Category: Habits

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Navigating Virtual Meetings

“The eyes are the windows to the soul.” – Traditional Proverb

If you’ve ever found yourself in the world of virtual meetings, you know it’s a whole different ballgame. As we lead our teams through these virtual realms, one thing often gets overlooked – eye contact. Let’s dive into this essential aspect of virtual leadership, sharing some experiences, both good and bad, along the way.

The Good Moments:

Firstly, let’s appreciate the power of making eye contact through a screen. It’s a game-changer. When you lock eyes with your team members during a virtual meeting, you instantly establish a connection that transcends physical distances. It’s a nod of acknowledgment, a signal that you’re truly present, and a boost for team morale.

The Bad Moments:

Now, onto the challenges. We’ve all been there, right? You’re leading a virtual meeting, and you can’t help but notice your team’s eyes darting everywhere but at the camera. It’s frustrating, and it makes you feel like you’re talking to a room of ghosts. Lack of eye contact can lead to miscommunication, disengagement, and a sense of detachment among team members.

Personal Growth and Gratitude:

Reflecting on these experiences, I’ve come to realize that as leaders, we’re all on a learning journey. Acknowledging our own shortcomings and areas for growth is a sign of maturity and self-awareness. I’m grateful for the opportunity to adapt and improve my virtual leadership skills.

Tips for Effective Virtual Meetings:

So, how can we lead virtual meetings effectively with eye contact in mind?

  1. Camera Awareness: Start by being aware of your own camera. Position it at eye level and look directly into it when speaking. Your team will appreciate the direct connection.
  2. Encourage Participation: Encourage team members to turn on their cameras and make eye contact as well. Create a culture where everyone feels comfortable doing so.
  3. Engage Actively: Use team members’ names during the meeting to engage them personally. This simple act shows you’re paying attention and fosters a sense of inclusivity.
  4. Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular one-on-one or small group check-ins with team members to maintain a personal connection.
  5. Feedback Loop: Ask for feedback on your virtual leadership. Your team’s insights can be invaluable for improvement.

Looking Ahead:

In the ever-evolving world of virtual work, we have to adapt and grow. Our journey as virtual leaders will have its ups and downs, but acknowledging our areas of improvement and embracing change is the way forward. Let’s continue to make eye contact, even through the screens, and lead our teams with authenticity and connection.

As we embark on this virtual leadership adventure, remember, it’s not about the miles between us; it’s about the moments we create together. Happy leading, and here’s to stronger connections and more engaged teams in the virtual world!

“Enjoy the journey and try to get better every day. And don’t lose the passion and the love for what you do.” – Nadia Comaneci

“Your habits, your future!”

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Have you done your best?

“Always do your best. What you plant now, you will harvest later.” – Og Mandino

45 Best You Da Best Memes – You're The Best Meme – Boom Sumo

I have been reflecting and whenever I have a chat with my kids, especially when it comes to their school assessments, tests, exams… the one question that I will ask them… “Have you done your best?”

I believe that… “Victory is knowing that you have done your best, if you have done your best, you have won!“

And at times, I may forget and being critical to myself… with the outcomes that I have gotten, be it work, studies or personal… I need to be reminded on the question… “Have I done my best?”

Based on the knowledge, skills, experience and exposure that I have had… and if I have given my all, the best that I can… then I will learn from the results, then do better the next time. Or I can have the following options:

  1. Consult my inner circle and get some ideas (before, during and after) about the project that I am embarking in.
  2. Talk to my mentor(s) and coach(es) to gain some insights and discoveries.
  3. Do additional research with the time (according to the due date) that I have on the project.
  4. Ask more questions to myself, i.e., “What questions have I not asked?” “What can I do differently?” “What would this person ______ do?” “What have I not done yet?”
  5. Pray and meditate to get some inspiration, ideas and wisdom…
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And at times, I realised that, that is the best I can do… thus I need to let go and let God.

All I can do is to put in my best effort with the time and resources that I have (to be resourceful)… and whatever the outcome is… it’s a feedback… and I can use the feedback to my future advantage, to be a better version and work towards to direction I want.

