As the two ducks and I consumed the food, we were starting to run out. So I decided to stop giving them food. What can I say… I was still hungry and there wasn’t much left. Just like previous time, they went under the picnic table and sat there waiting quietly. These ducks don’t really give up, do they? I thought. So, I made a bet to myself. If after 10 minutes and they are still there, I will give them all the food I’ve got. I thought that 10 minutes was a good balance, since it was not too long and not too short.

5 minutes passed by without much action. Then, the male duck got up and walked down to the lake to get a sip of water and a quick swim while the female duck remained underneath the picnic table. As the 10 minutes was almost up, the male duck was still hanging out on the lake. If he didn’t come back when the clock hits 10 minutes, I would have given all the food to the female duck for sure. Then an unexpected thing happened. The female duck got up and gave a loud “quack, quack, quack, quack” calling him back. I heard a “quack” back from the male duck and he proceeded to walk back toward the picnic table just in time. It’s okay to listen to the right advice sometimes.

An ultimate test was given, and they passed it. The prize was handsomely rewarded; they were fed with a lot of food (even more than what they got before) at the end. After they were full, they went away completely satisfied. What an amazing experience I had with the ducky. They showed how we can get our dream by first wanting it and do what it takes to get it. They were willing to change and try again when things didn’t work and they did not let fear stop them from getting what they want. Finally, they passed the ultimate test and benefited mightily. And the fact that they are just a couple of ducks made the whole thing quite astonishing. Who know what we can accomplish if we apply the success principles from these ducky. So be like the ducky and get your rewards by passing the ultimate test. When you do so, complete satisfaction is not a matter of if but when.

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As I fed myself and the two ducks, my supply of food went by quickly. Good thing I usually eat a lot and brought sandwiches and other snacks. Upon finishing the first sandwich, there were some bread crumbs sticking to the plastic wrapper. I decided to not waste these crumbs and shook them off the plastic wrapper for the ducks to eat. At the moment I held out the wrapper and started shaking, the two ducks spooked out and flew to a safe landing nearby. I was stunted! These were the two ducks that came so close to me I could easily grab their necks and bring home some Peking ducks -. And now they are scared of the wrapper shaking?

They came back though. They must have decided that the plastic wrapper shaking was harmless and they weren’t about to let some other ducks enjoy the bread crumbs. But it happened again with the second sandwich. They got spooked with the plastic wrapper shaking, flew away, and came back again. What’s the deal? I thought to myself.

As I pondered upon this, it became clear that they simply reacted out of their natural instinct. A duck doesn’t have much of a weapon compared to other animals. It doesn’t have sharp teeth like a shark, powerful claws like a bear, or fierce combination of both like a lion. When faced with danger, a duck can only fly away. A duck doesn’t have much of a chance against us human, who can think and use our tools. Taking these things into account, the two ducks really took their chances when they got real close to me. And they knew it too, for they were ready to flee at first sign of danger. Fear must have been on their mind for sure. We can relate to this as we face many forms of fear in our lives. It can be a fear of rejection, fear of failure, or even fear of success. Fear is like wind resistance. The faster we move forward in our lives, the more wind resistance we face. The only time when there is no wind resistance is when we’re not moving. And the only time there is no fear is when we’re not doing anything. The trick is to not let fear stop us from getting to where we want to be. Successful people do have fear but they conquer it with action. And where there is action, there will surely be the results. So be like the ducky and go for the things you want in life.

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Although I now understand the reason why the first two ducks fought against the other ducks, I was mad at them at the time and stopped giving food. I went back to enjoy my sandwich and the pleasant scenery of the lake. With the food supply cut off, the first two ducks disappeared. “So predictable,” I thought to myself. Though I did wonder where they went, for I had looked around and didn’t see or hear them anywhere. But it didn’t matter where they went since I was then able to have lunch by the lake like I wanted to for the first time.

It must have been about ten minutes after they were gone that I started hearing something from underneath the table. As I looked to see what it was, there they were, sitting quietly underneath the picnic table the whole time! My God, how could I have been so blind? The two ducks were there the whole time and I didn’t even see them. I began to wonder whether they felt bad about the whole fighting episode and didn’t want to be seen. For sure they still wanted the food; otherwise, they would have been long gone already. Their action completely won me over once again and I resumed giving them food.

