What You See May NOT Be What It Is

 What You See May NOT Be What It Is

Apparently, there are jobs that may not look like 'PLUM' ones but the incumbent gains enormous life-changing lessons simply by performing the tasks.  And that job I'm referring to is the BANK TELLER's job where transactions may either be interesting, depressing or simply a boring one.  Nevertheless, What You See May NOT Be What It Is💴💷💵

BTW, this is a first-person sharing by a BANK TELLER who retired very much happy with the lessons in life picked from a NOT so glamorous job.  And as the BANK TELLER can easily see all the financial details of a client, they could start telling stories you never asked anyway, adding color to all of the information you can already see on the screen in front of you.  Oh yes, that BANK TELLER can see the client's income and expenses and the icing of the cake is that they can see their nitty-gritty day-to-day spending, like how they had swung through the drive-through on their way to the bank📗📙📘

The harsh reality, however, is that it didn't take a chatty BANK TELLER for the stories to unfold because even the most tight-lipped customers just COULDN'T hide from what the BANK TELLER can see.  It might be the person who is outraged by an overdraft fee after bouncing their rent check [again?].  Then, the BANK TELLER just watches as the client 'sinks' deeper in financial misery as they'd fail to make payments on their mortgages and loans💎💎💎

So WHAT are our takeaways from this short sharing lifted from a BANK TELLER's realizations?  Primero, that EXPENSIVE POSSESSIONS DO NOT SIGNIFY WEALTH.  There was just LITTLE or NO correlation at all between expensive objects and wealth. Ironically sometimes, those expensive objects people owned to look wealthy were the same things that brought them closer to poverty, whew✅✅✅

In these age of venture capitalists, studies show that sometimes, newly funded founders have a tendency to splash out on fancy offices, technology and even high-profile business trips with the idea that if they look like they're SUCCESSFUL, they will become more SUCCESSFUL.  BUT again, VC's [Venture Capitalists] and investors can see through that FACADE of FABRICATED wealth and instead see a frivolous spender.  WHAT's our insight from all these?  It is that WHAT YOU SEE MAY NOT BE WHAT IT IS❗❗❗

Breaking That VICIOUS CYCLE

Breaking That VICIOUS CYCLE

Let's reflect and look back within our daily life.  Do you feel tired of exerting all your energy into trying to achieve bigger and better results BUT all you end up with is the same thing in return?  Did you ever feel that FRUSTRATION burning in your chest the more you think about the VICIOUS CYCLE you're trying to get out of?  And do you wish you could stop comparing yourself to your peers, WHO seem to be doing much better in life?  Well, admittedly, BEEN THERE, DONE THAT but I'm more focused in Breaking That VICIOUS CYCLE💴💷💵

Even taking a positive spin, let us look around SUCCESSFUL people.  True, they made their mark BUT try to observe this if it's still trending.  When they hit a PEAK, and once they do, they DON'T know how to get past it.  Until years after, they might be awakened from their 'deep slumber' and realize that they were NOT doing anything NEW.  Things then had become a monotonous cycle and NOTHING you could change things.  Then, it leads to trying to escape That VICIOUS CYCLE📗📙📘

And at one point in my life, as I kept trying to remedy the problem [sometimes OUT OF FRUSTRATION] by tackling external factors, I never realized that the PROBLEM was in ME.  My internal beliefs were holding ME back from gaining clarity and developing an action plan.  So, how can I ever get to Break That VICIOUS CYCLE💎💎💎

At that point, I wanted to advance and reach a bigger stage in my life, those lofty heights made out of ambitious dreams. I became overly ambitious as I wanted to be HAPPIER and MORE SUCCESSFUL than I already was BUT the state of my mindset was holding me back.  That realization allowed me to analyze myself from within and pinpoint the exact feelings that were holding me back.  Voila, my biggest mental block was FEAR and DOUBT, so those two compelling variables were holding me out from Breaking That VICIOUS CYCLE❌❌❌

Then, things from bad to worse. I never stopped thinking [and OVER-thinking] like all the WHAT IFs.  As a result, I started working from a place of despair then even my decisions were fear-driven.  And as I couldn't get myself out of that harrowing cycle, my sense of doubt intensified     NOT until I realized that I could pursue alternative options to advance my goals and that led me towards Breaking That VICIOUS CYCLE✅✅✅

Why Do We Fail DESPITE Our Best Intentions?

Why Do We Fail DESPITE Our Best Intentions?

