Pahami Tujuan Hidup

"People with goals succeed because they know where they're going.
- Orang-orang yang mempunyai suatu target berhasil mencapai sukses,
sebab mereka mengetahui kemana arah langkah mereka."
Earl Nightingale

Bayangkan jika kita melihat seekor kucing yang mengejar seekor tikus.
Kemana pun tikus berlari maka kucing itu pun akan memperhatikan
dengan pandangan yang sangat tajam dan sewaktu-waktu dengan sigap
menyergap sang tikus. Tingkah kucing yang berlari kian kemari
mengejar tikus tentu suatu pemandangan yang wajar.

Namun persepsi kita akan berbeda jika salah satu di antara kedua
binatang tersebut tidak kelihatan. Misalnya saja hanya kucingnya yang
nampak, sedangkan tikusnya tidak. Maka tingkah kucing itu tentu
membuat kita tertawa. Sebab kita tidak mengetahui sasaran yang sedang
dibidik oleh kucing tersebut.

Kiasan di atas dapat diartikan bahwasanya manusia mempunyai keunikan
bakat dan kemampuan yang berbeda-beda. Oleh sebab itu, di antara
manusia juga mempunyai perbedaan tujuan hidup. Si A misalnya boleh
merasa aneh dengan tingkah laku Si B, sebab Si A tidak mengetahui
tujuan yang hendak dicapai oleh Si B.

Henry Ford mempunyai bakat dan tujuan hidup yang berbeda dengan Walt
Disney, Andrew Carnegie, dan lain sebagainya. Henry Ford mempunyai
tujuan memproduksi dan mendistribusikan mobil berkualitas secara
masal. Sedangkan Walt Disney mempunyai tujuan hidup membahagiakan
orang lain melalui hiburan. Lalu Andrew Carnegie ingin memproduksi
dan medistribusikan baja ke seluruh dunia, dan masih banyak contoh
lainnya. Faktanya, orang-orang yang sukses di dunia itu pasti
mempunyai tujuan hidup.

Masing-masing di antara kita tentu juga mempunyai tujuan hidup.
Tetapi saya heran mengapa tujuan hidup sebagian besar manusia di
dunia ini tidak mampu berperan penting dalam mencapai kesuksesan?
Setelah sekian lama saya mengamati, rupanya penyebab utama tujuan
hidup itu tidak dapat berfungsi sebagai langkah penting untuk
mencapai kesuksesan adalah ketidakmampuan kita sendiri dalam memahami
dan mendefisikan tujuan hidup tersebut.

Sebagian besar di antara kita memang mempunyai tujuan hidup, tetapi
terkadang jumlah tujuan hidup itu bisa sampai ratusan. Sifat tujuan
hidup itu pun masih rancu atau tidak terperinci secara pasti. Agar
hal itu tidak terjadi, maka sebaiknya buatlah konsep mengenai tujuan
hidup untuk jangka waktu tertentu, misalnya untuk 1 minggu ke depan,
1 bulan atau satu tahun ke depan.

Pengambilan keputusan merupakan tahap selanjutnya yang sangat
penting. Untuk itu berpikirlah lebih dalam, jernih dan terkontrol
sebelum benar-benar memutuskan apa tujuan hidup Anda. Sebuah pepatah
bijak mengatakan, "Your decisions determine your direction, and your
direction determines your destiny. - Keputusanmu menentukan arah
tujuan, dan tujuanmu menentukan keberuntunganmu." Karena itu Anda
akan memerlukan lebih banyak informasi agar dapat memutuskan sebuah
tujuan hidup yang paling tepat.

Sebagai contoh adalah keputusan Nelson Mandela. Berdasarkan
pengalaman dan latar belakang kehidupannya, ia memilih tujuan hidup
membebaskan rakyat Afrika Selatan dari tekanan politik rasialisme.
Sejak tahun 1942, ia sering terlibat aksi-aksi dan organisasi
politik. Kehidupan Nelson berubah sebagai konsekuensi atas
keputusannya terjun ke dunia politik.

