不满！谦虚谨慎，不骄不躁

未雨绸缪

Fight with your own demon- 三思而后行

Often when we are physically under the weather, or just not well-rested, we often have more pessimistic view on things, we may be more fearful, protective, or even suspecious on things around us; often the thoughts in this period do not reflect the real picture of the reality. We can't prevent these thoughts. Let it come, it may be helpful to make us more careful, prepared for the potential negative consequences and add a conservative voice in the process during our decision making. Let it come, and face it, let it shake up your soul (sometimes), or just let it make you think more (most of the times). Let it go through your mind, it is a form of work when you are in-bed, sometimes half-sleep, half-awake. I may call it, "in-bed" work, or "inner working". Through these, you process many thoughts, all aspects of your life, start to make notes what to do, what to be cautious about.
Just do not make decisions or take actions purely based on these thoughts. Let it come, let it go. Hang on! Think over again when you are fully energetic, and fully awake. Then, make decisions and take actions.

when you are mentally exhausted, stay away from decision making, do not judge

When you are mentally exhausted, your mood is in the downward trend; you may be more suspecious, or more protective, etc.... bottomline, you are not in the best position to make decisions, then, don't do it. If possible, let things go, let it be, let yourself recover; then attack on major issues.

When you are mentally exhausted, you may feel helpless, powerless, vulnerable, "impotent"-not fully functional, with no vigor...... Don't judge yourself! You just need rest and recovery. You have to let yourself. Do not judge other people as well, as you are more suspecious, more protective, more possible make biased judgement. So, do not make any judgement. If possible, stay away from people; keep the bad feelings on hold, wait till you recover, wait when you have 100% yourself, give another look......

Don't make damage to yourself when you are mentally exhausted and vulnerable!!!!

physical excercise and quiet reflective mind idling are the keys to recover from mental exhaustion

alcohol is NOT the solution of relaxation - it depresses, it drags down

Alcohol does uninhibit, and relax superficially. However, after intensive mental work, your brain is most in demand of recovery, need to the brain to do the recovery function. Neurons in your brain is most vulnerable to injury. Alcohol intoxication, especially overdoes, may injury the vulnerable neurons permanently, preventing the neuropathways to fully recover. The seemingly relaxation from alcohol is again, just like a busy traveling vacation, an escape from the real recovery, delaying the real recovery.

So, never use alcohol to relax after intense mental work. Instead, do some light excercise, and let your mind wander and doing nothing - that's the best way to recover from mental exhaustion.

recovery from mental enhaustion! - let it be, let it wander, let it idle...

Intense creative writing for extened period of time, such as grant writing and scientific article writing, can overactivate wide range of neuropathways, as the neurons does not have enough time to re-uptake the neurotransmitters, resulting in extended activation, like a short-cut, fail to disengage; then, the neurons are exhausted with neurotransmitter and result in "total blank", neuropathways can not be activated anymore --that's "total mental exhaustion".

That's why you need to rest, need to take breaks during intense creative writing. And it is also important to take some time off after a big intense writing project over an extended period. Just let it be, let it wander, let it idle, give enought time for neurons to recover, clean up residual neurotransmitters in the synaptic junctions, synthesize new neurotransmitters, build new synaptic vesicles, and get the neuropathway clear and ready..... This is extremely important to keep sustained, sharp mind, longevity of healthy and sharp mind.

Let it go, let it be, let it wander, let it idle, no decision to make, no guilty to feel (as you are not working as hard) (as you have worked extremely hard)...... let it regroup, let it recover, let it rebuild, stronger...... be reflective, be quiet, be collective, ....

Vacation doesn't necessarily help. If your vacation is filled with busy travel and sightseeing, running everywhere; it adds new use of other neuropathways and new activities. The exhausted part of the brain is recovering, but not necessarily the fastest recovery, may be actually delayed. A leisure, relaxed vacation may be more suitable for such recovery.......

Steve Job's inspiration 3 - death is the single most important tool to help me make big decisons

Remembering that I will be dead soon, that is the single most important tool I've eve encountered to help me make big decisions.

Stay hungery, stay foolish!

Steve Job's inspiration 2 - find what you love; love what you do!

You got to find what you love; and Love what you do!

Keep looking don't settle (before you find it)!

You will know when you find it.

Steve Job's inspiration 1- connecting the dots

You can not connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect the dot looking backwards. You have to believe, believing the dots will connect sometime, somwehere down the road!!!

Only a healthy energetic phycial body can carry (hold) a healthy and ennergetic mind (soul)

So, excercise. Keep yourself physically fit and able!

Never make decisons when you are physically under the weather

As when you are physically under the weather, or tired, often you feel helpless, hopeless, overwhelmed, in general, more pessimissive. Then, do not make conclusions on things when you are sick or tired; do not make decisions when you are sick or tired. Let yourself heal physically before make further move.

Never give up! Persevere! - 不懈

That's the only way to achieve your goal.

不经一番彻骨寒，哪得梅花扑鼻香

海阔凭鱼跃，天高任鸟飞

没有失不掉的；也没有非得到不可的 - nothing that just can't lose; nothing that you have to have

退一步海阔天空 - Step back, you will find that the ocean is open, and sky is limitless

Sometimes we are trapped in our pessimissive funk, feeling nowhere to turn. When that happens, if you step back a bit, take another look of the situation, it is actually not that bad at all.

知足 - Appreciate what you have

虚， 不满 - only when it is not full, it can take in more to improve and enrich

知己知彼，（百战不殆）- Only knowing yourself, as well as your opponents, (you will never lose a battle).

If knowing yourself, as well as your opponents, you will never lose a battle, This emphasizes on the importance of knowledge and preparation before you do anything. You have to know your stuff, know where you are in the field, know where others are in the field, so that you can work consciously to improve yourself, to jump to the front.

顺水推舟； 事半功倍 - pushing the boat along the current；half of workload with double accomplishment

This again is saying: using the force of the nature, of the enviroment , of the situation you are in; take advantage of the force of the nature, the environment, the situation you are in, go along with it. You will be doubled rewarded for the work you do.

无为而无不为 - Doing nothing to acieve everything

I like Taoism. The essence of Taoism to me is 无为而无不为 (wu wei er wu bu wei). Direct translation is "Doing nothing while doing everything", or "Doing nothing to achieve everything". Sound like it does not make sense at all, however, what it really means is: doing nothering against the nature, the nature will make you to achieve everything you do.