We all know that in life, we can't avoid failing.
Yet, there's a way of viewing failure that might actually make it empowering for us.
Author Laura B. Randolph once said that "failure is success if we learn from it".
Following this logic, we can take it that Life's upheavals are not meant to defeat us. they are intended to make us stronger. Every failure presents an opportunity to learn something that would benefit us in future.
With this view, we no longer need to see failure as a setback.
So if you are going through a bad patch, instead of spending your time moping, think critically about what could have led to your situation. What could you have done better? What new knowledge did you fain from the experience? What are your options now that can take you to a better place?
Look forward. No storm lasts forever. And though life's potholes can slow us down, even break us a bit, they can always be breached. And we can heal and improve. Humans are the original upgradeable machines.
In life, there is only one dead end. But the rest of the time, your life is still ahead of you, no matter how bleak present circumstances seem. Even the apparent "dimness" of your present plight is a matter of outlook. Don't allow a setback to limit your view and prevent you from enjoying the rest of what life has to offer.
Too many of us focus on the negative aspects of life. Seldom do we savour and cherish the good parts of life. We simply take them for granted until they are no longer around.
Similarly, we often view failure with derision and disappointment. But it's time to change this mindset.
Make failure a stepping stone and it will nudge you towards your eventual goals.
Let's learn from the words of author Laura b. Randolph... if we learn from Failure, it really is Success with another name.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
The Power of Giving
In such a competitive society, a lot of emphasis is placed on winning and taking as much as we can.
But what do we really gain by taking all the time? And how much of what we take can we really hold on to?
Unlike taking, whatever we give away takes on a life of its own. It spreads and multiplies and finally finds its way back to you. It probably won't come immediately, nor will it come from the source you expected. Most likely you would have forgotten all about your gift when its impact finally comes round to you. But have faith that this law applies unfailingly.
This law also applies to any negative deed or words you send out. Whatever you feel about someone, be it concern, love, respect or be it envy or hate will surely come back to you in some clear or unseen manner.
If you speak well of someone, this positive energy will have a chain reaction, and many more will speak kindly of you. But if it's spiteful words you send out, this negative energy will also be reflected back to you. Kind words encourage and inspire... hateful words only breed resentment and revenge.
Our thoughts and actions are a reflection of our soul. Kind and positive ones come from underlying happiness and contentment and only serve to enrich our souls even more. Unkind thoughs come from petty, unhappy souls and only serve to bring us more pain.
think of giving as a mirror. Whatever we send out, we get back. Smile kindly and you will be greeted with the same. Positivity begets positivity. Kindness begets kindness. A hateful scowl only chases love away.
As you start or end this day, remember that kindness comes to those who first are kind. If it's friendship you want, first be a friend yourself. If it's respect you crave, be respectful towards others. If you want to be accepted, embrace others fully. If you want to be loved, you must first be loving.
Many things in this life are temporal and fleeting. Money, power, position, fame, youth... Attachment to these things ultimately contribute to the emptiness in our hearts.
However, the good things we do for others, and the love and concern we give away are the only things that will remain with us.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
But what do we really gain by taking all the time? And how much of what we take can we really hold on to?
Unlike taking, whatever we give away takes on a life of its own. It spreads and multiplies and finally finds its way back to you. It probably won't come immediately, nor will it come from the source you expected. Most likely you would have forgotten all about your gift when its impact finally comes round to you. But have faith that this law applies unfailingly.
This law also applies to any negative deed or words you send out. Whatever you feel about someone, be it concern, love, respect or be it envy or hate will surely come back to you in some clear or unseen manner.
If you speak well of someone, this positive energy will have a chain reaction, and many more will speak kindly of you. But if it's spiteful words you send out, this negative energy will also be reflected back to you. Kind words encourage and inspire... hateful words only breed resentment and revenge.
