SUMMER LOTUS

The Answer Often Lies With Ourselves. Believe.

If you want to be known as a stickler, someone who insists on something unyieldingly or a stick in the mud, someone who avoids new activities, ideas, or attitudes, rather be known as one who has stick-to-itiveness.

Stick-to-itiveness is an informal word that means unwavering pertinacity, perseverance. Today, I decided to display this trait with my Lenovo desktop which was quite a new computer considering that I have used it for less than 30 times in the last four years.

2 years ago, the computer could not start and I had to engage the services of Lenovo. Through the phone, the technician was succinct with his instructions. I had the good mind to take down his instructions and work on the steps that he instructed. Step by step, I managed to bring the desktop back to the factory condition after I saved my data.

But this time, my Lenovo desktop flickered very badly for the last few days. Fortunately, I still had the instructions with me and decided to follow it to a T. It was very easy.

Unplug all cables and switch off the mains.

Switch on again and before the Lenovo logo comes on, tap the F2 key multiple times.

A dialog box would come up asking whether you would like to restore the computer.

Click yes and it asked if it is Ok to lose unsaved data (well, I could not save any data with a madly flickering screen so I would rather save the computer)

Next, it says to leave desktop alone while it was quick restoring.

Under 10 minutes, it was completed and it asked to reboot.

The desktop became functioning like brand-new!

“The three great essentials to achieve anything worthwhile are, first, hard work; second, stick-to-itiveness; third, common sense.”
― Thomas A. Edison

I am glad that I did not listen to others who asked me to bin the computer. I believe that “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”. In this case, it is not broken to me. I would not fix it by buying a new computer as suggested but try to fix it literally.

I feel that I have inspired myself. Suddenly, the great words of Sir Winston Churchill rang through my head, “ Never, never, never give up!”

The song, “ Never, never, never, never give up! from ‘Thomas & Friends sang in my heart. The lyrics of the song immediately resounded around me the way ‘Thomas & Friends’ characters did in https://youtube/53a3QBcELvE That’s how I felt.

Elevated and elated by a sense of achievement not so much by the fact that I have saved money not sending the desktop for repair or buying a new one but by the fact that we can solve problems if we try hard enough.

I feel a can-do attitude. In fact, in most obstacles that I faced these days, even if I do not solve them instantly, I often manage to find some solutions in the end.

Have patience and stick-to-itiveness in what we do.

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Originally published at https://summerlotus.com.sg. 

www.boundlessdelight.com

It is not too late to start.

The one thing I did right the last few years was to learn constantly and continuously. These skills have come in useful in these covid-19 times.

Family members say that I do not know how to relax but I think being curious is a good thing. They say that I should be retire having hit 60 years of age but retirement is not in my vocabulary. I wanted to be a learner for life and a teacher perhaps and that was my lofty goal.

I showed up for a preview of a website creation early last year. The instructor turned out to be a well-known SEO who was extremely passionate in imparting his skills to us.

For a free preview, we received much ‘meat’ out of his presentation that I felt the audience may not even sign up for his actual workshop.

However, he was an intelligent man. It was because of his generous sharing, that people could see more potential becoming his students.

Website creation was totally new to me given my exposure to technology. I asked a few stupid questions and was told at one point that I should not attend the class.

I was hurt, having assumed that I was above average intelligence to have graduated out of University. But my good trait of being hardy to snide comments and my determination to prove otherwise to myself strengthened me.

I signed up. On the day of creating the website with WordPress, my classmates were at least 20 years younger than me. The disparity was so obvious.

Some mates were asking me why I wrote down notes on paper while all of them typed on their laptops. I loved the feel of paper, I said but it was just that I am from a different generation.

I do not make a lovable student because I asked too many questions. And then I jot down the answers for equal measure.

I sensed that some younger mates became a little impatient. Most seemed to go along fine with the lectures, what had happened to me? Does aging slow one’s brain so badly?

Nevertheless, I plodded on. In my confusion, I could not really get my website set up while some created a lovely webpage with links and all.

I am glad that I have the iron will though my skull must be made of iron too since the teaching did not permeate into my brain. I would ask more questions to figure out later if I did not get the answers.

I am driven by Socrates’ thoughts. I love his following quotes

An unexamined life is not worth living.

One thing only I know, and that is that I know nothing.

There is only one good, knowledge, and one evil, ignorance.

As the workshop progressed into the night ( we started at 10 am) and it was nearing midnight, I marveled at my instructor’s passion. Well, at least that is something I could take home with me That is the passion of learning and teaching.

