General – Page 4 – World of Habits

December 31, 2019December 31, 2019

2019 at a glance

“Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” – Benjamin Franklin

Can you believe it, today is the last day of 2019. I told myself that I have got to complete sharing this blog before the year ends… I believe that everyone has their own achievements, near-misses and misses this year. We will only focus on the achievements as it is better and more positive, agree?

All right, let’s dive in to what I have achieved in 2019… the sharing is only for learning purposes and also for me to keep records (who knows one day, my children would like to know what their father has achieved in life… haha).

(1) Started Value Driven Resources S/B (VDR)

I have decided to be on my own again after a few years working with a training provider. More focus and doing what I aspire to do more based on my life purpose. Still partnering with the previous company I served and really enjoyed working with the team. Great bunch of people and friends. Like one of my mentors said, “In business, there is no forever enemies, competitors can be your complimentors… why compete when you can complete?”
Want to know more about VDR, please visit the website;
http://valuedrivenresources.com/

(2) New team building and workshop activities

Due to clients’ demands and requests… I have managed to design and create new activities. Interesting and some breath of fresh air into my training and facilitation sessions. Looking forward to using and improvising in 2020.

(3) New country – Nepal

One of my mentors have helped me to be part of a mission trip that has given me the opportunity to be in a new country. The experience was fantastic, learning their culture, lifestyle and the experience plus exposure… priceless! It’s a good country to visit, especially if you like nature and scenery.

(4) Completed Graduate Certificate studies

Taken this extra academic qualification enabled me to have new friends, contacts and widen my network. It also serves as additional credential to support me with my upcoming studies. No harm investing in yourself to upgrade knowledge and skills.

(5) New Coaching Camp

Thanks to the client for the request and because of that, I had the opportunity to design, create and run this new coaching camp. The management team and I had a great time in one of the finest retreat location to experience this Coaching Camp. We have leaders from various countries attending this coaching boot camp. Real life experience and best practices sharing. I definitely learned a lot from them. Thank you for the awesome opportunity and learning.

(6) Trainers’ Retreat

When I was with my previous company, I proposed to run this retreat or gathering of trainers and friends. After numerous attempts, it did not happen. Then one day, while sitting down with a fellow trainer friend and mentor, this topic came about and we just fixed the date then get some great friends together for this retreat. We have a lovely time, experience sharing and of course, great food plus memories! The retreat was organised in Kampar, Perak. Planning to have another one in 2020.

(7) Recorded Podcast with a friend

A good and close friend of mine presented this opportunity to me to record a podcast with him. I am really honoured and glad we did it. I believe we will be having more episodes in the coming future. Please do support us and listen to the podcast (any inputs will be welcomed, as we are consider in our infant stage of recording);
https://theblackbeltmillionaire.com/category/podcast/

(8) Helped my mentor to setup Power Speaking Dynamics blog site

One of my great mentors, Mr. Edwin G. Johnson wanted to leave a legacy to help people with speech and presentation. He shared the idea with me and he gave me the opportunity to help him create a blog site… feel free to read his blogs and sharing;
http://www.powerspeakingdynamics.com/

(9) New providers as partners in business

I appreciate great network of friends… they have introduced me to a few new partners and fantastic opportunities. We are going to have good working journey as partners. I believe in long term business and partnerships. Thank you for the wonderful opportunities.

(10) Overseas holiday with wife and kids

Thank God for the awesome memories and time together with my wife and kids. We had great time internationally and locally. Time well invested together.

(11) Facebook Page – Lai lim kopi!

After my various journey in work / play… good food, new places and especially delicious yummy coffee… the experience has led me to create a Facebook page to share with friends on coffee / tea drinking (though the name of the page is based on coffee… I also drink tea and have friends who like drinking tea). Please visit the page and like… spread to all your friends who like to drink coffee / tea;
https://www.facebook.com/lailimkopi/

Have a great year 2020 and beyond. Be happy, healthy and create great memories.

“A goal properly set is halfway reached.” — Zig Ziglar

“Your habits, your future!”

December 23, 2019December 23, 2019

2020 Habits Resolution

“How few there are who have courage enough to own their faults, or resolution enough to mend them.” – Benjamin Franklin

2019 seemed to be passing us fast and 2020 is just around the corner. As new year is approaching, lots of people will be looking into their new year’s resolution. As for me, yes, I do have my 2020 goals and this blog today, is not about my goals.

Recently, I have sent out a survey with the three -(3) questions below:

What is the one habit change goal that you want to achieve in 2020?
How do you plan to achieve the goal? What strategies and action steps that you are going to take?
What challenges do you foresee in your journey to achieving the goal?

I have to thank my group of friends who have taken their time to complete the survey. I will not be sharing who they are to respect their identity and I do believe that it will be good to share their response for others to learn from it. My sincere gratitude and please find the contribution to benefit the readers as enclosed.

