C'mon get happy!

With all the stress we experience from our hectic schedules, we often forget to take time out. It's downright baffling that many of us feel guilty when we take a break or splurge on a much-needed treat.

You don't need to take a trip to an exotic location like the Caribbean or spend oodles of cash to make yourself feel good. Just check out these simple yet uplifting moves and pick one that will give you that happy buzz:

Stay positive. Too many bad days will take their toll on you. If you're always throwing fits and having meltdowns, your heart will suffer from a great deal of strain. Over time, this response could hurt the cardiovascular system, as well as weaken immunity.

Choose good friends. People with a close circle of friends could outlive those who claim to be contented with "strong family ties." Experts theorize that this happens because you experience more emotional stress with your relatives, whom you're bound to be with whether you like them or not. When it comes to your friends, it's likely that you enjoy their company more because you got to pick them.

Take leaps of faith. Playing it safe is good - but it may keep you from doing something great or prevent you from getting the best things that life has to offer. Risk-takers don't let the outcome of their ventures affect them. Whether or not they got what they wanted or missed it completely is immaterial. The fact that they had the guts to go for their dream goals is more than enough.

Get wet. The air around bodies of water is full of energy-enhancing ions that help bring oxygen to the brain. If the beach is a long way off and there's no pool near you, just open the bathroom window and get into the shower. This "wet session" helps energize and soothe your brain, which, in turn, leads to having clarity and a more positive view on things.

After all, it's not a crime to treat yourself well.

excerpt from www.simpleology.com

A degree is not that important!

In paper qualification-driven Singapore, it is refreshing to see people defy convention and succeed on pure drive and determination.

As in the case of fashion photographer, Geoff Ang, a Primary school dropout who now earns up to $80,000 a day. See his inspiring story below:

Power secret – Try everything as you only have one life, no rehearsals!

Quote: Stay hungry as you can never have enough success.

● Drops out of school at Primary 6.
● Works as a basket cleaner and coffee boy at dad’s company.
● Picks up photography and shoots his first job at 16.
● Becomes a sought-after fashion photographer and earns up to $15,000 per day.
● Works hard to impress his dad and prove naysayers wrong.
● Geoff is shooting his first feature film now.

This primary school dropout now makes up to $80,000 a day as one of Asia’s most sought after photographers. Geoff Ang started his photography career at a young age, dropping out of Primary 6 and going to work for his dad’s production house. “My dad said that since I can’t study, I’d better pick up a skill and be damn good at it!” he recalls. As the resident basket cleaner and coffee maker at his dad’s company, Geoff took the time to cultivate his interest in photography and shot his first job – a full catalogue for Wilson Sporting Goods, at 16 years old.
After the army, Geoff started a small studio, called Geoff Studio, within his dad’s company. All he had were two lights and a camera from his dad and he started shooting everything from bottles and flowers to food, basically whatever he could get his hands on to hone his craft. He wanted to do fashion photography very badly, but he knew that he had to build up his exposure first, so he shot food and interiors, even specializing in office and hotel interior photography at one point, just to pay the bills. His lucky break soon came. “I had to take portraits of Daniel Yun (of Mediacorp Raintree Productions) for Dunhill and he loved his photos so much that he tasked me to shoot promotional pictures for their top 30 artistes in Mediacorp,” says this 34-year-old. Armed with his portfolio and an arsenal of ideas, Geoff blew everyone away with his stylised, avant-garde pictures of the stars which were publicised in 8-Days magazine. This forward-thinking lens man then ploughed all the profits he got from the job, all $38,000 of it, into a digital photography system which allowed him to tweak, enhance and make his photos into surreal-looking works of art. It was refreshing and never done before. It jolted the fashion industry and all the editors of magazines started calling him to do fashion shoots for them...

p.s. Bill Gates, Google guys, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, Steve Jobs and Oracle's Larry Ellison were all school dropouts!

For more inspiring entrepreneurs, check out my book, Boss of Me!, out now in all major bookstores (except Borders) and on Amazon.com.

