Resep Awet Muda

1. Banyak senyum
Orang yang banyak senyum biasanya hidup lebih hepi. Percaya atau tidak, senyum itu adalah obat untuk mengurangi stress. Kita bisa lebih 'nrimo' atas keadaan yang terjadi pada diri kita, dan bahkan bisa membangun tekad untuk menghadapi masalah yang perlu dipecahkan. Senyum juga membuat kepribadian kita tampak lebih menarik

2. Sering bahagia
Sering-seringlah merasa bahagia. Bahagia itu bukan kondisi, tapi sebetulnya adalah perasaan. Nggak berarti kita harus ketawa terus. Tapi maksudnya adalah supaya kita merasa tercukupi dan puas dengan keadaan kita yang sekarang ini. Istilah kerennya, gratitude. Merasa bersyukur atas hal-hal positif yang terjadi dalam diri kita, akan membuat kita tetap tampil awet muda.

3. Jaga makan
Tambah usia berarti tambah risiko untuk kena penyakit seperti darah tinggi, kolesterol, atau diabetes. Tambah usia berarti kita harus kontrol jenis makanan, supaya kita bisa mencegah penyakit-penyakit yang nantinya bisa membunuh kita. Jauhi makanan berlemak, goreng-gorengan, dan soda. Konsumsi anti-oksidan, misalnya blueberry, brokoli, dan tomat. Banyak makan makanan berserat untuk menjaga kesehatan pencernaan kita.

4. Hidup sesimpel mungkin
Hidup sederhana bukan berarti mengasingkan teknologi. Justru teknologi akan mempermudah hidup kita dengan hal-hal yang praktis. Contohnya mencuci pakaian. Apakah anda lebih memilih untuk pergi ke sungai terdekat sambil membawa papan bilas dan menghabiskan waktu berjam-jam untuk nyuci pakaian di sana? Atau cukup sisihkan waktu 20 menit untuk mencuci baju menggunakan mesin cuci? Gunakan teknologi untuk membuat hidup anda semudah mungkin, supaya anda punya banyak waktu untuk melakukan hal-hal yang menyenangkan dengan keluarga!

5. Berpikir positif
Orang yang berpikir positif selalu tampak lebih muda dari usianya. Mereka menjauhi stress yang tidak perlu dan tidak menambah kerutan di mata mereka. Pikiran positif punya dampak sepuluh kali lebih hebat daripada pikiran negatif. Sering-seringlah membaca artikel-artikel pembangunan diri (self-help) supaya anda terus mengasah pikiran anda ke jalur yang positif.

6. Cukup tidur
Pada saat kita tidur, otak menjadi rileks dan melepaskan toksin-toksin ke jalur pembuangan yang tepat. Kita "memberi makan" sel-sel otak kita dalam tidur. Kadar glukosa dan fungsi endokrin dipertahankan dalam level yang semestinya dan ini mencegah kita untuk rawan penyakit seperti diabetes, hipertensi, dan obesitas. Tidur 8 jam sehari adalah syarat mutlak untuk selalu awet muda.

7. Stimulasi otak
Otak kita ini terus berkembang dari hari ke hari. Orang yang terus menerus menstimulasi kehidupannya melalui kegiatan asah otak, seperti hobi, pekerjaan, dan pelajaran biasanya akan mengurangi kecenderungan terkena penyakit Alzheimer sebesar 35-40%. Game itu bagus untuk tetap jadi awet muda!

The Balloon Story

Once upon a time, there was a balloon seller selling balloons. Sometimes there are a lot of children crowding him, buying his balloon one by one. Sometimes nobody buys his balloon for a period of time. In this slow time, he release one balloon to the sky, to attract children to buy his balloons. When that happen, the children will crowd him again, buying his balloons to make them happy.

He does this every day.

One day, as he pumps the helium to his balloons, he felt a tug on his right side jacket. Apparently there was a little boy, trying to grab his attention.

"Yes kid, how can I help you?" asked the balloon seller.

"If you let go the black balloon, will it fly?" asked the boy.