Sure I totally agree, everyone of us, regardless of our unique circumstances, everyone of us have our BEST INTENTIONS once we set our mind to achieve a goal. But are we aware that the SUCCESS to FAILURE ratio is pegged to 5:2 wherein on average, for every 5 FAILURES, there are 2 SUCCESSES.  So, the disturbing question is  Despite all the givens in life, WHY Do We Fail DESPITE Our BEST INTENTIONS❓❓❓

Indeed that's the biggest understatement, that 'THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS' because a lot more INTENTIONS are NOT just GOOD enough but some are the BEST ever INTENTIONS one can have in life.  Yet, based on the 5:2 ratio, we are miserably FAILING?  Where did our BEST INTENTIONS go then❌❌❌

Let's take a moment to think of a task you wish to accomplish in the next 3 months.  It should be something specific, like repainting your room OR completing an online course so that you can judge definitively IF and WHEN it has been completed.  BUT as you think about it right now, how likely would we say it is that you will finish the task by the end of summer💎💎💎

Oh Oh, chances are, your prediction may be too optimistic.  And you are LESS LIKELY  to finish the task than you think you can.  BUT remember, you did have the BEST INTENTIONS right from the start but even BEST INTENTIONS involves various variables such as the feasibility of achieving the goal you set on top of your   BEST INTENTIONS📌📌📌

In fact, various studies all end up with the same conclusion, that says, 'SELF PREDICTIONS' tend to be optimistic because people base them on their BEST INTENTIONS without considering HOW readily those BEST INTENTIONS can be translated into a concrete result in the future.  DON'T get me wrong though.  We're NOT here to dampen our BEST INTENTION.  In fact, let's keep SUSTAINING that momentum of BEST INTENTIONS but let us validate our estimations based on realistic assumptions✅✅✅

Are You White-Hot And Passionate?

 Are You White-Hot And Passionate?    

Are You White-Hot And Passionate?  BTW, I DON'T consider myself  either flashy, boisterous OR kind of a rabble-rousing person BUT I'll pull a fast one to state categorically that DOESN'T mean that I DON'T have the passion, that 'FIRE IN THE BELLY'.  That blaze is within, ravishing me daily , burning me at both ends, heating my mind and fueling my creative fumes.  I even shared this to my teams that each morning [those moments WHEN I'm on my 'morning prayers', I would wake up ignited ready for a new day that has dawned on me.  Was there a morning I DIDN'T wake up that way?  Yes when I was really ill💵💴💷

If there is a fact peddled day-in day-out, it is a fact that successful people. regardless of their personalities, burn on the inside, enough to describe them as White-Hot And Passionate.  We DON'T need to look far.  Look around people you know on first-hand basis.  Pick out the successful ones and circle the ones who are NOT passionate in their work?  Have we ever known someone at the top of their game BUT was only lukewarm in what they do💎💎💎

Thing is, without that FIRE, that BURN that keeps you going, you CAN'T possibly make it in a world with distractions, disappointments, disillusionment and discrimination.  Only the PASSIONATE can push past the obstacles thrown along the way, often producing results that 'LIGHT THE WORLD WITH THEIR FIRE'.  Even writers all write in unison THAT it is NOT light we need but that FIRE IN THE BELLY💊💊💊

When we're struggling to get out of a BAD place, we DON'T know how it will end.  Whether we will break through OR get sucked in.  In those kinds of struggles, however, we should then try to consider TRANSFORMATION.   It is that FIRE IN THE BELLY to CHANGE, to TRANSFORM, to win that pushes some people to do those 'superhuman things'📗📙📘

Many years back when I was quite active in the job market, I ensured that I am able to 'showcase' my FIRE IN THE BELLY' not when I am at work but as early as during those job interviews.  Ever mindful that it was a MAKE or BREAK for me, I had to pull out all the aces from my sleeves if only to convincingly get the 'nod' of the interviewer that indeed I was WHITE-HOT & PASSIONATE📌📌📌

Why Coping Is NOT Enough

Why Coping Is NOT Enough

Many of us [that includes me in the past] thought that when we get bogged down with a problem [or even a crisis], COPING is the way to go.  BTW, till today, that holds water.  When I get hit with a problem, COPING is the immediate next thing to do.  So, WHAT's our shortfall?  It is our failure to realize that despite COPING, certainly Coping Is NOT Enough because COPING is just a QUICK FIX, to help us get over the hump, only for that moment💴💷💵

