Dreams

What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore--
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over--
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?

~ Langston Hughes

Decide To Network

I found an article from Successful Networking, written by Robert Muller, Former Assistant Secretary-General in the United Nations, which really inspired me. I'd love to share it with you:

Use every letter you write,
Every conversation you have,
Every meeting you attend
To express your fundamental beliefts and dreams.

Affirm to others the vision
Of the world you want.

Network through thought,
Network through love,
Network through the spirit.

You are a free, immensely powerful source
Of life and goodness.

Affirm it, spread it, radiate it.

Think day and night about it
And you will see a miracle happen:
The greatness of your own life.

Not in a world of big powers,
Media and monopolies,

But of five and a half billion individuals (it should be at least six billion now).

Networking is the new freedom,
The new democracy,
A new form of happiness.

I couldn't agree with what Muller wrote more, I have decided and committed to networking - through thought, love and the spirit. And I am so happy that blogging is a great way I can be involved in this important endeavour. I feel blessed to have networked and connected with you all - my readers!

Facebook and SU

If you are into fun & online social interaction and connection, I suggest you sign up to Facebook here.

If you are into earning while you are learning online, I suggest you join me in Success University here.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if you need clarification and help with these two sites.

Living With God, Others And Yourself

There are certain foundations we all need if our destiny is to be fulfilled. Do you believe that? During this last week, I witnessed God's foundations built in the lives of many people from all over the world in Poatina, Tasmania.

Foundations is a training course that runs twice a year over an intensive week in Poatina, as well as in different centres and states all over Australia, during 12 weeknights.

This course opens the doorway to an integrated life-style that enables participants to be more aware of the world around them, and of God’s companionship with them in it.

This unique training and leadership package has been road tested over the last 30 years by thousands of Australians from all walks of life.

Foundations is designed to equip people to act and lead in their Community with confidence, to break open the world of human experience in a way which helps us see who we are and who God is calling us to be.

Foundations is firmly based on the Bible and has a unique integration of Christian theology, basic psychology and skills training in managing group dynamics.

There are 3 streams in the course:

Living with God
Is designed to help us come to terms with our lives with God, helping us learn how to distinguish between His voice and the host of other human needs and prejudices that clamour for our attention. Topics include Faith, a biblical picture of the nature of humanity, the Glory of God, the Problem of Evil, Forgiveness, Eternal Life and Living in the Kingdom Now.

Living with Others
Helps us develop practical skills which allow us to become vehicles of love, grace, change and growth for others. Topics include listening, giving constructive feedback, how others impact on an individuals self picture, becoming aware of and managing groupdynamics and destructive cycles of group relationships.

Living with Yourself
Takes us on a journey of self discovery into the make up of our souls, looking at the forces that have shaped us, the impact our physiology has on our emotional and spiritual world (and vice versa), where our attitudes come from and how we can grow to become more of the person God created us to be. Topics include Body, Soul & Spirit, Habits, Attitudes, Values, Guilt, the central nervous system, love and Sexuality.

Foundations

Have you ever asked yourself what are the foundations of your life? I am now in Poatina, a village resort in Tasmania (the little island in Australia) doing a course called "Foundations" with Fusion Australia. I am learning how to live with and encounter God, others and myself, and I am having an absolute ball. I will sum it all up when the course finishes and when I go back to Melbourne. I am also having an extremely wonderful time connecting with people from mainland China, and learning about the preparation of the festivals during the China Olympics Games in August this year.

Time Management & Personal Development

Today I received an email from a good friend of mine with the subject: "I need help!". In her email, she expressed her struggle of lacking drive, motivation, time and energy to pursue her interests and clear the clutter in her life. She said that she'd love to know the secret of time management.

Time is so precious isn't it? While the choice is yours in how to spend your day, the best way to maximize your time is by organisizing it. The followings are some of the steps / secrets of time management that I find useful:

Make a To-Do List: I often find that making a list of things and prioritize every item helps me organise my time, as in consolidate similar tasks (eg: checking emails and responding to instant messaging).