The balloon seller look wisely at the child. And then he smiles. "Yes kid, the black balloon will fly. You see, it's not the color of the balloon, but the content inside that will make it fly to the sky".

***

It's our character inside that make us who we are.

Karma

If you plant an apple tree, you'll harvest apples.
If you plant a banana tree, you'll get bananas.
If you plant corn seed, you'll definitely will have corns.

You reap what you sow.
You will eventually have to face up to the consequences of your actions.

So...

If you plant kindness, you'll get kindness in return.
If you become evil and do wicked things, well... there will be karma.

Karma is principle of cause and effect where intent and actions of an individual (cause) influence the future of that individual (effect).

Do good deeds. Not because you're afraid of the consequences. But because it's the right thing to do. Karma has a funny thing to show that you'll be "rewarded" of your good deeds, whether you realize it or not.

May you have a good day today!

Limited Resources

Not everything is unlimited.

There are few things that are unlimited. Time, for example. Time itself as a concept is unlimited. There's always going to be time in the future. But our time, is limited. One day each of us going to be 'expired', just like milk. When and where, we don't know. But one thing for sure, our time is definitely not unlimited.

Everyone has 24 hours in a day. If we break down our day, that could be :
* 8 hours sleeping
* 8 hours working (or in school, if you're a student)
* 8 hours non-sleeping nor working/schooling = errands, homework, chores, fun, family, relax, etc.

Knowing that our day is limited, we need to prioritize things we do based on the importance. Make a list. The quicker you finished your tasks, the sooner you have free time to do whatever you want.

You also need to put a strategy into this. Are there things that you can do in the same time? Multi tasking is not really a bad thing if you can manage to finish 2-3 things at once. For instance, I'm preparing today's lunch. I like to eat noodle, so today I plan to eat my homemade peanut noodle. But in doing this, I will also cook my balsamic noodles to prep for my lunch for the next 2 days in the office. By preparing the noodles at the same time, the result is I'm making 3 meals at once. Save my time and energy!

Another resources that also is limited is energy. Again, the energy itself is unlimited. But our energy, is definitely limited. If it's not, then why we need coffee everyday? Some of my friends drinking energy drinks to keep them energized. This is another proof that our energy is a limited resources.

Since I'm not consuming coffee or energy drink, I must conserve my energy. If I know I'm going to have a long day in the office, let's say working 9 hours that day, I behave in a way that my energy is not all released at the same time. Keep the energy and replenish by snacks and lunch during the break time.

One tips that I do, is to control my excitement level. Everyone that knows me in the past can tell that I'm an excitable person. I rejoice in small things and get happy easily. But this could lead to my downfall too, having no energy left by the end of the day because I already exhaust it. So I learn to control my "outburst". Don't be too excited, but instead be calm and control my feelings, because I still have "a long way to go".

By understanding this limited resources concept, we gain knowledge that there are times and place to do things we need to do, and things we want to do. We find balance between obligations and rewards. We focus on quality instead of quantity.

Our time and our energy are limited, so use it wisely.

Good Habits

Today me and my husband went to our favorite restaurant, Pho Green Papaya. Just the two of us. A lunch date!

While enjoying our lunch (I have the Pho Seafood and Lloyd had the Lemongrass Chicken), we talked. We were reminiscing on the good times and the trial times. One time,the conversation turns into a future topic: retirement.

We evaluated where our finances takes us today, and we were so glad we started investing early. We happy that we begun our retirement funds journey long time ago. We both agreed that it was a wise decision to set aside some of our paycheck and sacrifice the lifestyle we desired. Dave Ramsey once said,"Live like no one else so later on you can live like no one else." And it's true.

We remembered some of our friends that hesitant to invest their funds. Some of them said,"It's not the right timing. Market already over saturated. I'm waiting for the crash." Well... it's true that in 2008 and 2009 market was crushed down and recession hit. However, since 2009 until now, 2017, market has been up 45%! While he was waiting, he's missing 45% growth already in his would-be-portfolio. An opportunity missed!

