Life - The game we should play extremely well

“Life is the only game in which the object of the game is to learn the rules” - Ashleigh Brilliant

Life indeed can be interesting, challenging, and fun. Consider yourself blessed, if you have compelling choices in your life. To move on, you have to make some decisions, experience the consequences, and grow from there.

“Life is like a game of tennis; the player who serves well seldom loses” - Anonymous

“To win you've got to stay in the game.” - Claude M. Bristol

“The way a man plays a game shows some of his character. The way he loses shows all of it.” - Anonymous

A game is a lot more fun and you will keep playing with greater motivation if you expect some difficulties, obstacles and varieties. Likewise, if all of your attempts succeeded the first time or instantly, life can be really boring!

Learn the rules of life well. Be patient and you can be a better player of the game of life. Life is indeed a constant learning experience. Those who truly understand the purpose and meaning of life can have a wonderful fulfilling life.

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Exploring and Living Life Fully

“The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.” - Flora Whittemore

Ever since we are born into this world, we begin to learn about life and how it works by exploring. Curiosity about everything makes us want to learn something new every day. If we get bored, we will automatically look for something to do. That is the way we are. We like to learn new things. We also like to understand things and how they work.

However, many people begin to lose or stop making use of this ability when they had experienced failures or made some mistakes. Have you stop exploring or living?

“In oneself lies the whole world and if you know how to look and learn, the door is there and the key is in your hand. Nobody on earth can give you either the key or the door to open, except yourself.” - Jiddu Krishnamurti

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” - Helen Keller

Life is meant to be lived fully and we can do that if we set our priorities right and make conscious decisions about how we spend our time. There are doors waiting for you to open and the key is in your hand. It is your life. Think about it!

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The Fountain Of Youth

"Age ... is a matter of feeling, not of years." - George William Curtis

A matter of reactions
It is now believed that a man reaches his peak mentally around the age of 35 and that this peak is maintained even past 70 years of age.

It has also been proven that the old saying, "You can't teach an old dog new tricks" is untrue.

The learning power at 70 is about the same as it is at 17. As one authority put it, we do not become old through the passing of years, but rather by our reactions to the circumstances of life.

Interest makes the difference
When I and my family was in Genting Highlands - a famous mountain resort informally known as the Las Vegas of Malaysia, me and my wife were astonished at the casino. We saw aged man and woman so accustomed to all sort of gambling rules and have all the know how to operate any slot machines. On the other hand, we were totally lost and have no idea how those games or slot machines were played.

I also remembered at the very beginning, it was difficult to get older generation people onto Internet because many of them have phobia of IT stuff. However, when I show them how to use the Internet browser to look at the share price, the acceptance level suddenly shot up and the teaching becomes so easy!

Thus, age doesn't really matter and nothing is really difficult. It is just a matter of interest.

“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” - Sophia Loren

“Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at twenty or eighty. Anyone who keeps learning stays young."

"The greatest thing in life is to keep your mind young.” - Henry Ford

"Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter." - Mark Twain

The Secret
To remain young while growing old is indeed the highest blessing. You become old by not continuing to grow. When you stay interested and keep learning, you will stay young.

You're as old as you feel!

What do you think? Do you agree?

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Personal Development

“The best contribution one can make to humanity is to improve oneself.”

By spending time in personal development, you can learn to become more productive and effective at work and able to maintain focus on what really counts in all aspects of our life. You will definitely do better if you have more control of your own actions and emotions and able to stay motivated no matter what situation or environment you’re in.

“The aim of life is self-development. To realize one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for.” - Oscar Wilde

I have been tagged by Life Reflection. This Personal Development List meme was started by Priscilla Palmer with the objective of compiling a master list of Personal Development blogs that we feel can benefit us in our growth process.

Each person who participates are to put up a list of their 5 favorite personal development bloggers, and then let Priscilla know so she can compile a master list.

