Keep Playing Until The Wheel Falls Off
Who says we just need to keep moving but be watchful of the wheels? Of course we have to BUT just Keep Playing Until The Wheel Falls Off, that's the mantra we need to embrace in life. Unfortunately, many of us [and I'm guilty of it several times in the past] are so captivated by perfection and idealism such that before we take the next step, we would wish that the next step we'll take is an almost zero low risk with the lowest probability of failure entailing the least effort and/or resources. BUT life wasn't meant to be that wayπππNo one size fits all. That explains why we're here, to share my 2-cents where it's worth it.
Tuesday, April 18, 2023
Keep Playing Until The Wheel Falls Off
Monday, April 17, 2023
The Bed You Made Is The Bed You Lay In
The Bed You Made Is The Bed You Lay In
Before anything else, allow me to clear up things. Today's piece is neither about travel or tourism but we just want to draw the parallelism for The Bed You Made Is The Bed You Lay In because that message resonates in our daily lives in multifarious ways and shapes. This adage just CAN'T be debunked because this is air-tight enough to hold that water regardless if the water gets heavierπππHarvest what you planted. Reap what you started. There's just NO WAY you will harvest a bounty of fruits if what you planted is grass. NO WAY can you reap the best fruits if what you planted is NOT any of the FRUITS you dreamed of. If you're still in the academe, the grades you will get is based on the results of your academic performance⏳⏳⏳Let's swing over to the workplace. From the time you first take a plunge into the job market, the trajectory of your career heavily hinges on your performance at work. Do things lazily, you know what's in store for you. Do things shabbily, you know the QUALITY SCORE you'll get. Do things reactively, you will get what you deserve. Move over to your relationships. How long and how far your relationship will go on and endure heavily hinges on the way you nurtured it to be healthy enough to withstand the challenges along the wayπππI can attest to having witnessed young students LOST in the MAZE simply because they did NOT put in the required effort in their academic life. I have witnessed people with potentials yet never even reaching even halfway through their ceiling. I also bear witness to relationships that seem rock solid only to flounder down the road. I have seen budding entrepreneurs with all the business acumen only to end up kaput✅✅✅Now for that icing of the cake. Nothing can be best exemplified the way we parents raise our children. Although there are results that defy the given rule of thumb, by and large, how the children are raised by their parents do carry a very big weight in their next phase in life. That explains why children whose parents get divorced do often end up as COLLATERAL DAMAGE. The thing is, THE BED YOU MADE IS THE BED YOU LAY IN❗❗❗
Sunday, April 16, 2023
That CLARITY IN LIFE
That CLARITY IN LIFE
Living intentionally requires CLARITY. When we are clear about what makes us happy, healthy, loving and wonderful, we can be happy, healthy. loving and wonderful as well. Let's imagine a life with less confusion and doubt. CLARITY makes everything easier but getting there requires change and commitment especially if we are busy, distracted or overwhelmed. If ever we want to come up with better decisions, we need to become MORE trusting, be healthier and do more meaningful work. This is all about That CLARITY IN LIFEπππOne of the most common advisories I receive is for us to CREATE SPACE because our mind has to process everything that crosses our field of vision. If within our home or work environment is cluttered and messy, that mess and clutter results in brain fog. we can't work effectively or even live thoughtfully in chaos. In short, CLEAR THE CLUTTER and CREATE SPACE. Thereafter, IDENTIFY WHAT MATTERS. Scribble and write down your PASSION STATEMENTS for work and life. What may not really matter [like passion statements] are really a MUST. That CLARITY IN LIFE⏳⏳⏳
Saturday, April 15, 2023
Heavy Lifting In Life
Heavy Lifting In Life
