Default Settings In Life?

 

All along, we always hear DEFAULT SETTINGS for our windows device, IOS or Android smartphones BUT how about our DEFAULT SETTINGS in our life?  True, all of technology has its settings including our internet browser, the fridge and even the vacuum's default brush.  In short, many of us DON'T change the defaults or our tech, so they stay that way for a long time.  So, do we humans also have our own DEFAULT SETTINGS?  In essence, yes we do.  As for myself, my DEFAULT SETTINGS are my repeated behaviors and beliefs📗📙📘

WHEN I do something by default, I do it WITHOUT even thinking about it, AS IF I am on autopilot.  WHICH brings me to the next question.  WHY would I be on autopilot?  YES, being on autopilot makes me more efficient.  In technology, DEFAULT SETTINGS ensure that new users get value right away WHEN using a new product for the first time.  And just like there in the technology space, the DEFAULT SETTINGS in our life can be that incredibly useful.  And WHEN a repeated action becomes second nature, I can finish it without even having to think about it.  Especially in my daily commute, I am essentially on autopilot📌📌📌

Question is, in life, WHERE do these DEFAULT SETTINGS come from?  YES, I realized that this differentiates us humans from technology because we are born with NO DEFAULT SETTINGS.  Instead, our first defaults are set by our parents.  WHEN I was little, my parents looked after me and ensured that all of my needs were met so I could explore and grow.  And as a kid, I had NO important life decisions to make, although at times, it DIDN'T necessarily felt that way.  All decisions, WHERE I lived, WHAT school I'll go to, WHERE I travelled, were made for me in its entirety.  And as we matured, we then became more independent, going out into this world on our own and our family, friends, neighbors, teachers and people we meet start to determine WHAT kind of human I am becoming💥💥💥

Unconsciously then, we gradually adopt to those new-found DEFAULTS.  WHICH reminds me of a concept in psychology called GROUP IDENTITY which states that the group we identify with influences our personal goals and even actions.  The similarities and common interests within a group create stronger bonds and make it easier for members to relate to each other.  Heard of that old cliche:  TELL ME WHO YOUR FRIENDS ARE AND I'LL TELL YOU WHO YOU ARE.  BUT let's NOT take this literally though.  BTW, even our surroundings do influence our ideas, our DEFAULT SETTINGS.  Like if we're asked to name a country, more likely it's a country we've been to, heard of, OR read about it in the past.  In the end, it's a 'mash-up' of things💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  Verily true, a lot of life's DEFAULT SETTINGS are relevant and immediately useful BUT we should NOT and NEVER take things hook, line and sinker.  That's WHEN our maturity and evolving wisdom should come into play.  IF and WHEN you can get into an informed decision to OVERRIDE DEFAULT SETTINGS, go for it, make that OVERRIDE because we should NEVER live and breath via DEFAULT SETTINGS in its entirety😊😊😊

Why Are LISTEN & SILENT Spelled With Identical Letters?

Why Are LISTEN & SILENT Spelled With Identical Letters?  Indeed, this is one of the most trivial questions we can ever pop-up.  BUT let's dice and drill here.  LISTENING is NOT that always easy.  I bear witness to multiple times wherein we had an eloquent speaker in front BUT at the end of his piece, those messages hardly resonated to some amongst the target audience.  BUT a person is NOT always to be faulted!!!

These days, WHO are we to complain if we are surrounded by that constant cacophony of noise, controversy and worse, chaos.  YET, the most successful people on our global village are really NOT just skilled BUT have become experts in LISTENING.  NOW, back to the basic question as to WHY LISTEN and SILENT are both spelled with the identical set of letters?  Oh yes, this is NOT my own answer BUT I stumbled across this one in ChatGPT who says that TO BE A GOOD LISTENER, WE NEED TO FIRST LEARN HOW TO BE SILENT.  In the shortest words possible, LISTEN and SILENT are closely intertwined, inside-out💜💛💚

SO HOW?  I heard this sage advice.  A good LISTENER turns down the 'volume' of the environment.  WHICH means, without interrupting the speaker, let us remove WHATEVER distractions there may be.  And it's as basic as those most common no-brainers LIKE if you're in a meeting [regardless if it's virtual or F2F], mute and keep your smartphone NOT visible to your line of sight.  Of course there will be outliers, i.e. if you are then anticipating an expected urgent and/or critical call from either your client [which might end up as a deal breaker if you miss the call] OR a call from your stakeholder[s] WHICH would pertain to a key decision.  Problem is, many of us are guilty of keeping their smartphone visibly in his line of sight [even during ongoing calls].  Ouch, many times I was guilty of this in the past😡😡😡

