I am a fan of James Altucher's writing. I got to know him through Lifehacker's How I work series. This is an excellent series and I always look forward to read the latest updates on Lifehacker.
When I read his book -- Choose Yourself! I was going through a crisis. I was alone and lost. During that period, waking up in the morning to face the day requires loads of courage. I am always tired, always distracted and I was angry at everything. I was angry at myself. Angry at my work. No matter what I do, I just do not have any sense of accomplishment. My direct manager was upset at me for not performing in my work and my business is still struggling. Due to my work and business commitment, I hardly had the time for the family. I was burning both ends of the candle with nothing to show for!!! Everyday I would listen to motivation speech on Youtube so that I do not blow my brains out.
I pick up Jame's book while browsing the local bookshop. He made a lot of bold claims about the economy and the corporate world. I do not know whether there are any truth in it but my company is indeed going through a restructuring and I do beleive that the jobs lost will never come back again. What had really helped me was his suggestion on taking care of my four bodies. The physical body. The emotional body. The mental body. The spiritual body.
While I was busy trying to get my work and my business back in order. I have neglected almost everything else in my life. I took pride in going without sleep, rest or exercise. Unfortunately, it came at a great cost and my world just come falling down.
I took up his advice and try to improve the four bodies. Things are slowly improving. Improving as in I am now able to tackle some of the issues heads on. My problems and challenges will never go away. Jame's idea are never meant to help you to get rid of the problems. Rather, his suggestion is just to help you to hang on and tackle life's hardship one moment at a time.
You can find his site here.
Monday, June 16, 2014
Friday, May 9, 2014
Never Work In A Job That You Hate To Buy Things That You Dont Need
I know a couple of friends who recently lost their job due to organization restructuring. Most of them has worked in that organization for more than 10 years, one of them was as long as 27 years.
There were a lot of anxiety and self assessment. I asked whether the job that they were in is their dream job? Almost most of them said no. When they graduated and joined the work force, something just changed. Piece by piece of themselves got buried by work, family and commitments. At the same time they grew to resent their job and even their life. I asked why they cannot change? Here are some reasons.
Yes! You could be in a job that you hate, you have commitments to pay. If you are only focusing on the essentials and watch what you spend, you may still have extra resources to built your own dream, to achieve your aspiration. Use the extra resources to invest into your dream, it could be investing in yourself by going back to school or even saving up to built a small business for yourself.
Most people just do a job, raise a family and then die. Is this what you want? You do not want to wait until you are old and tired to figure out that you have lived a life that you do not want.
Start from today, challenge yourself to go deeper whenever you need to splurge on something or spend your time. Is this a need or want? Ask yourself whether you are happy in your job. If you are not happy in your job, what can make you happy? Do you have a plan to achieve that happiness?
Not all of us can work in our dream job but we can manage how long we need to work in a job that we dislike. For a start, manage your wants and slowly built towards your dream. At least, this makes the job that you hate feels a little bit better and you know you are not trapped.
Never work in a job that you hate to buy things that you don't need.
There were a lot of anxiety and self assessment. I asked whether the job that they were in is their dream job? Almost most of them said no. When they graduated and joined the work force, something just changed. Piece by piece of themselves got buried by work, family and commitments. At the same time they grew to resent their job and even their life. I asked why they cannot change? Here are some reasons.
- Student loans
- Housing loans
- Car loans
- Children's education
- Household expenses
- etc...
Yes! You could be in a job that you hate, you have commitments to pay. If you are only focusing on the essentials and watch what you spend, you may still have extra resources to built your own dream, to achieve your aspiration. Use the extra resources to invest into your dream, it could be investing in yourself by going back to school or even saving up to built a small business for yourself.
Most people just do a job, raise a family and then die. Is this what you want? You do not want to wait until you are old and tired to figure out that you have lived a life that you do not want.
Start from today, challenge yourself to go deeper whenever you need to splurge on something or spend your time. Is this a need or want? Ask yourself whether you are happy in your job. If you are not happy in your job, what can make you happy? Do you have a plan to achieve that happiness?
Not all of us can work in our dream job but we can manage how long we need to work in a job that we dislike. For a start, manage your wants and slowly built towards your dream. At least, this makes the job that you hate feels a little bit better and you know you are not trapped.
