It's About Teamwork, period

It's About Teamworkl, period

Our thread today is About Team[workl], period BUT the problem is this word TEAMWORK has been one of the most common, normal and usual word we ever come across in our daily life such that it hardly carries a weight [EXCEPT in competitive sports].  But hey, TEAMWORK is an essential part of accomplishing our responsibilities and goals.  Truthfully, NOTHING would ever get done without TEAMWORK.  When we work together, we can get things done faster and more accurately💎💎💎

Even we parents can and SHOULD teach our children [even at the early age] to SUCCEED.  And yes, it's true, every child has different strengths and skills, allowing children to practice TEAMWORK gives them a chance to develop and appreciate their special talents.  So HOW?  Allow me to take a leaf from what I can cull from my experiences in the past💊💊💊

Primero, seriously consider TEAMBUILDING.  Without breaching data privacy, in our organization, TEAMBUILDING is aggressively positioned as one of the TOP priorities even more than twelve years ago.  At one point, all managers all flew by air for two hours to hie away to Shangri-la at a TOP tourist destination in the south📌📌📌

BTW, deep-diving into our life, TEAMWORK is best manifesting CONSULTING with your partner/spouse in practically every decision-making that may impact or may have ramifications in our family situation, and that includes FINANCIALS.  A common pitfall of many couples, one partner is calling the shots while his/her partner/spouse remains clueless.  WAIT till things will explode RIGHT IN THE FACE, making the other clueless partner/spouse as ignorant as ever.  BUT that is just unfair because once the ramifications will kick-in, it will impact NOT just your partner/spouse but likely, it will impact your family at the very least.  YET, this major MISS is being shoved and pushed down under the carpets to keep it out of sight, UNFORTUNATELY✅✅✅

I would avoid touching on TEAMWORK within competitive sports because that's a given.  BUT allow me to harp over and over again that even as you age, and even as you and your partner/spouse see your children grow and have their own families, you can be darn proud that you WALKED THE TALK when it comes about TEAMWORK within the confines of our family life.  So, please, I'm egging you on, please DON'T give TEAMWORK a lip service❗❗❗

Reading The TEA LEAVES

Reading The TEA LEAVES

Reading The TEA LEAVES is something I heavily hesitate to venture or explore simply because 'Teaf Leaf Reading' a.k.a. TASSEOLOGY is a fortune-telling method that uses tea residue on the bottom of the cup to predict what the future will bring [to the tea drinker].  Then, after drinking the tea, the residue on the bottom of the cup forms different shapes or symbols , each of which have distinct meanings and many ways to interpret them📌📌📌

To clear up a possible confusion that we are venturing into 'Tea Leaf Reading', NO sirrrrrrs, we WON'T.  Having said this, what we're harping is that in life, there are multiple instances when and where we tend to be in that 'Tea Leaf Reading' scenario.  If you're still a student in school, surely when you receive a failing grade in a subject, you WON'T get flabbergasted.  WHY?  Because expectedly, you should have taken the initiative to do 'Tea Leaf Reading' of your situation in school.  It's the same thing in the workplace.  WHY will you get shocked when you receive an HR Memo regarding a specific policy breach💊💊💊

In your relationships with your partner/spouse and even within your immediate family, once someone gives you the 'cold shoulder' the past days and weeks, would you attribute that to just 'mood swings'?  Genuine issues run deeper way beyond the surface and similar to the way the Tea Leaves will form at the bottom of the cup, genuine and real issues are buried deep down there.  Similarly in life, the most difficult issues we need to resolve could be buried deep beneath way beyond the surface and it requires more than just token effort to unearth such burning issues yet cloaked💎💎💎

So, here we are, egging everyone of us to seriously consider taking initiatives that run similar and analogous to Tea Leaf Reading because the reality is, we need to get into the realization that this is a DIY [Do It Yourself] solution that has no clear-cut formula to follow❎❎❎

In the workplace, our technical jargon for this is PREDICTIVE information, something that is akin to forecasting but based on a sheer combination of facts and assumptions.  Imagine your life ahead WHERE you just DON'T care less, WHERE you're fine with WYSIWYG [What You See Is What You Get].  But if it's NOT worth Reading The Tea Leaves, what else is worth❓❓❓