8 ways to attract more wealth

1. Give Money Away.
It sounds counter-intuitive but the more you give, the
more you will receive (unless you block the receiving,
which ties into the next step). Always give money with an
open heart. Give in love.

2. Get Clear.
Most people push money away with their hidden limiting
beliefs, such as "money is bad," "rich people are evil,"
"I'm a victim of the financial crisis." Those are beliefs,
not facts. Get clear of them and money will come to you (as
long as you also do the next step).

3. Take Action.
Too many people sit and wait for money to materialize in
front of them. I believe in magic and miracles, but I also
believe that your role in the process of attracting money
is to actually do something to bring it your way. Act on
your ideas right away. "Money likes speed" is my favorite
mantra.

4. Support a Cause.
Want money for a larger purpose. I created Operation YES
to end homelessness. Raising hundreds of thousands of
dollars (or more) for that cause will remove any remaining
prosperity limitations within me. While I won't receive a
dime from Operation YES, my working on its behalf will
attract money to me in other ways, such as the contacts and
goodwill I'll create.

5. Be Grateful.
Be thankful for the money you have - which is probably
considered true wealth by people starving in third world
countries - and you'll begin to attract more money.
Gratitude sends off a signal of appreciation, which brings
to you more to be thankful for. Begin with whatever is in
this moment that you can be sincerely grateful for.

6. Do What You Love.
There's no sense in working at something you hate. If you
are currently at a job you don't like, find a way to enjoy
it for the time you are there while working towards doing
your passion. Following your passion is the greatest secret
of all when it comes to attracting wealth.
Ask yourself what you would do even if you were never
paid. That's a clue to what you should be doing and of
course finding a way to be paid for it. You can attract
more money from love.

7. Expect Success.
The mindset of expectation - expecting that you are now
attracting money and playfully looking around, asking "I
wonder how big money will come to me today?" - will keep
your brain turned on to seek and find opportunities. You of
course then have to take fearless action when you see them.
And most importantly...

8. Get the Support You Need Right Away.
One of the wisest things you can do to achieve any goal is
create or join a professionally coached support group. (In
fact, millions of people live day-to-day with no support
system to help them attract miracles or live their dreams.)
The idea is to be around people who can keep your energy
and inspiration high. While you can make some progress
alone, it's so much easier when you have strong support.

Excerpt from Dr Joe Vitale

Great minds think alike!

I was recently introduced to Brian Schwartz, author of 50 Interviews. If you like Boss of Me!, you will enjoy 50 Interviews too. Here's the book description in Brian's own words:

50 Interviews: Entrepreneurs contains ‘in their own words’, the unwritten rules of entrepreneurship. 50 empowering role models who prove that you can create something from nothing and in doing so inspire others to take action. What impressed me most after these interviews was the fulfillment that these individuals have in doing what they are passionate about and knowing that they are making a real difference in the lives of others. Whether you are an ‘armchair entrepreneur’, an existing entrepreneur or simply want to pick up some inspiration and useful insights, this book is for you."

The book is scheduled to be released in early 2009. You can register to be notified when the book is available at www.50interviews.com.

In times of turmoil like today, think we all need some uplifting stories to inspire us to stay focused on our goals and not be dragged down by doldrums around us.

p.s. Brian returning the love at http://www.careercliffnotes.com/

Weather the storm

Here's how you can not only weather but possibly thrive during this economic storm:

If you’ve got to find new ways to make loot, don’t fret. Just put some effort into finding which money-making opportunity might pay off the best for you. As others are worried about their jobs, why not find ways to augment your earnings in the short term by trying some of these ideas.

