Fair?

Fair

Life's not fair

I heard that phrase so many times yesterday I was beginning to see the world in a depressing light! Don't worry viewers I'm still positive and good to go BUT I've learnt to understand things from yet another perspective.

Why did I hear that phrase so many times yesterday? Here's what happened:

There's an upcoming overseas competition coming up and yesterday, they announced who were going. Those who didn't receive the message from the team manager, well...aren't going. For once in my life, I actually didn't qualify. But I wasn't expecting to qualify either! Just came out of a rough patch which lasted several months (yes it happens to everyone) But being me, I know that it's clearly not the end and there'll be other opportunities in the future :) 

However, I did see it from other people's views too, some people haven't been to an overseas competition more than once! yeah...for those who don't know, I've gone overseas for competitions 6 times in the past 3 years. Personally, I know some people find me cocky or proud, but honestly speaking. I know what it's like to not get what you want. Trust me.

Life sucks at times doesn't it? Don't worry :)

Everyday I fight for what I want, not physically, but mentally...and sometimes verbally. Don't give up, don't give in, push harder, GO GO GO! For those who saw my post on 'limits' you know who's the one that keeps you down! YOURSELF. yes you! Not the person who limits you. If you aren't good enough now, make yourself good enough! Train harder, study harder, work harder. You can do it! 

Life isn't fair. That's why we have to fight for what we want

I told someone once: "To me life is very fair. We have extremely bad days. AND extremely good days. The problem is, we only notice the extremely bad days." 

True?

There is always a better plan for us

So see your next challenge and set back with renewed positivity! Don't bother about the fairness of it all! Bother about what YOU can do to improve YOU.

YOU can do it! Just believe in...yup that's right, YOU.

Feeling motivated? Want to leave a comment? Leave a comment below or follow me on twitter: @toranseth and DM me :)

 

Tragedy

Tragedy 

Helping people in Times of need 

I decided to make this post because there have been several sad news articles recently and it's appropriate to talk about the issue once and not just close a blind eye to it. 

If you haven't been reading the news or don't know what's happening with the world right now, just take out the past few days newspapers and read or surf the net. 

Week after week there's always something that happens. Be it the shooting in a school in the US, the insane weather in Australia or the recent incident of the cement truck.. (I won't be posting any pictures of these because it's quite insensitive to do so)

Always follow the Golden Rule when posting something online

There's no point asking why these incidents happen. What I will talk about is what you can do to help someone who is coping with tragedy. 

Whenever someone is going through a rough patch in life, what they need is a listening ear or someone to talk about it in order to heal. I used to make the mistake of just leaving the person alone to cool down or get better. But as I mentioned in one of my early posts, talking about the problem (specifically the root of it) is necessary, especially if you want the situation to improve.

Most people feel that these kind of things should be left to psychologists, professionals and religious leaders. True. They definitely provide valuable views to the situation which most of us can't offer. But this doesn't mean fellow classmates, athletes, friends, co-workers and others (depending on the situation) aren't needed. A LISTENING EAR is always helpful. Sometimes you don't need to say much, just listen, acknowledge and affirm.

It is perfectly normal and common to be afraid of helping or even approaching someone in need, but it is important to overcome that hesitation and be the friend in need.

So some things you can and should do when helping someone:

1) Listen
2) Keep your comments short (Lengthy talks may cause the conversation to change topic) <--always happens to me
3) Ask RELEVANT questions like: "What was it like?"
4) Affirm the person by showing how you feel about it "I'm so sorry to hear that"
5) PRACTICE THE 1ST POINT CONSTANTLY
You never know when the person you're helping may remember something and need to share.

It's always helpful to just sit down and listen

There are also things you shouldn't do:
1) Use the person's story to tell them your life experience...
Remember, they are the one's who are having the problems! If you're not emotionally stable yourself don't say anything, just let them share.

2) Give advice ONLY when they ask for it.
When you help someone, both of you have to be on the same level, you can't try to be the one above them and rain advice down onto those in need. You gotta listen, and share only when they want to hear it.
You won't want this adverse response:

3) Don't worry about the different responses from people.
Different people react differently, some may respond to your help calmly, some may break down in tears, some may get angry......some may even ignore you. It all depends, but don't get angry with them (You are there to help remember?)

People may have many reactions to your help

If you've been reading carefully, you'd realize that LISTENING is a very powerful tool in helping people, and it doesn't even take much effort. You don't always need to be an advice giver, sometimes having someone just sitting there and listening and understanding is what they really want.

