Instead of wishing your friend good luck, how about telling them “YOU ROCK”
As I see it, luck has nothing to do with whether you make it or not … it’s all YOU! Do your best at any given point in time, and you have nothing to worry about; simply because, you can’t do more than your best … so, you see, luck has nothing to do with it!
Give it a shot … replace “GOOD LUCK” with “YOU ROCK” .. I even made it rhyme, so you wouldn’t feel completely alienated by the novelty!
I think we have all the time in the world to do anything we set out minds on doing! The key word in that sentence is not “time” but in fact it’s the word “set”! From my experience, devising a plan is easy, seeing it through is the difficult part … we tend to sabotage our own plans with excuses: “I can’t do it, I don’t have enough time”, “I’m too tired today, I’ll finish it tomorrow”, “I have time, so what if the plans change”, “you have no idea how tiring this is, I need a break” ….
Here’s your challenge for today; here’s how you can tell if your Lizard Brain, or your Chimp, is acting up again. Ask yourself this question:
“If I am offered a million dollars to complete this task today, would I be able to do it?”
If you answer “No, I still couldn’t do it”, then you’re off the hook and you are true to yourself. But, if your answer is yes, then you’re letting your lizard brain be in control and allowing it to justify your inadequacy with useless excuses; basically, you lack discipline … you should learn to silence your Chimp if you intend to achieve greatness!
Challenge yourself today … take on something your lizard brain has been putting off for a while:
When in doubt, always ask yourself the million dollar question!
Chimps act on instinct; and their basic instinct is survival. Even though we share 99% of our DNA with Chimps, there is an element that clearly sets us (humans) apart from Chimps – purpose! We each have a unique purpose in our lives that needs to be fulfilled for self-actualization.
If you let life pass you by, without discovering your sense of purpose and acting on it, in my opinion, you’re nothing but a chimp! Your were born, then you died, and that’s about it … ! Think About it!
Don’t worry, I’m not have a midlife crisis … besides, I’m not that old yet … but YES, I want to be a kid again! I’ve always been very proud of my age; in fact, I always flaunted it because 1) I’ve achieved quite a lot in such a young age be it professionally or academically, and 2) I look younger than I really am … So I’m quite happy being 32! So why do I want to be a kid? short answer: kids have superpowers!
I have compiled a list of superpowers possessed by kids:
These powers combined make up a superpower possessed by almost every kid … the No Fear Power. I want that power back. I want to be fearless again … I want to be able to go after the things I want, as ridiculous as they might seem, I want to be able to seek the impossible and not fear failing, nor fear what others might think of me … I want to be able to make a fool of myself just because I want to and I feel like it …
I want that superpower back! Don’t you?
What’s stopping you? YOU!
I always wished I were …
a painter
a singer
an architect
a doctor
a chef
an actor
…. but it’s too late now, that ship has sailed a long time ago … I’m not as young as I used to be, I have responsibilities and obligations, I have a family to take care of and besides, you know what they say, “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks” … alas it has sailed!
or has it?
Sounds very much like your lizard brain is acting up again. Who says you’re too old to follow your dreams? Who said you should settle for what life hands you? Who said “you can’t” or “it’s too late”? Ironically, YOU DID! You are continuously sabotaging your own dreams and setting them out to fail before they even begin.
During my Post-Graduate Diploma in Management Consulting in GGSB, I got to know Pekka, a remarkable man in his late 50s, who, after 28 years out of university, decided to refresh his education and learn the new tools to start his own consulting business.
If that were you in Pekka’s shoes, you probably would have said, “nah, I’m too old now … besides, I’ll be surrounded by people that are my children’s age in class, it’s just too embarrassing!”
Pekka decided to take control of his destiny, he grabbed his compass and put on his captain’s hat and steered his ship towards his dream! I’m certain that sea is rough at times, and storms can shake his very core, but he stayed his course and kept his eyes on target at all times …
This is only one example, but I could go on forever with people who were inspired to live out their dreams and change their destiny … If you have a dream my dear reader, pursue it with all you heart, mind, and soul … the way to get there might be tough, but it’s worth it; trust me, I’m on that road, and I tell you the journey is wonderful … most importantly, don’t give up!
I was in Virgin Megastores the other day browsing the new books … I noticed two young men, in their early twenties. One was browsing the business section, and if my memory serves me, he had one of Jack Welch‘s books in hand and was very excited. The other was standing at a safe distance from the self-help section, making sure that he’s not seen by his obviously more extrovert friend.
I smiled and remembered when I used to sneer at self-help books and all those that felt the need to read them. Nowadays, aside from personal branding and marketing books, self-help books are all I read!
