The Adventures of Raven

Choose Your Own Life. Choose Happiness.

2012-02-06T19:21:00.002+08:00

Today I just read a blog post by Ms. Bronnie Ware. The post lists the top 5 regrets the dying commonly have on their deathbeds, which I find very inspiring and worth sharing.

‘I wish I’d had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me.’

This is found as the most common regret of the dying. Imagine you were about to pass away, lying on your deathbed, looking back and bemoaning your life which was not the one you’d wanted to have, then you might understand what it feels like to die with your dreams unfulfilled.

Most often people give up on their dreams because of their fear of failure, as well as the disappointment which may be induced by the failure. However, it does not matter if you succeed or fail, what matters is whether you have got the courage to pursue your dreams. Even if you cannot make it, at least you have given it a try and this in fact plays a crucial role in a person’s growth. The result of your pursuit of dreams is not important, what is important is the process.

Of course, there is a difference between dreams and reality. There are plenty of reasons that make our dreams almost impossible to be fulfilled. Nonetheless, as Ms. Bronnie said in her blog, we should at least try and honor some of our dreams before it’s too late.

‘I wish that I had let myself be happier.’ – the 5^th common regret of the dying

Happiness is a choice. Please remember that it is YOU choosing happiness, NOT happiness choosing you. No one has ever bemoaned their past. There maybe thousands of reasons which make you sad and yet, try to find that one reason which makes you happy.

As last, let me end this post by quoting a line from Ms. Bronnie’s blog:

‘Life is a choice. It is YOUR life. Choose consciously, choose wisely, choose honestly. Choose happiness.’

Raven :)

Ms. Bronnie Ware’s Blog

http://www.inspirationandchai.com/Regrets-of-the-Dying.html

The Bond Between Us Is Becoming Concrete

2012-02-03T15:39:00.007+08:00

Last night, the HC 2014 class had a gathering at Estabelecimento de Comidas Si Fu Chai. The gathering was amazingly fun, and it could not have been any more enjoyable. For me, it was not only a normal gathering but also a remarkable event which I will definitely etch into my memory.

We spent the night having some nice chats with each other and exchanges of personal experiences, and the food had played a crucial role in adding fun to this night of joy and warmth. However, the gathering could have been flawless if we had had a bigger table so that we might not need to sit separately.

To be honest, before this gathering I seldom talked to my classmates Ervin and Charlotte. But after last night I begin to remember how they speak, smile and laugh, as well as how funny they are. Since the moment we all sat down, Ervin and Charlotte had been being as freindly as they can be and I really appreciate that. At that moment, we did not look like friends but were more like brothers and sister, and I am pretty sure each of us in the class is seeing each other as family members as well.

Picture taken with Ervin and Charlotte.

I did enjoy the gathering last night, and I am delighted to see the others feeling the same. Recalling what Dr. Udani had asked us at the gathering while typing this post ("What should we do to make everyone in the 2014 class as happy as they can be?"), I've suddenly got an answer: we should see each other as part of our family just like what we are doing right now because the relationship with family is something everyone would like to cherish and, more importantly, it is something that never dies.

The Honours College has brought us together and this has formed a bond between us. And now, the bond that links us together is becoming concrete and strong.

Raven

The Hardest Part of Failure Is Starting Again

2012-01-20T23:33:00.002+08:00

It is true that accepting failure is not easy. Nonetheless, it is nothing comparing to accepting your failure and making comebacks from it until you succeed. I believe the hardest part of failure is starting again, not only because it takes one's great efforts to get over the fustration and find back some confidence, but also the courage and readiness to start again. Unfortunately most people are often stopped by failure because of their fear of losing again.

Last thursday, during my management lesson we were shown a video telling the story of a successful manager working in a car dealership company. Before he ended his sharing of how a successful leader should behave, he added that one of the keys to success is to overcome the fear of failure because failure can facilitate one's growth and learning. That is to say, failure is simply part of success.

If people never attempt to start again after they fail, with no doubt they can hardly accomplish their goals. Hence, the courage to make a comeback is a crucial fact to being success. It even makes me wonder how this can help us foster our leadership skills.

After all, failure is a deadly two-edged sword. On one hand, it can hinder us from becoming successful; on the other hand, it can facilitate our growth and learning. It simply depends on how we deal with it. As long as we are willing to start again in the aftermath, we are then one big step closer to accomplishing our goals.

Raven

The Start of A New Adventure

2012-01-07T23:03:00.003+08:00

In a blink of an eye the first semester has already passed. Now it's 2012 and the second semester has come just before I have enough time to think about and recall what I have done and experienced last year. Already being in the Honours College for months I begin to feel like one of this huge family formed by different kinds of people from different backgrounds. Plus our senior classmates are now studying abroad, there is no time for thinking of the past but to start preparing ourselves for the future because as they leave it means our batch are taking more and more responsibility to make the Honours College a better place for fostering future leaders. 2012, for me it does not mean the end of the world, but, just like the title of this post, it's kind of like the start of a new adventure of mine, and the start for me to step up to a whole new level of life experience.

Today, 7th Jan 2012, was supposed to be a normal Saturday when I usually stay late in bed but the Honours College made it different. It was our second retreat. Compared to the previous one held last summer, today's one was much more challenging because we were expected to do some extreme tasks on the top of the Macau Tower. The very first challenge for me was to wake up to my annoying alarm clock at 7 in this freezing weather that you usually do not feel like leaving your bed.

So we started the retreat with group photos-taking, and afterwards we marched to the outdoors for some team-building activities and from which each of us began to have a little more understanding of our dear group mates and kind of reminded us the two types of leadership that Prof. Udani had told us in our first HC class - the Servant Leadership and the Transformational Leadership.

After some warm-up activities we went straight to the top of Macau Tower for the Skywalk X. I admit I was a little bit nervous before I really made a step out. But then I realized that it was not that scary but a precious moment to look at our city from such a great height. On top of that, I pretty much think this was a great experinece for us to conquer fear and, as many of my colleagues said today, to make a step out and be brave, not only on the top of Macau Tower but also in every second of our life.

Like what we have been told these days, so far it is only the beginning of the rest of our life. In front of us there is still a long path and next to each of us will be our colleagues and friends, so hopefully when we are preparing ourselves to be a future leader, meanwhile we can also support each other to give them a leg up to foster their leadership skill. Undoubtedly, for me it will be a path full of obstacles but I think that's what makes life worth adventuring, and that's why I have made this blog's title 'The Adventures of Raven' where I will keep track of my 'adventures of life'.

Raven :)