How much do ours WORDS MATTER?

 

How much do ours WORDS MATTER?  Although we have always known it intuitively, science has confirmed the tremendous power our words have on our own selves, within business, and even across all our nemesis.  BUT much as we CAN'T be perfect, WHY DON'T we commit to cushion the negative impact of WORDS, running parallel with a serious intent to minimize causing OR creating problems simply because of words📗📙📘

YES YES yow, WORDS HAVE POWER.  More than that, WORDS can literally shape the material world.  The WORDS we speak NOT only reflect BUT it can shape our thoughts and in effect, our thoughts shape the physical structure of our brains.  This cascade was laid out from the researches of experts and even from a recent TED TALK I attended where Dr Mark Pagel spoke of the potency of our WORDS using those catchy, memorable one-liners wherein via WORDS, our ideas can be implanted💧💧💧

To quote one literary piece, WORDS provide the rails on WHICH our thoughts would ride.  The WORDS we use [and even HOW we use them] matter immensely because they shape the way we perceive the world and participate within it.  To add to this understanding is the amplifying effect technology has had on our words.  And today, we are inundated with WORDS through tons of SMS messages and those billions of messages passing through the various social media platforms.  And we can even add the endless carousel of advertisements, we can end up with a COACHELLA-like environment!!!

Allow me to qualify, though, that despite the billions of WORDS sent and received across, it is just realistic to accept the fact that we are NOT intently reading most of these words anyway BUT the point remains that we are assailed with a litany of words and as a result, their perceived power seems to have been diminished, and to put it bluntly, diluted.  Take that and add it to the current state of civic discourse WHERE certain media companies and even political figures have somehow devolved to using WORDS as a sort of 'artillery' to censure and even undermine and worst, destroy the reputation of others and it's NOT hard to believe that WORDS have become cheap💚💛💜

Our takeaway:  At the end of the day, let's recognize that our WORDS provide the basis for our human connections.  And WHEN we share a language, we human beings can be remarkably cooperative and sometimes, ironically even selfless.  Next time around our emotions get the better of us [and even before we spew whatever 'venomous' WORDS may come out, let us be more mindful as to HOW MUCH OUR WORDS MATTER😊😊😊

Burnout Is A Low-hanging Fruit We Can Fix

 

Experiencing OR manifesting burnout?  Probably it's a slight YES or NO.  BUT likely it's a 'PROBABLE' answer because often, it even seems akin to sneezing WHEN catching colds.  BUT in its very essence, it seems to surface WHEN motion replaces meaning.  True, our modern life does reward our 'busyness' especially for those stuff that look productive.  So, HOW's the cycle?  We stay in motion, we meet expectations, then we keep our engine going and throttling BUT eventually our very own purpose falls out of sync with our efforts exerted.  YET, the engine continues BUT the meaning thins out

YET, I believe that BURNOUT deserves to be our thread today because WHEN it does hit us, it could mean we're either exhausted, empty and sometimes, no one will admit it BUT that feeling of 'hollowness' may be creeping even before we would recognize it.  BUT here's WHEN confusion clouds and distorts things.  WHEN someone gets hit with depression, some get mixed up and [wrongly] tag it as BURNOUT.  Experts and psychologists differentiated this by clarifying that BURNOUT is the amalgamation of consequences arising from severe stress, amongst others

BURNOUT was most often heard at its loudest decibels WHEN we got hit by that Covid-19 pandemic.  Doctors and nurses, WHO were at the frontline, were the unsung heroes because many of them sacificed their own health and well-being for others.  As they were clocking shifts that run for consecutive days [WHILE being 'locked' down' within their own medical premises], they ended up exhausted, listless and overwhelmed.  These days, we can hear BURNOUT from many sectors

These days, almost everyone of us remains vulnerable to BURNOUT.  Being overworked and over-stressed may lead us towards that risk of depression.  BUT WHAT makes me curious is HOW BURNOUT really develops?  Hearing from the experts, common causes [WHICH should raise our awareness] are as follows:

• Feeling either constantly overworked
• Being under time pressure most of the time
• Dealing with long-drawn conflicts around you
• Extreme commitments to achieve something

Problems caused by constant OR incessant stress at work is one of the most common root causes of BURNOUT.  In the past, I myself had to go through that vicious cycle WHEN I felt drained, exhausted, zapped and YES, BURNED OUT.  BUT this is NOT a hopeless situation to be dealt with proactively.  Instead, we are advised to focus on the very manifestations and work 'backwards' from there.  LIKE exhaustion.  People can feel drained and even emotionally exhausted.  We would hear them NOT having enough energy OR feeling lethargic OR simply put, tired, down and seemingly NOT in his 'normal self'.  BUT dude, BURONOUT is a low-hanging fruit we can fix

What's The Upside Of 'AVERAGE'?

