Balance

Doing something that is ought to be done a long time ago give the sense of relief.

Sometimes we seem to have too much on our plate and we have to weigh which is more important to deal with first. What is your criteria?

Work? Family? Friends?
If you are put in the position to choose, which will come in mind as your priority?

We each have 24 hours a day, no more, no less. What we choose to do with our time determines who we are. We may not have the privilege to think.

Workaholics are people who put work above everything else. It is as if they are married to their work. Whatever work might be, they are just too busy to deal with everything else. Sometimes, the family supports them. Sometimes, the friends understand them. But have they ever realize that it is not other people’s responsibility to put up with them all the time?

As a workaholic, you might be missing too much in life. Yes. Work is important to put food on the table for the entire family. You may be thinking that you are doing your best to provide for everyone but have you ever thought that they too yearn for your attention? Some parents keep complaining that their children are a nuisance without realizing that it might be purposeful to catch the attention from the people they love.

Some people are simply very close to their family. They are so closely knit that other people might envy the wonderful relationship they have. Even when there is a chance for promotion at work, they would gladly turn down the offer just because they want to spend more time with their family. They are considered the beautiful bunch. They are hard to find, scarcity in the current society.

However, there may come a time when you are torn in between two families. Your family, and your in-laws. Is it possible to create the best outcome in such circumstances? You have to realize that sometimes, giving in too much to the demands of everyone is chaos in the making. You can never satisfy every single person in your family. This is the time for decision making. One with not much choice and is bound to create unhappiness in the other. Every decision has an outcome.

The youngsters, on the other hand, are very often friend-focused. It is everything about their friends. Wherever the friends go, they will want to go. Whatever the friends do, they will want in. Nothing else matters. Everything that the boss says is probably too stressful. Everything that the family says is probably nagging. Everything that the friends say is always right.

Do be careful with the mix. It is always great to meet with new people. It is also rather easy to fall into the friendship trap whereby you can no longer think for yourself because you are too dependent on what everyone else says. You should realize that there is no such thing as forever friends or foe. Sometimes, in certain circumstances, your best friend can be your worst enemy and your most hated enemy can be the one saving you from dirt. Nothing ever is certain.

Have you forgotten another relationship, one that is most important of all relationships?

YOU!

You are always thinking of work, always ahead of what your boss wants.
You are always thinking of everyone else around you, meeting their needs at all times.
How about you?

When was the last time you spent a minute with you for you? Have you been thinking of what you really need as a human being? Do you know what is the one thing that is missing in your life? Is there a time when your mind is totally blank, of the presentation to your boss, of the chores waiting for you at home, or of the outfit for the class reunion this coming weekend?

There are people who would only think of one word, “ME”. But there are also people who have never thought of this very important two letter word. In two far ends, we are all humans after all, with very different mindset. It is selfish to think of yourself all the time but it is foolish not to care for yourself either.

Find the balance between caring for yourself and others. We are all important enough to deserve love at all times.

 

In all aspects of our lives balance is key. Doing one thing too much can cause upset, like the old saying goes, everything in moderation is the secret!

Catherine Pulsifer, author

Responsibility

How do you feel today?

Are you a pleasant person to be around with? Sometimes we think too much of our surroundings that we forget about the most important things of all. Ourselves.

It is not to say that we should only think about ourselves and leave everyone else be. The people around us are important. Many of times we have over expectations of ourselves to meet the expectations of others.

As a child, how often have you followed the instructions of your parents? When we were children, we tend to think all that our parents teach us is correct because our minds are like a blank sheet of paper. Whatever our parents do, we tend to follow. Whatever our parents say, we tend to mimic. It is just natural. There is probably only a handful out there who would have their own mindset at such a tender age.

Back then, if a child talks back to the parents, they would be considered as a difficult child. It is due to the teachings passed down from generations to generations. No party is at fault. Perhaps parents should spend time understanding why the child is behaving as such. May be the child is notorious. May be not. It is the duty of parents to find out why their children act as such instead of just giving them the negative notion that their parents have been using on them over the years. It is not fair to just simply judge based on what we see on the surface.

In the current modern age, if a child talks back to the parents, they would be labelled differently by individuals. Times have changed. The old ways are not always agreed by everyone anymore. Some will still label the child as disobedient. Some will be able to see that the child is hungry for attention from the parents. Some will be amazed how the child can be so intelligent. Whatever everyone else say is not important. It is still the responsibility of the parents to understand why their children behave such a way.

Parents have a huge responsibility over the family that they are trying to build. It is time to realize that, as a parent, you cannot escape being someone you might not be. If you choose to have children with your partner, you have the responsibility over how your children develop. There is no doubt about it.

Many parents these days are just too busy to spend time with their family. Perhaps it is time to ask yourselves these questions.

Are you starting a family because of willingness?
Are you starting a family because it is the right thing to do?
Are you starting a family because everyone else is doing it?
Are you starting a family because it was an unexpected event?
Are you starting a family because you want to please your partner?

