When A Problem Is NOT A Problem

When A Problem Is NOT A Problem

Let's face it.  Problems that we DON'T deal with will ultimately wear us down in the end.  Do we remember instances in the past when we realized that a problem at hand is NOT really our very own problem?  That's When A Problem Is NOT A Problem.  At the height of your emotions, you might even bang your head on the wall When A Problem Is NOT A Problem💎💎💎

Heard about PROBLEM STATEMENTS?  Why do we need to craft that?  Simple.  Because PROBLEMS need to be defined in concrete terms.  Let's think about it.  Identifying a PROBLEM  is more important than the solution.  And sometimes, the PROBLEM definition may be nothing more than the art of asking the right questions at the right time💵💴💶

And quite often, what we fail to realize when we did not clearly crystallize the 'PROBLEM' at hand, we would fail to realize that what we have are ISSUES and NOT PROBLEMS.  It happens quite frequently.  We built that momentum for an ongoing project.  Then we get excited to embrace new challenges and we've visualized how that END OF THE ROAD looks like.  Then all of a sudden, you HIT A WALL📘📙📗

It's true, major hurdles are disheartening and they're that unavoidable.  BUT the way we engage with and think about the issue at hand will likely affect your approach and ability to address that issue.  The frustrating part in a debacle like this is when you thought you got a PROBLEM at hand✅✅✅

In a nutshell, NOT ALL PROBLEMS ARE PROBLEMS.  There are numerous cases when what we have at hand is a difficult situation we need to face and the only option is to face, co-exist and manage the situation but really NOT resolving a situation if by itself it is NOT a problem.  This scenario could happen to couples who recently settled down and upon settling down, either spouse/partner realized that he/she CANNOT accept the kind of character or behavior or even values of his/her new spouse/partner.  Where you can live with it, then that becomes the closure of the issue at hand.  Bottomline, validate When A Problem Is NOT A Problem❗❗❗

When There's Too Much Smoke

When There's Too Much Smoke

The most overused expression is:  WHERE THERE'S SMOKE, THERE'S FIRE.  Fine.  BUT When There's Too Much Smoke, what could it mean?  Simple.  It is quite safe to conclude that there's TOO MUCH FIRE causing When There's Too Much Smoke.  When we swing over to our life, it is akin to painting a scenario where one is getting overwhelmed with problems piling up💎💎💎

Exception is the Vatican's Sistine Chapel because when a White Smoke billows out from its chimney, that's when Catholics jump and rejoice because it is a confirmation that a new Pope has been elected by the College of Cardinals.  So, that's the only exception.  Else, everywhere else, SMOKE is one of the most common tell-tale signs that things are NOT that good in a particular situation💵💶💴

The major hullaballo happens when the smoke spreading out are NOT just billows of smoke but quite a volume.  In life, When There's Too Much Smoke, it could either mean one is in the middle of a life-changing situation or things are developing that it may even become a GAME CHANGER, which means, either things will get better OR things will simply turn south and get worse📗📙📘

If it's a vehicle with heavy smoke, grab your fire extinguisher because as in life, you will be in DAMAGE CONTROL mode by then.  While you are fighting the fire, your objective becomes more modest as you will attempt to contain or limit the damage, the havoc that will be wrought by that heavy smoke.  That's When There's Too Much Smoke pushes you to the edge in life❗❗❗

Thing is, even When There's Too Much Smoke you just DON'T give up because there remains a glimmer of hope that you can still turn around things.  BUT the lesson in life here is that, similar to building facilities, you got to have a SMOKE DETECTOR embedded deeply within you such that at the first instance of the smoke, you get alerted,  For you to make your move when you're almost suffocating with the heavy smoke, whatever you can do might be TOO LITTLE TOO LATE❎❎❎

