A Tale of Failures and Successes
It occurred to me, rather unexpectedly, that I could not bear to imagine that I failed an exam – even a minor test.
I could not come to terms with me failing a paper. I was brought up that way.
I was told, since I was young, that if you do not study well, you fail your exams. So I equated failing an exam to 'not studying hard'.
I was told, that if you fail your exams, you will not be able to find yourself a decent job and you would have to struggle to make a living. It strikes fear into me, further exemplifying the horrors of 'failing' in my young mind.
Somewhere in 1997, I stumbled across a book in the bookstore – Dare to Fail, by Billy Lim. I thought it was a joke.
In my short adult life, I have tried a number of pursuits, some succeeded, some failed.
True to the way I was educated, whenever I failed, I became upset.
I was trained to accept that failure is synonymous with inability;
I was also trained to think that failure is weakness exposed.
I was educated, and trained to think likewise,
I did not question – Is this the only truth? Or is it the truth at all?
Confucius said – Failures are the source of all subsequent successes.
I read this in primary school, I took it with a pinch of salt;
Today, I was made to regret my ignorance.
Failures are the source of all subsequent successes.
Professionals are trained to avoid mistakes;
Entrepreneurs understand the importance of making mistakes;
Therefore the two do not mix.
If a person is made to fail a certain number of times before he tastes success,
are these failures not something to rejoice about?
For they only draw you nearer to the eventual desired outcome.
If these failures are eventual encounters along the journey to the ideal,
is it not true that,
If you fail to go through these failures,
you are destined to fail to reach the desired outcome?
Fear not and fail, as much as possible.
If you fail to fail, you eventually fail.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Friday, January 9, 2009
What you could say to yourself everyday to stay positive
"I choose …
To believe and not doubt,
To smile and not frown,
To see possibilities and not obstacles,
To love and not hate,
To be active and not passive,
To move forward and not step backwards,
To rejoice and not to mourn,
To win and not to lose,
To influence and not be influenced,
To create and not destroy,
To appreciate and not to criticize,
To act and not ponder,
To plan and not fantasize,
To be rich and not poor."
Sounds like a mantra to you? Well religions have been using mantras, chants, recitation for ages to drive certain thoughts into the subconcious mind.
The last thing you want to do is to underestimate the power of your subconscious mind, it is more powerful than you think it is.
So be mindful of what you are filling your subconscious mind with, whichever way, it is going to turn those thoughts into action and then reality. It is like fertile soil for your seeds of thought.
Give it seeds of positive thoughts and it yield positive gains.
Give it seeds of negative or evil thoughts …. I leave it up to your imagination.
So recognize this fact, you may be critical as to how thinking positive thoughts alone will bring you success.
I prefer to think about it this way, if you are unsure of yielding positive gains through positive thought, at least you avoid your subconscious mind turning it into a monster of disasters with negative thoughts!
To believe and not doubt,
To smile and not frown,
To see possibilities and not obstacles,
To love and not hate,
To be active and not passive,
To move forward and not step backwards,
To rejoice and not to mourn,
To win and not to lose,
To influence and not be influenced,
To create and not destroy,
To appreciate and not to criticize,
To act and not ponder,
To plan and not fantasize,
To be rich and not poor."
Sounds like a mantra to you? Well religions have been using mantras, chants, recitation for ages to drive certain thoughts into the subconcious mind.
The last thing you want to do is to underestimate the power of your subconscious mind, it is more powerful than you think it is.
So be mindful of what you are filling your subconscious mind with, whichever way, it is going to turn those thoughts into action and then reality. It is like fertile soil for your seeds of thought.
Give it seeds of positive thoughts and it yield positive gains.
Give it seeds of negative or evil thoughts …. I leave it up to your imagination.
So recognize this fact, you may be critical as to how thinking positive thoughts alone will bring you success.
I prefer to think about it this way, if you are unsure of yielding positive gains through positive thought, at least you avoid your subconscious mind turning it into a monster of disasters with negative thoughts!
