Live in the NOW

It has been a while I have not updated this blog.
Below is the piece that I wrote in another column.

Last week I met an old friend. He is much junior than me. We used to work in the same company. 4 years ago, due to frustration at work and with her relationship with a girl, he asked to join my team. But I did not have any open position at that time. So, he left the company and moved on.

After 4 years, when I met him last week, he is now a big boss in a big company with a big team under him. His achievement sure makes us envy. Despite his young age (28 years old), he already has a good high level position and to my surprise, he has shown his maturity. I am proud in 4 years time he has grown up to this stage personally and financially. Maybe his disappointment at one time has become a catalyst for him to move forward and achieve success in life.

However, that is not what I want to talk about. Success and failure and the motivation behind it, it’s something that everyone knows about and sure this is something that we can learn from others’ experience. But what structs me is that, he has a few people under him from Europe and works in Malaysia with local package. Their salary is relatively low and this is absolutely nothing compared to what they get in their home country. Yes, some European chaps work in Malaysia under local boss with low pay. But what makes these people want to work here?

Simple answer is because they have found their love here. They have Malaysian wives or girlfriends and they want to live here even though compared to my standard, they probably have more debts that me. But that is not the case. When you have nothing to gain or to lose, you are happy with what you have.

Unlike many of us, they take live as it is. And the most important thing is that they are happy. Many of us are probably looking for more and more…or bigger or bigger…bigger paycheck, bigger house, bigger car…at the end we are never happy because we keep aiming for something more. We are afraid of losing what we have and we are hoping for more. We thought we would be happy if we have that car, that house, that job, that relationship and whatnot. But the truth is we only have NOW and we have to learn to be happy in NOW.

In other scenario, the early Arab traders who came to this region centuries ago left everything at home. They were not certain if they would succeed. They were not even sure if they would live or die. But they still made that journey. While doing their business, they took the opportunities to convey the message of Islam. In fact, they used their business as a platform to reach as many people as possible and convey the message to the people. Were they not afraid? Were they not afraid if they failed? Were they not worried if they had food to eat? Even worse, were they not afriad if they got killed? I am sure they are but they have a motivation to gamble everything in their lives and make that journey to convey the message. Of course some of them became rich in the process. But this is achieved after so much of sacrifice, hardwork and trust in the Almight God.

In both scenarios, they are not so much worried of the future. They are not worried about accumulating assets like we do today. They leave everything behind them and live in the NOW.

It is the same like our journey on earth. We came with nothing (no asset, no money and not even clothes) and we will leave this world also with nothing. In fact, we are living in a borrowed time, lend by God. So, why worry if you know you have nothing to lose (because you never had anything in the first place). So, just live in this world. Live in the NOW.

Sharpen Your Brain

I picked this up from Minda Super website.

 

