According to Chinese tradition, it’s the seventh day of the Chinese New Year (人日) and that means it’s everyone’s birthday today. And to sweeten the birthday celebrations, I’m being featured in the local press again this month for the second time!

Appearing in the Mandarin daily papers, Lianhe Wanbao (联合晚报) is a first for me as the past few press mentions were all in English. And I must give myself due credit for translating all the texts and instructions into Mandarin :)

 

The article takes a new slant in that it discusses an age-old issue – the lack of exercise in people during the festive season and challenges readers to seek a new resolve to start exercising. If I can summarise the three major excuses people generally give for not exercising – “no time”, “no knowledge” and “no foundation”, the article dispels these as issues that can be dealt with easily and nipped in the bud readily.

I’m officially starting work today after a restful Chinese New Year. And it was a very gesture from one of my clients who gave me a red packet (ang pow) wishing me good luck for the year ahead.

In this predominantly people-oriented business of mine, it’s more than just the results you see. It’s also the quintessence of that personal touch that goes a long, long way. We are who we are because of our different backgrounds, identities and experiences. And that’s what makes life enriching.

When I first got the email from the teenager’s mum, she asked if I could spend some time talking to her son (let’s call him Z). As someone who used to be a face in the crowd too, I understood where she was coming from. 

If you ask me, it’s not growing up pains. It’s not an identity crisis. Rather, it’s about accepting who you are, what you are good at and showing others you can and do make a difference.

Being strangers meeting for the first time, it does take some effort to break the ice and build rapport. If one goes straight for the onslaught, one might not gain total victory. So, it’s really about starting out firm, establishing common ground and getting the conversation going.

From the thousands of people I’ve trained, it boils down to just this one simple principle – getting others to talk. People like to talk about themselves. I do. And I believe so do you. 

When we talk about ourselves, our eyes naturally light up, our body language becomes more relaxed and our mood brightens. It’s as if the whole world is revolving around us. When we talk about ourselves, you can even sense that beautiful smile on your face, which was in the case of Z.

Taking a cue from Rihanna’s latest hit, building self-confidence is therefore all about “talk that talk”.

Perhaps as Asians, we have been brought up in a society and culture that advocates humility. Humble as we may be, forget not it is our birth right to also be man or woman enough to extol our own rights. 

It’s a very thin line between confidence and arrogance. While the latter harps on being boastful, the former instead focuses on the unique qualities we possess that make us an invaluable asset to friends, family, school and society at large.

No one knows you better than yourself. As I’ve often shared, you are your best friend.

We all know that colours play an important role in our lives. Not only should we wear colours that complement our skintone, certain colours which we wear too have a specific psychological effect on both us the wearer as well as the people around us.

Besides red having all these positive connotations, we also believe red is the colour of prosperity. We want our bank accounts to be healthy, our rice cookers at home to be full, our investments to be smooth and our businesses to propser.

Most ladies will not hesitate to wear red for the Chinese New Year. But if you are a guy and you are a little in awe of the bright red colour, then take a leaf from my example and choose to wear pink instead.

Unknown to many, pink is the colour of universal love. As we know, pink is the combination of red and white. While I’ve already shared the qualities of red, let’s see what the colour white symbolizes.

Besides many who believe white symbolizes purity and cleanliness, to me specifically, white also signifies starting on a fresh slate. It’s as if we have spring-cleaned everything, weeding all the negative energies, leaving us with a pure, pristine white canvas to draw and visualize. Whatever colours you wish to paint, it’s really up to you as you own that canvas and are responsible for the actions…and ultimately results. That was why I chose to wear pink this year as I combined the best of both the colours red and white.

Quite obviously, the colour to avoid at all cost is black. It’s perfectly alright to wear black on other days and come across with a sense of mystery. But during Chinese New Year, wear black and I bet you will get a heavy scolding by your elders. Wearing black during Chinese New Year is akin to partying with gloom, death and all things negative. It’s like a doomsday scenario. And it’s definitely not what we want at the start of a new year. Instead, we want to be reinvigorated, reenergized and revitalized. We want to start the New Year on a positive note.

So remember, wear red or pink this Chinese New Year. Here’s wishing everyone a happy and prosperous Chinese New Year. Gong Xi Gong Xi!

There’s an ancient proverb which I came across recently. It reads “once is a fluke, twice is a trend, three times is a habit.”

Maybe I’m getting used to seeing myself in the national papers again. But in all honesty, I’m truly grateful for each and every opportunity. And to be doubly honest, my eyes were wide awake at 4am while lying in bed yesterday…while my ears were straining to hear the familiar sounds of the newspaper vendor delivering the newspaper to my house.