The sense of willingness is at stake. Many people just start having a family for the sake of giving their parents grandchildren. Some people just start having a family because their friends all have children. Whatever it is, it is by choice. Nobody can force you to do anything you do not wish to do. Once you have chosen, it is your responsibility to stay till the end.

Whether or not the child is born in the way you want, you are responsible.
Whether or not the child is grows up to be the person you are proud of, you are responsible.

You are totally responsible for your child. Never ever blame your children for keeping you at home, not being able to go clubbing with your friends. Never ever blame your children for spending too much time with computer games when you yourself are on your smart phone all the time. Never ever blame your children for acting out whenever something does not happen the way they want because they are just mimicking you. Never ever blame your children for being closer to your maid than you because you never spend enough time with them. Never ever blame your children for talking back at you as you never keep your promise to them.

It is easy to play the blame game but ultimately, being a good parent is not a job, it is a responsibility.

 

To say you have no choice is to relieve yourself of responsibility.

Patrick Ness, British-American author and lecturer, 1971-present

Matters

What is the important thing we should focus on right now?

We have different perception at different stages in life. There is no one size fits all for anyone because whenever we encounter something new, we get enlightenment one way or the other. Whichever way we choose, it seems to be the right choice at that moment itself but then becomes irrelevant when we reach another stage of life.

Children tend to focus solely on play. This is because they feel play is fun and provides happiness. At that moment, joy is of utmost importance in their life. Nothing else seem to matter. However, there are those not so fun activities that they still have to deal with in the midst of having fun; school and studies. Some children find it interesting to learn something new in class and make friends along the way. There are always some who end up piling stress on their shoulders because they simply do not like the way classroom works. There are also some who become somebody else when they are in class because they want to be a top performer.

Guardians play an important role to guide the young minds to become better each day. As adults, it is our responsibility to nurture a better generation to come, not to impose upon them the dreams we have not achieved. Each individual should be allowed their own choice of life. Whether or not they make it through school with flying colours really does not matter. What matters most is that they become someone whom they want to become. As long as they are kind to themselves, others and nature, everything is worth-while.

People in the working environment tend to be obsessed with climbing up that career path or the total opposite, just working for the sake of money to pay the bills. While everyone makes their own choices, what really matters is the satisfaction within.

The hardworking people sometimes work too hard they have forgotten that life has many other elements to it. There should be time to spend with the family, friends, and oneself. Life is not just about being in the office and work through the day with minimal time for family, some time for friends, and no time at all for yourself. Life is about balancing between what seems important and what seems can be neglected.

Has it ever occurred to you that you are important?
Have you ever questioned what life is about?
How do you want to live the rest of your remaining life?
Is it living day to day?
Or you want that sense of fulfillment till your last breathe?

Humans have been searching for centuries of what life means. Everyone have different findings as each one has a different perception of how life should be. However vast the differences in opinion is, it only comes down to one thing.

Nothing really matters if one has no health.

You can have a bucket list full of things you want to achieve in life. But if you have no health, how are you going to achieve it? It is not impossible, you just need to find alternative paths to finally reach your goals.

How can you climb Mount Everest if you are 80 years old and laying in the hospital bed almost taking your last breath? Is there a way to go around it? Do you just lay there full of regrets for not taking great care of your health when you were younger and when you had the chance? Or do you keep on fighting till the end, telling yourself that you will walk again like you were in your twenties? The choice is yours.

It does not matter how limited your resources is, it only matters how resourceful you are. The human mind is the magical tool we each have. How we choose to use it is entirely up to us. You can choose to keep thinking of your limited resources, or you can choose to think of different solutions to a situation. Be the person you really want to be and live with no regrets.

Be kind to yourself, others, and nature. Nothing else matters.

 

Everyone goes through adversity in life, but what matters is how you learn from it.

Louis Leo Holtz (Lou Holtz), former American football player and coach, 1937-present

Self-Awareness

What is the ultimate advice one can have in order to succeed in life?

Everything comes down to just one thing. Self-awareness.

We are all individuals. We can never find another individual with the exact same features as we are. No matter how determined you are to find, it is just not there. We are all unique in our own ways. We can have the same face but we have different characters. We can have the same upbringing but we take different paths. We can have the same education but we venture into different careers. We can have the same job but we do things differently. We can have the same materials but we live life in our own ways.

What is it that makes us who we are?

Some say it is very much got to do with our upbringing. This is true as the first few years of our lives is the time when we are like a blank sheet of paper. Whatever our guardians feed us is whatever that is written, hardwired into our minds. There is no erasing, no correction. Sometimes, we even feel like life is just as is, that there is no other way except for this way that we definitely have to go through.

Love is the strongest of all feelings. With love, anything can be made possible. It is with love, we conquer all fears. It is with love, we thrive. Sometimes we become so immersed in love that we have forgotten the reality of it.

