Lessons From The Past

1. Get to the point.
I've heard people these days don't have time anymore. They want instant everything. They don't have time for stories and long boring explanations. They just want to get to the point. Oh wait, I've been hearing this since 1994. So.... nothing really change since 25 years ago. People still don't have time and want to get to the point as quick as possible.

The solution? Easy. Get to the point. No need to explain. Your enemies won't believe you and your friends don't need it.

2. Effective and efficient.
Our communications should always be effective and efficient. Effective means it should create results and made an impact we desire. Efficient means to achieve maximum productivity with a minimum effort.

3. Keep it simple.
The longer your words, the more you confuse people. The longer your words, the more you lose their interest. Keep it short. Keep it simple. Avoid complex explanations. Unless you're writing a novel or delivering a speech, you always should keep your words short, simple, and ... once again, to the point.

4. Silence is golden.
Today everyone talks. Everyone has opinion. So what's rare? People who don't talk incessantly. People who control their words. People who only speak when necessary. And usually other people will listen to these person because when he/she speaks, it carries weight and quality. No more idle talk. Silence is not always a bad thing. Silence is also a form of communications. What you don't say with your words, you convey it with your body language. And people who can read body language are more skillful because they don't need words to interpret the meaning.

5. Less is more.
Simple is better than complexity. Just have the basic is enough. Have less things as possible free up space and give more peace.

6. Time is money.
This one is a really old phrase. I've heard it at least 50,000 times in my lifetime. Time is valuable resource because once it's gone, it's gone. Will never come back. There will be a new time of course, but it won't be the same as the other time that has been used up. We won't stay at this age forever, we will continue to grow older and possibly don't get a chance to do things we want to do when we were younger.  According to Benjamin Franklin, time is money means : in order to earn money, one must act and use one's time.

7. Just do it.
This one is one of my favorite phrase! Just do it. Don't think about it. Don't feel about it. Don't take too long to weight the pros and cons. Action speaks louder than words. Don't just talk about it, but actually do it! Get it done.

8. Don't complain.
The easiest way to live is to stop complaining and start living. Start being happy again. Start focusing on the next task. If you need to vent, ok, fine, vent. But don't make it a habit. I know we human need a release to let go some angers, but please, don't always complain, complain, complain and not do something about it. Problem solver focus on the solution. Complainer focus on nothing, that's why nothing get done.

9. Be grateful.
Always have a daily gratitude. Always be thankful. There's a lot of other people who would want to trade place with you to have what you have, to know what you know, to experience what you experience. So focus on the positive. Don't focus on what you don't have. But count your blessings. Gratitude is an important key to happiness.