Sad When Bias Impacts Our Decision-making

Sad When Bias Impacts Our Decision-making

More than a year ago, U.S. Judge Penney Azcarate rejected all of Amber Heard's claims in her $50 Million defamation suit against Johnny Depp.  We all know that Johnny Depp ended up the 'runaway winner', including in the amounts of punitive damages the court slapped on Ms Head.  But NOT to question that judicial ruling, nevertheless, that led me to reopen my thoughts When Bias Impacts Our Decision-making [and BTW, this has got nothing to do with the defamation case]📌📌📌

As each day we all unconsciously make decisions that can cause immediate results or long-term impacts at either our personal or professional levels, this led me to revisit that jargon tagged as 'MENTAL SHORTCUTS' which is a.k.a. BIASES as it may present possible challenges OR obstacles when it comes to formulating the best decision💎💎💎

Without us endeavoring to get into the turf of psychologists, me thinks that it makes sense for us to reduce our UNCONSCIOUS BIAS by getting on the basic fundamentals of the largest types of BIAS.  Let's start with SIMILARITY BIAS which means that we prefer things that are like us over things that are different than us.  Likely, YOU and me went through that in the past💊💊💊

Coming close to the heels is that EXPEDIENCE BIAS which happens when we prefer to act quickly rather than take the needed time to receive clarity and crystal-clear understanding.  Just like when we're interviewing a job applicant, we could be relying solely on one data point straight from the job applicant's resume, which is NOT right❗❗❗

The third bias has been more predominant given that recent pandemic that forced us all to continue our pursuits virtually, so to speak.  So, DISTANCE BIAS is that instinct to prioritize things that are NEARBY [such as physical space or time].  This could appear when individuals look to the guidance of those currently present in a meeting, rather than those working remotely.  Indeed, it is SAD WHEN BIAS IMPACTS OUR DECISION-MAKING❎❎❎

What Separates DOERs From DREAMERs

What Separates DOERs From DREAMERs

While Steve Jobs has long left behind everything in life, Apple's co-founder continues to make a lasting impact which may probably last for many generations to come.  And in his trailblazing successes in life, he did identify one very 'UNCOMMON' habit found in most successful people and that's really What Separates DOERs From DREAMERs💎💎💎

To quote Steve Jobs, 'MOST PEOPLE NEVER PICK UP THE PHONE AND CALL.  MOST PEOPLE NEVER ASK AND THAT IS WHAT SEPARATES THE PEOPLE WHO DO THINGS FROM THE PEOPLE WHO JUST DREAM ABOUT THEM'.  Remarkably, Jobs did share that at age of 12, he mustered that unusual courage to call up none other than BILL HEWLETT, the co-founder of Hewlett Packard.  And his ask was, 'I WANT TO BUILD A FREQUENCY COUNTER AND I WAS WONDERING IF YOU HAVE ANY SPARE PARTS I COULD HAVE📌📌📌

Amused at that unutual 'boldness' of a 12-year old lad, HEWLETT laughed and gave Jobs the spare parts.  How did Steve Jobs react?  He said 'I WAS IN HEAVEN'.  So, that single phone call impacted Job's life and taught him one of the greatest lessons in his brilliant career which is, 'BE WILLING TO ASK FOR SOMETHING YOU WANT'.  In so many businesses today, though, FEAR keeps people from being open to ask for what they want❗❗❗

There is that startling research study published by HBR [Harvard Business Review] that 75 to 90 percent of all the help people at work give to one another starts with making an ASK.  The sad part is that many of us [and that includes my poor moi many years ago] refrain from asking for what we need.  But to a fault, let us be aware that when working in a corporate environment, NOT ASKING may prevail because its executive and managers do NOT encourage it [but again, the fault starts from us, NOT from our managers at work]💊💊💊

Consequently, what this means is that NOTHING ENDS UP HAPPENING [most of the time].  The question is, does the environment we are IN foster that 'freedom' for employees to do the ASK?  Let's think about it, to ASK is not too much to ASK for, right?  But ASKING or NOT ASKING may lead you to become either the DOER or simply the perennial DREAMER❎❎❎

What Has The 'SHORTEST SHELF LIFE'?

What Has The 'SHORTEST SHELF LIFE'?