I sat through 2 agonizing days and found out that there were a few, younger classmates who were also lost but they did not question.

We have to battle out ourselves, no one to blame as there were people who did fine. Maybe they were already IT savvy.

My persistence led me to come back over the weeks to seek clarity. I wanted to sign up for the repeat class but the idea of 12 hours was too much for me.

Fortunately in those weeks, I managed to get hold of my instructor’s partner who was stationed outside the lecture room on some days and evenings to answer queries. He sorted out all my hiccups. And of course I did more note writing the old fashioned way to make sure the concepts stick.

Eventually, my website was running and I am very happy with the new skill acquired.

I went on to create another website for my dental surgery. My colleague told me she paid 5 figures to have her clinic’s website created. My engine has been oiled, it shows that one has to keep practicing to perfect a skill.

Though my websites need sprucing up, the foundation has been laid. A new world has opened up for me.

Just yesterday, I asked a question to a friend who knew I had learned website creation. I showed her my URLs and she was quite impressed.

I asked her if her clients needed a website presence and she asked me to do her company’s first. That was a great start.

In times like this, I am very happy to be given a chance to diversify and what I have now is time to spruce up my skills further with Google and YouTube, the perennial teachers of the modern times.

Last year, I went on to learn e-commerce under the same instructor and struggled some more among young people. I am in the process of setting up an e-commerce store.

My learning gear has been started and I can only say that the future is looking very bright!😉🤓

My point is, be a continuous learner. We never know when the skill acquired would come in handy. Even if it does not, it is a skill that can cause our brains to think in ways outside our set careers and make us relevant in today’s changing world.

Only you can help yourself out of this rut.

“Fears are nothing more than a state of mind.” – Napoleon Hill.
We all can identify with this statement.

People are naturally afraid of the unknown and would not risk failure, trouble or even inconveniences.

You can realize your fears.
If you expect failure, you will receive it.
If you always see the negative in everything, you will not accomplish anything.

There was a story written about an experiment done by a psychologist to see the effects of fear.

A few students were made to go into a dark room. Then he switched on a very dim light. In the room, there was a large pit of water with crocodiles. Over the pit spanned a narrow bridge.

When the psychologist asked the students to cross the bridge, they were very hesitant. After much prodding, a few students tried. One walked with a lot of trepidation, another shivered as he crossed while the third student crawled across in a bid to prevent being noticed by the crocodiles.

Soon, the light came on. The students realized that there was a net under the bridge. The psychologist asked if anyone would cross but some asked if the net was reliable.

Then he replied, “The experiment is done. This shows that it was an easy task but the fear has deterred you. You have lost your calm and direction and expressed fear. Once the fear has permeated the brain, you would lose confidence resulting in failure.”

I am sure we all have our imagined fears in our daily lives. I have always feared public speaking and that is due to my own self-consciousness.

To overcome fear is to put yourself in that condition. Through years of being active as a Toastmasters member, I have eradicated some of the obstacles and have seen a vast improvement in my self-development.

In fact, public speaking can be a rewarding experience as it allows the organisation of your thoughts and opportunity to hone your effective communication skills.

To overcome fear, you must be prepared. If you have taken the effort to craft a good script for your presentation and have adequately rehearsed, this would reduce your fear greatly, so it involves work on your end.

To overcome the fear of public speaking, you need to seize on every opportunity to speak so that you become better with each performance. You should value your feedback from the person whom you have chosen to evaluate and improve on the recommendations.

Used to be, my weakness and fear was in table topics as one has to speak off the cuff. To retract what one had said carelessly would be undesirable.

Over the years, I come to realize that if I learn to see everything from a positive perspective, what I said would inadvertently have a positive note to them.

Even when given a negative topic, I am able to espouse on something constructive. This is a leap of progress.

Never run away from your fear. There are some people who are afraid of technological changes but when they get their feet wet, they began to appreciate the wonders of today’s technology, their efficacy, and the conveniences that they bring to our lives.

What is worse is not keeping up with the changes. The obstacles to your progress will always be there and people are caught up with their own lives to really take you through your hurdles.

You feared being left out of the loop in today’s fast paced world, yet you persist in not doing anything. Nothing is ever going to change and you would become more archaic. Face your dread now or sink further into despair.

A person who is unable to control his fear would act in a counterintuitive manner. When negative thoughts arise, you would be suffocated.

When faced with challenges, failure is not due to the problem.
It is often due to the expansion of the problem, seeing the worst as likely to happen and hence not taking action.

