The Reason for the Season

Hi Readers,

In my business, we teach and prepare people for the 90:10 rule. (Some say 80:20; but from my observations, it looks more like 90:10 most of the time :))

For 90% of people, "Seeing is Believing". In other words, for most people, they think that only when they can see (e.g. that our business model works), will they believe that it does.

For the other 10% of people, the reverse is true: Believing is Seeing. Because they first believe, they can picture vividly the possibilities in the future as if it was already real and present.

I was reflecting on these thoughts, among others, as I thought about what I'd like to share with my highly-valued and greatly-treasured friends and associates in a Christmas email. Surely, Christmas could not come and go without comment from comment-happy me :)

Here, I am sharing with you a lightly-edited version of my Christmas eve email to my friends, partners and colleagues.

I thought about the "Seeing Is Believing" bit as I marvelled at how people all over the world, Christians and non-Christians, celebrate Christmas, acknowledging knowingly or unknowingly the historical event that occurred over 2,000 years ago - the birth of baby Jesus.

I remembered sharing with someone who was in trouble with himself and making a mess of his life only a few weeks ago, that Christ was the only baby ever born to die.

He would die young so that we may live long and abundantly. He would die poor and wretched so that we may live rich and well. He would die taking on all our infirmities and sicknesses on his body so that we may live in health. He would die cursed so that we may live blessed. He would die, a Star hanging from a Tree (see picture), bearing all of our sins and wrongs so that we may walk in His righteousness and appear spotless in God's eyes.

Then, I thought to myself: Hey, Jesus was God personified - in speech, in action, in demeanour and in style. Everywhere Jesus went, as recorded in the Bible with many supporting cross-references, he performed great miracles e.g. bringing people back from the dead, healing the sick, helping the blind to see again, calming storms with just one utterance, walking on water.

For those people who believe in the axiom, "Seeing Is Believing", consider this: Did everyone who see Jesus do what he did and hear Jesus said what he said believe what they saw and heard? Some did; many didn't.

Now, do I have to see God personified to believe that He exists? Nope, not for me, not anymore. I'm happy to say that I regard myself to be among the 10 in the 90:10.

I believe; therefore I see. And for that, have I been blessed mightily.

I am thankful to God for watching over me, my family and my finances all of this year. With divine timing and interventions, we have been able to navigate the ups and downs of the economy and the markets exceedingly well.

I am thankful to God for answering all of our little prayers, reaffirming us in our faith that nothing is ever too trivial for God nor is anything too big. Whatever concerns his children, matters to Him.

I am thankful to God for empowering us with a stress-free, rest-ful life. Whatever happens to the economy, or the marketplace, we have no need to be anxious or worried. What we can do, we do; what we can't, we just leave it to God. Our being anxious doesn't contribute to the solution, and for those of us in the health & nutrition business, we know very well that anxiety or stress is bad for health.

I realized that it's because of Jesus that I can talk to God, talk about God and have a relationship with God.

I do feel greatly blessed, highly favoured and deeply loved, every day.

Now, you know my "secret" - the source of my unshakeable calm and enduring optimism :))

This Christmas, please allow me to be completely open with you and share with you what gives me both Rest and Power to do what I want to do. It's Jesus, whose birth we all celebrate with Christmas.

You must have heard or read these verses before, but if there is ever a good time to read them again, it is now:

"For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." - John 3:16-17

So, my dear readers, I wish you a Wonderfully Blessed Christmas. May the true meaning of Christmas touch you and bless you in the days and the years ahead.


God Bless You,

Eng Hai.

Alvin inspires

We have seen slow-moving situations and we have seen fast moving situations. Alvin's experience in the use of Unicity's product and in the execution of the business that comes with those products is, in a word, FAST.

Alvin, who first showed up at Unicity's office on Sept 25, opened a business account with Unicity on Sept 30, and did his first of a series of product sales within days, has recruited his first business buddy.

On Oct 15, Alvin brought Fauze to the office. They know each other from the stroke rehab centre which they go to for therapy. Just as Alvin stayed on for an event on the first day he came to office, so did Fauze. Just as Alvin was sold at the end of his first event, so was Fauze. However, as Fauze had the additional privilege of witnessing the physical transformation in Alvin, a confidence-inspiring experience, he came through even faster than Alvin.

On Oct 16, which is the very next day, Fauze returned to the office to open his business account. Like Alvin, Fauze plans to generate the additional sales necessary to top up his business account into that of a Bios Life Franchise before the end of the month.

This is Copycat Marketing 101, indeed.

Congratulations Fauze for your quick decision. Congratulations Alvin for your first business recruit. I am sure you love this first taste of big success. I say "big" because you have had a number of smaller successes, which every single sale of a product - be it Enjuvenate, or Bios Life, or Bios Life Slim - is. Congratulations Wee Cheng for so effectively showing the way, keeping the business simple so that more will be empowered to get involved, whatever their physical, financial and emotional conditions. Bravo!

Stroke patient Alvin stages remarkable recovery

Alvin Chan, a 31-year-old stroke patient, shows how he is now able to lift his left hand without the struggle, the pain and the contortions of the recent past. It's been just over two weeks since he was introduced to the rejuvenating powers of Unicity's anti-aging drink Enjuvenate.

Within these few weeks, his mobility has improved so much that the nurses at his stroke rehabilitation centre are sitting up and monitoring his progress closely, inquiring about the reason behind his accelerated recovery.

