UP ON THE LADDER

Article by

KAYSOON KHOO

We're all trying to climb the ladder of success -- or, at least, progress. So we should. Nature does not allow stagnantion. If we don't climb, we fall -- because motion is the very pulse of life.

While we're climbing that ladder, we tend to regard those on the upper rungs with envy. We wish we were up there among their ranks. By itself, such wishing is not wrong. It gives us the spur we need to climb.

But while we're fixing our gaze up there on the lofty heights, let's not forget to cast our gaze down once in a while. It'll help us remember the origins from which we came. However high we scale up the ladder, once our feet were those lower rungs.

The pride of achievement should never give us a sense of superiority over those who have not reached the height we have attained. Some of them may have weaker leg muscles. Others may not be exerting enough effort. We should be grateful we were not hindered the same way.

In any event, we should remember the ladder of success isn't a very steady contraption. It can take us to lofty heights but it can also send us plunging down to great depths. However high we've climbed, we can only cling on the best we can while we try to place our foot on the next rung.

There's plenty of room up there at the top -- if we can reach it. It costs us nothing to call out encouragement to those below. Then, if we ever miss our footing, chances are we won't hear taunting laughter. A kind hand just might stretch out to catch us instead.

A MATTER OF CHOICE

Article by

KAYSOON KHOO

Most of us do not have the privilege to live our lives the way we want to. The even greater pity is when circumstance prevents us from cultivating and developing our inner talents, the intrinsic aptitude we have for certain things.

A person born with an unusual skill often has to earn a living which gives him no opportunity to deploy that skill. If such is your case, you probably feel bitter. You might think you're in a rut and your life is one long drudge.

There are countless others like you who are also deprived of the opportunity to do what they're really good at. Most of them feel the same way you do. Well, they're not being smart and neither are you.

If you can't have what you want, do the best with what you have. You've heard this many times in the past but you probably never gave it much thought. Do so now. Stop wasting your mental effort telling yourself how much you dislike your present circumstances if you're unable to change them. Use your brain power in a different way.

Look at your current situation with different eyes. It's as palatable to you as you want it to be. Don't think of what you have as a dish you dislike. Regard it as food you are privileged to eat.

Think of those who'll go down on their knees and thank their lucky stars if they can be in your shoes right now. If you dislike your present job, consider those who are desperate for any kind of job.

To like or dislike anything is purely a matter of personal choice. You can never excel in anything when you've convinced yourself you dislike it. Your dislike or aversion is your own mental conditioning and nothing else. Shift your mindset and give yourself a chance to adapt.

Ask yourself which is the better option -- to accept what you have with gratitude and try to make it something even better -- or to regard what you have with discontent and waste your life in endless complaint.

YOUR TREASURE MAP

Article by

KAYSOON KHOO

You have access to a map which leads you to untold wealth, riches beyond your wildest dreams. You've always had the map to this bounty in your possession, though you may not be aware of it.

The map is so simple that I'll simply describe it for you. It's drawn on a square sheet of paper which contains nothing but a circle with a dot right in the very centre. That's all there is, nothing else.

You're rather puzzled, aren't you? You're wondering whether this is a riddle or a joke. It's neither. It's the map that shows you where the treasure is.

Think of all the things you want most from life. Wealth, success, fame, position -- you probably want the same things a good many other people want too. You may have all these things but if two others are missing from your life, you will never know happiness. These two essential ingredients are peace and contentment.

When you are unable to be at peace with yourself and with the world, your life is a whirlpool, a constant turmoil. You'll always experience strife within and without.

If you don't know content, you'll spend your life searching and never finding. Whatever you acquire, you'll always want more. You'll never reach your destination because it keeps moving away from you.

Peace and contentment constitute the treasure that everyone seeks, whether they know it or not.

Look at your treasure map again. That dot in the centre is the treasure you seek. That circle is you. Just as the dot is inside the circle, the treasure you seek is within you.

What do you see outside the circle? Nothing but blank, negative space. No dots. No treasure. Peace and contentment are not found in externals. They're not linked to the money you have, the position you hold, the popularity you enjoy.

The map shows you the route to that priceless treasure you truly want. It's there for the taking. It's there, locked in your mind, that attic where every thought is stored. All you have to do is look within yourself to find it.

SMILE, IT'S WORTH YOUR WHILE

Article by

KAYSOON KHOO

There's something priceless you can give to others as many times as you wish without impoverishing yourself. It's a smile.

