Choices We Have To Make

We are faced with choices every single moment of our lives. We can't avoid making choices. Even when we choose not to choose, we've already chosen. Letting other people to choose for us is also a choice. Can you ever think of a moment in life where we do not make any choice?

There are so many different choices, hard ones, important ones, life-changing ones, trivial ones, minor ones, etc. I'd like to show you one example of a trivial choice yet needed to be made. A few days ago, I went to a restroom in a restaurant. I was surprised to see two toilet bowls and a urinal in one room. I had three choices. I could choose either to sit, squat or stand (if I'm a guy). I chose the one most convenient to me :) Anyway, I had to make a choice, no matter how petty or unimportant it was.



Lessons:
1. Life is full of choices.
2. Faced with choices everytime, we need to learn to make the right choices in life.
3. Since we are the ones who make all the choices, we are responsible for our lives.
4. Even when we think that we have no choice in a given situation, we still have to choose how we respond to that situation.

Learn and Grow

Ouch! Wrong seat!

On Monday, I attended John C. Maxwell's seminar, Developing The Leader Within, in Jakarta, Indonesia. There were about 1000 people attended the seminar. The atmosphere was highly-charged and simply fantastic. Although I've read almost all of John C. Maxwell's books, I still found this seminar to be very inspiring. I learned a lot that day.

There was one classic and funny incident involving the guy who sat 2-seat next to me. After the morning break, I saw that guy was having an argument with a few people sitting 3 row behind me. I overheard he said that people shouldn't have moved to other seats during break. He said that he's sat on that seat the whole morning and told those people to move their seminar kits from his place. He also arrogantly sat on that chair, lifting his leg up. His gesture suggested 'this is my seat! Do not mess with me!' attitude. I didn't follow what happened next, but I was sure that he finally realised that he was one who got it wrong!!! OUCH! It was so embarrassing!

Have you ever had this kind of experience? I haven't and I don't want it happening to me. If it ever happens, at least I'll check first before arguing.

Lessons:
1. Remember where you sit if the seats are not numbered.
2. If you find someone sitting on your seat, remain calm and check whether it is really your seat. If you are sure, then ask that person politely.

Learn and Grow!

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Cover of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling

Yesterday I got my copy of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I've waited for this moment for two months since I pre-ordered it on 16 May 2005. I expected a queue picking up the book from TGA bookstore. I even prepared the correct change to speed up the process. Yet when I got there, there wasn't even a queue. HAHAHAHA. I suppose Harry Potter's fans in Indonesia want to wait for the translated version.

I started reading the book straight away and finished reading it this morning at about 6AM. It took me about 7 hours to read the whole 607 pages of it. I won't say anything about the content because I don't want to be a spoiler.

No lesson for today...Just read the book and enjoy the adventure!

Learn and Grow!

Keeping A Safe Distance On The Road

Yesterday on the way to work, my friend and I saw that the car in front of ours was carrying large wooden crates and one of the top panel was flapping. We were worried that it might came off and flew right into our car. We decided to keep a safe distance from that car. In less than 5 minutes, the cover did come off and flew to the right lane. We were so glad that we didn't tailgate or try to take over from the right, otherwise we could've had an accident.

I don't know whether that wooden panel would cause an accident afterwards. The risk was there because that wooden panel was full of long nails and cars travel above 80 km/h on that highway. I hope no one got hurt because of it.

Lessons:
1. Do not tailgate. Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in from of you
2. Be alert and anticipate different scenarios when you drive. Think "what ifs". What if that person suddenly crosses the road? What if that car brakes abruptly?
3. If you are carrying anything on an open trunk, please make sure that they are fastened properly.

Learn and Grow!

The Art of Delegation

Ziggy 9 July 2005

The original quote: "Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today!"

The original quote focuses on avoiding procrastination and doing what you can do now. Although this quote still focuses on avoiding procrastination, the difference is in getting someone else to do it for you. Is this an art of delegation?

In any organisation, managers or leaders often need to learn the art of delegation. Delegation does not mean that you dump all your work to your subordinates and you do nothing at all. Delegation means entrusting your subordinates to do some of your work so that you can do what you do best, thus achieving the organisation's goals and outcomes.

Some managers are often afraid to delegate their works because they feel insecure and they fear that their subordinates may be able to perform the task better than them. These insecure managers tend to insist to do everything themselves or just give menial tasks to their subordinates. At the end, the whole team suffers. Even worse, these insecure managers often complain that they are overwhelmed by their works, while the subordinates complain that they are not given a room to grow.

What would you do if you have an insecure manager in your organisation? I'd love to hear your comments on this one.

Learn and Grow!

Being Creative

I received this card from my friend today. I've never received a card with so many personal touch before. I think she is very creative in making this card. I am truly impressed by her attention to details. This card is really outstanding! (Dd, extraordinaire!)

Lesson:
1. Being creative makes a big difference
2. Attention to details leaves a great impression

Learn and Grow!

Doing Something or Nothing With Life

Garfield, July 7, 2005

Garfield, I'm worried about you
How long do you think you can go on doing nothing with your life?
He's just jealous that I have a life to do nothing with

When I saw the above cartoon this morning, I started to think about the meaning and purpose in life. There are those who strive to make a difference every single day of their lives, yet there are many who seem to do nothing with theirs. As for me, I yearn to make a difference and strive to do something meaningful in life. I would like to leave a legacy, something positive to be remembered. Life is short and I'll never know when it will end, so I'd better do something with it while I can.

