I've been addicted to Jarrod Elmore CD recently..its very soothing to play this, especially at night and I don't get tired of it at all. His music is light as feather and you seems to be floating along with it, as if its straight out of the speakers from heaven.
When I first heard Jarrod Elmore's music on the internet (I was at my workdesk), it captivated me immediately that I did a search on him to read up more about this guy.
Dance of Grace (2006) is the first album for Jarrod Elmore and I'm really touched by his humbleness because of what he said in the interview with http://www.cdbaby.com/:
"It reminds me that the melodies came from somewhere else. I feel arrogant taking credit for them, as if I worked so hard on them and utilized my college education to study, analyze, and perfect them. I didn't.I really just sat down and listened. And these melodies are what I heard. As I sit and listen to the record, I'm aware that I really am just a partially cool guy from Oklahoma with average fashion sense and a corny sense of humor. I'm really not anything special. God must have used my hands. That's the only explanation that I have."
God sure did a great work...his music is different from other great new age artistes like Suzanne Ciani, George Winston and Jimmy Brickman. Its hard to explain the difference but there's this element of peace and healing that reaches right into the heart and soul when you play the album and really listen to it.
Anyway his album is not even sold in Singapore and I had to buy the mp3 tracks from http://www.tradebit.com/ , I hope to be able to get his piano scores though, it's currently not avaliable.
I always have an affinity for new age and classical/instrumental music, which many of them are equally captivating. My top favs are: Suzanne Ciani, George Winston, Kenny G, The Secret Garden, Kevin Kern, Enya, IL Divo, John Barry, Yuki Nishimura, Yimura and David Garrett (my lastest fav!)
I got to learn about his music from http://www.live365.com/ , if you have not check out this site then you are missing out something wonderful. Live365 is the no.1 free internet radio and it has over 1000 channels over 300+ genre. Half of these channels are live broadcast from other countries..there's korean music, jap music, chinese music, latino, new age, jazz..whatever you seek is most likely to be found there.
Music is indeed powerful. Its really amazing how music can speak to us; we cry, laugh, smile, cheer and dream with it afterall..it is a channel that helps us get in tuned with ourselves. While songs with lyrics guide us to relate to certain issues, songs without lyrics do even more as they have to speak to our soul. And what does that means? Someone said that communicating to the soul doesn't need to make sense, if your soul responds to it then it's understood, your brain doesn't need to. :)
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
Saturday, June 09, 2007
My reflections on an old posting from 2004
How time flies since my last post in Dec2006 and now we have entered June2007. My oh my...1.5 years older and another few months to go before I cross my 27 mark. As I read through my old postings, it brought back the memories of the old issues that I were battling with back then and how I've grown and changed in terms of my approach and outlook to these issues and life in general. Although I'm still growing and learning through my issues, I've learnt to handle them in a more positive manner. For a fact, everyone has their own internal issues, ltitle 'voices' or 'demons' in their heads that nobody can be free from, its how you react to them that matters and it does get better with god's help.
I had to thank this wonderful and pretty lady by the name of Lisan to bring my attention to my dormant blog. She sent me a message in Friendster to tell me that one of my old posts in my blog was in the limelight again. Lisan, by the way, is a big fan of Huang Yida. Yes, my old post 'Tribute to Yida' had made its way to his blog again (it was being mentioned in his blog sometime back), this time being translated to Chinese so that his fans from China and Taiwan can understand...how thoughtful! Hey Yida, thanks for putting my article on your blog and sharing it with your fans. It is fantastic, I really like the way it is translated...I find that the Chinese version has even more meaning and depth to it, much better than the one I wrote.
Frankly speaking, I'm not Yida's fan...I don't know him well and I don't know why I choose to write about him of all people, probably because he was the only home grown singer whom I've known briefly during his pre-fame days and so his success had a direct trigger and I really admired his hardworking spirit and determination.
I'm so glad to have written this, its a testimony of his journey to success. Through his example it shows you can achieve your goal if you put your mind on it. I'm not saying that everyone can be a singer or celebrity through hard work, this industry is not for everyone and sometimes hardwork is futile because it was applied on the wrong goal in the first place. How do you know whether its the right or wrong goal to pursue? Well..its innate..you will know its the wrong one when your talents start showing up elsewhere (e.g. making jewelry, good at sales, good at business etc). So here you go: Right goal + determination + hardwork + passion = Success!
