Trust

Are you taking enough time to heal?

We are all alive. Anything that is alive can heal. It is the matter of whether or not we believe in ourselves. Given time, we all have the ability to heal. There is no need for technology. There is no need for external intervention. We have the ability ourselves. We just have to trust ourselves.

There have been many miracles before that even doctors of the modern medicine cannot explain. In the book the Secret, Cathy Goodman shared her beautiful inspiring story of how she overcome something that is feared by most, cancer.

She was diagnosed with breast cancer. She took the path that she feels is most right for her, to have strong faith that she was already healed. She believed wholeheartedly that she was already healed. She watched very funny movies and would laugh and laugh. She knows that stress was one of the worst things she can do while trying to heal herself. It only took her three months to heal from the time she was diagnosed and all was done without the standard protocol of the modern medicine; chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

This is just one beautiful story of all the many beautiful stories that we tend not to believe in. This is only believed to be a miracle that can happen to a handful of selected people but that is not true. This can happen to anyone, any regular person, you and me. The limitation that we have in our brain is all that is limiting us from achieving what we yearn.

Open up your mind!

With every downfall, there is an opportunity. The only reason why you keep seeing it as a downfall is because you believe it is and that you remind yourself every minute of the day that there is no way out. There is always a way out. You just have to open up your mind to see it. You just have to have an open mind to receive what is about to come into your life.

We are being put to the test. We all are. Each and every day of our lives is a test itself. Most people choose to stay in their comfort zone that is so that they feel comfortable all the time. The lack the energy to receive challenges that will potentially push them higher to become a better person. It is all by choice. What you choose, you become.

We are always being placed at crossroads. We are always given choices. Whichever route you choose to take brings you to a different destination. Which is the final destination that you wish to reach? Which is the ultimate destination that gives you the satisfaction you are so hungry to get? What do you have in mind? What do you want to do in this limited lifetime you have?

If you are saying “I just want a peaceful life”, a peaceful life it is you will get. There will be very little ups and downs. You will be doing almost the same things day in day out. Your friends will be your friends. Your family will be your family. You seek life differently from the rest of the world. You are probably already enlightened to the point you know what you really need.

If you are saying “I want to be an entrepreneur”, you will be one, one day. You have to be ready at all times to face challenges that is out of the ordinary. Entrepreneurship is only meant for those who are ready to tackle anything and everything that comes in their way. It is the total opposite of tranquility. Are you ready for what you are about to face? Are you ready to take on hardships?

If you are saying “I want to bring enlightenment to everyone”, you will be able to do so. You may not have any disciples now but the day will come when everyone will look up to you, even after you are gone from the face of the earth. Buddha walked this path alone. He gave up all that he had in life in search for enlightenment. To this date, most people only know who Buddha is but not many will be talking about the kingdom he had left behind.

Trust yourself. You have a universe within you that can make the difference.

 

Trust in what you love, continue to do it, and it will take you where you need to go.

Natalie Goldberg, American author and speaker, 1948-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

Anew

What is the meaning of life in the absence of a chance?

Everyone gets their chance at life. Sometimes, it is easy to see but most of the time, we lost the connection with our inner self. Every time we face with a challenge that is the time we need to remember to first look within.

Many people out there will say that there are so many ways to solve a problem if we just look outside. The world is at large and there is bound to be a solution somewhere. We love to surf the internet in search for that one suitable way of overcoming the obstacle. Sometimes, it is great to see what others do when they are facing the same problem as us. However, we have to understand one thing, we are all individuals. Even the slightest difference in ourselves will create a totally different outcome.

Sometimes, we might even become overloaded with information. With the minds of over 7 billion people in the world, everyone seems to be resolving their own problems in their own ways. While we are in search of the best solution, we can also get confused with the vast information we find over the web. What are we going to do about it?

First choice we see is probably through trial and error. This is the fastest way to set ourselves through the learning process. We take action to do our best to hopefully reap results of our hard work. We learn through failure. We learn through success. Each and every step of the way is a crucial learning point. It is only important that we actually learn from experience.

