Wow..........It's my Life

Why change is so difficult?

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 12:45:00 +0000

Looking back of what I have achieved over the years, I am indeed grateful to all the events that have occurred in my life. I believe now that all things that happen should not be simply categorised as good or bad but rather to be understood from the attaching meaning you have given to it. Sometimes making a misinformed decisions has it's advantage as the outcome can strengthened your character and conviction.

When I first started out in a blue collar job as a plant operator in an oil and gas refinery, I was receiving instruction from my superiors whom were very helpful and encouraging. I'd worked hard to gain more experience but somehow I felt a need to do more. I remembered telling myself that one day I would want to be a manager supervising people. The real motive was to increase my paycheck so I can drive and live in the kind of house my manager was privileged to then. The difference in salary according to the ranks was significant. Of course that dream seems very distance then but I knew that something must change in order to get there. And so, I decided to further my studies by taking distance learning. My other setback was my lack in communication skills in which I'd found the solution in toastmasters international organisation. To cut the story short, it was 9 years later that I have achieved my ambition. I finally got my manager rank but in another diverse industry.

We all know that change is a necessity , Isn't it ironic that how we have progress so far as civilisation we are still bounded to the law of the jungle which claims that only the fittest will survive. It is shape up or ship out drill to ensure that you still remain relevant. So companies decide to engage consultants to implement change in the organisation but only to flush hundreds of thousands away and not getting any real results. Some people fail to understand that change takes time. It is not as simply as changing your vision, changing your strategy or even changing your thinking. I recalled a book I have read about beliefs by Robert Dilts. He points out that in order for change to be effective and sustainable, three things must happen.

First, that you got to believe that it is possible to change (Belief system)

Second, you got to want to change ( Value congruency) and

Thirdly, you got to know how to change (Behavioural pattern).

If you ignore any of these three elements, that change which you are asking will not transpire. My experience have taught me that change must begin within each individual. Nowadays, change can be expedite through coaching and mentoring. In my case if I had a good mentor and role model earlier on, I would have shortened my journey towards my goal and probably achieve more in life. However , everything happens for a reason and I am grateful that I'd have reach this far in life.

The value of money

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 03:33:00 +0000

When I was growing up, my late dad had to work 2 jobs to provide for the family so that we can live more comfortably. Teaching in the day and working at my uncle's billiard shop in the night. The reason for working two jobs is because his teaching salary was low, unlike nowadays , it is comparatively high and with added allowances.

I can still remember my maternal grandpa Matthew, lived a simple life and was active in community service at the village. Despite not having much , his house is open to friends and strangers alike. He made people feel welcome ,even shared meal with them and strangely there was enough food to go around.

Nowadays it seems that the more you earn, the more you are in debts. It takes real discipline to practice delayed gratification and only spend on what is necessity.

I think one of the culprit is that we tend to spend on things that kills time example cable tv, video games, gambling, entertainment and so forth. Perhaps we can't stand the thought of not doing anything. We also spend on overindulging our senses. We want to feel good by buying expensive clothings, drive in a more comfortable car, getting those pampering body treatment.

If you think about it, we work to earn money and later ended up being indebted to finance institution because of credit cards, personal loan and morgages. All because we can't wait to save enough to own or enjoy the things we want debt free. We commit to the finance institution because we have this believe that our jobs are secured until the day comes when the economy turn against us. We start blaming the government, unfair business competition,the rising interest rates, corporate mismanagement , everything except ourselves. Yep... the hard truth is that we are not willing to take personal responsibility for our finances.

Quoting from personal experience, the answer is not earning more but rather to be critically conscious on where your money is going to. It is not about being shrewd but rather striving to get more value from each dollar you spend. Don't be fool by the marketing term " Value for money" it is sometimes a bait to further entrapment.

Change is .......

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 06:36:00 +0000

My recent book which I'd read was an eye opener for me, had a provoking title that will challenge any intellectual person to a debate. The book title read " The world is flat" authored by Thomas Friedman. He defended the concept based on real life observation and illustrate with examples how once the world was so divided, is now closely knitted though the advancement of communication technology.

He also describe change as a natural process". Interesting way to put it, instead of the old cliche phrase "change is constant". Yes... I do believe that change is a natural order in life to ensure the weakling is removed from the chain and the fittest remain so that it can future breed a more superior generations.

