My 3-year-old son has a routine of tidying up all his toys before bedtime (ok, it’s actually me who tidies up). One night, I told him it’s bedtime. Time to go upstairs. To my surprise, he picked up a few toys and laboriously carried them, walking carefully towards the first step of the staircase where …
Acceptance is the Last Frontier
When all things fail, and you already did your part, you did your best, you did everything… it’s time to accept. Accept that you don’t control everyone’s behaviors and decisions. Accept that you don’t control what happens in your (or their) country, city, job, or business. Accept that you don’t control the weather and the …
You can Always do Better
Don’t overthink whether what you did is right or wrong. Because whatever you say. Whatever you teach. Whatever you perform. Whatever you do. There’s always a better version of it. Forget right vs wrong. It’s all about doing better the next time. It’s all about moving on and focusing on the next step. To help …
Pause and Regulate, What to do Now?
A destructive financial mistake? Fired from your job? Someone wronged you? Ask why and how did it happen. Think. Then pause. The “pause” is where all the difference is. Because during the pause, you are regulating your emotions. Self-control is possible. But it can be tricky because everyone is different. It’s your job to figure …
Problems You Shouldn’t Have
Most of your problems are problems you shouldn’t have. But since you assume that having problems is normal, you never investigate. You never question. That’s why they keep repeating. But if you always accept problems without questioning their cause, what kind of life do you expect? The right question to ask is: What could I have done …
Does it Matter in the Grand Scheme of Things?
Most suffering is self-inflicted. It’s the result of our inability to switch perspectives. Instead of thinking about positive things, we worry. Instead of treating challenges as necessary for growth, we think we’re being punished. And when there’s an inconvenience in our daily routines, we complain and blame others instead of treating it as an opportunity …
A Day That Counts (For You)
Decide the 3 most important things to you. Do them as early as possible (or when there aren’t many distractions). Doesn’t matter how many hours or minutes you spend. As long as you do all of them, that counts as a productive day. This is often overlooked because some people — those influencers and so-called …
But What Will Your Future Self Say?
Your 80-year-old self calls you. From the future. “Future self calling…” Would you answer it? Are you even ready to know what kind of person this stranger is? Say you muster all your courage and pick up the phone. But after the awkward introduction, your future self starts asking questions you never thought of. Shares …
Your House, Your Visitors
Your house is most of the time open for those who want to visit. And these visitors often have different agendas. There are 4 groups: The first group wants to see you and spend time with you. They want to know about your life’s recent events. And they also want to share their recent life …
Unhappiness and Negativity
You’re the source of your negative thoughts. You’re the one creating them. Not your environment. Not the people around you. When things aren’t in your favor, do you complain? Blame others? Say something stupid? Or do you shut your mouth, take a deep breath, learn from it, and move on? You can’t control everything. But …
The Most Valuable Skill
A world of distractions: phones, media, people’s drama, people’s demands, and so on. Doomscrolling is now even a term. Instead of focusing only on a few things that matter — few things within our control — we tend to know almost everything. Useless information. What’s crazy is we accept it — as if it’s normal. …
What (the fck) Happened to You?
I don’t know… But I’m pretty sure that you used to smile often. You laugh. You jump around. You scream for joy. Wooooh! You even invited your friends for an overnight. And just watched TV or talked about random stuff. Then you made fun of each other. Painted the face of the first one who …
Necessity Sticks
A professional boxer told you many things about how to become a great fighter — just like him. But then you forgot most of the details even a few minutes after your conversation. And now you’re wondering why. Even worried about your poor memory. Truth is, unless you’re planning to become a professional boxer, you …
The Leader, The Excuse
Everyone has an excuse not to do what they’re meant to do. But what’s more disappointing is from the leaders. Because leaders are expected to make a difference. Leaders make things better. Leaders show people the way. Leaders spark change (if change is needed). It’s their job to be brave and decisive. Question — or …
That’s the Only Way
Anything could go wrong. Anything is uncertain. Nothing is perfect. It will never be. Pain and suffering are part of life. It’s impossible without them. It’s challenging. Stressful. Frustrating. And that’s the only way. The. Only. Way. If you often expect things to go that way… and you’ve trained and prepared yourself for it… You …