Celebrate Yourself!

Celebrate Yourself!

Day-in Day-out we're exhausted.  We work extremely hard.  Often, we're hard on ourself because we feel like we should be farther ahead in this damn rat race.  And either at work or in school, when someone tells us to 'TAKE A BREAK', we even DON'T know what to do with that BREAK.  If you're manifesting any of these, I see and I hear you. You are working really hard trying to do WHAT you might feel is enough, BUT is really the job of 5five people. So, Celebrate Yourself!📗📙📘

The bigger question often asked of me is WHY CELEBRATE OURSELF?  As we live in a very fast-paced world, and we are taught from WHEN we're kids in school all the way until we retire to get as much stuff done as we possibly can.  WHEN we care more about the number of tasks done, it's easy to minimize WHAT does get done and our efforts.  That's WHY the conversation around burnout has become so loud📌📌📌

Unfortunately, WHEN we only think about WHAT's next, your goals, and the future, you may likely deplete yourself and WHEN you're depleted, trust me, you WON'T be at your best.  It's difficult to be productive, creative and thoughtful WHEN you're drained.  So WHAT's our FIX for this?  Celebrate Yourself!  And WHEN you Celebrate Yourself for the things you do get done, you'll likely have MORE energy, MORE motivation and with an increasing momentum allowing you to achieve your goals faster💎💎💎

Furthermore, WHEN we reward ourself, we'll be building our SELF-ACCOUNTABILITY muscle helping us follow through easier and in the end, procrastinate less.  And WHEN we pause and acknowledge ourself, our confidence and self-worth will grow, trust me.  The end-results?  Well feel fulfilled and contented.  One common [and widespread] misconception is that in order for us to celebrate and reward ourselves, we need to spend $$$$.  No sirrrrs. Problem is, people think of going to a spa, going out to a fancy dinner, going online shopping, OR even going to a store.  While there's nothing wrong with spending $$$$ on yourself, it's extremely important to make yourself more accessible💊💊💊

Short bullet points for our takeaway today:

• PAT YOURSELF ON THE BACK
• BE YOUR OWN CHEERLEADER
• VERBALIZE IT - tell yourself, 'GOOD JOB', etc
• SHARE WITH SOMEONE - even small successes
• FACE THE MIRROR - that's your 'ME Time'
• PASS IT FORWARD - Consider volunteering initiatives
• ALLOT 'LAZY' TIME - Consider guilt-free time, e.g. Netflix 

So, let's CELEBRATE OURSELVES❗❗❗

Do We Start Tracking Our Life?

Do We Start Tracking Our Life?

Do We Start Tracking Our Life?  Ooops I DON'T intend to cause a furor and start a sandstorm of debates.  WHY?  Because most naysayers would opine that, hey, there are more important things in life, WHY I should spend overhead time plus effort to SELF-TRACK my life?  But hey, here's the thing.  If you DON'T think it makes sense to TRACK your life, WHO will❓❓❓

Many years ago, I started TRACKING my goals and habits,, on and off.  And I mean to say, I struggled and failed.  And I'll admit I am unable to confide to you now WHAT most of those goals or habits were at that time.  BUT one day in the past, when my life went on a deep tailspin, UNTIL I realize that as a person, I have a 'BUILT-IN' accountability.  WHEN we DON'T track something or write it down, it's easy to forget.  Have you ever set goals, never to look at them again?  Of course you have!  I'm sure we've all done this at least once.  And this made me love TRACKING my life for the long haul📌📌📌

So, Do We Start Tracking Our Life? Lest we forget, what will keep us going in life is our SELF-MOTIVATION.  BUT did we realize that it is our progress that will keep us MOTIVATED?  Once we start TRACKING our goals, we should [absolutely] be able to see the small, day by day, progress that you might NOT see otherwise.  Much as we have an 'END GOAL' in life, that FINISH LINE does NOT happen come next day💎💎💎

Then, if it's NOT really the FINISH LINE you are angling to see everyday, likely you are thinking of those milestones, those pit stops.  Yesssssssir, I agree those pit stops matter a lot because those are the times when you need to take a respite, and literally refueling and re-energizing yourself BUT hey, NOT SO FAST, DON'T even look for that milestone, NOT YET❌❌❌

