When MUCH Is Given, MUCH Is Required

When MUCH Is Given, MUCH Is Required

This one-liner may be ages old as the late famous American President John Kennedy was quoted "To whom MUCH Is Given, MUCH Is Required".  Indeed, this strikes at the very core of things that reverberate in our lives.  Either you are still a student in the school campus OR now wooing the 'dream girl' of your life OR you finally land a plum job OR finally hit 'pay dirt' in your first strike in your maiden foray as an entrepreneur💎💎💎

No sirrrs. while this one-liner is widely mentioned in some passages of the bible, I don't want to falsely come up with a farcical facade of a wisdom that clearly DIDN'T come from me.  Instead,  much as we are all entitled to ask and dream for the moon, if we did land that plum of a prize, that's when PAYBACK time kicks in, even if no one forewarned you on this📌📌📌

That historical admonition by President Kennedy many decades back speaks NOT only to those who benefited by material wealth OR comfort as he was addressing then those placed at the NEXUS OF OPPORTUNITIES, people who were now straddling along the corridors of power.  But hold on.  We DON'T need to go up to those lofty levels.  Instead, let us reflect as to what we wanted and what we asked in the past which we were given.  If indeed we were given, then To whom MUCH Is Given, MUCH Is Required 💊💊💊

I bear witness a few times in the past wherein I saw how some people [whom I know first hand] were angling for the best fruits up in the trees.  And they got it, harvested those premium fruits and enjoyed it.  But before you know it, they seem to have been so intoxicated with those small milestone successes when they totally blanked out, not realizing enough that To whom MUCH Is Given, MUCH Is Required❗❗❗

What is hardly publicized is that after you get your plum prize, it WON'T be long before the luster of that prize will be gone, evaporating in thin air.  Then you get into that same vicious cycle where you got to grind and kick your ass hard to get back on the road, regain that momentum and keep going all over again.  Here's a STERN warning though. After your first lapse, the margin for error is getting smaller.  To whom MUCH Is Given, MUCH Is Required✅✅✅

Do You Shrink In 'THOSE MOMENTS'

Do You Shrink In 'THOSE MOMENTS'

Oh Oh, today we WON'T attempt to be an SME in a field we are NOT [talking about health] but what does bother us from time to time is when we are confronted with:  Do You Shrink In 'THOSE MOMENTS'?  And THOSE MOMENTS refer are those many times we are in the midst of problems and challenges we're grappling⏳⏳⏳

Well, as stress is an integral part of our lives, we tend to shrug off our racing pulses and constant angst as nothing unusual.  But many researches show that even everyday stress can be leading to changes in our brain that makes us vulnerable to mental as well as social disorders ranging from depression to addiction and even behavioral conditions💎💎💎

On the other hand, studies conducted during the recent pandemic have led many experts to identify the benefits of ADVERSITY.  Apparently, seismic events of this nature challenge our faith and hope, even wanting to give up in some cases.  But then again, the recent pandemic was also a time for us to dig deeper into our inner resources and harness the ADVERSITY to fuel our resilience📌📌📌

Many people have attested that ADVERSITY catapulted them into life's deeper waters, forcing them to mine their inner resources, face the threat, and come out stronger on the other side.  Recovering alcoholics and drug addicts often report that hitting ROCK bottom is their greatest blessing because it did wake them up to a better life., one that is healthier and more satisfying.  In physical fitness circles, they call it that 'TREMOR OF TRUTH' when you test your BREAKING POINT❗❗❗

Studies have also shown that even social media has done more harm than good.  When we are stuck in the shallow of material gain [a new house, a glitzy car, exotic trips to Maldives and Bali], it can propel us into temporary highs that usually FLATTEN out after a very short time.  Seismic events, on the other hand, plunge us into an all-time low for a while.  So, why should you SHRINK IN THOSE MOMENTS✅✅✅

