Relax

What does relax mean? 

There could be many different meanings. For some, it means doing nothing. For some, it means doing something. 

Perhaps doing something seemingly relaxing can really have the effect as such but what if it does not? What can we do then? 

Is going for a spa relaxing? 

If it is purely spa and not signing up for a spa package that could mean relaxing. But if it involves signing up a package and having to go to the same spa doing the same treatment regardless of rain or shine, that could induce stress in some. 

Is watching a movie relaxing? 

If it is a movie that could help the mind wander off into fantasy, that could mean relaxing. But if it is a movie with negative inputs, it is the total opposite of relaxing and unfortunately, most movies promote exactly that. Why? It is because the public love watching such movies with zombies, fights, twists, and etc. These movies are full of excitement and we would never fall asleep in the cinema. Even children movies and cartoons will have some if not all the elements, whether we realize it or not. These elements keep viewers hooked to the movie and remember for a long time. Then, there are merchandise for them too. 

What does this mean? 

If we do realize, everything in our lives seem to have something to do with money. Signing up the spa package needs and means money. Getting hooked in a movie and buying merchandize needs and means money. Perhaps it is money that is the evil or the angel. 

If we are able to live peacefully with money, then we will be able to relax at all times. This requires effort. This requires understanding too. This sounds complicated but it is worth spending time thinking about. Most of us do not realize that we are at war with money. Being free from the boundaries that we ourselves have created around money is the true freedom.     

    

Knowledge

Knowledge means wisdom.

Is it really so?

A knowledgeable person is wise to a certain extent. Knowledge can be learnt, similarly to what we all are, knowledgeable. We went to school to study. We came out to society to work to gain experience. We surf the internet to get information. These are some of the ways we can increase our knowledge. With knowledge, we will know how to deal with certain things in life, certain situations that needs problem solving skills.

It is known to the world that everything can be learnt. How many do actually learn everything they need in order to get through this life we are in? What do we really need to learn?

We have been taught in schools all the subjects that are deemed important for the survival of the current world we are living in. What are they? Language? History? Geography? Mathematics? Science?

What does language got to do with life? Plenty. With language, we can communicate with each other properly without misinterpretation of the meaning. But how exactly will that fair if we are only learning one or two or even three languages when there are hundreds of different languages in the entire world? And that is excluding all the ancient languages that are no longer in use in the present day. Is there such a thing as universal language? Is there such a language whereby every single person in this world would understand no matter the native they are in? Is there such a language that allows us to communicate with other lives on earth; the plants and animals?

Why are we studying happenings of the past? This is in fact the most important subject we need to study but somehow whatever we have been taught may not be the truth at all. Evidence cannot lie but can always be hidden or excluded. When was the beginning of men? Where was the first civilization of humans? How did our ancestors manage to build megastructures that even modern technology cannot? How much are we learning from history? Is it just really just about the cold wars or the world wars? Or is it something bigger than that? How much do we really know about our past?

Geography probably the most interesting subject of all. It is studies of the earth and the earth is forever changing. Whether or not we can see it with our naked eyes, everything does change over time. There might be a stream here today but not anymore tomorrow. Our earth is a living planet and she makes subtle movements that effects our daily lives. Do you see cracks in your home? Some of these cracks are due to erosion. Some of these cracks are due to the earth’s crust movement. Slow movements create cracks. Large movements create earthquakes. It is as simple as that.

Mathematics can be complicated to many. It is not limited to only addition and subtraction. This is a subject we learn about numbers and numbers can bring many myths to light. We see numbers everywhere in our lives. Numbers are all written in our calendars. Numbers are what we see in our bank accounts. Numbers are the reason we have everything we have in our lives. Everything is one massive calculation. No matter how unwilling you are to see that everything is about numbers, we are living in a world filled with numbers because we are all using money to transact.

