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“There is no such thing as reality, … only perceptions.”

One of the most powerful truths that I constantly use is :

“There is no such thing as reality, … only perceptions.”

This strong concept is all about mental vision and all. Your enemy is not stronger than you. He is stronger than you because you perceive so. There is no such thing as a difficult task. The task is difficult because you perceive it as such. There is so such thing as a non-conducive environment. The environment is non-conducive because you think so. There is no such thing as a scary event. It is scary because you think it is.

Rectify/Correct your perception of things, and you’ll realise your full potential.

Pursuit of Happyness (Part 2 of 2)

Pursuit of Happyness – Trailer script / trailer text

Before reading this post, please read Pursuit of Happyness (Part 1 of 2) . 

Although there are only a few words and sentences uttered in that short trailer (how long can a trailer be ? :) ), but every word and sentence is so meaningful and powerful.  Read my comments on the words and sentences said in the trailer below.

Chris trying to sell medical stuff as a salesperson.
Medical personnel : “We don’t need 2,…  we don’t (even) need one…”
Chris : “Maybe next quarter…”
Medical personnel : “It’s possible.” 

Lesson : “Maybe next quarter…” In sales…or anything for that matter, always leave the door open for future opportunities/negotiation… even if the current situation is not favorable. 

 

Chris :“What do you do?
and
How do you do it?”

Lesson : Seek and you shall find.  Ask.  Seek.  Don’t be afraid to ask… for help etc. 

 

Chris : “I want you hang on to my car for the weekend, but I want it back on Monday.
Rich guy : [playing along with Chris] “Feed the meter… !” :)

Lesson : Chris is toying with the idea / imagining that the Ferrari was his.  Napoleon Hill thought us about the power of imagination.  Contrary to a popular wise saying advising us not to count the chicks before they hatch, Napoleon Hill thought us to COUNT the chicks before they hatch.  Yes, the truth is, we must count the chicks to get them.  Count them, feel their fur, play with them in your hands, feed them – even when what you are actually looking at are eggs and nothing more… and before you know it, you’ll find that you’ll have all the chicks, every single one of them.

Napoleon Hill wrote : “See and feel and believe yourself already in possession of the money.” (from CHAPTER 2 – DESIRE)

Napoleon Hill wrote : “man can create anything which he can imagine.” (from CHAPTER 6 – IMAGINATION)

 

Someone telling Chris : “They said you are pretty determined…”

Lesson : Determination.  Yes, determination. 

 

Chris telling his son :
“Don’t let somebody tell you, you can’t do something.  Not even me (as your father).  Alright ?”
“You’ve got a dream, you gotta protect it”
“People can’t do something themselves, they want to tell you… you can’t do it”
“You want something, go get it… PERIOD.”

Lesson : Napoleon Hill thought us all that… 

Napoleon Hill : “The majority of people who fail to accumulate money sufficient for their needs, are, generally, easily influenced by the opinions of others. They permit the newspapers and the gossiping neighbors to do their “thinking” for them. Opinions are the cheapest commodities on earth. Everyone has a flock of opinions ready to be wished upon anyone who will accept them. If you are influenced by opinions when you reach DECISIONS, you will not succeed in any undertaking, much less in that of transmuting YOUR OWN DESIRE into money.  If you are influenced by the opinions of others, you will have no DESIRE of your own.” (from CHAPTER 8 – DECISION)

Napoleon Hill : “If you must be careless with your possessions, let it be in connection with material things. Your mind is your spiritual estate! Protect and use it with the care to which Divine Royalty is entitled. You were given a WILL-POWER for this purpose.

Unfortunately, there is no legal protection against those who, either by design or ignorance, poison the minds of others by negative suggestion. This form of destruction should be punishable by heavy legal penalties, because it may and often does destroy one’s chances of acquiring material things which are protected by law.” (from CHAPTER 15 – HOW TO OUTWIT THE SIX GHOSTS OF FEAR)

Also, read my previous post : “Thought drug traffickers, rapists & murderers.” (http://achievingin4years.wordpress.com/2006/06/07/22/ ), which is very relevant here.

