Winning The Game Of Life

It has been 2 years since I last updated my blog. Time passed so fast that I did not realise that I have not updated my blog since. So what have you been doing for the past 2 years? Have you been actively pursuing your dreams? Or are you still in your dreamland?

Recently, I read this book by Adam Khoo "Winning the Game of Life!" and this left me ponder whether am I closer to achieve my dreams or am I still at the same spot?

This is a very good book to inspire us to excel and pursue our dreams actively. Like what the book states "Develop the Winning Mindset and Success Strategies to Overcome Defeat, Achieve Lasting Success & Happiness".

Our life is a journey and so is our success. In order to be successful in the future, you have to see yourself as a successful person TODAY and you will start to think and act like one, attracting even more success into your life. This is what many people term as "The Law of Attraction". Of course, during the period when we pursue success, we bound to meet obstacles. Always treat each obstacle as a learning experience so that you will know what works and what doesn't. Never let obstacles stop you from being successful. So you must dare to DREAM BIG and go for it with ALL YOUR HEART.

All of us must have the HUNGER for SUCCESS, so how much do you want to earn per month? No matter how much you want to earn, you have to make it a 'MUST' for you to earn that amount, so that you will have a higher chance to achieve that amount. Always GET OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. It is by getting out of your comfort zone, then you will have the drive to exceed, so whatever goals you seek - be it financial or others, it must be something that it is not easily attain.

When you get out of your comfort zone, you must constantly practice and do it so that you can excel and get closer to your dreams. There is no free lunch in this world, you have to put in hard work and effort in order to achieve. Same goes for those world class sports players, they practice constantly and consistently before they participate in a competition.

Sometimes, fear will stop us to pursue our dreams as we are scared to explore the world of unknowns. However, if we see the other side of the coin, fear also tells us to be better prepared. If you get better prepared, it will actually reduce the fear in you.

We only LIVE ONCE and LIVE IT to the FULLEST. Let us work hard together and ACHIEVE OUR DREAMS TOGETHER

The Ant Philosophy by Jim Rohn

I think everybody should study ants. They have an amazing four-part philosophy.

Here is the first part: Ants Never Quit. That's a good philosophy. If they're headed somewhere and you try to stop them, they'll look for another way. They'll climb over, they'll climb under, they'll climb around. They keep looking for another way. What a neat philosophy, to never quit looking for a way to get where you're supposed to go.

Second, Ants Think Winter All Summer. That's an important perspective. You can't be so naive as to think summer will last forever. So ants are gathering their winter food in the middle of summer.

The third part of the ant philosophy is that Ants Think Summer All Winter. That is so important. During the winter, ants remind themselves, "This won't last long - we'll soon be out of here." And the first warm day, the ants are out. If it turns cold again, they'll dive back down, but then they come out the first warm day. They can't wait to get out.

And here's the last part of the ant philosophy. How much will an ant gather during the summer to prepare for the winter? All He Possibly Can. What an incredible philosophy, the "all-you-possibly-can" philosophy.

Wow, what a great philosophy to have - the ant philosophy. Never Give Up, Look Ahead, Stay Positive and Do All You Can.

Time is Money and here's how to Save it

The following abstract article written by Stephanie Bernardo is from the September 1985 issue of SUCCESS.


"Hey, Jack, got a minute?"


These words, spoken by a fellow employee, are often a clue to run fast in the opposite direction, according to Dr. Larry Baker, president of the Time Management, Inc., in St. Louis. "Seemingly innocent 'one-minute conversations' can turn into a tremendous time waster in any executive's workday," Baker says. "It's like taking a $5 bill from the company till and putting a match to it."

"I'm not against socializing," says Baker, "but we can over-communicate. When you're working, you can't afford to be constantly interrupted. You have to be firm, and make sure that your work comes first. It's hard to break habits, but let me remind you of a Mark Twain quote: If you think you can, or you think you can't, you're probably right.'" Baker is clearly someone who thinks in terms of can. At 47, he is a much-sought after lecturer and consultant; he is also blind.

"If you shorten the average drop-in visit by a minute or two," continues Baker, "you could save your company thousands of dollars each year. How can you guard against these time thieves?

"It's unrealistic to think that you can spend the entire day undisturbed. One simple solution is to close your door. Another is to place your desk so that your back faces the doorway; this is sure to discourage casual visitors. To people who pop in and ask for a minute, if necessary simply say, 'It isn't convenient now, but I'll be glad to work with you if you can come back at ___.' This helps impress upon them the value of your time.