Yida, I'm happy to see how you have grown during these years. Your talents, hardwork and dogged determination have paid off, the seeds sown are harvesting and I know you will continue to prosper. I've seen so many aspiring artises failed here, probably only 1% or less make it. You are truly blessed to be where you are today and to have so many people and fans supporting you and contributing to your success, so you must continue to give your best. With fame comes the responsibility and power, I pray that you will be blessed with more and that your talents can served to inspire, influence, give back and make a difference to others, to your fans, industry and community in a positive way. Hope to see you on our local media more often..God bless! :)
Tribute to Yida (對Yida 的稱頌)
Have you truly felt passionate about something that you think this is what you wish to dedicate your life to? I always admire people who have this kind of spirit and determination to pursue what they believe in and possess the 'ain’t any mountains higher' mindset. We all have heard of the good old theory that to achieve our dreams, we have to be proactive and establish certain traits but how many people actually do it? Perhaps 1 out of 10 will do it, but only 1 out of 100 will grit their teeth and stay through the end.
你有沒有對某件事充滿使命感，而決定了你以後的人生目標 ?我一直都欣賞有這種精神和決心追求目標的人，他們相信並且擁有 “沒有任何事不能做”的心態。我們都會參考以往的好方法，去追求我們的夢想，但實際上有多少人能積極去做呢??或者有十分之一，但是，亦可能只有百之一會咬實牙關，堅持到最後去完成它。
I was tuning in to 100.3FM on my way home yesterday when Lee Wei Song started talking during the commercial break. By the way, Lee Wei Song is the founder of the Lee Wei Song School of music, where Stephanie Sun was discovered and groomed into a superstar.
昨天在我回家的路上，從電台的節目中，聽到李偉菘的對談。(李偉菘是音樂李偉菘學校的創建者，Stefanie Sun就是在那裡被發崛，及之後成為superstar。)
Anyway, Lee Wei Song was dedicating a tribute to Huang Yida - the next up and coming homegrown singer. He was saying that Yida's road to become a singer had been an arduous one, and that he had been a student with the school when it first started 9 years ago. Throughout these 9 years, his dream of becoming a singer had never wavered and he was determined to do whatever it takes to get there. In fact, he dropped out of secondary school to take the path less taken to follow his passion in singing despite strong parental objections. He even came back to continue his training as an all rounded musician after serving his NS.
李偉菘在節目中稱讚Yida Huang - 他是下位在本地(新加坡)崛起的歌手。他說︰九年前，Yida 已經是這間學校的學生，在他成為歌手之前，他的路一直都很艱辛。而在這9 年的過程中，他想成為歌手的夢想，從未搖動過，而且他的決心相當堅定，並且誓要做到。事實上，從他在中學時代就選擇退學，而且不顧父母的反對，而踏上音樂之路，都可見他對音樂熱愛的程度。他甚而完成NS (我想是新加坡的兵役)後，回到音樂學校繼續他的音樂訓練課程。
As a teenager who embarked on this journey at the tender age of 15, he had to overcome all the odds against him and face all the uncertainties in the future when his peers had already achieved much more by society's standards. After 9 grueling years, at the age of 24, he finally realized his dream. As his mentor, Lee Wei Song was really happy that Yida finally made it after coming a long way.
在這個音樂成長旅程中，對於一個15歲的少年來說，他必須克服所有反對的聲音，以及面對不肯定的未來。9年的辛勞後, 在YiDA 24 歲的時候，終於實現了他的夢想。李偉菘作為Yida 的良師益友，他是多麼高興的，因為經過這麼長的時間，Yida最終都能完成他自己的夢想。
Although it is common that the road to stardom is not as glamorous as it seems and there are always lots of obstacles involved, I still want to salute him for his success.
縱使遇到不同的障礙，都是演藝界常見的路，但我仍然想要為義達的成功敬禮。
7 years ago, my girl friend and I were sitting outside Ngee Ann City while waiting to start work at Mandarin Hotel. Across us sat a group of guys who later came over to talk to us. Among them, Yida was one of them. Yup, Yida is his real name. At that time, this grunge and dreamy guy with long hair had already exuded a kind of X-factor in terms of personality & looks - a feeling that he was different and possessed the 'I-have-a-dream' kind of look. He left a deep impression on me because of what he said to us at that time. He mentioned he was learning music at this music school and that someday he will become a singer. My friend and I were quite taken aback by his words, but somehow we never really take it seriously because technically speaking, this is not politically correct at that time.