“Have you done your best?”

“Under any circumstance, simply do your best, and you will avoid self-judgment, self-abuse and regret.” – Don Miguel Ruiz

“Your habits, your future!”

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New day, new learning

“Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.” – Mahatma Gandhi

MUCH TO LEARN | MUCH TO LEARN, WE ALL STILL HAVE. | image tagged in mentoring,learning | made w/ Imgflip meme maker

I woke up this morning, smiling to myself and thank God for the past 46 years of my life. I am able to have another day to do what I want to do; to serve, inspire and learn. There is so much to learn, new day, new learning.

Some of my new discovery on learning tools is as below:

  1. PechaKucha
    I find value in learning from other people’s sharing and the content is not long winded. Short and sweet, find the topics that you can resonate with and start learning.
  2. IdeaCity
    This is the TED Talk of Canada and it’s not that formal. The content is broader and and more open.
  3. Ignite
    If you only have 5-6 minutes of time (while waiting), you may want to look into this site… short sharing with some interesting learning content.

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I believe that as long as we are willing to learn, there are a lot of great learning tools to be discovered. Some of the existing learning tools I like will be as below:

  1. Ebooks
    As I put them in my mobile phone, I can take it anywhere with me, especially when waiting for food to be served in the restaurant, I can read or in the morning, when I wake up, resting… it can be a good time to read as well.
  2. Podcast
    I can listen to the podcast while exercising (treadmill, walk) and cleaning the house. A great habit to stack with and can discover new ideas from listening.
  3. TED Talk
    It helps when I need ideas for research and reminder on how I can present better.
  4. YouTube
    Good or bad, everything can be found in YouTube, the choice is ours, what to watch and learn from.
  5. Books
    In my humble opinion, nothing beats reading physical books. The feeling of flipping the page and highlighting when necessary. Great feeling to have!
  6. Online courses
    Lucky to say that, the current workplace has a business account with Udemy… endless learning to choose from. Yahoo! There are a lot of other great online learning providers available.
  7. Workshops
    Whether attending one or being a facilitator, I can learn a lot from observation, conversation and sharing during the session.

“Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the lifelong attempt to acquire it.” – Albert Einstein

What is your favourite learning tool? Any new tools discovered lately? If you have, please do not hesitate to share your discovery with me. Looking forward to learning from you!

“Your habits, your future!”

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Being forgetful…

“Don’t blame the child for forgetting lessons; make the lessons unforgettable.” – Sonam Wangchuk

I have actually forgotten what title I should put for this blog… I wanted to write earlier but I forgot how busy I was… forgetting… is it an excuse or is it real that we forget?

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According to Dartmouth university… There are seven -(7) reasons, Why we forget…

1. Negative self-concept: we think of ourselves forgetting things.

For me, this is true because I give power to what I focus on. When I keep conditioning (programming) my mind that I am not good at remembering… will it come true? Most likely… Well, it’s time for me to change my focus… and I can use some great tools to help me to remember.

2. We have not learned the material well.

If something is to be retained, it must be correctly, clearly and forcibly impressed on the mind. We must give it the necessary attention and interest. Self-questioning and spaced or periodic reviews are essential.

Learning is like cultivating a habit… the more you do (repeat), the longer it stays. Whether it is a good or bad habit (where you get outcomes that are not helping you), it will stick. Perfect practice, makes perfect.

3. Psychological reasons: defensive forgetting

Generally, unpleasant things are remembered better than pleasant things (especially by pessimists), and both pleasant and unpleasant things are remembered better than materials we are indifferent to.

Then, this is a matter of choice… and whatever the choice is, there will be a price to pay (outcomes and consequences).

4. Disuse

Memories fade away rapidly when not reviewed or used. But “forgotten” material can be relearned in less time than is required for the original learning, even after many years’ disuse. Even material that we do not relearn has undoubtedly been transformed into attitudes and values that form the foundations of our judgment. Education pays in spite of all the details that are forgotten.