NOT done with the no-brainers.  WHEN we're in a discussion, DON'T [as in DON'T] look at the time [again, UNLESS/EXCEPT there is/are outliers] BUT if time is an issue, be transparent to let the parties know HOW much more time you can spare.  And if you're in a public place, position yourself so you're NOT tempted to look at the passersby.  YES, to state the obvious, in SILENCE, it is much easier in WHAT IS and ISN'T being communicated.  And moreover, we need to recognize that there will always be issues below the surface, way below WHAT is obvious that we CAN'T either see OR hear.  Being aware of our own preconceptions and biases will also widen the net enough to help things to become crystal clearer than clear.  And if there is a brewing OR running conflict, let us keep an open mind that maybe the conflict is NOT about us❌❌❌

Our takeaway:  One basic rule many of us tend to be somehow guilty is the level of attention we pay to the person speaking OR communicating.  YES, it is easier to discern emotions conveyed by someone WHEN tuning into their voice, so it may even help if we either divert OR close our eyes WHEN listening [IF that is appropriate in the setting]. Little-little tips include making a mental note of the speaker's body language and observe if the speaker him/herself seems preoccupied, rushed OR seemingly distracted.  Oh yes, one last sage advice.  We DON'T always NEED TO TALK because WHILE we may be smart WHO feels saying something, withholding thar urge to talk may even help more.  YES, that explains WHY ARE LISTEN & SILENT spelled with identical letters dude😌😌😌

Those 'ICK' Moments!@#$%?

 

Just woke up and first things first, I asked myself, I could be our blog thread today.  Kabooom, that 'ICK' stuff suddenly popped up.  Surely, everyone one of us did go through those 'ICK' moments, either as a witness OR probably the 'guilty' party?  LIKE WHEN you're having that first date with your crush in a fancy restaurant and in the middle of things, he licks his finger?  OR you're in a damn serious business meeting trying to close a deal with a prospective client WHEN you suddenly gaslight?  OR probably you are in a longhaul flight and you'd rather go on movie streaming, exclaiming and blurting from time to time [to the annoyance of the stranger seated next to you]📗📙📘

We can go on and on, those 'ICK' moments seem endless.  BUT researchers were so curious  as to WHAT is really happening with our brains during those 'ICK' moments.  And the first thing they came about is that WHEN we're turned off with something, it ISN'T an automatic sign that there is something 'wrong' either with us OR with another person.  In short, NOT everyone is put off by someone awkwardly chasing an errant ping pong ball WHEN you are walking in serious thought💚💛💜

WHAT's intriguing researchers are questions to ponder LIKE WHAT keeps us bothered?  Do we have that tendency to bolt after the first sign of uneasiness?  Does that 'ICK' thing one of those tell-tale signs of potential incompatibility during the early dating stages?  True, even psychologists admit that it can be really tricky as to HOW much weight should be given for those 'ICK' moments💥💥💥

One consensus various studies revealed is that our own reactions to those 'ICK' moments can be subjective most of the time.  LIKE some people think it's disgusting to burp in public WHILE some find it hilarious.  BUT we are advised that before we look elsewhere, let's assess ourselves as to HOW we react to those 'ICK' moments, LIKE are we getting in our own way OR are we way too hard on people?  BUT WHAT's quite alarming is that most respondents in many studies showed that the vast majority of people are talking about their 'ICK' to everybody EXCEPT to the very concerned person, that fellow wh's eliciting that 'ICK' moment.  So, that's a miss from us most of the time😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  Some 'ICK' moments, however, could be serious enough OR worse, 'deal breakers'.  LIKE being rude to a restaurant waiter could be a real-life snapshot of HOW someone as a person handles potentially stressful situations.  And generally, experts tell us that 99% of the time, we can trust ourselves because our instincts are that powerful and in those 'ICK' moments, the most powerful message is 'THIS DOES NOT FEEL RIGHT OR GOOD FOR ME'.  Linking 'ICK' moments to relationships, experts advise us that a relationship is more than just a sum of its parts because at the end of the day, there is no pre-defined formula as to WHICH route you need to take, like take action for that 'ICK' or simply shrug it off???

