Learn

Learning is a continuous process.

We live in a world of technology and information is vast. We can learn anything anywhere. There is so much to learn we hardly have time to think which information is the right information for us to grow. We tend to be broad and wide in our search to learn something, very often we deviate from the initial plan of our learning.

Deviation is normal and is okay. Perhaps we started off with just something as simple as decluttering our home. Everyone have their thoughts about this and everyone have different methods to doing this. Whichever method that suits us is the best for us. It does not really matter if it works for everyone, as long as it works for us, it is a good method for us. While learning about decluttering the home, we might get cluttered in our mind. What do we do about that?

It is okay to have a saturated mind. We know ourselves best. We learn, we saturate, then we learn to say enough. There will come a point where we feel it is enough of searching for more information because getting all the information in the world does not mean we are the best in the subject. So what if we know all the theories of how to declutter our home? If we never bring ourselves to taking action, to really doing it, we will never know which one really works for us.

Trial and error is also part of the learning process. Stop procrastinating! Start doing!

Perhaps we have bigger dreams than just merely decluttering our homes. We already have so much information at hand. We have tried it, failed it, done it, tormented about it, what else can we do? Decluttering our home is only a small part of the decluttering world. Look beyond that. Perhaps we can start earning with the knowledge we learnt.

Know what is needed. Just get back to the internet to search for a new thought, any thought. What problems do people face when starting to declutter? What problems do people face halfway to decluttering? What problems do people face when maintaining the home clutter free? Find out the problems of other people. Find ways to solve them. Bring in the pain point. Find the niche.

Anything can be monetized.

We have lived our lives learning about so many things. All these years, how have we failed, how have we managed it, how have we overcome it? Our life experiences may be something that does not seem important to us but as at to date there are 7.8 billion human population in the world. We already know that no two person is the same. This means, our life experience is unique, we are unique. There may be lookalikes somewhere else in the world but whatever we go through definitely differs.

We have been stuck. We have been there, in that situation. We got out of it. We are a different person now. We managed it. It is time to tell the world what we have gone through. Perhaps for a start, nobody will know who we are. As time goes by, as we build ourselves for the better, someone, somewhere out there, will discover us. We may not be the big time idol or superstar but it brings much satisfaction knowing we are able to help someone see light in themselves.

As long as there are humans living in this world, opportunity is there. It is up to us to tap into the market and make the best of it. Learning is not about keeping the knowledge. There is no point learning something and just keeping it to ourselves. We do not live alone. Get out there. Help someone. Soon enough, we will find the satisfaction of sharing.

Sometimes it is not about making all the money in the world, it is more about sharing so to make peoples’ lives better. If this is such a noble action, why monetize? We have to understand that nothing comes free. Humans love to take for granted what is available for free. Nobody will take action on anything if the information is free. Worst off if it is free for life. How many have signed up for free for life courses and never got to do anything about it? If it costs something, if it is for a limited time only, we are more likely to take action and start doing it. The motivation is there.

Learn = Live + Earn
Learn to make life better for ourselves and for others as well.

 

Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.

Benjamin Franklin, American polymath, writer, scientist, and inventor, 1706-1790

Late

Many things in life are measured by time. Time is just one of the ways to determine our success.

Late is a word created to let us know that timing is important in many cases but is not a death sentence in most. We have to understand the possible origin of the word.

In the past, life is harsh. The early humans learn from the hard way. They live by the weather. They have to be prepared for the worst. There is a season for hunting. There is a season for agriculture. There is a season to stock up. It is just the way life was. Every little time they have, they need to use it wisely or it is a matter of life and death, not only for themselves but possibly for the whole tribe as well. Therefore, they stick to their strict schedule day by day, year after year. If they are just a day late, everyone’s life could come to an end.

In the current day, life is not as harsh. Humans have found ways to deal with difficult times. There is no need for hunting for food. The agriculture industry has expanded far and wide to provide for the worlds’ needs. We can buy any type of food we want, produce from any country we desire, at any time we choose to. Food is easily available everywhere, any time.

Unless we are staying in a desert or a barren ground, nothing is ever too late.

There are still people living in scarcity. They need help from everyone else from around the globe to get them through difficult times. If we think that life is unfair to us, think again. At least we have a place to go back to every night, called home. At least we have people who care about us in any situations, called family. At least we have ourselves to return to in a sane mind. Not everyone is as lucky as us.

Self-positivity is the only way to remind ourselves that we are fortunate.

We should be grateful for what we have and help the lesser in any way we can. Lending a helping hand to others is always the best way to show gratitude. One can only help when one is grateful. One can only be grateful when one has something to offer. Life is fair. It is never too late to extend help to those in need. It is an action that will improve the life of others. It is a noble act.

