Can Small Things Help Build Our Future Success?

 

Typically, our life aspirations are pretty much aligned, LIKE, to be successful, to land a rewarding job in a top-tier organization, to eventually have a brand-new car you can call as 'MINE', settle down and build your family then buy your family home.  In essence, all those aspirations are laudable.  BUT if you step back and validate yourself if you can actually become that person you dream and aspire to achieve, let's rethink in case there were factors OR reasons that you were simply 'fantasizing' about reaching those milestone successes.  And obviously, in case you have reached those points, you WON'T need to dream about one day making it happen.  Instead, you'd be living it!  So, Can Small Things Help Build Our Future Success???

True, it is easy to get intimidated OR daunted by the idealized future we've created in our mind because from our own perspective, we seem to be a million miles away from reaching that stage.  In fact, at that point in time, HOW can you assess if you'll ever reach those points WHICH is quite a tough call to make.  Sometimes, the contrast between WHO you are and WHO you want to be is so stark, you might wonder if it's just a pipe dream???

Playing devil's advocate, sometimes we'll here at the workplace that WHEN it comes to winning at work, we have to focus on the big things and we DON'T need to sweat the small stuff??? Not so fast, dude.  Because in real life, those small stuff do matter and based on the wealth of experience we have behind us, I can somehow claim that it might even matter more than you could possibly imagine.  In the early years WHEN I was an upstart, those 'bread crumbs' matter and I managed to gather it through sheer perseverance✅✅✅

YET YET YET, everyone talks about the 'BIG PICTURE', right?  BUT c'mon, if we dissect things, every 'BIG PICTURE' that is ever created is created with one brush stroke at a time.  There was simply NO 'Big Bang' that generated that 'BIG PICTURE'.  I came across a historical footnote stating that Leonardo da Vinci's friends mocked him for using those small brushstrokes for coming up with his Mona Lisa masterpiece.  The cynics said that it took him FOREVER!  BUT at the end of the day, the egg was on their faces because Da Vinci had a masterpiece.  WHAT that tells us is that indeed, little things matter especially when it is taken from a collective and comprehensive perspective.  Indeed, WHAT better testimonial than that Mona Lisa work of art recognized through centuries💚💛💜

Our takeaway:  WHILE there is NO crystal-clear formula we can execute to generate success, let's keep things simpler here.  If you're a chess woodpusher, DON'T belittle even the probably pawns you can prey on because eventually, you can build up from there through the middle game until you reach the end game with reinforced defenses ready enough to initiate the offensive when the slightest opportunity arises.  CAN SMALL THINGS HELP BUILD OUR FUTURE SUCCESS?  Absolutely dude!!!

What's DOWN IN THE WELL COMES UP IN THE BUCKET!

What's DOWN IN THE WELL COMES UP IN THE BUCKET!

Our thread today has NO intended parallelism to the laws of gravity at all.  What's DOWN IN THE WELL COMES UP IN THE BUCKET!  Neither is this a Christian thread although for Christians, you might have heard the old saying in Proverbs 14 goes:  "WHAT'S IN THE WELL COMES UP IN THE BUCKET".  Translating this into layman's terms may either get us in trouble OR keep us out of trouble along the way💚💛💜

In the simplest terms, our words, our ways and even our choices are an amalgamation and reflection of our very heart.  WHAT we say and do is the result of our focus.  A heart with all the positivity will be totally different from a heart filled with evil, negativity and desires that may lead one astray towards difficulties and worse, destruction and worst, even death, knock on wood.  Psychologists did a 'clinical way' of dissecting these disparate kinds of heart and it did give me a better grasp of things💧💧💧

The analogy here really is between that well and our heart.  And taking a lift from those researches, their first ASK is this:  IS YOUR HEART contaminated OR poisoned. And digging deeper, HOW's our own words OR actions?  Is it negatively impacting OR hurting others?  In the most literal sense, we CAN'T draw water from an empty well.  Instead, we must fill our 'thirsty' soul with the best intentions, all in the spirit of good faith.  Psychologists shared these CHALLENGE questions to ponder:

• Did I say OR do something that was NOT made in good faith?
• Was I motivated by selfishness [call it GREED] in my actions?
• How did I impact people?  Was it positively OR negatively?

