Lessons from a long walk
May 5, 2008 Analogies, Personal
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So, a couple of days ago I walked home (I stay in Tampines) from Victoria Concert Hall. More specifically, I walked from Victoria Concert Hall to the Singapore Flyer, to Kallang MRT, then along the MRT track to Bedok MRT, then through Bedok Reservoir and to Tampines and home. For those of you not from Singapore and have no idea what I’m talking about, it was a walk of slightly over 11 miles (based on Google Maps).
And well, the walk reminded me of two lessons.
Firstly, at a point during the walk (in Bedok), I made a wrong turn. I could have turned back, retraced my steps, and gone the original path. And it would have taken me just as long (or even longer). Instead, I went on, kept in mind the big picture (the rough direction I was headed), and adjusted my route accordingly. Eventually, I did make it back, and I learned more about the area because of that.The same lesson applies in life. We’re human, we’ll all make mistakes. If you’ve got the big picture in mind, if you know the general direction you’re headed, you’ll be able to readjust your plans accordingly when you do.
Secondly, and more importantly, the walk started out as just a short stroll, because I didn’t feel like going home yet. But after a while, it became a challenge, to see how far I could push myself. Honestly, I wouldn’t have expected to be able to walk all the way back home. I just wanted to see how far I could go, and in the end, I managed it.
Just goes to show that you never know how far you can go until you push your limits – and more often than not, it’s further than you’d expect.
Are you pushing your limits and stepping out of your comfort zone? Are you really going as far as you can?
[?]Tags: big picture, comfort zone, lessons, life, limits, readjust, walk
Looking back on 2007
Jan 8, 2008 Uncategorized
It’s now a week into the New Year, and I’ve been blogging for about 7-8 months. I look back on those months in my entry to Middle Zone Musing’s Blogapalooza: “What I Learned From 2007″. A collection of the best few posts (in my opinion) from my blogging journey.
[?]Tags: blogs, Derrick Kwa, lessons
Sunday Shortlist #2
Dec 9, 2007 Uncategorized
Here’s another Sunday Shortlist, for you. 5 links for today.
Tip: Breaking Schoolhouse Habits – Behance Articles
Behance is a great network, with some awesome articles. This is one of them. 3 habits that formal education teaches us, which in fact set us back. As the article says, “Nothing extraordinary is ever achieved through ordinary means.”
10 mistakes that changed the world – HELLO, my name is Blog
Mistakes aren’t all bad, if we learn from them and make the most of it. Scott provides us with 10 examples of that. I’m really starting to like his blog, and highly recommend that you subscribe to it. Consistently produces great articles.
HomeTips: There’s a Lot to Like – How to Change the World
Guy Kawasaki takes a look at the winner of Google’s Adsense Story Contest. Good lessons that we can all learn, including doing what you love and finding a niche for yourself.
The Age of Microcelebrity: Why Everyone’s a Little Brad Pitt – Clive Thompson from Wired Magazine
In today’s world, with the connectivity of the Internet, personal branding is more important than ever. Everything we do reflects a a message about ourselves. Clive Thompson analyzes this new trend, the age of microcelebrity. Good read.
Young Chimp Beats College Students – Wired News
Just an amusing story that caught my eye. Really goes to show that the important part of intelligence isn’t memory work. Or (if memory work really is that essential) maybe chimps really are smarter than us.
If you’ve come across an interesting page/site that you want to share, feel free to email me or add a comment. I’ll be glad to take a look at it and share it. Self promotion is accepted as well.
Tags: education, failure, lessons, personal branding, Sunday Shortlist
Falling Down
Dec 6, 2007 Uncategorized
This was a thought inspired by Vera’s comment in my post on snowboarding. She said “[falling is] incredibly humiliating. 
But falling down doesn’t really hurt me I guess.” I think it was a great comment.
To continue with the same analogy, in snowboarding, falling down doesn’t really hurt. It’s humiliating at times. But it doesn’t really hurt. That’s the case sometimes in life as well. Falling can be humiliating. Failing can embarrass you. But sometimes, it doesn’t really hurt. And you should just get up and move on.
Of course, that’s not always the case. Take the example of skateboarding (chosen mainly because of the relation to snowboarding). When you skateboard, you aren’t on snow. You’re on wood or concrete. Falling on concrete or wood hurts. That’s why you learn how to fall when you learn skateboarding. It minimizes injuries.
Two tips on how to fall (from the National Safety Council):
- If you fall, try to roll rather than absorb the force with your arms.
- Even though it may be difficult during a fall, try to relax your body, rather than go stiff.
The best way to fall is to go with it. And the same applies in whatever you do. You are going to fail sometimes. And if you try to force the issue, if you insist that you didn’t make a mistake and steadfastly try to continue what you’re doing, it’ll hurt you more in the long run. The best thing to do about it is to just relax, and let it happen. Then get up, and move on.
How do you react when you fall?
