(hla) This is an interview dedicated to our students from Sandhya Maarga Holistic Living Academy and Sphaeram Academy, and our crew members from Kreativ Künste Productions. Michael Law Ming Wai is part of our panel of Honorary Patrons to advise us on matters related to the Performing Arts and Music. His years of experience in the field may provide some useful insight to our young performers today. Read on and be inspired.

A recession is possibly the best time to launch a new business or to expand an existing one. It’s also a great time to get ahead in your career. I know this sounds counter-intuitive, so let me ‘splain.

First, the media goes nuts during a recession. They turn a little bit of negativity into a mountain of pessimism. This makes a lot of people financially paranoid. People become socially conditioned to expect the worst.

If you buy into this social hysteria, you become a victim too.

A powerful personal growth tool is the 30-day trial. This is a concept I borrowed from the shareware industry, where you can download a trial version of a piece of software and try it out risk-free for 30 days before you’re required to buy the full version. It’s also a great way to develop new habits, and best of all, it’s brain-dead simple.

Let’s say you want to start a new habit like an exercise program or quit a bad habit like sucking on cancer sticks. We all know that getting started and sticking with the new habit for a few weeks is the hard part. Once you’ve overcome inertia, it’s much easier to keep going.

Heuristics are rules intended to help you solve problems.  When a problem is large or complex, and the optimal solution is unclear, applying a heuristic allows you to begin making progress towards a solution even though you can’t visualize the entire path from your starting point.

The path we have followed so far through life, has been guided by the decisions we have made along the way; decisions partly grounded in a pool of 'observations' of our social and physical surroundings. Our biological senses have channeled these 'observations' into our conscious and unconscious minds and it is from there that path-constructing decisions have been made. By blocking out some of these sensory 'observations' we reduce the resource pool upon which our life changing decisions can be based.

INTRODUCING "SUN TZU'S ART OF WAR UNVEILED"

The mind is a powerful instrument gifted to man. Utilised properly, it will help you live the life that you have always wanted. Compiled more than 2,000 years ago, Sun Tzu's "Art of War" is still perhaps the most influential literature on strategy in the world. This book offers a unique interpretation of Sun Tzu's work, linking it to the teachings of Mental Science. With the power of right-thinking, you will find that the life of your dreams is just within your reach. Master your mind and be the mastermind of your own life.

In this article, I am going to focus specifically on the how-to aspects of manifesting money.

Playfulness
The most important aspect of manifesting money is to approach it from the right heartset. Think of your heartset as the overall vibe of your relationship to the activity of attracting money. How would you describe that relationship? Is it greedy, needy, excited, hopeful, etc?

There are many times when the particular goal we are striving to achieve requires the co-operation and help of others. On such occasions, it is important that we are able to communicate our wishes effectively to those whose assistance we seek. This seemingly simple task can form a critical stumbling block, especially if communication needs to take into account linguistic and/or cultural differences between ourselves and others.

What is the most important thing when you are about to do something, or to set yourself a goal? The answer is obviously ‘Willpower’. I believe everyone here has a goal, but have you ever asked yourself what are the elements necessary that drive one to achieve these goals?

THE encouragement provided by positive feedback can be a significant aid to us in reaching the goals we have set for ourselves in life. We are all familiar with this concept and many of us have been fortunate enough to have experienced it. The positive support we encounter along the way, however small they may be are great help, which will motivate us to increase the chances of our success.

In Praise of Total Commitment
The more difficult the task we set ourselves, the more committed we need to be in order to achieve our goal. Degree of commitment goes hand in hand with degree of success. If there is something we wish to do, then becoming totally committed to accomplishing it is very unlikely to result in failure.

Remember the time when you believed that you could do anything and be anyone you want? It sounds so far away, isn’t it? Well, it’s not too late! You still can!

All you have to do is to believe in yourself. Resurrect that pure innocent child-like faith within you that died when you were thrown into the ocean of what most adults call “REAL LIFE”. You are a magnificent being and you have a life full of potential. It’s just that you have been distracted with all the expectations others have placed on you so much so that you have failed to stop for a moment to appreciate the beauty that surrounds you. So stop now and breathe.

Remember, impossible is nothing. The very word reads I-M-Possible (I am Possible)!

Start to be the master of your life. Do not let others have any control over you. Many may try to influence you for your so-called ‘best interest’, advising that you would be better off treading certain roads in life. However remember this, whatever road it may be, unless you are truly happy doing something, you will never go far! Doing something that does not resonate with your heart makes you feel ‘stuck’. You are there because others told you to, and not because you were inspired to. So, you are not compelled from within to put in the effort necessary to reach greater heights.

And because you do not feel the satisfaction of being where you are now, life may even start to fall apart as you develop negative thinking patterns. So you see, what else can result but resentment towards the very people who put you there in the first place? Despite such wretchedness, you find it hard to leave because you have become so laid-back by letting others make decisions for you that you could no longer make one on your own!

It is a never-ending negative cycle that only you yourself can break. Stop being swayed by others and start listening within. Then act on it! If you do not like what you see in the mirror, don’t break the mirror… Change the face instead! Remind yourself daily that this is your life. If you are not truly happy, of what use are you to other people then?

The chains that you feel are binding you are nothing but an illusion. You are the one who is binding yourself to a particular state in life.

People tell me that they want change and they would like to lead the life that they dream of. But when I observed their actions, they did nothing about it! If you want something different, then start doing something different!

After my lectures, I will have some coming up to me and say, “I will ‘try’ to apply the principles that you have just taught us.” My reply was always: “The word ‘try’ does not exist in my vocabulary. I either do it, or I don’t!” Period!

Having faith in your dreams or yourself gives no room for doubt. It is either you have it, or you don’t! So develop unwavering confidence in yourself and go for it. Give your heart and soul to live the life of your ideal...



Related articles:
Stop Wishing, Just Do It!
As Within, So Without
Whatsoever that You Push Against, Pushes Against You!
Luck VS Faith



Excerpts of Lecture delivered by Genevieve Tan Shu Thung
New York, USA (August 13, 2011)

Copyright © 2012 Sandhya Maarga Holistic Living Resources
Holistic Living Annex (Volume 1, Issue 4 - MAY 2012 Edn)

Keep forgetting to do something? It’s not surprising. The memory of a human being is constantly regarded as being fallible and unreliable.

Today, I suggest that you start writing a to-do list. This is an extremely powerful activity that will help you organise your day. The list can include anything from storing away stuff in the cupboard to paying a telephone bill. It does not only help remind you of your important tasks, other benefits also come along with it.