The Chase

At some point of your life, you will begin to think of what exactly it is that you're living for.

Some of us found the answer in Religion and personal achievements just to name some.

It is not important what the answer is, but it is important to give it a try if you feel that a certain something is the answer.

Don't be afraid to chase your dream.

Nothing comes easy, you're going to have to make many sacrifices to get there, but know that when you finally do reach the finish point, you will be overwhelmed by satisfaction.

Don't be afraid to take risks. If you have taken them, and you failed, then at least you know that you have tried, and when you have tried and failed, do not give up.

You can always try again or venture into another area of interest.

You are only limited by the boundaries you set in your mind.

Give that chase. Your dream will not chase you.

Book Recommendation: Napoleon Hill - Think & Grow Rich

I am currently reading this e-book (yes, we are all quite up to date with technology it seems) by Napoleon Hill titled Think and Grow Rich.

I have yet to finish reading it, but I am greatly impressed by the words in the book.

I believe sometime during the year, my colleague started to talk about Napoleon Hill, but as the book states, and I am quoting "There is a difference between wishing for something and being ready to receive it". My guess was, probably at that moment, I was not ready to receive this knowledge, hence I dismissed the thought of even looking up who Napolean Hill is, and what his book was all about.

This book tells the stories of many successful men, who started off as a nobody and transformed into a somebody - names whom we recognized in this day such as Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Alexander Graham Bell, Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson, just to name a few.

There is a certain paragraph in this book that caught my attention:
"Desire is the starting point of all achievement, not a hope, not a wish, but a keen pulsating desire which transcends everything."

This is how I break them down.

Desire is initially powered up by imagination. As a child, I have always wondered what it is like to be rich - this leads me to imagine.
When my imagination is working, it brings out a desire to BE rich, but the only problem was, at that moment, I do not know what or where is the correct outlet, or rather, I was not exposed to the correct channel of thinking.

But it does not work with desire alone. I have to also be ready to receive the knowledge or information to fuel this desire to the next level of thinking.
Which explains why I still felt as if there wasn't much growth opportunities for me to BE rich, and I was instead confined to the thoughts of the common, which is, to work until I retire and still wonder if I will have enough money when retirement comes.

The thing is, no matter how open minded one person is, as long as he or she is still not willing to be fully open minded - meaning, there is still some restriction in the mind that certain things cannot be done or not possible, then this knowledge will not present itself to the person.

The barriers in the mind must be collapsed, and it will allow this person to see things in a different light, where the impossible becomes possible.

Your subconscious mind will allow you to explore many more aspects of thought. Desire will then become motivation.

Motivation will allow you to work towards your desired goal, and will also help you to take risks, whether you're ready or not.

As the book quotes, "Don't wait. The time will never be just right."

And if you tried and failed, do not be discouraged. Opportunity comes in the form of temporary defeat and sometimes failure. As long as you keep on fighting and refuse to admit defeat, you will definately win the battle, and will be able to achieve your utmost desired goal.

Let's all think and grow rich together :)

Go for Cost Effectiveness

Nope, I haven't been writing not because of another writer's block, but I've just been busy with preparations for Eid celebration.

With all the mayhem going around, it's really important to ensure that you choose the cost effective path.

In Singapore, when the Malay Muslims celebrate Eid, a big population of them will go for wastage - meaning, they will change everything from the sofa set to the curtains to the rugs, among other things. Some of them do this every year, for the sake of getting into the celebration.

Truth is, we should always keep things simple. If you were to keep this up every year, you will only burden yourself with budget problems. You will definitely dread the festive season because you have to change every damn thing all over again (and we all know how fast 365 days pass by!).

Worst still if you bought the things on credit terms, as some of those payoffs are as long as 36 months. So that means every year, you have an excess of 24 months to pay off - kinda like placing yourself in an unnecessary debt situation.

Here are some of the guidelines that I follow when I go shopping:

1. Need Vs Want - It is necessary to shop for what we Need not what we Want. This way, we will be able to minimize the options of buying things we don't need.

2. Plan your Budget (and your shopping list) - Another way to go with cost effectiveness is to ensure that we plan our budget and to shop within the allocated amount. Going shopping without a budget will only allow you to create a hole in your wallet / purse / pocket faster.

3. Go for value - A brand-X dish washing detergent works as good as a branded dish washing detergent, and brand-X is cheaper. A $10 Metro wallet works as good as a $700 LV wallet.