Monday, January 5, 2009
Networking and INTER(NET)working
“It is not what you know that matters; it is who you know” – Robert Kiyosaki
“It pays to network. I always say that if you aren’t “networking” you are “not-working”. Whether it’s socially or professionally, people who network are able to stay in touch with the real world.” – Donald Trump
It is no secret the world has evolved from the industrial era of mass-production to the age of information exchange. Everyone knows this, but have we switched from mass-production mode to information exchange?
More than ever, networking becomes paramount as information exchange simply means networking! While the 20th century merchant could indulge in controlling supply chains (popularly known in the 1900s as sole distributorships), the 21st century entrepreneur could ill-afford to play the same game. More so in an era where everything from news to furniture to toiletries to clothing and even food seem to revolve around the internet! The beautiful dream of controlling supply chains is simply – dead!
Changing paradigms
Realizing the growing irrelevance of the old model, savvy entrepreneurs started to look into new paradigms. Central to this idea is a shift from purely distribution, to introducing something new, something unique to the market, what has become commonly known as creativity.
Nevertheless, the penetration powers of the internet and the supersonic speed at which information is transmitted quickly made this a futile attempt. In no time, markets become inundated, subsequently saturated with ‘creative’ ideas of all sorts, many of which are evidently copies of other models. The world is no longer foreign to the engine room of replica goods that is China. Creative enterprise becomes at best, an infill into a transitional phase.
Piecing the jigsaw
We now have loose pieces of a jigsaw. Networking, information exchange, internet, creativity, digital & social media, if properly pieced together, tells a picture of the future. Networking has always been a cornerstone for many great success stories since antiquity, in an era where information exchange takes centre stage and defines value, more than being an ingredient for achieving the extraordinaire, it has become paramount to the accomplishment of any sort. I would believe sometime in the future, it would be as critical as to ensure the survival and acceptance of oneself in society.
The internet phenomenon, together with the ‘internet-isation’ of digital and social media created more and more opportunities for networking and socializing. Some of these opportunities were never available before this. My parents and those from their generation could hardly visualize how it is so possible to be chatting with friends across geographical boundaries at the fingertips (or mouse clicks). Add in other social networking media like Facebook, MySpace, digital medias like YouTube, MetaCafe, all of a sudden, you discover a wealth of opportunities never known to be possible before.
Getting set for change
Life rewards those who dare to venture, and defy conventional thought. They are called pioneers. Just how could we make sense of, and create our position amid these changing paradigms, is a test of our willingness to grow, and our flexibility in adapting.
It is not about capabilities anymore. That is a production term, something that belongs to the industrial age.
It is all about possibilities, will power and the desire to stay relevant.
“It pays to network. I always say that if you aren’t “networking” you are “not-working”. Whether it’s socially or professionally, people who network are able to stay in touch with the real world.” – Donald Trump
It is no secret the world has evolved from the industrial era of mass-production to the age of information exchange. Everyone knows this, but have we switched from mass-production mode to information exchange?
More than ever, networking becomes paramount as information exchange simply means networking! While the 20th century merchant could indulge in controlling supply chains (popularly known in the 1900s as sole distributorships), the 21st century entrepreneur could ill-afford to play the same game. More so in an era where everything from news to furniture to toiletries to clothing and even food seem to revolve around the internet! The beautiful dream of controlling supply chains is simply – dead!
Changing paradigms
Realizing the growing irrelevance of the old model, savvy entrepreneurs started to look into new paradigms. Central to this idea is a shift from purely distribution, to introducing something new, something unique to the market, what has become commonly known as creativity.
Nevertheless, the penetration powers of the internet and the supersonic speed at which information is transmitted quickly made this a futile attempt. In no time, markets become inundated, subsequently saturated with ‘creative’ ideas of all sorts, many of which are evidently copies of other models. The world is no longer foreign to the engine room of replica goods that is China. Creative enterprise becomes at best, an infill into a transitional phase.