What these two ducks did was quite remarkable to me. Not only did they took initiative to win my attention and did what it takes to defend their hard earned food, they were willing to change their way to get the result. If the two ducks were to stood in front of me like they had done earlier while I was still mad at them, they would certainly not get the food. Instead, they changed their approach and backed off without losing sight of their desire purpose. In our lives, there may be many instances where we face similar situations. Just because things didn’t work this time doesn’t mean that things will not work in the future. Sometimes it takes a different approach to succeed. Sometimes, we may need to change the timing. When we get a “no” from a person, it could be that the person is not ready to say “yes” at that point. But if we were to try again when they are ready, a “yes” will surely be there. The key is to always evaluate and readjust, then try again. The ones who succeeded simply had more attempts and tried more ways. They also are willing to even change their goals when it is needed. So be like the ducky, and be willing to change to succeed.

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Things were going well for me and the two ducks. I was enjoying a nice day at the park and they were enjoying the food I gave. But things evolved, as always. Not long after the two ducks got their food, the other ducks started to notice. They may or may not be hungry at first, but now that they saw the two ducks receiving some food, they wanted some too. So they came, the two other duck couples who were hanging out by the lake. Even the seagulls now wanted in on the action and they stood back a little further behind all the ducks.

What happened next was quite astonishing to me. As soon as the first two ducks saw the latecomers, they went nuts. They lowered their heads at once in an attack mode and launched themselves toward the enemies with such a force that even I had to stand back, away from the battlefield. Luckily, there were no casualties. The latecomer ducks did not retaliate but simply retreated back to the lake. Although, it was a victory for the first two ducks, I got so mad at them for doing what they did. Why did you have to fight? I thought. I was gonna give you and the other ducks the food anyway. If you all gonna fight over it, then none of you will get it. So, I stopped giving out food after the whole episode.

Even though I was mad at them at the time, I now understand why the first two ducks did what they did. I imagine if I was a duck, finding food is probably the most important thing in my world. I mean think about it. A duck lives in a world where comfort is not a choice. It must fly hundreds of miles to find a warm place to find food. This takes energy and effort. When a duck is hungry, it doesn’t have a family, a friend, or a charity group that it can go to get food. The only way for it to survive is to find food or starve to death. The only ones who make it are the ones who are willing to do whatever it takes to get food. This is why the two ducks did what they did. They worked hard to get my attention and were there first. Why should the latecomers benefit from their efforts? We, as human, can really learn from them. We live in a world with tremendous resources and opportunities. In addition, we have the abilities and talents to find ways to get what we want. The only thing that stands between where we are now and where we want to be is the determination to do what it takes. So, be like the ducky and do what it takes to get what we want.

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Living in Seattle, a place where it rains 9 months a year, sunshine is like manna from heaven. There was lots of sunshine last week and it sure looks like spring is just around the corner. So I decided to take in as much sun as I can, packed my lunch, and went to a park by Lake Washington for my own mini picnic. The atmosphere at the park was more than I could ask for. The soft spring sun reflected off the water behind a backdrop of vivid blue sky was a pleasing sight. There were not a lot of people at the park since it was a weekday. I settled on a bench right next to the water and prepare to enjoy my sandwich, for I was a little hungry.

Before I even took a first bite, I saw from the corner of my eyes two ducks walking toward me from afar. Walking may not be right; it was more like running (if there is such a thing for ducks). In any case, they were moving fast. I could tell from the colors of their feathers that it was a male and a female duck; they must be a couple. As they paced toward me, I could clearly hear their loud quacking sound. It seemed that they wanted me to notice, and make no mistake about it; they got my attention all right. Feeding wild animals is not usually my thing. But as they stood 1 foot from my feet and I look into their eyes, I could tell that they were hungry… real hungry. So I began to give them small portion while I eat.

As I fed myself and the two ducks, I began to ponder about what just happened. I mean, what was it about these two ducks that made me give them food? Then I realized that it was their attitude that made the difference. Looking around the lake, I could see four other ducks and several seagulls hanging out by the lake. None of them approach me like the two ducks that stood by my feed. In fact, the other ducks and seagulls did not do anything. What I saw in the two ducks that approached me was that they really wanted it. They were hungry and they took action to get the food. Their attitude clearly showed when they ran toward me, quacking all the way to make sure that I know they were there. Although they cannot speak, they weren’t afraid to look me in the eyes, communicating what they want. And those who ask usually receive. The most amazing thing is, they were just ducks! And we, human, as a more developed species, can still learn from them. What I learned from these two ducks is that to get what we want in life, we need to first be hungry… real hungry for it. Attitude is very important and it will show through. That’s when things start to happen. So be like the ducky, and be real hungry for the things you want in life.

