My company was having a kite design competition about a month ago. Each group was required to come out with their own design, based on a template given. I initiated my group’s design since most of us were busy with work at that time. I ended up spending about 5-7 hours on the design, with the help of several team members. The team members then came out with few ideas and asked me if it was okay to put it into the main design, and I must admit I was a bit picky at that time. I rejected quite a number of ideas which didn’t seem right to me.

Then one of them said “Working under Alvin must be very stressful. You are such a perfectionist”.

My reply was “Maybe I am a perfectionist, or maybe I’m not. But I believe if we want to do something, then we should give everything we have.”

I believe this applies to a lot of people on a lot of things – jobs, life, love, family, etc. Most of the time, we just do something for the sake of doing it without realizing that we actually have the ability to make it a BIG one if we put our heart into it. For example, we’re being asked to handle an event. We can always throw in some simple activities and just get on with it. All for the sake of doing it. Or we can plan properly and make it the best event ever organized and make everyone remembers it.

If you want to do it, then do it well. But if you do not wish to do it, then just admit it. Tell others you are just not up for it. Don’t commit yourself into creating something mediocre, just because you are doing it for the sake of doing it. Leave it to others who really want to do it. I bet they can do a better job. So if you don’t feel like doing it, just do nothing and leave the opportunity to others. Don’t waste it.

At the end of the day, the decision is still ours to make. But for me, I believe that if I want to take up something, I should be doing it willingly. And by saying willingly, I must be willing to give it my all and not just do it half-heartedly. Call me a perfectionist, or even an idealist, but that’s what I believe in – “if I want to do it, do it well”.

“Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we’re here we should dance.”

And that is exactly what life is all about. There are times when we’re being given some of the best things in the world and feel fortunate. But there are also times when we’re being thrown into some difficult situations which make us feel we’re useless. Yes, shits like this do happen (and sometimes they happen a lot too) but I believe that we have the power to make the best out of whatever situation we’re in.

For example, if you are complaining about your job now, there are actually few things that you can do. The obvious option is of course to look for another job. But if you can’t do that, then you have to make the most out of your current situation. Introduce new ideas, contribute more to the team, get to know more people from other teams, help another teammate with his/her task, etc. Make yourself a valuable member of the team, and a valuable employee for the company.

The thing with most people is that we complain too much whenever things are not the way we want them to be. We complain and complain, ….and complain. Yet, we do nothing to improve the overall situation. And no matter how much you try to deny it, the truth is that we CAN improve the situation. Here are few things you can consider doing:

• stop complaining
• think of the positive things in current situation
• think of how you can improve on the positive things
• make yourself valuable to your team and company
• think out of the box

Remember that you don’t have to just stick to the things listed in your job description. Feel free to explore out of the box. Most importantly, you have to understand your current situation. If you can’t move away from it, then change how you look at it.

As Mary Engelbreit once said “If you don’t like something change it; if you can’t change it — change the way you think about it.”

Are you doing it for the sake of doing it, or do it for the sake of loving it?

Although they sound similar, each carries a very different weight and effect. A good example is one given by Seth Godin, where 2 lemonade stalls have different results due to the way they approach the business – 1 a passionate girl taking her own sweet time making the lemonades using the traditional way, and the other 2 kids producing lemonades just like how everyone else does it – The lesson from two lemonade stands.

So if you truly love what you are doing, you will take your own sweet time doing it and at the same time, enjoying every moment while you’re at it. The result? Yes, you will definitely produce lesser than the 2 kids, but each lemonade you produce will be of the top quality – full of passion and feels authentic. And this also gives your client the feeling that you are sincere in selling whatever you are selling, and that you are not trying to rip the person off. Enjoying the moment, producing remarkable results and having happy customers. What can be better than this?

Of course all these things sound easier said than done and most often than not, we are left with no choice but to do what we are paid to do. How many times have you seen an unhappy person saying “no choice, I have to work”? I think more than 50% of the total population would say that!

I can’t say I have a solution because the fact is, we do have to survive and by that I mean we have to earn enough money to support ourselves and our family – and all our other commitments (houses, cars, etc). But do we want to spend the rest of our life being in this state? Do we want to continue to work on something we hate for the rest of our life just for the sake of doing it? Of course not !