4 Exercises To Sharpen Your Brain

Think of your brain as a muscle: It gets stronger with exercise. Your everyday mental tasks are like walking, but how about a real workout? Try these simple exercises to boost your brain power and clear away the fog of forgetfulness.   1. Use your non-dominant hand Tackling new tasks improves brain capacity in younger people and has a restorative effect on mental faculties that are declining. Boost your brain power right now by performing everyday activities with your non-dominant hand. If you’re right-handed, use your left hand to eat, drink, comb your hair, and brush your teeth. Try writing your name with your non-dominant hand or put your mouse pad on the other side of the keyboard. Why does this work? The human brain starts declining after the age of 30 especially in women with each successive pregnancy. By exercising your brain through the use of non-dominant hand, you are stimulating the opposite side of the brain and activating blood flow, which slows down the brain aging process and improves mental capacity. Evidence from functional brain imaging shows that the process of neuroplasticity — the brain’s natural ability to form new connections — can be enhanced by studying new things, especially hand-eye coordinated exercises like developing the use of your non-dominant hand and practicing visualization meditation. For an effective guided visualization that will also increase your years, check out Meditations to Live to Be 100. Stimulating communication between the two hemispheres even helps physical balance. Mind-body exercises like tai chi coach people to use the right and left side of the body equally. Try switching it up in sports. For instance, in tennis, switch the racquet to your non-dominant side and play. 2. Work out your brain You have to use it or lose it! You can work out your mind just like you work out your body. Mental exercises that will keep your brain fit include doing crossword puzzles, playing chess, or memorizing names, shopping lists, and phone numbers. When I was a young boy, to keep my brain function strong, my father had me memorize Tang Dynasty poetry. Every day I had to memorize a new poem and recite it back. Learn the words to a poem or a new song and repeat them back from memory. Set aside the calculator and add manually instead. Keep challenging yourself with tasks that are new to you. Whatever mental exercise you choose, the key to success is to practice every day at the same time; you are developing and activating new neural pathways, and consistent cycles will keep the brain on track. 3. Move your fingers to improve your brain Many people marvel that Asian children seem so intelligent. It could be because they use their fingers more frequently. They eat with chopsticks and at one time, they used to compute with an abacus in school. In fact, some studies have been done with children who use an abacus daily, and findings show that engaging the fingers stimulates nerve endings that go directly to the brain, increasing circulation. Take advantage of this by practicing motor activities that use your fingertips, like crocheting, knitting, and other arts and crafts where you are manipulating small parts. Try playing the piano or a stringed instrument. Here is an exercise you can do anywhere, at any time. Put one finger on top of the one next to it, then try to stack the next finger on top of that. Or hold a pencil or pen between your index and middle fingers, roll it over until it’s balanced between the middle and ring fingers, then again to between the ring finger and pinky. This exercise has a beneficial impact on brain health for anyone at any age, but especially for people in their 40s, 50s and beyond — when signs of brain aging starts to set in. Why does this work? A map of the brain shows that the nerve endings on your fingertips correspond to more areas of the brain than any other body area, except perhaps the tongue and lips. Therefore, finger exercise and movements can be useful in stimulating the neurons in the brain. The National Institute of Mental Health conducted experiments that showed finger exercises enlarged the capacity of the participants’ brains, increased connections between neurons, forged new neural pathways, and increased circulation to the brain areas. The researchers concluded that finger exercise contributed significantly to brain plasticity, the ability of the brain to renew itself. Increased circulation means more oxygen and nutrients for the brain cells and decreased waste products that clog up the brain.   4. Stimulate brain acuity with self-massage To improve concentration and memory try this self-massage that stimulates two easy-to-find acupressure points on your neck at the base of the skull. Cross your hands behind you with the palms cradling the back of your head, your thumbs in the grooves on each side of your neck, and your index fingers crossing one another below the skull, just above the thumbs. Sit in a chair, lean your head back, and let it rest against the pressure of your thumbs and index fingers. Slowly inhale deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth, letting your whole body relax. Do this for three to five minutes. You’ll increase blood flow to the brain and at the same time relax the neck muscles, which often tense up in response to stress, constricting blood vessels in the area. You can find these, and many other brain boosting tips in my new book, Second Spring. I invite you to visit often and share your own personal health and longevity tips with me. May you live long, live strong, and live happy! –Dr. Mao From: http://health.yahoo.com/experts/drmao/

Positive Attitude

     A colleague of mind is retiring tomorrow at the age of 60. He is a Service Delivery Manager and has earned the respect from the people all around. He manages client and meeting with excellent and is always passionate about work. For us, he is the source of inspiration on how to lead life in this ever-changing and high pressured work world. Yesterday, he shared with us his experience in his career for the last 40 years and how he manages to conduct himself in such an excellent manner.

     1) Choose a mentor who you can look up to for guidance and inspiration

     2) Aim high

     3) Learn something new everyday. If you are not able to learn something new, share your knowledge with others so that the education process still takes place

     4) You cannot change history. Don’t regret of what has happened. Whatever happened, has happened. So, you can only learn from history and learn from it.

    5) Treat others the same way you would like to be treated.

    6) In the morning when you wake up, you decide what you want to be today. Maintain positive attitude.

    7) From 7 habits of highly effective people, “Everything is important but nothing is urgent”.

