAS that end up overflowing and eventually overwhelming us, ourselves.  IDEAS a.k.a. theories that remain as such are akin to NOTHING AT ALL.  You got to crystallize your IDEAS into concrete action words and translate such words into concrete action.

To be fair, many of us whose ideas get stalled are NOT lazy and NOT laidback.  On the other hand, they are the vociferous pack who really KNOW WHAT THEY WANT.  Hence, they figure out the best possible ideas that will lead to the best possible outcomes and result.  In the end, they refine and tweak their IDEAS, perfecting it towards perfection

DON'T get me wrong.  DREAMS are the way to go because they are our very guiding light.   They are akin to that lighthouse standing out there in the sea of darkness but ready to guide you ONLY if you use to the hilt such guiding light.  At the end of the day, remember that eventually, THE RUBBER MEETS THE ROAD, like it or not❗❗❗

Task Paralysis

Task Paralysis 

HAPPY NEW YEAR to all !!!  Oh, while leisurely sipping my morning coffee this morning and browsing thru Channelnewsasia, I came across their piece today titled Task Paralysis and I thought I won't waste my time by grabbing this pic, NOT because of it but what grabbed me by my lapels was the Task Paralysis piece itself because all along I have been harping about ANALYSIS PARALYSIS

All along, I was more glued to ANALYSIS PARALYSIS not until this realization I have now after this Channelnewsasia piece.  Truth is, most of us do get stalled not really because of ANALYSIS PARALYSIS but rather that simple no-brainer of Task Paralysis.  Two days ago, we [with my family] got stuck up @Starbucks for almost an hour and closing observing the flow [or rather the NON-FLOW], I clearly saw that the crew at that time was not consistently managing their incoming tasks via FIFO [First-in First-out] but they would simply pluck out the ORDER REQUEST randomly from a pile-up [no thanks to the peak hours]

But NOT to muddle this thread, let's inject ADHD TASK PARALYIS, that inability to focus, perform and concentrate on tasks.   So what's ADHD really?  That is when you got a zillion tasks at hand, feeling overwhelmed and in the end, doing nothing.  It could mean to challenges related to focusing.  When you have that energy but finding difficulty to channel it, that's when you can feel getting stuck.  That feeling of motivation immobilization is more than just procrastinating about finishing a tedious task because having ADHD, things are more difficult to manage.

Think of those times when small tasks seem so daunting that leads you to avoid it altogether and end up favoring activities that bring stimulation and immediate gratification instead.

Rather than feeling SHACKLED and hand-cuffed, focus on the common behavioral concerns that lead to TASK ANALYSIS namely, OVERLOOKING DETAILS, seemingly CARELESS WORK, trouble LISTENING, AVOIDING tasks, fidgeting, easily DISTRACTED, IMPATIENCE and INDECISIVENESS.  All these may lead towards TASK PARALYSIS❗❗❗

A Glass Half Full View

A Glass Half Full View

Bringing A Glass Half Full View as today's thread seems awfully boring.  You might even question me "HAVE YOU RAN OUT OF TOPICS" right on the 2nd day of 2023 ouch Oh no, I didn't run out of topics [not even when we bid 2022 adieu] but rather, I thought I should pluck out threads that may be seemingly boring but if it's relevance is that jarring, I'd take it with no alacrity.

Oh, I liked this poster because of its technical definition that indeed a half full glass is technically FULL.  If only that technicality is not that debatable, then we can rest our case.  But I'm afraid this kicks off the dust and maybe the sandstorm.  To be compromising, I WON'T push hard for that technical definition but go for what is 'palatable' to hear.  Swinging over to our lives, WHEN you wanted $100 but what you have is $50, do you scream out in frustration?  WHEN  you dreamt of a Ferrari car but all you can afford is a Toyota,  WHEN you wanted to tour Europe's Schengen 'area' but ended up as a domestic tourist.  To the typical Tom, Dick and Harry, all these would meant A Glass Half Empty

Agree, things will have to boil down to the points of view but again, let's look back into our daily lives.  First off, we DON'T wake up every morning with a Butler on hand.  Neither do we wake up with breakfast to be served in bed.  The realities in life should sink in us.  As our forefathers kept preaching, let us COUNT our BLESSINGS and not what we wished for but it's NOT there.  Remember, much as we want that 'ideal' state, it may take light years for that 'ideal' state to come.  Will you wait for that?

