Value has a value only if its value is valued

A well-known speaker started off his seminar by holding up a $100 note. In the room of 200, he asked, "Who would like this $100 note?" Hands started going up. He said "I am going to give this note to one of you but first let me do this." He proceeded to crumpled the note up. He then asked, "Who still wants it?". Still the hands were up in the air."Well," he replied, "What if I do this?" And he dropped it on the ground and started to grind it into the floor with his shoe. He picked it up, now all crumpled and dirty. "Now who still wants it?" Still the hands went into the air.

"My friends, you have all learned a very valuable lesson. No matter what I did to the money, you still wanted it because it did not decrease in value. It was still worth $100. Many times in your lives, we are dropped, crumpled, and ground into the dirt by the decisions we make and the circumstances that come our way. We feel as though we are worthless. But no matter what has happened or what will happen, you will never lose your value."

You are special. Don't ever forget it! Never let yesterday's disappointments overshadow tomorrow's dreams.

Life -The Balancing Act

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling some five balls in the air. They are Work, Family, Health, Friends and Spirit and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four Balls - Family, Health, Friends and Spirit - are made of glass. If you drop one of these; they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for it." ~ Bryan Dyson, Former CEO of Coca Cola


Indeed, if we apply should always apply this concept when we think of Work Life Balance. Imagine a balance scale with one side as Work and the other side as You, made up of your Family, Health and Spirit. We all try to keep the scale balance so that neither side land on the ground. However, understand that work is a solid block that if you hit the ground, you can still try to lift it back up. However Family, Health and Spirit is made of glass. If you land on this side, you may never get it back up again.

Work - we work to live, and not live to work. Remember the objective.

Spirit - is the flame that keeps you burning. This is the energy source that will drive you to greater heights or helped you bounce back up when you are down in the pit.

Health - the one that most would take for granted, but lose this one and you lose it all.

Family - the one that you love most in your life and for some, the reason you live for.

Friends - not that I do not value friendship or it's importance in Life but feel that the other 3 carry much more weights. Furthermore, great friendship would be as good as Family in some cases.

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely

"Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men." ~ John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton

"Unlimited power is apt to corrupt the minds of those who possess it" ~ William Pitt

Looking back at history, how many monarchies or country leaders have not fallen to such temptation? Maybe this is the reason why dynasty eventually have to end.

All Humanity Without God is Bondage...

Today a good friend of mine who happens to be a Christian told me that All Humanity Without God is Bondage. I pondered over this statement for a while. While I could see her point from the perspective of her faith, somehow I wasn't quite convinced. To give her a difference perspective, I told her that True Humanity comes Without Bondage.

智者务其实 愚者争虚名

Quoted from Sima Yi, a character in 3 Kingdom

Desire is Free

In our entire life, we pursue all sorts of things. Material gain, money, power, success, happiness, love, lust, friendship, recognition, acceptance, etc. rightfully or wrongfully. There is so many things in life that one desire, that is because desire is free - it has no action, it is just a state of mind. Everybody has a right to desire and you can desire as many things as you want. However, when you make that desire a goal, then that desire is no longer free because you will need to act on it.

Inverted Snobbery

"I don't have to dress to impress anybody. I see no reason why I should impress people by having a big car or changing suits every now and again to keep up with the latest styles." - MM Lee Kuan Yew