Tag Archives: life game

An Interesting Beginning to 2011: Positioning for Opportunities

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In case you’re wondering – this site also reveals part of my happenings in life, injecting a little bit more flavour to the site as a whole; something lighter than the usual information dosage :)

I know it has only been a month into the new year but 2011 has been great (and really busy) for me. There are tons of exciting projects lined up this year including online consultancy projects, branding events and more!

Openminds Resources have also recently secured a consultancy project with one of Malaysia’s largest chocolate retailers / manufacturers which is really exciting to the team as it also allows us to get an exclusive insight to the chocolate industry in Malaysia and not to forget, delicious chocolate tours. I will also be sharing updates on this project, granting you – awesome readers insight as we take on this project on online positioning, marketing and social media.

Interestingly, I was also offered an opportunity to be a part time lecturer at one of Malaysia’s top IT universities – Asia Pacific University College of Technology & Innovation (APIIT / UCTI). This is definitely an interesting experience as I too, graduated from the very same university.

Standing and sharing in front of the students is an humbling experience and yet another learning curve! I actually look forward to the classes as this will also give me the opportunity to connect with the students and to hopefully inspire them to be future entrepreneurs and leaders as they inspire me to take on new heights.

What About You?

I hope it has been an awesome beginning for you! If you’re on the look out for a start-out point, here are 3 simple ways you can create your own beginnings!

#1: Position Yourself for Opportunities!

They often say “be at the right place at the right time”. Easier said than done, but you can always position yourself in situations that opportunities can come. It may be taking on a leadership role, participating in networking sessions, attending conferences, taking up new responsibilities or even standing in for your colleague at work – opportunities often come in ways we don’t expect it to. The trick is to POSITION ourselves to run into those opportunities.

#2: Talk Opportunities!

Do you have something that you’re absolutely passionate about? Whether it is keeping up with the latest technology updates or getting a promotion at work, you need to talk about it. Not just talk, but talk to the right people – the more the merrier. Make yourself available to these opportunities. Some people create blogs so that they can talk and share about their passion and blogs are a powerful way to express yourself and get noticed… even by your boss!

#3: Push Your Limits!

I’m sure there are times where you simply feel powerless or already at your limit. Your creative juices stopped flowing and you’re stagnant at where you’re at. At times like these comes BIG opportunity! Instead of focusing on your limitations, identify what exactly is putting a cap on your limits and work towards removing them! When this happens, new opportunities are opened to you and you’re ready for greater heights!

Moving Forward

Opportunities come and go and it is often up to us on how we make the most out of them. For those of you that are celebrating the Lunar New Year, this site is now in red in conjunction with this joyous celebration!

May 2011 be filled with great opportunities, good health and endless blessings!

How to: Create a Winning Strategy!

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how to create a winning strategy

One common mistake marketing leaders, entrepreneurs and business owners make is to consistently look for winning strategies outside of your own four walls. True, there are times where ‘thinking outside of the box / walls’ comes in handy but often than not, there is a high possibility that you already HAVE that winning touch and you just do not realize it.

The question to ask yourself is really just this: What is your unique selling proposition? By answering this question truthfully, chances are, that is the key to outperform your competitors – simply by leveraging on the resources, skills, knowledge, tools, systems and talents you ALREADY have!

#1: Identify your strengths first before strategizing

Look inwards – put on paper what you do best. What makes you stand out – Is it customer service? Or a unique product? What talents or resources do you have at hand – Web designers? Programmers? Sales teams?

Once you have these down, work on a strategy that leverage on your strengths. Use them wisely and you may have already won half the battle!

#2: Look at your competitors’ strengths

Look outwards – see what your competitors do best. It is crucial that you acknowledge their strengths and identify how are they different from you so that you can have a strategy that stands out in the industry, and that they cannot copy (at least not that easy).

#3: Make provision for GROWTH

Many people strategize for the now. You need to have a strategy for the tomorrow. Have a strategy that lasts and is able to adapt to changes – simply because things change – especially when it comes to technology. You may have the world’s most advanced software to manage a storefront but your competitors may have an improved version the year after. It happens.

Here’s to greater victories in 2011!

Still Waiting For Success?

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Happy Monday! We are already in 2011 – are you in it full swing yet? Or are you still waiting to commit to your plans, strategies and success? Wait no longer!

The later you start on your plans, the higher the slope you’ll have to climb as you’ll be racing against time, success stories of other people and greater ideals. Why not create your own success story for a change? This image I found really says it all:

wait no longer

What is YOUR Success Plan?

