Song Spinning now: Chloe - The Last Rose Of Summer
I absolutely love this album by Chloe, aka. Charlotte Church's clone. Even their voices sound the same, but somehow Chloe's voice and songs are more soothing and angelic..makes you feel tranquil and at peace with yourself.
Chloe Agnew comes with a great musical pedigree. Her father and mother (singer/TV star Twink and oboist David Agnew) are both well-known performers in Ireland.
I think such people are really lucky to be blessed with a voice that can heal the soul...its like they are born with a mission to spread joy to the world with their voices. She gives mt eh feeling that she is not an idol, not some mega superstar wannabe, but just a simple girl singing from her heart.
As the saying goes 'Music soothes the savage beast', some songs are just able to create certain emotions in you. Its interesting to note that the same song can create different emotions to different people. No matter what, it is true that there will be no joy in the world without music, tunes are also powerful tool for meditation.
What do you feel when you hear this song? I know some people might feel that this is a sad tune, but to me this is a very peaceful tune that is great for mediatation. Its a mix feeling of compassion, tranquility, peace and inner joy. Its quite hard to describe it but it sure is a wonderful state.
Some tips for meditation:
- Dip some aroma oil in the burner (My favs are lavender, tea tree, ylang ylang or Geranium Rose). Some people like to burn aroma incense but personally i feel that it works if your room is very big or if you are in the living room. If your room is small, the smoke from the incense will fill up your whole room and the pungent smell will be absorbed in your clothes, your pillows and bed sheets! )
- Leave a dim night light or yellow light on. Make sure that the room is not bright.
- Close your eyes and go into the child pose (its just simply lying down flat, with every part of your body relaxed where you feel as if you are sinking into the floor.)
- Breathe in and out at a normal pace.
- Let go everything....every tension/stress you have, every thoughts you have, push away any thoughts that enter your mind and just connect your senses with the tune, your own body and soul.
- Meditate for about 10 to 15 mins..(longer if you have time to spare..don't try to meditate before sleeping or longer than 30min because you will fall asleep! hee hee.. :P)
That's it...till the next post...don't ask me when ok?
Friday, November 26, 2004
Thursday, November 18, 2004
I'm back!
Well well.. its been a long while since my last post here. No excuses but I do need to be in the right mood and thinking to be inspired to write here, otherwise I'm just plain lazy.
Anyway, UPW was great! I get to see people transform and become very much determined to change their lives.
Anthony Robbins did a great job during one part of his program in kicking us out of our comfort zones and making us fast forward to see ourselves in our golden ages with all regrets and things that we should have done but didn't. Its about stirring the emotions that we've got only one life to live and the fact that father clock never stops ticking. Its on how we can be free to be able to do the things that we always want to do.
I would say its bringing people out of their context, re-sensitize them to make them realise what's the most dearest and important to them, and at the same time re-defining their own meanings to this thing call life.
Personally, I feel that this is all about whether you are being true to yourself and how to make things true to you. I mean..its pretty easy to get desensitize to everything and most of the time we just do something out of routine..like a robot being programmed to do certain things at certain times.
There is no way we can be questioning ourselves every minute of our life, some things had to get done and we have no time for all these. So to stay true is actually a very difficult thing to do as we have to put down everything on hand and focus on this particular aspect. Just by focusing is also not enough as continuous action had to be taken to bring a change. However, action takes up a lot of time and carries a certain level of risks, simply put - no risk, no gain.
A while ago, I did try to focus on a dream and take actions and I realise I'm not very good at managing my time when I'm too cropped up with this one.
In the end, my action didn't lead me to even a tiny stepping stone on the path. I was kicked out of the game unvolunteeringly but I bear no grudges at all. I don't wish to blame anyone but I won't blame myself either, i just treat this failure as a lesson of life.
Many people would have stop along the way. It might be too early to say whether I'll be one of them with lots of unrealised dreams, but this is a delayed dream at the moment. Maybe I should put it this way, as long as its still on my mind, I just can't ignore it.
And if you don't get what I'm saying, it doesn't matter because I'm just talking to myself..
Anyway, UPW was great! I get to see people transform and become very much determined to change their lives.
Anthony Robbins did a great job during one part of his program in kicking us out of our comfort zones and making us fast forward to see ourselves in our golden ages with all regrets and things that we should have done but didn't. Its about stirring the emotions that we've got only one life to live and the fact that father clock never stops ticking. Its on how we can be free to be able to do the things that we always want to do.
I would say its bringing people out of their context, re-sensitize them to make them realise what's the most dearest and important to them, and at the same time re-defining their own meanings to this thing call life.
Personally, I feel that this is all about whether you are being true to yourself and how to make things true to you. I mean..its pretty easy to get desensitize to everything and most of the time we just do something out of routine..like a robot being programmed to do certain things at certain times.
There is no way we can be questioning ourselves every minute of our life, some things had to get done and we have no time for all these. So to stay true is actually a very difficult thing to do as we have to put down everything on hand and focus on this particular aspect. Just by focusing is also not enough as continuous action had to be taken to bring a change. However, action takes up a lot of time and carries a certain level of risks, simply put - no risk, no gain.
A while ago, I did try to focus on a dream and take actions and I realise I'm not very good at managing my time when I'm too cropped up with this one.
In the end, my action didn't lead me to even a tiny stepping stone on the path. I was kicked out of the game unvolunteeringly but I bear no grudges at all. I don't wish to blame anyone but I won't blame myself either, i just treat this failure as a lesson of life.
Many people would have stop along the way. It might be too early to say whether I'll be one of them with lots of unrealised dreams, but this is a delayed dream at the moment. Maybe I should put it this way, as long as its still on my mind, I just can't ignore it.
And if you don't get what I'm saying, it doesn't matter because I'm just talking to myself..
Wednesday, September 08, 2004
Anthony Robbins UPW!!
Anthony Robbins is coming to town this week and this means the 'Unleash the Power Within' conference is finally here! Its 3 days away to this event, which I am really looking forward to. I have heard of people's lives being changed after this 4-day seminar. My friend had a friend who became a different person after this event, he became very positive and go-getting. After hearing so many positive personal accounts, I really have to check him out myself!
Actually UPW can be considered an impulse purchase for me as I signed up for this when I was still recuperating from my arm fracture. I was feeling pretty lost in direction at that time about everything in my life, its hard for me to describe that kind of feeling but there was this strong desire that pushed me to find out something. When Success Resources had a UPW preview, I decided to check it out alone.
Its kind of strange why I did that, considering that I've never read any self help books before, nor was I interested in any of those. I only like fiction stories and fashion magazines (which I still do :P) . Well, let's just say I really want to do something different for myself and I tell myself that I have to take this $1000 risk for a good self improvement program. If I don't go for it, nothing will happen but if I go for it, the chances of improvement will be far greater. At most I will lose my $1000 if it happens to be a bad, but after reading his books and hearing so much about him from others, I believe this is not true, this weekend will be an extraordinary one for me!
The thing is I'm going go to UPW alone! Its still hard for me to imagine that I've signed up for a 4 day peak performing conference alone! I'm just gonna treat this as an adventure and exploration weekend, its exciting to think about the new people I'm going to meet there, who are also like-minded and keen to improve themselves! Its even more exciting that that I'm going to do things that ordinary people won't do. The most unbelivable part is the firewalking experience that all participants have to go through, and I'm actually very very excited about it!
Here's a peep into the iternary for the 4 days:
Day 1
The Firewalk Experience
Those who achieve extraordinary life share the fundamental power of courage - not the absence of fear, but willingness to break through limitations and take action. In the first evening of UPW, you will begin to discover yourself the awesome power that can change everything. By night's end, you will be walking across abed of hot coals as the ultimate metaphor to put your newly emerging power to test!
Day 2 & 3
Psychology of success conditioning
During these next two days, you will discover exactly what you want in life - you will develop a clear target of what you want and why - in your career, your body, you finances and your relationships. You will learn how to model proven strategies of those who have already achieved what you desire, saving countless hours of needless frustration. You will also master the process of momentum to enable you to make powerful decisions and take actions that once seemed difficult.
Day 4
Lethargy Into Vitality
Build the physical energy and vitality you need to follow through and apply all you have learned in a simple and enjoyable way that won't turn your lifestyle upside down. Via video, Tony will show you how to step into your new life with incredible energy and vitality! Facilitated by the Head Health Trainer from Tony Robbins Organisation, you will learn spectacular way of achieving optimum health and high levels of energy.
Well..let's see what happens to me after the 4 days ended...I'll be back... :)
Actually UPW can be considered an impulse purchase for me as I signed up for this when I was still recuperating from my arm fracture. I was feeling pretty lost in direction at that time about everything in my life, its hard for me to describe that kind of feeling but there was this strong desire that pushed me to find out something. When Success Resources had a UPW preview, I decided to check it out alone.
Its kind of strange why I did that, considering that I've never read any self help books before, nor was I interested in any of those. I only like fiction stories and fashion magazines (which I still do :P) . Well, let's just say I really want to do something different for myself and I tell myself that I have to take this $1000 risk for a good self improvement program. If I don't go for it, nothing will happen but if I go for it, the chances of improvement will be far greater. At most I will lose my $1000 if it happens to be a bad, but after reading his books and hearing so much about him from others, I believe this is not true, this weekend will be an extraordinary one for me!
The thing is I'm going go to UPW alone! Its still hard for me to imagine that I've signed up for a 4 day peak performing conference alone! I'm just gonna treat this as an adventure and exploration weekend, its exciting to think about the new people I'm going to meet there, who are also like-minded and keen to improve themselves! Its even more exciting that that I'm going to do things that ordinary people won't do. The most unbelivable part is the firewalking experience that all participants have to go through, and I'm actually very very excited about it!
Here's a peep into the iternary for the 4 days:
Day 1
The Firewalk Experience
Those who achieve extraordinary life share the fundamental power of courage - not the absence of fear, but willingness to break through limitations and take action. In the first evening of UPW, you will begin to discover yourself the awesome power that can change everything. By night's end, you will be walking across abed of hot coals as the ultimate metaphor to put your newly emerging power to test!
Day 2 & 3
Psychology of success conditioning
During these next two days, you will discover exactly what you want in life - you will develop a clear target of what you want and why - in your career, your body, you finances and your relationships. You will learn how to model proven strategies of those who have already achieved what you desire, saving countless hours of needless frustration. You will also master the process of momentum to enable you to make powerful decisions and take actions that once seemed difficult.
Day 4
Lethargy Into Vitality
Build the physical energy and vitality you need to follow through and apply all you have learned in a simple and enjoyable way that won't turn your lifestyle upside down. Via video, Tony will show you how to step into your new life with incredible energy and vitality! Facilitated by the Head Health Trainer from Tony Robbins Organisation, you will learn spectacular way of achieving optimum health and high levels of energy.
Well..let's see what happens to me after the 4 days ended...I'll be back... :)
Thursday, August 26, 2004
Viva Latino!
Song Spinning now: Carl Cox - The Latin Theme
This track can really make you go Gggrrrrr..... Ariba! haha..
I went to a Salsa club with a friend few weeks ago for the first time in my life. It's great experience seeing people dancing so freely to Salsa and Meringue, expressing their core self on the dance floor. There's actually a 3-man band playing live Salsa on the little platform, creating that unsurreal environment where people can let their hair down and move their body in the most unrestrain manner.
Beginners, pros and students of Salsa alike are twisting their bodies with the exotic music. Salsa is actually a very sexy and charming dance, especially when both the male and female are in perfect sychronisation to each others' movements and in tune with the music. This led to relate to this film "Dirty Dancing - Havana Nights", which was an excellent film for those who like to see the real Cuban dance - more sexy,more wild and more euphoric!
Its very hypnotising to watch'pro' couples dancing on the floor, to them it feels like nothing else existed but only the two of them and the music. No thoughts and no clutter in their mind, its just pure innate physical reaction to the music that keeps them going.
For me, I had the priviledge to dance with my friend's friend , whom ermm I have forgotten his name :P. Anyway he's a 1.9m tall lad from Aussie. Imagine 1.57 m gal dancing with a 1.9m tall guy, I feel like I'm a dwarf dancing with this giant! I'm only at his chest level and I had to stretch my hand up high so as to reach his shoulder.
Actually, had been taking Salsa lessons for a while and is thus is able to teach me some basic moves. In Salsa, it is important for the guy to take the lead and he's done it pretty well, not to mention that I keep stepping on him all the time!
It was quite a fun night in general. I never knew Salsa can be such a great workout..the club start to feel like a Sauna after you have danced for a while. Everyone was drenched in sweat but still enjoying themselves nevertheless!