This is like keeping things and after awhile, we tend to forget about them… then one fine day when you discovered the forgotten things… they are like hidden treasures… or in other words, once we learn how to swim or ride a bicycle, the skills will be there, we could be “rusty” and the skills can be retrained to gain the confidence and stamina.

5. Interference due to emotional problems, anxieties, distractions, intense concentration on something else, and intellectual interference

Intellectual interference or mental overcrowding can be minimized if we reflect on our reading and experiences, understand them, clarify them, associate, and organize them so they will not interfere with each other. We must avoid cramming and overcrowding our learning hours with unorganized material. There is more interference between two similar subjects than between two unlike subjects. (Follow study of history with chemistry rather than English history or literature.) Furthermore, there should be rest periods at intervals to allow the brain to lie fallow. Continuous undifferentiated activities apparently fight for a place in the memory. Since we cannot be awake without thinking, it should follow that there is more loss of memory for learned material when one is awake than when one is sleeping. (So study and then sleep.)

Learn to “chunk it down”… accomplish with small actions and as long as we keep moving, some how, we will be able to complete the journey / task. Take a rest if we must… to recharge, rejuvenate… then start again until we finish the journey / task. For me, sleep is important, days when I have lack of sleep, I will be experiencing brain fog, cannot concentrate and remember things… though some may feel that, if I were to put more waking hours to do the things I want to do… that is being efficient and that does not mean that we can be effective in getting better results.

6. Changed Cues

Recall what happens on tests. You studied the material one way, the test question was presented in another (cues were changed). If you learn material with too great dependence upon the phraseology of the textbook, you may be at a loss to remember some of the material if you cannot recall the exact wording of the text. As with your outlining assignments, restate or rephrase the ideas in your own words to insure remembering.

We can use tools to stimulate and remind us… triggering us to remember… some of the tools that I use will be:

  • paper and pen (sticky notes, cue cards, etc.)
  • alarm
  • to do list (there are many apps with our smart phones)
  • accountability partner
  • calendar (in the cloud, phone, computer or planner)

Experiment the tools that will be best for you. Never use, never know.

7. Lack of Attention and Effort

The art of memory is the art of attention-attending to the material WHOLLY. Moreover, there must be effort to remember.

When we put in the effort (taking actions), we will get the results (more or less)… as long as we keep moving, we will reach our destination (provided if we are moving in the right direction…). Thus, planning and preparation is key, then we start to move, we can always fine-tune along the way. We are the captains of our lives… we chart the course and live of lives.

Source: https://students.dartmouth.edu/academic-skills/learning-resources/why-we-forget

You Can not Live Your Life To Please Me. Live Your Own Life — Steemit

“The process of learning requires not only hearing and applying but also forgetting and then remembering again.” – John Gray

“Your habits, your future!”

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Top 10 Habit Quotes I can relate to

What are your favourite quotes?

Don’t have one, perhaps you can start with one of these ten -(10) that I am about to share.

I will be sharing the top 10 habit quotes that I can relate to… after sharing the quote, I will put in some of my thoughts about the quote and what the quote means to me.

It may not resonate with you… anyway, these are just my views and opinions. Just enjoy reading and who knows, you can gain something from this blog. Happy reading.

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  1. “And once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom and the responsibility to remake them.” – Charles Duhigg

    I have a choice to change what I want to, and the choice that I have made, there is always a price to pay. The word freedom to me means having the power to make choices and responsibility means paying the price.

  2. “I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks, but I do fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” – Bruce Lee

    Focus is what I give my attention and power to. When I am committed to doing one thing until I get the results, the outcome will be great. Meaning when I go deep and learn more about the topic of interest, I will gain more insights and information, versus learning briefly and scratching the surface.

  3. “In essence, if we want to direct our lives, we must take control of our consistent actions. It’s not what we do once in a while that shapes our lives, but what we do consistently.” – Tony Robbins

    Consistency is key in getting results. If I were to be serious in getting what I want, I will need to put in the effort, commitment and daily deliberate actions. Then, the results will come.

