Last Saturday morning I took a bus to the gym. I noticed something special about the bus driver. He was very kind to wait for passengers to get on the bus instead of “beaming” away from them (believe me – I am sure most people had such experience of running after the bus only to have the door closed in your face). To make up for the waiting time, he would drive one touch faster than other drivers (with the same level of safety in my opinion as long as the driver is paying attention and staying within the speed limit)

It dawned on me that we can also apply that principle in our own life. To make time for others, in particular those we love and care, we can be more efficient in performing some tasks or activities. A friend of mine told me that one of her most efficient times of her life was when she was in Harvard law school and needed to travel long distance to see her then-boyfriend over the weekend.

Today is half way through the month of January in 2017. A popular topic buzzing around is New Year Resolution. My advice:
1) It is not too late to make your New Year resolutions if you have not done so. It is only 2 weeks late and there are 50 more weeks to go! Yes, I am a big fan of New Year resolutions (how can one tell :>)
2) Review and fine-tune your initial New Year resolutions to see they are achievable and realistic. No need to be too hard on yourself and don’t give up yet.
3) Award yourself and give yourself a treat if you have done well so far.
4) Don’t get too upset if you are behind your goals. How to deal with disappointment if part of life. Learn from it and handle it with a positive attitude.

I came across an excellent article in this weekend’s FT written by Jason Butler titled “Money can mean happiness – if it’s spent well”. I found his view very insightful. The suggestion is to use the money you have (regardless your wealth level) wisely to enrich your life and deepen your relationships in a meaningful way. The extract from the article below “speaks” for itself.
“There is also evidence that spending money on life experiences, rather than material possessions, makes you happier. This is because we remember experiences longer than the initial excitement of acquiring something.”
“You are likely to be happier spending money on others to strengthen personal relationships, or give money to causes aligned with your values.”
“Your self worth is not determined by your net worth, but by the quality of your personal relationships, your life experiences and the meaning you derive from your existence.”
Well said!

Happy New Year to all :>
Before having a fresh start on new blogs for 2017, let me finish off the last mini-series on voting reflection from 2016. Apologies for the delay.
My final reflection on the voting events is acceptance and then seeking solutions.
In life, we are sometimes faced with results and consequences that are beyond our control even though we have made our best effort. It is never easy to accept things that are not our wishes but being part of a democratic society and community, we have to respect the final decisions made in the predefined manners that are agreed upon. After a few “emotional” moments (we are only human), I think it may be more productive to accept the results and then move on to seek other ways to improve the current situation.

Reflect on what we can do to mitigate the negative effects may be caused by the “undesirable” results. What are the lessons learned? Are there other opportunities for us? What are our plan B, C & D?

Dwelling on the results and the past will not help us make the right FUTURE decisions. Beat it and move on please!!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
May we be touched, renewed and transformed by the spirit of Christmas.
All the best in 2017 🙂

The third point from the voting reflection is communication.
For both the Brexit vote and the US presidential election, the messages of the losing parties (with perfect 20-20 hindsight) were only reaching certain groups of voters. For example, the messages from “UK-remainers” lobbying groups, intentionally or unintentionally, were too intellectual and complicated for the working class and/or the older generation in the UK. Consequently, the “UK-remainers” did not get a lot of votes from the working class and the older generation and lost when the voting results came out.

Applying this in our daily life, when speaking to people from different backgrounds and other walks of life, we may consider “tuning” and adjusting our communication style to suit the target audience. Delivering your message is only part of the process of communication and the other part is how receptive your message is. The message may “fall on deaf ears” if it is not “packaged” appropriately. We don’t want that to happen right, do we?

The second point from the voting reflection is avoiding complacency.
Most of us, me included, have a tendency to stay status quo and an inertia to changes in life.
It was revealed after the voting results which shocked many of us that the polls and surveys done in a conventional way might no longer be effective at this day and age after all the social as well as technological changes that we experienced.
To apply that in our life and experience, in particular our decision making, we may want to question and review objectively the information and framework used.
Are they still relevant this time around?
Are they anything missing?
What else can we do to improve it?
Food for thought!

The U.K. votes on Brexit and the U.S. presidential election votes have shaken the world and become the most talk-about topics in 2016.

My first thought is the issue of blindspots which is the core of life coaching. We all have a natural tendency to be more receptive to opinions and facts that are more agreeable with our own views. On the contrary, we are more inclined to ignore unfavorable facts. In other words, we are “blind” to facts that we don’t believe or don’t want them to happen.

In the case of Brexit, I, like many “remainers”, ignored many signs pointing to the “leavers”.

Before analyzing a situation, we should check our perspective to make sure we start from a neutral ground and stay objective. First check your blindspots before reaching your conclusion.

The final lesson from this mini series on Hollywood is to inspire others. Most movies that have long-lasting influence on audience are those inspire them and provoke deep thoughts as well as reflection. These movies all carry valuable messages to audience. Movies such as Citizen K, Schindler’s List, Harry Potter and Star Wars.
Through our interaction with others in our daily life, we can also seek to share our experiences, ideas, challenges and insights to inspire each other. What is your personal message you want other to remember?

Another lesson from Hollywood is the usage of your influence. Being public figures (at least for the more successful ones), some Hollywood celebrities use their influence in very positive way to bring greatness and love to the society. One example that came to my mind is Angelina Jolie. Though I am not a fan of hers, she has my utter admiration for her charity work, in particular human rights, education and women’s rights. Coupled her influence with devotion and commitment, she has made a world a better place.
We, as individuals, have own influence (may not be as strong as Angelina’s). We can also use our influence through our interaction with people around us and other means to change the world and help others. The more powerful a person is, the greater his/her responsibility is. Let us go forward and do our parts.