Are You Ignoring Your OWN INNER VOICE?

Are You Ignoring Your OWN INNER VOICE?

Remember our INNER VOICE?  How often do we give value and time to our INNER VOICE?   OR do you realize now that unconsciously sometimes,  You Are Ignoring Your OWN VOICE? Oh Oh Oh, if indeed sometimes we're ignoring our INNER VOICE, we got to cut that [mal]practice.  That [mal]practice where and when too many of us would rather listen to the noise of the world and end up getting lost in the midst of that mammoth crowd💎💎💎

Our thread today is more about us, WHY do we need to find our very own INNER VOICE and HOW to truly listen to it.  BUT before anything else, can we align in defining our INNER VOICE.  That's our own gut, our soul, our innate wisdom so that leads us to understand something with IMMEDIATE EFFECT without the need for any conscious reasoning.   In short, that's our hunch, our inkling, our feeling⏳⏳⏳

So, why are we doing a HARD-SELL that we should listen more to our own INNER VOICE before anything else?  C'mon, most of our day-to-day decisions and judgment calls are needed in a SNAP.  Even scientific studies have supported this case via numerous examples of people having a hunch, feeling or intuition and while there was NO hard evidence to back them up first, science and data eventually backed this up as TRUE📌📌📌

Studies from neuroscientists have shown that 95% of our brain activity happens at an UNCONSCIOUS LEVEL.  Conversely, the studies showed that ONLY 5% of our cognitive activities [and that includes ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, DECISIONS, EMOTIONS] come from our conscious mind.  So, all along, most of the time, we are taking information through all our SENSES all the time [and then we end up processing it at an incredible [unconscious] speed.  So, that INTUITION, HUNCH, INKLING, they are all coming from masses of information we CAN'T even cognitively process❗❗❗

On the flip side, there is COGNITION, that mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience and our senses.  So, this is more about our ability to understand, do problem solving, discern and organize.  That's the logical thinking part of our mind where we weigh the PROs and CONs and coming to rational conclusions.  Meanwhile, let's give more impetus to our own INNER VOICE [where 95% of the action is]✅✅✅

Do We Need Digital Detox?

Do We Need DIGITAL DETOX?

Anyone NOT BUSY now?  Surely, hardly anyone is NOT BUSY.  What a life indeed.  What's our FIX?  Please do consider taking a DIGITAL DETOX initiative.  Setting a cap for your time for Meta/FB, IG, name them all.  It has worked for most who took that initiative so, I'm safely guessing it should work [NOT seamlessly though] to every Tom, Dick and Harry💎💎💎

Apart from social media, still Busy?  NOT TRUE Most Of The Time !  Yesirrrrs, NOT to make a blanket statement because at times indeed we are [LEGITIMATELY] busy, e.g. you're behind the steering wheel for a long haul drive OR you are attending/assisting for a family medical emergency OR you are on-duty, in the middle of your tasks.  But what makes many of us quite guilty [over and over again] is that BEING BUSY has become the SAFE EXIT, SAFE EXCUSE to bail out💊💊💊

Indeed, i'll immediately succumb and subscribe to this statement that 'TOO BUSY" is just a myth [of course except those LEGITIMATE EXCEPTIONS].  So, what prods us to kinda abuse and exploit this 'overused alibi'?  My personal prognosis is that, in those cases, people are simply L-A-Z-Y📌📌📌

Oh, let's NOT overlook or ignore those REAL FRIENDS who would be with us, assisting, advising and even inspiring DESPITE whatever hectic schedules they themselves are going through.  But my concern is this passive, laidback [and pardon me, I'll call it LAZY] attitude when people would over-abuse the BUSY aspect as an excuse to avoid committing oneself on something he's mind is NOT into it✅✅✅

Oh, this is one HARSH TRUTH.  Some would end up with FAILUREs and instantly and almost effortlessly, they will blame being 'TOO BUSY' as the culprit of such FAILURE.  Heard of someone faltering, failing to successfully hurdle a career certification [like U.S. State BAR EXAMS] and they would reason out "OH I WAS SO BUSY, HAD LITTLE TIME LEFT for MY REVIEWERS].  So, whether you need DIGITAL DETOX or simply a PRIORITY DETOX, just do it dude❗❗❗