Some other friends shared with us that they cannot afford to set aside even just 1% of their income. My husband wisely said,"Anybody should be able to decrease their lifestyle 1% lower. If not, they need to revisit their budget."  I know it's hard already to live in today's economy, but it will be harder to grow your wealth if you don't start investing at all. Inflation will take 3 to 4% away in the future, so you should grow your money in a place that can give you at least 5% or higher.

I figure that we are not arrive in our today's destination in one night. There are daily habits that we developed over the course of 12 years of our marriage.

And these good habits are:

1. Budget.
Budget are not rocket science. Basically budget is knowing how much in and how much out. Income minus expenses equals net profit (or loss). You must command where your money goes. You must behave them. Otherwise, you'll be a slave to your money. Your money doesn't dictate you, you control them. And budget is the best tool to "conquer" your money.

2. Save.
Don't live 100% of your income. The good rule of thumb is 50/15/5. 50% spend for necessity. 15% for retirement (investment). 5% for short-term emergency savings. The rest 30%? It's yours. Do what you want. If you want to save more you can. If you want to have fun, you still can. But the bottom line is, you have to save. If you want to win with money, you have to start saving. Take that short-term sacrifices to win a long-term success!

3. Invest.
Invest some of your money. Experts say 15%. At least. You can always do more if you want. Don't wait until "the market is right". Don't wait until your condition is perfect. There is never a perfect right moment anyway, so why don't start now. Watch your money grow. And always consult with an expert, a financial adviser. Especially if this is a new area to you. Read investment blogs or books or magazines. Sharpen your knowledge. When you investing your money, your future self will thank you that he/she doesn't have to work as hard later in the golden years because they younger you already "plant that money tree".

The simple 3 good habits have paid off, and we're just only in the beginning! I can't wait to see how our future finances look like in the next 10, 20, 30 years!!!

Complacency

Few days ago, one of my friend gave me this quote:

And it's true.

Success often perceived as the final destination. But that's the danger of being successful. One can become complacent. One can just give in of the savory aspect of success. To just enjoy it and forget to push forward.

This is why I often view my successes as just "the past". It was a nice memories, but that's it, it's history. If we want to continually be successful, we need to keep the momentum and keep it going.

Success often leads to complacency. According to the dictionary, complacency is:

com·pla·cen·cy

kəmˈplāsənsē/

noun

1. a feeling of smug or uncritical satisfaction with oneself or one's achievements.

   
   

   "the figures are better, but there are no grounds for complacency"

The danger of complacency:
1. We forget our goals.
2. We forget how important it is to keep running to the next finish line.
3. We are not aware of the next danger and succumb into the comfort zone.
4. We reduce our focus and take things for granted.
5. We're not going to arrive at the next success points on time, or maybe never at all.

It is okay to celebrate success. A victory needs to be savored. But don't stay there. Once the party is over, continue to focus on your work and reach out to the next milestones. Keep pushing forward!

Be successful, and don't be complacent.

A Place to Sleep and I Eat Everyday

Some nights I cannot sleep.

Call it insomnia, stress, or over worry, but my brain keep thinking and thinking and thinking when it's time to go to sleep. I have been having this condition for years. I know sleep is very important, so I ask my husband who is an expert in sleep peacefully like a baby at night.

I asked him,"With everything in life that was thrown at you, how can you still be able to sleep soundly at night?"

His reply was simple.

"Well, I can sleep good at night because I know that I have a place to sleep and I eat everyday. Nothing else matters."

...

This is so deep! When he said that one liner, I stopped thinking for a minute and let it sink. A place to sleep, and eat everyday. Isn't that the common basic needs of human? That is so true! So why worry about anything else?

So from now on, I will practice this concept every night before I go to sleep. As long as I have a place to sleep at night, and I eat everyday, I should be happy and content. And being content will lead to night full of sleeps.

May we all sleep soundly like a baby, tonight, tomorrow, and the day after tomorrow!

World Peace (How)

In my previous blog post, World Peace (What), I describe what and why world peace is so important. I lay out the 5 stages of peace to get to world peace faster.

