25 February 2007

The Power of a T.E.A.M.

Everyone has his/her strengths and weaknesses. And we are not alone. To achieve more in our lives, we need to form partnership. We need a team.

It is only through teamwork that everyone in the team can achieve more in any undertakings. So don't under-estimate the power of a T.E.A.M., because

T ogether
E veryone
A chieves
M ore

Cheers!
Leroy

"When I Stop Learning, I Stop Living"

24 February 2007

What is L.U.C.K.?

I'd recently came across an article discussing on what is luck and how to get lucky. There are even studies and experiments done to establish certain facts and beliefs.
If you raise this question of "What's Luck?" to most people, the common answer will be something that is uncontollable. So then how to have good luck?


Luck can be controlled.

I defined L.U.C.K. as Labour Under Correct Knowledge.

As you increase your knowledge on certain topic, tool, skills, you tend to achieve more in that particular aspect. So luck can be controlled by increasing the correct knowledge and work on it.

So I wish all my family members, friends and learning partners all the best L.U.C.K. for Chinese Lunar New Year 2007.

Cheers!
Leroy

"When I stop Learning, I stop Living"

What is Risk?

Have been reading alot about the financial markets recently. Many markets are clocking their all time high day after day, bull market is charging despite economy weakening bit by bit. Then there is also alot of talks that it's getting riskier to invest in the stock market at this point in time. Riskier? What is Risk in the first place?

I did a quick search on the web and found the following entries:

-
Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1) : exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance

-
American Heritage Dictionary : One considered with respect to the possibility of loss

-
WordNet : take a risk in the hope of a favorable outcome; "When you buy these stocks you are gambling"

-
Investopedia : Higher risk means a greater opportunity for high returns... and a higher potential for loss.

One common word keeps popping out in the various defination above: "Loss". I would relate it to concept of Fear too.

Investopedia.Com quoted Higher risk means a greater opportunity for high returns. I would relate it to concept of Greed too.

Based on the above definations of Risk, there are 2 issues I simply cannot comprehend, especially in the context of investing: Why will any investor thought of lossing his investment even before he get invested; and why higher risk is related to higher return.

Maybe it's because I have my own defination of Risk. I equates Risk as an inverse to Education. And Education includes "Skills, Knowledge, Experience". The more educated you are in an activity, the less risk you will be exposed to in performing that activity. I deem this defination of risk applicable in all, if not most, of the contexts.
For e.g. Person A and Person B want to perform rock climbing. While A is trained to rock-climb and has a certification for that skill, B is a just-started interested in rock climbing excitist. Suppose both them starts to climb the rocks now, who will you deem as taking more risk in this activity?

Another e.g. A has a driving licence but B doesn't. A volunteered to drives you to your destination and so does B. Based on such available fact, who's car will you like to sit in? A or B? Why?

One more e.g. Person A and Person B want to invest in the stock market. A understands the basic principles of investing, have beening invested in the market for passed 2 years, have tools to analyse companies' strength, weakness, opportunity and threats vs B who is a newbie, recently heard that a bull market is happening and you can earn alot of money from the stock market NOW! Tell me, is investing in the stock market risky or the person who is investing in the stock market more risky?

The contexts presented give you a glimsp of what is risk. It is definitely not an attitude towards loss. Investing is risky? I say not being educated in investing and yet doing it is more risky.

If you have the financial literacy to handle stocks investing (it just an investing tool aka vehicle aka instrument), risk can be mitigated to the minimum.

Placing your money in a bank's fixed deposit is a form of investment too (it is considered an investment as your money are earning more money for you even though you are not working for it). Fixed deposit is just an instrument, an investment vehicle. Many citizens find this instrument especially safe and some deem it risk-free. Why? This instrument can be easily understood! Even my grandma understood what is interest earned over her capital placed with the bank!

It is our Lack of Education (Skills, Knowledge, Experience) that will make our activities risky. Hope this discussion gives you a new perspective to Risk.

Cheers!

"When I Stop Learning, I Stop Living"

The Power of Plan

Sometimes I just feel that events aren't going my way and everything seems so disoriented. Do you have the same feeling at times too?

That's why I Plan, with the End-State in Mind. It shows me (visually is the best) "How" I'd intended to grow from Point A to Point B. A plan keeps me focused, albeit "noises".

That's how I can maximum resources to achieve the maximum growth, by being focus with a plan.

Agree that plan do get refined along the way as more information are obtained. At least I am not so lost when changes happen. Of course, it has to be changed for the better, faster, shorter route to my destination. It's a journey anyway. So enjoy it.

Start planning now. You will be able to bring more focus to your life immediately.

Cheers!

"When I stop Learning, I Stopped Living."

The Power of Choice

Have you constantly hear relatives, friends, whinning about how lousy their current situation is? Sounds very familiar? They choose to whin, but failed to take any positive action. I used to fall in this category and I am pulling myself out.

One book changed my perspective of life and I found that I started living.

In Dec 05, with almost a month-long of leave, life became very "difficult" for a workaholic like I used to be. I got so bored that I started to do something that I used to really hate... Reading.


I was passing by this bookstore called Popular, and a title caught my eyes. The Automatic Millionaire. Almost everyone dream of becoming rich and I had my share too. The word automatic just caught my attention. Becoming a millionaire can be automatic? Yes you can be, with a bit of self-discipline.

Since then, I started reading. Books after books. For the passed 1 year, the amount of books I had read amounts to more then the books I had read for the passed 13 years of my academic education. I'd made a 2006 resolution to read at least 1 book per month. I am doing at a rate of 3 books per month now. In addition, I am also reading more than 10 channels of news everyday, just to broaden my learning of learning and gaining better situational awareness. On reflecting, I told myself, I had evolved.

I had made a choice. I choose to gain knowledge. I found a well of wealth more important than wealth of richness; Knowledge. And because I choose to read more, I feel more powerful than before, gaining strength as I keep reading. This is the power of choice.

Every human being, since the day we had gained conciousness, starts to make choices everyday. Their choices determine their way to life. Those who choose the path of being pessmistism will keep whinning and never take any action to improve their situation. Those who choose to level up their life finds their situation improving day by day, bit by bit.

This is the Power of Choice. It will help you answer to the "why" in your life.
Have you made your choice today?


Warmest regards,


Leroy Ang

"When I Stop Learning, I Stop Living"

The Power of Sharing

Over the course of just 12 months, I'd learned and gained an enormous amount of knowledge... all by sharing what I know or had learnt and in return, being shared with what my learning partners knew. Such sharing and exchanging of ideas, concepts, info, greatly accelerated my personal learning curve. I believe my learning partners have gained from my sharing too and we will continue to grow together.

This is the power of sharing; when "1 + 1 = 4". This power is also in-line with the concept of active learning.

Seeing that blogging can be a great medium for such exchange of ideas, thoughts, beliefs, I'd thought of giving it a try. I will post my learning experiences and wish that those who read my blog, and if it stike a cord or two in you, share with me your thoughts too.


Wishing everyone a fruitful journey in learning,

Leroy Ang

"When I stop Learning, I stop Living"