2012 has started and time surely moves swiftly as we move into the first weekend of the new year. How was your 2011? Has it been a great year where you have managed to fulfill all your 2011 resolution? Or has it been another year of more ‘it could have been’ and ‘if only.’ I certainly hope it was not the latter.
How about your results in your study? Did you get your desired results? I certainly hope so too. If you have not, fret not. It is not the end of the world. You might have lost a battle but you have not lost the war; just ensure that you do it better, not just any better but your very best. Give it all you have gotten and left no room for ‘it could have been’ and ‘if only.’ Life is too short for these.
One thing about study and in most things in life is that we can ‘think’ our way to good results or to get whatever we want morally. Bullshit! Yes, you are right in way, especially if we are talking about wishful thinking. Anyone can wishfully think himself/herself to good result and I can tell you right now that it will not happen. However, not everyone is willing to think to good result.
Thus, everyone can think to good result but not everyone is willing to do that. Most are just wishful thinking. You may ask me, “What do you mean by thinking to good result? Isn’t it the same as wishful thinking?” What I would like to clarify is that while you are thinking about getting good result, you are also thinking about how to get the good result and that will make all the differences.
And it is not enough to be thinking about getting good result. We will still have to take the final step – the very key step to getting there and that is to take massive action. Nothing will come through without massive action and this is the very different between thinking and wishful thinking. Without massive action, just thinking alone is just like wishful thinking.
Last night I asked two children if they are ready to change to change their results. Right now I have given you the key to getting good results. Are you gonna just hold on to the key and do nothing about it? Or are you gonna open the door to good result with that key. It is entirely up to you. As Albert Einstein said, “Insanity – doing the same thing over and over again but expecting a different result. Are you insane?
Just the other day when I was sending out some email to parents and students, I realised and reaffirmed an important point; that results come from a change in mindset and beliefs. What I observed in most of the students nowadays were not so much of the lack of ability but more of a mindset or belief that they cannot do it. During my time, it didn’t occur to us so much about our abilities or doubts if we could get the ‘A’s in our exams. Personally, I had a strong belief that as long as I studied hard, I would get good results.
True enough, my strong belief in studying hard translated directly into the good grades I had for Math, A Math, Physics and Chemistry in my O-Level examination. In fact in my A Math papers, for the first time in my life, I managed to finish it with ample time to spare to check through my papers. Even before the result was out for my A Math, I was already confident that I had gotten an ‘A’ for it.
As for my languages and humanity subject, the doubts and beliefs I had about myself translated to my not so impressive grades for both subjects. Even during my A-Level examination, I aced in my C Math and either Chemistry or Physics. As for my Further Mathematics, I only got a ‘C.’ It didn’t come as a surprise because I had not worked very hard for it and in fact I didn’t practice enough. Looking back at the efforts I put in the O-Level and A-Level exams, it is even clearer now the strong relationship between my belief in hardwork and results.
That is why in my email to the parents, I wrote, “The best gift we could give to them is the gift to first believe in their own abilities and then to take action.” It is not enough to just believe in their own abilities. The change in their results will come from the follow through action that they will be taking.
Advo’s Turbocharge! Workshop is a workshop specially engineered for children between the age of 13-17 to help the youths discover more about themselves through a journey of self reflection and exploration. One of the top training programs for kids in Singapore, this highly interactive workshop will help to open the minds of children to see themselves bigger than who they are now. Through the workshop, your children will create new empowering mindsets and beliefs about themselves. With these new empowering mindsets and beliefs about themselves, they will go on to achieve academic excellence and successes in life.
As the saying goes, “Change your mind, change your world!” When we focus on the root of the issue, we not only nib the issue at its root, we also create a long-lasting solution. The good grades will follow.
Music by Pasquale Catalano “Cuore Di Sabbia” and Images by Monica Sheehan
As from the video:
1. Be Happy – People are just as happy as they make up their minds to be. – Abraham Lincoln
2. Show up
3. Follow your heart – There are many things in life that will catch your eye, but only a few will catch your heart … pursue those. – Author Unknown
4. Find a new perspective
5. Have a sense of wonder – There are two ways to live your life – one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle. – Albert Einstein
6. Find people you love … and I would say loving all the people around us regardless of whether we know them in person or not.
