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Have you ever left the house super early for a meeting, yet ended up running late because of inconsiderate drivers who caused traffic congestions because of yellow box violation? It’s so annoying, right? One time, I was driving home from work, I got caught in such kind of a traffic jam and it was noisy because of the blaring sounds of car horns, signalling these drivers to clear the intersection.
I tried my best not to open my car window and shout. I was even tempted to press down my car horn many times and join the orchestra as well!
To calm me down, I do my 4-7-8 breathing exercises. I take a deep breath in through my nose for 4 counts, hold my breath for 7, then breathe out through the mouth for 8 counts. It always helps when I am on the road!
We get so many opportunities to see how far our patience goes. Life just throws in some inconveniences like traffic jams, slow internet connection, choppy phone lines, and when someone is being mean towards us for no reason.
Why does it count to be a little patient? Here’s why:
1. ) It tells so much about our character
People can have a better view of us if we show them a little bit of patience. Being patient means allowing ourselves to grow and to carry ourselves with grace.
2. ) There is no need for any unnecessary fights
There are just some things we don’t need to make a big deal of. If we lose our patience quickly, we might end up straining our relationships with the people around us.
We should always choose our battles and stop letting unnecessary things consume our headspace. It will only disrupt our peace.
3. ) People have their inner struggles
We are reminded to be kind towards others because we don’t know what we are going through. Let us not drag them down more by lashing out at them.
Patience is a virtue. Being patient means being strong. To be strong as a mountain, one must not let themselves be swayed in a whirlwind of emotions. Let's do whatever it takes to avoid losing control — even doing a headstand perhaps.
Let’s live a life ignited. Subscribe to my blog!
In Japan, there is an art called“Kintsugi”, wherein they repair broken pottery using gold, creating beauty out of imperfections. It considers every crack and damage to be a part of the object's history. A gold-repaired shattered bowl was so magnificent that some collectors would smash their ceramics to have the seams filled with gold.
People can be as fragile as ceramic bowls. From the scrapes and scratches on our knees to the emotionally devastating encounters, we will never know when life can unexpectedly hit us and break us down. Each one of us goes through several painful experiences such as losing our jobs, businesses hitting difficulties, getting diagnosed with a disease, and losing loved ones.
That’s how life is. It can be challenging for us.
Like broken vases filled with golden seams, we will always find ways to piece ourselves together. We let these painful experiences teach us to survive, to be stronger, and to aim for betterment. Even though we are flawed, we know that we can always be the best version of ourselves. No matter how many times we fall, we will always find a way to get back up.
Life is all about balance. We have our fair share of both happy and bad moments. We each have our own set of strengths and shortcomings.
Our flaws, wounds, and pain serve as evidence of our existence. These are our testimonies of falling and rising again. We may be flawed, yet that is what makes us human.
Despite everything, we are still marvelous and deserving of a happy life. I think that’s beautiful.
Let us all find the beauty in our flaws. Subscribe to my blog!
When I first started in the aviation profession, I had to go through rigorous training to learn things that I didn't know was part of my job description. I learned Aviation Health & First Aid, how to fight fires, and deal with hijackers. I was taught survival swimming and life saving, jungle survival, crash landing emergency procedures, while being trained to deliver first class dining and inflight experience, and manage performance onboard of young flight attendants from different nationalities. After more than two decades of flying, I got the chance to be part of the leadership and development pool of trainers where I fell in love with training and coaching leaders.
As I started planning to clip my wings, I decided to pursue a career in wellness. I took tons of continuing education online while preparing for my repatriation. And then, went off to India for a month to take Yoga Teachers Training at Yogadarshanam School in Mysore. When I came back, I founded 22 Holistic Wellness Consulting, and soon realized that wellness is not enough. I joined Ignite House of Innovation, and eventually co-founded Ignite Centre for Peak Experience where I could take care of our well-being. I continued to coach and lead people to practice beyond wellness, and find deeper joy and meaning in life by aligning their purpose, and fulfilling their highest potential so that they can be whole.
“Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire,” William Butler Yates once said.
Think of knowledge as an eternal fire. It is a never-ending fire that illuminates the world. As teachers and mentors, we use that fire to ignite our torches. In turn, we light up torches of others so they can pass the fire on, light up more torches, and create a brighter future.
Teaching and mentoring are two ways to make a difference and impact the lives of others. When we mentor someone, we never know how far our influence can spread. Our imprint on them will go on as these individuals pass on what they have learned from us.
Learning and teaching are two sides of the same coin. We learn, teach, and then repeat. We are all both teachers and students at the same time.
Happy Teachers' Day to all of our educators! Who is your favorite teacher or mentor, and what have you learned from them?
Let’s light up the world with ideas. Subscribe to my blog!