Even progressing literally by inch, that is worth TRACKING.  WHY?  Again, it's because your SELF MOTIVATION will pop-up from those progress wherein you're literally inching your way.  Our takeaway here is, BE PROACTIVE enough.  You DON'T want to get into a deep slumber and wake up next day with one foot making you look like a WALKING DEAD❎❎❎

It's Okay NOT To Be Okay

It's Okay NOT To Be Okay

When we breathe, problems arise in life.  In fact, does it surprise us that we [ALWAYS or ALMOST ALWAYS] stumble across a problem each time we are awake?  BUT again, most do NOT impact us until we notice a significant impact.  Then, at that point, it turns into a reason for worry, hurt OR sadness.  For size, life's problems can stifle development and if we do NOT even learn to put things from the right perspective, it is quite likely that we will NOT be able to reach the level of our full capacities and abilities.  Tough to swallow BUT truth of the matter, It's Okay NOT To Be Okay💴💷💵

Borrowing this chart from careercliff.com, WHAT does this tell us?  Simple.  This confirms that everyday there will be problems.  THAT there will be NO day with NO problems.  THAT even if we solve ALL our problems today, we can guarantee you that the upcoming next day will welcome us with a new set of problems.  This is the cycle of life📗📙📘

So WHAT benefit can we derive from our thread today?  Let's rattle off our most common [BUT damn serious] problems and agree on a generic approach to at least contain, if NOT immediately fix the problems.  Primero, MONEY CRISIS.  Life's difficulties are common.  Because of the uncertainties of the environment we live in, even financial meltdowns can happen anywhere at any point in time.  Even if you should always think ahead and prepare for a financial crisis, it could still cost you or its reach might be much larger than any plan you have made in the past💎💎💎

So how do we handle a financial crisis?  We must accept the crisis if we want to recover from a financial crisis.  Set the proper financial goals after recognizing and acknowledging the issue.  Finding the ROOT CAUSE of the situation is the NEXT STEP when dealing with real-life issues.  If it is a job loss, then actively look for a new job.  If it's handling multiple debts, consider having a RECOVERY PLAN [which includes tightening your belt, your budget during that period]📌📌📌

A medical issue is yet another major issue that could happen in your life.  Given that our body systems run continuously, even while we sleep, this is NOT impossible.  If you DON'T keep up with your regular health habits, health decline may start.  If you DON'T take better care of it right away, things could possibly worsen.  Our takeaway for today:  In the end, you could face tons and tons of problems in life and you just have to deal with it ONE AT A TIME, containing the damage or impact and having a QUICK RECOVERY PLAN before things normalize✅✅✅

Want To CHANGE YOUR LIFE?

Want To CHANGE YOUR LIFE?

Want To CHANGE YOUR LIFE?  Oh Oh Oh, It sounds good.  I wanna hear that.  I wanna join that bandwagon.  Unfortunately, when CHANGE is looming, we CAN'T really be thankful with anxiety.  True, our nervous ancestors noticed the caved lion first and saved the whole tribe.  BUT now that we live between a washing machine and a computer, we DON'T need this crazy alarm to ring dozens of times every day📗📙📘

Oh, you might wonder the timeliness of our topic today?  Should be timely because this is normally the time of the year when we draft and craft our NEW YEAR'S RESOLUTIONs for the Nth time!@#? So, can we start this CHANGE OUR LIFE initiative by asking ourselves if we still need that irritating alarm clock every morning?  Let's face it, some people are even afraid it'll go off any minute, so they lock themselves up in the house.  BUT even in your own bed, likely you would still feel that immaterial bitch pervading📌📌📌

If we look around, there is always someone in the world who grew up in a similar place, time and situation as us, WHO managed to CHANGE their life for the better.  BUT just because it's possible to CHANGE our life DOESN'T mean it is easy.  I myself, I've made considerable CHANGES in my life more times than I can count.  And whether I was changing my perspective, career, or the country I lived in, I learned one thing💎💎💎

THAT is, to truly CHANGE my life, I first needed to CHANGE myself.  Easier said than, right?  STILL, whether you want to be get motivated, BECOME YOUR OWN BOSS, OR as one says, MOVE TO ITALY, LEARN ITALIAN, FALL IN LOVE, OPEN A RESTAURANT, there you go.  Without dilly-dallying, let's roll up our sleeves for us to CHANGE OUR LIFE✅✅✅

Primero, make that DECISION TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE.  It may sound obvious BUT perhaps this is the most difficult part of changing your life.  BTW, I've met many people in the past who confided that they wanted to CHANGE their life BUT can't.  WHY?  Because it's tough to change your life.  REALLY TOUGH.  In fact, CHANGING YOUR LIFE may be the most challenging and most uncomfortable thing you will ever do but be forewarned that at first, the first stride will really be scary.  BUT, WANT TO CHANGE YOUR LIFE❓❓❓

Can SILENCE Be Powerful?

