Is there a formula to becoming successful? What characteristics must a person possess to ensure that he will be financially prosperous and successful in all areas of life? Although there is no standard formula for success and attaining great wealth, there are indeed some fundamental attributes that will make a person having higher chances of attaining financial and personal success. I have listed 12 of them.
1. Desire with Passion
2. Faith and Prayer
3. Specialized knowledge and competence
4. Creative Imagination
5. Organized planning with strategy
6. Decisive and taking action
7. Discipline, Hard Work and Deternination
8. Positive thinking and enthusiasm
9. Security and Confidence
10. Social Skills
11. Integrity and Trustworthiness
12. Take responsibility and learn from mistakes
Desire with Passion
“Be careful what you really want, because you shall surely get it.” This was said by one successful man I have met. Success is rarely by randomness, but success come to those who desire it and take practical steps to achieve it. Desire will produce passion, the fuel that drives us to be excellent in our endeavors. Without passion, the work that we do will become mundane and lifeless. Desire produces vision, a preferable future that we want for ourselves. And the clearer our vision is, the stronger our desire will be. A clear vision has a magnetic pull in us, creating excitement and passion to begin the journey towards success.
Faith and Prayer
Another word for faith is belief. Believing in ourselves is paramount in achieving success. If we do not believe in ourselves, who will? And if we do not believe that we can achieve success, why should we even start on the journey? Our actions reflect what we believe about ourselves. Faith is being certain of things we do not see yet in the future, which is our vision for success. Prayer is an expression of a belief in a higher Supreme Being, who will help us achieve the vision we have set for ourselves, giving us added strength and grace to accomplish the task.
Specialized Knowledge and Competence
To be successful, we need to know what are our strengths and weaknesses, and then play on our strengths. We will then have focus and build on our gifts and talents, and develop them into skills. A skill is specialized knowledge of a particular field of work that will bring value and serve others’ needs. It is also not enough just to have a skill; we also need to be very good at it, which is competence. People usually pay for a needed skill and will even pay a premium for a person who is competent in performing that skill.
Creative Imagination
What differentiates you from another person with a similar skill, or even competence which is on par with you? We need to develop our own uniqueness. Why should someone do business with you or hire you? We will need to do things differently if we want to stand out from the mediocre crowd. This requires creativity and imagination. Learn to be creative and imagine! Sometimes the greatest ideas come to people who imagine and dare to dream of the impossibilities.
Organized planning with strategy
With the greatest idea and vision, it will still not become a reality without proper planning and having a strategy. To reach a particular destination, there are many routes which we can take, but which one is the most effective and efficient? This requires us to think and plan our route to achieve our vision, without wasting time and resources, and reaching our goal in the most effective manner.
Decisive and taking action
Now with an idea and vision in our minds with a well thought out strategy, we need to be decisive and take action! Without action is like turning on the engine of a Ferrari car, but never stepping on the accelerator to exhibit its full potential. Many people are guilty of procrastination, thinking that there is always tomorrow to do the things they need to do. Procrastination is the greatest killer of our potential. Kill procrastination, before it kills our vision.
Discipline, Hard Work and Determination
To kill procrastination, we need discipline. Success is never by chance, success is by choice. And choices are what we make everyday. Be disciplined to make the right choices everyday, and we will be nearer to success everyday. Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration. To achieve success in our vision, we need to ‘get our hands dirty’, that is to put in the hard work. The journey to success is also never a bed of roses. There are bound to be obstacles. This is when we need to have the tenacity and determination to overcome challenges. Remember that we become stronger every time we overcome adversity.
Positive thinking and enthusiasm
It is because the road to success is never easy that we need to have a positive attitude and even a good sense of humor to help us stay on the course. Being positive does not mean we become unrealistic about the practical challenges we may be facing. It is accurately assessing our situation, but believing that we are able to overcome the challenges and move on to the next level. Thinking positively will create positive energy, which is also known as enthusiasm. If you are leading a team to accomplish the vision, having enthusiasm will also have a positive influence on your team members, creating the positive energy which is very important for achieving our goals.