Piecing the jigsaw
We now have loose pieces of a jigsaw. Networking, information exchange, internet, creativity, digital & social media, if properly pieced together, tells a picture of the future. Networking has always been a cornerstone for many great success stories since antiquity, in an era where information exchange takes centre stage and defines value, more than being an ingredient for achieving the extraordinaire, it has become paramount to the accomplishment of any sort. I would believe sometime in the future, it would be as critical as to ensure the survival and acceptance of oneself in society.
The internet phenomenon, together with the ‘internet-isation’ of digital and social media created more and more opportunities for networking and socializing. Some of these opportunities were never available before this. My parents and those from their generation could hardly visualize how it is so possible to be chatting with friends across geographical boundaries at the fingertips (or mouse clicks). Add in other social networking media like Facebook, MySpace, digital medias like YouTube, MetaCafe, all of a sudden, you discover a wealth of opportunities never known to be possible before.
Getting set for change
Life rewards those who dare to venture, and defy conventional thought. They are called pioneers. Just how could we make sense of, and create our position amid these changing paradigms, is a test of our willingness to grow, and our flexibility in adapting.
It is not about capabilities anymore. That is a production term, something that belongs to the industrial age.
It is all about possibilities, will power and the desire to stay relevant.
You Only have to be Right Once!
I read an article by Mark Cuban, I couldn’t agree with it more.
He writes about lessons learnt from sports like basketball and baseball and how closely these things mirror the actual condition in the business world.
I am a big believer of the power of sports psychology and its application in the business playground. I call it the business playground because business is essentially a game; there are players, rules and a goal.
This is the article by Mark Cuban, most of the time he is writing about himself but I felt most of the points are spot on, so be inspired!
You only have to be right once!
May 30th 2005 1:46AM
In basketball you have to shoot 50pct. If you make an extra 10 shots per hundred, you are an All-Star. In baseball you have to get a hit 30 pct of the time. If you get an extra 10 hits per hundred at bats, you are on the cover of every magazine, lead off every SportsCenter and make the Hall of Fame.
In Business, the odds are a little different. You don’t have to break the Mendoza line (hitting .200). In fact, it doesnt matter how many times you strike out. In business, to be a success, you only have to be right once.
One single solitary time and you are set for life. That’s the beauty of the business world.
I like to tell the story of how I started my first business at age 12, selling garbage bags. No one ever has asked if I was any good or made money at it. I was, and I did…enough to buy some tennis shoes :).
I like to tell the story of how I started up a bar, Motley’s Pub when I wasn’t even of legal drinking age the summer before my senior year at Indiana University. No one really asks me how it turned out. It was great until we got busted for letting a 16-year-old win a wet t-shirt contest (I swear I checked her ID, and it was good!).
No one really asks me about my adventures working for Mellon Bank, or Tronics 2000, or trying to start a business selling powdered milk (it was cheaper by the gallon, and I thought it tasted good). They don’t ask me about working as a bartender at night at Elans when I first got to Dallas, or getting fired from my job at Your Business Software for wanting to close a sale rather than sweeping the floor and opening up the store.
No ever asked me about what it was like when I started MicroSolutions and how I used to count the months I was in business, hoping to outlast my previous endeavors and make this one a success.
With every effort, I learned a lot. With every mistake and failure, not only mine, but of those around me, I learned what not to do. I also got to study the success of those I did business with as well. I had more than a healthy dose of fear, and an unlimited amount of hope, and more importantly, no limit on time and effort.
Fortunately, things turned out well for me with MicroSolutions. I sold it after 7 years and made enough money to take time off and have a whole lot of fun.
Back then I can remember vividly people telling me how lucky I was to sell my business at the right time.
Then when I took that money and started trading technology stocks that were in the areas that MIcroSolutions focused on. I remember vividly being told how lucky I was to have expertise in such a hot area, as technology stocks started to trade up.