No sirrrrrs, this poster is NOT mine.  I grabbed this unmarked poster because it did lead me to ask myself as to What Has The 'SHORTEST SHELF LIFE'?  Oh Oh, we all know that fresh produce has the shortest shelf life but on the other hand, you might know that there are methods to extend the FRESHNESS of such fresh produce, thus extending their SHELF LIFE.  But our thread today is figuring out what has the shortest SHELF LIFE in our life [and that excludes the fresh produce]⏳⏳⏳

It is a given that our physical appearance affects our personality.  That debate as to whether a person's personality was more influenced by their genetics or their environment has raged for years.  Now, the question arises as to how much people's nature influences.  The most promising source for understanding how people's natural or existing traits can affect the responses lies in the examination of the traits with which people are born, most notably, the physical appearance💎💎💎

Much the same way people's PERSONALITY affects how others treat those people, so too does appearance.  In some sense, certain elements of appearance [and that includes hygiene and selection of clothes] are also functions of PERSONALITY but for the most part, physical appearance, as something one inherits genetically, is independent of PERSONALITY📌📌📌

Now, what's imperative for us to be more aware that our physical appearance has a very limited SHELF LIFE, if NOT the shortest one.   But having said this, it just makes sense that our awareness of the very limited SHELF LIFE of our physical appearance should be sufficient to let us consider giving more impetus to our non-physical aspects in life✅✅✅

If we can be 'BEST UNTIL' only up to a certain date, this should give us that urgency to give more impetus to our roles and responsibilities in life, to be filial in our relationships with our loved ones including our families and relatives and to 'WALK THE TALK' in our pursuits, be it at our workplace or even in our commercial forays.  That physical aspect, can we relegate that to the backdrop please❓❓❓

Keep Your Chin Up!

Keep Your Chin Up!

No sirrrrrs, we're not egging you to be as proud as the peacock but you deserve to Keep Your Chin Up anytime in your life.  WHEN you flopped.  WHEN you faltered.  WHEN you blundered.  WHEN you were struggling.  WHEN you were like down at the gutter-level.  WHEN you are at your lowest point.  To Keep Your Chin Up is a step NOT to give us a misguided comfort or a bloated ego but to Keep Your Chin Up may be the clincher you need

You might challenge me as to why we need to Keep our Chin Up?  A couple of things here.  Primero, if you're deep down in crisis, who's the very first person who should egg you to get back on your feet?  It's YOU who is the primus inter pares.  Segundo, when YOU see yourself faltering over and over again, WHO else can get you back on track, except YOU? When you're struggling and barely surviving, and probably on the teeters, clutching on the very last stretched strings, WHO else can remind you to Keep your Chin Up but YOU❓❓❓

You might be itching to challenge me as to why we need to Keep our chin up!  The strongest reason for this is that even in the face of your worst adversity ever, when things caused you to FALL FLAT, and probably ending up BLACK and BLUE, you need to realize that you've gone that far because you have poured out and exerted all your efforts, albeit in failure BUT there is nothing to be ashamed of.  You lifted your finger, they did NOT📌📌📌

It's true many people out there do show up with their CHIN UP but be incisive because there should be a stark difference between the 'genuineness' of your CHIN UP versus their seemingly compelled CHIN UP that is more part of their veil of defensiveness rather than the 'genuineness' in life💊💊💊

Hey, even in strength conditioning exercises, do note that CHIN UPs are aggressively being peddled for many obvious reasons that are beneficial as a result of the strength conditioning exercises.  At the other end of the spectrum, there are outliers, having seen some who do CHIN UP but in life, they are either miserable or simply mediocre.  So, why do they CHIN UP?  That less than genuine behavior is part of their veiled and cloaked defense of the hard realities they are struggling to face or worse, to admit.  So, regardless of the blizzards of winter punishing or the sunny horizons of Florida showing up, KEEP YOUR CHIN UP💎💎💎

When You Keep ENCIRCLING, WAITING......

When You Keep ENCIRCLING, WAITING......