  4. “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” – Will Durant

    When we keep doing the things that we do, one day it becomes our reality. Like the habit quote #2, FOCUS and putting all my effort to get good at the thing I am doing. It is not one time action but consistent-continuous action that leads to excellence.

  5. “Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going.” – Jim Ryun

    There are times that I get really excited to start a new project or being given an opportunity to provide solutions to some challenges. And after a while, the level of excitement deteriorates… then how can I keep going? By having a process to make it a routine, it does not mean I have to complete everything in one go, I can always chunk-it-down to manageable activity, slowly and surely, as long as I keep going, it will be completed.

  6. “Failure is only postponed success as long as courage ‘coaches’ ambition. The habit of persistence is the habit of victory.” – Herbert Kaufman

    During my journey in getting to where I want to be, I will face many disappointments and failures. What I have learnt from my past journeys, failure is part of the process and it is a feedback telling me that I may be focusing on the wrong action. As long as I keep going and having the right mindset to fine-tune (improve), I will somehow get to where I want to be and reap the rewards… hence there is a saying… “The journey is the reward.”

  7. “Positivity is like a muscle: keep exercising it, and it becomes a habit.” – Natalie Massenet

    Like the weather, I will experience rainy season… no matter how long the season last, it will pass. The sun will come out again… so, it is a reminder to myself that no matter how bad the day is, tomorrow is a new day. I need to perfect practice being positive to face any adversity until I am used to being positive. And with the positive energy, I can inspire the people around me.

  8. “Chains of habit are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken.” – Warren Buffett

    I need to constantly remind myself and be mindful that, no matter how trivial the action or behaviour (where I am referring to negative ones) is… I need to ensure I do not repeat it so often until it becomes a part of me. When it does become a habit, it will be difficult to get rid of it.

  9. “We will be more successful in all our endeavors if we can let go of the habit of running all the time, and take little pauses to relax and re-center ourselves. And we’ll also have a lot more joy in living.” – Thich Nhat Hanh

    There is no point for me to keep running and not stop to smell the roses along the way. There is a need for rest, recharge and rejuvenate to journey in life’s marathon… normally there will be pitstops and checkpoints… and after having enough rest, I should be continuing my journey to excellence.

  10. “Make it your habit not to be critical about small things.” – Edward Everett Hale

    There was an old wise person who used to tell me, “Do not sweat the small stuffs…” Most of my worries were caused by trivial events and people who do not mean much to me. As it is a journey in life, I will definitely go through and meet all sorts of people. As long as I keep my chin up, better days will be around the corner.

These are a few of my favourite things - Sound Of Music Lady | Meme Generator

There you have it… these are the top 10 of my favourite habit quotes. Thank you for reading and do share which of the quotes is your favourite… or not.

“Your habits, your future!”

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How I keep myself focused and positive?

“Be proud of who you are, and not ashamed of how someone else sees you.”

There are many triggers that will distract and affect me; i.e. the COVID-19 pandemic, world negativity, uncontrollable events, people and many others… where the outcome somehow condition my feelings, thoughts and emotions.

After going through some “rollercoaster” moments past few days… then it dawned upon me that I need to do something to overcome and feel better…

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One of the actions I am taking is to pen down my thoughts and transfer them into this blog, who knows in future, I may need to refer to it again. Also, with the intention to help those who read this blog… look forward to you being better, more focused and positive…

“If you’re searching for that one person that will change your life, take a look in the mirror.”

Let’s dive straight into the topic, “How I keep myself focused and positive?” There are more than one way to perform that and what I am going to share may not work for you. Well, at least they are working for me… and I know if I were to do it long enough, I will see results. Okay… please find the tips and sharing as below:

  1. Talk to friends – with technology and telecommunication devices, we are capable of contacting our loved ones, friends, coaches, mentors… and even the Befrienders line. Last week, I have a few Zoom meetings with my old school buddies and though they did not know what is going on in my mind (the challenges I am having), that few meetings, made me feel better. Talking does help. Who are you going to call?
  2. Continuous learning – attending workshops, learning new knowledge and skills can help. I believe when I am focused on learning, my mind shifted to learning mode and not self-pity mode. There are many online learning, e-learning portal, e-books, videos and materials available. What are your plans in learning new things today?
  3. Writing, journaling and blogging – like what I am doing currently, I will access my blog when I want to store my thoughts and ideas (for future access and usage), I have my diary that I am writing (expressing myself, like having a conversation with God…) and by writing my thoughts down, it helps to clarify and seeing from a third party point of view. I would like to recommend you to write if you have not experience it before… one does not have to write essays or stories… just thoughts and points. When would you like to start writing?
  4. Passion projects and hobbies – I have a few hobbies and the one that I do the most (passion) will be cooking. I do not know how to describe to you… when I start visualising cooking the dish… the ingredients, the methods, I can see the action clearly in my mind’s eyes and I will forget everything else… it is like a therapy for me to de-stress. Cooking also helps with planning, focusing and executing. What is your passion project / hobby?
  5. Physical activity, exercise, movement – as the saying goes, “an idle mind, is a devil’s workshop…” rings true to me… the moment I am not doing something important / learning, my mind will sway and that “little voice / inner whiner” will start playing tricks in my mind… what I normally do… stand up, go for a walk, do skipping or run around my house… it does help when I focus my steps and counting when I skip. What exercise will help you to be fitter?
  6. Listening to music, podcasts, audio books – I have my own playlists in Spotify, Apple Podcast and audio books (like Blinkist). The moment I start playing the podcast, the focus will be on the content from leadership, coaching, health and wellness topics… then my mind starts opening up with possibilities, ideas and lots of “A-HA” moments. What would you like to experiment?
  7. Traditional reading – nothing beats reading books, holding the physical copy, flipping pages, reading and imagining the content while reading… anticipating what the author is about to reveal and looking from the author’s perspectives… great enjoyment and visiting the author’s world. E-books do help, just that the satisfaction of holding and flipping the pages… hmmmm…. When are you going to start reading?
  8. Praying and meditation – it’s like my daily morning ritual now. Praying for wisdom, patience, courage, and guidance… focusing on my own breathing (deep breathing) and reading Bible verses helps. Combining devotion / quiet time music definitely helps. How are you practicing spiritual wellness?
  9. Tapping on my creative side – how I do this, is by doodling… in my diary, on a blank piece of paper… drawing and combining with words… I find it soothing and helps to transition my rigid thoughts to a bigger picture… I learned that when we are angry, we are actually focusing on our left hemisphere of our brain… we need to change the state by shifting our focus to the right hemisphere… you are welcome to do more research about this. How are you discovering your creative side?
  10. Enjoy your favourite beverages – My morning drink will be black coffee… once in a while, milk coffee or tea… When I look forward to making the coffee, it is like a ritual to focus and shift my mind to the positive, why? I know that the result of making the coffee… I can enjoy by drinking the fruit of my labour. What is your favourite drink?

“You are allowed to be both a masterpiece and a work in progress simultaneously.”

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In my opinion, and a disclaimer (haha), as we are still human, at times nothing helps and we feel miserable. Just do not let that feeling of being miserable be a habit… once you realise that the feeling or environment is not helping you, you need to do something about it. I am sure there are a lot of people who are there to help you, just need to voice out and ask for help. All the very best to you and God bless.

“Your habits, your future!”

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habits poetry

From beliefs and values to feelings and thoughts,

From feelings and thoughts that forms attitude,

From attitude to behaviour…

Repeated behaviours forms habits, 

Turning habits into action…

Then comes the outcome and results…

Results will enhance motivation,

From the motivation ,

one realizes the potential…

The potential to endless opportunities…

Habits is part of the process.

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Questions to Ponder Part 2

questions answers signage

“A wise man can learn more from a foolish question than a fool can learn from a wise answer.” – Bruce Lee

Hello there! How have you been keeping lately? As we go through this interesting times, I would like to share the second part of the “Questions to Ponder” series.

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Here we go…

1) How are you spending your weekend?

