Staring at the Sky

I have just started to give some serious thought about setting goals. Its amazing how close you are to you want and seldom get it. 

I always told of a story how me and 5 of my friends were trying to get to a cinema but none of us truly know how to get there. So we would all take turns giving directions. 2 hours later, the movie was over and we stumbled home defeated. I had blown 20 bucks worth of gas and spent 2 frustrating 2 hours driving in circles. 

When I popped open my directory all I could do was laugh. I noticed that all the times we had turned left instead of right, right instead of left, we were always just moments from our goal. 

So now i sit to set goals so i never have to make the wrong turn again.

The Kitchen Sink Dilemma

Have you looked at your kitchen sink filled with dishes and then heck... I will do them later. And later. And later. Well chances are if you have said later more than once. Your life is for a lack of a better word. Complicated and you never seem to have any time. 

The reason is because you put your jobs off to well... later. I think nothing in life is pointless. Even a simple thing like your kitchen sink has a lesson to teach you about life's little lesson. My dad enjoys in telling me that you should always learn one thing about life everyday and even if you devote your life and live to the age of 100, you will still not have learned all of life's secrets. 

For me, the Kitchen Sink Dilemma is one. No matter how many times you clean, it will be filled almost instantaneously. You get to the point and say why bother. Well.. i for one love to clean my dishes. It taught me ... no matter how complicated, difficult and confusing everything may seem to be. If you get started with one, then another and then another, the picture becomes clear. Plus you get to eat on clean dishes too. 

It also taught me that if you put your mind to doing something, once you get started, in all honesty, it doesn't take a long time to do. 

Bottom line: Set your goals and get started... 

Life's Little Irony

"It doesn't take a great task to do something amazing. Getting started is the amazing thing. The great task you achieve is simply a bonus" - Simon Foo

Back in Oct 2007, on a warm summer month, I looked myself in the mirror and resolved to make my 30th year my renaissance year. I would rebuild the new me based on my three pillars. I would achieve goals to build on what i considered to be the important aspects of my life: Improve the Soul - Things I love and live for, Improve the Mind - "Learn" for the lack of a better term and Improve the Body. 

By an large, I have done quite well. I have completed a Finance Diploma, 12 Exams from finishing my 2nd Degree, Studying my 3rd Degree at Penn State University and lost 8 kg ( bringing my total weight loss since coming to Japan to 34 kgs). 

Life is ironic in two ways - One, Tom Venuto's BFFM ebook was published by Renaissance Works and the Second, Adam Waters also heard the same song but he focused all of his energy on his body. To him, I say great job but the Victorian in me ( the competitive bred Aussie) can only think " You bastard..." Adam, if you are reading this.... I mean it in the friendly way that mates do.

To all those who read this... I hope you can take from this - Find your path and start down the journey to your goals. I started this blog to inspire myself to greater heights and hopefully bring a few guys along the way but Adam took it one further and he took the world with him. 

Get started... you will be surprised how far you come.

Worst Days

"Its hard to imagine that even our worst days can seem like paradise to another"

Yesterday, I had an odd day. By an large, it would be considered a bad end to a day, a week or maybe even a month. I had failed an exam by the barest of margins. 1 percentage point. Make matters worst, it was an expensive exam which I had failed for the second time and yet that even isn't the entire story. I had planned to make the 22 minute trip across town to get there but 2 minutes before I arrived at the station. By the end of the day, I made the exam but didnt make the grade. And yet, I felt better than I expected because I was able to put everything in perspective. I failed but I can always try again. I lost money yes but I also learned a valuable lesson. 

Arnold once said "Only by facing challenges do you truly find your strength - if the challenge is great, then you must get stronger"

This is my challenge and I will get stronger. 

Importance

"Which is more important? What you have already achieved or what you are about to achieve?" - 28 July

When you face this question and when asked of strangers, you often get some interesting responses. Some say the Past and the other the Future. I see it as one and the same. Every incident in our life touches us in a way, either large or small. It affects out decisions and in turn changes our fate.

Past achievements bring us to the here and now and puts us in a place to move to the future. No doubts every future endeavours seems harder, larger and more audacious than anything you have attempted in the past but you must never ever forget that is always the case when a challenge falls to you. You always climb up with challenges and never down, thats why its call a challenge.