Remember those times when you were in love, how are your days? Are they full of vibrant colours? Are they full of excitement? How do you feel? Your heart pumps so fast it feels like leaping out. Your brain goes blank you become speechless. Your body takes action in the way you would never imagine possible. The urge you have to make it happen is bigger than your fear. You are no longer your usual self. You are not shy to show your feelings. You are not worried that your actions may cause others to feel uneasy. You are determined to do what you do and you make it a point to do it. You do not know what the outcome will be, you just do it.

Then you get rejected. What do you do? Do you just give up? Or do you find other means and ways to get through with what you want? How are you going to get what you want? What are you willing to sacrifice for what you want? Are you willing to change yourself? Are you willing to do whatever it takes? Are you willing to fail again and again until you finally reach the point of success? Are you willing to face the consequences of losing hope? Are you willing to be different from the norm?

Keep that feeling at all times. Remind yourself of you. Stay true to yourself.

Whatever that is behind you is history. In front of you, there are only two paths. One is made up of golden bricks that is easy to walk but leads you nowhere. Another is made up of sticks, pebbles, and stones, probably with potholes everywhere that looks like a horrible path to cross but leads you to the infinite pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Which path will you choose?

There is no right or wrong in the path you choose. There is only the awareness within you.

Many times in life, we tend to choose the easy way out. The way that everyone agrees to be the right way. The way that is easy to access. But what kind of feeling are you getting while taking the easy way? Do you feel like life is a bore? Do you feel like you are just another being? Do you feel empty?

Every one of us feels differently. Some of us chase more than just dreams. Some of us chase more than just money. It is the feeling of satisfaction within that counts. Look no further. Ask yourself, the answer you need is within you. Deep within you. You have to be aware of what fills the voids in your life. You have the strength to fill the voids on your own.

Self-awareness is a simple yet complicated tool to find satisfaction.

 

Strong people have a strong sense of self-worth and self-awareness; they don’t need the approval of others.

Roy T. Bennett, author of The Light in the Heart

Cold

This morning is rather cold after more than half a day of rain yesterday.

Coldness gives people the chill but if you get comfortable with the uncomfortable, it really does not matter what kind of weather you are living in. Perhaps you are having thoughts that the coldness makes your mind freeze and your whole body still. This is not the case for the person described in this article.

He takes things to the extreme. Not many are willing to do what he does. Not many can stretch over the limits he has shown. But he certainly have inspire many to challenge themselves over the limits their minds have set for them.

What would you do if the world suddenly is covered in snow?
What kind of clothing will you prepare before visiting Alaska?
What kind of gear will you be getting before you even think of climbing Mount Everest?

Perhaps after reading this, your mind will be blown away at how someone out there is able to do the impossible. Perhaps you would think that he can do it because he has some kind super powers. Perhaps. But he has taken the challenge up one notch, which is to produce the same results on other people. He has shown that it is possible. If he can do it, so can everyone else. It is all in the mind.

We may be different in many ways but we are certainly similar in the core. We all have a mind. What we put into our minds is what makes us unique. What we decide to store in our minds is what makes us who we are. What we want our minds to think is what makes us who we become.

Break that belief. It probably has been instilled in you since young. You have to go to school and get good grades. You go to college or university and excel in it. You find a good job that pays high and stick with it. Your life is your own. It does not belong to your parents nor your teachers nor your peers. You live your own life and you are the only person who will live your life till the end.

If a loved one is right next to you when you finally leave, it is great but never to expect that it would happen. If you are to leave alone, it is still great. It is all in the mind. When you are self-sufficient, you will be able to do anything even when you are all alone. Having people around gives you company but is not necessary because the people around you may not understand why you are doing what you are doing. The people around you may have a total opposite thinking of how you should live your life.

One big piece of advice, never let anyone around you tear you down. Always believe in yourself. As long as you are doing no harm to yourself, other people, and the world, any path is a good path.

Change the environment you are in in order to change your mindset. He has given me much inspiration in all directions. I only followed one of his daily practices and I am already a different person.

Wim Hof is largely known as the Iceman. When you search for his information, you would probably find all kinds of pictures and videos of a person that looks like a caveman in icy backgrounds. Those are not backgrounds, those are the environments that he was actually in. When everyone else is in thick clothing, he is half-naked. He has climbed the Everest, walking barefooted on ice, swim without any gear under ice, and he has even challenged his own immune system.

He has put himself to the test. Not only that, he has succeeded in bringing his string of followers through is journey by just priming them to the right mindset. Everything that he can endure, he is able to replicate with others. It is not him alone. It is all in the mind. It is in the breathing. The only way to succeed is to believe, stay calm, and practice. If you are able to understand this for a fact, you will be able to do so as well. You do not need any special powers or shields or weapons to make your dreams come true. All you need is yourself.