Never work in a job that you hate to buy things that you don't need.
Monday, April 14, 2014
Inside Everyone Lives A Walter Mitty
Over the weekend, I saw The Secret Life of Walter Mitty. It is a simple wonderful movie stared by Ben Stiller. He plays a day dreamer who dreams of heroism and doing great things.
Not many would admit that but I totally understand Walter Mitty. I am just like Walter Mitty. Since young I would day dream of heroic things that I would save the day and walk among the greatest on earth. Probably this is why many of us enjoy watching movies, a sense of escapism and to be away from the life that we are living.
For many of my day dreams, I dream of running my own business, signing deals, enjoy financial freedoms and send my kids to university. That was my dream and I dream of it everyday. I have tried many times and many times I lose steam and have failed spectacularly. It was only through the support of a friend and family members where we are able to start something on our own.
In the movie, Walter said he actually day dream less after he embarked on his remarkable journey. I did day dream less but was I living the dream? Not really. Starting a business is a lot of hardwork none of the scenarios that I dream actually came true. Maybe not yet. Was it a nightmare? Not really as well.
I supposed it is better than living a life where we dream our life away. Walter Mitty only dream about the good parts of life. There is no effort required, there was no pain or any frustration. Maybe the only frustration was getting back into reality. That is not life! In life, there is always challenges and frustrations. Day dream gives you the possibilities. A hook or an sense of target to encourage you to take that journey.
It is ok to day dream and think of the wonderful things of life. In fact, I encourage it. While dreaming for it, imagine yourself what would it take to live the dream? You may already have the solution. Go for it. Who knows, you may not need to day dream anymore.
Not many would admit that but I totally understand Walter Mitty. I am just like Walter Mitty. Since young I would day dream of heroic things that I would save the day and walk among the greatest on earth. Probably this is why many of us enjoy watching movies, a sense of escapism and to be away from the life that we are living.
For many of my day dreams, I dream of running my own business, signing deals, enjoy financial freedoms and send my kids to university. That was my dream and I dream of it everyday. I have tried many times and many times I lose steam and have failed spectacularly. It was only through the support of a friend and family members where we are able to start something on our own.
In the movie, Walter said he actually day dream less after he embarked on his remarkable journey. I did day dream less but was I living the dream? Not really. Starting a business is a lot of hardwork none of the scenarios that I dream actually came true. Maybe not yet. Was it a nightmare? Not really as well.
I supposed it is better than living a life where we dream our life away. Walter Mitty only dream about the good parts of life. There is no effort required, there was no pain or any frustration. Maybe the only frustration was getting back into reality. That is not life! In life, there is always challenges and frustrations. Day dream gives you the possibilities. A hook or an sense of target to encourage you to take that journey.
It is ok to day dream and think of the wonderful things of life. In fact, I encourage it. While dreaming for it, imagine yourself what would it take to live the dream? You may already have the solution. Go for it. Who knows, you may not need to day dream anymore.
Friday, March 28, 2014
Do Not Let Your Innerlight Snuffed Out
To the frustrated,
You may have difficulty waking up in the morning and wondered what lies ahead. Everything seems bleak and no one in the world seems to care. I know, I have been through it and I am going through it. There are thoughts of regrets, remorse, revenge, self pity and even suicide. You know what? Those feelings are normal.
Take a deep breath and start breathing. Pay attention to your breathing. Fill your lung with air and let it out gently by emptying your lung. You are still alive. Take stock of what you have, write down five things that you are grateful for. Think and thank the people who has helped you in the past.
Are you drinking? Cut those out now. You do not need any form of alcohol. Alcohol affects your thinking and your sleep. You need to think clearly and sleep well. What is over is over. You cannot change the past, you cannot predict the future. Now is the most important time. Think about what is the outcome that you want to achieve. Do not wish. If you wish for something, you are expecting someone else to do the heavy lifting for you. At this point in your life, you have to take charge and figure out what to do. Set a goal, look at the goal and write down your options and action items.
Write down your options. Finished? Write down some more. Finished? Write down even more. Go through the list. Some are down right bad ideas, cross those off. Filter through the ideas and short list the best ones. Is it done? No, not really.
