Why FOLLOW THROUGH Matters

Why FOLLOW THROUGH Matters

Everything [or most things in life anyways] are oozing with Xcitement at the start.  NEW school.  NEW job.  NEW relationship.  NEW business.  Then just like the bathroom water, it waxes HOT then wanes.  And this is quite a puzzle because no one is exempt from this vicious cycle.  Why FOLLOW THROUGH Matters💴💷💵

Now, if FOLLOW THROUGH is quite foreign to you, let me introduce you to venture into the golf course.  And while I am NO golfer, playing it gives us the best concrete opportunity to dutifully FOLLOW THROUGH each time you hit the golf ball.  You CAN'T let that ball end up in the lake.  Neither in the dense greeneries.  Nor lying incognito somewhere between the seventy two holes in the golf course📗📙📘

Looking back at my years of working in the corporate world, i can bluntly opine that, generally, organizations can shave off EXCESS FAT anywhere from 20% to 50% if only FOLLOW THROUGH is deeply embedded in every member of the workforce.  Conversely, I opine that anywhere from 20% to 50% would NOT have been delivered or produced unless managers and team leaders [and sometimes in mediocre organizations, even up to CxO-level] did the FOLLOW THROUGH💰💰💰

In the workspace, failure to meet deadline, breaches of SLA [service level agreements], failed commitments, failed return calls to clients and even lapses in operational delivery are the most common lapses we see quite often regardless of culture, country or even industry.  Often, we did complete a task because the action of it is "DONE" but we under-emphasize how powerful it is to continue developing, tracking and monitoring operations and relationships💎💎💎

When we hear FOLLOW THROUGH, we tend to think of taking action BUT a large part of FOLLOW THROUGH is about figuring out HOW things will be done.  Once you define your goals, set aside some time to decide just HOW you will reach and achieve them.  WHAT steps will be needed to accomplish them?  WHO will do WHICH steps and WHEN?  WHAT is the desired time-line?  If a strategy does NOT address the "HOWS", it is almost certainly doomed to failure.  This is where FOLLOW THROUGH needs to be embedded for it to be avoided as an overhead in efforts and time✅✅✅

Passion Is NOT Found. It Is BUILT.

Passion Is NOT Found.  It Is BUILT.

For many donkey years before, I firmly believed that PASSION IS FOUND.  I am WRONG.  I thought it's like you HAVE IT or you DON'T.  Mea culpa.  Probably I learned things the damn hard way because after I stumbled, got bruised and 'almost fell off the cliff', I reached this irreversible realization that Passion Is NOT Found.  It Is BUILT.  HOW and WHY it took me donkey years to come to grips with that realization is moot and academic.  WHAT matters I am NOT off-track anymore😃😃😃

When I was quite active in the job market then, I've long believed that the admonition to 'FIND YOUR PASSION" is some of the worst [ever] career advice I ever heard.  It probably comes from my personal experience because I always dreamed to be a lawyer because, besides my communications proficiency, geo-politics and all those legal tussles really pulled me towards envisioning that legal career.  BUT I did doubt my passion when I dropped from law school to switch over to a technology career, spending years for intensive IBM trainings📗📙📘

Now, let's call a spade a spade.  The idea that PASSION is a pre-requisite to career happiness and achievement is way off-base.  That kind of 'crap' advice encompasses two damaging MYTHS about PASSION that, like all MYTHS, have a kernel of truth to them.  First off, is the MYTH that if you do "WHAT YOU LOVE" eventually you'll get good enough at it that you will be paid lots of money to do it.  That advice is followed that we should NOT worry about $$$$ as we are getting your career off the ground because it will MAGICALLY fall from the sky after some time you spend doing WHAT you love💚💛💜

Sadly, that is NOT always true.  While it is true that people generally perform better at tasks they like than those they DON'T, and high performance can lead to compensation.  BUT plenty of people are PASSIONATE about things they AREN'T good at!  And there are many jobs that even the most skilled people DON'T make much money at.  The advice NEVER seems to square those two realities❌❌❌

The second MYTH is that if you find and follow your PASSION, you will be blissfully happy every minute of your working life.  BUT that's just AIN'T true.  Lots of 'DREAM' careers include elements that AREN'T fun.  This MYTH is utterly damaging because it can lead people to quit jobs that they may be quite good at and could provide them the life they want.  To rectify this skewed thinking, let us agree that PASSION IS NOT FOUND.  IT IS BUILT✅✅✅

