Confidence is an amazing feeling. It makes you feel like you can do anything.
It is power.
It is belief.
It is also posture and energy.
When someone is confident, you can sense it right away. It’s as if there is an invisible shield surrounding him/her. Confident people are usually very good presenters and quite popular. No wonder then, most people want to be confident. But the question is, how?
A couple days ago, my friend said this to me, “A woman’s loyalty is tested when her man has nothing. A man’s loyalty is tested when he has everything.” Although it’s simply two sentences, I feel like it holds so much truth.
Would a woman really stay with a man who has nothing? And if a man has everything, would he really be satisfied staying with one woman?
If you were to get onto a bus, and there were only one seat. Assuming you wanted to sit, you would be very grateful to see a seat, and you would happily sit on it. On the other hand, if you were on an empty bus, you would probably not sit on the very first seat you see. Instead, you would try to find a seat that has the best view (along with it being the cleanest and most spacious). I think it’s fair to say that when we have options, we tend to be pickier.
For this post to be effective, please take out a piece of paper and a pen to complete the following exercise.
1. Make a list of 10 things you love to do. Then make a list of 10 things you do each day. Compare the list.
Are you doing what you love? If not, why not?
If there is something you love doing, make time for it. Don’t give yourself excuses or postpone it for another time. For example, if you love travelling, set aside a budget and time! Don’t wait until you have more money. Don’t wait until you have more time. Sometimes, days will turn into weeks, weeks into years, and eventually you won’t have any time left.
There once was a very wealthy merchant who had everything he wanted. He hustled day and night to achieve his financial freedom, and was quite satisfied with his result. But one day, he developed a splitting headache that wouldn’t go away. He travelled far and wide to find a cure, but none of the healers were able to get rid of his pain. The merchant was in despair.
“Oh, what good are my possessions if I must constantly suffer from this terrible headache?” he cried. The merchant decided to reward a pot of gold to the person who could cure him.
The reward attracted people from all over town. Each day, hundreds line up in hopes to cure the merchant. Sadly, all of them leave in disappointment. Just as it seemed like all hope was lost, a man named Alexander came up to the merchant and said, “Sir, your headache will disappear if you look at green coloured things.”
Two different men grew up in broken families. They were both molested at a young age and suffered from bullying and poverty. One man became very successful and became a millionaire when he was older. But instead of spending lavishly on himself, he donated most of his money to help others in need. People all over the world asked him, “Sir, could you tell us your secret to success? How did you become the way you are?”
The successful man replied, “With a past like my own, what else could I have done?”
Story time!! This story has been modified into my own version.
Melissa is feeling very unhappy, unmotivated, and lost. She knows she is alive, but she doesn’t feel like she’s living at all. Everyday, she does the same things over and over again. What makes it worse is that society expects her to be at a certain stage at a certain age. For example, she was expected to go to school until she was an adult. Now, she is expected to find a good stable job, purchase a home, and eventually get marry and start a family. It’s as if there is only one way to live and if she wanted to do things out of the ordinary, she only receives criticisms and disapproval.
But Melissa knows she wants more in life. She decides to attend a motivational speaking presentation in hopes of developing more clarity, passion, and purpose.
As Melissa enters the auditorium, she notices the speaker setting up the stage. She sees a glass of water that is half filled. Oh my goodness, Melissa thinks, he’s going to ask the audience whether the glass is half full or half empty. How typical. What a waste of time. Why do I even bother with these motivational presentations? They’re full of shit. Forget it, I’m leaving.
The material I am using for this post is based from a book called, “How to live without fear and worry” by K.Sri Dhammananda.
1. Modern life is a struggle -a struggle to gain monetary rewards, comfort and luxury. Instead of bring happiness, this lifestyle brings anxieties and stress.
When I read this line, I was slightly stunned. I’ve always known that life is not easy, but I have never really thought about why life is so hard. Is it hard because we are always trying to attain something we don’t have? Why is it so difficult to be happy with our lives? Some may blame society and the media for causing us to be so ungrateful, but stop for a second, and ask yourself, “What are you chasing after?”
Hey everyone! Long time no blog. If you’re wondering where I’ve been, I was in China, where I had no access to fb, instagram, YouTube, twitter, my blog, and even Google (So I’m sorry if I have not yet responded back to your msgs, I did not expect so many people to msg me while I was away).
While I was in China, I spent most of my time in the hospital. In fact, there was a period of time in which I spent 30 days without leaving the building. It was as if I was in a jail cell. I had to wear a wristband around my wrist to show my identification, and wear their hospital uniforms. My bed was #32, so I was known as “32”. Each morning at around 7:30, a lady would deliver breakfast and tell us to come out. Ex. “32! Come out and get your food!” Haha. It’s actually quite funny. (Btw, hospital food is not free. We order whatever we want *based on the menu* and pay for it with a card the night before. But since I was there for so long, I practically memorized the menu. I knew on Tuesdays and Thursdays, they would have the tasty noodles that I wanted. Haha)
A lot of people ask me, “Grace, how are you so happy all the time?” Well, guess what? I’m not. In fact, sometimes I am very moody, emotional, and angry. I just tend to shut off all communication when I’m in a bad mood (that’s why you don’t know! :p)
Negative emotions affect us so much more than positive emotions. It seems like we get stuck and our minds just can’t seem to see anything else. So today, I feel like I should write about things I feel grateful for.
Unless you were born into a wealthy family or you’ve won the lottery, chances are you’ll have to work to earn a living. However, as I mentioned in my previous blog post, working for others is honestly not the best way. Your company/boss decides what you are worth (hourly/salary). They will decide when you’ll get a raise. They will decide when you can go on vacation. Ultimately, they will probably end up deciding when you can purchase your first home.
So you may wonder, what else can I do? Life sucks. 😦
The answer is simple. Work for yourself.
Now, you’re probably thinking, “You got to be kidding me. You want me to start a business? Do you know how much risk that is? Do you know how much you have to invest just to start something? What am I going to sell? It doesn’t even guarantee I’ll succeed. You crazy woman. Why am I even reading your blog?”
Calm down. Keep reading.
The people you see making a lot of money without spending all their time? They have money coming in even when they are not working. That’s it. That’s the secret.
Grow with me 