Expose yourself to the uncomfortable. Take cold showers every morning, it makes you feel you can take the day.

 

But, there is still every reason for healthy people to take cold showers, or swim outside in cold water. It gives you the feeling that you are alive.

Wim Hof (The Iceman), Dutch extreme athlete, 1959-present

Confidence

How is it that some people are so confident and I am not?

Perhaps many would be asking this very question simply because we do not understand where confidence come from. Some say we have to be successful in order to be confident. Is it really in that order? Or we have mistakenly think that it is in that order? Perception can be misleading.

What really is confidence?

Dictionaries will tell us the synonyms but understanding the truth about confidence take more than just that. Confidence is something that only a handful have and it is something that many chase after. Everybody want to be confident in some way or the other.

How do we achieve the confidence level that satisfies our need?

There is no hard proof way to be confident. A minority are lucky enough to be born confident, most are not. We should never feel small because we do not yet have the confidence. There is nothing wrong with us. We are just not prepared yet. There is work to be done. Never ever envy people who are confident. Instead, learn from them, how they become who they are today.

Confidence come from preparedness. Nobody is born an expert in any field. Everything is about how we spend our time with. We can spend it all on pleasure of watching Korean dramas or nosing around other people’s social media postings, or we can choose to upgrade ourselves. Learning is no longer in a classroom setting. Learning can be through the World Wide Web. There are so many motivational gurus out there that have uploaded videos and snippets and also posters for us to encounter. All we need to do is to turn on the computer or use our smartphone to simply surf with positive keywords and we are bound to discover things that we never believed we can ever do.

Boost! Boost up ourselves. Boost up our motivation.

We only have one life. Make this life worthwhile. There are so many things we can learn. Perhaps sometimes we will drown in the vast information available to us. We get lost. We do not know what we want to do, or what is it that we are passionate about. Everyone goes through this level of uncertainty. Look and look some beyond. Read up. Watch how other people are doing it. When we study through, we will learn and finally find what it is that brings us most interest.

When we know something well enough, we will be confident about it. Rather than being Jack of all trades, it would be better to niche down to just one thing. There are too many topics to learn and we can never learn them all. Instead, keep things simple, just be great at one topic so that we can bring value to others by helping them in it. We are all different. When we are great at one thing, we will give chance for other people to help us in other things that they are great at.

Why is confidence important in life?

Being confident strengthens a relationship. Perhaps we do not see it this way but in any relationship, we need to have trust and confidence that the relationship will grow. Some say relationships do not last but perhaps they are just narrowing themselves. Relationships are not limited to the male female kind. Relationships also mean family, friends, and even strangers. Not all relationship will last but at least we know we have done our best to give value to others whilst we are in it.

Being confident brings wealth. A confident person is also seen as one that others look up to. If we walk into a store and a sale person approaches us telling us how great their product is but he does not show any confidence in the product, will we buy? Understanding what makes people nudge is a skill that is only present in a person who understands what other people need. It is a skill not inborn but rather from observation.

Being confident promotes health. When a person is confident, we can see it in their posture. A confident person always have a charisma that others can see and feel. The person is always standing tall, sitting straight, and talking with a point. A confident person is also an influencer. When we are confident, we are strict about our own lifestyle and the foods we gobble. This is what promotes a healthy body and it works back to making us confident.

Confidence can be nurtured. Be confident of who we are.

 

Confidence comes not from always being right but from not fearing to be wrong.

Peter McIntyre OBE, New Zealand painter and author, 1910-1995

Essential

What is essential?

This is a question that would probably prompt many answers from different perspective. What is essential to one may not be as essential to another. Somehow, everyone would agree that money is the one most essential thing that humans need in order to survive in this era. It is true that money can buy all the things we need for the lifestyle we yearn to have.

Some people may say that it is of utmost importance that we have a full and prepared wardrobe. There should be something for every occasion, especially that ball we have to attend. Whatever that has been worn should not reappear in another occasion to avoid being seen in the same outfit twice. While this creates opportunity for the fashion industry, it is at the cost of nature. Perhaps having a little swap party can resolve this issue.

Some people may say that they not only need to look good, they also need to smell good. We are correct to want to show the best of ourselves to the world. We have thought and used all means and ways to do so. This creates plentiful opportunity for the cosmetics and fragrances industry. The first impression is the most important because almost every human being uses the five senses to perceive something or someone. The beautiful always fair better given an opportunity.

Some people may say that a cozy home is what they need. It is a place they can go back to after a long days’ work. It is a place they can look forward to seeing and being. No matter what happens outside, it really does not matter as long as there is a place called home. The cost of living is rising faster than a paycheck. There are people who blame the exploiters but really, if we are capable, perhaps we can be the opportunist too.

When asked this question, we will usually picture all the material things that we can see and hold. It is just by perception. Many of times, we do not realize that whatever essentials we think of is actually not that essential at all if without life itself.