Of course, no one wanted to comment on how lucky I was to spend time reading software manuals, or Cisco Router manuals, or sitting in my house testing and comparing new technologies, but that’s a topic for another blog post.
The point of all this is that it doesn’t matter how many times you fail. It doesn’t matter how many times you almost get it right. No one is going to know or care about your failures and neither should you. All you have to do is learn from them and those around you because…
All that matters in business is that you get it right once.
Then everyone can tell you how lucky you are.
He writes about lessons learnt from sports like basketball and baseball and how closely these things mirror the actual condition in the business world.
I am a big believer of the power of sports psychology and its application in the business playground. I call it the business playground because business is essentially a game; there are players, rules and a goal.
This is the article by Mark Cuban, most of the time he is writing about himself but I felt most of the points are spot on, so be inspired!
You only have to be right once!
May 30th 2005 1:46AM
In basketball you have to shoot 50pct. If you make an extra 10 shots per hundred, you are an All-Star. In baseball you have to get a hit 30 pct of the time. If you get an extra 10 hits per hundred at bats, you are on the cover of every magazine, lead off every SportsCenter and make the Hall of Fame.
In Business, the odds are a little different. You don’t have to break the Mendoza line (hitting .200). In fact, it doesnt matter how many times you strike out. In business, to be a success, you only have to be right once.
One single solitary time and you are set for life. That’s the beauty of the business world.
I like to tell the story of how I started my first business at age 12, selling garbage bags. No one ever has asked if I was any good or made money at it. I was, and I did…enough to buy some tennis shoes :).
I like to tell the story of how I started up a bar, Motley’s Pub when I wasn’t even of legal drinking age the summer before my senior year at Indiana University. No one really asks me how it turned out. It was great until we got busted for letting a 16-year-old win a wet t-shirt contest (I swear I checked her ID, and it was good!).
No one really asks me about my adventures working for Mellon Bank, or Tronics 2000, or trying to start a business selling powdered milk (it was cheaper by the gallon, and I thought it tasted good). They don’t ask me about working as a bartender at night at Elans when I first got to Dallas, or getting fired from my job at Your Business Software for wanting to close a sale rather than sweeping the floor and opening up the store.
No ever asked me about what it was like when I started MicroSolutions and how I used to count the months I was in business, hoping to outlast my previous endeavors and make this one a success.
With every effort, I learned a lot. With every mistake and failure, not only mine, but of those around me, I learned what not to do. I also got to study the success of those I did business with as well. I had more than a healthy dose of fear, and an unlimited amount of hope, and more importantly, no limit on time and effort.
Fortunately, things turned out well for me with MicroSolutions. I sold it after 7 years and made enough money to take time off and have a whole lot of fun.
Back then I can remember vividly people telling me how lucky I was to sell my business at the right time.
Then when I took that money and started trading technology stocks that were in the areas that MIcroSolutions focused on. I remember vividly being told how lucky I was to have expertise in such a hot area, as technology stocks started to trade up.
Of course, no one wanted to comment on how lucky I was to spend time reading software manuals, or Cisco Router manuals, or sitting in my house testing and comparing new technologies, but that’s a topic for another blog post.
The point of all this is that it doesn’t matter how many times you fail. It doesn’t matter how many times you almost get it right. No one is going to know or care about your failures and neither should you. All you have to do is learn from them and those around you because…
All that matters in business is that you get it right once.
Then everyone can tell you how lucky you are.
9 Ways to a Fruitful Life
1) Get Active – The mind and body is in perfect union, and moves in tandem. You cannot have a lazy body and expect a sharp mind! Start doing weights, cardio exercises, sign up for Yoga classes, Salsa lessons or whatever pleases your taste buds. Move your body to move your mind.
2) Think Possibilities – Knowing something is possible sends waves of hope and casts away doubt. For a moment, you feel like you are on top of the world. The problem is, how so many people conveniently forget about that feeling “after heating up for 3 minutes” (Chinese proverb).