Many of us will be looking forward to the weekend and the question is, how to make the most out of the weekend? Not sure about others, and as for me, I will be doing the activities that I love doing; going to the market (apart from buying groceries, it is a good place to observe all walks of life), have my cup of coffee, breakfast, relax, recharge and rejuvenate. Catch up with my reading, listening to podcasts and attend Sunday service. It is also a good time to plan for the coming week’s focus and priorities… then put that aside… drink some water and relax… slow down and get ready to speed up!

Everyone will have their own way to spend their weekend.

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2) How are you using technology to help you?

The use of technology is a part of our lives now, whether we like it or not. The other day, I experienced a crisis at home… what was the crisis about (apart from the COVID-19 pandemic)? The WIFI router decided to die on me and there was no connection to the internet. My kids and I, PANICKED! I was going to do my project assignment, and my kids, their homework and studies online… I was trying to troubleshoot the issue for half-a-day, I even went out to get a new WIFI router! But it did not work… Felt really helpless and stuck for not having any connectivity to the world. Anyhow, I have to resort to my phone’s data personal hotspot… slower speed but at least connected.

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Anyway, technology can help us in many ways, I use it for the following:

  • Online research for my assignments, projects and content ideas;
  • Online purchases (YAY! Shopping)
  • Order food and beverages
  • Make payments (utilities, bills, loans, transfers, etc.)
  • Virtual learning, workshops and coaching

How about you? What do you use it for?

servant leadership? cool story, bro - steve jobs cool story bro | Meme Generator

3) How do you plan to serve others?

Everyone has their own strengths (let’s not focus on the weaknesses), talents and passion. How will you be using your strengths, talents and passion to help and serve others.

Having to discover my life purpose; “Inspiring and Developing Leaders to reach their highest potential for God”, I have decided to use my strengths, talents and passion to help people (leaders) to discover their potential via learning and development engagements.

Spongebob Popcorn GIF | Gfycat

Please do not underestimate yourself, we may think that our strengths are not significant, I am certain that to some people, they will need help in the area that you are good in. Let’s have an open mind and learn how we can serve / help people, so that our world can be a better place.

ONE DOES NOT SIMPLY START 10 NEW HABITS AT ONCE - One Does Not Simply | Make a Meme

4) What good habits do you want to form?

Haha, the meme above may seemed funny… however, the message may have some truth in it. We do not have to focus on cultivating a lot of habits all at one. Just focus on one main (key stone) habit (as per the learning from the book, “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg) and you will be discovering the journey of changing habits (as one behaviour that you change may affect the other areas of your lives).

“And once you understand that habits can change, you have the freedom and the responsibility to remake them.” – Charles Duhigg

Some of the good habits you may be interested in to form:

  • Exercise, run, walk, sweat and move more than being sedentary
  • Plan, strategise, prioritize and take action
  • Read to add value on a daily basis
  • Sleep and have a good night’s rest
  • Eat right and in moderation
  • Be present and focus, not get distracted
  • Be kind, compassionate and practice empathy
  • Express yourself, via journal, blog, have a conversation
  • Invest, spend and do your own financial planning

and many more… let’s start with one first… when you get results, I believe you will be motivated.

REJUVENATE AND KEEP YOURSELF HYDRATED - Feels Good | Make a Meme

5) How do you rejuvenate and restore yourself?

In November 2018, I have shared a blog regarding the same topic… the title of the blog is, “Reboot” and “Refresh” Habits

You may click on the link and enjoy the article.

Should you have anything to add, please do not hesitate to put it in the comment section.

“We must always change, renew, rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise, we harden.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There you go… the next five -(5) questions to ponder…

Stay Safe, Healthy and Strong!

God bless.

“Your habits, your future!”

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How am I keeping myself busy?

“Focus on being productive instead of busy.” – Tim Ferriss

It has been about 80 days since the day the Movement Control Order (MCO) started. I have to confess that business is badly affected and I thank God for providing me enough opportunities to date.

How have you all been keeping lately?

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This is me keeping myself busy, HAHA!

