My guitar teacher once told me: „If you practice guitar correctly, it should be easy and it should not take long hours. Why? If you practice in a wrong way, the more you practice the more difficult for you to unlearn the bad habits.“
When I think back, I realize that all the major mile stones in my life were coming without any struggles:
1. I was nominated for a university exchange program to Germany without any efforts from my side.
2. I got my first job without lengthy recruiting process. I contacted a former PhD student of my PhD Professor. And that was it.
3. I met my wife coincidently in my friend apartment in Cologne. I wrote her a letter. Few years later we got married, until today, 25 years later.
4. The chance to go back to Shanghai as Expatriate came without any efforts from my side.
In contrast I put a lot of efforts, energy in some projects which did not succeed as I would have wished. My conclusion is, if you do the things in the right way, it should be easy. It should come naturally to success.
When I observe how people work in some companies, I found out that people who work long hours and unhappy are usually people who often create cost of non-quality. They try to fight in all fronts and try to maximise ambiguous benefits. It is doubtable that they create more value overall for the company and for the customers than other people in the company.
Life should be easy, if your mind, body and soul are in perfect alignment.
Life should be easy, if you extend your boundary as broader as you can image.
Life should be easy, if you have complete clarify about what you want to achieve.
Life should be easy, if you are certain that you will eventually achieve your goals.
Life should be easy, if you live your passion and dreams.
Life should be easy, if you take time to enjoy it.
Life should be easy, if you love everything around you including yourself.
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Friday, October 9, 2009
7 Steps to Realize Your Dreams – Any Dreams
Step 1: Be crystal clear about your dream
Dreamers seem to be creative people and creative people tend to wander with their ideas, wishes and desires. However, if you are serious to realize your dreams, you need to focus only on one big thing. Being clear about this for a long enough time is the starting point of the realisation. There you gather sufficient energy which will be transferred to the materials. Your dream will be materialized.
Step 2: Ask the big WHY question
People are uncertain about their dreams because their dreams do not pass the big WHY test. Why do I have that dream? Would I approach that dream even I lose all my money or lose all your friends? Would I feel passion and love to approach the dream? Would I do every thing possible to achieve it? After asked all the questions: would I still like to approach the dream with 100% certainty? If the answer is yes, then the rest is just technique.
Step 3: Visualize the end results
Use your imagination to visualize what it looks like when the end results are achieved. Create a space in your mind and put all the elements of your dream into it. Be generous because in your mind really nothing is limited. Where are you positioned in that space? Do you feel really happy about the end results? If not, what should be changed to make you absolutely happy? Then change it. Remember, in your mind nothing is limited. You can revise your end results several times until you are absolute comfortable.
Step 4: Ask how to finance the project
Now this is the key part: you might first separate your dreams from the question how to finance it. Because it is so overwhelming that would become the blocking issue to act further. Google’s dream was to develop the best search engine in the world. And in the first years they did not have any revenue. The big money comes later. Youtube still lose money today. Think about that there are people in the business of giving away money. There is enough money in this world. What could be the models of financing the project to realize your dream?
Step 5: Generate continuously ideas to realize the big dream
The quality of your ideas is proportional to the quantity of your ideas you generate. Make a habit to generate ideas. Some ideas are just stupid, but that is the nature of ideas. Write down any ideas you can find. And manage your idea pool well. Sometimes my ideas are generated in my dreams in the night. Then I woke up and wrote down the ideas. Some ideas are coming from other people, people who are different than you or even people you dislike. Take any ideas from any sources. Speak with people in different industries. Do some thing unusual. The idea to write this article is inspired by a friend in a conversation about her career development.
Step 6: Sort out the best ideas that you can do immediately and do it
Ideas will only have impact if you act on it. Try first to sort out some cool, great ideas and act on it, immediately. Then see the results. Then adapt and change courses if you see fit. Act on ideas every day. Through your action you will generate more interesting, more useful ideas. And the most relevant fact about action is this: as long as you are acting toward your dream, you will imprint your dreams even more into your mind. And as long as you are acting toward your dreams your means will grow, your capability will grow and your determination will grow and your certainty will grow.
Step 7: Enjoy the life such, where possible, as if your dream was already realized
In fact the realization of the dream is not the state of the outside of you, it is inside you. It is your state of mind. Therefore to feel like if you already realized your dream is the most effective way to get there. What would you feel and think? How would you behave? Would you be more powerful? Would you be more loving? Would you be more generous? Would you have more fun? Just feel, think and behave like it. Remember, our mind does not need any time and space to go from state A to state B. Change your mind once, every thing else will follow.
