Follow The Red Light
I can’t see sh*t.
The fog of snow and vehicle exhaust caused a whiteout-like condition on my drive to work on Wednesday.
Perfect excuse to drive slow – to proceed with caution. It’s tough to tell whether you’re still driving on the road or when you’re headed towards the ditch. How to deal?
Follow the red light – the car’s brake lights in front of you.
Stay at a safe distance, far enough to make a turn (just in case they drive towards the ditch) but close enough see their brake lights (to guide you).
That seems like the most logical and obvious thing to do. But I want to add a twist of “philosophy” behind it *as what I tend to do almost all the time:
Whatever journey you’re on right now, there’s almost always someone out there who is ahead of you.
Leverage their knowledge. Follow them. Watch them carefully and learn – do what works; avoid their mistakes.
Half of the time, we are unsure of the path we’re on. Confident on the outside but scared on the inside.
There are no guarantees in life – that I perfectly understand. But if you follow and study the people ahead of you, I can almost guarantee you’re increasing your chances of success.
“I wanna do this, but I also wanna do that”
Something has to give.
You’re not Bella from Twilight- you either choose one or the other.
It would be nice to have it all but that’s wishful thinking.
“To have it all” is the ultimate goal (a healthy and ambitious goal) but if misunderstood, it can be a recipe for disappointment – a self-inflicting mindset that only pulls us back instead of pushing us forward.
Because in life, there’s almost always a trade-off.
That was my struggle this week. I’ve been sleeping later than the usual but I still wanted my:
- 7-hrs of sleep AND
- 30-mins of reading books, e-mail and meditate AND
- Show up early for work.
All are important to me. My morning feels incomplete if I don’t do get to do them all. But if you’re pressed with time, what do you do? Which one should you dismiss?
I tend to cram all sorts of things in my schedule. It’s my idea of being “productive”.
But I always fail to do them all.
Is it too much? Is it not possible? Or maybe I’m inefficient at managing my time?
I hate to use the excuse “I have no time” because it reveals the fact that I’m not clear with my priorities. But perhaps that’s what I need to acknowledge and accept.
To lessen the self-inflicted emotional damage due to my own self-disappointment, I came up with a better “filter”.
Instead of asking myself why I didn’t get a chance to do this, that or the other, I ask:
How much time did I waste today?
If the answer is:
“Almost zero” – then the problem has something to do with the number of things I set myself up to do. It’s too much.
“Not much, just a little break here and there” – then that’s could be a sign that I’m lying to myself. No one wants to admit they’re wasting time. This means I need to revisit what’s important to me. After all, “busy” is a decision.
Past behaviors are good predictors of your future. HOWEVER, also keep in mind that…
you are NOT your past.
You always have the power to control/change your future.
But also know that if you don’t take control of your future – other people will.
Life will.
Anger Management = Check!
Speaking of “winter”, “trade-offs” and “taking control”, I think I did a good job at handling my anger on Friday. What happened?
I was running late for work. Then, I saw my neighbor’s car plugged into our outlet!
THEN he plugged ours to his!
I can let an honest mistake go. And I usually let it go the first time it happens. But if it’s the second time and it’s intentional? Then I go berserk.
I understood why he did what he did- his extension cord was too short that he had to switch ours to his.
I would’ve been cool with it if he asked for our permission. I think I’m understanding enough and I really REALLY try to have a good relationship with my neighbors.
He must be thinking “What’s the problem? Your car is plugged anyway.”
First, we’re not friends.
Second, it’s not my f*n problem. Oh, short extension cord? Well, guess what? You’re in Canada! IN WINNIPEG for f*ck’s sake! Where long extension cords are essential!
Understand you’re not in motherland anymore. GET IN THE FUCKIN PROGRAM!
It’s one thing to respect other people’s culture but did you ever respect others?
The word “racism” gets thrown around a lot when in reality, some minorities use “racism” as an excuse to get away from all sorts of stupid sh*t that are causing inconvenience to others.
I’m a minority and I sometimes see my fellow kababayans doing the exact same thing. Shame shame but that’s the reality.
But if you look at it further, causing inconvenience to others has nothing to do with “racism”. We live in a multi-cultural country where respect is given TO EVERYONE regardless of where you’re originally from. So stop thinking like you’re some oppressed little bitch whose being treated unfairly. Though racism does exist. But not in this context 😛
Some people are just plain inconsiderate.
After writing this, I realized I’m clearly not in control of my anger.
Anger Management = Needs Improvement
Jazz Vibes
Thank goodness for the Jazz Vibes playlist on Spotify.
It calms me down.
Exactly A Year Ago…
I was…
- Anxious to start my new job.
- adapting to change
- experimenting with online grocery shopping
More about here…