Bias For Action

C'mon, Let's Develop Our Bias For Action

Heard of the Pareto Principle often referred to as the 80/20 Principle?  Which explains that more often, 80% of the results arise from the 20% most productive portion.  BUT we'll NOT discuss Pareto Principle as that is NOT my domain.  Instead, let's spend time to push hard to have that Bias For Action embedded within us💴💷💵

So, what is Bias For Action?  That is an individual's instinct to take action and make quick decisions.  What separates such individuals from the rest of the pack is that they are NOT one to shy away from CHANGE if they feel it is merited.  Taking a step farther, they are willing to take RISKs, run TESTs and embrace  in a "VUCA" [Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous] environment.  Where they DON'T have all the information but understand that decisions need to be made quickly.  That Bias For Action is the anti-thesis of DEFAULT BIAS where individuals favor the status quo📗📙📘

At Amazon [owned by filthy rich Jeff Bezos with a net worth of $148 Billion], Bias For Action is one of its core leadership principles.  From Jeff Bezos down the line, they preach that "SPEED MATTERS.  MANY DECISIONS ARE REVERSIBLE AND DON'T NEED EXTENSIVE STUDY.  WE VALUE CALCULATED RISK-TAKING'💎💎💎

Dan Rose, a close confidant of Jeff Bezos who was with him for 20 years, shared why that Bias For Action was a critical lesson he took away from his time in Amazon.  To quote Rose "JEFF BEZOS WAS NOT ALWAYS RIGHT BUT HE WAS ALWAYS READY TO ACT" [and as per Dan Rose, Jeff Bezos 'WAS RIGHT MUCH MORE THAN WRONG'.  He further shared it in his tweets that "WHENEVER THERE'S DOUBT ABOUT WHETHER TO ACT OR WAIT, I ALWAYS ERR ON THE SIDE OF TAKING ACTION" ✅✅✅

The last one-liner from Dan Rose was so quotable when he said "I WANT TO GET MOVING.  I'D RATHER FAIL TRYING THAN SUCCEED BY NOT ACTING".   Now, if you DON'T see yourself now with Bias For Action, not to fret as you can gain this characteristic.  Sometimes, what we need is confidence, practice and experience.  Topping all these is one's resoluteness to develop and enhance that Bias For Action as part of his persona❗❗❗

What Your CRAVINGS Are Telling You

What Your CRAVINGS Are Telling You

What Your CRAVINGS Are Telling You  Oooooops, our thread today has got nothing to do with foodies OR culinary arts at all.  Unfortunately, when we hear CRAVINGS, what pops up in our minds are pastries, ice cream, burger, Starbucks drinks or even Korean Samgyupsal.  WHAT gets overlooked is the fact that we do have CRAVINGS that really matter💵💴💷

In numerous studies, the results show that SAFETY, BELONGING and MATTERING are where our CRAVINGS revolve around as they are essential to our brain and our ability to perform work, at home and in life overall.  The greater the feeling SAFETY, both emotional and physical so we can take risks, the greater the feeling of connection with others, OR the feeling that we're in this TOGETHER and we belong TOGETHER📗📙📘

The greater the feeling that we personally MATTER and make a DIFFERENCE and are contributing to the greater good, then the GREATER our success, the relationship, the family, the team, the individual.  In every communication, in every conflict, we are subconsciously programming as much as you may try💎💎💎

We need to be aware as to WHAT triggers CRAVINGS.  Our environment does trigger because of WHAT we see, smell or associated memory.  A tonic CRAVING is defined as experiencing a CRAVING in a certain moment without a trigger from the environment.  Like smelling the tempting aroma from a bakery.  OR stress hormones make us CRAVE for high-fat, sugary foods.  When we have acute stress, we may NOT have that appetite BUT when stress is more long-lasting, our bodies produce cortisol.  This is a hormone  that is helpful for getting us out of a dangerous situation✅✅✅

Even our brain chemicals is wired to CRAVE certain foods.  This explains why manufacturers create foods that make us come back for more.  And the BLISS POINT is a measurement HOW rewarding a food tastes.  WHEN we eat something that's highly processed and has a lot of sugar and fat, this BLISS POINT can produce a similar response.  In a nutshell, CRAVINGS need to be heard, recognized and acted upon❗❗❗