Dreamers seem to be creative people and creative people tend to wander with their ideas, wishes and desires. However, if you are serious to realize your dreams, you need to focus only on one big thing. Being clear about this for a long enough time is the starting point of the realisation. There you gather sufficient energy which will be transferred to the materials. Your dream will be materialized.
Step 2: Ask the big WHY question
People are uncertain about their dreams because their dreams do not pass the big WHY test. Why do I have that dream? Would I approach that dream even I lose all my money or lose all your friends? Would I feel passion and love to approach the dream? Would I do every thing possible to achieve it? After asked all the questions: would I still like to approach the dream with 100% certainty? If the answer is yes, then the rest is just technique.
Step 3: Visualize the end results
Use your imagination to visualize what it looks like when the end results are achieved. Create a space in your mind and put all the elements of your dream into it. Be generous because in your mind really nothing is limited. Where are you positioned in that space? Do you feel really happy about the end results? If not, what should be changed to make you absolutely happy? Then change it. Remember, in your mind nothing is limited. You can revise your end results several times until you are absolute comfortable.
Step 4: Ask how to finance the project
Now this is the key part: you might first separate your dreams from the question how to finance it. Because it is so overwhelming that would become the blocking issue to act further. Google’s dream was to develop the best search engine in the world. And in the first years they did not have any revenue. The big money comes later. Youtube still lose money today. Think about that there are people in the business of giving away money. There is enough money in this world. What could be the models of financing the project to realize your dream?
Step 5: Generate continuously ideas to realize the big dream
The quality of your ideas is proportional to the quantity of your ideas you generate. Make a habit to generate ideas. Some ideas are just stupid, but that is the nature of ideas. Write down any ideas you can find. And manage your idea pool well. Sometimes my ideas are generated in my dreams in the night. Then I woke up and wrote down the ideas. Some ideas are coming from other people, people who are different than you or even people you dislike. Take any ideas from any sources. Speak with people in different industries. Do some thing unusual. The idea to write this article is inspired by a friend in a conversation about her career development.
Step 6: Sort out the best ideas that you can do immediately and do it
Ideas will only have impact if you act on it. Try first to sort out some cool, great ideas and act on it, immediately. Then see the results. Then adapt and change courses if you see fit. Act on ideas every day. Through your action you will generate more interesting, more useful ideas. And the most relevant fact about action is this: as long as you are acting toward your dream, you will imprint your dreams even more into your mind. And as long as you are acting toward your dreams your means will grow, your capability will grow and your determination will grow and your certainty will grow.
Step 7: Enjoy the life such, where possible, as if your dream was already realized
In fact the realization of the dream is not the state of the outside of you, it is inside you. It is your state of mind. Therefore to feel like if you already realized your dream is the most effective way to get there. What would you feel and think? How would you behave? Would you be more powerful? Would you be more loving? Would you be more generous? Would you have more fun? Just feel, think and behave like it. Remember, our mind does not need any time and space to go from state A to state B. Change your mind once, every thing else will follow.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
The True Love
Lisa finished her Yoga practise and her mind was completely clear. She was determined to tell Tom today. She had struggled for this decision already too long.
Tom was sitting in the living room with a book in the hand. It was the bestseller about the man-woman relationship “Man are from Mars and woman are from Venus”. As Lisa sat next to Tom, he lifted his head and looked at her with a slight suspicion.
“Tom. I really appreciate all your efforts to make our relationship work. But don’t you see that your efforts during these 5 years were all for nothing?”
“Yes. Lisa, I realise. But I am the person who never gives up. If I set a goal, I will just persistently move forward until its victory.”
Lisa unconsciously raised the voice: “Victory? Who’s victory? You can not win here. Do you know why?”
“I know. Because my heart is not here.”
“Where is your heart?” Lisa asked, although she knew the answer.
“My heart is in my dreams.” He looked down.
“And your heart is with her. All the five years. I am not blind.”
“I can not change it. I can change my behaviours, my attitudes, but not my feeling. I am sorry.”
“Don’t feel sorry. I appreciate you to make all the efforts. Five years ago I asked you to stay because of the children. Now, they are out of the house. And you are free to leave.” She pointed to the door. Her voice was calm and determined, but warm and loving.
Tom looked at her again, surprised to watch her calm expression and realized that she was completely serious. A feeling of sadness emerged in his heart. He could not control that the tears came down from his eyes. He knew that she loved him, so much that she would give him the freedom to approach his happiness. He moved to her and hugged her so closely that she had little difficulties to breath. She cried and kissed him.
Tom was sitting in the living room with a book in the hand. It was the bestseller about the man-woman relationship “Man are from Mars and woman are from Venus”. As Lisa sat next to Tom, he lifted his head and looked at her with a slight suspicion.