(1) What is the one habit change goal that you want to achieve in 2020?

– Daily light exercises and swimming at least once a week.
– Taking time for daily prayer.
– Overcome procrastination.
– Waiting for the right time Habit —-> Just do
– read more books
– Be empathic leader
– To wake up at 6am
– procrastination
– More exposure
– Conscious choices: With eating (vegetarian), Active lifestyle (workout weekly), Education ( leadership courses/studies), Community (volunteering)
– Remove self-doubt
– Breakthrough business goal and keep doing exercise to maintain good health.

(2) How do you plan to achieve the goal? What strategies and action steps that you are going to take?

Note: the answers below are related to the response from question #1.

– Involve my spouse for support and as an accountability partner.
– Awake early in the morning, and start my day in prayer. I’ll need to go to sleep earlier to be sure to get enough sleep.
– breaking down bigger tasks to smaller ones that are achievable and focus on now instead of tomorrow. start with smaller ones.. even a simple task.
– Forget everything, just do and learn from mistakes
– to wake up early to finish books.
– 1. Involve myself in CSR allow me to slow down and give space . 2. Listen empathically and understand message behind
– To wake up earlier than usually, I need to sleep earlier (11pm)
– setting deadlines
– Training & Development. Enough time to speed out the internal & external.
– Accountability Partners, sign up for courses, go to group workouts, sign up for volunteer work.
– Track my past records, list it down and place it where I can see it. Do self-reflection on the records, have a sense of gratitude and thankfulness on how God has blessed me all this year. Reaffirm that in my mind and remove any room for doubt.
– Remind myself should do all things with the best effort, learn from books, experts, and discipline

(3) What challenges do you foresee in your journey to achieving the goal?

– Procrastination, loss of momentum.
– Being consistent and not being disrupted by travel.
– this habit is 20 years old… it’s gonna be quite a challenge
– Lose some gain some
– not waking up early
– 1. Patience
– Sometimes there will be dinners and possibly late meetings that might prevent me from achieving this goal.
– other issues coming in
– Limitation of internal capable staff.
– Influences, time management, commitment.
– Self-demonising and sell myself short
– VUCA WORLD, AI & technology can change to the way we work, change the customer habit on buying and using services (can be online learning, more practical, short training – 1/2 day and doing quarterly). Companies can cut down working time of HR, using more automation, work from home, so skills for employee can be shifted to adapt to virtual interaction, …

“Knowing is not enough; we must apply. Willing is not enough; we must do.” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

There you go… it is never easy to work on the goals that we want. It makes it more meaningful when the goal is hard and you achieve it. The key here and a reminder to myself, I need to keep going, do it until I achieve what I need to and rest if I must but keep moving forward…

Have a great year 2020 and beyond.

“Your habits, your future!”

October 7, 2019October 7, 2019

Life of a Trainer, Facilitator and Coach (Survey)

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” – Soren Kierkegaard

Last year I did a survey (for fun) to get some inputs from my friends who are in the professional development industry. Their experience as a trainer, facilitator and coach / mentor are ranging from two -(2) to twenty five -(25) years. I have a lot of respect for them and I am glad that they are my friends. Thank you for all your inputs… you know who you are!!

At times, I received some questions on how to be a trainer or coach and I look forward to this sharing to answer some of that questions that one has pertaining to this industry. Well, you can always invite my friends or me for coffee to discuss or brainstorm further…

Without further delay, please find outcome of the survey…

(1) Why are you doing this?

To leave a legacy behind that I have touched and transformed people positively worldwide.
As a Coach I can support young people to find their life purpose and develop their competency to success in VUCA World.
I love doing this because my passion is to impart knowledge in the most simple, engaging and connected manner.
Doable Business
My passion and helping people
Passion
Self-satisfaction, Giving Back to Society
Is something I am passionate about and a journey of learning for both.
Out of passion
To inspire people to do their best to strive
it fulfills my passion of helping people think better

As for me, my life purpose is “To inspire and develop leaders to reach their highest potential, for God.”