"Another effective approach is to stand up to greet the person who enters your office without an appointment. This way you can control the situation. It is rare that a visitor will make himself comfortable when his host is standing. Or you can try a more subtle approach and use phrases such as, 'Well, I guess we have a lot of work to finish,' or 'I don't want to take up any more of your time.' And as a last resort, there is always subterfuge. I know one person, for instance, who cut the front legs of his visitor's' chairs shorter than the rear. The slick plastic seats cause the person to slide forward, making him uncomfortable. As a result, most visits are quite short."

Cut the Weather Report



Some of these methods were recently covered in another time-management seminar, conducted by Peter Turla, director of the National Management Institute in Roanoke, Texas, and co-author of the book Time Management Made Easy. Another longtime foe of that most clamorous of time thieves is the telephone. "Did you ever get a long-distance weather report?" he asks the 50 executives who attended the seminar. "You know the kind. The person calls long distance to waste 20 minutes on small talk, before getting to the point. 'How's the weather up there? We've just had three solid weeks of rain down here ... .'"

To cut off these callers who are short on substance but long on wind, Turla suggests taking a positive but forceful approach. "When the caller identifies himself, immediately ask, 'What can I do for you?' And keep a repertoire of conversation-enders on hand: 'I'll get to that right now,' or 'I'd better let you go.'"



Directness, without question, is always the best approach when you become locked in a conversation with a boor who won't take a hint.

Learn How to Delegate



"If you can't delegate effectively," Turla stresses, "you aren't managing effectively. Delegating not only frees you to be more productive, it establishes you and your subordinates as a team. Delegating also forces you to become more organized; you have to have clearly defined objectives and deadlines. Don't be a would-be delegator. Instead of asking yourself, 'Can others do the job as well as I can?' ask, 'Can they do the job well enough?'"

"When handling paperwork, follow the four D's: Dump it, Delay it, Delegate it, or Do it! And when paper begins to accumulate, follow the G.U.T.S. principle: Give it away, Use it, Throw it away, or Sell it." Also, designate one of your lower desk drawers as a dump drawer, and into in dump items such as flyers, brochures and unimportant mail. Let them simmer for a month and then throw out.

"One approach to procrastination is the salami technique. Slice the assignment into a series of less threatening parts, giving each its own deadline. Take it a slice at a time. Also schedule 'rewards' for yourself: Once I finish this page of the report, I'll take a five-minute break."

The chattering visitor, the screeching phone, the groaning inbox - these are all familiar time thieves, but who is really your worst enemy? You, Turla says. Turla's advice: "Organize! And act! Do something! Babe Ruth was the home-run king. You can't hit the ball unless you swing the bat!"

Management Pot-Pourri -- A Lesson for Every Salaried Employee

Saw this meaningful article in the internet. What most important is to stay accountability to yourself.

A shopkeeper watching over his shop is really surprised when he sees a dog coming inside his shop. He shoos him away. But later, the dog is back inside again. So he goes over to the dog and notices that it has a note inside its mouth. He takes the notes and it reads," Can I have 12 soaps and a shampoo bottle, please. The money is with the dog." The shopkeeper looks inside the dog's mouth and to his surprise, there is a $10 note in his mouth. So he takes the money and puts the soap, shampoo and change in a bag, and then places it in the dog's mouth.

The shopkeeper is so impressed, and since it is closing time, he decides to follow the dog. The dog is walking down the street, when it comes to the zebra crossing, he waits till the signal turns green. He walks across the street to the bus stop. He waits on the stop and looks up the timetable for the bus. The shopkeeper is totally out of his mind as the dog gets into the bus and sit on a vacant seat. The shopkeeper follows the dog. The dog waits for the conductor to come to his seat. He gives the change to the conductor and shows him the neck belt to keep the ticket. The shopkeeper is almost fainting at this sight and so are other people in the bus.

The dog then moves to the front exit of the door and waits for the bus stop to arrive, looking outside. As soon as the stop is in sight, he wags his tail to inform the driver to stop. Then not even waiting for the bus stop to arrive, the dog jumps out and runs to the house nearby. It opens a big iron gate and rushes towards the door. As it approaches the door, he changes his mind and walks towards the garden. The dogs walks up to the window and beats his head several times on the window. It then walks back to the door and waits. The shopkeeper maintaining his senses walks up to the door and watches a big guy opens the door.