Be careful not to get distracted: Very often a schedule gets thrown off track by distraction. Be aware of that, and when that happens, stop what you are doing and get back on schedule (this one I need to learn as I often get side-tracked by facebook and unimpoartnat online chats).

Tick off items as you complete them: Every time you finish doing something, cross it off your to-do list. I like to do this, as it often gives me a sense of accomplishment throughout the day, and it keeps me on track on my priorities :)

I also believe that goal-setting / new year resolutions can help us in terms of building motivation, drive and energy to pursue our dreams and interests. Decide what you want, define it clearly and write it down. Put the list of your goals where you'll see them. Review them on a regular basis. That way, your activities are geared toward accomplishing what you really want in life, rather than letting the days go by without purpose.

I learned that to create powerful results in your life, you must create a powerful emotional state. If you are feeling tired or down, exercise, move your body, go to the gym or do whatever you need to get your blood flowing; when you change your physiological state, you change your emotional state.

These are my personal experiences. If you have any other tips, please put them on the comment so that we can all learn from it.

Faith, Purpose And Success

I am a strong believer of approaching life, business, work and ministry purposefully, and let my faith lead me to real success. Whatever type of work you do, you should do it with excellence and the aim to grow personally and spiritually through the experiences. Dream big dreams and trust God to help you make some of those dreams come true. Expect God to surprise you along the way. Be most concerned about what you can give rather than what you can get. Trust that God will use difficult situations to accomplish something good in the long run.

In regards to business, I learned from my own and other people's experiences that it is important to strive to do your best to serve your customers, whether they are outside your business or within it. Make the time to truly listen to your customers so you clearly understand what they want. Treat them with respect and kindness. Beyond improving your business -- and your own career success, as a result -- your service to customers is an important way of reflecting God's love in the marketplace.

Invest in mentoring relationships. Build relationships throughout your professional life that can benefit both you and others for years to come by seeking out some mentors and serving as a mentor yourself. Consider what specific ways you hope to grow professionally. One of the ways I am currently doing that is through Success University.

As you interact with people while doing your job, let God's love flow through you to encourage them and help them overcome their challenges, sadness and hopelessness. Keep in mind that God doesn't measure your impact by how impressive your job description is, but by how well you've done your job and demonstrated His love for the people you encounter.

Wealth, Success & Diligence

It's believed that the ancient king Solomon is the wealthiest man who ever lived. Solomon became King of Israel around 974 B.C.. According to the Scripture, God granted Solomon one desire. Solomon asked for wisdom so that he could lead the people of Israel. God was so impressed with Solomon’s selfless request that He not only blessed him with wisdom, but also with wealth.

Solomon’s wisdom, success, and wealth increased beyond imagination. During his life, Solomon penned the book of Proverbs in the Bible. Surviving from generation to generation, his writings have influenced the world for thousands of years.

Below are some of King Solomon’s writings on the importance of diligence as portrayed by author Stuart Scott in the book of Proverbs.

“The hand of the diligent will rule, but the slack hand will be put to forced labor” (Proverbs 12:24).

“The soul of the sluggard craves, but he gets nothing.” (Proverbs 13:4)

“He that tills his land shall be satisfied with bread, but he that follows vain persons is void of understanding” (Proverbs 28:19).

Solomon gives us three steps we can use quickly to bring diligence into our lives:

1. Wake Up to Reality.

“How long will you lie there,” he asks. “When will you get up from your sleep?...poverty will come on you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man.” (Proverbs 6:9-11)

2. Define Your Vision.

“Without a vision, the people perish.” (Proverbs 29:18)

3. Effectively Partner With Others.

“A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgment.”(Proverbs 18:1)

Never Give Up

This great Winston Churcill's saying "Never Give Up" not only serves as a great motivational advice, but it has also become one of my personal mottos. It is one of the things I have learned in my brief time on this earth: If you want to reach your goals and find success in this life, you simply must embrace this powerful idea of never quit!

Earl Nightingale said that the phrase "never give up' is a potent mental soundtrack that wise and successful people silently play in their heads as an accompaniment to their daily lives. Now that is insightful!