(2) What is the most memorable experience in training or coaching? (feel free to share more than one)

After more than 15 years people still remember on the impact I created in their life
When people say that I make them feel great about themselves
When people say that they become better because of my teachings
I helped an entrepreneur of a construction company to turnaround his business by just developing the leader inside him (learn how to lead self, influence people, listen more and treat employees the way they want by learning their love languages). And this is a volunteer project for SME community.
When your participants give you a round of applause not only at the end of the training (usually 2 days) but at the end of the first day! Nothing beats that feeling of satisfaction.
The feeling of HIGH @ the end of program
When participants/clients change for the positive, and appreciative of our coaching/training
Seeing lives transformed for the better
Your participants remembering you , when it has slipped your memory
When I know I have made some difference in the organization striving for betterment
I remember the first time my participant told me that it made his life better, at work and with his family… the joy I had to continue my journey as a trainer/coach/sharing/mentor was a breeze.
1. The person coached performed outstandingly and received a double promotion.
2. The whole branch performance turned around from red to black within 3 months when the HQ management gave them 1 year.
3. 14 bank branches increased sales in all their identified weak portfolios in less than 2 quarters with a minimum increase of 25%. The list goes on……..
Participant remembered what you taught them and applied practically in life and workplace
When I got feedback from a participant how she applied the insights and also share the insights with her colleagues who also benefited from the learning

As for me, all of the above and more, when you know are able to make a difference in lives… every session is different and not everyone in that session will apply what they learned. I am just looking for one person, one life to inspire… I trust there will be one every time!

(3) What is your favourite quote?

Choose to Lead, once a while learn to follow
“Live a life you want. Do not care too much on how people think about you”~ my quote:)”
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment” Jim Rohn
Knowing is not doing
For things to change for you, you have to change first yourself.
The purpose of life is to live a life of purpose.
“We are all learners, and that is the way to grow positively”.
Too many to recall. 8 truth of life by Abdul Kalam is a good guide for me
All that is not given, is lost!
Follow Your Passions And Success Will Follow
The purpose of the body is to carry the brain

My favourite quote will be the quote I share with everybody… “Your habits, your future!”

(4) Who are your role models?

Jesus Christ, MGR, Konosuke Matsushita, My Parents, My wife
Jeff Bezos; Warren Buffet; Steve Jobs
Barrack Obama – His Leadership Traits Anyone with patience and perseverance
Myself
Mother Theresa, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jack Ma
Jack Canfield, John Maxwell, Robin Sharma, Marshall Goldsmith, Dr Peter Chee and others.
My First Head of Department (1977)
My prophet
I am my own
Tony Robbins
My parents

I have many role models, Jesus Christ, my parents, my mentors, coaches, my wife and even my kids… I am really learning from them!

(5) What are the titles of your favourite books?

How to win friends and influence people
How to stop worrying and start living
Think and Grow Rich
Coaching & Mentoring for Breakthrough Success; Value Investment; The Power of Think Difference; Sapiens.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People – Stephen Covey
How Successful People Think: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life – John Maxwell
Purpose Driven Life
Simplify, The Power of Habits, 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, Mindset…etc
Too many to recall….To Kill A Mocking Bird . My Family & Other Animals.
Quran
A balance life Nutrition immunology by Dr Chen
Art of war
You’ll See It When You Believe It.
Change your habit Change your world
Mindset, Start with Why, Leaders Eat Last, Rewire

Mine will be… easy… all of the above, haha!

(6) Any advice or tips for one who wants to start as a trainer or coach?

Pursue excellence in training by being a role model
You must love what you do and do what you love.
Be genuinely passionate about everything you do… and you will see the miracle happen.
Be transparent and creative
If you aren’t passionate enough, and wanting to be a coach or trainer because you see/admire/envy others having the income or the lifestyle, then don’t do it. You must have the love for people in order for you to go far in this industry. Also, it starts from yourself. You need to keep learning, improving and change. Role modeling and walking the talk is very important.
Educate yourself first.Open Minded, Live Long Learning
Match it with your passion. Training can be in many areas
Have a whole lot of passion.
Love what you do and do what you love!
Doing what you are passionate about is more important
Know what you want to focus and excel in and why you want to do it

If you do it as your work, it will be tedious… if it’s play… everyday is a fun day!

“Difficult and meaningful will always bring more satisfaction than easy and meaningless.” – Maxime Lagacé

“Your habits, your future!”

August 22, 2019

Leadership branding

“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently.” – Warren Buffett

How do you want people to remember you?

This question will be one of the many questions I asked in the leadership workshop. The moment someone mentioned your name, what will be the first few traits or identity that come into their minds? More positive or not so positive?

I believe that building your own leadership branding will take time and it’s a journey to be consistent and maintain a great brand. It also serves as a good reminder for us to ensure we are practicing what we are preaching. It all boils down to integrity.

“You can’t build a reputation on what you are going to do.” – Henry Ford

Yes, another profound statement by Sir Henry Ford, intention alone may not be enough, we need to put into action should we choose to build our leadership brand.

The key areas to a great leadership branding, based on numerous interactions with leaders from around the region are as listed below;

Self-Leadership, leading others, emotional quotient, communication with others (the manner), how we make people feel after they have interacted with us…

One of the videos I have watched (introduced by one of the MNC leaders) mentioned the following process…

Character —> process —> results

Based on the process, the gain results and to sustain is to focus on the process. Once we get the process right (mastery and habits), the results will come automatically. Thus, to build our leadership branding, we need to work on how we are being, doing and getting it…

Our reputation and how we carry ourself when dealing with people (best is to stay true to ourselves), to strife by living your own brand (be comfortable in your own skin) and build good mindshare of others on you, and that is how I believe we can practice our differentiation (any how, we are unique).