 

Pursuit of Happyness (Part 1 of 2)

I stumbled upon Darren Lee’s blog:
http://www.darrenlee.net/blog/
And this post of his (http://darrenlee.net/blog/?p=41) introduced me to the up coming movie “Pursuit of Happyness”, starring Will Smith and his real son, opening Dec 15 2006 in the US.

It’s a movie based on a true story… about a man, Christopher Gardner, defying all odds and hardship to be successful in the end. Most elements in the movie are in line with Napoleon Hill’s teachings. Success is all in the mind. I will not repeat the synopsis here… watching the trailer and reading the synopsis will tell you much more than what I can tell you.

Here (http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/thepursuitofhappyness/index.html ) is the movie’s official website and you’ll find the trailer & synopsis there. You can also read the same synopsis from Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pursuit_of_Happyness )

I lost count on the number of times I played the trailer. It is so meaningful to me. Note the words uttered in the trailer – they are so powerful. I’ll write another post about them here.

For the story on the life of the real Christopher Gardner with pictures of those real people, read Wikipedia article on “Christopher Gardner” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Gardner) and for a full feature article, read
“Chris Gardner has pursued happiness, from the Glide soup kitchen to the big screen” (October 10, 2005, San Francisco Chronicle) (http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/10/10/DDGVLF4AI81.DTL)

This (http://www.chrisgardnermedia.com/ ) is believed to be Christopher Gardner’s official website.

Thanks Darren, for posting about this wonderful, inspiring movie.

The only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do.

“Sometimes life hits you in the head with a brick. Don’t lose faith. I’m convinced that the only thing that kept me going was that I loved what I did. You’ve got to find what you love. And that is as true for your work as it is for your lovers. Your work is going to fill a large part of your life, and the only way to be truly satisfied is to do what you believe is great work. And the only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven’t found it yet, keep looking. Don’t settle. As with all matters of the heart, you’ll know when you find it. And, like any great relationship, it just gets better and better as the years roll on. So keep looking until you find it. Don’t settle.” – Steve Jobs, June 12, 2005

Reference : http://news-service.stanford.edu/news/2005/june15/jobs-061505.html – Commencement address by Steve Jobs, CEO of Apple Computer and of Pixar Animation Studios, delivered on June 12, 2005

Cut all sources of retreat, Only then can you succeed.

“I will burn all bridges behind me, and stake my ENTIRE FUTURE on my ability to get what I want. (I leave myself) no possible way of retreat. (I) had to win or perish!” – from Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

“Every person who wins in any undertaking must be willing to burn his ships and cut all sources of retreat. Only by so doing can one be sure of maintaining that state of mind known as a BURNING DESIRE TO WIN, essential to success. ” – from Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill

Cut all sources of retreat,
Only then can you succeed.

Designs on a new dream

The Sunday Personality
By ANTHONY LIM

CHOOSING a vocation that is entirely different than what you studied or trained for isn’t exactly new. Many people have done exactly that, and found fulfilment in doing so.

Still, you’d expect that if you spent a lot of time and money to be a medical doctor, you wouldn’t throw it away to become ? an audio designer, would you?

Yet, that’s what Dr Wong Teck Lee has done, and what makes the story even more interesting is that the good doctor happens to be a Cambridge graduate. You can imagine all the raised eyebrows in conversations he has had with people, and, of course, the inevitable question: Why?

The extremely articulate and affable 37-year-old manages a wry smile when the matter is raised; no doubt, he’s heard this one countless times.

“The hiatus, if you can call it that, was to realise a dream. In medicine, there is no room for creativity. The standard expected of a doctor is to be safe above all else. As a doctor, I had to satisfy my creative needs outside of medicine, which brought me to electronics.”
Read full article at http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/9/10/focus/15372344&sec=focus

Due to copyright, full article is not presented here.