Science is one that permits us to see the future. What science is contributing to the world is inevitably the most important of all. This is the only subject that provides explanation to all there is and at the same time making every dream come true. Whatever we can dream of, science can make it happen. Have you ever had a vision of how your future looks like? There have been movies made upon dreams of the movie makers. This is made possible thanks to the invention of video equipment. Sometimes, we may even see real objects being created in real life for everyday use. This is science.

If you are great at all these subjects, does that make you a wise person?

All that we can learn is just knowledge, everything that seems important is broken down into digestible pieces. A wise person sees it as a whole.

 

To know that we know what we know, and to know that we do not know what we do not know, that is true knowledge.

Nicolaus Copernicus, Renaissance-era scientist, 1473-1543

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

Simple

There is just so many things that needs to be done. Which is more urgent?

Humans have the greatest minds in the entire world but humans have also made things more complicated than it should be. Life is really simple. You wake up, you get through the day, and then you sleep. This is basically all we need to do every single day. How complicated can this be?

In this day and time, having a simple life seems so distant. We have too many things on our plate. There are too many distractions pointing us to different directions. We just cannot decide on anything when the time comes. The most common question people ask these days is probably one that nobody in the ancient history would even imagine any of their descendants asking.

How to live a simple life? I have no time, no money, and no skill to do it.

Seriously?

We have been too cluttered with the outside world that we just forgotten to connect with our inner self. This is the only reason we are feeling totally lost, especially at times like this. When the whole world is on lockdown. When you are sustaining a pay cut. When you risk losing your job. When everyone else is talking about the pandemic. When the people around you seem to be changing but you are still the old you, stagnant. You still think the world revolves around you.

It is time to wake up. Nobody is stuck. Everybody has been put to the test. When there is a huge challenge, there is the opportunity unlike any other you have ever seen before. You need to grab that opportunity to make you become the better version of you. What are you waiting for?

The world is on lockdown. You have all the time you need to ponder on what makes your life simple. What other time better can you think of if not now? How much time do you need to think? Does it take a whole year to sit in the loo? Perhaps you do not yet realize this but sitting in the loo actually is the best time to find clarity. When you are passing motion, that is the time when your strength to force trash out is at its peak. Notice the feeling right after that peak. Does it feel like a big sense of relief? Notice that second this happens, notice how clear your mind is. You only need this moment. Your body is clear of shit, your mind is clear of clutter, and your soul is pure.

Living a simple life really only mean simple, nothing more than that. Do not be brainwashed by anyone else. We see things differently. We live through life differently. You may have friends telling you that living a simple life means to have a cottage in the countryside away from the city. Then you would be having all sorts of objections to it because living away from the city means you will have to commute very far each day. It is just not economical. If it is possible for you to live in the countryside, you are free to do so. But if not, then what is wrong with the place you are living in now? Any place can be simple. You buy less things. You keep less things. That is a simple life. Just that.

You say that you are a very messed up person. You do not know how to simplify things. You love to keep all memorabilia. You want to have everything just in case one day you might use them. You do not know how to differentiate which ones are important and which ones are not. You are always living thinking of the future. Really, it is not a skillset to learn to let go of things. It is all in the mind. You do not know which ones to throw out, simple, just close one eye and junk everything out. Put yourself in the situation whereby you have lost everything and you need to rebuild your life. What do you really need in your life? Do you still need that magazine you bought two years ago but never flipped a page? Do you still need that dress you bought five years ago just in case you attend a ball but has never seen the light?

In the end, you will realize what you really need is just you, and probably your phone.

Finding yourself takes little to no effort. Living a simple life gives you time, saves you money, and require no skill at all.

 

Best rule for a simple life… Care with no reason, Love with no expectation.

Ritu Ghatourey, Indian writer

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

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

Creative

Creativity starts from within.

We are all born to be creative one way or the other. Perhaps in our eyes other people are almost always more creative than we are. Being creative also means to have a sense of confidence. When we are confident, our minds work better. When we are confident, we know we can make a difference.

There is no limitation to the type of creativity one has.