3) Stop Comparing – Stop comparing with others, and start comparing with yourself. You want to move ahead from where you were, not always in the race to claim victory. You are not a predator; you are the captain of your destiny.
4) Start Dreaming – Imagination is a wonderful gift from God. Use it.
5) Take Control – People almost always, albeit unwillingly, allow other forces to take control of their lives. They may be people around you, your thought process, a certain movie, a certain song or an article you read somewhere. They all have an impact on our minds. We get inundated with information everyday so be aware not to allow them to influence you, you have to take control.
6) Have Faith – McDonald’s & Co. seems to have changed the world in a bigger way, people now expect results to be dished out fast and no frills; increasingly there is an overwhelming wave of impatience. People seem to forget about an age old advice, that patience is gold. You may not always see desired results, but as long as you are doing the right things, there is really little to worry. God rewards every ounce of effort, but you must have faith to see it.
7) Start Investing – Stop speculating. Eternal success is a result of continuous investment. Stories of great men are often tales of lifetime investments. It takes little to speculate, but it takes a great deal of passion, patience, faith, grit and determination to invest in a lifelong asset. Speculation yields temporary fulfillment, but investments builds a lasting legacy, so take your pick.
8) Learn to Appreciate – It is mind boggling, how more often people complain than to give thanks. Is there so little left in the world to appreciate today? Along with appreciation comes joy, and joy translates into goodwill, leading on to love. It is always easier to accomplish anything with a smile than with a frown.
9) Grow and grow – Stagnation is worse than just stagnation. Stagnation is really moving backwards as everything around you move ahead. Apart from your bank account, make sure your thoughts are improving everyday, your mind is absorbing new ideas everyday, and able to throw up new possibilities each day. Essentially, that is what it means by keeping abreast.
2) Think Possibilities – Knowing something is possible sends waves of hope and casts away doubt. For a moment, you feel like you are on top of the world. The problem is, how so many people conveniently forget about that feeling “after heating up for 3 minutes” (Chinese proverb).
3) Stop Comparing – Stop comparing with others, and start comparing with yourself. You want to move ahead from where you were, not always in the race to claim victory. You are not a predator; you are the captain of your destiny.
4) Start Dreaming – Imagination is a wonderful gift from God. Use it.
5) Take Control – People almost always, albeit unwillingly, allow other forces to take control of their lives. They may be people around you, your thought process, a certain movie, a certain song or an article you read somewhere. They all have an impact on our minds. We get inundated with information everyday so be aware not to allow them to influence you, you have to take control.
6) Have Faith – McDonald’s & Co. seems to have changed the world in a bigger way, people now expect results to be dished out fast and no frills; increasingly there is an overwhelming wave of impatience. People seem to forget about an age old advice, that patience is gold. You may not always see desired results, but as long as you are doing the right things, there is really little to worry. God rewards every ounce of effort, but you must have faith to see it.
7) Start Investing – Stop speculating. Eternal success is a result of continuous investment. Stories of great men are often tales of lifetime investments. It takes little to speculate, but it takes a great deal of passion, patience, faith, grit and determination to invest in a lifelong asset. Speculation yields temporary fulfillment, but investments builds a lasting legacy, so take your pick.
8) Learn to Appreciate – It is mind boggling, how more often people complain than to give thanks. Is there so little left in the world to appreciate today? Along with appreciation comes joy, and joy translates into goodwill, leading on to love. It is always easier to accomplish anything with a smile than with a frown.
9) Grow and grow – Stagnation is worse than just stagnation. Stagnation is really moving backwards as everything around you move ahead. Apart from your bank account, make sure your thoughts are improving everyday, your mind is absorbing new ideas everyday, and able to throw up new possibilities each day. Essentially, that is what it means by keeping abreast.
Friday, January 2, 2009
The BIG misperception about success
It appears that man is easily swayed and controlled by perceptions.