As always, I have to emphasize that writing this doesn't mean i'm the best guide when helping people, I too struggle to help people. But like most things, the more you practice, the better you'll be at it. So listen to someone today! Be the one people would want to turn to for help. Be the Friend in need. Lift someone higher today! :)

*AND if you're someone in need, turn to someone you trust, and share. As I'd mention in my earlier posts, bottling things up isn't going to make the situation better*


Found this post helpful? Have a better way to share advices? Leave a comment below or follow me on twitter @toranseth and DM me. :) Always Lifting you higher!

Limits

Limits

Pushing your Limits

"What is my limit?" I often ask myself that question. Be it at training, in school, at the gym or when someone is getting on my nerves. Yes I do get irritated by people, quite often in fact. But it doesn't mean you have to explode at them every time. Sometimes you just have to tolerate. But back to today's topic: Pushing your Limits. 

This morning, I went to the gym (after 2 weeks of sickness) and I was really wondering when I was going to break. For those who don't know how I look like, I'm basically like a 'twig'. That means my limit should come quite quickly right? 

Wrong.

I did the usual sets...ok I'll tell you the machines used but not the weights done :) haha but it's quite alot for a 'twig' like me eh ;) 

So I start off with a 20 minute run, then I do leg extensions and some other leg machine (for the hamstring), after that Lat pull down and Low row (for the back) and bench presses and dumb bells and core. After all these (which I know isn't much for the pros who read this :P ) I warm down and go home. 

By the time I'm done with these I feel like I've just been whipped and beaten and tortured (ok not so bad but you get the idea). and I've probably asked myself a trillion times "Can I just give up?" But giving up doesn't really go well with me, and it shouldn't go well with you either! Accept difficulties and hardships but keep on going, keep on pushing.

In life, the only person stopping you is yourself. It took me a long time to realize this. I used to think that the blame is on those who try to stop me or those who said negative things to me. After awhile I started thinking: "there'll always be people trying to Limit my capabilities, and if I were to let them win every time, I would be nowhere." I definitely haven't achieved success yet, but I'm definitely not lost, and that's only because I've put in the effort to push myself on every time someone says something negative, I turn it into positivity. My fuel to improve.
Don't let people limit you...no, let me rephrase...DON'T LIMIT YOURSELF!

Will you push your limits today? Will you try something new? I hope it's a yes! Take on your next task or activity with a renewed passion!

If you have any advice on how I can improve at the gym or comments on 'Pushing your Limits' do leave a comment below or follow me on twitter: @toranseth and DM me :) 

Enjoy

Enjoying

Life. I don't know if it works, trying to connect the title to the first word...but that's what I was trying to do. Enjoying LIfe.

It's Monday (again) and most people will feel the gloom of another week or...if you've been reading my blog, the EXCITEMENT and MOTIVATION to face the new week. You have to enjoy every moment of your day, of your week, of your year, of your life. 

I don't want to get too depressing on a Monday morning but basically, someone out there is having a harder time than you. So appreciate what you have and Enjoy! :)

No matter who or what tries to bring you down this week, have the confidence and motivation to pull through each day.
Week's task for viewers: Enjoy every moment in your life and help those around you enjoy theirs too :)

Hope I kept this post short and sweet :)
Feel free to leave some feedback or comments. Also, If you want to contact me, you can follow me on twitter: @toranseth :) Thank you viewers!

1st Week

Ist Week

Happy One Week anniversary! Don't worry guys, I won't be celebrating every week but since we're on the topic of anniversary I've gotta story to share :) (Yes there's a moral story in it :) )

Today was my church's anniversary too and for once I decided to attend service. Yes I admit, I usually leave after the youth program without a second thought about staying for service...BUT let's just stick to the more important point. Today's Service.

Being a special occasion there were many people! Luckily I could get a sit with my buddy Aaron and behind Jonathan. Ok so the service started with songs of praise and all and everything SEEMED NORMAL.

Until

"Is that guy part of the act?" 

"What Guy?"

"The one on the stage"

And there he was. There was a guy, on the stage, yelling and shouting things in chinese. From my limited chinese knowledge, I figured he was yelling about wanting to share an experience he had. 

This is good (In a way)

Most people will instantly think that the guy is crazy and just laugh about him. In fact, when he was finally taken off stage there were people clapping! 

I on the other hand (ok I'm not that great, I just saw another point of view) thought that maybe he did have something interesting to share. Too bad we won't get to hear him though.