Sepanjang tahun 1950-an, Mandela selalu menjadi korban tekanan
kekuasaan. Nelson dipenjarakan bertahun-tahun, berpindah-pindah dari
penjara pulau Robben, Pollsmoor di Cape Town , dan penjara Victor
Verster. Ia baru dibebaskan pada tanggal 11 Februari 1990.

Nelson berhasil menerima hadiah Perdamaian Nobel pada tahun 1993 dan
terpilih menjadi Presiden Afrika Selatan untuk masa jabatan 10 Mei
1994 hingga Juni 1999. Semua berawal dari keputusannya memperjuangkan
hak asasi manusia dan persamaan ras di Afrika Selatan sebagai tujuan
hidup. Karena itu membuat keputusan mengenai apa tujuan hidup Anda
merupakan langkah yang sangat penting.

Setelah membuat keputusan mengenai tujuan hidup, maka langkah
berikutnya adalah menuliskan tujuan hidup tersebut. Menuliskan tujuan
hidup dimaksudkan untuk memudahkan Anda memahaminya. Jika tujuan
hidup itu ditulis, itu artinya Anda sudah menciptakan instruksi yang
jelas mengenai apa yang harus Anda lakukan dan bagaimana
mengembangkan rencana berikutnya.

Langkah-langkah tersebut sangat efektif digunakan untuk dapat
memahami tujuan hidup. Pemahaman terhadap tujuan hidup sangat penting
sebab proses pencapaian tujuan hidup berkembang dari pemikiran hingga
menjadi sketsa, dari sketsa ke tindakan, dan dari tindakan ke
pencapaian yang sesungguhnya. Goethe mengatakan, "Hal terbesar di
dunia ini bukanlah dimana Anda berdiri, melainkan kemana Anda akan
pergi." Itu artinya, jika Anda mampu menetapkan, memahami dan
memperjelas tujuan hidup, maka kemungkinan untuk meraih sukses juga
akan lebih besar.

Sumber: Pahami Tujuan Hidup oleh Andrew Ho

declare your independence from those flabby abs!
It's time to declare your independence from those flabby abs!

Far too many people spend hours trying to tighten that tummy, only to see the same old pudgy pooch day after day. Where are the fruits of your labors, you wonder.

Well, fitness expert Michael Stefano has the answer. The author of The Firefighter's Workout (HarperCollins) has put together a checklist for flat abs that will guarantee results. But if you're not focusing on all five aspects, then you probably aren't getting any closer to that six-pack.

The Flat Abs Checklist

1. Eat Right: Find a nutritional program that works for you and stick to it.

2. Exercise: Three times a week, perform some type of aerobic conditioning or circuit training for 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Ab/Core Routine: Include 2 abdominal exercises in your routine.

4. Good Posture: Perform a posture check.

5. Reduce Stress: Relax with exercise, deep breathing or meditation.

"If you don't take this five-step approach, you're going to be missing something," Stefano tells eDiets. "No matter how much you exercise, if you miss one of these steps you're going to handicap yourself. You can't take a one-prong approach.

"Too many people think you can just do sit-ups and bike kicks to flatten your abs. Sure those exercises will tone and tighten the abs, but you have to take steps to reduce the fat."

Stefano says that far too often people believe that doing ridiculous amounts of sit-ups is the only way to get fab abs. Sure, their stomach muscles are rock hard, but they're hidden beneath that beer belly.

"Unless you're already lean, just doing sit-ups, bike kicks or any abdominal exercises will have no effect at all on the reduction of body fat," he says.

While most people are well aware of the need for a healthy eating regimen, a regular aerobic workout and an ab/core routine, many exercise enthusiasts may not realize the importance of good posture and stress reduction techniques. If you're constantly slouching and not standing up straight, you'll have that pot-belly appearance. Good posture promotes a taller, leaner and more youthful look.

Stress increases the production of insulin (the fat storage hormone) and cortisol, which is associated with increased appetite and increased fat deposits, typically around the trunk and abdomen. Stefano points out that the effects of cortisol can be combated by meditation. When you do relaxation techniques such as deep breathing or meditation, a hormone known as DHEA is released. This hormone reduces blood cortisol levels and fights against the negative effects of stress.

By following all five steps, you'll be on your way to fabber abs. Get started with the following ab/core routine. Perform two sets of 20 for each exercise. Rest one minute between sets. Do this routine two to three times a week.

