Keep Stacking Days!

Keep Stacking Days!

In the competitive and punishing world of the very competitive NBA in the United States, teams are allowed to have up to 15 regular players and up to 3 players on two-way deals [which means they are limited to play up to a max of 50 games and are excluded from any playoffs games.  With a team that deep enough, in every game, the NBA coaches will rotate up to a max of 9 to 10 players. That leaves around 5 to 8 either on the bench or are tagged as 'DNP' [did not play'].  YET, coaches keep encouraging the benchers to Keep Stacking Days!  And more importantly, they are encouraged to be ready AS IN ready anytime their number is called by the coach to come into the game.  And they're reminded to Keep Stacking Days📗📙📘

In our life, that competitiveness in the NBA comes into play every day as well.  LIKE when we're still in the academe and the class includes high-flyers, HOW can you stand out in the crowd?  That's to KEEP STACKING DAYS.  WHEN your name is called OR if there is a chance to 'show up', do 'show up' so that you'll be recognized.  LIKE when you're an upstart entrepreneur just having your startup business in one corner of a busy mall.  HOW can people recognize a relative unknown in the market?  WHEN a customer does come to you, DON'T leave a single stone unturned to impress upon the customer that they made the right choice WHEN they patronized either your product OR your service.  LIKE when you're a novice in the organization and you're still an 'UNKNOWN quantity' [especially to the bosses].  Etch your mark as much as you can and KEEP STACKING DAYS💥💥💥

LIKE when you finally got married and settled down, WHAT happens after the honeymoon?  Reality sinks, right?  So WHAT do we need to do?  KEEP STACKING DAYS.  Those days WHEN the stars were always aligned in your favor, mark those days in the calendar.  WHEN you become a wheeler-dealer with customers, you get embroiled into no holds barred 'give and take'.  KEEP STACKING DAYS✅✅✅

To KEEP STACKING DAYS also means that during those situations WHERE you gave in OR acquiesced to someone's wishes OR request, create that VIRTUAL GOODWILL ACCOUNT where you simply list down every single time you gave in as an ACT OF GOODWILL.  And that will be like your savings account where your deposits keep piling up [even in drips and drops]😌😌😌

Our takeaway:  Our journey, our interactions will NOT always run on paved, smooth roads and highways.  Sometimes [OR maybe many times] there will be potholes OR even gaping holes that will spoil your journey and that will cause you to eventually lose your momentum.  BUT if during the early stretches of your journey, you were able to reinforce your motivation, the temporary threat to your journey's momentum can be pre-empted by your motivation that has piled up when you KEPT STACKING DAYS.  So WHAT happens if you're on a losing streak?  Same story dude.  Dip into your GOODWILL ACCOUNT and clutch to those flickering hopes that will keep your head at the very least above water level [so that you DON'T get drowned].  KEEP STACKING DAYS dude❗❗❗

Putting All Things Together [That's NO Rocket Science]

Putting All Things Together [That's NO Rocket Science]

Awhile ago, out of curiosity, I did a Google Search of "SECRET OF HAPPINESS" and NOT to my surprise, there were over 7,500,000 search results.  My outright conclusion:  That's a hell lot of people writing about and searching for something that has already been found a zillion times through the centuries.  I also stumbled across the 'Grant and Glueck' Studies from Harvard WHICH tracked 724 research participants from various walks of life over the course of 75 years to figure out WHAT is the reason OR factor that helped them achieve HAPPINESS.  And the result was one word:  RELATIONSHIPS.  But the research qualified that it's NOT RELATIONSHIPS per se BUT it means, within RELATIONSHIPS, Putting All Things Together [That's NO Rocket Science]📗📙📘

In the fewest words, the Harvard researches concluded that "THE CLEAREST MESSAGE THAT WE GET FROM THE 75-YEAR STUDY IS THAT GOOD RELATIONSHIPS KEEP US HAPPIER AND HEALTHIER, PERIOD".  Translating into simpler terms, the QUALITY of life, both emotionally, physically and mentally, is directly proportional to the quality of our relationships.  BUT the researchers do cautioned us.  THAT if there's one thing most of us have learned, it is the fact that just knowing a lot of people ISN'T enough.  In other words, RELATIONSHIPS is NOT all about quantity.  You can be the friendliest guy in the neighborhood BUT WHAT GIVES if those are hollowed RELATIONSHIPS❎❎❎