Alvin Chan suffered a stroke in Jan 2008. The blood vessels in his brain burst in three different places. Surgery helped, and another surgery is due soon - to patch back a hole in his skull.

By Alvin's own admission, the stroke was the result of neglect of underlying conditions such as high cholesterol and high blood pressure. He has a sordid family history punctured by similar episodes. His mother died of stroke while his father was disabled by the same disease and is now being cared for in a nursing home.

"I used to think stroke or heart attack happen only to old people. Now, I know better."

He is being proactive now to make sure it doesn't happen again. He wasted little time putting himself on Enjuvenate after being introduced to it by Ms Yap Wee Cheng (seated next to him) who had been volunteering at his rehab centre and giving him free Yoga Therapy. He is also using Bios Life with a view to weaning his body off the dependence on three different medications for high cholesterol and high blood pressure.

Alvin is not only enjoying the first fruits of the better health that Unicity's products offer. He has also seized upon the economic lifeline that comes with membership in Unicity.

He used to be a Yong Tau Fu hawker before stroke felled him. Unable to continue with his business or to get a job, he has been living on public assistance and running down his limited personal savings. Then, one day, in a private conversation, he told Wee Cheng he was looking for a way to make money.

He didn't have enough money to open a S$1,000 Bios Life Franchise account. But he trusted and believed us enough to cough up the cash to buy Enjuvenate for immediate use. He also listened well and took action quickly.

In the two weeks that his body has been healing fast, Alvin wasted no time to share the products with his friends - in the home and outside. By Oct 14, he has generated enough sales of Enjuvenate, Bios Life Slim and other products (like SGGC) to upgrade his Unicity account into that of a Bios Life Franchise.

In the short time that he has been with us, Alvin has been a great inspiration.

His experience has also strongly validated a few of the central themes of our business:

1. Our products work. They do for people what we said they'd do.

2. Having no money is not a good reason to not get started. Those who do not have the S$1,000 to buy the products first can always sell S$1,000 of products before signing up for a franchise.

3. Using the products out of understanding and belief in what "trusted others" say, and then believing the products even more out of first-hand personal experience, is a necessary and powerful first step in our business of word-of-mouth marketing.

Alvin, Congratulations! And Thank You!

The future is now bright and exciting!

Gems from Busan: Great counsel from great leaders

Thank you Todd Smith (USA, Presidential Diamond), Rick Jordan (USA, Diamond), Alexander Krause (Germany, Double Diamond), Daniel Mueller (Germany, Double Diamond), Sven Goebel (Germany, Double Diamond), Aaron Webber (USA, Diamond), Joe Chavich Kim (Thailand, Diamond) and Rasa Comeban (Thailand, Diamond) for your great consel on what it takes to succeed fabulously in the Unicity business.

What a blast!

Consider these gems which I picked out from this Panel Discussion at the 2008 Unicity Global Convention in Busan, 18-20 September 2008:

Strive to excel whatever you do: "The No 1 key to success is to strive for excellence at the key fundamentals of the business. The people at the top simply bring more value to the company and the market than others at lower ends of the payscale. Excel at whatever you do. Every day, get better at all that you’re doing – calls, presentations, asking for a decision, getting people started. Every day, strive for constant and never ending improvement." - Todd Smith.

Know what you do not want: "Most people do not know what they really want. They say it but they do not feel it. So I specialize in helping people figure out what they really do not want. Your “do not want” gives you clues on what you want - very personal goals with energy. We can make something good out of a bad thing. - Alexander Krause. (He asked everyone to take a minute to write what we do not want. What's your "Do Not Want"?)

Take ownership: "This is a great business, an outstanding business. It’s your business. You’re not working someone else’s business. It’s yours. You own it. You control it. If you don’t take the business and own it, you will fail. Make no excuses. It’s not the product nor the compensation plan .. it’s you. Own your business!" - Aaron Webber.

How do they keep themselves motivated:

"A goal not written is only a wish. Carry it in your pocket, close to your heart." - Rick Jordan, who has this written down, "Build 5 legs with 3 Diamonds each. Help 15 other people to become Diamonds"

"Seeing my people succeed" - Rasa Comeban.

"Do what others say are impossible ... Making a difference for others." - Chavich Kim

"Wherever there is a room with no light, light up the candle." - Alexander Krause.

"Doing my part to make us the leading light of the industry. What was, is not going to be. Today’s leaders is not tomorrow’s. We are the most qualified to take industry leadership." - Aaron Webber.

Bangla Maths grad sweeps floor in Singapore

I recently became acquainted with a Bangladeshi worker who sweeps the floor in my apartment block. His name is Rahul.

I was getting out of my flat and calling out loudly to wifey inside to tell her that I was leaving when Rahul looked up and answered, "Yes Sir?"

I smiled and explained to him that I was talking to someone inside. He continued to look my way as I was putting on my shoes and as I waited for the lift to come up, seemingly eager to strike up a conversation.

So, I asked where he comes from (Bangladesh) and his name.

Then he asked me if I am a teacher and I said, yes. But how did you guess, I asked. He pointed to the book that I had pressed against my body under my arm, and read "The Secret ...?".

So, I showed him the cover with the title, The Secrets to the Millionaire Mind, by T Harv Eker, adding that I teach business, show people how to set up their own businesses and how to make their life better.