So what is essential?

Some people may say that wisdom is. It is with wisdom, we can grow our inner self to understand better about the universe within us. There is a little universe in each of us that we have conveniently neglected over the years. We perceive material things as essential and we chase after them with all efforts. We forget one thing, that without wisdom, we are just chasing blindly. Wise people are able to spend more time on themselves and less time in efforts but still producing the same results.

Some people may say health is. Life and health are bound hand in hand. We need to be healthy to live life. Health used to be simple. Anyone can achieve good health with healthy daily routines. The time we are awake, we choose all the healthy practices. The time we are asleep, we choose to let go of all that bothers us, let it be handled during waking hours. How many people can really do that, just let go and not be a control freak? Everyone loves to control to a certain extent.

Some people may say family and friends is. In this day and time, relationship has been brought to another level. We can find long lost friends through social media from friends of friends. We can stay in touch using voice or video calls from free platforms. We can even hold a seamless meeting using zoom calls. There are no boundaries even in the state of a global lockdown. Everyone can keep in touch with each other be it for business or just connecting.

Perhaps we are still not looking deep enough to find the true essentials that each human need to survive. Perhaps the most important things come so naturally we do not even realize that they are the true essentials of living.

How many days can a person survive without food?
How many days can a person survive without water?
How many minutes can a person survive without air?
What is of utmost importance that we must protect regardless of whether or not we live to see it?

Mother Nature is the solitary provider of all essentials; food, water, and air. Let us all protect and create a better world for our children.

 

And now here is my secret, a very simple secret, it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.

Antoine Marie Jean-Baptiste Roger, comte de Saint-Exupery (Antoine de Saint-Exupery), French writer and aviator, 1900-1944

Challenge

We face many challenges along the way in life. It is just normal.

Everyone faces challenge one way of the other. Whether we like it or not, life is as such. How we go about dealing with the challenge is entirely up to us.

The choice is ours!

We can choose to ignore. Depending on the situation, sometimes this may be a good idea. Just imagine being faced with a superior who never listens to anyone when he is in the angry mode. We can be calm but we cannot expect everyone else to be calm like us. So when a person is already flooded with anger, it is best to just lay low and listen to all the grunts the person has to relate. Let the person talk it out, never to add a word to it.

By keeping silent, we portray a good listener, even though we might not be listening at that very moment. Everyone needs a good listener every now and then. Everyone has something to say about everything. If we just let the person vent his frustration, we are in fact helping the person and also ourselves. There is no reason for an arguments even though we know we have a point. When a person is agitated, nothing will be absorbed.

The best time to talk is when the person is calm. Nobody can be angry at all times. When anger has reached its peak, it will fall like we would into a steep ravine. That is the time when the person will start to calm down. The person will know when he is ready to listen. We have been a good listener during all the frustration, the person will willingly listen to us when the storm is over. This is the best time to talk our mind out to them.

Timing is crucial.

We can choose to live up to the challenge. While we may be the calm and kind person we are, there will be many situations whereby we have to take action. Without action, life is stagnant.

Opportunity is everywhere. While some people see it as an opportunity, others may see it as a challenge. So what is wrong with a challenge? It is just a matter of perception.

Challenges can be big or small.

There are many instantaneous decisions we need to make every single minute of the day. For example, we received a message from a friend asking us to buy a product from him. What do we do? Do we support him or do we just ignore his request? While it is just a simple message, its meaning is much bigger. If we choose to support him, there may be another round of needing support coming soon. If we choose to ignore, what kind of a friend we are that we cannot support on such a small matter. We are placed in a dilemma.

There are challenges that do not come often but is a big deal in our life. We have a career now, but we are unhappy in life.

Having a career pays the bills but if we are not enjoying what we do for a living, what can we do for a change? It is a huge decision. A change in career means starting over. We have already done that many years ago and we have faced many challenges along the way. We are in our comfort zone now and change is hard. Most people may have this mindset. If we are to resign ourselves from the current situation, life is going to turn upside down and we may not be able to take it. This is common.

How about thinking differently? Successful people always reason beyond what lays before them. What is a challenge now is actually an opportunity. They will take the challenge. They are willing to change for the better. That is what makes them different from ninety-nine percent (99%) of the worlds’ population. They are the one percent (1%) on the top of the world. They earn it for being different. They become successful because they dare to be different. If they can do it, so can we.

Wherever there is a challenge, there is also an opportunity that lay ahead. Live up to the challenge!

 

Challenge yourself everyday to do better and be better. Remember, growth starts with a decision to move beyond your present circumstances.

Robert Tew, American writer

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

Holiday

How often do we take holidays?

Holiday brings joy to people all around the world. Whether young or old, it does not really matter. All that matters is everyone enjoy their time off from whatever they have to deal with day in day out. Everyone needs a holiday every now and then.

People see holidays differently in all walks of life.