In short, we are counselled that true fulfillment in RELATIONSHIPS is about that genuine 'CONNECTION' and one of the most efficient ways to form that connection is by practicing WHAT the psychologists have coined as 'POSITIVE ALACRITY', that skill we define as creating those micro-micro experiences that can contribute and eventually trigger an emotional uplifting in others✅✅✅

Playing devil's advocate, I was talking to myself and asking:  DID WE REALLY NEED THAT 75-YEAR STUDY?  Probably NOT at all because supposedly, that's a given, a no-brainer we all knew all along.  So, the big puzzler here is WHY do we still [often] struggle to treat many of the most important relationships in our lives with the reverence and priority WHICH all along we know they deserve?  Let's rattle off real-life scenarios.  LIKE WHEN we're under stress, we have that tendency to be ruder to your spouse/partner as compared to a stranger📌📌📌

Our takeaway:  There are many more eye-openers in our life. LIKE when building up a startup business, you're willing to grind in 60-hour weeks and YET you can hardly spare an hour with your family?  OR once in that business, you may fail to consistently and proactively invest in deepening professional relationships that might even provide the breakthrough opportunities you need.  We can go on and on BUT the stark conclusion here is that you got to PUT ALL THINGS TOGETHER in a holistic manner [and NOT SILO'd] so you can achieve that lasting and genuine HAPPINESS you deserve😌😌😌

Viewpoints And Perspective Are Top Life Factors!

Viewpoints And Perspective Are Top Life Factors!

Sharing a Quora.com post by Frank Abah:  WHEN Virgin Atlantic CEO Richard Branson unexpectedly dropped by a Virgin Atlantic branch office, he discovered an employee dozing off on a couch.  He snapped a picture next to him WHICH he later posted online with this shocking caption:  THIS EMPLOYEE WORKED SO HARD TO REMAIN THE FIRST COMPANY IN THE CUSTOMERS' SATISFACTION AND NOW HE'S TIRED, WHICH FORCED HIM TO REST A LITTLE.  Indeed. Viewpoints And Perspective Are Top Life Factors!!!

Indeed, a wider picture represents two individuals standing on either side of the number 9 that has been drawn on the floor.  For one person, it appears as the number 6 and for another, it's the number 9.  WHO is right and WHO is wrong?  Obviously , they both are right yet they both are wrong in the eyes of another individual because of the viewing perspective.  This is the simplest example showing perspective meaning

If people simply understand that a life perspective can be changed. molded and explained, the world can be a better place for all.  It can put end to fights, wars, even daily quarrels and much more.  The only requirement is to see things from another person's perspective.  We can make a perfect society with responsible adults if we teach our children about the PERSPECTIVE and its importance.  To learn HOW to see things from another person's perspective, you must learn the fundamentals of PERSPECTIVE.  You need to know WHAT a life PERSPECTIVE is in the first place.  YES dude, in our personal lives, few things are absolutely right OR wrong.  Mainly, we have two different PERSPECTIVES on one thing.  For instance, for one person, something extremely bad is just something normal for another.  And on the surface, that seems to be a non-issue

YES, it is easy to come across a lot of different debates especially online these days.  And NOT to anyone's surprise OR shock, there are a hell lot of polarizing debates around relationships, politics and even the zillion nuances in life, practically covering anything that has two sides to the story OR binary thinking.  Then, social media gets into the picture and suddenly, we have an entirely different ballgame!@#$%?

Our takeaway:  YESsirrrrrrs, when social media gets into the picture, fasten your seatbelt because even that old school of thought that there are two sides of a coin, that will be thrown out of the window.  WHY?  If there are ten folks giving their UNSOLICITED opinions, expect to hear ten versions. WOW, WOW, WOW, YES dude, VIEWPOINTS AND PERSPECTIVES ARE TOP LIFE FACTORS, indeed!!!

Outliers Are Outliers, Period.

Outliers Are Outliers, Period.

For alignment, let us quote definitions of OUTLIERS.  It is a data point that lies abnormally far away from other values in a dataset.  Let's take OUTLIERS in income.  Someone like Elon Musk WHO achieved a historic first by having his net worth breach $400 billion today, is a concrete example of an OUTLIER.  BUT we WON'T spend time on that.  Instead, we'd like to dissect how do we handle OUTLIERs in life.  YES, Outliers Are Outliers, Period.  Problem is, many times in our life, OUTLIERS do exist in incognito mode.  Even we ourselves, we often miss out to recognize that a particular situation is an OUTLIER📗📙📘

Let's swing back to our own selves.  WHAT IF in one of the stretches in our life, we seemed more mediocre in our performance, WHETHER that could be in our academics WHEN we were still in school OR WHEN we got employed.  And one day, your own boss calls you for a confidential discussion, highlighting a miscue you caused OR a quality defect you own at work.  Come next month, you get flagged down again for a different issue.  One day, you hit the nail on its head and voila, you were commended by your client, whoa!!!