When The Fuse Gets Lighted

When The Fuse Gets Lighted

Allow me to introduce this as our thread today but rest assured, this is NOT about electricals or fuses BUT instead, we're referencing fuses insofar as to how it IGNITES our life.  So, When The Fuse Gets Lighted, we expect our engines to be firing in full throttle in all its cylinders.  Anyone who thinks we DON'T need a FUSE to IGNITE us, I beg to disagree because even in the field of Physics, you need that force that will create and lead to the inertia💎💎💎

Every life has a PURPOSE and in fact, many PURPOSES.  Every day, each of us is motivated to do many kinds of things.  BUT this is different than a life which is guided by a single PURPOSE.  Accumulating many different actions during the day ISN'T the same as knowing and achieving your vision.  And then, when a personal vision is found, the means to achieve it follows suit📌📌📌

Bottom line, a clear strong vision IGNITES your life PURPOSE.  There is inner motivation and outer reward.  This match between inner and outer is key when it comes to finding your life PURPOSE.  BUT, before any PURPOSE can be activated, a personal vision comes first.  The stronger your vision, the more inspired you will be.  Inspiration is the strongest motivator ever⏳⏳⏳

Bonus question to our readers:  WHY IS IT MANY of us get discouraged from pursuing their vision?  Simple answer here:  THEY LOOK TOO FAR AHEAD.  BUT hey, that is pure imagination, ISN'T it?  There was this world chess champion who was asked:  HOW MANY MOVES AHEAD HE CAN SEE.  He replied:  ONLY BUT BUT IT'S THE RIGHT ONE.  What insight can we pick up from that answer?  One move ahead is sufficient on the assumption you make the right move✅✅✅

What's our sage advice here?  Let us NOT be too tough on ourselves.  Let us give ourselves that 'ELBOW ROOM' to change tactics and commit mistakes BUT here's the catch though.  DON'T settle for a move that DOESN'T feel right.  A vision ISN'T about achieving a goal. It is more about expansion, evolution and inner fulfillment.  You CAN'T reach fulfillment if each step is discouraging, difficult or it becomes a struggle.  Keep in mind that every step should be one you want to take, NOT a step you feel you must take.  That's WHEN THE FUSE GETS IGNITED in your life❗❗❗

Take What Is Given

Take What Is Given

British Billionaire Richard Branson was once quoted:  BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES ARE LIKE BUSES, THERE'S ALWAYS ANOTHER ONE COMING.  And we can't argue with that because that's the obvious truth.  But the biggest question that befuddles me is WHY many of us tend to be scouring for any kind of opportunity when opportunities abound📌📌📌

But here's the thing.  No matter what you're after, you'll be presented with a number of challenges along the way.  So how do we prepare ourselves to seize the opportunity of a lifetime from the moment you recognize it?  Primero, develop a crystal clear vision of what you want to achieve. Let me share a bit about my past.  At one point when I was firm that I have saturated and exhausted the local career opportunities, i identified WHAT do I want, WHERE should I go and WHEN should be the timelines to achieve it💎💎💎

Fast-forward, what happened next.  I pegged my 'market search' to complete by November with the next goal that I must be short-listed for interviews by possible employers all within a span of one week because [with no scheduling overlaps] because I intended to buy my return ticket with a week's stay in that city state [yes, I'm referring to Singapore].  Final results:  I achieved all my goals within those timelines and before I flew back,  I already signed off on a tendered 'juicy' job offer⏳⏳⏳

From a scientific explanation, scientists explain that once you put your brain's "RETICULAR ACTIVATING SYSTEM' into function, that can become the difference between achieving your dreams OR simply living a life combined by both desperation + frustration.  Even physiologists have joined the fray, claiming that even your physiology will respond to an image it can visualize in your head as if it were reality❗❗❗

Swinging over to competitive sports, specifically in the NBA, crafty players play as they TAKE WHAT IS GIVEN.  Specifically, when are given the room to drive through the 'paint area', they will drive.  If they get 'double teamed', instantly they'll look for that teammate who's surely free and unguarded because of the 'double-teaming' on him.  All these translate exactly the same way in our daily life  TAKE WHAT IS GIVEN because that's your best card at that time✅✅✅