Perceptions can be beneficial, they can be detrimental, it is not my intention to discuss it here, but one thing for sure, they are self-limiting.
Ask any person, what comes immediately to mind upon hearing the word “success”?
Common replies would be money, wealth, prosperity etc. which all happen to be right!
What needs clarification is that these are all emblems or manifestations of success.
We are conditioned, in one way or another, to perceive success as these manifestations, which could potentially ruin our pursuit of happiness.
You see, we all crave happiness, anyone who doubts that really lives in another planet or another era!
Happiness is a by-product of self-fulfillment; self-fulfillment essentially stems from the awareness that one is able to accomplish what one set out to do.
Accomplishing what one set out to do, that is success – plain and simple!
It is not money, it is not prestige, and it is not big titles, nothing of the sort! It is merely, to accomplish your ideas, and making them real! Along with that come money, wealth and prestige, which are really just manifestations of a successful life, nothing more than that!
There is another misperception about success.
Because we often define success as money, wealth, prestige, we start to measure success against these things. People compare against one another, the amount of cash they have in their bank accounts. They start to show off their assets (sometimes liabilities). Rich men start to look down on the needy (when they are really not-so-rich in spirit). It reveals the ugly face of humanity; it is not pretty. No wonder it is often said “money is the root of all evil”.
Think for a moment; If we start to define success as “the will and capability to accomplish goals”, the whole scenario is reversed. We do not start by visualizing success with gold coins, with fancy cars, with towering mansions. Instead, we visualize success through the lens of the innate human desire for accomplishments and self-fulfillment. Everyone has that, everyone is born with it.
You no longer require riches, prestige and fame to be successful; all you require is the will to summon that ounce of energy inherent in you, to accomplish an idea arising from your imagination, riches, prestige and fame then follows.
By that, success suddenly becomes by choice, not by chance!
Perceptions can be beneficial, they can be detrimental, it is not my intention to discuss it here, but one thing for sure, they are self-limiting.
Ask any person, what comes immediately to mind upon hearing the word “success”?
Common replies would be money, wealth, prosperity etc. which all happen to be right!
What needs clarification is that these are all emblems or manifestations of success.
We are conditioned, in one way or another, to perceive success as these manifestations, which could potentially ruin our pursuit of happiness.
You see, we all crave happiness, anyone who doubts that really lives in another planet or another era!
Happiness is a by-product of self-fulfillment; self-fulfillment essentially stems from the awareness that one is able to accomplish what one set out to do.
Accomplishing what one set out to do, that is success – plain and simple!
It is not money, it is not prestige, and it is not big titles, nothing of the sort! It is merely, to accomplish your ideas, and making them real! Along with that come money, wealth and prestige, which are really just manifestations of a successful life, nothing more than that!
There is another misperception about success.
Because we often define success as money, wealth, prestige, we start to measure success against these things. People compare against one another, the amount of cash they have in their bank accounts. They start to show off their assets (sometimes liabilities). Rich men start to look down on the needy (when they are really not-so-rich in spirit). It reveals the ugly face of humanity; it is not pretty. No wonder it is often said “money is the root of all evil”.
Think for a moment; If we start to define success as “the will and capability to accomplish goals”, the whole scenario is reversed. We do not start by visualizing success with gold coins, with fancy cars, with towering mansions. Instead, we visualize success through the lens of the innate human desire for accomplishments and self-fulfillment. Everyone has that, everyone is born with it.
You no longer require riches, prestige and fame to be successful; all you require is the will to summon that ounce of energy inherent in you, to accomplish an idea arising from your imagination, riches, prestige and fame then follows.
By that, success suddenly becomes by choice, not by chance!