Below are sites Priscilla listed that I find very useful:

• Aaron Potts at Today is That Day
• Donald Latumahina at Life Optimizer
• Dawud Miracle at dmiracle.com
• Jacklyn Ker at Inspiring and Empowing Lives
• Karen at Journey with Water Learner

And here is my top 5 blogger list:

• Jennifer at Goodness Graciousness
• Surjit at Gurushabad
• Honman at Open Your Mind to Prosperity
• Killeris at Attitude, The Ultimate Power
• SJ Yee at Personal Development for the Book Smart

“If you wish to achieve worthwhile things in your personal and career life, you must become a worthwhile person in your own self-development.” - Brian Tracy

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The Value of Struggle

Most people think that by having an easy life without difficulties or problems is good. Indeed, who wants a tough life? But what struggle, be it physical or mental is necessary to make us grow stronger in body and mind.

“Where there is no struggle, there is no strength.” - Oprah Winfrey

I am who I am because of the struggle that I had experienced during my younger days. I came from a very poor family. Thus, my parent has to work day and night to meet our daily needs. Without much guidance in the area of education, I did very badly and hence I do not have a good foundation in my education. I only started to do well in my studies when I reach high school. Partly because of this, I always take self-improvement very seriously and know that I need to guide my children in their studies as well.

The bible tell us in Romans 5:3-4

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."

"If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste of adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome." - Anne Bradstreet

Let's take a look at this story:

A man found a cocoon of an emperor moth. He took it home so that he could watch the moth come out of the cocoon.

On the day a small opening appeared, he sat and watched the moth for several hours as the moth struggled to force the body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no farther. It just seemed to be stuck.

Then the man, in his kindness, decided to help the moth, so he took a pair of scissors and snipped off the remaining bit of the cocoon. The moth then emerged easily. But it had a swollen body and small, shriveled wings. The man continued to watch the moth because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened! In fact, the little moth spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and shriveled wings. It never was able to fly.

What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the moth to get through the tiny opening was the way of forcing fluid from the body of the moth into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. Freedom and flight would only come after the struggle. By depriving the moth of a struggle, he deprived the moth of health.

(Source: Internet; Author Unknown)

Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If we were to go through our life without any obstacles, we would be crippled. So instead of cursing and swearing, understand that they are part of the making of a better you.

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Little by little and step by step

"If you add a little to a little and do it often enough you can become skilled, learned or rich. A little practice every day makes the champion athlete; a little learning every day makes the scientist; a little saving every day makes the millionaire."

"There are no shortcuts to any place worth going." - Beverly Sills

"Champions know there are no shortcuts to the top. They climb the mountain one step at a time. They have no use for helicopters!" - Judi Adler

"One of the secrets of life is to make stepping stones out of stumbling blocks." - Jack Penn

"The elevator to success is out of order. You'll have to use the stairs... one step at a time." - Joe Girard

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In life there are no shortcuts!

"Be true to the game, because the game will be true to you. If you try to shortcut the game, then the game will shortcut you. If you put forth the effort, good things will be bestowed upon you. That’s truly about the game, and in some ways that’s about life too." - Michael Jordan

"There are no shortcuts in the quest for perfection." - Ben Hogan

"People who enjoy what they are doing invariably do it well." - Joe Gibbs

"When it comes to success, there are no shortcuts." - Bo Bennett

"There is no elevator to success. You have to take the stairs."

"Nothing can come of nothing." - William Shakespeare

"People create their own success by learning what they need to learn and then by practicing it until they become proficient at it." - Brian Tracy

"You have to work for it. It is the result of preparation, hard work and learning from failure."

"It takes a lot of devotion and work, or maybe I should say play, because if you love it, that's what it amounts to. I haven't found any shortcuts, and I've been looking for a long time." - Chet Atkins

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Get Wisdom! Get Understanding!