4. Always pay 100% upfront - with CASH! - Unless you don't mind paying a little extra interest every month for 36 months, then be sure to save up enough money to pay for the item in question. Also, using a credit card with entitle you to additional interest charges.

So far, all these have worked for me, and it has saved me from unwanted debts and other non-essentials. Maybe you can try it out and let me know if it worked for you as well? :)

Happy Eid everyone & happy holidays!

Shania Twain - Ka-ching

Watch the video (sing-a-long if you wanna) and let me know if she is smart to say it that way.



We live in a greedy little world--
that teaches every little boy and girl
To earn as much as they can possibly--
then turn around and
Spend it foolishly
We've created us a credit card mess
We spend the money that we don't possess
Our religion is to go and blow it all
So it's shoppin' every Sunday at the mall

All we ever want is more
A lot more than we had before
So take me to the nearest store

Can you hear it ring
It makes you wanna sing
It's such a beautiful thing--Ka-ching!
Lots of diamond rings
The happiness it brings
You'll live like a king
With lots of money and things

When you're broke go and get a loan
Take out another mortgage on your home
Consolidate so you can afford
To go and spend some more when
you get bored

All we ever want is more
A lot more than we had before
So take me to the nearest store

Can you hear it ring
It makes you wanna sing
It's such a beautiful thing--Ka-ching!
Lots of diamond rings
The happiness it brings
You'll live like a king
With lots of money and things

Let's swing
Dig deeper in your pocket
Oh, yeah, ha
Come on I know you've got it
Dig deeper in your wallet
Oh

All we ever want is more
A lot more than we had before
So take me to the nearest store

Can you hear it ring
It makes you wanna sing
It's such a beautiful thing--Ka-ching!
Lots of diamond rings
The happiness it brings
You'll live like a king
With lots of money and things

Can you hear it ring
It makes you wanna sing
You'll live like a king
With lots of money and things
Ka-ching!

And it is totally right! This song is a reflection of our lives now, which is, to make more money so that we can spend more money, to have more money so that we can buy more things.

Money makes a lot of things possible, but money will only make sense if you have weighed the pros and cons and then utilize it the right way - right in your own opinion of course, I'm not saying what I say here is right because only you know what is right, in your own definition.

Let's break it down:
With money, people can afford better medical care, they can have better food quality to put on the table, they can pursue their education, they can setup businesses or organizations that can profit the community.

With money, people can also splurge uncontrollably on high-end fashion items, private houses and vehicles, up their gambling habits and do many other self-destructive things.

How you use it will determine the outcome.

I stumbled upon this article, give it a good once over. It's sharing what I've previously shared, but arranged in better sentences :p

The Gift of Money

If you have all the money in the world, and have all the things that money can buy, what else is there left?

I strongly believe that when people around you know you have a lot of money, you are prone to fall into falsehood (I hope I will be wise enough to avoid these type of people), where people will be around you only for your money.

Sometimes, even in the situation where you are not rich, there are people who takes advantage of your kindness, just to get whatever little money you have left.

To avoid all these, I guess this is why most of the rich and successful devote their time doing charity work, to find some meaning in their life.

I can't say I know how they feel, because I am not in their shoes, and even if I try to put myself in their shoes, my situation now is different, and therefore how I feel and think about things are different.

This is not the first time that I've heard it - those few seminars that I've been to, where rich people themselves gives the talk, hands out advises and one of them is, "You must not be selfish to share your money", in other meaning, G-I-V-E.

There are many famous & rich people, who's lives are written in Wikipedia, and they often have the word philanthropy written beside their names. For whatever beneficiary that they are supporting, be it an official non-profit organization, or their own charity bodies that they set up in the memory of their loved ones, they know that the only way to truly find meaning in having money is to give it away.

If you have $2 in your pocket, give away $1 to the charity box or to a homeless man at the street side. I'm pretty sure you feel different afterwards, you feel good because you've contributed to help someone or the community.

To you, the money you give might seem little, but to the person receiving, they will be ever so grateful that they have that spare dollar to get them going through till the next day.

This is one of the things that I will do too, with my money, starting with my backyard - No, okay, I don't have a backyard, it's a figure of speech. I mean to say, I will start will the beneficiaries that I can find in my country first. (^.^)

Your gift of money will help create a difference.

There is no such thing as giving too much to help a good cause. But of course, be wary of tricksters!