Second choice we choose is probably find a mentor. This is a great way to become a better person with the guidance of a successful one. Great mentors produces successful mentees. However, if we are just following blindly what the mentor says without incorporating our own ideas, we will succeed one way or the other but we sometimes also lose ourselves in the process. This may be a good thing in some cases, but may not be so in most. We have to remember one thing that we are all built differently for a reason.

Many people forget that there is a third choice that is the most ignored choice but is also the wisest choice. Amidst all the learning over the years from machine or other humans, we are ourselves. We can only learn so much to be someone but it will only make sense if we look deep within to find ourselves. We are so immersed in the outside world we keep forgetting that the most powerful source of energy is from within. The sun is the mother source of all energy on earth but our minds is the ultimate source of all energy in the universe. There is a universe within us.

Living through life over the years seem to be great. Day in day out we do the things that we think is for the best of ourselves and the people around us. With each challenge we face, we learn a little bit more. However, we forget one very important action, to have checkpoints.

Each one of us should have checkpoints every now and then to measure ourselves as a whole. We love to live day by day thinking that our life is perfect. Just because we managed to solve all the problems that arise along the way. Just because we went through each challenge easily. This only means that we are able to overcome life as we live by. Have we ever stop and take a look at ourselves every now and then? Have we ever taken the liberty to just remember to check-in to ourselves to see how we are doing? Have we ever taken time to understand ourselves the way we should?

There is a calling. A wakeup call. This is not the usual wakeup call in the morning to make us get out of bed. This is one that we really need to wake up to see that we need to change and start anew. The current life is great but we have forgotten to check in. This checkpoint tells us that we have not been taking good care of ourselves. This checkpoint is the result of our misunderstanding in life. This very checkpoint is the turning point that makes all the difference, it is a matter of life and death.

Search within to find your calling. It is time to start anew.

 

I always liked the story of Noah’s Ark and the idea of starting anew by rescuing the things you like and leaving the rest behind.

Zachary Israel Braff (Zach Braff), American actor, 1975-present

Perfect

What if it does not work?

What exactly do you want work? Do you mean that you want it to work at your every first attempt? Do you in other words mean that you want your life to be perfect?

Everybody wants their life to be perfect. But what exactly is perfect? Your definition of perfect can be very different from mine. We are all individuals and we have our own perception of everything in this world. Each incident has two sides of the story, just like each individual having two faces.

You did not read wrongly, each individual has two faces. Perhaps you do not want to admit it but it is a fact. One is the highly motivated positive face, and the other is the downside normal skeptical face. Westerners call it the angel and the devil. Taoist call it yin and yang. Whatever names we choose to call it, each of us do have two faces.

Success only presents itself to those who are in balance.

Being motivated is good. You have the energy to take anything to its highest levels. You have the courage to drive yourself uphill. However, being overly motivated can sometimes pose a threat. Because you are so confident in yourself you can become ignorant to the signs that the universe is trying to communicate to you. You are too busy scrambling your way through the jungle, you ignored all the important pleasures of life. You forgot to just stop once in a while to observe your surroundings. You forgot to stop once in a while to simply breathe and belong. You will reach the top faster than everyone else but there is a sense of emptiness within you that is hard to recover.

You can be wealthy of money but poor in relationship.
You can be healthy of relationship but weak in self-love.
You need to be present. You need to be here now.

Being skeptical is good. You can find the problem before everyone else. But being overly skeptical is a problem altogether. It is because you scrutinize everything that comes your way, you tend to lose opportunities. Way too many chances are just gone because of your doubt. Those questions that you keep asking yourself. What if you fail? What if people laugh at me? What if people hate me? What if it does not work? What if … what if … These endless “what if’s” are not going to get you anywhere. After a decade or two, you should already realize that you need to change but somehow, you are still where you were. By the time you are ready to finally make the first move, it could already be too late for some.

“What if” is the first two words of a question we can ask ourselves differently:
What if I can make the difference?
What if I regret for not taking action?
A question can be good or bad depending on how we choose to phrase it.
A question can make a huge variance to which path we choose to take.
When you ask a question, ask wisely.

What makes a successful person?