7. Set Goals – Life can be pulled by goals just as surely as it can be pushed by drives. – Viktor E. Frankl
8. Help others – If you can, help others; if you cannot do that, at least do not harm them. – Dalai Lama
9. Dance – Life isn’t about waiting for the storm to pass … It’s about learning to dance in the rain. – Vivian Greene
10. Pamper yourself …
11. Face your fears … – Do the thing we fear, and death of fear is certain. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
12. Go to a museum
13. Exercise – It is health that is real wealth and not pieces of gold and silver. – Mahatma Gandhi. Besides exercising, we do have to focus on eating healthy too; most health issues are directly related to the food we are putting in our mouths.
14. Limit Television
15. Get in touch with Nature
16. Lighten up
17. Get a good night’s sleep
18. Read books
19. Buy yourself flowers
20. Don’t compare yourself with others – Each of us is unique and special in our own way; do not seek to be like others and do not afraid to be different.
21. Don’t beat yourself up – Loving others start from first learning to love ourselves.
22. Be open to new ideas
23. Don’t focus on negative thought
24. … Focus on creating what you desire
25. Make time just to have fun
26. Keep the romance in your life
27. Make a Gratitude list
28. Love Your Mother Earth
29. Want what you have – Success is getting what you want; happiness is wanting what you get. – Ingrid Bergman
Your life Today is the result of Our Choices in the past.
Our lives Tomorrow, will be the result of
the Choices we make Today!
What would we do today,
That will make a difference tomorrow?
——————————–
How true isn’t it? If we continue to make the same choices we had made in the past, how can we expect something different today?
If life is like a book we received at birth, how are we writing each chapter? Our parents had already helped to write the introductions for us and now it is up to us to complete the rest of the chapters in the book.
Is the book going to be one that grabs the readers’ attention and keeps them going from one chapter to another? Or is it going to be one the readers will put down after reading the first chapter and know exactly what they can expect in the following chapters or even the conclusion?
Whatever it is, it is up to us what we want to write in the book. And since we are stuck with the writing, why not make it an exciting one – starting from today! We cannot erase what had already be written, but we sure can start writing the most exciting and colourful story from today.
How our stories will turn out depend on the choices we are making each day. From a past training I went to previously, the trainer was telling us not to look at the current status in our lives and decide that are how we would be in the future. He stated that our current status in life are the reflection of the choices we had made in the past. So if we are unhappy about our current status in life, we have to start making different choices now.
Just as what Albert Einstein said, “Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” If we change our choices, we can hope to create a new future.
Life has always been about making choices. Even if we refuse to make any choice, it is still a choice we made in not making any choice. There are times we may feel that we are not in control of how some situations are turning out and yes we cannot always control what goes on outside. But we do have the power to control what goes on inside us. Tap on that power inside us to make the choice.
Today is the first day of the rest of our lives. What would we do today, that will make a difference tomorrow?
Do you resist changes in life? Honestly, I do resist changes in life sometimes. Most people or at least a lot of people resist changes too. Changes come especially challenging when things are getting very comfortable. Just imagine a rainy morning and you are all warm and cozy in your bed but you have to get up and get ready for work. Do you give yourself another 5 minutes in your bed and then take another 5 until you know you will run late if you continue to snuggle in bed. I know I would sometimes.
And yet, it is exciting to get out of bed. I would love a cup of hot chocolate to start the rainy day, watching the raindrops falling from the sky, the ripples they create when they fall into a pool of water, the sound of the raindrops beating against the window and last but not least, the freshness and sweetness in the air.
For me, it has been the most exciting 4 months and with a lot of changes. What I observed or experienced was a challenge would follow every change. At first the challenge would appear insurmountable and that is because we do not have the capability yet to overcome it. Or rather, what I will say is, “We thought we do not have the capability to overcome it.” However, the truth of the matter is, “We will not be given a challenge too big for us!” This is what I believe and this is what I use to remind myself constantly.
Just as we might continue to focus on the challenge and some will view it as problem; we must remind ourselves to focus on finding the solution. We may not have direct control to the challenge, but we always have the Power to choose what we want to focus on. Use that Power which is given to you and which cost you nothing. Because frankly speaking, if we do not use that Power given to us, someone else would be using the Power given to him/her to choose for us. Just as the quotation from the movie The Astronaut Farmer, “You better know what you want to do before somebody know it for you.” So we better start using that Power given to us before somebody use his/hers on us.
