Tag: personal development

Luck

These days, I have been thinking a lot about luck.

I am currently reading a Korean novel called, “The Second Coming Of Gluttony” and it really inspired me to write this post.

In the novel, the main character, Seol Jihu, basically gets a second chance at life. He gets recruited and is given the Gold Mark in which he is given a lot of cheats.

The MC basically starts off with more money/items than the rest, and has an ability to see colours. Red signifies danger, orange – do not approach, yellow – take caution, green – safe (there are still more colours to be unlocked, I’m only 100+ chapters in).

However, as I keep reading, I really feel like it’s so unfair. Yes, he works and trains hard, but he had all these abilities/things that others didn’t. In my opinion, he already had a huge unfair advantage against everyone else.

Next, I thought about how all the MCs in dramas are usually rich guys who are already hot, those who already have power, status, and money. They don’t even have to do shit and all the women just flock to them. It is so unfair.

I can’t help but feel, “You’re just born lucky.”

Then, I thought about myself. How much of my accomplishments were based on my abilities alone? Am I just born lucky too?

I want to take credit and say I got to where I am with my hard work and persistence. But there are actually a lot of things that played a factor. For instance:

I mainly grew up in Canada, so English is the language that I studied in school. English happens to be an international language, which is used worldwide. This made it easier for my translations to get popular. Imagine if I had translated into Russian or something; most likely, only Russians would be able to understand. Continue reading “Luck”

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Who says you can’t? You do

Who says you can'tIt has been so long since I last blogged! Today, I’m back again with another inspirational post. This time, I’m going to be posting quotes from the book “Who says you can’t? You do” by Daniel Chidiac.

All the quotes I’m about to mention are from the novel itself. I reflect on everything Daniel says and it really pushes me to be more. It is incredibly empowering and motivational. I hope his words will also have a similar effect on you.

If you take a good look around, you will notice that most people would have perceived every creation as impossible before it was created.

Everything seems impossible at first. If 30 years ago, someone told you that in the future they would be able to use their phones to take pictures and face-time with someone across the world, would you have believed it?

I hear people say to me, “I know how life works; you wake up, go to work, and come home. It’s the same thing every day.” My reply is, “No, that’s how your life works.”

This is so powerful. How does this statement make you feel?

It is only achievement and fulfilment together that brands someone truly successful.

I completely agree. What is your definition of success?

Most people know what they want; they just believe it’s out of their reach. We let so many dreams, visions and ideals slip because we think others might find them stupid, that it will be too hard, or we give up due to the hurdles we come across. 

Sometimes, it seems like it’s impossible. As a result, we don’t even bother to try in order to avoid the likelihood of disappointment.

Everyone on the road of achievement has experienced self-doubt. Those who win, though, always overpower that doubt with self-assurance. You’re not the only one that has or will experience hardship on your road.

You’re not the only one who is experiencing hardship. But if it’s something you want, you must persevere.  Continue reading “Who says you can’t? You do”

Twitter inspiration

growth

I haven’t written an inspirational post for quite some time. I know I used to blog weekly, but I honestly do not have enough content to sustain it. As a result, most likely, I’ll only be blogging once a month or so.

I was going through my twitter the other day, and I ended up scrolling through all of my old tweets.

I’ve always been a huge fan of personal development and inspirational content. So today, I would like to share six quotes that I have tweeted in the past. These quotes resonate a lot with me, and I hope they will also have some positive impact on you.

Note: The way I interpret the quotes may differ from you.

—–

  1. Days are expensive. When you spend a day, you have one less day to spend. So make sure you spend each one wisely. – Jim Rohn

This is one of the quotes that personally affected me the most. All of us know we’re going to die, but I don’t think we truly realize that our time is running out. We shouldn’t postpone the things we want to do until a much later date. We should make it a priority to do something each day to get ourselves closer to our goals.

  1. It’s not about having the perfect relationship. It’s about finding someone who matches you and will go through everything without giving up.

I’ve realized that there is no such thing as a perfect relationship. All relationships have issues and flaws. In the end, it really comes down to how much two people want to be together. Both parties must be willing to keep trying in order to have a lasting relationship. Continue reading “Twitter inspiration”

The Alchemist

The Alchemist

This post is based on my interpretations of the Alchemist. This book is one of my favorite fictional books. It is very meaningful and it resonates a lot with me. I specifically chose 9 quotes that had the most impact on me.