Thinking about it, when the head of the organisations trumpets out for the need to change , it is often followed by unfavourable consequences. The only way to survive this, is to ensure we are among the strong clan. Not necessarily to be the strongest and the fittest but just enough to outrun the weakess in the group.

A catchy phrase

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 09:08:00 +0000

Have you been to the library on a Monday night in the capital city Kota Kinabalu? It was my first time and not many people were around then. I'd made my way towards the section on self help and motivation, hoping to find an interesting book to occupy my time.

Scanning quickly though the rows of book shelves, an ordinary looking book about personality trait caught my attention. Skimming through the pages, something happened, a phrase caught my attention which seems to leap out from the pages. The words were " Fearlessly confident".

Pondering for a moment what the word meant to me, it was actually what I wanted in my life right now. To be fearlessly confident in everything I do. Would not it be great if we just have that kind of "Just Do It" attitude. There are some people who could do just that and not worry about the consequences. Tackle the challenge as it comes.

However if you are a family man like me, the decisions we make will affect everyone in the family. So "fearlessly confident" must also be supported by Plan B and C if things don't work out the way it intended to be. But for now, I will keep hold to those words close at heart and mind until the day I do make that decision.

Success quote

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 16:01:00 +0000

Moving Forward

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 15:50:00 +0000

The phrase is so often heard from lips of top management, so much so that it has become a cliché that does not often inspire people. What does it actually mean to move forward? Does it mean to progress together towards a common goal? Does it mean to advance with new strategies or does it mean to quickly do something as long as we are seen taking actions?

Perhaps another way to rephrase it is “taking it to the next level “. Gamers would know this terminology as it means battling it out with the villain until you meet the big boss at the end of the level. After you have subdued the big boss, you can proceed to the next level. The higher the level, the meaner the villain gets and the reward is more tempting.

However moving forward does not necessarily guarantee success. Just like in any video game, as the villains gets meaner the game plan has to change if you want to win. Based on my observation, failing is one of the factors that you must be prepared.

Darren Lacroix, the 1999 toastmaster champion winning speech message was, ‘if you were to fall, fall forward, at least you are still making progress” It was a huge insight for me, many a times when face with failure, we feel like giving up. It’s being human because it is our nature to protect ourselves from all kind of harm whether it is emotional or physical. Falling forward meant gaining ground advantage from each fall. As you fall you learn what does and does not work. Failing happens only when you decide to quit. If not, it is just another learning experience. So keep moving forward everyday in your life

The power of words

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 03:52:00 +0000

Words can either make or break you. I do believe that the choice of words you use to describe an experience will consequent in the emotions that you will experience later.

I remembered during my speech competition back in 2009 , I was up against very seasonal speakers and the feeling inside me before the contest was an overwhelming one. Finding time to myself, I kept repeating "I have an important message for the audience and I am going to deliver it from my heart". After many repetitions my focus was now on delivering the message rather than winning the contest. It helped calm my nerve and I was gaining more and more confident. I sailed through the speech beaming with new confidence and the audience responded positively. It was a great feeling.

In another situation, when I'd receive a letter confirming of my new relocation to another branch , I was depress at first because the thought of being away from the family was truly a difficult one. The relocation was in another state . Composing myself, I reassured myself , "that everything that happen is neutral. It is neither good nor bad but the meaning I give to it". It did not happen once but whenever I find myself sinking to self pity, I use those phrase like a magical chant. This was 10 months ago and that road have taken me to a whole new experiences.

These experiences and many more has taught me that words do have power and being aware of it, is the beginning of the realization that I can control my emotions. The next time when you are feeling beaten down by negativity, keep guard of the choice of words you use to express yourself. It worked for me and I hope it will too for you.

Keeping your head cool

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 09:08:00 +0000

It was raining heavily as I reached the capital city kota kinabalu. The 3 hours ferry ride from the island Labuan started quite calm but ended up with the monsoon rain pouring ferousiosly. Unprotected from it, I stood soaking wet at the terminal while waiting for my transport,then I noticed the traffic jam had already begun. The narrow road in the city is not sufficient enough to cater the ever increasing number of new cars in the city.