7 年前，我跟女朋友在上班前，坐在Ngee Ann City 的Mandarin Hotel外。有一班年青人，他們走過來跟我們談話。在他們之中, Yida 是他們的當中一個。無錯，Yida 是他的真名。那時，穿著當時青少年流行的服飾和作夢的傢伙，留著長長的頭髮已經流露出一副很有個性的樣子，你會覺得他是與別不同的及擁有一副 “我有夢想” 的樣子。我對他留下了一個深刻的印象，是因為那時他對我們說︰他在音樂學校學音樂，而且將來的某一天他會成為歌手，對於他所說的話，我們都不知如何是好，在當時的情況下，我們根本不會認真去相信他說的話。
That was my brief encounter with him, although my friend knew him a bit better back then. Well, I have to say that I was quite surprised to see his new album and hear his songs on radio. Those words that he said last time meant much to him and he was not just saying it for fun. Well Yida, if you ever see this, I wanna wish you all the best in your singing career and don't ever give up on your 'never say die' attitude. You can be a very good source of inspiration for others!
那是我與他相遇的情形。我必須說，當我看到他的發行的專輯和從電台聽到他的歌曲後，我都感到驚訝。因為他當天所說的並不是開玩笑。Yida，如果您看見這文章, 我祝願您歌唱事業發展順利，及永遠不要放棄你那種“永不言敗” 的態度。你能為成為別人的推動力.
Finding one's passion is like a needle in haystack. Yida are just one of the rare souls who have discovered 'it' from young and make it the one thing to pursue in life. Most people never really know what they wanna do until much later. Some are forever searching for it, some never found it, and some found it but never work on it, while some don't even know this thing call passion.
尋找一個人的使命，就如在草堆埋針一樣。Yida 是罕見的一個，因為他從年輕的時候，已經發現了 “它”，並且不斷去追求它。很多人到最後，都從未真正知道什麼是他們想要的。有一些人會一直去尋找, 一些一直都沒找到, 一些找到了卻從未完成它, 甚至不知道這就是使命。
As for me, I can't say I have found my passion but I'm working hard to find it. The only way is to do the things I'm interested in, or going through trial and error in certain things to find out if this is really what I want. I think if you have not find your passion, it is important to never stop the search for it even though you might think there is none, at least this will give your life a deeper sense of purpose. Then again, perhaps I'm a restless soul who is just not contending to sail through life. I've got one life to live and I wanna live it well. :)
至於我, 我無法說我找到了使命，但我會努力去尋找它。我樂於接受，透過不同的考驗及失敗，去尋找自己認為值得想要的事。我在想，假如您還沒發現您的使命或者以為自己沒有，絕對不要放棄尋找它，因為它會帶來你人生帶來一個很深遠的意義。或者我是個不斷求變的人，不願意平平凡凡地過生活。正所謂︰人生在世，希望活得精彩。
(This article is at Yida's Blog: http://tw.myblog.yahoo.com/yi7da/article?mid=50372&prev=-1&next=47089#yartcmt)
Friday, December 08, 2006
What is Success? by Chris Widener
I believe you were, "Made for Success"! But then this begs the question: Just what is success? So, join me as I wax philosophical and pursue this question in this brief article.
Success has been an elusive term since the beginning of time. For ages, men and women have pursued that which would make them happy and fulfilled. At the same time they have tried to determine that which would make them feel as though they have achieved success. Some have defined success themselves, while others have been content to have others, or societies at large, define success for them. We would most certainly all agree that to a large degree, "success" is defined by the individual or group that is pursuing it.
Is there an objective definition of success? I do think that there are some general principles, shown throughout history, which measure true success. I would like to give you some principles that I believe are helpful when thinking about the subject for yourself, your family, and your career.
Before we begin, I need to say that I am excited about the direction that much of the recent success literature has taken. While I don't agree with all of the viewpoints that are expressed, I am glad that more emphasis has been placed on what I call "whole-life" success, including such things as family, health, and spirituality. Success literature that is centered on financial wealth and the attaining of material possessions only, is not truly success literature in the broadest sense of the term. While financial success is good, it is certainly not the final measurement of the fulfilled life.
To truly understand success, one must first understand the nature of human beings. I believe that you would agree with me that humans are in their very nature a trichotomy, that is, they are made up of three parts: Body, Soul (the mind, emotions, and will), and Spirit (that part of us that transcends this body). To achieve whole-life fulfillment, "Success," each of these areas must receive special attention in order to bring balance to our lives and achieve true success.
In the past, success has come to be measured by a basic core of measurable objectives, all of which, in and of themselves are fine, but in and of themselves are totally inadequate to fulfill a person. Some of these are:
Money. The accumulation of money has always been a pursuit of man. The more money the better, it has been believed. And yet many who have achieved this end have looked back at the rest of us and warned that it isn't all that it is cracked up to be. Now, don't get me wrong, having money is not a bad thing. Many people misquote the New Testament when they say, "Money is the root of all evil." In fact, the N.T. says "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." Money is neutral. What people allow money to do to them, is not. So the pursuit of money, in the right frame of mind, can be a good thing.
