Wednesday, September 05, 2007

Sharing Nugget #52

#52: s…l…o…w d…o…w…n r…e…n…j…i…e

I had a long reflection time today. I talked to friends, paced the walkways of the hostel, and stared at the night sky while in deep thought.

Conclusion: s…l…o…w d…o…w…n r…e…n…j…i…e …

Ever since forever, I have been trying to pack so many things into one day. I guess the need to squeeze as much out of my final year in SMU as possible is the main culprit.

…So much so that my body rebelled on Monday. I fell terribly ill with flu. I slept the whole of Monday. And skip another class Tuesday morning. I believe my body is trying to force me to slow down. I guess the lack of sleep and the lack of time for the body to recover from the physical training I put it through has taken its toll.

Well. I still need to pack many things into a day. Now, I must be conscious to pack in “slowing-down” time into the day. Live to fight another day yeah?

I reflected on a few things that troubled me (Hostel work, school work, CCA work, and friendships). They involve dealing with people – one of the hardest parts of work. Here are some of the things I should have done (which are different from what I actually did).

1. Be more rational, and less emotional. A wise man once said that strong emotions show a sense of passion and commitment. But he also added that if such emotions take over completely, rationality suffers – which is not good.

I had allowed my emotions to run rampant due to sheer physical and mental exhaustion – hence the need to slow down. I need to take a step back, be aware that I am emotionally reacting to incidents, and then think rationally.

2. Thinking rationally entails asking why first and then asking how. Why do they do that? (Think in their shoes) Don’t commit the fundamental attribution error. Then ask, how do I address that? What are the solutions? Which one can work best? Get more feedback. Run those ideas off others. Debate. Then decide.

I am ill. I am tired. But I will rest and recover. But this time, I will learn when to slow down, and when to dash.

To think after 3 years in SMU, I should know better.

This is a good wake-up call. I must not repeat my burn-out in year 2.

So s…l…o…w d…o…w…n r…e…n…j…i…e