How much time does it take to undo a habit? It’s been eight days since I last wrote.
My laptop screen stopped working and I stopped writing. I have to catch up on the last seven days. I can’t help but be overwhelmed. But where do I start?
Curveballs of life derails my commitment to write daily. How do I recover?
One word at a time.
You eat one big lunch and early light dinner.
You skip breakfast.
You want to lose weight.
You don’t eat breakfast?
You don’t feed your body for 18 hours…?
You thought you should eat less to lose weight.
In theory, if input < exertion, then weight loss, null; but it’s not linear.
Starving the body forces it into starvation mode. Metabolism slows down. Body is always hungry. Mind can’t think straight. Heart is upset with lack of joy from infrequent food intake.
You’re set up to fail.
How do you fix it?
Get back to basics.
Processed food is not your friend (pizza pocket, pop tart, breakfast cereal, l’eggo muffins, ready-mix pancakes, granola bars, hash browns, cereal bars…etc…)
Meaning, you have to plan, shop, prepare, package and dedicate time (you can’t skip a meal!) to eat your own food.
No one said this was going to be easy.
Eat breakfast.
Have snacks in between if hungry.
Drink water.
Have lunch and dinner.
Snack on fruits, veggies, nuts and whatever is in its ‘natural state’.
Work out at least twice a week.
And no, you don’t deserve that piece of chocolate cake.
Like all good things in life, plan ahead and do it. Keep your promise.
They call this discipline.
Where have you been in the past 80 days?
Have you been around the world?
Not me. Not this year.
Definitely not in the past 2 months and 22 days.
I used to get the itch to travel.
To see and experience something else, something new.
Those days are long gone.
I have grown old.
I no longer need to escape from reality.
I stay where I am.
To savor the gift of today.
To be me and no one else.
To enjoy the time to myself.
To enjoy the kindness from friends, family and strangers.
To enjoy the mundane harvest from average life.
I’ve been exploring myself in the past 80 days.
I’ve been around the world of my own creations.
I’m feeling chuffed with myself. By prioritizing must haves, I reduced the remodeling budget by 30%.
Of course, there is the cost of one month’s delay. The renovation hasn’t started. I feel displaced.
I think it was worth the delay.
Will confirm in a month’s time.
Freedom to speak up against government dissent is the surest way to maintain democracy. Prevent dictatorship. Hold people accountable.
Nothing is free. Freedom is not free. Freedom is not without costs.
We get what we pay for. Paywalls used to annoy me. Now I subscribe to my favorite news outlet. I just made a once off donation of 10 pounds to the Guardian. I wish I could do more. Give more.
The press is made up of people like us. They have bills to pay.
They need to eat. They have families.
Will you join me in supporting the press and safeguarding our freedom of speech?
Will you donate to a reputable news house of your choice? Pay for monthly subscription?
Writing has become a way of life.
Words consume me.
Words breathe life back into my soul.
I laugh out loud.
Why am I laughing?
No particular reason.
I feel happy to be me.
To be alive.
I laugh out loud.
No one can hear me.
I laugh out loud to myself and for myself.
It’s Friday.
I work late; having fun excavating and putting meaning to overlooked items. My perspective has changed. I’m not a management consultant, but I can relate to their way of working.
I’ve been programmed to add value from packaging the “so what” in ways that makes sense. How long it will take us to get from here to there. Compare the time on the watch to the rest of clocks in the office. Why is the watch slower/faster than the rest? Why is the watch worn on the wrist? Is this why the sales team always late? What is the pattern?
I don’t talk to everyone. Scanning and diving with select group that will add the most value. Ignoring the skeptics but getting them on board by asking the right questions before giving an answer. Packaging just the right information for the right people in the shortest time.
Understanding the question is the most difficult part.
The planner in me grows uneasy. I have no plans for the year.
I tried to break down my daily hours to get as much done as possible.
I refrained from my usual self after a friend advised me to not sign up for anything new.
