Simple Way to Stay Healthy and Feel Great

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/10/01/imo-view-simple-ways-staying-healthy.html
What is the first thing crossing your mind in the very mention of exercise? If you think of intense workout and time consuming, well, you better think again. If you think of packed gyms and hefty membership fees, well, not even so close. Instead of highlighting such unenthusiastic sides, why don’t we bring to light the fun aspects of exercise that might boost our creativity and motivation? We can do exercise to stay healthy without extracting a single rupiah from our pocket, even better we can save some money if we do so. So, why don’t we incorporate exercise into our everyday routine regardless of the job you have. You can always integrate exercise in any simple activities you do whether that includes your activities such as boarding on the commuter lines, working, or going to the the malls. These easy moves cost little to nothing, and it definitely does not consume your precious times. Keep also in mind that routine exercise has many benefits for your heart health, weight management, better sleep, improved mood, and reduced risk of chronic illnesses. It also generates the feeling of well-being inside you once your blood gets moving. Through exercise, you’ll stay healthy longer and feel great even in your sedentary- style jobs.




Most Jakartans working at office have sedentary- style jobs and typically complain of having no energy and time to exercise. They don’t realize by developing such inactive lifestyle, they are prone to have chronic illnesses. Therefore, it is important to exercise to balance the sedentary nature of working in the information economy with an active lifestyle. It can be done in cheap simple ways incorporated into daily activities. So, it doesn’t have to be time consuming. Exercise is not only really good for your health but also for your mind. If you don’t want to join the scheduled exercised arranged by your office, you can do it in ‘your own stylish way’:-). Go bike to work or walk to work. It’s fun, cheap, healthy, and even can save some money. I nowadays prefer to walk from the train station at Sudirman to my office at least twice a week. It takes about 20-25 minutes of walk. It saves me Rp. 2,000.- by not taking Metromini to my office :-). You can also move your body, feet and hands while you are crammed in the commuter line as part of the exercise. Try to do some moves equal to simple work out exercise such as flexing around your muscles to keep it relax and loosen up. If your job requires you to sit more than six hours daily in front of your monitor, you can outsmart this by developing a habit of doing things yourself. For instance you can walk to the pantry to get your own coffee latte or tea, do the photocopy you need, or just walk around your office every two hours in between. Try as much possible to move around and not just glued in your chair. It helps the blood moving too. When the blood is moving through your brain, you will get your creativity juices flowing and your head will be much clearer. Also, it can maintain your body weight as well. You don't have to suffer an excruciating diet or take pills to reduce your weight. Walking regularly will do all the good works! Like any muscle in your body, it needs to be exercised to stay healthy and strong.

What is your Price Tag for Happiness?

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/24/imo-view-what-your-price-tag-happiness.html

There are no price tags on love nor happiness, but it doesn't stop people from trying to buy them. (NA)




Can happiness be bought? Well... It's one grueling question which most people surprisingly have an unanimous answer "NO." Happiness has no price tag. It is something money can't buy. Happiness lies in the heart. But strange as it may seem, two Princeton University researchers Daniel Kahneman, the 2002 winner of the Nobel Prize in economics, and Angus Deaton, past president of the American Economic Association, disagree with this assumption. Who says money can't buy happiness? Published in 2010 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, their study revealed that money makes people more satisfied with their lives overall. Happiness comes with a $75,000 price tag. The study shows that such a price tag correlates with on how people evaluated their day-to-day happiness and their overall satisfaction with life. (http://www.inc.com/news/articles/2010/09/study-says-$75,000-can-buy-happiness.html)



For that reason, people never stop trying to buy happiness. An ancient Roman proverb says “Money is like sea water. The more you drink, the thirstier you become.” This adage finds particular meaning with the pursuance of happiness when people make comparison with the wrong ideals. Let’s say, a man who believes his happiness lies in the form of status or rank, he will pursue it at any cost. How often we hear people throw off their money to secure a governmental top post. Once, they secure the power, it’s harder for them to relegate it. They will hold it closer, afraid of losing it. It becomes an infectious addiction. Even, in ancient China various emperors sought the fabled elixir with varying results, believing it would keep them immortal and happy. They were willing to pay a great price just to find it. In the end, such illusion cost their life. People tend to keep looking for the things they don’t have because they believe if they have them, they will find complete happiness. Sometimes, such drive becomes a fantasy that corrupts their well-beings. Sadly, once they have them, they find out that the things they are after don’t give happiness as they assume. It’s because they keep make comparison with the wrong ideals. Inappropriate comparison will lead us to unhappiness. It’s how we see our lives in such comparison that fail us to recognize the ‘precise dose of happiness’ we have to consume to reach our equilibrium. Each individual has his/her own balanced and proportionate happiness. It is how we identify, understand, then be content with our own special ingredients that define our happiness.



Let us say if we compare our bodies with those of supermodels, our intelligence with those of genius, our bank accounts with those of billionaires, our job with those of celebrities, our aging partner with those of youngsters, or our house with those of social media tycoons, then it probably will ruin our perception of our happiness. But if we’re a little bit wiser, and choose to see our lives in a more realistic light, we will recognize just how much we have to be happy about.



So, you may agree or disagree that happiness has a price tag. One thing for sure, it is you yourself and NO ONE ELSE can measure your level of happiness. Dare to name your price tag for happiness??? :-)

Respect is Earned and not Imposed by Fear

http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2012/09/17/imo-view-respect-earned-not-imposed-fear.html

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”
(Johann Wolfgang von Goethe)



My dad used to say “respect a person because of his/her character, not of his rank (status) or wealth.” I was a kid then. I didn’t know what he meant by such admonition. All I witnessed back then was my father used to confront anyone who did something against the prevailing rules and laws no matter what rank or status they had. He disliked ruler without character, and was not afraid to show it. He was considered too vocal in voicing what he believed as truth. While his principle garnered him a kind of popularity amongst people in my village, such actions put him in constant debacles with those who held power. While he had acquired much friendship, he also got powerful nemesis. Let’s say, his career was at a halt no matter how brilliant he was. Yet, I am always proud of him. He is my hero and I always look up at him as my role model.

Being in my post at the moment, I have the chance to observe various kinds of people, mostly those who hold power in their hands, people with rank from various departments. It’s quite fun to casually take a glance on how they interact with us, people who have no power. It's one of the many ways to chase off the routinely paperwork at my desk. It’s quite enlightening and sometimes wisdom can be extracted from incidents during unexpected moments. Then, I find that it is where I learn on what my father had advised me during my childhood. As quoted in the first line of this piece of writing, you can sometimes judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.


Well, most people will be nice and good to people who can help them and those who have rank and status. It’s normal for most people to be nice to their supervisors, rulers, kings, etc because they are obliged to do so lest they will get retribution if doing otherwise. But how do most people treat those who can do nothing to help them? How high ranking people look at those who are at the bottom of ‘caste system’ in their office, those who are powerless and have no capability for retribution? Well…Some might be indifferent, others are anywhere from haughty to hostile with the look as if saying “who are you addressing me that way?” It is a common knowledge that if an inferior speaks of injustice inflicted on them, the process will take a snail pace, and sometimes be put in the long waiting to solve lists. But, if people with rank speak the same, about injustice they suffer, they will get all the attention they needJ. On screen or in daily life, we often see the rich and powerful treat underlings, staff and hired help like dirt. It’s how a person treats his/her underlings (subordinates) speaks a lot about his/her character.


I always believe that respect is earned, not imposed by fear. I believe those who have character will earn respect, and it will endure longer. Respect by fear lasts only when a person still in holds of the rank.