Cash Your Passion

I went for this speaker's seminar earlier today. If you are unfamiliar with her, her name is Tan Yang Po. Who is she? She is the owner of Azea Personal Coaching , she wrote the book above, titled Cash Your Passion where she shared her success story(I have yet to read it), she is the owner of several properties and now coaches people on how to build property portfolio and then it will in turn, help them to retire with sufficient passive income.

From the short time that I was there, I learnt a few things that I would have to apply to my daily life. To summarize, we have to change our mentality about the things around us, and our behavior towards the things that is around us, before change can take place

• Don't be afraid to make mistakes - If you have made one, take responsibility for it by admitting, instead of pushing the blame on to others.
• To achieve your dreams, you must move out and away from your comfort zone - and in order to do that, first you must change the way you perceive things.
• It sounds cliché, but it's true - ANYTHING is possible if you put your mind to it.

I'm running short of time, but I promise I will update you more soon.

Quick updates - Vision Board

I kinda had writer's block for a few days.

Though I do know that I should be writing from what I feel not what I think, so that it will capture the essence of originality. But that is not why I set this blog up. The whole purpose is to share my experience with money (no, I still do not have a lot of it, but I'm working my way towards it - together with my business partner ;) )

I've finished my vision board a few days ago - we heard of this board while we were at the Millionaire Mind Power Intro Workshop last month. Have you heard about the Laws of Attraction (Click on the link to find out)

According to Wiki, this is a belief where "like attracts like", meaning, in simple terms, if you think positive, then positive things will come to you. The same works for negative.

It is said that this vision board could activate this law, thus making your wishes come true.

This is how the vision board works - you take snippets of pictures of items that you like from either newspapers or magazines (e.g. a picture of a car that you like), you arrange them and you stick it all on a big board. Then, you can choose to frame and hang this board up, so that you can see it everyday.

This is an example of a vision board - not mine FYI.

If you would like to know more about the vision board, here is one of the many websites that you can find online: http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/How_to_Use_a_Vision_Board_to_Activate_the_Law_of_Attraction.html
Alternatively, you can do a virtual vision board, where you can design it with the help of photoshop for example, and then use it as your computer and mobile phone wall paper.

You see, I still believe in the power of the mind. It's all psychology, if nothing else. What your mind sees, it believes - like a magic trick. So, if you train your mind to look at the vision board everyday, and believe that one day, you will get all the things that you've stuck on the board, then with the right mindset and a bit of effort, you will eventually get what you wish for.

Hey, nothing is for free, you have to remember that. It doesn't mean that once you've stuck your vision board, things are just going to start falling off from the sky. No way, it doesn't work like that. The whole purpose is so that you will be able to motivate yourself more and persevere harder to achieve your goals and dreams.

I encourage you to free your mind and think of the impossible sometimes, then life will be more interesting.

It's not all about the money.

Or is it?

Would You Rather.....

What would be your choice if you'd have to make them?

1. "Your life or money?"
2. "Your relationship or money?"
3. "Your friendship or money?"
4. "Your health or money?"
5. "Your religion or money?"

I would say, it depends on the situation. If you're in a nothing-to-lose situation, then, I probably guess the answer is money. Sounds kinda empty doesn't it? That's why I say it is a matter of looking at the situation.

If you're already loveless, with no friends and probably suffering from something incurable and terminal (for the drama), then PROBABLY the answer is money.

I've heard of people who converted their faith just because of money. This could be because they are already in the state of extreme poverty, and have no other choice but to do that, because they really need the money to survive another day.

I have also heard of people who forsake love and friendship to go after money - either from other people's pockets or fear of being dropped from their family's will. In line with this, I have also heard of people who would fake love and friendship for the sake of money.

People con other people for money.

Heard of blood money?

It has many meanings, and one of them is - money earned by contract killing. People kill other people for money.

Money can give you access to limitless possibilities. But if used in the wrong way, you would realize that money means nothing at all.

It's hard to find balance where money is concern.

People who were once poor might change to snobs once they have access to money. Very few people with money actually stay grounded. For people who were born with money, they might not appreciate it very much because with money, nothing around them is real - everyone wants a piece of their wealth.

Money can get you anything, but money is not everything.

Money can't buy you life.
Money can't buy you love.
Money can't buy you lost time.
Money can't buy you true friendship.

Funny isn't it?

Get Rich Quick - Schemes or Scams?

How many of you have ever heard of these schemes (or scams)?

Throughout my years growing up, I've heard, seen and read about these things (most are scams).