    8) Do the best of what you can in everything you do.

    9) Manage your time properly. Use calendar in outlook effectively to plan on what you want to do that day. So, you get the job done and not distrupted by too many meeting invites.

  10) Life is about growth.

Law of Attraction

    Much has been said about the law of attraction. My favorite law of attraction guru is Joe Vitale. I read his books and his article. In the nutshell, what it says is that like attracts like. What you think, what you wish, what you do,  is what you get. So, if you want people to say good things about you, you must say good things about people. If you want good things to happen in your life, you must think good. Think, be and do in such a manner that you want to be.

       That’s why it is utmost important that you try to get rid of low level energy like anger, sad and frustration. Focus on positive energy and you will attract positive energy. As a result, the outcomes in your life will be good as what you think, be and do. You can virtually attract anything in your life. This sounds like having the genie in the bottle, whatever your command and your wish will come true as a result of the work of the genie. Life in real life is like that (minus the genie) whatever weird it may sound to you.

      Last few weeks, my maid decided to go back to her home country. Her last day at work would be end of June. I needed to look for a maid to replace her, otherwise, I need to send my kids to the day-care center everyday since both my wife and myself are working.  Sending the kids to the day care center is not a good option since it costs us a lot more and when we get home we have to do all the household works.

        I kept saying to my wife that we will get the replacement maid when the time comes. My wife had been busy asking around and looking around frantically but the result wasn’t fruitful. It was either the cost was not right or the prospects turned down the offer after a few communications. She scolded me for not doing anything. I said of course I am doing something, it’s just that I am doing it in my mind. 

       A few days prior to the due date we had not got the replacement maid and my wife was ready for the alternative solution and that is to send the kids to the day care center. I however maintain my focus of getting the replacement maid. I don’t know how to say it but I just knew the new maid would come any other way.

      On the final day which was yesterday, I witnessed one of the best law of attractions at work. In the morning somebody called my wife and said that there is a maid and she is ready to work for us. In fact, she sounded so urgent and asked my wife to come now which was impossible since she was working.

   So, in the evening we went to pick up the maid. So, we finally got the maid that we’ve been waiting for. On top of that, this maid is legal, she fits description of a good maid and it doesn’t cost us a thing. I was extremely happy to see the event unfolded even though at some point it looks like all the hope was gone.  But that’s how the law of attraction works. You maintain your focus and it will come to you effortlessly.

Power Mind Solution

         I went to the government agency with my wife yesterday to register a business. This is so that we have a name for the company that we can be proud of and strive for a common goal. I wanted the name to be Creative Mind Technology but the name is already taken. So, we settled for Power Mind Solution instead which is also a good name.

      This name reflects my commmitment to utilize the power of the mind to make this earth a better place to live in. I want to invite everyone on this journey that is remarkable and fabulous in which the power of the mind will be harnessed to improve the livelihood of the human kind. This can be achieved by embracing the positive energy of the universe. This magnificient universe created by God has its own blueprint. Once we tap on that knowledge on how it works, on how it was created, we are able to create miracles.

        This universe was created with a purpose just like everything else. We do not create something just for fun or joke. We create something to serve a purpose. Because the purpose will define a value. We create shoes with the purpose of protecting our feet. That is just the very purpose of shoes. As we evolve we create many purposes to the shoes. The shoes can now be used to play soccer. Or the shoes can now symbolized the status of the user. The more pupose we add, the more value it gives.

      Anyway, the power of the mind will help us achieve anything. Whatever we think, whatever we do and whatever we want, it can be achieved. There are 2 ways to live this life. One is the hard way and the other is the easy way. I choose the easy way because I deserve it. Well…why do I want to choose the hard way if I know for certain the easy way will help me achieve the same result? And the mind is the tools for me to achieve anything the easy way. By harnessing the power of the mind, it helps me to achieve the result faster and better.

     I want to end suffering and live life to the fullest. I want to lead a happy and prosperous life. Everyone can do the same because everyone is given the same tools….mind.