She’s right. Life’s about to get very hectic.
I feel like I’m wasting time. I should be doing more. I could be doing more!
For now, I’ll live with this discomfort.
Discomfort means friction.
Friction means movement.
I hope I’m moving forward.
I wake up to a NY Times article on Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. I’d like to share my perspective as a consumer based on my experience in the USA, South Korea, Turkey, Mexico, Spain, China and South Africa.
USA:
Growing up poor, my family didn’t have medical insurance. No annual check-ups.
I got a degree and worked for a multi-national corporate. It provided comprehensive healthcare for $25 per month, with co-pay of $50 per visit. I was young, healthy and naive. Or, I trusted medical professionals to act on my best interest. I was wrong. Some took advantage, recommended and performed procedures that were totally unnecessary and value-eroding. Over eight years of top coverage, I saw a medical doctor once. All other times, I saw Registered Nurses (RN).
After post-grad, not yet with a job, I had no medical insurance. To see doctors without appointment cost $150 per visit. Another $100 for prescription medicine for something simple.
Life was unpredictable. Everything took longer. On average, I waited 6 hours. I couldn’t get an appointment. The COBRA coverage was expensive ($300 per month providing emergency coverage only). There was no public exchange for me to compare and choose a medical coverage right for me.
It’s surprising to hear positive perception of the American healthcare. Sure, for those with cash to burn, it sure is. For all else, not so much. A friend still works for the same multi-national corporate. He tells me the coverage has eroded and it costs him ten times more. When I hear countries like South Korea wanting to mimic the American system, a cold chill runs through my body. South Korea has an excellent and affordable medical ecosystem. While at work, I had to get emergency dental work over five visits. It costs me all of $100.
South Africa
Access to private doctors? $30 – 60 without insurance. They treat me like a human being. They don’t just see the dollar sign above my head. Registered Nurses do not exist.
$380 for comprehensive coverage: mental, physical, dental, emergency and up to $100,000 while traveling. There are at least viable 5 options here. Most all provide benefits like % off hotel, rental car, flights and consumer goods. The medical rates are set and adhered to.
Comparing the private care between USA to South Africa? On a scale of 1 to 10?
South Africa – 8
USA – 5
Healthcare value for money in the USA? Questionable.
Emergence of Urgent Cares is a symptom of a bigger and systematic issue. How can they provide us with cost-effective care without understanding our medical history? What is normal to me may be a serious issue to someone else. Instead of understanding and treating root causes, we’re given heavy doses of antibiotics that kills everything. No wonder we’re building up resistance to antibiotics.
Affordable Care Act would make medical services available to the masses. It is under serious threat, under the guise of unnecessary and costly social welfare.
It’s not.
The shortsighted and money-mongering culture has spread into the medical practice like cancer.
When will we take the first step to repair and rebuild America? When will we put America first?
To take care of our greatest assets, our people.
You have to live with yourself. Do what feels right. You know the answer. You know what to do. If you want to be good at something, practice.
Elevator pitch? Walking through your resume? Practice out loud. Talk to your reflection. Record yourself. By hearing your own voice, you’ll find natural ways to refine your pitch. When you play back the recording, you’ll pick up how you should vary your voice, pitch and volume to make a better story.
It sounds strange? It should. Ideas in your head are for you and you only; living in self-contained vacuum; uncontaminated. Unreal.
Ideas come to life in black and white, said out loud or performed through your body. A figment of your imagination co-mingles with the world. Ideas must survive alongside external forces.
Imagine yourself in front of a crowd and wonder how your message will be consumed. What seemed like a great idea in your head may sound strange, forcing you to refine or rewrite the story altogether.
Be clear on the story. What is it that you’re trying to sell? What you will do for them. Why they should care! Communicate in tangible and plain language. Demonstrate how you’ve tried to walk a mile in their shoes. Help them get to their next goal post.
It’s about them.
It should be a win-win for all, not a zero-sum game.
Smile. Make eye contact. Be human.