This is how it will usually take place:

1. The culprit will approach a group of interested parties - often are elderly people or people who are just plain greedy (I can't mention people who have no formal education, because even those who have them, gets duped too)
2. The culprit will engage in a very fantastic conversation with the victims about the system of the "scheme".
3. The culprit will assure the victim that this is a safe, risk-free investment or business (or whatever), and that all they have to do is to surrender a couple of thousands (normally in the amounts of tens)
4. The culprit will tell the victim that they do not have to do a single thing, but just wait for the profits to roll over - normally victims are promised triple or more of the amount that they surrender.
5. When the victim hands the money over, the culprit will disappear, never to be heard of again.
6. By the time the victim realizes that he/she has been duped, their entire life-savings are already gone.

No use crying over spilled milk. 

But this teaches us to be weary, in everything that we do. We must check, double check, triple check, quadruple check - do it a million times if you have to - to be sure that what someone says is true, and that their company is a registered company.

If after all that, you are still in doubt or uncertain, be sure to consult friends or family about your decision. Do not jump into making the decision on the spot, especially when it involves big sums of money - unless if you do have millions to spare. 

There is no such thing as turning rich overnight - even those who play the lottery purchased their tickets for decades to get that 1 shot at luck.

Stay safe, dear readers. Have a good weekend!

Money Blunders by Gail Vaz-Oxlade

Let me introduce to you Gail Vaz-Oxlade, a Canadian financial writer & television personality, who hosts the Canadian television series Till Debt Do Us Part and Princess.

I love watching her TV series because she highlights the biggest problem that we have, will or might be facing, which is the lack of financial control.

In the TV series Till Debt Do Us Part, she works mostly with couples who are heavily in debt and do not realize the severity of it. Because of financial problems they are facing, they are almost always on the verge of breaking up.

I always wonder how did people manage to rake up that much debt and the common problem that these couple have is to excessively spend using their credit cards and make minimal payments because they spend their money on other non-essentials.

Have you heard of the 5 envelope system? This is one of the ways to manage your money. Gail however uses jars. Actually, it doesn't really matter which ways you use to manage your expenses but it is very important that you do not cheat.
Here are some tips on how to make an envelope system - http://www.ehow.com/how_2362985_make-envelope-system-.html

If you think that creating physical jars or envelopes are a hassle, you can also use apps for smartphones like Android or iPhone.
Currently I'm using Android App Cashflow Lite and EEBA (thanks Durrah, for introducing it)

In this website - http://money.ca.msn.com/savings-debt/gallery/gallery.aspx?cp-documentid=29665553, Gail sets some tips and pointers on the few money blunders that people make. Give it a read and hopefully we can all learn something from there about how to manage our money better.

Why am I talking about this today? I want people to realize that, although you have a lot of money, it doesn't mean you can squander it any-old-how. Rich people still have their money because they know how to manage it - although, in their personal life, budgeting might not be in their daily agenda.

I'm still dreaming big, but I'm also working smart.

Kippis everyone!

When I Grow Up..

When you ask children about their ambitions, you will naturally start with "What do you want to be when you grow up?"

Often, the reply will be, "When I grow up, I wanna be...."

And the common answer you will get is

• Doctor
• Policeman
• Fireman
• Lawyer

And nowadays, with the media movement, you will get answers like..

• Model
• Rock Star
• Actor / Actress

Of course there is nothing entirely wrong with any of these ambitions. But did you realize something?

None of them aspire to be rich!

Maybe because they are still kids and still do not know the value of money.

Or perhaps, they have been told that money is not important.

I'm just assuming :) If you're curious about what kids are dreaming of to be when they grow up, you can follow this link and spend sometime reading. http://www.whatis.com.sg/educations/primary-education/what-is-kids-ambition-or-dream-in-this-era

When I was young, I was torn between my desires to be rich and my half-logical thinking that money is not everything, and that everything that I have is enough.

As I grew up, and went to school and then finally started working, I realized the importance of money. I began to see that with money, a lot of things are possible.

At one time, I wanted to go to take a part time degree at a local university.

I eventually went but I had to struggle to save money to pay my school fees every semester. I didn't finish however, because I failed to maintain a 2.0 GPA, but this is a different story all together.

At another time, I wanted to take my driving license. You see, in Singapore, you are only allowed to take your motorcar / motorcycle license at 18 years of age and above, and you have to go to the Driving School to take your Theory Tests and Circuit Lessons. All these might cost you about S$2K. I didn't have the money, so I dropped the idea.

