I’d like to share this email I received a few days ago from one of my I Am Gifted!™ students. He is only 17 and comes from a broken family. In the email he shares about how his life turned around after attending IAG. Guan Yan shares how he used to underachieve in school but he turned around and applied the 21 century skills he learnt to score well enough is his O levels to enter a JC.
Besides that, he also set a goal to be financially successful and he started to work part time while studying to save up enough money to start investing in the money markets. To date, he has accumulated $12,000 and has it invested in stocks. He’s also picked the habit of self-improvement by reading books and attending seminars.
I feel this young man has a lot going for him in spite of the obstacles he has. He still plows ahead and goes after his dreams. That’s why he could be the making of another Adam Khoo!
Here’s his email unedited:
Hi Adam,
I am Guan Yan, 17, attended your basic and advance IAG course in 2005.
Since this course, you had been my role model even till now.. Every year, i had a different goal and focus for my life. I aimed and strive to be like you, and my ultimate dream was to be a millionaire by 25, owning business of F&B, vet, and education line. With all the inspiring lessons from you, although i went to an average school with psle of 196, i was demoralised, but i topped in my school cohord in 2006, being the 1st is really an impossible mission in the past, but after applying your 21st century skills, i did it! After which, in 2007, i had a different focus for my life, and i want to see massive growth in my wealth. I started working part-time while studying too, and managed to earn a large sum of money. I had numerous working experiences compared to my peers, from waiters, cashier, admin assist, and even a tuition teacher although i am just 15 years old. In 2007, tuition teacher brought me the largest income of about 600plus from 5 students, aged sec 3 and below, teaching math. In 2008, i cut down my working load and switch my focus back to studies because of O’level, however, i still have an constant income of about 100plus. With these, when i realised i can get income independently, i stopped taking pocket money from my parents since end of sec2. My crucial year had come last year, however didnt really got a fantantic result because of BGR. I managed to control my own emotions and disciplines in time, and got 14 for L1R5, B3 at least for every subjects. Thus, i am in TPJC now.On the other hand, i am contented too because i value added my results a lot more from a PSLE of 196 when people are looking down on me. In addition, i am from a broken family, i stayed with my mother only ever since P5. My mother remarry when i was in sec2.
I attended a few seminars before and read a lot too… Seminars include you IAG course, Money & you, RYLA(Rotary leadership program youth award), POP(Potential of Psychology) later in this year. Books that i read, By you: Secrets of self-made millionaires; secrets of millionaires investors; master your mind, design your destiny; i am gifted so are you; secrets of internet millionaires; profit from the panic; Dale carnegie: the leader in you; Robert kiyosaki: rich dad poor dad; retire young, retire rich; 36 strategies of Chinese; Sun zi ping fa; Buffetology; the definitive book of body language; The secrets(DVD). I was really amazed looking at these books in my cupboard that i read before. Honestly, i would not be able to kick off this habit of reading without you.
Currently, I am still teaching math tuition of sec1 to 4. These had let me reap a monthly income of $443 which i am proud of myself as i can survive independently. During this bear period, i am investing in stocks too(using my dad’s account if you wonder), i am waiting for my capital to increase by ten folds if my judgement are right. Till now, i had accumulated my wealth of $12k with my own hard work and efforts.
A lot of parent’s friends and student’s parents had asked me why am i so mature, why am i so thoughtful, how did i do this and that which sounds so impossible to my peers..I just told them the course that had changed my life ‘i am gifted, so are you’, thus referring back more business for you hahas..I want to spread and encourage my peers even more, and while striving for a scholarship to go to Walton university for a business course, i want to do something impossible after my Alevel exams: write a book with you:) Perhaps naming this book, ‘How this 18 years old chap write this book?’ Of course u may think, well..you are not getting straight As for exams, however i believe, me as a ordinary people living in a broken family, will slowly improve and get my As eventually to achieve my target. Moreover, some parents are not convince with those graduated in your course got As straight after which, some believe we are ultimately human who improve gradually.
All in all, i really believe that i can write a book together with my role model one day..
With Beliefs & Thanks,
Lau Guan Yan
I am moved by this young man’s determination. You put many people to shame! Keep it up Guan Yan. With determination as strong as yours, there’s no way you can fail.
Gratz LGY! 🙂
You’re truly an inspiration for Singaporean teens…
That said, instances of teenagers having their own source(s) of income is very common in the West.
I know of a couple of people from the States who are 18-ish and already millionaires! One of them owns a freakin’ Amex Black Card!
I think the reason teens in the West are more successful in monetary and career sense than their Asian counterparts is because when they reach I think 17 or 18, it’s customary that they leave home to strike it out on their own. They can no longer be dependent on their parents.
This is very different as compared to Asian teens as in Asia, the longer one continues to live with his parents the more filial he is thought to be.
great young man.
Hi Adam,
I read your books and articles before and what you espoused is really true. I dont know if you are interested but I like to write a book for both kids and adult about how to cope with life in ever-changing Singapore. But I do not want to go through publisher again as what I encountered was the same as what you experienced when you first wrote your first book. I can see that you are publishing your books on your own under AKLT and really be in control of marketing etc. I have a friend who is a journalist and still working with SPH(he is a SPH scholar and went to US for his degree); he is quite shy but I can rope him in to help in writing and editing. And also to share his secrets about study – he was picked by MOE to attend the gifted program school (top 1% in national) in the 1980s after P3 special exam in mid-year and moved to Rosyth Pri in P4. He is also a straight A student all the while. Hope to hear from you soon.
It’s always good to get your first book/first few books published by a reputable publisher. Only when you have built a track record, understand the entire process and have enough capital, then you should look at self publishing
Hi Adam,
This is my background: I am currently pursuing a program in adult learning thereafter becoming an adult trainer/facilitator. I saw many real life cases where poeple becoming disillusinon about how to compete against foreign workers and talents but also saw some positive cases how people turn things around and secure a successful career and family life. Everything is in our minds truly. Thank you.
i just graduated from SMU and want to do well, will get a reputable publisher as you said.
Wow, this is truly an inspiration Adam! Like him, I also want to someday become a dollar millionaire like you. You also deserve to be a role model that at the age of 26, you already achieved a millionaire status in life.
Thanks to all! I just hope that my peers would be able to embrace their dreams too..
I share the almost the same sentiments as you, Guan Yan. An inspiring letter. Thank you so much, just from reading that letter of yours I have learnt a small portion of useful information.
First of all, I’m extremely glad to know that there are people who share the same thoughts as me. I simply love Adam Khoo (not that i am gay) and his IAG camp. It has turned my life around from an underachiever(I was last in my whole cohord for sec 2), to an extremely motivated person. Though the camp I went for was only 1 week ago, I’m confident I will continue to hold that inspiration and motivation throughout the rest of my life and achieve, like what you have done.
The idea of using my father’s account to invest in the stock market also struck me because of you. I had always been interested in trading, read up quite much on it but only to find in the end that I have to be 18 years and above to start an account. Thanks for this wonderful idea.
Whats more is that I have this extra goal to be able to write a book when I am one day successful in life, but what I did not think of is to write it with Adam Khoo himself! That indeed is another wonderful idea.
Simply from this short letter I have learnt so much, so I thank you, Guan Yan, on top of Adam Khoo, and you have become another of my role models, just like Adam Khoo becoming yours. 😀