We live in a world full of barriers. There are barriers between countries and also within each country. These barriers have been formed to differentiate between the right and wrong, the rich and poor. It is called the law.

Humans have created law to keep order. Whilst this may be the way we are educated, to think that law is good for us, it also keeps us in a box, limiting our thoughts. Everything we do, we have to first look at the law, whether or not we are abiding by the law. Otherwise, we would probably end up in trouble for doing things against the law. This is just the way common people think.

Successful people think differently. While we have the perception that they can do whatever they want because they have a whole table of lawyers to back them up, we have forgotten that they were also once like us, nobody. Being successful is not about inheriting riches and power, it is all about building trust from scratch. This is the reason why we should never envy rich people we see. Instead, model them. Line our path creatively to reach the status we yearn for.

Money is just a tool. Some people tend to think that money is the master of all evils and they wonder why they are always living on the brink. We have made ourselves believe in our own limitations. Just because the rich people that we meet have poor attitude, that does not mean all rich people are the same. We are all individuals. People can be as kind or nasty as can be, whether or not they are multimillionaires. There is no price tag in kindness.

Perhaps if we think creatively, we will begin to understand that we should love money. Money can buy many things, even power. If we want to make a change, if we want to make a better world, we need to have money. The world that we currently live in is built on money. We cannot deny that. Everyone knows it for a fact. We either depend on public funding or we build a business to make the money to refurbish this place we call home. Either way, we need money.

We are all dwellers on earth. Each day will pass whether we like it or not and with each passing day, we grow a little older. But there is no limitation to what our mind is. As we age, we become wiser too. There is no limitation to what we can do. We are all born equal. It is up to us to open up our minds, to be creative about life.

We love preset. Our parents and teachers have told us that we have to do certain things at a certain age in a certain way. Our minds have been conditioned to believe so since the day we are born. We live through each day observing the people around us. We learn from what they do and we believe that everything we see is true. This is the reason why we are who we are now. No difference from the lives they have had.

The internet has grown fast and vast over the years. We have the ability to search. We have the awareness of technology. We have the knowledge that is held in our hands. We can choose to do exactly what others do, or we can be different. Successful people think creatively, never are they limited to what others say or do. They have their own mindset, which is something we should model upon. They are never satisfied with what is placed in front of them. They like to think otherwise, and take up the challenge of being different. Every roadblock they face, they see it as a stepping stone to nudge up higher.

We mould our own life. Be creative to succeed.

 

To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong.

Joseph Chilton Pearce (Joe), American author, 1926-2016

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

Manage

We find that there are a hundred and one things we have to manage in our lifetime. How do we determine the importance?

There are management courses we can study from. Anybody can teach us anything. With the information at hand, we are supposedly able to handle our life in the most organized manner. However, life is as such that we soon realize we are not meant to do certain things that we want to do. How do we go about that?

At times, we may feel like we are lost. We find that we are overwhelmed by all the information and suggestions we get from everywhere. Different people seems to be educating us the way they think is best. Instead of guidance, it becomes a burden to follow suit what others say. Perhaps we have not realized that each person is different. What works for one may not work for another.

The only way to succeed in whatever we do is to get down and dirty on it. Through trial and error, we are shaping ourselves to become an entirely new person. Sometimes, we may not have even thought that whatever we do is possible. It is like a miracle, a dream come true. If we take one step off, we will find that we learn much better by experience rather than what others say.

We have to understand one very important point, that this is our life. The life that we have to live on our own terms. There may be people to guide us every now and then along the way but it is us that is walking ourselves through the end. It may be hard to stay focused with all the distractions of what is perceived as the real life, but we can choose which direction we want to go.

One way or the other, we still have to do what it takes to be the person we want to be. Perhaps we can surround ourselves with the like-minded people. Technology permits us to do so even without moving from our seats right in the comfort of our own home. Instead of spending time scrolling through other people’s livelihood, why not spend the time learning through people we want to model?

