Musings of Erican Chong

When Opportunity Knocks

2011-09-10T05:20:00.000-07:00

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The Batu Pahat boy in this photo is going to be a WINNER in life.

Why do I feel so? The story goes like this...

Last week I spoke at an English seminar in Batu Pahat, which was aimed at helping SPM students to excel in the English paper.

When the seminar was over, many students gathered around me (ahem...as usual...) asking for my autograph (ahem...you know young people...), as well as taking photos.

After the crowd had dispersed, I noticed a one ringgit note on the floor, apparently dropped by one of the students.

I picked the RM1 note up, waved it at the students and yelled, "Hey, who dropped this RM1?"

The students looked at me and then they looked at the note...nobody said anything or did anything. Suddenly, there was absolute silence! You could have heard a pin drop!

Upon seeing this reaction from the students, I then said to them, "Okay now, so the money doesn't belong to anybody...but I want to give it away. Who wants it? Raise your hand!"

The students looked at me and then they looked around one another...they broke into laughter but - there was no action!

NOBODY WANTED THE RM1 NOTE!!!

I felt nothing but a sense of devastation...I asked myself: "Why are these young people just laughing and not seizing a fantastic opportunity that is given to them?"

Finally, one spectacled boy moved up to me and asked hesitantly, "Can I have the money?"

I smiled at him, handed him the RM1 note and he blushed. A photograph was snapped to commemorate the occasion. :)

I then declared to all who were present, "This boy is going to do very well in the future!"

The crowd roared and cheered for the proud owner of the RM1 note.

If you are reading this, you might think I am creating a mountain out of a mole hill. What's the big deal about one ringgit?

I must say that I'm not making a fuss over this.

Why? That's because success is a result of all the small actions and decisions done right.

There are a few possible reasons as to why the students did not take up the offer:

1. They thought RM1 was too insignificant an amount to be taken seriously.

2. They were too embarrassed to act because they did not want to be perceived by their peers as being greedy.

3. They were lazy and therefore reluctant to move their butts.

Whatever their reasons might be, I could not help myself but felt a sense of disappointment.

Why did they not take advantage of an opportunity when it was offered by a genuine source (i.e. me!)? If the source of an opportunity was unknown then they did the right thing...but the integrity of the source was without question!

Far too often we behave the same in life. As a result - opportunities came, opportunities went. Because of our inability to assess the genuineness of an opportunity and/or our lack of confidence and courage, we allow great opportunities to pass us by over and over and over again.

There are not too many windows of opportunity in one's lifetime. Some people will only have one or two; while others may have a few more.

What we must learn, therefore, is to detect, evaluate and act on opportunities that are real.

In life, however, what constitutes a great opportunity is fuzzy and gray. We must also understand that where there are opportunities, there are threats. Once a decision is made to hop onto an opportunity, the result will be either positive or negative. And whatever happens, we must accept and take full responsibility for the outcome. If the outcome is positive, we have made new inroads; if not, we need to find the courage to start all over again.

Developing a keen sense and an analytical mind is a big plus for people aspired to achieve greater successes in life.

And now to the Batu Pahat boy: Remember this RM1 lesson for the rest of your life. Bring this RM1 note and pay me a visit someday, perhaps years from now, when you have achieved your desired success.

All the best!

I Want to Write a Book

2011-09-07T09:22:00.001-07:00

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I have always wanted to write a book, a book on success and life. However, this has not eventuated yet and until today, it remains a mere vision!

Like most busy adults, I justify my non-action with boring reasons such as 'I'm too busy!', 'I'll do it when I'm ready to do it!', 'There are other more important things in life!' etc, etc, etc.

ERIC CHONG - NO MORE EXCUSES!!!

I am going to write this book no matter how busy or impossible my schedule will become. I must do this because I know my book is going to inspire and enlighten thousands of people to achieve greater success and live much better lives.

The title of this book is tentatively this - Yes, You Can! I will give myself 3 months to get this mission accomplished, i.e. by the end of November 2011. By this time, my contents must be ready for publication.

To meet this deadline I will have to write like crazy - I will write while traveling in the car; I will write while waiting for a meeting to start; I will write before a meal is served; I will write while walking on the treadmill; I will even get up to write if a great idea hits me in the middle of my sleep.

Wish me luck! I am absolutely in need of your blessings and well wishes. :)

YES, YOU CAN!

2011-08-30T23:52:00.000-07:00

This is my slogan - "Yes, You Can!"

Sounds a bit like Obama's Presidential campaign slogan, doesn't it?

However, I am NO copycat!

This President of the United States was simply 17 years late when he campaigned in 2007... Haha! I started going around telling the Malaysian people "Yes, You Can!" 20 years ago when I was a much younger man.

I vow to continue to champion this can-do spirit for another 20 years!

Eric Chong

Welcome to the Success Express

2010-10-19T07:23:00.000-07:00

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David works very hard.

He seems to be in the office all the time - he is the first one to get into the office in the morning and he is still around long after all of his colleagues have already gone home.

However, this workaholic and seemingly ‘champion’ of the organisation called David is not the best performing employee. In fact, he is far from it. He is constantly underperforming and has become a liability for his organisation, despite all of his 'hard work'.

David has a problem - he never gets things done. Although he is always working on something, he is only 'always working on something' – he never actually gets anything done.

What an organisation needs is people who always 'deliver something', not people who are always 'just working on something'. After all, it is the finished products that will put food on the table, not the unfinished ones.

The reason why these people seem to work hard but are unable to achieve anything is that their objective may be to just work and occupy themselves, and not on delivering real outcomes. These people will never amount to anything. They will continue to work hard but they will also continue to be under-appreciated.

So be result oriented!

Whatever it is you do, ask yourselves three important questions:

1. What do I want to achieve?
2. How do I achieve it?
3. When will it be achieved?

First, always remember - Whatever you do, do not start before knowing what it is you want to achieve.

There is no point in doing anything if you are not sure what you want to get out of it. To work on something without knowing 'why' and 'what' is the most time wasting endeavour on Earth.

But once you are able to clearly state the 'what', you are ready to move on to step 2, which is about the 'how'. To find out exactly how, you must put on your 'thinking cap' immediately. You must be able to visualise how the project or task is to be done, from top to bottom.

Somebody once said that 'greatness lies in the details'. This is very true indeed. It is not likely that you will be able to accomplish a task successfully if you do not know exactly how it is to be done.

And if you do not know how to do something, just ask. Asking questions is the only way to enable even a total novice to do something intelligently.

Once you know how to do it, move on to Step 3 - the 'when'. Ask yourself what your deadline is, i.e. when it must be finished.

Be absolutely serious about deadlines. If you set a deadline for anything, you must honour it absolutely. If there is no such commitment, why set the deadline in the first place?

So do not accept a deadline if you do not seriously think that it can be delivered. Negotiate the deadlines with whoever is the decision maker, be it your superior or yourself.

Once a deadline has been fixed, embark on the project like a 100m sprinter. Be absolutely no-nonsense about it and execute your ploy with laser-sharp precision. Cut out all the small and trivial 'noises' that will distract you from delivering your outcome.

And like a 100m sprinter, you must focus on the finish-line. Every second counts. Though you could be the only runner on this track, you must be absolutely committed to the race.

It is only when you have reached the finish-line that an evaluation of your achievement becomes possible.

- Did you do well?
- Did you do terrible?
- Do you know what you are doing?
- Are you a genius or a complete fool?

All these questions can now be answered. A glorious and victorious moment is possible if you stay focused and stay absolutely result oriented.

Before you deliver an outcome or before a deadline is up, no conclusion can be drawn about you whatsoever. During this period, you may seem to work slow or fast, aggressive or non-aggressive, laser-sharp or sloppy... these are all but mere assumptions.

But when the deadline is up and the race is finished, where are you?

You may not even be in sight! You could have wandered off the track and forgotten that you were in the race. If this happens, you are not even in the race you were supposed to be in. You are totally irrelevant!

Yes, those who are not result-oriented and do not deliver at the end of the race are certainly totally irrelevant. They are not worthy for any organisation to depend on. These are the people who, no matter how 'hard' they think they have worked, will either get the axe or forever stay insignificant.

Those who successfully finish the race and deliver the outcome are now in the position to be judged and rated.

These people may not necessarily all be heroes, but they will have at least earned themselves a ticket to get onto the Success Express, a fast train which travels to a final destination called 'Success'.

So be result oriented. Do not just work; focus on delivering great results.

Welcome to the Success Express!

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Managing Time

2010-10-08T23:04:00.000-07:00

A lot of people seem to always complain that they are ‘too busy’.

However, there is something very strange about this, something that has perplexed me for a very long time. Most of the people who claim to be really 'busy' and are 'occupied completely’ are often not very successful; whilst the highly successful people always seem to have time to do one or two more things, regardless of the thousands of things which they are already doing.

To understand why this is so, it is necessary to discuss the essence of time management.

Let me put it this way – management often defines the success or failure of everything.

Most organizations are successful because they are managed well, just as most centenarians can live up to the ripe old age of 100 because their health is managed well.

Most developed countries prosper and its citizens enjoy wealth and happiness because these countries elect governments that understand and practise sound management.

Management is absolutely crucial in our quest for success. Sound management brings success; poor management results in defeat and failure.

To live a fruitful and productive modern life, you must find a way to comfortably engage yourself in meeting daily demands. And to do this, you need to master one very important skill, time management.

The reason why successful people seem to have more time than less successful ones is not because they work less. Rather, it is because they manage their time in such a way that they become incredibly efficient.

To be a good time manager, you need to have two common practices:

1. You should always have time for meaningful things in life, never say 'no' to engaging yourself in a meaningful cause just because you think you do not have time for it.

2. You should never make time for meaningless and harmful things in life, so never say 'yes' to meaningless causes just because you feel you have time.

Once you are able to religiously adhere to the two philosophies above, you will find yourself a better time manager. This one action alone will improve your time management by 50% without doing anything else yet.

Now let's discuss three more things which will improve your time management by another 50%:

1. Prioritise - Have a priority list (refer to my article, "Priority List").

2. Fill the gaps - Make use of the little gaps that you have daily. Let me put it this way, there are so many time gaps that appear throughout our daily lives, no matter how busy we may think them to be. Say for example - the 5 minutes that we wait for the noodle at a small coffee shop, the 3 minutes that we spend queuing up for the lift, the 30 minutes we are made to wait before the client can meet us, etc. These are all little time gaps which may look very insignificant; however, when they are added up, they represent a huge chunk of time that can be put into very good use. You can read a few pages of a good book, reply to some SMS messages, plan your sales strategy, catch up with a long lost friend, etc.

3.Multi-task - Unlike before, people of today have a very short attention span and may do several at any one time. Therefore, a skill that a modern man needs to develop is multi-tasking. When you multi-task you increase the limited time that you have. For example, I often write my blogs while I am doing my hour-long treadmill exercise. When I finish my walk, my blog article is finished as well. While watching a television programme, I often flip though a magazine that I have not had time to read.

I am not sure if my multitasking strategy is workable for you but it has certainly worked well for me.

Time is the most precious commodity we have in life. Money lost can be earned back; however, the time you lose is lost forever. So maximize your time to the fullest and enjoy a much more productive and fruitful life.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Your First Times

2010-09-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

Our first encounters with anything are usually memorable.

Ask yourself if you can still remember these ‘firsts’ in your life:

- Your first interview?
- Your first speech?
- Your first drive?
- Your first flight?
- Your first fight?
- Your first kiss?

Of course you do!

The thrill of doing something you have never done before mixed with the fear of the unknown makes these insignificant events memorable and even life-shaping.

However, after these things have been done repeatedly for a while, the fire burns out and the thrills and excitement experienced earlier disappear. Boredom sets in and it becomes a routine and nothing more.

This is, of course, simply a natural progression.

When a young person just starts out, everything is new to him. He therefore explores, with great curiosity, this world that he is just getting to know. Everything he sees and touches is new, fresh and novel. He tries out everything passionately yet clumsily.

As time passes, the things that were once new and exotic to him, start repeating themselves. As he repeatedly experiences the same things, he soon finds that the experiences that once gave him a tingling in the stomach are no longer exciting for him.

His passion turns into robotic calm as he goes about doing the once-exciting things which he now calls 'daily chores'. He does them as he MUST do them for whatever reason it may be. It might be to put food on the table, to honour the marital vow he pledged or to bring up the children that he has brought into this world.

He laughs at all the funny scenes on the television, but he is not capable of doing so on his own. He never really laughs a hearty laugh as a result of his own fulfilment or contentment of life. All his laughter is triggered by something external.

As he goes about living his life in absolute precision and predictability, he becomes quite skilful at what he does. From initially shivering and barely able to speak during a public presentation, he now speaks fluently and comfortably, regardless of the size of the crowd.

From being absolutely fearful of approaching strangers in a shopping mall to close a sale, he now understands exactly what to do in order to stop an uninterested passer-by dead in their tracks.

From having absolutely no knowledge about child rearing, he has now become the quintessential 'expert-father', specialising in all areas of parenting - feeding, changing diaper, speech therapy, medical care, etc.

Repetition always brings two attributes - one is positive while the other is negative. The positive one is expertise and the negative one is boredom.

To do something really well, we must do it over and over again so that our minds become conditioned in such a way to execute precision. When we reach a stage like this, we become 'experts'.

The first time we do something, however, is when we take it the most seriously and tackle it with excitement. This is actually when we are at our best - we are, at this point, the most alert, observant, humble, open, and willing to adapt and change in order to successfully complete the task.

Now, think about this: What if we combined the two attributes, excitement and expertise, in whatever we did? Wouldn’t we then have the best of both worlds - 'passion' as well as 'expertise' – the two most important qualities for success?

I once read a story that went like this:

A man had inherited a small drugstore business from his father, but he was getting really tired of running it. He opened his little shops in the morning, closed them at night, and repeated the same thing over and over again for years and years.

He was very good at what he did but he was bored to death. He kept thinking, "It is so meaningless to do this 'same old, same old', day in, day out."

Just when he had decided that he should just give up on his business, he suddenly had another thought, "Why don't I try to build the largest pharmacy chain in the world?"

It was a simple yet powerful thought, one that redefined the pharmaceutical retail landscape in the United States.

He plunged into the same game again, but this time, he did so with an absolute passion, the same enthusiasm which brought initial success to his grandfather and father before him. Not only that, he used all of the knowledge and expertise that he had gained over the previous years.

He was now playing the business game at his best. He had the passion of a starter and the skills and expertise of a veteran.

