Wear Your Name With Pride: You're a Designer Brand!

Gucci. Hermes. Dolce & Gabbana. Louis Vutton. Versace. Then YOU! Your Name!

Yes, you could be a Designer Brand if you want to, I told 27 student leaders at Tanglin Secondary School yesterday during a 3-hour workshop that was part of their 2-day leadership camp.

All you need to do is to live your life by design, not by default. Know where have you been, know where you are today, know where you want to go, then go where you want to go. That makes for a Designer Life.

During the 3-hour session, I got the Student Council members to work through 3 exercises.

Exercise One, think and write one-liners for 3 questions: 1) My proudest achievement todate. 2) My biggest contribution as a student leader. 3) My purpose in life.

Exercise Two, answer two questions: 1) Who is or are your role models? 2) Who or what would you like to be if you could be whoever/whatever you wanted.

Exercise Three, what do you think is the ultimate life-skill, the skill of skills, that will set you up for life. (Write it down, then let's put all your ideas on the whiteboard, and vote on them in two stages.)

So, it was not a "I talk, you listen" session. That made sure that they won't sleep on me in class ;)

The responses were interesting, naturally.

Consider these responses to One: Overcoming the "high elements" (rock climbing) after having failed the first time. Being able to understand what my grandma is saying especially because she slurs badly. Being able to pass my maths finally, after having failed it before. Scoring full marks for this or that subject ...

How about these responses to Two? My biggest contribution as a student leader is raising the flag in front of the school assembly every morning (even though I feel nervous about standing in front of everyone). I like this one - playing the national anthem during assembly. On questioning, we found that all that was involved was pressing the play button!

This contribution reminds me of the story of the New York taxi driver in the book, You Inc, who does his work with so much pride and class and style, unlike the "typical New York taxi driver", that he becomes rich on the generous tips his customers give to him. He is also a happy man on the job.

Some said their biggest contribution as a student leader was to help clean up the Student Council room. Earlier, I had seen a number of them carting old sofas, chairs and even tables to a dumpsite behind the carpark.

I invited the students to think broader, deeper. What do you think about your biggest contribution as a student leader being none other than being "Me" or "The Best of Me". Imagine, my biggest contribution as student leader is Me and what I am, what I stand for, how I live and how I'd like to live out my future today.

Being a "better you" in whatever you do would already be a big contribution, and the beautiful thing is everybody is different. That way, everybody gets to make a unique contribution to whatever they are doing :)

My favourite response to Three, What is your purpose in life, is: "Make people happy in all that I do and put a smile on their faces."

Among the few that needed help were vague responses like this: To achieve my ideal dream. To achieve my goals.

The ideal dream and the goals were unspoken, also unwritten on checking. Hey, boys and girls, if you don't dare speak them out, you won't ever get them. When you do speak them out, be sure to make it specific, make it real, make it heart-felt. Make it sound like something you really like. Then, you are more likely to achieve your dreams or goals.

I was glad to have had this fun opportunity with the student councillors of Tanglin Seconday School

This has been a Service to New Generation project of the Rotary Club of Pandan Valley project. The group of 27 included a number of Interactors i.e. members of the Interact Club of Tanglin Sec. The teacher advisor, who sat through the session with a view to implementing this as a regular feature in the future, is Mr Tan Puay Eng.

Anything is Possible, says the doctor

Please meet Sureerat Wongsiriluk, a doctor who spent a total of 10 years at top Thai universities learning first how to be a pharmacist and then how to be a doctor (because she decided she wasn't going to stay as a pharmacist), only to give it all up when she was introduced to Unicity.

Khun Sureerat a.k.a. Mo Jie decided that she didn't want to "grow old and fat working all my life in a small treatment room". When introduced to Unicity, she realized quickly (in 5 minutes) that this is what she's been looking for: A business where she doesn't have to do all the work and work all of her life.

Before Unicity, Dr Sureerat, 36 and a mother of a 3-year-old boy, was more than just a doctor. She was a business owner with a healthcare business comprising 3 clinics in different locations in Thailand.