1. Investigate products you can sell on your website. Consider getting an affiliate account with Commission Junction or LinkShare
2. Sell your own educational products on your expertise, especially if it would help retrain someone out of a job.
3. Expand your offerings to cover new service or product ideas.
4. Shift your existing pricing with the current economy in mind: shorter terms, different payment options, one time deferred first payment, etc.
5. Seek stock opportunities to purchase for your portfolio in their depressed state (if you’re into stocks).
6. Look for project sharing opportunities, especially if you do something that’s somewhat modular like web work.
7. Look for ways to consolidate your business practices with other people. There might be economies involved in partnership that would make a world of difference.
8. Find ways to revamp old products or services or offerings and re-sell them today.
9. Turn 3 hours of your “after work downtime” into “serious business planning” work time.

Quick DON’Ts
Sorry to end on a negative, but while you’re at it, make sure you don’t fall prey to these kinds of situations.

1. Don’t sit around amassing news stories on what’s going wrong. Yep, stuff’s going wrong. Deal.
2. Don’t worry that big companies won’t buy your product or service. Find the product or service that they will buy.
3. Don’t join groups of fired coworkers, no matter what they say the goal is. They are often pools of negativity, and if those folks also don’t have jobs, why would you look for jobs there anyhow?
4. Don’t jump at the first thing just because you like eating. The second thing is almost always right behind it. Give yourself space to evaluate.

Smarter minds than mine will tell you how to weather the storm from the financial perspective, but maybe some of this will help you out.

Any other advice that you want to share with the gang?

Excerpt taken from http://www.chrisbrogan.com

My favourite quote today

Revenue always begins in dribbles. It is like rain showers. You always get a few drops of rain before the downpour.

Beautifully said. Taken from The Google Story.

p.s. I am laptop-less this week so excuse the lack of posts :)

About Boss of Me!

I have always been fascinated by successful people and their magic formulas. I devour all their features in the newspapers and watch The World’s Richest People diligently on Discovery Travel and Living.

My heroes include stock market billionaire and world’s richest man, Warren Buffet, who filed his first tax return at age 13, claiming $35 for deduction for the bicycle that he uses to deliver newspapers, Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, who became the world’s youngest billionaire after a mere four years of setting up his social network phenomena and flamboyant Virgin CEO, Richard Branson who started out selling records out of a shoe shop.

In my view, a successful person doesn’t have to make millions, though most of them inadvertently do. He (or she) is someone who believes in himself and his dream. He pursues it, remains steadfast to his vision and emerges as the leader in his chosen field.

While I had endless books to peruse about self-made wonders in America, I could not find much on our local heroes - just bits and bops from newspapers and magazines. Taking matters into my own hands, I decided that I will unearth these amazing people in Singapore and immortalise their achievements in a book. They deserve to have their stories told and should get rightful space on the book shelves…and that was how Boss of Me! was conceived. I

n a way, I have always believed in being a boss of myself as I left a full-time job to pursue my passions and have now fulfilled one of my goals of being an author.

Picking the list of 20 to interview was a challenging task as I had to narrow my scope and pick only one outstanding person to profile in each industry. All of my interviewees followed their passions, worked hard and became outstanding leaders in their respective fields.

Once I started work on my book, everything began materialising like magic - I found my publisher within a day and by one week, 10 interviewees had said yes and I was frantically trying to slot them in for interviews.

Boss of Me! is my labour of love – done over three months of wonderful coffee sessions with my icons and I am proud to share with readers the power secrets and life stories of these 20 movers and shakers. Each of them lifted me up and showed me that impossible is possible - as long as you genuinely love what you do and go about doing it with your own set of rules.

I hope their stories inspire you as much as it did for me and serve as a reminder for everyone to stay on track to reach their goals. It is proof that you should not live out your life in a cubicle, if your passion lies elsewhere. Bite the bullet and follow your dreams - all you need is bravery, support from loved ones and lots of drive.