Power. Power, like money, is high on the list of success goals. And, like money, power is bad or good based on the use it receives in the hands of people. Power, whether political or simply untitled influence, can be a good thing. If you achieve power that is good, as long as you are good with it.
Happiness. This is almost entirely subjective and usually includes one or all of the other success goals. People define their version of success and then pursue it. Usually it means a sense of fulfillment and peace, which I will discuss later on.
Freedom. Whether as individuals or groups, freedom has rightly been a pursuit and definition of success. America, even with its faults, is still the epitome of freedom. This is why so many people from around the world long to come to America or other fine democratic countries. As individuals, they want to be able to choose their own destiny, to wake up every day and do what they want, to as opposed to what someone else chooses for them.
Healthy relationships. Let's face it, life is not lived alone. We are in a plethora of relationships, from the very superficial to the most intimate. Let's also agree that unhealthy relationships are not good. Nothing can bring a person down quicker or for a longer time than trouble in a cherished relationship. And yet, millions of people have realized that the pursuit of some goals have been to the detriment of their personal relationships. This is what John R. O'Neil calls "The Paradox of Success."
Health. The joy of success is not in the achievement of it, but the experience of it. It is the conscious knowledge of your success, the fruit of your success, which brings fulfillment. And if you are not healthy, you can almost certainly not enjoy your success. Your health is perhaps the most cherished of all possessions. Without it, you cannot enjoy your other possessions.
A relationship with God. For most people, eternal questions are important, even the most important. To be sure, we live after this life a lot longer than we do in this life! Having a belief in God and an understanding of his ways has long been a pursuit and goal of people, regardless of age, nationality, race or gender.
So, how can we sum this all up? What is success? Is it one of the above? All of them? Something else? I have found something that helps me understand the concept of success very well. It is the Hebrew word "Shalom." Most people have heard this word interpreted as "peace," and, in its simple definition, that is indeed what it means. But the understanding of the word peace to those who originally used this word meant something very broad. When someone said "shalom" to you, they were wishing you peace in every area of your life. They meant success to you. This incorporated all areas of your life. It meant wholeness. They were saying, "May your finances be well. May your health be well. May your mind and heart be at rest. May your relationships be good. May you know and understand God. May you be blessed in every area of your life."
So what is success? It is wholeness in every area of your life. It isn't the achievement of one area to the detriment of one or more of the others. This isn't balance and won't bring us peace. This is what the phrase, "Made for Success" is all about, to challenge and encourage you to pursue and achieve true success, peace in every area of your life. Shalom!
Success has been an elusive term since the beginning of time. For ages, men and women have pursued that which would make them happy and fulfilled. At the same time they have tried to determine that which would make them feel as though they have achieved success. Some have defined success themselves, while others have been content to have others, or societies at large, define success for them. We would most certainly all agree that to a large degree, "success" is defined by the individual or group that is pursuing it.
Is there an objective definition of success? I do think that there are some general principles, shown throughout history, which measure true success. I would like to give you some principles that I believe are helpful when thinking about the subject for yourself, your family, and your career.
Before we begin, I need to say that I am excited about the direction that much of the recent success literature has taken. While I don't agree with all of the viewpoints that are expressed, I am glad that more emphasis has been placed on what I call "whole-life" success, including such things as family, health, and spirituality. Success literature that is centered on financial wealth and the attaining of material possessions only, is not truly success literature in the broadest sense of the term. While financial success is good, it is certainly not the final measurement of the fulfilled life.
To truly understand success, one must first understand the nature of human beings. I believe that you would agree with me that humans are in their very nature a trichotomy, that is, they are made up of three parts: Body, Soul (the mind, emotions, and will), and Spirit (that part of us that transcends this body). To achieve whole-life fulfillment, "Success," each of these areas must receive special attention in order to bring balance to our lives and achieve true success.
In the past, success has come to be measured by a basic core of measurable objectives, all of which, in and of themselves are fine, but in and of themselves are totally inadequate to fulfill a person. Some of these are:
Money. The accumulation of money has always been a pursuit of man. The more money the better, it has been believed. And yet many who have achieved this end have looked back at the rest of us and warned that it isn't all that it is cracked up to be. Now, don't get me wrong, having money is not a bad thing. Many people misquote the New Testament when they say, "Money is the root of all evil." In fact, the N.T. says "The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." Money is neutral. What people allow money to do to them, is not. So the pursuit of money, in the right frame of mind, can be a good thing.
