When Life Takes The Wind Out Of Your Sails

 

So, WHAT do we mean with When Life Takes The Wind Out Of Your Sails?  In our life, that is akin to loosing confidence at any point in time.  And that is pretty normal because a lack of confidence and low self-esteem can affect how people feel about themselves and their abilities.  WHAT is concerning here is that WHEN people get hit with low SELF-ESTEEM and a lack of confidence, it can negatively affect people's relationships, work OR even your own pursuits📗📙📘

Worst of all probabilities, without any helpful intervention, it may also have a negative effect on one's mental and physical health.  For alignment, I guess we need to differentiate confidence and SELF-ESTEEM WHERE the former is that belief someone has in himself and that includes his abilities and even his ideas.  IF a person has that confidence, they generally understand and accept themselves as they are.  On the other hand, a person with high levels of SELF-ESTEEM will feel positive about themselves and recognize their good qualities💜💛💚

In contrast, someone with low SELF-ESTEEM may feel negatively about themselves and may NOT see themselves as worthy of love, feeling good, OR having a successful happy life.  An individual may be confident about a certain ability OR skill they have BUT they have low SELF-ESTEEM if they view themselves negatively.  A recurring question I always here is, HOW can we improve our SELF-ESTEEM so we can avert WHEN LIFE TAKES THE WIND OUT OF OUR SAILS???

Taking a leaf from real-life experiences, let's hear from them:

• Do challenge UNKIND thoughts and replace it with POSITIVE self-talk, like speaking with a loved one
• Do avoid comparing yourself to others and consider avoiding social media as it may lead you to NEGATIVE thoughts
• Keep reminding yourself that it's ok to commit mistakes
• And the biggest magic word here is to PRACTICE SELF-CARE LIKE getting good quality sleep, eating a balanced diet and taking part in healthy activities [and exercises] 

I've heard this several times.  THAT by trying to focus on the POSITIVES, we put yourself in a position to celebrate our successes and take note of one's achievements, including things that have gone well and even compliments and testimonials you may have received along the way😊😊😊

Our takeaway:  Let us NOT draw analogies between human life and the life of non-humans like car batteries.  While for the former, as long as the car battery is full charged, it can keep going UNLESS there is an electrical malfunction, in our lives, our SELF-ESTEEM and SELF-CONFIDENCE takes the driver's seat as we go chug-chug-chug like that locomotive train of our life.  WHEN LIFE TAKES THE WIND OUT OF YOUR SAILS, that DOESN'T happen overnight dude❗❗❗

When GIVING UP Is The Way To Go

 

GIVING UP is the shortest of all short cuts BUT, no pun intended, GIVING UP is NOT always the sure cut to fix a challenge OR a problem.  On the other hand, psychologists always underscored that, generally, human decisions are correct and good enough.  As such, once we determine that leaving OR GIVING UP a situation is in your own best interest, you can then view your ability to recognize WHEN it's time to quit and NOT as a weakness.  Accepting a harsh reality that you CAN'T control everything is another pragmatic approach cutting our losses OR reducing the damage that may be inevitable to happen OR hit us anyways📗📙📘

No question about one's perseverance as it is one of the most admirable qualities we can have as persistence and determination are key for us to be reaching our goals and eventually achieving success [especially WHEN we are like swimming against the tide, facing stiffer challenges head-on].  And although meeting and achieving the goals we earlier set may seem like the only option, the real truth is that in certain circumstances, GIVING UP is sometimes a viable option to take💥💥💥

True, GIVING UP is a damn hard concept to accept, since giving up is often equated with failure.  Having said that, knowing WHEN to walk away is more than just a skill worth developing and even embedding within us.  The more difficult question is HOW do we change our perspective on leaving a specific endeavor OR pursuit behind and moving forward instead???

In the simplest practical terms, once we can confirm that we are skidding OR things are 'GOING SOUTH', let's pull the brakes for us to deeply reassess the situation, specifically comparing the costs, LIKE WHAT it has already cost you and WHAT it will likely cost you more in the future if you persist and DON'T GIVE UP.  All too often, we tend to continue pursuing our goal that is NOT obtainable OR seek to improve a situation that will NOT improve because of a concept called 'SUNK COST' fallacy and that is a decision-making bias tat causes us to spend more time, effort and even monies on an activity simply because we already invest so much in it❌❌❌

Our takeaway:  Our chronic dilemma in decision-makings WHEN we hit rough patches is that 'SUNK COST' fallacy WHEREIN WHEN the stakes are high enough and we have poured so much time, effort and resources, we tend to remind ourselves that there's NO GIVING UP because of all the 'SUNK COSTs' to date.  BUT to simplify things, if your 'SUNK COSTs' now has a ballpark of US$1 million and if persisting on that losing proposition, you will rack up losses breaching US$10 million, think about it.  GIVING UP may be the most pragmatic decision you can ever make for you to STOP THE BLEEDING.  Note that GIVING UP does NOT mean that you're a quitter, a weakling😊😊😊

Where's your ANCHOR IN LIFE?