Can SILENCE Be Powerful?

Can SILENCE Be Powerful? Unfortunately, regardless of culture. SILENCE has always had an 'uncomfortable' relationship with us all.  Studies show that the typical gap between when one person STOPS and another person STARTS speaking is just about 200 milliseconds long, which is just a fraction of a second.  Another study shows that people start to get uncomfortable when the gap stretches to 4 seconds, whew📗📙📘

So, can we guess WHAT happens when the gap breaches 5 seconds?  I bet one of you rushes to fill the void.  I have to admit this, all throughout my work-life, when I share and cascade my own best practices to our teammates, one of the rules I would constantly reinforce is that as a speaker, if you become silent for 5 seconds, that's long enough to lead your audience to yawn or worst, even catch a quick nap.  BUT this is NO fault though by the speaker who pauses for 5 seconds💴💷💵

Indeed, SILENCE is hard to maintain and that's WHY mastering the void between words can be a true superpower.  And these reminds me of negotiators because they have mastered beyond doubt the art of SILENCE.  Like you make your counterpart talk first and you've shown that you are in CONTROL.  Eventually, chances are, they will give up ground💎💎💎

Which reminds me of CSI, those crime investigations wherein the investigator will start to pry valuable information out of a criminal suspect, with the investigator seated across without speaking, maintaining the eye contact long and very long enough and eventually, most people will end up spilling their guts, voila.  To quote Charles De Gaulle, the famous former president of France: 'SILENCE IS THE ULTIMATE WEAPON OF POWER'📌📌📌

Studies show that there is another benefit to conquering SILENCE, however, one that has less to do with getting information than it does with deepening human connection.  Unfortunately, very few on this planet are naturally gifted to leverage on the POWER of SILENCE but that should NOT stop us from embracing SILENCE because SILENCE CAN BE POWERFUL✅✅✅

How Far Gratitude Can Go?

 How Far Gratitude Can Go?

How Far Gratitude Can Go? OR taking a step back, do we need to talk about GRATITUDE?  As they say, it is DAMN EASY to feel GRATEFUL when LIFE IS GOOD but WHEN disaster strikes, GRATITUDE is worth the effort.  This CAN'T be farther from the truth.  THAT when life is going well, GRATITUDE allows us to celebrate and even magnify the goodness.  BUT what about when life goes on a downturn and goes badly?  The recent pandemic is a classic case and we can count through our fingers as to HOW MANY people were ever [IF AT ALL] manifesting GRATEFULNESS as that pandemic persisted for three years📗📙📘

Under such dire circumstances, I am quite certain we will be drowned with 'NAYs' but hey, according to psychologists, it is precisely under those 'CRISIS CONDITIONS' when we have the most to gain by a GRATEFUL perspective on life.  In the face of demoralization, GRATITUDE has the power to energize us💎💎💎

In the face of BROKENESS,  GRATITUDE has the power to heal.  In the face of DESPAIR, GRATITUDE has the power to bring hope.  In the shortest word, GRATITUDE can help us cope even or especially in HARD TIMES.  A quick clarification though.  I'm not implying here that GRATITUDE will come easily OR naturally in a crisis.  On the other hard, it will be DAMN HARD because human nature tells us that it is EASY to feel GRATEFUL for the GOOD THINGS.  No one feels GRATEFUL that they lost a job or a home or good health  or has taken a devastating hit in his business forays💊💊💊

Now, before we get mixed up, please allow me to make a distinction between FEELING GRATEFUL versus BEING GRATEFUL.  And let's face it, we DON'T have total control over our emotions.  We CAN'T easily will ourselves to feel GRATEFUL, less depressed or happy.  Feelings follow from the way we look at the world, thoughts we have about the way things are, the way things should be, and the distance between those two points.  BUT BUT BUT, being GRATEFUL is a choice, a prevailing attitude that endures and is relatively immune to the GAINS & LOSSES that flow in and out of our lives.  When disaster strikes, GRATITUDE provides a perspective from which we can view life in its entirety📌📌📌