Within one year of joining Unicity, Khun Sureerat became a Presidential Director, earning more than 400,000 baht (S$16,000) a month. Halfway through that journey, she was sure enough about her new business that she stopped being a medical practitioner (although she continues to be the owner of 2 remaining clinics).

Dr Sureerat, who was in Singapore under the Unipower Business School's monthly guest speaker programme, said the biggest thing she learnt after switching line was this idea: "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!".

She shared the story of another Presidential Director, former tour guide Khun Angel. A few days before the end of the month, Khun Angel had a 40k leg and a 20k leg but not the 10k leg needed to qualify as PD. He prayed, read a book for strength. Then, a downline showed up saying he wanted to be Director by month-end. Khun Angel spent all his time helping the downline, and by month-end, the downline was a Director earning 100,000baht (S$4,000) a month. Khun Angel finished as Presidential Director.

How about Dr Sureerat? How did she go from zero to 400,000 baht a month (S$16,000) under one year?

She said: "I started part-time, but worked full-heart. I followed the Unipower system 100% and worked with the KPI, checking 10 points of activities every day with the system's "Passport to Success".

I approached anyone and everyone. I showed the plan every day. I did the work without setting conditions. I showed the plan even at 2am at one time - for an ER (emergency room) nurse who finished work late.

I talk to my successful uplines everyday. I get them to answer my questions and solve my problems.

I was just being a student again. I listened to CDs of success stories every morning, before I went out to approach people. Listening to the CDs, and taking notes as I listened to the CDs, kept me strong.

I go out with the right mindset, that I am a giver, giving people something good for them. At 60, people retire from their income but not their expenses. We have something good to offer them."

Khun Sureerat personally recruited 18 500pv Fast Starts in her first month in the business. That took her to Director in Month 1 and Senior Director in Month 3.

"I just go about collecting "human assets" first. The results will show up after 6 months ... as the system promised," Mo Jie said. X = Y, indeed.

On handling rejections, the biggest challege for Khun Sureerat came from within the family. Her father. At first, he gave her his blessings, thinking it was only a part-time thing. However, when she closed the clinic for 3 days to go to Eagle Camp, and did the same again shortly thereafter so as to attend Unicity's global convention in Busan in September 2008, the father was angry and disappointed. They did not talk for a long time.

She invited him to join her on a reward trip to Sydney. He refused. He challenged her, saying he'd go only as a President's father. So, when she became Presidential Director, he had to tag along on a Star Cruise reward trip. He has since joined her, opening his own Unicity account and starting to recruit people!

Regarding people who say, "..but I don't like MLM", she advised, we should simply bring them back to "X = Y" and and ask, Do you like your work? No? But you still work at it! MLM is just like a job, except that the result (the Y) is very different. In MLM, we work a few hours a day and we can get a new track.

"It is not important what you think of the business. It may be your answer to The Happy Life."

Well said, Dr Sureerat. Well said!

Me & My Power Car

Mercedes Benz!!!! Until recently, I never thought I'd own one nor drive in one. When I think of Mercedes Benz, I think of old wealth, old men .... Apologies to all the uncles and the non-uncles who own and drive one. So, until recently, Mercedes Benz is not the car for me.

And then, some months ago, with the arrival of Unipower in our Unicity business, I was exposed to new information, not from the distributors of the car but ... I learnt that the Benz is the preferred (or recommended) car for Unipower's members on Unicity's President's Club. Why? Because it is a widely accepted symbol of success and achievement, that others can identify with and aspire to. Because it is one of the safest cars in the world, and as our life becomes more and more valuable, we need to protect it better.

I was prepared to change my mindset and my assumptions. It helps that the timing of my achievement and obligatory follow-the-system acquisition coincides with the launch of Mercedes Benz's new E Class. The new E Class spots a more contemporary youthful look, especially at the front and on the sides. The tyres come with sports rims. And there are so many fun cool features inside.