 

Quick question.  Do we need an ANCHOR IN LIFE?  Yesireee, absolutely, we need an ANCHOR IN LIFE.   So, my next question is:  Where's your ANCHOR IN LIFE?  BUT before we delve into that, let's step back and agree that CHANGE is constant.  Because life is about enduring CHANGE, regardless WHETHER it's positive OR negative, large OR small, simple OR complex.  WHY?  Because we manage CHANGE by finding ANCHORS in our lives, solid and unchanging things we can cling to for stability.  BTW, WHO wants stability?  OR WHO needs stability?  Surely, the answer is so obvious we should NOT even retort, right???

Just a quick rundown of the most obvious things in our life.  Our most common ANCHORS in life are:  Firstly, people OR relationships such as our family OR our most trusted coterie of friends.  Secondly, there's our career, WHETHER that means having our own business or we're in a workplace OR we are in our vocation OR calling.  Thirdly, our hobbies, you just CAN'T take it away from the equation of our ANCHORS in life💚💛💜

LIKE a ship anchoring amidst unpredictable tides, an ANCHOR is a dependable constant in our life to hang unto as we integrate changing aspects.  Oh YES, most of the time, when CHANGE happens, CHANGE works.  BUT WHAT happens WHEN the CHANGE happens around one of the ANCHORS themselves?  The more unexpected the CHANGE is around a s significant pillar of your life, the more difficult it is to process.  And the more the pillar is associated with one's identity, the more an unexpected CHANGE triggers crises of identity and meaning.  I've witnessed lives that were like 'picture perfect' until one gets hit with a tragedy and things would turn upside down💥💥💥

Without breaching privacy and confidentiality, I did see lives going from perfect to chaos no less.  WHEN an accident took away the life of a loved one and a lifetime forward.  WHAT happens next is WHEN the bereaved person goes back home, it becomes a 'prison of memories' triggering intense trauma.  As a ripple effect, I have seen the deepest friendships falling apart, all because of that unexpected loss and grief😖😖😖

Our takeaway:  After all my travails in life, I realized that ANCHORING outside makes us dependent on an 'outside event', and all of it is 'out of control'.  The only thing dependable is our journey with our own self.  ANCHORING inside is an enriching, interesting and sustainable way to experience life itself.  And my best lesson through the years is that the less I was ANCHORING externally, the freer I am.  That internal ANCHOR is something that is part of you yourself.  That way, you know WHERE'S YOUR ANCHOR IN LIFE???

Been CHASING TIME?

 

Been CHASING TIME?  Imagine WHAT it might feel like if you could walk alongside TIME, rather than chasing it?  Thing is, we DON'T have that control over the stuff that's happening and gobbling up TIME itself.  So, HOW often have you felt like time is running away from us much faster than we can keep up with it?  Everyday, that's the same story, at work, at home, practically everywhere.  The huge downside here is that focusing on WHAT CAN'T be done can lead to unknowingly stopping yourself from experiencing anything different.  YES, you can feel frustrated and exhausted to permit your own self to see those facts, NO matter WHAT realities really are📗📙📘

Instead, WHAT we can control is HOW we feel, HOW we think and choosing WHAT option feels best to you at the moment.  Though choosing change may feel hard, it can lead to that something better you DIDN'T believe you had time for.  So, instead of trying to change WHAT happens, you can change your reactions from frustration and anxiety to resilience.  Imagine for a moment WHAT it might feel like you could have 100% control over HOW you experience your day.  WHAT does your list look right now?  WHICH things might be able to wait?  Consider noticing HOW it may feel WHEN you choose HOW to react WHEN 'stuff happens'❎❎❎

Without sounding a 'kill joy', the BAD NEWS is that TIME FLIES BUT here's the GOOD NEWS though.  You're the pilot, so you can heavily influence in charting and plotting the flight path you want to pursue.  Stating the obvious, every day has plenty of time for WHAT's imperative because you get to choose WHAT's important and HOW you choose to see it.  SO HOW?  We are advised to START SMALL, period.  Pick one small thing you can add to the top of your daily list that is strictly for "ME" time to help you cruise through your day and enjoy it.  WHAT we should NEVER forget is that YOU GET TO CHOOSE!!!