Students love holidays as they can have a break from the never-ending classes to attend to and the constant homework and examinations they have to crack their heads to handle. Having a holiday means they can just leave everything aside for a short while and enjoy the fun activities with peers.

Workers love holidays as they can have a break from the never-ending workload to attend to and the constant pressure from management to come up with new ideas to grow the company. During holidays, they are free to have some long awaited family time.

Entrepreneurs love holidays as they can have a break from the never-ending challenges they face each day. Somehow, whether or not it is a holiday, they tend to always think of means and ways to better lives. They have big dreams that they want to make come true. Their body may be relaxing at a spa, but their mind is always on drive mode. Every little thing that they observe can be the turning point in their life. They are always determined for change and improvement.

There are also people that have a different opinions on holidays.

Hardworking people, especially in the sales line, love working on rest days and public holidays because they get double and triple pay for working while other enjoy their days off. Some people may see them as money-minded but they really are opportunist. They take every opportunity as is and make the best of it. They are usually the ones who are more successful in career than others.

Business owners, especially in the retail line, love holiday seasons because it brings upon them more income. When everyone is on holiday, more people are more willing to spend. This is the best time to make up for any losses in slow months over a year. The best holiday seasons are usually at the end of the year, around November and December. This is the time people all around the world travel with family and friends. When there is movement, there is always prospect to grow economy.

Lately, most of the world has been on lockdown due to a little virus. Everyone is practicing social distancing. It seems like everyone is on holiday, or so we thought.

There is opportunity in every situation. Some people are gaining popularity, some people have decided to start a side hustle. Whatever we had in mind over the years but have no time to start because of our responsibilities and commitment, we now have a little time to think over. There have been self-declared millionaires in the short span on a few months.

Some people had been having a harsh life running from this market to that market selling vegetables. They no longer need to do so during this period because everyone is doing live sessions selling online. The internet is the way to go. Everyone should explore on the possibility to do something new, to provide value to others in an innovative way. This is a great time to explore our capabilities, everything we are worth.

Some people may just loiter in their own mind that they are stuck at home. While it may be true to a certain extent, why not use this time creatively. If we are to take 30 minutes a day to imagine we are somewhere else, we would have gone for a short holiday of about a week in a year. With technology, we can visit places we have never been to or have no means to get to. We do not need the skills to climb mountains or the courage to dive into deeps seas. We can already see the world in videos shared by people around the world.

Look at the bright side. We can be on holiday everyday if we choose to.

 

A holiday is an opportunity to journey within. It is also a chance to chill, to relax. It is when I switch on my rest mode.

Uppalapati Venkata Satyanarayana Prabhas Raju (Prabhas), Indian actor, 1979-present

Important

What is important now may be something different in future.

Time changes everything. We live through many events in life and there is no way we can tell what is going to happen tomorrow or the day after. We could be successful this very minute and everything changes the next. Most importantly, we cannot estimate our lifespan.

As a child, the most important people in our lives are our parents. They are our heaven and earth. They are the sun and moon. They are the people who take care of all our needs and we thought it would last to eternity.

When we are schooling, we get to meet with many other people. Teachers and friends. We end up categorizing friends. Most are just friends, there will be some best friends (BF) and one best of best friends (BBF). We can tell our BBF all sorts of secrets because we trust the person with our heart.

As time goes by, however close we were, we might part ways. It could be for a simple reason as we are accepted into different higher education institutions. We find it hard to adjust without our parents and friends. It seems to be easy for everyone else to adapt but we find it difficult as an introvert to find people to talk to. There could come a time when we feel totally alone.

Perhaps it is just normal that our mind shifts to something else more important. The classes, the results, and that graduation day. We hope to get first class honours as that is the highest acknowledgement from the university. We want to be recognized for our efforts over the years of studies and thesis. Back then, everything is paid off with a piece of certificate.

With good results, we have many choices placed before us. We are wanted by all top employers. There is no need to apply for a job. We get to choose. This is of utmost importance because it brings our parents pride. Everyone else is the norm, we are the genius.

Is this all that is important? Good education, good grades, good job?

There are many rebellious people out there and they are doing great in life too. We may not have read the history of all successful people but even with some, it is good enough. Education is to give us a head start. Education enables us to learn to read and write. It is a tool, not the “everything” there is. Even with minimal education, people can be successful.

There are people out there with high qualifications but are not doing anything that is important at all. They think that their life revolves around educating people. They have the mindset that with education, they are more superior compared to others. They rarely listen to people of lower education than them.

There are people out there who were probably dropouts or had very minimal education due to various reasons. They are known worldwide for their success and contribution to society. They make their names famous by who they are, not what they are educated with.

Parents may argue that education is inevitable for their child. There is no doubt about that. Education is very important but education is everywhere. It is not limited to the classroom setting. Every living person or animal can be a teacher. It is up to the child to observe and learn from all the teachers in the world.