Our thoughts and actions are a reflection of our soul. Kind and positive ones come from underlying happiness and contentment and only serve to enrich our souls even more. Unkind thoughs come from petty, unhappy souls and only serve to bring us more pain.
think of giving as a mirror. Whatever we send out, we get back. Smile kindly and you will be greeted with the same. Positivity begets positivity. Kindness begets kindness. A hateful scowl only chases love away.
As you start or end this day, remember that kindness comes to those who first are kind. If it's friendship you want, first be a friend yourself. If it's respect you crave, be respectful towards others. If you want to be accepted, embrace others fully. If you want to be loved, you must first be loving.
Many things in this life are temporal and fleeting. Money, power, position, fame, youth... Attachment to these things ultimately contribute to the emptiness in our hearts.
However, the good things we do for others, and the love and concern we give away are the only things that will remain with us.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
Stop Comparing Yourself With Others
We've all, at some point, compared ourselves with others and ended up feeling inferior or discontented. Talk about self-torture!
Whether it's someone's looks, social status, talents, popularity, car, fame, or body, most of us do this without really thinking about what we're doing, but think about how often you do it, and you will realize just how frequently you are dis-empowering yourself.
Comparing ourselves with others erodes our confidence and self-worth. This stops us from achieving all that we're capable of in life.
When we compare ourselves with someone and it makes us feel inadequate, we may feel that we shoudl be achieving the same results. Now this sounds like a positive thing if envy can drive us to fulfill the same goals, then why not?
Well, envy and inferiority are such powerful emotions that it can make us feel as though besides our goals, everything else is unimportant, even our loved ones, or values like honesty and integrity, even human life. Dictators and other power-hungry individuals have often been driven by envy and self-loathing to reach the pinnacle of power by all means necessary.
Envy and inferiority also cause us to blindly pursue aims that in the end, we may find we really didn't want in the first place. Our focus had been on other people's goals, what they'd wanted, what they'd achieved. Lost in a cloud of envy, we failed to think about our own aspirations.
Think about the people you might be envying - that millionaire entrepreneur, that influential politician, that top housing agent, that up-and-coming actor, that hot young athlete. Deep down inside, is that what you really want to be? Would you be willing to sacrifice your own passion, values, and integrity to gain what you have gained? Would you be able to give up what they'd given up in order to achieve their goals? Would you really be happy if you had what they have?
When comparing ourselves with others makes us feel inadequate, we are also less likely to take action to see how much we are capable of. When we feel and think small, we're less likely to venture out, in case we get trampled on. It's much easier to say "I will never be able to do that!" than actually taking a risk and making an attempt. But we can only reach our potential by trying and taking risks and keeping at it.
If you truly want to be happy and successful, stop comparing yourself with others. Blindly chasing other people's definitions of success can never make you happy. Think about your own definition of success. Pursue and live your own version.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
Whether it's someone's looks, social status, talents, popularity, car, fame, or body, most of us do this without really thinking about what we're doing, but think about how often you do it, and you will realize just how frequently you are dis-empowering yourself.
Comparing ourselves with others erodes our confidence and self-worth. This stops us from achieving all that we're capable of in life.
When we compare ourselves with someone and it makes us feel inadequate, we may feel that we shoudl be achieving the same results. Now this sounds like a positive thing if envy can drive us to fulfill the same goals, then why not?
Well, envy and inferiority are such powerful emotions that it can make us feel as though besides our goals, everything else is unimportant, even our loved ones, or values like honesty and integrity, even human life. Dictators and other power-hungry individuals have often been driven by envy and self-loathing to reach the pinnacle of power by all means necessary.
Envy and inferiority also cause us to blindly pursue aims that in the end, we may find we really didn't want in the first place. Our focus had been on other people's goals, what they'd wanted, what they'd achieved. Lost in a cloud of envy, we failed to think about our own aspirations.
