But really, what do you think is the true definition of “success”? I believe it depends on people. Our world encourages us to think of success as being able to dress in branded stuff, drive big cars, live in big houses …… our world huh? well, more like how the salesman and the marketing people would love us to think. After all, that is the image they want us to have in mind, and the direction they want us to go, so that they can earn money from us. Otherwise, who would want to buy things from them? Perhaps that is also why there are so many commercials and advertisements portraying “successful” looking people with big cars, branded clothing, etc.

No, that is not how it should be. My definition of “success” is not about driving big cars, living in big houses or having power and authority over other people. My definition of “success” is more family and community related. I will regard someone as successful in life if the person takes good care of his/her family and also his/her own community.

However, the reality is that more and more of our most talented people are moving towards the finance sector because that is where all the money can be located. The false image of “success” which is tied to luxury stuff, is linked to one thing and one thing only – MONEY. That is why being the most rewarding sector, most people would prefer to go in and earn as much money as possible. They want to be regarded as “successful” by other people – not for their contribution to the community, but for their money.

Sadly, this is how our world is becoming. But I still strongly believe that it’s not hopeless. We still have some passionate people who prefer to remain as scientists, artists, craftsmen, etc. They don’t earn as much, but to me, they’re more successful than most people because of their contribution to the community. They are doing their best to improve mankind and that’s the thing which I respect the most.

So if you still think that “success” is related to money, then perhaps you should try to change the way you think.

Remember that each of us only passes through this life ONCE, and it is really up to us to either earn as much money as possible for ourselves, or to help this world a better place to live in especially for our future generations. It’s our call.

p/s…. I notice that my writing skill is becoming worse after staying away from blogging for about a week. Sorry if my sentences don’t seem to make any sense for you.

The sense of satisfaction goes to them. The credits go to them. And most importantly, the rewards go to them as well.

But do they really do everything by themselves? I seriously doubt so.

No matter how good a person is, even if he’s a genius, there’s no way he can accomplish something all by himself. If he is working on something alone and manages to complete it, he must have gotten the ideas from somewhere and someone must have taught him the skills to do so. If he did his own research and self-study, then someone must have came out with the tutorials and articles to assist him. So one way or another, someone must have helped him out during the whole ordeal.

That is why I personally feel that for someone to claim he did everything by himself, he must be living in his own world or he’s just plain selfish (or self-centered). In my opinion, we should learn to give credits wherever and whenever applicable. Don’t be stingy with it. Say thank you, show your gratitude and appreciation, and acknowledge the efforts made by others in helping us to be successful.

Yes, I must admit that it’s definitely easy to say “I did everything so I owe nothing to anyone” but….seriously, did you really do everything by yourself? You don’t live alone in this world, you know. So stop being so self-centered. Learn to acknowledge others.

p/s…. in case you’re wondering, this is not a rant post. just a post to ask people to be more thankful and learn to express their gratitude.

But there are cases where people who have failed try to make a comeback, only to be brought down again by the public. Well, how many times have you heard about failed entrepreneurs who could not land a job not because of their ego, but because of the fear which their interviewers have. “If this guy has failed in his own business, he’s probably a failure elsewhere too”. “He has failed before, I doubt he’s good”.

Somehow, a lot of Asian bosses have this kind of mentality – to stereotype failed entrepreneurs. =_=

To be honest, I feel there’s really nothing wrong with failures. In fact, failures actually help one grows and learns more than anything else – including success. Here are some reasons I can think of:

• People actually learn more by failing and not succeeding.
• When you’ve failed and are at the bottom, you can look up and see where you’re standing and where you want to go. If you are at the top, you can only look down, and you do tend to feel afraid due to the height. Thus, you become less adventurous. For example, big companies who become too cautious and afraid of changes, and end up being replaced by smaller and younger companies.
• Failures encourage you, and success fuels your ego. In other words, failures make you a humble person but successes can make you a proud person.
• People who are used to failures are not afraid of hiccups and obstacles. But people who are used to being successful can react quite differently.

Obviously, the pros far outweigh the cons here. But if you really want to look into it, then look at the type of failures and the reasons behind those failures. Why did the person fail? Carelessness? Being too adventurous? Bad luck? Or is it  something not so ethical? Identify the root causes and make the decision whether you can accept such failures, and whether you think the person could learn from such failures.

By the way, failing is good but sometimes, failing can also be very expensive. There are times when failure is not an option at all.

The important thing here is to plan for success but if things don’t go as planned, don’t worry too much. You will still gain something out of it. And if you’re a leader, always leave space for people to make mistakes because everyone can learn more by making mistakes. Penalizing someone who makes mistakes (not those ultra expensive mistakes) is a big NO these days.

Remember, creativity come out from making mistakes most of the time. If you penalize people for making mistakes, you are limiting people’s creativity and that could be the biggest mistake you’ve ever made.