So, to all my people in The 5E Network, meet my new workhorse. It's for you. Join me in the club, the Singapore/Malaysia Mercedes Benz Club of Unicity. Make it soon :)

Finally, the Breakthrough

After exactly 8 years in the business, I finally achieved the Breakthrough. At the end of August 2009, I took the first step into Unicity's President's Club as a first-time qualified Presidential Director. So thrilled were the corporate staff at the news that they wasted no time blowing up a personal portrait of mine and posted it on the notice ooard in the Unicity office with a congratulatory message to the first PD1 in Singapore in over 7 years:) See picture.



Too long, some might say. My thoughts do occasionally gravitate towards that idea, that we took too long, until I stop myself on realizing that everything happens for a reason.

"Diamonds" do not just happen. They occur only after extreme pressure applied over a period of time. If we want to speed up the process, and shorten the time period, we just step up the pressure. I've seen both - first, the protracted test that lasted more than 7 years, and then the higher-pressure approach involving ambitious goals and demanding timelines. Now, I'd not have been as open to the latter, and even enjoy the turbo-charged results-orientated process of the last 6 months, if I didn't first go through the "water torture" of the past.

This is an important moment for me and also for all the serious business builders in the Singapore/Malaysia market. As CEO Stewart Hughes puts it in his congratulatory email: "Please accept my heartiest congratulations for leading out and being the example all of Singapore and Malaysia needed to see: IT CAN BE DONE!"

In his email, Stewart also said: "By matching your ability and desire with the UniPower System and the Unicity products and plan you can achieve anything — more importantly you can help others achieve their most cherished dreams."

Very true. I've never felt more able to help others achieve their most cherished dreams than the past 5-6 months. It was during these recent months that I was blessed enough to become equipped with the ways and wisdom of the UniPower system, the brainchild of the Thai triple diamond Chavich Kim.

Certain people who had joined me before and dropped out too soon because they did not feel able to do what I did now rejoin me in the business and get going and start producing results within the first one or two months.

This breakthrough is possible only because of what has happened in the last 6 months, from March 2009 onwards. It is a prayer answered. So, i thank God for Godsents. For me, those Godsents have first been Unicity, 8 years ago, and recently, since March 2009, Khun Joe and the UniPower system.

Live Out Your Masterpiece, says mug

"Live one day at a time and make it a masterpiece," exhorts my favourite mug.

Yes, I said mug. M-U-G, mug :)

That's the encouraging and inspirational message that I get every morning when I sip Unicity's Bio Reishi Coffee from my favourite mug. It was the simple message on the mug that got my attention many years ago, and made me pick it up from the shelf, pay for it to bring it home to enjoy, every day.

I was inspired to share this daily message on my mug after I read the latest blog by "Miss Articulate" in her blogspot, "smile .. it confuses people".

She was sharing about the message on her mug, given to her by her dearest friend. The message reads:

happiness is like a butterfly:
the more you chase it, the more it will elude you,
but if you turn your attention to other things it will come
and sit softly on your shoulder....
- thoreau

Now, what does your mug say to you every morning?

Whatever it says or does not say,

"Live One day at a time
and make it a masterpiece"

Remembering the indomitable Tan Yoke Lane

Tan Yoke Lane @ Dan Yoke Lin (1939 - 1989) IS my late mom - a great woman, and mother of eight, who died too young, at the age of 50, long before she had the chance to enjoy the fully-grown fruits of her labour of love.

I remember getting a phone call from my elder brother in 1986, shortly before she was due to arrive in Singapore with my dad to witness my graduation from the National University of Singapore. Eng Hooi said, "Hai, bad news. Mom's got the Big C." It was nose or nasal cancer.

She battled the cancer for 3 years and in the end, despite chemotherapy at the Penang Medical Centre, succumbed. The cancer returned after a short remission, and quickly spread to her lungs.

I remember getting news of mom's death in September 1989. I was then a dealer-in-waiting at the stockbrokers JM Sassoon & Co. I was just starting out on a second career that turned out to be financially rewarding and that lasted 13 years. But mom didn't get to see or enjoy that success of mine, a success in which she had a big hand and which she'd have been proud of.