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Now that we got our Life Google Map, prepared our LifeMobile, started our LifeEngine, and took charge as own LifeMechanic, the last part is to schedule our LifeTuneUp. Success takes a sense of direction, preparation, action, and modification. Success also takes time. Just like the road trip, it takes a certain amount of time to get to the destination. It would be a lot quicker if we took an airplane rather than a car to get to California. The same applies in life. There is always a better and faster way to reach our goals. Our job is to find the best method.

We do this by schedule an appointment with ourselves to brainstorm ways to improve our performance. The only requirement is that it has to be done on a regular schedule and cannot be skipped. We must complete our LifeTuneUp the same way we do tune-ups for our cars. It can be once a month where we spend this time writing down the things we need to do in the coming month to get us closer to what we want. This list could include the books we need to read, the people we need to see, or the money we need to make. This time is also to evaluate what worked and what didn’t work in the past month and what change we need to make to get better results.

Remember, failure is just a form of feedback and those who succeeded did so because they just tried more. Most of us probably know that Thomas A. Edison was the one who invented the light bulb. But not many people knew that it took him almost two years of failed attempts until he found the right material for the filament to work. After each failed attempt, he would evaluate why and find a different material to test. He did this over 6,000 times! When asked about the more than 10,000 experiments it took to develop a storage battery, he said “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work.” Compared to Thomas Edison, the world we live in today is a lot easier. I’m sure Edison would give anything to have a tool like the internet. It’s what we do with the tools and time we have that make the difference. When we do our LifeTuneUp appointments, we sharpen our tools. And with the right tool, knowledge, and action, success is not a matter of if… but when.

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Now that we’re on our way on this Lifetrip, what do we do next? I know it’s a cliché, but we should just “enjoy the ride.” Going back to the trip to visit my brother in California, it was a lot of fun. We drove along the west coast by the Pacific Ocean. Stopping in one of the towns along the water, we took a walk and enjoy the scenery. The moist cool breeze and the gentle rhythm of the tide were quite soothing and peaceful. One of the destinations was Crater Lake in Oregon. It was such an awe-inspiring sight to see. Any attempt to describe the beauty of the luscious indigo bed of water with a backdrop of snow-covered summits would be an understatement.

Although the destination is where we want to be, the journey to get there can offer tremendous life experiences. The road trip went smoothly and we were able to spend quality time with my brother. On our way back though, the engine of our Jeep started to sputter. At first, we did not think much of it since it would drive just fine after we let the engine cool off. But the sputtering got worse and the engine started to shut off after a while. We were in the middle of nowhere so we had no choice but to drive the stop-and-go Jeep to a town where we can spend the night. Early the next morning, we asked around and drove to every mechanic shops we can find. But to no avail, they were all closed on Sunday.

What do we do when things don’t go as planned? What do we do when we are on a road trip and we had to make a decision to solve the problem? Although we only had several hundred miles left to get back home, the Jeep could die in the middle of nowhere if we pushed ahead. But if we waited for a mechanic the next day, it could still be another few days to a week before they could order and get the part to fix it. We decided to take our chance and drove the Jeep home. It was a definite test of patient all the way back as the overworked engine gave its effort and brought us home. We later found out that the oil pump was the culprit. One thing we learned from this experience is that we don’t know the future. Planning ahead helps us focus and prepare. But the real test in life is how we handle the current situation. It’s up to us on how we make it out. So, be our own LifeMechanic and take on the road of life.

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With a Life Google Map on hand and the LifeMobile prepared, we are ready to start. But as we all know, things always come up at the last minute. Isn’t it funny how the parking lot near the health club would always seem to be full which leads us to not go exercise more? Ever wonder why we always seem to run out of time which leads us to not read or learn new skills to improve ourselves? Or, how come the other person wouldn’t just understand our point of view which leads us to not resolve the conflict? The truth is there will always be a reason that will cause us to not start building our dream life. But just like a coin, as long as there is a head, we can be sure to find a tail on the flip side. For every reason for us to not take action, there is always a reason for us to do it. The key is what are we focusing on?

There is a saying that whatever we focus on it’ll grow. Think about it. When we haven’t eaten for days and are starving like mad, what is the only thing we think about? We think about food, right? And what do we do? We look for food and wouldn’t stop until we had eaten and are satisfied, right? It’s the same way with our dream life. If we can train ourselves to think about it every single breathing moment, we will surely find a way to get the life we want. It won’t matter what obstacles we face or what reason people say against it. If we know what we want and believe without a doubt in our heart that one day we’ll get what we want, we will find a reason to go out and make it happen.