Entry and drinks are freeflow for the ladies on friday nights. I suggest if you want to try something new, try Salsa dancing!
This track can really make you go Gggrrrrr..... Ariba! haha..
I went to a Salsa club with a friend few weeks ago for the first time in my life. It's great experience seeing people dancing so freely to Salsa and Meringue, expressing their core self on the dance floor. There's actually a 3-man band playing live Salsa on the little platform, creating that unsurreal environment where people can let their hair down and move their body in the most unrestrain manner.
Beginners, pros and students of Salsa alike are twisting their bodies with the exotic music. Salsa is actually a very sexy and charming dance, especially when both the male and female are in perfect sychronisation to each others' movements and in tune with the music. This led to relate to this film "Dirty Dancing - Havana Nights", which was an excellent film for those who like to see the real Cuban dance - more sexy,more wild and more euphoric!
Its very hypnotising to watch'pro' couples dancing on the floor, to them it feels like nothing else existed but only the two of them and the music. No thoughts and no clutter in their mind, its just pure innate physical reaction to the music that keeps them going.
For me, I had the priviledge to dance with my friend's friend , whom ermm I have forgotten his name :P. Anyway he's a 1.9m tall lad from Aussie. Imagine 1.57 m gal dancing with a 1.9m tall guy, I feel like I'm a dwarf dancing with this giant! I'm only at his chest level and I had to stretch my hand up high so as to reach his shoulder.
Actually, had been taking Salsa lessons for a while and is thus is able to teach me some basic moves. In Salsa, it is important for the guy to take the lead and he's done it pretty well, not to mention that I keep stepping on him all the time!
It was quite a fun night in general. I never knew Salsa can be such a great workout..the club start to feel like a Sauna after you have danced for a while. Everyone was drenched in sweat but still enjoying themselves nevertheless!
Entry and drinks are freeflow for the ladies on friday nights. I suggest if you want to try something new, try Salsa dancing!
Wednesday, August 25, 2004
Take Yourself to the Top! by Chris Widener
A meaningful article that I received from a friend. After reading it, it somehow reconciled my mind and heart....
Everybody wants to get to the top, whether it is the top of a career, a company, the earnings scale, or the many other ways that we as individuals can define the “top” in our own lives! But with so many people trying to get to the top, how come so many people aren’t moving up? I think there are some fundamental reasons why. Reasons that can be addressed and changed!
What are some things you can do to get to the top?
Here are some thoughts for you this week!
First of all, define what the “top” means for you.This is extremely important because if you don’t know where you are going, you will never get there! Some people don’t want to be the CEO of the company. In fact, many think they are better off then the CEO even though they don’t make as much money. Instead, they think they are at the top because of less stress, weekends with their families, etc, and I see their point. It doesn’t matter what others think is the top, only what you do, since you are only gauging whether or not YOU get there! So where is it for you? That is the first question for you to answer.
Be passionate about your goal.Passion is the energy that drives us, or, as Alexander Pope said, passions are the “gales of life.” Passion is the wind in the sales of work. Find some thing you love and you will find something you can get to the top of. If you don’t love it, you may still make it to the top, though highly unlikely. And even if you do, there will be no joy. Let your passion carry you, because it will carry you far! Thomas Fuller put it this way: A man with passion rides a horse that runs away with him.
The will to continue in the face of hardship.Another reason most will not get to the top is because they simply refuse to scale the mountains of hardship that separate them from the top. If you want to get to the beautiful view from the top, you will have to climb over any obstacles.
Instead, many choose to stay at base camp! One would think that Bjorn Borg, one of the greatest tennis players to ever live, would consider his skill his greatest asset. Instead, this is what he says, "My greatest point is my persistence. I never give up in a match. However down I am, I fight until the last ball. My list of matches shows that I have turned a great many so-called irretrievable defeats into victories."
Continue until you get to the top!
Love people and treat them right.What? Love people? That’s right! Why? Because if you are going to get to the top, you are going to need other people. Be a jerk and you will find people dragging their feet on you. Treat them right and you will find them helping you and even cheering you on!
Master the appropriate skills.Average skills will get you to the middle. Top skills will get you to the TOP! This is most assuredly true when combined with the points above. Are you achieving excellence in the skills you need? Are you growing day by day, month by month, year by year?
You can always get better and getting better will take you closer to the top! Even if you only improve a little, you can keep improving that small amount and it will eventually become a big amount! Demand the best from yourself and you will get to the top. Remember the words of Jose Ortega y Gasset: "We distinguish the excellent man from the common man by saying that the former is the one who makes great demands on himself, and the latter who makes no demands on himself."
• Define the Top
• Be Passionate
• Persevere
• Love others
• Skill Mastery!
These will take you to the top!
Monday, August 09, 2004
SINGLISH VS ENGISH
Received the email below from an ex-colleague...gosh...what a culture we had developed in the 39 years of independence...uniquely Singapore indeed.. Happy Birthday Singapore! :P
SINGLISH VS ENGISH
-Use Singlish, it's so much economical n effective - Compare n See
When Going Shopping
-Britains: I'm sorry sir but we don seem 2 haf the sweater u want in ur size, but if u gif me a moment, i can call the other outlets 4 u.
-S'poreans: No Stock!
When returning a call
-Britains: Hello, this is Mr Bean. Did anyone page me a few moments ago?
-S'poreans: Hello, who page?
When someone is in the way
Britains: Excuse me, i'd like 2 get by. Would u please make way?
S'poreans: Lai, siam! or Siam hor! or Skius!(excuse)
When someone offers to pay
Britains: Hey, put ur wallet away, this drink's on me.
S'poreans: no need lah!
When asking for permission
Britains: Excuse me, but do u think it would be possible 4 me 2 enter through this door?
S'poreans: (While pointing at the door) Can pass or not?
When asking to be excused
Britains: If u would excuse me 4 a moment, i have 2 go 2 the gents/ladies. Carry on without me, it would onli take a moment
S'poreans: Go toilet! Buay tahan ahh... ...
When doubting someone
Britains: I don't recall u giving me the money.
S'poreans: Got meh?
When disagreeing on a topic of discussion
British: Err. Tom, i have 2 stop u there. I understand where u r coming from but i really have 2 disagree wif wat u said about the policy
S'poreans: Talk cock lah u!
When asking someone to lower thei voice...
Britains: Excuse me, but could u lower ur voice, i'm trying 2 concentrate over here.
S'poreans: Eh, Tiam leh!
When asking someone if he or she knows you
Britains: Excuse me, but i noticed u staring at me 4 some time. Do i noe u?
S'poreans: See wat see?! Buay Song ah!
SINGLISH VS ENGISH
-Use Singlish, it's so much economical n effective - Compare n See
When Going Shopping
-Britains: I'm sorry sir but we don seem 2 haf the sweater u want in ur size, but if u gif me a moment, i can call the other outlets 4 u.
-S'poreans: No Stock!
When returning a call
-Britains: Hello, this is Mr Bean. Did anyone page me a few moments ago?
-S'poreans: Hello, who page?
When someone is in the way
Britains: Excuse me, i'd like 2 get by. Would u please make way?
S'poreans: Lai, siam! or Siam hor! or Skius!(excuse)
When someone offers to pay
Britains: Hey, put ur wallet away, this drink's on me.
S'poreans: no need lah!
When asking for permission
Britains: Excuse me, but do u think it would be possible 4 me 2 enter through this door?
S'poreans: (While pointing at the door) Can pass or not?
When asking to be excused
Britains: If u would excuse me 4 a moment, i have 2 go 2 the gents/ladies. Carry on without me, it would onli take a moment
S'poreans: Go toilet! Buay tahan ahh... ...
When doubting someone
Britains: I don't recall u giving me the money.
S'poreans: Got meh?
When disagreeing on a topic of discussion
British: Err. Tom, i have 2 stop u there. I understand where u r coming from but i really have 2 disagree wif wat u said about the policy
S'poreans: Talk cock lah u!
When asking someone to lower thei voice...
Britains: Excuse me, but could u lower ur voice, i'm trying 2 concentrate over here.
S'poreans: Eh, Tiam leh!
When asking someone if he or she knows you
Britains: Excuse me, but i noticed u staring at me 4 some time. Do i noe u?
S'poreans: See wat see?! Buay Song ah!
Friday, July 30, 2004
Retrospection
Song Spinning Now: Julee Cruise - Falling
Believe In Yourself You have the power to create a better life for yourself. But only if you believe in yourself and try. As Eleanor Roosevelt recognized, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." So get started on making your dreams come true.
Ask For Advice And Help Thinking about making a major life change? Ask your friends for help and advice. You may get very conservative advice from some people: "Don't take risks," "Don't rock the boat," "A boring job is better than no job at all." But you're also likely to get encouragement and help. People will respond to your courage. Doors will open. Try it. You'll be surprised at how helpful people will be when you ask.
Making Failure Your Friend
1. WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE?You won't learn all you can unless you're willing to find out what went wrong in the first place. Were you in a no-win situation? Is there a certain point when things broke down? Can you pinpoint one central mistake?
2. WHAT SUCCESSES ARE CONTAINED IN THE FAILURE?No matter what kind of adversity you experience, there is always a potential jewel of success contained in it. Sometimes it may be difficult to find. But you can discover it if you're willing to look for it.
3. WHAT CAN I LEARN FROM WHAT HAPPENED?The key is to always maintain a teachable attitude and embrace the idea that Lord Byron once conveyed: "Adversity is the first path to truth."
4. WHO CAN HELP ME WITH THIS ISSUE?Generally speaking, there are two kinds of learning, experience, which is gained from your own mistakes, and wisdom, which is learned from the mistakes of others.
5. WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?In Everyone's A Coach, Don Shulan and Ken Blanchard state, "Learning is defined as a change in behavior. You haven't learned a thing until you can take action and use it." Make new commitment to learn something from every mistake or adverse experience in your life.
The lessons are there for the learning. But failure won't reach out and teach you. You must be willing to make failure your friend and seizing the opportunity to learn.
Its been a while since my last post. During this short period of time, I've got into a change of work environment again, for the 4th time since my arm recovered in April. However, these are just jobs to bring in some cash while I continue to hunt for a suitable marketing related career. I feel like a restless soul, always on the move yet always ended up in shitty contract jobs that made me even more miserable. That's just the kind of person I am, even if it's a contract temp job, I still will not hestitate to make a quick exit if it's some slave driver job that requires you to work 12 hrs a day or if it's something so boring that you feel like you are not learning or achieving anything but just to clock in the hours to earn the pathetic $6/hr.
Anyway, I certainly haven't lose hope in getting a suitable marketing related job despite several attempts and failures. I believe I can get one and its just a matter of time; I mean its really easy to be despaired but I just think of it as the employer's loss for not hiring me, hahaha..pardon me..yeah..too bad..they can't benefit from my powers! :P
Well time passes really fast, before you know its already the month of August, this means we are getting to the end of the year soon! Looking back on the months that passed, this year had been an extremely restless and trying period for me. Career wise, it's absolutely not taking off and I'm still struggling on this part. My physical being is the area that is most affected by this freak little accident that left me with a much weaker left arm now, although my health in general is not too bad.
I guess the only area in my life that is flourishing is my social life. I have met many new people and made a lot of new friends this year. The best thing that is that I manage to find my primary school friends after 12 years of lost contact, as well as many secondary school classmates via friendster and I've also managed to meet up with some JC friends and even ex-colleagues! Its like suddenly I'm having a lot of old and new friends entering in my life right now. They are practically from all over - old schools, past work places, friends of friends, other places etc. Well the feeling of making friends every where you go is just incredible, it makes you an even more sociable and cheerful person!
There's another 5 months to go before 2004 ends and 5 months' time can still bring in more new things, new friends, unexpected events or experiences. I'm excited to see where life will lead me to by year end, so let's hope I'll have more good things coming up!
Below is an article on something that I've learned this year and I'm now constantly applying it in my life.
I wish to dedicate this piece of article to a friend who had gone through some emotional struggle with himself lately. Hope you will continue to improve yourself and that you'll only get stronger and determined every time you face a disappointment, rejection or failure. Believe in yourself pal, you are definitely not a loser!
Believe in Yourself
By Harold Bloomfield, M.D.
Believe In Yourself You have the power to create a better life for yourself. But only if you believe in yourself and try. As Eleanor Roosevelt recognized, "No one can make you feel inferior without your consent." So get started on making your dreams come true.
Ask For Advice And Help Thinking about making a major life change? Ask your friends for help and advice. You may get very conservative advice from some people: "Don't take risks," "Don't rock the boat," "A boring job is better than no job at all." But you're also likely to get encouragement and help. People will respond to your courage. Doors will open. Try it. You'll be surprised at how helpful people will be when you ask.