The best holiday I could afford to give her was a holiday in Bangkok, in July 1988, with dad, one of my sisters and my then girlfriend Chris. The only luxury I could afford then was a First Class train ticket, the one with sleeping berths, on the overnight train from our hometown Butterworth to Bangkok. I am glad we managed to do at least that.

Mom wanted to have grand children to hold, and said so, many times. The best I could do was to get married in January 1989, and shortly after, arranged for her to visit Chris and me and bless our new home, our own home, in Singapore. I wanted to bring her to places, but I remember, she was generally too weak to even catch glimpses of the sights I wanted to share with her, let alone enjoy the moment. But I am glad we tried, and have beautiful photos of those precious last days. Yes, that was the last time I saw her alive ...

Recently, as I reflected upon my recent triumphs and success as a business builder working in partnership with the wellness company, Unicity International, I couldn't help thinking about mom.

I remember when I first set out on my entrepreneurial journey in Unicity, I had resolved that when I am successful, I will either put up a building in her name or have a road named after her, and simply named Tan Yoke Lane. There shall be a plaque that tells the story of an indomitable spirit whom I believe will inspire many as it continues to inspire me, I thought.

Then, recently, I thought, why wait for that building or that road? I can very well dedicate my success todate and my success to come to her, and start telling people about her. And so I did - when I was given the opportunity to share my success story in Singapore and in Kuala Lumpur last week.

Mom's life spoke of a readiness to break out of the tried and tested and keep exploring and employing new ways of getting the better life.

I remember the love story of my mom and dad, how they met in my grandmother's coffeeshop in Kuala Lumpur. She was sewing when he walked up to chat her up. She poked him with a needle, and then regretted it when his finger bled. So, she nursed and bandaged the young man's finger. Love grew out of that encounter. Later, she'd eloped with dad to Penang because her parents did not approve of her getting married to a mere lorry driver.

For many years after that, mom would return to KL every year, bringing us, the kids, along, and doing everything to make sure that her parents knew that she had made the right decision and was living a better life. She would return to KL bearing gifts and food that testified to that.

Mom and dad were to raise a family with eight children, the first of whom died young at 7 and whom she would always want us to remember. The eldest of the 7 surviving siblings is today 50 and the youngest, 35. To do this well under the watchful eyes and critical tongues of many highly-opinionated in-laws, mom reinvented herself many times.

Mom went from being a laundry woman and seamstress to a baker, learning how to make the full range of local or Nyonya "kuihs" or cakes from my Peranakan sarong kebaya-clad grandma. Mom was good at them all - from the laborious ningao (sweet cake) to the angkukuih, kuih kapik (love letters), kuih talam ... You name it, she could do it, and did it famously well. We'd be inundated with orders every Chinese Year and on festive occasions. She also headed a tontine, or informal community lending and borrowing club, where people with excess money would lend to those with cashflow problems at interest rates of up to 20% or more. Our hometown would from time to time be abuzz with bad news of a tontine leader who ran off with people's money. But mom was a beacon of strength, integrity and trustworthiness. She never suffered a run even in the worst of times.

At the height of her constantly evolving and ever-changing economic career, mom was a chef par excellence. Her cooking was well known and in great demand. I remember how a customer bought her a return air ticket to get her to KL to cook for a wedding dinner. With just one big wok and a set of cooking utensils, mom set off for the airport and flew to KL to whip up an 8-course dinner for 300 people or 30 tables. She'd normally be assisted by no more than two assistant cooks and two dishwashers, the dishwashers being none other than the elder of my three then-still-young sisters.

After every such successful outing, we would witness the arrival of a new TV, or a new refrigerator or a new hi-fi system. Mom was the reason why we were able to move from the ancestral home (kong chu) in Butterworth to a government-built terrace house (a place we could call our own, and in which relatives have no say or claim) in Seberang Jaya in 1981. Mom was the reason why the family was able to upgrade from the bicycle as a means of transport to a car about the same time as the big move.

Where was my dad in all this? After his early days as a lorry driver, dad held a job at the local bus company, moving up from driver cum conductor on the Butterworth-Alor Star route to station master in Bukit Mertajam. He worked in the same company, as long as I was aware, until he retired. His highest salary was just over RM600. Even then when money was worth more, that sum could not provide for much.