If that’s the case, why not consider making a change? If you can’t change your day job, then you can always find a part-time job which gives you more satisfaction. Or if you have no time for it, find some hobbies to do or just find some time to do whatever you love to do. If that means waking up 30 min or 1 hour earlier every day, so be it. You need something to get you moving and this could be it. Who knows, maybe 1 day, you can make a living by doing what you really love to do. I’ve seen some people becoming pretty successful in that and I believe it CAN happen.

If everything above is still not possible, then there’s only 1 thing left to do. Change your mindset. True, your job may not be the best in the world (trust me, most people would say their jobs are not the best jobs in the world) and you might hate it a lot. But well, the good news is, it’s not the best but it’s not the worst as well. There are still some goods left in any jobs, and I believe each of us has the ability to make the most out of any situation. Think about all the positive things from your job, your workplace, your colleagues, bosses, etc. LEARN to love your current job. Remember, at least, you still have a job.

At the end of the day, it’s all about making a change, be it to the things that are happening to us or to our own mindset (which also means adaptation). So start thinking whether you are doing whatever you are doing now for the sake of doing it….or are you doing it for the sake of loving it? If it’s the former, maybe it’s time for a change?

If it’s the latter, congratulations. Enjoy the moment !

Good ideas are a subset of ideas. Maybe 3 out of 10 ideas are good ideas and the remaining 7 are bad ideas.

While most people love the 3 good ideas, there are a lot more people who are fearful of the 7 bad ideas. In the end, they feel hesitant to come out with any ideas. They are afraid of being looked down by others. They are afraid of being called “stupid”. They are afraid of bad ideas.

But if you don’t come out with any ideas at all, then the hope of getting a good idea is zero.

That’s why in my personal opinion, having bad ideas is way better than having no ideas at all. Generate more ideas, be it good or bad. Learn from the bad, and keep the good. That way, you will eventually come out with few good ideas.

Well, easier said than done. If you want to do this, I think you have to let go of your ego for a while…. and feel that it’s okay to look stupid with all the bad ideas you come out with. Hopefully in the long run, you will learn to understand that there’s no idea which is bad….and someone who is willing to contribute ideas is always smarter than someone who does not contribute ideas at all.

No matter how much we hope we are perfect, the fact is nobody is perfect. And no matter how often we like to think we are geniuses like Einstein and Edison, we’re not. But fortunately, the good news is we’re not alone. Most people in this world are just like us – full of weaknesses.

And yet, some of them have been very successful in their life. It’s like they do not have much weaknesses to begin with. Oh, and what about those that have shortcomings or are less fortunate than a lot of us – learning difficulties, deaf, handicapped, mute, etc. Time and time again, people who are less fortunate have proved to us that they can be as successful (if not more) as well.

So what actually enables them to be so successful? What are the secrets/factors behind it? For me, there are only 3 main secrets or factors.

Luck – this is something outside our control but it is also something that we should be aware of. Just don’t pay too much attention to it.

Belief – this is very important because it helps to push you forward. Without having something that you truly believe it, you can’t go far.

Perseverance – never give up. Yes, sometimes it does pay off to give up but if there’s something that you truly believe in, you should not give up. Push on. If it fails, think of a different approach. Remember that Rome was not built in a day. It took a lot of hard work to build the entire city.

The last 2 points are very important and they go hand-in-hand with one another. If you do not have something that you really believe in, then just believe in yourself. Believe that you can accomplish the task at hand. Believe that you can achieve your ambitions. Believe in yourself because if all things failed you, you still have yourself.

And never give up. If you are not a genius or if you can’t learn things as fast as some other smarter people can, then work harder. If it takes other people just 8 hours to learn something, then you should work harder …maybe 10 or 12 hours to learn it up.

Also, bear in mind that most people prefer a hardworking + average person than a smart + lazy person.

Last but not least, I sincerely believe that being successful is not a myth and the opportunity to be successful in life is there for everyone to grab. The question is whether you have the belief and the perseverance to get it.

Hope it helps.

p/s….. some people said that i can pick up things fast, but to be honest, i do tend to spend longer time than some smart people i know. The way that I can remain competitive is to work harder.