Think about the people you might be envying - that millionaire entrepreneur, that influential politician, that top housing agent, that up-and-coming actor, that hot young athlete. Deep down inside, is that what you really want to be? Would you be willing to sacrifice your own passion, values, and integrity to gain what you have gained? Would you be able to give up what they'd given up in order to achieve their goals? Would you really be happy if you had what they have?
When comparing ourselves with others makes us feel inadequate, we are also less likely to take action to see how much we are capable of. When we feel and think small, we're less likely to venture out, in case we get trampled on. It's much easier to say "I will never be able to do that!" than actually taking a risk and making an attempt. But we can only reach our potential by trying and taking risks and keeping at it.
If you truly want to be happy and successful, stop comparing yourself with others. Blindly chasing other people's definitions of success can never make you happy. Think about your own definition of success. Pursue and live your own version.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
Boosting & Maintaining Genuine Happiness
We can try to make the most of life; to be as happy as possible in spite of the rainy spells that can come our way. Still sometimes, we can be stumped. During these difficult times, we can stop looking forward to life, our sleep is strained, our work efficiency suffers and our creativity goes down.
What does it really mean to be happy? How can we make joy last? And how do "they" do it? You know, those people who seem to be able to laugh and play and remain effusive and creative in the most stressful of times.
Is there a method to their merriment?
Well, yes. Mysterious and sometimes elusive as it may seem, genuine lasting happiness can be developed.
Accepting and embracing yourself, as usual, is your top strategy. Without the Self, there is nothing. So get over it, if you haven't already. This is the only body and mind you are ever going to get, so you might as well make the most of them. Also, you're not perfect, but you can continually improve yourself. So keep learning, keep absorbing information, and you will feel increasingly in control and empowered.
Practice contentment and you will discover the key to lasting happiness and peace of mind. This doesn't mean that you should accept what's not working in your life, but rather this kind of contentment relates to appreciating what you already have, and not yearning for what you don't. Remember, not wanting it is as good as possessing it.
If the consistently-happy people you know are also sociable and extroverted, it's no coincidence. A recent study found that extroverts have more of the so-called "happiness chemical" dopamine. This chemical also consequently makes these people more creative thinkers. Dopamine occurs naturally in the brain and affects a range of behaviour including mood, sleep, reward, learning and movement.
Researchers also found that "extroverts are likely to be more successful because of higher than average level of the chemical floods the brain at even higher does when a person is in a good mood. The more outgoing a person is, the more active their dopamine system is and a positive mood increases dopamine activity even further in may parts of the brain."
Also, if you closely observe genuinely happy people, they're able to not only laugh at what life throws at them, they're also good at laughing at themselves. They don't take themselves too seriously. They're not over-sensitive about how people see them or how others talk about them. They're too busy having fun!
So practice these keys to true joy - love yourself, practice contentment, get out more, and learn to take life and yourself more lightly.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
What does it really mean to be happy? How can we make joy last? And how do "they" do it? You know, those people who seem to be able to laugh and play and remain effusive and creative in the most stressful of times.
Is there a method to their merriment?
Well, yes. Mysterious and sometimes elusive as it may seem, genuine lasting happiness can be developed.
Accepting and embracing yourself, as usual, is your top strategy. Without the Self, there is nothing. So get over it, if you haven't already. This is the only body and mind you are ever going to get, so you might as well make the most of them. Also, you're not perfect, but you can continually improve yourself. So keep learning, keep absorbing information, and you will feel increasingly in control and empowered.
Practice contentment and you will discover the key to lasting happiness and peace of mind. This doesn't mean that you should accept what's not working in your life, but rather this kind of contentment relates to appreciating what you already have, and not yearning for what you don't. Remember, not wanting it is as good as possessing it.
If the consistently-happy people you know are also sociable and extroverted, it's no coincidence. A recent study found that extroverts have more of the so-called "happiness chemical" dopamine. This chemical also consequently makes these people more creative thinkers. Dopamine occurs naturally in the brain and affects a range of behaviour including mood, sleep, reward, learning and movement.