“Tom. I really appreciate all your efforts to make our relationship work. But don’t you see that your efforts during these 5 years were all for nothing?”
“Yes. Lisa, I realise. But I am the person who never gives up. If I set a goal, I will just persistently move forward until its victory.”
Lisa unconsciously raised the voice: “Victory? Who’s victory? You can not win here. Do you know why?”
“I know. Because my heart is not here.”
“Where is your heart?” Lisa asked, although she knew the answer.
“My heart is in my dreams.” He looked down.
“And your heart is with her. All the five years. I am not blind.”
“I can not change it. I can change my behaviours, my attitudes, but not my feeling. I am sorry.”
“Don’t feel sorry. I appreciate you to make all the efforts. Five years ago I asked you to stay because of the children. Now, they are out of the house. And you are free to leave.” She pointed to the door. Her voice was calm and determined, but warm and loving.
Tom looked at her again, surprised to watch her calm expression and realized that she was completely serious. A feeling of sadness emerged in his heart. He could not control that the tears came down from his eyes. He knew that she loved him, so much that she would give him the freedom to approach his happiness. He moved to her and hugged her so closely that she had little difficulties to breath. She cried and kissed him.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Noodle Soup and Birthday Surprise
As a born Chinese I usually celebrate my birthday in a very simple way. My wife cooks some noodle soup for us all and we eat together. Noodle should symbolize a long life. No birthday present, no birthday cake and no “happy birthday” song. I am a happy person and we are a happy family. There is nothing extra needed.
This year when my birthday arrived, I did really not expect anything from any one, except the noodle soup. I stood up as usual at 6:45am and went to the kitchen. As I saw near my noodle soup (with an extra baked egg) a heart constructed with rose blossoms and in the middle of the heart a CD “The best guitar gems”, tears almost came down from my eyes.
I start to understand how much emotion can be hidden in the word surprise. Why don’t we just do a little more to our customers, employees or bosses than expected? Why shouldn’t we surprise them? It will make a huge difference and it costs little time and money. All you need is to have a heart to those you really care about.
This year when my birthday arrived, I did really not expect anything from any one, except the noodle soup. I stood up as usual at 6:45am and went to the kitchen. As I saw near my noodle soup (with an extra baked egg) a heart constructed with rose blossoms and in the middle of the heart a CD “The best guitar gems”, tears almost came down from my eyes.
I start to understand how much emotion can be hidden in the word surprise. Why don’t we just do a little more to our customers, employees or bosses than expected? Why shouldn’t we surprise them? It will make a huge difference and it costs little time and money. All you need is to have a heart to those you really care about.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Emotional Write Offs
Are you an investor? Do you feel some times that you hold an investment too long, an investment which gets you nowhere, but you can’t just get rid of it, because it cost you already too much money, time and energy?
The same can happen with your emotional reality. Here an example. Let say you fall in love with some one who has absolutely no bridge to your emotional world. You tried to date with her, make presents, send flowers, send letters, emails, sms, make phone calls, say nice words, make compliments, take care of her where ever possible. But there is absolutely no response and no return. You get mad and can not concentrate on your work, but have to think of her, knowing with the certainty that it will get you nowhere.
What would you do? You say to yourself: “Stop. I made a terrible mistake in this emotional investment. And now I have to write off this investment.”
Close your eyes and start to imagine, that every thing from her is getting out from your body, your heart, your mind, slowly, but surely, away from you, to a far destination, that you do not know and do not care. Imagine that you can absolutely live in peace and harmony with the remaining pure YOU.
Say to her in your mind: “Good bye and good luck.”
Practice this more times, until nothing of her is left. Then you completed the write-off of your emotional investment. It is really as easy as like that.
The same can happen with your emotional reality. Here an example. Let say you fall in love with some one who has absolutely no bridge to your emotional world. You tried to date with her, make presents, send flowers, send letters, emails, sms, make phone calls, say nice words, make compliments, take care of her where ever possible. But there is absolutely no response and no return. You get mad and can not concentrate on your work, but have to think of her, knowing with the certainty that it will get you nowhere.
What would you do? You say to yourself: “Stop. I made a terrible mistake in this emotional investment. And now I have to write off this investment.”
Close your eyes and start to imagine, that every thing from her is getting out from your body, your heart, your mind, slowly, but surely, away from you, to a far destination, that you do not know and do not care. Imagine that you can absolutely live in peace and harmony with the remaining pure YOU.
Say to her in your mind: “Good bye and good luck.”
Practice this more times, until nothing of her is left. Then you completed the write-off of your emotional investment. It is really as easy as like that.