Yesirrrrrrrrs, this poster is screaming that we should COUNT [Y]OUR BLESSINGS.  In brief, DON'T count the number of times you stumbled flat on your face.  DON'T count the many crisis you had to weather.  DON'T count the times when you were almost penniless.  Instead, COUNT those times you did recover.  COUNT those moments you did rise up from the ground.  COUNT those times you went back ON-TRACK after being 'off tracked'.

To quote successful author Shadonna Richards, BEGINNING TODAY, MAKE IT A HABIT TO COUNT YOUR BLESSINGS EVERYDAY.  There's no other way around this.  If you/we DON'T buy to this advice, that is miserable if not despicable because it is likely you will get waylaid in life as you keep counting the DOWNs and NOT the UPs.  And what does that mean?  BTW, those DOWNs will hardly inspire you/us and instead, it will push us farther down into that morass we're stuck❗❗❗

When Rewards Are Worth It

When Rewards Are Worth It

Virtually watching the last NBA game in 2022 between the highly cultured Miami Heat versus the resurgent and rebuilding Utah Jazz, what else can you ask for from the recognized NBA stars when no less than Miami Heat's TYLER HERRO banked in his 'Hail Mary' shot way beyond the arc as time was ticking off down to the very last second.  And swoooooooop, it sinks in.  Oh that was nothing less than seeing things When Rewards Are Worth It💊💊💊

From a drafted rookie in 2019, TYLER HERRO has gone a long way from that NBA Draft Day till twelve hours ago when he banked in that game winning clutch shot !  BTW, a week ago, I read from the Miami media that TYLER HERRO literally made a 'splash' when he recently inked to purchase a US$ 10 Million sprawling mansion at the pricey Miami neighborhood of Pinecrest.

Hmmmm, while today's piece is centered on TYLER HERRO, this is NOT about the NBA, NOT about basketball, NOT at all.  This is more appreciating the fact that in the cycle of life, you always start from scratch, down at the totem pole, then for you to rise that totem pole, you got to work your butt out.  You can be skilled.  You can be gifted.  But neither of those criteria guarantees you that success will be served on a silver platter together with your Martini dinner.  What cemented TYLER HERRO's successes was the US$ 130 Million contract Miami Heat extended him last October 2022.  Indeed, When Rewards Are Worth It

Indeed, TYLER HERRO is another success story to showcase.  Despite the brutal business in the NBA wherein its players are more like commodities and products who get traded to another team [unless the player's contract stipulates the player's trade approval, which is a rarity], whenever he was asked by the media how is he handling the fact that his name gets repeatedly involved in various NBA trade iterations, TYLER's curt reply was that his job to keep playing top-level basketball regardless if he wakes up next morning only to find out he's been traded.  This is When Rewards Are Worth It

Why don't we take a leaf from all the success stories straight from the NBA?  THAT's when players take their job seriously.  THAT's when the stars take on basketball as their life.  THAT's when basketball becomes the 'be all' in their life in parallel with their personal lives.  To be honest, there is NO trade secret in all the NBA success stories but it's all a confluence of sheer hard work that would lead them towards the path When Rewards Are Worth It✅✅✅

You Don't Know What You Got [Till it's gone]

You Don't Know What You Got [Till it's gone]

How often do we appreciate the very moment we are in now?  How often do we appreciate all the love we have around us?  How often are we thankful for whatever modest possessions we have in life?  How often do we appreciate the job we now have?  How often do we appreciate blessings we receive in life [albeit such blessings may not be the best of the best but likely those blessings are many notches better than what everyone of us do reap and receive. So, don't you know what you got [Till it's gone]💹💹💹