From an analogy perspective, if down deep into the well, if it is muddy, WHAT else would you expect from therein?  On the other hand, if there's clean spring water down deep there, then that is WHAT we should expect to come up in our bucket.  Within our own lives, WHAT's down deep in our inner self is WHAT comes out WHEN we are in conflict.  And WHEN something challenges OR affirms our values OR beliefs, YES, the likelihood is that we will discover WHAT is 'down there in the bucket'💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  Truth to tell, it takes a lifetime for us to ensure that that well up to its deepest point should be as clean and crystal clear as possible.  And we need to endeavor to avoid, where possible, of even a tinge of dirt that should spread out.  On the same breadth, that's the challenge of a lifetime within us as we need to constantly endeavor to have our innermost self as clean as possible, barring things that are 'force majeure' in life because at the end of the day, we are our own custodians of our own WELLS IN LIFE😀😀😀

Are You MORE SPOON THAN SOUP?

 

How often have you crossed paths with people WHO tend to be over-stepping boundaries?  Are You MORE SPOON THAN SOUP?  Challenge here is that discussions about BOUNDARIES in life is one of the most sensitive threads to deep-dive.  For some people, discussion around BOUNDARIES often brings up a lot of resistance.  Verily true, we often hear about the importance of BOUNDARIES.  However, we DON'T hear OR see as often about HOW to handle overstepping BOUNDARIES OR WHAT healthy BOUNDARIES really look like.  Through the years, I've been on each side of the multiple BOUNDARIES where I myself was either identified OR affiliated by affinity OR circumstance📗📙📘

On one hand, we have seen people WHO use BOUNDARIES as those imaginary rigid walls OR barriers.  BOUNDARIES for them are forms of 'electric fences' to protect themselves from being hurt OR being intimidated at the very least.  And they seem to find it difficult to trust people OR express vulnerability and as a result, they feel isolated and even disconnected.  On the other hand, we have another extreme of people WHO think it's selfish to express BOUNDARIES.  They tend to put someone's needs above their own and as a result, they would end up feel depleted and resentful💥💥💥

The biggest question stomping me now is WHAT really are the HEALTHY BOUNDARIES?  True, many people see BOUNDARIES as imaginary lines that separate you from others, something like your own personal space, so to speak.  Me thinks, I see it differently though.  Setting BOUNDARIES means simply expressing WHAT we prefer.  Being straightforward.  Saying HOW and WHAT we feel.  Asking for changes!!!

LIKE standing for WHAT we believe in despite potential disapproval [or worse, even a backlash].  Saying NO without having a need to make excuses [or, apologize at that!] OR even justify our preference.
At the same time, BOUNDARIES are NOT there to control WHAT other people do OR DON'T.  It also DOESN'T mean that we will always get WHAT we want. In short, BOUNDARIES are about defining and following our preferences, personal integrity desires and even our needs💚💛💜

Our takeaway:  More than anything else, and more than any sensitivity of any person [even those closest to you], WHAT is really the crux of the matter is that it is damn crucial to know yourself more and your own personal truth if you really want to develop and envision those HEALTHY BOUNDARIES.  In short, to heed WHAT we're hearing from the experts themselves, our PERSONAL BOUNDARIES are and should be based on our very own VALUE SYSTEM and perspective and might be totally different from those of your friends, and even your immediate family and relatives.  Bottom line is, NOBODY and NOBODY else BUT YOU can tell you WHERE your BOUNDARIES like.  So, ARE YOU MORE SPOON THAN SOUP [meaning, are you overstepping BOUNDARIES]???

