4 Reasons to Take Action…Any Action… Right Now!
by Bob Miglani
I used to think there was a formula for life. Do X and Y happens. Being the Type A person that I am…or used to be, I believed that if you worked hard, you’ll succeed. That was it. And while this is still true to some extent, what forced me down a spiraling path of anxiety and stress was a strong sense of uncertainty in my job, career and increasingly in life.
From the economy to the job market to all the negative sentiments being talked about in the supermarket to the stock market. There is a feeling of uneasiness that I couldn’t help ignore.
So, I froze. Paralyzed by the problem of trying to predict an uncertain career, I was stuck and couldn’t figure out which way to move forward in my life and in my job.
Then something great happened and I took an unexpected trip with a friend to India and it changed my life forever. I was quite familiar with the country of a billion people but had a different lens as I found uncertainty everywhere.
Since that trip and over the last few years, I have been learning about how to deal with uncertainty in my life and in my career and have made remarkable progress towards adapting to this “new normal” by fully learning embrace the chaos!
In my journey, one of the most important lessons I learned is that I just HAVE TO MOVE FORWARD and TAKE ACTION.
Here are 4 Reasons to Take Action…Any Action Right Now:
1. There will NEVER be a perfect time.
Perfection is an illusion created by our mind to bring order where none exists. There will never, ever be the perfect time, the perfect circumstances, perfect job, perfect partner, friend or perfect moment. Life is imperfect and the world is beautifully flawed. I always used to think that I’ll jump in the game and change careers when my wife’s business takes off or when I’m presented with the right opportunity. But you just can’t predict WHEN that moment will happen. And so you do nothing. And doing nothing makes you feel helpless to the chaos out there causing greater tension and stress. By accepting the fact that life is imperfect and that there is no perfect time, it helped spur me to…jump in. As a result, we started my wife’s business in the midst of the economic meltdown in Oct. 2008 and I started pursuing a new project at work that has helped me grow
2. You can’t predict the future.
I used to over analyze, over think, over plan and try really hard to figure out how things will turn out BEFORE I moved forward with anything. But I realized that I was wrong more often that I was right. When you’re feeling trapped in a world of uncertainty, you feel as though you have no viable choices ahead on your path so you find yourself looking at the problem 10 different ways. And you pour over pros/cons that you’ve written up for taking a certain action. You ask tons of people for advice. But it gets you nowhere except more stress and anxiety because no one has a crystal ball for what the future will look like.
In my own journey, what I realized is that I’m really not that smart as to be able to make any future predictions legitimate. So why not move forward with something I want to do anyway? Who really knows if my business idea will be a success or a failure? Who really knows? I’ve got just as good a shot at being a success in this crazy world full of chaos and randomness, as anyone else. As long as I believe in it, that’s the future I’m willing to be on…my belief.
3. One thing always leads to another “What’s the point”, “Where will that get you?” “You’ll never make as much money doing that” are typical comments that you often hear when you share your pursuit of a dream with someone. And it can be discouraging…ok…it really can be downright depressing. But what I have increasingly realized is that in life, you cannot anticipate the consequences of even the smallest of steps forward. There are way too many variables to know the circumstances you’ll be in, following a step forward.
And so often, one step leads you to another unlikely, undiscovered thought or idea which leads you to another idea or a meeting, which leads you to a breakthrough in your life or your business. Think about how often randomness happens when you are out there trying something. A phone call from someone you met a while ago, a surprising email from a customer or a facebook request from an old friend or simply a smile that you get from someone you just met. Sometimes that initial step is all what is required to set in motion a whole new timeline of events being created to give you just the boost you need.
4. You feel better about life, almost immediately The fundamental problem of trying to manage uncertainty in life is that often inaction breeds anxiety. You feel like you have no control over the chaos of life. And that inaction becomes a spiral of stress, tension and anxiety. Even the smallest steps forward have made me feel better almost immediately because a little bit of the uncertainty starts to fade and give way to a little more clarity of the path ahead. Being able to see the path, however blurry is better than not seeing the path at all…because you’ll be on your way somewhere…on the journey. And you’ll get closer to real knowing. Taking action makes you feel better almost immediately also because you start feeling like you have control of your life.
In my own personal journey of learning to live with uncertainty, I have realized that action, however small not only makes me feel better about life but actually helps to put me in a place that I never thought possible…and in these days of uncertainty, possibilities are we are all after…isn’t it?
———————
Bob Miglani: Embrace the Chaos.com
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Friday, December 14, 2012
Regrets....
The Top Five Career Regrets
by Daniel Gulati
by Daniel Gulati | 8:00 AM December 14, 2012
What do you regret most about your career?
