Motivational Stories

Motivational Stories
Based on Real Life Experiences

Tuesday, September 10, 2019

Wednesday, September 4, 2019

Top 5 TED Talks That Would Change Your Life Perspective

Top 5 TED Talks That Would Change Your Life Perspective



The speakers are excellent because they help to rewire the way we think and act. I have watched the top 5 videos and all I cay say is their words are very inspiring. We think we already know that subject but these experienced speakers push us further into the horizon of our own thoughts. 

The first video entitled How Great Leaders Inspire Action ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qp0HIF3SfI4) is about great leaders and innovators such as Steven Jobs, Martin Luther King and Apple which have great impact on many aspect of our lives today. These influential figures use the golden circle which incorporates the critical wh questions such as “why”, “how” and “what”. Ordinary people focus on “what” in business world. In other words, they focus on what they are going to sell. Some may only focus on how we are going to sell a product. On the other hand, great innovators and leaders focus on the word “why” first because they must find out the solid reason on why they have to do or create something. This word “why” will drive us further into the future as we need to understand the effects of our actions today whether it benefits mankind or otherwise. For example, why must a teacher gives the best in his classroom? He must find the best reason he has to give the best because the consequences of not giving the best will definitely haunt him in the future as this failure will depicted clearly in the society.

The second video was about what makes a good life based on the longest study about happiness. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8KkKuTCFvzI) This video helps me to improve the time that I should have spent with my family and good friends as these two are the most valuable assets in the world as they are what makes us happy. For examples, a house can never be considered as a home if your loved ones are not at home. In addition to that, it is important to keep our good friends as long as we live because our family and good friends play different but important roles to keep us happy and healthy. As a father, my presence is more important than the presents that I have given them as time is the most precious present that should give generously to our loved ones.

The third video ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KM4Xe6Dlp0Y) is about the habit of judging a book by its cover. We tend to think that beautiful people are happier than us. Actually, if we get closer to them or be one of their friends, we will be surprised to find out that they are the most emotionally insecure people on earth. The speaker who is also a model really touches the heart of the audience with her real life experiences. Furthermore, being a model is just like being a dead object as they are only valued because of their physical beauty for the sake of selling magazines like hot cakes. Last but not least, if you are happy for who you are whether you are physically beautiful or less attractive, that is more than good enough in this fake world.

The fourth video is about the art of conversation. This video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H6n3iNh4XLI)  is so powerful because the speaker shared authentic experiences about this topic which makes reflect on the way we communicate with our friends, colleagues, parents, children and strangers. The most beautiful and meaningful line from that video is “ we always listen to respond” which is completely wrong as it retards the speaker from vomiting everything that he or she wants to say. This annoying interruption stops the flow of a conversation. Advice should only be given when it is asked. If they don’t ask for it, just sit there and listen attentively. I really admire one of her sentences when she said “everybody is good at something”. Therefore, we shall not judge somebody before he or she finishes what they want to say because every conversation is a golden opportunity to learn.

The last video is about the secrets to be happy (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=78nsxRxbf4w). I personally believe that it is not a secret because we know about it long time ago but due to too much ego and ignorance in us, we refuse to acknowledge how important this opened secret is. According to the speaker, our happiness is determined by how well we respond to everyday challenge or stress. We can either let stress build or destroy us because stress is a part of life. It cannot be deleted like deleting folder in your computer. We just have to face it and find the causes of stress to prevent the stress taking over our lives. For example, if financial stress is bothering us, we should study our spending habit. If the spending habit is good, perhaps it is time to look for second income.

These videos are full of wisdom as the sharing sessions were based on real life experiences and validated study. You should watch it more than twice or keep it as occasional reminder as human is naturally forgetful as we can easily be off track sometimes in life. 

Originally written by Mr. Mani Jack 


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Where and how I find inspiration to work harder.

Where and how I find inspiration to work harder.