I also believe that this important motto puts persistence and perseverance into our lives, and so impacting the very essence of who we are as a person. The great Thomas Edison is a prime example of someone who never gave up - and hence achieved the success that he did.

So let me encourage you this: Never never never give up!

How To Have A Winning Year

“Hang in there. You can do it!” - a few kind words of encouragement can do a lot to people around you.

We let fear stop us from pursuing our dreams.

It's hard to accept criticism, but constructive criticism is good for us. Don't defend yourself. Just get better from it.

Integrity and Honesty are important in life, business and ministry.

You want to be great? There is nothing wrong with that, but how to be great is more important than being great. If you want to be great, you need to serve! Serving others and losing yourself is one of the most challenging things to do - but that is the route to being great.

You can have anything in life you want, if you can help others achieve what they want.

You don't have to get it perfect, you just have to get it going.

Emerson's life philosophy: “leave the world a bit better” for those yet to come.
I like that!

The Importance Of Residual Income

The concept of residual or passive income is probably one of the most important powerful concepts you will ever learn in your lifetime.

Anyone that can master the concept of residual income is on their way to a good and meaningful lifestyle. Simply put, residual income occurs by building a system one time that can produce a recurring stream of revenue once the system is set up.

This income arrives on a regular basis. It can occur on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis. The frequency depends on the business system itself.

What's so great about this is if you are willing to work hard and build a residual based system in the initial phase, you can reap the benefits from this one-time labor for years to come. If you look around you, you will see examples of residual income all over.

For example, when you pay a internet service provider, web host, telephone bill, or cable TV bill; they are receiving a regular recurring income for providing their service to you. The valued members of a website provide the owner with a regular, recurring monthly income. In return, they are provided with valuable information.

Yet so many people just don't get it. I didn't get it until recently, and I think this paradigm shift has made a big difference in my life. I want to not only master the concept of residual income, I want to know the method to do it. That is why I enrol in Success University. If you want to know more, just go to:

www.kitty-cheng.com

About 50 of the most famous authors and inspirational speakers have come together to create this largest online learning system teaching people how to be entrepreneurs - it's really amazing!

Is It Wrong To Be Rich?

The belief that wealth is wrong is more social than scriptural. It is a rationalization imposed upon by many of those who choose not to earn much wealth. It is a philosophy with which we have all had to live at some level during our lifetimes. It's what we do with money that matters. It's how we get it that counts.

In one of the courses in the curriculum of Success University, I learned that to the extent that money is a measure of the services we perform for others, its accumulation is noble. To the extent that we press our money into the service of those we love (or those in need may I add), to provide them with as warm and as comfortable and as secure an existence as possible, its disbursement is inspired and devine.

What do you reckon? Do you agree?

How To Keep Our Soul In Shape

I know that many people have 'being fit physically' as their New Year Resolution, but for me, I think having a fit soul is just as, if not more, important!

I read that when Philip Yancey turned 50, he had a complete physical as well as a spiritual checkup. During his spiritual checkup, he pondered what he needed to change to keep his soul in shape.

He came up with a spiritual action plan for his next 50 years, which I found very inspiring. Below is a summary of his spiritual action plan:

(1) Question your doubts as much as your faith.
(2) Do not attempt this journey alone.
(3) Allow the good (eg:natural beauty,encouraging words)to penetrate in your life.
(4) For your own sake, simplify.
(5) Find something that allows you to feel God's pleasure.
(6) Always "err," as God does, on the side of freedom, mercy, and compassion.
(7) Don't be ashamed. "I am not ashamed of the gospel," Paul told the Romans.
(8) Remember, those Christians who peeve you so much—God chose them too.
(9) Forgive, daily, those who caused the wounds that keep you from wholeness.

Have you done your spiritual checkup in the New Year yet? As Philip Yancey said, our spiritual checkup offers one clear advantage over our physical checkup: "no matter what I do my body will continue to deteriorate, but, spiritually I can look forward to growth and renewed vigor as long as I listen and then act on what I hear God saying." Meaningful isn't it?