We may see a plant as still. It is alive but seems lifeless to our eyes. If we are to set a camera to record the life of a plant from seed to tree, there will be much to learn. A seed is so tiny. It can be easily washed away with water or eaten by birds. It is with the right condition, a seed sprouts into a seedling. It is tiny and fragile. The sun can burn it. Tiny insects can eat it. Even we may mistake it for a weed. Determination pays off. The seedling goes through all challenges that life brings it. It roots down and grows up. Its roots grow deep and keep sturdy. It nurtures itself to provide. It provides food and shelter for all the seemingly unrelated beings that come by.

We may be tiny but who can decide our significance to the world?

 

Always bear in mind that your own resolution to success is more important than any other one thing.

Abraham Lincoln, President of United States of America (1861-1865) who is famous for abolishing slavery, 1809-1865

Love

How deep is your love? This song has been playing in my head for at least an hour now.

Love comes in many forms. It can be given or taken. Some people are just born with the life that everyone dreams of. They seem to be loved by people everywhere they go. Some are not so fortunate. They have been the ones giving but never getting anything in return.

Whether or not our family is perfect, it really does not matter. We should be grateful for having parents and siblings around us when we are growing up. We may have had fights between siblings for something as small as that beautiful pen or big as the estates of our parents. Everything that we have, we should be grateful for. There are some out there who have been abandoned or orphaned the day they were born.

Humans love to compare between each other. We love to look up to people who are more privileged than us. While this is good for aiming for a better life, we need to strike a balance between what is realistic and what is mere jealousy.

We may be having family members who are always fighting over everything under the sky. While we want to have a peaceful life, we should look at each family member as an individual and also collectively. There is no point comparing with our friends and neighbours. Everyone has their own way of communicating with each other. Having arguments all the time may be better than just keeping silent of all misery.

Just imagine we are a rubber band. It will last longer if it is stretched and let go every now and then. If it is continuously stretched and keep on being stretched, there will come a time when it can no longer withstand the stress. It will break. There need to be space for letting go of all the tension. That space may jolly well mean arguments between family members.

It is always better to let everyone know what we have in mind rather than making people guess. Women have a tendency to make their partners guess. No matter how well their partner may know them, sometimes the guessing game goes overboard. When that happens, we are often not satisfied and say to our partner that they do not love us anymore.

Men, on the other hand, are generally more straight-forward. But there is a problem with them too. They have a thing about being the bread winner of the household. Perhaps it is ego. Perhaps it is just the way they have been brought up, to be responsible over the family. Sometimes, we do feel that men are not such great lovers anymore after marriage. And so, problems arise.

We should understand that relationships move both ways and changes as time goes by. The fairy tale beginning during courtship will soon end when the relationship is brought to another level. After tying the knot, life begins in a different way. While keeping promises is important, we should also prepare for changes to happen. There could be that new home, living with in-laws, having children, and much more to take into consideration. If we are not prepared for these, some serious problems could arise.

If love is what brought a couple together, then love should bring them further. With love, all difficulties can be conquered. With love, we grow better.

But let us not forget the most important person we should love.

Life is as such that we are too busy to remember the most important person in our lives. Self-love is something that we should practice every minute. Whatever anybody says does not matter. All that matters is what we think of ourselves. The only person who will take the last breath with us is none other than ourselves. There is no doubt about that.

So why spend all the time loving somebody else but forgetting to love ourselves? Anybody can steal our heart and disappear forever from our lives. Why are we spending all the effort loving everyone else but not ourselves? Why do we always put ourselves last? We only live once. Make it meaningful.

It is only when we love ourselves, we are able to spread love to the world.

 

When we love, we always strive to become better than we are. When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.

Paulo Coelho de Souza (Paulo Coelho), Brazilian lyricist and novelist, 1947-present

Minute

What can be achieved in a minute?

For the fast-paced, every second counts. For the slow-movers, one minute is probably too short to get anything done. The world we are living in is ever more busy than before. Very often we just let a minute slip through here and there without even realizing it.

Perhaps mathematics can help us with some calculations that let us understand better how one minute makes a difference.

1 year = 365 days = 8760 hours = 525600 minutes = 31536000 seconds

We have half a million minutes every year. If each minute was a dollar, how would we want to spend that half a million dollars in a year? Perhaps bit by bit, perhaps in bulk. However, wherever, whenever, the choice is ours to make. Nobody else can make it on our behalf.

We each have 1440 minutes every single day. It is great if we think of it as a lot. Then it would only make sense to set aside one minute each day to do something different, something that would improve ourselves, enlighten our minds, and give a sense of achievement that lifts us throughout the day.

Through writing this blog, I have come to realize that my life is getting better each day. Because of the one rule I have set in this blog; that is to find a corresponding quote or phrase to be inserted as a positive vibe to remind us of the words of wisdom from the great people that walk the earth. Each day, I learn a little bit more. Each day, I find myself changing for the better.

