Musings on a birthday, and after a memorable run at East Coast Park

                                                                    8 km done and dusted. 

Today I turned a year older. Hopefully wiser and most definately weaker in the physical sense of things. 

However, as I ran a fast 4 km for the first part of the run this morning (starting at 6.35 am) and then trotted back the remaining 4km for the second part of my run, I am reminded that indeed I will be running and coming to the last km of my life sooner rather than later.

What have I learned ? What do I want to continue to do ? Am I happy ? 

What's Next ? 

What have I learned ?

I have learned that achievement in life comes to those who have a goal, and strive hard to make those goals a reality. I have set myself goals for close to 20 years and I have missed many but also hit a number too. I have also set a Raison D'ete for my life and it is my mission statement.

I have learned that humility is a virtue and that in everything you need to start small and grow from there. Setbacks are part of the learning process and people with the toughest mindsets and most positive attitudes more often than not, succeed in achieveing their goals. Pain, luck in buckets, sacrifice, sweat, some blood and some tears are the price of success. There is no short cuts to achieving huge goals.

Huge goals can and must be broken down to bite sized ones and from the accumulation of each bite sized goal, you can one day build up your abilities or whatever you want to get to in life, with determination, perseverance and sheer hard work.

What do I want to continue to do ? 

I want to a) have a humble and positive attitude that as my business continues to grow from strength to strength, I can rely on my family, close friends and school mates for support during the toughest times. Today I want to applaud the people who stood by me. My wife, family, good friends from school, karate mates, classmates from SMU and my far flung family all over the world.

b) be able to transmit good values like honesty, hard work, positive attitude, and committment to a cause to teach the next generation as these will always be relevant in any times now and in the future.

c) to be selective with whom I want to associate with. Time is of the essence, and I cannot be omnipresent and omnipotent. It is impossible. I will need to say "no" many times as I do have a goal and a set time frame to achieve that goal. 

d) to be able to be a mentor and a good friend when I am called upon - for the right cause.

e) To continue to stop and smell, appreciate the roses, and the bad stuff like birdshit and mess. For without this mess, I would not fully appreciate when something truly is good. If I eat sharks fin every day, I will appreciate it less and find it increasingly mundane. Hence, when life gives us lemons, we need to make lemonade with them - not curse why we receive such lousy fruit which is so bitter and practically inedible.

Am I happy ?

I am not miserable. I am satisfied with my station in life. So by that token I can say I am reasonably happy with the way things have turned out for me.

Happiness should not be viewed as an ends by itself but as a by-product of one's life when he or she chooses wisely and attains what he sets out to do.

There will be sad and sorrowful days, I am sure. That is what life is all about. Its how we deal with these situations which are thrust to us, sometimes in the most unfortunate manner and we have to be adaptable and motivated to get out of that situation or make the best of that very difficult situation.

What's Next ?

I will need to think deeply on this and give my findings in the next posts hopefully before end of the year.