I had just finished a guest lecture on business and innovation at Parson's School for Design, and a particularly attentive front-row audience member kicked off question time with the curliest one of the day. I answered quickly with the hope of getting back on target. But judging from the scores of follow-up questions and the volume of post-lecture emails I received, a talk on career regret would have been the real bull's-eye.
Ever since that afternoon, I've been on a mission to categorically answer the awkward but significant question of exactly what we'd do if we could magically rewind our careers. The hope? That by exposing what others are most disappointed about in their professional lives, we're maximizing our chances of minimizing regret in our own.
To this end, I sat down with 30 professionals between the ages of 28 and 58, and asked each what they regretted most about their careers to date. The group was diverse: I spoke with a 39-year-old managing director of a large investment bank, a failing self-employed photographer, a millionaire entrepreneur, and a Fortune 500 CEO. Disappointment doesn't discriminate; no matter what industry the individual operated in, what role they had been given, or whether they were soaring successes or mired in failure, five dominant themes shone through. Importantly, the effects of bad career decisions and disconfirmed expectancies were felt equally across age groups.
Here were the group's top five career regrets:
1. I wish I hadn't taken the job for the money. By far the biggest regret of all came from those who opted into high-paying but ultimately dissatisfying careers. Classic research proves that compensation is a "hygiene" factor, not a true motivator. What was surprising, though, were the feelings of helplessness these individuals were facing. Lamented one investment banker, "I dream of quitting every day, but I have too many commitments." Another consultant said, "I'd love to leave the stress behind, but I don't think I'd be good at anything else." Whoever called them golden handcuffs wasn't joking.
2. I wish I had quit earlier. Almost uniformly, those who had actually quit their jobs to pursue their passions wished they had done so earlier. Variable reinforcement schedules prevalent in large corporations, the visibility of social media, and the desire to log incremental gains are three reasons that the 80% of people dissatisfied with their jobs don't quit when they know they should. Said one sales executive, "Those years could have been spent working on problems that mattered to me. You can't ever get those years back."
3. I wish I had the confidence to start my own business. As their personal finances shored up, professionals I surveyed yearned for more control over their lives. The logical answer? To become an owner, not an employee in someone else's company. But in the words of Artful Dodger, wanting it ain't enough. A recent study found that 70% of workers wished their current job would help them with starting a business in the future, yet only 15% said they had what it takes to actually venture out on their own. Even Fortune 500 CEOs dream of entrepreneurial freedom. Admitted one: "My biggest regret is that I'm a 'wantrepreneur.' I never got to prove myself by starting something from scratch."
4. I wish I had used my time at school more productively. Despite all the controversy currently surrounding student loans, roughly 86% of students still view college as a worthwhile investment. This is reflected in the growing popularity of college: In writing Passion & Purpose, my coauthors and I found that 54% of Millennials have college degrees, compared to 36% of Boomers. Although more students are attending college, many of the group's participants wished they had thoughtfully parlayed their school years into a truly rewarding first job. A biology researcher recounted her college experience as being "in a ridiculous hurry to complete what in hindsight were the best and most delightfully unstructured years of my life." After starting a family and signing up for a mortgage, many were unable to carve out the space to return to school for advanced study to reset their careers.
5. I wish I had acted on my career hunches. Several individuals recounted windows of opportunity in their careers, or as one professional described, "now-or-never moments." In 2005, an investment banker was asked to lead a small team in (now) rapidly growing Latin America. Sensing that the move might be an upward step, he still declined. Crushingly, the individual brave enough to accept the offer was promoted shortly to division head, then to CEO. Recent theories of psychology articulate the importance of identifying these sometimes unpredictable but potentially rewarding moments of change, and jumping on these opportunities to non-linearly advance your professional life.
Far from being suppressed, career regrets should hold a privileged place in your emotional repertoire. Research shows (PDF) that regret can be a powerful catalyst for change, far outweighing the short-term emotional downsides. As famed psychologist Dr. Neal Roese recently stated, "On average, regret is a helpful emotion." It can even be an inspiring one. But it means that we must articulate and celebrate our disappointments, understanding that it's our capacity to experience regret deeply, and learn from it constructively to ultimately frame our future success.
by Daniel Gulati
by Daniel Gulati | 8:00 AM December 14, 2012
What do you regret most about your career?
I had just finished a guest lecture on business and innovation at Parson's School for Design, and a particularly attentive front-row audience member kicked off question time with the curliest one of the day. I answered quickly with the hope of getting back on target. But judging from the scores of follow-up questions and the volume of post-lecture emails I received, a talk on career regret would have been the real bull's-eye.
