If your marriage is on the rocks, you feeling burned-out in your career, or you having your mid-life crisis, you may want watch this 1991 Western comedy film City Slickers starring Billy Crystal.
In this movie, Billy Crystal was having his mid-life crisis - is this it?
Those who are questioning their marriage, career, and purpose in life may identify with Billy Crystal's character in the movie.
Long story short. Billy Crystal went on a 2 week vacation at a cattle ranch. There he met this tough as nail cowboy - Curly.
In a moment of male bonding, Curly shared with Billy the secret to solving his problems:
Billy went home to same job, same wife; but a happier man.
Sorry, you have to figure out this "Just One Thing" yourself.
I know some of you would google and attempt to find the "answer" through others in the internet. It's a bad habit from your "ten year series" days. I can't stop you.
This City Slickers example was at one time used by quite a few motivational speakers and facilitators. I've used it in my Leadership workshops during my shepherd time of days gone by.
All I want to say is that if you seek the answer from without, your "awakening" may be shallower than if the answer comes from within..
Younger readers who have no worries in the world right now, just make a mental note will do. When the time comes where you are feeling depressed, anxious, confused, angry, and cynical with your life, you know where you can get self-help.
Don't worry if you don't get it. Since you have already taken the first step, try talking to a soul mate, your spiritual leader, call that hot-line, or seek professional help.
Don't keep it inside.
Reach out.
I noticed we have some Zen walkers in our midst. Casual readers don't have to read on. Below its just me "polishing my sword" with these Zen friends.
This "Just One Thing" reminds me of Jùzhī Yīzhǐ 俱胝一指.
One finger Zen 一指禅?
Hi SMOL
ReplyDelete悟.
Small Tine Investor,
Delete安.
I did not check what is this just one thing but the story below always work for me whenever i am not happy...
ReplyDeleteThere was once a very rich man who has many beautiful wifes and children but he is not happy. He then encounter a genie who will grant him 1 wish. The rich man wish to be happy. The genie did 'just one thing' and he is happy again.
What did the genie do?
WolfT,
DeleteDifferent toys to appeal to different children to entice them out of the burning house ;)
It's nice to have old Valuebuddies members here. I long time no make postings there....
Your little water hole more interesting and cosy ba. VB used to be like that..
DeleteAnyway...To finish the story
The genie took everything the rich man has. He become poor and lonely overnight. A few months later, he become depress wanted to commit suicide. Before he jump into the river, the genie appeared and returned him everything. He was the happiest man that day and remain happy ever after.
WolfT,
DeleteWe don't value what we have until we loose it.
I was trying to avoid saying it out loud about VB... I miss the old tavern where we can have intellectually stimulating conversations.
Now that it's a stadium, I can't hear myself speak....
happy and sad are very relative.
ReplyDeleteif i lost 10k, but this guy happen to lose 100k, i will feel happy.
likewise, if i made a million, but that guy over there, ya over there had just made 2 millions, i will gonna be piss! real piss.
thats a relative world we lives in, like it or not.
so if i fell real good, i immediately look at ppl better than me, and that will make me piss off. and if i feel sad, i will look for ppl worst off than me, than it will bring my happiness back, than i will gun for the better ones!
Deletethat is why if you happen to survive a maga desaster or a great war and lives on, you will be a different person.
Deleteshouldn't you be piss with the encounter instead?
while you can fool everybody how sad you are seeing other's suffering, you know too well deep inside, how happy you are cos you are lucky you are not one of them who suffer.
Deletesaying sorry for them is a way of apologise to them how we really feel inside of us.
coconut,
DeleteYou are perceptive.
I see a lot of angst and unhappiness today. It's those earning $100 thousand jealousy and angry about those who earn $1 million.
I took the same course, have the same degree, came from the same "atas" school, how come that idiot can earn so much more than me !!!???