When Your Value Is At Its Nadir

 

Do we hit ROCK BOTTOM?  Surely many of us did hit ROCK BOTTOM at least once in our lifetime.  That's WHEN YOUR VALUE IS AT ITS NADIR.  For alignment, let's agree WHAT it means to hit ROCK BOTTOM.  It could be one's domestic situation at its worst.  LIKE a failure in your immediate family relationships.  LIKE being jobless.  LIKE going through dire financial straits.  LIKE your business forays ending in a total disarray [a.k.a. bankruptcy].  LIKE one or his/her immediate family members being in a serious medical situation.  LIKE an untimely demise.  One too many scenarios here💚💛💜

True, life ISN'T always smooth sailing.  Sometimes, we would find ourselves at a place damn so low that we end up wondering if it's ever possible to climb back up.  I heard some folks asked LIKE:  'Am I at the lowest point of my life?' OR 'Can this feeling of depression and frustration go any deeper farther?'.  Either way, these are ROCK BOTTOM scenarios indeed.  According to mental health experts, such extreme stressors can trigger feelings of hopelessness depression and even anxiety.  BUT the complexity lies in the fact that every individual's experience remains unique.  WHAT feels LIKE the lowest point for one person may be different from WHAT someone else's situation💧💧💧

Truth is, no one's life journey is the same, WHETHER it's your friends, family OR colleagues, each one may hit their own 'low points' for entirely different reasons.  BUT WHETHER it's a marriage failure, a severe injury, a legal trouble OR a unique personal crisis, hitting one's personal ROCK BOTTOM often signals LIKE a 'wake up call', an urge to seek change OR even professional help.  WHAT is of most paramount importance is recognizing the signs that one has hit ROCK BOTTOM💥💥💥

NOW, before we end up sulking WHEN we hit ROCK BOTTOM, can we align and agree on those NOT so seemingly obvious upsides of hitting ROCK BOTTOM.  BUT again, WHETHER hitting ROCK BOTTOM is 'good' OR 'bad' really depends on one's perspective.  For many, it is an extremely painful 'wake up call' and it may feel LIKE you've lost your own sense of self your family's trust OR your life's purpose.  Yet for some, this lowest point can spark a realization that there's NOWHERE TO GO BUT UP.  WHEN you lost nearly everything that mattered most, you may feel a renewed push to seek help, be it from one's loved ones or even professionally.  Either way, at that point in time, regardless if help is forthcoming, we got to seek help, WHATEVER it means, WHATEVER it takes😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  Each one of us needs to realize that life's challenges can feel like huge big waves crashing over you.  Just as surfers learn to navigate those huge waves without giving up, each of us needs to figure out and find a way to rise up above an adversity that may even lead us to an utter failure.  And that climb up from ROCK BOTTOM might be difficult BUT every small step counts.   SO HOW?  Recognize that ROCK BOTTOM situation then roll up your sleeves to climb up dude❗❗❗

The Second Mouse Gets The Cheese

 

As always, everyone will say, THE EARLY BIRD CATCHES THE WORM BUT here's the catch.  THE SECOND MOUSE GETS THE CHEESE.  We can draw parallelisms to our own selves WHEN we are the neophytes OR novices in a specific endeavor we are diving into, be it in the job market OR be it commercial forays OR even in competitive sports.  Unfortunately, many of us [and that included me in the past] would always think otherwise, brimming with confidence [sometimes overflowing] that we are 'tops'💜💛💚

Truth is, WHEN we are the newest player in the field, true, we can be that bird WHO catches the worm BUT generally, neophytes OR novices are severely handicapped and in WHICH case, very much disadvantaged because our experience by then could likely lead us to mistakes and worst, even failure.  BUT the question, can the neophytes and novices pick a lesson OR two from their predecessors?  After having observed one too many failures in life [and I admit I have a share of those failures in my yesteryears], it is indeed human nature to be a little wary of trying new things💥💥💥

That FEAR of FAILURE tends to make us less likely to take risks even if we're NOT putting our lives in jeopardy.  YES, no one likes to lose money OR worse, even lose face on an idea that DOESN'T work in the first place.  WHICH reminds me of this poetic one-liner:  'EAGLES MAY SOAR BUT WEASELS ARE NEVER SUCKED INTO AIRPLANE ENGINES'.  In brief, many people are indeed motivated by that sense of security and WHEN I observe the differences, I can discern HOW and WHY it happens😕😕😕

