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OPTIONS AND EMOTIONS12/4/2023 ![]() My daughter was complaining about her English assessment today. She was a bit worried as to how she would perform. We already rehearsed some scenario for the exercises where you have to imagine what happens/happened in the series of photos last night. But, emotionality gets in the way. We all have options and solutions. I will not guarantee that they will all be successful but at least, these options are there for you to take, analyze, and, maybe, you're closer than you think to addressing the issues. My student in the last session told me that he wanted to take a Masters of Psychology and he had to attain a certain grade level for him to be admitted to this program. It's this one or bust. I told him, "Well, there are many universities and programs that could be an alternative to that only one. You might be happier and less stressed if you could widen your choices a bit." But of course, people do what they want to do, no matter how much you will warn them otherwise. I will never ever believe that this one choice is the end-all and be-all of everything. As life happens, we know that change happens in the blink of an eye. We see systems collapsed, infrastructures paralyzed, and even the securest of securities crumbled in multiple crises environments. If a salesman is selling a widget with a ten-year warranty, you better believe that a warranty is another ploy to give you the peace of mind without the real guarantees. Emotions have got to do with it, as well as the limited and narrow framing. Politicians and policymakers want to narrow down the issues so they can use a magnifying glass, albeit with more disastrous results. As for us, we need a wider vista to overcome the paralyzing and emotional roller-coaster of created miseries.
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EMPTYING OUT8/14/2023 With a summer pause on my business and with one part-time on the side, I had a more relaxed pace than ever. One of the best things of doing only one thing is that the mind is emptied out to think in a relax way. There are no distractions, fear, deadlines, and pressures. The other day I was talking about what you can do that is within your control and what you can't to a group of students worried about their grades and how it will look to their parents, their future plans, etc. Much of their worries are based on fear that everything will go completely wrong. A grade can screw up your life or it may not, actually. The range of your control including how you react to failing to meet your goals or expectations is part of your remit. Taking control over what goes in to our lives and what we allow versus what we have to rid off to allow for better things to come is our individual exercise. When we refuse to take the drama and politics of others and we ruthlessly carve out our own sense of wellness in our time and activities, we are being on top of our game. The summer pause is exhilarating and a real time out from the time out. I recommend this to a lot of busy executives who are taking much more than they can possibly digest and enjoy. There are wannabe projects that are failing right before our eyes. It's better to bow out and cut losses because it will not shift in any positive way unless the culture changes. Turns out, emptying out should be regular.
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DECLUTTERING5/8/2023 I had a great time decluttering these past few weeks. First, I tackled that big box when I moved here in the province in 2015 containing all my files, Knick knacks, and mementos stored from my previous job and life for five years and more. It was amazing to see that some of those stuff I have brought from the Philippines. Clearly, I'd like to keep a lot of stuff that for "some day" I might find useful. But that 'some day' didn't come. The old toothpaste, bottle of medicines, and broken eye glasses were never useful at all. The old files since 2010 didn't prove to be worth for anything except my files from old clients that I kept to document the work that I have done before. There were old books and magazines in French language that I thought I would be able to revisit when I had the time. That time didn't come even. Decluttering frees up the space but also the mental space for which most precious real estate resides. If you focus and emphasize on the past, you will end up in a divided and distracted perspective. We can win some but we can also lose some. That's part of the trade-off. We leave behind what's to be left there so we have the energy for today, which is a gift in itself. Tomorrow has its own worries to be bothered by it now. What's eating up your office space and organizational mental space? old politics and enmities that do not die down, grudges and personality clashes, petty squabbles and vain competition for recognition, one-upmanship, or perfectionism? As a leader, decide now to abandon these silly and toxic culture and just focus on getting things done well and pulling everyone together as a team. |