I would just to share a powerful song that I heard recently called ‘The Dash’. The ‘Dash’ was originally a poem written by Linda Ellis and it has been an inspiration to millions around the world, including myself. The song makes us realize that the day we complete our journey on earth, we will have two dates inscribed on our tombstone, the year of birth and the year of death. In the middle of both these dates, is a short dash ‘-’. This dash represents all that we have done during our time that we are alive. It makes us reflect how how we have lived our ‘dash’.

At the end of the day, we will soon realize that success is not about what we have (the cars, the houses and the cash we own)…but who we become as a person and how many people we have touched in the process. It reminds me of a movie I watched a few months ago called the ‘Bucket List’, about two elderly men (played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) who were dying and wanted to fulfill their last wished written on a list before they died. The most touching moment was when Morgan Freeman said to Jack Nicholson that the way to know if you have truly lived a successful life is to ask two questions. Question 1: ‘Have you found true joy in your life? and Question 2: ‘Has your life brought joy to others?’ If the answer is yes to both two questions, then you can go in peace. Something to think about…

As you play the song on youtube way at the top ‘The Dash’, you may want to read the lyrics below. Enjoy and reflect!

There was a man who stood to speak at the funeral of a friend.
He read the dates on her tombstone from the beginning…to the end.

He noted first came the date of her birth and spoke the following date with tears, but he said what mattered most of all was the dash between those years.

For that dash stands for all the time that she spent alive on earth…
and only those who loved her know what that little line is worth.

It matters not, how much we own; the cars….the house…the cash.
What matters is how we live and love and how we spend our dash.

So think about this long and hard…are there things you’d like to change?
For you never know how much time is left that can still be re-arranged

If we would just slow down enough to consider what’s true and real and always try to understand the way that other’s feel. We’d be much less quick to anger and show appreciation more and love the people in our lives like we’ve never loved before.

So, when your eulogy’s being read and your life is being rehashed…would you be proud of the things they say about how you spent your dash?

I have a prediction. My prediction is that in a couple of years, the expatriates (from China, India, US etc…) will rule Singapore. They will increasing take on more leadership roles of CEOs, directors, heads of organizations, award winners etc… If you observe closely, it is already happening now. This year’s top PSLE (Primary School Leaving Exam) student is a China National. Most of the deans list students and first class honours students in the local universities are foreigners and more and more CEOs, even that of government link corporations are expats. The top players in our National teams are expats.

As a Singaporean, I am not complaining. I think that in a meritocratic society like Singapore, it is only fair that the very best get rewarded, no matter their race, religion or nationality. Like Lee Kwan Yew said, I rather these talented and driven people be on our team contributing to our nation than against us from their home country. The question I have been asking is, ‘why are the expats beating the crap out of Singaporeans?’ What I noticed is that these expats have a very important quality that many Singaporeans (especially the new Y generation lack). It is a quality that our grandfathers and great-grandfathers (who came from distant lands) had that turned Singapore from a fishing village to the third richest country in the world (according to GDP per capita). Unfortunately, I fear this quality is soon disappearing from the new generation of Singaporeans. This quality is the HUNGER FOR SUCCESS and the FIGHTING SPIRIT!!!

Expats who come here today have the same tremendous HUNGER for success that our grandfathers had. They are willing to sacrifice, work hard and pay the price to succeed. They also believe that no one owes them a living and they have to work hard for themselves. They also bring with them the humility and willingness to learn. Take the case of Qui Biqing, the girl from Qifa Primary school who topped the whole of Singapore in last year’s PSLE with a score of 290. When she came to Singapore 3 years ago from China, she could hardly speak a word of English and didn’t even understand what a thermometer was. Although she was 10 years old, MOE recommended she start at Primary 2 because of her lack of English proficiency. After appealing, she managed to start in Primary 3. While most Singaporeans have a head start of learning English at pre-school at the age of 3-4 years old, she only started at age 10. Despite this handicapped, she had the drive to read continuously and practice her speaking and writing skills, eventually scoring an A-star in English!