Table of contents:
1. Alvin Giam, Pilates Bodyworks
PILATES HEALER

2. Aldrin Quek, OneWithMusic
DANCE MUSIC AMBASSADOR

3. Geoff Ang, Geoff Studio
FASHION-FORWARD LENS MAN

4. Lincoln Cheng, Zouk
NIGHTLIFE MAVEN

5. Wee Kok Wah, Stamford Tyres
BUSINESS MOGUL

6. Ling Hao, Linghao Architects
EDGY HOUSE BUILDER

7. Cynthia Chua, Spa Esprit Group
MARKETING GENIUS

8. Chris Lee, The Asylum
CREATIVE COWBOY

9. Louis Ng, ACRES
ANIMAL RENEGADE

10. Dr Georgia Lee, TLC Medical Center
AESTHETICS GLAMAZON

11.Chua Shenzi, NewUrbanMale.com
YOUTH TREND-SETTER

12. Kathryn Yap, CTPartners
HIGH-FLYING HEADHUNTER

13. Dr Lisa Ng, SG Immunology Network
LIFE-SAVING SCIENTIST

14. Daniel Tay, Bakerzin
BAKING MAVERICK

15. Lee Wai Leng, Flee Circus
ACCLAIMED ARTIST

16. Ban Yinh Jheow, STIKFAS
MILLIONAIRE TOYMAKER

17. Tjin Lee, Mercury Marketing & Communications
EVENTS EXTRAORDINAIRE

18. Indranee Rajah, Drew & Napier/Tanjong Pagar MP
SUPERWOMAN LAWMAKER

19. Wendy Leong, SilkAir
CAPTAIN OF THE SKY

20. Royston Tan, Studio10Twentyeight
BAD BOY FILM MAKER

Chapter sample: Lincoln Cheng, Zouk



Power secret – Always be the pioneer in everything that you do!

Quote: Success to me is running a profitable business with happy employees.

● Attends Woodstock in 1979.
● Parties around the world in super cool clubs like Studio 54 and Hacienda.
● Introduces steel structures and luxury boating to Hong Kong.
● Lincoln proposes building a world class marina at Marina South in 1983 but is turned down by URA.
● Opens Zouk in 1991.
● Transforms it into one of the world’s best clubs.

Whoever says you can’t have fun and make tons of money at the same time has never met Zouk club founder and nightlife maven, Lincoln Cheng. Born in Hong Kong, he went to study architecture in the US and it was his chance encounter with Woodstock that forever changed his life. “I was doing summer school at Cornell University and Woodstock was being held just 30 miles away. Curious, my friends and I drove down to have a look. And once you’re there, with 250,000 people crowding around, there was no turning back and so we stayed for three days…but I shall not go into the details of what happened,” he recalls, relieving his hippie days with relish.

With his music interest fired up, he became a regular at legendary festivals like Summer of Love and Woodstock, as well as travelled around the world to party in uber-cool clubs like Studio 54, Paradise Garage and Hacienda. It was during one of his yearly jaunts to party island, Ibiza, where he caught DJ Alfredo, otherwise known as the godfather of Balearic house, a new blend of dance music that was very different from the usual pop tunes played commercially back then.

This new sound intrigued Lincoln’s savvy ears and he was hooked! “In the 1980s, dance music was very underground and it was only played in clubs for black or gay people,” explains this youthful looking 60-year-old. Recalling his early party days with much clarity, he says, “I hunted for secret rave parties that started at 6am and it was very exciting as we had to pick up clues along the way before arriving at the destination. We would make pit-stops at gas stations to call someone for clues or follow cars heading to the same party. They were fun times.”

When Hong Kong was handed over to China in 1997, Lincoln decided to leave and chose Singapore because of its ‘English-speaking Asian society’. He ran a couple of businesses – from architecture to system furniture for the office, all of which did well, but Lincoln had a grander idea brewing. His dream came into fruition when he came upon an abandoned warehouse at Kim Seng Road. It was exactly what he had in mind for a super club. Together with four other investors, which he eventually bought out after a few years, Lincoln sank in $10 million dollars - an unheard of sum in 1990, to build his dream vision – a club called Zouk…

Boss of Me! is available at all major bookstores (except Borders) in Singapore and on Amazon.com for $15. It is also available in Malaysia, India, Hong Kong…and maybe Sydney soon.