The result - the creation of the largest drugstore chain in the world, Walgreens, with a vast network of 7541 stores spread across the United States alone!

So let me repeat - combine a child-like enthusiasm and laser sharp acumen and expertise in your quest for success. You will get there sooner than you think!

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

The Importance of Unity

2010-09-22T09:11:00.000-07:00

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It can be next to impossible for any one individual to accomplish something grand and epic. However, collectively, there is little we cannot do.

Behind all the big names that have dazzled us in the world today, very few are the work of just one man or woman. Behind each and every legendary name or brand, there is most often a group of people working together – in absolute unity.

The great achievers that we know of are seldom loners. There are, of course, genius artists and scientists like Picaso, Eisntein, JK Rowling. These rare individuals may indeed have worked entirely on their own and achieve great success.

However, in the world of business, where products must be manufactured and services rendered, it is a near impossibility to do this.

There are legendary names in every industry. However, the people who have established themselves in their respective industries are almost universally those who were able to attract a group of people to believe in their vision and cause. In short, they were able to unite people.

Why is this so important? Simple - Unity is the only formula for success in business!

A machine is comprised of many parts and components, bolts and nuts. These items are meaningless if they all exist in isolation.

These items, each and every one of them, are essential for the larger machine to function effectively. If one small item is missing or unable to perform, the smooth running of that large machine can be affected; it will likely even break down entirely.

However, when all the items are happy and work together harmoniously, great productivity can be achieved.

It does not matter how great each bolt or nut is, what is most important is the greatness of the collective outcome which is produced.

In an organisation, there is no room for individualism or heroism.

Imagine if everybody in a business simply tried to outshine and outdo one another. Imagine if, in order to achieve this personal objective and agenda, some even resort to measures that are destructive for the whole organisation. You can just imagine the chaos and confusion that would be produced!

The best choir in the world is not the one which has the best solo singers; it is the one which has the best collective singing. Imagine if you had a group of egotistical solo singers who kept trying to 'out-sing' everyone else!

To achieve a superb performance, you must have singers who are willing to act as supporting singers - who will harmonise in the background with an absolute focus on achieving a common interest, and not act in self-interest for glorification.

Imagine if you have a team of football players who do not care about the overall good of the team but are only concerned if they themselves can score that goal? Can you imagine if everybody is trying to be the one who scores the winning goal, and for that reason, nobody passes the ball to anybody else?

If we want to achieve personal success, we need to first achieve collective success.

As employees, we can only be successful if the organisation we work in is successful. Similarly, if you are a business owner, you can only be successful if your employees are successful.

There are NO two ways about it.

Unity is most important for success, be it for an organisation or a country.

And if you want to be more successful in life, learn this one thing - leadership. For without leadership there will be no unity.

Leadership brings unity, and ultimately, success.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Business Strategy - Push vs. Pull

2010-09-15T20:22:00.000-07:00

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In business, there are two ways that you can sell something. You can use either the Push Strategy or the Pull Strategy.

Both of these two strategies will get you what you want, but they are vastly different in approach and produce vastly different results, particularly in the long run.

First, let's take a look at the Push Strategy.

Now this strategy is easy to understand. You want to sell your customer something; so you shove the product in their face and push your way through to the sale.

You can stand on the streets and hand out flyers to anybody who passes by. Just stand there and shove the flyers at them. Who cares if the flyers are read or not, it’s all just a probability game anyways. Out of the one thousand flyers you give out, at least one must find someone who will be interested in buying from you.

Or you could simply do this: stand in front of your competitors' doorstep, grab their customers and persuade them to come over to you by offering them special discounts.

If necessary, you could use even more extreme tactics. Bad-mouth your rivals in the most vicious ways possible, drag their customers by their sleeves (or necks if necessary) to your shop, beg them for help and tell them if they do not help, you will die. If they are not convinced, you can even try breaking down and crying. Eye drops work wonders at these moments!

Or if you have money, and I mean lots of it, you can advertise as aggressively as your money will allow. Put full page ads in all the newspapers, bombard the radio airwaves and TV stations with your commercials, and put up huge billboards all over town.

Yes, the Push strategy works but ask yourself, do you really think this is the best way to do business?

What about the other strategy - the Pull strategy?

The Pull Strategy works like this - you still want to sell something, but instead of 'forcing' people to buy from you, you create something - a product or a service so good that it will make people WANT to buy from you.

When you are hungry, you automatically think about the mouth-watering whoppers of Burger King. It is not about how hard they tried to shove their brand down your throat, it is about the juicy burgers that they always serve without fail whenever we patronise them.

You feel like looking stylish. You want to buy a branded bag but do not want to spend mega bucks on brands such as LV or Christian Dior. So, you will automatically walk over to a Bonia store because you know you can own a five star branded product at a three star price.

Are you feeling tired and having aches and pains after work? Do you wish someone was there to give you a great massage? You would probably consider buying a massage chair to pamper your hardworking-self. What brand comes to mind? Aha... Osim! Yes, Osim comes to mind. Osim does not have to shove their chair in your face, they want you to feel like owning one.

And I hope that should you ever feel like improving your English or getting your children or your employees extra English classes that the brand ERICAN will be the first one to pop in your head. I hope ERICAN never has to yell or shout too loudly, but rather simply impresses upon you that English is Erican and Erican means English. This is something that we have tried very hard to do over the past twenty glorious years of our existence.

I hope I have successfully explained the differences between the Push and the Pull Strategies.

If you are in business, I also hope I have made you understand that in order to position yourself correctly and sell more effectively, you must always adopt a Pull Strategy rather than a Push one.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Those Busy Children

2010-09-11T23:28:00.000-07:00

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In this modern world that we live in today, everybody is busy. From children to housewives, workers to professionals, chief executive officers to entrepreneurs, every modern soul multi-tasks in so many ways.

It is not difficult to understand why adults are busy.

But busy children?

The children of today are not like those during our times. These are busy little people. Due to the intense academic competition that exists, children nowadays must learn much more and much faster than their parents and grandparents.

Modern parents understand that in order for their children to excel in this world, they need skills and knowledge; the more skills and knowledge that they can possess, the better of a position they are in to compete with their peers.

These parents understand that the world is a gigantic rat race. You do not join the rat race only after you leave school and start working; you do so way before that - it starts way back in elementary school.

In order to realize your vision of getting accepted to your dream university, and hence achieving your dream career, you must outdo all the competition along the way, year after year.

It is therefore not an uncommon sight to see children moving from one learning centre to another after school in the quest for more knowledge and skills in order to remain competitive.

From English enhancement to mental arithmetic, ballet to piano, computer to right brain training, the children of today are bombarded by tons of learning activities.

Is this 'right' or is it 'wrong'?

Well, it is not about what 'right' or 'wrong'. It is about the necessity to stay competitive and the ability to adapt to the requirements of the 21st century.

You don't get to choose when to be born, you simply find yourself here at this time and in this age. The fact is that you DO exist at a time like this, and you must adapt to the demands of what this era poses. It is a game defined by the rule 'survival of the fittest'.

I am a firm believer in the value of learning. In fact, I hold strongly to the concept of life long learning, be it for adults or children. I believe that as long as you still breathe, then you must still learn. Learning should only stop when life ceases.

Lazy people always fear learning. In fact, they fear any form of learning and frown whenever the word 'learning' is ever mentioned. Because they are lazy, they associate pain with learning and assume that learning of any sort is painful and sad.

Therefore, when these lazy people become parents of their own children, they often think that if they insist that their children learn different skills, it must be painful for their children. And because they frown so much when the word 'learning' is mentioned, their children also pick up the same habit.

These children do not only frown, they cry when they hear the word 'learn' and refuse to learn anything that could potentially add value to their future. A self-fulfilling prophecy in action!

Who says learning is necessarily painful? Why can it not be fun?

I always challenge the lazy buggers who work so hard at trying to convince the world that since they won't learn, the world shouldn't either.

Let's not confine our children just because our own world is confined!

Let's give our children all the necessary tools so that they can be at their best and be properly equipped when they grow up.

Let's say 'yes' to giving our children the best education and the best learning opportunities whenever and wherever possible!

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Generosity

2010-09-07T02:03:00.000-07:00

The world's second richest man, Bill Gates, and his best friend and the third richest, Warren Buffett, used to be busily making money.

Now they are as focused on giving their fortunes away for charitable and humanitarian causes as they once were in making them.

And they have not stopped there - they are now encouraging their billionaire peers to do the same - to give away at least half of their wealth to charity.

The incredible thing is this - many of the richest people actually responded positively to this call. Collectively, they have created the largest philanthropic movement that the world has ever seen.

As a result of this campaign, forty of America’s billionaires have pledged to give more than half of their fortune to charity. These great people, besides Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, include CNN founder Ted Turner, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison and Hollywood director George Lucas.

The world is changing. Because of great men like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett, many of the high-net-worth's are now inspired and taking a chance to rethink on how they can do more for humanity. The definition of philanthropy will soon change.

Most of us are certainly no billionaires, but are we exempted from giving just because we are not mega rich?

Not in the slightest.

Some people are very generous. Unfortunately, they are only generous toward themselves and not to others. They buy themselves expensive houses, posh cars, branded accessories, and wine and dine in the fanciest restaurants and hotels.

However, whenever these people are asked to help the less fortunate by donating in cash or kind, they become hesitant. Their spirit of generosity vanishes into the thin air; their meanness and miserliness raise their ugly heads.

I know someone just like that - this 'Dato' guy has a multi-million net worth, a huge mansion, a garage filled with exotic cars, watches that cost more than your Proton Sagas - but he will not give a cent when it comes to charity.

He says, "Why should I? It was not I who caused all these problems!"

Selfish! Selfish! Selfish!

One of the most attractive qualities a man or a woman can have is generosity - one that is not towards self but towards others.

Philanthropists are very 'sexy' people to me. I find them most appealing and attractive. They radiate charm that few people possess and few can resist. They are like magnets; wherever they go, they bring blessings and happiness to the people around them.

Yes, generosity makes you a more popular person. However, you do not need to be a big-time philanthropist to be liked. All you need to do is to try some of the following things:

- pay for a meal for someone else
- donate a small amount to the Kidney Foundation (or another such cause)
- help a friend in genuine need

When you are generous towards people, your love and care for them manifests itself.

Newton's Law applies - action and reaction. When you love people, people will love you in return.

And when people like you and love you, many possibilities can open up - you can make new friends, find a special someone or gain new business opportunities.

Your generosity needs not be limited to merely financial. Be generous to others in non-financial ways as well, like praising a subordinate who has done a good job, being forgiving to someone who has trespassed against you and showing sympathy to a friend who has suffered a misfortune.

If you want to be more successful than the current you, learn to be more generous to others.

The more generous you will certainly be a more successful you.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Your Priority List

2010-09-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

To be successful we need to manage our lives effectively. And to manage our lives effectively, we need to manage our priorities effectively. Therefore, we need a list - a priority list.

What is a priority list? Simple put - it records all of your priorities. What is a priority? It is simply something which is important to you and therefore deserves your immediate attention.

Why do we need a priority list? That is because many people are confused between urgent matters and important matters.

The urgent matters are things that you need to attend to because the situation warrants it. These matters may or may not make a material difference in your quest for success. They are merely things that you feel compelled to do as there seems to be a tremendous sense of urgency.

The important things, however, may not seem to be urgent at all, but it is the effective completion (or lack of completion) of these things that will make you a success or a failure.

The pace of modern life is fast, so fast in fact that if our ancestors were alive today, they would be dumbfounded by the speed at which things are taking place. I am sure that even if geniuses like Newton and Einstein were still around, they would find it very difficult to adapt themselves to the breathtaking pace of the scientific and technological breakthroughs being made today.

Therefore, in the extremely fast paced environment like the one we live in, it is easy to get lost in all the hustle and bustle. When this happens, we can easily lose focus and may subsequently even lose out in the game. We must therefore have our priorities right. And to have our priorities right, we need a priority list.

Ask yourself these two questions:

1. What is your ultimate goal?
2. What do you think you need to do to make sure you achieve your ultimate goal?

Now that you have answered these two questions, do the following:

Get a blank piece of paper, pick up your pen, take a deep breath, count from one to three, and then start writing down all the things that you must do in order to achieve your vision. Continue to write without stopping for the next three minutes.

Done? Good.

Now take a look at your list. What you are looking at is a list of the important things that you must do in order to achieve your vision. And what you must do now is to do exactly what you listed in your priority list. Make sure you do not move on to the second item if the first one has not yet been acted upon.

You may be amazed at how much you may have to change in order to follow the list that you have drafted for yourself. You will be amazed that, while you have always known what would make you successful, how little you actually put these things into practice in your daily life.

However, if all the things on your list are the exact things that you do on a daily basis, I offer you my sincerest congratulations! I am very sure that you are already a very successful person, or at least satisfied with your current level of achievement.

By now you should understand why you are as successful as you are or why you are not as successful as you could have been. Success is not something complex. Do not complicate it. If you simply practice and follow what I taught you in this article, I can assure you - your success will be imminent.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Women of Today

2010-08-30T03:29:00.000-07:00

Women of today are busy people. In fact, many are extremely so.

It used to be that the sole role women played for hundreds, if not thousands, of years was that of the homemaker. They were humbly known as housewives.

'Housewife' is a demeaning term. If you are a 'housewife' it means you: (1) belong only to the house, and (2) are someone else's property (a wife).

To make things worse, housewives were usually deemed the least productive members of the labour hierarchy. Because it was not easy to quantify productivity of something so non-monetary in economic terms, housewives had always been a deprived and under-recognised segment of society.

Having said all that, however, these housewives decades ago were the lucky ones as they were only required to stay home and fulfil the 3C's - Cooking, Cleaning and Caring for the husband and children.

However, today, the world is changing and women are now playing a much more significant role in the productive labour force. It is now a norm to have both the husband and the wife working hard to provide for the family, something which used to be a chauvinistic responsibility.

With more women than men enrolled at institutions of higher learning throughout the world, and more and more women taking top jobs in multinational organisations and governments, it is now clear that the world is experiencing a great power shift - one that is moving gradually from a male-centric society to a more balanced male-female partnership model, or even a female dominant society eventually.

In my honest opinion, women are superior to men in many ways.

There are some virtues in women that are not always found in men; qualities such as perseverance, patience, focus and loyalty (in relative term).