Mistakes

"Some if not all people are fearful of mistakes, they shun it and do all they can to avoid them. Sometimes its best to welcome mistakes" -- June 15 2008

George Soros once said "Every day I hope I find a mistake, when I find one I am extremely happy" or something to that effect. Soros approach to investment is to come up with an idea and then find what wrong with it. When he find a mistake, then he is able to correct them. Each mistake makes his plan even stronger.

To me, I believe it in the same way. Mistakes tells me that I am expanding my horizons and I am trying to improve. Mistakes allows me to stay humble because it reminds me that there is still more that I do not yet know. Mistakes give me feedback on what works well and what doesn't. Mistakes are real, not hypothetical. Small mistakes allows me to grow one step at a time. Larger ones not only forces me to work harder and work smarter to solve but challenges me psychological to overcome perhaps the greatest failings of men, our egos and I have a large one.

Life's Mysteries

"The excellence of life is its filled with mysteries that we can't help but yearn to solve, that is the human strength, not the weapons we craft, not the cities we built nor the societies that we cling to" -- June 13 2008

Barry, A fund's manager I spoke to once, told me "don't be a pessimist, don't be an optimist, be a realist" it was such a profound way of thinking. I won't insult him by mispelling his last name but I asked him how can someone who deals with so much money in this market that has more wild mood swings than a tropical hurricane, can he be so happy all the time?

He replied, I live in a world full of possibilities. Each day I wake, there are a million more and I can't wait to find out what they are.

Thanks Barry. it really changed the way I looked at the world.

Fear

"There are somethings we should fear, somethings we could fear but hardwork and trying shouldn't be one of those fears" -- June 13 2008

I have an anxiety problem. Quite often its not something I can't control and usually, its over something that seems quite trivial. Should I buy this tie, should I buy that tie. Should I go with the white shirt or the blue shirt? Hardly life or death situations but for some odd reason I tense up.

Even more unusual, when I am in the kitchen, making something reasonably complicated, I always find myself singing or humming. Its one of those mysteries of the mind that I want to solve.

It brings up another idea I had.. I have been reading a lot about zen recently..
" Mistakes are there to be made, but so are the lessons that you learn from them."

Earning the Day

"We fight, sweat and struggle to earn a day's honestly living and yet we are rarely happy, perhaps its because we haven't yet earned a day worth living" -- June 11 2008

Money is not the most important thing in the world but if we are all honest, it is maybe 3rd or 4th in our list. Why? Well because everything we covet needs money in some shape or form.

It affects our mood, it can make a miserable day seem like our best. And yet, with salaries close to 1000 times those of our fore fathers, we are more miserable than ever.

Personally, i think that the reason why there is so much despair is because we don't value our time. what we already have. We always look at things we don't have. Believing that if we had those things, we wouldn't be where we are.

Graham Bell once said "When a door is closed to us, we often focus on the closed door so much that we don't notice the other doors that are open to us".

So make the most of your day. go out and live it. be grateful for what you have and worry not about things that you don't.

Dreams

"Reach for your dreams, nothing is impossible. Besides, no one else can live them for you" -- June 11

When I was growing up, I always hear of things that I cannot do or shouldn't do. Not because they were dangerous or illegal but people always viewed them as impossible. I can't be a pro tennis player because I am too short. I shouldn't be a doctor because its hard work and no body appreciates you when you do something right but love to hate you when you are wrong.

I always feel that people see the bad because thats what they want to see.

Zig Zaglar once said "You can't be great for something you are going to do, only for what you have done"

Another one of my personal favorites is "Fate can lead you where you need to go but you alone must decide to make the last great leap"

So did I succeed? Am I a pro tennis player or a doctor? Well... not yet but then again, the story is not over yet.

Moving Forward

"A fact of life is nobody is perfect so we make mistakes, take the lessons they offer and move forward. Otherwise, fate will give you something else to regret" -- June 8

I am somewhat of an egotist. Worst, I am a vain egotist. I expect myself to do the right things and to be perfect. Ironically, I seldom am and I know it. But it doesn't stop me from holding myself to my impossible ideals. So I allow myself to be haunted by my past mistakes.

I wouldn't say that I am cured but part of the reason for this blog is to work my way thru it. At least i can say I am a better man than I was yesterday.

Life anyways is a working progress.

Regrets and Failures

"Regrets and failures are in the past, the past doesn't exist except in our mind, don't let something that doesn't exist torture you" -- June 8 2008

In the past, I used to wish I could travel back in time and tell me, the young me the mistakes I would have made and avoid them. Then I realize that the things I had to work thru, the struggles that I had to deal with is what makes me.. me.