What can we learn from this? There's always a right way to portray your point of view or share something. If that guy really wanted to share with the entire congregation he should have asked the pastors or the church administration. There's always a proper channel to share things. Like this blog. I could have gone around yelling about the past posts and sharing like a 'mad man'. But I figured doing something more sensible, like putting it in writing and giving people the choice to read, is much better. Agreed?

I remember my previous post on Servant Leadership. I mentioned in the 3rd point that good leaders demonstrate. Yes demonstrate, but screaming and yelling and shouting at people isn't the example you want to portray. If you have something to share, share it the way you would have liked to receive it. There is a right mannerism for the right situation. 

Speak nicely to people :) Keep calm. Stay cool. :)

So KEEP CALM TODAY! 

On a side note THANK YOU SO MUCH VIEWERS! Almost a thousand views in the first week! You guys are awesome! :) 

In case you're new or haven't been reading these are the top 5 most liked posts this week:

Lead (The Team Player)

Lead (Servant Leader)

Mistakes

Motivation in more than one perspective

First Post with many more to come :)

Ok take care! Stay awesome! :) 

Always Lifting You Higher!

Want to share something or give some feedback? Leave a comment or follow me on twitter: @toranseth

Lead (Servant Leader)

Lead (Servant Leader)

Leader - Team Player - Servant Leader

Firstly, I'll like to apologize for the late post today :/ I was really really busy! But I promise, this post will be a very insightful one! :) Definitely.

Ok let's go

What is a Servant Leader? The phrase in itself is quite contradictory right? The first word is like the Team Player while the second is the Team Leader. Basically, it's someone who is both (Duh...)

Personally, I come from a Christian background, it doesn't make me any better than anyone. But being Christian did teach me a lot of life values. One of which is servant leadership.

So helping people...helps you :) Sounds good right? I mean, doing good deeds (See the blog on good deeds if you haven't) actually benefits you! 

But that's not the mentality you should carry when you help someone. The satisfaction you get should always be self-satisfaction, any other form of 'reward' is a bonus :) 

I was a prefect councillor in primary school. (for those who know me now...yeah i'm surprised too) The term 'Servant Leadership' was used so freely by the discipline master and mistress that it never really hit home. (I never gave it a second thought) Until recently while I was doing one of those reflection exercises, it totally hit me! How exactly do you become a servant leader?

 Step 1: Always be willing to learn

A lot of leaders these days think that they know everything. They are so stuck to their own ideals and sometimes aren't willing to listen to those working with them (their Team Players). Being a keen learner to me is probably the foundation of good leadership. The world around us is changing, we need to learn to embrace it and move along with it. Learn new things. Make it a note to learn something new today! Tomorrow! Everyday! :)

Step 2: Affirm those around you (and yourself too)

Positive affirmation. Everyone needs it! Even the most confident people need it! So do you. Positive affirmation may not always come from others, but a good leader (especially a Servant Leader) knows how to affirm himself/herself and then move on to affirm those around them. This may seem sad for the leaders right? No one to affirm them...Well remember what I said earlier about doing good deeds? It's a cycle, but you have to be patient, you cannot seek it. But it will come. Personal story: When I decided to start this blog, there were many who supported the idea. But it wasn't everybody. Some people said I was too free (yeah right, I work and train and I have school starting in a week), some said there's no point. But honestly, is there anything wrong with helping people? No. Affirm someone today, give them the confidence to face the day. Empower them with your confidence. 

Step 3: Demonstrate

Do what you preach. This is really easier said then done. I myself struggle everyday to practice what I tell people. But I put in the effort. And you should too. It is really helpful to you anyways. Be the example that people can look up to! Yeah, not everyone will appreciate it, somedays no one will appreciate it...remember the previous step? Affirm yourself. If what you do is for good, do it. If your friends are going to laugh at you for sincerely helping an old lady cross the street, help her. Lead by example, don't just tell people what to do. If you're having trouble doing that, here's a little trick i do: I have some people around me who are my 'watchers'. Basically, they'll tell me if I mess up or don't practive what I preach. Usually watchers are your close friends or family :)

So don't burn yourself! 

Here's 3 things to remember about Servant Leadership: 1) Learn 2) Affirm 3) Demonstrate. (L.A.D.)

Be a leader who practices L.A.D. today! :)

Alright! So this is about it for the leadership series! Hope you guys learnt something! :) If you have any feedback do comment or follow me on twitter: @toranseth and DM me :) Thank you so much! :)

  

Lead (The Team Player)

Lead (Team Player)

Leader - Team Player - Servant Leader

For a team be successful not everyone can be the outright leader. In fact, the outright leader should be few. That's why in yesterday's post I mentioned about doing 'small things in a great way', because it's not always possible to do great things! :)
For those who didn't get to see the pic here it is:

And this is what this post is about, leadership, from a team player's perspective.

