Never Give Up

"Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in getting up every time we do." - Confucius

When your baby learns to take her first step, she will most likely fall initially. As a parent, you will very likely encourage her to try again. You will lend her a hand to hold on to and gradually let it go, until she can stand on her own. When she is ready, she will lift her foot again. A fall on the bum, or sometimes a knock on the head, is common. But you can observe that she will get up and keep on trying again and again. Then, finally, when you do not have your video camera ready to shoot that prized moment, she manages her first step.

Everyone of us has that quality to never give up since birth. After learning to crawl, we learn to walk, then climb, kick, run, swim, cycle, etc. No matter how many times we fall when we learn to ride the bicycle, we will pick it up and carry on even when our legs have scratches here and there. Why do we keep trying? Because we have a strong desire to be able to do something well. Because we believe in ourselves, that we can do it.

Each time we fall, we learn something new. It is the things that we learn that help us improve to overcome the challenges that we face. With the lessons learned, it not only builds up our knowledge but also our character. We become stronger mentally. When we face our fears again, it becomes easier to manage them.

If you have fallen, whether in business, career or relationships, think of the baby in you. Think of how you managed to take that first step into the world. A baby never gives up, why should you? Get up and keep on trying. Your first step is not far away.

Shortcut To Success

"There is no shortcut to success. It is all about hardwork, perseverance and much more." - Author unknown

Many of us hope to get a lucky winning number when we buy a lottery and hope for early retirement. Imagine if you strike a jackpot of $3 million. What will you do with the money? Invest part of it, buy a new house, go on a grand tour, treat your family and friends to a 10-course dinner in a 5-star hotel? But what is the probability of winning. Some kind soul did a calculation for Singapore Toto and found out that there is only a 1 in 8,145,060 chance of winning the jackpot. Therefore, even if you buy a ticket for every draw in your lifetime, chances are you may not be the lucky one. But you can still buy it, just keep your hopes very low. If it strikes, take it as a bonus but do not rely on it to become successful in life.

One of my favourite action hero is non other that Jackie Chan. His life story was a path strewn with challenges. He started learning kungfu with his father at a very young age and spent 10 years at China Drama Academy where he learned martial arts and acrobatics, among others. From there, he built his foundation and it instilled a sense of discipline in him. He only started his acting career at age of 21 but it did not took off instantly. Through sheer hardwork and perseverance, it took him time to establish himself in the movie industry in Asia. And it was another hurdle when he attempted to break into the US market. But he did not give up. As of today, he is internationally recognised as a superstar. Some of his successful films include Police Story, Rush Hour and Shanghai Noon.