Problem is, you thought the most recent client commendation you received reaffirmed that you are a TOP PERFORMER [really?] WHEN in truth and IN FACT, your most recent work performance was more of an OUTLIER.  That's the issue there.  Just because we had that FLASH IN THE PAN performance, all so suddenly we got 'drowned' with the commendations and we started to [WRONGLY] think that we were indeed a TOP PERFORMER?  Dude, that's the time to separate the shaft from the wheat💥💥💥

SO HOW?  it's plainly straightforward.  Anything that's consistent OR fairly regular, then that's NOT an OUTLIER.  BUT if you do receive client commendations  interspersed with a streak of foul-ups at work, pick up the gauntlet, take on that challenge to turn around that OUTLIER of a good performance and make it consistent enough.  Otherwise, an OUTLIER will remain an OUTLIER.  How about your relationships with your partner/spouse, your family, your work colleagues, HOW is it going???

Our takeaway:  IF it means being compared to your peers and all performance data support that you are the TOP PERFORMER while the rest of the pack are mediocre, then you yourself is the recognized OUTLIER from a positive perspective.  BUT if in your relationships, more often you are at fault and once in a while, you become a FLASH IN THE PAN, then you're a classic example of an unwelcome OUTLIER.  Yes dude, OUTLIERS are OUTLIERS, period.  Would you be one???

The Action Is The Juice

Allow me to quote this one-liner from the 1995 movie 'HEAT' of Tom Sizemore where he said:  The Action Is The Juice.  Point in that one-liner is that the thrill of the action is more important than the payoff.  In real life, that can be translated to mean refers to our desire to continue seeking the thrill of action even in the midst of life-changing twists and turns. In that heist movie, the very payoff [of that heist] fades into the background WHEREAS the thrill of the heist itself is WHERE it's at.  In the fewest words, the message in that movie was that the risk is worth taking.  Such predicament happens in our life many times and the way we arrive at our decision will either tilt it in our favor OR not📗📙📘

Many years ago, WHEN all I can afford as my first car was an old car where I was the third-owner.  And my very close friend WHO happens to know the INs and OUTs of a car mechanic, volunteered to tweak my car such that after I turn on the ignition key, that's the time I will turn on the switch for the radiator.  WHEN I shared that tweak to my boss then, he commented that that SMALL benefit is NOT worth it given the HIGH risk [WHAT IF I forgot to turn-on the radiator's switch].  Indeed, life does NOT tell us to take on all the risks we may stumble across.  WHERE does that lead us to?  It's for us NOT to forget OR miss out the fact that the best part of that whole journey is NOT necessarily the final end, the ultimate result BUT it's the journey itself every step of the way💧💧💧

On a first-person basis, I witnessed a father WHO worked for more than thirty years overseas and through the years, he was dutiful enough to ensure sending all the financial needs of his family, specifically his two sons.  And besides the financial aspect, given the distance between their home and the sons' universities, the responsible father rented a condo unit that was walking distance to their university.  NOT to mention that they had their laptops and iPhones, name it💥💥💥

Fast-forward as we speak now, very sadly, those two sons have NOT graduated from their respective university courses despite the fact that their hard-working father was responsible enough through the decades in fact.  WHERE's the miss [OR misses] there?  YES dude, without really nitpicking, the responsible father seemed so focused in complying with his responsibilities [especially the financial aspect] BUT he missed BIG TIME relishing the action itself😊😊😊

Our takeaway:  That's precisely the point here.  Let us avoid missing the whole picture.  True, we are so glued with and at that final destination BUT what is equally important is our focus as to WHERE THE ACTION IS.  Even the NBA coaches always remind their hoopsters that basketball game will last 4 quarters, so they've got to grind out the whole game and most importantly, they got to remember that the ACTION IS THE JUICE!!!

