Feel The Wave

Where you begin your personal growth journey.

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  • Six Japanese Technic to Follow and Be Better Than You Were Yesterday

    Life can be demanding, and at times, we feel stuck, as if we’re not making any progress. Often, we sense we’re not improving, which can be frustrating. To help you break free from that feeling, here are six Japanese techniques that can guide you toward becoming a better version of yourself each day.

    IKIGAI

    Discover your reason to live and your purpose in life. Find something that makes you want to wake up every day. With a clear purpose, you gain direction, eliminating the possibility of wandering aimlessly through the world. You might not see the end of the journey, but knowing the direction to go is all that matters.

    KAIZEN

    Focus on small improvements every day. Don’t focus on the bigger picture because it can overwhelm you with everything you need to do and learn. Start small and stack the small wins. Over time, those small wins will lead to bigger victories. Multiple large wins will turn you into a different person, much closer to where you want to be.

    POMODORO

    Work for 25 minutes without distraction and then take a 5-minute break. Distraction kills productivity. This method helps you stay focused for short periods and allows for regular breaks. You’ll get more done in a shorter amount of time. 

    HARA HACHI BU

    Don’t stuff yourself with food. When you’re 80% full, stop eating. When we eat until we’re full, we feel fatigued and slow down as our bodies digest. We don’t feel great when we’re overly full and sluggish. Therefore, stopping when you’re 80% full will keep your energy levels higher throughout the day.

    SHOSHIN

    Approach every task as if you were doing it for the first time. Keep the habit of learning, stay curious, and continue asking questions. Be in awe of the simple things. Appreciate small gestures—they will keep you young.

    WABI-SABI

    Embrace imperfection. Don’t try to make everything perfect. Perfection is unattainable. Do your best and share it with the world. Don’t stress over small details. There will always be something to tweak, but it’s better to take action than wait for the perfect moment.

    And there you have it—six Japanese techniques to help you improve day by day. Whether you start small or embrace them all, the key is to take action. Try one today and see the difference it can make. Remember, every small step counts on the path to self-improvement. Take care of yourself as you go on this journey

    Take care. 

  • Being a Great Coach: 5 Essential Requirements

    There are some key requirements someone needs to be a great coach in a work environment. One of these essential requirements for being a great coach is to make the people around you better. This is accomplished by making them realize their true potential and make them believe in themselves. Below is a list of 5 definite requirements anybody needs to have to be a great coach. 

    Active listening

    A great coach must listen to understand and not listen to answer. They must pay attention to the words that are being said and understand the point of view of the other person, their concerns and what inspires them to act.

    Asking great questions

    A great coach asks great questions. Great questions are open-ended that encourage reflection and reveal new insights. It empowers the individual to find their own solutions and allows them to talk through their problems with themselves.

    Emotional Intelligence

    A great coach can relate to the other person and get a sense how they are feeling. They can adjust the conversation and questions accordingly. Emotional intelligence is not only focused on the other individual but yourself as well. It also allows control over their own emotions so they are focused on the individuals issue and not there own emotions. 

    Accountability

    A great coach holds the individual accountable for the actions they set out to accomplish. It’s about knowing the individual to push them beyond what they expect they can achieve but not too much they get discouraged. It’s a pull and push relationship.  A great coach will make it clear the work is done by the student and not the coach. 

    Concrete feedback

    Effective coaches will provide concrete, clear and concise feedback to individuals. They will highlight strengths and weaknesses to help the identify where improvement is necessary. They will not shy away from providing honest feedback when the individual is not performing well. 

    Those are five different key requirements a great coach embodies everyday. It focuses on the individual and not themselves. They listen attentively, ask thoughtful questions, hold the individual accountable and provide honest feedback. Those are a handful but there are plenty more. 

    Take care.

  • Understanding the Process of Emotions: A Guide to Navigating Your Feelings

    Humans are action-oriented beings and fundamentally function in similar ways. When a situation occurs, humans react to it, then contemplate how the reaction feels and determine what action is best suited to act upon that feeling. These steps can happen within milliseconds of each other. The mind is quick to react, contemplate, and take action, sometimes to the point where you are only consciously aware you’ve taken action after it’s done. You want to be aware before the action is done and that entails managing and understandings emotions.

    The first step in the process of emotions is the reaction. It is what you feel inside yourself. It can be an overwhelming sensation of joy, happiness, sadness, or anger that only you are aware of. These reactions come up quickly and cannot be swayed one way or another. It’s a function of the body that is out of our control. It’s difficult to be conscious about them, and if you haven’t realized, the subconscious mind and the body work together to figure out the emotion. Once the reaction is clear, subconsciously or consciously, then comes the time to contemplate how to act.