A place that seems more like LIMBO than a Lion's Den are those NETWORKING narratives WHERE we connect with people via NETWORKING.  LIKE getting into a roomful of folks [and strangers] as you're looking for potential clients OR opportunities.  BUT does that room have that buzz of excitement?  OR is it full of people WHO can't wait to leave?  Trust your gut, and if it was worth your time, go back and try it again.  BUT WHAT matters here most is our need to challenge ourselves no less.  True, making connections in person is damn hard BUT you only have one chance to make that first impression, right?  WHY NOT start off with "HOW'S YOUR DAY BEEN?" and build a conversation from there😊😊😊

Our takeaway:  IF you're an enterprising sales guy gifted with that rare glib, DON'T try to make a sale during that handshake.  And IF you've heard about that "ELEVATOR TALK", that fraction of a minute is NOT the best time to if you're finding for a breakthrough opportunity.  In these days of social media's 'SUPREMACY' over us, STOP CHASING TIME via social media.  True, you can run a persistent campaign via SMS, via public posts BUT you got to ask yourself:  AM I TAKING THE BEST APPROACH?  WHAT we want to avert is you ending up CHASING TIME and in the end, WASTING TIME in the process.  If there's chaos in your TIME MANAGEMENT, try to restore order dude!!!

How's Your 'FULL CIRCLE' Moments?

 

How's Your 'FULL CIRCLE' Moments? For most of us, life events would prompt us to evaluate our life journey within a specific context.   And that context could be our family life, our career path, a romantic relationship OR any number of human dynamics that we experience in our daily lives.  At the end of the day, it is our own perspective that defines the context and its impact upon us.  Over and over again, it's been said that every so often, we need to take stock of WHERE we are, WHAT we are doing and see IF it aligns with our true intent.  Alas, many of us would seem oblivious of our respective  'FULL CIRCLE' Moments until that AHA Moment BUT the question, HOW does that AHA Moment pop up???

YES YES yow, you might ask HOW and WHEN will those AHA Moments pop-up?  Simply put, IF and WHEN you exclaim 'AHA', be conscious about it because WHO knows that's your 'FULL CIRCLE' Moment.  That moment itself could be full of promise, of a hope NOT previously seen on the horizon.  It is a moment WHEN, after a lot of struggle, you stand atop the hill and raise your arms in victory, knowing the commitment it took to get there.  And it could be a reality that provides us with the tools to survive, NO matter how difficult OR inconvenient to our daily lives.  That is WHY it is imperative to stand upon that hill and raise those arms because it matters you battled through💚💛💜

WHY else does it matter?  It matters because you finally found the courage to stay the course OR you could have just literally walked away, whew.  And it matters because you finally learned WHY decisions were made.  It matters in lifting your arms because you finally understand WHERE you stand in life, with yourself at the very core of things.  In brief, it is a life returned to you, nothing less💧💧💧

Of all obvious things we can say, WHEN we are given OR blessed to have all the tools to come FULL CIRCLE, we should be able to appreciate WHERE we came from.  Hold on for a 'sec'.  That MOMENT of APPRECIATION is so precious, so vital in our journey in life.  I've known people on a first-hand basis and up close WHOSE level of appreciation is next to NIL, next to KEINER, next to NADA.  BUT NOT to question them because that's their life BUT I'm worried about them because if being appreciative is NOT within you, WHAT will make you appreciate in the future?  That is a huge miss we can make because after all the trials and tribulations we could have gone through, pulling the brakes to be appreciative will go a long way in our daily life💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  You could still have a thousand iterations of your FULL CIRCLE Moments and NEVER miss it out.  LIKE if you were struggling in a big chunk of your life until, one day, you come back to your very roots in the countryside.  By then, you can humbly admit your SUCCESS.  During those FULL CIRCLE Moments, relish it, enjoy it while taking stock of things as to HOW far you have gone in life😀😀😀

Keep It Simple S____ [KISS]

 