Quick query:  In your past, after you tried COPING, didn't a similar situation repeated by itself [again]?  More often, such situations do recur.  It's like a DEJA VU, like it's all over again.  BUT the question, why do we think we end going through the same gauntlet all over again?  It's because we thought COPING is the 'final nail on the coffin' BUT we are grossly wrong on that aspect because we are sorely missing one thing and that's getting into the ROOT CAUSE📗📙📘

For example, helping someone cope with the loss of a loved one can be invaluable UNTIL the person is ready to face the world again.  Teaching self-care techniques to a heartbroken adult may ease the pain of initial loneliness and heartache and learning COPING techniques while quitting smoking is essential to one's SUCCESS.   This is WHEN and WHERE the NEXT STEPS' should happen after COPING📌📌📌

Frankly, COPING skills are NOT a solution.  While it's fairly universally agreed upon that COPING skills are helpful, we should never lose track of figuring out the PERMAMENT FIX hoping that that recent exception WON'T recur but if it does, we could deftly handle the situation way behind by just COPING.  So, the unspoken and tacitly agreed upon expectations is that after the COPING phase, we should carry on to figure out how to prevent it from recurring, or at the very least, how to manage and contain it, probably with little or no COPING skills necessary✅✅✅

This is it.  More than just COPING, we got to be CONQUERING the issue which is hitting us.  UNLESS we face it head-on and find the FINAL FIX, it may keep haunting us back again and again.  One very prevalent reason why people miss out on figuring out the FINAL FIX, it's because we end up becoming complacent once we [temporarily] hurdle an ordeal.  Takeaway here is that QUICK FIXES are NOT the FINAL FIXES we need to be applied to an issue which may recur again in the future❗❗❗

Who's Scared To Live Life On A FAST LANE?

Who's Scared To Live Life On A FAST LANE?

Who's Scared To Live Life On A FAST LANE?  Not to scare anyone but this query should NOT push you to cower in FEAR.  Instead, this is an up front question we need to address before we unlock our brakes and drive out on the roads.  And we all know that anywhere in the world, the metro areas will always offer you the option to take the FAST LANE [unless you opt out]📌📌📌

WHO wants to get caught in the horrendous traffic gridlock, anyone?  Whether you're enjoying the freeways in the U.S. or crawling through the traffic gridlocks of Asian metro areas in Mumbai, Jakarta or Manila, surely any Tom, Dick and Harry will opt for the FAST LANE for obvious reasons we WON'T waste space in our thread today.  Let's swing back to our life.  Can we agree that in life, there is a FAST LANE as well?  For alignment, when you opt for the FAST LANE in life, either you are that adventurous, competitive, energetic, overly ambitious or so focused with your timetable such that where possible you'd match the speed of sound to travel.  On the other hand, let's admit, it is NOT a crime if you're likely that conservative and calculated fellow who would take measured paces lest you stumble flat on your face💴💷💵

Do reflect back in your recent years and ask yourself.  ARE YOU SATISFIED WITH YOUR PACE IN LIFE?  Or do you feel you've got enough power [and fuel] such that you'd like to switch to the FAST LANE?  BTW, let me qualify here that to live on the FAST LANE does NOT mean that everyone of us is really CUT and Fit to a 'T' to breeze through the FAST LANE.  Frankly, there are quite tough criteria that you've got to satisfy up front. AMBITION.  ENERGY.  FOCUS.  MOTIVATION and a battery/power source that may get drained BUT will never get drained [under any scenario]📗📙📘

Swinging back to myself, I swear that in my early years, I was so impatient such that I was lurking towards the FAST LANE because what was driving me damn hard was my singular focus on my timeline.  To share, as early as my university days, I was so focused on my goals, achieving it every academic term.  When I joined the fray in the job market, I realized things were running in a frenetic pace✅✅✅

FAST LANEs in life, though, would separate the boys from men.  Eventually we will distinguish the 'FREE & EASY' folks versus the ambitious, energized and focused folks.  BTW, it's NOT mandatory to drive along the FAST LANE but think about the implications and ramifications if you remain driving in that NOT SO FAST LANE.  And in case you're SCARED TO LIVE LIFE ON A FAST LANE, better not❗❗❗

