The Never-Ending Cry

The whole country is gearing up for the coming 50th Merdeka (Independence) celebrations this week, Friday 31st August, to be exact. Over the past month or so, full-colored banners or buntings were hung around the capital depicting the various achievements, news media coverage and prime-time advertisements on the national airwaves rolled throughout the day, flags of all sizes were flown from tops of buildings and skyscrapers, car bonnets were not even spared, some were totally re-sprayed from their original paint! - talk about patriotism, huh? For the first-timers to this country, a large majority of them are extremely intrigued, others see it as a sign of a growing and nurturing society, and there is another group who do not really give two hoots about the yearly rituals. Well, how can they be blamed?
I was browsing through today's Star paper and happen to spot an article by a tourist who, although enjoyed his family holiday here, was totally disgusted by the already infamous Malaysian touts and callous cab-drivers. Not only are these taxi drivers over-charging and extorting from foreigners, our own Malaysian public are also at their mercy. Okay, I'll not make this into a forum about our public service systems and such, lest I attract government scrutiny or blacklisting from some security sources! My point here is this, however developed a nation is, if the service levels and attitude of the peoples (especially those involved in the service industry), cannot portray the characteristic of a civilised and disciplined culture, then all the hoo-haa about positive strides in the economy, coming out into the era of globalisation, trendy outlook for the coming years are just plain hot air and immaterial to people like the above tourist. Just this one matter alone, about the public transport service here, can be so off-putting that this particularly tourist mentioned that Malaysia will not be one of the recommended places to visit! Yes, you might say, it's just one ang-moh kui (red-haired ghost), but what you might not realize is the impact of this one article upon those contemplating on visiting Malaysia in the coming years. So, there goes the tax-payers ringgits in promoting Visit Malaysia Year! Kudos to those who have excelled and performed their due diligence in their duties, and thanks but no thanks to the many who have failed the spirit of Malaysia and its colorful people.
Why is this article in a personal development site? Well, why not? There's a lesson to be learnt here ( just in case you didn't notice). Whatever we do in business, our everyday duties at home, in school, in the office etc, we need to have a very clear conscience, as well as maintaining a respectable attitude in our work. It's a matter of doing the right thing vs. doing things right. Simple to say and definitely not easy to achieve, unless one develops the right mindset doubled with consistent daily rigorous training, nothing here is impossible.

The Performers

Recently, I had the opportunity to bring my family to the visiting Royal London Circus. For my 5-year old daughter, it was one of the most highly-awaited event for her. The last time I went to the show myself was nearly a decade ago, and that in fact was my very first circus moment, and believe me what an occasion that was. The atmoshere was no different this time - the crowds were enormous, the band music was blaring, spotlights projecting various themes and shapes circled the big top much to the amazement of the kids, different colored light displays illuminate the stage in grand splendour, vendors with attractive balloons, fancy soft candy, popcorn, bottled water and canned drinks mingled through the maze of chairs and hordes of visitors, some who seem extremely lost in looking for a good spot for their evening entertainment. We were there more than one hour prior to the event and already more than half of the tent was filled with excited spectators.
Suddenly all the lights went out and the band stopped playing! Everyone heaved a sigh of relief that the show was starting, finally! Then in a spectacular display of light works, band music and song, all clapped to the presence of the parading stars of the night. When the smoke cleared after the two-and-half-hour show, all that was left in the minds of all those who came was the extraordinary performances by the circus stars.
Well, what has this got to do with motivation and inspiration? Nothing specific really.... but come to think of it, there just might be! Even before the start of each performing session, which occurs twice a day for the next three months here, just imagine what goes on behind backstage as the performers prepare for the grandest show of the night. Each of them might have done the makeup, the stretching exercises, etc. countless times over the years, but the intensity of their gymnastic and often risky executions say it all. Each of the performers came out extremely well-prepared for their routines. The years of gruelling training have honed their appetite to perform to the very best of their abilities. Yes, they are in the entertainment industry alright, and it is one where self-motivation to project the ultimate best of oneself is of utmost importance. There were times where certain acts were downright dangerous and death-defying, and yet all of them impressed the audience with the same vigor and tenacity.
So the question we ought to ask ourselves is this - Can we perform all our daily activites with such fortitude, patience, excitement, drive and enthusiasm each and every time? Or do we meet each day with gloomy disposition and disheartening views about our work and everything else? Think about it - what we project, we will get in return.
Here's the circus-master's farewell message to us all - May all your days be circus days!

