Most people do not want to work hard, and yet they want to achieve that big dreams of theirs – becoming a millionaire, running a successful business, achieving financial freedom, etc. To be honest, it’s close to impossible and they themselves know this. That’s why they resort to shortcuts. They want the easy way out.

Of course it would be ideal if we don’t need to work hard to achieve our dreams – minimal effort but tonnes of reward. Sounds cool huh? But sadly, the reality is that there’s no shortcut in this world. There’s no quick way of getting rich, no sure way to get 1st class honor, no easy way to win the girl’s heart, and no effortless way of starting a successful business.

Yes, you can argue there ARE shortcuts out there and some people have become successful due to these shortcuts. But how sure are you that’s really the case? Are you sure these people did nothing but using the shortcuts? No additional efforts at all? Most often than not, these success stories have been made up in order to make you believe in them. The truth is that these individuals did make a lot of additional efforts in order to be where they are now – and perhaps, making you believe them is one of the efforts.

And if there really are shortcuts, those shortcuts can be rather risky. For example, you can try to cheat in exam if you want to get first class honor. But you should also know that once you’ve been found out, you’re practically screwed and chances are, you will be left with nothing – not even your degree. So if you still think it’s worth taking the risk, then good luck.

Same thing goes for all the shortcuts that you wish to take. The risks are there and they can be quite big risks. Think about it and decide whether it is worth it to take such high risks, or just try your best and work for your dreams without taking any shortcuts. For me, working hard for my dreams sound like a more interesting and safer thing to do. Furthermore, I am not someone who believes in shortcuts. They just don’t seem to exist in my life (so far).

Few months ago, I went to this job interview with a local consulting firm. I’ve done my research on the company beforehand, and realized that the company’s operation is pretty much similar to Accenture’s. And that has made me even more curious about how the small consulting firm is planning to compete with a company as big as Accenture.

Here’s the question I’ve asked the interviewer during the job interview.

Alvin : Mr XYZ, I understand that this company’s operation is pretty similar to Accenture.

XYZ : *looks surprised* You’re right. We’re trying to be like the big boys in consulting world and one of them is Accenture.

Alvin : Hmm, I’m a bit curious here. How do your company actually differentiate itself then? Because without differentiating itself, the company is actually competing with Accenture, isn’t it?

Maybe that’s the finishing blow I gave because the interviewer failed to answer my question after that. And he got rather pissed at that last remark.

Actually, there’s nothing wrong for a small company to try and be like Accenture or any big companies for that matter. But for me, setting a company as your final goal also means you will never reach there. Remember the old saying “aim for the stars, so that you can land on the moon”? It’s like you set something as your final goal, and you work and work towards it but never manages to achieve that target. And even if you are the lucky few who managed to achieve it, what’s next then? Aim for something bigger than Accenture?

To be honest, if I were the client, I will ask myself these questions.

• What is so special about this company if compared with Accenture?
• Are they providing cheaper solution? If yes, how much cheaper? Will the quality be compromised? If it’s not providing cheaper solution, what makes them think I won’t go for Accenture instead?

Let’s face it. Most people want the original stuff as long as they can afford it. So the only bargaining chip you have here is to be cheaper. But how much cheaper do you want to go? I believe the last thing any company wants is to end up in a price war – red ocean, anyone?

So the next time you help to set your company’s goal, try to set something which is independent of any other companies. Again, I must say that it’s not wrong to do so. It just does not seem like the best way for me. I rather set goals like “becoming the market leader in the web 2.0 consulting world” or “integrating the world of legacy systems” or a simpler “becoming the leader in the niche market which the company is involved in”.

Compare those 3 with something like “becoming just like Accenture”….I think I rather chose the former 3. But that’s just my personal opinion.

p/s… For your info, I failed the interview. Guess my curiosity didn’t serve me well

p/s… By the way, a goal can be a direction and not the destination.

Then you should just give up. Because in this world, there is no such thing as a unique idea. The moment you managed to come out with what you thought to be a brilliant and unique idea, some other 30 or 40 people have already done it before you.

Let’s just face the fact. One can no longer come out with something entirely unique these days. If you are the type of person who is thinking of making that one big hit with that single unique and brilliant idea…then sorry to say, you might have to wait for a long long time before you actually start something (maybe, it’s going to take you forever like what happened to some people who waited all their life for that one big break-through idea).

Having said so, I do realize that there are still a lot of people who are trying to find excuses for themselves (and their friends) for not starting out. They always say that the ideas they have are not unique, or “someone has already done it”. So they will just continue to search…and search.

Now, before people continue to search (and wait) for that one big and unique idea..maybe people should just start on whatever ideas they have even if the ideas are not unique. Because at the end of the day, it is the execution and the implementation of the idea which matter, not just the idea itself.

Therefore, the question people should ask is not “How can I come out with a unique idea which nobody has done it before?” but “How can I execute or implement this idea better than the person who has already implemented it?”
p/s……..actually this post was written nearly 2 months ago. and it might be a bit different from my regular motivational posts. I just realized I’m running out of posts this morning. LOL. Hope you guys don’t mind.

A lot of people have been telling me that ideas are hard to come by, especially good ideas. For me, it’s not true. Ideas can come from anywhere, from anyone and at anytime.

Whether an idea is good or bad, that’s another question altogether. One would need to do a proper research to find out. The important thing is never to close down an idea without even thinking about it. There’s no such thing as a bad idea in this world.

Rather than thinking whether it is a good or a bad idea, I prefer to think of it from another perspective – whether implementing the idea is something I want to do, or something which is in line with my company’s direction.

However, if you’re still thinking how to come out with ideas……..well, just learn to be more observant. Something as simple as a normal conversation might trigger some ideas. For example, some of my friends always like to say things like “how nice if we have a Facebook application which can slap a stranger for harassing people” or “how nice if we have an online book store which always gives good discount on books”, etc.

Believe me, ideas are abundant. In fact, anything which can help someone fix a problem can be considered as an idea.

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!