It all started out as a challenge with a girl I wanted to impress that I caught reading The Monk Who Sold His Ferrari by Robin Sharma – I had noticed the book in the self-help section “from a distance” before! “Seriously, self-help books, come on … you’re kidding, right?”, I said mockingly. “You know what? I’m going to buy the book and read it, then call you up and prove to you how ridiculous this sh*t is!” Three days later, I ring her up and all I could say was, “Thank you, this book changed my life!”
We all need help … the moment we realize that, we start becoming better people. Seeking inner peace, which is mostly what self-help books try to teach us, is the key to eternal happiness, with yourself, with your partner, with your family, at work, and with the world! I was once a skeptic and now I’m not only a believer, but a preacher in the beauty life has to offer.
Pick up a book; give it a try. You have nothing to lose, and eternal happiness to win!
I always run into people that want to change the course of their life … they want to become better husbands and wives, better bosses and employees, better children to their parents, better friends, simply better individuals! Willingness is certainly the first step towards that goal of becoming a better you!
Ironically, most of us only think of change when we have had it with our current lives … we can’t take it anymore! So they pack their stuff and head towards that light, the one that promises change, the one that promises a better you. So why is it that most of us fail to get there? Why do we give up along the way to a better us? Isn’t my willingness to change enough? Unfortunately, it isn’t!
When you get to that point in your life where you feel change is needed, your cup is full! It’s full by life’s routine, by the negative thoughts that surrounded you all these years, by the heartaches, the headaches, and the scars the left behind … how do you expect to receive change when you left no room in your cup for it? No wonder we give up before even beginning … we simply can’t take in anymore, even if it is positive.
My advice to you this morning is start your journey of self-improvement by first emptying your cup …
Pencil & Sharpener Set
I started reading “Tuesday’s with Morrie” by Mitch Albom – I’m only half way through the book but I’m telling you it’s a must read, if you haven’t done so already. It’s one of those life changing books … Or let’s just call it a “life searching” book, and I owe thanks to my beloved Mai for pointing it out. The book is not the subject of my thoughts today, however, it had something to do with how the thought came about … I was having a morning coffee and croissant at Paul’s while reading the book this morning, then I realized I had forgotten my pencil … i never read without one (i love leaving side notes and thoughts as the words i read unearth my creativity or insanity or both)! So i stepped into Virgin hoping to find a pencil, I was almost certain I won’t be buying a normal pencil, since they’re not your typical stationary store … but little did i know that the pencil i was about to buy would trigger today’s thought … The More I Learn, the less I Lie!
What the hell does that mean? Well, the pencil represents learning (and knowledge), the more I use it, the more I’d need to sharpen it, and logically, the shorter the pencil (the nose) becomes, making you, a more honest person.
I live in a culture that is very proud; but that pride has been our demise! If you were to ask anyone about anything, they would never tell you they don’t know … It’s much easier to them to make up an answer than admit they don’t have one! My blame here is on their lack of willingness to learn (and hence know) … Even after presented with a question they had to make up an answer for, they feel no urge to actually find out the real answer to that question!
Why is that I wonder? Is it because lying is easier than learning? I don’t think that’s necessarily true … If your creative enough to lie, than you’re certainly capable of learning! It’s just better use of your resources.
What do you think? Is lying related to learning (or knowledge)? Is there some kind of correlation?
“I love LIFE” … that’s what I wake up thinking every single day!
I think very few of us actually realize how fortunate we are to have “today” – how lucky we are to be alive! Sure I have my bad days, but who doesn’t … and frankly, so what! I love LIFE because I am FREE!
I am free to choose whom I love … free to read what I want … free to be happy … free to follow the career path I want … free to express myself … free to eat what I want … free to pick my friends … free to turn down clients … free to wake up at dawn or sleep till the morning after … free to wear what I want when I want … free to dance in the rain … free to propose while kneeling in a puddle of mud in the middle of the street … free to sing to the top of my lungs because I want to … free to be crazy …
I love life because I choose to be free …
I could understand why spiderman would be my idol at the age of ten, but how come movies like Captain America, the Avengers and the like still appeal to me as an adult? I believe that rooted inside of us is the notion of the good that stands victorious over evil; superheros, like superman, batman, and ironman, all represent this never-ending battle.
Inside each of us exists that superhero DNA … In fact, each of us is a superhero to someone … When you stand up for what is right, for all that is good, for justice, for the truth … in my book, you are a superhero! A superhero is not defined as such because of a superpower … they just decided to take a stance and do something about it. It’s their undying belief in their cause that makes them larger than life!
They are not invincible, their belief and sense of purpose is! Is yours?