Almost everyday OR every week so in our life, we meet people, strangers, old friends, new-found friends, some of WHOM would be [sometimes] instrumental in bringing out the BEST in us and splash a palette of colors in an otherwise black-and-white life.  WHO we are and WHAT we become is and will NEVER be a one-man effort.  Everyone in our lives WOULD hold various levels and slices of stakes in turning us into the person we are.  Their thoughts, their outlook in life and their passion would burn beyond their own lives, in fact.  Instead, they would leave pieces of themselves in us just as we do in them📗📙📘

True, we are all the people we've met and all the people we've lost.  We are all the people WHO are still in our lives and all the people WHO either left OR simply passed by, enough to be a part of our life.  True, it's kind of a tragedy that love DOESN'T reign every time.  BUT it's a bigger tragedy WHEN we erase people from our lives and pretend like they DON'T exist anymore.  We've actually heard that we're supposed to let someone go totally.  THAT we'll never heal if they're still around.  Heck, I even remember myself sometime in the past, muttering THAT WHEN something has ran its full course, it's time for us to LET IT GO.  BUT I've realized that letting go DOESN'T always mean forgetting a person OR erasing them because we CAN'T❎❎❎

To borrow ALBERT EINSTEIN's one-liner, LIFE IS LIKE RIDING A BICYCLE.  TO KEEP YOUR BALANCE, YOU MUST KEEP MOVING.  Let's face it.  It is heartbreaking to leave OR to be left.  The aching feeling WHEN you learn that your love was unrequited love OR that a shared moment with another person could NOT amount to anything more, leaves you feeling so empty and numb.  Quite strange but surely this did happen to many of us in the past.  LIKE one second you're heads OVER heels with them as they sit across the dinner table.  NEXT thing you knew, you're wondering IF that was the last moment you shared with them.  If this was all there was to it???

IF there is a recurring assumption that resonates across us through the years, it is that we tend to assume that the natural course of action WHEN you reject someone is to leave their life.  And unfortunately the expected way of handling rejection is to NOT have them in our lives.  In the end, we let go of the people WHO deeply care about us because we think we are supposed to.  In these times WHERE social media seems to lord it all over us, we end up UNFOLLOWING and even keep our accounts private😌😌😌

Our takeaway:  Oh Oh Oh, partly, MAYBE, just MAYBE, that helps us to move on?  MAYBE, that is HOW we want to grieve their loss.  MAYBE, that is the only way we know to heal.  And that seems okay.  BUT we CAN'T and just CAN'T keep losing people WHO care so deeply about us just because they are NO longer interested in us.   As one poem goes, STRENGTH IS HOLDING ON TO THOSE PEOPLE WHO MAKE LIFE WORTH LIVING.  And as that very old cliche goes, let us NOT BURN BRIDGES because we'll never know, one day we will cross paths especially at the unlikeliest times and circumstances.  YES dude, WHATEVER it takes, keep people in your life, albeit the distance, albeit the disconnects because sometimes, WHAT goes out goes around and may even resurface.  WHO knows, ignoring those huge surprises may be the worst misstep we can take.  Dude, let's KEEP IT SIMPLE, S_____???

That 'CONTROL FREAK' Malaise

 

Way beyond any debate, we humans long to feel in control although I'm sure my statement could lead to heckles here and there.  BUT the very existence of the term 'CONTROL FREAK' itself indicates our need for CONTROL WHICH sometimes can go too way far.  BUT psychologists insists that humans naturally want to feel that they're steering their own ship [YES, I agree, for a big chunk in my life, I also thought along those lines].  The scientific explanation here is that human beings have that deep-seated desire for certainty and CONTROL.  NOT to be defensive, some studies even showed that sense of autonomy seems to be the #1 contributor to happiness📗📙📘

YES, perhaps we should NOT be surprised then that some measures of our mental health seem to be heading in the wrong direction these years.  BUT given the fact that this world we live in looks unlikely to grow less crazy anytime soon, does that mean we're doomed to be miserable until our lives feel more controllable?  According to recent researches, WHILE we may NOT always be able to CONTROL events, we certainly can CONTROL our reaction to them.  It's HOW we contain the UNCONTROLLABLES💥💥💥

YES dude, there is a world of difference in our own happiness despite all the UNCONTROLLABLES that would pop-up in our lives, here and there.  A common scenario across all cultures in fact is that clash of personalities [WHICH I personally witnessed multiple times in the past].  At the end of the day, the hands-down winner in those 'clash of titans' is that cool and level-headed fellow WHO managed to handle and contain things, deftly handling the situation instead of it turning from bad to worse.  NOT a tough act to follow💚💛💜