Feeding the Mind with Good Food

        I am working in multi-national corporation with thousands of employees. However most of the time, I find myself lonely. Other than talking about work, I seldom talk to my collegues on personal matters. I go out to lunch alone most of time. The same appears to be the situation when I am back home in my community. I spend most of the time at home with my family. I seldom go out and talk to the neighbours.

       This is not because I am anti-social or I do not have friends. I do. But it’s just that I try to refrain myself from listening to the normal stuffs that people chat. You see, when you go to the cafe, restaurant, bar, mosque, bus-stop and whatnot, what do you hear? People are talking but they are not just talking. They are complaining. They are complaining all sort of stuffs. They are complaining about their family, their work, their friends, their politicians, their government and everything else. It seems everything is not right in their life.

        Human likes to complain a lot. It gives them comfort by knowing that others are feeling the same way like they do. So, you can imagine what their lives would be. Whatever we think, we talk and we imagine, that is what we atract in our lives. That is why it is very important that we think beyond the usual crowd and chatters on the ground. We want to be able to attract all the good things in life. We deserve to get the best in life. Thus, we must feed our mind, our soul and our thoughts with all the positive things.

       I am very committed to feed my mind with the positive energy. When something happens, I always look at the bright side. In all occasion, I want to avoid any low level energy like anger, disappointment, sad etc. Let go all this feelings. I must raise above them all and continue feeding my mind with gratitude, happiness and prosperity. Hence, I must talk and read on all positive stuffs.

      Small mind talks about people, Average mind talks about events, Great mind talks about ideas…..

Lose Weight Program

       Last week I started a program that is aimed at losing weight for 10 kg in 6 months. I do this with my wife so that both of us can see the result or the difference of it. The benefit is huge of course. Besides getting good body shape, it can also eliminate potential disease that is associated with overweight.

     Let’s face it. I am over 80 kg and I am really out of shape. I have gained over 20 kg since the day I got married. Gaining weight is also a sign of prosperity and happiness but too much weight is not good and can attract all kinds of health problems. So, this is the program that I started and I expect to see the result in a matter of weeks.

     The catch that I want to mention is that my program to lose weight does not involve excessive physical activity, pills, drugs or diet. This is all in the mind. I want to show and to prove how the power of mind would be able to bring the same result without actually doing the normal physical stuffs that people do to lose weight.

    The good news is that yesterday, after 1 week embarking on this program, I am already 1 kg lighter. How’s that? Miracle or what? No, that’s not miracle. That’s what my mind expects. I cannot wait to see myself in 6 months time with 10 kg lighter and better physical look. When that happens, I can write an e-book entitled “How to lose 10 kg in 6 months. No exercise, No diet, No drugs”. How does that sound?

Lessons From A Movie

     Last night, I watched a very entertaining and hillarious movie. Despite its comedy and stupidity, it has some lessons that we can learn. It was a Korean movie. Of course I do not understand Korean, I was just reading the subtitles.

    The movie was about an old granny living in a remote village who was kidnapped by 3 not-so-smart men. Even though she was the hostage, most of the time, she was the one in control and played fool with the kidnappers. She instructed whom they should call to demand the ransom money. The granny had 4 children who were successful but busy with their own lives. Upon getting the calls, the children were just dismissed the calls or simply thought their mother was lying or playing around. They showed their ignorance and don’t care attitude towards the mother.

     The granny was frustrated and disappointed with her kids. She later conspired with the kidnappers to carefully plan the act and demand the ransom money. The kidnappers found out that the granny was actually very rich and she is worth $200 billion but the money was all transferred ownership to her children. The granny asked how much they wanted to demand. They said $50 million because that’s all they need. The granny scolded them and told them to ask for $50 billion instead.

       To cut the story short, they eventually managed to get the money and before they knew it, the granny only gave $50 million and her own recipe book to the kidnappers because that was the amount they asked for initially. They were of course very frustrated and angry towards the granny.

     The granny scolded them and said the recipe book was what made her rich. It is a variety of porridge recipes in it and with that book, they can make $50 million, $5 billion, $50 billion or whatnot.