Find a mentor, find someone whom you can trust and give you an honest feedback. Talk to this person, discuss the issues and talk about your ideas. Do not expect the person to give you any action items. No. You have to take ownership of your action items. At best the mentor can only tell you what is their opinion and assign a timeline for your action items.
During this period, make sure you eat well, sleep well, stay active and spending enough time with your love ones. No TV, no idle surfing the net and no gossip. Clinch every moment you have and work on your goal. Review your action items and talk to your mention as you progress.
Will things get better? Of course not! You will encounter more frustrations and set backs as you move towards your goal. Failure is because you have tried. Frustration is because you are doing something different. Keep going and keep moving.
What if you do not have the sufficient knowledge or resource to make things happen? Read and reach out into the internet. Chances are your problems is nothing new, someone must have encountered it. Read and learn as much as possible. People can bring you down and take away your possessions. However, they cannot take away what you know. To be competitive, you just need to know a little bit more than your competitor.
The hard truth about life, all these will come to an end. Nothing stays forever. Sorrow and setback will come to an end, so is happiness too. Hang on there and stay strong.
Kind regards,
Simon.
You may have difficulty waking up in the morning and wondered what lies ahead. Everything seems bleak and no one in the world seems to care. I know, I have been through it and I am going through it. There are thoughts of regrets, remorse, revenge, self pity and even suicide. You know what? Those feelings are normal.
Take a deep breath and start breathing. Pay attention to your breathing. Fill your lung with air and let it out gently by emptying your lung. You are still alive. Take stock of what you have, write down five things that you are grateful for. Think and thank the people who has helped you in the past.
Are you drinking? Cut those out now. You do not need any form of alcohol. Alcohol affects your thinking and your sleep. You need to think clearly and sleep well. What is over is over. You cannot change the past, you cannot predict the future. Now is the most important time. Think about what is the outcome that you want to achieve. Do not wish. If you wish for something, you are expecting someone else to do the heavy lifting for you. At this point in your life, you have to take charge and figure out what to do. Set a goal, look at the goal and write down your options and action items.
Write down your options. Finished? Write down some more. Finished? Write down even more. Go through the list. Some are down right bad ideas, cross those off. Filter through the ideas and short list the best ones. Is it done? No, not really.
Find a mentor, find someone whom you can trust and give you an honest feedback. Talk to this person, discuss the issues and talk about your ideas. Do not expect the person to give you any action items. No. You have to take ownership of your action items. At best the mentor can only tell you what is their opinion and assign a timeline for your action items.
During this period, make sure you eat well, sleep well, stay active and spending enough time with your love ones. No TV, no idle surfing the net and no gossip. Clinch every moment you have and work on your goal. Review your action items and talk to your mention as you progress.
Will things get better? Of course not! You will encounter more frustrations and set backs as you move towards your goal. Failure is because you have tried. Frustration is because you are doing something different. Keep going and keep moving.
What if you do not have the sufficient knowledge or resource to make things happen? Read and reach out into the internet. Chances are your problems is nothing new, someone must have encountered it. Read and learn as much as possible. People can bring you down and take away your possessions. However, they cannot take away what you know. To be competitive, you just need to know a little bit more than your competitor.
The hard truth about life, all these will come to an end. Nothing stays forever. Sorrow and setback will come to an end, so is happiness too. Hang on there and stay strong.
Kind regards,
Simon.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
You Just Need to Show Up and Ask
There are sayings that to succeed you just need to show up. While another saying, ask and you shall receive. In my experience, not only you need to show up but to ask as well. When I say ask, it means asking tactfully.
Lately we have been working on a couple of prospects. The discussion to secure a deal is still on going, but the very least we are given the opportunity to be heard. I do not know these prospects personally nor we were introduced. It just so happens that we got acquainted through a charity event and exchange name cards. These prospects are all well established players in the market while I am still a new kid on the block with limited clientele and cash.
Instead of hard selling my services, I asked about their business, plans and frustrations. I offered some of my thoughts and even promised to introduce somebody that I might know whom might be able to help them. After we have established the relationship, did I immediately sell my services? No. I did not. I offered to catch up over a cup of coffee to discuss the matter further and wanting to know more about they do.