Time is all about management. Each of us have the same number of hours each day. When time is lost, there is no gaining back. It is of utmost importance that we spend each minute wisely. The choice is ours. We can choose to nose around what is happening in other people’s lives or we can choose to nurture ourselves to become better. Never ever sell time for nothing. Time is priceless.

Whatever that can be solved with money, is not a problem at all. Spending a little money to get stress off ourselves is worth a lot more than the money spent. Stress, whether we realize or not, is something that takes up a bulk of our time in life. How often do we stress on something we did or did not do in the past that makes us regret? How often we stress on something that might happen in the future?

Being stressed not only burns our precious time, it also puts us in a never-ending loop, just like listening to the same music over and over to the point we feel stuck. If not now, when? Whatever that has happened is in the past. Whatever that has yet to happen is beyond our control. All we need to do is really just to live in the moment. We can choose to continue our current ways or to change our lifestyle. The choice is in our own hands.

When we need help, stretch out to get help. When somebody else needs help, stretch out to lend a helping hand. Humans are communal creatures. We can live in a crowd and learn from each other. The only important point is to choose the community wisely. If we want to reach a certain level in life, we have to surround ourselves with people that have been there or are going in the same direction. Self-motivation can only go so far. With the support from others, we can push beyond our own limits.

Manage time, people, and ourselves wisely.

 

When you can’t solve the problem, manage it.

Robert Harold Schuller (Robert H. Schuller), American Christian televangelist, 1926-2015

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

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

Volunteer

Volunteering sounds like doing charity in the absence of money. It is, and is not.

What is it in for me when I volunteer for something?

This is a good question, probably the best question in our lifetime. While everyone is busy with making money, we would think that volunteering ourselves to do something free of charge is just a total waste of precious time.

We have been brought up to believe that everything we need to learn, we get from the mouths of teachers and lecturers. We have already paid enough of our younger years studying and learning. Now is the time for money generating. We do not do anything for free. We are graduates and we should be paid highly, worth of all the years we spent in the university.

Mind conditioning is such an important way to ensure that there are more workers than employers. This is how the minority rich, the top one percent (1%) of the people manage to keep the rest of the world under their control. Their minds work differently from the norm. They may even drop out of school because they understand one fact, that school literally does not teach people how to make money in the real world. Money can only be made by working and climbing that beautiful corporate ladder. This is what we have been made to believe all the while.

But life is not as mundane. Life itself is volatile. Everything changes all the time. If we are to rise above and become that one percent (1%), we have to think differently from the rest of the world. We have to think like them.

We can do that by having determination. We can do that by having motivation. It is easier said than done. Many self-help gurus out there say the one same thing. If you want to be on top, you have to stand out and be different. If you want to achieve your goals, you have to be willing to take the first step out of your comfort zone. If you want to accelerate your achievements, model from the people who are already there. It all comes back to self-willingness.

Some people will just stop at the word “BUT”. There are always buts in whatever we do. But it is impossible. But I do not have the capital. But I do not have the time. But I am nobody. But I am shy. But I am an introvert. But I do not know how to sell. We have so many reasons to comfort ourselves to just stay put where we are now. When are we going to step out and step up to chase our dreams?

Time is something that cannot be refunded if we are not happy with the outcome. Time is something that money can never buy. If this is not the time to start doing things the way we want, then when? If this is not the time to work towards our dreams, then when? When is the right time?

We can have many reasons to stay put where we are. We only need one reason to step out of our comfort zone. We only have one life. Live life to the fullest!

We have not met that mentor that we are looking for, then it is time to find one.
We have not the money to join any courses to bring us to the next level, then it is time to find ways.
We have not the time to do anything with all the family commitment, then it is time to make time.
We have not the courage to do things differently, then it is time to start something new.
We have not the discipline to stay on course, then it is time to insist we do.