TRIALS & SUFFERINGS can actually refine and deepen GRATEFULNESS if we allow them to show us NOT to take things for granted.  We have a family friend who went through the ordeal of her breast cancer illness and endless rounds of chemotherapy.  Long story short, she has 'miraculously' survived her health ordeals and when we ever spoke to her these days, her GRATEFULNESS was so consistently manifested all over her life till now.  Indeed, when times are GOOD, people take prosperity for granted and begin to believe that they are invulnerable.  In times of UNCERTAINTY, though, people realize how powerless they are to control their destiny.  This is HOW FAR GRATITUDE CAN GO, dude✅✅✅

Have You Hit Your GROWTH CEILING Yet?

Have You Hit Your GROWTH CEILING Yet?

Have You Hit Your GROWTH CEILING Yet?  Well, everyone wants GROWTH.  Whether it's the GROWTH of your academic performance, your work performance, the state of health of your relationship[s], your business revenue, your profit and even your social media network, these are all part of our human aspirations BUT the truth of the matter is that, regardless of one's GROWTH trajectory, at some point, you will be hitting your CEILING⏳⏳⏳

Before we put the cart in front of the horse, let's dig farther how can we detect if we did hit our GROWTH CEILING, whether in our personal life or even in your business forays?  Primero, DO YOU KEEP SPINNING THE WHEEL WITHOUT GAINING TRACTION?  Surely, some of us went through that situation.  Let's take the case of an aspiring basketball player who spends hours and hours in his shooting exercises📌📌📌

After that hoopster managed to hit an average of 20 points per game, relentlessly he never stopped his day-in day-out shooting trainings YET after so many months, his average points per game was NOT off his 20-point mark.  A concrete case of HITTING YOUR CEILING and NOT gaining traction.  Think of those situations that you seem to be on the same level for a long time💊💊💊

OR when it's regard your set goals, have you been UNABLE to reach your goals in a certain area, month after month out OR year in year out?  OR do you lack a clear vision for WHAT life will look like after you finally get the momentum going in a certain area?  OR if you're running a business or organization, do you feel that you've LOST CONTROL❓❓❓

Our takeaway for today tells us that if indeed you realized you HIT YOUR CEILING, it does NOT follow that that's the farthest you can go.  Instead, it may imply that you need to go back to your DRAWING BOARD, re-strategize, re-plan, re-plot.  Just DON'T STOP & GIVE UP because the GOOD NEWS is that your GROWTH CEILING is way beyond what you thought all along❗❗❗

How THANK YOU Matters

How THANK YOU Matters

HOW THANK YOU MATTERS will keep us tied up the next 5 minutes or so BUT I hope that's the best utilized 5 minutes ever for us.  Oh, we were all taught to be courteous and say THANK YOU so, from our childhood all the way to our adulthood, saying THANK YOU was part and parcel of our demeanor, habits and character all rolled into one. Not so fast though📌📌📌

Ironically, I'm starting to believe that THANK YOU is the most under-appreciated and under-used phrase in our life.  Yes it is appropriate in nearly any situation and it is a better response than most of the things we say.  Let's look back at the more common situations  when we say all sorts of things BUT should say THANK YOU📗📙📘

Do we hear someone complimenting your attire and you retort, 'OH THIS IS ONE OF MY OLD STUFF IN MY CLOSET' instead of reacting like 'THANK YOU I'M GLAD YOU LIKE IT'.  OR when you played the best basketball and someone says "WOW YOUR 20 POINTS IS THE BEST' and you retort 'BUT I MISSED THAT 3-POINT SHOT' but there is something empowering about fully accepting a compliment.  WHEN you deflect praise, you CAN'T really own it.  And you just say THANK YOU, you let the weight of the compliment sink in and become yours💎💎💎

In fact, saying THANK YOU gives your mind permission to be built up by the compliments you receive.  Getting compliments should be fun and enjoyable BUT we often ruin that rare of an experience.  It's just really needless to sabotage compliments that come your way.  Accept them with grace and enjoy the moment of course✅✅✅