The Marginal Difference that Separates FAILURE & SUCCESS

The Marginal Difference that Separates FAILURE & SUCCESS

Many of us think [and I'm guilty of this in the past] that the difference between FAILURE and SUCCESS is as wide as the Pacific Ocean.  No sirrrrrrrs.  Studies tells the contrary as statistics show that roughly 5% is what separates a lot of FAILURE vs SUCCESS stories that were decided by a Marginal Difference that Separates FAILURE & SUCCESS💴💷💵

So, the statistical data from the studies have shot down the age-old wrong assumption that huge differences separated FAILURE and SUCCESS.  On the contrary, a little tweak and twist there would have tilted things in favor of the protagonists who may have failed.  With a level playing field and all things equal, this should be a 'shot in the arm' for those struggling through📗📙📘

Let's visualize ourselves in the middle of a mammoth crowd and you got to extricate yourself from it.  That happened to me and my wife when we attended a political rally where the record count of the crowd breached one million.  And that night, our goal was to walk off after all the political speeches and just prior to the concert-like things following the political rally.  How we managed to literally PUSH THROUGH that mammoth crowd [and once we extricated ourselves out, we lost no time to find the nearest 7-Eleven to gulp ice cold drinks to quench our thirst]📌📌📌

PUSHING THROUGH when you think you CAN'T is what makes all the difference between FAILING or SUCCEEDING.  Pushing forward despite the challenges, the setbacks and the hardships is WHAT makes champions, heroes and the very best SUCCESS STORIES.  PUSHING THROUGH is the DNA of SUCCESS, period💎💎💎

As an analogy with cars, we CANNOT move forward if our emergency break is still ON.  It's as simple as that.  There will be outliers where LUCK [or BAD LUCK] will have a hand in the ultimate outcome but those are outliers.  In fact, before a situation eventually collapses upon us, there will be multiple tell-tale signs to forewarn us.  That gives us more than an ample time to pivot from that level of uncertainty.  Do note always that more often, there is just a MARGINAL DIFFERENCE THAT SEPARATES FAILURE and SUCCESS✅✅✅

When Absorption Is Still HIGH

When Absorption Is Still HIGH

When is the rocket launched by U.S. NASA?  When are the missiles launched by warring forces?  When are bombs unleased?  When do F1 drivers drive at full throttle?  When do the mountaineers take the final lap to reach the summit of Mount Everest?  The common answer is:  When Absorption Is Still HIGH.  WHY?  That's when the full strength is at its peak.  That's when the motivation is at its peak💴💷💵

To STRIKE WHEN THE IRON IS HOT is the best time to take the plunge so to speak.  Could be the time to build a solid foundation of a relationship you want with the girl you are wooing.  Could be the final job interview which will be your MAKE or BREAK.  Could be a major financial investment you and your partner/spouse will need to decide on.  Could be your foray into commercial business.  Could be your family's first major overseas holiday which everyone have dreamed for so long.  Could be a salesman itching to close a deal with a client📗📘📙

Some. though, keep waiting for MOTIVATION to kick-in.  BUT do we have to do that?  To be frank, studies show that we DON'T need to wait for MOTIVATION at all.  And experts would rather encourage us to stick to our HABITS + SCHEDULES because they 'free our minds to advance to really interesting fields of action'.  And frankly, if we waste or delay actions, nothing will work then📌📌📌

In other words, IF we are serious about creating something compelling, we need to stop waiting for MOTIVATION and even INSPIRATION to strike you and simply set a schedule for doing work on a consistent basis.  Obviously, that is easier said than done and much harder to do in practice.  In fact, creating work is NO different than training in the gym.  You CAN'T selectively choose your BEST MOMENTS and only work on the days when you have great ideas✅✅✅

Obviously, doing something below average is never our goal.  BUT you have to give yourself permission to GRIND through the occasional days of "BELOW AVERAGE' WORK because it's the price you have to pay to get to that excellent work.  Let's be aware that the alternative is worse.  If you DON'T have a schedule forcing you to do things, then it's really EASY TO AVOID DOING THE WORK AT ALL.  Let us move WHEN ABSORPTION IS STILL HIGH❗❗❗

Website 101: How To DETECT Fake OR Fraudulent Websites

Website 101:  How To DETECT Fake OR Fraudulent Websites

The CYBERCRIME Industry was valued  USD 3 Trillion way back 2015 and by 2025, it is expected to be a USD 10.5 Trillion Industry, whew.  And even as we speak now, it continues to run unabated, galloping with the huge strides NOT even your prized stallion can run parallel.  So, in the midst of our Christmas holidays, why DON'T we spend a fraction of our time for Website 101:  How To DETECT Fake OR Fraudulent Websites📗📙📘

This is a snapshot of the actual email received by John Podesta, Hillary Clinton's Chief of Staff,  His faux pas?  He reacted [I'll say, he PANICKED] with this alert and clicked the "CHANGE PASSWORD".  The consequences and ramifications of this action caused his account to be compromised [Imagine the tons of confidential emails in the Clinton Presidential Campaign that were unduly exposed] !@#$%?

