My Very First Article

Walking with the Jedi

Bringing the Force into your life

"The Force will be with you, always.”

-Obi-wan Kenobi

I believe the word ‘Jedi’ will definitely lead our thoughts in one direction, Star War the movie. Indeed, the trilogy directed by George Lucas had not only brought the fascinating stories on the big screen, but it had also introduced new idols into the global culture. ‘Jedi’ is one of them, it represents the pinnacle of melee combat and mental superiority; and sparking off countless fan sites, video games and controversies.

However, this article is neither about how to weld a 3600°C glow-stick nor about cranial optimization. It is about introducing an old friend; a Jedi with immense wisdom to guide you on living your life; just like how he had patiently coached Luke Skywalker to attain Jedi-hood.

For the non-Star Wars fan, please allow me to give you some clues. Think of a highly eccentric, winkled green skin alien with size handicapped and bad grammar. No, it’s not George Bush, I’m referring to Yoda, the little green man with 900 candles on his cake and he lives in a swamp. With his 900 years of experience, dealing with the sentient and the dumb, you can be sure that he IS the right man to bring you through any storms. Being his personal student, I have been instructed to carry on his work to deliver more people from the Backside.

Although he seemed (somewhat) dead in the end, I can assure you that he is perfectly alive. Stay with me till the end, and I will tell you how he has been doing…( No kidding, we’re buddies)

1) Let’s start, I’m pretty sure that you are feeling confused and lost now. Please don’t ever feel frightened or turn-off by anything, whether they are major changes to your daily routines or some unknown. Before I continue, let’s hear what my green friend has to say, he’s good..

“Fear is the path to the dark side.

Fear leads to anger.

Anger leads to hate.

Hate leads to suffering.”

-Yoda

He is correct, nothing good will come out from your experience with fear. It is simply a prehistoric instinct within us. In the past, man had to come face to face frequently with the unknown, which he perceived to be hazardous. The evolutionary advantage of fear helps the body to increase production of a chemical known as adrenaline.

It helps to modify the body’s biochemistry to gain instantaneous boost of physical capabilities to escape predation. However, in our modern context, it is still beneficial in life-threatening situations, but a nuisance in getting tasks done. So does it mean that we are imprisoned by this biological ‘advantage’?

Of course not, the solution to confronting your fear is summed up in Yoda’s next two quotes.

“Clear your mind must be,

if you are to discover the real villains behind this plot.”

“Do or do not…There is no try”

In case you are stupified by his grammer, here's what he meant actually:
The first quote, in plain English, means that if you want to understand the underlying beliefs for your emotions and your fear, you have to take a step back and judge the whole situation again as an outsider. (It is always easier for us to judge other people than our self, right? Now you try judging yourself as from a third-party perspective)

Dissociate yourself from the present and find the reason behind your illogical fear. It may arise from a malicious comment or bad experience. Fear arises from false beliefs which are built upon external influences. So you need to find examples of why the belief is NOT real, by finding counter-evidences and re-examining your original limiting beliefs. You may seek help from friends who can see your strengths better than you do. They can displace your fear better than you think so.

Now for the second quote. It is the mantra for every successful people. Although it is pretty self-explanatory, I’ll explain it here too. If you want something to work, put your heart and soul into it. Giving a half-hearted effort has a few disadvantages.

First, you’ll lose your motivations very easily, since it is not your top priority. So it will not work out very well. Secondly, your strategies will be rather murky. It will be very hard to review it and figure out areas of improvements. Thirdly, You probably have absolutely no goals in mind other than ‘if it works, well…. If it don’t, it’s still alright’. Guess what, you will probably take the easy way out, by contributing minimal effort and time into it.
What can you expect to get out of it?

Similarly, if you are focused on eliminating your fears, put more effort into it, seek help when necessary, but most importantly, never stop in your effort for success,
May the Force be with you


Yoda’s History: Although he ended up to be something of an extinct-species spectral wraith with zero asset to his name, he is currently the boss of a chain of online businesses and the author of several publications. I know it’s true, cause he’s also my personal friend. He’s still eccentric, but has grown much taller, manage to MASTER English Language and has converted to Islam 24 yrs ago. He has changed his name to hide his glow-stick prowess and moved from swampy grave to Singapore. Oh yah, if you are curious whether he has taken any botox injection or skin whitening treatment, you can find him at www.ultimatesecretsofsuccess.com.