And finally after we overcome the challenge, we grow. With every challenge, there is a great potential for us to grow and to become a better person. Not only that, we are automatically ready for bigger changes and challenges in life. This simple reason of growth makes change ever exciting for me!
What we really must do is Embracing Changes and Challenges and this journey call life will surely be an exciting and memorable one!
Weekend is here. Just to share with you all an inspiring short clip from the movie ‘Facing the Giants.’ A friend shared this short clip with me and I knew straight away that this is one video which I want to share with all of you.
This is very applicable to our daily life; we can always question ourselves, “Are we giving our best shot?” This is especially true when things are not going the way that we wanted to. Another great point from the short clip is
“Your attitude is the aroma of your heart. If your attitude stinks, it means your heart’s not right.“
I believe that most of us have read the words below in one way or another; either you have read it through an email from your friends or you may have read from somewhere else. However, how many of us have actually stopped, really thought and taken a moment to reflect on what were shared in these words. These words were attributed to Erma Bombeck who achieved great popularity for her newspaper column that described suburban home life humorously from the mid-1960s until the late 1990s. Bombeck also published 15 books, most of which became best-sellers.
Lets take a moment to imagine our life is already at its end but we are given another chance to have our life to live over again starting today. How would we live it differently?
If I had my Life to Live Over by Erma Bombeck
If I had my life to live over, I would have talked less and listened more.
I would have invited friends over to dinner even if the carpet was stained and the sofa faded.
I would have eaten the popcorn in the ‘good’ living room and worried much less about the dirt when someone wanted to light a fire in the fireplace.
I would have taken the time to listen to my grandfather ramble about his youth.
I would never have insisted the car windows be rolled up on a summer day because my hair had just been teased and sprayed.
I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage.
I would have sat on the lawn with my children and not worried about grass stains.
I would have cried and laughed less while watching television – and more while watching life.
I would have shared more of the responsibility carried by my husband.
I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day.
I would never have bought anything just because it was practical, wouldn’t show soil or was guaranteed to last a lifetime.
Instead of wishing away nine months of pregnancy, I’d have cherished every moment and realized that the wonderment growing inside me was the only chance in life to assist God in a miracle.
When my kids kissed me impetuously, I would never have said, “Later. Now go get washed up for dinner.”
There would have been more “I love you’s”.. More “I’m sorrys” …
But mostly, given another shot at life, I would seize every minute… look at it and really see it … live it…and never give it back.
Advo Malaysia Education experienced the first blackout this morning; it was around 8+ when it happened. Little did I know that it was a blessing in disguise.
It slowly dawned upon me that it could just be a power trip. The next thing which came to my mind was, “Where’s the main power switch box?” To that, I said to myself, “I don’t remember seeing one around in the office and I didn’t bother to look around; not a very wise move. I went searching for the main power switch box to check if there was a power trip.
Couldn’t find it, I decided to lock the door and went for my breakfast. So you see, a ‘blackout’ in the morning isn’t such a bad thing. At least it was a good reason to go for breakfast.
After the breakfast, I decided to take plan B and head to my associate’s place to do some works. I packed my things and headed to the ground floor to wait for my associate to pick me up. While waiting, my neighbour turned up for work and I walked over to her to check if her office was experiencing a blackout too. To my surprise, her office turned out to be fine. Then I realised the problem could really be due to my office and not the whole building; businesses are going on as usual everywhere else.
Heading back to my office and more determine as ever to find the main power switch box and to my surprise, I suddenly remembered seeing it in one of the rooms. Thus I went straight into the room and guess what? Nothing to be surprised, the main power switch box was right there all along. Upon checking, I saw one of the switches tripped. I turned it ‘on.’
Since there was a power trip, then there must be something wrong with the power circuit in the office. I switched off the office light switch and the other power switch to the printers when the ‘blackout’ happened. After restoring the tripped switch in the main power switch box, the immediate thought was to restore light to the reception area and office too.
I turned on the switch to the office light and immediately there was a power trip again. Light bulb flashing in my head! So that was the culprit! For confirmation, I switched on the light for the staircase leading to the ground floor and there wasn’t any problem. Then I walked into the office and turned on the switch for the printers; the printers jumped to live. Jackpot!
In retrospect, I have learnt that even in times like this, we could choose to focus on the blessings that came with it.
Blessing 1: The ‘blackout’ could have happened at night and I would have been in total darkness.