I asked him what he studied in school. He said that he is a graduate in Mathematics from Bangladesh's Dhaka University! (I thought to myself, "A Maths grad!!!!") My lift came. I excused myself and wished him a good day.

The little chat left me wondering .. How did a highly-educated Maths graduate from Bangladesh end up sweeping the floor in Singapore's HDB flats? ... Is this a problem of a poor country providing too much higher education and not enough economic or employment opportunities? Is this a problem with universal University education, like what seems to be happening in Malaysia and what I think has been happening in The Philippines? Think graduate maids.

Or is Rahul doing a cleaner's job in Singapore because he gets to make more money this way here than if he tried to convert his Maths degree into a job back home? Which, if so, is kind of a good thing for him, and his family.

Before long, my thinking turns positive and creative as it is conditoned to do, and I am wondering ... Perhaps, Rahul's is a long convoluted journey with many twists and turns which may possibly lead to something great and inspiring for his family, his countrymen and even mankind.

Let me tell you what else I'm thinking ... I want to lend him a little book. Yes, a book. The same book that opened my eyes 7 years ago to an exciting new world of incredible possibilities that I didn't up to then realize even existed. The same book that has since changed my life forever.

But first, I've got to find Rahul - at the right time and the right place with the book on hand.

Strange ... I haven't seen him outside my door again since ... except yesterday morning when we crossed each other's paths in the lobby downstairs, both in a hurry going in different directions. He recognized me, and said, Hello Sir.

Maybe, it's not yet the time for him. I do believe that if what I have in mind is meant to be, Providence will take care of it.

A 19-year-old high-achieving business builder

Jerome Chan, 19, addresses a room full of fellow business builders, all senior to him in age and most, more senior to him in business-building experience.

He learnt well from us so that now the rest of us get to relearn the same and more from him.

Jerome, a student of Temasek Polytechnic in the midst of his internship, joined the Bios Life Franchise in June 2008 with his mom's financial backing. Grace agreed to support him provided he doesn't come home whining about not being able to make money or anything like that. That steeled his determination.

Within the first month in business, he learnt fast, did some retail sales, signed up two Preferred Customers, doing all the work by himself, and climbed the first of the 12 ranks in Unicity International's compensation plan. Jerome has quickly become a Manager-rank distributor, which is why he is being recognized at this event.

He inspired others by relating his "textbook experience" in signing up one of his Preferred Customers. He drank Bios Life during his meals at his internship workplace. A technician spotted him doing that, and asked questions. He engaged the 55-year-old colleague in non-intimidating conversations. The technician asked more questions, and Jerome pointed him to a website, shown on his business card. The colleague came back soon after, convinced Unicity is a company he can trust and Bios Life is a product he needs to wean him of the statin drugs he has been taking for his poor cholesterol profile. The technician also has a problem with high blood pressure. When the technician came back to place orders for Bios Life and one or two other products including the wonder utility oil, Green Tea Oil, Jerome offered the 15% discount that came with the Preferred Customer account ....

That, and other businesses, made a Manager out of our youngest business associate.

Jerome, well done! You are an inspiration. (And I do mean that! Among others, Pastor Andrew Khoo of New Hope, who was at the event, said after the meeting, that Jerome's story made him see how easy it is with a product like Bios Life to get people interested.)

Full Heart, Strong Heart, Big Heart

In the concluding session of a series of training workshops on Business-Building Basics, we zoomed in on a key factor that I believe accounts for a lack of results from some people despite their showing up regularly for training. The Heart!

We started the session by inviting all present to come up with one advice each, that they know of, or grew up with, or have been told of in recent memory, that involves the word, "heart". Surprisingly, many had difficulty coming up with something. Hmm.... people have not been thinking about the heart?

In the end, after some difficulty, we did come up with a number of hearty advice e.g. In all that you do, do it with all your heart. Have a heart for others .... And here's a cute one: When the husband forgets the wife's birthday, or fails to bring home her favorite food despite repeated hints, she'd simply say, "No Heart!" ;)

I recalled learning from the most successful of Unicity's Thai leaders, Khun Chavich Kim a.k.a. Joe, a phrase I initially thought sounded odd but later decided makes a lot of sense. "Full Heart." The context? "No time? Never mind. I don't need you to do the business full-time. I just need you to do it full heart."

Against these illustrations, I suggested that people who do not have much results to show despite showing up for training for month after month, even year after year, may need to search their hearts.

Is the lack of results because they did not take to heart whatever they learn? Or could it be that they didn't go all out, whole-heartedly, to do whatever it takes to produce the results they think they want? Or is it that they simply do not know what they really want with all their heart?

As the discussion progressed, we figured out that we need to be not just whole-hearted but also strong-hearted. Sometimes, people do not do what they ought to because they are afraid of the rejections, the naysayers, dream-stealers and other types of negative people.

Post-session, I continued to engage my partners and associates on the heart theme. We discovered an important third component - Big Heart! We need a Big Heart so that there'd be ample space in our hearts for the interests and concerns of others. The small-hearted people has only just enough space for themselves and their feelings. We need a Big Heart so that we can be quick to forgive those whom we feel have wronged us, and slow to judge or to condemn. That way, we get to stay in control of our emotions and be well placed to win the "inner game" of life and business.

So, there you are: FULL HEART, STRONG HEART, BIG HEART - all that we need to do well in whatever we choose to do.