Monday, March 30, 2009
Irresistible
“Go to the hell. Disappear from my life. Never come back.” He thought about her, tried to focus on all her negative characters, remembered the bad experiences with her. “Why did I fall in love with her in the first place? She is just not worth it.”After he made the decision to detach with her emotionally, he felt much better, enlightened, relaxed. Then he fell in sleep shortly. It was a long, deep sleep. He hadn’t slept so well for weeks.
Then he woke up, all the determinations last night were fused with a single feeling of love, so strong, so hopeless to resist and so beautiful. Then he realized, that this was his calling, he could not explain why rationally.
He stood up and made his mind clear to approach her, probally in a different way. All he knew were two fixed points in his mind. He loves her right now and he will hold her hand to say good bye when she leave the world. He promised her and he is a man of word. How to get there would be interesting details, he thought and smiled from heart, enligthened.
The sun shined, windy, birds chattered. The nature was created so wonderfully in harmony because of love. He decided to go for it, despite obstacles, difficulties, including her own resistances. It will be a long way, but definitely enjoyable.
Monday, March 16, 2009
Conversation with a Lily
I met a lily and fell in love with her instantly. She was so beautiful, pure and irresistible that I couldn’t do anything but take her home. I put her into a glass vase with full of water. She felt happy and flourished wonderfully.Then I started to do my work and paid little attention to watch her. In the coming morning the first thing I did was to see her. But I was surprised to recognize her withering. She dried out, as if she cried the whole night. I felt so sorry, that I poured some water on her, with the full awareness that it wouldn’t help.
One hour later, I watched her again by chance and saw a miracle happening: She flourished again and smiled at me.
Even flowers feel when you love them and when you are lack of attention. What about people?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Two Candles
On Valentine’s Day my wife and I went to the Jade on 36 Bar at Shangri-La Hotel in Pudong. We enjoyed the wonderful view over the Bund, ordered fruit cocktails and a colorful fruit plate. Since the candle on the table was from electrical bulb (everything is fake in Shanghai :-), I brought two small red candles and lighted them up. The atmosphere was just fantastic.During our conversation, suddenly the fire of one candle was drowned. I then calmly lighted the candle with the burning one. We continued talking, ate fruits and drunk our fruit cocktails. And all of sudden, the one candle stopped burning again. So I took the other one and ignited it.
During the whole night this happened four, five times, we were patient and recovered the fire again and again and saved the wonderful Valentine’s evening, until the burning candle was used.
On the way back home in the subway, I was thinking what did the two candles want to tell me? And suddenly I got an idea: in relationship of romance as well as in relationship with client, as long as one party still has passion (fire), that party can ignite the other party.
Monday, February 16, 2009
The Impact of Economic Crises in Shanghai
I was often asked by European colleagues: “Do you really feel the impact of economic crises?” Since my experiences are only from the news paper, radio and TV, I decided to pass the question to the people I interact with daily and here is the feedback.
A taxi driver: “Yes, absolutely. Less people come from airport. And less people go to the luxury entertainment areas.”
A breakfast seller: “Yes. My main customers are workers from the country side. Now since some factories got closed, my business dropped dramatically.” In fact I saw her often standing there waiting for customers coming, while in the past she was always extremely busy with serving the people.
A laundry provider: “No. Not really. My customers are the white color inhabitants who lived near by. I experience business as usual.”
Conclusions (even not scientifically proven due to lack of sufficient samples): the economic crises impact first the high end (business traveler, expatriates) and low end (workers from country side). It has not been impacted middle class, yet.
My wife and I went on Saturday in Super Brand Moll. It was the valentine’s day. We had difficulties to find any seats for dinner, some top restaurants are overbooked with waiting time of 2 hours. Couples carrying roses were in high mood. It was really difficult to feel the impact of economic crises. Perhaps, loved ones are always exceptional. But what does prevent us from practicing love, despite economic crises?
A taxi driver: “Yes, absolutely. Less people come from airport. And less people go to the luxury entertainment areas.”
A breakfast seller: “Yes. My main customers are workers from the country side. Now since some factories got closed, my business dropped dramatically.” In fact I saw her often standing there waiting for customers coming, while in the past she was always extremely busy with serving the people.
A laundry provider: “No. Not really. My customers are the white color inhabitants who lived near by. I experience business as usual.”
Conclusions (even not scientifically proven due to lack of sufficient samples): the economic crises impact first the high end (business traveler, expatriates) and low end (workers from country side). It has not been impacted middle class, yet.
My wife and I went on Saturday in Super Brand Moll. It was the valentine’s day. We had difficulties to find any seats for dinner, some top restaurants are overbooked with waiting time of 2 hours. Couples carrying roses were in high mood. It was really difficult to feel the impact of economic crises. Perhaps, loved ones are always exceptional. But what does prevent us from practicing love, despite economic crises?
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