Do you have what it takes?

"An entrepreneur is someone who works sixteen hours a day for himself (or herself) to avoid working eight hours a day for someone else." 

Laws of Boss of Me! individuals: 
1. Believe in yourself and always be nice.
2. Try everything as you only have one life - no rehearsals.
3. Always be the pioneer in everything that you do.
4. Help people passionately.
5. Thrive on challenges, not money.
6. Don't let adversity get you down, keep going forward.
7. Have an extraordinary idea...and the guts to pull it through.
8. It's better to feel like a million dollars than to actually have it,
9. Have passion and everything will fall into place.
10. Always give back more than you take.
11. Move up or move out.
12. Take risks and listen to your own judgement.
13. Never underestimate yourself and don't chase fame.
14. Never give up and don't be afraid to think big.
15. Hard work reaps rewards, there are no short cuts.
16. Make the most of what you have and think out of the box.
17. March to the beat of your own rhythm and exceed expectations.
18. Don't coast along, do everything to the best of of your ability.
19. Do well and you will be recognized and rewarded for it,
20. Be honest and stay true to your ideas. 

To find out more power secrets of successful people, check out my book, Boss of Me!, available at all bookstores (except Borders) in Singapore, Times in Indonesia, Books Kinokuniya in Hong Kong, India, Malaysia and Amazon.com. 

Want to have your own autobiography? Check out my autobiography-writing service, Unravel, below.

1st, 2nd or 3rd child? Find out how it affects your business

Check out the Adler's theory about each of the birth order positions:

1. Self-starter. The only child is self-sufficient and doesn't mind playing alone. Though he is the center of attention, he will most likely express his uneasiness over it later in life.

2. Leader Material. The oldest child has a take-charge attitude and often functions as a leader when he is among his peers.

3. Driven Rebel. The second child is more competitive and wants to overtake the older child - so much so that he may rebel or try to outdo everyone. He is most likely the most driven individual in the family.

4. Tough Negotiator. The middle child may be even-tempered, assuming a "take it or leave it" attitude, and may have trouble finding his place. On the other hand, he could also turn out to be a great mediator or negotiator.

5. Certified Charmer. The youngest is frequently spoiled and may never be dethroned as the baby of the family-so much so that he is likely to have big plans fueled by the desire to outdo all his other siblings. Then again, youngest kids are often very charming and enjoy being the life of the party.

If she can succeed, so can you!

I've just finished reading Click Here To Order, a book about Internet marketing pioneers and one particular story wowed me.

Ladan Lashkari is a 20-year-old Iranian woman who has had to overcome some extreme obstacles on her brief but challenging journey to Internet marketing success.

If Internet marketing was a wrestling match, Ladan started the competition with both hands, feet and eyes bound. These are some of her obstacles:

- She lives in Iran where religious and political issues make it difficult for women to work.
- English is not her first language.
- She can't travel.
- Discrimination against her nationality.
- Discouragement from friends and family.
- Because of the US Embargo, she couldn't get a credit card, open a Paypal account, get a merchant account, have a bank account in US dollars, accept wire transfers or cash any USD checks - making it almost impossible for her to sell anything online!

Yet, she has surpassed all odds and now makes more money than 95% of the people in her country with her various websites. She attributes her success to her father's faith in her as well as her unwavering belief in herself and sheer, hard work.

She says, " If a young girl who got started when she was 16 years old, with no previous business experience, with English being her second language, with less than $30 to her name, in a country where you can't have a credit card or Paypal account and is under a strict embargo from United States, and so many limitations...if such a girl can succeed, how is it possible that you can't succeed - when you may not even have one of these limitations?"

For more information on Ladan. go to http://www/ladanlashkari.com

Think and grow rich!

I was just reading Napoleon Hill's biography online at http://www.woopidoo.com/biography/napoleon-hill/index.htm and it struck me that my work seems to mirror his. Like him, I am committed to interviewing successful people so that I can share their magic formula with people.

Hill interviewed 500 influential people in his 20 years, starting with Andrew Carnegie (who commissioned Hill to find the secret to success), Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and John D Rockefeller. I have interviewed stellar personalities like Mr Wee Kok Wah of Stamford Tyres, Lincoln Cheng of Zouk and MP Indranee Rajah for Boss of Me! and in my second book, Sleep & Get Rich! (obviously influenced by Hill's best-selling book, Think and Grow Rich), I tapped into the mindset of 10 top passive-income earners.