Redefining Intelligence

“Taking Action is Intelligence”

I might as well do it for myself

I read this article with interest.
It was printed in The Star (http://thestar.com.my/lifestyle/story.asp?file=/2006/5/29/lifefocus/13882290&sec=lifefocus)
Note that this URL will change in the future and will be a broken link, thus, I have extracted part of it here. Due to copyright, I have only extracted a little of it…

Job satisfaction

KENNY Wong was the one in the family who used to cook, from his secondary school days.

IT graduate Kenny Wong: ‘If I had to spend long hours working for someone, I might as well do it for myself.’

His mother, Audrey Chan, was not a lady who ventured into the kitchen, but Kenny had the passion for food and cooking, whipping up lamb chops or Hainanese chicken rice for his whole family.

That early inclination sowed the seeds for his business venture today.

An IT graduate from Charles Stuart University, Australia, Kenny, 27, first got a job in network support with a public-listed company when he came back.

However, after a year of long working hours, he did some rethinking about his career. “Once, I had to camp in the office for three days straight and couldn’t leave! So it came a time when I said to myself if I had to spend long hours working for someone, I might as well do it for myself,” said Kenny.

So, with his father Wong Chee Kong, a senior IT consultant, and Chan’s moral and financial support, the family decided to go into the food business.

---

My comments :I have told myself the same thing when I decided to start my own business. Kenny Wong: ‘If I had to spend long hours working for someone, I might as well do it for myself.’ Well said. Well said.

There was silence over the phone.

I recently attended a paid seminar in KL.  There was this speaker from the US… and the audience was in the thousands.  I was fortunate enough to be among the thousands to listen to him. 

He said something along these lines:

“What is your dream?  What is your goal?”  (Please determine and picture it now.)

“OK…”

“Some of you might want to have a house, some of you, a million dollars, some… might want to have the ability to donate substantially to the poor…”

“Now… are you busy currently?  Busy doing your work…?”  (Most said yes to this question.)  “Juggling a few projects at the same time?”

“I asked this to a friend who wants a to be a millionaire…and he was busy working on a few projects.  He barely had time for his family and himself.”

“Then I asked him: “Are there any one of your projects helping you to achieve your goal?”.  He was driving at that moment…and upon hearing my question….he pulled over to the side of the road…and stared into space for a few minutes.  There was silence over the phone.”

“THERE IS SOMETHING ABSOLUTELY WRONG … IF YOU ARE BUSY DAY & NIGHT … AND YET NONE OF WHAT YOU ARE DOING IS HELPING YOU TO ACHIEVE YOUR GOALS IN A REASONABLE TIME!”

Good lesson. Good speech. 

Better to be CEO of your own family

Someone wrote this to The Star (published on 9 May 2006 – http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2006/5/9/focus/14176435&sec=focus) :

Better to be CEO of your own family

No doubt it is true that foregoing an income is one of the greatest obstacles for men to become homemakers, but that should not be a major problem if there is proper planning.

I used to be a senior manager working with a major multinational company earning high income. However, I chose to quit my job four years ago at age 38 to spend more time with my two growing-up children and be a full time homemaker.

My wife is also working and we could have just hired a maid. But having a maid would mean having to sacrifice the privacy of our family.

Being a homemaker does not mean a man could no longer be a provider for his family.

There are many home-based businesses that can actually enable a house-husband to continue being a major financial provider for, and to spend time with, the family.

For me, I have chosen to be an Internet publisher. This allows me to have flexible working hours. I will only need to spend a few hours at night to focus on my home-based business after my children have gone to bed and I earn the same income as when I was in the corporate world.

So, being a house-husband does not necessarily mean that you will have to give up your role as a breadwinner for your family and rely on your wife.

The only thing that I have given up is the potential opportunity to be a Chief Executive Officer of a company but then, wouldn’t it be better to be a CEO of your own family where the children can actually look up to you for guidance at any time of the day?