I have decided that the reason why I can never let my failures go is because to me, I haven't lived up to my potential. So i sat down and made a plan, my first objective is to solve the riddle of body.

I will reach for my ideal body. I have resolved the scarifices that i must make to achieve it and the work i must endure. the rest is up to me because words without action are a waste.

Be Different

"The world is full of people who believe what can't be done, why not try something different and believe otherwise" -- June 8 2008

Retrospective

"Have you ever wondered how a future you would think if they could see you know?" - June 4

I am a procrastinator. Not that I am proud of this but whenever I see an opportunity to do something I always focus on the 1% chance that it could fail. And in the one in a hundred situations, it does I have justified my fear but I always miss the other 99 successes before that.

Edison once said "I didn't fail 999 times, I found 999 ways not to do it but I only have to find one way that it works" To put this person's achievement in perspective, you need to see it as a whole. Where would we be if Edison simply gave up after trial 998?

Thinking or saying what you will do, could do. Accomplishes absolutely nothing. Procrastination should be considered one of the greatest evils because it kills. It kills the potential that everyone has.

So the best thing is to improve. however small because very step takes you forward. At the very least, the next time you think about what could have been, you can be happy that you haven't stayed still.

Two Types of People

"There are two types of people in the world, those who steal to enrich their lives and those who steal to define their lives. Don't be part of the latter" - Donald Sutherland's Quote from the Italian Job.

The Secret of Life

"The Secret of life is to go out and live it" - 29th May 2008

The Greatest Victories

"A good soldier earns each victory with blood, sweat and tears but a great soldier wins by not fighting at all" - Intrepreted from Sun Tze's The Art of War

Let Your River Flow

"If you can't stop the river from flowing, then make it flow in your favor" - May 12 2008

Loss and Lessons

"When things are going badly, it doesn't mean you have done something wrong, it just means you have to work harder" - April 28 2008

My tennis coach said this to me once when I used to lose it when I was behind and had a bad call go against me. I was always one violation away from banned by the games I played in. This one stuck with me thru the years. And to this day, I always amazes me how simple a concept we always seem to miss.

Destiny

"Where ever we are in life, good or bad, it is only the beginning, How far we go, is entirely up to us" -- April 28 2008

Cross Training For The Soul

"Everything in life is related, it just because we are so involved in looking at things in life that are so wrong, we never appreciate the things its done so right..."- April 28 2008

I am a technologist. I love modern technology but one of my ways to relax is to imagine myself standing in a forest of trees. Nothing but me, my thoughts and the trees for company. It seems kinda contradicting but to me, its differences that we all have that makes this place we live in special.

Imagine lifetimes of people to meet, stories to tell, good times to be had and experiences to be shared.

Little Things..

Isn't it strange that no matter what the case, be it a master plan or love, it is the little things that we miss - April 28 2008

It has been almost 2 months since I started my journey. Taking little steps to improve my mind, my body and my soul, I have gone further than I have ever gone. Its a strange yet liberating feeling.

I have more patience than I thought was possible. I enjoy the moment more and even though I have an overwhelming amount of work, study and responsibilities, I feel I have an abundance of time.

At this point in time, I am 5 kilograms lighter and my lean muscle has increased, my savings have grown beyond my expectations and I have found a new level of peace. My patience has improved and it seems all things seem to fall into place. Has it been easy so far? No. Could I relapse and lose all my gains? Yes, but not all. Sometimes I feel like a new understanding of my life, I would find difficult to lose.

My trainer, Tom Venuto always reminds me that you can't rest on your laurels. He views the world is full of two types of people. One who has it all their way from birth and one who has to fight for every little thing he earns and has to fight to keep them. What will probably surprise you is he believes that the later is the luckier one. Because thru struggles, you truly learn and appreciate things in ways that can't be understood by a person who has never had to work for it.

To be honest, when I first happened on this subject. I couldn't agree with Tom but since then, I have come to agree with him. If I hadn't had the struggles, then I wouldnt have found my strength that saw me thru the bad times. The bad times in turn made me wiser.

Best of all this is only the beginning...