Don't Look Down

Don't Look Down

In our long journey in life, we will always cross paths with someone WHO thinks that he/she is the BEST at WHAT he/she does.  And you would hear them retort:  YOU DON'T HAVE TO TELL ME WHAT TO DO, BECAUSE I KNOW WHAT I HAVE TO DO.  Oh well, there's nothing wrong, per se, with that.  BUT if we close our ears for the entire time and we DON'T let ourselves LEARN, it could be a recipe for something that will end up in a disastrous or catastrophic way.  There's always something we can LEARN from other people.  Even if we CAN'T see it, there's NO ONE either above OR below us.  Just Don't Look Down💴💷💵

Along the way, we're all LEARNING BUT we DON'T have to overestimate OR underestimate other people.  Thing is, RESPECT is the key to LEARNING.  And that explains WHY we need to listen to other people.  Now let's go back to the part about SUCCESS.  Knowing WHAT you need to fix, you can become an expert in WHAT you pursue💎💎💎

IF ever we find it hard to listen to other people, why NOT try reading?  That explains why we are all constantly egged in reading because it is an integral part of SUCCESS.  And I can't agree less that READING is pretty much a simple tool to teach us HOW to LISTEN.  Much as there are thousands of words that we can choose to listen OR ignore, making ourself SIT and READ is already and actually part of humility.  Much as we want to understand what the writer has to say, we also want to learn from and maybe replicate what the writer is saying all along.  This explains why READING is my part of SUCCESS  because in the past, I was kind of stubborn📌📌📌

Let's go back to READING where I'm egging everyone.  You DON'T need to be a voracious READER.  You can start by reading for 5 minutes every day.  Whew, that 5 minutes is a drop in the bucket.  BUT if it's still hard for you, c'mon, you can try to start READING for only 1 minute then.  NOW, please DON'T tell me you CAN'T spare a minute?  Bottomline here is that whether you start with a 5-minute or 1-minute READING, you need to go through the process of putting yourself to start.  And that is what we call PROGRESS📗📙📘

Again, DON'T LOOK DOWN for multiple reasons.  Primero, you need to be darn FOCUSED in your own pursuit.  Segundo, that would gobble up a fraction of precious time from what you can spare.  Tercero, as a consequence of compromising your FOCUS and incurring an overhead of time spent, you will likely loose that momentum, the inertia that ignited your engine when you switched it on.  Humble yourself to the fact that you have a mission in life and the last thing you want is to loose FOCUS because that chips away your odds and chances of hurdling and taking a tumultuous LAST LAP kick to catapult you towards having a fighting chance to win the sprints which, when combined, will give you the inside track towards successfully completing the marathon of your life.  As long as you DON'T LOOK DOWN❗❗❗

Rein In Before We Get Ruined

Rein In Before We Get Ruined

Has this happened yet to you?  Like when you decided to walk on a path.  After some time, you see something bigger and better on the way and change the direction.  Then, you do that again and again and again.  Question is, WHERE do you think you are?  Did you reach your destination you wanted to go to?  No, right?  You got lost along the way.  C'mon, let's Rein In Before We Get Ruined💴💷💵

NOT sticking to your decisions because you are busy chasing an illusion is going to RUIN your life.  Yes, maybe that field is much better than you previously decided.  BUT you DON'T have to jump straight into the UNKNOWN.  You just CAN'T leave your previous decisions hanging📗📙📘

WHERE does this lead us to?  This only describes our ability to avoid harder things by chasing something much easier.  One thing I learned from the books:  GOOD THINGS TAKE TIME, EFFORT, and DEDICATION.  Alas, that is a universal truth.  So, let us STICK to our decisions because whether we believe it or NOT, CONSISTENCY is the key if ever we want to nip things in the bud and before things turn uglier and 'UNFIXABLE'📌📌📌

Even for the Baby Boomers Generation, they have NO option but to embrace INTERNET as it has kind of taken over our lives.  Another potential RUIN in our life is NEGATIVE SELF-TALK.  Studies showed that NEGATIVE SELF-TALK is the nemesis we never thought we had.  It is INCOGNITO.  BUT it's ruining our confidence, and it's probably the reason WHY sometimes, we seem to be 'sabotaging' some life-changing opportunities that come along our way.  We have to realize that whatever we think and speak about ourself is extremely important.  We just need to STOP treating ourselves like some LOST CAUSE.  DON'T even say things we DON'T mean.  We just need to stop the crap because the last thing we need is to RUIN our life❌❌❌