Power. Power, like money, is high on the list of success goals. And, like money, power is bad or good based on the use it receives in the hands of people. Power, whether political or simply untitled influence, can be a good thing. If you achieve power that is good, as long as you are good with it.
Happiness. This is almost entirely subjective and usually includes one or all of the other success goals. People define their version of success and then pursue it. Usually it means a sense of fulfillment and peace, which I will discuss later on.
Freedom. Whether as individuals or groups, freedom has rightly been a pursuit and definition of success. America, even with its faults, is still the epitome of freedom. This is why so many people from around the world long to come to America or other fine democratic countries. As individuals, they want to be able to choose their own destiny, to wake up every day and do what they want, to as opposed to what someone else chooses for them.
Healthy relationships. Let's face it, life is not lived alone. We are in a plethora of relationships, from the very superficial to the most intimate. Let's also agree that unhealthy relationships are not good. Nothing can bring a person down quicker or for a longer time than trouble in a cherished relationship. And yet, millions of people have realized that the pursuit of some goals have been to the detriment of their personal relationships. This is what John R. O'Neil calls "The Paradox of Success."
Health. The joy of success is not in the achievement of it, but the experience of it. It is the conscious knowledge of your success, the fruit of your success, which brings fulfillment. And if you are not healthy, you can almost certainly not enjoy your success. Your health is perhaps the most cherished of all possessions. Without it, you cannot enjoy your other possessions.
A relationship with God. For most people, eternal questions are important, even the most important. To be sure, we live after this life a lot longer than we do in this life! Having a belief in God and an understanding of his ways has long been a pursuit and goal of people, regardless of age, nationality, race or gender.
So, how can we sum this all up? What is success? Is it one of the above? All of them? Something else? I have found something that helps me understand the concept of success very well. It is the Hebrew word "Shalom." Most people have heard this word interpreted as "peace," and, in its simple definition, that is indeed what it means. But the understanding of the word peace to those who originally used this word meant something very broad. When someone said "shalom" to you, they were wishing you peace in every area of your life. They meant success to you. This incorporated all areas of your life. It meant wholeness. They were saying, "May your finances be well. May your health be well. May your mind and heart be at rest. May your relationships be good. May you know and understand God. May you be blessed in every area of your life."
So what is success? It is wholeness in every area of your life. It isn't the achievement of one area to the detriment of one or more of the others. This isn't balance and won't bring us peace. This is what the phrase, "Made for Success" is all about, to challenge and encourage you to pursue and achieve true success, peace in every area of your life. Shalom!
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
My Happiness
There's a quote by Art Buchwald that says the best things in life aren't things. How true is that! Often the real things that make us happy are the little things in life, or shall I say experiences that seem so minor, yet able to stir that undescribable emotions inside.
My top 10 little happiness are as follows:
1) The lightness and the wonderful feeling after a workout and shower in the gym.
2) Tuning in to the great music from my fav radio stations while on the journey home in the bus or in the car.
3) Having a cup of nice coffee in the morning...the aroma of the coffee beans...ahhhh....heavenly! How can I live without it?
4) Reading! Books are the window to meaning of life and the world..we are living in a little box and its amazing to realise that there is sooo much more we don't know and will never know..its a never ending learning..it has silently taught me many things on how to see life and how to react to it. It has helped me grow and will always remain my faithful silent companion in life.
5) Singing my favourite tunes from heart and feeling the lyrics.
6) Spin driving and singing along in the car, especially driving by the beach during sunset and stopping by the side to watch it go down, the peacefulness and serenity you experienced are indescribable..
7) Nature...the gentle sound of rustling leaves...the light patter of raindrops on the roof, the smell of Jasmine flowers from the Jasmine tree outside my room window in Perth (I can't forget!) The beach, the rainforest, the view from the mountain peak, the waterfall, the ranges...I love mother nature! People say that's god 's greatest gift and I totally agree.
8) Playing my favourite tunes on my piano, although sometimes it might sound like I'm torturing my neighbours but I feel so happy to be able to play a new favourite tune!
9) Spending time with my family and my doggie..our weekly family dinner outings. I have to say that I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful and healthy family...it makes me cherish them more when I see friends and cousins coming from dysfunctional family background or a parent/sibling that has passed on. I never know how they feel but it must be terrible, my heart goes out to them.