Motherhood is a great training and testing ground for perseverance. The pain and suffering women must go through in the process of child bearing can never be fully understood by men (unless we get an opportunity to experience motherhood ourselves personally, which, unfortunately, is unlikely to happen).

Motherhood develops strength and unleashes the infinite potential in women, for without these qualities it is not easy pull through the process in its entirety.

Child delivery has been described as the most physically painful experience one will ever experience. This develops tolerance for pain in women that men can only envy.

Child rearing requires a tremendous amount of love and patience, and love and patience are the two most important qualities you must have in order to build cohesive teams. Having a cohesive team means half of your corporate battle is won.

Women are somehow much more able to concentrate on the things they pursue. This quality of focus is somehow slightly more difficult to find in men. While many men have demonstrated their ability to stay focused on one thing for a very long time, biologically and genetically women are built much more so for this purpose.

As a result of being more able to stay focused, more women graduate with tertiary qualification than men. And the ability to concentrate forges their ability to manage things in a microscopic manner. Attention to detail is an essential success element which many men, not all of course, lack.

Last but not least, loyalty seems to be another area which women excel in better than their male counterparts.

The fact that men have been given special privileges over the centuries is the reason why many of them feel that by merely being men they deserve special rights - amongst them the right to be disloyal, particularly in the marital sense.

Polygamy is a practice which existed for thousands of years, even within the Chinese context. It was supposedly acceptable for men to marry a few wives, but it was not okay for a woman to marry a few husbands. Of course I know there are reasons why this was or is still so, but this is not an area of discussion within in this article.

There is, however, a blessing in disguise in what the women had to go through historically. It has developed a stronger sense of loyalty to the entity they serve or belong to, be it their spouse, family or organisation.

This stronger sense of loyalty is a virtue that is treasured in the corporate world today, for loyalty forges trust, and trust - in turn - forges leadership.

It is little wonder why women of today are becoming more and more successful, and in many instances, much more so than their male counterparts.

To all the men out there - this is your wake up call, mate!

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Success Habits

2010-08-25T21:36:00.000-07:00

We are all beings of habits. How we live and what we do everyday are shaped by certain habits that are formed over the years.

Most successful people are successful not because they have extraordinary luck or work extraordinarily hard, but because they have extraordinary success habits.

On the other hand, many of those who have failed did so, not because they did not try hard enough, but because they had not developed a 'way of life' that would constantly steer them towards the direction of success, i.e. they were not equipped with 'success habits'.

Success Habits is an important concept for serious pursuers of success. It is important because without it, it is extremely difficult to go far in life.

'Why is it so?' You may ask.

The answer is that your ultimate success is usually a result of your consistency in life.

Success is not likely to happen overnight unless, of course, one strikes the lottery or receives a surprise inheritance from a long-lost millionaire uncle who happened to have no children.

Since the probability of one of the above mentioned events happening in real life is extremely low, you must not depend on it. Rather, you must depend on yourself to make it happen. And to make it happen, you cannot merely just 'do the things right' but also 'do the right things'.

In short, you must always 'do the right things right'!

But how can we always do the right things right? The only way for this to happen is if our brain is programmed in such a way that without having to always consciously remind ourselves, we simply will go about doing these 'rights things right’ unknowingly. It, therefore, needs to become habitual!

Anything that is not you or part of your system cannot last. The only things that will last are things you do as a habit or things that you love to do.

Say, for example, you do not like to study but you understand the importance of achieving good results. So you study hard. However, since intrinsically you do not like studying, it is unlikely that you will do so if there is no exam pressure. You will surely study very hard when an important exam is around the corner, but right after that, you will throw all your books away and party day and night until another exam comes again.

And yes, you can still do well academically and achieve good results, but you are unlikely to be a top-notch student. Top-notch students are those who love studying and have developed a habit for reading, learning and excelling. These top guns do not study for exams, they study because this is a habit of theirs - they merely do what they love to do and want to do, without having to constantly remind themselves to do it for better results.

When something is programmed in your brain, it becomes intrinsic. This means that whatever you do comes from your heart, without external forces. This is what we call Success Habits, and it is the most powerful type of success quality one can possibly possess.

Those who force it upon themselves to do the 'right things right' will find it impossible to follow through and achieve 100% consistency. In fact, you are considered fantastic if you are able to achieve 80% consistency.

Since the degree of one's success is a result of how consistently one can do the right things right, the one who achieves 100% consistency will achieve 100% success, and the one who achieves 80% will likely be only 80% successful.

Therefore, do not depend on luck; depend on Success Habits.

Make ‘doing all the right things’ such as working hard, thinking strategically, being passionate and positive, reading substantially, planning meticulously, speaking politely, treating people with sincerity and respect, asking questions, looking for solutions, learning and observing as habitual for you as the many other simple acts such as brushing your teeth in the morning, saying a prayer before you eat, combing your hair before you walk out of your house, and looking left and right before you cross a street.

Your habits in life will make or break you, so try your level best to weed out all of your bad habits and strengthen the good ones.

You will become much more successful in whatever you do before you know it.

So try it out and be amazed!

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

The Action-packed Procrastinators

2010-08-22T06:52:00.000-07:00

One of the biggest evils that often results in either personal or organisational failure is procrastination.

So many people lead a life deprived of achievements and recognition that they might have had if only they had not been haunted by the ghost of procrastination.

If you observe highly successful people in action, you will notice one thing - these guys are action packed and they achieve amazing accomplishments at lightning speed.

The one thing which is unlikely to be detected in these guys is procrastination.

Indeed, no procrastinators can ever achieve phenomenal success. They never will be, and nor are they ever meant to. If any of them ever should become successful, then it is likely to be by accident – that is, an act of God, rather than the act of man.

"But Erican Chong,” you may argue, “some people are slow moving and slow talking, but yet they are successful!"

Hark! Let us not be confused by 'slow moving' and 'slow acting'.

Some guys seem slow alright. They walk slowly and talk slowly but they act fast. The effectiveness of a person should not be measured the speed of his physical movement but by the speed of his execution and achievements.

Do not be fooled by the apparent physical slowness of some people. Some of these fellows can be the most effective and highest-achieving people around. The most effective people may not always be the fastest in moving or talking, but they are always the fastest in THINKING.

Stephen Hawking cannot move very fast; in fact, he cannot move at all. He has been confined to a wheelchair due to a lifelong battle with Lou Gehrig's disease. He is unable to move any part of his body except his facial muscles now, which he uses to control computer input for a voice synthesizer.

Despite the extreme physical challenges Stephen Hawking faces, he is one of the most productive and efficient men alive. Though it takes him many painful hours to get just a simple message across, the inner mind of this great man never rests; rather, it is constantly working at a frenzy pace, theorising, analysing, deducing and discovering.

So do not be misled by an external lack of action. What is important is what goes on inside of our brains.

A prudent and well thought-out idea, once properly executed, may seem overly slow or drawn-out, but it is far more efficient than a half-baked idea which has been hastily or haphazardly executed.

A well thought-out or planned idea always saves time. After all, since it is more likely to be successful, less re-work is involved and hence less time is wasted. A hasty or badly planned idea is unproductive because an untold number of corrections may need to be made along the way.

Some people seem 'action-packed' - they talk fast, walk fast, and do everything fast. However, these seemingly highly productive people may be some of the biggest procrastinators around. They are what I call the ‘Action-packed Procrastinators’.

"Hey, how can one move fast, and yet procrastinate?" You may wonder.

It is very possible. There are two different types of such procrastinators and I call them the Type X & Type Y Action-packed Procrastinators.

Type X Action-packed Procrastinators:

These people move fast; in fact, they move 'too fast'. They do not think carefully, plan properly, or exhaust all possibilities before they act. They implement 'half-baked' ideas in a haphazard manner. When they finally do realise that their ideas will not work due to the many weaknesses and 'holes' in their premature concept, it is usually too late or too costly to fix.

While these guys may feel that they are highly effective, they are actually worse than the real procrastinators. Real procrastinators are simply slow to act and therefore do not achieve; these Type X Procrastinators may incur tremendous financial or opportunity costs in their misguided efforts.

Type Y Action-packed Procrastinators:

These people move fast - they talk fast, walk fast and do everything fast. However, they do not have the patience to get anything done 100%. Due to their hyperactivity, they usually move on to the next thing before the previous thing they were working on was able to be completed.

So these guys work tirelessly, pursuing one goal after another. Unfortunately, however, they simply move on and on, without ever having properly completed anything. Because of this, they can never claim ownership of a successful project or venture.

These guys are stupid; they go round and round the mulberry bush, much like a hamster on a wheel. They think they are working very hard, but without any clear sense of direction, what is the point in them moving so fast?

In fact, if you are moving in the wrong direction, the faster you move the more damage will be done.

So put on your thinking cap and plan properly before you embark on anything. Be an action-packed achiever and say 'NO' to action-packed procrastination.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Acquaintances, Friends and Buddies

2010-08-18T20:19:00.000-07:00

'Friends' is actually a generic term; it refers to 'all the people one knows'. This is, of course, an overly simplified definition.

There are actually different levels of friendship. The people that you know can be categorised into three different groups:

1. Acquaintances
2. Friends
3. Buddies

This is the natural progression of friendship development. Since nobody has unlimited amount of time for socialising, it is highly unlikely that anyone can develop friendships indiscriminately.

When you’re just starting out and your circle is still small, you are likely to want to make friends with anybody and everybody that you chance into. Your sole objective at this time would be to simply expand your social contacts.

However, as you grow and become more established, you realise that you need to be more selective about your friends and friendships. You must first decide what type of social circle you want to build, as this determines the kinds of friends you should have.

A friendship always begins with getting acquainted with someone somewhere, such as at a social function, at the workplace, in a bus, on a flight, in school, etc.

Each person you were introduced started off as an acquaintance, and the majority may remain as mere acquaintances.

Your 'social tentacles' are usually hard at work each time you meet someone, whether you know it or not. The minute you shake hands with a person, an impression is formed and you will develop a like or dislike for that individual.

You may be amazed to learn that you are not exactly the fair person you think you are. Most people aren’t. There will be some people that you are naturally able to 'click' with, while there will be some that you may talk to, but it is merely all superficial friendliness. There may even be a few people that you do not wish to ever see again, even though you can’t explain why you feel that way at all.

This is your subconscious mind at work, a higher - yet usually dormant - form of intelligence that you are equipped with. We call this our 'instinct' and it can be quite accurate.

The Pureto Principal usually applies in the process of friendship development - 80% of the people you meet for the first time will be mere acquaintances; these are the people you will nod to or shake hands with politely when you bump into one another again, but that will be it.

Some people claim that they 'know’ a lot of people, but what they really mean is that they have been ‘acquainted’ with a lot of people. This means that most of these people they only know superficially.

Having acquaintances is good, but it is not always good enough. Acquaintances offer breadth but not depth.

To gain depth you need to take an acquaintance to the next level - you need to develop a friendship with someone your 'social tentacle' labels as 'potential friend'.

But nothing will happen and no friendships will develop if you do not take the initiative and reach out to these people.

Friendships can be developed in two different ways - either naturally or intentionally.

Some people will naturally become your friends. You guys are 'on the same wavelength', so to speak. Everything feels right - you have common interests, cultural background, mutual friends, hobbies, life goals, etc.

But if you depend on things to happen naturally then you will have very few friends. A lot of people are like this - they only have a few friends in life.

The type of work you do should determine the size of your required social circle. If you are doing mostly creative and mental work that takes a lot of focus and concentration, you may not need many friends. In fact, having many friends may become a hindrance. Socialising does eat into the time you need for deep thinking and solidarity which is usually required by this type of work.

However, if you are in business or doing sales and marketing, the friends and friendships you possess will have a direct and defining impact on your success or failure. Usually the more friends you have, the better you will do in life. Having more friends means having more possibilities - they can be your potential customers, partners or advisors.

Being ‘friends’ means that a certain level of trust has been built. With trust, many good things can happen. After all, isn't business always built on trust and confidence?

However, being 'merely friends' is not the highest level that a friendship can reach. Some friends become very close to us, so close that we fondly call them 'buddies'.

Buddies are people who will do anything for you and you will do anything for them. Though they are not related to you by blood, they may care about you more than your own siblings do.

It is important for us to have buddies in life but we need to be even more careful in our selection of them. These are the people who will not only define who we are; they may even change our life's destiny.

In true 'buddy hood' there is a lot of sharing. Therefore, our buddies can make or break us!

A buddy who is the richest man in town may help you to become the second richest in town, but a drug-lord buddy can also get you into doing something that may cost you your life or freedom.

If peer pressure exists amongst mere friends, imagine that among buddies. So be highly selective of these people whom you will share your life with.

Do not be content to stay as mere acquaintances with people you know are worthy to become friends. Build those relationships up and make them your friends.

But do not just stay as merely friends either. Nurture friendships; take them to the highest level and turn them into true buddies.

And depending on whom your buddies are… your life may never be the same ever again.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Friends and Friendships

2010-08-15T00:51:00.000-07:00

The most Earth shaking news in Malaysia after the World Cup this year was not Anwar's sodomy trial, nor was it the withdrawal of subsidies on sugar and fuel. Rather, the whole country zoomed in on one 28 year old Chinese Malaysian extraordinaire, Taek Jho Low, who was spotted partying with the world's most famous and fun-loving girls, Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, and the like.

When the photos of Taek Jho and his elite friends got out, international media hyped up the news and paparazzi chased after these people like crazy. Taek Jho became an instant celebrity. His boyish charm enchanted and captured the imagination of millions, especially those of Malaysians, both young and old.

Let's not discuss the morality of the extravagant lifestyle of the rich and famous, or whether partying on private yachts and drinking expensive wine is right. What I want to do is to talk about is the importance of friends and friendships in the journey of our quest for success.

There is a popular Chinese saying that goes like this: "While at home, depend on parents. While away, depend on friends."

Our friends do play a significant role in our lives. They impact not only the quality of our lives, but our overall success or failure as well. It has been said that “Friends are the family that we choose for ourselves.”

As humans we need friends. It is not just a nice thing to have friends, it is essential that we do. These people we call 'friends' are not just people who help us to fulfil our social needs and bring happiness to our lives, they serve a much larger long-term purpose.

There is another famous Chinese saying that goes literally like this: "If you are near a cinnabar, you will become red. If you are near the ink, you will become black."

What this proverb means is that the people you mingle with and call 'friends' are some of the most important people in your life. They will collectively define the kind of person you shall become. You may find this an exaggeration but it is absolutely true.

YOU are indeed who you are as a result of WHO you are with.