When We End Up Pathetic & Pitiful

When We End Up Pathetic & Pitiful

When We End Up Pathetic & Pitiful?  No sirrrrs, we're NOT here to discriminate failures.  We DON'T castigate and flag down those who TRIED but FAILED.  WHY?  Because they plotted things out and they endeavored and attempted to achieve their goal albeit they failed📌📌📌

Instead, we'd like to zero-in to that pathetic and pitiful plight when we have so many ideas, so much plans, with visions that will envy us no less BUT yet nothing progresses or worst, nothing gets kickstarted after all the verbals and noises [BUT nothing much transpires except visions and dreams that tend to dissipate in thin air.  Heard of some people with the coolest things in mind?  Wading by the canals in Venice.  Trekking Mount Everest.  Taking up post-graduate studies to enhance his academic credentials.  And just a lot more💊💊💊

So, the final question is:  WHY HAVEN'T YOU?  If we deeply desire to turn that long-held dream into a reality, let's grapple down with the fundamentals in life.  Primero, DEFINE YOUR GOAL CLEARLY.  Nothing vague.  Nothing nebulous like the clouds.  Otherwise, even if things progress, you might end up with some FUZZY results💎💎💎
  

As there is NO ONE SIZE THAT FITS ALL, there are two vantages to mentally craft a plan.  Either stand at the bottom and look up [which should be quite scary if look up the densely shrouded fogs of Mt Everest] OR stand at the top of the mountain and look back down, and ask the question, WHAT STEPS DID I TAKE TO GET HERE❓❓❓

Looking back down the mountain from the summit gives you the GOAL CLARITY you need.  And this is where misses happen.  When the goals may have been visualized but it falls short from being CRYSTAL CLEAR, ending up with a shortfall is not far fetched.  And once you embark on your journey towards that goal, believe in your goal[s] PASSIONATELY.  You need to fervently believe in it because that will lead you to pursue your goal[s] aggressively. That is when you will NOT end up PATHETIC and PITIFUL❎❎❎

That Low Shelf Of Convenience

That Low Shelf Of Convenience

That Low Shelf Of Convenience has become the perrenial apple that tempted Adam & Eve to 'commit' that 'SIN'.  Today in our twenty first century, there is no doubt that many reasons can cause people to cross the line.  I admit I am guilty of it [many many times in the past and still, sometimes till now although it is more limited to 'cutting corners' when there is such an immovable traffic gridlock where I get stuck for hours.  Indeed, SURVIVAL in tough times are one of the most common TRIGGERS to CUT CORNERS but so is the drive to satisfy more selfish interests💴💵💶

And more often, there are NOT really serious selfish interests triggering us to that but simply the lingering temptation for That Low Shelf Of Convenience.  Early on, the real question to address is, are there VALID REASONS for us to fall prey to That Low Shelf Of Convenience [over and over again]?  Allow me to pre-empt your responses.  Generally, there are NO pressing reasons to justify us to fall prey to That Low Shelf Of Convenience📗📙📘

Consistency [or the lack thereof] is another factor that contributes to some spirited debate with regard That Low Shelf Of Convenience.  We won't delve into the CUTTING CORNERS of businesses and companies as that's way beyond our purview.  Instead, we'd like to encourage us ourselves, as individuals, because what does this tell us about the RIGHT or WRONG of CUTTING CORNERS❓❓❓

Playing devil's advocate, I'm asking myself now:  IS IT NEVER OK TO CUT A BIG CORNER BUT A LITTLE ONE?  From a process perspective, CUTTING CORNERS is totally different from streamlining a process [although some may NOT see the difference] with That Low Shelf Of Convenience❗❗❗

Back to our daily lives, when should we NOT be tempted to That Low Shelf Of Convenience?  WHEN resolving a tough problem.  WHEN formulating a decision.  WHEN faced with a life-changing situation.  WHEN you will be at risk from a law/regulations compliance.  So, please DON'T get tempted by That Low Shelf Of Convenience❌❌❌

Do We Really LISTEN Enough?

Do We Really LISTEN Enough?

