Winner are learners

An old saying goes like this. "Live as if it's your last day to live. Learn as if you will live forever." My personal interpretation of the 1st part of this saying is to live life in the moment and be focused on our goal in life. Too often we are distracted by happenings around us, so much so that we can't even stay focused. It is not surprising that the average attention span of an adult today is only 20 minutes. Can you believe that? We have been slowly programmed to run through life, expecting things to be instant. Instant noodles, instant coffee, instant wealth, instant success, instant information, instant love, instant relieve, you get the picture.

But the journey to be a winner is not one filled with instant results. Rather, as the second part of this saying suggests, it takes a life time of learning. To a lot of people, the moment one graduates from the university, the popular idea is one has also graduated from learning. We hear people shouting in joy "Yeah, no more exams!" or "Yeah, no need to go to class anymore!". But what people are missing here is we have only graduated from an institution but we are immediately enrolled in another university called "University of Hard Knocks" or UHK in short. UHK gives exam everyday and UHK doesn't stop for students to catch up. UHK can be a mean, S.O.B teacher but UHK is also a fair teacher, one that rewards the top students extravagently.

So, how does one excel in UHK? The answer is: Follow its syllabus. In the UHK syllabus, the report card is not filled with grades such as A,B,C or F. Instead, it is filled with your bank balances and net worth report. Just as one has to study hard in school to get the A, one also has to do the right things to get the results in UHK. However, the right things in school may not necessary be the right thing in UHK.

Now, before you start to feel that I'm beating around the bush, I just want to add that each of us have a different UHK to attend. One that requires very different learning to take place in our individual lives. Hence, we have to keep on learning. Some questions to ask ourself, "When was the last time we read a book that helps to develop ourself?", "When was the last time we attended a seminar or lecture?" or "When was the last time we listened to a CD on personal development?" These are the sources of information on how to succeed in UHK.

But one thing that is similar between school and UHK is this. It requires discipline. The discipline to do things that we don't like doing. The discipline to keep on doing it until we see the fruits. And the wisdom to know that it is not the drudgery of the process that we are after, rather it is the fruits that we want.

Happy learning!

An Interesting Learning Session

Last week, I attended a talk at Genting Highlands entitled "Your Past Doesn't Have to Be Your Future" by Mr. Robert Young, a Singaporean speaker. He is a very interesting speaker, to say the least. He started off by leading the entire group to sing a famous Hokkien song "Ai Pia Jia Eh Ya" which means "One must fight then one will win" in both Hokkien and English version. The crowd which is made up of different ethnicity loved it.

Robert then did an unexpected thing. He started giving away money. RM1, RM5, RM10 and he even threw a handful of money up in the air. Did he make an impact? You bet. The crowd went crazy. I actually wanted to go and grab some as well. However, I was a staff of the organizing company while the session was meant for our agency force so it wasn't exactly appropriate for me to join in the fun. Sigh!

During lunch, just call it serendipity, Robert and I ended up sitting at the same table having our lunch. There were a few others with us. I braved myself and jokingly said, "Robert, can I have some of your money, too?" He looked at me and reached into his pocket. He took out a handful of cash and gave me RM1. He asked, "Want some more?" I replied, "Yes!". Then he passed me another RM1. Pretty soon, other agents started coming to our table for photographs and to get some of the money.

After awhile, Robert asked those at the table, "Why don't anyone ask me why I give away money?" So, I asked him and he replied, "In the insurance industry, the way to get more money is by opening our mouth and talking about what we do. The more the better." This is brilliant. Most people just take it for granted that business will be there just like the others on the same table with him who were having lunch together but did not ask for the money. When I opened my mouth, I was rewarded because that's how life works.

The bible says 'Ask and it shall be given. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it will be opened.' For me, this brief encounter taught me a precious lesson. One must be willing to open one's mouth to ask around. And more importantly, one must be willing to be humble before one can receive the good things in life.

Cheers!

Passion and Devotion

Have you ever worked so hard yet you don't feel mentally exhausted (or in some cases burned out)? Well, chances are, that's what you are supposed to do in your life. This morning, I saw a very profound quote by Bob Proctor. "You have got to love what you do because you are trading your life for it". We spend most of our time working. And if we hate what we do, guess what, we are trading our life (time) for it.

Lately, I've been doing a lot of work on a personal project of mine. I'm on a 1 week leave from my workplace but I find myself immersed in this project every single waking moment. I just can't put it down! Sure, at the end of the day, I was physically exhausted. I now know what it feels like to fall asleep the moment my head hits the pillow! Yet, the following morning, I jump out of bed at 5.00am to continue at it. This feeling is fantastic!

I read somewhere (sorry, I can't remember from where) that when you are on a medical leave (for a mild sickness) and have to confine yourself at home, what you do even though you were sick is what you really love to do with your life. Does this make any sense to you?