Whenever I go for motivational talks, the speaker there is always like: "Do you want to be a leader? or do you want to be a follower?" and then they will paint all the good points about being a leader... When I was younger, it seemed very plain and simple and I just tried training up those leadership qualities. (you guys should to, but do read on...)

But as I grew older, I started wondering, without these 'followers'...who will leaders lead? Will they still be called leaders?  In fact, leaders are leaders because they have people who follow them or listen to them.
This being said, it makes leaders sound much more important than 'followers'. If you've noticed i've been using '' whenever I say 'followers', why? The very same reason why the motivational speakers I listen to want us to be leaders. Being a leader sounds so much better doesn't it? That's why I prefer using the term: TEAM PLAYERS

Yes, from the head of the table to the guy in the corner, everyone is part of a team. And everyone has a role to play. Yesterday's post was about being the outright leader, the one who takes the initiative, today, I'll talk about the members in the team, the ones who do the 'little things' in a great way. I'll try to guide you guys through...

FIRSTLY, you gotta stop thinking that the things you do are 'little things', even though what you do may be considered small in the picture, you must make it BIG while you do it! Basically the advice here is to do things WHOLE HEARTEDLY.
While I was doing my internship, the first 2 weeks of the job involved me doing data analysis. Now it sounds really cool when I call it data analysis. But in reality, all i was doing was: sitting at a desk typing in data into an excel sheet. Of course, later on in the internship I did much more interesting and cool stuff but for that first 2 weeks, I just had to sit there and type data, and the worst part was that the data was handwritten and in different languages...yeah :/ So how did I pull through? Every sheet I did, I did it to the best I can. Eventually I completed nearly 1000 forms that's right a Thousand. :) and if I can do it, why can't you? :)

SECONDLY, being part of a team means you got to CONTRIBUTE. Be it ideas, assignments, suggestions, whatever! You have to contribute. Don't always wait to see if the outright leader guides you, sometimes they are waiting to see if you do it yourself. Basically, this is like taking the initiative from another perspective (a team player's perspective).

THIRDLY, and finally (don't want to overload you with too much in one post yeah :) ), LISTEN. Most people will usually advise the outright leader to listen, but the team has to listen to each other too. Effective communication is the best way to success. At my internship, my bosses practiced alot of communictaion and that's the reason why their business is progressing everyday! Effective communication is the big word, the easier way to see it is just simple listening. Yesterday on twitter, I had a late night (early morning) tweet: "Ignore haters but ALWAYS take constructive feedback". How do you know if it's constructive feedback?
Listen.
If it's for your own good and the speaker usually doesn't gain anything from it, it's constructive advice (To Lift You Higher).  This is good for you. Take note though that it may not always sound nice, not everyone mince their words first and it may actually come out quite blunt and hurtful. An example is this blog, I think before I type, because I know that not everyone will take blunt speaking, but is the advice good for you? I sure hope so. Alot of people don't listen (and they don't know it), what they do is this:

There's no harm trying to understand someone elses point of view. In fact doing so benefits you, because after understanding if you don't think it's good, you can still stick to your idea. BUT ALWAYS listen first. You never know, there may be some really good insights waiting to be told :)


So what have we gone through today? As a team player you have to: 1) Do things whole heartedly. 2) Take the initiative and contribute 3) Listen (especially to constructive feedback)
I'm not all that good a person, I have countless flaws, but if I can do the things I post, I'm very certain you can too :)


Do catch the blog on sunday when I do my 1st week post -it'll be special- :)

Hi there overseas viewers! :) For those who don't know, I'm based in Singapore, so all the timings and all is based on Singapore time. Also, this is a non-profit blog, so basically I don't earn a cent! :) This blog is just to help you guys and yes there are truly helpful people out there. 