I sieved through my archive of quotable quotes, "Insights Of The Day" from self-improvement guru Bob Proctor, and picked out a selection to help me illustrate this, what we might call, hearty formula for success :)

About a FULL HEART

"If you make the unconditional commitment to reach your most important goals, if the strength of your decision is sufficient, you will find the way and the power to achieve your goals." - Robert Conklin, Teacher, Author and Speaker

"The important thing is not being afraid to take a chance. Remember, the greatest failure is to not try. Once you find something you love to do, be the best at doing it." - Debbi Fields, Founder of Mrs. Fields Cookies

"Bigness comes from doing many small things well. Individually, they are not very dramatic transactions. Together though, they add up." - Edward S. Finkelstein, Author

"Four short words sum up what has lifted most successful individuals above the crowd: a little bit more. They did all that was expected of them and a little bit more." - A. Lou Vickery, Writer

About a STRONG HEART

"My father used to say to me, 'Whenever you get into a jam, whenever you get into a crisis or an emergency...become the calmest person in the room and you'll be able to figure your way out of it.’ - Rudolph Giuliani, Former Mayor of New York City

"There is absolutely nothing that separates the elite from the paupers except their expectations. If you wish to rise above the masses, then let the fire burn fiercely within you. Do this, and it shall be done!." - J. Arthur Holcombe, Author of The Path of Truth and Courage

“Failure will never overtake me if my determination to succeed is strong enough." – Og Mandino, 1923-1996, Author and Speaker

"People of mediocre ability sometimes achieve outstanding success because they don't know when to quit. Most people succeed because they are determined to." - George E. Allen, 1832-1907, Publisher and Author

About a BIG HEART

The unthankful heart discovers no mercies; but let the thankful heart sweep through the day and, as the magnet finds the iron, so it will find, in every hour, some heavenly blessings!" - Henry Ward Beecher, 1813-1887, Author

"Select a few people to be particularly kind to today - those you were a little harsh with yesterday." – Normal Vincent Peale, 1898-1993, Author and Speaker

"Welcome to New Hope Thrift Shop"

That's Ms Lilian in the photo, the very pleasant and friendly lady who helps New Hope Community Services run its Thrift Shop, located behind Sembawang Shopping Centre, on a little road named Jalan Serengam.

I dropped in at the shop yesterday as part of our tour of New Hope's shelter and services, and found it a very interesting place, worth a repeat visit, even with family.

Thanks to the contributions of donors, the shop is well stocked with decorative knick knacks, posters and paintings, toys, books, clothes including designer wear, even a set of brand new dining chairs - all because the couple who bought it decided they didn't like it after all. So, they gave it away .... for a Good Cause.

If you're in the Sembawang area, or planning a weekend at the water-fronting Sembawang Park, do make arrangements to stop over at this Thrift Shop. All for a good cause :)

To find out more about New Hope Community Services, go to www.newhopecs.org.sg

Check out this Thrift Shop

Ever heard of Jalan Serengam? Or Jalan Jeruju? This New Hope Thrift Shop is located at the junction of these two roads. Acrosss the road is the Sembawang Presbyterian Church. Not far from it is the road-fronting Sembawang Shopping Centre, your landmark along Sembawang Rd, on the way to Semawbawang Park.

The premises used to be New Hope's shelter for men in crisis - men who have come out of prison or drug rehab, and have nowhere to go, and need a temporary shelter where they can sort out their lives and prepare for their Second Chance. When it became too small, New Hope found a new shelter located very near Sembawang Park, in a good, friendly and understanding neighborhood. That's another story.

If you're reading this article, please accept my invitation to check out this Thrift Shop. Go see if there isn't something you could pick up for a good cause.

Selling can lose you friends???

At our "Keys to Success, Wealth & More Friends" seminar on June 15, workshop leader Kelly Lim guided the attendees to focus on two questions - basically, two sides of the same issue.

Q1. Why do people think and say selling can cause you to lose friends?

Q2. How would (or should) you do it such that you won't lose friends and instead make friends?

Going around the room, we got the following responses to Q1:

#1: I do seem to scare away my friends and I don't even know why ... some people tell me I ask too many questions.

#2: Hard selling, or forcing a sale of a product on friends, is what will lose you friends. Worse, if you are selling what you don't even believe in!

#3: You will lose friends if you are persistent in the wrong way - keep asking people to buy products from you even when they have said "no".

In the discussion that followed, a leader who was concerned that Q1 was even discussed at all, said: If you keep losing friends in the course of prospecting, examine your ways of selling. But do not be too hard on yourself. Sometimes, it is not your selling that is at fault. It is that the prospect is not good enough. There is such a thing as a "Prospect from Hell". We have come across one or two over the years ;)

As the discussion went around the room, with contributions from people of various levels of experience, we quickly established the following consensus response to Q2:

1. When going into a conversation with any prospect, it is important that we go in with the objective of wanting to get to know the person better, not going for a sale. In getting to know a person, we're really looking out or listening up for a fit - a good fit between the prospect's needs and what we can offer. Where a fit cannot be found, we must simply let go.

2. Think Relationship Marketing, another name for Network Marketing. Relationships must come before the Marketing. Establish a relationship first - ideally, a relationship built on trust. If people trust you, they're more likely to buy what you recommend.

3. Building relationship does not necessarily take a long time or many conversations and follow-up meetings. We can establish a rapport quickly - even within three minutes - if we would just be sincerely interested in people and their interests or concerns. Focus on people, and what they want; not on ourselves and what we may want out of them. If we do that, and if the prospect is right for us, we will have the opportunity to share the products and/or the opportunity within one conversation.