Some questions to ponder:

• What about you? What kind of life you do want?
  
• Can we afford to be like Garfield, having a life to do nothing with ? Do we even want a life to do nothing with?

Learn and Grow!

Solo Palace, Central Java - Indonesia

Corridors of Solo Palace


Palace Tower - until recently, this is the tallest building in Solo. According to legend, it is where the King of Solo meets with the mystical Queen of the South Sea.

Royal Horse Carriage

Last week, I took my guests from overseas to visit the Solo Palace for the first time. The palace was quiet and peaceful because there weren't many tourists. I imagined the tour would be boring and dull, but it turned out to be very interesting. We really enjoyed our time there.

It was funny in a sense that I've travelled to so many countries, visited many foreign palaces from Forbidden City in Beijing, Potala Palace in Tibet to Versailles in France, yet this was the first time in my life to visit my hometown's palace. I've never taken the trip because I thought I could visit it at anytime. I suppose I've taken it for granted.

The most important thing that I learned from this trip is to remember not to take things for granted. I also learned that I do not have to go to far away and exotic places to seek beauty because it may be available next door.

Learn and Grow!

Changi Airport, Singapore

Do you know that you can make free calls from any public phones at Singapore Airport? You can call to any number in Singapore, even to mobile phones, for FREE.

This is one of the great things that Changi Airport offers to visitors from around the world. I always take full advantage of it, calling my friends and business partners to inform them that I am in Singapore.

Changi Airport also provides free internet access, duty free shopping for a great range of products, cafes, bookshops, darkened area for sleeping and resting. It offers not only a great service but a wonderful experience. It is also getting better everytime...absolutely fantastic!

Lessons:
Providing a great service and experience is very important for any organisations wanting to build customer loyalty.

Learn and Grow!

Charity

A few days ago, I saw some people were throwing things out of a car. I thought they were throwing rubbish but when I looked closely, they threw new kitchen napkin, a plastic bucket, clothings, etc. It was for CHARITY!

It was a good thing that people give out for charity, yet a friend commented that this kind of charity is ineffective because it was not properly directed to the people who really need it. What do you think?

I think it was a very interesting experience to observe. In my opinion, it would be better to donate through a proper charity channel rather than randomly tossing things out of a car. I saw a puzzled look on the face of who retrieved the stuff. It was a feeling of confusion instead of gratefulness. Some even eyed the package with suspicion.

Learn and Grow

Cheapest Fare, Longest Delay

Yesterday, my flight from Jogjakarta to Jakarta was delayed for more than 2.5 hours. It was the longest delay I've ever experienced in domestic flight. Was it a coincidence that this was also the cheapest fare I've paid for an airline ticket? The usual fare is about USD 40, but the price for this budget airline was only USD19.

I've tried many budget airlines, the better ones and the lesser ones. The biggest advantage is of course the cheap fare.
The drawbacks:

• problems with punctuality
• inflexibility in terms of changing flight (The total cost may be higher than buying a standard airline ticket)
  
• cramped seat and limited leg room (These depend on the type of aircraft)
• extremely cold air conditioning (I still wonder why...is it a perception in our country that cold means luxury?)
  

Lessons:
If you are travelling using budget airlines, please consider these few things:

1. The importance of punctuality in your trip. If you are on a business trip, you may consider taking other carrier
2. The flexibility of your schedule. If your schedule is not fixed, do not take a budget airline.
3. The length of your flight. If your flight is longer than 3 hours, do you mind discomfort and fatigued ?
4. Bring a jacket or sweater, a bottle of water and some food
   

Learn and Grow!

Books and Reading

I believe that having a reading habit is essential for your personal growth and development.

It is very important to choose what kind of books you read. Reading a lot of positive, inspirational books will get you motivated and inspired, while reading newspaper may get you paranoid and worried.

One of the major benefits of reading is learning from other people's experience. If they have made mistakes, you learn how to avoid making the same mistakes. If they share how they become successful, you can follow their success path.

If you are young and may not have a lot of experience under your belt, my advice is to learn as fast as you can, as much as you can from books. Use the knowledge you learn from books as a foundation, then build upon it through practical experiences.

I would like to share with you some of books that I've read in the last few months.

The book that I am reading now:

• Customer Centered Selling by Robert L. Jolles

The last five books that I read:

1. The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn
   
2. Carolyn 101 by Carolyn Kepcher, Stephen Fenichell
   
3. The One Thing You Need to Know by Marcus Buckingham
4. Difficult Conversation: How to Discuss What Matters Most by Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton, Sheila Heen
5. Deception Point by Dan Brown
   

Books that I have bought yet not read:

1. The 8th Habit by Stephen Covey
2. How to Build A Multi-Level Money Machine by Randy Gage

My favourite business book at the moment:

• Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't by Jim Collins

My favourite inspirational book at the moment:

• The Fred Factor by Mark Sanborn

My favourite marketing book at the moment:

• Kotler On Marketing by Philip Kotler

Lessons:
1. Have a good reading habit
2. Choose wisely the books you read

Learn and Grow!

Some of my collections