10) Spritual awareness. Without this, I will never grow towards happiness. With every awareness, I'm being freed. I grew to embrace solitude and not loneliness. I was brought to understand things that people don't know or don't think about and see non-physical things that people are blinded to. Although I still have a lot of bad things to work on and good things to start on, I'm grateful for this gift of awareness and I hope to pass it on to others in my little ways.
While I'm counting my blessings, I realise I have a lot more than 10 and if I am to list them all down...I think this post will get really long!
We all have our own little happiness and each of us is different, so how do you know something is your happiness? Well I can't speak for all, but if you ask me to describe, it will have to be that peacefulness, calmness and holistic feeling that overwhelm you.
You totally ignore what the world is doing or saying at that moment and you really immerse in the present..its just you and your emotions..many times you realise you are smiling unknowingly and sometimes the emotions can be so powerful that you are moved to tears.
Does any of these sounds familiar to you? If yes, congratulations! Treat these little happiness as your most valuable treasures and they become yours for life, for nothing can take it away because they are not things.
My top 10 little happiness are as follows:
1) The lightness and the wonderful feeling after a workout and shower in the gym.
2) Tuning in to the great music from my fav radio stations while on the journey home in the bus or in the car.
3) Having a cup of nice coffee in the morning...the aroma of the coffee beans...ahhhh....heavenly! How can I live without it?
4) Reading! Books are the window to meaning of life and the world..we are living in a little box and its amazing to realise that there is sooo much more we don't know and will never know..its a never ending learning..it has silently taught me many things on how to see life and how to react to it. It has helped me grow and will always remain my faithful silent companion in life.
5) Singing my favourite tunes from heart and feeling the lyrics.
6) Spin driving and singing along in the car, especially driving by the beach during sunset and stopping by the side to watch it go down, the peacefulness and serenity you experienced are indescribable..
7) Nature...the gentle sound of rustling leaves...the light patter of raindrops on the roof, the smell of Jasmine flowers from the Jasmine tree outside my room window in Perth (I can't forget!) The beach, the rainforest, the view from the mountain peak, the waterfall, the ranges...I love mother nature! People say that's god 's greatest gift and I totally agree.
8) Playing my favourite tunes on my piano, although sometimes it might sound like I'm torturing my neighbours but I feel so happy to be able to play a new favourite tune!
9) Spending time with my family and my doggie..our weekly family dinner outings. I have to say that I feel so lucky to have such a wonderful and healthy family...it makes me cherish them more when I see friends and cousins coming from dysfunctional family background or a parent/sibling that has passed on. I never know how they feel but it must be terrible, my heart goes out to them.
10) Spritual awareness. Without this, I will never grow towards happiness. With every awareness, I'm being freed. I grew to embrace solitude and not loneliness. I was brought to understand things that people don't know or don't think about and see non-physical things that people are blinded to. Although I still have a lot of bad things to work on and good things to start on, I'm grateful for this gift of awareness and I hope to pass it on to others in my little ways.
While I'm counting my blessings, I realise I have a lot more than 10 and if I am to list them all down...I think this post will get really long!
We all have our own little happiness and each of us is different, so how do you know something is your happiness? Well I can't speak for all, but if you ask me to describe, it will have to be that peacefulness, calmness and holistic feeling that overwhelm you.
You totally ignore what the world is doing or saying at that moment and you really immerse in the present..its just you and your emotions..many times you realise you are smiling unknowingly and sometimes the emotions can be so powerful that you are moved to tears.
Does any of these sounds familiar to you? If yes, congratulations! Treat these little happiness as your most valuable treasures and they become yours for life, for nothing can take it away because they are not things.
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Best advice ever for Twenty Somethings...
Don't fall asleep at the wheels
The essence of discovery is not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes. ~ Marcel Proust
I honestly hope that none of you ever say. "Well, gosh, I'm twenty-four now, I have a degree, and now it's time to grow up and be sensible." That's the worst advice you could ever give yourself. LIFE HAS TO DISCOVERED ALL THE TIME. You can never say, "I have done everything I can up to the sage of twenty five, and now I have to settle down and be a responsible, boring adult in a responsible, boring world." You don't have to do that. ~ Ric Birch, executive producer of the Sydney and Barcelona Olympic Games ceremonies
If it's not working for you - the company is bad or the people are bad - get out of there. Move. Everyday is a day wasted day after that. Life's just too short. ~ Pat O'Donnell, CEO of Aspen Skiing Company.