Security and Confidence
The next 4 attributes involves how we relate to others whom we will need if we want to accomplish our vision. No man is an island and the bigger our vision is, the more we need people to help us achieve the vision. Successful people are usually leaders, who are secure in themselves, and having a healthy self esteem. They also exude confidence in their abilities. Leaders do not need to know how to do everything; rather they focus on what they do best and team up with people who are experts in other areas. Thus, leading and managing a team are essential skills in working with people to accomplish the vision.
Social Skills
Since working with people is essential in accomplishing the vision, having good social skills is therefore imperial. Being able to communicate well, understanding body language, having a sense of empathy, listening skills, these are all needed ingredients to relate with others well. The best thing is all these skills are life skills; they not only help us in our work, but also in our family relationships and all other areas of our lives!
Integrity and Trustworthiness
Integrity comes from the root word ‘integral’, meaning ‘completeness’. Having integrity is having our actions corresponding with our beliefs. To instill trust in others, we need to do what we say we will do. Integrity is the mark of a leader and all truly successful people. Trustworthiness is the basic component on all relationships. If I do not trust you in the first place, why should I even bother building a relationship with you? Today, we see many ‘successful’ people breaking trust with people and getting caught in scams and commercial frauds. Successful people with integrity are much needed in the world today.
Take responsibility and learn from mistakes
When we meet with failures on our road to success, remember never to blame others. Unsuccessful people have a common trait; they blame everything and everyone else for their failures but never themselves. Successful people take responsibility for their actions and their failures, but never dwell or become paralyzed by them. Instead, they reflect and learn from their mistakes, move on and achieve greater heights!
My opinion is that when we know, understand and practice faithfully these principles of success, we have already positioned ourselves to receive the success that is meant for every one of us, be it financially or in any personal endeavors. It is my heart’s desire to see every individual find out our purpose in life, and fulfill it powerfully. I have found mine and am taking steps to achieve my vision for my life. I encourage you to discover your purpose too, as only fulfilling our purpose can truly bring us joy and satisfaction that even money cannot buy.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Wealth with a Purpose
Every one of us is born with a desire to be great. No one will wake up in the morning and say to himself, “Let me see how I can make a mess out of my life today.” Greatness may mean different things to different people. For some, greatness will mean being like Mother Teresa, abandoning the comforts in life and going to the slums and help sick people. For some, Warren Buffet is considered great, being the richest man on earth and donating billions to charity. In my opinion, many people ascribe greatness to financial prosperity. Likewise, I subscribe to the same view, but I believe in having wealth for a purpose. And it is fulfilling our life purpose that makes people great. And all of us can be great, because all of us have a purpose to fulfill in life.
My journey with wealth and discovering my purpose is as such. I was born into a middle income family, living in a comfortable apartment and with both my parents having secure jobs. I would say I am fortunate, never having to worry about the lack of money. However, when I was at 8 years old, I had kidney problems and have to go for regular checkups and take medications. Even though the government subsidized for my treatments to a large extent till I am 21 years old, at the back of my mind was always this worry, “Will I earn enough money to support myself and my medical expenses when I am independent from my parents?” My ambition was to be a doctor, due to my experience with illnesses, because I wanted to heal people like myself and at the same time, earn a good income to support myself, my family, and the medical expenses. However, my grades did not qualify me to study Medicine in Singapore. In the end, I pursued an education in Business and Finance, a choice which I never regretted till this day.
Pursuing a career path in business was not a random decision. It was the year 2001, that my health condition took a drastic decline and had to be hospitalized for one month, the longest stay I had in hospital. I was also contemplating about the future path I was meant to undertake after my unsuccessful application to become a medical doctor. During the one month stay, I witnessed the plight of kidney patients, having to do through painful dialysis and many other surgical procedures. Some of them became blind, and some had their legs amputated, as a result of uncontrolled diabetes. Besides suffering physically, many suffered emotionally also, being in constant depression and worrying about their future or being a burden to their family. On top of all these sufferings, they also had to concern themselves with the heavy medical bills for their treatments. Many of the patients come from low income families and had absolutely no means to pay for the expensive dialysis fees of $2000 a month. They barely make a thousand dollars a month! The purpose for my life then dawned unto me, “I had always wanted to heal the sick, and since I cannot be a medical doctor myself, I can help relieve these patients’ financial burdens and provide quality treatments for them.” So I had a dream of building a medical foundation, providing affordable and quality medical treatments to patients. This way, I can fulfill my dream of being a doctor and help many patients relieve their financial worries. With that dream in mind, I started my training in Business and Finance and pursued relentlessly for the knowledge of acquiring wealth in the marketplace, as the wealth will be the means to an end, which is to help the sick patients afford quality medical treatments and overcome their illnesses.
