Age Has Never Been One of the Criteria of Creating Change

I once read a story about one courageous lad but I can’t remember the source. Here it goes:

A group of people visited a king to complain about the situation in their city. Among them were young and old folks. When they reached the king’s palace, none of them could speak. They were afraid that something might happen to them if they do. Then a young boy of 12 years old stood up, took the lead, and confronted the king.

The king told him to stay back and let the oldest among them to speak on their behalf. The young kid refused and said something like this: “If age was one of the criteria for choosing king, you won’t be the king now because there are people who are older, full of wisdom and experiences than you but they chose you.” When the king heard this, he was perplexed by the reality of this kid’s statement. He then allowed the kid to speak for the group.

You see, you’ve been lying to yourself and making invalid excuses that you’re not old enough to start something. Age has never been one of the criteria you need to start something or create something amazing, and it will never be. All you need is the confidence to start, the bravery to lead and the curiosity to ask good questions. What are you waiting for? Start now!

-MOAB © 2014

What Does It Take to Be a Writer?

“And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.” –Sylvia Plath

Is it a degree in Literature, English, or Creative writing? No. None of these degrees matter. You don’t even need to go for a writer’s surgery or take a writer’s pill (if there’s such thing) to become a writer. To be a writer—you only need to have the guts to write what others are thinking or imagine what others could be thinking and write it. That’s all you need to become a writer. Any other thing is just a plus. Got it? Good. Go now and write.

What Will You Make of This Moment?

 “Realize deeply that the present moment is all you ever have.”  –Eckhart Tolle

It’s true that this present moment will be gone and never come back again. That today will be gone and tomorrow will eventually become another today. But one day, everything will be gone and there’ll be no day left. The point here is not the continuation of days or the end of it, but what one has achieved or done in those days, those free present moments.

This is a hard lesson for me, because I’ve been stalling, getting stuck, and giving myself excuses that are not valid. I get stuck every time because I think there’s another day to do the work. There’s no abundant time at all. All I ever have is this present moment to do something that matters, to do good deeds, and make a difference in people’s lives. There’s no other time to start other than this present moment. If you think you’ll have this moment tomorrow, you’re kidding yourself.

So, stop stalling and start doing something right now. It doesn’t have to be something big as sometimes we get stuck thinking we have to do big things to make a difference, and we end up doing nothing at all. I know, for example, that I should be writing books, not updating Facebook status. I know, of course, that I should write more guest post and not reading more blogs. I get delight in thinking that there’s enough time, that there’s tomorrow, which has got me nowhere.  Not anymore.

You and I need to do things with urgency of this present moment. Good or bad, it doesn’t matter. Do it now or never. This present moment will never come again, take advantage of it. What’ll you do or make of this present moment?

-MOAB © 2014

Until You Do, You’re Nothing

Photo Credit: MSGT Dale Atkins (flickr.com)

Just because you have the hairstyle doesn’t mean you can live the lifestyle.

Just because you talk about writing doesn’t mean you’re a writer.

Just because you preach the gospel doesn’t mean you’re pious.

Just because you talk about money doesn’t mean you’re rich.

Just because you talk about value doesn’t mean you’re valuable.

Just because you know the resources doesn’t mean you’re resourceful.

Just because you have a master’s degree doesn’t mean you’re a master.

Just because you speak eloquently doesn’t mean you’re smart.

Just because you’re tall doesn’t mean you’re courageous.

Just because you love reading books doesn’t mean you’re better than the person who can’t.

Until you act on what you have, you’re nothing.

So, start acting now. Go!

-MOAB © 2014

 

Motivation: Who Will You Give It To?

Some days ago, a goal captured my attention when the loud voice of my friend chanting “goal!” echoed. Don’t ask me the name of the teams, because I wasn’t watching. I only saw the goal part.

The game was tense as my friend explained. Almost going goalless, then a young player got a pass and scored the lonely goal in the match. After scoring the goal, he started running in jubilation towards another direction while his team mates were running after him. Excited, they were.

Photo Credit: Krissy Venosdale (flickr.com)

I was thinking, “where’s he running to?” At least he should celebrate with his team mates first or thank the player that gave him the pass, but he didn’t do that. He was running towards the direction of his coach. He hugged his coach, which I think means “thank you.”

I wonder why he had to run to his coach. I wonder why he didn’t celebrate with his teammates. There must be something behind his gesture, I thought. After so much thought,I came up with this: the coach believed in him, encouraged him, and gave him a trial. The result? He scored a goal and become awesome. And that’s why he ran to his coach.