“It is better to listen in order to understand than to listen in order to reply”

"When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don't blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce. Yet if we have problems with our friends or our family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument. That is my experience. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change." - Thich Nhat Hahn

“There is a great difference between knowing and understanding: you can know a lot about something and not really understand it” - Charles F. Kettering

“To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; Not to realize that you do not understand is a defect.” - Lao Tzu

Philip Wheelwright is right!, "Much learning does not teach understanding."

There is a Chinese Proverb that says: “Tell me and I'll forget; show me and I may remember; involve me and I'll understand.” and Confucius says “I hear and I forget. I see and I remember. I do and I understand.” Thus, we can understand better by getting involve and do the necessary things!

Proverbs 4:5-7 Get wisdom! Get understanding! Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth. Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you; Love her, and she will keep you. Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

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Develop Good Character

According to C. Watts "Character is doing what's right when nobody's looking."

Abraham Lincoln says: "Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

He also said that "Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a man's character, give him power."

Well, it is true that some people pay so much attention to their reputation that they lose their character.

We ought to guard well our thoughts; they soon become acts. guard well our acts; they soon become habits. guard well our habits; they shape our character, our career, our fortune.

"Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it, piece by piece - by thought, choice, courage, and determination." - H. Jackson Brown

"When you choose your friends, don't be short-changed by choosing personality over character." - W. Somerset Maugham

"Personality can open doors; only character can keep them open."

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Frequent Self check is necessary

“The great thing in the world is not so much where we stand, as in what direction we are moving.” - Oliver Wendell Holmes

Tony Robbins says: "The past does not predict the future - unless you live in it".

That last part - "unless you live in it" is the key - because we all do. Somehow, many still have not come to the realization of this fact. We may not make any good progress until we had truly decided to change for the better.

Dale E. Turner says: “Some of the best lessons we ever learn are learned from past mistakes. The error of the past is the wisdom and success of the future.”

That's true. However, make sure you got get rid of all painful and damaging thoughts that entrap you. Forgive and love yourself and let go of the past and learn to live in the now.

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” - Buddha

“He who moves not forward, goes backward” - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

“We all want progress, but if you're on the wrong road, progress means doing an about-turn and walking back to the right road; in that case, the man who turns back soonest is the most progressive.” - C.S. Lewis

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Looking for Instant Success?

"A firm foundation is built on growth, not rushing. We need to be patient."

“Adopt the pace of nature; her secret is patience.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Patience is a virtue.”

"First try seldom wins great success."

Nowadays, most people want instant gratification, instant fame and instant success. Well, what grows fast, fades fast too! There is an old saying, "Easy come and easy go!" Instant success could be temporary only. One must put in effort, time or money to build something that last.

The rush of improving our PageRank and Technorati rank.
Many are trying to improve their PageRank and Technorati rank by employing certain so call shortcuts. Everyone learn fast from each other because everyone wants instant success. Well, I did some research and found that Technorati is not happy about this and has taken some action. Besides, those that employed Link Farm can also be penalized by the search engines.

Make your choice!

What is your view about this?

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Help others we are helping ourselves

"You need to be aware of what others are doing, applaud their efforts, acknowledge their successes, and encourage them in their pursuits. When we all help one another, everybody wins." - Jim Stovall

"There is no more noble occupation in the world than to assist another human being - to help someone succeed" - Alan Loy McGinnis

"There is no exercise better for the heart than reaching down and lifting people up." - John Andrew Holmes

"When we give another a lift, the exercise gives us strength."

This is one of the main success factors of Web 2.0 where it is all about linking, sharing and collaborating with people.

Just to illustrate this point, when I started this blog, I got to know Aziz, the author of hashout. Aziz has been very helpful. He is one of those who had gave me many suggestions to improve this blog.

Check out Aziz's blog. His blog design is fantastic and has variety of contents. You will never believe it can be done using a blogger account. All his blog content can be spoken. That is useful if you don't have time to read but would still like to listen.

Well, to be successful in blogging, we all need to help one another by exchanging links, shares and collaborates. Thanks to Aziz who had invited me to this review blog campaign.