If you want to be a good-hearted person, you must surround yourself with good-hearted people. If all your friends are bad-hearted, you will find it impossible to practise your 'good-heartedness'.

For example, if the good deed of your helping an old man to cross the street or giving up your seat to a pregnant woman in the bus is ever 'leaked out' to your bad-hearted social circle, you will immediately be a social outcast. Your acts of kindness will be deemed 'socially unacceptable'.

In life, if you do not conform to the 'social norms', whatever they may be, you will soon find yourself marginalised as you will be unable to fit in.

Let's look at another example. Let’s say you are trying to achieve academic excellence but none of your friends cares about that. All they want to do is to hang around and have a good time. Every time they find out that you actually went to the library or studied at home, they laugh and label you as a 'kiasu bookworm' - the most socially uncool outcast in Lazyland.

How are you ever going to feel motivated if you continue to associate yourself with these lazy buggers?

On the other hand, let's picture this:

You are a good-hearted person and you befriend a group of equally good-hearted people. Due to this common interest, you guys often talk about how you could do more charity work and help more people, something which is very dear to all of your hearts.

When words get out that you helped an elderly man to cross the street or gave up your seat to a pregnant woman, you receive nothing but genuine praise and recognition from these friends of yours, who wish to do the same thing themselves.

Or taking the other example, you aspire to excel academically and you happen to be in a circle of 'academic elites'. These serious and hard working students take their schoolwork very seriously. You guys spend most of your time studying in the library or discussing project assignments after school. Everybody in this 'gang' has a vision of entering the best universities in the world such as Harvard, Yale, Oxford, etc.

Imagine if you are always with friends like these, will you not become one of them?

So you need to choose the right people to be your friends. Taek Jho Low studied in Harrow School, one of the most prestigious private schools in the UK, and subsequently attended one of the best business schools in the US, The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.

The morality of their extravagance and living a life of excess aside, the simple fact is that Taek Jho Loh did go from 'Malaysian Class' to 'World Class' because he associated himself with ‘World Class’ people.

So think about who you want to become and choose your friends carefully. And understand that while you observe and choose, you are also being observed and chosen.

But if you are serious about achieving success in life, you must be more selective about friends than the 'average' people who may not have such a grandiose vision as yours.

No, you do not have to do what Taek Jho Low does or live the high life that he lives. However, you do need to consciously choose to be friends with people who have a positive and winning attitude. And you must distance yourself from those who are negative and think like losers.

So anybody wants to be my friend?

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

The Most Important Moment

2010-08-12T00:43:00.000-07:00

Do you know what the most important moment in your life is?

Was it when you obtained those straight A's in your public exam a few years ago? Or when you got that unexpected promotion or won the Best Achievement Award? Or will it be when you finally walk down the aisle and marry that special person that you have always loved? Or could it be something memorable, like buying your first car, your first house or your first boat?

If you answered 'yes' to any of these, I would humbly beg to differ.

To be honest, the most important moment in your entire life is actually happening right now - with you reading this "Musings with Erican Chong" blog article entitled "The Most Important Moment".

Yes, this very moment is the most important one of your entire life. For no matter what happened yesterday or last year, it has already happened and it will never come back. These past incidents, no matter how glorious, indignified, joyous or sorrowful they may have been, they are just memories now and shall never return.

And moving on to the future, things which may likely (or hopefully) happen tomorrow or next year will not happen any sooner, no matter how much you keep thinking about them. These future incidents, no matter how fearful, exciting, frightening or sad, will happen when they happen and cannot be avoided or skipped.

So why worry about things that have already happened and that you cannot change or bring back? Why worry about things that will happen no matter how much you want or do not want them to happen?

But this particular moment, this very instant that you are reading this article entitled "The Most Important Moment", an act and an article that you think is insignificant, is indeed the most important moment in your life right now.

Why? That's simply because 'this' is the only time period in your life that you can do something about, and 'this' is the only time in your life that you can change.

Since the present is the most important moment in your life, make sure that you live it to the fullest. Make sure that every waking moment becomes the moment that is most exciting, most meaningful, most enjoyable, most effective, most inspiring, and most valued in your entire life.

Is our life not an accumulation of all the millions of present moments added together? Imagine if we always treasure each of the present moments we have and make the best of them! Would our lives be dull, uninteresting or regretful?

So respect every present moment that you have. These present moments will soon pass and become part of our memory. Future moments will soon arrive and will hence form what we call the present.

DO NOT waste a second of your precious present moments doing something meaningless, useless or insignificant.

We are created by God to add value and meaning to this world. Do not go against this law of nature by engaging in the art of nothingness.

I am sure if you savour each and every moment of your life, be it when you are up or down, happy or sad, rich or poor, you will experience a life so full that it leaves you with few if any regrets.

If you are still with me, close your eyes and think about what I have just said. I hope you will fully understand the importance of the Present.

Now, take this moment....and start living!

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Do What Einstein Would...

2010-08-08T05:03:00.000-07:00

Curiosity is a very important part of human nature. The modern lifestyle that we enjoy today is as a result of the countless questions that our ancestors asked and were answered over the centuries.

If there was no curiosity, there would be no questions. Curiosity is indeed the mother of innovation. And, questions manifest curiosity.

If you ever feel embarrassed because you always seem to have a lot of questions in your head or worry about bothering people by asking too many questions, stop feeling so. On the contrary, you are doing exactly the right thing. A person not ashamed to ask questions is a person who will grow, rather than one who stagnates.

This world is a quickly changing one. If anyone out there believes he has already understood everything there is to understand, then he is either a rare genius or a complete fool.

If you never engage in thinking, of course, you will never have any questions. The more you think, the more you will find things that you do not understand, and therefore the more questions you will have.

One of the consistent traits of great men and women throughout history is curiosity. Louis Pasteur, Madame Curie, Thomas Edison - none of these people made it to the hall of fame without possessing an intense curiosity.

Albert Einstein is perhaps one of the most famous for his great curiosity. He asked countless questions everyday, to others and especially to himself.

In his famous letter to Otto Juliusburger, Einstein wrote: "People like you and I, though mortal of course like everyone else, do not grow old no matter how long we live...[We] never cease to stand like curious children before the great mystery into which we were born."

When Einstein was interviewed about his secrets of success, he said, "I have no special talents. I am only passionately curious."

He also added, "The important thing is not to stop questioning. Curiosity has its own reason for existing."

Many adults find it difficult to ask questions as doing so requires tremendous humility. They feel that if they ask questions they are exposing their weaknesses and might be placed in a vulnerable spot. These people, therefore, pretend that they know everything. When people talk about something unfamiliar to them, they will just nod their heads and smile, as if they know exactly what is being discussed.

These people are fools. Little did they know that by being reluctant to ask questions, they are sinking deeper and deeper into the sea of ignorance. The more successful their pretence becomes, the more difficult they find getting out of the mud. In order to not reveal their true identity of naivety, there is nothing they can do but to use another lie to cover the first lie.

These people are doomed. They will never be able to change the inevitable fate that awaits them - to eventually become absolutely irrelevant.

To those who are students - Do not ever be afraid to raise your hand and ask questions in class when you need further explanation. If your teacher is ever unhappy because you 'ask too many questions', do not be discouraged. Not all teachers are right. As long as you do so in good faith and all the questions you ask are intelligent, you will have done your job as a student. Never turn into a quiet student and join the silent majority.

To those who are parents - If you find your child constantly 'disturbing' you with lots of why's and how's, do not be upset; rather be very, very happy about it. This inquisitive child of yours may turn out to be an outstanding person.

To those who are teachers - If your students ask questions in class, do not ever feel that this is a sign of disrespect. In fact, pay particular attention to these ‘troublemakers’. They are most likely the only ones who are genuinely interested in your class and the subject matter.

So do not ever stop asking questions. Be like Einstein - ask your way to success!

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

The Winners in Life

2010-08-04T23:12:00.000-07:00

Alan Lim and I share a few laughs and thoughts together.

I have been fortunate to be involved in a very meaningful industry - education and training. The kind of work we do is of tremendous value to society and transforms lives. This belief keeps me going strong after having been an educator for twenty years.

A few days ago I attended a dinner function, the CEO’s Night, organised by the Malaysian Retail Chain Association, of which Erican has been a member of for many years. The special guest speaker for that night was none other than the incredible and charismatic founder of Air Asia, Dato Seri Tony Fernandes. But it is not he that I want to talk about here. Rather, I wish to write about someone else; someone who touched me deeply that night with his success story.

I had arrived at One World Hotel early that evening so that I could catch up with old friends and meet some new acquaintances.

While I was busily mingling with friends, I was introduced to a man from Termeloh, a man who was described as 'the most successful local property developer', Alan Lim.

Alan shook my hand enthusiastically and thanked me profusely for changing his life and the lives of many others.

When I asked him what he meant, Alan sipped his wine, cleared his throat, and told me his story.

"I was brought up in a very poor family. I worked as a petty trader in the night market and I could not speak a word of English. And you know, Eric, without English I found myself trapped in a very small world; it was difficult for me to reach out and do better things."

"One day, I attended a seminar that changed my life. And you know what? It was a motivational seminar you conducted in Mentakab. I remember that you did not just speak that night; you even sang and danced!" He winked at me.

I was a bit embarrassed about that 'song and dance' bit. When I was younger, I did indeed compose a song entitled 'Let's Learn Good English'. It was the one and only song I have ever composed in my entire life, and the only one I ever will do.

I would do anything to encourage Malaysians to take up the learning of English as I firmly believed that the one thing that Malaysia as a country needed to take in order to move up to the next level was a massive English learning movement.

Yes, I would even sing and dance if that was what it would take to motivate the masses to take up the learning of this important language. That’s how much it mattered to me.

Alan continued to tell his story.

"You really got me fired up. When I heard you say it was never too late to learn English, I made that life changing decision." His eyes glowed as he said that.

As it turned out, Alan could not speak a word of English at all then. Unlike many others, however, he did not just sit around and feel bad for himself; he took action. He signed up with Erican immediately and started learning English, one word at a time.

"Erican was a fantastic language learning centre. I improved really fast. After a while, I was able to communicate with people in simple English. That changed my life and lifted me out of my poverty. I found opportunities that had not been available to me before."

"I saved up some money and eventually got into property development. My life was never the same again - thanks to you." He spoke sincerely to me in decent English and shook my hands passionately yet again.

I was really touched by his story. I told him I would share his story on my blog as I was sure it would inspire others.

Alan is a winner in life. He has become a successful property developer in Termeloh despite all the odds that were piled up against him. He was given nothing to begin with - no proper education, no English, and no money.

Alan is, of course, not alone. There are many other winners in this game of Life out there who have moving stories of their own to tell - how they defied the conventional rules and achieved extraordinary success.

These rags to riches stories should not be treated like fairy tales - something that we simply listen to and forget. These stories are quite real and much can be learned from them. They can be a great source of inspiration for all.

To all the winners out there - I salute you!

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Erican Receives National Mark of Malaysian Brand

2010-08-01T23:18:00.001-07:00

Erican Chong receives National Mark from HRH Raja Nazrin Shah

Since the founding of the first Erican Language Centre 20 years ago, Erican has been at the forefront of the promotion of English language learning, whilst faithfully serving the needs of the local community.

I have been very fortunate indeed to have been blessed with a team of great people - loyal and dedicated colleagues whom I passionately call "Ericanites". They have stuck with me through thick and thin, ups and downs, over the last two decades. The oldest serving Centre Manager of Erican, Sally Teh, has been with me for the past 18 years, while the more 'junior' Mr Tan Ban King is at least 10 years into his service.

These Erican champions ensure that we stay on top of our game – they ensure that all language programmes offered meet the stringent international standards of the University of Cambridge ESOL and that effective learning experiences and promised academic outcomes are always delivered.

The hard work and absolute commitment of these great Erican champions, the Ericanites, has paid off handsomely. Over the years, more than 150,000 individuals have depended on Erican to help them to achieve their desired language proficiency. I am proud to say, as the leader of this small yet dynamic organisation, that we have always done our very best to ensure a wonderful learning experience and to see our customers through.

In recent years, Erican has been a 'frequent' recipient of awards and accolades. From the "Golden Bull Award" to the "100 Outstanding SMEs Award" and "MRCA-8TV Entrepreneur of the Year Award", Erican is honoured and blessed to have been nominated and, in many cases, received these great awards. While I, as the founder and the managing director of this organisation, am proud of what we have achieved, I am also humbled by the recognition society has given us. In order to live up to the expectation of these prestigious awards, I pledge to work doubly hard to ensure that we continue to add value to society.

On 15th July, Erican received one particular award that made me especially proud - the National Mark of Malaysian Brand, a quality certification awarded jointly by SME Corp Malaysia and SIRIM. What made me even more proud was that Erican was among the first batch of 14 companies recommended for this certification, which is of the highest standards. The certification is based upon the following criteria: financial performance, management capability, organisational strength, future outlook, and international competitiveness.

His Royal Highness Raja Nazrin Shah, the Regent of Perak, was the Guest of Honour who presented the award to these first fourteen privileged recipients. It was a most uplifting moment for me when I received this incredible honour. Being the eighth company certified in the whole of Malaysia, I quietly vowed to myself: "I must work harder and must never let down those who have supported me tremendously - my employees, my customers and my country."

Thank you all, once again, for all of your support. With the blessings you have bestowed upon us, I am sure Erican will do even better, run even faster and soar even higher in the many years to come.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

It's Never Too Late!

2010-07-30T00:49:00.000-07:00

Erican Chong meets young Malaysian bloggers over lunch

I just attended a two-day conference - to wit, the "Asian Bloggers and Social Media Conference 2010" which was organised by 'My Events International'. 'My Events' is a brilliant trend-setting organisation led by a very good friend of mine and prolific up-and-coming entrepreneur, Mr Shahul Hameed Dawood.

I must say, it was an excellent conference; my sole response can only be described as ‘simply overwhelmed’. Hundreds of bloggers gathered together (many for the first time ever) in one central location to explore the stunning frontiers of the bloggersphere. To a fresh ‘blogger’ like I, there was simply so much to learn and so many gurus to learn from.

I cannot deny that I found this bloggersphere to be a much different world from the conventional one that I knew. Although I was likely much older than the vast majority of the seasoned participants, I felt like a mere child exploring this exciting new universe, my mind tingling with absolute curiosity and fascination.

The model of modern communication is changing at a breakneck speed. Relationships used to be built solely upon the good old fashioned model of socialising - you get out there, mingle with people face-to-face, talk over lunch, dinner or a drink, and via these methods, get to know people and establish a rapport with them.