My cousin picked me up in her little cute car and I was further soaked from running towards her car. Quickly maneuvering the car out of town was a challenge as the normal rush hour is worsen by the heavy rain. It is a true test of nerves. Keeping calm in situation like this requires a shift in paradigm. Listening to talk shows on the radio can ease the nerve at times as the DJ host picks a provoking topic concerning relationship between men and women and opinions on the latest hot happening.

Coming from a small island Labuan, Kota kinabalu traffic jam can be ridiculous at times.I have learned that listening to motivation talk and keeping a magazine handy in the car can be a great traffic buster. Fuming over something that is beyond your control is not productive at all, might as well make the best of it.

A quote on Believe

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Sat, 31 Jul 2010 00:36:00 +0000

A painful reminder

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 08:59:00 +0000

My phone alarm rang ... Ahhh I thought to myself, must be something important I have scheduled for the day much earlier. Looking at my blackberry, it was a reminder of my Dad's birthday. Somehow my phone still gave out the anniversary reminder despite my dad's passing a year ago. It was a momentary flashback and I stood there appreciating the thought of him.

Though it has been a year , the painful experience of loss still lingers. The pain is because of the miss opportunities I have NOT taken to mend the relationship between us. I'd often took things for granted and never got round to doing it. I know, I had to learn to let go but somehow the reminder often keeps him close to me. I have learn to forgive him but most importantly I am slowly learning to forgive myself for those miss opportunities.

How often we read the daily paper and sometimes come across the obituary section of someone we knew. If you find yourself saying... it's only just last week I 'd met him, why? Perhaps it is time to seriously set aside some time to call our long forgotten friends and most importantly family members which we seldom keep in touch.

Breaking out from my comfort zone

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 10:25:00 +0000

Six months ago I was posted to an existing branch in a rural town called keningau located at the heart of interior Sabah. It is also the central for all the government agencies through out the interior of Sabah. The roads are good and it is connected to the other smaller rural town. If you are driving from the capital city kota kinabalu, it is only 1.5 hour drive but be warned of the steep terrain as it passes over the crocker range.Depending on the time of day, You will be greeted by the thick clouds and cool refreshing breeze along the crocker range, something that I truly enjoy especially coming from a hot sunny climate.

I have not imagine myself working here before but the lateral transfer was a whole new thing for me. It is both enriching in experience and opportunity to make new friends. I am glad that my new office colleagues are warm and friendly which made my move so much bearable. Despite my move, I have decided against moving my family here as this would be a temporally thing for me. This meant that every weekend I would take a 3 hours journey by car and ferry to my hometown island Labuan. Weekend have never seemed so exciting and meaningful till now.

View Labuan in a larger map

Accepting the transfer gave me the opportunity to learn new things. Honestly, I did not accept it immediately, the move was more of a job necessity rather than by choice. It is common to see nowadays, companies restructuring and downsizing as means to business survival. People become jobless and at times no VSS was offered. Either you take the transfer or leave, Period. This is inevitable and the faster we learn to accept the fact , the easier it is to prepare ourselves for the unpredictable future. Getting out of my comfort zone has put a stretch in my financial budget and also my family. I kept reminding myself, that I had to be mentally tough to weather this challenges and I quickly learn to adapt to my new surrounding and make the best in any given situation.

If you ever get caught in this kind of situation, I can only advice you that mental toughness is critical to your sanity, keep your emotions at bay and have a clear forward plan of what you want to achieve and move on.

Sometimes we plan so many things in life, but life has it's ways of offering new twist in our plan. Every decision you make is never wrong but only bring you to a different conclusion.

Different types of Friendship

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Sun, 25 Jul 2010 00:18:00 +0000

When you are feeling down, do you have a friend who is willing to walk that rocky path with you? A friend who patiently listen to your every bit of complain and frustration until you feel better. A friend who would be willing to stand by you when you are being isolated from others.

Through my years in my adult life, I have had many types of friends. My daily workmates, Friends who parties with you, Friends who helped out in voluntary project, Friends who trade secret cooking recipes and etc.

Last year, When my father suffered from stroke and diagnosed of fourth stage lung cancer in the hospital, that was one of my most trying moments in life. I felt helpless and had a lot unresolved issues that I could not clear with my dad. He lost his speech and loss part of his logical thinking faculty. I felt lonely not because no one came and comforted me but no one to share my inner thoughts with. To share deep secret opens oneself to vulnerability. Opening oneself to the wrong person could subject of manipulation and other ill intention.

