THE WAY WE HANDLE CONFLICTS...

Recently I had a few incidents (or perhaps arguments) where conflicts were inevitable. Matters are mainly personal that were not being addressed all these while but being held like a time-bomb that was waiting to explode, in which recently it did.

You see the point that I am trying to highlight here is, some of us, if not most, likes to sweep the problems under the carpet rather than take it face to face, especially Malays where "jaga hati" is more important than others.

For sure, no one likes the feeling of conflicts, the heat as well as the prolong argument that will not make us comfortable. But, as long as we are hiding the problems rather than working to resolve it, sooner or later things will appear on the surface. Just like one proverb that I could recall that says - "anything that can happen will happen".... whether you like it or not.

But the key to problem solving is of course, a rational and open mind from all parties involved in which this is  the hardest part especially when emotion had crept into taking over the brain control system. No matter how hard we try, the problem still facing a dead-end.

Family, works and friends. To me, all have its own vital connection and there is no way we can live with one of these missing. But to sustain its balance is something that one cannot take for granted. When you tend to focus too much on one area, definitely you will start losing the other two.

Hence, with regard to the topic that I put above, the way we handle conflicts is very subjective and do differ from one person to another. Some tend to simplify a complicated matter where others tend to over-complicate a simple matter. It all depends on personality, at least from my point of view.

To me, I always look at conflicts as an opportunity to learn or something that can turn me into a better person, or perhaps helping the other parties to become a better person him/herself, provided he/she chose to change. I am a positive person, so regardless of what happened, there is always something for me to learn upon.

It's definitely not easy to handle a conflict, but the ability to come out from it with sound resolution, maturity and wiser mentality is something that will turn you into a better human each time after you faced a particular conflict in your life.

Have A Nice Day...

MONEY & SENSE OF HUMANITY...

We all work hard for the money just to fulfil our needs as well as our dreams. The problem is, most of the time we work so hard for the money that most of us tend to forget or ignore the real important matters in our life, which to me, are health & happiness coz one will always relate to each other.

Yes, you may get that 5 figure or even 6 figure income that you've been dreaming of. But the question is, are you in good health condition and does that five figure income brings you the goodness of life that you've been searching for?

Money will certainly brings you a lot of excitement, especially in terms of shopping power. Though not everything, but you can buy almost anything with money, even humans to certain extent.

But wrongly spent, money can and surely destine you to a dungeon of destruction as well. You may lose your old time friends, you may create a lot of hidden enemies, or you may even get infected with HIV if you are a womanizer, just to name a few. Even most crimes are committed due to money orientation, no others.

So, the thing that I am trying to point out here is simple.

Regardless of how much or how less money that you have in your account, do not lose your sense of humanity, particularly your sense of humor.

We all need money for sure, but money is not everything because the fact is, you can't buy everything with money, especially health and happiness. These two come from a different aspect of life in which it is much related on how well you groom your relationship wih others and giving good personal care on your own well being, where knowledge, patience and discipline play a more important role.

It's easy to say though, because it is not easy to control oneself once you are already sleeping on a "moneybed".

To most of us, we'd always say I knew how to control myself once I got there (ie when I have lots of money), but the reality is always otherwise, especially without proper planning and control.

I personally have seen a number of people that turn out even worse when they have lots of money rather when they're not.

If you don't plan on how you're going to behave when you reach that destiny (yes.. this one needs planning as well...), chances are you will not behave and start having all sort of problems that relate to money.

As for me, I don't have a lot... yet... ;) But I will...

THE IMPORTANCE OF VISIBILITY...

I have just gone through our yearly performance cycle review and some of the best area of improvement that I personally received consist of (from both my peers and superior):

1. To enhance my visibility.
2. To be more strict with contractors. I am seen as being too soft and nice.
3. To enhance my networking beyond electrical circle.
4. To attend all meetings that I am scheduled to attend, regardless of what...
5. To show more energy and stamina
6. To speak more and tell everyone that I am around
7. To be more focus and serious with my job (what the &^$%^*@!). I am not serious all these while?

Anyway...

Well well well... I love feedback as well as critics, but to certain extent, it could be too much for me to handle.

You see guys, the point here... These are all perceptions and those written above could be very very subjective, as to who made such claims, and the way they perceived me... unless something that are supported with facts and evidence.

When the company is making a 360 degree assessment on everyone especially the bosses, it was first perceived as something that is very good and positive for all the staff in the company.

But then when I look closely at the way the system is being executed, there are definitely defects here and there which are widely opened for rooms of improvement.

Hence, to cut my babbling short on this topic, I really want to reiterate on the "visibility" topic.

My question is - Define Visibility?

According to Wikipedia...