Anyone can be a successful person. We only need to learn to balance ourselves in all situations. This is a skill that people learn over time. Even if the person is born with the life of an emperor, he has to decide to take the path moving towards becoming a good emperor. Otherwise, his empire will be very short-lived. Throughout his entire journey to becoming an emperor, he has to face many challenges. While he is an emperor, he has to try to turn enemies into allies. Before he steps down from this throne, he has to train his successor to become the person fit to rule the entire civilization. All the choices he make, he has to balance between good and bad, educated and spontaneous, love and war.

There is not a single decision by anyone in the world that is good for everyone. It is always positive for some and negative for others. It only matters that the decision made is for the good of the majority and less painful for the rest.

Life is not perfect. Accept this for a fact and you will feel better.

 

Nobody’s perfect. We’re all just one step up from the beasts and one step down from the angels.

Jeannette Walls, American author and journalist, 1960-present

Expensive

Which is more expensive?

Learning is expensive. Going to college or university or even buying a course online is expensive. Perhaps learning can be do-it-yourself (DIY) by surfing the internet. But there is just way too much information available. Which ones are legit? Which ones to learn first before the others? Things can get rather complicated without proper guidelines or coaching. You can be spending loads of precious time figuring out the how, what, when, where, who and still end up learning nothing at all. How much will your time cost?

Then perhaps you will be giving yourself more excuses. Your schedule is jam packed you do not have time to deal with all these hassle. So you just simply sign up with anyone that looks promising. You somehow find out later that the programme does not suit you. You think it is a total waste of your time and money. You get demotivated. You have made a promise to yourself that you will never ever get cheated again. You do not sign up for another course even though it is one that you really need. How much will demotivation cost?

After much hesitation, you finally made up your mind to signing up one of the many courses that came your way. You learn with all your efforts. You spend hours upon hours making notes and then, you ponder upon all the notes that you have, you still do not know where to start. There are channels through which you can ask your mentor but you are too shy of being judged. You keep everything to yourself. You tell yourself that you will figure it out on your own. How much will not knowing cost?

A year, two years, may be even five years have passed. You are still the old you. You are still trying to figure out on your own where to start. By this time, all your course mates have already done something and are happy with their outcome. Just because you did not ask, you end up where you were when you initially learned that something new. Life has changed a lot. Now, you feel you are too old to start anything new. How much will non-action cost?

You continue with your unfulfilled life. There seems to be a void but you have no idea what that void is, and you have no idea how to fill it up. Now you are already in your sixties or even seventies and you are thinking to yourself, “What have I achieved so far in life?” Now that you have retired, what are you going to do with this time? Are you going for a trip around the world? Do you have the money to go for that trip? Do you have the health to go for that trip? Do you have the time to go for that trip? How much will regret cost?

Money is something you have to earn while you can.
Health is something you have to take care of while you can.
Time is something that you can neither buy nor reverse.

Whatever it is that you want always comes with a price. The choice is yours.
The price of learning versus the price of not knowing.
The price of making it happen versus the price of not doing.
The price of challenge versus the price of demotivation.

We are all given choices. Whatever choices we make determines who we are. Whether we are just living through life like everyone else or we choose to live the life that we want, it is in our hands. Nobody else can do it for us. It is a matter of choosing the route, not so much of the value of money.

Either way, you pay. Whether you choose to pay now or later.
When you were born, you have time and health but no money.
When you are an adult, you have health and money but no time.
When you are a senior, you might have money but lack of time and probably no health too.

Time! Health! Money! Which is more expensive?
Fulfillment comes with a price. What is the price you are willing to pay?

 

Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.

Harriett Jackson Brown Jr., American author, 1940-present

Nothing

The fastest way to fail is to do nothing.

While you may have all the positive thoughts and mind. It is your action that matters. Everything else do not mean anything if you do not take action to move forward.

People often like to start things. Each time there is something new, you are motivated to get started. It is very common to just forget about it when you do not get the desired results you want. Perhaps you have been way too optimistic when you started. You get carried away easily when you hear of success stories of the people that say they get a million dollars in their bank account in a month, or they get six-pack abs within a month.

While you only see the success side of their stories, you do not know the huge changes they have made in their lives in order to achieve such promising results. While you pay to get their blueprint to success, you do not become successful overnight by just reading it, or dreaming on it. Life does not work this way. However positive a mind can be, it can only go so far. It is taking the first step out of your comfort zone that makes you one step closer to your success.