    The mind then asks what to do with the emotion and what is the best way to release it into the world. Are you going to jump up for joy, hug another person, cry, or yell at someone? This is lightning-speed processing, and once your mind decides the best course of action, it lets the body know what to do and you will take action. Ask yourself if you are self-aware how your body is reacting. 

    The action taken is visible to the outside environment. What the environment sees is the output of the reaction and contemplation. You are now broadcasting your emotions to the world, where others will interpret your action. They will conclude how you channeled your emotions into physical output and, in turn, go through the same process of emotion you went through to determine if they should smile, laugh, cry, etc.

    The process of emotions is happening constantly, and everyone follows the same process. However, the length between contemplation and action can be controlled, and this is what makes the difference between individuals. Some people can increase the time between contemplation and action, resulting in a longer review period of their choices and possibly better choices.

    It takes self-awareness to be able to control your actions. You can only control your actions if you have had time to process the pros and cons of the outcomes of the actions. Take the time to know yourself and understand what triggers you positively and negatively. Reflect on the times you regretted your actions. This will enable you to foreshadow your negative actions based on reactions and possibly change their course. It takes time to change, and change for the better is always warranted, whether it takes a month or years. Victor E. Frankl said “Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”

    Take care. 

  • Live an Authentic Life: Breaking Free from Labels

    Live an Authentic Life: Breaking Free from Labels

    We can ask for what we want, work hard, and pursue our needs, yet still, be labeled aggressive or intense. Prioritizing others without considering ourselves risks neglecting our well-being, while putting ourselves first might brand us as selfish. Daring to be unconventional invites labels like weird, and breaking the rules makes us rebellious. Yet, conforming often leads to feeling out of place and suffering.

    Breaking the rules makes us rebellious, while conforming can leave us feeling out of place and suffering. Loving wholeheartedly might label us as clingy, but staying with someone who doesn’t value us results in a life filled with conditions.

    Growth and change can lead to the painful end of some relationships. Yet, staying in dysfunctional relationships for the sake of others stifles our own growth.

    Pursuing our wildest dreams and sharing them with friends and family may invite strange looks or harsh judgments, branding our ideas as ridiculous or doomed to fail. But hiding our dreams, too afraid to commit, lets them die without ever giving them a chance.

    Even when we follow the rules, do as we’re told, and help others, criticism may still come—whether for what we do or what we don’t. Taking control of our lives might cause loved ones to feel abandoned, but without that control of our lives, we risk becoming overwhelmed and breaking under pressure, leaving others puzzled by our struggles.

    Staying in your comfort zone may one day fill you with countless ‘what if’ questions. On the other hand, pursuing all your dreams could stir envy among close family and friends, who may remain silent.

    Whether you pursue your own dreams or follow someone else’s path, some people won’t approve or like you. So, whatever your choice, live authentically.

    Take charge of your journey, embrace who you truly are, and live authentically. The world will always have opinions, but only you can define your path. Stay true to yourself.

    Take care. 

  • Staying on Track: The Power of Purpose and Routine

    We all have routines, whether we notice them or not. Each day, we wake up, shower, eat, brush our teeth, and head to work. As creatures of habit, our morning routines typically follow a familiar pattern. Deviations from our usual routines make us uneasy. But beyond these morning rituals lie deeper patterns of behaviour that guide us throughout our day.

    Those are dynamic routines—patterns of behaviour that may go unnoticed by us but are often recognized by others. It might be surprising what your family, friends and colleagues say about how you act around them. This type of routine is difficult to notice if you are going through the motion of life but can easily be identified from the outside looking in.

    However, with some self-reflection, you can attune yourself to these routines and begin recognizing these patterns. Taking time to consider how you respond in familiar situations can help you identify and understand these routines. These routines shape how you act around people, how you respond to familiar and unfamiliar environments, and how you react to uncertainty and ambiguity. 

    These dynamic routines were shaped early in life and now determine the outcomes you experience. They’re the foundation you build on every day, driving your success in both personal and professional realms. Pause and reflect on your actions in various situations. Ask yourself: How do I show up every day to be my best self? Am I on track, or have I veered off course?

    We all veer off from time to time. No one is perfect on this earth. Obviously, the intent is to stay on track but for those mishaps, know when they happen is as important. The difference between people who are successful and unsuccessful is how far they veer off track and how quickly they can come back to their purpose. 

    A common scenario where people veer off track is during an extended illness, like a prolonged cold. We don’t have the energy to perform at the level we use to and reasonably we take the time to care for ourselves. The momentum is lost when we are no longer sick and we feel the sickness is still holding us back even though we are feeling better. We might stay in this funk for some time but we need to remind ourselves this is temporary and continue to work towards our purpose. 