Your life is now. Your life is not going to start when you graduate college. Your life is not going to start when you get married. Your life is now. You have to enjoy your life today...otherwise you're going to be miserable. ~ Katherine Cohen, founder of IvyWise college counseling
It's amazing how precious life is. Time is so precious. If you're doing a job you don't like because someone else wants you to do it, get out. Don't waste the spark of life. ~ Peter Seligmann, chairman of the board and CEO of Conservation International
The only advice I could give is - "Poof, you're fifty." So what have you done? Did you have fun? Did you have adventures? Did you do stuff that you really loved? Did you live a brave life? Were you not afraid? Because mostly I think it's fear of "am I going to make a mistake?" that holds person back from living their lives. Well, you know what, make a mistake. ~ Geoffrey Frost, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Motorola.
Ten to fifteen years from now, if you look back on your life and ask, "I wonder if I should have done that differently?" I don't think you want to be in a position to say,"Yeah, I should have done that differently." Because you can't get that time back. ~ David Jacobs, CEO and founder of Spyder Active Sports
Exit the Freeway
I see so many students who are directed. They're in high school and they already want to get into advertising, but there's no life there. No embracing of the world, or the people around them. I mean, how do you know if you want to be an art director if you never looked at other things? If you've never gotten out of your comfort zone and tried anything else? ~ Laurie Coots, Chief Marketing Officer of Chiat\Day advertising agency
If you don't slow down, you're going to get caught halfway through life and realize all the things you missed when you were capable of doing them. ~ Chuck McGrady, President of the Sierra Club
Then, in January 1984, I got a call from a guy who I'd interned with at the Clean Air Coalition. He was in Iowa organizing the presidential campaign for Walter Mondale and asked if I'd come work for him. He said he needed me in two days. I wasn't sure, but I believed then, as I do now, that you should take an opportunity when it's presented to you. You never know where it might lead. So in the next two days I dropped out of school, quit my job, left my boyfriend, and went to Iowa for what I thought would be a month. ~ Deb Callahan, President of the League of Conversation Voters
I applied to Yale and was accepted, but I decided to take a year off in 1968. there was a lot of pressure to go, and people said things like "You're crazy. What are you going?" I spent the year bumming around Europe and participating in the revolution. It was amazing. I ended up never going to college. ~ Geoffrey Frost, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Motorola
Right after my senior year at Brown, while my friends went to Wall Street or Law school, I moved to Nantucket and started a business with my friend. ~ Tom First, cofounder of Nantucket Nectars
I don't know what I wanted to do. I was totally displaced after college. But when I was traveling in Europe, I discovered the romance of the Italian espresso bar in Italy. It was an epiphany for me. ~ Howard Schultz, Chairman of Starbucks Coffee Company
My parents thought I had flipped out when I didn't take the banking job. But at some point you just have to follow your gut and what feels right. ~ Mike Egeck, president of The North Face
There Is No Road Map
You can't map out a very long route for yourself. What you can do is sort of know where you're going. Be half sure, jump in, an hope you can swim the rest of the way. It's like Eco-challenge. The race is five hundred miles and thirty checkpoints. The people who don't finish are full of ego and only focus on their finish placement. They do that even when they're leaving the start line. People who are successful focus on the immediate checkpoint. When they reach checkpoint one, then they worry about checkpoint two, and so on. That's the philosophy you need to keep to. ~ Mark Burnett, Creator and Producer of Eco-challenge, Survivor, and The Apprentice
There is no raod map. No black or white answers. People really like black and white - go to school, boom , boom, boom, and you could be this. No one should tell you, "This leads to that" or "You need to do this," because there are a lot of options out there. ~ Gary Erickson, founder and CEO of Clif Bar.
Its not like when I was your age I had this plan that led me here. Things just go along as a progression of your interests and what you like to do. ~ David Jacobs, CEO and founder of Spyder Active Sports
You can't just script your life. ~ Jerry Colangelo, Chairman and CEO of The Phoenix Suns
In terms of a career path, mine was totally unpredictable. It wasn't anything I ever had in mind at the beginning. It was a series of connected events, but it's only with hindsight that you realize they're connected. ~ Ric Birch, Executive Producer of the Sdyney and Barcelona Olympic Games ceremonies
The essence of discovery is not in seeing new landscapes, but in having new eyes. ~ Marcel Proust
I honestly hope that none of you ever say. "Well, gosh, I'm twenty-four now, I have a degree, and now it's time to grow up and be sensible." That's the worst advice you could ever give yourself. LIFE HAS TO DISCOVERED ALL THE TIME. You can never say, "I have done everything I can up to the sage of twenty five, and now I have to settle down and be a responsible, boring adult in a responsible, boring world." You don't have to do that. ~ Ric Birch, executive producer of the Sydney and Barcelona Olympic Games ceremonies
If it's not working for you - the company is bad or the people are bad - get out of there. Move. Everyday is a day wasted day after that. Life's just too short. ~ Pat O'Donnell, CEO of Aspen Skiing Company.