When Social Media Gets 'EXPLOITED'!

 

As recent as five years back, Nepalese artist Nisha Ghimire achieved the biggest goal in her life WHEN she was crowned as Miss Nepal.  Not long after that coronation, she went for a holiday in Dehradun, India and sadly, she got injured in an accident, suffering injuries that were serious enough such that, even after returning to Nepal, she ended up bedridden until she died a few years later.  With due respect and courtesy to the late Nisha Ghimire, I won't publish her pictures just before she succumbed to death💟💟💟

Before I get suspected to sensationalize her tragic end, WHAT's heart-rending is that throughout those months she was bedridden WHILE her family was financially constrained to find the best hospitals to save her life, snippets of information shared is that from time to time, throngs of friends and even people WHOM she hardly recognized as friends would, from time to time, come to 'sort of' visit her, with all the pictures taken here and there.  And expectedly, those pictures would get posted in their social media accounts, garnering tons of LIKEs & HEARTs.  Whewwww!!!  At the expense of the poor hapless Nisha Ghimire!!!  And this is WHEN things become sadder😌😌😌

Before things turn scarier, I'd like to make reference to a study by the American Psychological Association WHO, while acknowledging that everyone of us is vulnerable to the ramifications and implications of social media, hold your breath, the most vulnerable segment are the young brains.  Studies showed that starting at the age of 10, children's brains undergo that fundamental shift that spurs them to seek social rewards [and that includes attention, approval and affirmation especially from their own peers].  NOW, the mother of all ironies is that we adults and parents will even hand them smart phones!@#$%?

NOT to besmirch the leaders in the social media industry BUT the harsh truth is that these social media platforms [e.g. Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat amongst others] have provided crucial opportunities for interaction that are a normal part of development, especially during a time of severe isolation prompted during that dreaded Covid-19 pandemic.  BUT they have also been increasingly linked to mental health issues including anxiety, depression, name it❌❌❌

Our takeaway:  I remember our generation WHERE arriving in school with a pair of new jeans may make heads turn [and even getting the attention of your high school crush] BUT alas, today, it's worlds away from posting a video on TikTok that may get thousands of VIEWs and LIKEs and this part of WHAT makes online interactions so vastly different from in-person ones is their permanent nature.  LIKE after you walk away from a regular conversation, you DON'T know if the other person liked it OR if anyone else liked it, then it's over.  BUT that's NOT true in SOCIAL MEDIA, dude😡😡😡

A Couple Of Bounces Going Your Way Is All You Need

 

A Couple Of Bounces Going Your Way Is All You Need.  I've never experienced WHAT Americans have had wherein they are called to report for military assignments in Iraq, Afghanistan and all those major global hot spots.  Reading some of the memoirs from these military alumni, they were vividly describing the perils and risk of their military assignments as land mines and bombs were everywhere, even in fields that seemed placid and peaceful.  And they attested witnessing first hand to lose colleagues while deployed at the military fronts.  BUT we'll NOT delve about those military engagements BUT instead, allow me to draw the parallelisms with our life journeys as the roads we're threading are peppered with land mines as well❌❌❌

Fulfilling our dreams and our ability to thrive in the areas of our life that matter most can be simplified by breakthroughs, those moments in time WHEN the impossible becomes possible.  If anyone wants to thrive in any area of one's life, they have to reach a point of breakthrough WHERE they will NOT settle for anything less than extraordinary in that area💥💥💥

As the poetic line goes, A COUPLE OF BOUNCES GOING YOUR WAY IS ALL YOU NEED.  That is, IF anyone wants to look forward for that breakthrough, WHETHER that's in one's business, OR intimate life  OR even in one's work life, everyone is advising us that there are KEY AREAS where we should seek that breakthrough.  Primero, it boils down to one's STRATEGIES, those shortcuts that help people get more done in less time.  WHAT is it that gets some people to succeed WHILE others fail WHO seem to have equal enthusiasm OR passion for the task???  