We are always hustling through life in the city. People living in urban areas often have a shorter lifespan compared to those in the countryside. While life in the city is full of colours, we should learn to strike a balance between the vibrant lights and the calmness within.

Whatever that is external, leave it be. There are many things that we cannot control, many events that make us regret. Whatever has happened is history. There is no turning back. Whatever that is going to happen has not arrived yet. Why waste time worrying about it? Living in the present is how life should be.

Whatever that is internal, we can explore. How much time do we spend on ourselves? Not the time we put on makeup, not the time we face the computer or mobile phone, but the time we just remain quiet and listen to our inner voice. We usually have all sorts of reasons not to do so. There is no time to doing so. Life is only as busy as we want it to be. If we have time to spend on work, friends, and the social media, we surely can spare a little for ourselves. We have to understand that the only person who will be with us till our last breath is none other than ourselves.

It is never too late. We may be late for work, for that important conference, but we can never be too late for what we want to achieve. Perhaps we are ageing but age is not a hurdle, it is an advantage. With age comes experience. If we had not done it before, that means the time is not right. If we stop ourselves now because of the wrong mindset, we are just allowing negativity rule on us.

Life continues. Pursue now, it is never too late to start.

 

Everybody, soon or late, sits down to a banquet of consequences.

Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson (Robert Louis Stevenson), Scottish novelist, poet and writer, 1850-1894

Computer

A computer is probably the most well-invented machine.

People from all walks of life benefits from this invention. I remember my father telling us the first computer he encountered was as huge as our lounge. I really cannot imagine what it contained that made it so big when the computers we have today are getting smaller in size.

The first computer we had was white in colour. The components are somewhat similar to what we have today. There was a central processing unit (CPU), monitor, keyboard, mouse, and printer. Everything was contained on a special table with rollers at the bottom. The wires were nicely tucked away at the back of the table. It took up a huge space in the bedroom.

This machine gave us much joy. It had a floppy disk drive. The shop owner gave us several different floppy disks with one educational game in each. Our favourite was “Rabbit and Carrot”. It was a fun spelling game, so much better than the boring spelling books we had. When we got the spelling correct, the rabbit gets to eat the carrot and when we passed one stage, the rabbit and carrot dances happily. There was another game that we enjoyed a lot, perhaps more people have heard of this, “The Pacman”. This was not exactly educational but it trains coordination of the mind and fingers.

Computers were such an exclusive item back then. Our home was the only one with a computer in the whole neighbourhood. Only educated people would spend money on the machine for their household. Thanks to my mother who insisted that we should have a computer even though it was expensive and she had to save for several months before she finally got the tech guy over to set up our first computer. Doing assignments was so easy. Everyone else had to deal with their assignments by hand, I managed to do everything on the computer and print them out to be bound into a book.

Back then, printers were all pin-writers. Everything was black and white. Everything had to be printed in computer forms. That was okay. I just cut the prints and pasted them on the correct size papers. So my assignments were much scrapbook-like and because of creativity, it was more interesting than the rest.

As years go by, technology improved. Monitors come in red green blue (RGB) colours instead of the monotone or duotone. Now, we only use flat screen monitors. The colour quality improves even further making the formally eye-straining to the currently eye-soothing screens. We can even connect our computers to the latest Smart TV making it possible to enjoy gameplay and movies in the comfort of the sofa, instead of an office chair.

Computers have become more and more portable. The first generation portable computers are called laptops. It is an all-in-one machine in a clam shell format. There is one additional component, which is the battery that makes it possible to operate the laptop for a specific length of time even when electricity is not available. With such inventions, we can easily bring our work to small spaces and even on the airplane.

This date, computers have become more convenient. Technology made it possible to have a full spec computer with just the size of a television. There is no need to have cables dangling around anymore. The only cable needed is the cable to power the monitor.

Portable computers have advanced even more. They come in the size of a book, a very slim book with full operations of a computer. Everything can be operated the same way with wireless connections readily available for keyboard, mouse, and much more. We can even merge several tabs together to make a larger screen. They are unbelievably versatile.

The best invention is probably smart phones. Smart people have incorporated computers into a phone. Now, we are able to enjoy the convenience of a computer on a phone that can easily fit into our pockets and handbags. Life made simple and yet complicated. Technology has brought us joy but we have to be smart in using them. We should pull ourselves out for some alone time every day, away from technology, away from disturbance. Stay rooted.

Though computer plays an important part in our lives, it is just a tool. There are things that the computer cannot do, that we have to deal with on our own.

 

A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.    

Emo Philips, American stand-up comedian, 1956-present