In meteorology, visibility is a measure of the distance at which an object or light can be clearly discerned. It is reported within surface weather observations and METAR code either in meters or statute miles, depending upon the country. Visibility affects all forms of traffic: roads, sailing and aviation. Meteorological visibility refers to transparency of air: in dark, meteorological visibility is still the same as in daylight for the same air.

Hahaha... you may be laughing reading the above definition as those are not the one meant by the bosses when they mentioned that I am hardly visible.

My definition is simple - to be seen working, hardworking, good, stylish, confident, charismatic, never say no, deliver as well as hardly against your boss' opinion and/or instructions.

Well, if you disagree with me, just keep it to yourself, I don't want to know.

What I am trying to share here is that, at one point or another... you don't have to be honest with your job or at what you are doing. What matters is what people (I mean your Bosses and colleagues in particular) know and see you are doing that matters. Can I simplify this further? For sure yes...

Just tell your Boss at what you are working on and make sure he knows and appreciates whatever that you are doing, because that really matters in terms of performance.

Working honestly, quietly without bugging any people is no longer perceived as smart or good nowadays, though we Muslims have always been reminded to work base on "LillahiTaala" (or because of Allah the Almighty alone).

To make things worse, even after delivering a very good result, you... still be perceived as not good enough due to not being visible enough to everybody.

In my case, I have reasons to justify why my visibility is being questioned though physically I am a big guy...

The factors to my invisibility are mainly due to:

1. I do not brag at what I am doing though I am a very systematic and procedure-wise engineer.
2. My direct superior is 3 steps higher than my current position, hence not easy for me to get his time
3. I have been alone leading this Electrical Section since the beginning of this project, so I didn't have anyone to delegate and spent more time to tell everybody at what I was doing. I didn't have time for that...
4. I have too much work to do for the company that I tend to forget that people around me start losing sights on me, even my close colleagues.
5. I believe when everything is ok and smooth, people thought you are not doing anything.
6. Those nay-sayers are taking advantage on my less-talk-act-more policy and hence took me for granted. They could ask at least...
7. We hardly care for each other in this big organization. We mainly care about our own ***.

True or not, it's up to you to believe... but to me that is what's happening.

The facts in hand:
1. I completed this project with electrical leading the rest of the other crafts.
2. I did my job, even more than what I had to do...
3. I didn't hurt anybody along the process...

Now when it comes to performance cycle and rating... all those good jobs are forgotten and it's all about who's who... and who will defend you in the board room.

Like it or not... This is the fact that not only me, but everyone is facing... and I am tired of this... but what choice do I have... Am I given the chance to explain myself? I don't think so...

After all the world is not fair to everybody... right...?

Have A Nice Day...

LOOK FOR STRENGTH AND ACCEPT WEAKNESSES...

When dealing with people, whether we already knew, just know or hardly know, most tend to be very individualistic in such a way we like to look for people weaknesses rather than strength.

Agree or Not?

Ok, the point here is that we humans are very prone to look for reasons and factors that somehow we are better, richer, or whatever than the other persons. Though this is pretty universal and natural to human beings, I discovered remaining in such a state will give you more trouble rather than advantage.

Yup, being humble, nice, and down to earth is always the ideal and preferred attitude for most people. But to be good is not that easy either. Tendency to look for faults, errors and mistakes by the other party is always there. We love to point fingers to others in a way we forget that the rest 4 fingers are pointing back at  us...

Anyway, take these tips, live with it and hang on it... chances are you will prosper better than anyone else.

1. When dealing with someone, always look for their strength.
2. If you discover any weaknesses, hold it within you as your secret weapon. Do not reveal or tell unless they ask what could be improved...
3. In order to improve yourself, always ask for feedbacks and opinions. It may not be pleasant to know and learn your weaknesses from a third party point of view, but trust me, it helps a lot, especially from someone you can trust.

Last but not least, learn to appreciate people's time and always say thank you regardless of how big or small that person's contribution is...

To me...

Being nice doesn't mean that you are weak...

By the way, this blog is still alive... It's just that I was too occupied with my day job (PSR2 Revamp Project Final Stage - since Dec 2009) that I didn't even have time to trade almost for the whole month...

For sure I will write more on forex matters this month after everything is settled... I mean my project.

Take care...

WHAT DOES IT TAKE TO BECOME GOOD...

1. Read minimum 3 books on the subject

2. Do it

3. Find a mentor

4. Do it

5. Read another 3 books or pay for proper education

6. Do it

7. Think & Evaluate the Results

8. Still... do it...

You see, the point here that I am stressing is the importance of doing things that you intend to become good at. I mean anything and anything at all. You have to learn and do it at the same time.

The problem is, so many are good at talking rather than really doing things that they intend to do. They say they want to do this and that but then zero action that follows.

Let's take a look at forex trading for example.