Writing an article in this blog obviously takes way more than a minute but it takes less than a minute to think of a word to start with every morning. After 45 days of writing this blog day after day, the first word that comes to my mind every morning is somewhat moving towards more encouraging words.

We are living animals. We can be influenced to become someone we never expect to be. If that is to happen, why not choose to be someone better? Whatever your peers may be, whenever you meet new people, perhaps it only makes sense to become the person you truly want to be. Everyone is born different but everyone was born a clean slate.

Each event that happens in our life puts a little dap of colour in us. We are who we are, the best we are. Whether or not we want to move towards the light, is entirely up to us. We may be surrounded by negative family and colleagues, but nothing can stop us from meeting new friends that can pump up our life. Find the like-minded and encourage each other to be better.

Some say it is easier said than done but if you have never tried it, what makes you think it is hard? Everyone perceive things differently. What is difficult for some may be as easy as one two three for others. Certain ways can only work for some people. We are all different. If we are to expect change overnight, then we are probably looking up too high. Change happens a little at a time. Be patient.

I personally find it easier to make small changes in my daily routine being helpful. Making a big change at a go is actually tiring and I often put myself off because of unfinished task.

Start small. Let us just put aside one minute in a day for something that we can see. By making that little change that our eyes can grasp, it will be easier to remind ourselves of the achievement we made in that one minute. I am giving myself a task, to do one different thing in one minute every morning. I have started with my messy bathroom. The bathroom is the first place we go to every morning and the last place we visit every night. This is the best place to start. We cannot clean the whole bathroom in a minute but we can section the bathroom in such that we can complete each task in a minute.

What we think is minute can actually change our lives. Make a small change every minute!

 

If you make each minute of your life fruitful, you will have nothing but a fruitful life.

Gift Gugu Mona, South African author

Fight

This word is often misunderstood as being undesirable but its actual meaning can be of the opposite.

Sometimes, we wake up with a song in our head. Today, the song is The Fight Song. It never came to my mind to find out the actual title nor the original singer of the song. The one time I saw performance of the song was from a secondary school student in a talent audition.

A fight is often referred to physical activities between two parties, can be human or not. There are many types of fight; some being friendly while others may not.

Fighting for real between two parties often lead to injuries or even death. We do not discuss destructive fights here.

Fights can be noble. Friendly matches between two soccer teams are often put together between one celebrated team and one home team. Whenever there is such a match in my home country, there would be a massive jam on the roads leading towards the stadium. Soccer team of my home country is obviously no match for the invited team but this match is jam packed because fans of both teams would crowd the stadium to see their favourite players display their best efforts to win the match. In the end, everyone is still friends.

Muay Thai is the upcoming trend nowadays. Many ladies are signing up for this sport as it can serve as a mode of self-defense and for health reasons; as the sweat comes out, fats are burned. It can also boost self-esteem in many individuals. Each punch can make way for more oxygen to enter the lungs. Each kick can stretch all muscles in the body creating a lasting satisfying effect. In this date and time, we very often sit in front of the computer screen all day. Engaging in this kind of fight is all we need to get moving.

There are many other types of fight besides being physical. Some fights can be tormenting to an individual but when we are able to overcome it, we rise as a better individual. Politics is probably the most dangerous kind of fight. Very often, words that come out of our mouths can be hurtful and we do not realize the damage we had done to the other party.

We may not be involved directly in politics like politicians do and we are not going into that sensitive topic. What I am trying to say is that politics can exist anywhere there is humans. Home politics is mostly between siblings in a simple family. However, when there are extended family members in a big household, fights can become very complicated.

Some couples stay with in-laws after marriage. A newly-wed couple would hope for their alone time but the in-laws are always nosing around their livelihood. This not only stresses out the daughter-in-law but it is also torture to the son. Mother-in-law would expect daughter-in-law to deal with chores as they did when they were young, however, they did not realize that women these days are different from before. Women can be the sole-bread winner of the family too. They are not housewives.

Office politics is distressing. We need to have a clear mind on this. Our colleagues are just people who we see many hours a day but are not related to in any way. There is no need to take things into heart when we hear some negative comments. We can put up a fight in productive way. Let our mind be the problem solver here. Ignore everything that drags us down, find the fastest way to solve problems. The only people we need to answer to is the person who pays our salaries, nobody else.

In business, fights are all natural. We have to fight with suppliers, competitors, customers, and much more. Fights of this sort is not literal. We want to obtain the best cost from suppliers, have the best brand exposure from the rest, be the best provider for customers, and grow the business big and strong. Every single decision is for the better of the business, nothing personal.

All in all, it is the fight we have for ourselves that is most essential of all. As long as we have fight within, we are on the right track to progress for our better future.

 

You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.     

Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (Margaret Thatcher), British stateswoman (served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990), 1925-2013