Ever since that afternoon, I've been on a mission to categorically answer the awkward but significant question of exactly what we'd do if we could magically rewind our careers. The hope? That by exposing what others are most disappointed about in their professional lives, we're maximizing our chances of minimizing regret in our own.
To this end, I sat down with 30 professionals between the ages of 28 and 58, and asked each what they regretted most about their careers to date. The group was diverse: I spoke with a 39-year-old managing director of a large investment bank, a failing self-employed photographer, a millionaire entrepreneur, and a Fortune 500 CEO. Disappointment doesn't discriminate; no matter what industry the individual operated in, what role they had been given, or whether they were soaring successes or mired in failure, five dominant themes shone through. Importantly, the effects of bad career decisions and disconfirmed expectancies were felt equally across age groups.
Here were the group's top five career regrets:
1. I wish I hadn't taken the job for the money. By far the biggest regret of all came from those who opted into high-paying but ultimately dissatisfying careers. Classic research proves that compensation is a "hygiene" factor, not a true motivator. What was surprising, though, were the feelings of helplessness these individuals were facing. Lamented one investment banker, "I dream of quitting every day, but I have too many commitments." Another consultant said, "I'd love to leave the stress behind, but I don't think I'd be good at anything else." Whoever called them golden handcuffs wasn't joking.
2. I wish I had quit earlier. Almost uniformly, those who had actually quit their jobs to pursue their passions wished they had done so earlier. Variable reinforcement schedules prevalent in large corporations, the visibility of social media, and the desire to log incremental gains are three reasons that the 80% of people dissatisfied with their jobs don't quit when they know they should. Said one sales executive, "Those years could have been spent working on problems that mattered to me. You can't ever get those years back."
3. I wish I had the confidence to start my own business. As their personal finances shored up, professionals I surveyed yearned for more control over their lives. The logical answer? To become an owner, not an employee in someone else's company. But in the words of Artful Dodger, wanting it ain't enough. A recent study found that 70% of workers wished their current job would help them with starting a business in the future, yet only 15% said they had what it takes to actually venture out on their own. Even Fortune 500 CEOs dream of entrepreneurial freedom. Admitted one: "My biggest regret is that I'm a 'wantrepreneur.' I never got to prove myself by starting something from scratch."
4. I wish I had used my time at school more productively. Despite all the controversy currently surrounding student loans, roughly 86% of students still view college as a worthwhile investment. This is reflected in the growing popularity of college: In writing Passion & Purpose, my coauthors and I found that 54% of Millennials have college degrees, compared to 36% of Boomers. Although more students are attending college, many of the group's participants wished they had thoughtfully parlayed their school years into a truly rewarding first job. A biology researcher recounted her college experience as being "in a ridiculous hurry to complete what in hindsight were the best and most delightfully unstructured years of my life." After starting a family and signing up for a mortgage, many were unable to carve out the space to return to school for advanced study to reset their careers.
5. I wish I had acted on my career hunches. Several individuals recounted windows of opportunity in their careers, or as one professional described, "now-or-never moments." In 2005, an investment banker was asked to lead a small team in (now) rapidly growing Latin America. Sensing that the move might be an upward step, he still declined. Crushingly, the individual brave enough to accept the offer was promoted shortly to division head, then to CEO. Recent theories of psychology articulate the importance of identifying these sometimes unpredictable but potentially rewarding moments of change, and jumping on these opportunities to non-linearly advance your professional life.
Far from being suppressed, career regrets should hold a privileged place in your emotional repertoire. Research shows (PDF) that regret can be a powerful catalyst for change, far outweighing the short-term emotional downsides. As famed psychologist Dr. Neal Roese recently stated, "On average, regret is a helpful emotion." It can even be an inspiring one. But it means that we must articulate and celebrate our disappointments, understanding that it's our capacity to experience regret deeply, and learn from it constructively to ultimately frame our future success.
Monday, December 3, 2012
KL oh KL
After going through the KL traffic and arriving at the office, the philosophical side of me said " if someone ever said that he's ready for work after a vacation; he has not has a good vacation!'
Sunday, December 2, 2012
New Zealand Sweet As..