There is more than a handful of successful people in the world we can model from.
There is a possibility to volunteer in exchange for insight and knowledge.
There is an alarm clock that can wake us up an hour earlier for what matters most.
There is always a way to build courage if we surround ourselves with empowering people.
There is willpower within us to ensure that we keep achieving to make us happy.

Life is about being better. Volunteer to make things happen. If we are not willing, nothing will ever do.

 

Volunteering is the ultimate exercise in democracy. You vote in elections once a year, but when you volunteer, you vote every day about the kind of community you want to live in.

Anonymous

Commit

To start something is easy, to commit to something takes effort.

In life, we always encounter new things. Each time we do, we have the urge within us that says “… is a good idea. I should start doing ...” It is easy to say to start doing something or have the thought of starting something new. The urge seems strong at the very moment we encounter. It seems to be the most important thing that we must do at that time.

“Wow! This is a great workout plan. It is easy. It only takes five (5) minutes a day to have that shapely body that I am dreaming to have. I can do this. Let me sign up for this course to transform my body so I can feel confident.”

Has anyone ever experienced this? We sign up a coaching plan at a gym, it could be the pumps, pilates, yoga, or whatever that is hot at that moment. We tell ourselves that we are committed to make it happen. We will take it seriously. We will be there for every single coaching with the instructor. We go there relentlessly every single day for a week, perhaps a month. What happens after a month? Temptations happen. An outing with our friends, the very important project in office, family matters, etcetera. We end up finding every little reason to skip the gym and then, we are back to where we were before signing up, sometimes even worse. Then, we tell ourselves that gym does not work.

“Wow! This is interesting. It keeps me focused. At least I have something meaningful to do during my free time rather than watching movies online.”

Has anyone ever experienced this? We finally find something of interest to us. We find time for it because we know we needed a break from whatever we are in. We sign up for knitting, cooking, music, painting classes. We tell ourselves that we will be happy doing what we love. Life is not just about work. Life can be doing something we love. We attend classes and stay committed to the projects tasked to us for a month, perhaps a year. What happens after a year? Distractions happen. That other hobby seems more interesting. I am bored with this current one. We end up with all the tools and materials that collects dust in the store. Then, we tell ourselves that this is not the right hobby.

“Wow! That person is so rich he can pay for so many ads space. He is the right person I should be learning from on how to make money online. He has been here for so many years, so many testimonials, he must be good.”

Has anyone ever experienced this? In this world of information technology, there are various gurus out there teaching their lifelong knowledge to us. We sign up for several gurus thinking that learning from a variety of sources would make us see which the right path is for us. We perhaps need desperately the enlightenment that the gurus provide. We are all in for the challenges because we know success is awaiting for us. Now is the time to start. We commit hours a day to learn. We learn for a week, a month, or a year. We hope to see success but we never see it. What happens after that? Doubt happens. We give up learning. We give up all our past efforts. Then, we tell ourselves that this only works for the successful people, not for me.

Success does not come overnight. Success take a lot of effort and most importantly, commitment.

Have we ever ponder on the reason someone else is successful and we are not? Have we ever taken the time to really understand what that person did in order to stand where they are standing now? What is it that they are doing that I am not? This is the most important question that we must seek the answer to. The answer is just one simple word, COMMITMENT!

Everyone has gone through this stage of starting things but only a few actually stay committed till the end. We have to be clear of our vision, of what we really want to achieve in life. Everything is learnable. As long as we are committed to make that change to our life, we will succeed one day. We have to believe that we can do it. We have to start doing it. We have to stay in it irregardless of whether or not the people around us agree with us. We only have ourselves to answer to. As long as we do not do anything against the law or harming the world, what is stopping us?

Self-doubt is a success killer. Once we commit to something, stay till the end to see the outcome.

 

We should think about our strengths, priorities and goals, which will further help us manage our mind and commit ourselves to success.

Dr Prem Jagyasi, Strategic leader, author, publisher, and global speaker

Learn

Learning is a continuous process.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Anything can be monetized.

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

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

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

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

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

 

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

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