This sets up the opportunity for a second meeting. I would use that time to check out and understand more about this prospects. It can be their business nature or read up about things that they enjoy. If the person is a football fan, I would read up about it. Some of you readers may think this not sincere at all. You are wrong, I am sincere. I genuinely wanted to establish a relationship with this person. The only way is to have a common ground. Not all prospects can become business opportunity, the bright side is that you make a new friend.
In our second meeting, we would have more things to discuss and talk over. Will I spring up the question about my business offerings? The answer is depends. If I notice that there is nothing that we can offer. I will keep my mouth shut about my services. Occasionally I would say something about my company but never in detail unless the person ask. If there is an opportunity, I would offer my company's service but it is never in detail. If the person is keen, I would ask for a formal discussion. Of course, this sets up another meeting which is a formal meeting. Even if there is no opportunity, it is no harm to catch up again.
That's why showing up to meet the person is not only important but knowing how to ask tactfully is vital too. Many would think that "to ask" is means to ask for the business. It is not true, to ask is to understand your prospects and offer a solution to their problems. Is this time consuming? Yes, it is time consuming but we are here to establish a long term relationship. In many business dealings, it is all started from human interactions and relationship.
Lately we have been working on a couple of prospects. The discussion to secure a deal is still on going, but the very least we are given the opportunity to be heard. I do not know these prospects personally nor we were introduced. It just so happens that we got acquainted through a charity event and exchange name cards. These prospects are all well established players in the market while I am still a new kid on the block with limited clientele and cash.
Instead of hard selling my services, I asked about their business, plans and frustrations. I offered some of my thoughts and even promised to introduce somebody that I might know whom might be able to help them. After we have established the relationship, did I immediately sell my services? No. I did not. I offered to catch up over a cup of coffee to discuss the matter further and wanting to know more about they do.
This sets up the opportunity for a second meeting. I would use that time to check out and understand more about this prospects. It can be their business nature or read up about things that they enjoy. If the person is a football fan, I would read up about it. Some of you readers may think this not sincere at all. You are wrong, I am sincere. I genuinely wanted to establish a relationship with this person. The only way is to have a common ground. Not all prospects can become business opportunity, the bright side is that you make a new friend.
In our second meeting, we would have more things to discuss and talk over. Will I spring up the question about my business offerings? The answer is depends. If I notice that there is nothing that we can offer. I will keep my mouth shut about my services. Occasionally I would say something about my company but never in detail unless the person ask. If there is an opportunity, I would offer my company's service but it is never in detail. If the person is keen, I would ask for a formal discussion. Of course, this sets up another meeting which is a formal meeting. Even if there is no opportunity, it is no harm to catch up again.
That's why showing up to meet the person is not only important but knowing how to ask tactfully is vital too. Many would think that "to ask" is means to ask for the business. It is not true, to ask is to understand your prospects and offer a solution to their problems. Is this time consuming? Yes, it is time consuming but we are here to establish a long term relationship. In many business dealings, it is all started from human interactions and relationship.
Wednesday, January 1, 2014
Change of Direction
The year of 2013 has ended and a new year has started. This year our business performance is actually way better than the year before. However, the profit margin is rather low.
The board of directors had few meetings and dig deeper into our business performance. We realized that our core strength in our business is actually inventory management and sourcing. No doubt we understand the hospitality business well but we are not getting right customers nor the margin to sustain the company.
We review back our past year projects. Our customers were most impressed by how we set up their restaurant's inventory management system. They are able to track their stock levels and know when to replenish the inventory. As such, one of the directors asked whether the same concept be used in other industries? The answer is actually yes. Maybe some changes but the basic ideas are there.
The existing team is small and we cannot afford hiring employees. As such, the amount of projects that we commit is very little. Managing building/ renovation projects involves long hours. The hours could have been spend on other activities that can generate revenue for the business. This was also one of the main factor that drives our decision to change the business model.
To further push the business ahead we need to generate revenue for the company with the minimal cost but the maximum benefits. Sadly, our 1.5 years old company has not found a constant stream of revenue that will cover the company's annual operation cost. As such, our new trading model will work for us.
Customer has already expressed interests for our products and we were also able to find a reliable supplier. The next phase is to built in the process and get the necessary paper work done to import our goods.
The board of directors had few meetings and dig deeper into our business performance. We realized that our core strength in our business is actually inventory management and sourcing. No doubt we understand the hospitality business well but we are not getting right customers nor the margin to sustain the company.