Heard of this that a SECOND MOUSE RARELY LEAVES HIS COMFORT ZONE.  If only they can tell you frankly, like:  GO AHEAD, YOU TRY IT FIRST, I'LL JUST STAY OVER HERE IN MY SAFE COZY WORLD AND WATCH.  AND IF YOU DON'T DIE, AND IT LOOKS LIKE THERE'S SOMETHING TO GAIN, THEN MAYBE I'LL TRY.  Which reminds me of Mark Twain saying:  A MAN WITH A NEW IDEA IS A CRANK UNTIL THE IDEA SUCCEEDS✅✅✅

Our takeaway:  Our human desire for that level of security alongside the accompanying risk aversion and avoidance, that keeps us from even testing our potential.  And for the typical worker, as long as you're comfortably receiving a steady paycheck, you're NOT going to take that risk.  More than any other characteristic, it is that willingness to take risks that defines the innovator.  YES, WHEN it is impossible to know the rules, it makes it even scarier to try something new that could possibly break.  YES, security is nice to have BUT this is more about being vigilant that it is about finding a rule that will cover every exigency.  Otherwise, the SECOND MOUSE GETS THE CHEESE❗❗❗

When The Harshest Weather Is Over!

 

Very true, everyone would dread the harshest weather ever, be it the scorching suns breaching 50-degrees OR those biting winters that seem to bog down daily life itself.  And if everyone shares that most common anticipation, it is when the HARSHEST WEATHER IS OVER.   Just to state the obvious, supposedly, that's WHEN everyone of us would expect to literally bounce back into life, come up to speed, ramp up and go on a full throttle to make up for the lost time WHEN life seemed to be at a standstill📗📙📘

As Science is the farthest I can claim to know from my limited book of knowledge, scientists claim that life manages to survive in places as hot as volcanoes and as cold as the poles of our planet, scientists claim that organisms thrive in these extreme environments and somehow, our bodies have these unique adaptions to survive in such punishing and intense conditions.  BUT HOW do we humans manage the harshest weather in our life???

As much as planet Earth is vast, from scorching hot deserts to freezing cold glaciers along with a wide range of environments neatly pocketed throughout the globe, there is something that each place as in common and that's LIFE.  BUT similarly to the harshest weather conditions, we humans need to adapt further.  It's the equivalent of having to wear a sweater WHILE living in a cold country.  YES, you may be getting water food and shelter to survive BUT certainly, we would be more comfortable with a sweater than without one💥💥💥

NOW, let's face reality.  NO ONE is immune and safe from facing the harshest challenges ever in life.  NOT even Former Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte WHO ended up locked up at the ICC Jail at The Hague after taunting and challenging the ICC structure to arrest him before he dies.  These days, his so called 'courageous' wishes have now been fulfilled and only God knows, WHAT's in store for him now that he's languishing at the ICC Jail❌❌❌

Our takeaway:  TIME is of the essence here.  Once the horizons in life have cleared, let us NOT waste even the first one minute to grab that opportunity to recover up for lost time and lost opportunities.  And even as we know the regular cycles of weather, there are many unpredictable cataclysmic conditions that can hit us hard and NOT following the regular calendar of the weather cycle.  WHEN THE HARSHEST WEATHER IS OVER, let's roll up our sleeves, go for broke if we may before the next harsh weather locks us in that vicious cycle😌😌😌

Stop Searching For Happiness, Then It Will Find You!

NOT many donkey years ago, I was once plagued with angst and dissatisfaction, a manifestation that was sometimes met with bemusement instead of sympathy.  HOW often you did hear parents retort to their teens LIKE:  'The problem with your generation is that you always expect to be happy'.  And even when observing from a distance, I was more baffled than informed because we all agree that HAPPINESS is the very purpose of living and we should strive to achieve it.  Stop Searching For Happiness, Then It Will Find You📗📙📘

The challenge is, many of us are NOT prepared that melancholy as something that was beyond one's control.  And the ever-growing mass of wellness literature would seem to suggest that many others share that same view.  This past decade, though, there has been a spike of researches about HAPPINESS and all studies point to the same conclusion that our obsession with HAPPINESS and high personal confidence may be making us LESS content with our lives and LESS effective at reaching and achieving our pre-set goals.  In fact, we may be often HAPPIER WHEN we stop focusing on HAPPINESS altogether.  Can we, dude???