The guy starts beating, kicking and abusing the dog. The shopkeeper is surprised and runs to stop the guy. The shopkeeper questions the guy, "What the heaven are you doing? The dog is a genius he could be famous in life." The guy responses, "You call this clever? This is the 3rd time in this week that the dog has forgotten the door keys."

MORAL OF THE STORY: YOU MAY CONTINUE TO EXCEED ONLOOKERS' EXPECTATIONS ... BUT ALWAYS FALL SHORT OF BOSSES' EXPECTATIONS ...

The Salary Axiom: The pay raise is just large enough to increase your taxes and just small enough to have no effect on your take-home pay.

Isaac's Strange Rule of Staleness: Any food that starts out hard will soften when stale. Any food that starts out soft will harden when stale.

Lampner's Law of Employment: When leaving work late, you will go unnoticed. When you leave work early, you will meet the boss in the parking lot.

Practice Being Like a Child by Jim Rohn

Remember the master teacher once said 2000 years ago, "Unless you can become like little children, your chances are zero, you haven't got a prayer." A major consideration for adults.

Be like children and remember there are four ways to be more like a child no matter how old you get –

1) Curiosity - Be curious. Childish curiosity. Learn to be curious like a child. What will kids do if they want to know something bad enough? You're right. They will bug you. Kids can ask a million questions. You think they're through. They've got another million. They will keep plaguing you. They can drive you right to the brink.

Also kids use their curiosity to learn. Have you ever noticed that while adults are stepping on ants, children are studying them? A child's curiosity is what helps them to reach, learn and grow.

2) Excitement - Learn to get excited like a child. There is nothing that has more magic than childish excitement. So excited you hate to go to bed at night. Can't wait to get up in the morning. So excited that you're about to explode. How can anyone resist that kind of childish magic? Now, once in awhile I meet someone who says, "Well, I'm a little too mature for all that childish excitement." Isn't that pitiful? You've got to weep for these kinds of people. All I've got to say is, "If you're too old to get excited, you're old." Don't get that old.

3) Faith - Faith like a child. Faith is childish. How else would you describe it? Some people say, "Let's be adult about it." Oh no. No. Adults too often have a tendency to be overly skeptical. Some adults even have a tendency to be cynical. Adults say, "Yeah. I've heard that old positive line before. It will be a long day in June before I fall for that positive line. You've got to prove to me it's any good." See, that's adult, but kids aren't that way. Kids think you can get anything. They are really funny. You tell kids, "We're going to have three swimming pools." And they say, "Yeah. Three. One each. Stay out of my swimming pool." See, they start dividing them up right away, but adults are not like that. Adults say, "Three swimming pools? You're out of your mind. Most people don't even have one swimming pool. You'll be lucky to get a tub in the back yard." You notice the difference? No wonder the master teacher said, "Unless you can become like little children, your chances, they're skinny."

4) Trust - Trust is a childish virtue, but it has great merit. Have you heard the expression "sleep like a baby"? That's it. Childish trust. After you've gotten an A+ for the day, leave it in somebody else's hands.

Curiosity, excitement, faith and trust. Wow, what a powerful combination to bring back into our lives.

What's Your Coin? by Ron Kaufman

What can a coin reveal about the service mindset of your leaders and your organization? Watch this video by customer service expert Ron Kaufman to find out now. To be a role model of superior service, pick up YOUR coin and put away today!

The Art of Retail Buying By Marie-Lousie Jacobsen

The Art of Retail Buying
An Insider's Guide to the Best Practices from the Industry
By Marie-Louise Jacobsen

What makes a store? The merchandise makes a store. What makes a great store? Great merchandise makes a great store. It's all about finding merchandise that has the "X-factor."

The retail industry is arguably one of the toughest in the world. Brands come and go, fickle consumers switch their allegiance overnight while the global economy directly affects every level of the market. So how do the top professionals manage to get it right year after year and keep both clients and employers happy?

In the Art of Retail Buying, author Marie-Louise Jacobsen draws on her years of experience to offer insights into the world of the professional merchandiser. This book if for anyone and everyone who wants to expand their knowledge in retail buying, product development, building and creating brands and buy-sell negotiations.

At the core of the book is advice on strategic buying, covering topics as:

- how to buy
- what to buy
- comparative stock analysis
- buying plans vs. selected buying components
- sensible budgeting.

Skilled retail buying entails merchandising ability and know-how in finding and buying merchandise that is market-relevant, customer-relevant, season-relevant, quality-relevant and product relevant. All these skills are ready to be learnt and are now available in The Art of Retail Buying.