During one of the forums I’ve spoken at, I brought the audience on a journey in search of their Genie.
Imagine this:

You receive a nicely typed brochure that promises the Genie’s existence. Find the Genie and you will have all your wishes come true. At first, you were a bit sceptical about the whole idea. But something inside you told you to keep the brochure. A few months passed, and you bump into a long-lost friend. He seems very excited and passionate about life and can’t wait to tell you everything about it. He tells you the secret: He found his Genie. As he continues to describe in minute details of his adventure, you get more excited about the whole idea of searching for Your Genie. You start to believe it now.

After due consideration, you finally jump up and say to yourself, “I’m gonna do this!” You start planning for the exciting adventure ahead of you, prepare to sail into the unknown. Some of your family, friends and relatives try to convince you that it is not “realistic”. They discourage you. They even laugh at you and make a joke out of you. Fortunately, your belief is so strong, it’s unshakable. So you go ahead and take risks.

As you handle your life and prepare for your adventure into the future, you realise that there are sacrifices you need to make. Tough decisions. You stop for a moment and think again. “Should I go ahead?” You hear a lot of noises in your head—that try to tell you otherwise. Those are the voices of the fearful, logical, rational and “realistic” you. But then you focus hard to find that little voice within you. That ever so gentle and calming voice, that is finally heard, “This is it. Go for it.” That’s your voice of courage, instinct and inspiration. And you decide to make those sacrifices, because you know they are just short-term.

So you set sail towards the most important journey of your life, in search of your turning point in life. It isn’t an easy journey.

Two years have passed, and you are still searching for that magical moment. You know it’s not going to be an easy journey. At this point in time, you start imagining what would those critics have said about you should you quit and turn back now. That very thought angers you and thrusts you forward. This time, not only you have belief, but you have conviction. You tell yourself, “Let’s see who will have the last laugh.” And you put up a broad smile, and move ahead into the unknown. You are extremely hopeful.

Now you are enjoying your journey and find excitement in exploring the unknown. You love your new adventure! You scream on top of your lungs, “Life is so amazing when I don’t play it safe! Woohooo!” As you start to enjoy your journey, you enjoy new challenges too, knowing that they are stepping stones towards your ultimate destination. You persist through all the challenges ahead of you.

Five years and eight months later, you have arrived. This is it. You stand there in amazement, staring at the magical lamp in front of you. Speechless. Tears of joy are rolling along your cheek towards your broadest smile ever. Congratulations! You’ve made it!

Whatever your Genie in life is—whether it’s financial freedom, quality relationship, your dream job, dream house, dream car, dream lifestyle, health freedom or time freedom—if you want what you desire in life, these are the 5 crucial steps you must take:

Believe in the long-term promises

Dare to risk losing face & looking stupid

Willing to make short-term sacrifices

Be hopeful at all times

Persist through challenges

Remember, winners have commitment. Losers want convenience. If you want to win in life, you must commit to do whatever it takes in spite of inconveniences.

Believe… and you shall achieve.

Further reading

• Do Pain And Pleasure Use You?
• What I Saw At The Graveyard
• Take Action!
• The Magic Of Thinking Big
• You Deserve A Second Chance

Making New Year’s resolutions have become a traditional routine that people do at the end of every year. But how often did we have a resolution that lasts through 3 months into the new year?

Here’s an Easy, Effective and Enriching way to make a New Year’s resolution that sticks like super glue! This kind of New Year’s resolution has “width” and “depth” built into it, and it will empower you to take actions all year long.

Watch this short video that shows you how.

Further reading

• Do Pain And Pleasure Use You?
• Take Action!
• How To Have All Your Wishes Come True
• Do It Anyway
• Do You Think With Your BUT?

“The secret of success is learning how to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that, you’re in control of your life. If you don’t, life controls you.”

—Anthony Robbins

Today, in one of my weekly trainings, I shared about the Pain-Pleasure Principle (PPP) that was popularised by Anthony Robbins. The PPP explains that all decisions and choices that we make in life are motivated by either:

• gaining the pleasure of; or
• avoiding the pain of not

making those decisions and choices.

Think about it. You’ve made the choice of getting into that job, relationship or business at some point in time. You did it probably because of the promises you saw in it. Or you probably did it because of the pain of not having it. Either way, you were motivated by the PPP.

In the training today, I asked the participants what were the motivating factors (pleasure) behind their reasons to want to achieve success in life. Most shouted out the promises of having more time and money freedom, the sense of achievement and the ability to leave a legacy for their generations to come. I then asked them about what were the pain of not achieving success. They shouted even louder this time. “Being looked down at”, “Being criticised”, “Tarnished reputation”, “Being broke”, “Feeling like a loser” etc. were just some of the most common reasons.

“People change only when they hurt enough that they have to, learn enough that they want to, or receive enough that they are able to.”