By not over-worrying and overcoming fear, you may just accomplish what you want. You would then wonder, ” Why did I not overcome my fear earlier?”

F.E.A.R. has two meanings- Forget Everything And Run or Face Everything And Rise. The choice is yours. Pinterest.com

I derived 8 important points for success.

Benjamin Hardy, a top writer in Startup caught my attention with his 240 k followers . 

That is a great number of fans! I was interested to know why and how he attained those numbers. 

I started with his article, “10 steps to become a millionaire in 5 years or less” . Despite a lengthy essay that spanned over 19 minutes, it garnered 47k claps!

I decided to evaluate his work because that is the only way to analyze why Dr. Benjamin Hardy is such a prominent and prolific writer as well as a highly renowned speaker. 

I thought his title was very interesting and catchy. Who would not like to be rich? And to be shown the ropes by a top writer who is generous with his ideas and concepts.

His introduction immediately reined us in. It was for everyone rich or poor. 

I liked how he immediately stated his objectives so that the reader knew what to expect in this lengthy article. He clarified the objectives. Many read on.

The body of the article was so succinct with 10 valuable points that I lapped them all up with great voracity because I knew that they would change my life if I applied them.  

Here are the 8 keys to success.

1  Begin with the end in mind.

His “Create a vision” already showed where I went wrong. I had not envisaged a clear landscape for my future as I had not given it much thought.

I was drifting by each day doing my best in whatever I set out to do and what I have to do, all within the expectations of what is required of me. Such self-limiting goals!

I need to do what resonates with me well, regardless of what people think of my capabilities and reach the pinnacle of success in my own way. I need a clear vision of my destination.

My vision has to be more specific like painting a vista. One of my goals is to become a writer on Medium and I model myself after all the great writers on this platform.

To attain a humble one percent in terms of Dr. Hardy’s number of followers is a lofty goal for a start but is attainable as I would try all his ten steps.

2 Keep track of progress.

Measuring progress, in the short term of 90 days is a great idea.

To do this, one needs to do more reflection. This approach will make the vision more attainable, bringing us one step forward at a time.

What I do to improve my writing is to read as widely as possible mostly on good writers’ works and I would write down their recommended points to reinforce my learning. Then, of course,  I would apply their principles. 

In the last 4 months, I have only written 50 plus articles but I am more aware of the need to churn out more and quality articles for the next quarter. My capacity and interest in reading have increased threefold and should increase more.

3 Setting up my flow state.

Dr. Hardy highlighted the importance of achieving daily peak condition that caused me to review mine.

I always begin my morning after my usual ablutions to do my stretches, some yoga poses to be specific. 

As a writer, one could get into a bad posture, staring at the monitor and slouching.  I am a dentist to boot, which aggravates the posture further.

Yoga stretches are the most healing for the mind and body. At the age of 62, I have no aches and pain (touching wood) and I attribute it largely to this exercise.  

The sense of well- being from Yoga certainly puts me in a flow state for my mind too.

4 What I do to my environment to improve my writing.

It is indeed true that the surrounding must be conducive to my work. 

Though I write close to where I sleep, close to where my TV is, and close to where my collection of paraphernalia are, I would improve my flow when I feel stuck by getting away from my laptop for a while— to the kitchen to grab a bite, a walk in the garden or a short call to a friend.

Inadvertently, I find that my perspective improved and new ideas did surface. It is not going against the grain that frees the mind.

5  Stay Focused on results.

Recently, I wanted to create an e-book. With resources like the internet, one can learn almost anything. I knew nothing about ebook but I have a helper at home who is a great cook.

Youtube is like an institute of teachers. I manage to find a very good instructor who taught me how to create an e-book with his video. It was instructive and free of charge.

More exploration led to the discovery of websites that offer the creation of pages and transform them into a PDF file which is the e-book. It was amazing.

Focus on what you want, then work on it. Resources abound with the availability of the internet.

6 Engage mentors

A mentor-mentee relationship is a win-win one. I would request someone, a friend for example to mentor me whether they are older or younger than me as long as they are better than me in the field that I am interested in.  Even if it incurs a fee.

I learned many useful tips for watching my specialist friends practice their skills and I was very grateful that they were very willing to share their tips on how to get a piece of work done more efficiently.

As a general practitioner, I aspire to practice a high level of skill, and observation is very useful. Many tips were not taught in schools but acquired through experience and common sense by these mentors.

I like young mentors too as they surprise me with their refreshing and current skills and wit. Especially where digital technology is concerned, younger people still make the best mentors.