This hunger and drive can also be seen in the workforce. I hate to say this but in a way, I sometimes think expats create more value than locals. Expats are willing to work long hours, go the extra mile, are fiercely loyal to you and don’t complain so much. They also come alot more qualified and do not ask the moon for the remuneration. Recently, I placed an ad for a marketing executive. Out of 100+ resumes, more than 60% came from expats. While locals fresh grads are asking for $2,500+ per month, I have expats with masters degrees from good universities willing to get less than $2,000! They know that if they can come in and learn and work hard, they will eventually climb up and earn alot more. They are willing to invest in themselves, pay the price for future rewards. Sometimes I wonder how some of the locals are going to compete with this. Of course, this is just a generalization. There ARE definitely some Singaporeans who create lots of value and show fighting spirit.

Unfortunately, I have found that more and more young Singaporeans lack this hunger for success. Instead, they like to complain, blame circumstances and wait for others to push them. Some hold on to the attitude that the world owes them a living. I shake my head when I see local kids nowadays complain that they don’t have the latest handphones, branded clothes and games. While I acknowledge that the kids of today are much smarter and well informed than I was at their age (my 4 year old daughter can use my Macbook computer and my iphone), I find that they lack the resilience and tenacity they need to survive in the new economy. Some kids nowadays tend to give up easily once they find that things get tough and demand instant gratification. When they have to work first to get rewards later, many tend to lack the patience to follow through.

So, how did this happen? Why is our nation of hardworking, hungry fighters slowly becoming a nation of complaining softies? I think the problem is that life in Singapore has been too good and comfortable. Kids today have never seen hunger, poverty, war and disasters. What makes it worse is that parents nowadays give kids everything they want and over protect them from hardship and failure. Parents often ask me why their kids lack the motivation to study and excel. My answer to them is because they already have everything! Giving someone everything they want is the best way to kill their motivation. What reason is there for them to fight to become the best when they are already given the best from their parents without having to earn it? It reminds me of the cartoon movie MADAGASCAR where Alex the Lion and his animal friends were born and raised in the Central Park Zoo. They were well taken care of and provided with processed food and an artificial jungle. When they escaped to Africa, they found that they could barely survive in the wild with the other animals because they had lots their instincts to fight and hunt for food. They could only dance and sing.

I see the same thing in the hundreds of seminars and training programmes I conduct. I see increasing more and more expats attending my Wealth Academy and Patterns of Excellence programme in Singapore. Not surprisingly, they are always the first to grab the microphone to answer and ask questions. While many of the locals come in late and sit at the back. The expats (especially those from India and China) always sit at the front, take notes ferociously and stay back way after the programme is over to ask questions. I feel ashamed sometimes when I ask for volunteers to ask questions, and the Singaporeans keep quiet, while the foreigners fight for the opportunity. For my “I Am Gifted!’ programme for students, I have the privileged to travel and conduct it in seven countries (Singapore, Indonesia, Hong Kong, China, Malaysia etc…) and see all students from all over. Is there a big difference in their attitude and behaviour? You bet!

Again, I feel really sad that in Singapore, most students who come are usually forced by their parents to come and improve themselves, Some parents even bribe them with computer games and new handphones to attend. During the course, some adopt the ‘I know everything’ attitude and lack the interest to succeed until I kick their butts. It is so different when I go to Malaysia, Indonesia and once in India. The kids there ask their parents to send them to my programme. They clap and cheer enthusiastically when the teachers enter the room and participate so willingly when lessons are on. I still scratch my head and wonder what happened to my fellow Singaporeans to this day.

So mark my words, unless the new generation of Singaporeans wake up and get out of their happy over protected bubble and start fighting for their future, the expats (like our great grandfathers) will soon be the rulers of the country. At the rate at which talented and hungry expats are climbing up , our future prime minister may be an Indian or China PR or may even an Ang Moh!

Dear Friends,

Finally…my latest book ‘Secrets of Successful Teens’ is out at all major bookstores in Singapore. Plans are underway to get the book translated and available in Indonesia, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Malaysia and online at Amazon.com soon.

Empowering teens with the mindset and tools to achieve success in school and in life is one topic I am extremely passionate about. As a previous underachieving teen and student myself, I understand how tough it is to grow up nowadays. Teens face peer pressure, nagging parents, unreasonable teachers, stress, demands to perform well, make friends etc…

I have specially created this book to help teens to achieve success and happiness in all the areas of their life: their studies, their social lives, relationship with parents and personal peak performance.