We've heard very successful narratives like someone WHO was born very poor, without university education, and facing both emotional and even financial challenges BUT still found their way to be highly successful and living an inspired life.  Hey, I DON'T believe that's being lucky because luck is WHAT you do for a day OR a week, strategies are WHAT make it consistently happen for years and even decades.  A strategy in life can be found even in the simplest OR slightest distinction and it can happen in an instant.  Let's look at real-life narratives like losing weight.  There are fitness clubs, health coaches, even dieticians, training videos, name it.  YET, in a recent research, 65% of Americans are overweight and 33% obese and those numbers keep going up❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  Looking at that recent research, my take is that NOT that people DON'T have their own strategy BUT likely they are NOT using a strategy that works for them OR acting upon it.   True, we all have narratives we tell ourselves about WHAT we can OR cannot do OR achieve in our life.  WHETHER we believe that we can OR can't, we're usually right because our expectation controls our focus, our perceptions, and the way we feel and act.  Again, A COUPLE OF BOUNCES GOING YOUR WAY IS ALL YOU NEED to have that breakthrough😊😊😊

Too Many Goals?

 

How's your goals?  Do you have a shortfall of GOALS?  OR do you have TOO MANY GOALS?  If I may make a wild guess, you would likely fall on the right side of the spectrum, that is, having TOO MANY GOALS!!!  So, are you one of those WHO is always working toward one of the many goals in your journal?  Constantly thinking ABOUT WHAT'S next, HOW to be better, WHERE your life is headed to and HOW can you better tomorrow from WHAT you are right now??? 

NOT too long ago, I admit I was obsessed in setting GOALS left, right, center, front, rear, name it.  End result?  I found myself drained, exhausted, zapped.  WHAT was my realization then?  I told myself I seem to be living in the FUTURE and NOT the PRESENT!@#$%?  True, I think I had such laser focus on accomplishing the GOALS I set BUT I missed out BIG TIME as I stretched my too thinly across one too many goals, I missed out enjoying WHAT I was doing and worst of worst, that led me straight to burnout, whew.  NOT because any of my goals WASN'T something I wanted BUT because all of them out together created that constant 'GO-GO-GO' state💧💧💧

This reminds me of someone trying to help restore order in my chaotic situation then WHEN he blurted:  WHO HAS TIME FOR PAINTING AND PHOTOGRAPHY WHEN THE REAL WORK OF ACHIEVING AND ACCOMPLISHING NEEDS TO BE DONE YET?  If there's one NOT so obvious human frailty, it is our tendency to resort for constant perfectionism, planning everything out, even saving the world, anything to keep us busy in order to avoid the vulnerability and uncertainty that comes with PAUSING and being yourself💥💥💥

One realization WHICH caused me to struggle with was realizing that JOY HAPPENS IN THE ORDINARY MOMENTS.  And alas, some of us tend to be busy chasing the 'EXTRAORDINARY' that, in the end, causes us to MISS ALL THE JOY.  At one point, I felt very conflicted.  Should I GO GO GO and accomplish amazing things and leap tall buildings in a single bound?  OR do I find joy in the ORDINARY MOMENTS, gratitude for the life I lead and happiness in the every day???

Our takeaway:  After rounds of soul-searching, it seemed like one COULDN'T happen alongside the other and something had to give.  And in order for me to be able to find the right balance, I felt that I needed to get some space from my multifarious goals.  I even thought then that a purposeful break to unwind and recharge and spend time WHAT actually brings me joy, NOT WHAT I think I should aim for.  So, if you yourself are currently going through the same whirlwind of 'over-achievement' and are feeling a little burn out, I realized I need to TAKE A BREAK from my goals and refocus on the PRESENT, live IN THE MOMENT.  Frankly one TOO MANY GOALS has its drawbacks😔😔😔

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!!!