In this information age we’re living in, we’re exposed to a lot of different products. The marketing guys have been cracking their head on how to make us spend, spend and spend. And some people go on to say that if we don’t spend, nobody is going to save the economy. So, SPEND ! Funnily, the same people who told us to spend, ended up saving a lot of money for themselves.

Anyway, it’s obvious that spending is wayyyy easier than saving nowadays. That’s the habit that has been instilled by the big corporations of the world. And that’s the habit which might pull us down if we’re not careful enough.

Some of us spend like there’s no tomorrow. We have ZERO savings and we never plan for the future. For some, they would say “tomorrow might not come, so why worry so much?”. But sad to tell you the truth, tomorrow will most likely come whether you like it or not. And tomorrow might even bring some nasty surprises for you – road accidents, theft, robbery, hefty medical bills, just to name a few.

Faced with all these nasty surprises of today, what would you do? Remember that they will get worse tomorrow, if you don’t solve them now. This is where all those money you’ve saved up come into the picture. There are times when we just need money to pay for urgent things like this. For example, if your son is down with fever (touch wood), and he’s not covered by any medical insurance, and you’re very poor. What can you do? Borrow money from a friend to pay for your son’s medical fee? Isn’t that pathetic? We’re talking about few hundreds, and you can’t even afford that!

Another example, I was accompanying my dad to see a doctor the other day. A couple looked very worried and sad when they came out from the doctor’s room. The girl was sick and the doctor told them to undergo an operation in the nearby specialist hospital. But they did not have the money and they were not covered by insurance. What would you do, if you were in that position?

Some of you might say “such unfortunate thing will never happen to me”, but how sure are you? We can’t predict the future. We can only learn to save for the future, just in case shit happens and we have the means to overcome them. So start planning and saving for your future. Think long-term. Do you really need to get that new car? Do you really need to spend so much on this dress? And, can you survive if one day, you’re being hit by a very serious illness (touch wood)? Can your dependents survive as well?

Think about it.

“If only I could be as rich as Bill Gates”.

“If only I could be as smart as Einstein”.

“If only I have as big a house as he has”.

“If only I could be like him….”

Most people like to think that way… if only they can be like someone else. If only they can have what someone else has.

Yes, all they do is to dream of having other people’s ability or luck. They never really think of themselves. Neither do they think FOR themselves. What do they really want for themselves? What do they really wish to achieve in life? What are their objectives in life? Questions like these are far more important than all the fake illusions of being someone else.

Also, it’s important for people to learn to appreciate themselves – their physical self, their talents, their abilities, their uniqueness. They might not be as rich as Bill Gates in terms of $$$, but they can be richer in some other terms. They might not be as artistic as Van Gogh, but they can be more artistic in some other areas as long as they believe in themselves. Yes, each of us has a role to play in this world. Van Gogh and Bill Gates have their own roles…so do you, as long as you….

… believe in yourself. If you don’t believe in your own abilities and keep hoping you can be like someone else, then the future does look bleak for you. Because in the long run, the person which you want to become so much, might end up becoming your biggest obstacle to your true self. You will be forever living under the person’s shadow and the biggest success you can ever achieve, is to be another “him”. I’m sure you deserve more than that.

So stop imagining and hoping you can be like someone else. Start believing your own self. Think what you really want to do in your life. Set up short term and long term life goals. Then work towards these goals.

Last but not least, just be yourself…. your unique self. You deserve to live in this world as yourself, not behind another person’s shadow.

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.

I told a friend via MSN just a few days ago that I am planning to move slowly towards business and managerial role. The friend (who is a recruitment agent), without hesitation, replied “You cannot do it“. I could feel my blood pressure shot up at that moment.

Yes, I was angry. Angry not because she told me I can’t do it. I do know my own capabilities pretty well and it’s obvious that with my current skills and experiences, I will not able to secure a managerial opportunity. This, I know clearly and probably better than everyone else. What I was really angry of was the way she replied me.

Imagine this, you have this big idea and have a solid plan on how to make it happen. Then you approached a friend, only to receive a blunt reply from him – “you cannot do it”. That’s very demotivating, isn’t it? I do understand that some people do seriously think that you cannot do it, but rather than pouring cold water on you, maybe it’s better to encourage you in a nicer way or at least explain to you why he thinks it’s a bad idea? Because at the end of the day, the reason you approach your friends and family members is to ask for their support or opinions.  Not to make yourself feeling more depressed and demotivated. That is why something such as “you cannot do it”, is the last thing you should hear from someone close to you.

The same thing should also be done when someone approaches you to talk about his plan, dreams, goals, etc. Be a good listener even if you cannot help. Just be there and LISTEN. If you feel like telling him what you feel about the whole thing, put it in a nicer way. Give your honest assessment and also some ideas as to how you think the person can solve the problems that you’re worried about. Don’t ever say “you cannot do it” or anything which holds no meaning other than to demotivate the person. Because if you want to demotivate the person, then you’re better off not saying anything because you won’t be helping the person at all.

I know that whatever I’ve said here is pretty obvious and anyone with common sense should be able to realize it. But I also know that to realize something and to do it at the same time, can be quite difficult for some people. For this group of people, they need to realize how much weight their words carry and what are the impacts their words have on the life of other people. If they sincerely want to help, then don’t demotivate people. If they don’t want to help, then just shut up.

Conclusion, I believe that friends and family members should always be there to help and support each other. If someone approaches you to explain his plans, goals and dreams, that means he trusts you and you should respect that trust. Help him out. Motivate him. Explain to him. If you cannot do all those, then the only thing you can do is not to demotivate him.

In the IT world, we have software/applications which come freely aka Open Source stuff. And then we have the evil side which will charge money for everything you intend to get. The war between these 2 monsters have been ongoing for ages now and it’s also quite a funny topic to talk about at times. For example, just the other day, my Australian trainer who was involved in one of the open source project (pretty big one) shared with us some of his past experiences in the project.

One of them happened 5 years ago. This particular open source project managed to catch up with one of the most expensive and popular tool in the world. It’s a very big achievement. But the problem is, the people within the group are so happy and proud of themselves, that 5 years later (now), they have yet to make any significant progress! They are still stuck in the same place 5 years ago! The big achievement 5 years ago has now become nothing….and yet, they are still there celebrating.

This happens in a lot of places especially in companies which have tasted success before. Some are afraid to improve, some don’t see the need to do so, and some are busy enjoying the taste of success. The same thing goes for individuals. Ever wonder what happened to those people who have won awards for certain achievements? Most of them failed to make any impact after that and disappeared into nothingness (though i must admit that sometimes, it is the public’s expectation which ruined them).

The issue with such companies and individuals is not that they do not have the talent or capability to achieve greater heights. The issue is that they never bother to assess (or reassess, for some of them) their position. Assessment is a very important thing to do in order to know where you are and where your next steps (goals) are. By doing that so, you can plan ahead. But if you’re not doing that, you might end up like the open source team – stuck in the past and never move forward. And it could be too late by the time you realized it.

So stop thinking about the fame and glory. Or if you’ve achieved something great before, stop thinking too much about it. It’s just an award to recognize your hard work, and not an award to tell you to stop improving. Remember that our world is moving at a very fast pace. Start assessing your position now and plan ahead before it’s too late to catch up.