When things in your life become so tangled up it becomes difficult to tell which end belongs to which strand you might want to consider sitting back and analyze why you are in that predicament in the first place. Often times we are inundated with things to do and stuff to try out that we get lost in all these things that clutter our lives. In short we have made our lives so complicated that an activity as simple as going to the park involves choosing the right gear from sweatshirt to shoes and then maybe ensuring that we get the latest heartbeat monitoring gadgets which includes even GPS systems. Come to think of it, our activities may look so ridiculous to casual observers of different cultures.

Getting our lives untangled involves going back to the basics. It begins by simplifying our lives and finding out what our priorities should be. Once we have done this it would be more difficult for us to get lost or tangled up.

In the distant past our ancestors struggled to survive. Theirs was a life so full of uncertainties and fear of the unknown. Being hunter gatherers they never expected much of their existence, for how could they dream when they didn’t even know where their next meal would come from. With the advent of agriculture man was freed of the weary ways of hunting and instead was able to concentrate on other mundane concerns. Here was an unprecedented opportunity to gather together and talk and most importantly, dream. But with time, we have grown too accustomed with our comforts. We have grown weak and let our expectations of ourselves become ever smaller. We have forgotten that the purpose of our comfortable lifestyle is for us to find better things to do. You see people waste their life in front of their TV sets. Or fleet around shopping like a bee, but in this case, the bee hops around with a greater purpose. And this is a sad thing to behold; that when we are too comfortable, we’d rather lay down and rest when we should be using this time to achieve greater things for ourselves, our family and our nation.

In this race we call life it is much too easy for us to closet ourselves in our daily routines and hope that we can reach enough of our goals. All too often the demands of our lifestyles may preclude us from appreciating what we have and instead focus on what we lack. Hence we are fooled in believing that we can never start to enjoy anything unless we have achieved or acquired what others have done or bought. We become slaves of our ambitions instead of us mastering our life. It is important that we learn to balance our activities in such a way as to allow ourselves the chance to clear our minds, at least enough for us to chart our destination. Start spending more time to relax and take a breather. More time to pause and think of where you’re going instead of just heading your way just because you’ve always done it that way.

In a fast-paced, fast food culture where we live today the concept of waiting is all but frowned upon. We want what we want, when we want it. Advertising agencies would like you to believe that you “deserve” and it’s your right that your wants should be met immediately. But sometimes it pays to wait and most of the time; a little patience goes a long way for you in the future. When everyone has already quit or you start to hear people with their discouragements, take heart and realize that you are nearer to your goal than you were yesterday. And if you just stick to your course of action then you will eventually reach your goal. In your battles, it important to learn (1) when to stop, think and recover or (2) when to press on, but always never give up. Never quit the fight even if you are forced to lay down your weapons, because no amount of quitting can give you victory.

Some of us feel unlucky to be stuck in a job that we don’t appreciate. This becomes all too real when we see people doing exactly what they love doing and get paid in the process. It is not uncommon to overhear teens wondering if they can play video games and earn in the process as some people in Korea and around the world actually do. But the unfortunate truth is that, MOST people don’t really get to do the things they want to do. Taking this into perspective, maybe it is for the best that we are given a path to take instead of deciding it for ourselves. At least then we don’t have to be burdened with indecision and we get to concentrate on what we are doing in order to be the best in that area. And while we may think that we are not in the right field of work, until we have done our best, we may never rise up above our current “dead-end” job.

Being in the customer relations of any industry is always one the most challenging jobs there is in terms of human interaction. Here are customers who are mainly dissatisfied with your product with numerous complaints and your job is to appease at least most of them. They want their problems solved immediately and they don’t want to wait as this part of their purchase is not part of their tight schedule. There was a newly hired clerk to handle the complaints section of a large mall and at his first week the stress of the job already showed on his face. At first he tried courtesy, but courtesy lasts only as your patience. He tried fighting back but, who is he kidding? Customers are king. He tried indifference, but how can you ignore harsh words so easily? And so he resolved to quit the next day. Over dinner at a restaurant he heard a boy complain to his dad about how rude his classmate was. The father listened intently then gently told his son how his classmate’s parents were in the process of divorce. Finally the father said, “be kind with Bill, son, he’s fighting a tough battle right now.” That last statement made the clerk think about his situation and he realized that he had tried everything except kindness. The next morning he smiled more and greeted his customers. He got to know more about them as people and at the end of the day, he made two new friends and he couldn’t wait to meet new friends the next day.

As we manage people we often are baffled at how we can handle each and every peculiarity among our subordinates. If ever there was a solid strategy on how to manage all types of people then that would solve much of a manager’s problem, but there simply isn’t.

Putting ourselves in the shoes of our employees though, we probably prefer tolerant and easy going superiors as opposed to stern and dictatorial ones. In here there must always be a balance. As leaders, if we become used to looking the other way while our employees do a bad job then we are in effect telling them that, “hey, it’s ok to be underproductive”. We must face the fact that there will always be people who will take advantage, doing what is necessary to give a passable job but loaf around the minute they know that your back is turned. If the manager does not correct this, then it is more than likely that the others who are doing a good job and are exerting the effort will lose their interest and will more often than not, follow the “easy” way. We hurt our ourselves when we spare the rod of discipline, much as we do when we use the rod too often. Always, there must be a balance.

There was a couple at a restaurant who was arguing about almost everything and the woman seems to always get the last word on their arguments from the man’s driving to his choice of suit. Now in this restaurant, customers are requested to write down their orders on an order paper as this will be the basis of the waiters in taking their orders. While choosing between a chicken sandwich and soup the woman inadvertently wrote down chicken soup instead of the sandwich. When the soup arrived the woman as expected immediately complained and reiterated that she ordered the chicken sandwich. Without a word the waiter took the soup and returned with a sandwich together with the order slip with soup written on it. Realizing her mistake the woman immediately apologized and offered to pay for both the soup and sandwich but the waiter, ever courteous responded, “No, that’s perfectly alright. I’m just happy you’ve forgiven me for being right.”

There are some among us who hate to lose. And while this maybe a good idea when competing with ourselves, it is perceived as a defect when we compete with others when it never really was intended as a competition in the first place.

He was one of the most prominent industrialist of the 1900’s. At the age of 30 he was earning $50,000 in a year. A substantial amount today even if we discounted the effects of inflation and devaluation. He was the Scottish born Andrew Carnegie. But he achieved his greatest successes when he consolidated all his efforts into the Carnegie Steel. At that time the concept of vertical integration whereby a company controlled the supply side of his manufacturing was almost unheard of. What he did was he went ahead and bought all the means of supplying his steel manufacturing including the railways needed in the delivery of the supplies. What’s more he introduced a detailed cost accounting of his processes and new and innovative ways upon which he can reduce his cost. Hence he built the most successful company of his era that survived and flourished even during the 1892 depression. In all his success he admitted and often stressed that he built his fortune on the solid foundation of his managers like Captain Bill Jones, Henry Clay Frick and even his brother Thomas M. Carnegie. He knew that the founding of an empire is dependent on good generals and administrators.

The good thing about the future is that you never know how things will end. This uncertainty adds to it being as enticing as ever. It is because of this that we should not stop flinging our dreams towards our future. They will be our compass when the time comes for us to make tough decisions or our lighthouse when we are lost among our daily activities. You see, those dreams of ours prod us. They are the carrot being dangled; and while they may be intangible at the moment, the thought of us being able to accomplish them drives us to succeed. So go ahead and make your plans. Better to have something to hold on for the future than none at all. Better to be positive than to let yourself succumb to negativity. Ultimately, better to have hope for the future than to live life in despair.