Want to leave a comment or give some feedback? Want to get to know me more? Leave a comment below, or follow me on twitter: @toranseth and DM me :) For those who know my number, I'm only 8 numbers away :)

Lead (Feedback)

Leader - Team Player - Servant Leader

Extension of Part One: Leader

I was planning to move on to the next section, Team Player, as there are some interesting things I would like to share there. BUT first...I have to really REALLY share about yesterday's feedback that I got for the post on 'Leader' :)

Okay guys, even though I put the smiley and all, the feedback was more constructive than just praises. So firstly, I've gotta address some points:

1) After re-reading through the post I realised that the story doesn't really link with the theme of the post! So I guess it was my mistake there yeah! :/ BUT from that story you still can take home the idea of taking the intiative and helping others :)

2) Whenever I mention a girl in a story, even though I do not say a name, it doesn't mean I'm talking about the same person :) Same situation for guys. Helping people is not just an everyday thing, it's something that can be done for multiple people too :)

3) I know I didn't really explain alot of qualities of being a leader, but there was a reason for it. Isn't it better to master one quality to the best of your ability before moving on to another? I post stuff everyday too, so you guys don't have to wait long :) Yesterday's post, I was mainly trying to promote this in a leader: "Stepping up and taking the initiative". Later, when I do the post on leadership (team player's perspective), there'll be something else to share and learn too :)

Alright, so that's about all for the feedback :) Thank you readers! and if you have more feedback or comments or things to share, you know how to contact me :) (If you don't, see previous posts! ^^)

Lead

Leader - Team Player - Servant Leader

Part One: Leader

When I used to think about the word "leading'' or "leadership'', I would usually think of someone having great power and being infront of things telling everyone what to do. Basically a bossy person, in my head I may visualise someone like a...a king. (sorry my imagination isn't very robust)

Ok not really this guy but you guys get the gist of things! :)

 

 

But that mindset of mine changed over time. I started realising that there were such things as 'everyday leaders' ! Isn't that amazing? For those who don't know the implications of 'everyday leaders' , it technically means that the average guy (people like you and me) can do extraodinary things! Imagine that, you can be like a boss, a principal, a president, a team captain, basically you can be like your leaders. But how? It has already been proven that different people have different capabilities and some even more than others! So does that mean some will be left behind?.....No

True?
When I heard that a friend of mine was having trouble making this huge descision in her life (basically a relationship descision) I decided to help her.

*Guys do note that doing this is really risky, you have to THINK before you say anything to help*

**Also, I know that i'm stereotyping abit here but bear with me :) **

Her trouble was that she was really close to this guy (he's quite attractive) and she didn't know if he shared the same feelings back or if the relationship should go any further or if she'll lose him if she waits too long or if....Basically complicated stuff

If there are too many 'ifs', you can consider it complicated.

SO what did I tell her? (if you are reading this and you know it's you, thank you so much for being a great listener and friend)

"You deserve someone who likes you and only you as much as you like him. So if he can't wait for you to decide and goes for someone else so easily then maybe he's not the one for you"

Long story short, the two of them are now doing great (less doubts than previously)

 

Ok back to the point of my post: Leading

What I did wasn't big. In fact, I think many people can and do give advice like this everyday. But all these 'small' peices of advice, go a looooooong way for people who are in need. It's each and every one of our small steps of initiative.

 

Yes initiative, that's a quality of leadership, a very important one in fact. I've seen so many people who hold leadership roles but don't take the initiative. Instead what do they do? They sit back and watch their team (or followers as some people call it) scramble to solve their problems. I've once  asked a 'leader' who behaved like this why he did so. His reply? "I'm being calm"

Yeah right..

 

Guys and girls there's a difference between staying calm and being lazy. It's obvious, but some people just don't see it. The similarity is that you don't panic (a good quality of a leader) but the difference is that a proper leader is still involved. He/She still takes the initiative to help.

 

I admit, I did do the stupid thing and told him to be more proactive, his reply? "Too risky"

I'm not gonna bore you readers with another paragraph of elaboration, just see this pic:

 

So take the Initiative Today. HELP SOMEONE. I'm sure there's someone out there who you know needs help, family? friends? enemies?

Yeah, even your enemies, but of course only do so if you're willing to help them whole-heartedly.

Ok GO! GO! GO! Be awesome and Lift Someone Higher Today! :)

 

This is the first part of my 3 part leadership post series :) Stay tuned for the next one on leadership as a Team Player :) 

 

 

 

Have feedback? or any comments? Need advice or help? Feel free to leave a comment, drop me a text or follow me on twitter: @toranseth (and DM me) :) Always Lifting You Higher

 

 

Good Deeds

Good Deeds

A story I heard from my Chinese teacher (so the story is probably from China)...

Once upon a time (sorry couldn't think of a better start), there was this guy (let's name him Tom).
As a kid, Tom always liked travelling up the mountains near his home. One day he met a fortune teller on the mountain who offered to read his fortune.

