Category: change

Ask and get

A baby is crying. She is crying for milk, she is hungry.

The young couple quickly prepare the milk for her and feed her. She stops crying and drinks her milk. She smiles at her mom and waves her hands happily.

A baby know what she wants and asks for it. Therefore, she gets what she asks for. And she becomes happy for getting she wants.

We adults frustrate because we are not clear for what we want.

Once we know what we want, we will ask for that, then we have a good chance we will get it, which makes us fulfilled and happy.

Find what you want at the first place.

The resistance for taking off

Planes always take off against the wind. It is the resistance that planes need for taking off from the ground and climb into the sky.

If you want to make a change, want to do something different, want to learn a new skill, you need to go against the resistance – lazy, pain, self doubt, uncomfortableness, vulnerability.

Only when you head on with your resistance, you will make progress, gain new experience, know how far you can fly.

Resistance is an indicator that you are on the right track to develop yourself further. Know your resistance, go against it to take off.

Let it go

I have had two busy weeks, while still taking an online course.

The course is for four weeks. Obviously I could not complete all assignments from the course due to my work engagements.

I am getting anxious…

Then I noticed the moment I felt the pressure from the course, I had back aching. My body has started to send warning and tell me slowing down.

Yes, I know the signal from my back aching already. My body is smart. I need to do something about this warning sign.

What would be the worst if I could not finish my assignments from this course? How much I have learned from the course by far? If I rush to do the assignment for the sake of completion, would it be good for my learning?

What would be my ultimate goal of learning? Can I keep my learning after the course’s ending?

Which is more important? Is My happiness or to please the course? Who is the course after all? …

I choose to please my body.

This has made the difference. I am a better person to the people around me. I am a better person today than who I was yesterday. I am living my life.

Test of being on hold…

Doctors told us that my dad’s surgery were Wednesday afternoon.

My dad was prepared for the surgery by nurses. He also prepared himself ready for Wednesday afternoon. So all of us, the family members, were also here for his operation.

We thought 2pm was the reasonable time for my dad to be called for the surgery. Because we learned it would last for two to three hours, 2pm seemed a proper assumption.

2pm arrived, and past.

4pm came, and past…

My dad became anxious. We became a little bit worried about him. We were told the operation would be still on.

6pm came, and past.

8pm came, and past…

My dad was called in just after 9pm…

It was a test for everyone when my dad’s operation was on hold for nine hours. It tested our patience, it tested our will, it tested our agility and sympathy.

There are many cases in life putting us on hold. Each case is a test and an opportunity for us to know ourselves, to learn more from the experience, to break free from the boundaries we often set up for ourselves.

Live life

I am busy with my company matters.

Then I got the news yesterday that my dad will have a heart surgery tomorrow. He insists in saying it will be a small operation that I don’t need to take time off to see him in the hospital. He has two helpers with him and mom.

I had hesitation on making the decision whether coming to see him or not. What came to my mind were tightly scheduled meetings, reading, writing for this week. One colleague heard this, he said to me, “Go back to see your dad. Family is more important.”

This goes straight into my heart.

Live life.

Life happens while I am busy making other plans.

Life takes priority over everything. No life, nothing happens.

I came to be with my dad and my mom. I felt the immediate peace once I made the decision to do so.

I need re-examine my life from time to time. Just like someone says:

An unexamined life is not worth of living.

Overeating

You love seafoods. You are invited to have “all you can eat” seafood buffet. You are super happy to have the opportunity.

You eat, eat, and over ate.

At last, you no longer have appetite to the seafoods you’ve loved so much.

Over nutrition, or overeat can cause indigestion and lose appetite.

When this principle applies to learning, we need to learn with the right pace and right amount of knowledge.

Slow may be fast for me.

Less may be more for me.

Fast and more may be for you.

To feed the right amount of food, information, knowledge is a skill. And this skill can be tested and learned.

One’s edge

I learned from a girlfriend of mine that she came back from a team building day. One of her male colleagues surprised many people by acting as a car sales girl wearing bikini top.

The context is that her company is situated in a secondary city in China. She like many of her colleagues think this male fellow is a quiet, shy, introverted person.

There are other occasions that are beyond our expectation, especially about other people’s dos and don’ts.

What are the possible reasons for these?

We are biased? People are capable more than we expected? We have mentally set up boarders, limitations for others?

These are all possible.

We do not know our limitations, edges till we face challenges.

One’s edge can be extended facing difficulties, challenges.

Every challenge we conquered expand our comfortable zone. Therefore, we create new edge.

Until next circle of challenge we may live in our comfortable zone.

If you break your edge constantly, grow your space, you will have more break free area.

Live on edge.

Thinking makes all the difference

I gave a presentation to an international group today.

I felt terrible after the presentation. Because I prepared in English and I realized I needed to give it in Chinese.

I was struggling in find the suitable Chinese phrases during my talk and felt I was not best of myself…

When the event was over, we had business matchmaking session. I found people talking to me with curiosity and respect. I did not find any trace of blaming me not doing a good job for my presentation. I actually had great time to making connections with attendees.

What a relieve!

This sounds familiar?

There is no things so bad or so wrong in our lives. It is the thinking makes so.

Growing is painful

The best memory very often is the one we had setback, difficulty, failure, or hurt.

And it is also during these periods that we grow in a hurry – when you look back in a ten years of time.

I invited an old friend to give a presentation about his research to my teams. He not only gave us his research, but also his philosophy on how to live your best life.

He said that money is not the most important thing in one’s life. It’s the freedom to do what you love to do and a good health you have. He got this conclusion after his ten years of struggle and learning.

We sometimes go a long way to move forward for a short distance. However, that the price we need to pay. That is the pain we need to experience.

Growing is painful, yet it is a journey no one can replace for you. And the reward is huge.