Today’s topic. Reciprocation. Be nice to people. When people say hi to you, say hi back. Don’t ignore them. Be nice to your customers. After all, they’re the source of your income. It all comes back in some weird cosmic way. Something begets something.

It’s the same with work when dealing with colleagues or superiors. It’s the same with religion. It’s the same with friendship. It’s the same with love. It’s the same with life. Observe the golden rule. Treat others the way you want them to treat you.

Hi everyone, it’s been quite a hectic month fighting the storm.. (i.e. financial crisis) and.. gaining some valuable experience.. experience that’s hard-earned.. and often.. least wanted! Bitter sweet experiences.. but often.. essential to survival.. because that’s what on the minds of most business owners right now.. survive the storm.. and pick up the pieces.. if there are any!

Its that time of the year as well.. that most companies are filing their IRAS FORM C.. and engaging our accounting services.. it’s amazing to see the number of companies that are totally unprepared and willing to pay the fine for no apparent reason.. guess they’ll learn it the hard way too! =)

“Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes.” - Oscar Wilde

“What I know for sure is that behind every catastrophe, there are great lessons to be learned. Among the many that we as a country need to get is that as long as we play the “us and them” game, we don’t evolve as people, as a nation, as a planet.” - Oprah Winfrey

Recommended Books: “The four hour work week” by Tim Ferris. Change the way you do business. Forever. Highly recommended. Work 2 hours a month or 2 hours a year. Try to beat that. =)

It’s lonely going against the crowd. Things happen. Circumstances make things difficult. And just when you think things are going to get better, they don’t. The opposite happens. And you go.. alright.. life.. what’s next? What’s up your sleeve this time? Haven’t you done enough damage?

Then something beautiful happens. You see it. The end. The end from the beginning. Yes. You get a small glimpse of it. A small victory. Then a major defeat comes along your way. Narrow indeed is the path that leads to your heart’s desire. But you see it. And you realize.. finally.. that it’s all a process. A process that you HAVE to go through. And that if you don’t quit, you’ll reach it. Just.. don’t quit.. you’re getting there.. you’re nearly there.. you WILL get there!

 

“Why quit today.. when you can quit tomorrow?”

“Every day, you’ll have opportunities to take chances and to work outside your safety net. Sure, it’s a lot easier to stay in your comfort zone.. in my case, business suits and real estate.. but sometimes you have to take risks. When the risks pay off, that’s when you reap the biggest rewards.” - Donald Trump

Recommended Books: “10 Things You Should Know Before You Do Business” by Robert Kiyosaki. The title says it all. Read this book before you do business. You won’t regret it. The soul of running a great business!

Anything is possible if you set your mind to accomplishing the task at hand. The mind is a powerful instrument. It’ll decipher and fathom all the possibilities and opportunities available to reach the goal. However, this is only applicable if you know exactly what it is you want. It is rather difficult to score a goal if you haven’t defined the parameters of the goal post. =P

What really drives people however, is not the goal. It is the desire. Unquenchable desire. Burning desire that lingers. Desire that causes one to burn the bridges and accomplish the impossible. Think of desire as the petrol you put in your car of life. It is the level of desire that determines the grade of petrol. Passion. The ultmate motivator in life.

However pain does help motivate one to stay on track.  It is no surprise that out of such extreme adversity, the strong prevail. Anthony Robbins. Robert Kiyosaki. Donald Trump. They had one thing in common. Big debts. The story doesn’t end there however. It motivated them to become the pillars of success they are today.

“What would you do if you were $1m in debt?“

“Sometimes you just got to give yourself what you wish someone else would give you.” - Dr Phil

Recommended Books: “Think & Grow Rich” by Napoleon Hill. A must read for anyone interested in the 13 laws of success. Read Chapter 1 on Desire.

It’s what drives economies. It’s what drives people to do what they do. It’s like living at the edge, and finally being shoved over the edge to soar like an eagle. It’s something intangible but it leads to the tangibles. All great men had it and never lost grasp of it. The reasonable man puts it off. The unreasonable man lives by it. Therefore all progress rely on the unreasonable man.

Expectations. High Expectations.

I mean if you want to do something, why be ordinary. Where would be the challenge in that? We wouldn’t achieve anything worthwhile if we only did easy. Besides, life is short. Before you know it, it’ll be over. What most people don’t seem to understand is that expectations is like the fuel that starts and keeps our engines going. If you had low expectations, you’ll have low self-esteem. If you have low self-esteem, you’ll do less things to achieve your potential and live a pretty much dull boring life. Winners need it.

Let’s look at an example. Everyone’s talking about it now. The iphone. What on earth can this wonderful piece of gadget do? Pretty much everything except save the world. =P

“What are your expectations that’ll help you move the ceilings in your life?”

“High expectations are the key to everything.” - Sam Walton

Recommended Books: “Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires” by Adam Khoo (read the chapter on the qualities that self-made millionaires possess). A why and how book that may help you look at the stars and get out of the gutter.