A smile is a message. It tells the world that you feel life is worth living, whatever the circumstances that surround you. When you bestow it on another, you tell that someone you regard her with liking, respect and goodwill. You may not realise it, but in your own, tiny way you are spreading the message of peace and love. That smile you give can resonate in countless hearts because one smile invariably invites another.

When you smile at another with genuine warmth, you start the flow of a magic current. A person receiving a smile is prompted to pass it on to someone else. What happens when you smile and nod at a stranger you meet on the street? You light a spark within him. That nod is your acknowledgment of his presence. Your smile is an indication that you're pleased to encounter him. That gesture from someone he doesn't know at all affects him, even if he's not consciously aware of it. It can even make his day.

A smile must be genuine. It shows in the eyes if it comes from the heart. You cannot fake a smile. There's no earthly reason for you to do so. Why should you? The joy of a smile you give rebounds on you. It's something that only proves its worth when you give it to another.

Remember to smile at yourself too. Look in the mirror each morning and do it. It's a reminder that you love and accept yourself for what you are. You have no love to give anyone if you don't love yourself. And you have no genuine smile to beam on the world if you cannot give yourself one too.

Smile because it's truly worth your while. The more you give it away, the richer you get.

YOU ARE THE AUTHOR, YOU ARE THE BOOK

Article by

KAYSOON KHOO


Take a good look at yourself. Consider the kind of person you are. Take stock of what you have. Ask yourself how happy and fulfilled your life is. What do they all add up to? The sum total of every single thought you have planted in your mind in the past.

If you are happy with what you have, the credit goes to you. If you're dissatisfied, the blame likewise falls on you. Don't try to push the responsibility to another party. Neither God, karma or chance made you what you are. You wrote every word in your manuscript of life and now you are the completed book you hold in your hands.

If you're not happy with the script, you can always edit and amend to your heart's content. There's no publisher to deprive you of that prerogative. How can you affect a change? By shifting your thought patterns. By giving yourself different convictions. Plant different seeds of thought in your head and you will harvest a different crop in your life.

If you're unsure of how you may effect the change you want, try consulting that greatest guru of all. We all know him as Common Sense. But while you're under his tutelage, you have to pay a fee. He demands from you total self-honesty. Don't pretend you are what you're not and stop making exuses for your own shortcomings. If you can conform to those demands, that guru can teach you invaluable lessons.

You are not what you think now. You are what you have thought. A fruit takes time to ripen. Do you wish to pluck a sweet, juicy fruit tomorrow? Watch what kind of seed you plant in the soil of your mind today.

YOUR INNER CHILD

Article by

KAYSOON KHOO

There is no gap between childhood and adulthood. One is inseparable from the other. The only difference between an adult and a child is that one has been around longer than the other.

In every child there is an adult. That's why it's been said, "From the mouths of babes come pearls of wisdom". When we see a precocious child who is unusually mature for his years, we are merely glimpsing the potential "grown-up" within him.

There is much we can learn from a child. One of the most important lessons he can teach us is how to delete the words impossible, improbable and unbelievable from our vocabulary. His world is one of magic because his mind is not restricted by these three limitations. And unless our thinking is as uncluttered as a child's, our lives will always lack the magic and beauty his is filled with.

Similarly, in every adult there is a child. It is the endless curiosity of our inner child that prompts us to search and discover. All human progress can be traced to this innate curiosity, this sense of wonderment we share with every child.

That child within us is likewise the fountain of our imagination and the source of our creativity. As long as we are like him in this respect, we will always have the capacity to create what we want in our lives.

We must never allow that little fellow who is a part of us to grow up into adulthood. If we let that happen, he disappears and our thinking grows staid and inflexible. Then we become nothing more than humanoids. We go through all the motions of being human but we are machines.

A HELPING HAND

Article by

KAYSOON KHOO

When you need a helping hand, look at the one at the end of your arm. It can serve you better than any other. And it's always there at your disposal. You'll never know what it can accomplish until you give it a chance. Don't tell yourself you cannot do a thing unless you've exhausted all your efforts. Very often all you need is a little more faith in yourself.

Granted, many a time you need assistance from another source. If common sense says you should seek help, then do so. Survival depends on being practical. But don't be too eager to rely on another. It can develop into a habit that enervates you.

Sometimes it's sheer lack of resourcefulness that makes you approach someone for help. This springs from the sense of inadequacy you plant in your own consciousness. You've been too busy convincing yourself of your own helplessness and you've come to believe it. Try reversing that belief. You instilled it in your head. Now instill another -- the belief in your own capability.

Give yourself every chance to accomplish something on your own. Chances are you can do it. Cultivate the strength of self-reliance and see the miracle it works in your life.