Whenever I asked my friends what is their new year resolution, 8 out of 10 of them would answer “to earn more money” to which I would give a typical response – how much ‘more’ is your more?

I’m sure most of us have goals, be it for the new year or for our life in general. However, what we don’t realize is that some of these goals might not be achievable. These unachievable goals CAN be achievable, if only we make the finishing line less vague. Want to earn more money this year? How much more? 20k? 50k? 100k? Know what is the finishing line so that you can run towards that direction. Most importantly, know what you truly want.

Here are few examples:

• earn more money in 2010 –> saves up to 20k in 2010
• exercise regularly –> go to gym for workout at least 3 times a week and for 1 hour each session
• spend more time with family –> reserve weekends strictly for family
• eat healthily –> say NO to all junk food and tidbits. Go vegetarian for 3 days in a week
• spend more time with hobbies –> wake up 1 hour earlier each day, and use that 1 hour for the hobby
• lower down cholesterol level –> lower down cholesterol by 30%
• lose weight –> lose 3 kg in 2010

I know for certain cases, this can be pretty difficult but for most, it can be done. And I dare to say it’s better to do it this way so that we can track our progresses. Want to earn 20k in 2010? But only achieved 10k? Never mind, let’s push it to 2011 and mark it to 25k.

This also helps us to know where we stand, and whether our next goal is within our ability to achieve.

So go and have a look at your goals once again, and try to see if there’s any goal which is too vague for you to achieve. Change them. Be specific. Be clear. And always track your progress. Remember that without any progress, you will soon lose motivation to do anything. Good luck and hope it helps.

Just a few days ago (or was it last week? or the week before? I couldn’t remember), I mentioned to some people that the level of creativity among companies/corporations/businesses (and sadly, criminals as well) will rise in 2009 due to the recession. And my “wild guess” seems to be heading to the right direction as mentioned by this article – Recession = More Creativity + Higher Rates of Entrepreneurship.

Why is that so?

This is good!! Maybe we'll have an automated coffee machine as well?

Reason is simple. When everyone is having a good time in the good economy, there’s no reason why people should take such high risks and venture into something uncertain – when creativity and entrepreneurship are  concerned, it means uncertainty, even with a proper plan. People are willing to just sit down, relax, and enjoy the benefits and money that the good economy brings. After all, nobody is going to take their rice bowls away from them. And those competitors who try to be too creative? They’ll either perish before we know their name, or they’ll become very successful……….which is VERY RARE.

Well, that’s the assumption of most people anyway.

But when time is bad and economy has gone terribly wrong, some people will lose their jobs and some businesses/corporations/companies will be forced into a corner or a tight spot. Remember that I mentioned before, when one is pushed to a corner without anywhere to run……..one will be forced to take the risk which he/she was not willing to take few months before. Dire circumstances call for desperate changes. If they don’t change, they’ll just perish like the rest.

That is why when people have nothing more to lose (like jobless people), they will be willing to take up higher risks and be creative. Same goes for businesses and corporations because when the “normal way” doesn’t save them…….maybe the “abnormal way” will.

So expect to see more creative products (and sometimes useless) and ideas coming out in 2009. As consumer, let’s enjoy the ride. We deserve it! After all, our money is becoming a rare commodity in 2009!

“I like to move it, move it!” is a very popular phrase made by our cool animal dudes of Madagascar but to me, it’s not just plain talk. I’m going to make this one of my key phrases of 2009. To me, it means “Stop sitting around and move it !!”

I’m not sure whether you have the same feeling as I do. Every year, time passes by so very fast – too fast and every January 1st, we’ll sit down and realized that there’s actually not much progress/improvement from the year before. Not much have changed – except for wider waistline, more gray hair (lesser hair for my case), and maybe a decreasing value of financial net worth. Not very good eh? Maybe it’s time for us to step up a little and put a full stop to this? Just so that we will not be seeing the same thing (wider waistline, more gray hair and lesser money, again) in 2010.

So what are you gonna do to put a full stop to such routine? Eh, this routine can be quite costly since you only reflect on it once a year, not everyday.

Here are few ways which I can think of now (yaya, it’s 1st day of 2009, but that doesn’t mean you should relax and let your brain stop functioning for today. In fact, today is a very good day to plan ahead for 2009!).

