Dare to dream !

We love to indulge in things that we can feel/taste/see/enjoy now than things that may happen in the future. For most of us, we believe in theories such as “enjoy now, worry later” and “tomorrow may never come”. So why bother to work so hard to resist the temptations, right? Might as well enjoy now!

Hmm it depends. For me, enjoying now does not mean neglecting the future. You can live our life to the fullest and plan for your future at the same time. Nobody says this is impossible. But if your “enjoyment” somehow will bring you short term pleasure, but long term pain, perhaps it’s time to change. Because not only will you harm yourself in the long run, you might bring additional pain for your loved ones as well.

One example that I can give you is smoking. Nearly all the smokers know that smoking is bad for themselves, and it is bad for people around them including their loved ones. So seeing a father carrying his baby girl in one hand, and holding his cigarette in another hand, just does not seem right for me. Is his short-term pleasure so important that he can neglect the health and well-being of his baby girl? What about the father who refuses to stop smoking and only to die due to lung cancer, leaving his 4 young children and his wife to fend for themselves? His short term pleasure, their long term pain.

So, don’t give me shit like “it’s hard to resist the temptations”. I’ve heard that countless times before. For me, it’s just a lame excuse. If those people who have been drug addicts can give up on drugs, why can’t you? And if those people suffering from famine in South Africa do not want to give up on their life yet, how could you give up yours so early? So stop thinking so selfishly. It’s not just YOU we’re talking about here, your loved ones are involved as well.

Last but not least, all I want to say is that nothing is impossible in this world. Our willpower has proven to be 1 of the most powerful things in this whole wide world. So don’t say you can’t resist the temptation or you can’t quit. Because you DO have the power to resist and to quit. Just use your willpower. Think of your loved ones and the consequences in years to come if you don’t resist the temptation now. Start saying NO to short term pleasure and NO to long term pain.

To close things off, here are some articles which can help you to resist temptations and start a new and healthier habit.

The Habit Change Cheatsheet.

Resisting Temptation.

10 Tips for Quitting Smoking.

Are you doing it for the sake of doing it, or do it for the sake of loving it?

Although they sound similar, each carries a very different weight and effect. A good example is one given by Seth Godin, where 2 lemonade stalls have different results due to the way they approach the business – 1 a passionate girl taking her own sweet time making the lemonades using the traditional way, and the other 2 kids producing lemonades just like how everyone else does it – The lesson from two lemonade stands.

So if you truly love what you are doing, you will take your own sweet time doing it and at the same time, enjoying every moment while you’re at it. The result? Yes, you will definitely produce lesser than the 2 kids, but each lemonade you produce will be of the top quality – full of passion and feels authentic. And this also gives your client the feeling that you are sincere in selling whatever you are selling, and that you are not trying to rip the person off. Enjoying the moment, producing remarkable results and having happy customers. What can be better than this?

Of course all these things sound easier said than done and most often than not, we are left with no choice but to do what we are paid to do. How many times have you seen an unhappy person saying “no choice, I have to work”? I think more than 50% of the total population would say that!

I can’t say I have a solution because the fact is, we do have to survive and by that I mean we have to earn enough money to support ourselves and our family – and all our other commitments (houses, cars, etc). But do we want to spend the rest of our life being in this state? Do we want to continue to work on something we hate for the rest of our life just for the sake of doing it? Of course not !

If that’s the case, why not consider making a change? If you can’t change your day job, then you can always find a part-time job which gives you more satisfaction. Or if you have no time for it, find some hobbies to do or just find some time to do whatever you love to do. If that means waking up 30 min or 1 hour earlier every day, so be it. You need something to get you moving and this could be it. Who knows, maybe 1 day, you can make a living by doing what you really love to do. I’ve seen some people becoming pretty successful in that and I believe it CAN happen.

If everything above is still not possible, then there’s only 1 thing left to do. Change your mindset. True, your job may not be the best in the world (trust me, most people would say their jobs are not the best jobs in the world) and you might hate it a lot. But well, the good news is, it’s not the best but it’s not the worst as well. There are still some goods left in any jobs, and I believe each of us has the ability to make the most out of any situation. Think about all the positive things from your job, your workplace, your colleagues, bosses, etc. LEARN to love your current job. Remember, at least, you still have a job.

At the end of the day, it’s all about making a change, be it to the things that are happening to us or to our own mindset (which also means adaptation). So start thinking whether you are doing whatever you are doing now for the sake of doing it….or are you doing it for the sake of loving it? If it’s the former, maybe it’s time for a change?

If it’s the latter, congratulations. Enjoy the moment !