Do better than required

Things went wrong. I thought it was just a mandate and does not pay the bills, so I did the bare minimum on the last minute. I suffered from the stress, the emotions, the bad results and became the slave to the task. What I missed is the opportunity to learn new knowledge, to improve and to turn it into an advantage.

Start early

start with getting information, having a idea what is expected. Even if there is no immediate action, the simmering will help to ferment a pot of good wine.
Keep problems and open questions in the back of mind. Insights and ideas will surface naturally.

When things are all over the place...

When I feel things are going out of my reach, my fault is not the lack of ability to tracking them down. My fault is really letting things stretch myself into random directions, and letting people do whatever they like. The way out is to chop off the many concerns which may seem eligible, chop off the many crooked paths which may avoid obstacles. Keep it straight, keep it clean!

Growing up

Growing up is a process of getting exposed to bigger and bigger pictures, which implies tougher and tougher problems. Instead of getting overwhelmed, we are better off by acknowledging that there is simply no easy way out. It is not our fault that there are problems everywhere and there seems no clear solution. It is also not realistic to expect ourselves to have anticipated today's problem 5 years ago and to have done something about it. We live day by day and we survive, for ourselves and for our loved ones.

Time to change

When you feel there is road block, it is a good chance to re-think about the whole affair. Much has been taken for granted, for good or bad. It's time to think differently and act differently.

To get things done

The way to get things done is to pick a small task, but the most important one. Small, so that it does not look too daunting and will have a much higher chance to get done. Step zero is to think hard and keep things simple, so they can be 'small'. Second, is to focus resources (time and energy) so you can pick the most important so the effort will give a return.

Ask, ask and ask

Working smart = Ask questions. Don't assume. Find out what the other person really wants, what information is easily available but you are not aware of.

The American way of talk

The American way of communication is extremely direct, quantified and 'arrogant' in marketing strengths, but subtle, indirect when describing weaknesses.

Never give up

You think you can't do it any more, then you will indeed not able to do it. The mental strength and the confidence comes from past success, team support and sheer consequence that you can't afford to take. Get whatever you need, and continue trying. Often winner is not the smartest and the most capable person, but the one who lasts till the end.

Mind your own business first

First rule of relationship is to give help before asking for help. While all these give and take is taking place, rule zero is to squarely focus on what you want to achieve. It is always about what you can get out of it and what benefits you.

Give people confidence

Even if you felt the person does not cut it, he still have his merits and worthiness for something else. It is very natural to play a person down when firing, but in fact it is the time you really should build his confidence to go out and find the right place for himself. Every carrot has its hole, as the Chinese saying goes. Give people the confidence they need to live a life.

A monster is smaller in reality than in your head

When a task looks very daunting, when a goal looks very far away, it is actually simpler in reality. Starting doing it, you will realize it is in fact simpler, easier, better than you thought.