I believe that one of the principles operating in our lives is the law of reciprocity. Some may call it as KARMA. If you do good to others , good will happen to you. If you are mean and revengeful to others, you will receive the same in return. So.... to have good and loyal friends , we must be one. So base on this concept , I asked myself what is the criteria in order to be one. Looking back in the past,I do know that there must be an element of trust, the ability to keep secrets and the patient to listen without offering advice. I think out of this three value trust, secrecy and listening, the most difficult to upkeep is the ability to keep secrets. The reason is that keeping secrets requires strong character.

I do admit I am not really good at keeping secrets as I am kind of an extrovert in nature.However I did not openly share my unresolved emotions about my dad .He is now gone for nearly a year but I still think about him and sometimes I find myself confiding in him silently. Well, I am not sure whether he can listen to my thoughts but I would like to believe that he is.

Thinking Big

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Sat, 24 Jul 2010 08:23:00 +0000

My very first positive thinking book "The touch of greatness" by Frank Tibolt made such a positive impact in my life. It opened up my mind to a world where dreams do come true if only you can dream it up. Dream beyond what seems unimaginable right now. However that can be quite a challenge because as we begin to dream it, there is a part of us pulling us downwards and reminds us of our responsibilities, our commitments, our shortcomings and blah blah blah.

Sometimes we got to learn to shut out that part of us that is so eager to protect us from failing. Learning from the great people in history, accepting failure and disappointments are what we need to change our status quo in life. Are you willing to take that steps? cause nothing ever happens until you do something different.

If you have one magical wish today, what would it be?

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:03:00 +0000

If you have one magical wish today, what would it be?

Debt free

Fun quizzes, surveys & blog quizzes by

New Site announcement

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Tue, 26 May 2009 00:51:00 +0000

Come and visit me at my positive thinking and motivation blog at www.inspirepositivelife.com Hope you like it.

How to speed up your learning curve.

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 23:12:00 +0000

For the past one month, I have been having fun working on another blog which requires a lot of attention and new learning. Learning something new can be frustrating as well as rewarding. I speak from experience as I have worked in a very diverse industry before, from oil and gas to insurance and later the automotive industry. Now I am entering into the Internet realm which I find the most challenging.

If you want to speed up your learning curve, consider getting a coach as he/she can show you the correct way of doing things. Even Tiger woods have a coach even though he is already a golf superstar. We may not be able to see our faults as well as other's do. A good coach knows what to take notice and can give valuable feedback for improvement. It is true you always get free advice from people around you but how many of it has the credibility to give one.

Personally, I have also engage a coach to guide me in my new venture. I consider it a good investment as I have shortened my learning curve which means more time in doing productive things. Yes, Most of the time you have to pay good money for good coaches. I realise that it is not so much of the information that you going to get but rather the quality of the feedback that is the most important.

Please visit my new blog site at www.inspirepositivelife.com and feel free to comment. I am always looking for new ideas for improvement.

Inspirational poster for you

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 23:12:00 +0000

Mastering the Pieces of Public Speaking

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 07:25:00 +0000

An article from my favourite speaker coach Craig Valentine.

If you want to create a masterpiece, you first have to master each piece. The three major pieces of public speaking are structure, content, and delivery. Mastering one means nothing if you do not master the other two. That is why it is critical to not just study speaking as a whole, but also to dive a mile deep into each piece. In this lesson, you will pick up one tool from each of the three pieces of public speaking. Then, just as a bonus, you will get one very substantial idea if you plan on using speaking to grow your income.

Three Tools (plus one) to Help you Create a Masterpiece

A Structure Tool – To be a masterful speaker you must become a masterful tease. It is imperative to become skilled at teasing your audience to want to know more. Legendary Motivational Speaker Lou Heckler once said, "Don't tell them; take them." In other words, don't just tell them what happened in your story, take them into it by establishing a scene, using dialog, etc. Here is one of my foundational phrases that I keep in mind when structuring a speech: "If you can't tease them, you can't take them." Here are three examples of teasing your audience to want to know more:

"If you understand this next point, you will find yourself moving towards your goals, dreams, and aspirations, even while you are asleep. The providence, serendipity, and grace will all be on your side pushing you toward the life you have imagined. The wildly successful people in life use this tool and it is yours for the taking."
"What do you think is the number 1 thing that stands between most people and their goals? [wait for answers]. Those are all great answers and they're all wrong. [laughter]. Actually, they are not wrong, but they are not the number 1 thing that stands in the way. The number 1 thing is not what you think."
"Have you ever worked with a StatusQuoaholic? You know these people, right? They are averse to change and they say things like, 'This is the way we've always done things around here. Why change. I wish for the good old days again.' What do these people do to your team? [wait for answers and the build up of frustration]. What if you had a way to turn even the biggest StatusQuoaholics into positive forces for your team? Well, you can, but only if you implement the following tool. "

Do you see how these statements tease the audience into wanting to hear more? When you pick up a newspaper, what makes you decide whether or not to read an article? Chances are it is the headline. That is exactly what these tease-based statements do. They act as headlines and are designed solely to get your audience to want to hear what is coming next. When you become a great tease, you generate interest with ease.

A Content Tool – As soon as you introduce your characters in a story, establish the conflict right away. Get the Titanic to hit the iceberg early on because the conflict is the hook to your story. Most speakers have to much preamble before they get into their story and then they have too much unnecessary information before getting to the conflict.

Once you establish the conflict, escalate it! Look at your conflict like the water rising on the Titanic. If the water never rose on the Titanic, we would have thought it was a terrible movie. Once you establish your conflict, it is critical to ask yourself, "How can I escalate this conflict to a point of desperation? How can I raise the water on my Titanic?" When you establish and then escalate your conflict, your story keeps your audience members riveted to see how it turns out.

A Delivery Tool – Establish a story space and a conversation space on your stage as you speak. The story space is where you tell your stories and the conversation space is where you physically step out of your story and speak directly to your audience. My story space is usually a step back from my conversation space because I like to step up to make my point.

In your story space, you can be as wild and crazy as the story takes you because, after all, you are reliving what happened. However, when you step up and out of your story into the conversation space, it should be just that; a conversation with your audience members. This conversational style should be similar to the one on one conversations you have with people and it should not sound preachy, forced, or sound like you are still in your story. The story creates the emotion but the conversation keeps the connection. Having physical spaces for each helps clarify for your audience whether you are still in your story or you are now addressing them.

A Business Tool – One of the most important marketing strategies we can ever use is to give our recipients a specific next step to take and make sure we are part of that next step. Here are some examples based on various marketing tools I use:

When people visit my website, the next step is to sign up for my FREE Masterful Speaking Toolkit.
When I speak to speakers, their next step is often to invest in a certain product or service.
When meeting planners visit the Motivation side of my website, their next step (after reviewing my Meeting Planner section) is to download a special report and/or fill out the Request Craig form.
When I speak to managers, their next step is often to bring me in for Part 2 or Part 3 of that program.

Whatever your next step is, just make sure you have one. Also, do not give several options. It is best to give one specific next step for each audience (or recipient) and design your entire speech (from your very first word) or marketing piece to drive them towards that next step. A confused mind says, "No", but a clear mind says "Go."

Final thoughts:

If you want to create a masterpiece, I strongly suggest that you dive a mile deep into each one of the pieces of public speaking; structure, content, and delivery. What you read above is the very tiny tip of the iceberg. I have created 3 courses (1 for each piece) to help. If you do not have them yet, you can get them piecemeal or get them together for a substantial discount (through The Whole Kit and Kaboodle) athttp://www.craigvalentine.com/speech/products.php

The art of balancing your life

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:10:00 +0000

After many weeks of unusually hot and dry weather, my christmas tree as I called it, was such in a dire condition. The dry spell has cause for an urgent need of water. I'd thought to myself whether it can be nurtured back to a healthy state. The green figs in the inner covering of the tree offers some glimpse of hope to it's survival.

Continuous self care is important in our life. As human beings we need to continuously replenish the 4 dimensions of our life in order to maintain a balance life. The 4 dimension are fulfilling our spiritual needs, enriching our minds, maintaining a healthy body and strengthening the relationship bond with our love ones. All the 4 dimensions are integrated to each other like our neuron network. We cannot isolate one and hope that we will have a fulfilling life.