However, we are now witnessing a large number of 'highly sociable introverts'. These people are able to predominantly stay in their homes and yet still enjoy a fantastic social life. They are able to meet hundreds if not thousands of friends, people they may or may not have met face-to-face before, all within the confines of their own small four walls.

Can you imagine any other time period where this would have been at all possible? No way!

I actually began to feel alarmed by these startling development some three years ago. I could feel, deep inside, that I was missing out on something, times had changed - and were leaving many of us behind. My 'old school' way of socialising did not seem to be as effective or as exhaustive as it used to be. I knew deep down what was making me feel this way - it was the power of the virtual community.

I didn't react right away - I thought it best to 'wait' and 'observe' first, secretly hoping that this new way of life would just be a fad and go away eventually.

But I realised it was not going away. On the contrary, it was spreading farther and wider and penetrating deeper and deeper into the lives and homes of millions.

I am a firm believer in the saying, "If you can't beat them, join 'em."

Any change process involves the following steps: awareness, resistance, acceptance, embracing.

After 'resisting' change and holding on to my 'old school beliefs' steadfastly for years, I was finally yielding to the stark reality. I decided to not only accept this change but to jump in and embrace this new world, absolutely and unreservedly.

Amongst the first things I did was to start this blog, a place where I can communicate my thoughts with people in a ubiquitous manner.

I must state that I have truly felt liberated through the writing of the articles for this blog. My new role as a 'blogger' has given me a new lease on creativity and writing, a new passion as it were.

I have also picked up an Idiot Guide on Facebook and Twitter. I questioned every young person I ran into about how they would use these tools to maximise their social contacts and online influence. I am amazed how much I can learn from these tech savvy young people. And the more I find out about this world, the more I find myself hopelessly in love with it.

I admit, perhaps this was not love at first sight, but in life it is never too late to learn or too late to change.

We must all accept this - If you refuse to learn something new, the world will just pass you by. Never think that this world owes you a living. It was here before you came, and trust me, it will be here after you go. Life will go on, with or without you.

It is never too late to learn, my friends! Be it acquiring a new language, picking up computer skills, or completing your tertiary education. If a lack of some area of learning has held you back until now, then NOW is the time to correct that!

But this is the clincher - If you do NOT do it now, you will regret your non-action for the rest of your life. However, if you step up to the plate now and make that swing, I know you will thank me for it in the not too distant future.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

YB Chua Tee Yong

2010-07-27T01:46:00.000-07:00

The young and dynamic YB Chua Tee Yong

I was recently invited to a dinner hosted by the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, YB Gan Ping Sieu. It was intended to be a function where the Chinese Youth leaders could take part in open dialogue with YB Gan himself.

I arrived slightly late that night, giving the usual Klang Valley excuse of 'traffic jam'. However, after I had settled in, I noticed a quiet gentleman sitting at a table busily writing on a notepad.

I immediately recognised him as the eldest son of MCA President, Dato Seri Chua Soi Lek, the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Agriculture, YB Chua Tee Yong.

I have not been active in politics for many years now, but I used to be quite involved in the MCA Youth about a decade ago. I quit politics when I realised I was more passionate in the pursuit of educating young people than in the pursuit of endless political maneuvering.

But, that's enough about me and my 'political background' - Back to Tee Yong.

Since I had always been sceptical about the emergence of Tee Yong and his 'sudden rise' in politics, I took this opportunity to scrutinise him thoroughly. I studied him carefully whilst he was preoccupied with himself, blissfully unaware of the intense observation by a stranger seated two seats away.

I quietly watched him in action.

After writing on his notepad for a while, he was suddenly approached by a group of young people. He soon became engrossed in conversing with them in Chinese.

"Hmm... his Mandarin is not poor," I thought to myself.

Seconds later his mobile rang. He apologised to them (I thought "And, not a bad mannered young man either.") and then took the call. The young people walked away and let him concentrate on a seemingly important call.

He finished the call, put the mobile on the table and looked around. It was then that he noticed that I was watching him intensely.

I walked over, introduced myself briefly, and then sat back down in my chair and continued to observe him in action.

He next struck up a conversation with Dato Ang Lai Hee, a veteran Chinese youth leader and a highly visible businessman. They were soon engrossed in a discussion of swiftlet farming.

Their conversation was interrupted, however. The dialogue session started and Tee Yong was invited to speak. Having not met him prior to today's encounter, I decidedly wanted to rate him as a politician.

"He is quite good in public speaking," I thought to myself, only seconds after he started his speech. It usually does not take me more than five seconds of observation to tell if someone is a good public speaker or not.

No, he was not the charismatic type, nor did he possess the oratory prowess of Khairy Jamaluddin. What he DID have though, was this accountant-like calm and a great sense of organisation.

He took his time to talk about his priorities as one who was newly appointed to the job and what he had already done in his capacity as the Deputy Minister of Agriculture. He counted some of the inefficiencies in the current system and suggested ways of overcoming them. He cited statistics and numbers confidently. The grasp for numbers is the one area I usually look into when I rate someone, particularly one in the field of politics.

I must say that Tee Yong passed my tests with flying colours. Little did I expect this young man to be so on top of his job.

I found myself murmuring, "It is true that Tee Yong the politician is as a result of circumstances, but this man will go rather far on his own. He has indeed inherited the necessary political qualities from his old man..."

I left before the function ended, as he and YB Gan Ping Sieu were both swamped by the Chinese youth leaders for one photography session after another.

However, I am extremely glad to see these two newly emerging MCA politicians, Ping Sieu and Tee Yong, taking centre stage. They are passionate young leaders who wish to contribute toward nation building.

Though it is usually a tough road ahead for any aspiring politicians, I wish them both well and hope to see them work sincerely to better our country.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”

- Erican Chong

Creativity - Your Split Second Advantage

2010-07-24T22:14:00.000-07:00

Erican Chong sharing a stage with Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing

Recently, a man who I consider my mentor and one that I greatly respect, Professor Emeritus Tan Sri Dato Sri Dr Lim Kok Wing, won an award of significant meaning and impact, the Father of Innovation in Creative Education, given by the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, Malaysia.

As a friend and admirer of this great man, I am very pleased at his many achievements in the field of higher education. Very few men in Malaysia, indeed, have won more prestigious awards and accolades than Tan Sri Lim himself.

Coming back to creativity. I must be honest with you - this is something that not everyone has the gift to do. Some people try all their lives to be creative but they remain the most boring and predictable entities on Earth.
And yet, while some do not appear to try very hard, their creative and artistic flair just seem to explode out naturally.

Now, I know some of you may be offended by my statement. Don't be too upset yet - allow me to explain.

Our brain is divided into the left hemisphere and the right hemisphere. We call these two sides our Left Brain and our Right Brain.

These two brains specialize in vastly different things and are, unfortunately, quite independent of one another.

The Left Brain is said to be one which controls our logical thinking, calculation, memorisation of facts, administrative ability, etc. If you want to be a top student in Asia, it is this side of your brain which must be highly developed, since the Asian concept of education is mainly rote learning and examination oriented.

The Right Brain, however, does something which the Asian education system does not test on and cares little about. It is about art, music, emotions, humour, aesthetics, wild ideas, etc.

Students who have a well-developed left brain are usually rewarded handsomely during their school days. They are the ones branded as "excellent", "top" or "straight-A's" students. Due to their excellent academic results, they usually enter the best universities and become professionals such as lawyers, doctors, engineers and accountants.

Their right-brain counterparts, on the other hand, are not so lucky. Though they excel in some areas, they sadly find that most of these areas have nothing to do with the exams. Some of them may be able to liven up classes tremendously by making their classmates laugh (and their teachers cry), but this ability is not an exam focus area and therefore it is not recognised as an asset. Some do fantastic graffiti and their reward is public caning rather than praises.

While the highly achieved "left-brainers" are of tremendous value to society and should therefore be rewarded with a "mainstream" social status, the "right-brainers" should not be ignored for their contributions either.

Imagine a world which consisted of only the left-brain people and totally without the right-brain ones. Yes, our lives would still go on but it will be extremely boring.

Don't worry - without the right-brain fashion designers, we would still have clothes to wear. The left-brain garment factories would still manufacture outfits to fit our exact shapes and sizes, providing protection for our body and keeping us sufficiently warm. However, all of us would likely look the same, in fact, boringly the same. Some of us might even look ridiculous as we carelessly dress ourselves in bizarre colours - bright green pants, a red shirt and a yellow tie.

Our world would be without music and entertainment. Nobody would know how to sing and dance or how to put a smile on other's faces.

We would not have movies to watch and abstract arts to appreciate. Our advertising would all be plain announcements and there would not be any funny commercials that would stick in our minds for years to come.

All buildings in the towns and cities would look the same; as they would have all been built to achieve one and only one objective - to provide shelter.

There would not be different brands of cars and several different models. In the world of the left-brainers, cars are cars are cars - as long they run, who cares how they look like. So every car would be the same; they would only be built to run smoothly and efficiently.

So you see, creativity is important, although it is a right brain function. Our world is a better place because not only do we have products that function well, they are also interesting to use and appeal to our senses.

To be creative you need to 'come out of the box' as some like to put it. Yes, while it is true that not everybody is born 'creative' and that without such gifts one will never be a top-notch creativity genius like Tan Sri Lim Kok Wing, everybody can pick up some creative skills through observation and also training.

If you can apply a bit more creativity to what you do, you will be amazed with the extraordinary results produced.

Remember, the champion of a 100 metre race is not the one who can run a few seconds faster than his peers, but the one who is able to, at a crucial moment, become a split second faster for just one short moment. Because of this split second difference, nobody remembers the runner-up, not to mention the one who comes in third.

Creativity will give you that split second advantage. So start engaging your right brain - use it, train it and never allow it to idle.

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits!”
- Erican Chong

Freedom

2010-07-22T10:14:00.000-07:00

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It is the desire of all people to be free. No man or woman wishes to be confined, restrained or bonded.

The desire to free from slavery the African Americans came to a full eruption during the Great American Civil War. This war, which lasted from 1861 to 1865, was fought between the Northern States, who wanted to maintain national unity, and the Southern States, who wished to break free of the Union.

While the war didn't exactly start over the freedom of the oppressed blacks, it certainly became one of the biggest impacts of that war. President Abraham Lincoln has gone down in American history as one of the greatest American Presidents to ever live as a result of his fight to free the Black slaves.

Nelson Mandela opposed apartheid in South Africa and was jailed for thirty years because of it. In order to set his people free, he spoke steadfastly in his devotion to the freedom of his people, even after he was sentenced to life imprisonment and tortured. He was a man who never backed down...no way, no how.

His personal sacrifices paid off. His beloved country, South Africa, finally broke free of apartheid and now the Blacks enjoy the same rights as their White counterparts. The South African society is now based on meritocracy – they can do anything, achieve any goal. All people can now freely contest in public office and even run for President in general election, regardless of race, colour or religion.

Martin Luther King Jr. led a massive movement against discrimination throughout the 60's. To achieve his ideal state of a free America, where there would be no discrimination or unfair treatment, he delivered one of the most impassioned and famous speeches ever made in the history of the world - "I Have a Dream". He has ever since remained as an icon and beacon of the great civil rights movement. His assassination and the assassination of Robert Kennedy soon after, has left a hole in the heart of the world that may never fully heal.

The quest for freedom has indeed inspired many people to do extraordinary things. As long as mankind has ever existed, the desire to be free has always been one of the greatest driving forces behind major events that changed and transformed the world. Even Malaysia has a proud history of its people banding together to fight against foreign insurgents who would take our freedom away. We won our freedom, but many brave Malaysians paid the ultimate price for us to have it.

And yet I would like to add this – while it is a noble cause to pursue freedom, particularly for the larger good, it is not good if our rights to freedom, especially that of our own personal freedom, are abused.

Young people, especially, must understand that this world is not just about freedom. While today we are indeed blessed with many human rights, these rights MUST be respected. Abusing or taking for granted these precious human rights can result in irreversible tragedy.

Yes, while you may have the freedom to not pursue quality education, you do so at your own peril. If you cannot compete as a result of the lack of knowledge and expertise, then who else is to blame?

Yes, if you do not mind the summonses, then you might claim the 'freedom' to continue driving at the top speed of 200km per hour on the expressway. However, there is no guarantee that you will live to see the next World Cup.

Yes, while you may choose not to study hard and do not mind failing every single subject, you will only have yourself to blame when you cannot enter the tertiary institution of your dreams, or indeed, any tertiary institution at all.

Freedom is a beautiful and elegant gem, but we must NEVER take it for granted. We must exercise restraint and control when it comes to our own personal freedom.

Self discipline and an understanding of the do's and don'ts will help us to enjoy a life of health and true freedom and make the sacrifices of those before us all worth while.

And one day...Yes...One day...I too dream that we WILL be able to stand together, and hold hands and sing in one voice, even if that be in different tongues, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty! We are free at last!"

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

The Colourful Personalities of the Brand Entrepreneurs Conference 2010

2010-07-19T22:09:00.001-07:00

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I was recently privileged with the honourable task of organising of the Brand Entrepreneurs Conference for 2010. This incredible event attracted the participation of 600 CEOs and entrepreneurs, which was an overwhelming response indeed. A total of twelve colourful corporate personalities, including my humble self, selflessly shared with the audience their experiences and strategies in branding.

And while they talked, all of the 600 participants listened attentively and busily jotted down notes. In some sessions you could hear a pin drop with all the silence, whilst in other sessions, the audiences would burst into laughter every now and then.

Allow me give a brief introduction to each speaker, in the order that they appeared on stage. Each of them has a sparkling personality. They were invited to speak at this conference because they were either brand icons themselves or highly successful creators and managers of brands.

1. Adj. Prof. Dato' Syed Amin Aljeffri

Dato Syed Amin Aljeffri is a very knowledgeable man. The first time I met him was at a private dinner hosted by a mutual friend. Dato Syed Amin struck me as a guy who knew almost everything. If you talk about business, he will blurt out amazing statistical figures. Even if you wanted to verify these figures' accuracy, it would probably take you a great deal of research to confirm what this man says. If you ask him about health, he will give you excellent 'doctorly' advice - what to do and what not to. And should you even dare touch on the topic of politics, he'll spend the next three hours analysing the political situation of not just Malaysia, but all of the ASEAN region and the world.

He knows everything. Period!