So sorry folks if you mistook today's thread as being written by a gym buff because I'm not one. But instead, we'd like to delve more about our Heavy Lifting In Life. While we all keep harping on our sense of responsibility in terms of taking care of our families and loved ones, what pops up as well is the frequency and extent of our Heavy Lifting In Life. Are we single-handedly taking the Heavy Lifting In LifeπππThe other day as we were on a short countryside holiday, I noticed a line of ants crossing the path in front of me. Momentarily I paused and watched them all queueing in a single line. Not aware where they were going or if they were walking with a purpose, I then noticed one carrying a leaf. And then I noticed another. And another again. And those ants carrying leaves seemed to be keeping up BUT the longer I watched, the more I noticed they were walking a little slower than the othersπππI DON'T know much about ants and I have NO idea how they decided which ants need to carry the leaves and which ants can continue walking unencumbered. All I noticed was that some ants were walking peacefully while others were carrying a heavy burden. And that reminded me about life itself. Sometimes, we tend to walk peacefully but other times, Heavy Lifting In Life comes into play. There are seasons in life where the path is easy and the burdens are light⏳⏳⏳Indeed, during those times, health is good, $$$$$ is in the bank, relationships are healthy and our habits are serving us well. But there are seasons in life where the burden is heavy. For those with families, kids are making unwise choices, our relationships with our loved ones seem to be turning against us and bad news continues to mount with no end in sight. Yet, when we look around, everyone else seem to be fine, unencumbered, enjoying their path through life and even celebrating their share of successes. BUT we're stuck carrying that HEAVY LEAF. We're trying our hardest to keep up BUT the burden seems heavyπππQuo vadis? Here's our challenge of a lifetime. Those of us rushing swiftly from one end to another, unburdened, without that LEAF. Take time to notice those with HEAVY BURDENS. There is a temptation when our burden is light to NOT notice the HEAVY LIFTING being done by others. That Heavy Lifting In Life✅✅✅
Friday, April 14, 2023
When Intentions Are NOT Enough
When GOOD Intentions Are NOT Enough
Does this sound familiar? When we uttered YES a zillion times when we were prodded to do or perform something. Fast forward, how was it? If I may guess, those zillion YES replies all got stalled. So, what's our issue here? It is WHEN GOOD INTENTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH that's becoming a challenge for us, even in the most sublime and seemingly mundane fashion. But c'mon, we got to take this seriously⏳⏳⏳
Thing is, good intentions are just NOT enough. We usually expect our gifts and help to strengthen our relationships with our recipients. But that doesn't always happen. Indeed, givers are sometimes taken aback when recipients respond negatively. They often think of things like: I WAS ONLY TRYING TO HELP or WHY DO THEY RESENT ME WHEN I'VE BEEN SO GOOD TO THEM'. Back at work, have you ever worked so hard at something that the more you tried, the harder the task became and the further away your goal seemed to get? In the shortest words, ONE STEP FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACKWARD. Ironically, the same way that fear brings to pass what one is afraid of, likewise a forced intention makes impossible what one may forcibly wish forπππLet's go back to our work scenarios. Our jobs are always MORE THAN OUR JOBS. They represent relationships between us and others within the workplace. And that even extends to our customers. All these relationships weave together through our work, they all have their meanings, both individually and collectively. When we focus too intently on the outcome, these relationships may sufferπππMeaning is then found in our awareness of the MOMENT and when we get too far from the MOMENT we start to lose our effectiveness. Even when the stakes are high and our success is essential, , focusing on the results rather than the process can actually get in the way of a successful outcome. We all know how it works. The higher the expectations are, the more disconnected we are from the actual accomplishment of it and the less able we are to participate when it unfolds✅✅✅To quote Victor Frankl, a well respected psychiatrist, "OUR GOOD INTENTIONS ACTUALLY BECOME THE CAUSE OF OUR FAILURE". When a specific success is so fervently sought that we tend to overlook and neglect the relationships that are an integral part of the process, we lay the seeds for something to go wrong. In the end, we seem to fly in the face of our own success. Really, When Intentions Are Not Enough❗❗❗
Thursday, April 13, 2023
Your BELLS & WHISTLES
Your BELLS & WHISTLES
Please DON'T get me wrong here. Your BELLS & WHISTLES are most welcome because that's part and parcel of life. Boosting and enhacing our life and our relationships with our loved ones really need those BELLS & WHISTLES. So, you might wonder: So what gives? What is it that bothers us? Hmmmmm, not that it's bothersome but in life, beside all those BELLS & WHISTLES, we need to make and shape things to be content-heavy and not that hollow that seemingly makes life alive via BELLS & WHISTLES. We just DON'T want you to waste your life. And while no one sets out to fritter away one's time, who knowsπππ