The Root Of The Rot

The Root Of The Rot

Have you ever had a problem that refused to go away?  NO matter WHAT you did, sooner OR later it would return, perhaps in another form.  Then stubborn OR recurring problems are [in REALITY] often symptoms of chronic OR deeper issues.  True, 'QUICK FIXES' may seem easy and convenient BUT in reality, they often solve only the surface issues and end up waste resources that could otherwise be used to tackle the real ROOT CAUSE.  In short, to get to the very  Root Of The Rot, go deeper, way beyond the surface📗📙📘

In the corporate world, we were always equipped with that 'fish bone' analysis WHICH, in a nutshell, it framed the '5 WHYs' Technique'.  Simply put, keep asking WHY over and over again because that in essence drills down to the very root cause.  Then, WHEN a countermeasure becomes apparent, it is imperative that you will follow-through to 'nip things in the bud', for that recurring problem NOT to recur [again]💦💦💦

Now, let me play the devil's advocate.  WHEN do we use the 5 WHYs Technique?  Experts have concurred that this is the best and simplest technique to tackle and resolve relatively simple OR moderate problems and that includes troubleshooting, quality improvement and problem solving.  BUT for complex problems, it may NOT be that effective because the 5 WHYs Technique can lead you to pursue a single track OR a limited number of tracks WHEN in fact there could be multiple causes.  In those complex scenarios, the CAUSE and EFFECT analysis may be more effective then💧💧💧

Over time, though, the simple 5 WHYs Technique can often direct us quickly to the root cause of a problem.  So, whenever a process ISN'T working properly, let's GIVE IT A TRY  before we embark on a more in-depth approach [and certainly before we attempt to develop a solution].  The past donkey years, I bear witness to multiple situations WHERE people [wrongly[ thought they have FIXED a problem with finality, only to see that problem recur come next week, next month OR next year💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  Let us embed deep within us that discipline to get to the ROOT OF THE ROT because IF and WHEN we miss that out, we will get locked-in into that vicious cycle WHEN problems will continue to recur and haunt us over and over again.  BUT WHO wants to get caught into that chronic cycle?  Obviously no one BUT I've witnessed with my naked eyes many of us unconscious and unaware that we continue to miss out the boat because we fail to address recurring problems head-on with that 5 WHYs Technique.  BUT we DON'T want to be blamed for having done TOO little TOO late.  BUT hey, getting into the ROOT OF THE ROT is the way to go [if we're that dead serious dude]😊😊😊

Life Comes At You FAST

Life Comes At You FAST

In 1880, U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt wrote to his brother "MY HAPPINESS IS SO GREAT THAT IT MAKES ME ALMOST AFRAID".  From the time he got married, wrote a book, attended law school and won his first public office, that STREAK continued even WHEN his first daughter was born.  BUT two days later, is wife died and hours earlier, his mother died.  In his diary, he marked a Big 'X' in his diary and wrote "THE LIGHT HAS GONE OUT OF MY LIFE".  Sadly, Life Comes At You FAST📗📙📘

YES, very very true, as they say, LIFE COMES AT YOU FAST.  It can change in an instant.  Everything you built, everyone you hold dear, can be taken from you.  And for absolutely NO REASON.  [Knock on wood] Just as easily, you can be taken away from them too.  SO WHAT?  That's where STOICSM comes into this thread as STOICS continue to remind us that we need to be CONSTANTLY prepared for every single twist and turn in our fortunes💧💧💧

To swing from my kind of 'Nostradamus' mode now, we are always reminded that much as light flickers off, anytime that light can come back.  With President Roosevelt, after that spate of personal tragedies, that light didn't get extinguished permanently.  He became a great father, a great husband and a great leader of the United States.  BTW, this narrative is NOT just factually for President Roosevelt.  Looking back the past years of our own lives, surely you will come to that same realization, those TWISTS & TURNS in our life.  And BTW, that permeates any aspect of our lives, be it our own personal family life, our work life, our entrepreneurial life and even our social life💦💦💦

So WHAT GIVES?  Any day, anytime, AS IN anytime, LIFE COMES AT US FAST.  Those UPs and DOWNs.  Today.  Tomorrow.  And if there's anything that stands out, those UPs and DOWNs may pop-up WHEN we least expect it, especially those downturns, WHEN we quickly spin down deep south pretty fast.  And this is WHERE resilience gets into the picture as we need to develop and reinforce that attribute as we continue to anticipate any twist and downturn.  Much akin to the weather, the sun could be shining and dandy now BUT that DOESN'T get guaranteed forever❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  Even in the NBA world, things are harsher than it seems.  Today [and maybe for the past months], a hoopster is playing hoops at an A-level NOT UNTIL he gets injured, and gets sidelined indefinitely even as that downtime extends to months and even spills over to the next calendar year.  DON'T look farther.  We can be this healthy today BUT GOD knows.  We can only hope and pray that we remain this healthy through the farthest and longet stretches of our life because one day, YES dude, LIFE COMES AT YOU FAST💥💥💥