In 2005, my kidneys failed completely and I had to start dialysis. It was a firsthand experience with the painful treatment 3 times a week and for 4 hours each session. Sometimes after the dialysis, my body will feel drained and I just needed to rest. It was also the year which I had to sit for my final examinations in university. Thankfully, I managed to pass all my exams and even got an Honours degree. However, after 4 years of dialysis, my heart was getting weaker. Other problems started to crop up, such as biochemistry imbalance in my blood. I had infections. I was suffering and had to go into hospital quite frequently. My doctor recommended a kidney transplant urgently, because if my heart gets weaker and weaker, even a transplant will not be an option for me. My younger brother, Caleb, agreed to donate his kidney to me! I was overjoyed and touched by his act of kindness and love. I knew of other patients whose family members were not willing to donate their kidneys to them. Caleb shared that he could not imagine himself go through what I had suffered these 20 years, and he always wanted to help me, but did not know how to. Now that there is this opportunity to do something for me, he knew it was the right thing to do and thus he decided to go through the operation to give me one of his kidneys. When I heard his sharing, I was deeply touched and I felt his unconditional love for me as a brother. Our family and friends also was inspired by Caleb’s act of love.
Today, I am a strong young man, full of zest in life once again. Having been through the ordeals, I am even more convicted and passionate about my calling, to create wealth and bless the poor and needy people.
That to me is the real meaning of wealth.
My journey with wealth and discovering my purpose is as such. I was born into a middle income family, living in a comfortable apartment and with both my parents having secure jobs. I would say I am fortunate, never having to worry about the lack of money. However, when I was at 8 years old, I had kidney problems and have to go for regular checkups and take medications. Even though the government subsidized for my treatments to a large extent till I am 21 years old, at the back of my mind was always this worry, “Will I earn enough money to support myself and my medical expenses when I am independent from my parents?” My ambition was to be a doctor, due to my experience with illnesses, because I wanted to heal people like myself and at the same time, earn a good income to support myself, my family, and the medical expenses. However, my grades did not qualify me to study Medicine in Singapore. In the end, I pursued an education in Business and Finance, a choice which I never regretted till this day.
Pursuing a career path in business was not a random decision. It was the year 2001, that my health condition took a drastic decline and had to be hospitalized for one month, the longest stay I had in hospital. I was also contemplating about the future path I was meant to undertake after my unsuccessful application to become a medical doctor. During the one month stay, I witnessed the plight of kidney patients, having to do through painful dialysis and many other surgical procedures. Some of them became blind, and some had their legs amputated, as a result of uncontrolled diabetes. Besides suffering physically, many suffered emotionally also, being in constant depression and worrying about their future or being a burden to their family. On top of all these sufferings, they also had to concern themselves with the heavy medical bills for their treatments. Many of the patients come from low income families and had absolutely no means to pay for the expensive dialysis fees of $2000 a month. They barely make a thousand dollars a month! The purpose for my life then dawned unto me, “I had always wanted to heal the sick, and since I cannot be a medical doctor myself, I can help relieve these patients’ financial burdens and provide quality treatments for them.” So I had a dream of building a medical foundation, providing affordable and quality medical treatments to patients. This way, I can fulfill my dream of being a doctor and help many patients relieve their financial worries. With that dream in mind, I started my training in Business and Finance and pursued relentlessly for the knowledge of acquiring wealth in the marketplace, as the wealth will be the means to an end, which is to help the sick patients afford quality medical treatments and overcome their illnesses.