Dad, now 78 and healthy, was into current affairs (I know for I'd listen to him talk expertly about the news or politics of the day) and was once an active trade unionist. But he was never ambitious, economically speaking. Nonetheless, dad was a good man who never did anything wrong, nothing that the family would be ashamed of, and he remains so. We love and respect him for that.

The picture I have is that dad would give no trouble, but apparently, he wasn't comfortable handling trouble either. Mom once told me, if there was any problem at home, financial or otherwise, she'd have to bear it alone. Dad would not be around to hear about it, and if he did, he wouldn't have the patience for the details.

So, there you are - a story of a Hainanese woman married into a "foreign" Hokkien-speaking territory, who'd have to single-handedly do, and bear, whatever it took to first, make sure her earlier decisions in life turned out right, and second, to get for herself and her family all the amenities and trappings of the good life.

It was mom who after a well-deserved holiday and tour of Singapore returned to tell me how beautiful and inspiring the Nanyang University campus was, and how I should study hard so that I'd get to a university like that one day. It was mom who many years later would put together all the financial resources necessary, including borrowing from close trusted friends, so that I could get higher education in Singapore. I did get to Nantah when it was just a hostel for NUS students and enjoyed the campus grounds mom had told me about.

Now, so much later in life, 20 years after her passing, I look back and have so much to be thankful for. Much of my being, my character, obviously draws upon my mom's inspired life - my tenacity and toughness in the face of challenges or obstacles; my preparedness to take charge or take the lead when situations demand it; my readiness to reinvent myself career-wise to ensure my family's economic well-being. While well-meaning people would ask, why did you give up your stockbroking career and go into something so different, I think nothing of it. I am adaptable, and can change according to circumstances, thanks to mom's example.

If I had to come up with one word to remember her by, the best word would be INDOMITABLE. That means: Unyielding, unswerving, unwavering, unconquerable, unflinching, unbeatable, irrepressible, unstoppable, invincible, resolute, determined, stubbornly persistent, steadfast, staunch, untiring, tireless, unflagging, undaunted, fearless, brave, courageous, plucky ... Yes, she was all that :)

It's a great pity mom is not alive today to listen to me talk proudly of her and boast about her life exploits in public. There is nothing I or anyone can do about that. She is gone. However, there is something I can do about the fact that she lived and loved - to tell her story so that others may be inspired by her as I have been and continue to be.

What's in this story for you?

1. Live life flexibly: Be prepared to get out of your comfort zone to go after what matters most to you; and when and where necessary, be ready to reinvent yourself so as to make life better for yourself and your family.

2. Don't take it all on alone if you can help it: While willing to change according to circumstances, do not run your life like a one-man or one-woman show, if you can help it. Given the choices of her times, my mom couldn't help being Superwoman. But today, with the opening up of the economy, and the abundance of opportunities with many people-friendly economic alternatives, we certainly can help it.

3. Watch the stress level in your life: The stress of raising a whole family all by yourself can kill. I often say: While conventional wisdom says "smoking causes cancer", dad was the one who smoked cigarettes (though no longer, for many years now) but it is my mom who died of cancer. The lesson in my mom's life story is that we ought to watch the stress level. More than anything else, I believe, it is stress - be it emotional, physical, mental or economic or all of that combined - that weakens the body and undermines our ability to ward off free radicals and harmful virus, germs or toxins.

4. Do not fight cancer with only conventional treatment: When my mom was in the midst of fighting cancer, a cousin sister once asked me, "Hai, so how? What else are you going to do about it?" I remember feeling guilty and helpless at the same time, wishing there was more I could do than just pooling our financial resources to finance the medical treatment.

I wish I was as well-informed then as I am today. Alas, we can't turn back the clock. What I can do is to make sure that my mom did not live, suffer and die in vain. What I will do now is to speak with a vengeance, telling people that we can prevent cancer, and in the unfortunate situation when it is past prevention, and someone is already afflicted, we can still give him or her real hope beyond the debilitating effects of conventional treatment.