You can have all the information in the world. Information is readily available on search engines, on chats with your friends, or even on your mentors in the programmes you have signed up for. You love to start. You also like to give up easily. You expect to see results immediately with little effort, which is the ultimate reason why you give up so easily.

Always dream big, but start small.

Whatever it is that you want out of life, be it having all the riches in the world or having that great healthy body, or being in that loving relationship, everything can be done with determination and patience.

You can dream of having all the riches in the world. You still have to take action to move towards it. Even if you dream of winning a lottery, you still need to get out there to buy that lottery ticket. Correct? If you just stay in bed thinking hard that you are going to win a lottery, you are not going to win it no matter what because you have not taken action to buy that lottery ticket in the first place.

You can dream of having that great healthy body. You still have to make efforts and walk in that path. You can imagine that you are healthy. You can imagine that you are muscular. You can imagine yourself to be in any shape and size but if you keep putting junk into your body, it will be just junk in junk out. You have to make efforts to first sleep well and then eat right. If you are just sitting there playing computer games all day and night, you deprive yourself of sleep. If you are just munching on prepacked foods all the time, all you will get is to become obese. You have to make that change first and stay through to it to see results. Break your goals into small achievable chunks. When you complete a task, you have achieved something. You will stay motivated to keep your milestone.

You can dream of having a loving relationship with your Mr or Ms Right. Whoever that may be, that person is perfect to you. There are many ways to meet this person and get into a relationship with. However you come into contact with this person, you still need to start a conversation. Your relationship does not go anywhere if you remain silent throughout. However loving you may be with each other, there is still a reality you have to face. There will be problems that arise in all relationships. How you react to each problem is how much you understand your partner. How you face the problems together is how much closer you will get.

You have to understand one thing, that life is fair. You get thrown out of place, you get back up and continue walking. One fine day, you will see the end of the rainbow that you much sought after. If you just sit and mull over it without a nudge, you are just going to be stationery.

Do nothing and you fail. Do something and you move a step closer.

 

He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life.

Cassius Marcellus Clay Jr. (Muhammad Ali), American professional boxer and philanthropist, 1942-2016

Medicine

Stereo in the conventional medicine is not going to let you achieve great health.

But my parents have told me this, “If you get sick, you must see the doctor.” This is a typical stereo thinking that conventional medicine is the cure for all diseases.

Has anyone ever thought that the conventional medicine is a little over-rated? They are all over the television. As we watch it over and over when we were young, we have stereo ourselves into believing that conventional medicine is the only option we have to ensure that we are in great shape of health. Is that really so?

While conventional medicine has a great reputation of healing at a rate no others can achieve, perhaps too good is not good at all. Has anyone ever questioned why it is so fast at doing its work compared to alternative healings? Has anyone ever questioned why we are so overly dependent on whatever medicine it is that has been prescribed by our doctors? Has anyone ever questioned why conventional medical practitioners are so readily available everywhere, even 24 hours service?

We have to admit that conventional medication has created history in the medical industry. However, how many medical practitioners out there really know what they are doing? Whatever they study in medical school, is it really what they should be studying? Is it really about what type of medication cure what type of disease?

Has it ever occurred to you that you have been solely dependent on whatever your doctor tells you? The key to good health is not taking medication or vaccination as recommended by your doctors. The key to good health is how much you care for your body. The quality of your sleep, the air that you breathe in, the amount of water that you drink, the food that you eat, and also the information you feed your soul.

You do not treat the problem when it occurs. You nip the flower in the bud, put yourself in an environment so healthy that you overcome sickness as they try to invade your body.

Many people go to conventional medicine for help when they face with a chronic disease, such as cancer or diabetes. What do you get? Medicine. You take the medicine thinking you will heal over a period of time but life does not work this way. Such diseases would not have occurred if you have taken great care of your own body. Nobody knows your body better than you do. How do you expect a total stranger to be able to tell you what is wrong with your body when you do not even take note of the changes in your body, when you are not even aware of the signs your body is showing you?