Now, over to you: who will you encourage, motivate, and instill confidence to become awesome? You don’t have to be a coach to do that. A single write-up could make the difference. A single speech could make the difference. Even just a text of 140 characters could make the difference. Look for that person that you believe in his/her potential and encourage the person. Because if you do, you’re also motivating and encouraging yourself to become awesome. I believe you’re awesome, so find other people to tell this. Let’s do this together.
-MOAB  © 2014

Being Genius: What Does It Take?

“Genius is one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent perspiration.”
–Thomas A. Edison

Anytime I come across something genius or something great, I always think about the amount of hours put in before it came into existence. The brainstorming of ideas, the mistakes and failures, and the perseverance to making it happen. It ain’t easy. It’s hard work. A genius (great, enchanting, and wow) work doesn’t come out of the thin air. You have to put in the hours, that is why Edison said genius is ninety-nine percent perspiration. Want to do something great? Put in the hours and do the work, you’ll surely get there.
-MOAB © 2014

5 Things I Learned From Learning a Bicycle As an Adult

1.  You can learn anything in life if you are determined to do so. (It’s never too late to learn)
2. Be vulnerable (you’ll make mistakes, you’ll get hurt, people will laugh at you, but never let that stop you from learning).
3. Take it slow (learning takes time and there’s no overnight success. You don’t need to rush to make things happen, take it slow)
4. Pedal harder (put more efforts). I realized that it’s the pedal that moves the bicycle, so you need to do the work to move forward in life.
5. Find a balance (without a balance, a bicycle would stumble. So, find a balance in anything that you do in life).
-MOAB © 2014

Be Courageous, And Show The World What You’ve Got

The hall was full of laughter. First, from the audience and later from the panel of judges. It was a contest for a talent hunt. This was not a comedy show, but yet, everybody was laughing. They were laughing at a guy’s performance on the stage. His performance was so poor that people in the hall couldn’t help themselves but to laugh. They laughed to their satisfaction. Some people even booed him. They hadn’t seen this kind of poor performance in a long time.

The guy was humiliated and walked out of the hall stealthily. The audience and the judges only saw this guy’s mediocre performance but never saw one thing in him which is courage. The courage to show up on the stage. The courage to give it a try. The courage to say, “This is what I’ve to offer.” How many of you have this super-duper talent in you, but was afraid of being humiliated? Afraid of being booed on the stage?

It’s not talent if you only show case it in your room. You have to show the world what you’ve got. Being booed or humiliated won’t kill you, but it’ll only make you realize how courageous you are to face the crowd. At least, you show up and do your stuff. Don’t let people’s laughter or criticism discourage you from being awesome. Remember, at first, they’ll laugh at you but in the end, they’ll ask how you made it. Go out there on the stage, be courageous, and show the world what you’ve got.
-MOAB © 2014

Haters And Their Acerbic Comments

What do haters do? They hate. Why? Because they want to be like you and sometimes for no reason. And if they’ve tried all their efforts to be like you and never succeed, then they hate you. You mean just like that? Yes, just like that. When you write, they look for your typo and mistakes. When you talk about your success, they accuse you of being narcissistic. When you talk about your failures, they overlook it as if nothing has happened. When you fail, they rejoice inwardly because it’s time for them to shine and take your place. They never see any good in you except the bad.

Photo Credit: Mike Chaput

What’s their job? Their job is to hurt you with their acerbic comments so that you will throw in the towel and never try again. They want to chase you away from being awesome.

What’s your job? It’s simple. Ignore them. Don’t let them hurt you or let you down with their acerbic comments. Don’t let their comments deter you from continuing to pursue your endeavor when in reality they’re envious of your success.

Do whatever you know how to do best and keep striving to become better because your dream is bigger than your haters. It matters to the world. Your haters are just distraction or worse, Resistance. Mind you, sometimes they might state the obvious, then notice that and use it as a plus to your struggle.
-MOAB © 2014

I will Do Better If…

If I were in his/her position, I’ll do better.
If I have more time, I’ll do better.
If I were born in America, I’ll do better.
If my family were rich, I’ll do better.
If I weren’t black, I’ll do better.
These are the statements of the naysayers, of the procrastinators.
They’ve millions of excuses in their bank account.
They love tomorrow like no one else.
They’re allergic to “now.”
They’re experts in all fields but they won’t start one.
They love talking but detest action.
They love to whine about everything.
If the weather isn’t good, they take it as another excuse.
They know more than their peer-groups.
They argue, argue, and argue.
But they have nothing to show for it.
They wish, wish, and wish as if wishing is a strategy.
You better don’t be like these folks.
You can only get better at what you start.
Start something. Start small. Be persistent.
-MOAB © 2014