Every article is a new form of excitement to this big kid. And this one is no different.

We all have some areas of our body which we are not satisfied with. I used to be like that too. But the most important difference between the me back then and the me now was that I took action. Make that massive action. I could have lamented my own misfortune. But instead, triggered by Dad’s illness and subsequent passing away, I took matters into my own hands and chose to redesign my life the way I wanted it to be. And this redesigning took time as I did it the natural way. 

I did waste precious time initially experimenting with my workouts and mealplans but I have since hit the right formula. That’s why clients are happy I have let them in to my little black books that document the struggles and how they can avoid the same pitfalls while getting results faster.

Relying on a exercise programme, eating the right foods and a proper skincare regime, the transformation started to breathe a life of its own both internally and externally. And once I started seeing results, there was no stopping. 

And like they say, the rest is history.

I’m happy to share my life story with readers out there as I believe it will motivate them to take action of their own to achieve the dreams they had set for themselves. Let us shape our own destiny with our own hands.

And before I forget, here’s the Mind Your Body article. Happy reading! And yes, I have a new nickname given by the press – Mr Confident :)



PS: Click here to read about me in Lianhe Wanbao Health & Wellness: Resistance Tube Exercises (29 Jan 2012) 

PPS: Click here to read about me in The Sunday Times: Dressed For Success (4 Sep 2011)

PPPS: Click here to read about me in The Straits Times Life: Collectors Series (20 Aug 2011)

A big hello to everyone!

I’m officially back to my work desk after enjoying the winter holidays with my family and taking time off for my personal retreat. And the first thing I thought I’ll do is to write a blog entry for you, my readers.

What did I do over the last few days? Well, I took a retreat of sorts and used this time to reflect, rejuvenate and plan for the year ahead…all in the comfort of my humble home. 

And believe me, it has proved to be an exciting process as how often do we really have our personal space and time? This is sacred as only when we devote quality time to ourselves will we continue to grow.

For many of us, it is customary to make New Year resolutions pledging to change our lives for the better. But even before you sit down and pen down your resolutions for the new year ahead, have you even taken time to ponder and taken stock of where you are currently?

We should never be like a headless chicken running in any direction just because someone said it was good. Instead, do a careful stock-take of our current situation, and then analyze the gap between the current and the ideal.

This was the chief reason one of my clients shared with me on why he gave up making New Year resolutions years ago, because the promise to keep them was forgotten the minute they were made.

To make things simple and this blog post a breeze to digest, let me share 5 key areas to making your New Year resolutions much more meaningful so you will not be kicking yourself again come 31 Dec 2012.

A lot of people fail to recognize the fact that staying healthy is the most important asset to possess. No matter how good you may be at work, or in investing, it will amount to nothing if your health fails you.

Just like how we plan appointments for dinners with our friends, meetings with our colleagues, luncheons with our suppliers etc; so too in the same vein do you pencil down (either in your smart phone or on your diary) your exercise schedule. 

The number one rule to good health is simple – exercise three times a week for at least 30 minutes each time.

Life is so unpredictable that is advisable to start appreciating the people around you, especially your family. 

Do not wait until someone in your family is stricken with an incurable disease before you start showing care and concern. We are not growing younger as each day goes by.

Personally, I make it a point to eat at least thrice a week with my family as we catch up on the small episodes that occur in our lives. Strangely but truly, it’s a very Asian thing to bond over meals. And what better way to bond with your own family?

In our eagerness to challenge ourselves, we will many a times overplan believing we are Superman or Wonder Woman. The truth is…we are not.

Just like muscles have memory and will stop growing if we subject them to the same exercise and weight, so too will our personal growth stop should we go about doing the same chores over and over again. In short, break out of your current routine and embark on a new adventure of sorts. This new year is the perfect time for you to pick up a new hobby. It could be anything and run the gamut of baking, mountaineering to photography and a new language.

I hate to be too frank sometimes but I have to. The day we stop learning is the day we start to degenerate.

There is no secret to the art of happiness. You hold that sacred art in your own hands. You breathe and create your own happiness via your own thoughts, feelings, actions and results. If you are unhappy with your current job (despite its high pay), it’s time to consider leaving and pursuing your own passions.

Life is too short to be living someone else’s dreams and becoming what our parents or elders expect us to become. 

Only when you start living your own life according to your own terms will you unlock the gates and bask in happiness unparalleled.