Two things about this movie really impressed me:

The first is the storyline. Amazingly beautiful. If you haven’t watched it already, its about the struggles a  martial artist (Wing Chun) has to face to earn a living during harsh times. The setting is olden day Hong Kong which is under the colonization of the British empire.

Kung Fu schools were rampant but their activities were tightly controlled by a corrupt constable from the police force. Ip man must struggle with poverty and also resistance from competing Kung Fu schools. Will he have what it takes? Will he find a way to spread the art of Wing Chun peacefully and unite the Chinese community?

The second thing that really amazed me was the amount of work that has to be done to create this movie. Hundreds of crew members and actors worked hard day and night meticulously to make sure that ever scene is perfect. Director Wilson Yip would not settle for less. It’s his style. Together, they really created the whole feel of the storyline and it feels that you can relate to the main character’s plight.

Speaking of main character’s plight, I’m sure we all as human beings can relate to his struggles, one way or another. We all face hard times now, do we? A friend once told me, it’s how you see things that counts. Tony Robbins said the same thing: Nothing has any meaning except the meaning you give it. You might have had the worst day of your life, but if you choose to see things in a lighter view or positive manner, you can overcome anything! I always tell myself and others, tomorrow is a brand new day, fresh blood, fresh energy, fresh start.

I sincerely urge you guys to catch the movie if you haven’t already, and hope you can draw inspiration from this movie as much as I have.

I wish I had more time in a day!

That is probably one of the most common statements you hear in the office. But truth be told, we all have 24 hours in a day. It is how you use your time that is most important.

 The key to having “more time” is to maximizing your time on high value productive activities, and at the same time eliminating low value activities. -Brian Tracy

What this means is, make the hours you have count. Spending hours on MSN and Facebook will not bring you forward in life. When you look back at it, its more time wasted because it did not really serve you any true purpose. If you want to catchup with friends, it is way better to call them out for dinner or lunch, that way you can kill two birds with one stone, since we all have to eat everyday.

Another time saving method, especially for avid learners, is to invest in audio books. Statistics show that people spend 30% of their working lives commuting. So, might as well listen to some educational material rather than listening to radio stations that lower your IQ.

Multi-tasking is not always the best way to free time. If you really want to get things done fast, focus on having short bursts of productive effort to maximize output. Close MSN, Facebook, the door, switch off your handphone or just eliminate all forms of distractions to make the best out of your “productive time”.

One more thing… The amount of results you get does not depend on how much time you put in, but rather on the amount of time spend on high value activities.

Btw, another important skill in achieving more in a day is through leveraging. Like I said, we only have 24 hours in a day, but if we can hire people to do our tasks for us we can achieve much more in a shorter amount of time.

Gifts From EzineArticles

Mousepad From EzineArticles

Ezine Article Expert Author Recognition

Wow, it feels great to know that your work gets appreciated. For those who still are still blur, I have been writing and submitting articles to EzineArticles.com as an author on internet marketing trends.

You can check our my articles here <<<

Thank you EzineArticles!

Well, I might have been mistaken.

You see, I was listening to Adam Khoo’s Patterns of Excellence audio in my car and he explained that “Happiness” is not determined by outside factors (health, wealth, relationships), rather, it is a state of mind.

His NLP formula: Events + Response = Outcome.

We can’t control outside events such as the weather, change in government policies etc, but we can always choose how we respond to these events. That is why rape victims, millionaires who went bankrupt and disabled people, historically have shown to be able to overcome all hardships and succeed in life.

So this got me thinking, was my long term goal in life “happiness“? Or was it just to succeed in all places in all aspects in life?

If happiness is what I am truly looking for, I guess I have been wrong all the while. Happiness lies within, and right now, I can already say that I am truly happy for all that i’m blessed with.

But on the other hand, as much as happiness is a controlled state, it certainly wouldn’t hurt to raise my level of happiness much more by building my wealth, health, relationships and helping others do the same now, would it?

What do you think?

4. Realize that anything worth doing is worth doing badly.
Challenge and novelty are key elements of happiness. The brain is stimulated by surprise, and successfully dealing with an unexpected situation gives a powerful sense of satisfaction. People who do new things — learn a game, travel to unfamiliar places — are happier than people who stick to familiar activities that they already do well. I often remind myself to “Enjoy the fun of failure” and tackle some daunting goal.

I had a related experience today. It had been ages since I went to the Out Patient Pharmacy to dispense to patients. And although i wasn’t very confident at first and the tasks seemed daunting (i’m not used to the Putrajaya Hospital computerised dispensing system), I managed to spot a serious medication error (a drug wrongly prescribed to a patient). Furthermore, the patient has been on the wrong meds for 2 months! Lucky the wrong drug wasn’t anything lethal. Anyway, mistake corrected and patient is on the right drugs now.

For the rest of the tips, check it out here! <<<

Being productive isn’t a habit… Its a choice.

