Returning the love

http://www.zoukclub.com/blog/

Losing my virginity

Secrets of Richard Branson's success in his aptly-named autobiography:

1. This entrepreneur and billionaire believes in thinking big and taking calculated risks. "My interest in life comes from setting myself huge, apparently unachievable, challenges and trying to rise above them."

2. Being less stressed than others by uncertainty.

3. Trying to prove people wrong.

4. Having the simple belief that "you can do it".

Random fact: He is not a fast talker or great public speaker, and admits that it often takes him time to answer a question properly. "I hope that people will trust a slow, hesitant response than a rapid, glib one." (this is something that resonates with me, that is why I dread "live" interviews)

"Let me try again"

When I am not writing, I conduct Pilates classes for private clients and companies. I am particularly struck by the focus and persistence of one of my tai-tai clients. At 62 years old, she definitely can't hold a candle to my younger and nimble students, but her willpower can easily stump all of them.

Whenever she can't do a certain move, she will try and try again until she succeeds. Even when she is sweating and red in the face, she will always say, "Let me try again." Then, closing her eyes to focus, she will give it another shot. Sometimes, I stop her as I don't want her to be worn out. It is no wonder she runs a company with turnover in the hundreds of millions.

Having persistence and never giving up is one of the key factors to attaining your goals. Often people give up at the first "no". That is why they fail. We all get rejected sometimes, and we have to learn to shake it off and keep our eyes glued on the goal. There will be other ways to getting it if we keep an open mind and stay optimistic and flexible.

Colonel Sanders (of KFC fame) was rejected 1,008 times before a restaurant bought his secret chicken recipe. If grandpa can do it, so can you!

The power of goal-setting

Jack Canfield, co-creator of Chicken Soup for the Soul, developed what he calls the "Rule of 5" to meet his goal of getting Chicken Soup for the Soul, to the top of the New York Times Best-Seller List.

Jack's "Rule of 5" requires that every day, Jack does five specific things to move his goal to completion.

Completing five things each day doesn't sound like much, but imagine this:
Five pages of writing a day equal seven 250 page books in a year.
Five new customers a day equal 1,825 customers in a year.
The list could go on forever.
By the way, Jack met his goal. Chicken Soup for the Soul, eventually sold over 8 million copies in 39 languages.
How did he do it?

He did five things a day.

Maybe it was five interviews or five press releases or giving away five review copies. Jack did whatever he could as long he did at least five specific things everyday to move closer to his goal.

The biggest problem is that most people read, study, think, dream, plan and then ...

Do nothing.

So, what am I going to do today to get closer to my goal?

So far I've already:
- Defined my goal for my projects.
- Started writing.

Here's what else I'm going to do today (and next week):
- Finish up my e-book sample for free downloads (fyi, I am working on a digital book with my sister which will be launched in September and I'm so excited!).
- Confirm remaining interviewees for my second book (ooooh...this one is going to be BIG).
- Continue promotional work for Boss of Me! (book and I may be on national TV soon...).
- Confirm new Pilates corporate job.
- Update Boss of Me! blog.
- Catch up on my online and off-line reading.
- Think and strategise to achieve my goals.
- Stop neglecting my hubby (work is my new lover).

I know, it's more than five things, but I'm addicted to creating lists and this is fun for me.

What are you going to do today?

Each of you is in your own spot so what you do will be different from what I am doing, but let me make a couple of suggestions for today.
- Set a goal.
- Take action on five specific things to move you towards your goal.

Try it. You will be amazed at the results.

Excerpt taken from Kenneth A MacArthur of jvAlert.com

R.I.P

Randy Pausch died today of complications from pancreatic cancer at age 47. Randy recently became famous for his "Last Lecture" when he talked to his students at Carnegie-Mellon after he learned that he only had months to live. It's definitely worth your time to watch this video of what he said:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ji5_MqicxSo

Makes you realize how short life is and Randy gives you a few ideas on how to make it worth living. Enjoy Randy's inspiration in memory of his amazing spirit and his desire to help YOU have an impact in your own life.

I'll leave you with this quote from Anna Eleanor Roosevelt: “Happiness is not a goal; it is a by-product.”

Thank you for all your shout-outs!

Dear readers,

Thanks for sharing your kind words about Boss of Me!, for adding me on Facebook (especially Larry for advertising my book on your status to your 2000+ friends!) and for seeking my humble advice about writing a book. I hope I answered your queries in my posts below.

Keep them coming and my advice to all those who are thinking but not doing: If you wait until you have your entire plan figured out and buttoned up, the world will have moved on and passed you by. Sometimes, it's better to start then learn as you go along.

Case in point: Me. Ok, I am an exception as I develop tunnel vision when I have a goal and have a tendency to hurtle at breakneck speed towards it. But, if I had hesitated to weigh the odds, Boss of Me! may not have materialised.

So what if you failed? Every experience is a learning opportunity and I've had two major (and costly) setbacks before:

1. When I was 24. I founded a barter website called http://www.xchange141.com/ with a five-figure sum loaned from my dad. Timing was off and the dot com bubble burst. My investors pulled out and I lost my capital. Instead of moping around, I promptly got myself hired as a business development manager at CNET Asia, thanks in large to my eight months of start-up experience and valuable contacts gleaned from it. I was the youngest manager on board and my comfortable pay enabled me to pay my dad back (phew!). I regard this as my MBA crash course.

2. In my second year of teaching pilates, I was bored and had idle time, so decided to go into the financial services business. Very quickly, I learnt that I am not a sales person because I was not hungry enough. But, I stayed on for two years to learn all about investment and managing my own finances. When I left, I was adept enough to start and manage my own investment portfolio as well as my husband's.

Just do it!

* Please mention my book if you are adding me on Facebook as I usually ignore requests from strangers. Sorry if I have rejected you, please try again if you want :)

Benefits of being an author

Why write?

Apart from the immense joy of seeing your words come to live and sitting pretty in major bookstores, being an author has the below benefits:

1. Authority - Notice how the word "author" is in Authority? That's right, being an author makes you look like an expert in the topic that you are writing about. People will look to you for answers and even quote you for related topics. Develop a name for yourself as an expert in your field. Over time, you will develop a reputation and may be sought out by others for your expertise.

2. Creative exchange - Share your creativity, opinions, talents and interests with people from all over the world. It’s wonderful to receive feedback from like-minded individuals who have connected with your words.

3. Satisfaction - It is incredibly gratifying to birth a book. From being impregnated with ideas to the end result of holding your "baby" in your hands, the journey may have ups and downs but is nothing short of exhilarating!

4. Passive income - The rewards extend to the monetary. You work hard for a while and get paid for the rest of your life. Your book royalty is like an annual bonus from a generous company...year after year.

5. Springboard - You are able to branch out to different avenues - you can organise seminars related to writing or your expert topic, be a consultant or sought-after speaker.

6. High esteem - You join the publishing industry and people hold this circle in high regard. Every year, publishers churn out thousands of books on a myriad of topics from relationships to business management which are lapped up by millions of people.

7. Build your literary reputation - Writing a well established and respected book, gives you the platform to develop a literary reputation for yourself. As your literary reputation develops, your chances of acquiring work as a freelance writer or selling your work will also improve.

8. Boost business - Link your book to your personal or business website where you sell your products or services. This will increase business and is an effective promotion of your services.