Home is the first place where I find inspiration to work harder. When I look at the kids, I know their needs will grow with their age. Their needs will require extra financial support in which as a father, I need to diversify what I can do to make more money instead of piling up debt, applying for personal loans or playing with ambitious wishes which may not guarantee success. My kids will drive my mind to find ways on how I can build my second or third income as it is my responsibility to help them financially as begging for other’s help in the future is a very risky option as not everyone will lend a hand when the going gets tough.

Hospital is the second place that inspires me to work harder. When I observe the nurses, medical assistance, pharmacists and doctors working based on shift, I realize that this body can afford that indescribable pressure if I learn to get used to it. Some of them have learned to embrace the nature of their work even though the expectations can be too much to swallow sometimes. Even though they are mentally exhausted and emotionally hurt, some can still afford to give a smile to the helpless patient. Some even walk as fast as a horse as if they are not tired. Only God knows how much they miss their bed at home and the chance to let go of the burden they have gone through that day. That heavy responsibility has always challenged me to give more than expected. If we give less than expected, that day will not be worth it to remember because giving more than expected means we have done our duty to our best for our fellowmen and our country. Even though good deeds are not continuously rewarded,  we should practice self-reward to save ourselves from questioning our sanity and because sooner or later, giving more than expected will always be rewarded in many ways.

The church is third place that inspires me to work harder. When I go to the church, it reminds me that my time on earth is unclear. I don’t know when I will say goodbye to this world and my loved ones. Due to that thought, I have to work harder to improve myself as a worker, father, son and a husband as working hard is not just about what you can do at your workplace.

The beach is the fourth place that inspires me to work harder. When I sit by the beach, the sounds of the waves help me to dive deeper into the thoughts of my personal self-reflection. I would mentally travel far into the past to question everything that I have done for myself and my loved ones. If I could do extra work, that means I can earn extra for myself, my family and my good friends. This extra money can financially help me to bring my family for a vacation or a night a two at the nearby resort. That extra money can also be used to have barbecue with my good friends. Last but not least, I can also share that extra income with my parents. It may not be much but a gift of love means a lot for parents who speak with their eyes.

Working harder than yesterdays will always be my daily goals but I will not sacrifice the time that I should spend with my family and my good friends. It is important to work harder but one’s health and our loved ones shall always be made priority as working harder is pointless if our loved ones become strangers and our health turns into our worst enemies. 

Originally written by Mr. Mani Jack 

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My stand on Plant Based Living and Why I am Not A Vegetarian

My stand on Plant Based Living and Why I am Not A Vegetarian

According to the famous American clergyman, Billy Graham, your body would grow weak if you don’t eat a balanced diet and the failure to do so will cause you to suffer from other serious illnesses or disease.

I always believe in a balanced diet as good food is a natural medicine to maintain the health of our body. Our body needs more than vegetables to be physically strong as long as we can stay away from the destructive addiction to meat. Furthermore, what is the point of having the food pyramid displayed in hospitals, clinics and schools if being vegetarian is the only way to be healthy?

Let me share with you a true story about a friend of mine who always had breakfast with me every morning for the past 8 years. Every time we had breakfast, he would talk about the beauty of being vegetarian together with strict religious reminder and verses. He even gave me a book about reincarnation and karma. As he was much older than I am, I just nodded reluctantly. He talked about it based on religion’s point of view as according to his religion, even killing a mosquitoe was considered as a heavy sin. For many years, I didn’t want to argue with him about that because I always believe in the power of turning point.

Early this year, I noticed that his health was rapidly deteriorating. His muscle was sagging and he looked older than he was supposed to be. In other words, he was dying. Somewhere in March this year, he had no choice but to meet a doctor regarding his health. The doctor said that he must take meat in a moderate amount to maintain his health. Otherwise, he would suffer from other complications. The morning we met when he talked about the doctor’s advice, I could see that he didn’t feel comfortable talking about something that was against everything that he said about being a vegetarian many years ago. I wish I could mock him but I bid my tongue as I know no matter what people or religions say about being a vegetarian, we must always listen to our body first. The body can’t talk but our physical appearance is enough to trigger the alarm that we should do something to save our body.