Researchers also found that "extroverts are likely to be more successful because of higher than average level of the chemical floods the brain at even higher does when a person is in a good mood. The more outgoing a person is, the more active their dopamine system is and a positive mood increases dopamine activity even further in may parts of the brain."
Also, if you closely observe genuinely happy people, they're able to not only laugh at what life throws at them, they're also good at laughing at themselves. They don't take themselves too seriously. They're not over-sensitive about how people see them or how others talk about them. They're too busy having fun!
So practice these keys to true joy - love yourself, practice contentment, get out more, and learn to take life and yourself more lightly.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
Thinking Beyond Current Standards
It's natural to be satisfied with the way things are, especially when things are going well, life is smooth-sailing, there are no viable competitors and there isn't incentive to charge anything.
But Life is about change. It's about constant movement, and if you are not moving forward all the time, you are either stuck, or worse, sliding. Besides, when we settle, we give up the chance to find out how things could be.
One of the most striking examples of how important constant evolution is in the business of electronic gadgets. Who would have thought that smartphones, for instance, would take over the world, almost overnight it seems? And you can be sure that the Jobs' and Gates' of the world are already thinking of the next super communication slash entertainment tool that defies convention and would be unimaginable to most of us today.
That's the essence of success - consistently staying a few steps ahead.
Most people will be happy with current standards. There is certain reverence given to them it seems... We often hears terms like "time-tested", "classic", "tested and proven", "traditional" and so on when it comes to the way things have always been done.
This love for the status quo occurs not just in career or business. People can become attached to the prevailing standard in their personal lives as well - they can become attached to places, to environments, to possessions, to ideas, to other people, to repetitious acts that give them temporary or superficial pleasure.
These people can get sucked into this artificial world - a world where things don't change, where things and people remain where they want them to be, a world where any change is snuffed out forcefully or artificially. While the real world continues to move on, they retreat deeper and deeper into their artificial world until they become obsolete and out of touch within the real world.
The truth is - the world moves on, people move on, fads come and go, technologies emerge and fade, cultures and contexts evolve. Over time, things and people who don't steadily develop themselves will get left behind.
The only way you can remain ahead of the game is to constantly thing beyond the current standards - once things become relatively stable, it's time to think about how they can be done better, how they can be further enhanced.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
But Life is about change. It's about constant movement, and if you are not moving forward all the time, you are either stuck, or worse, sliding. Besides, when we settle, we give up the chance to find out how things could be.
One of the most striking examples of how important constant evolution is in the business of electronic gadgets. Who would have thought that smartphones, for instance, would take over the world, almost overnight it seems? And you can be sure that the Jobs' and Gates' of the world are already thinking of the next super communication slash entertainment tool that defies convention and would be unimaginable to most of us today.
That's the essence of success - consistently staying a few steps ahead.
Most people will be happy with current standards. There is certain reverence given to them it seems... We often hears terms like "time-tested", "classic", "tested and proven", "traditional" and so on when it comes to the way things have always been done.
This love for the status quo occurs not just in career or business. People can become attached to the prevailing standard in their personal lives as well - they can become attached to places, to environments, to possessions, to ideas, to other people, to repetitious acts that give them temporary or superficial pleasure.
These people can get sucked into this artificial world - a world where things don't change, where things and people remain where they want them to be, a world where any change is snuffed out forcefully or artificially. While the real world continues to move on, they retreat deeper and deeper into their artificial world until they become obsolete and out of touch within the real world.
The truth is - the world moves on, people move on, fads come and go, technologies emerge and fade, cultures and contexts evolve. Over time, things and people who don't steadily develop themselves will get left behind.
The only way you can remain ahead of the game is to constantly thing beyond the current standards - once things become relatively stable, it's time to think about how they can be done better, how they can be further enhanced.
Eugine Loh, 938Live, MediaCorp Pte Ltd
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