Much as those conclusions seem unwelcome, it's been replicated in multiple studies, only reinforcing the opinion that those experiments do reveal the quite dark side of our pursuit of HAPPINESS.  Besides reducing our everyday contentment, that constant desire to feel HAPPIER can make people feel just more lonely.  In the end, we seem to be so absorbed in our own well-being and in the end, we tend to forget the people around us, and we may even resent them for inadvertently bringing down our mood OR distracting us from more important goals.  And our pursuit of HAPPINESS can even have strange effects n our perceptions of time as that constant FEAR OF MISSING OUT [a.k.a. FOMO] reminds us just how short our lives are and HOW much time we must spend on😊😊😊

There was this research from Toronto which concluded that simply encouraging people to feel HAPPIER while watching a relatively boring film meant that they were more likely to concur that 'TIME IS SLIPPING AWAY FROM ME'.  And the same conclusion was arrived at WHEN the research participants were asked to list 10 activities that might contribute to their HAPPINESS, a subtle reminder that they could all be doing to improve their well-being placed them in a kind of panic as they recognized HOW little time they had to achieve it all.  And a side conclusion of those studies showed that our human tendencies to be paying constant attention to our mood will likely stop us from enjoying everyday pleasures, WHICH in the end, will deprive us of that genuine HAPPINESS we deserve after all💚💛💜

Our takeaway:  Let us 'LET OFF' the pressure from ourselves.  If you're an aspiring, put on hold visualizing yourself with those gold medals around your neck.  If you're an up and coming entrepreneur, temper your visualizations of yourself with that sartorial elegance, chairing a board meeting of your directors in a swanky plush board room.  If you're a dieter, temper that visualization of yourself in that ideal svelte figure you have been dreaming of [maybe for a decade].  And researchers do support this hypothesis that those 'POSITIVE FANTASIES' [and even the 'POSITIVE MOODS' they create] may likely lead to a sense of complacency.  YES dude, STOP SEARCHING FOR HAPPINESS, THEN IT WILL FIND YOU!!!

When Do We SLOW DOWN?

 

WHEN DO WE SLOW DOWN?  In the SMARTPARENTING website, I came across earlier today this shared experience dated 06.25.2025 of a 'runner dad' who had a stroke at the very young age of 33 years old.  As an occupational therapist, he was so conscious of health and fitness to the extent that he went into running and marathons.  Shockingly, this seemingly fit young dad suffered a STROKE right after one of his regular running exercises.  This young dad admitted that he does running every week, boxing every week and even does cross-training twice a week.  In their domestic household, the husband used to be the extrovert handling ALL of the family's needs WHILE the wife was the introvert.  After that STROKE, it was a reversal of roles with the wifey now 'running the show' so to speak [and to his hubby's frustrations]📗📙📘

WHAT this tells us all is that in life, we can prioritize our career, our work, our business and commercial endeavors BUT one priority is often missed by many of us [and I was guilty of that for the longest time NOT until the recent years] and that's our proactive care of our health.  Taking a lift from that smartparenting featured article, allow me to paste EN TOTO the 'hard lessons' learned by the 33 year old [supposedly fit and prim] stroke-hit young dad💥💥💥

• SLEEP IS ESSENTIAL - This young dad used to wake up at 3AM [regardless as to what time he hit the sack the previous night, all because he has to complete his runs and exercise religiously, consistently.  After he got hit with that stroke, he now ensures to sleep at least eight hours each night, even using nasal strips and mouth tape to help in sleep quality
• CHERISH FAMILY & FRIENDS - WHEN we're down [especially if our health gets hit], we will need all the support [NOT just financials] but equally important are the emotional support & words of encouragements💚💛💜

Lastly, this young dad realized how GRIT and SELF-DISCIPLINE really matters.  He had this realization with his life-changing conditions WHERE he had to literally 'RELEARN' things, even movements that he used to do so almost effortlessly BUT for the duration of his recovery, every single step and movement was an ardous torture, not withstanding the fact that the whole recovery process was paintakingly long❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  Seriously, there is NO perfect advice that can guide us as to HOW much and HOW far and HOW fast should our frenetic pace in life should really be.  And WHAT complicates a supposedly simple equation here is that for one WHO could be athletic and even a health buff at that, we need to figure out WHEN to SLOW DOWN even all our physical conditionings and healthy exercises because the challenge here is that the threshold line is NOT even pre-determined to tell us WHEN TO SLOW DOWN😡😡😡

IF You Have To STOP Controlling and LET GO, LET IT GO!