Making Failure Your Friend
By Dr John C Maxwell
Failure is either your friend or your enemy and you shoose which it is. If you play a dirge every time you fail, then failure will remain your enemy. But if you determine to learn from your failures, you actually benefit from them and that makes failure your friend. To turn your losses into profits, ask the following questions every time you face adversity:
1. WHAT CAUSED THE FAILURE?You won't learn all you can unless you're willing to find out what went wrong in the first place. Were you in a no-win situation? Is there a certain point when things broke down? Can you pinpoint one central mistake?
2. WHAT SUCCESSES ARE CONTAINED IN THE FAILURE?No matter what kind of adversity you experience, there is always a potential jewel of success contained in it. Sometimes it may be difficult to find. But you can discover it if you're willing to look for it.
3. WHAT CAN I LEARN FROM WHAT HAPPENED?The key is to always maintain a teachable attitude and embrace the idea that Lord Byron once conveyed: "Adversity is the first path to truth."
4. WHO CAN HELP ME WITH THIS ISSUE?Generally speaking, there are two kinds of learning, experience, which is gained from your own mistakes, and wisdom, which is learned from the mistakes of others.
5. WHERE DO I GO FROM HERE?In Everyone's A Coach, Don Shulan and Ken Blanchard state, "Learning is defined as a change in behavior. You haven't learned a thing until you can take action and use it." Make new commitment to learn something from every mistake or adverse experience in your life.
The lessons are there for the learning. But failure won't reach out and teach you. You must be willing to make failure your friend and seizing the opportunity to learn.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
A second career
Song Spinning now: Julee Cruise - Falling
After watching the Current Affairs programme "Get Real" on Channel News Asia, I received a harsh reality, a profound confirmation that the future is absolutely insecure and unpredictable. To wait or hope for a rebound economy or go back to the good old days seem very distant; it might not even happen. All the forecasts and news on economic improvement are just news, there's hardly any significant changes down to the microscopic level.
In this episode, presenter Diana Ser brought the audience to the pride of two retrenched, over 40 year old white collar professionals who still couldn't find a job after 3 years despite lowering their salary expectation to just $20k to $24k a year.
These days making a living in Singapore is just going to get harder and harder as jobs are getting scarce and there's intense competition among tons of candidates for one position. As employees and job seekers face the increasing trend of contract positions replacing permanent ones, lower salaries, flexi wages, longer worker hours, cost cutting measures, foreign competition, fewer benefits, piling work load, chronic work stresses and etc. , job security is abscure and job satisfaction is rare.
Taking the analogy extracted from Robert Kiyosaki, this situation reminds me of a treadmill that is going faster and one has to keep catching up or run even faster to get ahead of others. The treadmill will continue to increase its speed, leaving no room for breathers. People who ran out of breath will naturally stop to catch some breath and when they decide to resume their run, they will be way behind those "machines" in front, who doesn't stop to take a rest. Even if you have all the stamina to go on and on,
It can be a dread to maintain this kind of working life just to get by or continue to live on this planet. Suddenly civilisation and globalisation create so much chaos people are going back to pre-civilisation, retreating into their rustic or rural havens for the purpose of finding peace and tranquility to keep up with sanity.
Every now and then you heard about people getting retrenched and it doesn't just happen to the older employees, but to younger ones as well. I came across those in their 20s who were retrenched due to company downsizing and surprisingly they were from MNCs. This proved that both local and international firms are equally vunerable.
After watching the Current Affairs programme "Get Real" on Channel News Asia, I received a harsh reality, a profound confirmation that the future is absolutely insecure and unpredictable. To wait or hope for a rebound economy or go back to the good old days seem very distant; it might not even happen. All the forecasts and news on economic improvement are just news, there's hardly any significant changes down to the microscopic level.
In this episode, presenter Diana Ser brought the audience to the pride of two retrenched, over 40 year old white collar professionals who still couldn't find a job after 3 years despite lowering their salary expectation to just $20k to $24k a year.
These days making a living in Singapore is just going to get harder and harder as jobs are getting scarce and there's intense competition among tons of candidates for one position. As employees and job seekers face the increasing trend of contract positions replacing permanent ones, lower salaries, flexi wages, longer worker hours, cost cutting measures, foreign competition, fewer benefits, piling work load, chronic work stresses and etc. , job security is abscure and job satisfaction is rare.
Taking the analogy extracted from Robert Kiyosaki, this situation reminds me of a treadmill that is going faster and one has to keep catching up or run even faster to get ahead of others. The treadmill will continue to increase its speed, leaving no room for breathers. People who ran out of breath will naturally stop to catch some breath and when they decide to resume their run, they will be way behind those "machines" in front, who doesn't stop to take a rest. Even if you have all the stamina to go on and on,
It can be a dread to maintain this kind of working life just to get by or continue to live on this planet. Suddenly civilisation and globalisation create so much chaos people are going back to pre-civilisation, retreating into their rustic or rural havens for the purpose of finding peace and tranquility to keep up with sanity.
Every now and then you heard about people getting retrenched and it doesn't just happen to the older employees, but to younger ones as well. I came across those in their 20s who were retrenched due to company downsizing and surprisingly they were from MNCs. This proved that both local and international firms are equally vunerable.
Wednesday, July 07, 2004
Living with confidence!
I'm reading 2 books " Being Happy" and "Follow Your Heart" by Andrew Matthews.
I have to say that these are absolutely great books! The way he wrote the books are in a light-hearted, humorous & everyday manner that we can all relate to. If you are finding the way to living life to the fullest, you HAVE TO read these books!! Yup..action is not all....we've got to start from our mind first when its comes to living to the fullest.
Just want to share with you some of the stuff from what I've gained in these books..
Quote:
__________________________________________________________________
Change is difficult. The action of a poor self image is always to perpetuate itself. As we start on the road to self improvement, the tendency is to keep replaying the old patterns of blame, guilt & self denigration. Here are some suggestions for things that you can do to boost the way you feel about yourself:
1. Accept compliments - always say thank you or words to that effect.
2.Give compliments - one of the easiest ways to feel good about ourselves is to recognise the beauty in others.
3. Always speak well of yourself - If you have nothing good to say about yourself, keep your mouth shut!
4. Praise yourself - when you do something right, give yourself a pat on the back. Acknowledge your value.
5. Separate your behaviour from yourself - realise that behaviour is not connected to your self-worth. If you do something silly, like smash into another person's car, it doesn't make you a bad person. You simply make a mistake. (Love the sinner, hate the sin).
6. Treat your body well - It is the only one you have got. Everything we do affects everything else. Exercise & norish it well.
7. Let people know how you expect to be treated - in particular, set an example by the way you treat yourself and them. Nobody should accept abuse from anybody!
8. Get around good people.
9. Work at having pleasure without guilt > Use Affirmations (Eg. I deserve to pamper myself.)
10. Read books which give you ideas and inspiration (I personally find that this really helps!! Constant reading and learning changes me for the better..this is the first step to living the life you want..everything starts from your mind..once your mindset is changed..you will forever be changed for the better and you'll find ways to go towards your ideal life!)
11. Always picture in your mind how you want to be, not how you are. You will then necessarily gravitate toward your dominant thoughts.
Points to ponder:
Disasters aren't so disastrous if we tackle them a piece at a time. Also, the sooner we recognise that we stand to gain from the experience, the easier it is to deal with. You see..failures are actually good for us coz it makes us stronger from the experience..if we don'r fail..we don't learn from our mistakes..if you fail 99 times..you'll learn 99 ways how not to fail and you succeed on the 100th attempt!
The unique thing about being human is that we get to experience so much more. We can create something out of nothing. Pigs don't write music. Dogs don't build companies. Shellfish don't go to movies. The package deal in being human involves problems, and it also means we get to love, to laugh, to cry, to try, to get up and to fall down and get up again.
__________________________________________________________________
So remember..everyone of us get 24 hrs a day..and we all have limited time on earth..it's how you choose to utilize your time to make your life more meaningful..instead of spending your time and energy on these negative thoughts..why not turn them around to propel you in life and live it to the fullest?
I have to say that these are absolutely great books! The way he wrote the books are in a light-hearted, humorous & everyday manner that we can all relate to. If you are finding the way to living life to the fullest, you HAVE TO read these books!! Yup..action is not all....we've got to start from our mind first when its comes to living to the fullest.
Just want to share with you some of the stuff from what I've gained in these books..
Quote:
__________________________________________________________________
Change is difficult. The action of a poor self image is always to perpetuate itself. As we start on the road to self improvement, the tendency is to keep replaying the old patterns of blame, guilt & self denigration. Here are some suggestions for things that you can do to boost the way you feel about yourself:
1. Accept compliments - always say thank you or words to that effect.
2.Give compliments - one of the easiest ways to feel good about ourselves is to recognise the beauty in others.
3. Always speak well of yourself - If you have nothing good to say about yourself, keep your mouth shut!
4. Praise yourself - when you do something right, give yourself a pat on the back. Acknowledge your value.
5. Separate your behaviour from yourself - realise that behaviour is not connected to your self-worth. If you do something silly, like smash into another person's car, it doesn't make you a bad person. You simply make a mistake. (Love the sinner, hate the sin).
6. Treat your body well - It is the only one you have got. Everything we do affects everything else. Exercise & norish it well.
7. Let people know how you expect to be treated - in particular, set an example by the way you treat yourself and them. Nobody should accept abuse from anybody!
8. Get around good people.
9. Work at having pleasure without guilt > Use Affirmations (Eg. I deserve to pamper myself.)
10. Read books which give you ideas and inspiration (I personally find that this really helps!! Constant reading and learning changes me for the better..this is the first step to living the life you want..everything starts from your mind..once your mindset is changed..you will forever be changed for the better and you'll find ways to go towards your ideal life!)
11. Always picture in your mind how you want to be, not how you are. You will then necessarily gravitate toward your dominant thoughts.
Points to ponder:
Disasters aren't so disastrous if we tackle them a piece at a time. Also, the sooner we recognise that we stand to gain from the experience, the easier it is to deal with. You see..failures are actually good for us coz it makes us stronger from the experience..if we don'r fail..we don't learn from our mistakes..if you fail 99 times..you'll learn 99 ways how not to fail and you succeed on the 100th attempt!
The unique thing about being human is that we get to experience so much more. We can create something out of nothing. Pigs don't write music. Dogs don't build companies. Shellfish don't go to movies. The package deal in being human involves problems, and it also means we get to love, to laugh, to cry, to try, to get up and to fall down and get up again.
__________________________________________________________________
So remember..everyone of us get 24 hrs a day..and we all have limited time on earth..it's how you choose to utilize your time to make your life more meaningful..instead of spending your time and energy on these negative thoughts..why not turn them around to propel you in life and live it to the fullest?
Tuesday, June 22, 2004
Music Box
Song spinning now: Mariah Carey - Music Box
This song is the inspiration behind my virtual name "Musixvox". What comes to your mind when you come across the word 'Music Box'? To me, it represents feminineness, elegance, poise and beauty.
I think the good old music box, especially those with dancing ballerinas, is on the brink of extinction now. I still remembered when I was a child, watching the little ballerina dancing to a crystal-clear classical tune in that Victorian-styled box always fancinates me, it feels just like watching a little performance.
History of the Music Box
Antoine Favre, a watchmaker from Geneva, first incorporated a gadget in watches, perfume bottles, pendants in 1796. This gadget, a “music comb”, if you will. The music comb is a comb shaped device that is made from steel then hardened and tempered to produce a number of 'springy' teeth varying in length. Pins set into a revolving cylinder pluck the teeth. As each tooth is plucked it produces a musical note. The note produced by each tooth is determined by, the length of that particular tooth. Each tooth, a different note. The pins in the cylinder are arranged in such a way that a melody arises from the comb as the cylinder turns.
I have to say this person is extremely talented to think of a way to bring live music to homes without the need of performers. In fact, the ancestor of radio is not the gramaphone, it's the music box!
Well..sad to say that the ballerina music box that added color to my childhood had already been thrown out. I think its because I lost the ballerina after I played with it :P , so my mum thought its quite meaningless to keep this useless junk and hence decided to get rid of it.
If only this thing is still with me now, it will be a valuable antique 20 years down the road..so the moral of the story is...don't throw your junk away!
This song is the inspiration behind my virtual name "Musixvox". What comes to your mind when you come across the word 'Music Box'? To me, it represents feminineness, elegance, poise and beauty.