2. Mr Cheong Chia Chieh

CC Cheong is a very old friend of mine. Our friendship dates back 15 years when we were both much younger. We shared many common interests and a strong desire to succeed; and therefore, we became very close friends.

Cheong is a genius businessman who has a typical corporate raider's killer instinct. He has quite a legendary entrepreneurial story. He founded a successful IT company when he was in his early twenties, sold that off after a few years, joined a dot com company and served as the general manager, transformed the business model of that company and led a management buy out, formed an international media conglomerate that became public listed in London - all of this he did within a few short years!

Pretty incredible stuff, eh?

3. Dato' Nancy Yeoh

She is nicknamed the 'PR Queen' of Malaysian high society . She is synonymous with brands - high end brands. Being the President of STYLO, she is always at the forefront of high fashion.

She is truly an iron lady. Stylish and sophisticated, she captures the imagination of both men and women. Whenever she is around, the first thing you will hear is her laughter. About the only thing that does not exist with her presence is boredom.

The day before the conference, Dato Nancy was trapped in the Philippines by Typhoon Conson. All flights were either cancelled or delayed. What really earned my absolute respect was that when she gave us a promise, she honored her word. She arrived in Malaysia that very morning at 3am, quickly set off to attend an important meeting in Putrajaya at 9am and still made it on time to the Palace of the Golden Horses by 11am. And despite all her troubles, she came looking energetic, sharp and like a million bucks. When she took the stage, she blew everybody away with her wit and oratory prowess.

For this reason, and more, I jokingly describe her as one of the most "sexy, spicy & 'actsy'" conference moderators I have ever seen. Her confidence radiates whenever she talks; and her communication skills and linguistic ability put many English teachers, including myself, to shame.

4. Dato' Haji Ameer Ali Mydin

This seemingly simple looking man is someone who helms an enterprise which grosses a whopping RM1.5billion a year!

Underlying his facade of simplicity, Dato Mydin possesses the razor sharp tentacles, the likes of which is equal to the world's best discount king, Mr Sam Walton. I found eerie similarities between these two volume discount giants. When Dato Mydin spoke, I felt like I was listening to the great Sam Walton. According to Mydin's philosophy, why buy something at RM88 when you can get the same thing for RM8.80 at Mydin? So, you want to buy something with a difficult-to-pronounce name just so it sounds more branded? Sure, he'll give that to you too, but still at RM8.80.

Despite all of this business savviness though, it was his great sense of humour that moved the crowd the most.

5. Mr Michael Lai

Michael is one of the most dynamic professional CEOs I have ever seen. He has a great personality; yet, this man who always wears a big smile on his face, is the one who devises so many grand schemes and plans.

The elder brother of a good friend of mine, KK Lai, Michael is constantly on the move. He is someone who could turn around failing companies or start a business from scratch and put it on the world map in a very short period of time.

I am very proud of this friend of mine.

6. Dato' Sri Mohammed Shazalli Bin Ramli

This man is a CEO with a rock star image. Long haired, spectacled, straight talking in a coarse voice, a great sense of humour and a superb oratory ability. These are just a few of the things that come to mind when the name of this great man is mentioned.

There are very few men more charismatic than Dato Sri Shazalli. When he speaks, he draws attention from a crowd, no matter how large the audience may be, and keeps that crowd enraptured.

This is a man who can sell combs to the bald, toothbrush to the toothless, eye glasses to the vision perfect, wine to the non-drinking. he can virtually sell anything with his magical charm.

Under his splendid leadership, Celcom's revenue has been on the rise year after year and this trend does not seem to be slowing down anytime soon.

7. Dato' Meer Sadik Habib

Habib is a household name. Who can live in Malaysia and not know this name, which is synonymous with fine jewellery? Dato Meer Habib is the gentleman who carries this famous last name.

Dato Habib is one of the humblest multi-millionaires I have ever met. There is always a bright smile on his face. He makes it impossible for people not to like him as a friend.

One of the reasons why Meer is so successful is his commitment to serving in his industry and his ability of staying focused. They say perfection is as a result of repeated successes, done one after another. As a result of such intense focus, Dato Habib has become a world class 'fortune teller' in jewellery.

I remember he once told me that gold prices would go up and so he encouraged me to buy gold. At the time, I thought he was merely promoting his products. But what he said was true - gold prices just kept climbing higher and higher and higher. Now I know I must listen to Dato Habib very carefully, especially when he gives tips on gold, diamonds or any other precious metals and stones.

8. Dato' Nelson Kwok
This incredible man, dubbed 'God Father of JCI Malaysia' and the 'International Corn Man', is the man who broke the following myths:

- The kacang puteh business will forever remain kacang puteh size.
- Malaysian small & medium businesses are never going to be good enough to gain international respect.

Dato Nelson started a small corn stall 25 years ago and grew it 'one kernel at a time'. Today, Nelson's is a truly international concern with more than 800 stalls all over the world.

As the Deputy President of MRCA, this straight talking and stern looking man is a role model for all aspiring entrepreneurs who think they are too small and powerless.

When confronted with questions like 'How much do you make with 800 stalls?', 'Wow! If you make just ten Ringgit a day per stall you are making eight thousand per day!' etc, Dato Nelson will just smile a mysterious smile and sometimes winks, which seems to mean: 'Sorry, I'm not going to tell you that.'

9. Ms Winnie Loo

When you talk about hair - no, let me be more specific - when you talk about the latest hairstyling trends or the glamour and celebrities of the hair fashion industry, Winnie Loo is the name you will hear. People call her the Big Sister (or Tai Che Tai in Cantonese) of her industry. I simply call her the First Lady of Hair Fashion.

This not tall but determined-looking lady is constantly full of energy. When she talks about success in entrepreneurship, her eyes glow and she speaks passionately. In these moments, it's as if she is not the hairstylist genius, but a skilled motivational speaker.

Despite the iconic status she has achieved in her industry, Winnie is hands-on and continues to give personalised service to her VIP clients. Getting a haircut from Winnie means you need to do it her way - you make your appointment and you wait patiently for your turn.

10. Datuk Sheikh Muszaphar

This name is a household name; a Malaysian hero who got selected to go into space from a pool of thousands of applicants. The first time I met him, I said to myself, "Gosh! This is the most handsome astronaut I have ever seen in my life."

The Malaysian youth need role models. I fervently believe that Dato Muszaphar will be a positive influence for all young Malaysians. I believe he can inspire young Malaysians to dare to think big and think far. I hope he will use his success story to inspire young people to pursue greatness in whatever they do in life. Who says it is not possible for Malaysia to, someday, really get involved in creating space technology?

What was a small step for Datuk Sheikh Muszaphar when he stepped into the cabin of the rocket was a big step for Malaysia. I know it sounds old and over-used, but I still feel like saying: Malaysia Boleh!

11. Dato Lewre Lew

Dato Lew is the President of Branding Association of Malaysia and a very good friend of mine. He is a highly sociable person who knows almost half of all notable personalities in this large town.

Starting from nothing nearly 20 years ago, today Dato Lew is the proud founder of a shoe brand that is synonymous with quality and style - the Lewre brand. This brand has been going places all over the world, gaining international fame and recognition.

I have had the privilege of working alongside him as the Deputy President of Branding Association for a few years now, and together, we have been doing our level best to move the Branding Association of Malaysia up an ante.

I must confess it has not always been an easy journey and we have gone through many ups and downs and weathered many storms together. However, we firmly believe that what we are doing is of great social value and will help move Malaysia towards a brighter future. Therefore, no matter how busy we are with our own work, we always make sure that we spend time keeping the association on the right track.

12. The Humble Me - Eric Chong or Erican Chong

Though I was the Organizing Chairman of the conference, I also served as the Moderator for the first session and had the privilege of introducing Dato Syed Amin Aljefferi and Mr Cheong Chia Chieh.

Both of them spoke candidly about what they felt about branding and how it could be done better and more effectively. I wanted to allow the audiences to ask more questions but unfortunately, we ran out of time.

Well, as the old saying goes, “Good things always end too soon.” This was a great session, so it’s no surprise many of the participants felt this saying to be sadly all too true.

Conclusion

There is much that we all can learn from these highly successful people. I hope that those lucky 600 who attended the Brand Entrepreneurs Conference 2010 have benefited from the stories shared by these speakers. If they left feeling so, then the months of hard work in organising the event was more than well worth the effort.

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

Thank You, Thank You and Thank You - BEC 2010

2010-07-17T10:40:00.000-07:00

As the Organizing Committee Chairman of Brand Entrepreneurs Conference 2010 which was successfully held and attended by more than 600 on 15/7/2010, I would like register a note of thanks to the incredible people who helped put this great show together, in one way or another.

This conference was a collaborative effort between the Branding Association of Malaysia and SME Corp Malaysia. This marked the second year of a fantastic partnership between SME Corp and BAM.

To organize an event of this scale required a great deal of manpower and resources. I would like to thank SME Corp Malaysia for giving BAM this wonderful opportunity to collaborate.

I feel that we, the SMEs and SMIs in Malaysia are very fortunate. SME Corp, the government agency set up to look after the well-being of small & medium enterprises, is a most incredible organization. Led by its dynamic CEO, YBhg Dato Hafsah Hashim, SME Corp is an energetic and ambitious organization committed to nothing but helping the SMEs and SMIs succeed.

Throughout the preparation of this event, I had the privilege of working with some of the great SME Corp people directly, people such as Puan Fadzilah, Encik Amin, Cik Anis, etc… there were so many of them that it is not possible for me to mention each and every one.

What truly touched me was their absolute sense of commitment and drive. We spent many months together working on this. And the night before the conference, many of them, including the IT, logistics, protocol, secretariat, program people stayed up all night just to make sure that every detail was taken care of. Bravo guys! You have earned my respect.

I would also like to thank the President of Branding Association of Malaysia, Dato Lewre Lew, for his leadership. He was the super promoter of this event and worked tirelessly in order to make BEC 2010 a success. Thank you, sir!

The Branding Association of Malaysia is more than 200 members strong now. Many of our members are well known brands both in Malaysia and abroad. The association is run by a group of dedicated volunteers who form this important committee. And so, allow me to introduce the wonderful people behind the Branding Association of Malaysia who created this and many other great events over the years:

1. Haji Yusra Bin Sabar (Rotocraft) - Our Vice President and a BAM veteran. Haji Yusra is someone who has always been well respected in the committee. Whenever he speaks, 'everybody' listens.

2. Mr Lim Eng Lee (Wood Kare) - Our Vice President; a quiet gentleman who has consistently supported BAM over the years through deeds, rather than mere words.

3. Mr Phang Kar Yew (Great Vision) - A pillar of BAM who assumes two critical portfolios and performs them well: Vice President & Acting Honorary Secretary.

4. Mr Ching Chee Pun (GBC Consulting) - Our Honorary Treasurer; fast talking and no-nonsense, he always gets things done effectively.

5. Mr Raymond Chong (Pitaberry) - This kind soul regularly supplies free Pitaberry drinks to his hard-working (and sometimes exhausted) peers during meetings and events. Bravo!

6. Mr Vincent Chew (Pensonic) - This man represents a brand which needs no introduction, plus he has the deepest and sexiest voice a man can ever dream of.

7. Mr Clement Chen (Lee Huat Plastics) - This young man is incredible. He possesses three key qualities necessary to succeed in today's world: diligence, intelligence and IT savvy.

8. Ms Angeline Tan (Citylink) - This pretty girl is bubbly and chatty. She is always able to liven up our serious and never-ending meetings by just being there.

9. Mr Michael Liew (Marrybrown) - This young man travels 400km from JB to KL every month to attend our committee meetings. I salute his commitment, dedication and driving skills.

10. Ms Sue Chan (Suchan Restaurant) - She bakes the best cakes and pies I've ever tasted. I hope she continues to feed the hungry committee members with her delicious pastries.

11. Mr Brian Ng (Revenue Harvest) - A rugged looking man who resembles John Wayne in the movie, "The Cowboys" from 1972.

12. Mr Ryan Wong (R&R Design) - A highly charged Chinese version of world renowned motivational guru, Anthony Robbins.

13. Mr Azahar (Halagel) - While this committee member was appointed not too long ago, he has already strongly demonstrated his commitment toward the association.

Without the selfless dedication and sacrifice of the above individuals for weeks - in fact, months - this event would not have been possible. Of course, I must not forget the highly dedicated Executive Secretary of BAM, Ms. Mary Anne, who continued to work day and night despite an injury on her finger. Thank you!

I would also like to thank the following sponsors and strategic partners for their generous support:

1. Celcom
2. BizSphere
3. NTV 7
4. Cari.com
5. Malaysia SME
6. Palace of the Golden Horses

However, the distinguished speakers and moderators were the real reason why the 600 participants were there at the conference. They are the best of the best of the business community in Malaysia. Over the course of this conference, they selflessly shared with us stories of how they achieved branding success in their respective fields. These great achievers are:

Distinguished Speakers:

1. Dato Sri Mohammed Shazalli, CEO of Celcom Malaysia Bhd
2. Dato Sheikh Muszaphar Shukor, our homegrown astronaut
3. Dato Haji Ameer Ali Mydin, Managing Director of Mydin Mohamed Holdings Bhd
4. Dato Syed Amin Aljefferi, President of Malay Chamber of Commerce Kuala Lumpur
5. Dato Meer Sadik Habib, Managing Director of Habib Jewel
6. Dato Nelson Kwok, Founder & Managing Director of Nelson's Franchise
7. Mr Michael Lai, CEO of P1 Wimax
8. Mr Cheong Chia Chieh, Group Managing Director of RedHot Media International
9. Ms Winnie Loo, Founder & Senior Creative Director of A Cut Above Salons

Distinguished Moderators:

10. Dato Lewre Lew, Founder & Executive Chairman of Lewre International
11. Dato Nancy Yeoh, President & CEO of STYLO International
12. My humble self, Eric Chong, Founder & Managing Director of Erican Education Group

Last, but certainly not least, I would like to thank all the supportive participants who stayed until the end. Their presence illuminated the occasion and their encouragement is the fuel we need to take this Brand Entrepreneurs Conference further and higher.

Thank you to all, once again.

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

What is your Dad?

2010-07-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

I am not an admirer of Robert Kiyosaki.

I actually once thought I’d become a fan of this guru of investment, but after reading his book, I knew I never would be. While I can’t argue with his financial philosophy, I have a great deal of difficulty swallowing the title of his book that propelled him into worldwide fame – “Rich Dad, Poor Dad”.