When I first started, I read a whole lot bundle of e-books and online referrences. Later I looked for someone who is honest enough to share what he knows about the subject. Rather than asking for fish, I was looking for ways to fishing... learning and doing as much as I can until I am confident enough to do my own fishing. I bought things online as well as books that I can find from bookstores. I do realize that reading is actually the simplest way to gain knowledge on any subject that you are planning to learn and master.

Still, learning itself is a continuous process that can be done in various ways...

One thing that I kind of dissapointed though, so many of us tend to loook for shortcuts and jump straight away on how can money be made instantly and easily with this market. The fact is, there is none... losing money? yes...

The classes, seminars and courses offered out there are mainly tools that one can use to learn or enhance his skills in trading. But still, the courses itself is nothing if you hope miracles to happen in which one click can make you millions... no way, that's not how it works.

So what's my point?

If you wish to look for quick ways to become rich.. trading is not for you... Vegas or Genting Casino could be the right place instead...

The real ways of becoming really good at trading comes from:

1. Reading books, continuously, on understanding the trading fundamentals
2. Paper trading and demo trading in order to understand the basics of trading operation
3. Learn from an experience trader, chat, forums and emails.
4. Trade live account with real money - the best!
5. Read the expert's analysis and learn how they come up with such analysis
6. Imagine yourself as one of the Wall Street trader. What else do you need to do? Think Big...
7. I never think that I'm good enough... always strive for better ways of doing things... keep on improving...

These are indeed applicable in whatever you're doing.

Trust me, I strongly believe that if one is serious enough in doing something, anything is possible for anyone to achieve.

Try this. Just tell yourself that there is no easy ways to achieve things and you will soon discover that things are not as hard as what you initially thought.

Give all you have and see how the miracles happen. That is indeed how we create miracles - through hard works, perseverance and never say die attitude, not from sitting and doing nothing with millions of wishful thinking inside your heads...

All the best...

MAHATHIR...

Selamat Hari Raya & Maaf Zahir Batin...

In this post, I want to share something that I have been keeping for the past 14 years, in which I believed some of you would have read it in NST back in year 1995 when I was in Form 5.

If I'm not mistaken, it was written by an Australian who translated the first letter of our 4th Prime Minister into keywords that explains why Tun Dr Mahathir was so determined and successful in pursuing his goals into transforming Malaysia into what she is today... Well, he's not perfect for sure, but his achievement as the country's Premier is something beyond our words to appreciate...

M - Mission Oriented

* In whatever he did, it was always driven by a mission in which he's very clear with what he wanted for the country.

A - Achiver's Attitude

* Or so called a positive attitude, an attitude of a winner where he would never gave up

H - Heart

* In whatever he did, he did it with heart and undivided commitment. There's no turning back and regret.

A - Advertise

* Just look how he spoke to the whole world where Malaysia is on the world map. F1 involvement is another clear example on how he advertised the country to the whole world.

T - Tenacity

* An attitude of never say die. Keep on moving until you get what you want... Hurdles are nothing but challenges that just keep our journey more interesting

H - Healthy Lifestyle

* Just look how he leads his life till today... I am not sure myself whether I can survive to his age now.

I - Integrity

* He did what he said... and he made it happen. It is a sign of commitment and determination.

R - Results Oriented

* Regardless of how hard he worked and tried in getting things done, it is the result that speaks for itself. There is no point of doing so many things with no positive results in the end.

There you go. Keep it and paste it on your wall since you surely can apply these keywords as well in pursuing your personal dreams.

In simple words, these are all about the power of dreams that are complimented with sheer determination and actions that would turn anyone's dream into a reality.

Last but not least, I leave you with a quote that I wrote clearly on the wall but could not really recall who quoted it...

"Dream all you can dreams or you're like a bird who flies without wings..."

Enjoy your Hari Raya by the way... and Drive Safely...

WHO ARE YOU TO LABEL PEOPLE?

At times, I am very tired dealing with people who thinks that they are among the greatest human being in this world. Some of them are even your close colleagues.

Their attitude is simple - They can easily put any sort of tagging on anyone's forehead even after the 1st meeting, and especially after you make a mistake. They are not a forgiver so later, whenever they hear something comes over from your tongue, you don't even have the chance to explain yourself before being cut out by their self-proclaimed "expert" opinion.

They can simply tell that you are wrong even without really knowing what you are trying to tell. At least they can ask but they don't. Get the point?

Hadn't these people realize that they are somehow very annoying to be dealt with? From my observation, these people are hardly achievers in their life as well, but they walk & talk a lot instead of shut-up and listen.

The reason I am pointing this out is simply to express my feeling of how weak and pity these people are indeed. They thought they are smart and they tend to believe that they know a lot, even without really reading and studying anything on that particular subject.

Since most of these people tend to be middle age man, they hardly learn and they believe their experience is more than enough for them to make sound judgment on what is going on around them.

