Lagu Tehbotol =)

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Hai teman-teman jagalah kesehatan, jangan lupa gosok gigi dengan komodo. Eh, kok jadi nyanyi dan beriklan. Maap, jayus karena panas-yang-tak-bertuan-di-hari-senin-sore. Ya, saya mengerti jam-jam ini adalah jam-jam jahanam. Untuk itu izinkanlah saya oleh ridho Yang Maha Kuasa menghibur saudara-saudari semua lewat sebuah lagu singkat yang saya rekam dari salah satu pengamen unggulan saya di kawasan Muara Karang, tepatnya sepanjang soto Bang Mamat. Judul tembang ini adalah Lagu Tehbotol. Namun bukan sembarang teh saudara-saudara. Teh apa itu, silahkan anda simak di bawah. Semoga menghibur yeee. Kalo engga yee maap maap sodare sodare. Hehe

(Untuk kenikmatan maksimal, maksimalkan pula volume laptop anda atau gunakan headphone =)

The Marshmallow Test (Patience Has Its Reward)

Dr. Walter Mischel from Stanford University conducted an extensive research on psychology more than forty years ago. In one of the study, a researcher came into a room with a four-year-old kid, presented him/her a marshmallow and tell him/her this “you can have the marshmallow now, or you can wait for fifteen minutes while I run some errands and when I come back, you can have two instead.”

As expected, some of the kids ate the marshmallow at the very second the guy left the room, some of them waited for a while then ate them. However, there are also a group of kids that waited for the whole fifteen minutes. They distract themselves by closing their eyes, singing a song, or even tried sleeping. Eventually the researcher came back and they can have two. You can have a look at the replicated study in the five-minute video below:

http://www.youtube.com/v/amsqeYOk--w&hl=en&fs=1

The study did not end there. About fourteen years after, Dr. Walter Mischel made another study on the group of kids that patiently waited for two marshmallows. The result was astoundingly shocking as these kids generally grew up to be better adjusted, more popular, adventurous, confident and dependable teenagers. And not only that, on another further test, they scored an average of 210 points higher in their SAT compared to the other group of kids.

The marshmallow experiment is a simple reminder to not get distracted with things that are tempting but not important.

It also displays patience (aside from many other lessons). In life, how often we fall for the temptation of raising up our voice, pulling out the harsh-demeaning words, and forgoing the chance to cultivate a long-term fruitful relationship. We easily curse on people, our subordinates, or partner simply to shout out our superiority, our pride, but how long does the superiority and the pride stands? It quickly vanished the moment that person left the room. When we show patience, we acknowledged everyone is imperfect, and at the same time we give room for progress.

To sum up, in Gary Chapman’s words “…when we love authentically, our attitude reflects on our ability to focus on what is most important at the moment and patiently wait when necessary”. What is more important might means the project that you are working with your colleague, or the constructive relationship you can have with your partner or your spouse. So, when the temptation arise, know that patience has its reward.

Smile on, shine on. = )

(DON'T) JUST DO IT!

MAY2006
75KG. Overweight alarm! Muffin belly. Double chin. Hit the gym. Lost total of 7-8 KG after 3 months. More exercises since then.

OCTOBER2009
MRI Result: diagnosed with a pinched nerve on the fifth lumbar. In short = terrible backpain.

LESSONSLEARNED
Don't just do it. You might get the results like I did. I did lost the weight I wanted, but who knows that apparently some of my heavylifting activities (I might have lifted more weight than I supposed to or simply used a wrong lifting stance) has now cost me my backbone and future physical fitness. The fact is I didn't have trainer, I simply asked a friend who's been practicing for a while to assist me. I'm glad with the fact that I overcame that overweight phase, but then again, I might have lost the same weight by doing any other less-dangerous sports. Now, after three years the backpain is what I got. As for now, I still can't do much strenuous work. I'm not allowed to carry heavy stuff (not even my own laptop), I've been sleeping on bed topped with flat-wood for weeks (yeap I feel Japanese already and their tatami). I can’t sit longer than one hour. I have to walk twice slower than I used to. And don’t mention the hurtful acupuncture session.

If you ever going to push yourself into leaving your comfort zone and pursue a goal, whatever it is, I’m sure it’s for your good, don’t just simply do it. But do it right. It is much more important to step back a while and learn and know how to do it right rather than rushing it and having the regrettable after-effect some time after.

APPLIES TO

Many things. The closest that come to my mind is starting a relationship. You know that rush-of-blood-to-the-heart you have when you’re falling in love. As a normal dude you’ll find a hard time repressing those feelings and to be aggressive is who we are. And you rushed into that commitment while maybe its not your season yet. As one of my friend quoted “Love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely”. And by ready it means know how to treat your girl right, know your partner well (at least you gotta know how she’ll be when she’s angry otherwise the shock and the negativitywill tremendously doubled when you’re already in a relationship), know your borders, know if you can manage the time, know if you’re financially okay (no girls will pay for your dinner dude), and such and such. Have you ever consider those stuff before starting a relationship? I did to the smallest details and yet I still screw up here and there. What if I just jump and do it? Worse? Better? Well, you can figure out the mathematics.

I can think of another hundreds application of this in real life, but I promised to make this short enough to trigger your thinking and let your mind ponder, digest, and relate it to your own life.

Don’t just do it. Do it right! Its not only about making a start, but also how well you finish.

Smile on, shine on!