 

WHO does NOT want to CONTROL?  BUT the bigger question is WHERE does that habitual and conditioned need to CONTROL came from in the first place?  As the confused lot would exclaim, WHAT are the signs of it in our bodies and lives and HOW can we let the CONTROL go and embrace more trust?  Verily true, that is NOT always an easy thing to do BUT it is necessary for us to evolve and grow into the being that the universe means us to be.  YES YES yowww, we owe it to ourselves to evolve.  So,IF You Have To STOP Controlling and LET GO, LET IT GO📗📙📘

Now, let's listen from the experts WHO are telling us that CONTROL IS UNCONSCIOUS.  They support this conclusion alongside the foundational nervous system called our PRIMAL BRAIN.  And as we look to those we count on to teach and protect us, we see that they control a great deal of their thoughts and emotions.  And DON'T be surprised WHEN they categorically state that that CONTROL ISN'T something that is done consciously as we learn things from our parents and even the generations before💧💧💧

We then get a sense of WHAT is and is NOT acceptable and we subconsciously learn to build walls around the parts of ourselves that are considered unacceptable.  So, the biggest thing we learn is that everyone around us is trying like hell NOT to feel their human vulnerability.  And uncertainty comes with being human and this then becomes something we tend to learn that we must fight against, which is an irony💥💥💥

YES, I grabbed this poster because it calls a spade a spade.  WHY if someone wants to leave?  WHY if you need support BUT it's NOT coming?  WHY if you thought you should be part of an event BUT you were uninvited?  WHY if it used to be, people seem to look upon you as someone up in a pedestal [if NOT Mount Rushmore] BUT these days, people seem oblivious that you exist right at their very nose?  We can go on and on, life can be damn hard WHEN we get confronted with these endless 'WHY's' with nary an answer😔😔😔

Our takeaway:  Zillion times we have been peppered with this harsh reminder:  THAT IF it is NOT meant for you OR me, so be it.  And the downside here is that if we attempt to exert more CONTROL to reign in those 'UNCONTROLLABLES' that we deem unacceptable and avoid feeling uncertainty and vulnerability, we may likely end up creating conflict with life itself.  So, IF YOU HAVE TO STOP CONTROLLING AND LET GO, LET IT GO❗❗❗

Turning A New Leaf Has Always Been An Enigma

 

WHEN I was a neophyte in the workforce, I envisioned myself getting into office early every day, spending several hours virtuously with my daily task list and then knocking off from work by 5pm, to drive home, weaving through the metro traffic gridlock [WHICH simply worsened beyond the seams till to date].  And I thought that I'll be Turning Over a New Leaf BUT that has always been an enigma📗📙📘

Instead, by the time I did hit the sack, I was lying awake all night, agonizing over everything I'd said that day, sleeping late and rolling into office come next day pretty much in bad shape.  And at that point, I was like drowning in self-recrimination.  Paradoxically, the office I dreamed off for the longest time now felt like the scene of a crime I had committed against myself.  And it seemed that I'd killed off my chance for a good day before I've ever gotten out of bed and by then, there was nothing I could do to resuscitate it.  So, I ended up occupying myself with some busywork💥💥💥

Surely, some of you would have had those similar mornings OR afternoons or weeks I went through.  True, there are good reasons WHY we wind up thinking about changes this way BUT the thing that turns this into a trap is that it is a problem that disguises itself as a solution.  Problem is, the more we try to do it right from the beginning, the more stuck we become😌😌😌

So, WHAT's our fix here?  I WON'T mince words here and I'll bluntly say that, WHERE possible, NEVER wait for you to end up like a dried, worn out leaf to egg you to TURN OVER A NEW LEAF.  In layman's terms, NEVER wait for the last alarm and final warning siren to push you into action.  YES, at times we may feel seemingly stuck BUT we DON'T have to stay stuck on the lame and 'inexcusable' excuse that we have been overtaken by events because that is just 'inexcusable'❌❌❌

Our takeaway:  The most apt parallelism we can draw here is in LEARNING itself because THAT DIDN'T stop WHEN we graduated and left our university's portals.  And THAT DIDN'T stop WHEN we started to receive our monthly pay cheque.  WHY?  Because everything in life has an EXPIRATION DATE.  Nothing is embedded in the cobbled stones and concrete.  We got to refresh ourselves, reinvent and reinforce our very own self even if TURNING A NEW LEAF has always been like an ENIGMA😊😊😊