And you know what... this is the main problem of middle and older aged man. They don't listen and they don't learn especially from someone who appears to be younger than them. As a result, jealousy comes in and they will have 1001 reasons on why these youngsters are more successful than them later on.

You see the problem here is not really with the young people, it is with the old & senior people who has bad habit within them & pure reluctance in listening to opinions and accept changes.

I am not very young also, but I enjoy a lot working with people younger and smarter than me, so that I keep on improving myself by extracting whatever knowledge and skills that I can learn from these youngsters.

By the way...

No one's perfect after all... so be it.

;)

7 HABITS OF HIGHLY INEFFECTIVE PEOPLE...

Lately I've been dealing with quite a number of difficult people around the office and among them all, I do realize that these difficult people are living within their own world without really care what others may think and perceived who they are personally.

The problem is, they never ask for feedback and hardly open to any criticism. Perhaps by the time they realize what their bad habits are, they could be the last one to know...

Anyway, listed belows are the 7 common habits of highly ineffective people, from my personal observations:

1. Poor Time Management
- They hardly respect other people's time and drag every single discussion to a point when almost everybody forgot what the meeting is all about. In their opinion, anything that could be solved within 5 minutes is not an effective solution.

2. No Respect on Others
- They think highly about themselves that they tend to be overly dominance in every single communication.

3. They are always right, no matter what...
- Talking to them is always a one way traffic. Tell them they are wrong and they tell you your weaknesses straight away...

4. They never listen...
- Quite relevant to point No 3. They always talk but hardly listen, hence tend to say the same things redundantly.

5. They are always busy, and always trying their best to look busy.
- Whoever seen sitting around doing nothing is purely useless, even though you just returned from a 4 hours job under the hot sun at the construction site.

6. They think they smart, but most of the time, they are not.
- They tend to BS and appear to know everything. Check their facts every now and then and you will realize that more than 50% of what they said were probably not true.

7. Every single thing dealt with them tend to be very complicated and difficult, regardless of how simple the solutions may be... well, that is why I call them difficult people.

Well, there are more elements actually. But I believe the one listed above are among the common traits that anyone should observe when dealing with these diificult people around you.

Our job is not to be despised by them. Instead, take it as a challenge and learn to handle them accordingly. Normally, everybody is good from the inside, it's just that they didn't get the necessary helps during their younger years that turn them into someone that almost (if not all) everybody hates when they are older.

Well, no one's perfect right? Just be yourself and try not to fall under this category as you may find it difficult to find a good friend later on.

Just sharing my 2 cents though.

SEKADAR MELEPASKAN BATUK DI TANGGA...

Kebanyakan dari kita mempunyai cita-cita dan angan-angan yang tinggi ingin berjaya, kaya dan sebagainya. Tetapi apa yang menyedihkan ialah angan-angan ini sekadar impian kosong yang tidak disertakan dengan perancangan dan usaha yang bersungguh-sungguh.

Apa yang lebih menggelikan hati, mereka ini selalunya penuh dengan alasan dan sebab sebab kenapa kejayaan mereka terhalang dan sebagainya. Lebih mendukacitakan lagi, mereka sampai sanggup menyalahkan keadaan dan insan disekeliling mereka, kerajaan, pemimpin, kawan-kawan, saudara mara, adik beradik dan termasuklah juga ibu bapa mereka sendiri.

Persoalannya sampai bila?

Bukankah dua formula mudah untuk berjaya adalah usaha dan kecekalan?... iaitu sikap yang tidak mudah berputus asa?

Ingatlah sesungguhnya kehidupan di dunia ini tidak lebih dari suatu persinggahan yang sementara. Jika di dunia ini pun kita gagal membawa diri kita dengan sempurna, bagaimanakah nasib kita di 'sana' nanti?

Apa yang ingin ditekankan di sini ialah sikap disamping keyakinan diri dalam kita berusaha untuk mencapai sesuatu matlamat. Sesungguhnya memang benar, tiada kejayaan yang datang dengan mudah, lebih lebih lagi apabila matlamat yang ditetapkan itu adalah sesuatu perkara yang tidak pernah kita capai sebelum ini. Walaupun usaha tidak menjaminkan kejayaan, tetapi setidak tidaknya ia akan membuka jalan ke arah itu.

Namun demikian, sekiranya kita benar benar ingin berjaya dan berusaha lebih dari sekadar melepaskan batuk di tangga, tiada apa yang mustahil untuk dicapai.

Impian atau cita-cita sememangnya penting untuk menggerakkan diri supaya lebih maju ke hadapan. Tanpa sebarang impian atau cita cita, kita akan hidup seperti "kais pagi makan pagi kais petang makan petang" sampai bila bila.