BTW, 'tis true we got to LIVE LIFE to the FULLEST [BUT here's the big BUT].  You got to live life in a reasonably balanced way.  I've seen [FIRST HAND] people who had all the monies in the world, taking more than twenty flights a year for R & R [rest & relaxation] which, per se, I will be the last one to question because he worked his butts out the whole year.  But what was his shortfall?  He did send his family 10,000 miles away all the monies they need, period but how's things now?  The poor guy is now all by himself, with NO family and penniless some more.  What went wrong?

Seriously, I am NOT questioning if he did squander all his monies [because that's HIS and not mine] but what's despicable and pathetic is that as we speak today, he has NADA, ZILCH, TIADA, KEINER.  Not even the home he solely bought for the family.  Not even his favorite son [who squeezed him high and dry for monies and monies].  Not even the wife he wedded three decades back.  And to top it all, not even  the job which was his very sole source of income that enabled him to live the life he thought he was enjoying to the fullest not until he got literally stranded holidaying at BALI when the global pandemic lockdown did shut down global travel, whew

My God, this is a head-scratcher.  Is this fine, things simply dissipating in thin air? No sirrrrs.  Except for cataclysmic events which even science can't explain, things DON'T simply dissipate in thin air.  Our relationship with our spouse/partner may be robust today but there's NO guarantee that it will be robust forever ❗❗❗

My God, this is a head-scratcher.  Is this fine, things simply dissipating in thin air? No sirrrrrrs.  It's one thing to cherish our loved ones but it's another thing to literally NURTURE [a.k.a. dutifully taking care] of our relationship with our spouse/partner.  We all dream not only of good beginnings but most importantly, happy endings that meet our criteria and expectations because we DON'T want to hear that you DIDN'T KNOW WHAT YOU GO [till it's gone]☝☝☝

Do You Play HARD Or Do You Play WELL?

Do You Play HARD Or Do You Play WELL?

Would you rather that You Play HARD Or  Play WELL?  This question is one for the books because on the surface, it's a damn easy one, a no-brainer at that.  And If I take a random sampling, surely most of us will shout in unison that we all want to PLAY WELL because that gives us the improved probability of prevailing and winning that contest we're battling in.

But to quote Babe Ruth, the famous American baseball hero and Hall of Famer said:  IT'S HARD TO PLAY WELL BUT IT'S EASY TO WORK HARD.  Indeed, those are deep insights easier to read than to dissect.  But he's driving out here is that to PLAY WELL, it has one too many dependencies because to PLAY WELL is not solely dependent on you, the player.  You could be a top-notch player but if it happens that your opponent is craftier and playing at a higher level than you, your level of play may even be tagged as 'AWRY' because in the end, you have that shortfall wherein your opponent ends up PLAYING WELL.  Unfortunately, in basic logic, when the opponent plays that WELL, that puts into question if you can claim that mantle that you are PLAYING WELL as well

Whereas when you PLAY HARD, there is NO pre-defined ceiling, there is NO dependency on others, there is NO conditions that will influence either your success or failure.  Everything is left within your hands, your fate.  You can jump as high as you want.  You can score as much as you can.  You can hoop together with all those uncontested dunks.  You can throw those lob passes over to your next teammate but at the end of the day, PLAYING HARD solely rests on you📌📌📌

BTW, at the workplace, everyone is expected to PLAY WELL because they got to 'deliver the goods' based on the operations manual, based on the contractual SLA.  So, assuming everyone in the workplace do PLAY WELL, how can you stand out?  OR would you rather to be just another face in that mob of a crowd?  Won't you prefer to stand out from that crowd in the workplace and be singled out for PLAYING HARD 📙📗📘

So why don't we consider hook, line and sinker Babe Ruth's mantra here?  Bottom line here is that in life, by PLAYING HARD, it means you have poured your energy all-out.  You squeezed yourself hard for every ounce of sweat.  You pushed yourself not just hard but the hardest.  By embracing to that PLAY HARD mantra, you will be in FULL CONTROL of your fate, devoid of any dependency to anything and anyone except from within yourself❗❗❗

What To Do With Your 'TO-DO' List?