"Choose the Job You Love [And You Will Never Work A Day In Your Life]"

I am NOT an ardent student of Confucius, the Chinese Philosopher BUT please allow me to borrow his one-liner:  "Choose the Job You Love [And You Will Never Work A Day In Your Life]".  Let's put aside the first word of this enduring Confucian wisdom and focus instead on the core essence of its inaccuracy.  the notion that a lovable job does NOT equate to hard work OR work at all, for that matter📗📙📘

Actually, NO sirrrrrs, it would be remiss of us to overlook that first word since it represents much of WHAT's wrong with this quotation.  Because that word 'CHOOSE' claims that people really do have a choice WHEN selecting their job. YES it does insinuate that those of us in jobs we hate OR jobs we mildly dislike have intentionally chosen their career paths.  One might even say that to be spoiled for career choice is a luxury of living [WHICH is amusing] considering the origin of that quotation.  BTW, even among those living in the First World, though, a vast majority have little choice in the vocation they end up pursuing.  In essence, that freedom we relish to choose one's career so that it generates this thing called 'LOVE' is really only in the purview of a few.  True, it's nice to imagine that choice is widely available, that we can choose to be an artist or a church musician BUT the sad reality is that we just CAN'T.  Probably, the sort of choice to which Confucius referred has, more often than NOT, been unavailable to many of us💥💥💥

BUT anyway, enough dissecting that quotation.  Let's move instead to that very core issue WHICH is essentially the notion that a job you love is the 'ticket' you need to a life in WHICH work DOESN'T really exact a toll.  In order to articulate the inaccuracy of that quotation, it is imperative to explain a term commonly known as 'EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT WHICH is a better way to conceive of that 'LOVE' an individual might feel at work💥💥💥

That 'EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT' occurs WHEN an employee is so 'SWITCHED ON' at work, so motivated, focused, interested and involved, they end up producing some of the best work imaginable for their employer.  EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT is:

• WHEN they exert greater effort at work
• WHEN they invest more of their cognitive
• And WHEN they feel emotionally linked to their boss, their colleagues, their employer and YES, especially to their job

Our takeaway:  Let's begin with WHAT's perhaps the most obvious,  that NO ONE will actually love their job ALL OF THE TIME.  WHY?  Simple.  NO job is ever that perfect.  This means that even the best and most lovable jobs will contain experiences you absolutely love and experiences you will seriously loathe.  And even as the most credible researches will tell us that this usually happens NOT just once in a while BUT every day, perhaps from hour to hour OR even minute to minute.  To tweak this oft-quoted Confucius wisdom, can we reword it to:  HAVE A JOB YOU LOVE AND YOU WILL STILL HAVE TO WORK MOST DAYS IN YOUR LIFE.  That's simply calling a spade a spade, dude❗❗❗

When You're On 'THIN ICE'

How often are we on 'THIN ICE'?  Likely, rarely and NOT often, right?  BUT When You're On 'THIN ICE', how should we handle things from that point onwards?  WHEN we're in something like SURVIVAL MODE?  In simple techie jargon, SURVIVAL MODE is essentially booting in 'SAFE MODE'.  Things like prolonged grief, trauma, OR even burnout can cause our brains to opt in booting in this way, kind of our brain entering SURVIVAL MODE.  Some sort of trauma may be at the root of one's grief, OR burnout may just be our experience as we return from work [after a long time].  Trauma can be defined and classified in many ways.  And this can feel like a heavy term to many.  Essentially, any short-term OR long-term, very stressful experience, can indeed be traumatizing.  YES, many of us did experience trauma during that pandemic, including strained relationships due to the pandemic and ongoing stress associated with WHAT we are seeing on the news OR even in our personal lives📗📙📘

Psychologists have coined this jargon 'FIGHT, FLIGHT, FREEZE and FAWN' and according to the experts, that results in our body saying 'ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS ONLY'.  That explains WHY trauma responses often feel like a lack of focus, that 'WAIT, WHAT HAPPENED?'  The feeling of reading something five times over and still DON'T know WHAT it's all about.  Feel like you are operating on a short fuse OR simply exhausted and procrastinating tasks you WON'T usually procrastinate❌❌❌

Just to take a sneak preview of FIGHT, FLIGHT, FREEZE and FAWN:

• FIGHT - WHEN facing a perceived danger head-on
• FLIGHT - WHEN running away from danger
• FREEZE - WHEN unable to to act against a threat
• FAWN - WHEN immediately acting to try to please to avoid any conflict.  