Now I'm going to share with you how we can achieve world peace together. It's actually easier than you think.

To accomplish a common goal, we have to unite and fight our common enemy. Who is our common enemy? Actually, it's not a who, but it's a what! Our common enemy is not each other, or other countries, ... the other people are our allies in this!

Our common enemy is the world's problem. We can list many of the world's problem, but I think this is the top 3:
1. Poverty/Social Gap
2. Climate change
3. Incurable diseases.

When people still think that other people is their enemy, they will try to eradicate other people. This way of thinking is dangerous. This could lead to tension and hostility. This could lead to war.

War is not the answer. Open diplomatic channel. Sit down and talk.

When we all can work together and find creative solutions to tackle the world's challenge, I believe eventually we will achieve world peace 100%. I believe one day we will have world peace!

If you want world peace faster, share this article around. May peace be with you.

World Peace (What)

What do we all want?

I think we want the same thing. World Peace. The world finally quits being so violent and for us to have peace wherever, whenever we are.

Why the world peace is so important? With peace, we can do the best without fear. Without intimidation. Without feeling have to be rushed or bullied into. Most of Miss Universe have been saying this since the pageant itself started in 1952! Come on people, it's 2017! It's time we promote World Peace!

I believe we can achieve world peace one day. Every countries, all of them, none exempted, will be at peace with one another. No more terrorism, no more war. Each countries can do what its best can do for the better of humanity.

To achieve this goal, we have to start with ourselves.

There are 5 stages of peace:
1. Self Peace
2. Family Peace
3. Society/Local Peace
4. Country Peace
5. World Peace

Next, how will we get there? I'll share the steps with you in my next blog post, World Peace (How).

4 Savings Type You Should Have

We all know the importance of having a savings account. You can save for rainy day, unexpected occasions, etc.The good news is, these days we are not limited to just have one savings account. You can have multiple savings account. 


By the way, this list doesn't include retirement planning, that is a whole different topic. Before doing number 2,3, or 4, you should establish the 1st savings fund, and set up retirement plan. After you all set with your retirement plans, then let's start the number 2,3, and 4.

Here's the top 4 type of savings that you should have:

1. Emergency Savings Fund
Experts say three to six months expenses should help to cover anything life throw at you. The bigger the better, so funding this right away will be a smart move. Prepare umbrella before it rains.This is your 'umbrella'.

2. College Savings Fund
Don't forget your children. Opening 529 plans will help them to have a better future. Give them their best chance to compete with other kids on the block. 10-20 years from now, their competition might be another graduates from different countries! Ensure they have at least a bachelor degree!

3. Birthday/Anniversary Savings Fund
To avoid feeling guilty on splurging money for your loved ones, start the birthday/anniversary savings fund today. This way you can avoid being in debt after getting that new diamond ring for her (or lavish watch for him). Having this savings also help to pay for that fancy dinner you've been dreaming for.

4. Vacation Savings Fund
This one it could be called a luxury savings. Why? Because technically you can still live without travel. But if you like travel and want to see the world, then you better start up the vacation savings fund. This way you don't feel in burden after your vacation done and seeing your credit card bill. Plan your vacation smartly and start putting money away! Bon Voyage!

And as bonus,I'm going to throw in one more savings type that you should have. I heard Christmas is coming in 4 months, so if you celebrate Christmas and all the gift-giving festivities for this holiday, you should open a ... Christmas Savings Fund!

If let's say you have 24 family members for gift giving, rather than buying all 24 gifts in November/December, you can break it down to just 2 gifts a month (starting January). This will help you to avoid having too much purchases in one month. Instead, you'll spread your money to 12 months period. Having a little bit purchases here and there helps. Now, I know it's not practical to buy the gifts right away and storage that in your closet. You could run out of place soon. So I recommend to just stash away the money first, let's say the dollar amount equals to 2 gifts a month, then you can go shopping spree on Black Friday!

Hope this article helps! Let's saving today and reap the rewards tomorrow!