Experts counsel us that there are two kinds of CONTROL, namely, that primary CONTROL WHICH happens WHEN we can actually CONTROL events and the secondary CONTROL and that's WHEN we DON'T and simply CAN'T CONTROL events BUT here's the huge BUT.  BUT we can CONTROL HOW we think about and respond to them.  We then exercise secondary CONTROL WHENEVER we reframe a failure as a learning experience.  Unsurprisingly, in multiple clinical studies, people love to have primary CONTROL of events BUT they also showed that secondary CONTROL can go a long way to promote feelings of both moment-to-moment happiness in life✅✅✅

Our takeaway:  A key lesson I learnt over and over again is the undeniable fact that we can always CONTROL HOW we tell our story and if this sounds familiar to you, that may be because it is far from similar results.  The thing is, IF and WHEN we CAN'T steer events, we can always steer HOW we think about them, looking and anticipating even for unexpected positives, ways we've grown.  Ouch, that CONTROL FREAK malaise😡😡😡

That PYGMALION Effect!

 

Our piece today is NOT about psychology BUT we'd like to sneak a bit into their world if only to dissect more That PYGMALION Effect!  For alignment, PYGMALION Effect is described HOW expectations about someone's performance can unconsciously influence one's behavior and ultimately may lead to the fulfillment of those expectations.  Heard of the optimists WHO never get daunted no matter HOW steep are the mountain slopes one has to climb???

HOW many times have we heard of that persistent 'LOTHARIO' who woos the very apple of his eyes, never slowing down OR worst never pulling the brakes.  WHY?  Likely it's because he is optimistic enough that eventually he will win over that 'girl of his life'.  Of course, in reality, there are narratives that do flop BUT they are more outliers.  Simply out, the PYGMALION Effect refers to that psychological phenomenon WHERE higher expectations would normally lead to an improved performance OR positive outcome and results of a specific pursuit.  In our daily life, in school as an example, essentially, WHEN teachers OR leaders expect more of others, they will likely perform better😊😊😊

Commonly known as the ROSENTHAL Effect, WHEN we expect certain behaviors of others, we are likely to act in ways that make the expected behavior more likely to occur.  In effect, it is that positive form of self-fulfilling prophecy WHEREIN the objects [the targeted individuals] of projections internalize the optimistic labels they receive and succeed to conform to those labels💧💧💧

In a way, this implies the sanguine expectations on a leader's part could lead to an improved performance by his followers.  This reinforces more the significant roles of leaders, hence, that old cliche "FOLLOW THE LEADER' because essentially, WHEN we 'toe the line' and heeding the advice and guidance of our leaders, there is a greater likelihood for us to succeed rather than fail in WHATEVER pursuit we are involved💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  If we need to be the crusader and advocate of that PYGMALION Effect, let's go for it, be it in our own households, at the workplace OR at the business settings.  That way, we can pitch-in and spread our positive influence to serve as that catalyst and motivator to encourage people to work out for their BEST results, BEST outcomes, and BEST achievements.  WHETHER you get credited IF and WHEN credit is due is NOT even a talking point here because this all boils down on our respective responsibilities to be the 'unseen' motivator for people to perform and even 'outperform' themselves beyond expectations.  That is a fear in the cap money CAN'T buy.  Let's go for that PYGMALION Effect dude!!!

Rightfully, Is OVERTHINKING Perfectly Right?

 

Rightfully, OVERTHINKING is perfectly right, right?  YES, we all get too deep in our head about things and we'll all found ourselves stuck in the never-ending spiral of "WHAT IF's" that come and go with life.  WHAT IF I can't actually afford that?  WHAT IF they DON'T like me?  WHAT IF the change will make things worse?  True, we will never run out of all those WHAT IFs because that's the vicious cycle constantly waiting to jump on us💥💥💥

The BIG ASK now is:  HOW DO WE KNOW IF WE'RE OVERTHINKING?  Psychologists did an analogy of OVERTHINKING and problem-solving and while there are commonalities, the experts tell us that they remain distinct.  While problem-solving is WHEN you ask questions with the intent of finding an answer OR a solution, OVERTHINKING is WHEN you dwell on possibilities and pitfalls without any real intent of solving a problem.  For all we know, a problem OR even a potential one may NOT even exist💦💦💦