May it be taking up courses, setting goals, attending conferences – the secret is really to just go out there and make it happen!

“Don’t wait for success, go make it happen!“

The 2011 Challenge

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BLESSED NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

How did you spend your new year’s day? Have you got all your resolutions on paper yet?

I don’t know about you but it would seem that humans in general, are procrastinators. We tend to leave everything to the very last minute and will only work when we are forced to do so. Such is seen in education – at school, we were forced to study whether we liked it or not but after we graduate, we no longer are forced to study, no longer forced to improve ourselves.

What does this have to do with 2011?

The keyword here is to CHALLENGE yourself. You only stop moving forward when you stop challenging yourself. Set higher goals and do not get stuck in the comfort zone. CHALLENGE to remain motivated. CHALLENGE to achieve greater success. CHALLENGE to stay ahead of the game.

Let 2011 begin by saying “I choose to challenge myself”.

If you’re wondering how the new year celebration was like in Malaysia, here’s a video I found on YouTube:

Have an awesome 2011 ahead! CHALLENGE – that’s my theme of the year. Will that be yours, too?

How to: Change Your Habit before 2011

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goodbye 2010!

It’s the last Monday of 2010! How are you feeling today?

I’m sure tons have happened in your life throughout the entire year and you may have come across habits that you wanted to get rid of but failed to do so. Whether it is spending too much time playing Facebook games, struggling to spend some time daily to invest in yourself or even to read a single book, 2011 is definitely a good year to get those behind you!

Habits

If you’re a driver, you should be able to relate to this occurrence at one point or another. Many times I’ve noted in amazement that even when I’m distracted (on the phone / listening to the radio / etc), I’ve always arrived at my destination while driving on a frequented route without realizing it.

It’s interesting to see how the brain takes complete control of where you are going without any conscious effort, provided it’s a regular route and interestingly, if you can truly understand the how this works, you will end up having the answer to creating a new habit for 2011.

The reason why it happens is because your mind follows instructions, without any conscious effort, that have been repeated over and over to it. This phenomenon can be summed up in one word – Habit. It’s the power of a habit that is at work here.

How Does Knowing This Help?

We know that repetition does the trick to form habits. The first step is to always acknowledge the habit. Identify it’s patterns and then try to break the routine. Taking the same example, imagine if I would to have placed a piece of paper in front of my dashboard daily with the writings: “Use Road B”, chances are, I’ll be able to make a conscious effort to take Road B instead of the usual A and in time to come, Road B will become the new habit.

Having that said, it applies to every other habits in life. All you need to do is to break that habit by changing it’s course. You need to constantly ‘remind’ yourself of that course you wish to take. Use something to remind you – a desktop wallpaper, a wristband, anything that you can look at it and remember your course.

Are you missing 2010 already? 2011 is going to be a new year, a new course, and new victories!

Are You Watching or Participating?

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Are you someone who watches or someone who participates? Someone who observes or someone who gets their hands dirty?

Why not BOTH?

There are too many people living on extreme ends of this world – some observing, busy over analyzing and criticizing things; while some too indulged in the execution of things, neither of which is better than the other.

Perhaps today is a good time to ask yourself, what have you been in 2010? And what do you want to become in 2011?

If you’ve been looking from the sidelines, it is time for you to put your analytical skills to good use and execute your plans.

If you’ve been getting your hands dirty all day long, it is time for you to start strategizing and formulating plans to increase productivity or the effectiveness of what you’re doing.

2011 is going to be an exciting and challenging year for many and you definitely do not want to just LOOK at passing opportunities or just JUMP into every passing one without a strategy.

It’s time to take on the new year with a bang!

Don’t Criticize – You Don’t Learn from Someone You Criticize

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Criticism is a funny thing. We can joke about things, people and situations but when we criticize, it tends to affect your being more than you actually know.

When we criticize a person, we are subconsciously labeling that person as unimportant or not-worth-my-time and when that happens, chances are even when he / she comes up with a good idea in the future, you won’t take it in.

Now bear in mind that constructive criticism is valid as it is but many find it difficult to really be constructive in their criticism to others, especially in an competitive environment.

What to do in situations such as these? Don’t criticize – as much as you want to, don’t. Give some time for yourself to look from different angles before passing a comment. If you absolutely have to say something, be objective and do not draw a conclusion on that person.

Easier said than done, but remember: if you go about criticizing everyone that comes into your way, you’ll end up with no one on your side – and you definitely do not want that to happen.

Strategy is Everything

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A strategy determines which path you'll take

Proper planning is essential to success. Strategic planning is vital to success. One can plan for everything but without a STRATEGY, the plans are nothing.