Now, how many times did we arrive late in an event or engagement?  BTW, being late is the worst thing to happen.  It's more stressful for the person WHO is running late and it's more disrespectful to the person WHO is waiting.  It might seem strange to THANK someone for dealing with your hassle, right?  BUT that's exactly the correct response.  Most people stumble in the door and say "SORRY I'M LATE".  Problem with that response is that it makes the situation 'ABOUT YOU'.  Saying THANK YOU turns the tables around and acknowledges the sacrifice the other person made for waiting❌❌❌

Our CONSCIOUS Versus UNCONSCIOUS Mind

Our CONSCIOUS Versus UNCONSCIOUS Mind

How are we going along during all our hours we're awake?  Very likely, almost everyone is either engaged on his tasks and/or activities and only a slim number will admit they are idle and that even their minds are that idle.  This is where we need to have a much deeper appreciation of Our CONSCIOUS Versus UNCONSCIOUS Minds⚓⚓⚓

As per all these collaterals, our CONSCIOUS MIND can be said to be everything which we are currently aware of.  WHEREAS the UNCONSCIOUS MIND is everything that makes us WHO we are that we are NOT aware of.  And this could include such things as our memory BUT it could also extend to our awareness of our physical self.  A common way of explaining the relationship between our CONSCIOUS and UNCONSCIOUS minds is the metaphor of the iceberg wherein where you see the tip of the iceberg, you're seeing only 10% of what is there.  The rest is below the surface📌📌📌

Our memory is a good example of both the CONSCIOUS and UNCONSCIOUS minds.  A memory is stored in our 'LONG TERM' memory [UNCONSCIOUS] but it can be transferred into our awareness and thus become the CONSCIOUS mind.  Now what sense is this thread bringing to us now?  C'mon dude, UNCONSCIOUS assumptions can affect the way we do things💎💎💎

Now, have we sometimes experienced in the past wherein something may look familiar from when you have had the feeling that you know something BUT are not quite there yet.  That feeling usually indicates that something is in the preconscious and can be brought to conscious awareness, often by ignoring it and allowing the process of transfer to occur naturally❗❗❗

Our takeaway for these considerations between our CONSCIOUS and UNCONSCIOUS minds is that we need to be cautious and mindful that some of our actions [and especially reactions] are directly influenced by both our CONSCIOUS and UNCONSCIOUS minds.  The pitfall lies there when the assumptions [from our UNCONSCIOUS mind] is quite unfounded because that goes from a wrong assumption to a wrong action or reaction.  In brief, before taking an action or reaction, be cautious if wrong assumptions come into play❎❎❎

Should We Be More CURIOUS?

Should We Be More CURIOUS?

Should We Be More CURIOUS?  Too bad the old school taught us that CURIOSITY is for the kids, the non-adults.  BUT numerous studies have shown that the BENEFITS of CURIOSITY cuts across both children and adults alike with the benefits linked with psychological, social, emotional and even health benefits.  BUT in the past, we were [wrongly] told that the benefits of CURIOSITY is limited to the intellectual side📶📶📶

Surprisingly, the results of studies listed benefits that DIDN'T require huge efforts to be exerted.  LIKE CURIOSITY helps us survive.  THAT urge to explore helps us remain vigilant and gain knowledge about our constantly changing environment.  LIKE CURIOSITY makes people are happier.  Researches have shown that CURIOSITY has always been associated with HIGHER levels of positive emotions, LOWER levels of anxiety, MORE satisfaction with life and greater psychological well-being🔍🔍🔍

LIKE CURIOSITY boosts achievements.  Studies reveal that CURIOSITY leads to more enjoyment and participation in school and higher academic achievement as well as greater learning, engagement, and even performance at work.  It may seem like common sense, BUT when we are more CURIOUS, it is easier to get involved, to put effort in💊💊💊

LIKE CURIOSITY can expand our empathy.  When we are CURIOUS about others and talk to people outside our usual social circle, we become better able to understand those with lives, experiences, and worldviews different than our own.  LIKE CURIOSITY helps strengthen relationships.  There was one study which asked strangers to pose and answer personal questions and they found out that people were warmer if they showed CURIOSITY📌📌📌

LIKE CURIOSITY improves healthcare.  Research suggests that when doctors are genuinely CURIOUS about their patients' perspectives, both doctors and patients report LESS anger and frustration and instead, make BETTER decisions, ultimately increasing the effectiveness of a medical treatment.  Indeed, there are one too many INTANGIBLE benefits that should be more than enough reason for us all to be constantly MORE CURIOUS than ever✅✅✅