So, "selling" in itself is not a bad thing. It is how you do it.

Have a Laugh: Everyday things redefined

My friend Peck sent me the following "useful humourous definitions" by email, with a note saying some are quite true. I agree. These clever distortions do capture our sentiments on many everyday things. Have a good laugh reviewing them :D

School: A place where Papa pays and Son plays.

Life Insurance: A contract that keeps you poor all your life so that you can die Rich.

Nurse: A person who wakes you up to give you sleeping pills.

Marriage: It's an agreement in which a man loses his bachelor degree and a woman gains her masters.

Divorce: Future tense of Marriage.

Tears: The hydraulic force by which masculine willpower is defeated by feminine waterpower.

Lecture: Art of transferring info from the notes of the Lecturer to the notes of the students without passing through 'the minds of either'.

Conference: The confusion of one man multiplied by the number present.

Compromise: The art of dividing a cake in such a way that everybody believes he got the biggest piece.

Dictionary: A place where success comes before work.

Father: A banker provided by nature.

Criminal: A guy no different from the rest except that he got caught.

Boss: Someone who is early when you are late and late when you are early.

Politician: One who shakes your hand before elections and your confidence after.

Doctor: A person who kills your ills by pills, and kills you by bills.

Classic: Books, which people praise, but do not read.

Yawn: The only time some married men ever get to open their mouth.

Etc.: A sign to make others believe that you know more than you actually do.

Experience: The name men give to their mistakes.

Atom Bomb : An invention to end all inventions.

Philosopher: A fool who torments himself during life, to be spoken of when dead.

Office: A place where you can relax after your strenuous home life.

Conference Room: A place where everybody talks, nobody listens and everybody disagrees later on.

Committee: Individuals who can do nothing individually and sit to decide that nothing can be done together.

Aren't they funny? You like them? Good. Now, smile :)

Why? Because ...

Smile: A curve that can set a lot of things straight.

Yoga therapist took away my pains

Thanks to my business partner and friend, yoga therapist Yap Wee Cheng, I am well again :)

Last month, on April 18th, shortly after we moved house, and exactly two months in my day job at SAS, I felt a shooting pain going down the upper part of my right arm.

The pain hit me when I woke up and then came back again and again during the day.

I thought it might have something to do with my office ergonomics. Maybe my seat was too low... Maybe it was the table, with its designer curve on the side that forced my arm into an awkward position as I handled the mouse for hours everyday.

I raised my seat. I repositioned my computer so that my arm wouldn't have to stay in that awkward position for hours every day. But the harm was done, and the pain continued.

Wife told me it was probably my moving the heavy furniture at home by myself in the middle of the night. As usual, I couldn't wait to get everything in place so that we could begin to live well in our new apartment in Toa Payoh.

Whatever the cause, I needed to get rid of the recurring shooting pain. Ouch!!!!

I applied a massage oil. It didn't help. I applied my cream for hydrating joints and bones. It didn't help either. Evidently, they were not addressing the root cause of the problem, whatever that might be.

A doctor friend of mine, when told of my complaint when we met socially over coffee, said the symptoms suggested that it may be an upper back problem and that for some reasons, my bone may have ended up pressing on my nerves. So, it is a back and nerve problem?

When I met Wee Cheng, my yoga therapist friend cum fellow Bios Life Franchise owner, in the course of business, I told her about my problem. It didn't take her long to figure out that it may have something to do with my posture. A recent physical strain may hurt a soft spot and triggered the pain.

She said she had noticed for some time that I tended to stick my head too much out of allignment with the rest of the body, and she had wanted to ask if I have back pains or problems like that.

She immediately attended to me and helped me to straighten up with some hand stretching exercises. Those stretching exercises seemed to have gotten to the root of the problem for I'd feel the same pain not in my arm but in my fingers! It's like the pain was being moved down my arm to my fingertips. We also had a good laugh discovering that everytime I tried to straighten my head, my belly would stick out. So, I'd have to remember to straighten my head and tuck in my belly! These are things I could try to get right while on the MRT, and I consciously do it nowadays.

She offered me a series of private yoga therapy sessions. Being keen to get rid of the pain and to get well again, and being a believer in alternative approaches to wellness myself, I readily took up the offer.

Having advised her earlier not to sell her one-on-one service cheap (for she has limited hours to trade off), I offered to pay the full rate for consultations. S$120 per hour! She gave me some discount.

We had the first session at the Unicity office, an hour before her monthly Yoga & Nutrition workshop. For more privacy, and to avoid interruptions, the second session was held at my home.

Through these two sessions alone, I learnt quite a number of things about my physical self e.g. I not only had bad posture, I was bow legged! Me bow legged? And flat footed too!!! I have heard of that before but never knew what that meant. And I didn't breathe right either. For example, when I breathe in, my stomach would cave in when it should be ballooning out.

Wee Cheng patiently showed me how to stand, how to walk, how to breathe ... Yes, can you picture that? A middle-aged guy learning to stand, walk and breathe right, after four decades of doing it all wrong? ;)

Wee Cheng knows about my weariness about the spiritual dimension of Yoga, and that any chanting or calling on spirits wis a no no. She understands that I'd go along so long as it is taken at the level of breathing and physical exercises. Sensitive to my concerns, she'd explain to me the physiological relevance of various acts or moves. On that basis, I allowed her to go as far as to teach me the Sun Salutation poses. Two rounds of that made me sweat more than a 30-minute walk around the neighbourhood (my kind of exercise). It was GOOD!

