The Greatest Miracle

Recently, a photo collage which I had seen on Facebook, had caught my attention so much.

No. It's not the pretty faces which captured my attention. But it was rather the message that came with it.

Source: http://www.globalpost.com/dispatches/globalpost-blogs/weird-wide-web/south-korean-beauty-pageant-faces-controversy-daegu

Everyone is born into this world a unique soul. Everyone of us has our own destiny to fulfil. There is no reason why one should compare himself to others and get demotivated.

It's like comparing a tortoise to a hare. A hare would out run a tortoise anytime, whereas a tortoise would out live a hare anytime. Both are unique creatures. Both have their own destiny.

I am a unique creature of nature.

I am rare, and there is value in all rarity; therefore, I am valuable. I am the end product of thousands of years of evolution; therefore, I am better equipped in both mind and body than all the emperors and wise men who preceded me.

But my skills, my mind, my heart, and my body will stagnate, rot, and die lest I put them to good use. I have unlimited potential. Only a small portion of my brain do I employ; only a paltry amount of my muscles do I flex. A hundredfold or more can I increase my accomplishments of yesterday and this I will do, beginning today.

Nevermore will I be satisfied with yesterday's accomplishments nor will I indulge, anymore, in self-praise for deeds which in reality are too small to even acknowledge. I can accomplish far more than I have, and I will, for why should the miracle which produced me end with my birth? Why can I not extend that miracle to my deeds of today?

I am nature's greatest miracle.

I am not on this earth by chance. I am here for a purpose and that purpose is to grow into a mountain, not to shrink to a grain of sand. Henceforth will I apply all my efforts to become the highest mountain of all and I will strain my potential until it cries for mercy.

New Discoveries About The Human Brain

Lately, I have been reading this amazing book by Shad Helmstetter titled "What to Say When You Talk to Yourself". Here are some new discoveries which I find interesting from the book:

• Neuroscientists have learned that the brain operates very much like a personal computer.
• A computer has 3 basic parts: a "video" screen, a keyboard, and a program disk.
• The screen visually displays what we programming into the computer. It also displays the results (words, numbers, pictures) we store or compute in the computer.
• The keyboard is what we use to type in directions and information.
• The disk is the recording tape onto which we record the information. Whatever we program or record onto the disk will stay there forever unless someone changes it.
• A human is comparable to a computer in such manner:
• The computer's video screen is comparable to our appearance and our actions -- what we "display" to the world around us.
• The computer keyboard is the same as our 5 senses. Anything we hear, see, taste, touch and smell is "programmed" into our brain through the 5 senses.
• The disk is the same as our subconscious mind. Everything we experience is "programmed" into our subconscious minds.

Here's the message:

Whatever we program onto our subconscious mind will stay there forever, unless someone (we) decide to change it.

You Are More Beautiful Than You Think

"Women are their own worst beauty critics. Only 4% of women around the world consider themselves beautiful." ~ Dove

How we see ourselves are not the same as how others see us. You are more beautiful than you think. You are better than you think.

Watch this touching video by Dove.

Dove Real Beauty Sketches

"Our self-perceptions are generally kind of harsh, and unbecoming when really that's not how the world sees us."

Are We In Control of Our Decisions?

Watching this interesting video by Dan Ariely really spooked me.

Dan Ariely asks, Are we in control of our decisions?

This reminds me of two specific instances which I had come across in real life, where decisions have been "pre-determined" for us.

Look at the case of Air Asia.

The "checked baggage" option has been "pre-selected" for you.

The "travel insurance" option has been "pre-checked" for you.

(And note the "lighter" font colour used for the notification.)

Of course I wouldn't say these companies are "conning" people.

But, by applying some simple tweaks as mentioned by Dan Ariely in this video, these companies could increase their revenues by leaps and bounds.

The question for you is - are you in control of your decisions?