“How did you learn to read?” the girl asked at one point.
“Like everybody learns,” he said. “In school.”
“Well, if you know how to read, why are you just a shepherd?”

The way I interpreted this was, “If you have so much potential, why don’t you do more with your life?”

Deep down, I feel like we can all accomplish more than we think. But most of us just wants to get to a comfortable point, and then we stop. We stop because perhaps we’re satisfied. Or maybe, it’s good enough.

If I became a monster today, and decided to kill them, one by one, they would become aware only after most of the flock had been slaughtered, thought the boy. They trust me, and they’ve forgotten how to rely on their own instincts, because I lead them to nourishment.

The boy was originally a shepherd. Each day, he would lead his flock to a field so they could eat. But he realized that the sheep had no idea if he ever took a different route. The sheep doesn’t notice any of the changes (if he tries to do something new) The sheep just aimlessly followed him…because they only wanted food and water.

What are you willing to sacrifice for food and water?

“Well, he thought about that,” the old man said. “But bakers are more important people than shepherds. Bakers have homes, while shepherds sleep out in the open. Parents would rather see their children marry bakers than shepherds.”

Certainty is very important. We want to know that we’re going to be ok. If we take a riskier route and the future is unknown, the risk might not be worth it. Sometimes, you have to sacrifice your dreams in exchange for stability.  Continue reading “The Alchemist”

Don’t assume

To my dear readers,

I’m back! Sorry for not posting last week. I was very unwell. Fortunately, I feel better now. 🙂   Anyhow, today’s post is based on one of my real life interactions with a friend.

A few weeks ago, I finally caught up with my friend Nathan (fake name) after four years of not seeing him. Back in the days, we used to go to events and parties together. But due to my autoimmune disorder, I had been too ill in the past few years to attend any of his parties.

Nonetheless, we still stayed in touch via facebook and would update each other from time to time.

When we met up, Nathan was telling me how he had been going through depression and wanted to kill himself. Here was part of our conversation:

Nathan: Grace, you know, last year was so hard for me. I wanted to kill myself because I felt like my life was not worth living. My job contract ended and I didn’t get extended. I turned 30 and I am still living at home. Everyone on facebook seems to be doing better than me. I thought by now I would have a place of my own. I thought by now, I would have my own family.  Continue reading “Don’t assume”

The Slight Edge

the-slight-edge-explained

For those of you who have followed my blog for a while now, you would know that I’m very into personal development. I constantly want to improve and become better. Not only that, I want to inspire others to grow as well. (That’s why my slogan is: Grow with me! 😉 )

This post is based on a book called, “The Slight Edge” by Jeff Olson. This is one of the best personal development books I have read (Trust me, I have read a lot).

I’m only going to be sharing a bit of what really resonated with me. If this type of stuff motivates or inspires you, buy the book or listen to the audio book. It can change your life!!!

  • Your philosophy creates your attitude, which create your actions, which create your results, which create your life

Your philosophy is what you believe in; how you think and reason. Your thoughts will determine your attitude.

If you think terribly of yourself, you will have a bad attitude. A poor attitude will lead to little to no action because you do not think you’re capable of succeeding. With little to no action, obviously your results will be horrible. Ultimately, it will lead to an unhappy life.

You see? It’s a cycle. If you want to succeed, you must first change your philosophy.  Continue reading “The Slight Edge”

Three reasons why/how I stay positive

three-fingers

To my dear (old) blog readers,

I’m back! Sorry I haven’t been blogging for the past month or so. I stopped blogging weekly about half a year ago but I have decided to continue once again! (Let’s hope I can last for awhile).

Anyhow, one of the questions I get asked most often is: “Grace, how do you stay so positive all the time despite everything you’re going through?”

Some of you may or may not know that I have an autoimmune disorder that affects me on a normal basis. Some days are extremely difficult for me because I’m in constant pain. Despite this, generally, I’m quite content with my life. Here is why:

1. I do things I enjoy. 

This may seem very simple, but it makes a huge difference. When I’m feeling ok, I do things that make me happy. For instance, I love singing. I would go karaoke with my friends, sing to Youtube videos, and sometimes, I even go on discord to sing on random servers and gather audiences from all over the world. 😛

I also read books that motivate or enlighten me. I believe words are very powerful and many people underestimate what words can do. Whenever I am inspired, I actually take notes and eventually plan to write a post on it to share with my readers. I like empowering people.