To break the remission and relapse cycle, be open to using nutritonal supplements to boost the body's defences against free radicals and also to oxygenate and alkalinize the body. During my mom's fight, Unicity or its predecessor company, Enrich, hadn't even arrived in Malaysia. Unicity is here now, ready to serve with a wide array of health-boosting wellness products, proven capable of bringing cancer patients from hopelessness or near death to a new lease of life. I personally know of a few of these blessed people and have often used this to encourage others in the fight against cancer.

Go on. My mom didn't have the chance to live a long healthy life, free of the scourge and curse of cancer. You have. My mom didn't have the chance to make life better without having to do everything by herself and taking on all the stress of making ends meet by herself. You have.

Do something about it. I have, and I am.

All this I do and speak in the memory of my beloved mom.

Thank you Mom. I love you.

Lord, thanks for the powerful winds of change!

Happily, I'd like to continue the blogpost of March 13.

I am glad I learnt from God's Eagle - not to be afraid of adversity or challenges, nor to flee from them, but instead, to position myself to take them on, and harness the power of the winds of change to soar higher than ever before.

The challengers turn out to be friends sent by God(see the picture), with signs to make sure we do not doubt that, and the enemies and detractors were forced by divine circumstances to be come friends and willing co-workers, lending their numbers and energies to lift us all higher.

WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!! God is truly GREAT!!

Friends, I've never enjoyed as much effortless success as I have since March 19th - the day things all turned around in my favour, from what seemed like a low point to a series of high points in our business development efforts. This is only the beginning of a new beginning ......

Eagles welcome storms, soar over them

Thank God for creating a magnificent creature like the eagle from which we can draw so many powerful life lessons. One of these has just become especially meaningful to me, empowering me to face off one of the biggest challenges ever in my professional life. You have those challenges yourself, don't you? If so, consider this:

The eagle is not afraid of storms. It expects them.

The eagle can sense a storm coming well in advance.

It does not flee from the bad winds coming towards it. Instead, it positions itself, either on a mountain perch or in mid-air, waiting fearlessly for them.

As the winds blow in, the eagle spreads its wings, in all their magnificant glory, and let the winds blow against its wings.

In so doing, it harnesses the power of the storm to lift itself higher, soaring over the gale.

What a beautiful picture of how we can thrive in adversity and overcome our enemies or detractors, rising above them.

So, fear not. Fly high no matter what obstacles and challenges come our way.

Let challenges strengthen our resolve, sharpen our fighting edge.

Thank God for the Eagles indeed!

The Art of Socializing 101

At last night’s Monday Night Seminar, a Skills Workshop led by Unicity Director Kelly Lim, we covered the topic “Prospecting: Socializing, Asking Questions & Listening, Getting the Sale”.

Kelly started by inviting participants to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 10 how good we think we are in socializing. A handout was provided for that. After that, for those of us who rated ourselves less than 10, be it 4, 5 or 8, we were asked to list down in the space provided what we think we need to know or get good at to become a 10.

Going around the room, we obtained the following responses.

How do I create these social settings/events? How do I break the ice? How do I be comfortable at social events like a cocktail? How do I socialize with quiet, boring people? How do I draw people to me? How do I approach people without looking like you have a hidden agenda? How to break into a group that is already engaged in a conversation?

We didn’t get around to all the questions, but we got to most of them, directly or indirectly. Please find below the Q&A, based on last night's workshop, with my own additional contributions to the topic.

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Q1: How do I create these social settings/events?

A: Why create your own when you can leverage on events organized by others? Start by riding on events created by others, and readily accepting invitations to socials.

Q2: How do I break the ice?

A: Look around the room. If someone smiles at you - and there is bound to be such people, smile back, walk up to extend a hand, and say Hi. Introduce yourself by name, ask the other party for his or her name, and then move quickly to ask, "What do you do?". Then, stay on the subject - the other person and what he does, and go with the flow. Be ready to offer, in exchange and to ensure a two-way conversation, information on yourself. You are likely to be exchanging name cards very quickly. When doing so, resist the desire to make any pitch. That can come later, after the function. Focus on the other party, and what his/her name card says he/she does.