Maka, apabila umur sudah melangkaui zaman remaja dan muda, kita akan rasa seolah olah semuanya sudah terlambat dan tidak perlu difikirkan lagi. Apabila kita merenung kembali zaman-zaman muda di mana tenaga menyala-nyala. diri kita akan penuh penyesalan kerana tidak berusaha lebih sedikit untuk mencapai sesuatu matlamat itu.

Jangan jadikan diri kita seorang insan yang penuh dengan kekesalan di kemudian hari. Apa pun yang telah berlaku, kita jadikan teladan dan selalulah renung ke hadapan, seberapa jauh yang kita mampu. Di manakah kita 5 tahun, 10 tahun atau 50 tahun yang akan datang? Sekiranya kita gagal untuk merancang sekarang, sesungguhnya kita merancang untuk kegagalan.

Apa yang penting, carilah erti kejayan sebenar pada diri kita (seperti berpendapatan lebih RM50,000 sebulan, memiliki BMW 5 Series, mampu bersedekah setiap hari dan minggu, membantu fakir miskin dsb) dan kejarlah kejayaan ini seolah olah kita akan hidup seribu tahun lagi.

Sesungguhnya tiada apa yang mustahil kerana apa yang membuatkan sesuatu itu mustahil itu tidak lain dan tidak bukan datangnya dari fikiran negatif kita sendiri yang malas untuk berusaha, disamping orang keliling yang lebih suka melihat kita tersungkur dari berdiri gagah di puncak mercu pencapaian...

Renung renungkanlah... apa pun alasan kita, pokok pangkal, susah senang diri sendiri yang akan menanggung kelak... janganlah menyesal dikemudian hari...


p/s: Artikel ini ditujukan khas kepada seorang sepupu aku yang pemalas dan tiada matlamat hidup... disamping tiada kesedaran diri betapa untung nasib diri mempunyai ibu bapa yang senang dan prihatin... you knew who you are... no names...

THE IMPORTANCE OF READING HABIT

When giving a career talk some times ago, I did tell students that attitude is the key to your success. Undeniably true, attitude is the key to everything, indeed. But then, simply talking about attitude, I came to a point wondering how does one's attitude can be built upon?

I believe reading is one of the answer. You are what you read basically. So if you don't read, I am not sure where to classify a person is, a 'mat rempit' perhaps? Just kidding...

A good leader especially, are coming from keen readers who read hundreds if not thousands of books throughout their life. The more they read, the wiser they became as more and more information are being stored in their memories.

Even as a muslim, we all knew that our prophet was asked to read or 'iqraq' in order to further enhance his knowledge prior to his tougher duties in spreading the religion among the ummah.

The point here is simple. Read all you can read. But do not trust every single thing that you read. Digest them and filter them accordingly. And be selective in what you choose to believe.

The thing is, I discovered majority of 'success-wanna-be' persons are so much into talking but zero in action. They don't even care to read and find relevant information that should serve as a kick-start to their success journey.

Trust me, reading is very simple actually. You can do it anytime & anywhere. That's the beauty of it. It is turning it into a habit that seems difficult. But once you grap the groove of reading, it is fun indeed.

Surely you can't obtain everything through reading as you may get the knowledge, but to obtain skills, you have to do what you learn from your reading.

Nevertheless, reading for sure will serve you with a good starting platform in whatever you are doing. So go find something to read now!

p/s: Thanks for reading. I knew you're a reader or otherwise you won't reach this line... ;)

WE DO HAVE CHOICES IN LIFE...

People develop their maturity based on what they learn and experience throughout life and formal education. Some make it to the top but most will either remain average or unsuccessful in their endeavors.

The questions are;

Why couldn't everybody becomes successful?

What does it take to become successful?

What separates successful people from the unsuccessful one?

Is it so difficult to be successful?

Don't we have something like 'one size fits all' formula that could be applied to be successful?

Is success a journey or a destination?

Why can't every MAN OR WOMAN be on equal basis?

And so on...

Young fellas especially, are confused on the importance of being successful. Most have the 'Poor Dad' attitude in which rather than asking themselves on 'how can I afford that?', they instead telling themselves every now and then that they can never afford that.

They put the blame to the karma that they are not meant to be successful in the first place.

They believe in this so much that they never even thought of putting the slightest effort that could turn their lives around. They live day to day without having a clear purpose and meaning on their lives. They believe in this so much and there is nothing can be done about it.

This is very wrong indeed. As a matter of fact, we do have choices and options in life. It is us who creates our own destiny. Though certain factors and handicapped are undeniably true, but the fact of whether we achieve what we want or otherwise are very much depending on what actions that we take in the first place.

Did we do something about it? Have we done enough? Are we doing the right things?

Ask yourself and surely you'll find the answers within you. It is not only action that counts, you must also believe that your actions will direct you to your final destination. Otherwise, you may be driving forward, but instead of going north, you may be heading south... unintentionally.

In short, be clear with your choices as well... or you will probably end up going to the wrong direction.