At the end of just those two sessions, and it's been more than a week since the second, those shooting pains have disappeared from my arm. I no longer wake up with dread and a hint of that trouble.

She asked me this morning if I'd like to do another session this evening. I sheepishly and honestly replied by sms: The crisis has blown over. I no longer feel the urgency to spend time and money on another session. But I'll tell my friends about you and what you can do for them if they are in need of Yoga Therapy, I offered.

So, here I am. Happy to be well again ;)

By the way, Wee Cheng writes a blog of her own, in Chinese. If language is not a problem, go here: http://blog.omy.sg/tingting

Presenting New Hope .. and 2nd chances in life

I am happy and honoured to present to you New Hope Community Services - a charity that provides temporary shelter and counselling support to the displaced and homeless and also ex-offenders fresh out of prison with nowhere to turn to.

New Hope is represented in this photo by its founder and executive director, Pastor Andrew Khoo (standing in the middle), and Warren De Souza, a young entrepreneur who volunteers at the charity (1st from right).

My partners and I at The 5E Network recently found common cause with Pastor Andrew and New Hope, and went ahead to adopt the charity as our favourite charity to work with and to support long-term, on an ongoing basis. We are impressed by their passion, mission and good work to help the displaced and the shunned in Singapore's affluent society.

With this "adoption", we will help New Hope build up a source of income that is independent, recurring, growing and significant. We have set a long-term target of S$10,000 a month, or S$120,000 a year. New Hope runs on a budget in excess of S$400,000 a year. Our efforts kicked off in April 2008 with a handful of us - Lily Soen (seen in this photo with hubby Hoong Chiu), Alice, Sunny and I - procuring S$1,000 of sales with which to open a high-yielding Bios Life Franchise account for the charity.

Next, we are looking to identify one or two suitable candidates people from the two main groups that New Hope helps - the homeless and ex-offenders - who have a burning desire to turn their lives around and do whatever it takes to make life better. When we find these candidates, we'd go all out to sponsor, train and guide them to build up a personal franchise of their own. They may then be an inspiration to others.

Meanwhile, we have proceeded with our other major intention to promote New Hope's cause wherever we have influence or the opportunity to do so, with a view to procure for them financial and other kinds of support from as many sources as we can find. We have created a Facebook group to publicise their work and promote awareness of their cause. We have presented the charity to a group of Rotarians with a view to working out some long-term collaboration between the charity and the international service movement.

This is the beginning of an exciting, heart-warming and inspiring journey.

I'd like to invite you to join us. Together, we can give new hope to those who'd otherwise feel hopeless and give a second chance to those whom society would normally shun or dismiss as no-hopers.

To help you make that decision, you can find out more about New Hope Community Services at www.newhopecs.org.sg

Pursuing Happiness: Let nobody tell you what you can or cannot do

"Never let somebody tell you that you cannot do something ... not even me," said Chris Gardner to his 5-year-old son, Christopher, correcting himself after realizing that he had unknowingly knocked his little son's dreams of basketball stardom.

He had earlier told the boy he shouldn't be playing ball all day because he is unlikely to get good at basketball or get anywhere with it ... since his dad wasn't even an average player at it.

Correcting himself quickly, he said: "If you've got a dream, you got to protect it. People cannot do something themselves; they're going to tell you that you can't do it. If you want something, go get it. Period."

These are my favourite lines from the inspirational movie Pursuit of Happyness, starring Will Smith and his real-life son.

It is based on the true story of Chris Gardner, a black guy in San Francisco, who refused to let a long spell of poor sales and mounting financial debts stop him from keeping on trying to improve his situation while staying true to his promise to himself that he'd never let his boy grow up not knowing his daddy. He didn't know who his father was until he was 28.

His long spell of financial lack saw his him descend from a rented apartment to a small motel room and then, a temporary shelter for the homeless, for which he and his boy had to queue up, day by day, with no assurance they'd get a room or bed to sleep for the night.

Then, one night, because he was a little later than normal getting out of work, the worst happened - they ended up without the temporary shelter.

That was when they ended up spending the night in a public toilet in the train station! Tears streamed down his cheek as he tried to cover the ears of his sleeping child as someone banged on the locked door, trying to get in to use the toilet :(

During this trying period, his wife gave up on him and left for New York. He was also haunted, challenged and even jailed by unpaid rents, parking fines and taxes.

Despite all these, he did not lose heart. He kept going at two things that he believed will give him the way out of his rut - trying to sell off his stock of Bone Density Scanner for immediate cash, despite rejections, mishaps and thefts; and pitching hard for a chance to be considered for a job at a stockbroking firm, and then working tenaciously and creatively at cold calls at his no-salary internship at Dean Witter Reynolds so that out of more than 20 candidates, he'd be the one to get the one and only one prized job at the stockbroking firm.

In the end, he managed to sell off every single scanner, including those he managed to recover from "thieves", raising money badly-needed to help him and son get by, day by day.

He also landed the job. That led to richly-deserved success, an investment bank of his own (Gardner Rich), and eventually, wealth in the millions of dollars.