As a mentee, I would benefit the mentors by word of mouth which brings them more potential businesses.

7 Ask questions and listen.

Most people prefer to talk but I prefer to listen and ask relevant questions.

Often, I leave the discussion with new knowledge but if they ask me, I would share what I am good at and they would be ready to listen.

Seek out the strengths in others. Everyone has their forte. If I want to improve on my slide presentation in my public speaking club, I would engage the help of my fellow member who does beautiful powerpoint presentations in his projects and learn how to do them.

In a group project, this aspect certainly would be best tackled by this member.

All of us have different talents, it is up to us to excavate them.

8 Continue to move forward.

One is not to live our lives status quo.  If you looked at how Man had progressed from the agricultural revolution to the industrial revolution to the digital one, human beings are meant to progress.

Staying complacent will not do. “Shape out or ship out” as they say. The onus is on each individual to find your passion and your talent that you could advance further for the betterment of self and society.

Then you can truly taste success. You would move on to attain greater heights or develop interest in other areas which you can then excel to inspire a younger generation to take on.

In conclusion, I believe that for each life, one has many opportunities to live his life to the best of his ability. Regardless of age, if you are willing to learn and try, it makes for an exciting life.

Given the resources of today, the intelligent, exemplary people of the world whom you can seek out directly or indirectly, only you can have this success if you desire badly enough.

DON’T WAIT FOR OPPORTUNITY . CREATE IT! success.com

Become a better person

If you are not in the frontline fighting COVID 19, consider yourself lucky to be given this deep pocket of time even if it is enforced on you. 

Nobody likes to be confined. Freedom is the ultimate goal, even more than love and even life, it is said. But for the sake of overcoming this highly contagious virus, we have to bite the bullet and ensure that the world is safe again.

We have been too caught up in activity every day,  living our lives and chasing our goals continuously that we never really took a step back to reflect.

I think this has been a worldwide phenomenon until the COVID-19 crisis causes us to pull the brakes on what we are pursuing and literally on everything else.

However, humans will eventually triumph. History has shown time and again, in many disasters unimaginable, we can overcome and progress on

Meanwhile, it benefits us to utilize this time fruitfully, whether it is to advance our career, make up for lost time with loved ones, search our religion for answers and assurance, or to look for something interesting to focus on. Now is the time.

When the economy gets rebooted, we will get caught up again in the never-ending pursuit of goals and information as the world would certainly not stop, not when human beings are so innovative and progressive.

The lockdown makes me realise the following:

1 I need to develop more skills. Though I love my career, one needs versatility and even survival skills so to speak in case a calamity of this nature happens again.  

We cannot depend on one trade or one skill. Putting all your eggs in one basket,  traditionally put.

If I cannot do A, I can do B. For this reason, I am glad that I took up a course in website building which I felt was very important. 

Many businesses have gone out of the brick and mortar model to online presence. During this period, I found time to spruce up my website which was not satisfactorily done from the lack of time.

2 I finally went into business with my e-commerce site which I have learned the year before but did not find time to make it work.  Now, it is operational and I needed to look for suitable products.

I discovered that there are many generous people online who were willing to share their knowledge on almost any skill.  Through YOUTUBE, I was able to make my e-commerce site fully functional. 

Information is unlimited in cyberspace that it may even be better than attending a workshop but we need passion and persistence.  

There was time to think about relevant products. It dawned on me that my domestic helper is an amazing cook, so I documented her cooking in detail including the use of photography.

During this time, I was able to learn about the creation of ebooks so I set up her cooking ebook which made her very happy.  I believe that it would lead to a passive income. 

This would be a good idea to share with other people who would like to work from home, free from the constraints of the corporate world.

There is more time to ponder and read, to work on articles for Medium. There are many great books waiting to be read.  My interest in reading has been rekindled in the course of finding activities to pass the days.

There is so much to learn to keep up with the changes- zoom and webinar are currently hot subjects and have proved indispensable to running meetings, education, and business.

Most important, don’t gripe. I see this happen every day around me and on social media. It is better to volunteer your help in any way- raise funds, give your services or offer words if encouraging to others. 

Complaining is a waste of time- against the government, the people, the system, etc. Things do not change anyway when we make noises.  

Humans are rational enough to come up with options and rescue plans though the waiting process has been painful all over the world.

It is also futile to fret as it serves no purpose. 

The least we could do is change ourselves for the better. Take this time to excavate your potential and develop to the fullest. Or look for a highly effective person and emulate his ways.

Crisis either causes regress or progress depending on the will of the people.”
― Abhijit Naskar