Yes, the doctors can prescribe you medication for any type of sickness. Has it ever occurred to you that the medication you are taking is actually poison to your body? Your body needs to do a lot of work to expel harmful substances each time you take them. Why put your body through such stress when there are alternatives out there? Yes, you want to treat the disease but do understand that it is the effort you put in to changing your lifestyle that will put the disease away for good, not the medication you are taking?

Take cancer for example. Have you ever questioned why people are willing to undergo chemotherapy and radiotherapy even though they suffer throughout the entire treatment, and they will still risk dying throughout the process? Perhaps it is the hope that the medical practitioners have given them. Or perhaps it is the fear of consequences of not following what the doctors say or the procedure that everyone is following. It is the norm, so it must be correct. This is a very dangerous mindset and it could cause you your life.

Some people do survive everything and get to live a happy life for many years to come. However, many have perished due to the procedure while some get a relapse several years after the standard cancer treatment procedure. Just so that people understand, chemotherapy means putting very toxic substances into the body directly through you bloodstream in hope that they kill the cancer cells. Radiotherapy means going through multiple times of radiation in hope that they kill the cancer cells. Everything is done in hope to cure you. If they are banking in hope, why are you not open to alternative healings?

Health do not come in the form of medicine. What treats the symptoms does not cure the disease. You have the power within you.

 

Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.

Hippocrates of Kos (Hippocrates), Greek physician of the Age of Pericles known as the “Father of Medicine”, c.460BC-c.370BC

Implement

How many times have you made a promise to yourself to start something but somehow, it almost always end up in vain?

How many courses have you signed up but end up finding out that it is totally not suited to you lifestyle?

How many of the gurus have you followed thinking that you will take action according to what they say and dream about success but end up never having anything done in the end?

What is it that is holding you back?
When are you going to implement what you have learnt?
Why are you stuck at where you are now?

There is always an answer to a question. You do not see it? Perhaps you have not been looking far enough to reach a point whereby the answer comes naturally. Sometimes, the answer is just in plain sight but you have been so drowned in information that you get lost in them.

Information is vast. You can find whatever information you want on the internet.
How is it that some people are reaching their goals but you are not?
How is it that they make it look so simple?
How can you achieve the success that they have?

Perhaps you should first ask yourself these questions.
Are you ready to take that first step?
Are you ready to make that change?
Are you ready to challenge yourself?
How willing are you to sacrifice in the name of success?
What are you willing to sacrifice for the dream that you are chasing?

Many people are motivated the moment they see success in other people. They are always thinking that “I can do better than that!” Is it really so?
Then why are you not better already?
Then why are you not in the person’s shoes?
Then why are you not someone other people look up to?

It does not matter what industry we are in. It only matters the way we look at our lives. We can be as successful as we want. It really depends on how we look at things and how we go about dealing with situations that arise from day to day.

This world is ever changing. Somehow, majority of human beings are content to their lives. Once they have reached a certain status, they become fearful. They let fear take over their lives.
Fearful of losing that wealth they have built over the years.
Fearful of losing that health they have managed to keep over the years.
Fearful of losing that relationship they have painstakingly made possible over the years.

While fear is unavoidable, why not make fear the motivation to move forward? Whether or not we like it, there will come to a point where we have to make the decision to step out of our comfort zone.

If you are saying tomorrow, then you will always be saying tomorrow, and nothing will happen to your life. You will be stagnant where you are, always looking up on the people that you dream of becoming. You will never be able to uncover the best of yourself.

On the other hand, if you take this powerful fearful feeling and turn it into a stepping stone, you will definitely find that breaking point. Always think of a positive approach to all the challenges in life. Perhaps you say that every single time change occurs, your temper shoots up rocket high. It is fine. You are just being human. You will probably blow up that very moment you discover the problem but you can calm yourself down quicker each time you encounter such situations.

Even the hottest pot of stew can be cooled down in the refrigerator. You only need to find that point in life when you are the happiest and bring your temper toward it to cool yourself down. The more you practice, the better you become at it.

It is all about implementation.

Anyone can learn anything. It is what we do that really make the difference. No two person are the same. We can never be. No matter how well we try to duplicate the actions of others, the reaction will always be different. This is what makes us unique.

Implement what has been learnt. Make the difference you have always yearned.