    Having a purpose and being on track is hard work but tremendously rewarding. Being off track is easy but unrewarding. That’s why people stay there. It’s a free ride to death. At the end you’ll look back at your life and wonder what happened and how it went by so fast.

    Some people don’t realize they’re off track, wandering aimlessly without purpose. To avoid this, it’s crucial to find your purpose, build your path, and know where you’re headed. Without a clear direction, it’s impossible to know whether you’ve veered off track.

    It all begins with the present you. Equip yourself today so that you’re prepared to recognize the signs that you’re heading in the right direction. Prepare yourself by writing out what you want to accomplish. What type of person you want to be today and tomorrow? What type of routines would that entail? Refer to it every month if you need to and evaluate yourself.

    The key is to recognize quickly when you’ve strayed off course, know your dynamic routines, allowing you to swiftly correct your path and continue progressing toward your best self.

    Take care. 

  • The Construction Site of Life: Planning, Obstacles, and Growth

    What do life and a construction site have in common? A lot, actually. They both have a beginning and an end. Both require a blueprint. Both depend on multiple people to make them great. And both come with expectations mixed with unexpected events and problems.

    When we first enter the world, our parents are there to guide us and teach us the ways of life as they know it. They even have expectations for us before we are born.

    As we grow up, we develop our own expectations based on our interests and character, which don’t always align with those of our parents. The same is true of a construction site. In the beginning, the building site might be a field or forest. Whatever it may be, there is a vision of what the end result will look like. Once construction begins, the core of the vision stays intact, but expectations might shift depending on what is discovered. Sometimes difficult decisions arise—like when an unexpected boulder is found beneath the earth.

    Life is no different. As we enter adulthood, complex problems become ever more present, and we find ourselves at a crossroads. We don’t always know what to do, and time spent ruminating can make life feel like it’s standing still. These problems might include decisions about career changes, family, or living arrangements. Obstacles are everywhere and appear at every stage of life. We can choose to ignore them, or we can tackle them head-on and grow from the experience.

    A construction site faces similar challenges, where tough decisions are made every day by its leaders. However, the key difference between life and a construction site is the speed at which decisions are made. It might seem like the people in charge make decisions easily—and perhaps they do—but that’s thanks to one thing: experience.

    There’s no pre-written life manual. Your book of life writes itself through experiences and experience comes from trying new things, which requires vulnerability and a willingness to learn. A construction site won’t hesitate if there’s a hill in the middle of the plan. Instead, they’ll use it to their advantage and incorporate it into the design. Sure, it would be easier if everything were flat, but that’s rarely the case. They work with what’s there.

    The same goes for life: you can either face your challenges and climb the hill or turn back. As Marcus Aurelius said, “The obstacle is the way.” It’s going to be difficult, but the end result will be worth the struggle. The experience you gain will make future challenges easier—and you’ll be better for it in the long run.

    Be the superintendent of your own construction site. What’s the plan? Anticipate obstacles and be ready to take them on. No life is simple, but every life can be an adventure—so experience it!

    Take care.

  • Chasing Extras: Why Simple Moments Matter More

    We want more. We need more. We do everything we can to get as much as possible—more space, the best house, the nicest cars, and the newest cell phone. We don’t just want these things; we want to show them off on social media.

    But these are just the extras in life. In the grand scheme of things, they hold little value. They aren’t necessary for our survival. With all of today’s technological advances, life has become so easy that we’ve started to forget what it really means to be human—and how we even survived as a species.

    Not long ago, people depended on each other. Communities welcomed newcomers. Neighbours looked out for one another, ensuring the streets were safe. Kids played outside. Families gathered at the park. People knew each other—and helped each other.

    Now, neighbourhoods are just strangers living next door. We can stay inside for days, weeks, or even months, getting everything we need—food, medicine, even relationships—delivered through a screen.

    Sure, those things are nice to have. But that’s all they are: nice to have. Somewhere along the way, we placed them at the center of our happiness. We forgot they’re just extras.

    We’ve mistaken convenience for independence. We think we’re self-sufficient when we can live alone, ordering whatever we want with a few clicks. But what happens if the technology disappears? Could we really take care of ourselves?

    And it’s not just technology. Material possessions have the same effect. There are people who seem to have everything, yet they keep chasing the next big thing—the newest car, the trendiest restaurant, the most expensive jewelry.

    They’re so focused on the object that they miss what really matters: being present. Watching the sunrise. Hearing a child’s laughter. Savouring a quiet morning coffee. These small moments are what make us human, and yet we overlook them in pursuit of the extras.

    It’s time to reclaim our humanity. Technology is helpful, but only to a point. Don’t let it consume you. Use it to become better. Build real relationships—face to face, not screen to screen.