Hence some start the journey of financial freedom not to "achieve"; but to "escape"...
all feelings, jealousy and angry and so on are good and bad at the same time. depends on how we react to them or even use them.
Deletesmart guy use them to their advantage, dumb one use them for self destruction.
however, we are neither smart or dumb, we are somewhere in between.
Everyone's one thing is the same and different. Some people's one thing is that big digit in the bank. Other is saving the world.
DeleteBut ultimately EVERYONE's is to make oneself happy... Whatever we are doing we should aim to make oneself happy following 3 rules
1. Dun make one happy at the expense of others
2. Create where you can what was never once there
3. Always always know what is transient and permenant
A very happy CNY welcome to you Bill Ang!
DeleteI can sense the spirituality is strong in you ;)
Cheers!
RE: Christianity
ReplyDeleteSHALOM
[Image: 5467694_f520.jpg]
"And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The peace that comes from being in a right relationship with God so that we can be anxious for nothing but cast all our cares on Him is not a peace of this world. Rather, it comes only from God through Christ. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you..." (Jn. 14:27). This peace surpasses understanding. Like the love of Christ, it "passes knowledge" (Eph. 3:19). This does not mean that we cannot understand it period, that it is something better felt than told. In fact, Paul says that we may "know the love of Christ which passes knowledge". Likewise, this peace surpasses mere human understanding and knowledge, and can be known only by those who have the understanding and knowledge of Christ. And this peace will guard or keep our minds. God wants to keep His people safe in His peace. "You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You" (Isa. 26:3). Yet, a condition is stated. For God to keep us in perfect peace, our minds must be stayed on Him. The peace of God will keep our hearts only as we keep ourselves in His perfect peace by striving to maintain a right relationship with Him based on His word. Edward H. Bickersteth wrote, "Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin? The blood of Jesus whispers peace within." Indeed, one of the reasons that Jesus came was to make peace (Eph. 2:13-18).
i thought only priest are allow/qualified to preach?
Deletethe fear of unknown will lead us to follow blindly.
Deleteit is not the unknown that we need to fear, thus looking for an answer, its the fear itself that is needed to be solved.
coconut,
DeleteI'm agnostic but that does not stop me from rejoicing when my Christian friends have found their "Just One Thing" ;)
Different vehicles for different folks.
Now my counter-balance to those who preach the "prosperity gospel":
The Rich Young Man
(Mark 10:17-31; Luke 18:18-30)
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?
And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.
He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,
Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.
The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?
Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.
But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven.
And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.
When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?
But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?
And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.
But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
sound so familiar....
Deletecoconut,
DeleteRemember you Sunday bible class?
So you can see it is absolute or nothing for everlasting life. None of us can achieve it with our own effort or works. Which makes sense to me.
Deletesmol, i had done 8 trades today til now, bloody 8 trades only!! my fear (that words again) is the market is going totally flat like a lake of ice, zero volatility!
ReplyDeletelook at the currency market, the stock market, the bond market and the commodities too!! everything damn thing are flatenning out!
now you know why i need to buy some shares? at least got something to survive upon when they declar dividends.
the central banks are killing us (the traders) all.
Deletejust in case you wondering got 8 trades profits still want to complain, they can't even cover my cost of trading, at best breaking even! and these trades were executed perfectly!
Deletecoconut,
DeleteYour math as bad as mine. If they can't cover trading costs, how can you call them profitable trades?
But if there were executed perfectly, we can call them GOOD trades - profit or loss has nothing to do with good and bad trades :)
I am now hedging my equity portfolio by long USD against AUD and EURO. Much less volatile than Simsci at the moment.
Now summer vacation for the ang mohs lah. Volume dries up.
Lucky I was not in the long GBP trade. Mark Carney has played-out and wrong-footed those who believed his "warning" that market is too complacent about BOE not hiking rates sooner...
I was played-out by Bernanke last year when his "early warning" on Taper did not materialise... That was some painful cut-loss man!