How can we then work on building our leadership branding? We can make use of Deming’s PDCA model…

Plan, do, check, act

Plan; to me it means plan your own strategy and goals on your leadership branding.

Do; action and execution of your strategy and goals…

Check; what is the outcome from your action? How do you feel and what is the learning?

Act; fine-tune on the outcome and learning. It’s all in the details… a little bit goes a long way… the back to planning – setting your sight on your own improved version. Bigger and better… continuous improvement; Kaizen!

Recently while working on this leadership branding topic for my blog… I came across an article from Harvard Business Review;

The title of the article is as follows;

Define Your Personal Leadership Brand in Five Steps by Norm Smallwood

After reading it, I have picked up some good points that I would like to share with you… also my answers as example ?

1. What results do you want to achieve in the next year?

In the next 12 months, what would you like to see and experience with…

clients and partners;

My answer: Value in new approach, new topics, improved delivery

Own organisation;

My answer: Additional clients, new products, certification, partners

Community;

My answer: Serving with more CSR, charity,

Inspiring and developing leaders to reach their highest potential for God.

2. What do you wish to be known for?

Willingness to share, genuine and reliable

Innovative, ethical, fast and accurate

3. Define your identity

Dynamic, Integrity, Ownership, Nurturing

4. Construct your leadership brand statement, then test it.

“I want to be known for being ______________ so that I can deliver __________.”

I want to be known for being generous, ethical, dynamic, accountable so that I can deliver value to people that I served for the best memories of my life.

• Is this the brand identity that best represents who I am and what I can do?

• Is this brand identity something that creates value in the eyes of my organization and key stakeholders?

• What risks am I taking by exhibiting this brand? Can I live this brand?

5. Make your brand identity real

Being true to myself. Living my own legacy. Designing my own life as my leadership branding.

And my final thoughts,

Consistency is key.

“Your habits, your future!”

August 4, 2019

Communication habits

“Communication is the response you get…”

The quote is one of the NLP presuppositions that I have learnt from my certification program. Yes, we communicate everyday and we get all sorts of responses as well.

Another favourite of mine is…

“You cannot NOT communicate!”

During my training workshops, I will ask the participants (especially to those who are married)… “what will happen if you do not communicate with your spouse for a week?”

Most of them will answer… “you will sleep outdoor…” “that’s the end of you…” haha all interesting answers.

In this blog, I would like to share some good communication practices and habits.

Please feel free to share your thoughts as I believe I am still learning and we are in this learning journey together.

Here it goes…

being congruent

How are you being consistent with your words, the way you say it and body language? Are you in harmony with your intention and action?

Trust is congruence between what you say and what you do. – Peter Drucker

Attunement

When communicate with others, how aware are you with their responses? How is the receiver learning? What method will be effective for them to learn faster? Visual, Auditory or Kinaesthetic?

We each have a sixth sense that is attuned to the oneness dimension in life, providing a means for us to guide our lives in accord with our ideas. – Henry Reed

Listening

How are you listening?

We can learn from the late Stephen Covey… “listening with the intent to understand…”

it will be challenging to listen effectively when you have filters. We start judging and jumping into conclusion… definitely not helping us nor achieving good rapport with the speaker.

Awareness and mindfulness to perfect practice empathy… listening to emotions in the tone and physiology… may not be easy at first, it requires a lot of conscious effort plus practices to make it into a good habit.

Empathy and social skills are social intelligence, the interpersonal part of emotional intelligence. That’s why they look alike. – Daniel Goleman

5 second rule

Happened to come across this learning from the book… “To sell is human” by Daniel Pink. A good book to read for leaders. https://www.amazon.com/dp/1594631905/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_t1_alMrDbZZH9BHC

In summary, let’s wait for 5 seconds to ensure that others have finished with what they have to say… then we can reply. Pause and silent is one of the powerful tools in communication.

Silence is one of the great arts of conversation. – Marcus Tullius Cicero

Ask one question at a time

Our brains works fast and we may have lots to say or ask… to be effective, learn to focus on one question at a time. Let the receiver understand and internalise what you are asking, let them have the opportunity to answer with better comprehension of your question.

Avoid asking “nested questions”… question within a question or too many questions at one go…

The successful warrior is the average man, with laser-like focus. – Bruce Lee

It’s the manner not the matter

Communication is how we deliver the message not only the message nor it’s meaning.