    Take care.

  • How to Stop Unnecessary Stress and Focus on What Matters

    The world is full of stressful situations—some unavoidable, others self-inflicted. Often, we place unnecessary strain on ourselves by constantly competing and comparing with those around us. We crave recognition, pushing ourselves to do more and more to impress others. This cycle only leads to increased stress.

    To ease this burden, we must let go of the zero-sum game mentality and focus on our own journey. There is enough success, opportunity, and happiness to go around. Move through life doing what truly matters to you, without worrying about what others are doing or thinking. See how that feels.

    That said, awareness of others isn’t always a bad thing. The key is to seek inspiration, not comparison. The right people can push us beyond our perceived limits, helping us grow in ways we never imagined. We don’t thrive in isolation–we need the right support system to challenge and uplift us.

    Of course, the world isn’t perfect. Sometimes, people make it harder rather than easier. But shifting your focus inward—on your own growth, actions, and mindset–can help. The truth is, most people aren’t thinking about you as much as you assume. They are too busy thinking about themselves.

    The best way to ease life’s challenges is to be better than you were yesterday. Push yourself. Make small, incremental progress every day. Step out of your comfort zone, try new things, shift your perspective, and say yes to opportunities you once dismissed. Growth happens in the moments when we challenge ourselves.

    If you want less stress and worry, focus on what you can control–yourself. Other people are beyond your control; you can only influence them. But you have full control over your own actions, mindset, and growth.

    Take care.

  • Success Through Consistency: Why Small Efforts Matter

    Greatness is within reach for anyone willing to put in the work. That means anyone can achieve greatness—but it comes at a cost. Sacrifices are necessary. Greatness and sacrifice go hand in hand.

    One truth about those who have achieved major success: they didn’t start off great. Every successful person was once at the bottom of their field. But they practiced relentlessly and remained consistent. It became an obsession. They didn’t stay at the bottom for long. Instead of feeling discouraged, they used it as motivation to improve. Their setbacks didn’t crush their dreams; they fuelled them.

    Failure lit a fire under them. It sharpened their vision. It illuminated the path to success, showing them what was possible. It revealed their potential—not just what they could be, but what they would be.

    They practiced even when they didn’t feel like it. That’s the difference between being good and being great. Whatever your goal is, commit to it even on the hard days. Those are the days that make the difference.

    If you want to be a writer, write every day. It doesn’t have to be perfect; it just needs to exist. If you want to be a basketball player but the weather isn’t ideal, find a covered area to practice dribbling. No effort is too small–because consistency adds up.

    You won’t be at 100% every day, but you can show up 100% of the days. Keep learning, keep trying, and keep going.

    Be consistent, and greatness will come.

    Take care.

  • Urge vs. Action: The Power of Self-Control

    We often act on impulse. We buy discounted items, convincing ourselves that we might need them one day. We accumulate clothes we don’t wear, unnecessary appliances, and coffee tables that simply match the living room set.

    But this behaviour isn’t limited to material possessions-it also influences how we interact with people and handle our emotions. We say hurtful things in anger and regret them later. We snap at our children for not listening.

    Humans are emotional beings, and our feelings are powerful. Some emotions are stronger than others, and depending on how well we regulate them, we may suppress or control them for days, months, or even years. Emotions play a crucial role in our lives—they are the body’s way of communicating with the mind. They serve as a bridge between what we feel and how we act. However, what matters most is how we respond to those emotions.

    Have you ever noticed people who lose their temper over small things? In those moments, they seem to forget their rationality, almost becoming animalistic. The human mind is complex, but as challenging as it may be, change is possible. Someone with a short temper can learn to control their reactions when intense emotions surge through them.

    Seneca once said, “The greatest remedy for anger is delay.” Instead of reacting immediately, we need to fully experience our emotions-sit with them, understand them-before taking action. It’s not easy, but even after reacting, asking yourself, Why did I feel this way? can be a powerful tool for growth.

    When we create space between feeling and reaction, we gain the mental clarity to make better decisions. Emotions aren’t something to suppress or eliminate-they are signals from the body, telling us, Pay attention.

    The temptation to react quickly is strong because intense emotions are uncomfortable. But when we rush to get rid of them, it often leads to outbursts. The reaction becomes an emotional release, an overflow that spills out uncontrollably.

    Take a moment to reflect on your past actions. Ask yourself why you responded the way you did. Was there a better alternative?

    Sometimes, the best response is to let go and move on. Other times, self-reflection helps us determine whether something truly matters. Not everything requires a reaction or an opinion. We always have a choice, but reaching that awareness begins with self-reflection.

    Take care.