Your life is now. Your life is not going to start when you graduate college. Your life is not going to start when you get married. Your life is now. You have to enjoy your life today...otherwise you're going to be miserable. ~ Katherine Cohen, founder of IvyWise college counseling
It's amazing how precious life is. Time is so precious. If you're doing a job you don't like because someone else wants you to do it, get out. Don't waste the spark of life. ~ Peter Seligmann, chairman of the board and CEO of Conservation International
The only advice I could give is - "Poof, you're fifty." So what have you done? Did you have fun? Did you have adventures? Did you do stuff that you really loved? Did you live a brave life? Were you not afraid? Because mostly I think it's fear of "am I going to make a mistake?" that holds person back from living their lives. Well, you know what, make a mistake. ~ Geoffrey Frost, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Motorola.
Ten to fifteen years from now, if you look back on your life and ask, "I wonder if I should have done that differently?" I don't think you want to be in a position to say,"Yeah, I should have done that differently." Because you can't get that time back. ~ David Jacobs, CEO and founder of Spyder Active Sports
Exit the Freeway
I see so many students who are directed. They're in high school and they already want to get into advertising, but there's no life there. No embracing of the world, or the people around them. I mean, how do you know if you want to be an art director if you never looked at other things? If you've never gotten out of your comfort zone and tried anything else? ~ Laurie Coots, Chief Marketing Officer of Chiat\Day advertising agency
If you don't slow down, you're going to get caught halfway through life and realize all the things you missed when you were capable of doing them. ~ Chuck McGrady, President of the Sierra Club
Then, in January 1984, I got a call from a guy who I'd interned with at the Clean Air Coalition. He was in Iowa organizing the presidential campaign for Walter Mondale and asked if I'd come work for him. He said he needed me in two days. I wasn't sure, but I believed then, as I do now, that you should take an opportunity when it's presented to you. You never know where it might lead. So in the next two days I dropped out of school, quit my job, left my boyfriend, and went to Iowa for what I thought would be a month. ~ Deb Callahan, President of the League of Conversation Voters
I applied to Yale and was accepted, but I decided to take a year off in 1968. there was a lot of pressure to go, and people said things like "You're crazy. What are you going?" I spent the year bumming around Europe and participating in the revolution. It was amazing. I ended up never going to college. ~ Geoffrey Frost, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer of Motorola
Right after my senior year at Brown, while my friends went to Wall Street or Law school, I moved to Nantucket and started a business with my friend. ~ Tom First, cofounder of Nantucket Nectars
I don't know what I wanted to do. I was totally displaced after college. But when I was traveling in Europe, I discovered the romance of the Italian espresso bar in Italy. It was an epiphany for me. ~ Howard Schultz, Chairman of Starbucks Coffee Company
My parents thought I had flipped out when I didn't take the banking job. But at some point you just have to follow your gut and what feels right. ~ Mike Egeck, president of The North Face
There Is No Road Map
You can't map out a very long route for yourself. What you can do is sort of know where you're going. Be half sure, jump in, an hope you can swim the rest of the way. It's like Eco-challenge. The race is five hundred miles and thirty checkpoints. The people who don't finish are full of ego and only focus on their finish placement. They do that even when they're leaving the start line. People who are successful focus on the immediate checkpoint. When they reach checkpoint one, then they worry about checkpoint two, and so on. That's the philosophy you need to keep to. ~ Mark Burnett, Creator and Producer of Eco-challenge, Survivor, and The Apprentice
There is no raod map. No black or white answers. People really like black and white - go to school, boom , boom, boom, and you could be this. No one should tell you, "This leads to that" or "You need to do this," because there are a lot of options out there. ~ Gary Erickson, founder and CEO of Clif Bar.
Its not like when I was your age I had this plan that led me here. Things just go along as a progression of your interests and what you like to do. ~ David Jacobs, CEO and founder of Spyder Active Sports
You can't just script your life. ~ Jerry Colangelo, Chairman and CEO of The Phoenix Suns
In terms of a career path, mine was totally unpredictable. It wasn't anything I ever had in mind at the beginning. It was a series of connected events, but it's only with hindsight that you realize they're connected. ~ Ric Birch, Executive Producer of the Sdyney and Barcelona Olympic Games ceremonies
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