In a way, it’s true that in order to be successful, one needs to work harder than usual. However, the meaning of the term “work hard” has often being misinterpreted. Most people think that working hard means you need to dedicate an awful amount of time into whatever that you are working on – be it your day job, personal projects, pursuing your dreams, etc. But that doesn’t take away the fact that each of us has only 24 hours a day (do tell me if you have more than that).

So what does this mean? It means your work life balance will be gone. You will spend more time in your work than other things. Your relationship with the people around you might become sour since you just do not have enough time for them. This is all because of one reason – you need to work hard in order to be successful and achieve your dreams..or at least, that’s what most of us believe in. If there’s no hard work, there’s no success.

But if you’ve been doing this all this while, I can only say “Good for you, but sorry to say that should not be the way”.

In my opinion, success should not be associated with the “hard work” that we all know. Perhaps it’s better if we redefine the term “hard work” to “100% focus“.

I notice that most often than not, people who claim they are working hard, are distracted by other less important things. They can spend 14 hours a day working on something, but in between that 14 hours, they basically spend 4 or 5 hours doing something which is entirely unrelated. Things like reading articles, nonsense emails, blogging or anything which is not directly in line with the direction. These things should be ignored. You can do them when you’re free.

So here’s the equation:

success = hard work

hard work = 100% focus

success = 100% focus

Remember that even if you are working 14 hours a day, it cannot be regarded as “hard work” if you are actually not giving 100% focus to the things that matter. So stop complaining to people that you need to work so hard (thus neglecting your work life balance) in order to achieve certain objectives. Start looking at what are the things that you normally do in that 14 hours. Cut out what is not necessary and focus on what is important. I am pretty sure that you can actually achieve work life balance again after that.

And replacing those unnecessary things with a proper work life balance (like accompanying your loved ones, or do some gardening, yoga, etc) is definitely a good thing to do.

Last but not least…… always remember that you are human and not a machine. Work life balance IS very important. So start focusing on the things that matter…get done with them and turn your attention to yourselves and the people that you care.

p/s…. and of course, luck, opportunities and circumstances also play an important role in achieving success. but that’s another topic altogether.

But seriously, I don’t quite understand about all these comparison thingy. What’s the big deal if you are driving a Proton and your good friend is driving a BMW? Does that mean he is leading a happier life than you? Does that mean he is more successful? Does that mean you should work harder so that you can drive a BMW as well? Or you just want to drive a BMW so that people will start to look at you with respect (and jealousy)?

Think about those questions for a moment and see if you can come out with some answers.

Besides asking yourselves those questions, there are 2 more questions which you should ask. 2 very important questions.

• Will owning a BMW give you long term happiness?
• What is the thing which matters the most to you? Is it the BMW or is it something else?

Answer those 2 questions truthfully. Now, try asking yourselves again, do you really think that the BMW is something you really really want?

If yes, good luck. End of story. You can continue with whatever that you’re doing now, including dreaming of the BMW.

If no, then you are on the right page and welcome to my world.

The thing about comparing with other people is that it is a never ending process which will only make you feel discontent with what you have. Some of my friends said that it is how they push themselves to higher limit. But in my opinion, this “higher limit” is not something which can be represented by nicer cars, bigger houses or the number of private jets. It is more like doing what you are passionate about or doing something which you strongly believe in, and be successful with it.

THAT is what I call “higher limit” – or what most people call as “successful”.

By the way, if you are a self-motivator, you don’t need any external factors in order to push yourselves further. Rather than comparing with other people, I believe comparing with your previous achievements would be a better option. But don’t ever forget about what you have currently. Appreciate it, be content and be grateful. Only push forward because of your need to improve yourselves as a person, not because someone else has bigger car than you do.

What we don't see, is the amount of efforts behind this stunt

It’s actually about how kids in rural areas of China start to learn Chinese acrobatic at a very young age. It shows their daily lifestyle and their training process.

It was quite sad actually. I found myself staring in disbelief. I really cannot believe the amount of pain and suffering these kids have to go through every single day and some of them are only 4 to 6 years old (4-6 years old kids in Malaysia are still busy playing game).

And yet, after all the tears, these kids push on….and on….and on.

Why? Because that’s their only path to success even though that path is covered by so many obstacles and the chances of becoming successful is close to zero.

Yet, they do not have a choice.

When you think about their situation and ours, it’s like heaven and earth. We’re like spoilt brats compared to these kids. People here always complain that they are not given enough opportunities to be successful but the fact is, it’s all there for us to grab. Just that we’re choosy and we are not willing to sacrifice. And when we really go and grab those opportunities, most people will just give up halfway.

Reason? It’s too difficult. It’s too tedious. It’s taking too much time. They need a life. It’s not fast enough to make them rich, etc.

And the list of excuses will keep on growing.

But the conclusion is this – people here give up too easily and that should not be the way.