One of the reasons for me to have this blog site is to record relevant memories of my activities, and who knows, one day, some one would like to know about my life story…

“Productivity is being able to do things that you were never able to do before.” – Franz Kafka

5 Simple Principles From 5 Years Thinking About Productivity
Busy being busy… WOOHOO!

Below will be my activities in the past 80 days and not in any particular order:

Working with my partners on promoting some virtual / remote online training
I am blessed to have good partner friends who have included me into their digital marketing plan. Together with one of my good brother, we have presented to many clients and we have branded the programme as “Crash Course Series” which can be done in 60 – 90 minutes. An effective, straight to the point learning and application tools for people who attend the session. The learning here is for us to create our own opportunities and not everyone will buy-in to your ideas. We just have to keep going in this journey of our lives. As what Simon Sinek wrote in one of his books, “The Infinite Game”, it’s a continuous process of learning.

Delivering virtual / remote online training
Thank God for some great opportunities to provide learning sessions for clients and the overall feedback was good, some were even surprised that virtual training can be effective and engaging. I truly appreciate the feedback and encouragement. What I have learnt from the delivery, we have to put in extra (boost) of energy level and constantly engaging with the participants as they cannot feel your physical presence, thus we have to use various methods to create the engagement.

Getting news that some loss of business and cancellation of events
Every time during this period, receiving this kind of message is really not easy and it weighs down my heart (initially). As a professional trainer, coach that constantly preaching and selling the idea of being positive and motivated… now my actions will speak louder than my words. Like I say to most of my friends, we are now living in an interesting times. It’s a journey of learning discovery. Nil desperandum!

Chin Up GIFs | Tenor
Chin UP!

New Normal of doing things
The other day during dinner time, we had a conversation about the lock down and not being able to go out like we used to. In fact, we have not gone out to the supermarkets or malls as a family for leisure, not eating out at restaurants, watching movies and many more that we used to before. That is one of the new normal of lives. Coming back to training, I have also helped one of my partners to deliver a certification programme, the new normal was having leaders from different countries joining the session, borderless participation and learning. My good trainer friend and I had this conversation about using technology to deliver our training, never expected that this would come sooner than all of us thought it would.

Improved cooking and time to perfect the hobby
I have to confess that I used to tell people that I do not like to bake as baking was not for me… guess what? Because of this interesting times, I have ventured into baking breads, muffins and experimenting new recipes, making new dishes for my family (thank God that they liked it… HAHA!). Not only that, my wife had seriously ventured into edible gardening and soon, we will get to enjoy the fruits of her labour.

TIK4TIPs Chit Chat Time / Show

TIK4TIPs Chit Chat Time / Show
My good brother, partner and friend, Ravi had inspired and invited me to do a talk show with him, I am blessed and honoured to be collaborating with him. We want to leave our legacy behind by adding value to share our discussion / question of the day with people who tuned in. I will be posting the videos in my YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCp7dGv9pxwNdM7Gf2CxE4gw?view_as=public

Learning and improving video creation skills
During this period, I have also received requests to provide short videos and digital content to clients. The only way to learn, is to do the work and by doing, I learn from mistakes. Also the need to do more research on tips and tricks in video creation. I am thankful for the requests that I get to learn more about video creation skills.

One of the videos created

“You will enrich your life immeasurably if you approach it with a sense of wonder and discovery, and always challenge yourself to try new things.” –Nate Berkus

WAYS TO KEEP YOURSELF BUSY DURING QUARANTINE - Paulette Magazine
Learn new things…

There are a lot of things to do and learn, what are the new things and skills you have obtained during this period? Do share with me in the comments. Looking forward to learning from you.

Stay healthy and safe.

“Your habits, your future!”

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Be PREPARED for what’s coming

“Life belongs to the living, and he who lives must be prepared for changes.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

What’s next after the lock down? What is the new normal? What can we do moving forward? and many other questions…

Asking Questions GIF - Asking Questions Funny - Discover & Share GIFs

More than 50 days have passed since the first phase of the lock down. Been thinking a lot of questions and also discussed with some of my friends pertaining to this interesting part of history that I am going to be in. I believe some will be more positive than others and also some who are suffering from this event.