 

Here's a giveaway question:  What's the UPSIDE of AVERAGE?  YES you got it, it means you're NOT an utter failure [YET].  NOW for the downside, can we agree that being AVERAGE means you're NOT really far off from a potential FAILURE?  DON'T get me wrong though.  I'm NOT here to whack AVERAGE people because I'll be the first one to admit that I'd rather tag myself as AVERAGE for now📗📙📘

Growing up, we all aspire to be the best.  I remember during my early years in grade school, I'll hear various career goals from many of my classmates.  One wants to be a scientist, another one's goal is to be a pilot, someone blurted he wants to be an astronaut.  And those were very commendable BUT of course, coming from young and innocent grade school students, it was understandable.  BUT as we mature, we still bear witness to aggressive ambitions around💚💛💜

In short, the school of thought that continues to prevail till now is that being AVERAGE just WON''T do.  It's like a dirty word.  I mean, WHO wants to be ordinary, mediocre OR just plainly regular, just one of the crowd?  YET in striving to be the best, we're often left disappointed WHEN we fail to meet our expectations and those of our loved ones.  We end up feeling we DON'T quite hit the mark❎❎❎

As recent as last month, as the academic school year in our country ended, there were at least 2 breaking news [that seemed to BREAK our hearts] because it reported 2 suicides of 2 students WHO committed suicide, all because they failed to reach their mark, literally speaking.  And for those tragic stories to happen, it really breaks our heart because this brings us back as to this conversation with regard being AVERAGE💥💥💥

Our takeaway:  The mother of all questions is WHO determines WHAT's AVERAGE?  WHO is the 'AVERAGE' Joe?  WHAT's an AVERAGE job?  It's a system of societal measurement that often leaves us feeling worthless instead of being worthwhile.  We measure ourselves against others WHOM we perceive as above AVERAGE without knowing the whole story.  YES, one could excel in one area of his life, such as being unusually kind and empathetic BUT be pretty useless at catching a ball OR solving equations.  Sadly, our societies tend to rate the more tangible skills over the more humane skills.  So, are we part of that diaspora WHO are so glued on anything that's above, way and beyond being AVERAGE?  Poor grief dude😖😖😖

Playing With The Deck You're Dealt

 

YES YES Yow, our LIFE IS LIKE THE DECK OF CARDS.  We can claim to be the most seasoned players in those casinos OR even at the Las Vegas strip BUT the real truth is that we can only play based on the DECK we're dealt.  And this is where we're drawing the parallelism with life itself.  Even for those truly blessed, born with a silver spoon, once the cards on the deck are shuffled, everything becomes an even playing field and WHAT's our only option then?  It is to play the cards right, to the best of our judgment.  In life, that equates to us accepting our situation, per se.  Much as WHAT's happening in the casinos, me and you CAN'T change the hand that dealt those cards on us📗📙📘

In the shortest words, WHAT do we need to do?  It is for us to focus on anything and everything we can control, period.  Problem is, there is that human nature WHEN we [wrongly] feel that we can control way beyond our domain, our turf.  WHAT does that leave us with?  Instead of wasting those futile attempts to focus on those 'uncontrollables', those we either lack OR we CAN'T change, let us redirect our focus on our actions, our attitudes that go along with it.  No less than that💥💥💥

WHAT else is left with us then?  Plain and simple.  Let us make the best of it, stretching it, flipping it out, making the best of the cards you have at hand.  Let's take a sampling of real-life scenarios.  At the workplace, WHEN we're angling for a job promotion BUT fail to realize that goal, WHAT do we do next?  Obviously, it DOESN'T make sense to simply quit from that organization.  Instead, WHY DON'T we redirect and infuse all our energy and motivation to work harder and prove your value even way before the next future opportunity comes.  Regardless if the decision makers in the future are different, they might see in you WHAT was NOT recognized in your failed hopes in the past💚💛💜

