inSight of Life

29 Nov 2011

November 29th, 7:50am 2 comments

...in conversation

While deep in conversation, remember that there is no need to agree or disagree with half a sentence. Wait a little bit before your head starts to nod up and down (or left to right). The climax typically only comes near the end, not the middle of the story - in a similar fashion to movies.

Interrupting can seem condescending. And nodding uncontrollably may either mean you have a distance Parkinson's symptom, or that you don't really care about the conclusion, which may be a bit rude. Breathe. Listen. Engage.

15 Nov 2011

November 15th, 7:01am 0 comments

Get mud on your boots

Dig in and get your boots dirty. In the old days this meant going into the field and seeing what is happening. Walking through the rain and the mud. This isn't the fun part of the work. No one likes to do it. It is generally passed onto the rookie. The same principle still applies today, even though the field has become the desk, the tasks remain the same,

Sitting in boring meetings.
Reading the same articles with different titles.
Travelling at inconvenient hours.
Waiting for responses, for actions, for decisions.
Printing and doing all the admin.
Reiterating all of the above.

You start to understand what it takes to get something done. And this broader understanding, no matter how irrelevant, will make you relevant. All those small and tiresome tasks, that's what people talk about when they are looking for someone with experience.

2 Nov 2011

November 2nd, 8:01am 0 comments

The upside of failure

Everyone wants to win, whether experienced in a competition, a race, a job opportunity, a business, etc. There are definite perks to winning, yes. But what about the perks in losing? Consider these perks:

You become more realistic. To state the obvious, I know there is no way that I could win an Olympic medal (no matter how hard I want to try). And as you develop your skills in any area, you learnt how to best apply them and what your limitations are. Realism, with a dash of courage, makes you much more successful.
You become the underdog. You are not expected to win, but you can! And just remember how much audiences love the underdog...
You have more degrees of freedom. You have the freedom to either try do it again or do something different, there are no expectations or commitments to fulfil. Adapt. Your skills can potentially be applied in a number of fields.
You don't become disabled. Just because you lose doesn't mean your brain or limbs stop working and you can't think or create. Start over. Apply the knowledge you gained, improve your strategy, succeed. Success is in essence an iterative process.

15 Oct 2011

October 15th, 6:52am 0 comments

Just keep swimming

Swimming is not something that just comes naturally to us, no matter whether you were born under water or not. It is something we all have to learn. And how do you learn how to swim? You do it. You jump in and swim, up and down the lanes. You slowly build the right muscles and get your coordination right.

You don't become a natural swimmer by talking about swimming, or from wanting to learn to swim. You swim by swimming and only get better by swimming some more. However, this is not only true for swimming.

5 Oct 2011

October 5th, 1:24am 0 comments

Being the Change

Not happy with the way you feel or are right now? Changing that will only come from actually sitting down and doing something about it.

if you feel and look tired, get more sleep.
if you don't feel fit, train consistently and hard.
if you feel like you don't know that much. read and study about the subject.
if you feel you lack discipline, take the time to discipline yourself.

It takes time to become or feel stronger than you are right now. There are no magic pills you can take. You can't just say that you want to be better without actually doing something. It takes effort. It takes action.

22 Sep 2011

September 22nd, 12:56am 0 comments

No matter how small

"A persons a person no matter how small" Dr Seuss

A reminder to be thoughtful in how we go about our lives. Yes. I think this view on life should be a part of everyone's agenda. No matter how important you (think you) are, no matter how insignificant you think others are, people are all people.

But if you do not make yourself heard or make your existence known, no one will care or notice. It's not just true for people, look at how long it took for people to notice Earth's frailty. Without communicating, without a presence or resistance, there will be no change in the way others relate to you. Don't feel too insignificant and just sit back and take it. Raise your voice. You are a person, no matter how small.

15 Sep 2011

September 15th, 4:06am 1 comment

Finite resources

A project is not run successfully by looking at the ideal case. You may start there, but most projects are constrained by time and budget. How can you improve conjestion on the roads? Well, how much money is available? There are many solutions but the one that works best within your constraints is the one you can and will implement.

The same goes with improving your productivity, your attitude, your worldview and yourself. Knowing your constraints and limitations actually make you better equipped at life and make you more confident in what you can achieve. Yes, you may want to reach perfection and reach it now, but what are the costs and can you manage that? Setting the bar too high only causes frustration and failure. It doesn't make you any better.

10 Sep 2011

September 10th, 12:34am 0 comments

Going to the dentist

Getting yourself to visit the dentist is sometimes like pulling teeth. So, often the visit is delayed. The regular "check up" is avoided, and so dentists are only visited once the pain becomes too unbearable. But, just because you don't go to the dentist regularly doesn't mean your teeth are in good condition. Regular checkups can actually prevent a lot of pain later on.

Regular small, update meetings with mentors, bosses, lecturers or friends is a lot easier to have than those almost surgical ones. And, although both those meetings are difficult, in their own way, neither are avoidable. They are necessary and ultimately beneficial to you.

6 Sep 2011

September 6th, 3:32am 0 comments

Enjoy the ride

Ever sat in the seat of a roller coaster and just before the ride started your heart started racing, fear sets in. You're suddenly faced with the question: what if I fall out, what if I die? You suddenly fear. But, this fear wasn't there moment before. Before you arrived, you experienced such a rush, such excitement, such confidence. You knew you could do it.

Come to terms with the fact that the ride was made for you. It is safe - you wont die. The irrational fear that dawns on you as you experience the ride actually takes away from the ride's purpose. The feeling of flying, of defying gravity. It is an exhilarating feeling, one that you can't experience all day.

Don't miss out on those short experiences in life that are intended for you, by giving in to fear. From formal presentations to sharing your creations. Accept the reality - you wont die. Acknowledge fear and savor the feelings of the experience.

26 Aug 2011

August 26th, 4:11am 0 comments

My To Do list

I have, for so long, heard about the benefits of using a to do list. And have tried a variety of different services. But I have always found the constant referral back to the list rather cumbersome. I either lose it, don't check it, or forget about it and then it becomes too cluttered and useless. However, I have found just the right one for me. For just under a month I've been using Do it Tomorrow.

It is a simple to do app that syncs on Android, iPhone and Web - via Chrome Web Store. It lets you make a list of things to do. If you don't do it today, it automatically puts it on your agenda tomorrow. Once you finish a task, you just click on it and it crosses it out. Your completed tasks disappear at the end of the day, which is one of it's strongest features. It has made starting my day much more fluid and focused. It really does help me get things done.