Let's do some basic number crunching. As per studies, each of us has roughly 27,000 days to live, subtract a third or so of that for sleeping and another chunk for those early formative years which you DON'T remember and CAN'T just control, you're left with a pretty terrifying low number. Oooooops i'm sorry, this is NOT to depress you. But as the great philosophers have reminded us, remembering the SHORTNESS OF LIFE is what spurs us all to live authentically⏳⏳⏳And frankly, when you are cognizant of the fact that time is short, trust me, you will value it appropriately. And when you value time appropriately, you just DON'T want to waste it. And if you have any sense at all of how precious life is, you will then tend to avoid obvious ways to fritter away your hours and years, just like many TV and movie binges. But there are many ways to let life pass you by that are less easy to spot and therefore more dangerous. So, HOW can we complement the BELLS & WHISTLES? DON'T surround yourself with the 'WRONG PEOPLE'. Just choose to spend your time with those where you will be productive and happy. Be wary to end up with a recipe for wasted timeπππObviously, there are many ways we can go wrong [like, God forbid, spending and wasting your energy dealing with manipulators and narcissists], whew. BUT one of the most disastrous can also be the easiest to fall into because it's based on kindness and optimism, sticking with a relationship of any sort simply because you were thinking the other party will change✅✅✅But again, that's another recipe for tons of wasted time. In fact, studies have proven that RELATIONSHIPS REQUIRE MAINTENANCE' but again there's a difference between maintaining a good relationship and trying to force a bad once that doesn't make much sense to begin with. When you're fundamentally incompatible with someone [whether that's in business or in romance], cut your losses or risk wasting too much of your limited time. Always remember folks that we should not end up with a 'hollowed life' that goes with those BELLS & WHISTLES. Our need is to have a substantive and meaningful life no less❗❗❗
Wednesday, April 12, 2023
What's Keeping You Awake [And Struggling To Sleep]?
What's Keeping You Awake [And Struggling To Sleep]?
NOT a RED FLAG that will burn and turn our house into ashes [NO please] but struggling to sleep at night is an issue impacting hundreds of millions of us. BUT before we dive-in to look for the solution, let's throw upon us the most important question we need to address anyway, right now and it's What's Keeping You Awake [And Struggling To Sleep]πππWell, no one amongst us likes to be interrupted during our sleep but alas, that isn't the biggest challenge we're facing because what's more prevalent is the struggle to really fall sleep. And NOT to miss out the more important things, sleep helps our body heal, it gives us a mental break and it offers just one too many benefits, both mentally and physically. If we need to make it safe out the door next day, obviously, we need a quality sleep NO less⏳⏳⏳Now, if you're frequently dozing in and out of sleep, tossing and turning or worse, constantly checking the clock while attempting to sleep, that mere thought of hitting the hay may even spike your ANXIETY. Now for the scary piece. Heard of increasing ANXIETY and depression levels? Worsening wait gain? Increasing the risk of a heart attack or stroke? And then your immune system seems to weaken? Those are indeed TELL-TALE signs that your sleep disorder is taking its toll on your healthπππSo, how do we go around all these? #1, DON'T let your anxiety and depression go untreated. Could there be anything more frustrating than finally settling in bed only to have your mind start racing with intrusive thoughts? If you find yourself waking up frequently with worries or panicked feelings, you might be experiencing nigh time ANXIETY✅✅✅
On the other hand, if you're battling frequent daytime sleepiness, that could be NARCOLEPSY, that neurological disorder that robs you of regular sleep patterns at night. Got to seek treatment for that. And if it's all about your LIFESTYLE, it boils down to your choices when the sun or the moon is up. Bottom line, fix your issue that KEEPS YOU AWAKE and STILL STRUGGLING to sleep [Ooooops, as a DISCLAIMER, if it's all about Netflix and/or Korean Movies. PLEASE DISREGARD this 'NOISE']. Enjoy your binge-watch ❗❗❗
Tuesday, April 11, 2023