Another detestable path towards RUINING our life is when we harbor both FEAR of FAILURE and SUCCESS.  Studies show that people that way ended up AVERAGE at best, whew.  They thought they CAN'T FAIL yet at the same time, they CAN'T be at the top too.  Sadly. there are people who are capable of so much BUT they seem to keep sabotaging themselves because they seem NOT READY to deal with the changes down the road.  Let's REIN IN BEFORE WE GET RUINED❗❗❗

Challenges To Our SELF-ESTEEM

Challenges To Our SELF-ESTEEM

Studies were dumbfounded to discover that newborn babies have no SELF-ESTEEM issues.  As they are born with a sense of self-acceptance and self-love, as they grow older, they begin interacting with others and sometimes those interactions may leave them feeling badly about themselves.  In essence, the studies show that our interactions with other people are the very root causes of our low SELF-ESTEEM.  Do we face the Challenges To Our SELF-ESTEEM💴💷💵

Now, this becomes more interesting as studies did break down these ROOT CAUSES to our low SELF-ESTEEM.  Ironically, the very first persons who impact our low SELF-ESTEEM are our own parents as they actually lay the foundation for either POSITIVE or NEGATIVE SELF-ESTEEM.  Even children learn early in life that failing to meet their parents' expectations makes them feel LOW.  Sounds familiar?  WHEN we are tough to our kids' with regard their academic results📗📙📘

Then as we grow in life, the next 'culprits' of our low SELF-ESTEEM are, hold your breath], sometimes our partner/spouse.  So, have you ever let your partner down?  Did they get angry with you?  Did you let  that affect your SELF-ESTEEM?  Let's face it, there are EXPECTATIONS in relationships and sometimes, UNMET expectations cause negativity📌📌📌

Then, for some, even one's job may impact our SELF-ESTEEM.  You may NOT be as skilled as you thought but your co-workers or clients may make negative remarks about your work and that lowers your SELF-ESTEEM.  What's our antidote for this?  Let us ALWAYS realize that work is always an OPPORTUNITY for our growth.  BTW, even strangers can jab at your SELF-ESTEEM.  You might feel you are being unfairly judged because a stranger DOESN'T even know you enough yet you would hear snide remarks.  And that is low blow to your SELF-ESTEEM❎❎❎

What's our takeaway?  Whether it's a parent, partner, co-worker or stranger, SELF-ESTEEM blows do NOT really wreak havoc to our SELF-ESTEEM level.  And there are plenty of things we can do to increase our SELF-ESTEEM and protect it from harsh judgments or accusations.  Moreover, we need to understand that sometimes people say hurtful things and absolutely we will NOT meet everyone's expectations ALL THE TIME and that's a constant challenge to our SELF-ESTEEM❗❗❗

Our Life After Work Matters

Our Life After Work Matters

Many will proclaim that our life at work matters a lot.  I can't disagree on that BUT Our Life After Work Matters does matter maybe more than during those work hours.  BTW, before I proceed, this thread does NOT imply that we work less.  WHAT this thread tells us is that AFTER WORK, our hours can be impactful💴💷💵

Factually, our work does ADD VALUE to our life.  That's a non-issue.  BUT not much though as our life is built by WHAT we do after our WORK HOURS.  Even during that dreaded pandemic, most of us worked way beyond 8 hours.  And if we exclude our sleeping time, we still have roughly another 8 hours of FREE time left.  Now, let's uncork what studies show📗📙📘

Those extra 8 hours should be quite an insane amount of potential to open us up to more opportunities we can explore.  So, here's a frank question. In your FREE TIME, do you watch NETFLIX or do you hone your skills?  Now, to quote experts, 'A PRO PRIORITIZES ACCOMPLISHMENT OVER COMFORT'💊💊💊

Now let's step back.  WHEN we are working, we are working.  We are growing and making progress and finishing off our tasks or project[s].  That is absolutely correct.  BUT what if we use our FREE TIME [of 8 hours] to hone our skills?  And WHAT IF those things turn out to be an advantage for you?  Point is, WASTING TIME on shallow things and mindless entertainment guarantees us regret❎❎❎

Before I get mobbed, allow me to clarify that I'm NOT discouraging you to watch NETFLIX.  I myself, I do watch NETFLIX on average 1 hour a day but that DOESN'T constrain me from honing my skills.  HOW?  It is by remaining FOCUSED to what you plotted to achieve.  You need to be as tough as rigid as you can be to yourself because OUR LIFE AFTER WORK MATTERS❗❗❗