Blessing 2, At least I know now the location of the main power switch box and this is where I’ll be heading straight first when there is another ‘blackout’ in the future.
Blessing 3: A few days back the lighting in the office burned and we thought it was the usual end of life for the fluorescent light and the starters. We didn’t think there was something wrong with the connection in the bracket or the circuit for the fluorescent light. We are getting it check out now.
The ‘blackout’ issue was temporary resolved and with lessons learned.
A few days ago, a girl told me that she was feeling very sad that day. A friend whom she had always hung out with was caught in a gossiping session about her and one of the guys in the group was bad-mouthing her but this friend of hers not only did not stand up for her, but was still relating the whole incidence to her with much enthusiasm. Being quite easily affected by words of others, “… my heart literally sank to the bottomless pit…,” in her exact words. Fortunately, she had her guardian angels to look out for her that day; who managed to reverse the strong negative feeling she felt and made her feeling great again instantly. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if there was no one there with her. She is again ready to inspire the whole world. I called her the POWER LADY! I have always believe in her power to inspire the world! How can we empower ourselves?
How many of us had been through similar situation like this? How did you handle it? Were you as upset and disturbed too? I believe that most of us had been through similar situation at one point or another. As much as we do not want to, there will be times when the words of others will make us doubt ourselves; doubting if we can really achieve what we set in our mind to achieve, doubting if we are good enough, and to the extend of believing in what the others are saying.
The night when she was relating her experience with me, she asked me to share my feeling about the incidence she had that day. I told her, “I have just one thing to share with her.” I heard Abraham Lincoln speaking to me and I shared one of his many quotations with her. “I am not bothered by what others say about me as long as I know they do not speak the truth of me.”
Such simple truth and yet it could be hard to grasp at time. I have shared this quotation with family and friends who were caught in similar situation like the girl countless times. Every time I shared it, it also served as a gentle reminder to myself. We cannot always control what others are saying but we can always control or rather choose how we want to feel or react to what others are saying. They have the right to speak their mind but we have every reason to guard our mind against any negativity. The mind is our single most valuable asset. Empowering ourselves, especially our mind is very important.
You may ask me, “What if they are speaking the truth of me?” I would be glad if others point out my ‘blind spots.’ It would give me an opportunity to reflect upon them and to change if there is a need to. This gives us a chance to improve ourselves and to be a better being.
If there is just one thing I want to share today, it is the quotation of Abraham Lincoln above, “I am not bothered by what others say about me as long as I know they do not speak the truth of me.” And remember, “We are the master of our fate: We are the captain of our soul!“
Advo Sdn Bhd was conceived in March 2010, with Advocators Education Pte Ltd, Singapore, with the adventurous vision to be the top innovator and creator of learning & academic strategies and technologies in Malaysia.
Advo Sdn Bhd will also adopt a fusion of western strategic learning models with eastern core learning values, as its parent company, to deliver fast yet lasting positive changes in our students' character and academic results.
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Just the other day when I was sending out some email to parents and students, I realised and reaffirmed an important point; that results come from a change in mindset and beliefs. What I observed in most of the students nowadays were not so much of the lack of ability but more of a mindset or belief that they cannot do it. During my time, it didn’t occur to us so much about our abilities or doubts if we could get the ‘A’s in our exams. Personally, I had a strong belief that as long as I studied hard, I would get good results.
Your life Today is the result of
Do you resist changes in life? Honestly, I do resist changes in life sometimes. Most people or at least a lot of people resist changes too. Changes come especially challenging when things are getting very comfortable. Just imagine a rainy morning and you are all warm and cozy in your bed but you have to get up and get ready for work. Do you give yourself another 5 minutes in your bed and then take another 5 until you know you will run late if you continue to snuggle in bed. I know I would sometimes.
A few days ago, a girl told me that she was feeling very sad that day. A friend whom she had always hung out with was caught in a gossiping session about her and one of the guys in the group was bad-mouthing her but this friend of hers not only did not stand up for her, but was still relating the whole incidence to her with much enthusiasm. Being quite easily affected by words of others, “… my heart literally sank to the bottomless pit…,” in her exact words. Fortunately, she had her guardian angels to look out for her that day; who managed to reverse the strong negative feeling she felt and made her feeling great again instantly. I couldn’t imagine what would happen if there was no one there with her. She is again ready to inspire the whole world. I called her the POWER LADY! I have always believe in her power to inspire the world! How can we empower ourselves?