Even if it’s not so good news delivered in a right manner, trumps good news delivered inappropriately…

Better good manners than good looks. – Proverb

Avoiding sarcasm nor assumptions

Usage of words and how you say them is important. What I’ve learnt when providing feedback and not to sound sarcastic nor implying that the receiver is at fault… usage of “I” rather than “you” will be recommended. “You” sounded more like placing the person as the attention of the conversation and may cause them to feel at fault.

Ask questions, don’t make assumptions. – Angela Ahrendts

Begin and end with positive

Imagine when you start on a journey with positive… a good start and everything will be better… the feeling will be great too. Then finishing off with positive as well… WOW! I don’t know about you, for me… that is truly recommended and ideal in any situation (most of the time…).

Let’s do our best to start and end with positive. People will be more appreciative and should we be consistent with that practice, it becomes our brand as a positive communicator.

Communication – the human connection – is the key to personal and career success. – Paul J Meyer

Feel free to experiment the sharing above and let me know how it goes… looking forward to your success!

“Your habits, your future!”

July 12, 2019July 12, 2019

Thinking habits

Today is kind of special as it’s my first time using the WordPress app to write this blog… enjoy reading!

“The secret of living a life of excellence is merely a matter of thinking thoughts of excellence. Really, it’s a matter of programming our minds with the kind of information that will set us free.” – Charles R. Swindoll

We are constantly thinking and some of us are overthinking. My mentor used to tell me… “Dion, overthinking kills!”

Truthfully, till today, I am still thinking and I’m not asking anyone to stop thinking… just be mindful and practice Awareness on what are we thinking of?

What thoughts do you have in mind? More of positives or negatives? What’s the pattern? Being aware is the key to start changing.

For some of us, we are concern about how others are thinking of us… frankly speaking I believe people are only interested in themselves. So do not worry too much on how people think of you as they are busy thinking of themselves!

Thinking can help us to decide on what’s Important versus urgent. Guiding us to prioritise our activities and helping us to achieve our goals.

“Positive thinking is a valuable tool that can help you overcome obstacles, deal with pain, and reach new goals.” – Amy Morin

After reading some articles on thinking habits, I would like to share some key learning points I have gotten on good practices. Here we go…

1. Awareness about our thinking

First things first… Awareness before change as whatever we think and feel affects our attitude leading to our action and behaviour making our habits… if there is a pattern you realise that is not helping you, time to change.

2. Decide to have open mind to learning continuously.

Expand our understanding… find new topics and things to learn. Invest some minutes leading to hours to learning new things, reading value adding articles / books… there are endless learning tools out there, just have to start learning… pick one that you can start with.

3. Think agility, be flexible

There is a need to avoid being judgemental, accept different perspectives and viewpoints… be neutral and listen first… consider new ideas… then gauge whether they are align with your values. Flexibility trumps rigidity!

4. Humour helps

Humour is a good catalyst to positive emotions and vast thoughts… being too serious and over-thinking will affect our creativity. Humour helps us to be more productive and contributes to stress management. How can you start being humourous?

5. Empathy… Seek to understand

We need to practice more empathy… connecting and relating to others via listening. Listen with the intent to understand (as the late Stephen Covey mentioned). It is a skill that needs to be developed and done deliberately at first. And one day… it will be automatic.

6. No right, no wrong…

If you think it’s right, you are right… if you think it’s wrong, you are right!

When you read an article, the writer is just expressing via his/her own understanding, knowledge, experience and views… if needed, do your own research. If you do not agree, learn to voice your opinion and decide your own stand.

7. Imagination is more powerful than knowledge

Like Albert Einstein, we need to start dreaming, fantasising and think about the possibilities… keep visualising and be flowing with creative juice… do not let the dream stealers rob you of your greatest ability to imagine…

8. Be amazed and appreciate life which if full of wonderment

Discover and go with your passion. What are the things that make you feel amazing? Be in the moment to feel good creating memories. Today only comes once in your lifetime.

9. Risk if you need to…

Like what we have been exposed to the phrase… “no risk, no gain…”

Anyway, everyone’s risk appetite is different. To grow, you need to venture out of your comfort zone… unknown territory and not sure what you are going to get yourself into… whatever it is, it may not have to be a gamble. Set SMART goals that are meaningful to yourself and stretch your own limit. Great if you can think big and have a responsible plan to achieve the goals! And if you can find people who can help to support you… that’s a bonus!

10. Focus

There are so many distractions in our lives today. How can we learn to be more focused? We can start by praying or meditating, anyway that works for you. We as humans can only do what we can do… the rest will be up to God! What is stopping you from this thinking that you are not able to change? Take action to make it your habit!

I have this believe that someone has done it before… it’s a matter of how we can reach out to that someone and learn for him/her.

“There is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so.” – William Shakespeare

“Your habits, your future!”

June 30, 2019June 30, 2019

My mission trip reflections

The mission team… arrived and ready to serve!