Do We Really LISTEN Enough?  Problem is that we, in general, do NOT know how to listen.  We do have ears that listen very well but seldom have we acquired the necessary aural skills which would allow our ears to be used effectively for LISTENING.  Extensive tests were also initiated by experts for testing the ability of people to understand and remember what they hear.  Those tests led experts to conclude that when the average person listens to someone talk, he remembers only about half of what he heard📘📙📗

Oh Oh, those studies pushed my curiosity farther.  So I surmised, WHAT HAPPENS AS TIME PASSES?  Studies show that two months after listening to a talk, the average listener will remember only about 25% of what was said.  Apparently, we tend to forget from one-half to one-third of it within hours. Indeed, this is startling to realize that frequently, we forget more in the first short interval💵💴💶

I can attest, as a first-hand account, I have interacted countless times with 'ME' people, those folks who would tirelessly talk about HIM, HIM HIM.  And when I'd interject a bit about me, immediately, he quipped YES and then he resumes his ME ME ME narratives.  Lesson here is that many of us would rather TALK than LISTEN.  While per se there's nothing wrong about it, a chronic practice just leads to an unhealthy one-way communications

Let's walk back down memory lane when we were all in school.  What's the top favorite one-liner of our teachers?  PAY ATTENTION!  LISTEN!  Certainly, our teachers then feel the need for good LISTENING.  Yet, why is it our education systems [whether it's in First World or Third World countries] fail to develop and harness our learning more to LISTEN❓❓❓

I'm wildly assuming though that probably, our educators, our systems assumed that the LISTENING ability depends largely on intelligence, that 'BRIGHT' people LISTEN well and that the 'DULL' ones poorly.  C'mon, when can we realize that the most effective way for LEARNING is to WATCH & LISTEN✅✅✅

When Wealth Gets In The Way Of Wisdom

When Wealth Gets In The Way Of Wisdom

Before I get hit with brickbats, allow me to categorically state that I am neither Pro-POOR nor Anti-RICH.  Admittedly, if I receive a million bucks right now, I'll walk off and just lead a placid life by the beach and mountains.  BUT that's day-dreaming though.  Instead, we'd like to spend a bit of time When Wealth Gets In The Way Of Wisdom because that throws a monkey wrench in our life💵💶💴

Now, let's admit it, much as we're awash with knowledge, do we think that our general level of understanding is greater?  OR that we're wiser?  Now, I am NO voracious reader but the Book of Proverbs left a bit of an imprint in me because it was top-heavy when it comes to 'financial wisdom'.  References to financials would zero-in on money, riches, wealth, prosperity, poverty and even fulfillment beyond the material things✅✅✅

And while it's quite challenging to sum up what I could have absorbed, it boils down simply to a hypothesis that RIGHT ACTIONS that are pledged to lead to prosperity and WRONG ACTIONS that lead to poverty.  But before we get embroiled with proverbs, let's align that proverbs generally read like PROMISES, but in its interpretations, they are probabilities📗📙📘

Of course, let's admit there are those who have prospered despite what many would consider as LAZINESS and those who are seen as hard workers who have struggled to amass wealth.  What I did bear witness though is that those who cling tightly to their material possessions may often find them slipping through their fingers at some point while those who open their hands freely to give may often find themselves to receiving more✅✅✅

Looking back, I've seen a super-rich ancestor whose net worth was in the hundreds of millions.  Fast forward three to five decades, each of the heirs had net worth's ranging from 1 to 5 million.  WHAT HAPPENED?  In many cases, this can be best explained by the fact WHEN WEALTH GOT IN THE WAY OF WISDOM.  The heirs were so awash with wealth such that the need to enhance their WISDOM was relegated at the backburners.  Oh Oh, we DON'T want that to happen to us, right, dude❓❓❓