Here are some of the highlights:

- Discovering the Power to Take Charge of Your Life
- How to Handle and Overcome Tough Challenges
- How to Get Along With Parents & Win them Over
- How to Make Friends and Be Popular
- Dealing with Peer Pressure & Nasty Friends
- The Ways to Overcome Laziness & Motivate Yourself
- Loving Yourself and Boosting Your Self-Confidence
- The Secret of Acing Your Exams with Minimal Effort

Look out for it in all major bookstores or visit Secrets Of Successful Teens for more details.

I just finished up a new report called The Secret To Personal Power and it’s about how the power of your BELIEFS hold the key to your happiness and success in life.

Now what you want in your life will determine your strategies, your actions, and your beliefs will also determine what you will do when you fail. Do you trigger it as feedback or do you give up? You see, your beliefs are like the operating system of your brain. They determine how we perceive the world and how we respond to what happens. They determine what we will or will not do or what we will or will not try.

So if you have disempowering beliefs about yourself, your business, or your relationships for example, then the actions you take will be negative and unuseful. Which then causes your business or relationship to FAIL. Which then solidifies your original disempowering belief! And the cycle goes on…

On the flip side, the same is true for empowering beliefs! If you have positive beliefs about yourself, your business, and your relationships, you will take useful and positive action to grow your business or to treat your partner with more love. Which will most likely cause your business to succeed even further and your relationship to blossom some more. Which then solidifies your originals EMPOWERING belief! And the cycle goes on…

Are you starting to see how POWERFUL your beliefs are?

They hold the KEY to your success and happiness. The question is now:

1. How do you break out of negative beliefs and thought patterns?
2. And then how do you create empowering beliefs that will help you achieve your goals?

Download this FREE 20-page report now to find out!
Right-Click And Save As Here To Download

Most of us eat to feed our stomachs at least 2-3 times day. It has become a habit and something we do to satisfy our body’s hunger.

However, have you considered how often you feed your mind and your soul? If you want to grow in terms of your emotional strength and mental strength and abilities, then you have to constantly feed your mind and soul as often as you feed your body. If not, the only growth you will achieve is in growing fat.

Feeding Your Mind
One of the things that has really helped me to become successful is that since I was aged 13, I got into the habit of constantly feeding my mind everyday. I would constantly read books on success, money, sales, marketing, leadership, NLP etc.. I would also read lots of biographies. My favourite ones are on Lee Kwan Yew, Richard Branson, Steve Jobs and Donald Trump. I always felt that by reading Lee Kwan Yew’s biography (from third world to first: the Singapore Story), it was like I downloaded 80 years of his knowledge, experience, wisdom and past decisions to my brain

So, although I am only 35 years old now, I am able to make great decisions because I feel like I have got a few hundred years of experience in my brain (Lee Kwan Yew 80 years + Steve Jobs 50 years + Donald Trump 40 years + etc…). How did I find the time to read so much? My habit has always been to carry a book in my bag at all times. So, every time I am waiting for someone, taking the bus (when I was a student), in the toilet etc… I would grab the book and start reading. Doing this, I would be able to finish at least 1-2 books a week. Today, I read alot when I am on the plane, waiting at the airport and when I am driving (I listen to audio books).

Be careful also about what you feed into your mind. When you keep eating junk food, it will spoil your health and making you slow and lethargic. At the same time, you have to ask yourself what you are feeding your mind everyday. What magazines do you read? Which websites do you visit? What shows do you watch? What are the last 5 books you have read.

When people tell me that they want to become rich, I am shocked to learn that they never read information that will feed their mind in the right way. They don’t read magazines like Forbes, The Edge, The Economist. They don’t watch programmes like CNBC, CNN Money. They don’t got to websites like cnbc.com, moneycentral.com or cnn.com/money. They don’t read books on investing, financial planning, property etc… They don’t read the money pages on the newspapers. Instead they feed their minds with FHM, Sports Pages, Lifestyle etc… Nothing wrong with all theses things, It’s just that it will not feed your mind to become rich, just entertained.

Feed Your Soul
In order to constantly feel inspired, re-charged, fulfilled and motivated, we also have to constantly feed and nourish our soul. Different people feed their souls in different ways. Some people pray, others meditate, others write journals and some go on nature walks. I read inspirational books, play with my children and spend time with my wife and family.

If you constantly feel stressed, drained or unfulfilled, you probably have not allocated the time to nourish your soul and spirit daily. So, feed your mind and soul today to create the mental and emotional strength you need.