Vision . Emotion . Action

For some time, I have been observing how great leaders get people to follow them, and these are my own findings based on reflections:

• Great leaders lead by inspiring people with their vision, instead of attempting to persuade and convince people with information.
• Inspiration comes from a vision. Vision triggers emotion. Emotion spurs action.
• Information does not lead to action. Information justifies action.
• Great leaders lead with emotion, backed by information.
• Putting too much of information ahead of emotion would only lead to paralysis of analysis.

I am really grateful to these great leaders for giving me positive influences in my life.

Living Longer Life

Many people want to longer lives, so that they could have more time to achieve their dreams and spend more time together with their loved ones.

If you're one of these people, you may want to read this article.
Title: US study finds eating fish linked to longer life
Source: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/health/eating-fish-linked-to-longer-l/624230.html

Important points taken from the article:

• People with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids also had an overall risk of dying that was 27 percent lower, and a risk of dying from heart disease that was 35 percent lower than counterparts who had lower blood levels, said the study.
• Those with the highest blood levels of omega-3 fatty acids found mainly in fish like salmon, tuna, halibut, sardines, herring and mackerel, had the lowest risk of dying from any cause, and lived an average of 2.2 years longer than those with low levels.
• Researchers identified docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) as most strongly related to lower risk of coronary heart disease death.
• Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was strongly linked to lower risk of nonfatal heart attack, and docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) was most strongly associated with lower risk of dying from a stroke.

I hope this article gives you more reason to increase your intake of omega-3 fatty acids in your daily diet, as opposed to omega-6 fatty acids which are very commonly found to be of higher levels in our modern day diet.

Don't Eat the Marshmallow

The most important factor for success, according to Joachim de Posada in this video, is DELAYED GRATIFICATION and SELF DISCIPLINE.

In a simple marshmallow test, researchers have discovered that:

• 100% of the children who did not eat the marshmallow as instructed had enjoyed success when they become adults.
• A huge percentage of the children who disobeyed the instruction and ate the marshmallow had got into trouble when they become adults.

Joachim de Posada: Don't eat the marshmallow!

To tell a four-year-old kid to wait 50 minutes for something that they like is equivalent to tell us "We'll bring you coffee in 2 hours". ~ Joachim de Posada

Start teaching and practicing delayed gratification!

Why Videos Go Viral?

Some of you may be wondering why videos like "Gangnam Style" could have such huge followings on the internet.

Kevin Allocca: Why videos go viral

In this funny video, Youtube's trend manager Kevin Allocca talks about the things that make videos go viral:

1. Tastemakers
• Tastemakers like Jimmy Kimmel introduces us to new and interesting things and bring them to a larger audience.
2. Participation
• Unlike the one way entertainment of the 20th century, this community participation is how we become a part of the phenomenon, either by spreading it or doing something new with it. We don't just enjoy now, we participate.
3. Unexpectedness
• In a world of over two days of video getting uploaded every minute, only that which is truly unique and unexpected can stand out the way these things had.

Work on having these thing, and you could be the next big thing on Youtube  :)

Telling Kids Lies

"You can do anything you want to do."

"You are the best."

"You are a winner, no matter what."

Are these the things that you normally tell your kids?

We tell these to kids with the intention of building up their self-belief and self-esteem, but seriously, do you really believe they can do anything they want to do, they are the best, they are a winner no matter what?

In this article "More Lies", Tim Elmore highlights his concern that some of the words we say to kids may be damaging to them instead.

Link: http://www.savetheirfuturenow.com/lies

"We believe its time to speak the truth to this emerging generation. Instead of lies that boost a false sense of self-esteem, let’s cultivate a solid, healthy esteem in them, by building the following ingredients in their character." ~ Tim Elmore

Everyone deserves a chance to fall and learn how to get back on their feet. Everyone deserves to go through challenges in life to help them seek their true identity, strengths and weaknesses. Let's not muddify the waters and paint a fake vision in these young minds.