Well... after more than 20,000 km journey by air , boat and motorhome; 1000+ pics photoshopped with another 1000+ to go, tomorrow, i will resume my office duty. i should be rejuvenated, no looking back and fully energised to meet the demand of the work. but i don't have any plan.. you might be asking what the the title is all about- i'll try my best to put the travelog in the next few weeks and share some beautiful memories. For now, I am going to be ready for tomorrow. COMING SOON ... prequel to New Zealand Sweet As... Oily Kitchen, Wet Toilet... A Family's Journey to Down Down Under
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Friday, August 17, 2012
This Ramadan
Things I learnt this Ramadan
What worked for me this Ramadan
What didn't work for me this Ramadan
The answer to the above is... Minimal. This Ramadan is my worst performance in many years. Inconsistency in tarawikh .. Sometime I did 8, some 20, some at home.
I didn't finish the Quran, only to jun 5.
Not one might of qiamullail ...
Very minimal sadaqah
I was really BAD...
Why?
1. It has to do with my health. My groin still hurts from the camping injury I sustained 3 months back. It made some movement uncomfortable.
2. I did not focus on worshipping. I focus on my work, on what I should do at the office.
3. I didn't push myself
What's good
I pay zakat
What to do next year.. Start early, start in rejab insyaallah . O Allah please bestow your reward on my efforts. O Allah, bestow me long life and many, many productive ramadan. Ameen
What worked for me this Ramadan
What didn't work for me this Ramadan
The answer to the above is... Minimal. This Ramadan is my worst performance in many years. Inconsistency in tarawikh .. Sometime I did 8, some 20, some at home.
I didn't finish the Quran, only to jun 5.
Not one might of qiamullail ...
Very minimal sadaqah
I was really BAD...
Why?
1. It has to do with my health. My groin still hurts from the camping injury I sustained 3 months back. It made some movement uncomfortable.
2. I did not focus on worshipping. I focus on my work, on what I should do at the office.
3. I didn't push myself
What's good
I pay zakat
What to do next year.. Start early, start in rejab insyaallah . O Allah please bestow your reward on my efforts. O Allah, bestow me long life and many, many productive ramadan. Ameen
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Isi alquran
Alquran ada tujuh perkara
1- memperkenalkan siapa Allah swt .kenapa kena kenal- kerana dari Dia kita berasal, dan kpd Dia kita akan pulang.supaya kita benar benar bergantung kpd Allah
- ingat Allah banyak banyak hati akan jadi tenang
2. Its the way of life. Panduan hidup
- syariat
- perbankan, Takaful
- cara gembira, cara marah- jgn melaknat.
3. Pengajaran mengenai akhlak - tasawwuf
- akhlak dgn Allah
- akhlak dgn diri sendiri- x de takut, x de dukacita
- akhlak sesama manusia- memaafkan
4 . Kitab ilmu
- berbagai ilmu - ilmu sains, ilmu sejarah
5. Ada pahala
- satu huruf satu pahala
- dapat syaafat
6. Perlindungan dari jin, sihir , syaitan dan sebagainya
- ayat kursi
- ayat 1-10 surat alkahfi- dilindungi dari hasutan dajjal
7. Ada penyembuh dan kelebihan kelebihan yg lain
- baca alikhlas 3 kali sebelum masuk rumah- ahli aman
- surah alkahfi- surah yassin- memberi ketenangan
- surah kahfi ayat 11- nak senang tidur
Surah hud ayat 52- wakaf yg terakhir baca 3 kali. Selawat 3 kali. Sapu tempat sakit
-
Www.ustazamin.com
1- memperkenalkan siapa Allah swt .kenapa kena kenal- kerana dari Dia kita berasal, dan kpd Dia kita akan pulang.supaya kita benar benar bergantung kpd Allah
- ingat Allah banyak banyak hati akan jadi tenang
2. Its the way of life. Panduan hidup
- syariat
- perbankan, Takaful
- cara gembira, cara marah- jgn melaknat.
3. Pengajaran mengenai akhlak - tasawwuf
- akhlak dgn Allah
- akhlak dgn diri sendiri- x de takut, x de dukacita
- akhlak sesama manusia- memaafkan
4 . Kitab ilmu
- berbagai ilmu - ilmu sains, ilmu sejarah
5. Ada pahala
- satu huruf satu pahala
- dapat syaafat
6. Perlindungan dari jin, sihir , syaitan dan sebagainya
- ayat kursi
- ayat 1-10 surat alkahfi- dilindungi dari hasutan dajjal
7. Ada penyembuh dan kelebihan kelebihan yg lain
- baca alikhlas 3 kali sebelum masuk rumah- ahli aman
- surah alkahfi- surah yassin- memberi ketenangan
- surah kahfi ayat 11- nak senang tidur
Surah hud ayat 52- wakaf yg terakhir baca 3 kali. Selawat 3 kali. Sapu tempat sakit
-
Www.ustazamin.com
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