Failure. I was watching “The Apprentice” last night and one of the participants, who happened to be in hot soup (had to face the firing squad) suddenly asked Mr Trump if she could resign. A look of pure horror overwhelmed the panel. (Mr Trump and both his assistants). That’s how successful people look at quitting. Disgust. In fact, its not even in their dictionary. But what Mr Trump went on to say was something that made a lot of sense.

“You’re going to regret this decision someday in the future. This is no way to deal with failure. When I turn on the TV and watch a boxing match, I have the utmost respect for the boxer who stays in the ring and despite losing badly, continues to fight until he is knocked out. Who likes a boxer who quits when he is losing?“

And suddenly, I recall a line that is on “The Contender” tv series. “What Doesn’t Kill You, Makes You Stronger.” There are so many stories of failure and not quitting. The most notable is Jack Welch’s (former CEO of General Electric, GE) who blew up a plant when he was 25. Admit it: you would have fired him!

Who failed in business in 1831, was defeated for congress in 1832, failed in business again in 1834, had his sweetheart die in 1835, had a nervous breakdown in 1836, was defeated for Congress in 1838, 1843, 1846, 1848, was defeated for US Senate in 1855, defeated for Vice-President in 1856, defeated for US Senate in 1858 and was finally elected 16th President of USA in 1860? Answer: Abraham Lincoln, One of the Most Revered US Presidents in History

“If you fail, try, try again. Then bring in the stunt double.” - Arnold Schwarzenegger

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Recommended Books: “Why CEOs Fail” by David Dotlich (Read Chapter 4: Excessive Caution), “Success Built to Last: Creating a Life That Matters” - Jerry Porras (Read The Tripping Point)

Retire Young. Retire Rich. That’s what on the mind of most people these days. Retirement has different meanings for most. Some decide to finally do something that they wish to do. Some want to change the world. Be a better person. Some retire to help people. Whatever the case is, we all look forward to retiring. It brings about a sense of security and peace of mind that we’ve achieved something with our life and that its time to stop, take a break and do something good.

Whatever the case, retirement is not the end. It simply means the beginning. To some, they define it as endless vacations and overseas trips etc. And they’ll probably bore themselves to death after a while. To me, retirement is about contribution. Not just about material gains. I’m talking about time, skills and resources. Why do I share what I have in schools, seminars, workshops and even on this blog, is the fact that I’ve realised that one doesn’t have to wait to retire. We may retire right this minute and start loving every minute of life.

“When Do You Want To Retire and Start Living Life?”

“I really wanted to retire and rest and spend more time with my children, my grandchildren and of course with my wife. But the problems are such that for anybody with a conscience who can use whatever influence he may have to try to bring about peace, it’s difficult to say no.” - Nelson Mandela

Someone commented about the fact that I drive a Mazda 3. You idiot! Go read the book “The Millionaire Next Door” if you ever read books at all. Get out of your stupid mindset that the rich drive fancy cars. Stay in luxurious mansions. Take lavish vacations. Most millionaires stay right beside you. And they probably don’t even own the house they stay in. Most millionaires rent and invest. That’s because they know the difference between an asset, and a liability. Millionaires hate cars. This is the reason why Adam Khoo’s dad refuses to buy a new car till today.

Anyways, I’m not interested in being rich. I never mentioned that I was rich. All of my money are pumped directly into my businesses. In fact, I’m poor. The companies I run hold all my assets and they protect them. I’m more interested in fueling the success of individuals and companies. I’m interested in inspiring people. Changing the world. Successful? Yes. I’ve helped thousands of companies start up. What have you done? How many people have you helped? I look at success. The difference that we make out there doesn’t necessarily equate to dollars and cents.

The post for today however is talking about the rich. Its what Rich Dad Poor Dad Author Robert Kiyosaki has been talking for years. The rich get richer. And its your fault. Yes. YOUR fault. You work for the rich. Business Owners. Entrepreneurs. MNCs. Huge Conglomerates. And.. you help.. to keep them rich. Or make them richer. So keep working. In fact, work harder. You look at the rich spend their money incessantly and you complain. You whine. You cry out injustice. But you keep working. At making them rich.

“Who are you helping to make richer today?”

“Yes, the rich do get richer.” - Robert Kiyosaki

The world is evil. It’ll bite you if you stare at it too long. Don’t trust anyone. And for goodness sakes, don’t provide a service without collecting payment in advance. I’ve had the longest problem with debt collection from huge MNCs who obviousloy have the ability to make payment. Hard lessons learnt. Never ever provide a service unless payment is made. Never.

Now you may go on deluding yourself that yes, you have to give credit and that the client will make the payments. That’s ideal in an ideal world. Unfortunately, we’re living in the real world. Don’t be deluded. I’m not saying you can’t be a nice guy. Just don’t be a stupid one. Take responsibility of preventing bad debts from happening. Get rid of the problem before it happens. Curb it at the source. Wake up and smell the con men. Do business like you’re Mcdonalds. You have to pay before you can eat.

“Which is better? More bad debt issues with more business or less business with more peace of mind?”

“Let’s be honest. There’s not a business anywhere that is without problems. Business is complicated and imperfect. Every business everywhere is staffed with imperfect human beings and exists by providing a product or service to other imperfect human beings.” - Bob Parsons