We review back our past year projects. Our customers were most impressed by how we set up their restaurant's inventory management system. They are able to track their stock levels and know when to replenish the inventory. As such, one of the directors asked whether the same concept be used in other industries? The answer is actually yes. Maybe some changes but the basic ideas are there.
The existing team is small and we cannot afford hiring employees. As such, the amount of projects that we commit is very little. Managing building/ renovation projects involves long hours. The hours could have been spend on other activities that can generate revenue for the business. This was also one of the main factor that drives our decision to change the business model.
To further push the business ahead we need to generate revenue for the company with the minimal cost but the maximum benefits. Sadly, our 1.5 years old company has not found a constant stream of revenue that will cover the company's annual operation cost. As such, our new trading model will work for us.
Customer has already expressed interests for our products and we were also able to find a reliable supplier. The next phase is to built in the process and get the necessary paper work done to import our goods.
Thursday, November 14, 2013
Do Your Part No Matter How Small: Lesson Learned from Agent Coulson
I have a confession, I am not exactly a fan of any Marvel Comics. Nonetheless, I enjoyed their movies and the way they set up their movies. In today's blog entry, I do not want to talk about Iron Man or any other major super heroes but a character that started off with a minor role but eventually given top billing with his very own TV series. The person that I would like to discuss is Agent Phil Coulson.
Agent Phil Coulson is played by an actor Clark Gregg. According to IMDB, he is a veteran of both TV shows and movies. What fascinates me is that how could a character who had less than five minutes of screen time in Iron Man when on to have his own very TV series. In short, this actor has won over the hearts of fans and leadership of Marvels.
I do not know Mr Clark Gregg in person, but I would like to hazard guess about his success. Despite having a minor role in Iron Man, Mr Clark has worked hard to play the role of Agent Carlson. He went on to appear in multiple Marvel movies and short films. Most of his screen time is relatively short, but he is portray as Agent Phil Coulson has made an impact and has won fan's support. Fans wants to see more of Agent Coulson and the inner workings of SHIELD. Thus, giving birth to the TV series -- Agents of SHIELD. In life many people and including myself complaining that they are not given any big opportunity. The thoughts is always -- "I can do more, I deserve better". There is nothing wrong with having such thoughts. Rather the question that we have to ask ourselves is -- "Have I played my role as best as I can play?". If we cannot even play a small role well, how could we expect others to give us a chance to play a bigger role? Just when we thought that no one is watching, please think again. No matter how small is our action and role, someone is watching and judging. Mr Clark Gregg is a good example -- short screen time with huge impact.
There is really no such thing as a small role in life. Each role has a part in life's puzzle. Play your role well and do your best. You will never how your hard work will be rewarded. Please let Mr Clark Gregg be your inspiration.
Agent Phil Coulson is played by an actor Clark Gregg. According to IMDB, he is a veteran of both TV shows and movies. What fascinates me is that how could a character who had less than five minutes of screen time in Iron Man when on to have his own very TV series. In short, this actor has won over the hearts of fans and leadership of Marvels.
I do not know Mr Clark Gregg in person, but I would like to hazard guess about his success. Despite having a minor role in Iron Man, Mr Clark has worked hard to play the role of Agent Carlson. He went on to appear in multiple Marvel movies and short films. Most of his screen time is relatively short, but he is portray as Agent Phil Coulson has made an impact and has won fan's support. Fans wants to see more of Agent Coulson and the inner workings of SHIELD. Thus, giving birth to the TV series -- Agents of SHIELD. In life many people and including myself complaining that they are not given any big opportunity. The thoughts is always -- "I can do more, I deserve better". There is nothing wrong with having such thoughts. Rather the question that we have to ask ourselves is -- "Have I played my role as best as I can play?". If we cannot even play a small role well, how could we expect others to give us a chance to play a bigger role? Just when we thought that no one is watching, please think again. No matter how small is our action and role, someone is watching and judging. Mr Clark Gregg is a good example -- short screen time with huge impact.
There is really no such thing as a small role in life. Each role has a part in life's puzzle. Play your role well and do your best. You will never how your hard work will be rewarded. Please let Mr Clark Gregg be your inspiration.
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