Not only has his work made him successful and rich (Think & Grow Rich sold 30 million copies and is still selling well today), but it has also made him realise that "thoughts are things" and that an individual can manifest his or her success simply by sharing ideas and learning from like-minded individuals. This really resonates with me as I first came across the book, The Secret, which champions Hill's philosophy two years ago, and since then, I have realised my dreams of becoming an author and have also become financially abundant. While doing research for my second book, I was so inspired by the publisher of a best-selling ebook that I created a weight loss ebook of my own (http://www.exercisepostpregnancy.com), and together with my sister, have created a lucrative source of passive income.

Hill says: "Whatever the mind of man can conceive and believe, it can achieve. Thoughts are things! And powerful things at that, when mixed with definiteness of purpose and burning desire, can be translated into riches."

Remember and believe in his seminal quote above and I have faith that you will be on your way to achieving your goals!

How to have maximum income in minimum time

Growing up I was taught that hard work and long hours are rewarded. However over the years I have found that some of the most successful people actually work fewer hours, are more productive, take fabulous vacations and still have time to exercise daily without fail. This is because they’re “working smart,” not “working hard.”

Here are the top 5 things I have learned from them:

1. Routine and structure are key. Develop yours and don’t deviate. Eat the same thing for breakfast, work out at the same time every day, sort through emails and phone calls in the same sequence each morning. Prioritize and be disciplined. Don’t get distracted.

2. Don’t do everything, just the most important. This requires a clear sense of what to follow through on and what to let slide. Successful people are absolute geniuses in this area. Find someone to model and carefully examine how they do it.

3. Do not procrastinate. Do the hardest, deadline driven activities first, then shift gears to the fun stuff.

4. Skip long winded conversations. Get to the point and stay there.

5. Do not over-delegate. Stay close to your business so you know exactly what to prioritize at any given moment. Maintain your passion for what you do and most of all, have fun!

excerpt from ladieswholaunch.com

If you've read The 4-Hour Workweek by Timothy Ferriss, you'll know that smart people work with these maxims. They look for efficient ways to achieve their goals and believe that life is more than just work.

Play is equally important and a fair amount of effort is expended to ensure that they have a balanced life.

"The faster I finish my work, the faster I can play!" - this is an adage I live by and my daily work motivation.

Back!

I'm back, refreshed and rejuvenated, from my 10 day sojourn to Nepal. From trekking in the Himalayas to waking up to snow-capped mountains, paragliding over vast valleys, rhino-hunting, elephant rides and white-water rafting - every day was magical.

Being out there in the mountains and mingling with the locals gave me the opportunity to take a breather from my work and life goals. I return, much more thankful for what I have and with renewed vigour to handle all of life's curveballs.

I also return to good news!

Popular mom blog, Mom's Take On Things, just did the very first review of my weight loss ebook, The Essential Post-pregnancy Weight Loss Guide. Check out the great article on: http://www.momstakeonthings.com/?p=1552

My guest post on quirky entrepreneurial blog, The Toilet Paper Entrepreneur, was also published, driving new traffic to my blog and rendering new leads for future guest posts.
Check out how my feature at: http://www.toiletpaperentrepreneur.com/blog/guest-post-business-first-aid-life-saving-tips-on-how-to-survive-the-economic-crisis-by-pearlin-siow

Respite

Excuse my lack of posts but I am preparing for my trip to Nepal this Friday. This will be the first time I am "roughing" it out...I'm usually more of a Banyan Tree Resort kinda gal than an "overnight in jungle" sort. But, I am looking forward to the challenge, and with my two other crazy girlfriends, I forsee it to be a riot. Still not sure how I can handle doing my business in the wilderness though...

I'll be back on the 16th and will have lots of exciting news to update on my work and from my trawls around the Net. In a way, I am looking forward to the technology fast and connecting with nature again.

Try not to miss me too much ;p

P.S. I will be giving a talk at the Popular BookFest at Suntec on 18 November at 5pm (Hall 601 to 603), so if you are around the area, drop by and say hi!