The most important decision we can make right now is to just do it now, not tonight, not tomorrow, not next month, not when everything is ready and perfectly planned, but right now. What can you do right now to help yourself? One characteristic of successful people is that they take action. I’m sure Warren Buffett did not know everything there is to know about the stock market when he bought his first stock at age 11. Charlie Munger, Buffett’s long time business partner, said that one of the reasons Buffett is so successful is that he got an early start. Tiger Woods is the same way. He hit his first golf ball when he was 4. Of course, Warren Buffett and Tiger Woods do have the unique ability and talent to succeed. But remember also that we didn’t know how to do the most basic things, like walking and talking, when we were born. Everything can be learned. To go back to our road trip analogy, the ones who start their LifeEngine and take off early will most likely get to where they want to be first.

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Now that we have our Life Google Map in place, the next step is to prepare ourselves for the journey. So how do we begin? Have you ever been on a road trip? I still remember the road trip my family took along the west coast to visit my brother in California. It had been a long time since we last saw him and a drive along the Pacific Ocean with all the attractions along the way did sound quite nice. We had a Jeep at the time. It was a perfect car for the trip; lots of room for comfortable ride and for all our stuffs. Gas was not as expensive back then so it was okay to drive the Jeep. We knew roughly how many days we would be there so we packed our clothes, a swimming suit, and a camera to capture all the fun moments. Food and snack was also on the top of the list. The day of the trip was coming close and we looked over the Jeep one last time to make sure all the oil and fluids were ready for the drive.

Just like preparing for our road trip, our life trip also needs preparation. What will get us to our destination (our dream life) is our Lifemobile and we need to get it ready. So how do we do this? We do it the same way as a road trip. We sit down and make a list of the things we need and we go and get them. If our destination is to have the dream house, we would first find out how much it will cost and how much money we need to get it. We then start to earn more and save most of it. We would make a timeline on when we will be ready to buy. We would also find a few real estate agents and loan officers who can give us some useful advice. The last steps would be to go out and look at many houses and finally make the offer, negotiate the price, and close the deal.

All the steps above take actions and lots of ground works. If we want to build a 100 story building, most construction experts will tell us that we needs to dig deep into the ground to lay a strong foundation to support the structure. Most people would also say that Michael Jordan is one of the best basketball players of all time. But a few people actually know that he would come early for practice before everyone else and would stay longer afterward. He spent hours and hours every day shooting the ball until he can do it with his eyes closed. When asked about the reason he succeeded, this is what he said; “I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times, I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” A quote from Gary Player, the great golfer summarizes it best. He said “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” So what are we waiting for? Start to prepare right now. If time will pass by anyway whether we do anything or not, why not do something for a change?

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The internet and Google have become the necessity in life now a day. One tool that I got hooked on was the Google Map. When I needed to go somewhere and did not want to spend hours trying to find the place, I use Google Map. Simply typing in the address and the program will give you a map and a step by step direction. The program is so advance that I can even get a satellite image of the place and information on the nearest restaurants or gas stations.

Imagine what it was like in the old days without Google Map. I still remember trying to find a place from a direction given by a friend. After spending close to an hour of driving in circle and having to stop by several minimarts asking for directions, it was quite a hassle. Sometimes life is like that. We spend so much time and effort to get to where we want to be. At times, it’s frustrating. We need Google Map in our life. Such a thing would do wonders to our progress. We would get to where we are going in half the time. If only there is Life Google Map. Someday a genius at Google will probably come up with something close to that, but for now…. we make our own Life Google Map.

So how do we start? First, we need to know where we are going. What are your goals in life? If you have the time, energy, power, and unlimited resource to do anything, what would you do? Forget all the excuses. Sit down and think about your life and be honest to yourself. Then write down the things that you really want in life. Write down your real dreams. Write down the kind of job you want, the kind of relationship you want, the kind of body you want, the kind of house you want, the kind of car you want. Write down your dream life. Then go find pictures of these things and put them up on a board where you will see it every day. We’ll call this your dream board. Carry your dream by taking some of these pictures with you in your wallet or purse. Every time you see them, think of your dream life. This is the first and most important step in making your Life Google Map. It will tell your subconscious mind to go to work, to get you your dream life. Although, this may sound strange at first, do give it a chance. I mean, what’s the worst that could happen? The worst is that you had spent some time with the pictures and still live the same life. But if this could be the beginning of a change, a change that will get you the life you really want, wouldn’t it worth at least a try?

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