Happy Savings! :)

Why Titanic Sunk

20 years ago, 1997, I watched a great movie called, Titanic. This is a movie that I watched over and over again, and everyone who know me back then can testified how I really adored Jack Dawson and Rose DeWitt Bukater's love story in this awesome film. I like the movie so much, I even listened to Celine Dion's OST Titanic "My Heart Will Go On" like ... a million time!

A lot of people say that the reason why Titanic sunk was because of an iceberg. But the truth is, Titanic sunk not because of the iceberg. The iceberg was already there anyway.

The reason why the giant ship sunk, is because of... poor planning.

1. Life boats counts were less than the passengers, crews, and everyone aboard.
The ratio between the life boat and the people on board was way off. When Rose raised up this concern to one of the higher-ups, they just dismissed it. Have they paid attention to Rose's concern, they could make a game plan on how to solve this problem earlier.

2. The leadership team wasn't in unison.
One got too ambitious and want to make the headline by making the ship ran faster than what was agreed. The captain was influenced by the news reporter, and made a bad decision to speed up the boat. This greediness cost lives.

3. The crew was distracted.
Remember the scene after Jack and Rose made love in the carriage? They went out from the side door and were laughing out loud. The look-out crew on top of the ship got distracted with their laugh and kinda laughing at them. When he finally no longer distracted, it was too late to send the warning that could avoid the iceberg. Bam!

So... how we can prevent this from happening again? Easy.
1. Plan ahead. 
2. If there was issue escalated to your attention, do something about it. 
3. Stick to the plan and if you need to make any changes, analyze why.
4. Don't get distracted. Focus on your duties. Focus on what you're doing now. 

These steps will help us in any situation, whatever your "ship" situation is. Don't blame the iceberg. Find the root cause and find resolution. Then solve your problems.

Have a good day, everyone!

Life is ...

What is life?

1. Life is a multiple choice.
The way we comb our hair, the flavor we choose our ice cream, the choices we make everyday, make up our life. Just be wise with our choices, they will follow us. Always choose to do the right thing. Always choose the best. Always do your best.

2. Life is an essay.
Every day we start with a new blank page. We can write whatever we want in it. Life is unlimited, you can be whatever you want to be.

3. Life is a book.
When you look at your past life, let's say in school, college, or your first work, you'll find your life is always evolving into something different in each stage. Just like a book filled with chapters, so does life. Each stage of life is unique and surprising. And when you "read" your life from 5, 10, 15, even 20+ years ago, you'll see that you are growing into better state each time. If you're life is not getting better, then change something.

4. Life is how you handle plan B.
This sentence is so deep, there's even no explanation needed for it. You can plan all you want, but life always will throw something at you, and that's called plan B. Chess is a good practice game on how you'd like to "plan" life.

5. Life is what you make it.
It is what it is. Life is what you live. How you think and do everyday is the sum of your life. Daily habits become the way of live. So cultivate a good habit, every single day.

Have a great life!

The Purpose of Life

What is the purpose of life?

Is it money? Wealth? Fame? Success? Reaching the top ladder of the world?
It is not actually.

The purpose of life is... happiness.

No matter what you do in life, if you are not happy doing it, it's not worth it. Without happiness, everything is shallow.  I found that when people are happy doing their work, they'll be more successful in their field. There's a deep connection and correlation between happiness and success.

Finding your inner happiness is as important as outer happiness. There are a lot of people that may not have everything their heart desire, but they are still happy because they are grateful for things (or people, like family and friends) that they already have.

It is a bit challenging to find happiness in this world today. With all the hecticness of life, busy rushing in and out doing this and that, with us constantly being pitted against each other in every measurement metrics out there, being truly happy is a rare state of mind. Sometime we thought we're happy if we have these stuff, or happy if we reach our goals and destinations, or happy if we have a certain person in our lives.

But who are we kidding?

Happiness is not the matter of owning bunch of stuff. Happiness is not when we reach certain stats. Happiness is not when we have finally connected with this person or that person.

