Step 50; What can we learn from the Japanese?

I am now writing from Kobe, Japan. This is my first trip to Japan, my 2 other trips were on transit at Narita airport to the USA. I am very impressed with Japan, the Japanese culture and people.

Instead of doing sightseeing, I am doing sight-observing. I observed that most Japanese people are hard-working, friendly, helpful, honest, humble and polite. I observed that they are very meticulous and put in a lot of effort into giving you quality goods and services. The sales people in the shop are very helpful and will not try to push you into buying something. They even bow and thank you for coming even if you didn't buy anything.

While in Kyoto, I forgetfully left my handphone on one of the counters at Daimaru departmental store. I only realised that after my lunch, went back to the store and it was already at the lost and found department. On the way there, I actually did not have any doubt that I will have my phone back. The sales lady from the 6th floor actually accompanied me to the ground floor, to the lost and found department.

The services at the restaurant is also very good, they will even come out of the restaurant, bow down and thank you for coming. Honestly, I will not expect them to do that if the restaurant is too busy. The best part is that they have a no tipping culture, so you know that they are doing it out of passion and sincerity.

Although some of the prices are high in Japan compared to some countries, I feel that there is value for money, for the quality and sincerity in providing good service. They give you an unforgettable experience which make you feel good paying for it. And their packaging is first class. So if you want to make more money, you just have to add more value than is expected of you.

I was told that the number of tourists coming to Japan has dropped because of the recent Tsunami and radiation leak. I feel that this is the best time to visit Japan because you get better service and less queue. Someone told me that radiation don't cause cancer but kills cancer cells. (haha)
I walked pass a real estate company yesterday and I intend to visit them today, to find out more about the real estate prices in Kobe. I am in contact with one of my graduates from Japan, to see if we could do a Property Investment Program in Japan.

Step 49; Are you ready for 2012?

Will all the problems created by the politicians in the US and Europe be solved soon? Or will all these problems surface in 2012 and create the mother of all recessions? Every lie will have to be covered up with more lies,  there will come a time where all the lies will surface and let the world have a major reset to the economy. Look at the crisis in Greece, Ireland, Spain, Italy and Portugal. Look at all the protest going on in all the major stock exchanges. Look at all the violence in the Middle East. Are you prepared for something major happening next year?

Can you see that there are many corporations getting ready to retrench their staffs.
I want to tell you that you have 2 choices; 1 to look at it and see danger or 2 to see opportunities. Many people will want to bury their head, like an ostrich, hoping that nothing will happen to them. Like it or not, there will be a ripple effect. Everyone will be affected, some positively and some negatively. The best thing to do is to be prepared, be prepared mentally and psycologically. If you are holding a job, my advise is to go and educate yourself on how to start a business. With that skill, you will always have a choice.
Personally I can see the mother of all opportunities presenting itself next year. I look forward to add more value to more people by teaching them the skills of selecting the right business at the right time and doing it right. There will be plenty of opportunities in the stock market. I am glad I have also educated myself in this field.

My advice is, invest in yourself by educating yourself on wealth creation, which will give yourself lots of options to take advantage of a crisis. Next year will be a year where you will see the biggest transfer of wealth in history. I hope you will have the skills, knowledge and experience to make yourself one of the beneficiary.

Step 48; My 'O' level theory

I am writing my blog now in London, got very inspired after meeting a few of my mentors. While walking around the streets of London, I made some observations and came up with this 'O' level theory.

I realised that there are many universities in London and more universities are being created all over the world. I also observed that there are many more graduates all around the world compared to 30, 40 years ago. If I am not wrong, the universities were created to train managers and supervisors. These managers and supervisors are then hired by corporations and governments to train and supervise workers.

As countries become more developed, there comes a point where there are too many graduates and too many managers and supervisors but not enough workers to do all the dirty jobs. This is why there are many migrants in developed countries like England and Singapore. As I take the train in London, I realised that there are more coloured people than the whites, it's about 10 to 1. In Singapore, you will also be able to see a lot of migrants on the trains. Most government will want to hire their own nationals for political reasons and most corporations will want to hire foreigners because it is cheaper.