Think about it. When was the last time you feel you want to pursue something, only to give up halfway through? Now, imagine if that is your ONLY path to success. Will you still do it?

Maybe we should start thinking that way and learn from those kids in China. Work hard towards our dreams and never ever give up easily. There will surely be plenty of obstacles along the way, but those should not be made as an excuse for us to give up.

And at the same time, appreciate what you have because you are a lot more fortunate than those kids.

Hope it helps.

Hmm, i think this is an award a lot of people can win

But that was many years back. Since then, there’s no sign of new “Best employer” award for the company anymore and I do wonder…has their standards dropped? If they’re still a good company to join, they should be able to win the awards after that. Why didn’t they?

Same thing goes for those companies who love to show off their awards. It’s fine if you’re showing off your new awards – those in the last few years. But if the awards are too old……well….just take them away since they’re no longer useful and by placing them as “decorations”, it might actually backfire. Unless you are getting those awards every year……from 2001 until 2009, and not just 2001 alone.

Because in my opinion, if you are really that good, you should be able to get those awards including the latest ones. If you only have the 2001 award…..it means that you’re not really doing that well for the past 8 years.

Or maybe you’re just not interested in those awards anymore – which I doubt.

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!

People tend to focus on the success (the one with glass casing) and neglect the mistake...but that's not actually the right thing to do. By the way, the guy is not me.

Well, not that there’s any problem with such content.

The thing I’m wondering about is that why isn’t there a motivational book which focuses on mistakes and mistakes only? Maybe there ARE such books but they are surely not that popular. Hmm, I thought learning about the mistakes made by others is actually more important than learning about how successful people become successful? After all, the ways to success can be quite different from one individual to another, but the mistakes to be avoided can be quite similar.

Furthermore, making mistakes do make us learn more so that we won’t repeat them. If that’s the case, isn’t it nice to know what kind of mistakes have been made by others in the past, so that we will try to avoid them or at least know what to do when we’re faced with them?

Unfortunately, this is not what most people want to know. People love to read about successful stories and idolize these successful individuals. The thought of Warren Buffett making some silly mistakes just doesn’t materialize in their mind. But is that true that Warren Buffett does not make silly mistakes? No. Everyone does at some points in their life. It’s just that others do not want to focus on the mistakes.

Besides that, it’s also because motivational books are meant to represent hopes. By reading these books, I do hope that I can be like these great and successful people. That’s why I need to read how they succeed which is something positive, and not how they could’ve failed due to their silly mitakes. That’s just too demotivating to read!

Demotivating it might…but they are still very useful in my humble opinion.

Hmm…maybe someone should come out with a series of books about mistakes and mistakes only. It’ll be nice to see the mistakes made by Steve Jobs, rather than how he became successful.

Source: www.chessbase.com

For example, during my school years, I participated in a lot of chess tournaments and if you are familiar with the game, you should know that each player has to plan ahead in order to predict what the opponent’s subsequent moves are. And sometimes, you might predict the opponent to move to A, so you moved to counter it only to realize that your move actually blocked off a lot of his plans unintentionally. I’ve done this before and what happened then was that this “move” of mine was supposed to block off his bishop…. and that was exactly what I have planned. However, the same “move” actually managed to block off his knight and pawns AFTER his next move. Did I plan for that? Not really since that latest move of his was outside my prediction (I wasn’t a very good player). My move just happened to block his pieces by accident. And my first response after his move was ……a wide grin (uncontrolled).

Yeah, the opponent was kinda pissed after that (because of my wide grin and his mistake).

Anyway, I believe this does apply to other parts of our life too – including our businesses, jobs, relationships, or any thing which is unpredictable. However, I must admit that good fortune does play an important role here because without it, even your so-called perfect plan (to achieve your goal) will not work.

So if you think all the great achievements in the world are planned to be that way since the beginning, maybe you can think again. And if you think your plan will only lead you to one and only one goal, you should think again too. But the most important thing which you must realize is …… without making that first step and without being there to see for yourselves, you will certainly not be able to get this kind of accidental achievement.

Last but not least, do remember to be flexible too because if you’re not, you will not be able to grab the opportunity which is in front of you…and the opportunity might be the one which will reward you with the accidental achievement.

To summarize, these are the things you need to do in order to stand a chance.

1. Plan what you want to achieve.
2. Change your initial goal to something higher.
3. Make that first step.
4. Be flexible and change your plan accordingly as you progress.

Hope it helps.

p/s…. I was debating with myself whether to choose great success/achievement or just “great things”. In the end, I got tired of arguing with myself and chose great achievement. Sorry if it’s actually a wrong choice of word.

p/s…. been really busy nowadays. Got involved in the social committee of my company (the only few survivors left in the commitee). Currently busy preparing for the annual dinner next Friday. At the same time, I’m rushing for a project. =_=