If there is a message that keeps resonating throughout my life, it is the undeniable fact that life ISN'T determined by the cards we are dealt with. Imagine if the cards are shuffled and we end up with a Black Joker card that throws us outright and even punches right through our stomach?  YES, it still remains amazing HOW something as serious as and precious as life is compared to the deck of cards❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  I've heard these statements a zillion times in the past and it's frustrating & pitiful:

"I WAS BORN POOR.  WHAT CAN I EXPECT?"

"EVER SINCE, I'M NOT GOOD AT THAT AT ALL"

"WHAT ELSE CAN I DO, IF THIS MY FATE?"

YES dude, those are pitiful expressions that only lead situations to even go from bad to worse.  Call it mindset. Call it self-motivation.  Call it your attitude in life.  PLAYING WITH THE DECK YOU'RE DEALT is your best option dude💥💥💥

When The Ship Has Long Sailed...

 

WHEN THE SHIP HAS LONG SAILED.  Yes, indeed, do we remember how many opportunities we missed in our life?  Seriously, I never bothered to keep that score in my journal BUT I recall that I missed a couple of opportunities I deem as materially significant and/or impactful.  LIKE that academic scholarship I missed.  LIKE that career opportunity I missed [had I continued my law studies].  LIKE if I didn't resign from my previous organization as that would have positioned me next in the totem pole.  LIKE WHEN I quit the very first pilot Nihonggo class [which could have positioned me well enough for career advancements in a Japanese-centric organization.  Surely, you have your share of SHIPS THAT HAVE LONG SAILED📗📙📘

It's human nature to regret [and even blame our own selves] WHEN we missed an opportunity that would have led you to reap this fruit OR that path towards your goal.  BUT WHAT is often overlooked here is that, sometimes, missed opportunities often end up being the 'course corrections' we need in our lives.  True, in those MISSED OPPORTUNITIES, we are led into serious disappointments, and even rejections, WHETHER those are the top schools in your country OR a 'dream job' WHICH you have literally dreamt and hoped for the longest time.  BUT after having a MISSED OPPORTUNITY, it could turn out to be the best thing that could have happened💚💛💜

Let's listen to WHAT psychologists counsel us, WHICH is, for us to actively process our feelings as the crucial first step for us to reframe our negative feelings into positive action WHEN things DON'T work out the way we'd initially hoped for.  I recall one of my first MISSED OPPORTUNITIES early on, I struggled BUT eventually realized that in the process of NOT getting WHAT I wanted, I had that deep self-reflection about WHAT actually motivated me and WHAT I wanted to do with the rest of my life.  Even relationships, WHICH are sensitive topics to cover, WHEN it leads to a breakup, many researches showed statistical data that such breakups did spark renewed love and even success in one's career.  HOW often do we hear that one MISSED OPPORTUNITY led you to a much better life???

Once I stumbled across this philosophical statement, that is, 'YOUR DESTINY IS TIED TO YOUR INTUITION'.  And on one occasion, someone confided to me that he ignored his intuition and in his post mortem, he learned from that painful experience that bad things result WHEN we would tend to push past our better judgment in pursuit of a goal.  Sometimes, a MISSED OPPORTUNITY becomes a blessing in disguise.  LIKE you joined a new organization BUT after a month OR two, you quit because you thought that the company's values are NOT aligned to you!!!

Our takeaway:  I heard this sage advice a zillion times and allow me to piggy-back on it.  That WHEN you stumble with those MISSED OPPORTUNITIES, two important things to remember.  Firstly, avoid dwelling on the past and instead accept that you cannot change WHAT has already happened.  And instead, embrace the 'NOW' because the present is all you truly have, so make the most of it.  Obviously, we got to learn from the past and alongside it, motivate yourself to gain a new perspective, recognizing whatever past mistakes as they become the very core of your valuable lessons in life.  YES dude, WHEN THE SHIP HAS LONG SAILED, that's NOT the end of the world.  For all you know, that MISSED OPPORTUNITY is, after all, a blessing in disguise, that 'manna from heaven'😁😁😁

Tim & Demi-Leigh Tebow Lost BIGTIME But Now They're BETTER OFF!

