Missed it!

For someone who has thought of writing as his passion, it is surprising to note that it has been more than a month since my last entry!  And there's no excuse, I just didn't have enough motivation to sit still and type my thoughts away. I didn't have the inspiration. Simply put, I was lost.

When I was young, I got lost in the mall.  My mom was busy shopping for stuff and just like in the fantasy world of Narnia, I got lost in a world behind the curtains of fabric!

I recall running along rows of racks and chasing through the playfully swinging clothes. And then I realized that I was enclosed in shelves and surrounded by strangers. My savior was a fine saleslady who brought me to customer service where, with the ever powerful microphone, they called forth my Mom. That night, I went home with twink -and no, it's not the twink you have in mind, he's the character from Rainbow Brite!

 I am very lucky being surrounded by good people who love and care deeply. Although not necessary, a support system helps. Family and friends got me through to where I am and for that, I am truly grateful. Yet, no matter how strong my support system may be, I still had to search for my path and find the courage to walk through it.

In sophomore year, I wanted to drop out and just start working. Thinking - if working is what I'd be doing, why not start early as now? Funny but back then, it was a strong urge - I wonder what was I was in a hurry for? They say we go through school so we can find a good job later on. So what's next after getting one? I guess an average person would say -raise a family, nurture them, get old and die. How about people like us leading an alternative lifestyle? It's been 6 years since I've started with my company and I am just here all along. I drift to work everyday, not looking up to someone truly worthy, not leading to a goal and not heading for a destination -until I met with my high school friends.

I know I'm not alone in this, but attending a high school reunion sends bolts of lightning to places you never knew existed! Depressing at it may be, the kids I grew up with tickled my fancy to actually take ownership of me.

As soon as you trust yourself, you will know how to live.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe    

Achieving goals, as in medicine - prevention is always better than cure. I may not exactly be a life coach, but allow me share some tips I am working on to help me get better.

 

Set Goals and Prioritize. 

A map is of no use if you don't know where you are and you don't know where you're going. Know what you really want, set your goals and never lose eye on it. A vision board helps me to be more optimistic. I cut out images that remind me of my goals and they keep me on track. There will be conflicts along the way and knowing your priorities will help you decide.

Always Pause to Smell the Flowers.
Create a task map and lay tiny goal posts along the way. Applying what I've learned, these would have to be SMACT! Set Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Challenging and Timely. Don't forget that when you reach each point -celebrate the smallest of victories!

Review.
In each goal post - pause, look back, ponder and think ahead. There are times when things don't fall as planned and sometimes, they're even better than what we hoped for. These calls for us to go back to the drawing board and rethink our goals. Check on things we can do better, adjust goal points when needed and make sure to keep moving forward.

Sharpen the Saw.
We all know the story of the woodcutter. Take the time to develop and improve. Nobody can keep working all day, we all need to pause to take a breather and recharge. Keep your body fine tuned, make sure your love buckets are full, learn something new everyday and never forget to say your graces. Find better ways and better things to help you get through.

Start over.
So what do you do when you reach the end? It's not another dead end where you can sit still forever. Just like schooling, it's not the certificate that counts, it's what you learn everyday that counts! Life is a cycle, start over!

 

Wow! That's lengthy. 

Promise not to write anything this long again...