[?]Snowboarding and Discomfort
Dec 5, 2007 Uncategorized
I’ve personally gone snowboarding a couple of times, and I’m decent at it (especially considering I don’t get too much practice being in Singapore). I’m not good by any means, but I get by, and don’t fall. And what I’m writing here is based on what my experience learning snowboarding.
2 points. One about apparent risk, and one about vision (and my personal failure).
Firstly, risk. Or rather, apparent risk. In snowboarding, if you want to turn, you lean in the direction you want to go. It’s not always the most comfortable position. It’s slightly off center; off balance, if you will. But it’s the only way for you to direct yourself, instead of being dictated by the environment, controlled by the curve of the slope. It might seem risky (you’re off balance, leaning to one side, seemingly more likely to fall), but in the larger picture, it’s the only way to be sure of where you’re going.
In life, sometimes you have to do what seems risky. You have to go off-kilter a bit. You need to know where you want to go, and lean in that direction. It might seem risky, it might bring you off balance for a while. But in the end that’s the best bet you have if you want to control your own path.
My second point is more about my personal failure in snowboarding, the biggest thing I myself have trouble with. I never manage to board toe side (with my back facing downhill). I always struggled with being unable to see where I was going. I knew where I was going. I could see the slope before I got on the board, and I’m pretty sure the slope didn’t change. But just the inability to see where I’m headed as I’m moving made me nervous. And that has held me back (until now) from going to the next level in my snowboarding. It’s something that I need to get over.
Again, this lesson can be applied to life as well. I personally have to learn this lesson as well. Sometimes, it’s hard to take a step without being able to see where you’re going. Even if you’ve seen the path before hand. But sometimes, if you don’t take that ‘blind’ step, you won’t be able to progress to the next level.
Both these lessons have a common thread, though. Doing something that might not be comfortable. Because, as Curt Rosengren, the M.A.P Maker, told us, being too comfortable can be bad.
I’ll leave you with the same two questions as Curt, because I don’t think I could phrase them any better.
How are you exploring your Discomfort Zone right now? How could you?
Photo taken by Jasmic
[?]Daryl Peach: 2007 World Pool Champion
Nov 11, 2007 Uncategorized
Congratulations to Daryl Peach, the 2007 World Pool Champion. He beat Roberto Gomez 17-15 in an amazing final. I know I posted in general about the World Pool Championships earlier, but today I just want to discuss the final.
I’ll start with Gomez, the losing finalist. He had played brilliantly throughout the tournament, but just seemed to choke in the end. He was playing much more conservatively than normal. It just wasn’t his own game. If you ask me, that’s one of the main reasons he lost. He didn’t stick to what he was good at. Ultimately, he just wasn’t himself. And he payed the price for that.
Peach, on the other hand, more or less stuck to his game. He didn’t really try anything too fancy. He just stuck to his calm, calculated game. And it paid off. That’s what his game has been all about throughout the week. It wasn’t about making the great, unbelievable, highlight-reel shots. It was just about making the best decisions consistently, doing the simple things well. That’s what got him to the final. Yes, he can do the highlight-reel shots (like the bank in the final rack), but his main game was always about percentages and decisions.
Above all, though, it was the mental strength that won the championship for him. I think the perfect example was the second last rack, with Peach leading 16-15. Gomez came to the table on the 9, and missed what would normally have been a simple shot. Daryl Peach came back and potted it, and went on to win the championship. That summed up the difference in composure and mental strength perfectly. Both players had their ups and downs over the matches, but Daryl Peach managed to maintain focus more than his opponent, and didn’t let it get to him. And that’s why he won.
There’s so much all of us can learn from that. You’ll have a higher chance of success if you stick to your game, and just be yourself, as Gomez’s loss shows us. And Peach showed us the value of good decision making, focusing on what we have and the power of mental strength.
Daryl himself summed it up perfectly after the game, “I haven’t got the most ability and there are lots of players with more talent than me but I just used my head and tried to focus on what I’ve got.”
How do you maintain your focus on your ability, and not get thrown off by circumstance?
[?]Tags: be yourself, decisions, focus, inspiration, lessons, mental strength, play
NY Love Story
Nov 10, 2007 Uncategorized
I came across that picture on the web a while ago. It’s basically a call from a web designer, Patrick Moberg, to the city of New York, to help him find the girl of his dreams. He saw this girl on a subway, and it was love at first sight for him. But he lost the girl in the crowd and didn’t get to talk to her. So he posted that picture up, in an attempt to get in touch with her.
And apparently, it worked. As much as I find it mildly freaky (and bordering on being stalker-like), I have to give Patrick full credit for being willing to try this. And I think we can learn a lot from this (his approach, more than the actual act).
He knew what he wanted and just went all out for it. He took a risk, thought out of the box and created his own opportunity. He made use of all the connections he could (you can’t really get more connected than the internet).
If you really want something, go out and get it. Use whatever is available to you. Be daring and don’t hold back. Who knows, you might just succeed.
What do you want today? And what can you do to achieve it?
Link via Peter Black’s Freedom to Differ: Is this romantic or just creepy?
[?]Tags: courage, lessons, relationships, risk