 

Tim and Demi-Leigh Tebow are a power couple, NOT because of sheer power BUT because even before they got married, Tim was already a famous American professional football quarterback.  Besides his competitive sports, Tim would periodically visit the Philippines [WHERE he was born to his missionary parents], eventually becoming the founder of the Tebow CURE Children's Hospital in Davao City😀😀😀

Demi-Leigh was famous in her own right, being South Africa's most famous beauty queen WHO was crowned Miss Universe 2017.  Combining two famous personalities undoubtedly and quite effortlessly led to forming the 'power couple' everyone looked up to.  And if there was a global contest for the 'Most USA' couple in the world, surely they will win it hands down as they check all the boxes of both a beauty queen and a famous U.S. NFL quarterback!!!

NOT seating on their laurels, they had millions of followers on social media, and that's besides going to church together on Sundays.  YES, at some points in their life, they were both briefly BUT blindingly famous.  THEN, at some point, they both hit 'rock bottom' both individually and even as a couple.  And akin to the toughest ordeals in life, things can go down the drain much faster than one could have anticipated❎❎❎

As we speak now, both Tim and Demi-Leigh are about to launch each of their books.  As a sneak preview, we are told that both their books are very much similar, inspirational in purpose and very much drawn from their lives [especially WHEN they hit that 'rock bottom'].  Taking a sneak preview of their books, Demi-Leigh has written a 100-day devotional, building on the lessons of her memoir, about HOW she had to find a new identity after her reign as Miss Universe and the lessons she learnt💧💧💧

Our takeaway:  More than just being a power couple, Tim and Demi-Leigh have touched thousands of hearts with their very selfless advocacies, with Tim flying all the way to Afghanistan [even WHEN the U.S. forces were frantically leaving] as the actual hardships he witnessed did reframe his thinking to focus more on advocacy work to people WHO he coined as the 'Real MVPs', the most vulnerable people,  YES, Tim & Demi-Leigh Tebow Lost BIGTIME But Now They're BETTER OFF💚💛💜

Rules May Change In The Middle Of The Game

 

For the longest time, we always heard from the old school that RULES ARE RULES AND YOU CAN'T CHANGE IT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME, AT ALL.  Yes, verily true from way back.  Today, if we are one of the players in the market, the rules of engagement are NOT just changing BUT they have become so dynamic and often times fluid way beyond any of the predictive probabilities.  Even in the competitive world of sports, it's true that rules are NOT changed literally within the game BUT world federation organizations have been regularly reviewing and even 'tweaking' rules right on the aftermath of a bout OR a fight💧💧💧

In the boxing world, it is heavily regulated such that if you're a 100-pounded, you can only fight someone within your weight range.  That explains WHY there is even a FINAL WEIGH-IN [24 hours before the scheduled fight] to take a last check of the weight compliances of the protagonist.  BUT has that rule been cast in stone?  NO sirrrrrs.  Since boxing is NO less than a big-time $$$$$$$, boxing promoters have come up with 'catchweight' fights customized and tailored to meet the DEMANDS of the boxing superstars like Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao$$$$$

Studies did researches with children WHEREIN they asked WHAT happens WHEN children will draw pictures of somebody and share it?  Have we witnessed about the child's level of pride, excitement, joy OR his level of satisfaction with his drawing?  Those researches showed that adults lose the ability to feel excited about their work UNLESS they can do it perfectly, that pride of the effort and the excitement is taken away by the fear of being judged💥💥💥

This is something that we all face today, in all aspects of our lives, especially or professional lives.  WHEN the inventor of CHESS showed his invention to the King, the emperior was so impressed by the new game that he said to the inventor that he could name his reward.  And the game inventor said that his wish was plainly simple, that is, a grain of rice for the first square of the chessboard, two grains for the next square, four for the next, eight for the next and so on for all the 64 squares, with each square having double the number of grains as the square before.  The emperor agreed and was amazed that the man had asked for such a small reward!!!