 

Create your environment from your best innate tenacity.
Always embrace the abundance of an inspirational mentality.
Eliminate distractions, clutter, and work from a place of brightness.
Create a winning, uplifting, vibrant, courageous action to implement!

His Excellency Dr. Ambassador Professor Joseph S. Spence Sr. (Joseph S. Spence Sr.), USA professional military veteran, inspirational writer & speaker

Change

Change is inevitable whether we like it or not.

Everything in the world we know changes over time. Everything from the biggest buildings down to the tiniest speck of dust. Though they do not seem to change, but change does happen. Though they are not alive, but change is present in ways that we cannot see with naked eyes.

No matter how beautiful the building looks like, with the changes in wind and weather, they too age. No matter how sturdy the building seems to be, with the movements of earth, they too will one day crumble. We may not live to see that day but it will happen one way or the other. Even if they do not crumble over thousands of years, there will be new lifeforms taking over the entire built up. It is evident with many of the historical civilizations that we have uncovered thus far.

Dust, on the other hand, is so small that we cannot see them unless they settle onto surfaces. Dust is something that is created whether or not with the existence of lifeforms. It is so tiny that it is easily brought over to many places by the wind. No matter how tight we try to seal hour homes, dust exists somehow or the other. There is no avoiding the existence of dust. We can only cleanup the surfaces that we see is lined with dust. This moment, they can be joyfully floating in the air, the next moment they end up on the table. If they could relate to us their feelings, perhaps they would have told us that they are stuck in that spot forever. Somehow, we picked up a cloth and wiped them off the table. We clean the cloth and they get washed down the drain. They will end up as sediment somewhere. Over a period of time, life grows and this sediment becomes the food that nurtures life.

Things that seem may not be so.

No matter how much we try to believe that everything we have now is the best, there is always something better elsewhere. There is no one best thing that happens to anyone or anywhere. Everything can never avoid change.

Humans are very strange creatures. We love to think that we are the superior species above all species. While this shows confidence in ourselves, we really do not know what our thoughts are doing to us. Confidence is great. But being over confident brings in a problem, arrogance. When we are too proud of ourselves and our achievements, we tend to think that we have reached that level of success that we yearn. And because of our arrogance, we brush off everyone around us as being a level below us. We only listen to our foolish self for the things that sounds right in our ears. Whatever advice we get from others seem unimportant.

Sometimes, this arrogance will hinder us from advancing. We already have everything we need, why would we want to make the change? Change is dangerous. What if we lose everything after making that small change? Perhaps we are too comfortable in our current situation to admit that it was change, in the first place, that brought us to where we are now. It was change that gave us a better life.

We have been living through huge changes from the day we were born. When we were infants, we needed help on everything. As we grow, we learn, we stumble, we fall, and we get back up. If toddlers can do that over and over until they succeed in walking independently, why not us? Perhaps we believe to keep the achievements we have thus far and stay happy with it. Perhaps we believe what we have now is the best we can achieve in our lifetime. Perhaps it is true that if we make, even one small change, our life will tumble down. So what?

Perhaps we have been made to believe so. Have we asked ourselves this question? What happened to the courage and determination that I had when I was young and daring?
What happened to the toddler in me?
Where is that rebellious teenager hiding?
Why are we ignorant?
Who are we listening to?
How did I become who I am today?

Wake up fool! It is time to make that change.

 

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.

Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (Jalaluddin Mevlana Rumi), Persian poet and Islamic scholar, 1207-1273

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

Condition

Condition is a big word with and even bigger meaning.

In this day and time, almost all household have an air conditioner at home. Its purpose is clear, that is to condition the air in the house. When the weather is hot, we can stay indoors to enjoy the coolness. When the air is polluted, we can stay indoors to enjoy the filtered clean air. While we enjoy everything that the air conditioner brings us, we should also be vigilant about the price we have to pay. Air conditioners have been known to release harmful gasses into the environment. Therefore, use only when necessary. If we really want fresh air, nothing can ever compare to a stroll in the park.