DO ALL YOU CAN DO...

In reaching your dreams as a normal human, there are plenty of obstacles and challenges along the way that you need to clear out before you can get to to your final destination or goals.

Most of the time, you will probably not reaching there at all especially if your efforts are not supported with proper tools and sheer determination.

What does it take to become successful in anything then?

Regardless of what you are doing at the moment, in order to become successful, I realized that the first thing that you should understand is the overall puzzles that define success in the first place. Most of the time, this is very subjective according to individuals.

Say for example, you want to become a successful forex trader. What does successful means and what does it take to become one?

Base on my understanding and definition on the overall puzzles, successful forex trader means:

A trader who could earn over USD20k average per month and make trading as his full-time career.

Then, in order to achieve the vision that I mentioned above, I listed out all the possible things that I need to do in order to become one. Among the key things that need to be done are:

1. Learn the market basics, terms and definitions.

2. Continuous learning and understanding on what the market is all about... easiest way is through reading.

3. Really understand on how do people make money and lose money here.

4. What risks involved in pursuing my goals in this field

5. Continuously searching and scouting on what do I need to know to become successful.

6. Find a role model and duplicate his technique. If it works, stick to it. If not, keep searching.

7. Develop my own plan according to weeks, months and years to come. What should be achieved by certain period of time should be foreseen upfront in order to accelerate development.

8. Detail course of actions in case things are not going well according to plan.

9. What level of equity is comfortable to me before I can do it full time. This has to be defined now.

10. Read... read... read...

These are only part of the puzzles, the major ones. Of course, if you break it down further, there are numerous things like technical analysis, fundamental analysis, market collective psychology, money management, news etc etc that need to be fully comprehended.

End of the day, all you need to do is just do all you can do to become successful. Most of the time, this is very much depending on your own attitude in perceiving things that you are doing. Success will not come easy, or may not come at all. But knowing that you have done everything you could within your power will provide you with the satisfaction knowing that you have tried your best.

This is more meaningful especially when success shows itself at the end of the day.

But be careful not to define 'try your best' too soon as many people only attempted the tip of the icebergs but claimed they he had done everything he could. Rather than effort, this is more like an excuse for not being successful. Surely you can deceive everyone else except... yourself...

BELAJARLAH BERSYUKUR...

Dalam kita mengharungi keperitan dan keghairahan hidup sebagai seorang manusia, seringkali kita lupa akan nikmat yang dikurniakan oleh Allah SWT terhadap diri kita.

Antara nikmat mudah yg hampir kita semua nikmati tetapi seringkali kufur terhadapnya:

1. Kesihatan yang berterusan

2. Rezeki yang tidak putus dan bertambah

3. Isteri yang sempurna paras rupa dan kelakuan

4. Anak-anak yang comel

5. Kenderaan yg selesa

6. Pernafasan yang sempurna

7. Tidur dan rehat yang tidak terganggu

8. Ketenangan hati

9. Penglihatan yang terang

10. Negara yang aman damai

11. Mempunyai ibu bapa yang bertanggungjawab dan sanggup berkorban utk anak-anaknya

dan banyak lagi..

Persoalannya, adakah kita bersyukur dengan segala kurniaan yg diberikan oleh Yang Maha Esa ini? Dan apakah cara kita menyatakan kesyukuran kita itu? Adakah cukup dengan sekadar bertutur Alhamdulillah? Adakah cukup dengan mengerjakan tuntutan 5 waktu kita dalam sehari?

Hakikat kehidupan di akhir zaman ini tidak boleh lari dari aspek riba', maksiat dan godaan hawa nafsu yang melampaui batas. Sebagai seorang muslim yang sejati, kita harus ingat dan menyedari bahawa cabaran untuk menjalani sebuah kehidupan Islam yang sempurna adalah amat sukar pada hari ini.

Lihat dan renung sekeliling kita... cukup dengan memandang pada pakaian, makanan dan hiburan (ie. Astro).

Sekiranya kita tidak kuat dan berhati-hati dari segi pegangan agama, ekonomi dan ilmu pengetahuan, sememangnya amat mudah untuk kita terkeluar dari landasan yang sebenar. Tekanan dan bebanan hidup yang dihadapi sekiranya tidak diuruskan dengan betul, amat mudah untuk memesongkan akidah seseorang itu untuk melakukan perkara perkara yang bertentangan dengan ajaran agama.

Aku bukanlah seorang Ustaz, tapi dari mata kasar aku sendiri aku boleh nampak pemimpin-pemimpin yang ada gagal memberikan contoh yang baik malahan penuh dengan skandal dan aspek kemaksiatan. Ulama' dan mufti-mufti pula kebanyakannya bergaji dan berkepentingan. Maka siapakah yang layak dan harus dicontohi? Memang mudah untuk kita menyatakan sesungguhnya Nabi Muhammad SAW adalah contoh yang terbaik, tapi hakikatnya ramai yang pandai berkata kata dari melaksanakannnya.