True happiness is when you feel peace, calm, and serene even though it's chaotic out there. Happiness is when you can relax amidst the full schedule ahead. Happiness is when you share your happy moments with those people that you love and loves you back. Happiness is accepting who you really are and embracing your inner self. Happiness is being content.

Today, I wish you to be happy. Practice happiness everyday.  It is the purpose of life.

Start from Finish

Last week, I had the chance to spend time with a 9-yr old boy name Jayden. He likes puzzle, so I gave him a maze riddle on how to guide a prince find his princess.

I was amazed at how Jayden solved the puzzle!

Normally, we would start at the prince (start). But Jayden is unique, he started from the princess! From the finish line. And he traced her way back to her prince!

Although this is not the "right" way to solve the puzzle, but nonetheless, he was being creative and look at things from different spectrum. For him, to finish the riddle easier, he started from the end.

That was an eye opener moment for me. How many we adults struggle with our problems, because we just stuck at some point, and forget to see the finish line? Maybe we should change our approach and start solving our problem from the "finish" line! Who knows it makes the resolution easier to find?

I guess this is what Stephen Covey said in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People with "Begin with the End in Mind."

Way to go, Jayden!

Butterfly

"If you want to be better, change.
If you want your life to be better, evolve."

Metamorphosis is the process of transformation from an immature form to an adult form in two or more distinct stages. We know what kind of animals that go thru this process. My favorite one is butterfly. Butterfly does not just change, it evolves. A humble caterpillar can eventually become a beautiful butterfly after the whole process is complete.

In a lot of things, we should learn from this metamorphosis process. In becoming the person we desire, we continually must change and evolve to think like one, do like one, and become like one. It's all start with think and doing a simple habit, and with repetition we will master that into a way of life.

If we want to be better, we simply must change. We must let go negative habits, and build up our positive sides. Continue to build up your strength, and slowly but sure, forego the weakness. And if we want our life to be better, we eventually must evolve, like a butterfly.

Isn't it great to see a caterpillar that small and fragile, eventually become a big butterfly with such wonderful colors and wings? To strengthen those wings, we need to not skip the chrysalis process, which is the one that develop us and make us one step closer to our "butterfly" goal.

Evolve. Be better today. Be butterflies everywhere!

Live Your Best Life

"If today you wake up again in the morning, that means you given another chance to live your best life." - Anonymous.

To live your best life.

Many of us wander through life as if there's another day of tomorrow. We take things for granted, we take people for granted, and we disregard experiences. But I bet there are many people out there that would trade places with us, given an opportunity. People that only has so many days left due to their critical illness. People that in their deathbed relieving their best memory with their family and friends. People who already passed away. People that are not given another chance to live another day.

We heard the phrase,"Live as this is your last day." I say,"Live as if this is your best day ever to live!". Let's give it our best. Let's give it our 100%. In everything that we do. What we think, say, and do in action should be in unison. We shouldn't settle for mediocrity and be complacent in yesterday's glories. Instead, let's make new accomplishment, new things to strive for, new time for people who matters for us.

Today is the best time to live in this earth. We have so many advantage ahead compared to people living few centuries ago. I think we live better than even kings and queens of the past! Kings and queens of the middle ages doesn't have internet. They don't have Facebook, Pinterest, or Instagram to entertain us. They only can settle with a game of chess - an actual chess because they are strategizing thru war! They have to be happy if they live after 40 years old because they might escape dysentery, but us? We might live a bit longer thanks to technology, inventions, and new cure in healthcare.

In the past we attend school face to face, but now? We can learn so many new things thru television and online studies. Website like Youtube and other online learnings help us to understand how things are. In the past we have to fill up our spaces with tons of books, but now, Kindle can store more than 6000 books all at once, and you can bring that when you fly to your next vacation spot.

So many great things happen in this world today. So many good things we can do and teach the next generations. So let's teach them the attitude of thinking big and do great things.

Let's live our best life TODAY!

Excuses vs Reasons

This morning I attended a neighborhood community meeting.

The meeting leader announced many ideas to improve our neighborhood.