We love to condition everything we can see, hold, and touch. Everybody loves smooth surfaces. Who does not? We are so keen on showing the best of ourselves to the world that we condition every part of our body to look great. From head to toe, we use hair conditioner, face moisturizer, and body lotion. They are often sold in sets together with shampoo, facial cleanser, and body bath. They are merely products created to substitute for loss of moisture from our hair, face, and skin. They are needed or they have made to be seen as needed. However, whatever amount of conditioner would not matter is we do not have healthy routines such as getting sufficient rest and drinking enough water.

We most often see the words terms and conditions or privacy policy. It is everywhere, in banners, advertisements, employments, products and services that we purchase, and definitely in law binding documents. While it is made to sound like it is protecting us, it really is to protect the people who created the wordings. It set forth the things we should follow and also the things we should never do in order to have something we want. Most of the time, everything is clearly stated but there are times when some of the points are ambiguous. Then, we will see the words for avoidance of doubt.

While we try to draft in perfect words, we are just human after all. There is no prediction to what is to happen if we follow or not what is set for us to follow. There will be incidents out of expectations that we can never predict. What are we going to do about that?

We can make all efforts to condition our surroundings.

Whenever we feel tired of work, we can take time off, go on a vacation with our loved ones. Most often, this is labelled as pressing the reset button. Whenever we are doing something we love or are doing something for someone we care about, we are happy.

Whenever we feel stuck in a confined space with too many things to handle, we can make time to clear the space. Clutter is the one most agitating word in a persons’ life. Clutter can make a person go insane. When clutter is removed, the space is larger. Though still confined but it is clear.

Whenever we feel like we are straying off from our goals, we can always bring ourselves back on track. We can put up a poster so we see everyday. We can set our calendar so we are reminded everyday. We can do many things to ensure that we achieve the goals that we have.

Whatever the condition we have lived in or are currently living in do not determine our future at all. Our future is in our own hands. The condition of our mind is the only important thing we need to understand. With the right mindset, we can break all barriers. The biggest hurdle we have to commit to conquer is our very own self-limiting belief. While we hear this from motivational gurus around the world, how many of us really practice what they teach us. We know for sure that if we are to take the leap, we will reach a higher understanding of ourselves. But how many are willing to step out of the comfort zone we are in?

With the right condition, we can succeed in whatever we do.

 

Feeling sorry for yourself, and your present condition, is not only a waste of energy but the worst habit you could possibly have.

Dale Carnegie, American writer and lecturer, 1888-1955

Early

The early bird catches the worm!

We have always been told to be early for everything and anything. This cannot be far from the truth. When the opportunity is here, we best catch it and make the best of it before it leaves. Opportunities are everywhere. It is up to us to identify which one suits us best. When we are certain of it, go all out.

Many times, we see a problem as a mere problem. Our mind is somehow locked in the problem itself and we never see the opportunity every problem brings us. It is a test. A test to see how well we cope with situations. Time can tell. We may not be able to see it now but we actually learn best in difficult situations. When there is no turning back, when there is no room for error, that is when we perform best.

It does not matter if we fail, it only matters if we learn from our past mistakes and make more educated decisions along the way.

Usually we want to be early in meetings. It sets a great impression to the person we are meeting. We show that we are keen on the agenda. We show that we respect the entire session. However, being early is not the only thing we should focus on. Preparedness is also a matter of consideration. If we are merely early, we are only showing respect to a certain extent. If we are early and prepared, we are hitting the bullseye. That is the ultimate goal we want to achieve.

Though there may be unfair advantage in some situations, we should always do our best at tackling all prospects. We always look on the bright side but should also always prepared for the worst. What can happen if we are to fail? What can happen if we are mocked? What can happen if nobody cares?

We have to have a clear mindset that nothing ever matters more than life. If we are not appreciated at that moment, it only means that we have another chance ahead of us to do better, to be better. There is always something to learn everywhere we are, in all situations. We just have to stay focused and look beyond what is clouding us at that very moment. Sometimes, no matter how hard we look, we never find. Perhaps it is time to pause. Just pause, and get out to look at the world or get in to look within. The answer is always there awaiting for us. All we need is clarity.

Everyone has the same number of hours in a day. How can we make use of all the hours we have wisely?

The human mind works best when it is quiet. The sense of pleasantness is something money cannot buy. It can only be obtained when our surrounding is serene. Serenity can come from within, or harvested from nature itself.