When You Keep ENCIRCLING, WAITING. supposedly this is NOT a 'talking point' but trust me, this really is and this deserves a space in our thread today.  WHY?  It's simply because thousands and thousands of hapless souls on our planet have been ENCIRCLING and WAITING, for their respective expectations to COME INTO FRUITION.  But is this mindset really warranted❓❓❓

Now, before get stuck with the unwarranted reasons, let's take things positively.  So, WHEN exactly is it warranted for us to keep WAITING and ENCIRCLING?  Yes we can.  WHEN there is CERTAINTY with what you're WAITING for.  WHEN there is a high probability and that thing is urgent.  WHEN the probability maybe 50-50 but this is the first time you'll be waiting, so why NOT give it a fair chance.  And last longshot reason is if your back is against the wall and you have ZERO OPTIONS left except to keep WAITING, ENCIRCLING❎❎❎

So, those are clear-cut safe baseline assumptions we can hinge but beyond that, if you still keep WAITING and ENCIRCLING, do challenge yourself because in the first place, you're NOT the pilot in command of an aircraft awaiting 'ORDERS' from the air traffic control tower.  From my gut feel, at the very least, approximately 30% of those who keep WAITING and ENCIRCLING end up empty handed💎💎💎

Grabbing this 'boring' poster is an EYE-OPENER as it CAN'T be farther from the truth, to quote. 'IN THE END, WE ONLY REGRET THE CHANCES WE DIDN'T TAKE, RELATIONSHIPS WE WERE AFRAID TO HAVE AND THE DECISIONS WE WAITED TOO LONG TO MAKE'.  To summarize this long-winded sentence in one 6-letter word, this all points to 'REGRET' when a hell lot of time has slipped past, numerous opportunities have by now dissipated and even relationships you aptly deserve end up as part of your FRUSTRATIONs💊💊💊

Of course, there is day every week I constantly waited for and that's every FRIDAY but who does NOT love FRIDAYs?  But other than superficial stuff like those FRIDAYs, anything else in life where you are contemplate to keep WAITING and ENCIRCLING should be challenged NO LESS by yourself.  You DON'T want to end up scratching your head as part of your regrets.  You DON'T want to keep learning lessons over and over again but with NO lessons applied.  Our FIX for today:  VALIDATE your decision before you to decide to keep ENCIRCLING, WAITING📌📌📌

There Is NO SHAME in Losing, ONLY In Quitting

There Is NO SHAME in Losing, ONLY In Quitting

Few months back during the 2023 NBA Playoffs, everything was being thrown to the [supposedly] respected BOSTON CELTICS Team.  WHY? Because the team itself, from the coach down to its star players, they simply QUIT, allowing MIAMI HEAT to take that 3-0 lead.  And as they say, There Is NO SHAME in Losing, ONLY In Quitting💎💎💎

Before we get lost in this exchanges and end up on the wrong side of things, one thing to be clear here is that we are NOT in the SHAMING  thing but instead, we want to push all the positivities of LOSING.  WHEN you  aspired so much in school only to fall short is NO shame.  WHEN you wooed the 'girl of your life' but fell on the wayside, that's NO shame.  WHEN you are in a competition and FOUGHT A GOOD FIGHT but still lost, there's NO shame despite that sad predicament💊💊💊

Swinging back to U.S. politics several decades back when then Senator Gary Hart, the then HEAVY FAVORITE to romp off with the Democratic Party's presidential nomination re-entered in the primaries in 1987, with remorse, he still had the gumption to proclaim that 'THERE IS NO SHAME IN LOSING, ONLY IN QUITTING'.  Of course, the rest is history because within two weeks in rejoining the primary races, he withdrew from the race, all because of that DONNA RICE scandal [ironically, traced from that yacht ride in the Bahamas aboard that yacht named 'MONKEY BUSINESS'💳💳💳

Looking back when the paparazzis hounded the late Lady Diana and Dodi Fayed till their tragic death, what used to be 'DOORS CLOSED' and OFF LIMITS for journalists.  Even then, although I cannot declare myself as a 'Diana/Dodi Fan', allow me to piggy-back on what then Senator Gary Hart proudly declared in National TV that 'THERE IS NO SHAME IN LOSING, ONLY QUITTING'✅✅✅

So, dude, c'mon, roll up your sleeves, summon all the grit you have that are yet unearthed.  And never tag LOSING as a stigma because it is NOT.  I'll admit I had a few past 'LOSSES' in life but rather than deter me, that shoved and pushed me forward to just NEVER GIVE UP because as then Senator Gary Hart said, 'THERE IS NO SHAME IN LOSING, ONLY IN QUITTING❗❗❗