You see, recently i’ve been re-reading the Four Hour Work Week by Tim Ferris (The book that initially got me started on my journey) and let me tell you…been great re-living the 4HWW principles. You see Tim Ferris is all about doing less, as in less of the useless stuff and more of the important stuff (based on Pareto’s Principle). And what do you do once you have time and money freedom?

You get to live your desired lifestyle, of course! Whether you want to chill on the beaches of Panama or spend time catching earthworms, you can have it all. So i was just casually asking what’s my brother’s every day like, and he described one exciting moment after another. He co-owns a fast paced, youth engagement company and from our conversation, he’s been effectively removing all the clutter and focusing on the important stuff that really moves his company forward. The funny thing is, he works non-stop from day till night.

After dwelling deeper into his life, I realized that he loves what he does. His work is based on his passion, and with the free time he created with the 4HWW principles, he uses it to do more work. So in the end of the day, he chooses to be productive the whole day. Productivity is a choice. It’s more than just ‘being’ productive, its about choosing to be productive. In my opinion, he’s spot on with the 4HWW, because he uses this time freedom to do what he loves, which is ‘work’.

So, in a nutshell, we really ought to know what want to do with our lives. Having financial freedom (and time) is one thing, but what are you going to do with it?

Subconsciously, I realized that i’ve started taking positive steps for a better life. For example, I’m determined to step out from my “Analytical” mindset to become an action taker. Over analyzing has always been one of my biggest weakness. That’s why nowadays I always tell myself to take action and just do it.

Another big change occurring in me is that I now enjoy doing things I love the most, not just for the sake of achieving financial freedom or having a nice body. Life is about the journey, not the destination. So now i’m determined to enjoy life to the fullest and live my passions. Also, i’m going to stop focusing on the results, but rather on the work that has to be done.

We have a long journey ahead of us, and my hope is to those that feel lost, find your true passion and calling and live it! Don’t let anything stop you from living life to the full and giving your fullest gifts to the world. Lack of time and money is NEVER and excuse. We can always create time and money if we want to.

I’d like to end this blog post by quoting a piece by an old classmate of mine, Phaik Leng. This is the 2nd time I’m quoting her on my blog. Her blog posts are just so spiritual and profound and I do feel inspired after reading them.

I decided to leave work at 5 sharp the other day, put on my trainers and went for a jog. After running a couple of rounds, i explored this little quaint town a bit with my camera and car, and I saw this little lake just off the main road. As I pulled up by the sandy bay, I saw an old couple fishing at the lake, with birds flying above them, and a soft breeze blowing against them – they were both wearing a peaceful look on their faces – such a tranquil moment for them, I thought.

And today is exactly one solid month since i left home to this new place. Senior staffs have been very warm and nice, and I noticed that the people here are generally cordial. The best thing is that, patients here seem to be friendlier and happier-looking too, and this gives a sense of satisfaction at the end of any tiring day.

Indeed, to adjust to a new place quickly, I realise that it’s so much easier if we look at the positive side of things. For a big hospital in a relatively small town like this, I’m sure I’m here for a reason. And i’m starting to see the rationale of it.

I’ll go back to that lake one day again. Just to chill and to watch the sunset, maybe.

To my dear friends who feel lost at times, I hope you’re inspired by Phaik Leng’s words. I’m sure there’s a reason why everyone of us are on this earth, and its up to us to find out our true purpose and live it to the full.

Ok so here’s what i’ve been up to.

Loading up on good books/e-books to read. I’ve got like 5 books that I haven’t read finish (all related to wealth, career and personal development) and also i’m following the Philosopher’s notes.

Meeting up with old, old friends. Realized that i’ve been neglecting all my old friends from college time to university life. I make it a point to catch up with some of them now and then. Helps me reflect on life and put things in perspective.

Workouts! Explosive, circuit training to be exact. Maximum results (in this case, fat burning) in shortest amount of time. Occasionally basketball and badminton. Please call me for badminton!!

Relationships… well let’s just say that maybe we weren’t compatible for each other in the end. Maybe its for the better. Right now, I want to focus on my career.

Also, i noticed alot of my friends going into businesses. Whether its MLM, Forex, Insurance, Unit trusts… All are good in my opinion. The best business one can do is the one which he can perform most consistently in and is most passionate about. For example, someone might be good at forex but might not be the insurance type. So just play your strengths and you will succeed anyhow.

Ok. So that was my quick update. Back to work =)

3 months – RM 5,000 (active + passive)

6 months – RM 8,000 (active + passive)

12 months – RM 10,000 (passive income)

2 years – RM 50,000 (passive income)

5 years – RM 100,000 (passive income)

Health goals for 2010

Less fried stuff

More fruits and vegetables

8 pack abs

Engage in regular excersie – Jog once a week, workout twice a week, basketball once a week, badminton once a week. (total = 5 times a week)

Relationships

Spend more time with family – Especially on weekends

Make GF HF all the time

Catchup with old friends – Yumcha/foos/phone call catchups

Exercise, Yumcha and Hangout with Bros