Climb The Mountain

No matter how high the mountain you must climb, you can only take it one step at a time - April 27 2008

Values Of A Good Trader

"A good trader must be humble and passionate. They must have integrity and most of all have self-diligence" - Christian Siva-Jothy

This one quote and Henry Ford's comment on experts got to me and made me realized my own self philosophy called "Lifetimes and Achievements".

You will also sense the irony. For all you Star Wars fanatics out there, Christian Siva-Jothy's comments sounds like it came from Yoda. Its no coincidence that Yoda and the Jedi Philosophies are based around Zen like teachings. Which is again, a favorite among Investment bankers and traders alike.

When I came across this quote, I realized that for the trading career of mine that's yet to come, I must cultivate these traits.

I must admit I had already started this a while back when I started my days, first as a Forex Day Trader and then as a Swing Trader with Ichimoku. For those interested, I can refer you to an awesome forum where my legendary seniors Ian Boersma and Vincent Hunt discuss it in great detail. When we started, it was Ian and Vincent and a handful of maybe 6 guys. Now its 329 and counting. Also, since this is a bit of a lost art, Ian and Vincent have published articles in professional sites on trading.

Back to the present, I stumbled onto Poker.. specifically Texas Hold'em and I realized it presented me with a way to improve the traits that I wanted - Patiences, Self Diligence, Analysis in a tense fast moving environment...plus its fun to relax once in a while.

If you want to get started with a Free $50 bankroll.. leave me a comment and I can send you a link.

Experts

Henry Ford once commented "There are no experts in my factories - only people who are good at what they do. The difference - an expert thinks he knows everything and stops to grow and being open to new ideas. People who are good at what they do, knows there is always something new to learn and always room to improve"

I got this from one of my Penn State Textbooks for Industrial Relations... When I have sometime, I will go back and get the exact quote.

To Begin A Journey

"A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step" - Confucius

So why post a blog to air only my thoughts and quote some already famous quotes. Well...when I started the year, I like many made a resolution. Unlike everyone else, I made my resolution in October.

As I sat, I realized that although I have lived a fulfilling life that even a great writer would have trouble making a believable story out of, I have achieved relatively little in return. Then I happened upon quote by Henry Ford about Experts.

I realized I was that expert so I resolved to improve myself on the three pillars of my life that I decided are important to me. So that this lifetime will achieve a great deal like my grandfather and grandmother believed it can.

I hope to detail my climb from the foot of the mountain that stands before me to the summit.

Along the way, I have linked up with some very knowledgeable guys who generally know what they are talking about like Author of "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle" - Tom Venuto and Author of "Truth about Abs" - Mike Greary and a list of more I hope to add to this list before the time is done as well as other resources like Author of "Options Made Easy" - Guy Cohen.

If you got questions, leave me a comment and I will try to answer them when I come across them.

Face the Truth, Words from Numb3rs

"If you want to feel good, take a pill,
If you want to get it right, face the truth" - Quote from Numb3rs TV Show

This is a cool show by the way if you get a chance to watch it.

Time

those who desire, make time

those who dream, make excuses - April 25 2007

Achievements and Lifetimes

Why is a world filled with so many lifetimes achieves so little?

Words and Meanings

Words are meaningless without action
So don't tell me what you might do.
Promises are empty
So promise me nothing.
Do it, Tell me how it went
and how you will improve it - April 23 2007

Wasting Time

Wasting Time is like shooting yourself
as you are running for your life,
It's a pointless act and I don't understand why
people do it? - April 17 2007

Life in 30 Seconds

Life should be a collection of 30 second blocks,
made up of a decision and an action.
Anything more borders on procrastination - April 13 2007

Anger

Anger is a formidable foe but turn inwards it becomes unconquerable - Splinter TMNT

Mondays to Fridays

Monday to Friday should be game time
Save all your downtime for the weekends
Otherwise your weekdays are ineffective
and you spend your weekends wondering
why that is the case - April 10th 2007

Game Of Life

There is no fair or unfair in the game of life.
Learn from the bad days, plan forward
And treasure the good days - April 6th 2007

Who Am I?

I am Liverpool supporter. I am a Financial and System Analyst living in Japan. I wanted a place to air my thoughts. As strange as it may seem, Tokyo is a great place to be alone. For me, it has given me a lot of time to think about life. My Past, My Present and My Future.

So as I start down that road towards my Masters in Business Administration and Finance to go with my Associates of Computer Science and over 25 years of IT experience, I want to improve my self on the three pillars of my life; the body, the mind and the soul.