Delusions of Grandeur

Delusions of Grandeur 

No sirrrrrs, I won't veer into unknown territory.  Not even about Schizophrenia which indeed includes manifestations of delusions and hallucinations. To be aligned, let's agree on the definition of delusions which, per se, is defined as that "STRONGLY HELD BELIEFS THAT ARE NOT AMENABLE TO LOGIC OR PERSUASION AND THAT ARE OUT OF KEEPING WITH THEIR HOLDER'S BACKGROUND"📌📌📌

Frankly though, DELUSIONS are NOT necessarily false or fiction but instead, it is the process by which sometimes, they are arrived at is usually bizarre and illogical.  On the other hand, positive symptoms correspond to the general public's idea of "MADNESS".  The apprehension here is that those with DELUSIONS might evoke FEAR or ANXIETY with others⏳⏳⏳

Surely, everyone of us can bear witness to those DELUSIONS of GRANDEUR.  Like when I was in elementary and high school, I had a classmate who perennially had that DELUSION that he is 'tops' in our class.  When I finally got into the workplace environment, I had a colleague who, despite all the healthy discussions, always insisted he was right because everyone else is NOT, not until he get proven wrong💎💎💎

Lofty ambitions are NOT that bad.  In fact, they are laudable but what if such DELUSION becomes just sheer illogical and unfathomable?  If you're into a relationship, WHAT IF your DELUSION is that you are the superior one and your partner/spouse is the inferior one whose role in life is to simply kowtow to all your💊💊💊

Being overly ambitious is NEVER wrong at all but you got to ensure both your feet are still on the ground.  You got to close to REALITY, to what is FEASIBLE [versus a PIPE DREAM].  I can attest to having witnessed people with all the grandiose plans and lofty goals, which per se, were laudable but what's the probability of success from what I witnessed first hand?  A success rate of less than 1%, if at all.  Lesson for today:  LET US SET GOALS FEASIBLE & REASONABLE enough❗❗❗

Don't Ever 'POKE A BEAR'

Don't Ever 'POKE A BEAR'

No sirrrrs, we are NOT adventurous when we say Don't Ever 'POKE A BEAR' because this is meant more figuratively speaking.  What we meant is that in life, much as we cherish all our freedoms, there are limitations and boundaries that may NOT be breached.  Once you breach it, your guess is as good as mine, as to what happens nexr💊💊💊

Last night, the Miami Heat-Boston Celtics Game 2 was another clutch game [i.e. NBA games that separate 2 teams less than five points within the last five minutes].  And Miami Heat star player Jimmy Butler was having a rare 'pedestrian' game NOT until Boston Celtics' Gary Williams started to verbally challenge him, NOT until it became a showmanship match ending in a [literally speaking] head-to-head confrontation💎💎💎

If you're still attending school, the last person you want to offend are your academic lecturers.  If you're committed to your spouse/partner, health arguments are fine and part and parcel of daily life but the last thing you want is to breach their TRUST in you.  If you're at the workplace environment,  you DON'T want to breach your SLA [service level agreement] with your clients.  If you're an entrepreneur and your business is burgeoning, you DON'T want to hear or receive even a single NEGATIVE customer feedback because of the backlash that may come close on the heels📌📌📌

Last night, at the NBA Game 2 between Miami Heat and Boston Celtics, the latter was leading by double digits until the last six minutes when that 'brouhaha' happened and what happened next was like the slumbering lion suddenly woke up from its deep slumber and went on a rampage.  In another 3 minutes, the Miami Heat had overtaken the Boston Celtics in the scoreboard and by the time the buzzer sounded, it was a lost cause for the Boston Celtics.  In the post-mortem, almost all fingers were pointed at Gary Williams as he did 'POKE A BEAR' in Jimmy✅✅✅

Today, as I was watching the Netflix 'EL CHAPO' Series, this reminded me that indeed DON'T ever 'POKE THE BEAR' even if you happen to be the top honcho of one of the Mexican drug cartels.  WHY?  You DON'T want to cause the ire of your rival cartels.  Instead, you want to CO-EXIST with them.  As Jimmy Butler ended his post-game interview, he's NOT the best person to talk after Gary did POKE THE BEAR❗❗❗

Try Stocking The Fire!