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

This month I have decided to share this one blog on my mission trip reflections. My second mission trip to West Kalimantan since the last trip in 2017. There is so much things to learn as we serve others. This trip has made deeper impression on me and please find my reflections as below:

What I have learnt?

It is important to be fit and healthy to travel, how can we serve others when we are not fit. That is why we need to take care of ourselves before taking care of others. We cannot give what we do not have, in this case, strength, stamina and ability to help others in anyway that we can.

What we have planned for may not turned out as how we want it to be. We have to expect the unexpected. We can plan and prepare so much and when the rubber meets the road… the situation may differ. Just be flexible, enjoy the journey, stay calm and learn as much as we can.

Everyone has their own struggles, and what we can do is to help as much as we can, avoid judging others and do not burden others with your own troubles and hurts.

Simple actions can impact people without you knowing it. Do what we can, with what we have, wherever we go…

Be prepared mentally for unforeseen circumstances and be flexible to change. “Blessed are those who are flexible as they will not be bent out of shape!”

“Some of our finest work comes through service to others.”
– Gordon B. Hinckley

One of the workshops I helped to conduct with my mentors…

The villagers may not have much and they are devoted to worship. Really love their faith and especially the children.

Self realisation:

I really need to be consistent in my fitness regime, it may not be easy to follow the schedule… just need to be creative and do what I can to be in shape!

All the answers are in the bible; in my opinion, a lot of people are searching via worldly things and relying on other people… when all that we are searching for, is in the holy book. I will need to be more diligent in reading the bible.

Pay attention to details and the rest will be in place accordingly. It may not be easy to ensure everything runs like a well-oiled machine and when we do, all things will fall in place. Better for everyone and especially myself.

Give the best that I can; with who I can be, what I can do and what I have. The key is to giving without expecting anything in return (no expectations) and we will be happier plus meaningful.

Be generous and have abundance mentality. The more we give, the more we get… it may sound illogical… at times in life, there is no logic, no need to think too much. Just do it… Now!

Devotions as a habit… as food is to our physical body, we need food to our soul and spirit. We are what we eat… and input to our brain.

Be patient with others; never underestimate anybody. Everyone has their own strengths, talents, ability, experience and they contribute in their own ways. Who are we to judge?

Experience helps to make us better and in the know. Should any similar events happen again, we are ready for them and know how to deal with them. Life is an adventure, get as much experience as we can. Make more mistakes, learn from others and we will be wiser.

“Being of service to others is what brings true happiness.”
– Marie Osmond

This is where we conduct our teambuilding for the hospital staffs. What a view!

One of the groups for the teambuilding session. We ROCK!

There were a lot of photos and videos taken for the trip. It is not possible for me to showcase everything in this blog. If anyone of you is interested to know about the mission trip, please contact me and we can have coffee with me sharing stories with you… some are really funny.

Looking forward to serve more and may God bless the people in West Kalimantan.

“Your habits, your future!”

May 30, 2019May 30, 2019

Habits of Getting Organised

“Organizing is a journey, not a destination.”

The other day when I was having a meeting with my friend and also accountant, I realised that I really need to learn to be more organised. I believe there are a lot of benefits when we are more organised.

Some of the benefits of getting organised are:

Reduce the feeling of having too much and overwhelmed.
Get more done in less time.
Having a sense of control.
Better branding for self-leadership.
Less clutter, less stress.
Calm and more relaxed, knowing where things are.

Then I sat down and started thinking about this topic on “Getting Organised”… And I came up with the diagram below or more of a doodle.

Let’s start from the top left…

Set up an information centre for work and family; something like a notice board to remind on certain actions or activities… road tax renewals, bills and all of that sort. It can be a magnetic white board or the pin-up type of board. At least when any of your family members want to refer to certain important information, they have a central point of information.

Remember to back up your files and important documents; photos, videos and scanned copies of documents. For photos and videos, you may consider Google Photos (unlimited space if you save to their default type or quality), if you do not mind putting in a cloud system. Some people may have the thought on privacy… or you can setup your own storage systems and make it exclusive for your own access.

I do not know about you… every time I do housekeeping (clean up) of my table or closet… the after effect is really fantastic! A sense of achievement and control plus getting rid of stuffs that are taking up space. At times you may find things that you thought are lost… interesting. Schedule some time to do housekeeping.

Use web or mobile Apps to help you to get organised. My favourite will be Google Calendar for all my activities, appointments and reminders. Trello as my to do and project info app and notes in my phone to keep important information that I can refer to when needed. I am sure there are a lot of great apps out there. What are the apps that you use? Please share with me, so that I can learn to use the app as well.

Certain tasks can be delegated. Before delegating, we have to ensure that the person we are delegating the task to, knows what to do and is ready to take on the load. Show concern by following up and have constant communication (not micro-managing) to see if any help is needed.