Then I obtained a gym membership.

I got hooked doing Zumba.

I wanted to get certified as an Instructor, but I realized that I would have to travel as far as Australia (that's the nearest location to Singapore) to take a 1 day course. I let the idea hang loose because of my financial standing.

I started to feel frustrated because all of my goals and aspirations required money in order for me to achieve them, and I didn't know how or where to obtain such a huge amount of money.

Up till now, you would also notice that none of my aspirations were to be rich and my mind was quite closed up to spend my money. When I was young, I was only taught to save money, and not to spend it.

 

You can say that I am financially illiterate, despite the education that I got. But is my upbringing to be blamed? I can always fault it but I will always be the sore loser, simply because I am just blaming others and not taking any step to improve myself.

I'm still growing up (yea, at the age of 25), and this is my life journey that I'm sharing. So, to answer my own question, when I grow up, I wanna be rich. Rich with not only money but with life's knowledge and many other information that I can gather along the way.

Remember, be the change you want to see in the world. For things to change, first you must change.

And oh yeah, feel free to comment. I would love to hear opinions and feed backs from readers.

Taking Baby Steps

At a certain point in our lives, we will start to question ourselves, when will we be able to reach our dreams?
Before this, to me, dreams are just that. Living in a country with a high cost of living leaves one with no choice but to live in reality.

However, i kept a small tiny light of hope in me, that one day, my dreams will be reality.

Easier said than done.

When I was younger, my parents drilled into mine and my brother's head, to study hard to ensure a secured future. The common words will be "Don't be lazy to study, if you have a degree, it's easier for you to find a job."

A little background of my parents - my dad had a diploma which he obtained by studying part-time at a local poly, and my mom is a full-time homemaker.

My dad took 5 years to complete his studies, while juggling his career and his family (at that time, me and my brother were still quite tiny). I remembered him graduating when I was 7 years old, I was still in primary one then.

My mom, never completed her education. She studied until secondary 2 (a non-circular school) - honestly, up to this point, I'm not very sure if it was her personal choice. After dropping out, she worked at 2 different factories before settling down with my dad.

At that point, my dad was already an engineer at the company he worked at and my mum was just a normal factory girl.

While growing up, me and my brother were thought life's values such as hard work and independence.

My dad used to tell us that it is important for us to shape ourselves to fit the work environment, instead of complaining and whining that the work environment is not suitable for us. He also used to say that nobody will help you if you don't help yourself.

My mum was wise in the areas of making friends. She always told us to be careful when choosing friends. She taught me to be the independent person that I am today.

Back then, both my folks used to talk about their parents and how hard life was after World War II, and the struggles they had to go through to bring up my parents - my paternal grandfather was a policeman and retired at 40 (standard retirement age), while my maternal grandfather earns his living by ferrying passengers with his trishaw.

My family was hit by 2 recessions. One when I was still too young to understand anything, and the other was when I was 13 years old. My dad lost his job of 18 years.

You see, already at a young age, I knew what it is to be poor - of course, I've never really had to experience it first hand - but it was enough to make me want to have a life that is better than what my parents had.

Unfortunately, because of my upbringing, I ended up to be one of the norm, where my only goal was to get that Diploma / Degree and start working. Here is the depressing part. When I started my job about five years ago, I already thought about what I will be working as when I retire. This is my first real job after diploma by the way.

I guess it boils down to "What the eye sees, the mind believes" - Quoted from the movie Swordfish - because I know that this country is an expensive place to live in, and everything requires money. I was often exposed to stories where old folks had to work past their retirement age to support themselves.

Often, I see them at fast food joints clearing tables, cleaning the washrooms at malls, and sometimes I see them selling tissue paper by a busy street.

In my heart, I don't want any of these scenarios to happen to me, but I can't help to not push it away because AT THAT TIME, I really thought this was MY reality.

And to make things worse, when I got my first job, I was first congratulated and then told "Welcome to the work force. Now you're going to work until you die."

So, that was why I kept asking myself day in and day out about my retirement job.

Until one day, I hit a manic state and started thinking non-stop about a lot of things. My life, my dreams, my wants and my needs. I was thinking of different ways to get rich and the best I could come up with was to scrimp and save. It did sounded good at that time.

Then afterwards, I thought about working myself to death - just to earn overtime pay - which didn't work too because my body has a low threshold and it cannot feel too tired, otherwise I will fall sick.