I think the good old music box, especially those with dancing ballerinas, is on the brink of extinction now. I still remembered when I was a child, watching the little ballerina dancing to a crystal-clear classical tune in that Victorian-styled box always fancinates me, it feels just like watching a little performance.
Antoine Favre, a watchmaker from Geneva, first incorporated a gadget in watches, perfume bottles, pendants in 1796. This gadget, a “music comb”, if you will. The music comb is a comb shaped device that is made from steel then hardened and tempered to produce a number of 'springy' teeth varying in length. Pins set into a revolving cylinder pluck the teeth. As each tooth is plucked it produces a musical note. The note produced by each tooth is determined by, the length of that particular tooth. Each tooth, a different note. The pins in the cylinder are arranged in such a way that a melody arises from the comb as the cylinder turns.
I have to say this person is extremely talented to think of a way to bring live music to homes without the need of performers. In fact, the ancestor of radio is not the gramaphone, it's the music box!
Well..sad to say that the ballerina music box that added color to my childhood had already been thrown out. I think its because I lost the ballerina after I played with it :P , so my mum thought its quite meaningless to keep this useless junk and hence decided to get rid of it.
If only this thing is still with me now, it will be a valuable antique 20 years down the road..so the moral of the story is...don't throw your junk away!
Wednesday, June 16, 2004
What's a Morpheus?
Morpheus
?? Which Of The Greek Gods Are You ??
brought to you by Quizilla
Well..80% accuracy..except that leader part.. :P
Sunday, June 13, 2004
Who Moved My Cheese?
Song spinning now: Six Pence None The Richer - Don't Dream Its Over
"Cheese" is a metaphor for what we want in life. We each define our own cheese, and pursue it because we believe it will make us happy. When we do find it, we often become attached to it and complacent.
Once, long ago, there lived 4 little characters who ran through a maze looking for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Each has a different attitude in their quest to acquire Cheese.
Sniff and Scurry are mice. Sniff is good at "sniffing out" Cheese, and Scurry excels at "scurrying" after the Cheese once he knows where it is. The two mice don't really think about things, they simply react.
Hem and Haw, are little people. They are always thinking, learning and using past experience. Sometimes it holds them back, and sometimes it allows them to go forward.
Every morning, the mice and the little people dress in their running gear and travel the maze to a large store of Cheese. Hem and Haw eventually move their homes closer to it and build a life around it.
One day, when the cheese disappears, Sniff and Scurry aren't surprised. Since they had noticed the quality and supply of cheese had been going down, they were prepared for the inevitable and were quickly off in search of New Cheese.
Unlike the simple mice, Hem gets angry and waits for the cheese to reappear. Haw is fearful and confused, but he's willing to venture out because he knows that "Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese."
As Haw ventures out, he paints a picture in his mind. He sees himself in great realistic detail, sitting in the middle of a pile of all his favorite cheeses-from Cheddar to Brie! The more clearly he sees the image of himself enjoying New Cheese, the more real and believable it becomes. He writes on the wall: "Imagining Myself Enjoying New Cheese, Even Before I Find It, Leads Me To It."
The story ends with Scurry, Sniff and Haw enjoying new cheese. Hem is sitting back at the original place, waiting for the cheese to come back. He is frustrated and angry that someone took away his world. He is not willing to go forward, not willing to challenge himself and do what he knows he needs to do. He hasn't learned that "It Is Safer To Search In The Maze Than Remain In The Cheeseless Situation."
The story of "Who Moved the Cheese?" is very simple. Change happens in life whether you expect it or not. We must keep moving with the changes. When change comes, we have to venture outside of our comfort zone, move beyond our fears, and get a clearer picture of what we want. If we can learn to enjoy and embrace change we can then savour the adventure and the taste of new cheese.
Adapted from Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson.
"Cheese" is a metaphor for what we want in life. We each define our own cheese, and pursue it because we believe it will make us happy. When we do find it, we often become attached to it and complacent.
Once, long ago, there lived 4 little characters who ran through a maze looking for cheese to nourish them and make them happy. Each has a different attitude in their quest to acquire Cheese.
Sniff and Scurry are mice. Sniff is good at "sniffing out" Cheese, and Scurry excels at "scurrying" after the Cheese once he knows where it is. The two mice don't really think about things, they simply react.
Hem and Haw, are little people. They are always thinking, learning and using past experience. Sometimes it holds them back, and sometimes it allows them to go forward.
Every morning, the mice and the little people dress in their running gear and travel the maze to a large store of Cheese. Hem and Haw eventually move their homes closer to it and build a life around it.
One day, when the cheese disappears, Sniff and Scurry aren't surprised. Since they had noticed the quality and supply of cheese had been going down, they were prepared for the inevitable and were quickly off in search of New Cheese.
Unlike the simple mice, Hem gets angry and waits for the cheese to reappear. Haw is fearful and confused, but he's willing to venture out because he knows that "Movement In A New Direction Helps You Find New Cheese."
As Haw ventures out, he paints a picture in his mind. He sees himself in great realistic detail, sitting in the middle of a pile of all his favorite cheeses-from Cheddar to Brie! The more clearly he sees the image of himself enjoying New Cheese, the more real and believable it becomes. He writes on the wall: "Imagining Myself Enjoying New Cheese, Even Before I Find It, Leads Me To It."
The story ends with Scurry, Sniff and Haw enjoying new cheese. Hem is sitting back at the original place, waiting for the cheese to come back. He is frustrated and angry that someone took away his world. He is not willing to go forward, not willing to challenge himself and do what he knows he needs to do. He hasn't learned that "It Is Safer To Search In The Maze Than Remain In The Cheeseless Situation."
The story of "Who Moved the Cheese?" is very simple. Change happens in life whether you expect it or not. We must keep moving with the changes. When change comes, we have to venture outside of our comfort zone, move beyond our fears, and get a clearer picture of what we want. If we can learn to enjoy and embrace change we can then savour the adventure and the taste of new cheese.
Adapted from Who Moved My Cheese? by Dr. Spencer Johnson.
Saturday, June 05, 2004
Sophie's World
I once read 'Sophie's World' by Jostein Gaarder. Basically, this is a wonderful little book that really makes you start to think about the world and yourself. This fiction like book is like a introduction to philosophy handbook, a summary of the philosophical theories by all the great philosophers of the era. It is a good read that makes a normally dry subject like this comes alive! If you want to open up your mind, you have to read this!
'Who are you? Where does the world come from?' These are two questions Sophie (the character in the book), a fifteen year-old Norwegian girl, receives in her mailbox one day from an unknown stranger. Thus begins a mysterious adventure for Sophie, and an adventure for any person of any age who reads her story.
I remembered this part where sophie asked 'Why don't people asked themselves about this question? I have never thought of it before?', so her 'teacher' replied 'That's because most people are buried deep inside the rabbit's fur and are too comfortable for them to move out. Everytime they get to the tip of the fur, they start to feel uncomfortable about the unknown and that drives them back into the fur again where they are most familar and comfortable with.'
Sounds like complacency plays a big part here in our quest for the ultimate 'truth' about the world and the human race. If you link this with the article 'Heros' in the previous post, they both give the same message - only those who constantly challenge themselves and always moving out of the comfort zone will find the truth to who they are and why they are here.
Think of it this way, we are like living in the matrix, getting by like everyone else everyday and treating these questions as a big waste of time. Only people like Neo can get out of this system, setting themselves free. The best thing is, they even come back to 'save' everyone, just like what Neo did! You get what I mean? :)
'Who are you? Where does the world come from?' These are two questions Sophie (the character in the book), a fifteen year-old Norwegian girl, receives in her mailbox one day from an unknown stranger. Thus begins a mysterious adventure for Sophie, and an adventure for any person of any age who reads her story.
I remembered this part where sophie asked 'Why don't people asked themselves about this question? I have never thought of it before?', so her 'teacher' replied 'That's because most people are buried deep inside the rabbit's fur and are too comfortable for them to move out. Everytime they get to the tip of the fur, they start to feel uncomfortable about the unknown and that drives them back into the fur again where they are most familar and comfortable with.'
Sounds like complacency plays a big part here in our quest for the ultimate 'truth' about the world and the human race. If you link this with the article 'Heros' in the previous post, they both give the same message - only those who constantly challenge themselves and always moving out of the comfort zone will find the truth to who they are and why they are here.
Think of it this way, we are like living in the matrix, getting by like everyone else everyday and treating these questions as a big waste of time. Only people like Neo can get out of this system, setting themselves free. The best thing is, they even come back to 'save' everyone, just like what Neo did! You get what I mean? :)
Unsung Heros
Heroes
By Blair Singer
It seems that in these days of war, conflict, and challenge there are those that emerge as heroes. They give or risk their careers, their families and even their lives in the service of others.
It is humbling and inspiring - all in the same moment. We eulogize them and honor them, but at the same time they leave questions in our own minds. 'Would I be as brave?' 'Would I sacrifice myself in the heat of battle to save others or would I be looking to cover my own behind?'
The thing about heroes is that they set high standards for the rest of us. Do they do it consciously? I don't know. But I do know that each person responds, in the heat of pressure, based upon how they have been conditioned, drilled, and disciplined. I maintain that every single person reading this has a hero inside them. A hero to your team, to your community, to your kids... a hero to yourself. If and when it ever shows up is a giant question mark.
In the Line of Fire
Do you have to give your life in order to exercise that strength? No!
But you do have to position yourself to be in the line of fire in whatever your endeavors are. It could be driving your business to a bigger game. It could be making a presentation that has more on the line than ever before. It could be intervening with the school in order to protect and maximize the education of your kids. It is NOT about 'getting by' or striving for comfort.
There are two parts to being a hero. The first is putting yourself in the line of fire. The second is conditioning yourself for that day when you will be called upon to step up to the plate. You have been spending your whole life training for something! What is it? In my work over the years, I have found that the challenge and moment of greatness sometimes shows up when you least expect it. Whether or not you seize that moment depends upon what you have done up to that point.
Can You Seize the Moment?
Have you practiced your presentations, drilled the tough objections, worked out at the gym? Have you diligently driven your standards higher and demanded better team players along the way...or have you been "nice" to yourself and those around you and allowed what was "okay" before to be "okay" now - and in the future?
I work with so many people who have great aspirations. But they don't realize them for a couple reasons. The usual reasons are what I call the "Three Cs": No credibility, no cash, and no confidence. The real issue is the third "C" - Confidence. And that is really simple. Confidence comes from tons of repetition.
You can try to kid yourself... and try to pump yourself up, but that will fade quickly in the eye of the storm. It is truly the repetition of the critical skills and disciplines that will allow you to automatically step up to the plate when your opportunity calls.
Believe in Yourself
At some point in your career you must believe that there IS a hero inside of you. You would not be inspired by others if they didn't tickle a place inside of you that vibrates to the same vibration as they do. In the last two-day program that we did, I literally watched as the hero inside of each person ultimately mustered the courage to step up and actually experience the greatness inside them if even for a few moments. The good news is that they will never go back. To command bigger checks, it requires greater confidence and courage.
Most of those folks have already experienced bigger checks, greater receptivity, bigger games, and - most of all - the incredible power inside them.
Born to Be Great
Heroes touch us because they remind us of who we could be. We are inspired by them because they pose questions to all of us. "Who could I be?" You were born to be great. It's not about being splashed on the front page of the paper. It's about what you do in your very next breathing moment. It's either preparing like you have never prepared before or it's about stepping into the line of fire. Mostly, it's about doing it for the betterment of others: your family, your business, your market, and in some way for humanity. At the minimum it sets an example for others to follow.
Nearly every evening for the last couple of years, before my eight year-old goes to bed I tell him a story about a "hero." Each night the tale is different. Each night he asks me the name of the hero. I always tell him that when I tell the last story, I will tell him. He begs for those stories every night. They are stories of valor, overcoming unbelievable challenge, supporting others selflessly, respect and mostly how those feats are accomplished through great practice and preparation. Some are based on real stories of real people and tons of them are made up.
But when I leave the house before he wakes up and leave him a note to be a great "hero" today... he knows exactly what I mean. Do you?
It's in you...it's your choice, Right now!
Live In The Present. Live With Purpose.
By Blair Singer
It seems that in these days of war, conflict, and challenge there are those that emerge as heroes. They give or risk their careers, their families and even their lives in the service of others.
It is humbling and inspiring - all in the same moment. We eulogize them and honor them, but at the same time they leave questions in our own minds. 'Would I be as brave?' 'Would I sacrifice myself in the heat of battle to save others or would I be looking to cover my own behind?'