In 2005, my kidneys failed completely and I had to start dialysis. It was a firsthand experience with the painful treatment 3 times a week and for 4 hours each session. Sometimes after the dialysis, my body will feel drained and I just needed to rest. It was also the year which I had to sit for my final examinations in university. Thankfully, I managed to pass all my exams and even got an Honours degree. However, after 4 years of dialysis, my heart was getting weaker. Other problems started to crop up, such as biochemistry imbalance in my blood. I had infections. I was suffering and had to go into hospital quite frequently. My doctor recommended a kidney transplant urgently, because if my heart gets weaker and weaker, even a transplant will not be an option for me. My younger brother, Caleb, agreed to donate his kidney to me! I was overjoyed and touched by his act of kindness and love. I knew of other patients whose family members were not willing to donate their kidneys to them. Caleb shared that he could not imagine himself go through what I had suffered these 20 years, and he always wanted to help me, but did not know how to. Now that there is this opportunity to do something for me, he knew it was the right thing to do and thus he decided to go through the operation to give me one of his kidneys. When I heard his sharing, I was deeply touched and I felt his unconditional love for me as a brother. Our family and friends also was inspired by Caleb’s act of love.
Today, I am a strong young man, full of zest in life once again. Having been through the ordeals, I am even more convicted and passionate about my calling, to create wealth and bless the poor and needy people.
That to me is the real meaning of wealth.
Thursday, December 11, 2008
An Afternoon with Mediacorp Chinese Current Affairs
Currently, the topic of kidney transplantation and the plight of kidney patients has been of much focus in the media... ever since the NKF saga in 2005 and the conviction of Mr Tang for organ trading. I met this lady called Dawn from Mediacorp 2 years ago, when she was doing a coverage on how difficult it was for dialysis patients to seek employment outside. Well, Dawn emailed me last week and wanted some resources on kidney transplantation and some people I knew who had a successful transplant. Much to her surprise, I had a successful transplantation and was exactly whom she was looking for! In my heart, I really wanted to help the dialysis patients in Singapore. But I did not know how. I am glad that this opportunity came to create awareness of the benefits of organ transplantation thru the media. I know of my friends who are still undergoing dialysis, and some of them are in the waiting list for an organ. They waited and waited, but no kidneys came along. I have a friend who waited for 17 years! Imagine having to undergo dialysis for 17 years! I only went thru the painful ordeal for 4 years and I was totally drained out physically by the regular dialysis. 17 years... she must have suffered much... I really hope this coverage will help Singaporeans be aware of the plight of dialysis patients and other patients waiting for organ transplant in Singapore. I hope the story of my brother's love and sacrifice can inspire healthy and able bodied people to offer the gift of life to their family members or loved ones who are in need. And people should know that donating their kidneys is an noble act, and we can still live fulfilling lives with one kidney. Yes, there may be risks, but the risks are low... and to grant a loved one a 2nd chance in life, to me, the risk is worth under-taking.
Lastly, I would like to say to my brother, Caleb, "Without you, I will not be around. Thank you for giving me this new life. All praise to God for letting us be brothers in this life. I will be there for you just like how you are there for me. I will not forget your kindness and love till my last breath and even in eternity. God Bless You." Catch the both of us on Channel 8 this Friday 19th Dec 2008 at 10.30pm!
Lastly, I would like to say to my brother, Caleb, "Without you, I will not be around. Thank you for giving me this new life. All praise to God for letting us be brothers in this life. I will be there for you just like how you are there for me. I will not forget your kindness and love till my last breath and even in eternity. God Bless You." Catch the both of us on Channel 8 this Friday 19th Dec 2008 at 10.30pm!
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Testimony of Aaron Graham Tay – A 2nd Chance in Life
Dear Friends,
Every one of us has a story. We are all born into this world with a purpose to fulfill. This purpose is ordained by God for He knew us even before we were born. Everyday of our lives is written in His book even before it came to be. Therefore, we can find our purpose and destiny by knowing God and His will for our lives, and believe me; only by fulfilling His will and walking in His ways can we find true satisfaction and fulfillment in our lives.
