Day 68 Quote 16: One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.

One may smile, and smile, and be a villain.

– William Shakespeare, Hamlet

Whether you admit it or not, you hide behind a mask. It could either be to protect yourself or someone you care for. You may not lie but you may also not say the entire truth. Hiding facts from people or disguising your motive is the same as lying and being conceited.

Though this is very common, the problem here is that the people you interact with would see it as a form of deception – which is true. They would think that you’re just talking to them because there’s something in it for you.

Thus, the importance of SINCERITY.

Personally, I think that this is the most important behavior. Yes, it shows that you’re honest with yourself and with others. But more importantly, it shows that you are opening yourself up to me – that you’re making yourself vulnerable.

Especially in this world that’s filled with egotistical people where every man fights for himself, showing your sincerity really means a lot. Sometimes, you just need a doze of that to remind you that humans are naturally good. We may hurt people but in the end, a small hint of “goodness” will turn it upside down.

You have to admit that when you’re down and troubled, a simple gesture of saying, “How are you doing?” by someone (even by a complete stranger) feels good. It uplifts your spirits. We are not living in this world against each other but with each other. Learn to live with others and it starts from being sincere.

Day 60 Quote 15: A camel is a horse...

A camel is a horse put together by a committee.

– Anonymous

Simple.

Can you function effectively without a clear direction? If I tell you to go to the Point B without even directing where point B is, do you think that you’ll arrive at Point B?

Day 60 Quote 14: Do it fast

Do it fast, do it right, do it cheap. Pick two.

– Anonymous

I was browsing through my brother’s yearbook the other day and I came across a quote that really stuck to my head.

The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers.

But above all, the world needs dreamers who do.

- Sarah Ban Breathnach

You can be a dreamer or you can be a doer. The choice is up to you. But what’s more important is that you choose to become a dreamer who does. If you have an idea, act on it NOW. It’s not enough to just have an idea. It needs to be materialized. Some people end up just dreaming or just doing. I pity them. Those are the types of people that make this world full of mediocrity.

I envy children. They are already dreamers who just need a little push (from us) for them to do. But sometimes instead of  pushing them to pursue their dreams, we tear them apart. I hope that we change that attitude. Yes, it's good to keep their feet on the ground or to give them a reality check but that is also the main reason why they stop dreaming. In that case, our world is indeed full of mediocre individuals. 

I hope that when  you choose...you choose to become a dreamer who does. Especially if you're already an adult, please spend some time to look back and re-dream again. What were your dreams? what are your dreams? 

And if you do end up choosing to become a dreamer who does, make sure that you do it right the first time. Even if you will be given a second, third, fourth, fifth, .... chance, make it right the first time. Time is very limited. Don't waste it. Make the most use of it.

But again, here's a Reality check! (so ironic: another reality check) What I’m proposing is hard and chances are if you’re not fully committed into pursuing that path, you’ll just fail.

But please instill this in your head:

Looking back, the easy things were the most forgettable and neglected. The things that I had to scrape my butt off were the most memorable and I’m most proud of.

If life were easy, that’s not life but a fairytale.

Day 60 Quote 13: Murphy’s Law

Murphy’s Law: If there are two or more ways to do something, and one of those ways can result in catastrophe, then someone will do it.

– Edward A. Murphy, Jr.

Sometimes, it’s good to be pessimistic. If you set low standards, the window for disappointment is nearly zero. You also open yourself up to the chance of multiple successes. Since your bar is low, the probability of achieving and surpassing that bar is very high. A world like this seems to be perfect. People would only know successes. They will no longer have to worry about failing.

Wouldn’t the world be a lot better if everyone had low standards?

Though that seems to be a great world to live in, it still wouldn’t be right. Right in the sense that, yes you are happy because you’re succeeding but you’re not going anywhere.

Let’s say that you have a pet dog. Won’t it be a lot easier if you just keep that dog in a cage? You don’t have to worry about losing your dog or it messing up the house. Won’t that be a lot easier?

Yes! Definitely.

But what would eventually happen to your dog? It can do two things: just stay there and keep quiet or act wildly when you let it out of its cage. Either way, those attitudes are not good for any dog.

It’s good to stay within your comfort zone to avoid disappointments. But for you to grow and maximize your potential you have to constantly challenge your standards and break free from it. You have to constantly strive to be better.

Improve!!! Don’t settle for mediocrity.

Eventually, your comfort zone will become bigger and when that does break free from it again. Push! Keep Pushing! There will definitely be disappointments along the way…but what the Murphy Law is telling us (in my perspective) is that if we want to truly succeed we have to be prepared to fall.

Day 58 Quote 12: The Peter Principle

The Peter Principle: In a hierarchal organization every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.

– Lawrence Peter

Dependence.

When you have an obstacle, regardless of its magnitude, in front of you, what do you do?

When you are faced by the idea of failure amidst this obstacle, what do you do?

When you know that you can’t overcome it with your own strength, what do you do?

You’ll still pursue it.

IF you know that there'll be someone there who’s ready to catch you when you fall, you become more courageous in taking risks.

In religion for instance, we were taught that God is Almighty. When you know someone who’s sick and the doctors tell you that there is no chance for that person to survive, what do you do? You still keep fighting and hoping for the better because you know that if things don’t work out the way you hope for, you have God to rely on.

In any situation, you begin to rely on others when all seems hopeless. You rely on others to help you pass the storms in life.

Last night, someone told me that the world is cruel. It’s full of problems, hardships and failures. To conquer all these negativisms, you turn to your a partner.

That’s why she said that it’s so important to have the right partner supporting you. When all seemed lost, you turn to that person and say… “We can overcome this.”

Day 57 Quote 11: Parkinson’s Law

Parkinson’s Law: Work expands so as to fill the time available for its completion.

– C. Northcote Parkinson

This reminds me of a scene from the previous Miss Universe when they asked one of the contestants the difference between a man and a woman. She said that you can both tell them to go from point A to point B. But, how they do it is completely up to them. Men will create a straight line from A to B. Women will create a curvy line from A to B. Their journeys may be different or the way they approach things may be different; but, in the end, they still get to where they have to go.

Setting gender aside, it’s the same for us. We can be given the same task but it all depends on us how we will proceed with that task. We can start early and finish early, we can still start early and finish late, we can start late and still finish on time, or we can start late and finish late…there list goes on and on.

We can expand our work horizontally (procrastinate) if we’re given ample time.

We can also expand our work vertically (be more ambitious) if we’re given ample time.

The thing is, we tend to adjust our work given what we have and what we do with what we have – we can expand it horizontally or vertically. That’s up to us to decide and to execute.

Day 57 Quote 10: A dinner lubricates business

A dinner lubricates business

– William Scott, Baron Stowell

Dinner is not just the last meal of the day.

It’s a time for relaxation. It’s where you take your shoes off after a long, tiring and busy day. It’s a point of self-reflection – where you think of what you did that day and what you’re going to do tomorrow.

I consider it as the focal point of my day. Yes, the morning does bring us hope. But, dinner or night, in general, is where we are at our crossroads. It’s where we’re finishing up today and preparing for tomorrow.

Bottom line, it says that in whatever you do, you have to always find closure for you to move forward. Spend some time to think about what you have or have not yet done and what you plan to do in the coming days ahead.

Whether you lead or follow, move on. Don’t get left behind.