Tom being the young, adventurous and curious kid he is agreed and this is what the fortune teller told him:
1) There's no point working hard because you will never be able to achieve great success
2) You will never get married and will not have children
3) You wil die by the age of 50

*Keep reading if you want to see how Tom's life changes*

 

No success...no woman...no offspring...no longevity... Tom was shaken. But he accepted his fate and carried on with life. (You definitely have to admire him just for this part)

So Tom decided to just sit around and have fun and basically just slack through life. (Not really advisable)

 

*Its not the end yet, keep reading*

 

Several years pass and Tom was now a youth. One day, he was brought to a temple for a visit. (Just one of those trips)

A monk saw him and asked if he would like to meditate with him. Tom, having nothing better to do, obviously agreed.

 

After 3 days of non-stop meditation, the monk turned to Tom and said, "Who is this great master I've found?? Most beginners will give up after an hour! Oh great Master teach me your ways" (I may have exagerated the story abit but that's the gist of what he said)

Tom looked at him and calmly replied, "Oh, you're mistaken. I'm no great master, I just have nothing better to do in life" Tom goes on to tell the monk about the fortune teller and all.

The Monk sighs looks at him and says, "So you are just a normal person afterall...What the fortune teller says may be true, but you can change your destiny by changing a few things." 

Tom's reaction?

 

"What do I need to do?"

"First, you need to change your mindset. Second, and most importantly, doing good deeds can change one's destiny"

And to prove his point, the monk gave Tom 2 bowls and 2 bags of beans (red beans and green beans). Everytime Tom did a good deed, he placed one green bean in a bowl, everytime he did a bad deed, he placed one red bean in the other bowl.

From here, Tom started to study hard, and worked towards being a government official. (Back in ancient China, becoming a government official was only for the scholars and super smart people -correct me if i'm worng)

and guess what, by his late 20s (or early 30s) he was already quite a well known official, known for his kindness and good deeds. (so much for no great success)

 

Tom goes back to the monk and says, "ok I've done the first part, how do I get myself a wife?"

The monk tells him that he has to accumulate more good deeds, which he does. 

 

Here's a story of what he did:

Being an Official in the government, Tom sees prisoners quite often. One day, he saw a new batch of prisoners enter the prison. They were famished and the prison did not have anymore food as there was a drought or some disaster which caused the shortage. Anyways, he himself only had one bag of grain left for the entire month. But does this stop him from doing good deeds? no. He took his own bag of grain, made porridge and gave it to the prisoners. Yes you read that right, he fed convicts. (Is this man awesome or what!)

 

Eventually, he gets married and even has 2 kids.

 

But wait, how about the dying at 50 part? By now Tom was already in his early 40s so time was really running out. This is what the monk told him:

 

"Do 10 000 good deeds"

 

 



Now for those who don't understand what 10 000 good deeds in 10 years is, that's like helping an old lady cross the street 10 000 times within 10 years, there aren't even 10 000 days..

 

But Tom was motivated and he started helping people and doing good deeds like never before...

10 years pass and on the night before his 50th birthday, Tom told himself "i tried" and went to bed.

 

Tom died...........

 

 

...........................nah kidding this is what happened:

 

That night God came to him in a dream and told him "Congratulations Tom, you can live past 50." Tom couldn't believe it, he asked, "How could this be possible? i haven't even done 10 000 good deeds yet!" God replied, "but you did! As an official you gave numerous orders which did not just help 1 person at a time but hundreds and even thousands!"

Basically, Tom thanked God profusely and the next morning, he continued with his life.

Tom died from old age like most people and the story ends on a good note. Not to mention how he continued to accumilate good deeds yeah :)

 

 

Some of us have consigned ourselves to a sad fate. I do fall in that category myself. Although I did work on changing my own mindset, so now I see things in a happier light. But honestly speaking, Whether it's to live long, have kids, get success, or whatever, doing good deeds is a must in life.

Doing good deeds should be like breathing. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain when you do a good deed. So how about it? Do a good deed today? :)

 

 

Leave a comment or follow me on twitter: @toranseth and give me some feedback :)

*Special thanks to everyone who has been giving me tips on how to improve this blog, will get to it this weekend :)*

Always Lifting You Higher

 

 

 



 

 



Mistakes

Mistakes

I was quite taken aback myself when I saw the title of this blog (yeah you got that right, shocked by my own blog!) I'm supposed to be writing a motivational blog and what comes to my mind at a time like this? Mistakes.


The paragraph I wrote above ^, yeah that's how most people see mistakes, negative. Can't blame anyone for that perception, from young we're thought that mistakes are bad, sure we make mistakes but try to make as few as possible......what if I told you there's another way to view mistakes? Want to know? read more :)

A friend sent me this picture during the New Years, after reading the first line I began to wonder if this person was really my friend. After reading the rest, I knew, this person isn't just a friend, this person is a true friend (guiding me through and lifting me higher).
So mistakes don't seem so bad anymore right? I mean people actually hope I make mistakes! and I'm not even angry about it! Amazing? I think yes.

