Reflections of 2012 – Lessons Learned

I’m not claiming to be another Einstein, Oscar Wilde, or Zig Ziglar yet, but I am leading my own crusade in understanding life and human nature. My learning journey is that of continuous discoveries through observations and reflections.  I learn a lot through my own experiences, through observations around me, and from inspirational quotes of successful people.  Yes, I’m a big fan of powerful statements that say a lot with only few words. Over the past few years, I started coming up with my own.  What you will read next is a collection of my random thoughts (more like my own formulated quotes).  Most are made short to fit twitter’s 140 characters confinement. Some others are longer, so I’d throw them out there on facebook as a status. Oh, and I designed many into pictures to share on my facebook page (Coaching Your 3Ps; see example up there). When I compile those of 2012 into one post now, I realize they make a good collection. Read on and please let me know which you like most…

-      "I have clients not patients. I have an office not a clinic. I describe, I do not label. I'm a counselor not a therapist." ~ 3Ds a positive psychologist irritated by the use of negative language

-      “When I think of how much I still need to learn, to still do, and to look forward to, I could almost hyperventilate!” ~ 3Ds

-      “Of all shadows, that which hovers over your whole being is the scariest. Surf ahead…” ~ 3Ds

-      “The best love you'll ever find is that which propels you into becoming a better version of your true self....” ~ 3Ds

-      “There is always confusion before clarity just as there is darkness before dawn” ~ 3Ds

-      “Of all the lies I hear, I find those reflecting one’s life being trouble-free as most appealing” ~ 3Ds

-      “When happiness seems to have gone on a long vacation, just remember, it always returns.... many times, fully charged.” ~3Ds

-      “What’s the point in calling “principles” “principles” if they’re OFTEN bended, then mended, or amended?” ~ 3Ds

-      “Perhaps one of life’s dictums is “Not having it all”… Most certainly its parallel is “Enjoy what you have before you lose it all”…~ 3Ds

-      “Ever wonder why good news are frequently off-set by bad news shortly after? Think again… it could simply be working the other way round…” ~ 3Ds

-      “Don't you wish more people would shift from a culture of "stealing your time" to "valuing your time"? The imbalance is getting really irritating.. :(“ ~ 3Ds

-      “Tolerance becomes easy once all the nuisances are considered just background noise…” ~ 3Ds

-      “Isn’t it ironical how so many people waste their time gossiping about others’ problems instead of investing their time to solve their own?” ~ 3Ds

-      “There's a fine line between self-confidence and conceit just like that existing between modesty and self-deprecation” ~ 3Ds

-      “To those who complain physical exercise is torture: Compare it with being forced to exercise your patience? Piece of cake, ha?” ~ 3Ds

-      “In the circle of life, it is always the strong helping the weak; the wise tolerating the immature; the healthy aiding the sick; the educated putting up with the ignorant; but what’s with  the insecure casting stones on those who rise above…?” ~3Ds

-      “Nothing beats distress like having a clear concrete plan for solutions. Now whether you carry it out or not is a different story.” ~ 3DS

-         Being “courageous” is daring to go for it despite your little chances.

Being a “fool” is daring to go for it despite having no chances at all.

Being a “courageous fool” is doing things left and right without even considering your chances; and arguing that the statistics course you took back at the university is worthless…. ~ Meta-logic 101

-      "When you find out the true face behind the mask some people wear, just remain silent. Why feed malicious intent when you can use your energy to accept human imperfections?" ~ 3Ds

-      “Progress is: Cognition followed by Ignition. When you know what you need to do, MOVE!...” ~ 3Ds

-      “Unless you realize you’re part of the problem, you won’t be part of the solution. Some people stick to playing victim far too long”. ~ 3Ds

-      "We never lose the ability to love. We may just lose the ability to love the SAME person." ~3Ds

-      “It's not the words...; not the act..; not what happened ... that matter .... It's what it all means ...” ~ 3Ds

-      “Sometimes you wish there's this someone thinking of you somehow and in some way close to your secretly obsessive thoughts about that someone.” ~ 3Ds

-      “Laughter is most appreciated after pain. There's healing power even in a sense of false gain. “ ~3Ds

-      “You know you have an issue in work-life balance if you have a passion for excellence” ~ 3Ds

-      "عواصف العواطف.... حلو التعبير... مش دايما حلوة التجربة"  ~ 3Ds

And here are some funny or sarcastic ones:

-      “The only thing I’ll allow to bring me down is the elevator.” ~ 3Ds

-      When I said “The only thing I’ll allow to bring me down is the elevator”,  some people started appearing as elevators in disguise … ~ 3Ds

-      “That awkward feeling, when you realize it'll take much less than a decade, when you'll be called: Half a century old....” ~3Ds

-       “That terrifying moment when you dig for energy in your well of “I’m alright” pretense only to find it completely depleted ....” ~ 3Ds

-       “If dealing with stress, stressors, and stressed out people actually burned calories, I would have been a supermodel by now” ~ 3Ds

-       "That awesome moment when you finish all your “to do list” and are seduced to just sit there… Well, I rarely, if ever, have it…. and I’m not complaining here…." ~ 3Ds

-      “A perfectionist is someone who never makes the same mistake twice. Just as many times as necessary to be sure it was in fact a mistake…. “ ~3Ds

-      “That straight eye contact moment, when it lasts 10 seconds or longer ... reflecting either fatal attraction or ....contemplative murder!” ~3Ds

Lastly, “One of my wishes for the New Year is to see more professionals ACTING professionally…..” Perhaps reflecting on one’s own performance remains a habit un-adopted by many. No wonder why many so called professionals remain operating at mediocre levels and never progress…. And that is why I make the time to continuously assess and reflect. To me, life encompasses 3Ps: “Personal & Professional Progress”….

See you in 2013 J