In this blog sharing, the focus will be on preparing ourselves for what is coming, as a disclaimer, I am not a fortune-teller nor having any super powers to see the future. What I am sharing here will be my thoughts and what I feel is needed for myself plus my future generations. Please message me should you have any comments or thoughts about this article. Thank you.

Are you ready?

Get Ready GIFs | Tenor

What I have in mind… I put it all in an acronym…

P.R.E.P.A.R.E.D

Problem-Solving – Resilience – Electronic – Positiveness – Authentic – Reporting – Emotional Intelligence – Digital+Coding

PROBLEM-SOLVING
I am drawn to believe that we need skills to solve problems. Be it creative thinking, critical thinking, design thinking, any models or tools. Which one is the best? My answer will be, “The one that you will use effectively…” Especially in times like this, a lot of people, including myself have problems that can be transformed into opportunities… should we know how to solve and turn it into solutions to help people (and the money will come 🙂 )

RESILIENCE
“Blessed are the flexible, for they shall not be bent out of shape.” – Michael McGriffy M.D.
Imagine if we learn how to be adaptable and build our strength, Working towards being flexible… a lot of the issues will seem easier and we are calmer, thus having the ability to see things clearer then come up with better solutions. In my opinion, resilience means practicing adaptability and flexibility.

ELECTRONIC (Platforms)
After talking with many friends who are in the same industry (even in different ones), and having to experience it first hand… there is a need to learn how to communicate, present, run meetings, talks, seminar, coaching, mentoring, team building… using VIRTUAL Platforms. Any platforms, apps, programmes, tools for that matter… there are a lot of information, tutorials and guidelines on how to use them online. We just need to put in the time and effort to learn. Believe me, we need to learn how to operate in E-Platforms, the future is NOW.

POSITIVENESS
Being positive here in this article is being productive and generating ideas. That leads to creativity and innovation, another important traits for being a leader. No matter what industry we are in, there is a need to be producing new improved products and services. The best (and fastest) way is to be positive – transforming adversity / crisis into opportunities. Of course it is easier said than done. One tip I have learnt from one of my mentors… do not do it alone, work as a team, synergize and collaborate.

AUTHENTICITY
“Authenticity is your most precious commodity as a leader.” – Marcus Buckingham
By sharing this, it is also a reminder to myself. I need to be true to myself and others. No need to pretend, just be the unique and original self. Like the word “YOU” which can mean “Your Own Uniqueness”. Just be YOU, no need to be others. I truly believe that by being consistent, sooner than later, people can feel and sense your authenticity. We are all created to be one and only special person. Never let anyone tells you otherwise (another reminder to self).

REPORTING (Data)
One of my friends said… Data is going to be the next phenomenon which is going to be more valuable that oil and gold. This is one of the areas that I really need to work on to learn. My data literacy still needs a lot of work. I believe that the future is going to be bright for those who are experts in this area. I have heard some companies hiring data scientist… and there are more opportunities similar to this coming soon.

EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE (EQ)
Anyone who wants to lead a team (direct or indirect) will need this skill. Being high on IQ is important and if we want to lead in a longer term, EQ will be the focus. Of course, there are more than IQ and EQ, we will not be discussing that in this article. Should you are able to learn how to control / manage your emotions, more great happenings will come your way. There are many good resources out there that we can learn from on EQ.

DIGITAL+CODING
This is something that I do not have patience for… when I studied IT many moons ago (oops… not disclosing my age!), I need to do it to pass my exams but now, with the dynamic change in technology… I can barely catch up with this. Well, a wise man used to share with me… if you are not willing to do the job, find someone that will do it but be prepared to PAY THE PRICE! Anyhow, I can imagine, in the near future, this skill will be easier to learn with more straight-forward interface and steps. As long as we are willing to learn, we will find a way to do it.

World Of Tomorrow GIF by Jordan Frost | Gfycat

How are you going to be P.R.E.P.A.R.E.D?

All the best in your future undertakings.

“Your habits, your future!”