Making mistakes however, does not mean you do the same wrong thing over and over again. (WAIT WHAT?? didn't I just say that making mistakes is good?) Here's another pic which will explain:

Understand now? The keyword there is NEW.
But here's the big question. Why? Why bother making mistakes when you can just do everything right?
Well, because in life there are certain decisions which you have to make, which you won't know if it's going to be successful. An example is the story in one of my earlier posts of the girl I asked out.(Read if you haven't) If I didn't risk making a 'mistake', I wouldn't have known the answer. So no regrets there :)

That's right guys and girls out there reading this, keep TRYING, keep MAKING mistakes, keep LEARNING from your mistakes...because eventually, you're going to be successful. Be it that 'big' success you hope for like being a millionaire or getting top grades or being a World Champion or the 'little' successes like self satisfaction or making someone's day or enjoying the process, a success is still a success. So embrace it and try. Because you'll never know until you try :)

Stay awesome and keep lifting people higher!


Anything to share? Follow me on twitter: @toranseth, leave a comment or drop me a text :)

A bright spot

 

Optimism

I WOKE UP THIS MORNING TO THE GLOOM OF ANOTHER DAY'S WORK...bet you guys didn't expect that from a motivational blog eh? ;)
Okay but seriously, the weather today is really quite gloomy with the rain and all.
Let's be honest, most of us do want to just sleep in on a rainy day in our nice and comfy beds, with not a care in the world! :)

But looking past the gloom and the rain and the moodiness, there's actually quite alot of great things you can get from a day like this!
LIfe is a self-fullfilling prophecy. Heard of this phrase before? Basically, what you think is going to happen (a prediction) will come true (directly or indirectly). In other words, BELIEF. So if you believe that positive things are going to happen to you today, they will! Be it at home, school, work, training, etc. If you wake up and tell yourself, "Today is going to be a great day!" and you do this all the time, you'll start seeing the positives in everything! (Like the picture above)

So what do you want to do? Be optimistic and progress? or the opposite of that? (pretty sure most of us will pick the first one :) )

And since the process is always the most memorable part of the journey, live today (everyday), see life optimistically as you go through your day :)



Saw the bright spot in your day today?
Leave a comment, tweet to me: @toranseth or text me if you've anything to share :)

 

Motivation in more than one perspective

Another Perspective

Hello again!
I got the idea for this post from a close friend of mine! He reminded me of how motivation can come from more than just our earthly perspectives and that's why this post will be dedicated to sharing motivation from the perspective of a Child of God.

There are definitely times when we face problems and we can't solve them (and i'm not just talking about homework) and sometimes when you turn to someone for help (refer to my previous posts if you're lost here), they may also not know how to help you.

This has really happened to me before! (Here comes the story)
I think I can label this story under "one of the reasons why I was motivated to create this blog", here goes:
After one of my best friend and I decided that we should just be normal friends (yeah I thought this only happened to couples too), I started to try to rebuild my life from scratch. I assure you, it is difficult, memories do form the foundation to how you view someone. So I went by each day, keeping myself busy, trying to get my mind off things, and it worked!.....for awhile.

So whenever there was a little 'blank' time to the day, I would just sit there or lie there and wonder...BUT I do what I preach, so I turned to people for help, close friends, cousins, yeah. STILL however, I was still an empty shell just rotting away inside.

So what in the world happened that turned me into this happy state that I can now freely try to inspire people's lives? I turned to God. Yeah I know, I sound like those people who turn to religion in times of desperation and when all hope is lost. Well I admit, for the past few years of my life (As a Student and Athlete) I did do that. I would humble down only after being humbled. But after I was shown how I should lead my life instead, after this 'best friend incident'. I've decided to turn to God, Permanently. Like what my primary school friend once told me "In good times we praise Him, in bad times we praise Him"(yes I used to think he was crazy, used too).

Some of you viewers may be thinking about how I 'hit the wall' so many times before I finally realised what is good for me, and it's true. That is why I made this post (and this blog in general), to share my experiences, to inspire others, to lift YOU higher. (each and every one of you) I don't want people to make the same mistakes as I did, let you wait until what you cherish and worked hard for crumbles right in front of you? NO WAY! If you're reading this and you want to make a change in your life, DO IT. Start thinking positive, and once you've changed yourself, INSPIRE those around you.