And I continued to think and dream more until one day, opportunity strikes. I knew in my heart that I couldn't let this one pass. That was when I roped in my now business partner to join me to attend a financial seminar - my very first - and honestly it changed the way we think about things. In a good way.

Maybe we allowed ourselves to be brainwashed, but if it is that, then it must have been the best brainwashing session ever. That night, we went back and found ourselves restless in bed - we had to meet again the next day for a community walk, that was how we knew both of us had been thinking throughout the night.

From that point on, we have had many other opportunities that led us from one seminar to another talk to another cash flow session, and I am very thankful for that.

Now, while I still continue to dream about money, at least I know I'm heading somewhere with purpose and direction. People are encouraged to dream big but they always start small. No success is without hard work.

I want money not to lead an extravagant lifestyle, but I have this strong desire to help the under-privileged, believe it or not. I want to change the world, by sharing my wealth when I obtain it in future.

Of course that is dreaming big. So, to start small will be to be able to take care of my parents financially. Plus, since rich people don't really have to turn up at work if they choose not to, I will also have free time to spend with my family.

Do you now see the power of money?

The power of the mind

In my last post, I mentioned that through hard work and perseverance, people have found success.

Let me emphasize this: I mentioned success.

To be successful, it doesn't mean that you will turnout filthy rich. To me, it means that you have made your journey meaningful and this success is unique to you.

Of course, it is a big bonus if you came out of it rich. With what? Money?

No. With experience. People that we've seen or heard of to be successful, struggled before reaching success.

Businessmen may at one point be on the verge of bankruptcy.
Superstars maybe a roadblock where they start to breakdown and have weight issues and don't feel like their life is worth living.
Sportsmen might suffer from a very bad injury that might hinder them in performing their best at their next match.

Hey, these are normal. Even for us.
We may be facing relationship problems that will affect our emotions.
We may have just lost our job and be thinking about how to feed our 12 kids.

But what makes them so different? It's their mind. They have a great fighting spirit. When the tough times arise, they continued to brave on and fight their battle.

Believe in the power of the mind. If you think positive, then positive things are all that you will see, and positive thinking will be your driving factor to succeed.

How do we get motivated if we are born with a pessimistic mind? Well, if you are ready to change your life, then you will definitely be open to changes. You can never cultivate positive thoughts in a pessimist's mind, for all that he sees is a cup that is half empty, not half full.

And when you're ready to open up, you need guidance to stay positive and motivated. We get these source of strengths from people around us who are also emitting positive energy. Who are they? They are your support system i.e. families, friends, the old man at the bus stop who was friendly enough to strike a conversation with you because you were looking moody.

As for me, I was lucky because I was born an optimist. But even so, I do have my bad days. When I feel down, aside from re-aligning my spiritual self, I also read motivational books. One of my favorites is written by Paul Arden titled Whatever You Think, Think the Opposite.

This website (http://bighow.com/news/12-life-lessons-from-whatever-you-think-think-the-opposite-by-paul-arden) provides a brief summary of the quotes that can be found in the book:

I want: Making the safe decision is dull, predictable and leads nowhere new. The unsafe decision causes you to think and respond in a way you hadn’t thought of. And that thought will lead to other thoughts which will help you achieve what you want. Start taking bad decisions and it will take you to a place where others only dream of being.

Are you being reasonable? Most people are reasonable; that’s why they only do reasonably well.

Don't be negative about the rejection: When I was Creative Director at Saatchi’s I gave a young man a grilling for producing an underwhelming piece of work. Later in the day, somebody told me he was in his office crying. I went along to console him. I said, ‘Don’t worry, I was useless at your age too.

Simply change your life: The world is what you think of it. So think of it differently and your life will change.

Inspired yet?

Now go on! Be the change you want to see in the world - Change your mind and it will help you succeed.

Be Extraordinary, Leave a Legacy

Why are people like Donald Trump, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, Oprah Winfrey rich? Are they born with a silver spoon? Let's analyze.

Donald Trump (American Business Magnate, television personality and author. Owner of The Trump Organization): His father was a real-estate tycoon and developer.

Steve Jobs (American business magnate and inventor. co-founder and CEO of Apple Inc.) : Pretty much a normal family background.

Bill Gates (American business magnate, philanthropist, author and chairman of Microsoft): From upper middle class family, where his father was a prominent lawyer, his mother served on the board of directors for First Interstate BancSystem and the United Way.