Overcoming Obstacles

If you have ever failed to achieve a goal you have set yourself and... you want to know the secrets to attaining fulfilment and success in everything you do in your life, then this will be the most exciting short article you will ever read.
Here's why: Everyone in the world, including you, has consistently failed to achieve goals and targets they have set themselves.
Perhaps you set yourself a high sales target and failed to reach it?Maybe you resolved to go to the gym and stopped attending after a few weeks?
You vowed to patch things up with the other half... but it always turns into a row?
We all have our stories of failure to tell. But I want you to ask yourself this:
- Why did you fail to achieve that goal?- Maybe you didn’t have enough time?- Not enough money?- Didn’t have the technology?
We all cite reasons such as these. We didn't have this. Not enough of that...
What if you could learn that these lack of resources are NOT the obstacles to achieving your goals?
The fact is that most people lack the mindset or the understanding of what drives people to make decisions and achieve success in every aspect of life. Or why they don't.
Imagine attending a one day seminar in which you could learn how to use what you already have right now to achieve any goal you are capable of conceiving. Imagine sitting down and learning from some of the world’s most successful life coaches how to achieve success and fulfilment in your life. Imagine never again having to worry about not being able to achieve what you set your mind to.
Anything you can conceive, you can achieve. You can and do turn your dreams into reality.
The Best I Can Be!
That would be a powerful ability, would it not?
Put this date in your diary – September 4th, 2007. This Tuesday in September will be the day when you learn to discover, harness and unleash the ULTIMATE POWER that lies within your heart. You will unlock this power with the guidance of three of the greatest success coaches of our time.
Anthony Robbins.Allan Pease.Stephen Pierce.
These men are world-famous for devoting their lives to changing the lives of others. Guiding people to realise their true potential and then apply it to every aspect of their lives. Inspiring people to use their limited resources to be the best they can be. Motivating people to perform in ways they never thought possible.
For the first time, these three men will share the same stage in an exclusive one-day event coming to Singapore Expo on September 4th 2007.
ULTIMATE POWER “LIVE” with Anthony Robbins. Unlimited Power Singapore!
You will NEVER find such raw yet powerful material jam-packed into one day anywhere else.
Rarely will you be offered the opportunity to learn tremendous secrets and strategies to put you on the path to success.
Never again will you have the chance to see these three successful men devote their time to improving your life whilst sharing the same stage.
- If you are committed to achieving an extraordinary quality of life...- If you are passionate about being all that you can be...- If you want to shape your future rather than react to what’s happening around you...- If you are determined to make a profound and positive improvement to every aspect of your life...
...then reserve your seat NOW to this once-in-a-lifetime event. This has the power to be a turning point in your life.
Tony Robbins professes that “Decision is the ultimate power”. Make the decision to attend this conference. The material and benefits will be driving you to success, achievement and fulfilment for the rest of your life.
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The Key to Happiness

You will be able to measure your success when you are able to achieve a level of happiness in your life as a person. All through history the key to happiness is the same.
I've realized that most people who are really happy in their life are those who dedicate themselves to developing their natural abilities and talents. They simply do what they love to do, and doing it better and better everyday of their lives. Here's a big statement by Brain Tracy - Being happy requires that you define your life in your own terms and then through your whole heart into living your life to the fullest. It is also a big commitment that it means happiness requires you to be selfish in order to develop yourself to a point where you can be unselfish for the rest of your life.
It is a fact that happiness is an inside job. No one person can define it for you. Please yourself first - that's the first rule of thumb as you can only be as happy as you can be when you are living your life in the best way possible.
Some people say when you please others you'll then be happy yourself as well. Let me ask you a question - Can you give money to others when you don't have money? It's pretty obvious you can't provide for others and give away to others what you don't have for yourself! It's the same for happiness as well. You simply can't make someone else happy if you yourself are miserable. The very best way to assure happiness of others is to be happy yourself and then share the happiness with them. Thus, start by living the kind of life and doing the things that make you happy first.
Here are some steps which you can take immediately:
1. Define for yourself what activities you enjoy and love at work, at home, and then organize your life accordingly so you can do them more often.
2. Believe in yourself, trust your instincts and please yourself first in all things.
3. Determine what it is that you do that brings happiness to others, then do it more often.