We Learn MORE From Defeat Than From Victory

We Learn MORE From Defeat Than From Victory

We Learn MORE From Defeat Than From Victory but is everyone on the same boat on this?  I doubt it.  Few ever truly appreciate their good health UNTIL they become sick.  If we never faced torrential rains and storms, would we truly value those sunny days [considering that when it's sunny, we would complain with that blistering heat of the scorching sun.  We have never recognized too a successful woman whose SUCCESS was NOT dependent on FAILURE of some kind📗📙📘

Let's admit it, the majority of people WHO have earned SUCCESS will share with you that just when they had finally attained a level in their life in which they had committed to, circumstances put them back at ground zero [and NOT just once but quite a few times].  Those individuals with that dogged persistence do obtain the REWARDS💎💎💎

Successful people are those whose purpose and mission is so compelling that they work hour after hour to accomplish their vision and they are NOT working on their vision, they are thinking about it.  So, when it comes to SUCCESS, whats makes us delighted is really beside the point.  It is all about the HIGHER PURPOSE and persistence before FAILURE creeps in.  And once we see a fissure in that HIGHER PURPOSE and perseverance we believe in, we tend to become fearful.  As a result, we take it upon ourselves to correct it💊💊💊

Let's swing over to those stones out in the waters.  True there is a risk each time you step forward to the next stone.  Risks are there because those stones can be slippery BUT the practical advice is DON'T LOOK far ahead.  The reason many of us end up stumbling early in our 'journey' is because we're looking way out there✅✅✅

Swinging over to my life, I have to openly admit that many times I FAILED. BUT, with all humility, I can openly share the fact that I have a fair share of SUCCESS stories and until today, I firmly believe I would have not achieved those MILESTONE SUCCESSES where it NOT for the FALLS and FAILURES I had to endure along the way.  Tough life behind me but I admit I savored well enough my SUCCESSES❗❗❗

Expect To Fall On The Floor

Expect To Fall On The Floor

No sirrrrrrs, this is NOT to stir the hornet's nest.  Neither am I trying to be a soothsayer OR a Nostradamus in the worst case.  Instead, we'd like to simply state the obvious because some of us DON'T seem to Expect To Fall On The Floor [anymore or at all] which is either ridiculous or mind-boggling to say the least.  Truth is, there is a small slice of our population who either hate to FAIL or simply fear to FAIL at all.  We should NOT be peddling for this obvious truth but truth is, I've known and I've witnessed some who dread or fear to FAIL.  To them, it's like the whole world crumbling💊💊💊

Accept it or NOT, believe it or NOT, FAILURE is part of our life.  It is here to stay with us.  You get knocked down by life sometimes BUT how you react is really WHAT matters.  And DON'T limit yourself because of the FEAR of FAILURE.  Jamaican world sprinter champion USAIN BOLT said "I DON'T THINK LIMITS".  And I can't disagree with that because the FEAR of FAILURE limits lots of people who might have been successful if they tried📗📙📘

As in every process of reaching our goal[s], we will encounter challenges, that is a GIVEN.  Sometimes, NOT all challenges lead to SUCCESS but when you ACCEPT FAILURE as part of that process, you will likely get encouraged to NEVER GIVE UP.  Try again and again and again until you reach your goal.  As the old cliche goes, "IF YOU HAVE NEVER FAILED, YOU NEVER LIVED".  Issue here is that quite many people [I even know up close] are afraid to FAIL or even talk about their FAILURES but truth is, everyone FAILED and will definitely FAIL again📌📌📌

So WHAT do we do when life knocks us down or when we momentarily FAIL in our initiative or ongoing plan[s]?  We need to learn to become better.  And just DON'T JUMP SHIP at the first alarm.  Instead, do endeavor to improve your skills and develop yourself until you are much more ready to achieve your goals✅✅✅

So, what's our FIX[es] to our FAILURES?  Primero, REMAIN POSITIVE.  Your mental state is important for you to pick yourself up after FAILING.  Segundo, APRECIATE PEOPLE AROUND YOU.  Whether it's your partner/spouse or your team at the workplace. you'll need your partner/spouse OR your team more than they need you.  BTW, when you FAIL or FALL on the floor, RISE UP and pick up the pieces, pronto❗❗❗

Post-Vacation Syndrome, Anyone?