Warren Buffet (American investor, industrialist and philanthropist. Primary shareholder, chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway): His father was a politician and businessman.

Oprah Winfrey (American television host, actress, producer, and philanthropist): Was born in rural poverty, her parents were never married.

Out of the 5 that I named, 3 of them were born into upper middle class (or higher) families.

Did you know that although Warren Buffet's father was a politician and a businessman, he himself took his own initiative to do door-to-door in his neighborhood? He delivered newspapers, sold chewing gums or weekly magazines. While still in school, he and his friend spent some money to purchase used pinball machines and place them at barbershops. He started purchasing shares at a young age of 11!

Everyone likes to read the story of success, get inspired by it for a moment (if you happen to fall into the "Yes! I am inspired!" category), and then go back to moaning about your poor life.

How many of us have ever said "Yes! I'm inspired! I'm gonna do something about it!" and have done it? A lot of us only got to the first stage, which is to be inspired. Not that it's not a good thing, but for how long are you going to stay that way?

It takes a lot of courage to take the first step, but once you're done with the first step, the rest of it will be easy, even if you're moving very slowly.

These people I've mentioned, I have great respect for. Once I used to look up to them and say, "Wow! I wish I had that kind of money!" but today, I look up to them because they WORK for that kind of money, with the desire to succeed.

Dear readers, know that everything else will come to you if you seek it. Be it money, success, knowledge, even spouses! Imagine that you're just sitting down on your chair and you're thinking (just purely thinking) about lunch. Do you think lunch will just magically appear on your desk?

The answer is, of course, NO!

All these people, even if they were born into a rich and / or well-off family, they still continue to work. Do you think the Trump Corporation succeeded overnight? Do you think Oprah Winfrey became popular world-wide overnight?

Hard work and perseverance got these people to where they are right now.

When they die, they will be remembered as extraordinary and they will leave a legacy behind.

I'm not asking all of you to be filthy rich and popular. But just BE extraordinary. Don't lie on your deathbed and regret for being ordinary your whole life, for when that happens, it is far too late to do anything about it.

Don't be afraid to chase your dreams, because life is too short to hold anything back. Desire for things and work towards it. The word impossible should not exist in your mind for the brain is limitless.

With this, I leave you with this hit song from the year 2005 by Gorillaz, titled Dare.



It's dare

You've got to press it on you

You just think it
That's what you do baby
Hold it down dare

Jump with them all and move it
Jump back and forth
And feel like you were dare yourself
To work it out

Never did no harm
never did no harm

It's dare

Money Talk

Money is the most interesting topic in the world, hands down.

The object is universal to men in the modern world - unless if you are part of the bushmen tribe, still.

The concept of making it can sometimes drive even the most honest person into the pits of evil.

The idea of growing it penetrates through the most dense thinkers.

Whether you agree or not, money is the entity that keeps people going.

The poor wants to have a piece of it, the rich wants to multiply it.

Money = power = everything else.

But why are some people still afraid to talk about money? The subject of owning loads of money seems impossible to most normal people, and those who dare to dream of it, are, almost always receive a frown.

Are only the rich allowed to speak highly of it?

I know I have this attraction towards money ever since I was young. I've always wondered what it would be like to have an unlimited supply of riches.

While other children are probably busy playing block catching, I daydreamed of a lifestyle like Richie Rich.


I used to wish I had rich parents. Then, as I grow older and finally fell under the mercy of money, I shamelessly daydreamed that I have unheard-of rich relatives who will, in time, give away part of their fortune to me.

I was at a financial seminar sometime back, and participants were posted with this question: How long will it take for you to spend 1 Trillion dollars, given that you spend 1 Million dollars daily?

BUT DO YOU KNOW HOW 1 TRILLION DOLLARS LOOK LIKE?? Follow this link and it will give u a guaranteed mind-blowing graphical view about 1 Trillion dollars - http://www.dailycognition.com/index.php/2009/03/25/what-1-trillion-dollars-looks-like-in-dollar-bills.html

If I have calculated correctly, this money is enough to feed 7 generations down, starting from me.

Like, WOW!



There is no wrong in dreaming - AS LONG AS you are taking the steps to move towards your dream.

And of course, just because I love money and love talking about it, it doesn't mean I'm a materialistic person. I do love money, but I love my own dollars and I DO NOT want other people's hard work and effort.

I'm still going to continue to dream about money – because it’s free.