Central bankers...
i repeat, all were profitable trades after commission!
Deletebut (i think) not enough to cover other costs like financing cost etc...
my financing cost alone is between $200 - $400/day to hold those long and shorts positions!
not to forget borrowing cost too, thats another bomb!
Deletehow about my electricity le? free one mah? gas and water, kids allowances, my allowances, wife allowances, property tax, car.......
Deletewahhhhhh.....
by the way, financing cost and borrowing cost are seperate, they are not the same ok.
die la!
you hadge your stock position with currencies!?
Deleteyou also die la...
haha smol, we traders are survival don't we haha, we can find all ways of trading the markets.
Deletesmol, always remember when you trade the spot/cash market, there will always be carrying cost like financing and borrowing cost (positive or negative depends on long or short and interest rate) and for futures market, these cost are build into the price itself.
Deleteif you are a long term trader, these cost has to be taken into consideration when taking a position.
coconut,
DeleteYou are one crazy risk-taker you!
Margin on margin.
But then, that's how most global banks are doing it too ;)
Still, bad coconut! Bad influence.
Children, don't try this at home!!!
what margin on margin? hello!
Deleteby the way on the CFDs stuff, i wanted to gives them cash but they turn me down, margin trading only they says. what can i do?
coconut,
DeleteBorrow money from ah long and put in margin account, still not margin on margin? That's how Lehman went down... Tsk, tsk, tsk.
Ah ber then? CFD commissions so low, if don't make on the finance charges, eat what?
Repent!
That one thing for me? Come what may.
ReplyDelete空既无用，empty is useless? If it is full, how to fill it up?
Just don't get overly excited. The sadness of today, let you appreciate the joy of tomorrow, the "high" of today leave u with a sense of "loss" and clinging tomorrow. Enjoy the high and appreciate the loss. Become water that turn into ice and can be used as a container to collect more water, or just breeze through lakes and rivers. Go to the vapor and fall as water again. Just like day and night, different seasons and different areas cause the length of day and night to be different and the mood to be different. But it will just go through it again and again, the darkest hour before dawn is just the beginning to the night.
Self-delusion and verbal diarrhea triggered by SMOL. Pardon me...
sillyinvestor,
DeleteSure, blame me!
The trick to taking to oneself is to put on a pair of ear-phones or that bluetooth thing over our ear.
Soliloquy went out of fashion the moment our young stop taking Literature for O' levels :(
Hmm... I thought our young super articulative and can sian like nobody business. Even my 5 year old boy all know ABC of communication: Articulate with attitude, Blackmail with tears, Confuse...
ReplyDeletesillyinvestor,
DeleteMy bad!
Don't confuse. Have a kit-kat.
No think :)
Hi SMOL,
ReplyDeleteDon't worry, no more hugs and kisses this time! Reserve for some pretty ladies.
The secret to solving problem is probably changing your mindset and way of looking at things. How to change your mindset? By experience!
You feel painful, you remember! you do not want to feel painful again, you change this time round. You grow wiser! Wisdom is probably more important than Intelligence!
Otherwise a good story or book that struck you 一言点醒梦中人.
Or Austin power give his mojo to you?
Rolf,
DeleteDifferent strokes for different folks.
Everyone needs to find their own answers ;)
You happy, I happy. Everybody happy!
Gee, sounds familiar....did I inspire this post? :)
ReplyDeletepf,
DeleteYes, this ONE THING appeared in our conversation this week:
http://singaporemanofleisure.blogspot.sg/2014/08/the-essence-of-rich-dad-poor-dad.html#comment-form
If we go beyond "labelling" and "forms", the true essence is similar no matter whether we call it Just One Thing, Ikigai, True North, or in whatever names we prefer.
Hi SMOL,
ReplyDelete随遇而安
置身度外
生而不有， 为而不恃， 功成而弗居
Endrene,
DeleteWonderful!
Another view from Taoism this time: 《道德经·第二章》
:)