“So these are the top three craziest things they did for SUJU… for the positive…”

My lunch buddies A and T were talking about fan obsessions toward this Korean boy band whom A is also a fan of. On top of the three “positive obsessions” she mentioned, she also enumerated three of the crazy bad things anti-fans did to the boy band, in detail. Yes, she really is a fan.

I was listening quietly, not being a fan of Koreans or boy bands in general. But I did have my share of “slight obsessions” so somehow I know the feeling.

The Twilight Saga was one of the first things I ever went crazy about so far as to buy all the books in the series in hardbound, the special edition journals, the soundtrack and everything else Twilight. I watched the movie twice in the theater and a couple more times in DVD. But that’s just a slight addiction compared to other hard core fans who were and continue to be far more devoted than I was.

It just dawned on me how every person has this enormous capacity to be passionate about something or someone. This sort of craziness is inborn in everyone, waiting to be triggered by the right purpose at the right time.

Imagine what could happen if you could focus that crazy passion to something you’ve always dreamed to achieve in your life.

What could happen if you could devote yourself to something so life-changing?

“What’s that one life-changing thing that you could be passionate about?” I asked A and T.

A said she has always wanted to conceptualize and create an anime series.

T said he absolutely wants to write a sci fi book.

I had to rethink what I want to focus my passion on, that coveted dream, the sought after ambition. I’m actually thinking about it right now which is strange because I used to be so sure.

But if there’s one thing I am always passionate about, it’s my husband Kernan, my daughters Jamaine and Kalia, and my family.

Everything I do now, everything I devote myself to ultimately leads back to them and my vision of giving them a happy, comfortable and affluent life.

It made me realize that if I could imbibe that obsessed, die hard, hard core, devoted kind of passion accorded to rockstars and channel it to my life’s ultimate dream then the results would be nothing short of amazing.

Definitely life-changing.

What’s the one life-defining thing that you can be passionate about?

How does this photo make you feel?

I love looking at images of calm waters and beautiful landscapes. No matter where I am, I feel like I’m instantly transported to heaven.

When I feel the impending onslaught of impatience, I close my eyes and retreat to these beautiful scenes in my mind. It helps me to be peaceful and to focus on the most positive way to deal with trying situations and even small irritations.

While there are moments when marriage feels like a fantastic fairytale, there are also times when it can feel like an exasperating experience.

When things are less than perfect, when situations don’t turn out your way, when your partner behaves in a disagreeable manner, it’s easy to fall into the impulsive trap of overreacting.

How many times have you snapped at your hubby because of some itty bitty irritation?

I know I have a couple of times. And when I think about it, it would have done me a lot of good if I had only stopped for a moment before I reacted.

Irritation happens when we give in to the negative emotions of the moment. We let our impulsive emotions rule us .

We also get easily irritated when have negative thoughts. When we lose something, one of the immediate thoughts that come to mind would be “someone must have taken it.”

But when we act from a place of love, we can react differently.

Love chooses to pause, to be calm and to think of how to respond in the most loving way even during the most irritating or anger – inducing situations.

It takes conscious effort to remember that you are dealing with a lovable person who occasionally does unlovable things.

When you are confronted by challenging situations, the old adage is always a good guide to follow:

Think before you act

More than that, always ask yourself this very important question:

How do I respond in the most loving way?

This can be quite tough at first but constant practice can enable you to react calmly naturally.

“Love is hard to offend and quick to forgive… When under pressure, love doesn’t turn sour. Minor problems don’t yield major reactions.”

I have been going through this love journey on and off for the past months. And though it can be really challenging some times, I believe every hurdle I overcome makes me a better person every time.

I am continuing this journey one day at a time and it’s a very enriching experience.

Learning to love, really love is one of the most worthwhile things there is about life.

Photo by: Patrick Smith

What is you dream life?

This is mine.

Traveling to different beaches with my laptop in tow. Just logging in every now and then on the internet to see how much millions I’ve earned for the day. Then going back to leisure traveling with my family.

But of course, that’s just for certain months of the year.

Other months, I’d be managing my self-development business, traveling all over the country to conduct seminars and workshops and shooting for my own TV show.

Dream on, the skeptics would say.

Yes, I will dream on.

And I will continue building my dream life too.

After all, we can only go as far as our mind and ambition reaches.

It’s better to dream big and aim our efforts on big things rather than settling for small dreams that seem easier and less risky to fulfill.

What would your dream life be like?

If I were given the chance to live my dream life, I would want a life that:

• allows me to pursue my passions anytime I want to.
• gives me not just financial stability but absolute abundance to satisfy both my needs and my wants.
• enables me to give away millions to help other people.
• empowers me to achieve anything I dream of.

Is it possible to live your dream life?

I believe so.

But dreaming is only the first part.

You’ve got to be doing something about it too.

And I guess that’s the hard part that often scares us away from fulfilling our dream lives and makes us stay safe and sheltered in our comfort zones.

Doing something means we would have to take risks.

And more often than not, a little voice inside us whispers: “You can’t do it. Do you want to fail? Just stick with your life/job now, that’s the practical thing to do.”

And the sad thing is, we often believe that little voice more than we believe ourselves. And it becomes harder for us to see that the dream life is indeed possible.

So how do you silence that discouraging voice?

Do something!

1. Think about what your dream life is like.
2. List down the steps you need to take to achieve your dream life.
3. Tackle the steps, one at a time.
4. When you encounter obstacles, just keep going.
5. Be willing to learn and expand your self.
6. When something doesn’t go your way, be flexible and open yourself up to the numerous possibilities.

Sounds easy to say but seems hard to do?

It all depends on your attitude toward it.

If you begin with an attitude that says “This is so hard, I don’t think I will make it.” I’ll bet you won’t.

But if your attitude says, “This seems a bit challenging, but I sure would do my best and try.” Chances are you’re on your way to success.

Now, I’m throwing the questions back at you:

• What is your dream life?
• How are you achieving / going to achieve it?

I’d sure love to learn from your experiences.