Apapun cabaran dan hakikat kehidupan pada hari ini, orang tuaku selalu berpesan sentiasalah bersyukur dengan mengerjakan tanggungjawab 5 waktu tanpa gagal, kerana itulah tiang agama. Walaupun jumlah keseluruhan 5 waktu itu sendiri tidak melebihi 30 minit dalam sehari untuk dikerjakan, kerap kali itulah antara perkara yang sukar dan senantiasa ditangguh dan dilekakan atas sebab dan urusan-urusan dunia yang lain.

Adakah kelekaan ini semata-mata kerana godaan syaitan, ataupun ini ada bersangkut-paut dengan sumber makanan yang kurang bersih (dan halal) yang menyumbang kepada terbentuknya darah daging yang kurang baik dalam diri kita, yang secara tidak langsungnya menyumbang kepada hati dan jiwa yang kotor?

Atau adakah ini semata-mata hakikat seorang manusia yang secara lazimnya suka mengikut kehendak hati dan hawa nafsu didalam memenuhi tuntutan dunia yang sementara dari mencari bekalan untuk hari kemudian yang pasti datang dan kekal abadi? Atau adakah kita sama-sama menantikan bala dan azab dari langit sebelum kita sedar dan menginsafi segala perbuatan kita? Pernahkah kita berdoa agar hidup kita diberkati dan segala bala bencana ini dijauhkan?

Cuba kita renung-renungkan...

p/s: Aku sering termimpi dilanda ombak tsunami setinggi langit datang mengejar dan menimpaku... apakah ini suatu petanda atau sekadar mainan mimpi?

PREPARING MYSELF

I received an email (and later phone calls) 2 days ago mentioning that I was shortlisted for an interview next week in KL. This is regarding a potential job in Saudi Arabia for a Snr Electrical Engineer's position of a well known Petrochemical company there, located in Al-Jubayl.

Well, frankly speaking I am excited but definitely I have no idea (yet) on what sort of offer that I am going to get. Though I did give a few talks on how to attend job interview to my previous internship students, but when it comes to myself, I must admit that I am getting a bit nervy. It's been quite a while since my last job interview and assessment.

Anyway, preparing for job interview is not that difficult though, as all you need is to do some homeworks on the company profile that you may be working with apart from (of course) preparing my self-confidence and experience prior to the interview.

Some of the key things:

1. Prepare all sort of certificates, documents, papers as well as work evidence for them to review. They have got my resumes upfront but for sure preparing extra 2 to 3 copies wouldn't harm anybody.

2. Dress appropriately, or simply dress to kill though I don't intend to kill anybody.

3. Be there 30 minutes before the interview. I am planning to overnight at the hotel a night before with my family so I don't have to deal with the traffics.

4. Smile & confident. Be myself and show respect to the interviewers. Explain my skills and capability appropriately or perhaps use the white-board if necessary.

5. Shows interest in the job and try to deliberate on how can I contribute to the company with the experience that I have.

6. If there is a sign that they may hire me, then only I will negotiate the offer. I will not demand but basic rules is always to have at least 2.5x higher than what am I earning now. Otherwise, I wouldn't go for sure. Another thing is to confirm on either permanent or contract basis. I will not take a contract's position unless the monetary benefit is colossal.

7. All in all, I still have a good job in hand. So there's nothing to fear here. Being confident is vital but over-confident will definitely kill.

Well, I guess wish me All The BEST then... ;))

BE GRATEFUL FOR WHO YOU ARE

I just celebrated my 31st birthday on last Friday and it seems so many things have happened all these years without I even realized.

Looking back on those 31 wonderful years back and ponder on the most memorable things in life, I guess there are just too many to recall.

Anyhow some of the finest things that have ever happened to me so far:

1. Earned my degree in 2001.

2. Getting married to a very wonderful lady in 2002.

3. Being a father in early 2004.

4. Played Bowling for the company Team in the Ascope Games 2007 in Manila.

5. Travelled to Finland, England, Scotland, Holland, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, Japan, Philipines, Hong Kong & China, both on business and pleasures.

6. Able to support my parents and family consistently on their financial needs.

7. Job promotion.

And some of the major mistakes that I have done so far:

1. Wrong investment that had caused me substantially.

2. Bought a 2nd hand car that can hardly start.

3. Did not play golf earlier when I was offered the opportunity by one of the top managers.

4. What else?

Well, I guess sharing is caring. The point here, regardless of whatever good or bad things that you have done in the past, you should always look forward into the future and see which area can be further improved. What's done is done and there is nothing we can do about it, except learn and move forward.