Try Stocking The Fire!

No sirrrrs, we're not talking about fires that will turn structures into ashes.  Instead, we want to Try Stocking The Fire to put more fuel and energy into your 'belly' till it becomes ignitable.  In life, you can be gifted, talented and intellectually ahead but unless you got that 'FIRE IN THE BELLY' nothing will ignite you to kickstart the endeavor you want to pursue.  Try Stocking The Fire💊💊💊

No need to look far.  Although I am NOT into yoga, yogis spend considerable time + effort in strengthening that FIRE IN THE BELLY.  I just heard this for some who went into yoga classes, that they really endeavor to STOKE THE FIRE at the very core.  To quote yogis, every time they consciously breathe out and feel the navel draw back on the spine💎💎💎

Now, this is getting deeper into yoga jargon.  You might wonder why are we pushing for the BELLY?  So, why so much focus on the BELLY?  According to yoga teachers, when you have a strong PRANA in your core, you can burn anything life throws your way and when your PRANA flows intelligently at that 'navel center', you get better at digesting things, whether it be the salad you had for lunch or that incredibly long report you need to read for your work⏳⏳⏳

Yoga experts likened this part of our energetic anatomy to a fire because an 'ALIVE BELLY' warms us.  Experts say, in their own jargon, that the BELLY, when 'full of presence', it strengthens the SENSE OF INDIVIDUAL PURPOSE.  They say, 'A BELLY AWAKENED SAYS "I AM SAFE, I AM HERE, I HAVE A MISSION".  And a belly that is asleep says, 'WHAT's MY UNIQUE PURPOSE?  AM I IMPORTANT'✅✅✅

Now let's swing to relationships.  A relationship without TRUST is like a car without gas.  You can stay in it at all you want but it WON'T go anywhere.  This metaphor tells us that simply depicts that if you do NOT have TRUST and faith in your relationship, it is simply NOT worth your time and emotions.  And TRUST is wanting, how can we dream and hope for our relationship with our partner/spouse will flourish if we are unable to TRY STOCKING THE FIRE❓❓❓

Do You 'CHICKEN OUT'?

Do You 'CHICKEN OUT'?

It's neither a crime nor wrong for us to 'CHICKEN OUT' in life.  It should NOT even deserve to be NEWS at all because in life, we do 'CHICKEN OUT' BUT here's a big BUT.  It's fine to 'CHICKEN OUT' maybe once or twice in your lifetime BUT if you tend to 'CHICKEN OUT' every year or so, you have a bigger problem to resolve because that situation becomes chronic.  If the exception becomes the norm, if the outlier becomes the normal occurrence, then we need to arrest that skid to a 'CHICKEN OUT' mindset💎💎💎

If you have been to those entertainment complexes hosting variations of the roller coaster, what if in the middle of the ride you wanted to 'CHICKEN OUT' but you WON'T leap from the top, right [unless push comes to shove]?  One problem with 'CHICKENING OUT' is that sometimes it can pretty publicly embarrassing [or frankly, humiliating].  But there is a bigger problem we'll face when we 'CHICKEN OUT'📌📌📌

That bigger problem to 'CHICKEN OUT is that you will likely feel like you have missed a chance to surprise yourself [with that 'aborted feat'].  Whether you really wanted that roller coaster ride or NOT isn't really the point.  The point is to CHALLENGE yourself to do something you DON'T think you can do⏳⏳⏳

The point is we need to CHALLENGE ourself to do something you DON'T think you can do [and we are all likely to face either professional or personal moments where we must deal with this.  Especially at a time when you're likely to receive a challenge to pour a bucket of ice over your head.  So HOW can you overcome things holding you back, pushing you to 'CHICKEN OUT'?  Here are our FIXES for this dilemma✅✅✅