In this book, Robert Kiyosaki talked candidly about his two 'dads'.

First, he talked about his biological dad. His biological father was a government employee who served the Hawaii Education Department faithfully his whole life. However, as his father did not retire as a person of high net worth, Robert called his birth father, 'Poor Dad'.

The other 'dad' that Robert referred to in his book was an investor who used his financial finesse to earn a passive income and led a wealthy life. Robert described himself as becoming close to this mysterious man and regarding him as a fatherly figure. Due to his financial prowess, this man was bestowed the title ‘Rich Dad’ by Robert Kiyosaki.

Now, I fully understand that ‘Rich Dad, Poor Dad’ is figurative and really about a business concept. As well, I agree it is a great marketing idea to contrast the two ‘dads’; however, I have some serious issues about Robert putting his real father down over and over again throughout his pursuit of success.

Every time I read his book, I found myself extremely disturbed whenever he spoke about how little he had learned from his own father and how wonderful his ‘rich dad’ was. To me, his disrespect for his own parent was shocking and unbelievable.

I won’t make any assumptions about those of you growing up in America. However, I do know that in Malaysia, we were strongly taught the principles of filial piety and respect for the elders.

Most of us, regardless of religion, were brought up believing in this : when we are young, our parents take care of us; when our parents grow old, we take care of them. That’s the cycle, plain and simple.

To show disrespect to our parents is taboo… it’s something that even the most rebellious young people would never think of doing.

What Robert has done over the years is not fair to his very own father. On the cover of every copy of the book, ‘Poor Dad’ is placed on the cover alongside ‘Rich Dad’, ripe for people to do ‘physical comparisons’. In every one of his seminars, he talks about how and why people should not be like his biological father, but rather, they should emulate his ‘better father’.

Imagine the pain and hurt if your own child did this to you… that every time he talked about you, he degraded you and used you as an example of someone who is poor, stupid and unwise.

If I were Robert’s father, I would roll over in my grave if I heard my own own son humiliate me, his old man, and further more, glorify a stranger, calling him his other dad and the better one at that.

I am sorry, Mr. Kiyosaki, if you disagree with what I am saying, but I feel that there are much better ways to name a product, promote an idea, make lots of money and enjoy success than your option was.

We should never, ever seek success through the defamation of our own parents. No matter how little we think our parents have achieved compared to us, we should always make them feel loved, respected and appreciated. This way the years of tender love and care our parents have given to us become justifiable.

By doing so we are also setting good examples for our future generations to emulate.

Love thy parents!

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

What do you Hear?

2010-07-11T01:01:00.000-07:00

I read a news article this morning and it kept me energized for the whole rest of the day. It was the story of Marcelo Iriarte, an Argentinean, and how he became a lawyer after having been a newspaper seller, bus driver and street sweeper all his life.

Marcelo never finished his primary education. When he was three, his parents got divorced. Due to poverty, he started selling newspapers in the streets at the age of eight. He became as a bus driver some years later.

One day, a lady passenger changed his life. Apparently this lady, a passenger in the bus whom he had never met, said to him, "You should really continue your education. I see such potential in you."

What she said struck Marcelo like a bolt of lightning. Nobody had ever told him anything like that. He thought he would end up driving a bus or selling newspapers in the streets for the rest of his life. For the first time in his life, he realized he could actually do something better.

Marcelo decided to heed the advice of this lady, who he now fondly refers to as his 'fairy godmother'. At the age of 35, he picked up his education from where he had left off as a child. After completing his high school education, he went on to study law. After 8 years of gruesome studies, he finally graduated and became a qualified lawyer.

Marcelo's success story has made him a media sensation in Argentina. He is seen as having finally bridged the wide divide between the country's hardcore poor and the societal elites. His story became headline news and he was an instant celebrity.

It had all begun with a single suggestion that he heard uttered in a casual manner by someone he had never met. However, it changed his life forever.

We are given important senses to function effectively as human beings - we have eyes to see, ears to hear, noses to smell, skin to sense and tongues to taste. Our brain interprets all of these sensory signals for us to derive possible meanings out of them.

Perhaps one of the most important organs is our ears. We are impacted by hundreds of thousands of different sounds everyday. While many of these sounds are meaningless noises, some carry meaningful messages and influence the way we think and behave.

Our lives are often changed because of what some people say to us, casually or intentionally. I once read in the news that a lady committed suicide because a fortuneteller had told her that she had a bleak future and would never find a good husband.

There was another story of a man who decided to join the underworld and became a gangster because his father had said to him he was useless and would never succeed in life.

I think it would be dangerous to take whatever we hear and immediately act upon. What we may hear in the run of a single day will consist of things that are good and bad, useful and useless, harmful and harmless, productive and counterproductive, meaningful and meaningless, constructive and destructive. It is imperative that we learn to sieve out the useful things we hear from the harmful ones.

We must therefore pay attention to what we hear. We must learn to analyze good information from the bad, useful advice from the harmful. If we act upon good advice, our lives can be changed positively. However, if we erroneously believe in bad advice and thereupon, act upon it, our future can be permanently destroyed.

Keep in mind though, good advice may not equal the 'safe' path. Just because there is a risk involved in heeding advice, does not mean that we should hide from it. Whenever you hop into your car and drive out into the streets, there is an element of danger involved. And yet, we still must do so, so we just learn to drive carefully and buckle our seatbelts.

On the other hand, to be insured against acting upon bad advice, you must use common sense, knowledge and analytical skill. So when you hear something suggested to you, be open but think about it before you act.

If after much thinking your conclusion is that it is a great advice, then do not hesitate - jump into it! You may never be the same ever again.

Be a Marcelo - have the courage to heed the words of the wise and brave uncertainty.

The question is - What do you hear?

“Life is about constantly going beyond limits.”
- Erican Chong

What Size is your Picture?

2010-07-07T10:12:00.000-07:00

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The size of the picture that one has directly determines the scale of achievement that one will attain.

Some people have big pictures, some people have medium-sized pictures, and some people have small pictures. Sadly, some people have no pictures at all.

Let's begin with those with big pictures.

The "big picture" people understand what is most important for their success. They are usually not wavered by the little things that happen in their lives. Their direction towards their ultimate destination never changes just because one or two unexpected things have happened in their lives.

These people hold fast to their vision and they pursue their calling relentlessly. They seem to be fearless and bold. They do things that defy expectations and the imagination of the common man. Even when a situation gets seriously tough, they are steadfast. These people never give up.

And then, there are the "medium picture" people.

These people also see a picture but their picture is confined to the constraints of their vision. They understand their direction and ultimate calling, but because they are not able to overcome their deepest fear and self-doubt, they restrain their future to a size that they can manage.

To keep themselves safe, medium picture people feel that it is better if the picture is not extraordinary. They want to achieve, but they don't want to risk anything. They want to be successful, but they don't want to go through the agony which comes along with pursuing the path of success.

Therefore, they always opt for second best. A successful picture but, nonetheless, one that is manageable.

These people will, of course, never be the extraordinary or legendary people that are admired by all. They will be reasonably successful and reasonably well to do. Their career will reach a reasonable height. And they will possess reasonable possessions, but nothing in their lives will be extraordinary.

The third type of people is the "small picture" people.

Whatever they do, they think small. If there is a chance to do something which will allow them significant contribution, they are likely to say 'no' to that opportunity because it may take too much effort.

Small picture people cannot see far ahead. To them, the most important thing is to live without pressure, to enjoy life, to avoid pain and to pursue pleasure.

They get up in the morning, go to work, come home in the evening, sit in front of the television, go to bed, and the next morning, get up, go to work, watch television, and go to bed again. They live their life in a most predictable and routine manner. When this routine is not observed, they feel very uncomfortable.

So, they act just like a simple computer programme does. Everything runs the same way for months and years until one day this simple routine becomes impossible for them to continue.

These people constitute the majority of our population. They are, nonetheless, the backbone of our society. They provide the hands - the labour that society needs in order to be productive. These people form the foundation of the pyramid.

Collectively, they are important to our world. And yet, individually, they make very little contribution.

Finally, there are those who have "no picture" at all. They exist without knowing 'why' they exist. They live aimlessly.

Many of these people don't work; they refuse to be engaged productively. They depend mostly on other people for sustenance. Some may even do things that violate the common law of nature. These people usually become the liability of society. They contribute negatively to the betterment of mankind.

These people are the ones that you and I shall teach the future generation not to be like.

In the end, whatever type of person we want to be is a personal choice. You are the one who chooses whether to have a big picture, medium picture, small picture or no picture at all. And whoever you choose to become, it is a personal choice which should be respected by all.

Whatever your choice is, I wish you well.

However, if you do choose to be a big picture person, I hope your picture will be grand indeed. Since you have decided to make your picture a big one, make it as big as possible! Don't hold back. Make the colours bold; make the concept interesting and out of the world; make your picture one-of-a-kind; make it truly extraordinary.

Remember, your picture reflects your life and your value as a person. The way you view the world determines who you really are.

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

The Little Things

2010-07-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

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Success is basically an accumulation of all the little right things that we do each day. It is not the one big step that we take that will make us successful. It is the little steps that we take on a daily basis in the right direction that will take us there.

It is unreasonable to get up one fine morning, decide to be successful and expect that success to take place instantly.

Instead, should you wake one morning and decide to be successful, then set realistic expectations, formulate a plan, do little things right every day and work towards your ultimate success.

Along the way, set yourself smaller milestones and achieve several intermediate successes. These will help to keep your ultimate goal within sight.

What do I mean by doing the ‘little things’ every day? What are these ‘little things’?

Those little things, to be honest with you, are nothing that will amaze you. They are not things that you will make you say: “Wow, I never thought about that! No wonder people are successful – after all, they do these amazing things that I have never even heard of.”

So we are not talking about anything new or shocking. We are talking about the normal everyday things that we do as human beings.

These things can be as simple as eating healthily, exercising daily, and setting time aside for reading, learning, thinking and planning. It means sparing enough time for sharing and loving, and at the end of the day to reflect and then to correct.

These are the ‘little things’ that we must do every single day in order to get things right.

It sounds too simple, but it is true. Life isn’t rocket science.

To have a successful life, you just need to follow some very simple principles, so don’t complicate things for no reason.

Use your time to its best and get your ‘little things’ done today!

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

Education - Then & Now

2010-07-05T20:07:00.000-07:00

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Fifty years ago, my father was a young teacher teaching at a primary school. When he was posted to the minute town of Bidor, he was an instant celebrity in town. In fact, he was such a big celebrity that he was secretly admired by many young girls, and one of them was my mother. (Lucky me!)

Why was he such a hit? Answer - He was a teacher, period. Decades ago, the teaching profession used to be something everybody admired and looked up to.

Coming from a very poor family, my father had to struggle all his way through as a child. Finishing primary education was considered a luxury to most poor Malaysian children in the forties, so if somebody had a child who could move on to secondary education, it was something to shout about.

Coming from a humble family of seven in the small village of Kampung Simee, my father became the most highly qualified member in the Chong family. He was the only member of his family who 'graduated' from a junior high school at Form Three. Further more, in order to accomplish that, his eldest brother had had to work two jobs in order to support him throughout school.

And having studied ‘all the way’ up to Form Three my father earned a place in the Teacher’s Training College. He fulfilled his lifelong goal of becoming a teacher and gained tremendous respect as a well educated person.

Let's now fast forward to the seventies.

The youngest brother of my mother in a family of eleven was a very bright student. He excelled academically and aspired to go overseas to pursue a bachelor's degree. Now that was truly ‘big’. Going overseas to the West for higher education was a major deal. Only a privileged few ever had the opportunity to pursue higher education. These people were the cream of the crops. The vast majority of the people then would consider themselves as lucky if they were able to finish senior high.

When the news broke out about my uncle, it shook up the entire minute town of Bidor. Well wishers came from all corners of Bidor to congratulate my grandparents. Some expressed great admiration and made my uncle a role model for their own children. The day that he was sent off to Subang International Airport, half the town was in the airport bidding a tearful farewell to my uncle as if he was one of their own family.

And when my uncle finally returned from the UK with a degree in engineering a few years later, he was given a heroic welcome. Bidor was elated as it now could add another illustrious 'university graduate' to the list.

Now, let us return to the present – to the 21st century.

Today, higher education is no longer a luxury; it is a must. Gone are the days when one could be considered a societal elite and enjoyed tremendous advantage just because he had a university qualification. Today, the bar is raised substantially. Going through tertiary education for young people, especially the urban dwellers, is considered an assumed path.

Today, those who say ‘no’ to the pursuit of higher education or fail to gain acceptance into an institution of higher learning due to extremely poor academic performance or a severely inadequate financial situation are becoming rare. With the wide choices of tertiary institutions in the market, as well as the various forms of study loans and academic arrangements available, those who still hold fast to the belief that they can't receive higher education have become very rare, indeed.

The world today is an overwhelmingly literate one. Those who cannot read and write are being so handicapped and deprived of information and opportunity that it is beyond belief. Education then and education now have become poles apart.

Let me do a simple comparison between fifty years ago and now:

Students with Form Five education today are equivalent to those who only completed six years of primary school then. Those who have a basic degree now are just the same as those who finished high school then. And if you have a Master's degree today, you are only a bit better off than most academically. In fact, if you truly want to stand out, you need to pursue a doctorate degree just so you can put a ‘Dr’ in front of your name on your business cards.

I’m joking, of course, but only a bit. All jokes aside, the world today is a vastly different place from fifty years ago.

Parents of today – take heed: Stop thinking about the ‘good old days’. Be bold. Think big. Aim high. Encourage your children to challenge themselves academically. What could be more worthwhile or important that inspiring them to go farther and soar higher in this demanding age?

No, degrees are not ‘everything’, but a good qualification will lay a solid foundation and make success much more achievable for your children.

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

Education & Qualification

2010-07-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

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There is a Chinese saying that states, "No matter how poor you are, your state of poverty must never be at the expense of education".

We all know that education is the one single thing that can change lives. It turns fate around. Nothing can have more major or positive of an impact on a person's life than education and training. And nothing is more devastating on a person's life than the lack of it.

History shows us that great men do not necessarily always graduate from great schools with high academic qualifications. However, history does show us that the individuals who demonstrate elements of greatness are always the most avid learners. They are not necessarily 'graduates', but they are all 'educated'.

"So what is education?" one may ask. "And what about qualification?" another may add.

Well, education certainly differs from qualification.