Calmness Is Most Powerful

Calmness Is Most Powerful

All along, when we think of something powerful, we visualize things that will project power a.k.a. brute force.  Alas, that's NOT consistently true because over time, it's proven that Calmness Is Most Powerful more than any other arsenal one can equip him/herself.  If there is any attribute that can match up with CALMNESS, it has to be no other than GENTLENESS.  Both will go hand in hand, complementing each other.  Their combined force easily doubles the effective POWER of both💎💎💎

CALMNESS + GENTLENESS is seen in our handling of adversity.  It is often seen in the soft nature of HOW people act when they are around other people.  It is manifested via that 'sweet reverence for wildlife and all forms of life.  Such GENTLENESS is observed as well in the slow turn of one's own head to feel the wind touch the cheek.  It is akin to getting down on one knee to listen to a child and look them in the eye⏳⏳⏳

WHEN you need to carry three eggs in one hand across the room, that's WHERE you will find it.  And then you'll see it when you carefully walk around the eggshells of a sensitive or difficult topic with someone.  GENTLENESS is there in the lightness of a feather sitting in the palm of your hand.  It's there in the CALM look in someone's eyes after they've been yelled at.  It's that steady and comfortable smile everyone gives as they operate under intense pressure at work📌📌📌

It's that slow, mindful walk of a person who's surrounding by a bustling loud vibrant city street.  It's right there in the INNER SILENCE we have at any time of wonder, struggle or boredom.  When someone is listening to another person's pain, GENTLENESS is there in the 'HOLDING of the SUFFERING'❗❗❗

That GENTLENESS finds its way by freely letting go of the baggage of a problem so as NOT to interfere with the next interaction.  It truly enjoys attending to the other without a care of one's own agenda or even 'hidden plans', if at all.  GENTLENESS and CALMNESS operate with that consistently unwavering, steady hand that knows its path forward.   With GENTLENESS and CALMNESS part of your arsenal, no amount of brute force can let you crumble quickly like cookies because GENTLENESS and CALMNESS are most powerful✅✅✅

Giving Up 'SOME FUTURE' For More AT PRESENT

Giving Up 'SOME FUTURE' For More AT PRESENT

Everybody says that we should NOT give up on our FUTURE, THAT a lot more is stored for us in the FUTURE, THAT whatever it is, never risk your FUTURE simply because something of a lucrative option gets tossed up for you to consider BUT hey, think about it, if that option seems palatable, yesirrrrrrs, for you to be Giving Up 'SOME FUTURE' For More AT PRESENT may even make sense after you weigh things on apples-to-apples basis⏳⏳⏳

This quote from Mahatma Gandhi, the great Indian nationalist says "THE FUTURE DEPENDS ON WHAT WE DO IN THE PRESENT" says it all.  BUT the problem is, there are 'STRETCHED' interpretations of this quote and a 'bonafide laidback' will claim that he'd rather not lift a finger now at present BUT instead he's more than willing to wait for the FUTURE  !@#$%&

Whilst I am a non-Finance guy, please allow me to share that finance jargon, NET PRESENT VALUE.  Simply put, from a finance perspective, this practice weighs in the potential benefits to be possibly reaped in the FUTURE versus the probability to gain it in the PRESENT.  In practical terms, if you have a 50% probability to earn something like $20k five years from now versus an approximate 70% probability to earn like $5k NOW [as in NOW], will you wait for that 50% probable bonanza five years down the road?  BUT your iterations can get a little trickier when we discuss about non-financials, e.g. relationships 📌📌📌

In terms of weighing things for those relationship-related, will you wait for five years to surprise your partner/spouse with a a pricey gift or if your partner/spouse is angling for a quick 3-5 days getaway holiday anywhere near like a 2 to 3 hour-flight, do consider the NOW versus that FUTURE you're angling five years from now, if it comes after all✅✅✅

In a nutshell, it's NOT all dollars and cents.  There are MORE intangibles to weigh-in as well.  The challenge with those intangibles is that there is NO straight-line formula for you to arrive at an informed decision.  Bottom line is do consider GIVING UP "SOME FUTURE" FOR MORE "AT PRESENT"❗❗❗ 