Thursday, January 1, 2009
梦想的力量，幸福的起点
夜间，沉浸在梦想中，
是一种幸福。
有人说，梦想是免费的，可以任君幻想；
我说，梦想是无边无际，可以任君翱翔。
有人说，现实是残酷的，它把人心摸黑了；
我说，现实是一面镜子，它反映了人情世故。
陶醉在幻想中，它可以让你暂时脱离现时，
有人认为，这是逃避；
我认为，这是给想象力呼吸的空间，
让它发挥自然规律赋予它的功能！
凡伟绩均始于人平凡的想象空间，
这乃平凡人成全不平凡之原理啊！
思绪入寑前，
把它与想象力连为一体，
其擦出来的火花，
是多彩多姿的，
是推动人生的精神食粮！是幸福的！
是一种幸福。
有人说，梦想是免费的，可以任君幻想；
我说，梦想是无边无际，可以任君翱翔。
有人说，现实是残酷的，它把人心摸黑了；
我说，现实是一面镜子，它反映了人情世故。
陶醉在幻想中，它可以让你暂时脱离现时，
有人认为，这是逃避；
我认为，这是给想象力呼吸的空间，
让它发挥自然规律赋予它的功能！
凡伟绩均始于人平凡的想象空间，
这乃平凡人成全不平凡之原理啊！
思绪入寑前，
把它与想象力连为一体，
其擦出来的火花，
是多彩多姿的，
是推动人生的精神食粮！是幸福的！
The Wisdom of Letting Go
You cannot possibly have the whole pie, sometimes you got to be selective.
In your endeavors, if you do not let go of certain things, you realize better things will never come. We all hold on to certain emotional, material or psychological baggage; it could be a memorable relationship, past glories etc. What we do not realize consciously is that these things force us to dwell in the past. For a moment, we shut our eyes and minds to the greater opportunities lying ahead. In colloquial jargon, we are blinded.
Blinded by love, is perhaps an all too familiar phrase we come across. Though it may appear romantic sometimes, I think it bears second thought. In his influential bestseller – The 7 habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R.Covey correctly highlighted the dangers of “falling in love”.
Attaching yourself emotionally to almost anything is never healthy. You could like someone, something, but falling madly with love with it is almost self-destruction. Consider a mother who falls madly in love with her child, imposing all kinds of rules in the name of “protecting” the child. In the short term, she may just have got it right, but in the long run, it is going to deter the child from proper emotional and mental advancement, and it kills the natural mental progression that nature has for the child. This is merely one example; consider again, someone who falls madly in love with worldly possessions, I need not elaborate.
Herein lays the wisdom of letting go. It takes skill and determination to posses something. I think it takes a lot more emotional maturity to know how to let go, when circumstances beckon.
Like most people, I can be caught up with work and in the process, get blinded in action. Too often, I hold on to a certain belief not realizing that letting it go will enable me to gain new and fresh insights, until much later.
This theory was all too evident when I was building my lists of business prospects. I could be building a list of business prospects, but letting go of less hopeful ones eventually helps me focus on better prospects, in that process it get things done much more effectively. Yes, in the short term, it actually causes me to lose (because I have to let go of some), but in the long term, I exchanged the loss for better efficiency.
I think we could all potentially gain more when we start to be sharper in detecting, and determining moments when we need to hold on, and moments when we need to let go.
In your endeavors, if you do not let go of certain things, you realize better things will never come. We all hold on to certain emotional, material or psychological baggage; it could be a memorable relationship, past glories etc. What we do not realize consciously is that these things force us to dwell in the past. For a moment, we shut our eyes and minds to the greater opportunities lying ahead. In colloquial jargon, we are blinded.
Blinded by love, is perhaps an all too familiar phrase we come across. Though it may appear romantic sometimes, I think it bears second thought. In his influential bestseller – The 7 habits of Highly Effective People, Stephen R.Covey correctly highlighted the dangers of “falling in love”.
Attaching yourself emotionally to almost anything is never healthy. You could like someone, something, but falling madly with love with it is almost self-destruction. Consider a mother who falls madly in love with her child, imposing all kinds of rules in the name of “protecting” the child. In the short term, she may just have got it right, but in the long run, it is going to deter the child from proper emotional and mental advancement, and it kills the natural mental progression that nature has for the child. This is merely one example; consider again, someone who falls madly in love with worldly possessions, I need not elaborate.
