Paradigm shift

Looking at the title of this post, you must be wondering what the hell I’m going to talk about this time. Well, I learned those two words yesterday during a talk by someone who was full of zest. Have I told you before that I actually love to attend talks by highly motivated people, particularly those who know how to play with the psychological side in us? The talk I attended was truly an eye-opener! It was supposed to be…after all, the speaker is a qualified NLP practitioner.

Much to my surprise, the speaker brought up some of my personal principles and things I really practice in life. Erm, maybe I’ve read too much on motivational books! Haha. Anyway, just thought of sharing some of the speaker’s big motivational tips with you…perhaps some of you might be interested. (…Only if there’s anyone reading this space!)

The talk was about how people like you and me survive in the concrete jungle. Just in case, this whole thing turns out boring, I’ll just make it a short (hopefully!) but precise delivery of messages…what I really want to share. First of all, set goals. You can never go anywhere further from where you are without any plans or goals in mind. I tried this method previously (I’m still doing it) and it actually works, only if you’re disciplined enough to adhere to your own rules. Next, if you dare to dream, proceed further! Visualize the whole thing! You’ll be amazed by the fact of how much visualization could help to bring you to your goals. However, visualizing your dreams without taking any actions is just as good as useless, if you know what I mean here.

The third element is time management. We often complain of not having enough time. I’m a very good example of that. I have always wished that I have 36 hours a day…but come to think of it, 24 hours is actually enough. It’s just a matter of doing some time management homework, which is prioritization. List down the important things you need to do each day, prioritize and do them in order. The next element is self-management. This includes continuous improvement, read (you must read a lot to improve yourself!) and believe in yourself (this is a very powerful tool in your mind!). I guess I don’t need to elaborate much on those three factors. I’ll leave you with three quotes for this part.

"Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave" by Prophet Muhammad

“When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly”

“What matters most is how you see yourself, not how others see you!”

The fifth element is values. This part is all about the integrity, hardwork and teamwork needed in the workforce. The sixth element, which is very important, is the paradigm shift. “Do you want to survive?” That question leads you to paradigm shift, if your answer is yes. The speaker placed a lot of emphasis on this part but I’ll just make it precise and concise. All you need to do here is to CHANGE! For the sake of surviving in the concrete jungle, we need to change instead of just following the flow, following the crowd, without knowing where it leads us. Dare to be different and break the norm. Think out of the box and challenge yourself to do things that appear impossible to others. Change and go ahead by opening your new pair of eyes (change the way you see things) to spot the countless “hidden” opportunities and seize them!

Next, it’s financial management. I have not much of problem dealing with this part as I’ve been consistently reading a few personal financial management books for the past two years. Anyway, just thought of sharing with you what the NLP guru said. According to a recent survey, most of those who filed for bankruptcy were those under age 30. And the reasons were poor financial planning and credit card debts. The solutions are preventing one from using credit cards (better still if you don’t have one) and start the habit of savings in order to be financially independent. Each month, you should set aside “The Untouchable 10%” of your salary before you start spending on something else.

I started the savings habit about five months ago, keeping 1/3 of my monthly allowance aside. I will definitely continue this habit as each time I see so much of money, I’ll start to smile from ear to ear! Haha. This practice is not meant to turn you into a greedy monster but with just a mere RM155 (this is just an example, not the amount of money I'm saving) of savings each month (assuming you’re 20 years old now), you’ll be a millionaire by the time you reach 55, assuming an annual return of 12%. I know it’s still a long way to go to reach 55 but how much is RM155 to you? If you’re paying or saving more, you could achieve one million net worth in a shorter period! And, let’s not forget that we still haven’t included other passive incomes like rentals from your tenants, commissions or part-time jobs. Think of it. It’s your money! Whether you want to grow it or not, it’s definitely none of my business but why should you lose out just because you didn’t start a savings / investment strategy earlier? (Erk, I can’t talk much on this even though I would love to share some more ideas but if you’re interested, just contact me! We could talk about it! Haha)

The final element is stress management. Stress has a great linkage with the deterioration of health conditions. As shown in the movie Patch Adams, the laughter therapy really works. So try to laugh as much as you can! Haha. That sounds a bit silly now…but if laughter could brighten up your day, why not? And last but not least, under this element, we should never-never-never give up. Try to think of yourself as a baby. You should start learning everything just like a baby. The difference is you will learn more and it is much easier because when you were still a baby, did you say, “I can’t walk!” or “I can’t do it” when your mother encouraged you to walk the first few steps? Now apply that same learning concept in anything you do and I’m sure you’ll love the new you!

Wow. I’ve probably spoken typed too much. Hope you didn’t fall asleep while reading what I wrote up there…haha…only if there’s anyone reading this blog of course! Anyways, one last message before signing off. No matter what, you must always believe in yourself and NEVER say, “I can’t do it” before trying something because that negative message is only in your mind. If you can control the way your mind thinks, it’s good enough to take you a few steps further…only if there’s action taken!

Cheers!