If You're Not On The Table, You're On The Menu
If You're Not On The Table, You're On The Menu
Good day sirrrrs, hoping everything is fine at your end. Ooooooops no sirrrrs. our thread today has got nothing to do with culinary arts but it's all about life, those numerous situations where you're neither here nor there but essentially, what we like to underscore here is that If You're Not On The Table, You're On The MenuπππBriefly. what this thread tells us is that, ideally in life, you need to be 'part of the equation'. At home, either as an immediate family member, spouse/partner or even a child grown up enough, it pays that ypu're a part of general discussions, brainstorming and even planning an activity or family event. WHY? Because your inputs would matter and as such your voice need to be heard⏳⏳⏳Whereas, many times in the past, I can attest to having witnessed frustrating instances when someone was just fine being at the fringes of things, letting everyone else brainstorm and he'll just ride on the bandwagon when it's time to. WHAT does that make of him. Bluntly, one becomes inutile, useless unless he's at a senile phase of his lifeπππYou can even initiate something so you become a part of the equation. When I was still a Singaporean citizen, i made a conscious decision to VOLUNTEER as a Probation Officer at its Ministry of Community Development. Once I get assigned cases, I was at the forefront of helping reform juvenile delinquents and that gave me a SENSE of FULFILLMENT even $$$$$ can't buy✅✅✅What did I get out of VOLUNTEERISM? You'll be surprised though with its enormous benefits. Volunteering offers vital help to people in need. The right VOLUNTEER match can help you connect with the community, learn new skills and even advance your career. Most importantly, this tells us that while it's NOT the end of the world IF YOU'RE NOT ON THE TABLE, there are multiple ways for you to be part of the equation and BE RELEVANT in life❗❗❗
Monday, April 10, 2023
Our Life Is A Container
Our Life Is A Container
Recently, our thread was about opportunities compared to the immense sheets of the ocean. BUT please DON'T misconstrue me that I'm implying that life itself is akin to an ocean. No sirrrrrs. On the other hand, Our Life Is A Container, no more, no less. We DON'T even need to talk about the capacity or size of any or all of the containers because it's NOT about the capacity but rather, the fact that our life is within a container, there is one trap. We must be constantly wary to avoid any contamination from within [the container]πππ
Friday, April 7, 2023
Keep Digging Till You Get It
Keep Digging Till You Get It
Life never runs out of narratives how people rolled up their sleeves and toiled till his energy got drained. To quote former Republican Congressman Newt Gingrich, "PERSEVERANCE IS THE HARD WORK YOU DO AFTER YOU GET TIRED OF DOING THE HARD WORK YOU ALREADY DID". So, we're taught from a young age that 'WE CAN DO ANYTHING THAT WE PUT OUR MINDS TO". But hey, what about when your mind is working against you? How do you keep going then? Keep Digging Till You Get ItπππStraight from my thought processes...
Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt [FUD]
Fear, Uncertainty & Doubt [FUD] These days, the clouds are getting gloomier and the horizons out there are getting bleaker than bleak. ...
Sharing the most popular posts till to date
-
Be Warned About PARADOXES In Life Not to create an unnecessary scare BUT one fact we tend t overlook is that throughout our lifetime, 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 w...
-
Stop Taking Things PERSONALLY When people disrespect you OR do not treat you well, it is indeed that easy to take their behavior PERSONALLY ...
-
Keeping Up With The Kardashians [Not the TV Series] No Senor, today's piece Keeping Up With The Kardashians is not about that very succ...
-
Rain Falls Harder On A Leaky Roof Rain Falls Harder On A Leaky Roof, that's a common expression in Japan. Simply put, this Japanese pro...
-
What 99% Of Us DO NOT DO This is strangely interesting so I thought this is our thread today. What 99% Of Us DO NOT DO [and I admit I am...
-
How Do We Handle CRITICISM? WHO wants CRITICISM ? Absolutely no one amongst us. Many times in the middle of nowhere, we will hear somethin...
-
Never Reveal Your GOALs Social media is saturated with GOALS and DREAMS . Nothing wrong sharing it in those platforms BUT here's a big ...
-
Be Genuine, Period Not to be defensive but the real truth is I have tons and tons of imperfections BUT NOT being GENUINE is NOT one of them....
-
Do We Embrace FAILURE? FAILING is an inevitable part of life, BUT feeling like a FAILURE should NOT be the case. Point is, we need to sepa...