• Break the normal routine. Feeling bored with your life? It’s all the same..everyday… how boring. Maybe it’s time to do something out of the ordinary? If you have never go for rock climbing, maybe it’s time to do it this year? Or if you are not the type who dares to speak out in meeting, maybe it’s time to change and be more outspoken? Life can be more interesting that way.
• Stop finding excuses. Ah…weather pretty bad…don’t feel like going for a jog. The project’s deadline is still far away…maybe we can relax first. Stop finding such lame excuses. If you are strong-willed enough, there will be no mountain too high for you to climb. It’s all up to you. So if you want to do something, stop giving excuses. If you don’t want to do it, then don’t think of it in the first place.
• Improve on the past. Not everything which happened in the past is bad. Maybe you can get some from 2008 and improve it this year? Maybe that idea of yours is good but it lacks the proper implementation. Maybe it’s time to start something solid in 2009?
• Remove those useless habits. Can’t get rid of those ugly habits like smoking and drinking? Maybe the question is not can or cannot, but do you want to get rid of them or not. Again, it’s all up to you. If you feel it is hurting you and the people around you (such as smoking), then stop finding excuses (oh, entertainment, social gathering, this and that)! Remove those useless habits now, in this year, 2009!
• Stop sitting around and act on it! Is there something which you really really want to do in the past but not able to do it due to some reasons or excuses? Maybe it’s time to take a look again and make it a reality this 2009! No point sitting around and waiting for the sky to fall. Time is not going to wait for you, neither is your age and amount of hair. So make it happen before your excuse become a reality (oh no, I can’t do that, I’m too old for that).

Simple eh? It sure is simple if you have the will to do it. Because at the end of the day, everything is up to you since it is your life. If you don’t want to waste another year of your life doing nothing much….like what you have been doing in the past few years…then maybe it’s time to move it?

As for me, there are many things I want to do. 2008 hasn’t been very good and I only managed to achieve 10-20% of my resolutions. But it’s time to put a full stop and move it. 2009 is gonna be a big year for me. If it’s not going to be good, just like the doomsayers (aka our economy experts) said, then it’s up to me to at least make my 2009 slightly better than the average.

So what are you waiting for? Stop sitting around and start making a move! Act now!

Ok ok..maybe just take this one day off since it’s new year.

Hope it helps!

p/s…. Curve’s firework was great last night. Not as great as London’s but well, one of the best I’ve seen in Malaysia. Hmm…i thought we’re having recession?

During my trip to South Wales, I was staying in this nice cosy hostel called the Old School Hostel. The hostel is owned by a friendly couple. The husband is a retired Railway announcer, those that report the incoming trains bla bla bla….not really sure the name for that job though. The wife is a school teacher. Both have grey hairs but they don’t look old at all. They look to be in their early 40s or late 30s.

Our first night there, the husband was busy showing off one of his favourite books to the other residents. It’s a book on space. They started debating whether human being actually landed on the moon. It was quite a funny conversation since some of them were quite stubborn Ah well, i didn’t join them. haha.

The next day, we went down for breakfast and met the couple again. My colleague started asking him what did he do for a living before this. So he told us his story and asked us what’s our occupation. My colleague said IT and he said “Whoa, that’s cool. Do you like it?”. My colleague said yes but i was kind of shaking my head in disagreement. Then the husband said “Oh, you don’t like it?” and my colleague said “He likes to draw and write story”. The husband said “Whoa, that’s amazing! You know what, you should always follow what you believe in. Keep your day job, and train up the artistic and creative side of you. Once you’re ready, push ahead in full force!”

And I can feel he really mean it.

Honestly…i didn’t expect that kind of response from a stranger. I believe he walked down that path before…from the way he said those words.

How many of us have actually lost track of our own life goals? How many of us have actually forget who we are? The world now is no longer the same like 10 or 20 years ago. It’s moving very fast and everyone needs to follow the pace. Some of us might focus too much trying to keep up to the pace….but maybe…just maybe… it’s good to just stop for a while and look at the world…….and look at yourself. What is it that you really believe in? Are you happy with what you are now? Or there’s still some emptiness in you that you feel you need to fill up?
I’m happy because i have a lot of things others don’t have. But I’ve yet to reach THERE…… and i’m finding my paths to go there. I hope that one day, I can be as happy as the owner of the hostel.

As for him, he looked very happy in the hostel. Perhaps it is his dream to run this hostel…to meet people from all over the world and provide a nice place for them to stay overnight.

But that’s him. What about you? Is there something that you really want to do in this world but you’re just not there yet?

This is the comic that I’ve been working for. It’s about purpose in life.

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p/s…i was planning to put in more comments on this but i’m in a hurry to return to my hometown for CNY. will update it later