According to David Allen from his book Getting Things Done…

https://gettingthingsdone.com/books/

You can find out more about the book from the link above 🙂

Anything that can be done in 2 minutes or less… do it NOW! Be productive and just do it, not procrastinate.

Keep inventory of your stuffs… books, gadgets, cables, work props, etc. Before buying any extra stuffs, go through your inventory check list. Practice the “one in, one out” approach. Anything that you are going to buy, before buying, get rid of one item first… (I am still building my habit around this, not easy and it really make sense!)

To add-on to inventory, when you have stuffs in boxes… it will be a good practice to label the boxes on what is inside the box. Labelling can help us to be more organised and knowing how to group the stuffs that can be grouped in the same box or area.

Make your life simpler by UNSUBSCRIBING the newsletters, emails or marketing campaigns that you do not really read or want to waste time on. Just learn to say no and you will be surprised by how much time you can save in doing that. Not to worry, you can subscribe again to any of the ones you have unsubscribed earlier, correct?

Last night, my wife mentioned to me that there is a lady (that she followed in Instagram) who practiced having a box by the door and anything that she feels she is not using often or want to give away, she will put them in the box and when the box is full, she will donate the things away. Learn to discard and donate the things that you do not really use. Make some other people who need the things happier.

There is a place for everything… make it a good habit to allocate places for your things. Example; wallet, watches, spectacles, keys… they have their rightful place. I save a lot of time and have a peace of mind, knowing where the things are…

Getting organised, in my humble opinion, starts from PLANNING. Having clear thoughts, putting it on paper (will make it clearer) and having a check list to pack for travelling helps to avoid not having important things for the travel… like one of my mentors shared with me, “a short pencil is better than a long memory…”

Anyway, as we are humans, we may some times overlook certain things… just enjoy the journey and learn to better continuously. Start with one or two tips above and discover how your life can be better by being organised. I am also learning to be more organised, let’s DO IT TOGETHER!

“For every minute spent organizing, an hour is earned.”

“Your habits, your future!”

May 11, 2019May 11, 2019

Travelling Habits

“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.” – Andre Gide

Due to my work, people have this perception that I travel a lot… in actual fact… I do travel and not as much as some other people. My wife is the one, who loves to travel for holiday, for me… I travel when I need to.

This blog is dedicated to you if you travel often for leisure or work. I believe there are some learning and sharing here for everyone.

“Remember that happiness is a way of travel – not a destination.”
– Roy M. Goodman

Please find the important and good habits that I wish to share with you as below. If you have any other great habits to share, please comment. Thank you and happy travels

(1) Save a copy of your original travelling documents

Scan or photocopy your passport, identification, tickets, hotel bookings and any important documents that you need for this trip. Upload them somewhere you can access when needed; not only in your phone. Just in case if you need them.

(2) Be early

It is a good habit to arrive early. You never know, how many people are travelling that day. It happened to me at least once where I was travelling with one of my partners and due to he was late, we cannot checked in and have to buy new tickets. Be prepared for any unexpected events and when we are early, we can handle the issues with more time minus the anxiety.

(3) Bring a sweater, jacket or scarf

Bring one that is lightweight and have it with you in your hand-carry / laptop bag. At times when the airport or plane has less people, it can be cold. Be stay warm then get yourself catching cold (really hate it when I have runny nose!).

(4) Pack essential medication and vitamins

Have your supplements and medication (not asking you to pack the whole pharmacy… just the essential ones that you normally need). Stay healthy and remember to eat your vitamins… and choose your meals wisely and keep them balanced.

(5) Review your travel plans and packing list

Good to plan your travels and what you need to bring with you. You do not want to over-pack nor under-pack. I believe that when we plan (with the help of visualization), we can pack better. For business travels, at times, some hotels will bundle laundry services as part of the package, thus, less clothes to bring – travel light is definitely preferred. Remember your adapters, cables, chargers and battery packs / power bank (cannot check-in, have to be in your hand-carry bag).

(6) Keep your healthy and wellness habits

Travelling is not the reason for not exercising nor eating healthy. We always have the choice. Please make the right choice – this also serves as a reminder to myself… some times it gets really hard to adapt to new places and practicing our routine. Just do our best to stick to the good habits.

(7) Spend wisely

If you plan to go for any shopping, please do some research and compare pricing. Remember to give yourself a budget on how much you can spend. Prevent from over-spending and then regret later. No point crying over spilt milk! Check the exchange rate to see if the price is fair and not overdoing it.

(8) Take good care of your own personal and important belongings

Be mindful and alert, especially when taking out money and using the mobile phone in public. Use the hotel’s safe to store any additional money and travel documents. Just bring with you what you need to spend for the day or use credit card (also beware of scammers and theft) if the outlet is able to accept them.