—John C. Maxwell

Personally, I believe that one of the ways to use pain and pleasure effectively is to:

1. list down in a piece of paper all the pleasure you will gain from making that decision or choice and taking the necessary actions; and
2. on another piece of paper, list down all the pain you will get for NOT taking the necessary actions and thus not having the results you desired.

The first list will be your source of motivation and willpower. Look into this list whenever you feel that you are about to breakdown or give up. These are your intentions—your very reasons for doing what you’re doing.

The second list will be your source of urgency. Look into this list whenever you feel like you’re not fast enough in achieving your results, or stagnant. Many people completely ignore this list because they fear being reminded of the things in this list so they can avoid taking actions and thus avoiding the responsibilities to make things happen. But we all know that we owe it to ourselves to create what we want in life, and no one else.

If it’s to be, it’s up to me.

You only have one life in this lifetime. Own it. Live it. Make it the best life you’ve ever had in this lifetime.

Further reading

• How To Have All Your Wishes Come True
• Take Action!
• What I Saw At The Graveyard
• Do You Think With Your BUT?
• Dying Professor’s Last Lecture

Here’s the real meaning of: Satisfaction

In Latin, the word satis means “enough”. Combine satis-of-action (enough of action) and you get satisfaction. Now you know clearly that enough action ultimately produces satisfaction.

Quit Waiting

It’s time to quit waiting for:

• perfection
• inspiration
• permission
• reassurance
• approval
• acceptance
• someone to change
• something to change
• someone to buy from you
• the right person to come along
• the kids to leave home
• a better feng shui
• a better horoscope prediction
• the fear to disappear
• the risk to disappear
• someone to discover your talent
• instructions
• more self-confidence
• more courage
• the pain to go away
• the right timing
• the next New Year
• your spouse to get in the mood
• the next promotion
• the next increment
• the perfect customer to come by
• your downlines to change
• your siblings to apologise
• the interviewer to call
• your surroundings to change
• someone to understand your situation
• luck
• the next big break
• your mood to change

Just stop waiting and move on already.

Quit waiting for the next raise to afford that downpayment. Start doing something now to get you closer to affording it. Quit waiting for your mood to change to start doing something. Start doing something to get yourself in the mood. Quit waiting for that uncertain promotion from your boss. Ask him/her what does it take for you to get that promotion and start acting on it already. Quit waiting for another New Year’s Eve to start creating your resolutions. Start with one of your biggest goals and start taking actions towards it already.

Nobody says it better than Nike does:

Note: If you’re concerned about being judged by others, read this.

Further reading

• Do Pain And Pleasure Use You?
• How To Have All Your Wishes Come True
• Do You Have The Power To Own Your Own Life?
• How To Make A New Year’s Resolution That LASTS!
• Do You Think With Your BUT?

“When you’re 18, you worry about what everybody is thinking of you; when you’re 40, you don’t give a darn what anybody thinks of you; when you’re 60, you realize nobody’s been thinking about you at all.”

Surprise, surprise! Most of the time, nobody’s thinking about you at all!

They are too busy worrying about their own lives, and if they are thinking about you at all, they are wondering what you are thinking about them!

People think about themselves, not you.

All the time you are wasting worrying about what other people think about your ideas, your goals, your clothes, your hair, and your home could all be better spent on thinking about and doing the things that will achieve your goals.

Further reading

• Do Pain And Pleasure Use You?
• Our Time On Earth
• Do You Have The Power To Own Your Own Life?
• How To Have All Your Wishes Come True
• How To Make A New Year’s Resolution That LASTS!

1) Maximize Your Income

• Set an income goal.
• Ask for a raise.
• Work an extra hour a week.
• Learn more about making more.

2) Spend Less Than You Make

• Pause before you purchase.
• Pay bills on time.
• Use a debit card.
• Shop around.
• Find extra money for your savings.

3) Invest Money You Don’t Spend

• Save automatically.
• Earn more interest.
• Build your money confidence with Jean’s investment basics.

4) Protect Your Money

• Get insurance.
• Get a will.
• Get an account in your name.
• Learn how to better secure your future.

Source: Jean Chatzky on Oprah.com

Read also: How To Automate Your Income

Further reading

• The Difference
• I Need An Income Source That Outlives Me!
• How To Have All Your Wishes Come True
• How To Make A New Year’s Resolution That LASTS!
• Push Back & Live Life

They’ve shown me that age is never a barrier towards achieving extraordinary results in life. The only things that matter are the 4 very crucial characteristics of leadership, as followed:

1. Compelling Desire
   It takes not just a desire, but a Compelling Desire to achieve something great. You need to feel emotionally connected to your goals in order for you to get started with full of energy to get going towards accomplishing your goals. Many people set goals they are not emotionally connected to. Often they find the goals getting more and more out of reach as time goes by. This happens because you don’t feel a sense of ownership of the goals you’ve set. The goals seem so far away from you. So you need to start “feeling” your goals and get emotionally connected to them in order for you to get started, with passion. Keep asking yourself why you want to accomplish the goals. Keep asking why until you get to the deepest core reason that will move you forward.
2. Solid Belief
   In times of turbulence, you need to find something solid to stand on so that you won’t fall even if everything around you is falling apart. If you don’t stand for something, you will fall for anything. Have faith in yourself in whatever you do. Find something you are certain about yourself and your ability. Keep affirming to yourself what you’re absolutely certain about. Keep expanding your list of affirmation of what you’re certain about. Keep repeating your self affirmation to yourself. You will find them very valuable in times of challenges. Believing is the beginning. A solid belief is everything.
3. Effective Actions
   Often times, people do a lot of activities without accomplishing anything. Activities keep us busy, and may not necessarily have a specific direction at the end. Accomplishment, on the other hand, comes with an intention. If you’ve gotten emotionally connected with your goals and dreams, and you’ve affirmed yourself about the things you’re absolutely certain about and form a solid belief around them, then you start taking actions towards accomplishing them. There are times when our actions are not producing the results we want at the end. Go back to the first 2 steps. Are you still compelled to accomplish your goals? Do you still have a solid belief about accomplishing them? If no, then repeat the processes mentioned above. If yes, then change your course of actions so that you can start producing different results. Remember, insanity means doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. Keep changing your course of actions until you get the results you want.
4. Iron Will
   This final crucial characteristic is self explanatory. It’s about persistence. No diamonds are produced without great pressure put on producing them. It is in times of hardship and critical moments that you need to draw out your iron will. Keep persisting and persevering with a compelling desire and a solid belief, and then keep taking effective actions, changing your course of actions as and when needed. Keep pushing forward. Keep your passion burning. Keep your belief alive. Have faith in yourself and in everything you do. A bad result is not bad if you learn from it and move on wiser after each encounter. Success is not measured by how many times you’ve failed, but how many times you stand up again after each failure. You will achieve great things eventually if you persist long enough.

I’ve had the honour to work with this group of passionate and loving group of people who are committed to achieving great, extraordinary results in their lives and in the lives of others around them. We’ve worked together around the 4 crucial characteristics of leadership for the past 13 weeks. Numerous incredible experiences have been generated from the results they’ve accomplished in their lives, week after week. They’ve made one thing very clear: Leaders are made, not born.

So, master the 4 crucial characteristics of leadership and you will well be on your way to becoming a great leader.

Be blessed.

Cheanu Chew

Source: The 4 Crucial Characteristics of Leadership is the original work of Jim Poulos, President of Bridgestar Consulting. I have personally attended leadership programs taught by his wife Kelly Poulos at Asiaworks Training.

Further reading

• How To Have All Your Wishes Come True
• Do Pain And Pleasure Use You?
• Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong Passed Away
• How To Make A New Year’s Resolution That LASTS!
• Take Action!

Source: The Star

Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong had a vision so big that he foresaw a prosperous Malaysia of the future desiring a cool mountain holiday resort within the reach of all Malaysians. The task to transform a remote mountain into Malaysia’s premier holiday destination seemed impossible to anyone… but not for Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong.

Despite all challenges and setbacks, Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong had successfully developed Genting Highlands.

To date, Genting Highlands Resort has five hotels (namely Genting Hotel, Highlands Hotel, Resort Hotel, Theme Park Hotel and First World Hotel) and two apartment blocks (Ria and Kayangan Apartments) at the hilltop and Awana Genting Highlands Golf and Country Resort.

Genting Berhad is now a leading multinational corporation in Malaysia. The Group has constantly been acknowledged by various organisations for its exemplary leadership and management. Genting Berhad was acknowledged as the No.1 Leading Company in Malaysia for 10 years, ie in 2004 and for 9 consecutive years (1994 – 2002) by The Asian Wall Street Journal 200 (formerly Far Eastern Economic Review 200). Genting Berhad was also rated No.1 in Malaysia and No.2 in Asia for Overall Best Managed Company for the Decade by Asiamoney.

“Once the goals have been clearly defined, with the greatest amount of determination and hard work, one can conclusively realise one’s goals.”

—Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong, Founder

Source: Genting Group Website

What we can all learn from Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong is the willingness to stand firm and show up for our vision and dreams, to commit whole-heartedly to making our goals happen and to call for the willpower to presevere and persist through challenges and setbacks, no matter how impossible the road may seem. It takes full belief and faith in oneself to achieve great success in life.

PS: If you are a visionary too, I invite you to visit www.myunlimitedincome.com to unleash your true potential.

Further reading

• How To Have All Your Wishes Come True
• Do Pain And Pleasure Use You?
• Take Action!
• What I Saw At The Graveyard
• 5 Crucial Factors In Choosing A Network Marketing Program