Setting Your Goals

Over the years as I recollected all my interviews and casual conversations with the top earners in their respective industries, I found out that all of them have one thing in common. They have all taken the time to sit down and create a blueprint for themselves and their future before starting out on any business venture. Most started out with a little skepticism, but as the process of goal-setting and personal strategic planning begins to bear fruit, every one of them becomes a true believer. As they followed their planned journey with determination and discipline, they soon found out that they finally accomplished even more than what they had first believed possible. That's the power of the goal-setting.
Even after many sessions on goal-setting, many still do not take the necessary action of planning where they want to go and achieve in life. Simple as it is, many do not follow through with them. Do you ever wonder why you aren't getting everything out of your life?
In the process of working towards your set goals, you will find that you are actually progressing step-by-step towards something that is important to you and you will instantly generate that continuous feeling of success and achievement. You begin to feel more motivated and positive. You begin to take more control of your life. Thus in the process, you begin to feel much happier and will soon develop a psychological momentum that enables you to overcome obstacles. You feel like a winner.
The very successful entrepreneurs develop a very strict regime of following their set of planned goals and make every effort to stick with it till the end. They are also extremely clear about their values, whereas the many unsuccessful ones are unsure and fuzzy about their wants. Complete failures have no real values at all.
So what can you do right now? First, decide for yourself what truly makes you happy and then organize your life around it. Write down your roadmap on how to achieve them. Second, begin with your values by deciding what it is you stand for and believe in. Commit yourself to live consistently with your inner most convictions - and you will never make another mistake.
Set your Goals Today and reach your goals tomorrow!

More Sins!

You will be going halfway downhill at a very fast pace if the business you are doing is not automated as far as routines are concerned. If you don't have proper business systems to conduct your regular daily work, then all your efforts will be for nought. What's a good business system? It is one which will effectively assist you in handling all your chores in a systematic way round the clock even if you are on a one-week holiday in the Bahamas, having a reflexology session in the evening or even while you are having a quiet family dinner in a posh downtown restaurant. There are many opportunities which present themselves as automated but when in actual fact most of the necessary procedures and transactions needed to be tended to manually. As a business owner, you have to continuously think for the customer. What would be an effective system to develop to ensure that the business runs smoothly on autopilot? Ask yourself this question when you are in doubt - Are you working the systems or are you letting the business work on you?
Another very unforgivable sin of internet marketing is that of unfounded assumptions of the business and the internet. This is a huge topic in itself, so I will generalise here. A lot of people fall into the trap of thinking that Internet Marketing is and will be an overnight success train for them. So what do they do? Well, your guess is as good as mine. Get to know the basics of the trade. Research all the available resources, the different business models, the pros and cons of each, online and offline before attempting to dive in. My point here is this - Do not attempt to drive blindfolded! The other group are the skeptics. All in all the internet to them is a completely strange and absolutely technical world filled with rocket science jargon and is probably a place suitable only for computer geeks. How can I smirk and laugh at these people now as I was once like them? The truth of the matter is that as long as one has very basic (notice I use the word 'very') PC knowledge with Word applications and sending and opening emails, you are one step closer to the internet business world.
I couldn't help not to end this post without mentioning the very reason why most new internet marketers fail - ineffective marketing approaches. Untargetted market research, poorly planned marketing techniques, lousy advertising strategies and lack-lustre sales copy are some of the sins which make the amateurs struggle daily in their internet marketing quest. Effective Marketing is the core of any business and it's no different here in the online world. Learn how to strategically plan ahead of the game..... every single day!