Live with passion!

The Moment Is Here!

The event a lot of us at the Miri Toastmasters Club has been eagerly anticipating is finally here. The Magic of Public Speaking. 2 months of laborious work will show us its fruits. I'm proud to be associated with a team of dedicated and passionate people who put the goal before ourselves. It energizes me and it makes me want to go the extra mile, too!

Our organizing chairman (OC) Ken Yong is doing a fabulous job organizing this seminar. I learned from him about deploying people and delegating tasks effectively, something which I've been struggling to do for years. Elizabeth Wee and her media team showed us how dedication and commitment can produce excellent results. Make sure you watch the Miri Toastmasters Club promotional video they made for this Saturday at Pustaka Miri.

I'm charged up and all ready to go! Can't wait for Saturday afternoon to speak to our guests. I love public speaking. I eat it! I live it! I sleep it!

Cheers!
Luke

When the going gets tough...

Sometimes, things can be tough. I know because this year I have faced one obstacle after another. In fact those who know me are beginning to ask if I was jinxed? And for awhile, I was thinking about it, too.

Well, as a child of God, I know that if one is going through hell, don't stop! The only way to get out is to continue going and believe in Him for deliverance. The Bible tells me that His mercy endures forever and is new every morning. Thank God for that!

The latest episode in my 'interesting' 2009 happened like this (the funny thing was I didn't even know about it). I was in my office and I felt a funny sensation in my left toe. My toe was painful and it felt hard. When I finally took off my shoes at home, I noticed that it was reddish in colour. I immediately applied some medication, thinking that it was just a mosquito bite, or something harmless. Well, little did I know the next day, my left foot was swollen and the pain grew. I went to see a doctor who prescribed me some antibiotics and cream. No improvement. The following day, another doctor. More antibiotics, painkillers and anti-histamine. Well, still no improvement yet. So, I'm going to see another doctor tomorrow. This time, it will be a skin specialist. You can see from the picture how it looks like.

Anyway, I trust my God that He will deliver me from whatever situation that He allows me to be in. Do keep me in your prayers, will you?

Cheers!

This is worth protecting...

Health, that is.

Recently, my family was faced with several health complications starting with my mum, than me and now my Dad. So, I was in and out of the hospital tending to my parents and myself in August and September 2009. Needless to say, this is really tiring and stressful for me. Anyway, this experience taught me 3 precious lessons as well. I just want to share them here.

1. Some people think that their body is stronger than others and can take more punishment so they adopt a 'tidak apa' attitude. WRONG! Just because we are not experiencing anything doesn't mean we are healthy. On the contrary, when the body starts telling us something, it is usually quite late already. For example, 99% of kidney failure patients don't feel any pain in their kidneys! So, by the time they discover they have kidney failure, it is normally end-stage, hence requiring dialysis forever.
2. Man will spend the first half of their life trading health for money and then the second half of their life trading money for health. This is so true and so STUPID! What's the meaning in that? Better to have a balanced lifestyle and enjoy the beauty that God has placed in our lives from beginning until the final destination. Do we slow down and just enjoy the beauty of HIS creation? Do we slow down and say 'thank you' and 'I love you' to our loved ones? We may be busy chasing after our dreams but certainly we can have time for these 'Important but Not Urgent' matters.
3. Work like there's no tomorrow. Yeah, and there will not be a tomorrow. Whoever coined this phrase must be mesmerized by the philosophy of "The world is round because it is not flat". Instead, work because there is a tomorrow. Don't burn bridges. Don't hurt people. Don't feel that we are the center of the universe. Respect life. Value others. Enjoy the beauty that God has put in our lives.

We are entering the last quarter of 2009. Very soon we will bid farewell to this year and say hello to 2010. What legacy are we leaving behind this year? Which reminds me. My friend, Ken and I set a few personal goals to be achieved this year. Time to do a 'stock check' to see what have been done and if the results are what we want them to be. One thing for sure, my bosses will certainly look back and say to me "Yesterday is history. Forget past victory. Tomorrow is still empty. Meet the target or you'll be sorry." :p

Cheers!

The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create it

The above quote was from Abraham Lincoln. What a fantastic way to view the future. In times like this, people are constantly worried about the future: economy, AH1N1 virus, terrorism, etc. Let's do what Lincoln suggested. Create the future we want today. What's one thing that if we start to do today that would change our lives 5 years from now? Learn a new skill? Start an exercise program? Start to be involved in charity work?

I was sharing with some friends on the Power of One. Can one person change the world? Definitely not on his or her own. But one person can inspire many others to change their world and when enough people change, we change our world together.

Maya Angelou said this. "If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude. Don't complain." I say this sheepishly. I still catch myself complaining about certain things. Well, I'm going to do my best to stop it. Rather than complain about it, I'll do something about it. Then, it's fruitful.

Selamat Hari Raya!