      The kidnappers moved one and open a large restaurant that attracted lots of customers. True enough, with that recipe they can become very very rich……

Seven Ways to Attract Money

Seven Ways to Attract More Money

 

by Dr. Joe Vitale
www.MrFire.com

 

Want to attract more money?

Wondering why you haven’t attracted it when you’ve done everything you thought you needed to do?

What really works when it comes to attracting more money, anyway?

I’ve been studying the Law of Attraction for more than three decades. I’ve written several books about it, including The Attractor Factor and The Key. That’s why I ended up in the movie The Secret, and then on Larry King and Donny Deutsch’s televison shows, among others. I know how the Law of Attraction works, and I know why so many people don’t clearly understand it.

When it comes to the Law of Attraction, most people want to learn how to use it to attract more money first. After that, they’ll wonder how to attract romance, cars, homes, happiness, and everything else. But money is the starting place for most people.

So, how do you attract more money?

When it comes to attracting anything — and money in particular — there are seven ways to do it right. Here they are:

1. Give Money Away

   It sounds counter-intuitive but the more you give, the more you will receive (unless you block the receiving, which ties into the next step). Give openly and freely to wherever you received spiritual nourishment. Give on a regular basis, too. The rule of thumb is to give 10% of whatever you receive, but it’s also smart to give more when you feel inspired to do so.

   Remember, give to the person, place, or group that has kept your spirit alive. Just ask “Where was I most inspired this past week?” and give to that source. And ask the question daily or weekly as the source will often change.

   Here’s an inside tip: When most people give money, they do it with a tight fist. They don’t give much. Why not? Because they’re afraid. They’re holding on. Well, the energy of fear will attract more things to fear. Instead, give money with an open heart and an expectation of return. Give in love.

2. Get Clear

   Most people push money away with their hidden limiting beliefs, such as “money is bad” or “rich people are evil.” Those are beliefs, not facts. Get clear of them and money will come to you (as long as you also do the next step).

   Getting clear is truly “The Missing Secret” to making the Law of Attraction work for you all the time. After all, it isn’t your conscious intentions that are being manifested in your life, it is your un-conscious counter-intentions.

   For example, when you set a goal on New Year’s day to stop smoking or date more, what happened the next week? You gave up your conscious goal for your un-conscious belief that you couldn’t do it. You weren’t in alignment with your intention. You werent’ “clear.”

   Most likely in your unconscious mind you have limiting beliefs about money, such as -

   a.. “Money is evil.”
   b.. “Money will attract problems.”
   c.. “Money will make me a selfish person.”
   d.. “Wanting money is greedy.”
   e.. “Rich people are snobs.”

   If you have one or more of those limiting beliefs within you, do you really think you’ll attract any money? In truth, you’ll attract NOT having money.

   Why? Because your unconscious counter-intention (“Money is bad”) will veto your conscious intention (“I now attract more money into my life”).

   Is it any wonder some people say the movie The Secret or the Law of Attraction doesn’t work? Obviously, once you clear those hidden blocks/beliefs to your success, your success has nothing in the way of happening. The roadblocks are gone.

   I talk about ways to get clear in my new audioprogram, “The Missing Secret.” One thing you can do right now is to simply question your beliefs. Become a belief detective and look for those limiting beliefs about money. When you release your inner blocks, you will attract more money.

3. Take Action

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

   If you don’t act now, you’ll see your idea manifested in a store some day and somebody else will be attracting money from it. What can you do right now, today, to move toward creating something that will attract more money? Whatever it is, do it.

   When you doubt and second-guess yourself instead of taking action, you are demonstrating that you aren’t yet clear (see second tip above) about money and your right to attract it. Act now and get rich.

4. Support a Cause

   Most people push money away because they don’t feel they deserve it. One way around this (while you still work on getting clear inside yourself) is to want money for a larger purpose. I created Operation YES to end homelessness. Raising hundreds of thousands of dollars (or more) for that cause will remove any remaining prosperity limitations within me. While I won’t receive a dime from Operation YES, my working on its behalf will attract money to me in other ways, such as the contacts and goodwill I’ll create.