ALVIN, Penang .

A note by The Achiever (that's me) :

If you can earn while seeing your kids grow up, earn while they climb on your back, earn while you are sleeping. Why not ? :) Must it always be 9-5 in an office ?

An online business

Today I have launched a website hoping to earn some revenue from it. It is a "joint venture" with a relative.

This is just one of the many businesses that I run, that I hope it will give me supplementary income while I work on my main project.

OK… work hard, work smart.

“THAT’S A LIE !”

Recently I attended a talk by an Internet entrepreneur. This is what he said :

“Does anyone here feel guilty when they have more time off ? Show of hands. Be honest. (Some hands were up.) OK. Why would you feel guilty ? Because you were brought up to think that the harder you work, the more money you make. That’s not true. THAT’S A LIE !”

He shouted “THAT’S A LIE !” really loud. I guess it is to drum that into our heads.

I always tell myself :
Work smart. Work smart. Work smart.
Do not feel guilty. Do not feel guilty. Do not feel guilty.

I am telling myself that I WILL NOT FEEL GUILTY when I see my family members and friends go out to work everyday 9-5 (usually more)…while I work in the comfort of my home. I am telling myself that I WILL NOT FEEL GUILTY when I have more time off. I am telling myself that I WILL NOT FEEL GUILTY when I spend only half the time (or less) than most people spend but earn the same amount as their full time job.

Successful entrepreneurs don’t have that guilt. You might say that they do not have conscience … but say what you will … the fact remains that they earn much more than the general public and they have a much better life (more time etc) than the general public.

In order to succeed, I first need to thin my conscience; I first need to get rid of any guilt (of earning easily and having a good life).

My Very 1st Product Enquiry

Today I received my very 1st product enquiry email. Of course I was excited when I saw it and promptly type out my reply … before sending, I proof read my reply like it's gonna be sent to the Prime Minister, Agong, or Mr Bush.

This is a big milestone for me. I have NEVER received product enquiry for my OWN product (because I never have my own product before this I guess) … all the product enquiries that I had received before were my company's. This is a big difference, you know !

This product enquiry is for my supplimentary business – I need to earn money while I develop my main system.

This day will go down in my personal history. I am happy to share this with you.

My next milestone is to have my 1st paying customer.

OK… back to work. See ya !

“But never did I, even for a moment, think of giving up.”

Genting founder Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong (http://www.genting.com.my/en/mydream/pdf/mydream_e.pdf) had to face many prejudices from family and friends when he struggled to build up Genting Highlands. Not many look up to a man who was in “dire straits financially”, and work on a hill with nothing but jungle.

In Lim’s own words : “In the seven years beginning from the construction of the access road in 1965 to 1971 when Genting Highlands commenced business, I was spending all my money on the project without getting any income. I was in dire straits financially and my health was affected. But never did I, even for a moment, think of giving up. On the other hand, when I approached friends to take up shares in the project, they declined, with some advising me to drop the whole project”.

When Lim had financial problems, he asked friends for help but they refused.

The word prejudice can be defined as “a negative attitude toward an entire category of people”. In this context, the “category of people” refers to entrepreneurs.

People look down on you…
People distance themselves from you…
People begin not to listen to you…
People start not to believe in you…
… mainly because you are either in financial trouble or they expect you to be in financial trouble.

When the whole world looks down on you, your project and everything about you, your only hope is to cling on to your belief that you will succeed in the end. When the whole world doesn’t believe, you believe. Your belief is the only thing that’s most important. This takes great courage.

Lim : “But never did I, even for a moment, think of giving up.”

Now, 6 months into the project, and I am already feeling the heat. Although minimal, I do sense some prejudices around me. I need to push all those away from me and not let those affect me.

I am thankful that I have many role models to emulate. I really salute entrepreneurs, whether successful or not. For today’s lesson on fending off prejudices, I am grateful to have Tan Sri Lim as my teacher.