Sometimes You Need To Lose To Gain

Sometimes You Need To Lose To Gain

Of course, we're all afraid to lose something OR someone we now have.  That's just human nature.  But when reality kicks in, you may be constrained to take a REALITY CHECK and figure out that Sometimes You Need To Lose To Gain.  Let's look at tear-jerking stories.  You would grow to become a young adult in the comfort of your home with the dutiful guidance of your doting parents.  Then one day, you need to enroll to a university at the BIG CITY.  Before you know it, rivers of tears will be flooding between mom and daughter and what happens next is anybody's guess💎💎💎

A more unfortunate and sad story are those whose homes get burned into ashes, leaving nothing left to the hapless occupants of that home.  THAT's when you pick up the pieces from the very rubble.  THAT's when you get into realizations.  THAT's when you start to value and cherish things ten times fold compared to those care free times when all you need to do is go to the shopping mall, then voila, you got what you want.  Another common sad story is when suddenly you're jobless, out there in the cold, totally caught unguarded by the turn of unfortunate events, which normally has its financial implications⏳⏳⏳

To share some of my bitter-sweet past, WHEN my aunt [who financially supported me in my early years] died, I felt helpless.  BUT what happened next, I realized that I CAN'T sulk in a corner.  I gotta pick up the pieces.  WHEN my company executed a massive global reorganization, I was one of those given that pink slip. HOW did I take it?  I welcomed that development because besides the 'golden handshake', I told myself, this gives me the chance to move-up the goal post⏳⏳⏳

A common debacle is when you are holding n to things that, in the end, are holding you back.  When things AREN'T adding up in your life, begin subtracting because life gets a lot simpler when you CLEAR THE CLUTTER that makes things complicated.  BTW, NOT EVERYTHING and EVERYONE YOU LOSE IS A LOSS📌📌📌

A more petty incident is when you get mulcted with a tidy sum of monies.  That hits us hard, definitely.  BUT when you wake up next morning, that should positively change you to be MORE vigilant, MORE wary, MORE watchful, MORE incisive.  We may NOT agree to this hard reality but this is nothing less than gospel truth.  WHEN we get hit hard, we would realize that SOMETIMES WE NEED TO LOSE TO GAIN✅✅✅

When Our Mind Produces NEGATIVE THOUGHTS...

When Our Mind Produces NEGATIVE THOUGHTS...

Do we subscribe to this [quite unbelievable statement], that Our Mind Produces NEGATIVE THOUGHTS?  Yes indeed this is absolutely true.  Fact is, we all think negatively sometimes.  We're having a bad day and it feels like the world is against us.  Then, we start to believe THAT things are indeed harder for us, THAT life is unfair, THAT other people DON'T have good intentions.  Oh, the more we allow ourselves to think negatively, the more often we will have NEGATIVE thoughts and the harder it will be to break the cycle💊💊💊

And the more that we allow ourselves to think NEGATIVELY, the more often we will have NEGATIVE thoughts.  BUT again, thinking positively all the time is NOT the solution for us to overcome NEGATIVE thinking.  It is possible to have fewer NEGATIVE thoughts and reframe them so they become more realistic.  We want to strategize in such a way for things to be realistic, for us to be human enough and to remain hopeful even during difficult circumstances.  This is NOT as steep as climbing Mount Everest.  On the other hand, let us NOT belittle this just like a molehill💎💎💎

So what's our FIXes?  The key to keep NEGATIVE thinking under control so that it doesn't turn into a NEGATIVE attitude toward life is to first recognize that NEGATIVE, pessimistic or critical thoughts are a typical experience for most of us.  Being hard on ourselves is NOT the solution, nor is coming up with a positive alternative to every NEGATIVE thought we have.  If today we had a terrible day, fine to say it was a rough day📌📌📌

When we get into an argument with someone, thinking they are treating you badly or unfairly OR that they are being unfair maybe correct and accurate.  We just DON'T want to treat NEGATIVE thoughts as unacceptable.  BUT here's a tough ASK.  If you notice most of your thinking lately has been NEGATIVE and that it's becoming harder to be hopeful and optimistic, that tells us it might be time to try to put your thoughts into perspective✅✅✅