First off, REDUCE those easy choices [in life].  If you have to wait too long to have an experience, it is easy to 'CHICKEN OUT'?  So, reduce the time between making a decision to do something and the time when you actually do it.  The LESS TIME you have to change your mind, the better.  Secondly, find a BIGGER MOTIVATION.  Winning a personal battle is a nice MOTIVATION but it is much easier when you imagine a bigger MOTIVATION for doing something.  Lastly, FOCUS ON STARTING because most of the time, you can just start, then get on a roll and the rest comes much easier❗❗❗

Get A Grip In Life

Get A Grip In Life

We all come across zillions LESSONS IN LIFE  but if there is one lesson commonly overlooked [let's call it UTTERLY DISREGARDED & DISRESPECTED], it is all about for us to Get A Grip In Life.  And why do we need to Get A Grip In Life?  C'mon, if for brevity I'd have one single word to Get A Grip In Life, it is all about C-O-N-T-R-O-L.  Disclaimer here.  CONTROLS cannot happen 100%.  CONTROLS cannot happen during emergencies, natural disasters, accidents

BTW, CONTROLS may sometimes be leveraged even in the midst of accidents, e.g. if you're behind the steering wheel and your vehicle might be on a head-on collision course with another vehicle, CONTROLS on the steering wheel will help.  But that's the literal part of CONTROLS.  Let's swing back to our daily lives and align on the same page for us to Get A Grip In Life.  And the best takeoff point of our analogy is that above-mentioned example of your skidding vehicle about to get into a head-on collision

For folks sharing a roof with their partner/spouse, aftter the "HONEYMOON's OVER", reality sinks in.  Boredom kicks in.  When that SIZZLE FIZZLES OUT, things start with outliers like one-off disagreements that are few and far in between.  Days and weeks pass, it recurs

So, when your compass is spinning OUT of CONTROL, let's do these.

• WRITE DOWN YOUR THOUGHTS
• FOCUS ON ONE THING
• MAKE TIME FOR YOURSELF
• DON'T [as in] DON'T BE A CONTROL FREAK
• PRACTICE POSITIVITY
• RESET/REBOOT WHEN YOU PERCEIVE YOU'RE OFFTRACK or LOST
• GET ORGANIZED [and NOT CHAOTIC]

Really dude, GET A GRIP IN LIFE✅✅✅

In Life, You Got to 'CIRCLE THE WAGONS'

In Life, You Got to 'CIRCLE THE WAGONS'

In Life, You Got to 'CIRCLE THE WAGONS'.  Tracing back this expression is NOT tough as this western wagons circle around.  Literally, this is meant to PROTECT YOUR TURF.  And in life, this might sound so obvious but the truth is, many adults [supposedly RESPONSIBLE] are NOT protecting the turf they need to protect, literally and figuratively💎💎💎

How I got this CIRCLE THE WAGONS' thing, I was watching the Netflix movie 'THE SENTINEL' and David Rasche [as the U.S. President] ordering his Secret Service to 'CIRCLE THE WAGONS'.  Back to our lives, we just can't over-emphasize that blight in society when we witness supposedly responsible people JETTISON & DITCH their given responsibilities⏳⏳⏳

So, what's our take?  If you're a student, to 'CIRCLE THE WAGONS' mean yourself protecting the interest [and investment] of your parents in your schooling.  If you are committed to your partner/spouse, to 'CIRCLE THE WAGONS' means you got to protect your relationship, whatever it takes for you to achieve that📌📌📌

If you're over at the workplace, you got to 'CIRCLE THE WAGONS' by protecting the interests of your organization, your team, your clients.  And most importantly, doing so is part of your vested interest as your butter and rice bowl must be getting sourced out from your income.  Did we miss out anything else?  Yes, we got to 'CIRCLE THE WAGONS' on our very own persona, our mission, vision and goals✅✅✅

WHAT IF we don't 'CIRCLE THE WAGONS'? WHAT are the consequences?  Let me hit where it is most impactful.  Let's hypothetically say that up front, you implicitly share to any Tom, Dick and Harry your short-term, medium and long term plans for your business.  What's the probability that by 'telegraphing your punches', the market competition will pre-empt you by jumpstarting ahead of you?  In Life, You Got to 'CIRCLE THE WAGONS'❗❗❗