CRUNCH
Lie on your back on a mat or padded carpet with your knees partially bent, feet flat on the floor, arms folded across your chest (least intense). Be sure the feet are not too near your buttocks. Exhale as you press the lower back into the floor and begin to raise your head, shoulders and chest off the floor in one unit, concentrating on bringing the ribs towards the hips. Pause briefly as you feel your abdominal muscles contract. The movement need only be a few inches. Inhale and slowly curl back down, trying not to let your head and shoulders touch the floor, maintaining tension in the abdominal muscles for the entire set. Repeat to muscle fatigue.

Trainer's Notes:
Be sure to keep the knees only partially bent with the heels at least one foot from your butt. This engages the oblique muscles as well as the rectus abdominus. To increase intensity, lengthen the pause when the abs are flexed to 2 seconds, or place your hands behind your head (as in the bicycle kick). Extend the arms overhead to maximize intensity levels.

Goal: 2 sets of 20 to 30 repetitions

BIKE KICK
Lie on your back on a mat or padded carpet with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Press the low back into the floor, engaging the abdominal muscles, as you put both hands behind your head (don't pull on the head). Bring the right elbow over to the left knee, and then bring the left elbow over to the right knee in a twisting, bicycle pedal motion. Continue to breathe naturally. Alternate opposite elbow to opposite knee with hands interlaced behind the head in a slow and controlled manner, and to muscle fatigue, with full extension of each leg on every repetition.

Trainer's Notes:
Be sure to breathe naturally and not hold your breath at any time during this exercise. Full extension of the legs will increase intensity (as shown), as will performing the motion very slowly. Keep the knees bent throughout the movement, while you tap the feet to the floor (instead of extending the leg straight out), to decrease intensity.

Goal: 2 sets of 20 to 30 repetitions

Be Happy, Boost Weight Loss
Researchers tell us that we think 400 words per minute and speak about 125 words per minute. What those figures don't reveal is how many of those words are positive and how many are negative.

All people can use the strength and power of positive words to enhance their lives. Positive words can be particularly helpful when we are trying to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Most people are not aware of the things they think and say on a continual basis. Our thoughts and words have a powerful impact on our attitude and behaviors.

The Journal of the American Dietetic Association reports that people tend to eat an average of 118 calories more per day when they are moderately depressed or anxious. If this impulsive eating continues, this amount of additional calories is enough to put on an extra 12 pounds a year! To prevent this from taking place, you must first become aware of the words and thoughts that run through your mind every day.

This means you must make a conscious effort to examine your thoughts and words. This is not an easy task! It takes concentration and determination to be cognizant of what you are thinking and saying, especially when you are not in the mood.

What can you do to change the direction of your life? There are some things that you can do on a daily basis that will make your words and thoughts more positive. The more you do these exercises, the easier it will be to make positive behaviors a permanent part of your life. Consistency and repetition will help make your lifestyle changes permanent.

1. When you wake up in the morning (and before you go to bed), write a list of 10 positive things about yourself. In the beginning, it may be difficult to complete this list. The more you do the exercise, the easier the process will get. If possible, list different positive things each time.


2. Establish a secret signal to yourself each time that you catch yourself saying or thinking something negative. Some examples could be snapping a rubber band, putting away your money or rubbing your knee. Do anything that will act as a wake-up call to stop the negative behavior.

3. Ask a trustworthy friend or relative to listen to you speak. Ask them to be honest with you whenever they hear you say something negative. Carry around a small tape recorder and tape yourself, so you can listen to what you say. Also, write down your thoughts and reread what you have written to see if you are being negative. Give yourself a reality check!

4. Learn how to breathe. Breathe from your stomach and exhale through your nose. Deep breathing helps to put energy and oxygen back into your system. When you are breathing, think positive thoughts. Create a mantra that works for you and repeat it while you are breathing. Here's one example: "I am a bountiful, beautiful person. I am healthy and full of positive energy."

The more you work on establishing positive thoughts, the healthier you will become. Imagine you can control your destiny by living your life in a happy and healthy manner. Consistency and repetition will make your lifestyle changes permanent.