You see, once you have clearly identified what your goals are it is important to carefully plan how you will achieve them – that’s planning, by putting down what you need to do. Strategy on the other hand, adds an edge and the “how-to” to your plans. For example, your plan may be to “move my blog to a .com by end 2010”. But how can you achieve it? That’s the strategy!

Many people skip this step in their excitement to pursue their goals and sad to say, failure to strategize will lead to failure and disappointment… leading to the abandonment of goals. What’s the problem over here? You did not have a success strategy.

It is true that no matter how carefully we lay out our plans, reality will require us to change and adapt through various circumstances. This is where your strategy shines – the adaptation of plans and the last minute improvisations that will push you towards your goal.

“The process of planning prepares you to take the steps necessary to realize your goals and aspirations.“

THIS is strategy

Take for example the picture above. The fish may have planned to join the other side but it takes strategy for that to happen – how much air to hold, how much strength to jump, how high to jump, how much momentum to build, how should it land – that’s STRATEGY!

Planning alone is not a success factor. You plan your game but it takes strategy to manage resources, coordinate and manage factors, changes and the environment. Planning is important, but strategy is crucial. A solid plan also makes room for a winning strategy.

Do you have a plan for 2011? Do you have a strategy for 2011? We’re only about 20+ days away from 2011. Take some time off today to plan and strategize!

Strategy is everything.

How Are You Keeping Up With 2010?

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We’ve already come to the end of November and it will soon be Christmas, then 2011. How has 2010 been treating you? Has it been difficult? Challenging? Disappointing?

Recently I was reminded with the old days where I used to train under my coach for badminton. I remember that it is at the time when I’m facing a stronger opponent, physically drained, worn out and out of breathe, my coach will always tell me:

“Keep your focus! If 100% isn’t enough, go 200%! If 200% still isn’t enough, go 300%! You’re here to win it, else you’re going home!”

Today when I look back, wow, there is so much truth in that. When life gets challenging and tough, that’s your opportunity to shine – to accomplish something you’ve never done before. Successful entrepreneurs take on challenges because they know their skills will be refined and failures will only make them stronger.

Are you on the verge of giving up? Now is the time to focus upon the goal – to win it – giving it 200%, 300% or more.

Let’s end 2010 with a bang!

When Did You Stop Dreaming?

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Many of us have dreams; or rather, used to have dreams.

Look back at those times when you were growing up in school – you may have big dreams – to become a millionaire by a certain age, to be your own boss, to travel the world, to write a book, to have THE job, to have a fairy-like wedding and etc – now ask yourself: When did you stop dreaming?

Or did you tell yourself to be real and get over the dreams?

I would say: Dream, and make it real. Don’t let reality be an excuse for you to stop dreaming, and nobody is too young or old to stop dreaming. Have you ever wondered why some people can be so passionate in the things they do and they can go all out, claiming success as theirs? They are nowhere special as you yourself are. You can, too!

One of the reasons why they are able to do it is because they have a dream – and they are set to achieve it. They are willing to do what it takes, to sacrifice and to persevere through whatever that comes in their way. They managed to put-to-action their passion for the dream and believe they can do it.

Now, if you’re sitting there saying to yourself that you’ve already tried many times and still failed or simply do not have the resources or time to achieve your dreams anymore, you’re simply not trying enough. As you know, there are risks in life and each dream you have is also likely to have risks attached to it. For example – you may have to give up your current job to be your own boss.

I’m not saying that if you try hard enough, your dreams will 100% come true; but what I can tell you for sure is that if you give up, you’ll 100% have NO chance in achieving your dreams. Take a look at a short video below of seven real life dreamers that have been rejected, ridiculed and laughed at YET persevered, pursued and achieved their dreams:

What Can You Do Today:

1. Start dreaming

Yes, it’s time to start dreaming again. Don’t let reality pull you back.

2. Write down that dream of yours

Put it on paper, pin it up somewhere, put it as your wallpaper or anyway to remind you of your dream. Even better, share it with someone that has a dream too and work towards it together!

3. Map out what it takes to achieve that dream

List down what sacrifices is required and what will you need to achieve it – be as specific as possible and always take up the opportunity to be one step closer to your dream!

4. Make your dream a reality!

If you can’t take it on right away, make allocations to start working on it. If a certain method does not work, try another or try talking to someone that has already been through it for advice – the Web is a great place for that. Use Facebook, Twitter or participate in discussions to get more ideas and support to have your dream come true!

What is your dream?

DREAM, and MAKE IT A REALITY!