Your BELIEF Should Be Stronger Than Any DOUBT

Your BELIEF Should Be Stronger Than Any DOUBT

BELIEF and DOUBT are two of the most symbiotic forces that seems to encapsulize our lives through and through.  Each one tries to conquer and 'TAKE OVER' our pitiful self.  But NEVER say that to Dwayne Wade, one of the NBA's most successful players who was enshrined in the NBA HALL of FAME recently.  And to quote his most quoted one-liner:  Your BELIEF Should Be Stronger Than Any DOUBT💎💎💎

And DWAYNE WADE can beat his chest over and over again because he did overcome numerous roadblocks in his NBA career.  And some of those roadblocks, had he NOT deftly hurdled them, those roadblocks were career-ending ones.  WHEN the Miami Heat ballclub wanted to signup the great LEBRON JAMES, the latter's gargantuan contract would NOT have been accommodated by the Miami Heat UNLESS the Miami Heat had to shave off a significant chunk from its budget, else the NBA will NOT approve such signup. And there was a second potential hiccup.  DWAYNE WADE had to accept that his role in the team will be relegated because LEBRON JAMES will become the very core of the Miami Heat❗❗❗

Having said a mouthful, let us face this harsh reality.  Worst than the dreaded coronavirus, DOUBT will always be part and parcel of our lives.  Live a life, DOUBT creeps in, as early as our infancy.  And morbid as this may sound, even in our last moments when we're fighting for our life to be given a second lease of life, that DOUBT will continue to linger and persist to exist and worst, even supplant anything that is left of you, even if you are bereft of the last ounce of strength and faith in yourself.  How to FIX that?  Boost your BELIEF because that will conversely shoot down any lingering DOUBT✅✅✅

I am no Buddhist but I admire with awe the deep-seated BELIEF of Buddhists, all because their strong faith is founded in the embedded teachings of the revered Buddha.  Are you surprised or doubting how widely accepted Buddhism is?  Look far and deep into the Americas.  Count in respected American celebrities as some of the famous celebrities who converted to Buddhism, all because of their deep-seated BELIEF📌📌📌

To cap off our thread today, allow me to share this oh-so-boring black & white poster but this should throw you off your chair if until this point in time, you continue to be nursing lingering DOUBTS, probably DOUBTS on your own capabilities, DOUBTS on your chances to succeed in your endeavor, DOUBTS with regard your resilience to overcome whatever turbulences in life that may hit you, DOUBTS with regard your health, DOUBTS with regard your fortitude.  The antidote to this myriad of DOUBTS is to bolster your BELIEF no less💊💊💊

Once You PIVOT...

Once You PIVOT...

To PIVOT has been more common to hear within the sports world but to PIVOT is really happening more in our real life way beyond just the sports world.  So when You PIVOT, it means one deviates from the plan itself and generally, the most common reason to PIVOT is to either accelerate or hasten the way towards a goal or to hurdle a hump that could be a 'show stopper'💎💎💎

An analogy is the approved flight plan of all aircraft way before it takes off for its flight.  And as a ground rule, deviation is NOT a given but the pilots need to secure approvals before deviating.  To deviate is to PIVOT but the challenge here is that to PIVOT is not like a 'walk in the park' because to PIVOT, there are consequences and ramifications which often times, DON'T surface early on✅✅✅

Swinging back to basketball, Once You PIVOT, that is never part of the original game plan but the bench tacticians would give the on-court players the leeway as a workaround [when one either 'hits a wall' or potentially about 'to hit one'].  Question is, what if one does NOT PIVOT, does NOT deviate?  There is that likelihood that that player up front could end up 'hitting a wall'📌📌📌

You could ask me straight in my face:  Have I PIVOTED yet?  Yes I did pivot and I did pivot many times in my life.  NOT because I am fickle-minded.  NOT because I am NOT a good planner and executioner of my own plans.  NOT because I am vulnerable to factors that tend to bamboozle me with my plans.  NOT because I plan things poorly.  BUT in all of the times I did PIVOT, it was the best way to go in executing my plan📗📗📗

So when we PIVOT, here are the triggers.  IF your existing plan MAY likely fail.  IF your current situation seems to be iffy.  IF your current options are giving the tell-tale signs that you will end up off-tracked.  IF maintaining the STATUS QUO is NOT the best way to go for you.  At the end of the day, you may have to grab the bull by its horns when making a JUDGMENT CALL💚💛💜