Everyone has their own way and preference when it comes to travelling. Experiment different ways and go with the one that you are happiest with. My style of travelling… having my music and book (e-book)… drink coffee, relax before boarding the plane and enjoy the journey.

Whether travelling for fun or work… we are still creating memories for ourselves and the journey is the reward!

“Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all.”
– Helen Keller

Have FUN!

“Your habits, your future!”

April 26, 2019April 26, 2019

Sleeping Habits

“Tired minds don’t plan well. Sleep first, plan later.”
– Walter Reisch

There was a time when I was sleeping very early… yeah, early in the wee hours of the morning like after 2:00 A.M. That’s early, right?

Then I developed this new habit of sleeping before 10:00 P.M. Well, this new sleeping habit definitely working for me. Not all will agree with me, there are some who prefer to sleep late as they can work better late at night or they can think better?

This is not an easy topic to write as some may or may not agree with what I am writing. I am writing for my own reference and sharing to those who can resonate with me… no offence to those who cannot agree. One man’s treasure is another man’s trash…

Why sleep?

For me, when I have enough sleep, I felt that I can perform better the next day. I can think clearer and my mind works faster than when I am deprived of sleep. I am no professor who is doing any research on sleep. I just felt that sleeping is part of our lifestyle… anything to do with lifestyle is a journey in life and it is somehow linked to our habits.

Please take some time to read the extract below from this article:
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/sleep-deprivation-and-deficiency

== QUOTE ==
Sleep plays a vital role in good health and well-being throughout your life. Getting enough quality sleep at the right times can help protect your mental health, physical health, quality of life, and safety.

The way you feel while you’re awake depends in part on what happens while you’re sleeping. During sleep, your body is working to support healthy brain function and maintain your physical health. In children and teens, sleep also helps support growth and development.

The damage from sleep deficiency can occur in an instant (such as a car crash), or it can harm you over time. For example, ongoing sleep deficiency can raise your risk for some chronic health problems. It also can affect how well you think, react, work, learn, and get along with others.
== UNQUOTE ==

There are a lot of articles and sharing in the web on the health benefits of sleeping and the consequences of sleep deprivation. I will not go into the details of that… Just know yourself, in terms on how many hours will be enough for you. You will need to experiment the right amount of sleep time. I believe at different age, our needs will be different…

Can you imagine… there is a body called the “National Sleep Foundation”… I wonder what do they do there? Sleep? Jokes aside… they came up with the research on sleeping time… I am referring to the majority here, not to those super man or woman who may not need to sleep. Please refer to the link as below for more information:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times

About the National Sleep Foundation

The National Sleep Foundation is dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. Founded in 1990 by the leaders in sleep medicine, NSF is the trusted resource for sleep science, healthy sleep habits, and sleep disorders to medical professionals, patients and the public. For more information visit sleepfoundation.org or sleep.org.

Some tips on How to sleep better at night:

Spend some time outdoor to get some dose of sunlight. Make time for the exposure.
Reduce blue light exposure in the evening and your body may be tricked that it is still day time. Rest one hour before snooze time.
Heard from some experts… less or no caffeine late afternoon or evening.
Monitor your nap time. You can practice power naps… experiment the dose of naps needed.
Be consistent with sleeping and awake times. You body needs time to adjust; consistency is key.
Movement and exercise can help to relax those tight muscles, plus it will help to provide better quality sleep at night.
Alcohol sounds good to some people to help with sleep but according to some smart scientists, it does not help but disrupt sleep patterns.
Bedroom is a place for sleeping not watching movies or playing games… ensure the environment is optimized for sleeping. And not forgetting the temperature too.
Avoid from over-eating or supper at night… instead of sleeping, your body is digesting the food and disturbing your sleep.
Place all your worries on paper… or somewhere you can refer to the next day. Sleep is more important than your problems… you need a fresh and active mind to solve problems.
Take a good, relaxing and warm shower to relax those muscles of yours to get better quality sleep.
Ensure your bed is good to support you and you are comfortable with the bed… remember about those pillows and bolsters too.

Pssstt… there are also good talks from www.ted.com as below for you to learn from:
https://www.ted.com/playlists/223/talks_to_inspire_you_to_go_to

“Sleep is the Swiss army knife of health. When sleep is deficient, there is sickness and disease. And when sleep is abundant, there is vitality and health.” – Matthew Walker

Should you have any great tips to share on sleeping habits, or any good resources for reference. Do let me know… till then, I am getting ready to sleep as tomorrow is another great day. Good night!

“Your habits, your future!”

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What I have learnt?

Self realisation:

“Your habits, your future!”

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“Your habits, your future!”

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“Your habits, your future!”

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Why sleep?

About the National Sleep Foundation

Some tips on How to sleep better at night:

“Your habits, your future!”

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