My story is as such. At 8 years old, I was diagnosed to have kidney problem due to lupus. Lupus is an autoimmune disease whereby your own immune system starts to attack its own cells, in which my case was my kidneys. My journey with illness, medicines, doctors and God then started. I had a burning sensation when passing urine and my body was bloated with water. I was started on a high dose of steroids and other medicines which rendered me with a lot of side effects, for example, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, weight gain, and others. Imagine an eight year old boy taking a cocktail of medications everyday and having these symptoms which even an elderly person may find it overwhelming if they had to go through the same course.
Not only the medications, I also have to abstain from physical exercise, tasty foods, sweet drinks, ice cream, and many other luxuries of life which other children of my age could enjoy. I told myself, “Life isn’t fair. Why am I made to suffer all this restrictions, take medications, be pierced by needles for blood tests and visit the doctor every month?” I developed an inferiority complex as a result, especially in the area of physical fitness. Whenever it was physical education lesson, I had to sit at a corner and watch all my other classmates enjoying their game of soccer or other games. I felt so left out!
As I could not excel in the area of physical fitness, I began to pride myself in the area of my academic achievements. By the grace of God, I have fairly good results in my primary school and secondary school. Being young, I had dreams for my future, I wanted to be a doctor and help people who are in the same plight as me. This dream was inspired by my doctor at 14 years old, when I was transferred from the children clinic to the new doctor. She was very knowledgeable and gave me a sense of confidence that I will do well physically.
Besides seeking help from competent doctors, I also turned to God for help. I was studying in a Christian school and I began to go to church services. I also went to healing conferences where healing miracles were expected to happen. However, every time I went with an expectation to recover, I was disappointed at the end of the day. I began to think if it was a mere psychological attempt and decided that healing miracles may not be meant for me. But I continued to pray each day for recovery and good health, and holding on to the faith that there is still a God and He may hear my prayers.
In my junior college days, my illness was not such a burdensome issue anymore. I had grown accustomed to the fact that I had to visit doctors every month, get poked by needles for blood tests every month and eat a cocktail of medicines every morning and night. It was akin to brushing my teeth or bathing, a daily routine and a part of my life. My faith in God was also lackluster. I was going to church activities, but I was preoccupied with the daily affairs of my life, getting good grades, having fun with friends, doing ministry activities, spending time with my girlfriend, and others. I had neglected investing time with God and also my family. I was caught up with my own ambitions, of being a doctor, and being popular with my friends. I became self-centered, confident in my own abilities, even to the point of arrogance. I had forgotten that what I had in my life was all by the grace of God who by His merciful Hand was sustaining me.
After my ‘A’ Levels, I had to go to the army despite my medical condition. I was posted to an office environment where I had a
God had no choice but to intervene. My health collapsed. I knew that God was disciplining me. He did not cause me to fall terribly ill. He allowed it to happen and it was due to my own folly that caused me to be bedridden for one whole month in the hospital. I was in shock that my health had deteriorated to such a condition. The lupus was flaring up and aggressively attacking my kidneys and my kidneys were fast failing. Doctors tried many medications to curb the attack, but no avail. I was in depression. I had lost my vision. I had lost my direction. I had failed to become a doctor. I failed in my love relationship. I had failed to protect my health and had become a burden to my family. As a result of depression, I had to quit school and seek psychological help.
During the one month in hospital, I felt that I was reduced to ground zero. All my academic achievements meant nothing at that point when death may be eminent. All I longed for was my loved ones to be by my side. But I had neglected them all these years, pursuing my own dreams and not investing quality time with them. I was grieved with sorrow. Evil thoughts of death filled my mind and I even wanted to end my life as I could not see any future in front of me. The psychologist and a brain doctor whom I was consulting said to me that I may not be able to complete my university studies due to my illness and a
I was repentant and I cried out to God. I knew that only He could turn the situation around. The doctor predicted that my kidneys will totally fail and will need dialysis in 6 months time. I could not accept that fact that at a young age of 21 years old, I will have to be on dialysis for the rest of my life. I had so much I wanted to do with my life! I started to confess all my sins I have committed. Also the sins committed by omission, of the things I should have done but did not do. Peace gradually came into my heart and I was at rest. I read the Bible, focusing on healing scriptures, and I came to realize that God intended healing for everyone, not just a selected few! I have been always believing a lie that healing was only for those God meant for them to have! Now I know by Jesus stripes, death on the cross and His resurrection, we have access to His healing power by faith! My faith arose and my condition gradually got better.