What To Do With Your 'TO-DO' List?

What To Do With Your 'TO-DO' List? Oh, this is a top-heavy question.  All the while, I thought that having that 'TO-DO' List caps and solves all my tasking woes?  Not until I realized that mu 'TO-DO' List is either froze or simply stalled.  And if it does change, that 'TO-DO' List just gets longer and longer.  What could explain that conundrum which surely was unintentional and totally unrecognizable not until when we started to react to that list getting longer.

Some may even end up being defensive by blurting, hey my 'TO-DO' List is NOT getting longer.  Instead, all the sticky notes and post-it notes are just all over the wall, all over the place.  What can explain this common phenomenon?  Logically, you'd think tht when your TO-DO List was at its longest would be when you'd kick into high gear and start ticking things off like a production locomotive.  

But in my personal experience, often the opposite happens.  When my TO-DO List grows this long, I would tend to panic, my motivation tanks and my brain fogs.  I end up stressing more than accomplishing.  Apparently, having so many things to do that you can't do any of them is a recognized psychological phenomenon..  And the clinical studies have buttressed it.

Knowing that I am experiencing something called my psychologists as 'OVERWHELM FREEZE' and that it is common enough to merit its own terminology, is soothing.  But I still have to figure it out what to get for my impossible-to-buy and when I'm going to squeeze myself.  There's even this joke:  'HOW DO YOU EAT AN ELEPHANT?'  ONE  BITE AT A TIME.  

No matter the size of the elephant, those individual bites should be quite ridiculously small and concrete that you CAN'T possibly stress about them.  Think about rewriting your TO-DO List as if you were giving instructions to a teenager who doesn't really want to do it so you really have to be SPECIFIC💹💹💹

Are EMOTIONS & RATIONALE Twins ?

Are EMOTIONS & RATIONALE Twins    

EMOTIONS & RATIONALE As Twins?  The no-brainer answer is ABSOLUTELY.  Here's the caveat though.  They DON'T behave or manifest at the same wavelength, on the same page.  Never.  Instead, they are poles apart from each other.  Where emotions go HIGH, then that drives rationale to go LOW and conversely, when emotions go LOW, you can go all hands on deck and bet that rationale will zoom up HIGH💊💊💊

Tons and tons of clinical studies have presented the correlations between EMOTIONS & RATIONALE As Twins.  Too bad emotions have gotten a bad rap these days.  We're frequently told we should mistrust them and ignore them.  It may seem that humanity, especially the make segment, has always evinced this level of skepticism towards our feelings, viewing them as unreliable guides. But the role of emotions in our lives has not always been viewed so dubiously by everyone.  Instead, distrust in feelings waxes and wanes depending on the level of uncertainty.  

When life becomes predictable, chaotic and troubling, we tend to retreat inwardly and sometimes seeking to turn ourselves into stone.  It then seems too risky to expose one's true feelings to let anything but cold hand logic dictate one's decisions.  Because, the thinking goes, emotions are essentially irrational

Yet studies have shown that EMOTIONS and REASON are NOT contradictory but instead COMPLEMENTARY.  Studies have supported the theory that feelings have their own intelligence and wisdom and must be intertwined with our rational faculties in order to achieve the good life we all want anyway📌📌📌

In fact, we think of our thoughts as being under an autonomous control.  We our our cognition to weigh options and make decisions.  In contrast, we perceive EMOTIONS as just happening to us.  We then conceive our feelings as clouding our thoughts which are our REAL mind.  What's our FIX?  DON'T let your emotions CONTROL you.  Instead, grab the bull by its horns and you better CONTROL YOUR EMOTIONS📗📘📙
 

When Life Snaps

 When Life Snaps

When Life Snaps.  There's a story going viral now in social media.  An American couple would have their daily exercise by simply walking their dog 'Rudy' every morning.  Recently, despite the biting winter, the hubby woke up his wifey for that daily morning walk but she begged off because she thought she had to catch more sleep.