OVERTHINKING is also being compared with self-reflection BUT again, experts insist that the two are distinct because self-reflection is an internally inquisitive process rooted in a higher purpose, WHETHER that's to grow as a person OR gain a new perspective.  And in case you're obsessing over something you DON'T like about yourself that you either CAN'T change OR have NO intention of improving, that is NOT self-reflection.  Instead, that becomes OVERTHINKING.  Sharing below the experts' cheat sheet to discern it:

• Dwelling on past events OR situations
• Second-guessing decisions you ALREADY made
• REPLAYING your mistakes in your mind
• Getting fixated on things you just CAN'T control
• Running your list while trying to sleep

So, HOW does OVERTHINKING affect us?  Experts tell us that it can affect HOW we experience and engage with the world around us, preventing us from making important decisions and keeping us from enjoying the PRESENT moment and instead draining us out of the energy we need to handle daily stressors.  And WHETHER we are fixating on the past OR catastrophizing about the future, thought patterns that are destructive can take its toll on us❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  The harsh BUT truthful advice from experts is that ruminating on stressful events can, over time, lead to anxiety and depression and from a medical health standpoint, anxiety can affect our ability to cope with everyday stressors and depression results in sadness, loneliness and even feelings of emptiness, NOT to forget the physical symptoms that come along with it like, fatigue, headache, nausea, amongst others.  WHAT TO DO then?  Let's NOT sweat the small stuff & instead combine critical thinking with instinct while setting a decision deadline.  In a nutshell, let us take action on stuff we can control and let go of things we really CAN'T because Rightfully, OVERTHINKING IS NOT PERFECTLY RIGHT, dude😌😌😌

The Meteoric Rise Of Alex Eala

 

Sharing EN TOTO from Azat.TV datelined 09.23.2025:  ALEXANDRA EALA's METEORIC RISE:  HOW A FILIPINO TENNIS STAR SHATTERED WTA RANKINGS IN 2025.  Indeed, in the world of professional tennis, WHAT matters most is the WTA rankings as it is reflective of the RISEs and FALLs in the very competitive world of global tennis.  And WHILE there is still more than three months left for 2025, the Philippines' ALEX EALA has already erased a lot of doubts with regard her potentials based on her stratospheric rise in the WTA rankings, rising all the way to No. 56 as of September 2025📗📙📘

And IF the media headlines she grabbed with her sterling performances in 2025, ALEX EALA was even unexpectedly thrusts into the NBA world WHEN no less than the NBA's superstarts [Luka Doncic, Anthony Edwards, Kevin Durant] all got looped in various socia media messagings.  To date, ALEX EALA deserves all the attention given the below:

• Climbing 80 places in the WTA Rankings for 2025
• Miami Open wins over Ostapenko, Keys and Swiatek
• Winning her first WTA title at Mexico Guadalajara Open
• And as we speak now, even defeating Aliona Falei & Mei Yamaguchi in the ongoing Jingshan Tournament

YES, ALEX EALA's astonishing leap of 80 places in the 2025 WTA Rankings is more than just statistics.  Instead, it is a sheer chronicle of grit, setbacks, and ultimately triumph.  NOT too far back, in January 2025, ALEX EALA had a WTA rank of No. 138, way outside of the peripheries of the elite echelons of global tennis.  WHILE her early outings DIDN'T quite ignite excitement, it was thought that it was all calm before another unforgettable storm.  NOT until March rewrote the script WHEN @Miami Open, ALEX EALA was NOT just a participant but a disruptor💥💥💥

With a boldness that belied her low WTA ranking then, ALEX EALA dispatched Grand Slam champions Jelena Ostapenko and Madison Keys, then stunned the tennis world by toppling World No. 2 Iga Swiatek.  Suddenly, ALEX EALA was no longer that perennial underdog.  She was now the STORY.  Her run to the semifinals marked the first time a Filipina ever reached that stage at a WTA 1000 event, catapulting her from No. 140 to No. 75, all in two weeks, whoaaah!!!  Suddenly, the doors to the Top 100 swung open, and with them, new expectations and responsibilities💧💧💧

Our takeaway:  Drawing parallelisms to our own life narratives, our journeys are peppered with SETBACKS and COMEBACKS [if we want to] and let's face it, regardless WHETHER we're referring to competitive sports OR our daily life, no COMEBACK or ascent is without the hardest turbulence ever and it all boils down to the very person to break new ground and perhaps shatter his/her personal records with more WINs.  p.s. As we speak now, she is in a very tight semi-finals game with New Zealand's Lulu Sun 😀😀😀