Here comes the problems, if the government were to let in the foreigners, the locals will not be happy. If they don't, the corporations will find it challenging to run their business. If the corporations cannot make any profits, they will have to close shop and more people will be jobless, including the locals. Worse still, the government cannot allow too many foreigners with lower education into the countries because they are afraid it may create some social problems. If they don't, they will have a challenge finding people to do the menial work. Looks like we are caught in a catch 22 situation.

Perhaps you could think of a solution for these problems. Whoever can come up with a solution for all these problems will have the opportunity to make a lot of money.

  

Step 47; The quality of your life depends on the quality of your questions

From my experience interacting with people, I realised that their results in life is co-related to the questions that they asked. Let me give you an example: if you ask, Why am I so poor? You will come up with a set of answers that will enforce the reasons why you should stay poor. Don't you think it will be better if you ask, How can I be rich? You will come up with a set answer that can help you to be rich. My answer to that question is simple, go learn from the rich, pay them if you must. There are many books and seminars where you can learn how to be rich.

Poor people usually ask, what can you do for me? Rich people usually ask, what can I do for you?

If you want something the best way to ask is; What must I do for you in order for you to do that for me? If the answer is nothing, go to the next person. If you have the skills, knowledge and experience, you can add a lot of value to a lot of people and they will be able to add more value to you.

I will talk about adding value next week

Step 46; Givers Get

Charity-This is one of the most important aspect in creating wealth. I remember giving away $750 to a charitable organisation with money from my overdraft account when I was broke. I told a friend that I am expecting a miracle to turn around.

The miracle did happen but not in the form of winning the lottery or some unexpected windfall. It came in the form of a wrong phone call and I was "accidentally" invited to a free preview. At that preview, I met my mentor, Dr Richard Tan, who was speaking about the teachings of Robert Kiyosaki. That was the first time I heard about Robert Kiyosaki and his famous book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad. It was with the help of Dr. Richard Tan that I got to attend the Money & You program on an installment plan. That program shifted my mindset and beliefs about business and money. I took action to apply what I have learned and the rest is history. 

Some people ask me if giving to a family member considered charity. I said, it depends on how you feel, there is no right or wrong, it's what serves you and what don't. To me, as long as you are not self-centred and always thinking of giving your time or money for a good cause, that's charity.

Happy giving!

Step 45; For things to change, first I must change.

There is a song by Michael Jackson, Man in the mirror. It talks about if you want to change the world, first change the man in the mirror. Isn't it true that whatever that happens in your life, there is only one common factor, and that is YOU! Unfortunately, most people cannot see that and will always be blaming someone else for any results that they don't like.

The key here is to manage your EGO, your ego can cost you a lot in life. It can cost you your business, money and relationships. A sudden burst in temper can result in something drastic or not admitting your mistakes and repent will attract a lot of critism and sticks from people. "Mistakes are sins when not admitted" To be honest, this is easier said than done. I have personally lost my temper many times, screw up many times and make many mistakes in life. I just have to look back, acknowledge those mistakes, take personal responsibility and move on.

I would also need release all the hurts, resentment and unforgiveness that is inside my being. Some of the programs that help me to do that are, Money & You, Enlightened Warrior and Date with Destiny. I also consult John Stamoulos for breathworks, Heiko and Selina for releasing work. It is important to have an outlet to release your anger, so that you don't create an eruption suddenly.

Step 44; Greed will lead to poverty

贪 vs 贫

The word Greed and Poverty in chinese are very similar. How many of you know of people who become poorer because of greed? Ever heard of "get rich quick" schemes? Have you ever fall for such scheme? To be honest, I have and over the years I learned that you will never get rich looking for such "investment" The only way to get rich is to do something that you love, which add a lot of value to a lot of people.
Some people resort to cheating as a means to get rich quick, using scare tactics and greed to entice you. Don't be fooled by them, neither do you want to use such method to get rich. You will be found out in time to come. What goes around, comes around. There is also the karma effect or what you sow, you will reap.
If you have been conned before, don't beat yourself up, learn from the lesson and move on.