Ideas like how we should provide trash bags at selected local points for dog owners (so they can scoop their dogs' poop). How we should weed out untamed grass and wild flowers that giving unpleasant look at some houses. Sending out friendly reminder to fix broken fences. And bunch of another great solutions.

It was a fascinating observation.

I've noticed that no matter which ideas that was discussed, there's always two different parties debating the issue.

One group gave out 10 different excuses why those ideas will never work. They listed out lots compelling arguments why this can fail and those won't be realistic, and so on and so on. The opposite group gave out 10 different reasons on why we should do it and CAN do it. They lay out a good plan to attack the problem and brainstorm various choices for solutions.

I've noticed that generally in life, we are faced with either excuses to not to do it, or reasons to do it.

Some of us will hesitate, look back, and too scared to make things happen. They justify their own failures with bunch of excuses. We all have heard them.

I'm too old...
I'm too young...
It's too late for me...
My family will understand why I don't finish that degree...

But, there are some that will ignore those excuses. Instead of give in, they think differently. They see that it's possible to overcome the issues, whatever it is. They see failures as stepping stones to success.

I'm still alive so let's do it!
It's never too late to start something good!
There's no time like NOW!
Work hard so my family can have better future!

Hopefully you're in this elite class.

So what would you like to do? Do you want to be stuck with excuses? Or are your reasons strong enough to get you to the next level, of where you want to be?

It is so easy to blame it on excuses. The real art is to keep going and pursue whatever you're pursuing, because you have meaningful reasons to do it.

So from now on, stop having excuses! No more excuses! The only time you say "excuse me" is when you need to go to the bathroom. :)

Favorite Quotes

1. "Fail to plan is plan to fail" - Ben Franklin

2. "Life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent of how I react to it." -Charles Swindoll

3. "Do or do not. There is no try." -Yoda

4. "Choose people who lift you up" - Michelle Obama

5. "Perseverance is failing nineteen times and succeeding the twentieth." - Julie Andrews

6. "I am not a product of my circumstances. I am a product of my decisions." -Stephen Covey

7. "Perfection is not attainable, but if we chase perfection we can catch excellence." -Vince Lombardi

8. "Don't buy things you can't afford with money you don't have to impress people you don't like." - Dave Ramsey

9. "You miss 100% of the shots you don't take." - Wayne Gretzky

10. "Just keep swimming." - Dory

Tic Tac Toe

Yesterday, I had the chance to spend time with 5 year old twins, Suzy and Leo. They both were very active and got bored easily. So, while I try to finish some work with their mom, I taught them a classic game called Tic-Tac-Toe.

You know that it's a win-lose game, or at least a draw. At the first game, Suzy won. And when Leo realized that Suzy won, he went into a corner, squatted down and cried! My first response was... wow! I did not realized that it would affect him so strongly, that it is important for him to win. So I called him back, and try to lure to him to play another game with us.

Next game, I kinda "helped" Leo to win so he can have his pride back. And when Suzy realized that her brother won, she ended up went into the same corner, squatted down, and cried!!! Holy mackerel! I looked at their mom. I must have the astonished look on my face, because she had a small laugh and said,"Yep, that's how they are. Can't even play together and let someone win".

I gathered the children back and I told them this,"Don't worry if you lose in some turn, just play again. Keep try and try again! You will win eventually."

After a while, I left them to play together and get back to their mom, working on our project. At some moment, I glanced at Suzy who played alone and I observed that she made a straight O's and cross it out (as if that she's winning). Hm, looks like it's easy to win if there's no X at all. Of course. It's always easy to win if there's no obstacles in between. The bet is when there is some challenge to throw you off, but if you keep focus and be strategic about your game, you'll develop creativity and be tactical in the process.

I'm pretty sure they'll be fine when they're older. I believe all of us (parents, teachers, other adults in society) can continue to teach the younger generations the importance of having sportsmanship spirits. How to face failure and get up again. How to not quit and cry in our corner, instead we should never surrender and keep moving forward. To remember that the obstacles and challenges that come our way will make our victory even sweeter.

After all, tic-tac-toe was just a game. Good game, Suzy and Leo!