Most browsers abide by a concept called the 'LINE OF DEATH', meaning, a user should NEVER trust anything below a certain point on the browser, called as the 'LINE OF DEATH'.  An attacker can control everything below the line so you have to know where to look for reliable information.  An ATTACKER can control are highlighted in RED and numbered:

1. FAVICON - This is the website's ICON
2. DOMAIN NAME - This is the URL which you must CLEARLY KNOW IN DETAIL
3. FILE PATH/DIRECTOR - You must know if the correct website includes this info
4. WEB CONTENT - This can contain any info the attacker wants it to be, includes a convincing spoof of a legit website 

This 'PAYPAL' site is FRAUDULENT & FAKE and yet it's almost impossible to tell the FAKE site from the real one unless you are 'spot on' and incisive with the site details.  Take note that for this fake PAYPAL site, the domain name is 'getbill-service.com' and if you're NOT detailed enough, you'll be 'DEAD IN THE WATER',  And with the advent of free SSL services and recent changes in browser indicators, it is now much easier than ever to disguise phishing sites as legitimate✅✅✅

For us as end-users to be comfortable in our browsing, being non-technical is a NON-ISSUE but the fact is, you need to have the sound fundamentals to know:

• PROTOCOL
• DOMAIN NAME
• SUB-DOMAIN
• TOP-LEVEL DOMAIN
• FILE PATH

One last point.  Check CONNECTION SECURITY indicators.  Back to the address bar.  If the last point didn't underscore the importance of this browser feature, this one should drive the point home.  Within the address bar are several connection indicators that let you know whether your connection with the website is private❎❎❎

The loophole of HTTP was fixed when Secure Sockets Layer [SSL] was succeeded by Transport Layer Security [TSL] a.k.a. HTTPS

• HTTP   = Bad
• HTTPS = Good

In summary, with the PADLOCK ICON or the Extended Validation SSL Certificate [EV SSL] is the highest form of SSL Certificate. The loophole of HTTP was addressed when Secure Sockets Layer [SSL] was succeeded by Transport Layer Security [TSL].  Hoping all these info will help to improve and reinforce your website security awareness from hereon.  Meanwhile, wishing for your smooth preparations for Christmas❗❗❗  

Getting Things Done

Getting Things Done

Till to date, some of us still [wrongly] think that some of the SUCCESS STORIES can be credited to people who were either gifted, talented or even scions of the RICH and FAMOUS.   No sirrrrrrrs. NOT TRUE.  Successful people are NOT gifted.  They just WORK HARD and then SUCCEED on purpose.  Nothing coincidental with their SUCCESS.  That's Getting Things Done💴💷💵

Likely, most of us know at least one person whom you can attest to be a madly productive person, someone who's able to accomplish more in a couple of hours than the rest of us get done all day.  And chances are that person is also quite successful.  Sounds familiar❓❓❓

BTW, it is NO accident that great work habits and SUCCESS go hand in hand.  Improving your work habits may NOT guarantee that you will reach the TOP of the TOTEM POLE BUT it will definitely help you advance [much faster and much higher compared to the rest of the pack [think of a pack in a marathon].  BTW, we DON'T need to be like Captain America📗📙📘

Inject social media into the equation, and now we have a ball game.  WHY?  Because social media can either be a BOON or a BANE in our daily life.  Either you leverage it to the hilt or you get 'HOSTAGED' to it sometimes even 24x7, sometimes even at the expense of taking your timely meals or worse, sometimes even sacrificing your hygiene [e.g. your need to freshen up, to take shower etc].  So, HOW do we do things from hereon❓❓❓

Primero, come up with your TO-DO List.  Word of caution, though.  Your TO-DO List might end up with a dozen or more things you want to get done [which is simply NOT realistic, right?].  So, limit your TO-DO List to a Top 5.  Anything more than that is a bonus.  BTW, it's a NO-NO to reinvent the wheel.  You can tweak and twist the way you do things BUT don't reinvent.  Bottom line is GETTING THINGS DONE❗❗❗