Do let me know if you want to exchange links with me - okay?

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Grow and move forward wisely!

“You can't keep blaming yourself. Just blame yourself once, and move on.” - Dan Castellaneta

"Youth is when you blame everything on your parents. Maturity is when you learn that everything is the fault of the younger generation." - George Bernard Shaw

You're not fully mature unless you're prepared for the unexpected.

Wisdom is when you accept the blame and embrace the learning.

“Growth begins when we begin to accept our own weakness” - Jean Vanier

He that never corrects his mistakes will never be wiser on the morrow than he is today.

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Competition: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

“Competition is not only the basis of protection to the consumer, but is the incentive to progress." - Herbert Hoover

"Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people." - David Sarnoff

"There is competition, but it is used in a good way. It is positive to want to go first, provided the intention is to pave the way for others, make their path more easy, help them, or show the way. Competition is negative when we wish to defeat others, to bring them down in order to lift ourselves up." - Dalai Lama

"Life is a competition not with others, but with ourselves. We should seek each day to live stronger, better, truer lives; each day to master some weakness of yesterday; each day to repair a mistake; each day to surpass ourselves." - David B. Haight

The world is divided into people who do things and people who get the credit. Try, if you can, to belong to the first class. There's far less competition. - Dwight Whitney Morrow

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Stay healthy

Health is not valued till sickness comes.

“Worthless people live only to eat and drink; people of worth eat and drink only to live.” - Socrates

“The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, worry about the future, or anticipate troubles, but to live in the present moment wisely and earnestly.” - Buddha

“To keep the body in good health is a duty... otherwise we shall not be able to keep our mind strong and clear.” - Buddha

You are what you eat.

He that eats till he is sick must fast till he is well.

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Read and Think

"Ink is the transcript of thought."

"A drop of ink may make a million think." - Lord Byron

"If you've learned to read, you can learn to succeed."

"We learn to read so that we can read to learn."

“Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” - Margaret Fuller

“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” - Joseph Addison

"Reading without thinking is like eating without digesting."

"Force yourself to reflect on what you read, paragraph by paragraph." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

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Growing the right way

“Every moment of our lives we are either growing or dying…” - Robert Cooper

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” - Benjamin Franklin

A firm foundation is built on growth, not rushing.

Growth, whether plant growth, muscle growth, or mind growth, is governed by the natural laws. It can't be forced beyond previous preparation. Each day's growth prepares for the next day's growth. We can never break nature's laws. Too often we break ourselves trying.

Training by mere reading or telling yourself you're a success and rich is the mushroom method - grows fast and fades fast.

The sound oak tree method - grows slowly and withstands the wind, snow, rain is one that needs practice, exercise, action and doing.

Do check often whether you are growing correctly?

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The Value of Difficulties

Man has a hidden treasure within. Difficulties and setbacks bring it forth.

Undertake something that is difficult; it will do you good. Unless you try to do something beyond what you have already mastered, you will never grow. - Ronald E. Osborn

If you have no problem, you are missing an opportunity for growth.

"In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." - Albert Einstein

Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body. - Seneca

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Changes bring forth progress

"Never discourage anyone...who continually makes progress, no matter how slow." - Plato

It is better to take many small steps in the right direction than to make a great leap forward only to stumble backward.

The most damaging phrase in the language is, "It's always been done that way." - Rear Admiral Grace Hopper

"The world hates change, yet it is the only thing that has brought progress." - Charles F. Kettering

"Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible." - Frank Zappa

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Growing Old Gracefully

Like a tree, we each must find a place to grow and branch out.

Growth comes from attempting tasks more difficult than our usual ones. Routine tasks are necessary, but they don't develop growth.

No one stops growing until he stops asking questions, either of others or of himself.

We never grow old. We get old when we stop growing. Keeping useful keeps us youthful.

Never regret growing old; not everyone has that privilege.

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