My parting words from this post:

Feel free to leave any comments, DM on twitter @toranseth or send me a text :)

YOLO

YOLO

Recently this phrase has been used like...EVERYWHERE
For those who don't know YOLO stands for, You Only Live Once (like duh..ok some people will differ but yah :) )
So YOLO, when i first heard the phrase i thought it was along the lines of this:

Guys honestly, live your life right. Do things that will inspire and help others (Like encourage them to read this blog hehe :) )
But honestly, this YOLO thing can do us alot of good if seen in the right perspective. It's like the phrase: "Live each day like it's your last"

This to some may sound rather depressing, but being a motivational blog! YES BE HAPPY! :)
Live everyday to the fullest so you won't regret. Because when we grow old, we'll regret the things we never did more than the things we tried (even if you failed).
One example is when I tried asking this girl out the other time (haha yah another personal story...and yes she's quite hot :P) OK so...what do you guys think the answer was (I give you a clue i'm still single)
DESPITE it not turning out well repeatedly, yes i did try a few times, I learnt that there's a reason for everything! and I wouldn't know unless I tried.
For those who want to know these reasons are:
she wasn't ready,
I'm too much to the opposite of cute,
She's not the right one (honestly, thinking back, she really isnt)

So do not worry about failure!!
Live your life right! Do something to help someone, inspire people, improve yourself!
BUT REMEMBER, take care of yourself too! Don't be like those people who say YOLO before doing something stupid.

BE THE KIND OF PERSON WHO PEOPLE CAN LOOK UP TO :) 
Task for viewers: Inspire someone today (Lift someone higher)

Monday Blues

MONDAY 21st Jan 2013

Hi guys!
We all get that feeling on Monday, you know the one where after 2 full days of Rest and Relaxation we have to go back to work or school! (For some people it's work and school!)
Sorta feel like this right:

Yeah I feel you guys! I recently got this internship and the heavy workload is taking it's toll. (If this keeps up I think I'm gonna get abs from all this coughing! )

But other than the pessimistic outlook towards mondays, let's try to see it more positively! I saw this this morning:

YES MY AWESOME VIEWERS THAT'S FOR YOU!!!
If you're feeling a little down on this Monday morning, CHEER UP! :) and start being awesome!
Because when you're being awesome, you're going to encourage the people around you to think positively and start being awesome as well! :)

Ok so remember to always start your week on the right note! Take care! :)

If you have any comments do just drop a comment in the comment box or text me or follow me on twitter (@toranseth), much appreciated :)

The Tree

The Tree

I'm sure most of us have heard the question about the tree in the forest. If you haven't this is how it goes: "If a tree falls in the forest, but no one is there, did it happen?" or "If a tree falls in the forest, but no one is there to hear it, does it still make a sound"

Answering this is fairly easy, most people will just answer based on experience and say 'yes'. But the hard part is proving it....and this is what this post is going to be about... no not the tree 

Suspicions and Proving Things...

Seems pretty easy for us to assume things from time to time and most of the time, yes, we are right. But that's usually when we assume how things are physically done. Like: I assume that my books are in the locker or that the cake stall sells cake. (mmm...cake :) )

But when it comes to things like someone's emotions and how they feel, don't leave it to assumptions! NEVER. NEVER EVER.

If you have, now you know.

Why? Let me share with you guys something...

Up till recently, I had this girl best friend (don't worry guys, i'm just telling one incident, not the whole life story). I used to assume that she was fine when I said certain things bluntly to her. Some examples are: "stop being lazy, you pig, work harder"...yeah i was an ass back then. (But i'm changed/changing for the better *promise*) 

So, I said these phrases casually, without thinking, and basically to sum up the whole thing. I'm now 1 friend less.  

I don't go about blaming myself, and neither should you if you've made the same mistake before. As I said in my previous post, LEARN from it. That's the most important thing to do, learning from it will make sure that you won't repeat it :) 

Now, back to assumptions, don't ever feel you truly know how people feel. Most of you would have seen and heard phrases like these before:

And it is true. Take time to learn about the person before you start saying things. Even if the person is your best friend (like in my case), take time to get to know him/her better. As much as your life is progressing, so is theirs. If they don't want to share it with you, maybe they need a little space, and that's probably the best you can do for them :) (or you can get them to read my previous post on not bottling things up ;) ) 

So remember, next time before you say or do something to someone and you THINK you're right, check the whole situation first. You never know, you might stop yourself in time from making things worse for the person, and instead show them the way! (lifting them up :) )

Feel free to share your experiences or leave any comments :)