Definitely, we DON'T want to dampen every situation by finding the NEGATIVE aspects and focusing on them.  Sometimes, when we allow NEGATIVE thoughts to consume us, it becomes harder to enjoy ourselves, to be kind to others and to be grateful for the blessings we got in many more of our experiences.  In the simplest terms, we hold the KEY and the only answer whether we can 'throw out through the windows' all the rubbish and crap that NEGATIVE thoughts because WHEN OUR MIND PRODUCES NEGATIVE THOUGHTS, we're doomed❗❗❗

Majority Of Stress Is SELF-INFLICTED

Majority Of Stress Is SELF-INFLICTED

Majority Of Stress Is SELF-INFLICTED, oh really?  Yesireeeee, studies have shown this result.  Experts have even identified it as part of a SELF-INJURY DISORDER which covers other psychological manifestations [which we DON'T intend to cover here].  Instead, let's focus on STRESS and dissect why indeed a Majority Of Stress Is SELF-INFLICTED.  But unlike self-injury, with STRESS, there is no intent to willfully harm oneself as STRESS does not typically involve cutting, burning or even subtle but scary manifestations [like hair-pulling]✅✅✅

From a behavioral standpoint, self-inflicted stress was traced by experts to folks who were often raised in families that discouraged expression of anger.  And that includes individuals who lack skills to express their emotions and worse, may be lacking a good social support network [especially those detached from their immediate family].  So, the bigger question is what really leads to the self-infliction of stress❓❓❓

When life is 'BUSY', sometimes the laundry and dishes get neglected.  If you CAN'T see your floor and your kitchen is too dirty to use, we're NOT judging you.  But can we agree that a CLUTTERED space leads to a CLUTTERED mind?  Exactly, mess can cause stress [or even worse].  A research study found women with messy homes had elevated stress levels compared to those with spaces that are cluttered-free💎💎💎

Let's think about how you feel when your space is dirty versus how you feel when it's clean.  A little stressed?  Or overwhelmed?  So, what's our FIXes?  Start off by committing to a set cleaning schedule.  Let's encourage maintaining regular schedule for at least our daily predictable chores and activities💊💊💊

And if you need to write your TO-DO List, please DON'T ever scribble 'EVERYTHING' because your self-inflicted stress will be born from thereon.  Now back to your home.  If you're NOT fun of cleaning, tidying your space can be a stressful task within itself.  BUT try thinking of others, it can make the process a FEEL-GOOD experience.  I can attest to do after I religiously follow my schedules [and timelines].  By the time I'm done, I would heave a sigh of relief with not a slightest tinge of stress.  SELF-INFLICTED STRESS?  Put a stop to it📌📌📌

When Do You 'DELIVER The GOODS'?

When Do You 'DELIVER The GOODS'?

No No No, we're not into the logistics business whose core business is to 'DELIVER The GOODS',  What we're keen to ask is, in life, When Do You 'DELIVER The GOODS'?  Does it happen randomly?  At a spur of the moment?  OR do you DELIVER THE GOODS on a seasonal basis?  OR when you just FEEL GOOD to 'DELIVER The GOODS'?  Your responses to the above-mentioned queries could either make our thread today that interesting or simply damn boring, so When Do You 'DELIVER The GOODS'❓❓❓

So that's the overriding question we've posed for you today, When Do You 'DELIVER The GOODS'?  In case you ran out of words, let me second-guess you,  Do you DELIVER pinpoint, on time, as per your committed timeline?  OR do you DELIVER when emergency and urgencies would push you to plunge through the deep ravines?  OR do you DELIVER depending on your engine, if it is going on full throttle?  OR do you DELIVER when there are drivers and catalyst behind you and a cheering squad boosting your motivation down at the FINISH LINE❔❔❔

Till to date, I bear witness to people who [pardon my blunt words] start moving their ass WHEN their chips are down, WHEN their back is against the wall, WHEN they need to pray a hundred Hail Mary, WHEN they hit a hopeless rock bottom, WHEN they have ran out of cards, WHEN even his family and loved ones become miserably challenged, WHEN his only other option left to bail himself out is to renege to 'DELIVER The GOODS'❗❗❗

BUT BUT BUT, if you 'DELIVER The GOODS' like, out of duress or pressure, it is the least preferred situation.  WHY didn't you 'DELIVER The GOODS' within your committed timelines?  WHY didn't you 'DELIVER The GOODS' when you could have done it at a normal pace?  WHY didn't you 'DELIVER The GOODS' when that 'pressure cooker' has not reached that boiling point?  WHY 'DELIVER The GOODS' when you ran out of cards❓❓❓

So what's our FIXes?  Be rigidly committed to your timelines.  Cast your goals + timelines in stone.  DON'T start moving goal posts.  Once you've done it once, come next time, you'll abuse that flexibility again [BTW habits die hard].  If to 'DELIVER The GOODS' is far down the road, define milestones because that will be egging you to thread forward, even at a slow pace📌📌📌

Why 'SLICE & DICE" In Life?