When It's ABOVE YOUR WEIGHT

When It's ABOVE YOUR WEIGHT

Many say that in a relationship, there is a 'REACHER' and a 'SETTLER', the former being someone who's landed someone out of their league and one who's made do with someone below theirs.  BUT recent studies show that partners/spouses who are roughly equally attractive have a better chance of staying together.  And it defies When It's ABOVE YOUR WEIGHT as you've probably seen movies where the nerdy guy gets the popular girl💴💷💵

And if you've watched SPIDERMAN or BACK TO THE FUTURE, they imply that you can OVERACHIEVE in the romance stakes.  BUT studies proved otherwise  as it suggests that those admittedly 'FEEL GOOD' cliche is probably best left in the cinema.  Other studies showed that people of corresponding and similar desirability were MORE LIKELY to be in a successful long-term relationship than, say, a flat-out 10 and a mediocre 5.  And how about that overly used tag for 'SOUL MATES', what does it really mean with 'SOUL MATES'.  Again, it all boils down to people with similar wavelengths📗📙📘

In a nutshell, whether one is PUNCHING ABOVE HIS/HER WEIGHT [or not], it all revolves around people's preferences and people's actions.  Surely, we have our 'ideal' image of the partner we dream in life BUT looking at someone desirable  may be impacted by societal norms.  In the shortest words, there is NO point asking someone what they look in a partner because likely they'll describe someone UNATTAINABLE💎💎💎

Let's step out of the confines of our room.  If you saw someone and you think she's a 10 [and you're NOT], DO YOU STILL HAVE A CHANCE?  Now how do we value our partner OR even a prospective one?  Well, the VALUE you place on a woman is based on the VALUE you place on yourself.  So, if you're dating a woman WHERE you think you're PUNCHING ABOVE YOUR WEIGHT, then it's likely you'll pedestal her and put yourself in the pit❎❎❎

Let's paint this scenario.  You're at the pub and a 'drop dead' woman walks in.  BTW, what's the first thing you'll tell yourself?  THAT "she's OUT OF MY LEAGUE'.  "I'LL NEVER GET A WOMAN LIKE THAT'.  In that case, you have made a decision about her that's just a reflection of your own sense of SELF-WORTH.  BTW, you have NO idea of what she thinks as you're deciding for him.  So, are you WHIMPING OUT OF THE RACE before finding out if you could win the trophy❓❓❓

Got A 'MEANING CRISIS'?

Got A 'MEANING CRISIS'?

Do you remember funky questions popping up your head randomly?  LIKE... WHAT's this all about?  WHAT am I doing with my life?  WHY do I need to do this?  Those are likely symptoms that you are either in the precipice of a 'MEANING CRISIS'? Indeed if you have more interrogative expressions like all these, they are tell-tale signs that you got a full-blown 'MEANING CRISIS' at hand💴💷💵

Without overblowing up things, in a 'MEANING CRISIS', we got to answer those questions bordering on MEANING and purpose, that is, if we really want our life to be meaningful, full of MEANING at that.  Knowing our MEANING, the very answers to the numerous WHYs, should lead us to a life that is suck-less📙📘📗

To quote an anonymous writer, 'IN SOME WAYS, SUFFERING CEASES TO BE SUFFERING AT THE MOMENT WE FIND A MEANING, SUCH AS THE MEANING OF SACRIFICE'.  Oh, I admit having heard that multiple times from people I know first hand, people WHO seemed to have transcended to a deeper level where they could have grasped and acquired.  So, you might get back to me and ask as to HOW do we cope with a 'MEANING CRISIS' in an endlessly estranged world💎💎💎

So, HOW can we figure out the question about the 'MEANING CRISIS' once we're left on our own?  Heard of shocking response we hear over and over again?  'WE SHOULD GIVE UP'. And when you challenge someone blurting out this way, he might step back and qualify that he/she DIDN''T mean that as GIVING UP on playing the game of life altogether. BUT more as GIVING UP on analyzing strategies.  Hey dude, GIVING UP is GIVING UP.  You DON'T need to sugar-coat it for you to backpedal.  Instead, crack on your 'MEANING CRISIS'❗❗❗

Now, as we walk along our path, sometimes against the streak of sunlight causing us to get a blurred vision of our journey, would you rather continue walking or doing something because it was assigned or asked to you.  And yet, whether you're able to accomplish it OR not does NOT really matter to you because either way, there is NO MEANING into it?  C'mon dude, grab this 'MEANING CRISIS' and face it head-on.  NO other way than that for a meaningful life✅✅✅