Education can be either formal or informal. Most people go through formal education in primary and secondary levels as compulsory education. In fact, this is the norm in most countries. Informal education is far more abstract. It is about learning from life's encounters and experiences.

In this day and age everybody needs a qualification; it is no longer merely advantageous to have a diploma or a basic degree. Everybody else has it! It is now considered a basic prerequisite for any career entry, and not an added advantage.

So in order to have an edge over others in the 'paper chase' mania, the young people of today require post graduate qualifications in order to be 'competitive'. And if these qualifications are granted by 'branded' institutions of higher learning, the more 'gold-plated' these young people become.

But let's ask ourselves this: "What is education really about? Why do we need to be educated?"

As far as I am concerned, education is not just about scoring straight A's, though I agree academic performance does measure academic success. Without a scoring system it is difficult to quantify success in education.

However, education is really about an accumulation of experience, wisdom and know-how. So education is supposed to help to make you a better person and live a more successful life.

However, some people are highly qualified yet lowly educated.

They use foul language conveniently and comfortably, despite all the A's they scored in their language papers.

They plant themselves firmly in their seats in the bus while they are aware someone else may need the seats more than they do, despite scoring an A in the moral paper.

They disrespect their parents and treat them like dirt, despite earning a PhD in education.

You see, academic qualification does not necessarily make one educated.

The truly educated manifest their educatedness in ways they may not even be aware of. Some of these people do not have posh degrees and so they are not highly qualified.

However, they respect their elders, love their children, care for the less fortunate, have genuine interest in people's wellbeing, speak gently and politely, volunteer their time to do community work, bless friends who do well, share happiness and sadness with those whom they care about, bring up their children in the most appropriate way possible, give unfaltering love to their wives or husbands, etc.

These people are indeed highly educated people. While some of these highly educated folks are also highly qualified, some of them are not.

So choose to be educated AND qualified, and then, you will be whole.

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

In Memoriam - Mr Yong Yoke

2010-06-25T20:16:00.000-07:00

Mr. Yong celebrating with a student in 2005

Last week, I received news that one of my long-serving centre managers of Erican Kepong, Mr. Yong, was suffering from cancer.

Mr. Yong was not just a good colleague, he was a good friend of mine. Upon hearing this news, I said to myself, "I must pay Mr. Yong a visit as soon as possible."

Earlier today, I had a meeting with another colleague of mine from Erican Kepong, Ms. Soo Ken. She told me about how Mr. Yong had found out that he had pancreatic cancer just a few weeks ago and how fast he had been deteriorating ever since.

I immediately detected a sense of urgency and I decided not to procrastinate any longer. As today was Friday, I said to Soo Ken, "Let's visit Mr Yong as soon as I return from traveling next Monday. We'll pray for him and give him our best wishes."

However, just moments ago... I received news from Soo Ken that Mr. Yong had passed away. I was very saddened. I was saddened because I had delayed my visit and so missed the opportunity to say farewell. I was saddened because Mr. Yong was simply such a good man and so, despite his old age, losing him is unbearably painful.

In 1994, I was starting a centre in Kepong. I looked up and down, high and low... here, there and everywhere, hoping to find someone who understood education and had a genuine interest for developing the younger generation.

One day, a man with the thickest eyebrows I had ever seen walked into my office. He was carrying a plastic bag with him which contained a clean yet simple resume. This down-to-earth looking man started speaking and he introduced himself as Yong Yoke, alias 'Mutton'. He told me he was a retired post master, and he had served at the Post Office all of his life.

Initially, I was not too impressed with his presentation.

"A retired post master..." I thought. "That's good but... what has that got to do with the education field?"

Then he talked about his passion for educating the younger generation. And as he talked about his desire to help people, his eyes glowed. He leaned forward, looked straight into my eyes and spoke with absolute conviction.

"Mr. Chong, I love people. I'm committed to people. I'm loyal to people. I want to see the students grow. I want to see our people grow. I want to see your business grow."

There was just so much passion, conviction and energy coming out of this simple looking man. I was stunned. I started to really pay attention. I took another good look at him. This man, in his mid fifties, sounded most amazingly convincing. I shook his hand and that was the start of a very long lasting relationship.

Mr. Yong did not let me down. He was kind-hearted and he dedicated his time to the development of his subordinates and the students of Erican. He was always committed to doing his best as a Centre Manager and was well loved by all his staff and students. He was an honest man who had an absolute sense of integrity and responsibility.

He was a grammarian too - the old-school type, if you may. He insisted on imparting grammar knowledge to students, regardless of the English courses they were taking. He would always say, "Without a solid grammar foundation, your English will get nowhere."

Because of the dedication and care that Mr. Yong was giving to each and every student, he had set a role-model for the other teachers to emulate. Soon, many people came to learn English with us. Erican Kepong started to grow steadily, and it became a reputable language centre in the Kepong area. Mr. Yong dedicated more than 10 years of his life, faithfully serving the Erican organization, tirelessly helping the students and staff. His commitment toward Erican as an organization was absolute.

Mr. Yong, I will forever miss you. Erican is what it is today because of great leaders like you. To the family of Mr. Yong, I give you my deepest condolences. I'm sure Mr. Yong is now looking down from above and his kindness and care will continue to shower upon us forever and ever. May he rest in eternal peace.

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

The Many Faces of the Melta Conference @ Kuching

2010-06-11T23:53:00.000-07:00

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I had the fortunate opportunity to meet up with some very interesting people whilst I was attending the MELTA Conference 2010 in Kuching on 17th & 18th June, 2010. Some of them were veteran linguists, while others were educators who have played significant roles in their respective academic organisations.

Everyone I met at this conference clearly had a strong passion for English education and worked unceasingly to contribute one way or another to the development and betterment of ELT as a profession. Of all the incredible educators I met in the past two days, allow me to simply touch upon a few of the interesting individuals whom I would like to thank for having enlightened me and added value to my four day stay in Kuching. This list is naturally not exhaustive, as it would take me another three days if I were to count all the fine hard-working people that I met at the conference.

Myself with Dato Leela Mohd Ali

1. Dato Leela Mohd Ali - Dato Leela is a woman whom I have always respected and admired. Her track record is second to none - it is a lifetime of public service as an educationist. The fact that after 20 years of retirement, she is still going strong in her pursuit of charitable causes only shows the great strength of this lady. She is a role model citizen for all Malaysians.

2. Aslam Khan - Aslam is a man with immense passion for teaching. He is currently the Vice President of MELTA and a Senior Lecturer at the Institute of Teacher Education, Malaysia. He is always seen with a large smile across his face and his presence always makes one feel right at home. He is simply the most ideal host you could ever wish for!

3. Dr Mario Saraceni, Senior Lecturer in Applied Linguistics, University of Portsmouth - Dr. Mario is a compassionate soul who is deeply concerned about the plight of Malaysian English educators not being given an equal amount of respect in comparison to their 'native speaking' peers within their own homeland. His genuine compassion touched everyone's heart who heard him.

4. Professor Dr Malachi Edwin Vethamani, Wawasan Open University - My colleague, Audrey Boudville, did her first degree in Education at UPM some years ago. She often talked about her professor, one Dr. Malachi Edwin, who was very serious and strict with students. However, when I finally did meet Dr Edwin, I was completely taken off guard. "Wait? This friendly and funny man IS the tough professor I heard so much about?" It was only after I was afforded the opportunity to hear him present a paper as a plenary speaker, that I finally conceeded. "Yeah, he really IS that strict professor."

5. Dr Teh Chee Seng, Dean of Faculty of Arts & Social Science, Utar - Dr Teh Chee Seng is a rather quiet gentleman, perhaps even rather shy looking. However, I heard he had written a book which sold more than ten thousand copies. Dr Teh surely has achieved something that makes all local academics proud - a best-selling author in today's very competitive publishing industry.

6. Dr Singhanat Nomnian (Kenny), Head & Lecturer of Division of Foreign Languages, Mahidol University, Thailand - This young, dashing and stylish professor with a "movie star" quality persona hails from the neighbouring country of Thailand. We spent hours talking; our conversations drifted from English education in South East Asia, to education entrepreneurship and even on to childhood dreams. I wish Kenny all the best in all his undertakings!

7. Assoc Prof Dr Stefanie Pillai, Director, Centre for Industrial Training & Relations (CITRA), University of Malaya - Dr Stefanie chose to attend the Kuching stop in particular, as she had wanted to take her two lovely children on a vacation over their school holidays. I sat in the same car as she did on the way to the airport and we managed to discuss issues concerning English pronunciation. Dr Pillai's expertise encompasses sounds and phonetics, I can honestly say - I feel there is no one more suitable to consult in this area than her.

8. Assoc Prof Dr Mardziah Hayati Abdullah, Universiti Putra Malaysia - Dr Mardziah moderated the panel session "To go or Not to go Native" which 'sparked' the most discussion of all the topics at the conference. Given the critical importance and sensitive nature of this topic, I really must applaud Dr Mardziah for her courage and a job well done. She surely is a world class moderator!

Meeting with the enigmatic Dr. Basil

9. Dr Basil Wijasuriya - This man laid the foundation for MELTA as its first president. Dr Basil is a highly respected veteran academic; I had heard so much about him, that when I finally had the opportunity to meet him, I was greatly overwhelmed. He impressed me as someone who was humble, down-to-earth and highly supportive of the younger generation of academics.

10. Dr Ganakumaran, President of MELTA - The qualities of this great man go without saying. He is the mover of the association, one who has provided the type of leadership that an NGO like MELTA needs. He currently heads a team of 15 amazing educators who have formed the MELTA committee. Together, they undertake the endeavour of organising a mammoth annual project, the MELTA Conference, year after year after year. Dr Gana, I salute you. You are truly a champion of the English teaching movement in Malaysia.

11. Dr Shien Sakai, Professor of Chiba University of Commerce. - A very funny man indeed. In his uniquely Japanese-accented English, Dr Sakai presented his paper in a hall packed with enthusiastic educators. His sense of humour captivated everybody's heart. The frequent outbursts of laughter testified soundly to the immense popularity of this man.

12. Datin Dr Siti Zaleha, Director, Educational Technology Division, Ministry of Education - I did not have much chance to talk with her. However, it was very kind of her to come all the way to Kuching to lend MELTA the tremendous support that she did. While I was not the organiser; as a participant, I feel the strong desire to thank her for her efforts nonetheless.

13. Cheah Swi Yee - Swi Yee is a lovely person; she is always energetic and passionate about whatever she does. I attended her workshop on 'Go Green', a project which she has designed for her students in Universiti Kuala Lumpur. I felt the idea was fantastic - not only do students get to use real English in real life situations, but they also learn important concepts of environmental protection.

With the full support of so many fantastic people, I am certain that MELTA Conference will be even more successful in the many years to come.

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

MELTA Conference 2010 - Kuala Lumpur

2010-06-07T19:04:00.000-07:00

Greetings one and all!

I was privileged to be invited to speak at the MELTA ( Malaysian English Language Teaching Association ) Conference, which was held in Kuala Lumpur today at the Royale Chulan. The topic I was asked to present was "Entrepreneurship and Social Contribution in Language Education", something that as you can imagine is quite close to my heart. While I might share some of the contents of my reading at some point in the near future, today I’d rather discuss some of the other presentations that impressed me during these last two days.

To start the conference off, the Royal Patron of MELTA, HRH Raja Zarith Sofiah binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah gave us all a good sound royal lecture. Her Royal Highness spoke candidly about her concerns over the decline of English standards within Malaysia. HRH's speech was most enlightening and it gave this great event an intellectually stimulating kick off. Just think - if the voices from the top are even calling for ‘improvements’, how can anyone pretend not to hear the call for change?

The other interesting speech I heard came from Dato' ( Dr. ) Asuriah Mior Shararuddin, the Deputy Director General of Education (Teacher Education & Professional Development), who gave the keynote address for this conference. I think what got me the most was when she spoke about how and why teachers in the public system must think outside of the box and do 'something' special for their students. I applaud her for these thoughts - this is something that I myself am constantly trying to get across. A wise person once said, "A person's boundaries are limited only by their own perceptions!" If all teachers can grasp this concept and learn to teach in newer and more creative ways, then our future generations cannot help but be enriched by the new styles of learning.

After all that I have seen and heard over the last two days, I feel the biggest round of applause should go to Dr Ganakumaran, MELTA president, as well as his entire committee, for doing a fabulous job in organising this event. Certainly, there is nothing that cannot be accomplished when like-minded individuals put their heads together in one concentrated and focused effort to improve the world around them.

Perhaps this one thought is the one thing I'd like you to take away from today's post. Whatever it is out there you are doing, no matter how big or small you may feel that to be, share your mind and hearts with those around you - a greater reward will be had by all if we work together for a common goal.

Malaysia boleh!

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

Wait! Isn't your name Eric Chong???

2010-06-07T02:18:00.000-07:00

Some of the newer visitors to my blog (which at this point of writing, means all of you), may wonder why I am using "Erican Chong "as my name in blogspot, rather than my more commonly known name, Eric Chong.

The answer lies on the great World Wide Web. You see, I recently - on a whim - googled 'Eric Chong' just to see how many Eric Chong's there are out there on the internet. Well, let me tell you - there are thousands!!!

After browsing through the various search results for over an hour, I came to the conclusion. There are so many Eric Chong's out there that I believe any type of search for any one 'Eric Chong" would become very time consuming indeed.

In business, we like to talk about product differentiation. "Don't sell the same thing in the same way as everybody else does," many business gurus often say. Taking this advice to heart, I have decided to avoid being confused with all the other 'Eric Chongs' in the world and simply call myself "Erican Chong" on the greater blogger sphere.

Naturally, this is only for the purposes of the blog. If you're a student of Erican, please don't ask for an appointment with Erican Chong. 'Eric Chong', I believe in most non-web circumstances will still be more than suitable.

Best of luck and keep going beyond limits!

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong

My First Post

2010-06-04T22:59:00.000-07:00

Greetings Friends, far and near...

This entry represents the first of what will become many blog articles.

They say the first time of anything is always most exciting. It is absolutely true in my case. Although blogging has been around for quite some time, as a first-time blogger I find myself having a bit of self doubt... maybe lacking in some confidence.

However, I am - above all - curious and adventurous. I can assure you that mere traces of self-doubt will not stop me from communicating with you all across the world, to share my thoughts with you, and to hear your thoughts too!

With that said, I shall close this starting prose and bid you all a very good day...at least 'til next I post!

Keep Going Beyond Limits!

"Life is about constantly going beyond limits!"
- Erican Chong