Q3: I find myself feeling comfortable at certain social events like a cocktail? How do I be comfortable?

A: It is important that we first be comfortable with ourselves – who we are, what we do, what we represent. Worry not about what people might think of us, or how smart (or dumb) we may sound with what we say. Be yourself i.e. be self-assured; not self-conscious. Focus on getting to know people, forget about thinking about what others may think of us. Let the conversations (and unspoken thoughts) not be about us; let it be about "them".

Q4: How do I socialize with quiet, boring people?

A: First, get this straight: Nobody, NOBODY, is ever boring - even less so, those who, like you, make it to a social function. Instead of focusing on yourself, being self-conscious, concentrate on looking out for someone who may be standing in a corner - alone, maybe feeling awkward. Befriend him/her. Say hello, introduce yourself and ask for his/her name in the same breath, then find out what he/she does for a living. From there, again, go with the flow. Who knows, he or she may be so grateful you made the move and help him/her be comfortable.

Q5: How do I draw people to me?

A: Be comfortable, relaxed and friendly; and be ready to be engaged in a conversation, focused on others. Self-assured people attract others; socially-awkward people turn others off.

Q6: How to approach people without looking like you have a hidden agenda?

A: Kelly had a good advice on this. The best way to never be perceived to have a hidden agenda is to not to hide your agenda in the first place!!! Be open about what you are and what you represent; be ready to give out your business cards. Just be careful not to focus on telling people about your card, but on getting them to talk about theirs.

Q7: How to break into a group that is already engaged in a conversation?

A: Do what confident, self-assured people do. Walk right up to the crowd, and say, "Hi, may I please join in?" Then, focus not on drawing attention to yourself or your opinion, but on listening in closely to others. If you must speak, ask "please tell me more"questions.

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As I followed the workshop discussion, last night, I was struck by how the questions and concerns revolved very much around the "Doing" - the “what to do”, and the “how to do”. I thought, How true it is that our Doing will be fine if we first get our "Being" right.

Think about this (and I am borrowing from and paraphrasing my Pastor): The right being will lead to the right doing. (My Pastor says, “The right believing begets the right living.”)

People who feel uncomfortable in social settings or who are socially awkward tend to be self-pre-occupied, overly concerned with what people think of them, what they do and what they represent. They are concerned about whether they are doing or saying the right things, thinking others are standing around and watching, ever ready to pass judgement. That is being self-preoccupied, self-conscious, self-focused.

In a few after-meeting conversations, I floated the idea of our only having to be self-assured, and to be so before we enter into a social setting.

For example, let's be sure that we are comfortable with

1) what we are (e.g. business people building up a personal franchise);
2) what we do (e.g. we sell products or opportunity; we serve customers; we recruit people to do the same and train and support them);
3) what we represent (the Bios Life Slim opportunity, and the best of MLM).

As we enter into a social setting, and engage people in conversations, we should be self-assured enough to let people know who we are by passing out our name cards and very briefly introducing ourselves (don't be shy about that), and then, move on to focus on others - getting hold of their name cards, studying those name cards as we hold them in our hands, asking questions to get to know them and find out about what they do.

Try these ideas the next time you venture into a social function. Keep the focus on others, not yourself, and let's see what happens.

My wish for you this Chinese New Year

Hi, In a few days, on Jan 26th, we enter the Year Of The Ox ("Niu").

If you are celebrating the Chinese New Year, I wish you a Happy "Niu" Year, regardless of whatever is happening in the world. May you defy the constantly negative news, and enjoy all the good things in life that matter most to you:

SLIM BODY
STRONG HEART
FAT WALLET
FULFILLING WORK
HAPPY FAMILY
& STRESS-FREE LIFE.

Gong Xi Fa Cai, Keong Hee Huat Chai, Gong Hey Fatt Choy.

God Bless You :)

Behold the Power of Bios Life SLIM

Please meet Ricky, our corporate staff who had been eating too much for his own good. A typical lunch for him, we learnt, was what others would count as 3 full meals, all in one.