“YOU ARE JUST LUCKY!”

This is a comment that some people always seem to make whenever they read about my success story. Some people will always go on to say… I can ever be as successful as you because I am not as lucky. I am not so lucky to have your talent for speaking and writing. I am not so lucky to have such great partners like you do to help you build your business. I am not so lucky to have gone for NLP courses when I was young etc…

After listening to these comments again and again, I decided to really ponder and reflect if it is really because I was just LUCKY. Is what they say true? Did luck have a big part to play in my achievements? Hmmm…

After thinking about it for a while, I realized that there are two kinds of luck that have played a part in my life. #1 The Luck of where and when we are born and #2 the luck we experience after birth, during our life’s journey.

#1 The Lucky Birth

I must admit that I was born pretty lucky. I was born in a country where there are equal opportunities regardless of race/religion. I was born with a healthy body with 5 fingers and 5 toes. I was born with two parents who had the means to send me to school, give me 3 meals a day and provide shelter for me.

I figured that no matter where you are in life, there are always going to be people luckier than you are and people less lucky. I can always bitch and complain that I was not born with the looks and talent of Robbie Williams & Brad Pitt (or in a girl’s case, Britney Spears) or the money and political connections like the son of a tycoon or politician. If only I could be the son of Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, Lee Kwan Yew, Ong Beng Seng, Khoo, Ng Teng Fong or KHOO Teck Puat (unfortunately, not related to me).

At the same time, no matter how unlucky you think you are, there are millions more who are less lucky. There are people born in third world, impoverished countries with no food or water. With no money to buy clothes, let alone go to school. There are millions more with illnesses and disabilities. There are so many born with no parents, abused and neglected.

So, I learnt to really be grateful with wherever I am right now.

#2 Luck That Comes Along in Life

Then of course we have the luck that comes to us in our journey of life. Indeed, I was very lucky that at age 13, I picked up the book ‘Unlimited Power’ written by Anthony Robbins that introduced me to the world of success psychology and NLP (Neuro-Lingusitic Programming). It was that book that made me want to attend motivational courses and NLP courses when I was a teen.

Without that knowledge, I would not have been able to totally transform myself from a lazy person and lousy student to a super confident and top student. I would just be another ordinary person today. So I was LUCKY that that event happened in my life.

But then again, I know many other people who attend the same motivational courses and read inspiring self-development books but they never used it to change their life and become successful. So, in other words, an event can only be lucky for you IF YOU TAKE ACTION on it.

I came up with this formula:

LUCK = OPPORTUNITY + PREPARATION + ACTION

Yes, reading the books and attending the courses was the OPPORTUNITY. But, without me taking action and applying it (which many others did not), the luck would not have happened.

Creating Opportunity

Some people may say that life never gives them any opportunity at all, so they can never be lucky.

I believe opportunities are out there every single day. They come and go very quickly. The trouble is that many people NEVER SEE those opportunities. The reason is because opportunities never look like opportunities. Opportunities always come DISGUISED as PROBLEMS.

For example, the opportunity came for me to learn NLP as a teen because I was a lazy, unmotivated slow learner who got kicked out of school in Primary 3 and was rejected by 6 secondary schools. It was because I was such a lousy student that made me want to change my life and learn the strategies for success.

The opportunity came because of a problem. It was this same problem of being a lousy student before that gave me the opportunity to write my best-selling book ‘I Am Gifted, So Are You!’ to inspire ordinary students to become top achievers. If not for my problem, I could not have the opportunity to write such an inspiring book and create my famous ‘I Am Gifted’ program for students.

Nick Vujicic (who I talked about in my earlier post) had the opportunity to speak to and inspire millions of people BECAUSE he had a huge ‘problem’. He was born with no arms and no legs. He turned his ‘problem’ into an ‘opportunity’. Steve Jobs (CEO of Apple Computers) had the great opportunity to start Pixar Animation studios and create the revolutionary iPod, iMacs and iPhones because he was earlier fired from Apple. The problem of being fired gave Steve the opportunity to start a new company (Pixar and NeXT) and innovate these groundbreaking new products!

So, do not fear problems. Problems are nothing but opportunities in disguise. Recognize them and turn them into luck.

No Opportunities? Create Them!