I watched this movie for the first time last Monday when it was introduced at our weekly seminar, and again early today, with my 7-year-old son Jia Wei, gamely watching it with me on my recommendation. My boy enjoyed the movie and found a number of scenes touching and moving enough. Here and there, his voice broke as he asked me to explain what was happening.

If you haven't watch this movie, go watch it. I'm sure it will put a lot of thankfulness in your hearts while adding steel to your back.

If for some reasons, you simply can't get around to watching the movie, remember this:

"Never let somebody tell you that you cannot do something ... not even those closest to you. If you have a dream, you've got to protect it. People who cannot do something themselves are going to tell you that you can't do it too. If you want something, go get it. Period."

Take Charge, Dream Big, Play Tall

The last time he spoke in Singapore, Unicity's ex-CEO turned top Diamond-rank distributor Aaron Webber urged us to "Don't Worry, Be Good, Work Hard".

This time, he exhorted us to "Take Charge, Dream Big, Play Tall".

"Big dreams get you out of bed in the mornings. Big dreams will see you through down times. They give you the strength to get through the winter till the spring."

"My dream is to lead the transformation of the industry. The industry is in its adolescence. Just like teenagers, an industry in its adolescence do stupid things ... We have everything we need to lead the industry: the product, the people. We just need to believe that and believe in ourselves. I believe in you."

The following are highlights of some of the ideas that Aaron shared with business associates in three separate sessions from Friday, Feb 15th to Saturday, Feb 16th. Great stuff, all, if you're trying to build a business for yourself. Read on.

Re-invent yourself to stay relevant

Thinking that we have a Blue Ocean strategy, with no competition to speak off, may lull people into complacency, Aaron fears. The competition is watching all the time, and at some point in time, the competition will also find a way to sail into the Blue Ocean, and before you know it, the blue waters will turn purple and then, red.

It is important that while we have the advantage of a Blue Ocean strategy, we should make sure that we constantly reinvent ourselves to stay ahead and stay relevant.

Aaron, which confesses to subscribing somewhat to a "chaos model", said he has seen too many leaders stagnate in the business and then go into control mode. They start coming out with Franchise Manuals, checklists, scripts. If you were to follow these closely, you will lose your personality, he warned.

"Don't lose your personality," he advises. "In the case of McDonald's, if you were to take the pickle out of the Big Mac, you will lose your franchise." In our case, we're welcome to take the oickle out if we think it doesn't suit our market.

While duplication (duplicate what works) helps the business moves along, we ought to allow people room to apply their personalities to their business. They should be welcome to test out new ideas of their own - subject to their staying true to the basics, the core values and the principles. Believe in what you do. Do it naturally - not in a stiff, scripted way.

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Simple solution to any problem - in 3 words

If we are not watchful, our business may grow and then degenerate, as they often do in three stages: Growth => Excuses => Blame. To prevent this degeneration, remember this 3-word advice: GROW YOUR BUSINESS.

At the risk of over-simplifying, think of any problem or excuse that people can have for not doing well in the business, and you can work around it by growing the business. Growing our business is the best answer to every problem, challenge or difficulty.

So, how does one go about "growing the business"?

1. Take Charge, take ownership. Think like an entrepreneur, get to work. "This is your business - not the company's, nor your upline's nor your big leader's." Beyond the products and the cheques, don't depend too much on the company or your uplines to do things for you. Leaders should build and encourage independence; not breed dependence.

2. Work Hard. Aaron said his personal experience proves that "hard work can compensate for a lack of skills". Keep doing whatever it takes to grow the business. Don't go into management mode. We need leaders to be productively engaged. That's been "all that's missing".

To get a harvest (and harvests are never immediate), we must continue to plough and plant. Even if the weather is harsh, we must get out to plough and plant. To get a bigger harvest, we must reinvest part of the previous harvest.

3. "Play tall." Aaron shared his learning experience playing in a basketball team made up of a lot of particularly short people. He remembers the team being intimidated by the prospects of playing teams that are much taller and bigger than them. And what did the coach tell them? Play tall. Act the way you want to be. It did work.

4. Work at being attractive. "We have to make ourselves attractive," Aaron shared. One way is to Be Good, and among many things, being good means doing what you said you would. Be honest, remembering that one is either honest or not. There's no such thing as being "kind of honest". You are either honest or you are not.

Think ROI - and that's not "returns on investments". It is RELATIONSHIPS OVERRIDE INCOME. Treat people as people, not as transactions. Adopt Hard Rock Cafe's motto: Love All, Serve All.

5. Live thankfully. "Be thankful for the latest goodies in the Singapore Budget," said Aaron as he addressed a full house at the company's Chinese New Year Open House on 16 Feb 2008. Be thankful for all the good that comes from living life in Singapore - a great city that many other cities want to emulate. It is easy to forget your blessings when you live in the midst of them every day.

Be thankful for the times that we live in, the opportunity that we have to build a business with the kind of products that we have. Be thankful even for your challenges. They test us and make us stronger and better. "Count your blessings .. We have everything we need to lead the industry: the product, the people. We just need to believe in ourselves. I believe in you. Do you?"

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212 for Breakthrough

What is the significance of the number 212, Aaron asked. 212 on the Fahrenheit scale (equivalent to 100 degree Celsius) is the boiling point of water. "In my view, we're at 209-210. Please don't get to 211, get scared and flinch. Keep going."

We may be very close, only a few degrees away from breakthrough.