Unlike those who are less fortunate than us that has to live in fear every now and then, we should always be thankful and taking advantage of the situation for our own properity. Sit and do nothing will obviously bring you to nowhere.

To my fellow forex traders, have a very profitable week next week! Let's play some defensive trading this time.

THE 3 GOOD THINGS ABOUT…

1. Being An Electrical Engineer
- You get the chance to fully understand how electricity is generated, transmitted and distributed
- Learn NOT to mess around with something that you can’t visually see
- Chances to make more money and earn higher credibility by enhancing your competency to Professional Engineer and Competent Engineer.

2. Being A Bowling Player
- Appreciate & understand the importance of Focus & Strong Mental Games
- Chances to compete with the best Bowlers in Malaysia – even the Malaysian Players ;)
- Release your stress by visualizing the pins as your problems (e.g. Your Boss)

3. Being A FOREX Trader
- Improve heart strength in Taking Losses (huhu..), Patience & Self Discipline
- Making more money and being humble at the same time knowing the facts that the market is so powerful to be denied.
- Ability to develop your Sixth Sense in a way to balance both technical and fundamental approach. The 6th sense tells you when to and not to proceed with any trade, especially when whipsaw occurs.

4. Being A Constant Reader (at least 1 new book a month)
- The easiest way to gain knowledge endlessly
- Leaders are Readers. Read and you shall lead.
- Continuous exposures to new ideas and technologies. I even read the bowling books!

5. Being A Husband
- Improved mutual understanding, communication skills as well as learning how to stay cool & patience – 24/7
- A dedicated place to be romantic where love should be channelled
- Apart from work, this is another platform to prove your productivity level

6. Being A Father
- Having a podium where you can reward your loved ones
- Sense of being importance when everything needs your approval
- A place to improve your coaching skills and to fill up the gaps on whatever

you wished your father had done for you.

7. Being A Frequent Traveller
- Expand your views on different cultures by exploring the world & later learn to appreciate your home soil
- You get more points for your Enrich.
- Travel in Business Class (sometimes 1st class due to free upgrade) when it is business trip.

copyright Ó 2009 by shahrul nizam hussin

ARE YOU A RISK TAKER?

Life is a risk and no matter where we go or what we do, there are always risks involved. Even walking in a bathroom is much riskier than crossing a road with heavy traffic. Not to mention the different risks that you have by living in one place compared to another.

The question is, how strong and how brave we are in taking risks? Do we have a choice?

Working in an oil refinery has always taught me that safety is not something that can be compromised. The best mantra of all, written in every work permit and safety signage is “No work is so urgent that we cannot take time to do it safely”.

And it’s true. If there is anyone who has the guts to argue this with the safety personnel, the solution is only one; GET OUT & DON’T COME BACK!

Looking at the risk behaviours of people or so-called risk appetite in trading, it makes me wonder what criteria that contributes towards such and such brave act in different persons in doing things. Shouldn’t we play it safe all the time? Take time to do it slow and safely so that no one get hurt.

The answer is very subjective and it is you to define which level of risk that is comfortable to you. In fact in business, it is an authentic believes that you’d gain nothing if you don’t take risk. A spineless businessman will never make it big time.

Talking about risk definition, some people dare to do skydiving but not speed racing. Some has the guts to invest millions in new business but no guts in trying the bungee jumping and so on. The list is indeed endless.

One of my best idols is our former Premier, Tun Dr Mahathir. If he didn’t have the guts in taking calculated risks in doing things for the country, I do not think we are where we are today. Even that, there are still plenty to be done, yet.

In short, certain things that we dare to do is not necessarily easy for others to take, regardless of what venture it is. Too much risk or no risks at all will twist things to dangerous or too boring to be endeavoured, hence killing the interest in doing it. But surely, when there is zero risk involved, the chances of safety is close to 100%.

Personally, I love risks as risks keep me alert all the time. Being too comfortable and satisified with what I have is simply not me. Sometimes I did take stupid risks, unintentionally. But whatever that didn't kill me will make me stronger.

My advice is simple:
Take risks but do not take stupid risk. You must consider the consequences. The pain is sometimes too much to take. Hence, it pays to be extra careful in taking risks.

copyright Ó 2009 by shahrul nizam hussin

Mandatory Skills To Become...

1. A Good Person?
- Religion & Attitude

2. A Good Father
- Academic & Negotiation

3. A Good Husband
- Loving & Buying Power

4. A Good Son & Son-In-Law
- Respect and Solidarity

5. A Good Engineer
- Sensible & Vocal

6. A Good Bowler
- Focus & Fighting Spirit

7. A Good Trader
- Patience & Discipline

We can always elaborate these points for sure, but those are the keywords.

One tip - Being good in anything you do should be your primary aims or otherwise someone may end up crying....

But in this case, my daughter cried because I took away her ice cream... too much in a day.. ;))