What do we do when everyone else is asleep?

Be different. Be unique.

Most people will drag their day to the midnight hours and tell themselves that the night is still young. While stretching ourselves beyond limits, we should actually do it wisely. Discipline is very important to achieve whatever goals we set in life. Many of times, we think that going out having fun till late nights is the way to mingle and connect with friends and opportunities. However, by doing that, we are actually selling off our time and health for a small return. We are lack of sleep and we drag our tiredness to the next day and the day after. What is it doing to our life?

If we really want to be successful, model how the top one percent (1%) of the people in the world live their life. If we really dig deep, we will find that they are all early risers. They sleep when the world is busy partying. They work when the world is asleep.

Stillness is before dawn. The air is freshest. The sky is still dark. Just as the birds are waking up. Just as the nature is beginning a new day, so are we. That is the best time to tap into our true potential. That is the best time to bring the best out of ourselves. That is the time when our mind is clearest.

Good morning early riser! The day is great and I am prepared for it.

 

The time just before dawn contains the most energy of all hours of the day. This has helped me become an early riser and an early doer. When I wake to see that it’s light out already, I feel the world has started without me.

Terri Guillemets, American author

Niche

Niche is probably one of the most heard words in this day and time.

Everyone is talking about it. What is it that makes everyone so interested in it? Why is it important to focus on a niche? How exactly do we find that niche that suits us? Everyone is probably asking the same questions.

We live in a world full of distractions. The more information there is, the more difficult it is to understand what is best for us.

The most commonly discussed topics on any search engine are the niche that we should be looking into if we are aiming to be successful in this era. The more discussed the topic, the bigger the market.

WEALTH! Everybody wants to be wealthy. Who does not? We are made to believe, since young that money matters a lot to us. Without money, we would end up in the streets begging for a piece of bread. With money, we can buy anything we want.

There are many ways to become prosperous. Somehow, when the whole world is on lockdown, wealth gurus sprout like mushrooms all over the internet. There are some who are genuine but there will always be those who are only in for the big buck. As a hungry learner, we have to be vigilant. We have to find out the history of whomever we are looking to mentor us.

Learning is a process. Once we have chosen the mentor, we must go all in. We must be committed to make things happen. We must be committed to do all the work. We must commit our time and money to really make things happen. We have to understand that in order for our life to change for the better, we have to first make the change. Doing things the old way will just leave us stagnant.

HEALTH! When we have the wealth, we can talk about health. When we are still young, we should be trading a little bit of health for wealth. This is good and bad at the same time.

It is common to see students burning the midnight oil studying or trying to finish up assignments. They are still very young, they have a lot of time to trade for knowledge. It is also common to see people who are keen to climb that corporate ladder work late nights to finish up the presentation. They are still young, they have time to trade for success. It is even more common to see young entrepreneurs working day and night in their homes. They sometimes even work with a laptop on the bed. They are comparably still young, they have time to trade for money.

Some people are very lucky. Despite having had a rough start, they are still happy and healthy in their older days. How is that possible? Perhaps there are some things that they do that we did not. May be it is a great time to start looking into health differently. Study ourselves and the people around us. What makes some people happy all the time? What makes everyone happy some of the time?

RELATIONSHIP! It is believed that people in great relationships are happier than those who are not. While this may be true to a certain extent, it is not typical.

If we look around, there are quite a huge number of people who prefer to remain single, and they are very happy people. There may be times that they will feel lonely but there are certainly some who enjoy the loneliness. Perhaps it is the freedom of never needing to answer to anyone. They can do whatever they wish, whenever they like, however they prefer. Nobody has the right to tell them otherwise.

As humans, we tend to like to compare. There are those who would compare and envy. There are also those who would compare and improve. It all depends on the personality and also the way we look at life. After several years of observation, we should understand that every human is different and unique in their own way. We should only compare with each other for positive inputs and outputs. Never ever should we lower our self-esteem in any situation.

Wealth, health, and relationship. They are all related. How do we niche down on one?

 

If everybody is doing it one way, there’s a good chance you can find your niche by going exactly in the opposite direction.

Samuel Moore Walton (Sam Walton), American businessman and founder of Walmart and Sam’s Club, 1918-1992