I was walking in the snow with my daughter today. 

She's leading and would want  me to follow her tracks.

When I'm feeling tired, she asked me to push on.

When we get to the top overlooking the yard, she asked me not to look down, whatever happens, or else I might slip.

If I feel am slipping or getting stuck, she would hold my hand and steady me.

She asked me to follow the tracks closely and not to deviate.

She also reminded me not to make my own tracks because she's the bus driver.

She also reassured me that she knows where she's going and that I need to trust her.

When she's doing the loop-to-loop, that means that I have to just go along with the loop.

When it's time to go home, she will lead me home.

She tells me to enjoy and have an adventure. 

​If you have a firm and confident leader like that, there's nothing you can't do!

Cheers!

Yesterday, my car got stuck in a muddy part of our acreage. With all the wheels spinning deep into the mud, I had no choice but to leave it to the expert. I called for help.

I wonder how this situation is transported in many scenarios in our lives and careers.

How many times we refuse to call for help when we should and not 'game' or 'risk' deepening our being stuck in the mire?

Most of the time:

We thought we can do it. DIY is always the first choice, anyway. Good for learning and making sure you get what you want. Safety, time lags, and wasted monies are consequences for poor planning and execution. 


We thought we don't need to bother anyone. On the contrary, before we get more into debt or trouble, we should call them now and not tomorrow.


We can survive and overcome. When was the last time, you flunk the interview/exam or going into a meeting completely unprepared and acting tentative?  There are clear consequences for misfires and trials.  Learn from the experts, become an expert, or completely walk away, because it's not your strong suit. 


The expert drove the car down in a slope and shared some kind words of instruction. He said, "Some people drive purposefully in a mud, but with not with you."

We need experts and friendly allies to help us, remind us of the things we easily forget, and steer us in the right direction.

But it all starts with asking for help. 

​Cheers!

Mama, your head looks like water melon.

Your eyebrows look like hinges. 

Your nose is like a triangle. 

Your hair looks like thick noodles.

Your eyes look like small water melon.

Your armpit looks like a flute. 

Your legs like wagon wheels.

Your feet like book shelf.

In short, I look like this-




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​HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

Count your blessings!

Talent is so over-rated. 

Leaders and managers continue to tout that they want to hire the best, brightest, and the most promising of all candidates. 

The best seldom accomplishes more than what they think they can. They have limited versions of  themselves that fit their current frame of 'success' and 'achievement' which could be limiting their chances of becoming better than they really are.  

Whereas those that are average are always in the look-out to prove themselves and surprise themselves that they can do way better, with the right attitude and process. 

Grit trumps genius, talent or high IQ (Duckworth: 2016). This is well-documented with the inner city students research that came back that persistence enables them to survive and thrive despite hardships or obstacles. 

In these last three months, I persisted in the absence of positive news. It seemed that it's becoming a futile effort and I have to be preparing for the inevitable. The Plan B and C aren't better than the first option. It would mean more work and more expense on my part. I'm not even prepared to go that route.

Yesterday, a breakthrough came through. I'm happy I persisted. One colleague said, "Good for you, you have the time and talent." 

On both those counts, I don't have enough. But I have grit and it's helping me reach my goals. 


What are you trying to accomplish? Are you the near the end of your rope?

​Hang in there, it's not the time to throw in the towel yet.

​Persist and win. 

Give up and lose. 


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For two weeks, I have been procrastinating in writing my manuscript.

I waited for external cues to tell me that I need to write now.

I waited for that demand to come from elsewhere to tell me that I need to start now.

I waited for the internal eureka to say that I am ready to write it.

Of course, two weeks passed and I don't have anything to show.

I should have at least 20-25 pages of material by now, or more. 

I could have enjoyed that momentum, I tell others to ride on and be carried forward.

I could be on my way to the goal of being published! 

Just as I am learning that there is no reason to wait for anyone or anything. 

Setting aside that sacred time to write is a must. 

Writers write as farmers farm and dancers dance.

There is no excuse that is great enough not to write. 

So now,  I write, will write and will continue to write until this is done. 

And write some more! 

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Few people make it to the finish line. They quit before they get a breakthrough. 

The goal could be: a business reset, a career change, a new hobby/undertaking, an improved relationship, or new lifestyle goal. 

Before you quit, give yourself a real time to think about what you learned along the way, increase your self-care, and give yourself the permission to think hard about what do you really want to achieve. 

There are many steps along the way. Depending on your mileage, you could just be starting, in the middle part, or almost there, but not quite.


What's your mileage? How long are you doing the things you are doing?

What are you learning versus what you are doing with the new learning?

What you should be unlearning?

​What could accelerate your progress?

Who should be seeking out for help?

What can you do to move from point A to B?

What time frame are you setting yourself for each stage?

When do you need to pause to learn and pick up the valuable lessons along the way?

What kinds of breakthroughs are you experiencing?

What stories are you telling yourself about each step?

Who are your role models? Did they achieve what you want to achieve?

There is no such thing as having arrived. It's an ongoing journey with key milestones along the way.

Rest when you have to but go on to the next, knowing that there's equal measure of challenges and opportunities that await.