Thanks to Bios Life Slim, he has been able to control his bingeing and get back into shape. He needs to either get new pants or revive the 5 years old ones.

Congratulations Ricky.

Nationwide health screening: 1 in 4 has the problem

Reported in The Straits Times today (12 Jan 2009, page B4), "Screening programme found 38% had illnesses."

More than 1,700 people out of 4,500 who showed up for screening under the Health Promotion Board (HPB)'s Integrated Screening Programme, found out that they had diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.

The report said, they would not have known if not for the screening programme offered at a subsidised rate of only S$8 per screen.

The HPB aims to diagnose these three most common chronic diseases early so that they can be treated to fore-stall life-threatening and costly complications such as heart disease and stroke.

An official praised the integrated screening programme but remarked that the poor response reflected "the nonchalant attitude of many Singaporeans towards looking after their own health". Many have the impression these medical conditions affect only others, not themselves, he added.

Another official, who thought the figures are "not too bad", speculated that people are not taking up the offer to be screened possibly because they are ignorant or complacent and under the erroneous belief that they are not at risk.

I was one of the 600,000 who received the invitation! I didn't go for it only because I already know my condition. I've been monitoring my lipid profile in the course of doing my health & nutrition business. The last time I checked my LDL is a healthy 99 - much improved from its previous 120-130!!! Thanks to Bios Life.

I wonder how many of those who didn't take up the invitation hesitated because they hold on to this often-repeated belief, "No news is good news".

I wonder too, how many of those who didn't take up the invitation hesitated because they know only too well that finding out about a problem would put them on the path of treatment - conventionally with medication, which they are smart and well informed enough to know comes with various side effects, some of which may have to be medicated in turn.

What if people knew that detecting the problem early allows them to take appropriate corrective action in a timely way, and that there are serious, workable alternatives to conventional medication that do not come with the side effects of conventional medication?

The conventional wisdom "no news is good news" is predicated on the premise that, becoming aware of a health problem may lead to other problems. What if they have the information that becoming aware of a problem can lead to a complete drug-free solution, that can blend into their lifestyle, instead of a solution that comes with other problems?

By the way, the statistics based on the 4,500 who showed up confirmed the ballpark cross-border statistics for those so-called "diseases" - high cholesterol, high bood pressure and high blood sugar. Whether it is in America, the Philippines or Singapore, 1 in 3 people who die, die because of heart attack or stroke or diabetic complications.

All the experts concede that those conditions that lead to such personal tragedies are by and large, PREVENTABLE.

Now that we're into nationwide detection, I hope some people in high places will be wise and well-informed enough, and not be blinkered by the intolerant, sometimes ideological, "pharmaceutical mindset", and instead, step up efforts to promote PREVENTION, and not just focus on TREATMENT which further enriches the trillion-dollar pharmaceutical industry.

And please, let's do better than do the dietitian mantra and preach THE BALANCE DIET. I remember a dietitian who in a public health talk, publicly declared that she does not believe in nutritional supplements, and that people do not need it so long as they maintain a balanced diet. So I raised my hand and asked her, "From your dietitian experience, how many percent of people can you reasonably expect to achieve and mantain the prescribed balanced diet?"

She refused to be committed to a percentage, but when prompted, she had to concede "less than half" ever get there. I should add a lot less than half!

In our ever-busy lives, made worse by dining out, processed food and inevitably unbalanced diet, nutritional supplements is the way. Supplements are a necessity, not a choice.

And because of vested interests, the pharmaceutical industry and their promoters do not want too many of us to get too smart and believe that. Where would their prescription drug business go if more and more of us get smart about taking care of our health?

We have always known this: Prevention is better than cure.

Now, let's get serious about practising it.

There are many good workable alternatives to conventional treatments. The information is all out there, if only you'd take the action to find out, instead of just taking the lazy way out and rely entirely on the doctor's advice.

Own Your Life! Take Charge!

Start by checking out www.bioslife.com, to find out about how a simple lifestyle change can alleviate even eliminate the risks associated with high cholesterol, high blood pressure and high blood sugar.