   In short, want money for a larger reason than your own ego. This is a beautiful way to attract more money without wanting it only for yourself. Realize that when you are wealthy, you are better able to help family, friends, your community, and even the world. A good reason to attract more money is for all the good it can do for others, not just you. Ask yourself what cause would you support (or even create) once you attracted more money?

5. Get Support

   One of the wisest things you can do to achieve any goal is create or join a master mind group devoted to it. I co-authored Meet and Grow Rich with Bill Hibbler for this reason: to teach you how to create a support group.

   The idea is to be around people who can keep your energy and inspiration high. While you can make progress alone, it’s so much easier when you have support.

   This support can also come in the way of audiotapes, books, and other learning tools. I’ve been buying audios from Nightingale-Conant for more than thirty years for just that reason: it helps me stay focused on constantly growing and improving. Even when I was struggling, I went to the library and borrowed books and tapes to keep me informed and inspired. Today I can afford to buy my own materials, but it’s only because I invested in my education every step along the way.

   I created “The Missing Secret” audio set to help people understand the practical use of the Law of Attraction. Again, all of this is support in helping you attract more money.

6. Be Grateful

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

   After I was homeless and while I was still experiencing poverty, I began this exercise by holding a pencil and being grateful for it. Once I truly experienced gratitude, it shifted my energy vibe so I could then experience more to be grateful for. Today I have much to be thankful for – from houses to cars to collectible guitars — but it all began with a pencil.

   Look around and ask yourself what you are grateful for right now. Then get into that feeling.

7. Do what you Love

   There’s no sense in working at something you hate. If you are currently at a job you don’t like, find a way to enjoy it for the time you are there while working towards doing your passion. Following your passion is the greatest secret of all when it comes to attracting wealth.

   Everyone from Donny Deutsch to Donald Trump to Bill Gates to little ole me agree that passion (combined with the other steps above) is your ticket to financial freedom. Even when I worked for oil companies back in Houston and didn’t like my work, I found ways to do what I loved. I wrote my first book on my lunch hours. I spoke on weekends and sold my book in the back of the room. Over time, doing what I love became my life. And today it’s my moment by moment wonder.

   Ask yourself what you would do even if you were never paid. That’s a clue to what you should be doing and of course finding a way to be paid for it. You can attract more money from love.

   Finally, expect success.

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

Go for it!

Dream and Reality

I am in the state of very confused mind today. I was sick yesterday and was lying and resting on bed. But somehow my dreams lately have not been the nice ones. They are all mixture of despair and sadness.

I am confused because I am do not know at what stage I am. At some point, I was able to control my dream. When life in reality was full of despair and disappointment, my dreams were the ones raising me up. I could fly, walk thru walls, and do all miraculous things because I knew I was beyond physical. Since I was aware I did not have physical limitations, I could do all the things that I had ever wanted. I could fly high up and get down, felt the ticklish sensation on my feet and the scared of high. I could feel all those. I could do wonders.

But now as my financial situation in my reality has begun to improve, my dreams started to be the nightmare that I want to avoid. I am very sure all my imagination and affirmation on financial freedom is beginning to bear fruits. It has started changing my life. Whatever I can think of, it will happen immediately. That’s why I must control to think positive and ensure all the negative elements are not in the surrounding.

I now remember why someone or some religious statement, advised not to tell the bad dreams. It’s because what you say or share will create the surrounding and the energy will flourish and manifest. That’s why we must tell and share the good dreams but not the bad ones.

I am thinking I am now in the transformational stage. All my dreams are about to come to reality. Therefore, the not so good reality has been transformed and moved to the dream state. I must face this. There are ways to achieve dream and to live the life of my dreams; the easy way and the hard way. I choose the easy way. Because the option is there and it is God given right bestowed to me upon birth. I must use and exercise that right. As I walk thru this journey,  I must be aware of my consciousness so that it will not sabotage me as it has done many times in the past.