Anything that is too much can hurt us. If we take too much meat, we may suffer from gout. If you are suffering from gout, even some vegetables can make your gout worst. If you take too much meat without doing any physical exercises, that protein will not benefit your body. If you want to build your muscle, you need meat not vegetable. Protein is essential for building and repairing muscles.

If killing animals is the main reason to be a vegetarian, will torturing yourself make you happy?
We have always been exposed to many types of advice from the books that we read and people that we met who shared with us many types of experiences regarding their health which may gradually influence what we commonly eat every day. Even the advertisements on fast food can affect our daily diet.

If you wish to stay as a vegetarian, I have no problem with that as long as your body has no problems consuming vegetables for the rest of its life and as long as you don’t give the wrong advice especially exaggerated religious advice about the deadly sins of eating meat. We have to respect anyone’s decision whether to be a vegetarian or otherwise. On my part, a balanced meal is crucial to maintain a good health as long as animals or fish are not killed unnecessarily or excessively. We can’t stop killing of animals as our body needs protein but we can always practise self-control in which having a balanced diet is the best answer. 

Originally written by Mr. Mani Jack

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Why your 20s is the time to learn to be comfortable with who you really are.

Why your 20s is the time to learn to be comfortable with who you really are.

As the old saying goes, trying to please everyone is the ultimate key to failure. When you are 20 to 29 years old, you should feel happy for who you are because at this age, you are supposed to know exactly where you are heading. You should feel happy and comfortable with the roads that you have chosen or the decisions that you have made because you are fully responsible for your own life.

At 20s, you already have your own set of beliefs or principles. It could be anything which is related to your mindset, characters and attitude. As you have your own principles, don’t worry about the circle of friends that is getting smaller as quality should always outweigh quantity. If you feel happy with a few friends you have now, keep them well as when you reach 30s and above, these good friends have important roles to play.

This is also the right time for you to do a long self-reflection about your personal goals. Perhaps you may want to get married when you are 24 or 26. If you you wish to remain single before 30, it is the right time to socialize and look for the right one. If you can’t find the right one, maybe you should try to be the right one. Who knows it might attract the one that you have been looking for. On the other hand, at this age, you have all of the opportunties to study about someone’s marriage who is older than who you are and that observation may serve as valuable guidelines for you to make a decision on what kind of man or woman that you want to spend the rest of your life with. Last but not least, try your best not lock yourself in your room while looking for the right one as virtual love is not the same with reality. You have to get out of that room of yours including your restricted thoughts and start bulding the number of high quality acquaintances. Your family may introduce you to someone as your life partner, but you are the only one who knows exaclty the inner qualities of a man or a woman which are compatible with yours. Furthermore, you should feel comfortable saying “No” in a polite manner because that kind of decision could be the mother of all the consequences that you will face in the future.

Graduation is a normal stage in life. Whether you have a diploma or first degree, this is the time for you to decide about which stage that you want to pursue next. If you feel like you want to start working, go ahead because theory is nothing without experiences. On the other hand, if you have minimial responsibilities especially if your parents are financially strong and your siblings can manage themselves well, it is okay for you to do your master or perhaps phd.

When you are 20 to 29 years old, this is the best time for you to redefine what you want in life. You have the absolute freedom to find the very meaning of your existence before you embrace new commitments when you reach 30 years old and above. Try to spend your time and money in other countries or places you have never visited to diversify your perspectives about yourself.

Life is not supposed to be a rat race. You shall not please the society that only cares about temporary perfection. Your inner happiness should always be your main priority. Learn to slow down at this age because this stage of life does not come twice. Enjoy it but learn a lot from it through daily observations and self-reflection. 

Originally written by Mr. Mani Jack 

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