Herein lays the wisdom of letting go. It takes skill and determination to posses something. I think it takes a lot more emotional maturity to know how to let go, when circumstances beckon.
Like most people, I can be caught up with work and in the process, get blinded in action. Too often, I hold on to a certain belief not realizing that letting it go will enable me to gain new and fresh insights, until much later.
This theory was all too evident when I was building my lists of business prospects. I could be building a list of business prospects, but letting go of less hopeful ones eventually helps me focus on better prospects, in that process it get things done much more effectively. Yes, in the short term, it actually causes me to lose (because I have to let go of some), but in the long term, I exchanged the loss for better efficiency.
I think we could all potentially gain more when we start to be sharper in detecting, and determining moments when we need to hold on, and moments when we need to let go.
Do you make New Year resolutions?
I asked a friend, if she makes New Year resolutions. She said “yes”, followed promptly by “just for the comfort, trying to meet them each year” …
There is a constant irritation, at times disappointment that most people fail to meet their goals. Indeed, it is sad to see that some have given up altogether in setting goals and making promises to themselves.
You see, when a thought or vision is formed in the mind, it is a potentially powerful asset. Many miracles and great achievements have been known to originate from a single thought; the strength of it cannot be doubted or ignored. It is a God-given ability that human beings enjoy over all other creations – the ability to imagine and create.
Imagination and Creation – the former refers to a purely mental process, while the latter is an execution of the former. This is essentially how results, from the most insignificant to the most remarkable, are achieved.
Following Imagination, actively acting on the idea (creation) then becomes the central focus. Someone once said – Acting on an idea ONCE is more powerful than thinking over it a MILLION times!
I think most of the time, we are overcome by fear, fear that we may be taking a wrong step or making a wrong move. Such is the discipline that conventional schooling systems have trained us to operate. I have learnt from experience that in the realm of entrepreneurship, active action is more important than getting it right!
This is a whole paradigm shift from what I have been accustomed to, which I believe many of us suffer from the same dilemma as well. Think about it, Thomas Edison was not obsessed with getting it right the first time, or the second, or the third, he was only interested in getting it right eventually! Yes, that is all it matters, getting it right eventually!
History has countless examples of great men and great achievements bearing the same story. For generations to come, no one will remember the times you tried and failed. All you need is to get it right eventually; you can potentially create a legacy.
There is a constant irritation, at times disappointment that most people fail to meet their goals. Indeed, it is sad to see that some have given up altogether in setting goals and making promises to themselves.
You see, when a thought or vision is formed in the mind, it is a potentially powerful asset. Many miracles and great achievements have been known to originate from a single thought; the strength of it cannot be doubted or ignored. It is a God-given ability that human beings enjoy over all other creations – the ability to imagine and create.
Imagination and Creation – the former refers to a purely mental process, while the latter is an execution of the former. This is essentially how results, from the most insignificant to the most remarkable, are achieved.
Following Imagination, actively acting on the idea (creation) then becomes the central focus. Someone once said – Acting on an idea ONCE is more powerful than thinking over it a MILLION times!
I think most of the time, we are overcome by fear, fear that we may be taking a wrong step or making a wrong move. Such is the discipline that conventional schooling systems have trained us to operate. I have learnt from experience that in the realm of entrepreneurship, active action is more important than getting it right!
This is a whole paradigm shift from what I have been accustomed to, which I believe many of us suffer from the same dilemma as well. Think about it, Thomas Edison was not obsessed with getting it right the first time, or the second, or the third, he was only interested in getting it right eventually! Yes, that is all it matters, getting it right eventually!
History has countless examples of great men and great achievements bearing the same story. For generations to come, no one will remember the times you tried and failed. All you need is to get it right eventually; you can potentially create a legacy.
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