The thing about heroes is that they set high standards for the rest of us. Do they do it consciously? I don't know. But I do know that each person responds, in the heat of pressure, based upon how they have been conditioned, drilled, and disciplined. I maintain that every single person reading this has a hero inside them. A hero to your team, to your community, to your kids... a hero to yourself. If and when it ever shows up is a giant question mark.
In the Line of Fire
Do you have to give your life in order to exercise that strength? No!
But you do have to position yourself to be in the line of fire in whatever your endeavors are. It could be driving your business to a bigger game. It could be making a presentation that has more on the line than ever before. It could be intervening with the school in order to protect and maximize the education of your kids. It is NOT about 'getting by' or striving for comfort.
There are two parts to being a hero. The first is putting yourself in the line of fire. The second is conditioning yourself for that day when you will be called upon to step up to the plate. You have been spending your whole life training for something! What is it? In my work over the years, I have found that the challenge and moment of greatness sometimes shows up when you least expect it. Whether or not you seize that moment depends upon what you have done up to that point.
Can You Seize the Moment?
Have you practiced your presentations, drilled the tough objections, worked out at the gym? Have you diligently driven your standards higher and demanded better team players along the way...or have you been "nice" to yourself and those around you and allowed what was "okay" before to be "okay" now - and in the future?
I work with so many people who have great aspirations. But they don't realize them for a couple reasons. The usual reasons are what I call the "Three Cs": No credibility, no cash, and no confidence. The real issue is the third "C" - Confidence. And that is really simple. Confidence comes from tons of repetition.
You can try to kid yourself... and try to pump yourself up, but that will fade quickly in the eye of the storm. It is truly the repetition of the critical skills and disciplines that will allow you to automatically step up to the plate when your opportunity calls.
Believe in Yourself
At some point in your career you must believe that there IS a hero inside of you. You would not be inspired by others if they didn't tickle a place inside of you that vibrates to the same vibration as they do. In the last two-day program that we did, I literally watched as the hero inside of each person ultimately mustered the courage to step up and actually experience the greatness inside them if even for a few moments. The good news is that they will never go back. To command bigger checks, it requires greater confidence and courage.
Most of those folks have already experienced bigger checks, greater receptivity, bigger games, and - most of all - the incredible power inside them.
Born to Be Great
Heroes touch us because they remind us of who we could be. We are inspired by them because they pose questions to all of us. "Who could I be?" You were born to be great. It's not about being splashed on the front page of the paper. It's about what you do in your very next breathing moment. It's either preparing like you have never prepared before or it's about stepping into the line of fire. Mostly, it's about doing it for the betterment of others: your family, your business, your market, and in some way for humanity. At the minimum it sets an example for others to follow.
Nearly every evening for the last couple of years, before my eight year-old goes to bed I tell him a story about a "hero." Each night the tale is different. Each night he asks me the name of the hero. I always tell him that when I tell the last story, I will tell him. He begs for those stories every night. They are stories of valor, overcoming unbelievable challenge, supporting others selflessly, respect and mostly how those feats are accomplished through great practice and preparation. Some are based on real stories of real people and tons of them are made up.
But when I leave the house before he wakes up and leave him a note to be a great "hero" today... he knows exactly what I mean. Do you?
It's in you...it's your choice, Right now!
Live In The Present. Live With Purpose.
Friday, June 04, 2004
BITCH
Song at Spin now: Meredith Brooks - Bitch
I remembered when this song was a hit back in 1997, everytime I tell people my name is Meredith, they will go 'Oh! Meredith Brooks!' or 'Oh! You sing Bitch?' & the worst one i heard..'You're the Bitch!'..absolutely a vulgar word!
In fact, this Bit** word was soo vulgar that it did not get through the Singapore board of censors. Everytime this song was played on radio, it went 'I'm a (1 sec silence),I'm lover, I'm a child...', so now you know how vulgarity is being defined in Singapore.
Well hah..that's how people know my name, if they have heard of Meredith Brooks. Too bad she did not have any hit songs here again, which means no publicity for my name! Pretty nice & unique name you might think, well not so in the West, but I can tell you it gets me into a hell lot of trouble here in Singapore.
What do I get when I introduce myself? Well..I get irritating people who keep saying 'WHAT?' for 3 times, I also get a lot of people pronouncing my name in awful & horrendous tones like Melody/Meh-le-dick/Mary-dith/Mary-Leaf/and a few more that I don't even know how to spell! One even asked if I'm a Malay (Duh~~), most will ask for the spelling and I always have to make it clear that the M is for Malaysia and D is for denmark, especially over the phone coz it sounds like N and T! I had received letters/emails addressed to me as Neredith, Meretith & Neretith! Sighz..I don't get this in Aussie..really missed my days there..
This is the reason why I burst in delight whenever someone can pronounce my name accurately at the first shot! If you don't knwo how to pronounce, please log on to http://www.m-w.com and key in my name to get an exact idea ya?
Meredith is a name I have adopted since 1995, but only start to use it for good from 1997 onwards. You may wonder what it means and where do I get it from. Well according to http://www.behindthename.com, my name has a glorious meaning! Here it goes:
MEREDITH (m,f)
Usage: English
Pronounced: MER-e-dith
From the Welsh name Maredudd, possibly meaning "great lord" or "sea lord". A famous bearer of this name as surname was George Meredith, novelist and poet from England.
Sounds like a sea warrior! :D I actually came across this name in my aunt's Chinese to English electronic dictionary. There were about a thousand female names but this was the sweetest & most unique sounding one that I could find. In fact, I had a younger cousin who came up to me 2 years later with the same dictionary, pointing eagerly at the screen while claiming that she wanna be addressed as 'Meredith', so I go 'NO WAY!!!' in the loudest shriek that my mum came to see what's wrong. I felt sorry to disappoint her then but that's the truth - you win if you come in first. How can two people in the same family have the same name anyway?
Well back to the song, below are the lyrics to this song. Not too bad, at least Meredith Brooks and Meredith Chai share smiliar trait - We both believe in 'What you see is what you get!' Nope this song is not about 'bitchiness' literally, its actually quite noble - female power! If you know what I mean.. ;)
Meredith Brooks - Bitch
I hate the world today
You're so good to me
I know but I can't change
tried to tell you but you look at me like maybe I'm an angel underneath
innocent and sweet
Yesterday I cried
You must have been relieved to see the softer side
I can understand how you'd be so confused
I don't envy you
I'm a little bit of everything
all rolled into one
Chorus:
I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it any other way
So take me as I am
This may mean you'll have to be a stronger man
Rest assured that when I start to make you nervous
and I'm going to extremes
tomorrow I will change
and today won't mean a thing
Just when you think you've got me figured out
the season's already changing
I think it's cool you do what you do
and don't try to save me
I'm a bitch, I'm a tease
I'm a goddess on my knees
when you hurt, when you suffer
I'm your angel undercover
I've been dumped, I'm revived
can't say I'm not alive
You know I wouldn't want it any other way
I remembered when this song was a hit back in 1997, everytime I tell people my name is Meredith, they will go 'Oh! Meredith Brooks!' or 'Oh! You sing Bitch?' & the worst one i heard..'You're the Bitch!'..absolutely a vulgar word!
In fact, this Bit** word was soo vulgar that it did not get through the Singapore board of censors. Everytime this song was played on radio, it went 'I'm a (1 sec silence),I'm lover, I'm a child...', so now you know how vulgarity is being defined in Singapore.
Well hah..that's how people know my name, if they have heard of Meredith Brooks. Too bad she did not have any hit songs here again, which means no publicity for my name! Pretty nice & unique name you might think, well not so in the West, but I can tell you it gets me into a hell lot of trouble here in Singapore.
What do I get when I introduce myself? Well..I get irritating people who keep saying 'WHAT?' for 3 times, I also get a lot of people pronouncing my name in awful & horrendous tones like Melody/Meh-le-dick/Mary-dith/Mary-Leaf/and a few more that I don't even know how to spell! One even asked if I'm a Malay (Duh~~), most will ask for the spelling and I always have to make it clear that the M is for Malaysia and D is for denmark, especially over the phone coz it sounds like N and T! I had received letters/emails addressed to me as Neredith, Meretith & Neretith! Sighz..I don't get this in Aussie..really missed my days there..
This is the reason why I burst in delight whenever someone can pronounce my name accurately at the first shot! If you don't knwo how to pronounce, please log on to http://www.m-w.com and key in my name to get an exact idea ya?
Meredith is a name I have adopted since 1995, but only start to use it for good from 1997 onwards. You may wonder what it means and where do I get it from. Well according to http://www.behindthename.com, my name has a glorious meaning! Here it goes:
MEREDITH (m,f)
Usage: English
Pronounced: MER-e-dith
From the Welsh name Maredudd, possibly meaning "great lord" or "sea lord". A famous bearer of this name as surname was George Meredith, novelist and poet from England.
Sounds like a sea warrior! :D I actually came across this name in my aunt's Chinese to English electronic dictionary. There were about a thousand female names but this was the sweetest & most unique sounding one that I could find. In fact, I had a younger cousin who came up to me 2 years later with the same dictionary, pointing eagerly at the screen while claiming that she wanna be addressed as 'Meredith', so I go 'NO WAY!!!' in the loudest shriek that my mum came to see what's wrong. I felt sorry to disappoint her then but that's the truth - you win if you come in first. How can two people in the same family have the same name anyway?
Well back to the song, below are the lyrics to this song. Not too bad, at least Meredith Brooks and Meredith Chai share smiliar trait - We both believe in 'What you see is what you get!' Nope this song is not about 'bitchiness' literally, its actually quite noble - female power! If you know what I mean.. ;)
Meredith Brooks - Bitch
I hate the world today
You're so good to me
I know but I can't change
tried to tell you but you look at me like maybe I'm an angel underneath
innocent and sweet
Yesterday I cried
You must have been relieved to see the softer side
I can understand how you'd be so confused
I don't envy you
I'm a little bit of everything
all rolled into one
Chorus:
I'm a bitch, I'm a lover
I'm a child, I'm a mother
I'm a sinner, I'm a saint
I do not feel ashamed
I'm your hell, I'm your dream
I'm nothing in between
You know you wouldn't want it any other way
So take me as I am
This may mean you'll have to be a stronger man
Rest assured that when I start to make you nervous
and I'm going to extremes
tomorrow I will change
and today won't mean a thing
Just when you think you've got me figured out
the season's already changing
I think it's cool you do what you do
and don't try to save me
I'm a bitch, I'm a tease
I'm a goddess on my knees
when you hurt, when you suffer
I'm your angel undercover
I've been dumped, I'm revived
can't say I'm not alive
You know I wouldn't want it any other way
Tuesday, June 01, 2004
Its in your kiss...
You are a child's kiss. Completely sweet and
innocent and pure. You mean no harm and only
love in your sweet kisses.
What kind of kiss are you?
brought to you by Quizilla
Well..makes me sound like an angel! :)
Friday, May 28, 2004
I think, therefore I am...
Now spinning: Starship - Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now
Now this is one of the all time favourite oldies! What do you feel when you hear this song? Do you 'feel good'? Does it make you feel positive and creates a smile on your face and in your heart as you sing along?
Well it did for me..all the time..(though sometimes try not to smile like an idiot if I hear this in public..) :P
I had the privilege to attend the National Achievers Congress 2004 at the Indoor Stadium today. It was a free ticket, courtesy of the organiser for me being a valued customer. :) I went there alone and this is also the first time I attended a large scale seminar like this of about 4000 people. Anyway, I came in late so I missed the first speaker Robert G. Allen, and managed to sit through Tom Hopkin's segment.
A little brief introduction about him:
Tom Hopkins is a sales legend. After benefitting from professional training, he became a dedicated student, internalizing and refining sales techniques, which enabled him to become the sales leader in his industry.
Tom's credibility lies in his personal track record and the track records of the students he had trained over the years. He has personally trained over 3 million students in five continents, and had shared the stage with some of the greatest leaders of our times including former president George Bush and Babara Bush, US Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Lady Margaret Thatcher.
Through the ups and downs of a selling career, as a business owner, professional speaker and trainer, Tom Hopkins has mantained his dedication to the continued growth of his students. He firmly believes that everyone can experience the benefits of his 'Training for Sales Champions' via utilizing his proven techniques, ideas, concepts and values.
Initially I assumed that majority of the people who attended this seminar were doing sales or were involved with sales in some ways. The powerful factor was that this was not just for sales people, it was practically for anyone who wanted to relate better to people of all levels - the core trait of a leader. You expanded your mind by learning new skills in life like how to be tactful, how to create rapport, empathy and understanding human psychology to achieve better results. His speech was totally refreshing and empowering, yet humble, hilarious and entertaining.