Accepting The Challenge Of Success

Through the curriculum of Success University, I read the follow somber words of William James, which really got me thinking:

"Compared to what we ought to be, we are only half awake. Our fires are dampened, our drafts are checked, we are making use of only a small part of our mental and physical resources."

It's true that most of us do little more than exist in a sea of mediocrity. And yet we must grow, we must be willing to take risks, to develop our potential, and to become who we are created to be. We were not placed on this earth to be little more than walking vegetables.

In this new year, I am committed to going forward, choosing growth, overcoming fear and accepting the challenge of success for the glory of God.

Mission 2008

Earl Nightingale said, "People with goals succeed because they know where they are going. It's as simple as that."

Success or failure as a human being is not a matter of luck, circumstances, fate, or any of the other clichés. Those are only excuses. I think it’s much easier to get what you want out of life when you know where you’re going. Because of that, I've written a short paragraph as my mission 2008:

My Mission 2008 is to express my willingness to learn , and persistence by continually learning and applying new ideas, by being committed to ongoing personal and professional development, by making sure my job always gets done, and to create massive action, hence massive results so that I can earn passive income by the end of this year.

When I achieve passive income, I will use it to contribute to worthy causes, ministries, mission and charity work.

How To Count Your Blessings

One of the things that I sense the Lord tell me time and time again is "count your blessings - not your worries!"

In Dale Carnegie's best seller, 'How to Stop Worrying and Start Living", he talked about an experience of seeing a man who had no legs. This man was sitting on a platform with wheels from roller skates. He greeted Carnegie, "Good morning, sir. It is a fine morning, isn't it?" he said with spirit. As Carnegie stood looking at him, he realized how rich he was. He had two legs. He could walk. He felt ashamed of his self-pity. He said to himself if he could be happy, cheerful, and confident without legs.

Since then, he had the following words pasted on his bathroom mirror, and he read them every morning as he shaves:

I had the blues because I had no shoes,
Until upon the street, I met a man who had no feet.

Why don't you stop right now and ask yourself: "What in the world am I worrying about?" You will probably find that it is comparatively unimportant and insignifant. I believe that the habit of looking on the best side of every event is worth more than a thousand pounds a year.

Count your blessings, not your worries! :) God Bless!

Wealth And Wisdom

I read a quote by Hans Selye today from Success University which really got me thinking. And I'd like to share with you: "A clear distinction must be made between our final aims - the ultimate achievements that give purpose to life - and the means through which we hope to attain them. For example, money is never a final aim; it has no value in itself. It can only act as a means, helping us to reach some ultimate goal which, to us, has inherent value.

I think Hans Selye is right. Although wealth may come to some people in fortuitous ways, this is the exception not the rule. Many people think of wealth as simply an abundance of money or possesions, but wealth can come in many different forms. The Book of Proverbs in the Scripture is very clear that wealth is connected with wisdom (but if there was a choice, I'd choose wisdom over wealth anyday). In fact, Solomon tells us that wealth is one of the side products of wise living. Once wealth is acquired, wisdom will help us use it generously and prudently. If our thinking is right and our motive pure and our conscience clear, then the building of wealth becomes a joyful journey.

New Year, New Start!

Happy New Year everyone! Pray that you will all have a fantastic 2008, filled with joy, love, peace and happiness all the time, free of fear and worry, continually in the process of accomplishing worthwhile goals, and is totally well adjusted in life's major areas: spiritual, physical, emotional, mental and social.

I have written a personalized Mission Statement for my life. I think it's very important for us to have mission / purpose in life, and that we are never too young or too old to have a mission. Also, as your mission grows, so will you and your capabilities to MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

You know what? We can improve our 2008 by accomplishing the goals that we set forth in our own personalized Mission Statement. The Mission Statement works because our goals are identified. I believe that once our goals are identified in the beginning of the year, they can then be cultivated and nurtured throughout 2008 with hard work, daily action and determination. And when we multiply our hard work on our mission throughout the year, we will have accomplished something that few do: success.