And during those moments, it was like hearing someone strumming the guitar, the sound that is soothing no less.  So, the wifey went back to her deep slumber only to be awakened by the police knocking at the main door.  And the police advised her that an ambulance has rushed her hubby to the hospice after a kind commuter happened to pass by, seeing him sprawled on the ice-covered ground while his hubby's dog Rudy was kinda in grief fidgety around the almost lifeless body.  And the wife admitted, that was the swiftest time she moved, scampering to drive to the hospice for her hubby's emergency.  Sadly, the ER doctors admitted they were unable to resuscitate her hubby back to life again.

Such is life.  Day-in day-out, it is akin to the placid waters across the lake UNTIL tragedy happens and more often, way beyond our control.  So this is When Life Snaps.  One minute you can see the placid waters.  The next minute, the waters are in turmoil.  The least the bereaving wifey can share to the media was that very hurting lesson to enjoy every moment with your loved one[s].  Unless there is a 'show stopper', never let that opportunity be missed by you.

So, life is like traversing the high seas and suddenly, you end up in troubled waters.  Probably your boat's engine conked out.  Or water just starts tp seep into the boat.  So, if you're sharing your life with your loved one, when will you cherish every moment? Is it when you sound out an SOS call in the high seas?  By the time, do you still have those moments to really relish together with your loved one When Life Snaps?

When Life Snaps, what follows next are a hell lot of WHYs.  WHY did I not spend as much time with my loved one?  WHY did I give my loved one a lower priority?  WHY did I seemingly ignored his/her presence when he/she was very much alive?  WHY did I not give him/her the importance which I used to bestow on him/her when we were just dating? WHY oh WHY? C'mon, let us NOT wait [only to regret] When Life Snaps📗📘📙

Tides of Change

Tides of Change

Who says CHANGE IS COMING?  Yes it is, and it comes instantaneously, anytime now unlike to a 'SCHEDULED CHANGE' we would here across infrastructures. So how do we handle the Tides of Change?  For the uninitiated in life, when someone hears CHANGE IS COMING, one might just shrug off his shoulders and blurt out 'WHAT ELSE IS NEW'📗📕📘

Even the changes of the tide along the coastal areas are given constants.  Who cares if high tide is coming or if the water is receding soon?  Truth of the matter, if we start talking about CLIMATE CHANGE, no less than Former US Vice President Al Gore was the top advocate of CLIMATE CHANGE.  In today's new, the savage blizzard in the U.S. left 31 dead and that's besides the power outages.

We're NOT even talking about evolution here because that's predictive enough.  Instead, in life, we should be ready enough for anything that's beyond the theory of evolution.  As it is, there are zillions of "WHAT IFs" in life, so the question swings back to your COPING CAPABILITY💊💊💊

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HOW deftly can you COPE when suddenly you end up jobless [regardless of reason]?  HOW do you handle things when someone in the family gets seriously ill?  HOW do you mitigate the impact of the financial markets to your mortgaged home?  HOW do you do that elusive 'damage control' things start to spiral way OUT-of-CONTROL?  Or let's do a post-mortem now.  How did you handle EVERYTHING when pandemic hit us badly?

If at all, one factor that one has to have in his life is his AGILITY.  To be AGILE means you are capable to immediately 'change course' when the situation demands.  To be AGILE means you are able to go from Plan A to Plan B to even a Plan C or a Plan D.  Why do many of us get waylaid ?  For one simple reason.  That happens when we are unable to cope with the TIDES of CHANGE.  BTW, in life, CHANGE is a CONSTANT❗❗❗