Archives for category: Motivation
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The Illusion Of Happiness

February 7, 2012 //
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I haven’t been taking time to write for a long time. I would say that it has been almost half a year since I wrote a length post about a topic. During this period, I have been busy writing my book.

I have posted on this blog from time to time. However, most of them are just ramblings – writings which just come out directly from my heart. Most are short ones: updates about my life and the thoughts that run around my head on a consistent basis.

This would be a lengthier post because I feel the bliss of knowing that my book is finally done.

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Writing the book is a real learning process. It is an extremely valuable lesson in myself, what I love doing and how I come to look at my future. It is a very humbling process to know how tedious it is to write a book, however easy it is to read it.

I realize something valuable the past couple of days upon completion of my book. It dawn upon me that the end result of something isn’t truly important. In doing something, what’s most important isn’t the end result. Although we tend to work towards an end result, the result isn’t that important.

Trust me, it isn’t.

It took me almost a year to write, edit and learn about publishing books to get this book ready.

Rewind to a year back, knowing that I would be an author would be something that blow my mind away.

But now, it just seems something normal. I am not that excited anymore about it. Actually, I felt a bit down a few days ago because I didn’t understand why the excitement and motivation that I had a couple of months ago just seem to go away.

I realize that I have been caught up in this illusion: The Illusion of Happiness.

All of us get caught up in it from time to time.

The Illusion of Happiness is the belief that something in the future would make us feel better. It is the belief that when we have something or reached a certain situation; and then we will be happy.

We may believe that when we:

  • Buy that material item
  • Get that special someone
  • Reach a certain career goal
  • Gain the admiration of other people
  • Achieve our dreams
and then, we will be happy.

But it never does.

Things in the future never seem to make us happy. Never had, never will.

Even if you were to be happy from the achievement of something, it seems like the happiness is fleeting. You feel happy for a while. The next thing you know, you are looking for something else to make you ‘happy’.

This realization dawn upon me the importance of enjoying totally the steps towards something. It is the steps that matters, not the destination. Most of the time the destination seem to instead disappoint us.

I have learned to focus less on the future. I do make plans and such. But I am very flexible towards them. I also make sure that I do not invest my happiness in the future.

If I can’t be happy today, I won’t be happy tomorrow.

I have learned to be free from situations and circumstances. Happiness needs no reason. It has nothing to do with the past or the future.

Categories Emotions, Happiness, Mindset, Motivation, Success, Thoughts

Teeny Weeny Itsy Bitsy Steps

November 1, 2011 //
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Small steps. How many small steps have I took.

I was looking back and some of my weekly planning yesterday and realized that I take many small steps to be where I am now. A few months ago (around February), I made a decision to start writing a book.

Now, I am in the midst of publishing it already. What joy when you know you have put in hard work for a few months. I have no idea how this book will turn out. I am not anticipating a strong response or what not. I just feel it’s something joyful to do.

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I believe we all dream big too much but take too little action. Yes, do dream big but don’t waste too much time dreaming.

It is always better to take small steps. Small baby steps.

I sometimes look back at the things that happened in my life and feel that without those situations happening, I would be a totally different person. Sometimes certain events might seem small, but they totally take you to a different direction.

I realize something: We fail at certain things isn’t because we aren’t good enough, but rather we are not mean’t for them. I think the Higher Power (I don’t use the word GOD) has a way of showing that he wants the best for us. It doesn’t want us to settle for good. It want us to settle for great. Whether or not we listen to our Higher Power is up to us.

I look back at what I wrote a few months ago and realize that my decisions brought me to where I am now. I am doing what I love and embarking on a lifestyle I want.

It takes many small steps for me to be where I am now.

This is what I learnt in a nutshell about taking small steps:

  • Dream Big, but not all the time
  • Break down your dream into a few tasks
  • Break down the tasks to another small tasks
  • Break it down again
  • Break it down again
  • Break it down again
  • Take small action
  • Measure how you are doing
I believe that if you get something easy, it’s just not worth having. Hate to say it, but we only appreciate things we work long (not hard!!) for.
Categories Mindset, Motivation, Success, Thoughts

Transitional Period

October 16, 2011 //
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Perhaps, things are already pre-planned for us. We just don’t realize it because of our need to control things.

I find myself constantly creating the future without even realizing. Things seldom work out as we want them to. It’s either it doesn’t work out according to the timing we want or to how we want it to be. It’s not negative though. It’s something which I learn to adapt over time.

I feel I am in a transitional period.

Things have been pretty great the past few weeks and I have been learning more about myself. I reflected on the things that have happened since a few years ago and realize how much I have changed. I faced the loss of a close friend, being depressed to a certain extent and even finding it hard to wake up in the morning being positive.

Those were just a few years ago.

Now, here I am. Developing my career doing what I love doing. Doing things that I never thought I will have done. Doing it just for the sake of it. For me, that is sufficient.

Writing has really changed me. My transition into being a freelance writer is something which is scary because I didn’t know what to expect. Friends around me were in secure jobs which paid well and had multiple benefits while I am scraping by at times doing it.

For now, it has been a great few months and I even have a book in the pipeline. I guess  you will never know what happens. Transitions are for the better I guess.

 

Categories Happiness, Mindset, Motivation, Thoughts

Sundown Ultramarathon – Giving Failure A Perspective

June 27, 2011 //
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I am sitting down on my table reflecting on what has happened in the past night. How the run went. I stopped at 50km. 50km might seem a lot for most people but when you consider that I planned to run a 100km, I guess I failed terribly. But that is just a matter perspective. 

 

 

 

 

My legs are not that sore already. I didn’t really experience a sore leg. What I experience was a muscle pull – an old injury. I had it at 30km. God-knows how I managed to pull another 20km with such a muscle pull.

Frankly, I am not too disappointed. I was at first. But upon further introspection, I realize that the things that I learnt is so valuable that words can’t describe it. I feel that not achieving this goal has given me the hunger to really train for another.

I am still hungry for an ultramarathon. Give me another run this weekend and I will run it.

I learned way lots of things that I never knew I would learn.

Seeing those runners run is a  real inspiration. God-knows how committed they are towards the pursuit. I see how some people struggle at 40km and I know how they feel. I struggled too. I ran for almost 20km with a muscle pull.

Ultramarathoning is not something for the feint-hearted. It requires a hella lot of dedication, motivation and discipline. Ultramarathoners, I salute you all.

The running flame in me is still hungry for more. Failing to finish this run is like throwing oil into a flame – it has only made me hungrier for more.

I will keep this ultramarathoning goal in mind. My ultimate goal is to run 100 miles (160km) in 24 hours.

Training for it starts now. It may take years. But I am dedicated to this pursuit. Only God knows how hungry I am for this.  I may fail to get what I aimed for, but this fueled my hunger. Disappointments create the fuel for success.

I am running up and again tomorrow. Thanks for those who have supported me. I am blessed.

Categories Mindset, Motivation, My Running, Sports, Success
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