Experts say that each of these responses is our body's best attempt at SURVIVAL💥💥💥

Experts shared a sampling of the tell-tale signs that we are about OR are already in SURVIVAL MODE:

• WHEN forgetting to take care of one's basic needs
• WHEN feeling more tired than usual OR expected
• WHEN emotion regulation goes out of the window
• WHEN multitasking becomes challenging
• WHEN memory lapses or issues happen

Exports forewarn us that any of these signs and symptoms are the early indicators that you may be headed for OR are already in that SURVIVAL MODE.  And being aware and conscious of these early indicators and manifestations, naming them and responding accordingly, can help manage and prevent living in that precarious SURVIVAL MODE.  Picking their brains...😐😐😐

Our takeaway:  Experts keep counselling us to embrace SELF-COMPASSION, SELF-REGULATION and SELF-CARE.  While SELF-COMPASSION is a practice of goodwill and NOT good feelings, it lets ourselves to commit mistakes.  WHEREAS SELF-REGULATION is our own ability to manage our emotions , thoughts and behaviors to reach a positive outcome WHILE in SELF-CARE, we need to notice WHICH dimension is impacted because our own SELF-CARE kicks in from there.  All these WHEN YOU'RE ON THIN ICE, dude✅✅✅

Some Games Are WAY TOO BIG For Us!!!

Some Games Are WAY TOO BIG For Us!!!

NOT to be a 'kill-joy' because everyone is entitled to have his/her own choices and decisions in life BUT truth of the matter here is the stark reality that indeed, Some Games Are WAY TOO BIG For Us!  Literally speaking, as an example, even if you play hoops, that DOESN'T mean you can play in the NBA!  That explains WHY the NBA came up with the G League, because those who fall short of the NBA's toughness can hone and sharpen their skills in the G League.  That goes true in life, dude📗📙📘

YES, for experience sake, it's worth it to go to the Vegas Strip to get into some of the casino games BUT be cautioned if you dream to be a high-roller there [UNLESS you belong to that group].  In the academe, YES everyone dreams to study and graduate from any of the Ivy League schools BUT do you have WHAT it takes to face the highest academic standards in the Ivy League [even assuming you have the $$$$$$ means]?  Oh yes, about video games, are they [generally] good OR bad for us?  True, there's nothing wrong to live and breathe video games BUT can we assess its impact to our culture???

YES, it is important to note that video games no longer denote the 'basic level-up' model OR even those Nintendo Gameboys in the past.  YES, video games are these complicated online multiverses with many objectives that are nested within objectives.  Some games are competitive in nature and require immense skill while others are meant to take you on a journey.  And if you're a GAMER, you would agree that 'GAMER CULTURE' is large and complicated with each game spawning its own merch, inside jokes language, characters, dances cosplay events and the list goes on.  The point we're driving out is that video games are NO longer about the game itself.  These days, being a gamer is a broad identifier of the type of sub-culture you belong to.  And almost has nothing to do with the act of playing video games.  True, gaming has its obvious positives.  There's a great deal of fun.  YES, you can get lost in a world and escape your daily routines.  Those graphics are mesmerizing💥💥💥

Fun aside, another argument in favor of video games is that it speeds up your reaction time.  NOW for the NEGATIVEs.  It is NO surprise that the demographic that tends to play video games are much younger but as these video games do become complicated, we could get lost and forget about the real world.  Time is precious.  Often, the recurring complaint we hear is "I WISH I SPENT LESS TIME' playing video games and more time on doing this OR that😕😕😕

Our takeaway:  Have you observed some gamers WHO have either keep taking meals on a delayed basis and many more I come to know even skip meals day-in day-out, not to mention some end up neglecting even their hygiene and health [imagine NOT taking a bath regularly].  BUT WHAT struck me the most about heavy gamers in their mid 20's is their naivety.  They DIDN'T seem to meet enough people, live enough life, OR go through many experiences.  Some are even gullible and struggle to comprehend HOW the world could be so unfair.  Dude, DON'T let life pass you by.  Get out of your comfort zone.  The rewards are much greater WHEN you accomplish something in real life❗❗❗