By the mercy and grace of God, I knew I was forgiven and had a 180 degrees shift in my mindset. I started to become positive and focused on my relationships with my family and loved ones. Success, material possessions, fame, power, had all become secondary to having fulfilling relationship with God and the people I love. I had the joy of the Lord in my heart. It was at that point that I really knew I had a true relationship with Jesus and I committed to follow Him all the days of my life. I started to dream again, now not for myself, but for Jesus. I had a dream to set up a medical foundation to help kidney patients like myself and share the love of Christ with them, for Jesus can heal them in spirit, soul and body, just like how He has done for me.
By faith, I applied for a course in Business Studies in the university. I had a new dream, a new vision. I needed funds to set up the foundation in the future and I believed God will grant me the ability to acquire wealth through business ventures for His Kingdom purpose of healing the lost, sick, poor and needy. By the grace of God, I was admitted to the course and graduated with an Honors degree in 2005. When I was completing my final year exams in 2005, I eventually had to be put on dialysis, long after the doctor’s prediction of 6 months back in 2001. Miraculously, my results was one of the best in that semester, even though I had to undergo dialysis 3 times a week, 4 hours each time, rendering me weak and tired. It was only possible by the power of God.
God had sustained me through the illness and granted me many blessings in life, my family, friends, a good career as a financial consultant, and others. But my heart was longing for a complete healing of my spirit, soul and even body. I held on to the faith that God was able to heal me completely, with no dialysis, no needles, and no medications. God was indeed faithful. After 19 years of suffering from lupus, the doctor certified that I am no longer under the throngs of lupus and I am completely free of lupus. Praise the Lord! I could not believe my ears! After 19 years of carrying the burden, I am finally free! My faith grew even stronger and I started to believe God for even greater things.
In 2008, things took a different turn. My heart started to feel palpitations and I was always retaining much water in my body. My blood pressure was high and I felt breathless. My heart was getting weaker due to the 4 years on dialysis. Other problems started to crop up, such as biochemistry imbalance in my blood. I had infections. I was suffering and had to go into hospital quite frequently. My doctor recommended a kidney transplant urgently, because if my heart gets weaker and weaker, even a transplant will not be an option for me.
It was another dark period of my life. Holding on to God’s faithfulness, I prayed, my family prayed, the church prayed, for God’s will to be done in my life. My younger brother, Caleb, agreed to donate his kidney to me! I was overjoyed and touched by his act of kindness and love. I knew of other patients whose family members were not willing to donate their kidneys to them. Caleb shared that he could not imagine himself go through what I had suffered these 20 years, and he always wanted to help me, but did not know how to. Now that there is this opportunity to do something for me, he knew it was the right thing to do and thus he decided to go through the operation to give me one of his kidneys. When I heard his sharing, I was deeply touched and I felt God’s unconditional love for me through my brother. Our family and friends also was inspired by Caleb’s act of love.
Therefore, on
Today, it is a new page of purity and holiness before God. I fully surrender my life and plans to God, for He knows what is best for me and He will lead me into His perfect will. Having waited 20 years for the full manifestation of the healing, I firmly believe that God is faithful to every promise He has given in His Word. In the process of waiting on the Lord, I have learnt many lessons. I learnt that a good relationship with my family and loved ones is priceless and it is the only thing that matters at the end of our road in life. I learnt that material possessions and wealth is fleeting and temporal by itself, it is what we do with our wealth, our talents and abilities, which really count. And for me, to invest my wealth, time, energy, abilities into empowering the lost, sick, poor and needy patients will be my life’s calling which I know will have eternal value.
I was once lost, but now I am found. I was blind, but now I see. I hope my story encourage you in your walk with God. No matter what we are facing now, be it sickness, financial crisis, relationship problems, or other crisis, God is able to turn the situation around and use it for His glory. No matter what we have done or experienced in the past, if we are willing to humble ourselves, pray and confess to God and repent of our wrongs, God is willing to forgive us and remember our sins no more. God will heal our hurts and give us a new life. Yes, a full and abundant life in Christ. He has done it for me and He will do it for you too. Amen.
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