Isn't it true that sometimes we put to much emphasize on money and unintentionally neglecting our health, our family and spirituality. We are drawn to the concept that material things can make us happy. 24/7 we have advertising messages from everywhere ringing in our ears and eyes, product and services that define the meaning if success for us. We worked hard for the money and eventually succeed but we may experience a certain kind of emptiness to our success. Because we have neglected some areas of our life, the money gained will be spend on restoring health. The money gained but no one will be there to share with. The money gained don't bring the joy that was once anticipated.

I have a friend AJ who worked very hard for the money. Being a thrifty person, He will find all ways and means to save a penny. I asked him one day, what is the purpose of keeping all the money but not enjoying it. He looked me straight into my eyes and told me that his intention was save for his children. An admirable intention but it was later taken away from him.The last I have heard is that he lose all his saving in a quick rich scam and the worst part was , he was conned by someone he knew very well. All those years of hard work gone and for what. If he had only used a portion of the money to take the family for a holiday, at least the wonderful memories is still intact despite losing the money later.

The art of balancing life is by appreciating what you have now and experiencing the moments and not get to caught up in planning for the future. You can never tell what is going to happen next week aside even though you have planned it all out. Even if you had planned it out, things does happen when you least expected.

Inspirational poster for You - Make progress daily

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 23:08:00 +0000

Top 10 Quotes on Failure

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 03:18:00 +0000

1. A failure is a man who blunders and not cashing in on the experience

Ellbert Hubbard

2. My reputation grows with every failure

George Bernard Shaw

3. I've missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I've lost almost 300 games. 26 times I 've been trusted to take the winning shots and missed. I've failed over and over and over again in my life and that is why I succeed.

Michael Jordan

4. I don't believe in failure.It's not failure if you enjoyed the process

Oprah Winfrey

5. Only those who dared to fail greatly can ever chieve greatly

Robert F. Kennedy

6. Many of life's failure are people who did not realise that how close they were to success when they gave up.

Thomas Edison

7. Success consist of going from failure to failure without the loss of enthusiasm

Winston Churchill

8. Experience is simply the name we give our mistakes

Oscar Wilde

9. Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it. This is a kind of death.

Anais Nin

10. A life spend making mistakes is not only more honourable but more useful than a life spend in doing nothing.

George Bernard Shaw

Banana leaf anyone?

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 02:47:00 +0000

Banana leaf anyone? Having your food served on a banana leaf tends to whip up the appetite. it looks so natural and appetising. Before the banana leaf can be used, it is glazed over a fire in a sweeping motion. The banana leaf has a thin coating which appear glossy once heated up.

The first time I ate Banana leaf rice was at an Indian restaurant serving southern Indian cuisine. A serving of rice, curry fish, papadum, pickles with dhal sauce. You must try eating with your hands to truly enjoy the experience. Last night we were celebrating Marylou's promotion in the company. Yes... I know that feeling and how I wish it happen more often so more parties can be thrown.

I believe it is a good customary to find reasons to celebrate with the family as it strengthen the family bond. You will never know what life may throw at you, there will come a time the family bond is tested. Only with the existence of a strong relationship can we overcome any challenges.

Dare to fail

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 00:51:00 +0000

Have you read the book "Dare to Fail" ? It is an inspiring book about the importance of changing the way you look at failure.It first captured my attention many year ago as I just completed reading the book "Dare to Succeed". Though a total opposite of it's title, it still has a powerful message.

There is no success without failure. Since this is so, we need to get up and risk failure but not get beaten down by it. Yesterday (29th March 2009) , I was declared first runner up for the division speech competition in Kota Kinabalu. Honestly , I was disappointed because I felt that my performance was better than the others. However , isn't that the common emotional feeling felt by the non winners? At times we may think that we have outdone our competitors and we should be holding up the cup of victory. In reality , I was unable to see my flaws and perhaps the very reason why I did not emerge the winner.

I really appreciated the support from the more proficient speakers who offered some valuable tips on how I can take my speaking a few notches up. Because of the encouragement from my fellow toastmasters and my lovely wife Liza,now I have a burning desire to go at it again.

I guess if I were to emerge as champion for the day, I won't be as fired up as coming in second.The moment will come and I will be ready.

It's all in the MIND

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Sun, 29 Mar 2009 23:18:00 +0000

Inspiration poster for YOU

noreply@blogger.com (SavvyRay) — Thu, 26 Mar 2009 01:22:00 +0000