Closing Message

Hi!

Thanks for dropping by luke4inspiration. Starting today (15 Sep 2010), I will no longer be updating this blog. I'm concentrating my energy on developing lukebong.com, a site that is dedicated to entrepreneurial development. Please come to visit it at http://lukebong.com

The new site is more focused and will provide you with information, resources and support to fuel your passion to venture out on your own.

Looking forward to catch up with you at Making the Change from Employee to Entrepreneur.

Cheers!
Luke Bong

You Can Create Wealth Seminar Live in Miri

I look forward to the You Can Create Wealth seminar live here in Miri on 1 Sep 2010. This program has really changed me in the areas of wealth and money. I'm proud to be associated with MasteryAsia which specialises in mentorship programmes in Asia.

This program is also a personal breakthrough for me because in 2 weeks, I managed to invite nearly 160 guests to attend this session. Before this, I would be struggling to even invite 10 people to any event. I believe that the most important investment we can make is in our own mind.

Cheers!

I am a day dreamer...

... and I'm proud of it! It beats a sleep dreamer anytime. You see, when I day dream, I'm allowing myself the luxury of enjoying what I currently don't have. Yes, I am not a best selling writer but in my day dreams, I'm signing books for my legions of fans and speaking at packed stadiums. The joy that I got out of it is beyond words.

Actually, before you start to say, "Get real" or "Hello, planet Earth calling", let me say that there is power in day dreaming. When we day dream, we are either creating a beautiful picture which we want in our lives or a bleak picture of the things that we fear. Once we are snapped back to reality, notice that the residue of that feeling lingers on like the smell of cigarette from the pub?

Day dream is a form of creating the reality that we want in our lives. Best of all it is free. W. Clement Stone said, "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve." So, don't subdue your day dreams (of course, if you are driving a car, then that's a different story).

Believe it or not, I am doing now what I have been day dreaming about. (No, I'm not talking about writing this blog but rather, about being a professional speaker and trainer. That's my full time job.)

So, what are you waiting for? Happy day dreaming.

“All men dream; but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act out otheir dreams with open eyes, to make it possible.” T.E. Lawrence aka Lawrence of Arabia

Alone at the airport

You know, the thing about waiting to catch the next flight is the waiting. It seems like so much time is wasted particularly if one is waiting for the connecting flight. Well, that's the situation that I'm in now, all alone here in KK Terminal One airport.

However, this time, I'm not going to let that bother me. For once, I'm using the free airport Wi-fi. I'm not complaining. It's slow but it's FREE, right? Before starting this posting, I've completed an upcoming press release for Lighthouse Education's new intakes. Right after finishing this posting, I'll check on the training slides to make sure everything is in order for tomorrow and Tuesday. Actually, on the other tab on my Firefox, I'm still waiting for my email to be saved (that's like 10 minutes already) but I'm not complaining because it is ....

Sitting here contemplating about the past 3 months, it's amazing how good God has been to me. He is the provider, man. Since February, I've ventured out on my own, turning my back to the stable job as a manager in an insurance company to pursue my dream of becoming a full time speaker and trainer. I thought I was crazy but my wife was equally crazy, if not crazier for taking this leap of faith together with me. I really appreciate the trust she has in me. Sometimes it scares me, too. You know when a person can literally trust their whole future in you, the sense of responsibility and accountability can be overwhelming. But I trust God to give me the strength and wisdom to do the right thing.

(Still waiting for my email to save but I'm not....)

Cheers and God bless!

Wisdom from Wally "Famous" Amos

What does the man famous worldwide for chocolate-chip cookies got to do with success? Plenty, actually. Wally Amos has written nine books and is a motivational speaker. Below is a quote taken from the most recent issue of "Success" magazine during an interview with him.

'A lot of people said, "You can't make a living selling just chocolate-chip cookies." I think what they were saying is that they didn't think they could do it. I believed that I could do it because I knew how to make chocolate-chip cookies and I knew how to promote, so why couldn't I do it? because it had never been done before? Oh well. At one point, nothing had been done, and look at where we are now.' ~ Wally "Famous" Amos

When we are intent on doing something, we will always encounter people who tell us that something can't be done. Take it from Wally Amos. Just because they can't do it doesn't mean we can't do it, too. If there's a will, then there's a way.

If it has to be, then it is up to me! Just do it!

My Humbling Experience

I had a humbling experience this week.

On Tuesday, I accompanied my mother to the Government Hospital in Miri to meet up with the Orthopedic specialist from Kuching to discuss about Mum's impending spine surgery. On that day, the wait was reallyyyyyyyyyyy long. I had canceled all my appointments that morning and figured out that the appointment would probably be over latest by 11.00am. Normally, by 10.45am we would be at the pharmacy already.

I looked at my watch. 11.30 am and it wasn't mum's turn yet. I was beginning to lose my patience and really felt negative about this experience. In my mind I was seeing all the unfinished work that I had waiting for me and wished I could be doing it then. So, my whining and "Oh me, Oh my" mode started operating.

Then, I believe God spoke to me. A thought flashed past my mind and I immediately regretted whining about the situation. Well, the thought was a simple one: When you were younger, your mother waited for you when you were in school and then waited for you to send you for tuition classes. Later waited for you again to fetch you home. And waited for you some more when you have any extra curricular activities. That probably went on for a good 12 years. What's your 3 hours compared to the years your mother waited for you without griping?

Like I said, I was humbled. I felt so bad about it. I'm not writing this because it's near to Mothers' Day and I suddenly feel sentimental. I think everyday should be Mothers' and Fathers' Day. Go and do something special for them to thank them and show them our love. They've showered us with theirs for a good part of their life (more than 50%, in fact).

I'll end this post with the video of the song "Child" or "Anak" which was originally a Tagalog song performed by Freddie Aguilar.

F.A.M.I.L.Y.
Father and Mother I Love You!

Words are...

harder than rocks, sharper than knives and deadlier than poison.

Just yesterday, I was at the clinic to buy some medicine for my son. Sitting next to me was a mother who was hugging her baby and next to her was her slightly older son who was probably 2 or 3 years old. The older boy wanted to put on his slippers and after a few attempts was still not making any progress (he was wearing his left slipper on his right foot and vise versa), his mother just said "So stupid" loudly and impatiently adjusted the slippers for him. Then, as if to register her poison in her son's minds, she repeated the same words again, "So stupid". My goodness!

Words can build and words can destroy. Choose to build someone today. In my opinion, the worst losers are those who themselves couldn't achieve their goal and would ensure that others couldn't achieve theirs, too, by using their poisonous words to destroy hope.