My brother and I with Mr Chee

Teacher-Students Reunion 36 years on

Chinese New Year is a time for reunions, especially family reunions, and quite often reunion of friends or ex-classmates in the hometowns. But a reunion of teacher and students? I don't know about you. But that's a rarity for me. If and when that happens, that'd be an exceptional bonus. My brother Eng Hooi and I received just such an Exceptional Bonus this Chinese New Year back home in Penang.

Please meet our Commerce Teacher from our secondary school years in Assumption Secondary School in Penang in the early 1970s, Mr CHEE THOE LAY a.k.a. Kojak.

Eng Hooi remembers he'd be angry about being called Kojak, then. But he must have mellowed with age, like people in general are prone to. It was Mr Chee himself who reminded us that we used to call him Kojak - but he didn't remind us that we did that behind his back. Kojak (acted by Telly Savalas (?)) was that bald-headed detective who spoke with a drawl in a TV series.

That, I had forgotten, but quickly recalled on his jovial reminder. Mr Chee has obviously learnt to laugh at himself even more. As Chris was taking this photo, he called out, "Wait, let me comb my hair first!" What hair!

I remember Mr Chee well for sending all of us, as the first exercise at the end of our first lesson in Commerce in Form 1 (1974), to go open a bank account of our own. It'd have been the first bank account for almost all of us, if not all. I obediently went to the nearby Chartered Bank (now Standard Chartered Bank) in Bagan Luar Rd to open my first bank savings account. That was to be my first of many encounters with the world of finance. I was also to maintain that account for the next 30 years!

We met Mr Chee at the Arena foodcourt ("let's eat here, it's cheap and good") of the spanking new waterfront shopping centre, Queensbay Mall, overlooking the prison turned spa resort island of Jerejak.

Mr Chee looks well. He has been taking extra good care of himself, after a mild stroke in 2000. That taught him to manage or avoid needless stress better, and eat (less) according to his (reduced) needs.

"People our age don't need that much food because we don't do that much anyway."

Daily life for him is an early morning walk, a good breakfast (no lunch), go home to take a good look at his stock market investments ("see whether to take my profit or to let them ride") and after that, a good sleep until ... dinner? Or something like that ...

Mr Chee, who taught us in the early 1970s, taught for 6 years in Assumption (now defunct). Then, it was 6 years in LaSalle (now defunct too - "must be because I am one of the "Pek Kah Te" teachers, he said). After that, he taught for 14 "too long" years in Heng Ee. The location suited the demands of the time then, when he as the more mobile parent had to ferry his three children to different schools at different times.

In Heng Ee, because he opted to teach in the afternoon session, he was given the heavy responsibility of being the discipline master. How does he discipline difficult boys in a school infamous for its discipline problems? "I'd ask them out for a game of water polo ... " As a result, most of them (the bad ones) play water polo, he said.

Mr Chee has also been a part-time swimming coach. It was in that role at the University in Penang, USM, that he run into Eng Hooi when my brother was doing his undergraduate studies.

It's been more than 30 years - 36 years for Eng Hooi, 34 for me counting from our first encounters in Form 1. We remember Mr Chee well, and feel extra privileged to be remembered by him.

Thank You Sir, for the times then.

Thank You Sir for making the connection after all these years!

It was so fun catching up after all these decades.

We appreciate you :)

Never ever give up .. whatever the pain or loss

Top of the news today. Last par in front page article on the latest market sell-off.. "We have dealers telling us that their clients are threatening to kill themselves if they are hit by further margin calls," said the risk management head of a local brokerage.

That reminds me of a piece of information from a resident when I dropped by the university hall of residence Raffles Hall yesterday. I was told a PRC student, in Singapore on a scholarship and a Chemical Engineering undergrad, jumped off the top floor, i.e. the 8th floor, of the next door Kuok Foundation Hostel only a few nights earlier. He died.

In our banter, we wondered if exam or study stress drove the undergrad to commit suicide. But then, we thought aloud, if the deceased was a scholar, and so, was presumably above-average smart, how could he have been overcome by academic stress to the extent that he would give up on life???

If his studies were that stressful that it made life seemed not worth living, then why not just give up on the studies? There are many other options in life! I've known of many drop-outs who've made good, and living full and happy lives. Why give up on life and thus on every future possibility?

Today, on reading today's news, I wondered further about the student who gave up on life. Perhaps there's more to the suicide than academic stress. Perhaps, like so many tech and market-savvy, street-wise undergrads nowadays, he might have made some ill-timed moves in the stock market. Perhaps, the sharp selldowns in recent weeks - the consequence of growing fear of an economic downcycle, might have hit him badly.

Yes, perhaps. But even so, why give up on life?

The following thoughts apply to those people referred to in the front-page news article - stock market players who are feeling suicidal because of their hefty losses and mounting debt obligations. Why not pluck up the courage, be brave and face up to the losses, and if necessary, go through the pain and shame of bankruptcy?

Bankruptcy doesn't kill, and thanks to bankruptcy laws recently amended to allow risk-takers a second chance after a financial fall, bankrupts can always make a comeback. A dead man cannot.

Life, to be lived out with the body, spirit and soul that God has so ingeniusly created for us, holds out immense and untoild possibilities, for those who'd treasure that life, be brave in the face of the storms of life and stay alive to fight the good fight another day.

In my business, we always advise people that the most assured way to succeed is to never ever give up.

It's the same in the business of life. Never ever give up, and we will succeed - whatever we choose to do with our lives, one way or another.