Even if there are really no opportunities given to you, then create your OWN opportunities. If your boss does not offer you a promotion, ask for one! If you don’t get it even if you deserve it, start your own business or work for a better company. If the woman/man of your dreams does not approach you, go out there and meet people!

People have asked me where I first got the opportunity to start speaking and training, thereby building these skills over the years. The truth is NO ONE gave me the opportunity when I was 21 (when I first started). No body wanted to hear me talk. I had no experience, no degree and no credibility. So I created my own opportunity by writing books to build my name and gave free talks to community centres, schools and churches until I became a speaker.

You Need to Prepare to Be Lucky

“The harder you work, the luckier you get.” Gary Player, Former Top Ranked Golfer.

Some people say that President Obama was lucky to be at the right place at the right time. Because former President George Bush screwed up so badly, Americans wanted total change and were willing to vote for him (a young, African American President instead of an experienced white one).

However for Obama to have taken advantage of the OPPORTUNITY and TAKE ACTION, he had to be PREPARED. He had to have all the knowledge and skills to do the job. It took him 40+ years to prepare himself to be lucky. If you know his life story, he set the goal of become the US President at the age of 5, when he was studying in Jakarta. Since then he studied very hard, took on leadership roles, volunteered for community service, went to Columbia University and Harvard University where he studied Politics, International Relations and Law.

This is why …
LUCK = OPPORTUNITY + PREPARATION + ACTION

If you do not constantly prepare yourself by building your knowledge and skills through reading and attending regular courses, you can NEVER be lucky. People say I was very lucky to have bought stocks during the financial crisis that allowed me to make lots of money when the stock market recovered.

Again, to many people, the financial crisis seemed to be a PROBLEM. I saw it as the greatest investment OPPORTUNITY and took ACTION by investing and writing the best selling book ‘Profit from the Panic’. Again, I was lucky because I was PREPARED to invest. It took me many many years to learn the strategies of finance and investing to create my luck

So, start making your own LUCK today by looking out from problems and see them as opportunities. Keep building your knowledge and skills by taking courses of leadership, wealth creation, public speaking, sales etc.. Finally, take action!

P.S. I conduct the PATTERNS OF EXCELLENCE program in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia where I personally coach people in using NLP to transform their lives and create extraordinary success.

It has been an awesome last 7+ years for Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group. Starting in 2002 with less than $8,000 in capital, my team (led by group CEO, Patrick Cheo) has established the company to become one of the leading professional and personal development training providers in Asia with a sales turnover of over S$20 million.

Over the last few years, we have also established a leading presence in Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangkok and Hong Kong. If there has been a key success factor to our overseas expansion, it has been that we have had GREAT PARTNERS! Without their amazing passion, commitment and love that have put into the business, we would not have been able to achieve all this.

Now, I am very happy to announce that our latest new market is Vietnam. I believe that the education and business market for Vietnam has got tremendous potential and I am very excited with the positive impact we can make to the lives of the Vietnamese people. It is a country I have tremendous respect for. Vietnam is made up of many young people who are eager to learn, hardworking and hungry for success. By sharing with them the cutting edge strategies in learning technologies, investing and the psychology of success, I believe that we can help many Vietnamese become top students, future leaders and multi-millionaires.

I have been given this great opportunity to expand into Vietnam because of my very dynamic, driven and charismatic partner, Kenny Tran.

Kenny is a Vietnamese who has been working in Singapore for a few years. After attending my Patterns of Excellence and Wealth Academy program, Kenny got inspired bring back and share our powerful teachings to his home country.

About two years ago, Kenny translated my books, ‘I Am Gifted, So Are You!’, ‘Master Your Mind, Design Your Destiny’ and ‘Nurturing the Winner & Genius in Your Child’ into Vietnamese.

Since then, it has become a National Best-Seller, over 100,000 copies have been distributed! Kenny then translated and customized my ‘I Am Gifted Program’ to Vietnamese and has successfully trained over 600 students in the last 3 months.

Kenny success has been featured on the newspapers and even on national TV. Through the books and programme, Kenny and his team have truly inspired so many students. You can read their testimonials here.

Adam Khoo Learning Technologies Group is very proud to have gone into a partnership with Kenny’s company TGM Corporation to promote our educational books and programmes in Vietnam. I am very excited to announce that I will be visiting Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam this weekend 20-22 September and look forward to meeting all the wonderful people there!