Oooops, hold your breath.  After a week, his Treasurer came back and informed him that the reward would add up to an astronomical sum, far greater than all the rice that could conceivably be produced in many centuries.  So, the King DIDN'T realize he was committing to 1,100 times more rice that exists today in the world and a mountain of rice as high as Mount Everest.  Our takeaway:  Intuition CAN'T handle exponential growth and this is the game we're in these days.  RULES WILL CHANGE when the dynamics change.  YES dude, RULES MAY CHANGE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE GAME😡😡😡

When Material Things DON'T Really Matter

 

November 8th, a day after his home was all ablaze [WHEN his chartered flight had yet to land back in Miami, FL], Miami Heat Coach Erik Spoelstra was there at Kaseya Center, coaching his team for their next NBA game.  YES they won the game BUT that's NOT the banner story.  WHAT was remarkable was his poise and focus to quickly get back to work even in the aftermath of his personal trajedy.  Jaime Jaquez, one of his key players commented "MATERIAL THINGS DON'T REALLY MATTER.  IT'S THE PEOPLE WHO YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH".  Oh Oh, that was a mouthful and besides agreeing to it, I felt that utmost admiration for Erik Spoelstra to rise to the occassion, to get back to work despite that personal tragedy WHICH hit him and his family 24 hours ago💧💧💧

In that most recent floodings in the province of Cebu, Philippines, I watched one footage WHERE the hapless and innocent baby was laid down in a small basin to let it just float in the waters by itself, hoping the baby will still survive from the tragic floodings.  And as much as the flood victims are unable to think HOW they can recover from all the lost assets and material things, at the end of the day, "MATERIAL THINGS DON'T REALLY MATTER.  IT'S THE PEOPLE WHO YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH"📗📙📘

Apologies HOW, for the second consecutive day, I am devoting our daily thread to highlight these recent tragic stories hitting almost anyone regardless of one's standing in the economic strata.  YES, as a realization, I grabbed this very raw poster WHICH lists down the THINGS MONEY CAN'T BUY!!! Either behind it, beside it OR right in front it, the people WHO matter most to your life may be impacted depending on your standing in terms of MANNERS, MORALS, RESPECT, CHARACTER, COMMON SENSE, TRUST, PATIENCE, CLASS, INTEGRITY and LOVE.  YES dude, the last one, L-O-V-E envelopes our whole life and you and me CAN'T detach its ramifications in life❎❎❎

YES, the ramifications of trajedies are far-reaching.  Awhile back, I stumbled a social media comment "WHAT HAPPENS" to the housing loans and mortgages WHEN the house itself is gone?  Sadly, from the perspective of obligations and contracts, that liability stays and has to be settled BUT we're hoping that those business behemoths [WHO have been profiting at the expense of the workers] will awaken up and discover OR ignite their compassion to condone at least a portion of those obligations, WHICH surely, the debtors will NOT have the capacity to settle even if endeavor on a best efforts basis.  Much as corporate entities are NOT human, but alas, they are run by humans, right?  So, we're hoping human compassion kicks in💥💥💥
 

Our takeaway:  It's NOT too late for us to realize that as much as material things matter in our life, WHAT matters most are the safety, well-being and welfare of the people we value most in our life.  WHEN personal tragedies hit us, it's true it takes more than just sheer courage to 'rise from the ashes' BUT this boils down for us to reassess the situation and in a worst case scenario, WHERE a RESET and REBOOT is warranted, go for it if those are the only cards you can pull out to play [even IF they are the worst cards on your deck].  Let this quote resonate over and over again:  "MATERIAL THINGS DON'T REALLY MATTER.  IT'S THE PEOPLE WHO YOU SURROUND YOURSELF WITH"💚💛💜

Does Our Brain Invent Problems When Life SEEMS Easier?

 

Does Our Brain Invent Problems When Life SEEMS Easier?  Surprisingly, research studies support that suspicion lingering within us.  Frankly, the experts tell us that our brain is really capable to "INVENT" problems, no thanks to our complicity, WHEN we are OVERTHINKING which clinically is defined as a psychological phenomenon WHERE our definition of a threat expands to find new issues EVEN WHEN NONE EXISTS, whew!!!