He ended the session with these powerful, 'air-punching' statements that totally change the whole ideology of what define 'success'. Now here are the first hand information straight out of the workbook that only those who attended have it..and I'm gonna share it with everyone here.
If you want to keep getting enthusiastic about something, be it your life, work or hobby and never want the flame to die, here's the key:
You must have clearly defined goals set in one or more of these 4 areas:
1) Financial Independence - Living comfortably debt-free off the monthly income generated by your net worth at a given date and time. (Perhaps seeking or learning about alternative sources of income that still enable you to live a positive n comfortable life should your main source of income is terminated.)
2) Emotional Stability - Being happy most of the time, coping with life's crisis, and striving to live in the solution and not the problem. (Have u found that thing in life that makes you wanna do this everyday and makes you feeling that u r living life to the fullest?)
3) Physical Fitness - Striving for moderation in all their choices and habits. (Too many people work hard to acquire wealth that they neglected their health. In the end they had to use their wealth to acquire their health back..what's the point?)
4) Spiritual Fulfillment - Searching to satisfy their spiritual need, realizing the truth that if what you believe in doesn't make a difference, then it doesn't make a difference what you believe in. (Work..home..work..home..everyday seems like a drugery..all the way till the age of 60..r u killing your soul? If you are, you will never enjoy life, so why not do something about it? Coz thats what you r here for right? - TO LIVE!)
Last but not least..this following empowering paragraph can be applied to all aspects of your life, be it work, love or family. If you make this your life's mantra..then welcome on board..you are on track!
The true Champion learns, internalizes, and uses the Attiudes Toward Failure to alleviate the stress and anxiety that rejection causes.
1) I never see failure, but only as A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
2) I never see failure, but only as THE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK I NEED TO CHANGE COURSE IN MY DIRECTION.
3) I never see failure, but only as THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP MY SENSE OF HUMOR.
4) I never see failure, but only as the OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE MY TECHNIQUES AND MY PERFORMANCE.
5) I never see failure, but only as THE GAME I MUST PLAY TO WIN!!
Parting notes: You dictate your life, you will only be what you think you wanna be, its all in your mind.
Now this is one of the all time favourite oldies! What do you feel when you hear this song? Do you 'feel good'? Does it make you feel positive and creates a smile on your face and in your heart as you sing along?
Well it did for me..all the time..(though sometimes try not to smile like an idiot if I hear this in public..) :P
I had the privilege to attend the National Achievers Congress 2004 at the Indoor Stadium today. It was a free ticket, courtesy of the organiser for me being a valued customer. :) I went there alone and this is also the first time I attended a large scale seminar like this of about 4000 people. Anyway, I came in late so I missed the first speaker Robert G. Allen, and managed to sit through Tom Hopkin's segment.
A little brief introduction about him:
Tom Hopkins is a sales legend. After benefitting from professional training, he became a dedicated student, internalizing and refining sales techniques, which enabled him to become the sales leader in his industry.
Tom's credibility lies in his personal track record and the track records of the students he had trained over the years. He has personally trained over 3 million students in five continents, and had shared the stage with some of the greatest leaders of our times including former president George Bush and Babara Bush, US Secretary of State Colin Powell, and Lady Margaret Thatcher.
Through the ups and downs of a selling career, as a business owner, professional speaker and trainer, Tom Hopkins has mantained his dedication to the continued growth of his students. He firmly believes that everyone can experience the benefits of his 'Training for Sales Champions' via utilizing his proven techniques, ideas, concepts and values.
Initially I assumed that majority of the people who attended this seminar were doing sales or were involved with sales in some ways. The powerful factor was that this was not just for sales people, it was practically for anyone who wanted to relate better to people of all levels - the core trait of a leader. You expanded your mind by learning new skills in life like how to be tactful, how to create rapport, empathy and understanding human psychology to achieve better results. His speech was totally refreshing and empowering, yet humble, hilarious and entertaining.
He ended the session with these powerful, 'air-punching' statements that totally change the whole ideology of what define 'success'. Now here are the first hand information straight out of the workbook that only those who attended have it..and I'm gonna share it with everyone here.
If you want to keep getting enthusiastic about something, be it your life, work or hobby and never want the flame to die, here's the key:
You must have clearly defined goals set in one or more of these 4 areas:
1) Financial Independence - Living comfortably debt-free off the monthly income generated by your net worth at a given date and time. (Perhaps seeking or learning about alternative sources of income that still enable you to live a positive n comfortable life should your main source of income is terminated.)
2) Emotional Stability - Being happy most of the time, coping with life's crisis, and striving to live in the solution and not the problem. (Have u found that thing in life that makes you wanna do this everyday and makes you feeling that u r living life to the fullest?)
3) Physical Fitness - Striving for moderation in all their choices and habits. (Too many people work hard to acquire wealth that they neglected their health. In the end they had to use their wealth to acquire their health back..what's the point?)
4) Spiritual Fulfillment - Searching to satisfy their spiritual need, realizing the truth that if what you believe in doesn't make a difference, then it doesn't make a difference what you believe in. (Work..home..work..home..everyday seems like a drugery..all the way till the age of 60..r u killing your soul? If you are, you will never enjoy life, so why not do something about it? Coz thats what you r here for right? - TO LIVE!)
Last but not least..this following empowering paragraph can be applied to all aspects of your life, be it work, love or family. If you make this your life's mantra..then welcome on board..you are on track!
The true Champion learns, internalizes, and uses the Attiudes Toward Failure to alleviate the stress and anxiety that rejection causes.
1) I never see failure, but only as A LEARNING EXPERIENCE.
2) I never see failure, but only as THE NEGATIVE FEEDBACK I NEED TO CHANGE COURSE IN MY DIRECTION.
3) I never see failure, but only as THE OPPORTUNITY TO DEVELOP MY SENSE OF HUMOR.
4) I never see failure, but only as the OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE MY TECHNIQUES AND MY PERFORMANCE.
5) I never see failure, but only as THE GAME I MUST PLAY TO WIN!!
Parting notes: You dictate your life, you will only be what you think you wanna be, its all in your mind.
Monday, May 17, 2004
Tribute to Yida
Have you truly felt passionate about something that you think this is what you wish to dedicate your life to? I always admire people who have this kind of spirit and determination to pursue what they believe in and possess the 'Ain't no mountains higher' mindset. We all have heard of the good old theory that to acheive our dreams, we have to be proactive and establish certain traits but how many people actually do it? Perhaps 1 out of 10 will do it, but only 1 out of 100 will grit their teeth and stay through the end.
I was tuning in to 100.3FM on my way home yesterday when Lee Wei Song started talking during the commerical break. By the way, Lee Wei Song is the founder of the Lee Wei Song School of music, where Stefanie Sun was discovered and groomed into a superstar.
Anyway, Lee Wei Song was dedicating a tribute to Huang Yida - the next up and coming homegrown singer. He was saying that Yida's road to become a singer had been an arduous one, and that he had been a student with the school when it first started 9 years ago. Throughout this 9 years, his dream of becoming a singer had never wavered and he was determined to do whatever it takes to get there. In fact, he dropped out of secondary school to take the path less taken to follow his passion in singing despite strong parental objections. He even came back to continue his training as an all rounded musician after serving his NS.
As a teenager who embarked on this journey at the tender age of 15, he had to overcome all the odds against him and face all the uncertainties in the future when his peers had already achieved much more by society's standards. After 9 gruelling years, at the age of 24, he finally realised his dream. As his mentor, Lee Wei Song was really happy that Yida finally made it after coming a long way.
Although it is common that the road to stardom is not as glamourous as it seems and there's always lots of obstacles involved, I still want to salute him for his success.
7 years ago, my girl friend and I were sitting outside Ngee Ann City while waiting to start work at Mandarin Hotel. Across us sat a group of guys who later came over to talk to us. Among them, Yida was one of them. Yup, Yida is his real name. At that time, this grungey and dreamy guy with long hair had already exuded a kind of X-factor in terms of personality & looks - a feeling that he was different and possessed the 'I-have-a-dream' kind of look. He left a deep impression on me because of what he said to us at that time. He mentioned he was learning music at this music school and that someday he will become a singer. My friend and I were quite taken aback by his words, but somehow we never really take it seriously because technically speaking, this is not politically correct at that time.
That was my brief encounter with him, although my friend knew him a bit better back then. Well, I have to say that I was quite surprised to see his new album and hear his songs on radio. Those words that he said last time meant much to him and he was not just saying it for fun. Well Yida, if you ever see this, I wanna wish you all the best in your singing career and don't ever give up on your 'never say die' attitude..you can be a very good source of inspiration for others!
Finding one's passion is like a needle in haysack. Yida are just one of the rare souls who has discover 'it' from young and make it the one thing to pursue in life. Most people never really know what they wanna do until much later. Some are forever searching for it, some never found it, some found it but never work on it, while some don't even know this thing call passion.
As for me, I can't say I have found my passion but I'm working hard to find it. The only way is to do the things I'm interested in, or going through trial and error in certain things to find out if this is really what I want. I think if you have not find your passion, it is important to never stop the search for it even though you might think there is none, at least this will give your life a deeper sense of purpose. Then again, perhaps I'm a restless soul who is just not contend to sail through life. I've got one life to live and I wanna live it well.. :)
I was tuning in to 100.3FM on my way home yesterday when Lee Wei Song started talking during the commerical break. By the way, Lee Wei Song is the founder of the Lee Wei Song School of music, where Stefanie Sun was discovered and groomed into a superstar.
Anyway, Lee Wei Song was dedicating a tribute to Huang Yida - the next up and coming homegrown singer. He was saying that Yida's road to become a singer had been an arduous one, and that he had been a student with the school when it first started 9 years ago. Throughout this 9 years, his dream of becoming a singer had never wavered and he was determined to do whatever it takes to get there. In fact, he dropped out of secondary school to take the path less taken to follow his passion in singing despite strong parental objections. He even came back to continue his training as an all rounded musician after serving his NS.
As a teenager who embarked on this journey at the tender age of 15, he had to overcome all the odds against him and face all the uncertainties in the future when his peers had already achieved much more by society's standards. After 9 gruelling years, at the age of 24, he finally realised his dream. As his mentor, Lee Wei Song was really happy that Yida finally made it after coming a long way.
Although it is common that the road to stardom is not as glamourous as it seems and there's always lots of obstacles involved, I still want to salute him for his success.
7 years ago, my girl friend and I were sitting outside Ngee Ann City while waiting to start work at Mandarin Hotel. Across us sat a group of guys who later came over to talk to us. Among them, Yida was one of them. Yup, Yida is his real name. At that time, this grungey and dreamy guy with long hair had already exuded a kind of X-factor in terms of personality & looks - a feeling that he was different and possessed the 'I-have-a-dream' kind of look. He left a deep impression on me because of what he said to us at that time. He mentioned he was learning music at this music school and that someday he will become a singer. My friend and I were quite taken aback by his words, but somehow we never really take it seriously because technically speaking, this is not politically correct at that time.
That was my brief encounter with him, although my friend knew him a bit better back then. Well, I have to say that I was quite surprised to see his new album and hear his songs on radio. Those words that he said last time meant much to him and he was not just saying it for fun. Well Yida, if you ever see this, I wanna wish you all the best in your singing career and don't ever give up on your 'never say die' attitude..you can be a very good source of inspiration for others!
Finding one's passion is like a needle in haysack. Yida are just one of the rare souls who has discover 'it' from young and make it the one thing to pursue in life. Most people never really know what they wanna do until much later. Some are forever searching for it, some never found it, some found it but never work on it, while some don't even know this thing call passion.
As for me, I can't say I have found my passion but I'm working hard to find it. The only way is to do the things I'm interested in, or going through trial and error in certain things to find out if this is really what I want. I think if you have not find your passion, it is important to never stop the search for it even though you might think there is none, at least this will give your life a deeper sense of purpose. Then again, perhaps I'm a restless soul who is just not contend to sail through life. I've got one life to live and I wanna live it well.. :)
Sliding Doors
Song playing now: Greenday - Redundant
If you have watched 'Sliding Doors'(1998), you probably will be thinking what will happen to your life should you take the other path at the junction.
A little introduction to 'Sliding doors': It is about the life of a young London girl (played by Gywneth Paltrow)who is being fired from her job. With nowhere to go except home in that depressing morning, she heads for the train station. When the sliding door of the tube starts to shut on her as she rushes for it,what will happen if she made it for the train? On the flipside, how will life turn out if she hasn't made it? The plot is split into these two scenerios showing both sides of the coin consecutively. One can expect two different endings to each scenerio and unexpected twists of fate in each storyline. Its a good movie..highly recommended.