2. I have goals and a purpose.

There’s a reason for everything I do. I know what I want, and I know what I need to do in order to achieve my goals. Basically, I want to improve people’s lives. I genuinely believe my blog can either motivate, broaden your views, and/or give you some tips.

If you read my translations, I believe I am sharing a good story with you guys. People read my translations because they can’t or prefer not to read Chinese. This means my actions are improving their lives because now they can enjoy the story as well. Continue reading “Three reasons why/how I stay positive”

Feel the fear and do it anyway

feel-the-fear-and-do-it-anyway

When I first saw this book, I thought to myself, “Wow, the title sucks. And the cover is SOOOOOO ugly. Who designed it?”. Nonetheless, I decided to give it a try. It’s one of the many books my Uncle Aaron had given me. (He probably gave me 40-50 books. I’ll slowly pry through them all….)

Anyhow, this was one of the most comforting books I have ever read. It was very empowering. So don’t judge a book by the title or cover!!

My favourite part of the book was when it talked about the importance of developing a Pain-to-Power vocabulary. Basically, the way you use words has a tremendous impact on the quality of your life. For example:

Pain —————————————-> Power

I can’t                                                                             I won’t
I should                                                                         I could
It’s not my fault                                                           I’m totally responsible
It’s a problem                                                               It’s an opportunity
I’m never satisfied                                                      I want to learn and grow
Life’s a struggle                                                           Life’s an adventure
I hope                                                                             I know
If only                                                                            Next time
What will I do?                                                             I know I can handle it
It’s terrible                                                                   It’s a learning experience

“I can’t” implies you have no control over the situation. Whereas, “I won’t” means you were the one making that choice. We should all aim to use more empowering words rather than destructive words. Mindset is key. Most of the time, the situation is what you make of it. Stop drowning yourself in pain and change the way you think.

I really like this line, “No one is immune to pain, and it shouldn’t be denied when it exists. The key is to know that you can lead a productive and meaningful life no matter what the external circumstances are.” Continue reading “Feel the fear and do it anyway”

From the bottom to the top

started from the bottom.jpg

This post is a collaboration post I did with my friend, Alex. Instead of always talking about my own opinions from my own perspectives, I thought it would be interesting asking someone else. In the past, Alex and I would have very meaningful and deep conversations over coffee. Although he currently resides in Thailand, the internet has made it easy for us to stay in touch. I really like his answers, and hope you will as well.

Me: Alex, I want to write a post in regards to confidence because I think it is so crucial if you want to succeed in anything. Tell me, what does confidence mean to you? 

Alex: I think confidence is being fully comfortable with yourself as a person. Being comfortable with all of your flaws and insecurities and not being afraid to show them. Caring less about what others think and doing what makes you happy instead.

Me: How would you define it?

Alex: Being 100% your true self and not being afraid to express it wherever you are.

Me: I like that!! Everyone’s definition is probably different. To me, confidence is knowing that you’re capable of succeeding if you put in the work. Was there a person who has contributed to your confidence? If so, what did that person do or say to build up your self-esteem and feeling of self-worth?

Alex: One of my good friends living in Korea. He has this never-ending drive to improve himself and I just really admired his determination. Whether it was mastering Korean, starting a business or getting a better job, he made it happen. No matter what. Seeing his drive for being the best motivated me to be the best I could be as well.

Continue reading “From the bottom to the top”

Personal thoughts

For this Monday, I’m going to share some of my personal thoughts. Please do not take it personally because it is how I feel. By no means am I trying to target anyone.

First of all, my blog has surpassed 55000 views!!! This is amazing to me, because if it weren’t for the translations, I would have not have achieved this until many years down the road.

Before translating, I would get about a hundred views a week. Now, I get hundreds of views per day.

Although most people come for the translation and they don’t give a shit about me, it is still nice that they want to continue reading my translations.

It pushes me to want to be better.

My goal is to get more views. (That’s not my only goal, but I’m only talking about blog related things right now.)

Why?

Continue reading “Personal thoughts”