The irony of these all is that our brain is very much capable to solve even the most complicated problems as studies show that we humans flexibly deploy different reasoning strategies to tackle challenging mental tasks, sometimes offering insights for building machines that think more like us.  And a key reason for this is that we humans can break the most difficult problem apart into manageable subtasks that end up easier to solve one at a time💚💛💜

And that allows us to complete a daily task just like going out for coffee by breaking it into the lowest level of each step and substep, LIKE getting out of your office building, navigating to the nearby coffee shop, and once there, ordering your favorite coffee.  YES, that strategy helps us to handle obstacles quite easily.  Just like if the elevator is broken, our countermeasure is to take the flight of stairs without altering or changing the other steps✅✅✅

Studies also showed that WHEN our brains are confronted with 'off the cuff' situations, instead of tracking all the possible paths, our brain will easily adapt by breaking up a task at hand down to the lowest level of a subtask.  And switching back to the other approach, WHEN we tend to shift to counterfactual reasoning, we would then review our memory although we are warned that our memories are NOT always reliable😡😡😡

Our takeaway:  To take a lift from insights from the experts, our brain does NOT process information, retrieve knowledge OR store memories.  In short, our brain is NOT a computer.  BUT the thing is, that 'information processing' [IP] metaphor of human intelligence now dominates our human thinking, both on the streets and even in sciences.  In short, there is virtually NO form of discourse about our human behavior could proceed.  So, if you hear that our brain seems to be inventing problems, NO sirrrrs.  We're OVER-THINKING by then dude😌😌😌

Yes, Resilience Leads To Recovery

 

Even before 2025 kicked in, a majority of forecasts and predictions, if you may, pointed to countless ominous [call it shockingly tragic] events that will hit our global village.  We DON'T need to look farther from the time Syria's long-time dictator Bashar a-Assad was overthrown just before 2024 ended in December.  Of course, we're aware that over there in Eastern EU, both Russia and Ukraine continue to be embroiled in their own regional war.  And WHEN 2025 finally unfolded, natural disasters hit us, from the floods and earthquakes in India and the Philippines to the countless earthquakes hitting almost all corners of the world📗📙📘

Yesterday's breaking news was altogether shockingly unique.  NBA Miami Heat ballclub's Coach Erik Spoelstra was still airborne [from an on-the-road game with Denver Nuggets and his chartered flight's ETA in Miami, Florida was 510am.  To his utter shock, WHEN he landed, his home at Coral Way, Miami-Dade County, an upscale neighborhood in Miami, Florida was literally engulfed in flames [since around 430am WHEN Miami's firefighters responded to a distress call].  OMG, no one amongst us wants to be in Erik Spoeltra's shoes that very moment, arriving at your home in the wee hours of the morning, WHEN you are mentally, emotionally and physically drained [after Miami Heat's loss to Denver Nuggets the night before] only to arrive with your home literally in flames.  p.s. In tonight's [US EST] press conf, Erik Spoelstra had his 3 kids with him.  Our heart melts for tragedies like this💚💛💜

Just two days earlier, Cebu province in the Philippines was severely hit by floods rising up to the roof levels of two-storey home structures.  Even the hardest souls would have softened WHEN I watched multiple footages of the extreme tragedies, including one footage I watched WHEREIN a husband was giving a CPR [Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation] to his [almost lifeless] wife atop the roof of their submerged house even WHILE torrential rains were still raging alongside the furious winds of the typhoon.  WHOSE hardened heart will NOT soften and melt with all these tragedies?  And this brings us to that dire need for us to hone our RESILIENCE so that we can be led back to RECOVERY!!!

Given all these harsh realities of life, it behooves that we choose to see these setbacks in life as our learning opportunities instead of looking at it as something that will kick us back to square one.  Taking the shame and blame out of a setback supports us to hold onto hope and see that hard experience as a teacher.  And part of healing is allowiing ourselves to feel all our feelings, including those incessant pains❎❎❎

Our takeaway:  It is NOT sufficient to recognize the bumps we hit on the roads we travel BUT we gotta remember it as part of the process.  And WHEN we believe this, we can get back up more easily.  YES, RESILIENCE is our ability to bounce back after an adversity.  RESILIENCE building supports us to manage adversity.  In fact, going through it can reinforce our RESILIENCE.  And like strengthening our muscles, that will help to lead us back towards that road to RECOVERY💚💛💜