Why 'SLICE & DICE" In Life?

Supposedly, once we hear SLICE & DICE, it's all about analytics and BI [Business Intelligence] but hey, times have changed.  BI's and analytics DON'T have a monopoly to 'SLICE & DICE' because we got a life to live and we just CAN'T leave things at that, just shrugging off our shoulder once we stumble, once we fall flat on our face, that's not the norm expected of us these days💊💊💊

Let's go back memory lane and go over these multifarious horror stories.  A student kept aiming for high honors but kept fumbling year-in year-out.  And how about that couple who used to be so lovey-dovey, not until when they shared the same roof, and their rough-and-tumble tiffs worsened into never-say-die fights till all hell broke loose.  And how about that office worker whose boss kept whacking him for one fumbling act to another.  And how about that novice entrepreneur who kept infusing capital to his struggling business to no avail⏳⏳⏳

What's the commonality of all those debacles?  It's a no-brainer.  There was absolutely no SLICE-and-DICE post mortem approach at all after each fumbling act. Or if there was once, it was simply given a lip service but not enough to give it the justice it deserves.  And BTW, who are the best practitioners of running those SLICE-and-DICE?  It's the competitive world of sports, name it from basketball to boxing. They spend nights and days wracking through all the film data📌📌📌

It's true this comes from the old school.  BUT hey, why throw away through the window what works effectively? To SLICE-and-DICE means, you do a root cause analysis [RCA] and pin down the very possible root cause [even in case when the very root cause CAN'T be pinned down in absolute terms✅✅✅

Regardless of your age bracket today, if of late, you have been struggling financially [despite all the bonuses you received]. Shouldn't you pause and SLICE-and-DICE to get to the bottom of things?  If you've been sickly the past year, in and out from over-the-counter medications and anti-biotics, does that assuage your fears about your health?  On the contrary, it should trigger tremors within you.  So, why not SLICE-and-DICE❓❓❓

When Things Are Not 'LINEAR'

When Things Are Not 'LINEAR'

We all want simple, straightforward things in life.  Moreso for our own life, we want it to be straight up but unfortunately, that is NOT the reality because most things are NOT 'linear'.  And When Things Are Not 'LINEAR', things can ZIG and ZAG and sometimes, it turtles up and around, many times ending off-tracked.  So, this runs counter to what we have been taught all along that is that fairly simple to navigate💎💎💎

One realization which I did embrace of late is that a lot hf 'HARD DECISIONS' we eventually need to make are catalyzed by life events and transitions.  Let's rattle off some samplings.  When do people secure a private life insurance for the first time?  Likely, either after buying their first home, probably after having their first child, or likely after their second, and 'almost surely' after someone close passes away.  Sad grief, in fact📌📌📌

When do people pay off residual, revolving credit card debt?  Maybe after getting embarrassed that they had to tell their new spouse/partner about it.  Around the early 1900s, a plethora of new time periods became popular:  adolescence, midlife, retirement, amongst others. Then, we came across the coined term 'MIDLIFE CRISIS'⏳⏳⏳

Indeed, a hallmark of our time is that life is NOT predictable.  It does NOT unfold in passages, stages, phases or cycles.  In fact, it is NOT LINEAR. So, it seems, the only thing that is predictable in life is its UNPREDICTABILITY itself.  So, it seems the 'unifying' theme in our life is actually centered on the SURPRISES that require course corrections✅✅✅

And in life, the more we fight those changes, the more challenges and pain we tend to endure.  But hey, life is more manageable, more forgiving of missteps and more open to personalization AS LONG AS you know how to navigate those untold numbers of TWISTS and TURNS.  Our lesson for today?  Never be so confident [or cocky?] that life is that LINEAR because it is NOT❗❗❗