Back to the main topic now, have you wondered where you will be and how you will turn out to be if you have chosen 'that' instead of 'this' years ago?
Sometimes I wondered how will things turn out now if I opt to study in a Polytechnic or Lasalle instead of going to College after my O' levels. If I go on to take a diploma, I'll probably choose Business or a design related course, have a different group of friends, received other influences, cultivated different perceptions and learnt different set of life's realities as compared to what I've been through so far.
Well if I graduated from Lasalle, probably I have a lot of funky friends who are the typical Zouk cheongsters, party like there's no tomorrow, filled the conversations with arty farty topics over coffee, working in the fashion industry and have aspiration of a well respected fashion designer, where young girls and guys look up to me! Hah..but this is just my self made reality..it might turn out worse than now..or maybe better...who knows?
Then again, have I not been to college, I won't get to know my 3 lovely friends - Gamie,Missy Lam and Kassy. The 4 of us actually knew each other in NYJC for 1st 3 months and we happened to sit next to each other in the assembly hall during the 1st week, and then somehow we managed to get this yearbook and so we start ogling over cute seniors in the yearbook! That's how we became a group, but subsequently Kassy went to VJC while the 3 of us went to CJC. I will say our friendship is pretty unique because of the way we met; how all of us didn't stay in NYJC but are still friends after all these years! Gosh..how time flies! Those memories are still so fresh in my mind..no wonder my accounts tutor keep saying I must enjoy my 2 yrs in college because time will pass very quickly and before you know it, you'll start missing the college days because it only happened once.
Have I not been to college, I will never relate to 'The Teenage Textbook' and carry those silly 'act cute' accessories from Far East Plaza that are so popular among CJ gals. I will not know how stupid college Vdays are and how sweet and funny college crushes feel like, and how we make college life fun by 'bioing' the cute guys and gossiping about others..haha
Lastly have I not been to college, I might not even go to Perth to study Mass Communications, it a course which I didn't consider all along until one fine day I felt that since everyone is taking Business, I should take something different and difficult to get in! What did I get out of it? Not only was I exposed to lots of humanities studies but also a different way of life, which opened up my mind, expanded my thinking substantially and changed my entire personality upside down! Ultimately, I grew to like Perth a lot and I still missed my carefree and slow paced days there..
So here I am, a Murdoch Grad in Mass Communications who still don't quite understand what I've studied so far! Sometimes I still think that I'm lagging behind somehow and has not achieved much, and that I should discipline myself to focus on some goals in an attempt to straighten my life.
Anyway, life is too short to ponder hard over such things. There are always paths to choose, decisions to make and things to prioritize. I used to be those 'what-if' person who often look back at things when things go wrong and start to sulk at my perceived 'bad' decisions. I have since learnt that everything happens for a reason and that whatever things we do, people we encounter and things we experienced along the way are the means for us to grow. All I can say that I'm still in the process of learning about myself. We may feel like we have made a wrong move or do not like what we see now, but as long as we treat every lesson and encounter a learning experience cum fine-tuning of self, I believe we will feel proud of what we have become someday.
If you have watched 'Sliding Doors'(1998), you probably will be thinking what will happen to your life should you take the other path at the junction.
A little introduction to 'Sliding doors': It is about the life of a young London girl (played by Gywneth Paltrow)who is being fired from her job. With nowhere to go except home in that depressing morning, she heads for the train station. When the sliding door of the tube starts to shut on her as she rushes for it,what will happen if she made it for the train? On the flipside, how will life turn out if she hasn't made it? The plot is split into these two scenerios showing both sides of the coin consecutively. One can expect two different endings to each scenerio and unexpected twists of fate in each storyline. Its a good movie..highly recommended.
Back to the main topic now, have you wondered where you will be and how you will turn out to be if you have chosen 'that' instead of 'this' years ago?
Sometimes I wondered how will things turn out now if I opt to study in a Polytechnic or Lasalle instead of going to College after my O' levels. If I go on to take a diploma, I'll probably choose Business or a design related course, have a different group of friends, received other influences, cultivated different perceptions and learnt different set of life's realities as compared to what I've been through so far.
Well if I graduated from Lasalle, probably I have a lot of funky friends who are the typical Zouk cheongsters, party like there's no tomorrow, filled the conversations with arty farty topics over coffee, working in the fashion industry and have aspiration of a well respected fashion designer, where young girls and guys look up to me! Hah..but this is just my self made reality..it might turn out worse than now..or maybe better...who knows?
Then again, have I not been to college, I won't get to know my 3 lovely friends - Gamie,Missy Lam and Kassy. The 4 of us actually knew each other in NYJC for 1st 3 months and we happened to sit next to each other in the assembly hall during the 1st week, and then somehow we managed to get this yearbook and so we start ogling over cute seniors in the yearbook! That's how we became a group, but subsequently Kassy went to VJC while the 3 of us went to CJC. I will say our friendship is pretty unique because of the way we met; how all of us didn't stay in NYJC but are still friends after all these years! Gosh..how time flies! Those memories are still so fresh in my mind..no wonder my accounts tutor keep saying I must enjoy my 2 yrs in college because time will pass very quickly and before you know it, you'll start missing the college days because it only happened once.
Have I not been to college, I will never relate to 'The Teenage Textbook' and carry those silly 'act cute' accessories from Far East Plaza that are so popular among CJ gals. I will not know how stupid college Vdays are and how sweet and funny college crushes feel like, and how we make college life fun by 'bioing' the cute guys and gossiping about others..haha
Lastly have I not been to college, I might not even go to Perth to study Mass Communications, it a course which I didn't consider all along until one fine day I felt that since everyone is taking Business, I should take something different and difficult to get in! What did I get out of it? Not only was I exposed to lots of humanities studies but also a different way of life, which opened up my mind, expanded my thinking substantially and changed my entire personality upside down! Ultimately, I grew to like Perth a lot and I still missed my carefree and slow paced days there..
So here I am, a Murdoch Grad in Mass Communications who still don't quite understand what I've studied so far! Sometimes I still think that I'm lagging behind somehow and has not achieved much, and that I should discipline myself to focus on some goals in an attempt to straighten my life.
Anyway, life is too short to ponder hard over such things. There are always paths to choose, decisions to make and things to prioritize. I used to be those 'what-if' person who often look back at things when things go wrong and start to sulk at my perceived 'bad' decisions. I have since learnt that everything happens for a reason and that whatever things we do, people we encounter and things we experienced along the way are the means for us to grow. All I can say that I'm still in the process of learning about myself. We may feel like we have made a wrong move or do not like what we see now, but as long as we treat every lesson and encounter a learning experience cum fine-tuning of self, I believe we will feel proud of what we have become someday.
Thursday, May 06, 2004
AT FIRST SIGHT
This song 'Gigi Worth - Love Is Where You Are' is from the soundtrack of the movie 'At First Sight' (1996) by Val Kilmer and Mira Sorvino. Its quite a touching film and has a fantastic soundtrack! In fact, I was so enchanted by this song that I actually pressed the slow moving button when the credit rolled so that I can see what the title was and who sang it.
This movie is based on a true story about this guy named Virgil (Val Kilmer), who has been blind since early childhood. He's a masseur in a New York State resort town. Amy (Mira Sorvino) is a hard working New York City architect. The two meet when Amy visits the resort to unwind, and it's love at first 'sight', so to speak. The two soon find themselves in a relationship, dominated by Amy's wish that Virgil try cutting-edge surgery in hopes of getting his sight back.
When Virgil decides to go for the surgery and is able to see for the first time in his life, a whole new set of challenges present themselves. He dosen't know what the world looks like and is not prepared to see it. For instance, he doesn't know how a car is like and that it can kill him if he stands in front of a moving car.
This distorts his perception of living in this world. He doesn't just need to learn how to live all over again; he also needs to deal with changed relationships with Amy, his sister and his long-lost father.
Unfortunately, his successful surgery doesn't last long and he goes blind again, but this might actually do him good because it makes him feel 'normal' to live his own way relying on his 4 acute senses than having to live with this 'foreign' thing call sight.
While it's a fairly standard romance, At First Sight also manages to interweave disability issues effectively. Many of us who have not lived with a disability have a lot of trouble understanding how people with disabilities see themselves.
Anyway, check out its official website at MGM...the main thing here is that the entire soundtrack songs are listed and you can actually hear sample audio files on each song! This CD had to be my next item in my shopping list!
http://www.mgm.com/title_title.do?title_star=SIGHTUNS
Tuesday, May 04, 2004
Don't Worry, Be Happy!
Song playing now: John Durbar - Main theme (OST Dances With Wolves)
Recapping on the part where Jerry's life is in danger after the gunshot, it is amazing that he can remain so optimisstic about life and even made a joke out of his unfortunate situation.
Not long ago, I had a somewhat similar experience, of course its not a gunshot, if not I would have made news.
I had a bad fracture 2 months ago, where I broke my 2 bones in my left forearm (directly below the elbow). I fell down on my bum while roller-bladding and it happened as I instinctively tried to break the fall with my arms landing backwards. Yeah I know, it sounds silly but when it happens, it happens.
There was a loud cracking sound and at that moment I knew I was doomed. I knew people who broke their bones but I never thought this kind of thing will happen to me! Images of me lying on hospital bed, surgery and the operating theatre flooded my mind instantly. My friend keep pacifying me by saying my fracture might not be that bad but deep inside I knew intuitively that this can't be any better and an operation is something I can't avoid. Worse of all, I was supposed to depart Singapore for a holiday 2 days later and this thing happened so untimely!
Anyway, its a terrible experience and its quite gruesome if I'm to go into details of my ordeal during the 8 hrs interval from the time I fracture to the time I was wheeled into the op theatre. So I had an op to insert 2 long metal pieces abt 2 inches each in my arm and spent 3 days in the hospital. For someone who went through an operation and hospitalization for the first time in life, there is always a kind of loneliness and fear of the unknown.
After the surgery, I was quite upset to see my arm swollen like an elephant's leg, not to mention the horrible scars! What depressed me more was that my movements were very limited and I can't even do simple things like turning my arm, touching my shoulder and even unhooking my bra was a problem! I was also quite an active person all along who frequented the gym regularly but after this incident, I had to put a stop to my active lifestyle and this add to my depression as well.
Now I am proud to announce that my arm has recovered well and I've regained 90% of my movements, thanks to my weekly therapy session plus my own determination to do the exercises at home everyday. It is easy to lose hope when you get paranoid and keep thinking 'I can't do this and that anymore'. I just keep telling myself 'No! I won't settle for anything less than before and I want to be able to do anything I want!'
As for the ugly scars, they will never go away, although its a bit better now after all the massaging and putting scar patches.
Well after talking so much, the most important thing I learnt from this experience is that forcing yourself to think positively and not rejecting what has happened will allow you to have an easier time. It gives you the strength and courage to face what you will be going through next. Although fracture is a common thing but when it happens to you, things are different.
From the start when I'm in tremendous pain, I tried to take things easy by talking to my friend, who drove me to the hospital and even make a few 'cold jokes' along the way. Of course I didn't take it so easy all the time, but everytime I start wallowing in self-pity, I will tell myself that things happen for a reason - to make me more independent (both physically and emotionally) and stronger, to cherish my life and stop procrastinating on things I always feel like doing after all these time 'wasted' during recovery.
When I think of my ruined holiday and spending the days in hospital, I will imagine this crisis is to prevent me from going away because something bigger will happen if I do so! I know this sounds morbid but sometimes I think you haven't really live till you know how this massive pain taste like! Well, it sounds silly but this is what I call the power of positive thinking!
I don't hide my two 9cm long scars and I don't mind looking 'ugly' because I don't like to restrict myself. Just like Jerry, whenever my people ask me about my arm, I will 'happily' show them my scars and let them feel the metal and screws - only if they dare! I even joked that I can camouflaged my scars as a cool tattoo in future.
Anyway this is not the end as I still have to go through another operation to take out the metal pieces probably 1 or 2 years later. All I can say is that I'm better prepared this time round and I'm ready to face another round of operation and skin healing.
Yes I'm gonna resume my weekly exercise soon, although I still can't do strenuous workouts. In case you might wonder, I will still blade in future but this time with full protective gears on and someone to hold my hand along the way till I feel secure enough to blade on my own again! Afterall, the cliche 'Don't Worry, be happy!' isn't really that cliche...don't you think so? :)
Recapping on the part where Jerry's life is in danger after the gunshot, it is amazing that he can remain so optimisstic about life and even made a joke out of his unfortunate situation.
Not long ago, I had a somewhat similar experience, of course its not a gunshot, if not I would have made news.