Post-Vacation Syndrome, Anyone?

For a year, you worked like a 'DAWG' [and that's fantastic but sooner, you planned out in detail your next vacation].  BUT after coming from a vacation, am I correct to guess that somehow you had to go through a Post-Vacation Syndrome?  Now, if you did go through that, please, NOT to despair because we all go through that Post-Vacation Syndrome📗📙📘

Coming back to work after a long holiday break has never been easy for any of us. And this year, as an aftermath of that long drawn pandemic, holidays have been quite different than usual for everyone.  Imagine we got stuck in our homes for close to three years, whew!  So, while some people have decided to spend their holidays in a 'staycation' mode, others did travel📌📌📌

Regardless of the type of vacation we would eventually plunge in, getting back on track can be challenging, and on some occasions, there may be cases of what we know as Post-Vacation Syndrome.  So, let's deep-dive into what is commonly known as 'holiday blues'.  To be aligned, Post-Vacation Syndrome is defined as that 'LOW MOOD' which appears after a period of intense emotion or stress💎💎💎

Some of the main symptoms of this Post-Vacation Syndrome are insomnia, low energy, short temper, lack of concentration and anxiousness.  Post-Vacation Syndrome can be described as the result of a sudden release of stress hormones after an important event, like vacations and holidays.  Would you believe, a survey showed 87% of working employees admitted going through the Post-Vacation Syndrome✅✅✅

So, what's our FIX[es]?  First off, ORGANIZE YOURSELF to smoothly transition back into 'WORK MODE', consider organizing things before fully immersing yourself in your daily routine.  Secondly, on your first day back Post-Vacation, plan an 'EASY DAY'.  Transitioning back on DAY-1 with a full-day of tasks with back-to-back Zoom meetings with frenetic pace it will be so overwhelming.  Ooooops, this is NOT the end-of-the-world, though.  Chill, dude❗❗❗

YOU Create Habits UNTIL Habits Create YOU

YOU Create Habits UNTIL Habits Create YOU

YOU Create Habits UNTIL Habits Create YOU.  I hope this is non-debatable.  In our formative years in life, we CREATE HABITS unconsciously.  We open closets and WE LEAVE IT AT THAT.  We open the shoe boxes and WE LEAVE IT AT THAT.  We take our meals on the dining table with condiments all over the place and WE LEAVE IT AT THAT.  We take our shower and the whole place is a mess and WE LEAVE IT AT THAT

BUT supposedly, my habit samplings are petty enough BUT then, YOU Create Habits UNTIL Habits Create YOU and by then, you will be hard pressed to break it simply because those HABITS are deeply embedded within you.  Thing is, habits, discipline, consistency and HARD WORK are everything regarding growing and improving in any area of our life

Now comes these studies which tell us that there are 7 habits DAMN HARD to do BUT they payoff FOREVER, namely:

YOU Create Habits UNTIL Habits Create YOU.  

• DELAY GRATIFICATION
• BREAK PROCRASTINATION
• SAY "NO" [if needed]
• FEEL THE FEAR & FACING IT
• BE CONSISTENT
• SEEK FEEDBACK [from your bosses, from your partner/spouse, from your business partners]

To quote Susan Powter, the well-known Australian-born American motivational speaker: "THE HABITS THAT TOOK YEARS TO BUILD DO NOT TAKE A DAY TO CHANGE".  This NOT need any clarification, quite straightforward enough as this reinforces the fact that once your habits are embedded within you, it will be part of you UNLESS/UNTIL you will allow it to wither, waver and weaken over time.  Indeed, YOU CREATE HABITS UNTIL HABITS CREATE YOU❗❗❗