I had a bad fracture 2 months ago, where I broke my 2 bones in my left forearm (directly below the elbow). I fell down on my bum while roller-bladding and it happened as I instinctively tried to break the fall with my arms landing backwards. Yeah I know, it sounds silly but when it happens, it happens.
There was a loud cracking sound and at that moment I knew I was doomed. I knew people who broke their bones but I never thought this kind of thing will happen to me! Images of me lying on hospital bed, surgery and the operating theatre flooded my mind instantly. My friend keep pacifying me by saying my fracture might not be that bad but deep inside I knew intuitively that this can't be any better and an operation is something I can't avoid. Worse of all, I was supposed to depart Singapore for a holiday 2 days later and this thing happened so untimely!
Anyway, its a terrible experience and its quite gruesome if I'm to go into details of my ordeal during the 8 hrs interval from the time I fracture to the time I was wheeled into the op theatre. So I had an op to insert 2 long metal pieces abt 2 inches each in my arm and spent 3 days in the hospital. For someone who went through an operation and hospitalization for the first time in life, there is always a kind of loneliness and fear of the unknown.
After the surgery, I was quite upset to see my arm swollen like an elephant's leg, not to mention the horrible scars! What depressed me more was that my movements were very limited and I can't even do simple things like turning my arm, touching my shoulder and even unhooking my bra was a problem! I was also quite an active person all along who frequented the gym regularly but after this incident, I had to put a stop to my active lifestyle and this add to my depression as well.
Now I am proud to announce that my arm has recovered well and I've regained 90% of my movements, thanks to my weekly therapy session plus my own determination to do the exercises at home everyday. It is easy to lose hope when you get paranoid and keep thinking 'I can't do this and that anymore'. I just keep telling myself 'No! I won't settle for anything less than before and I want to be able to do anything I want!'
As for the ugly scars, they will never go away, although its a bit better now after all the massaging and putting scar patches.
Well after talking so much, the most important thing I learnt from this experience is that forcing yourself to think positively and not rejecting what has happened will allow you to have an easier time. It gives you the strength and courage to face what you will be going through next. Although fracture is a common thing but when it happens to you, things are different.
From the start when I'm in tremendous pain, I tried to take things easy by talking to my friend, who drove me to the hospital and even make a few 'cold jokes' along the way. Of course I didn't take it so easy all the time, but everytime I start wallowing in self-pity, I will tell myself that things happen for a reason - to make me more independent (both physically and emotionally) and stronger, to cherish my life and stop procrastinating on things I always feel like doing after all these time 'wasted' during recovery.
When I think of my ruined holiday and spending the days in hospital, I will imagine this crisis is to prevent me from going away because something bigger will happen if I do so! I know this sounds morbid but sometimes I think you haven't really live till you know how this massive pain taste like! Well, it sounds silly but this is what I call the power of positive thinking!
I don't hide my two 9cm long scars and I don't mind looking 'ugly' because I don't like to restrict myself. Just like Jerry, whenever my people ask me about my arm, I will 'happily' show them my scars and let them feel the metal and screws - only if they dare! I even joked that I can camouflaged my scars as a cool tattoo in future.
Anyway this is not the end as I still have to go through another operation to take out the metal pieces probably 1 or 2 years later. All I can say is that I'm better prepared this time round and I'm ready to face another round of operation and skin healing.
Yes I'm gonna resume my weekly exercise soon, although I still can't do strenuous workouts. In case you might wonder, I will still blade in future but this time with full protective gears on and someone to hold my hand along the way till I feel secure enough to blade on my own again! Afterall, the cliche 'Don't Worry, be happy!' isn't really that cliche...don't you think so? :)
You have two choices.
Below is a 'feel good story' that was forwarded to me by a friend. I feel that the person who wrote this thinks the same way as me, so I'm really keen to share this with everyone. I believe if you train yourself to think about life this way, you will find that sometimes life isn't really that bad at all. :)
YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES
Jerry is the manager of a restaurant. He is always in a good mood.When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply:
"If I were any better, I would be twins!"
Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs when he changed jobs,
so they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant.
Why？
Because Jerry was a natural motivator. If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always there, telling the employee how to look on the positive side of the situation.
Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him：
"I don't get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?"
Jerry replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood.
I always choose to be in a good mood.
Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be victim or I can choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from it.
Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life.
I always choose the positive side of life."
"But it's not always that easy," I protested.
"Yes it is," Jerry said.
"Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk every situation is a choice.
You choose how you react to situations.
You choose how people will affect your mood.
You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.
It's your choice how you live your life."
Several years later, I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business. He left the back door of his restaurant open. And then ???
In the morning, he was robbed by three armed men. They want?
#123*+!@$%&*~
While Jerry trying to open the safe box, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination.
The robbers panicked and shot him. Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital.
After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.
I saw Jerry about six months after the accident. When I asked him how he was, he replied, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?"
I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.
"The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door," Jerry replied.
"Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or could choose to die. I chose to live."
"Weren't you scared?", I asked.
Jerry continued, "The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine.
But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expression on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared.
In their eyes, I read 'He's a dead man.' I knew I needed to take action."
"What did you do?" I asked.
"Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me," said Jerry. "She asked if I was allergic to anything."
'Yes,' I replied.
The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for my reply.
I took a deep breath and yelled, 'Bullets!'
Over their laughter, I told them, "I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am alive, not dead."
Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude.
I learned from him that every day you have the choice to either enjoy your life or to hate it.
The only thing that is truly yours - that no one can control or take from you -is your attitude, so if you can take care of that, everything else in life becomes much easier.
So are you going to let yourself be happy or unhappy today? The choice is yours...
Saturday, May 01, 2004
A clueless Blogspot newbie
Something is wrong with the new blog 'Gallery' that I'm trying to set up. This new blog will be linked from the main page, but it keeps saying connection refused everytime I tried to re-publish. Damn...I got to find a way to do this.
Well guess this is a common hiccup newbies will go through in blogspot. I had sent an email to helpdesk on this problem but don't seem to get any response..so if Blogspot helpdesk is seeing this now, you know what to do ya?
Well guess this is a common hiccup newbies will go through in blogspot. I had sent an email to helpdesk on this problem but don't seem to get any response..so if Blogspot helpdesk is seeing this now, you know what to do ya?
Monday, April 26, 2004
Feeling pretty bored at work now..especially after lunch. Don't understand why I even want to take up this temp job at all, its really purely exchanging time for that pathetic amount of money. What a complete waste of my time and brains haha. Not that I'm the super brainy kind but well I definitely I can use more of it!
Anyway for those people who have my ICQ, you will know that my username is Rara Avis and I've been using this nickname like 4 years I think. I had alot of people asking me what it means and usually I will keep keep mum about its meaning coz it's 'special'. Usually I'll just tell people to find out themselves if they really wish to know. To those who already know, thats great coz I haven't come across anyone who knows yet.
Here's another meaningful piece from the quick insipirations webbie again. Think this work email add that I have gets a hell lot of spam, but I suppose this particular spam is like a blessing in disguise, still making some sense at least!
Anyway, was quite surprised to come across such a beautiful piece coz it totally reflected how I felt when I came across this word previously and decided to adopt it as my nick.
~~~You Are Unique~~~
You are absolutely unique.
Enjoy that uniqueness. You do not have to pretend in order to seem more like someone else. You weren't meant to be like someone else. You do not have to lie to conceal the parts of you that are not like what you see in anyone else.
You were meant to be different. Nowhere ever in all of history will the same things be going on in anyone's mind, soul and spirit as are going on in yours right now.
If you did not exist, there would be a hole in creation, a gap in history, something missing from the plan for humankind. Treasure your uniqueness. It is a gift given only to you. Enjoy it and share it!
No one can reach out to others in the same way that you can. No one can speak your words. No one can convey your meanings. No one can comfort with your kind of comfort. No one can bring your kind of understanding to another person.
No one can be cheerful and lighthearted and joyous in your way. No one can smile your smile. No one else can bring the whole unique impact of you to another human being.
Share your uniqueness. Let it be free to flow out among your family and friends and people you meet in the rush and clutter of living wherever you are. That gift of yourself was given you to enjoy and share. Give yourself away!
See it! Receive it! Let it tickle you! Let it inform you and nudge you and inspire you!
YOU ARE UNIQUE!
So guys, have u figured it out what 'Rara Avis' means yet? Don't ask me if you still don't know ya..I said I'm not gonna tell coz its 'special'... :)
Anyway for those people who have my ICQ, you will know that my username is Rara Avis and I've been using this nickname like 4 years I think. I had alot of people asking me what it means and usually I will keep keep mum about its meaning coz it's 'special'. Usually I'll just tell people to find out themselves if they really wish to know. To those who already know, thats great coz I haven't come across anyone who knows yet.
Here's another meaningful piece from the quick insipirations webbie again. Think this work email add that I have gets a hell lot of spam, but I suppose this particular spam is like a blessing in disguise, still making some sense at least!
Anyway, was quite surprised to come across such a beautiful piece coz it totally reflected how I felt when I came across this word previously and decided to adopt it as my nick.
~~~You Are Unique~~~
You are absolutely unique.
Enjoy that uniqueness. You do not have to pretend in order to seem more like someone else. You weren't meant to be like someone else. You do not have to lie to conceal the parts of you that are not like what you see in anyone else.
You were meant to be different. Nowhere ever in all of history will the same things be going on in anyone's mind, soul and spirit as are going on in yours right now.
If you did not exist, there would be a hole in creation, a gap in history, something missing from the plan for humankind. Treasure your uniqueness. It is a gift given only to you. Enjoy it and share it!
No one can reach out to others in the same way that you can. No one can speak your words. No one can convey your meanings. No one can comfort with your kind of comfort. No one can bring your kind of understanding to another person.
No one can be cheerful and lighthearted and joyous in your way. No one can smile your smile. No one else can bring the whole unique impact of you to another human being.
Share your uniqueness. Let it be free to flow out among your family and friends and people you meet in the rush and clutter of living wherever you are. That gift of yourself was given you to enjoy and share. Give yourself away!
See it! Receive it! Let it tickle you! Let it inform you and nudge you and inspire you!
YOU ARE UNIQUE!
So guys, have u figured it out what 'Rara Avis' means yet? Don't ask me if you still don't know ya..I said I'm not gonna tell coz its 'special'... :)
Working Towards What You Already Have
Sometimes we really contradict ourselves in life, we seems to be toiling so hard for more materialistic comforts in life that we lose sight of what we really want and miss the good things we already have in life.
Whenever we are working hard on something, be it a job/goal/interest, its always good to ask ourselves why are we doing this so that we don't become 'myopic' - i.e overlooking your real needs. Why are we striving to earn so much? To buy what? Perhaps you are saving up for a new car but what next? Do you really need a car or are you just changing your existing car to a latest model for keeping up with your 'perceived' public image.
Below is a related story that I got from a inspirational website call 'Quick Inspiration'. Have a good read and maybe you will like to ask yourself this question at the end too.
~~~Working Towards What You Already Have~~~
The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."
The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"
The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."
The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children,take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life."
The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"
To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years."
"But what then?" asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."
"Millions?...Then what?"
The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
~ Author Unknown ~
Whenever we are working hard on something, be it a job/goal/interest, its always good to ask ourselves why are we doing this so that we don't become 'myopic' - i.e overlooking your real needs. Why are we striving to earn so much? To buy what? Perhaps you are saving up for a new car but what next? Do you really need a car or are you just changing your existing car to a latest model for keeping up with your 'perceived' public image.
Below is a related story that I got from a inspirational website call 'Quick Inspiration'. Have a good read and maybe you will like to ask yourself this question at the end too.
~~~Working Towards What You Already Have~~~
The American investment banker was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellow fin tuna. The American complimented the Mexican on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them.
The Mexican replied, "Only a little while."
The American then asked, "Why didn't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"
The Mexican said, "With this I have more than enough to support my family's needs."
The American then asked, "But what do you do with the rest of your time?"
The Mexican fisherman said, "I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children,take siesta with my wife, Maria, stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos. I have a full and busy life."
The American scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and could help you. You should spend more time fishing; and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat you could buy several boats. Eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman you would sell directly to the processor; eventually opening your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then Los Angeles and eventually New York where you will run your ever-expanding enterprise."
The Mexican fisherman asked, "But, how long will this all take?"
To which the American replied, "15 to 20 years."
"But what then?" asked the Mexican.
The American laughed and said, "That's the best part. When the time is right, you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."
"Millions?...Then what?"
The American said, "Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal fishing village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take siesta with your wife, stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play your guitar with your amigos."
~ Author Unknown ~
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