Friday, November 28, 2008

Diabetes Treatment Using Lady Finger

Taken from my friend's email, and thanks to her that i would like to share this to you, i hope this might help. The e-mail read as follows...

Last month in one of TV program I learnt of a treatment of Sugar (Diabetes). Since I am diabetic, I tried it and it was very useful and my Sugar is in control now. In fact I have already reduced my medicine.

Take two pieces of Lady Finger (Bhindi) and remove / cut both ends of each piece. Also put a small cut in the middle and put these two pieces in glass of water. Cover the glass and keep it at room temperature during night. Early morning, before breakfast simply remove two pieces of lady finger (bhindi) from the glass and drink that water. Keep doing it on daily basis. Within two weeks, you will see remarkable results in reduction of your SUGAR in your body system.

My sister has got rid of her diabetes. She was on Insulin for a few years, but after taking the lady fingers every morning for a few months, she has stopped Insulin but continues to take the lady fingers every day. But she chops the lady fingers into fine pieces in the night, adds the water and drinks it all up the next morning. Please try it, as it will not do you any harm even if it does not do much good to you, but you have to keep taking it for a few months before you see results, as most cases might be chronic.

Please note that another name for Lady Finger (Bhindi ) is " OKRA ".

Friday, November 21, 2008

Choices

"You and I are essentially infinite choice-makers.
In every moment of our existence, we are in that field
of all possibilities where we have access to an infinity of choices."
— Deepak Chopra: Doctor and mind/body/spirit author

It’s nice to be reminded of our choices. Sometimes you may feel as if you’re simply on a roller coaster, simply along for the ride, with little control. But that couldn’t be further from the truth. Right now, you’re choosing to read this. Then you can choose to work on a project, or get coffee, or talk to a friend. Or save a life, or improve your life, or simply give up. The choices are out there waiting for you to choose or refuse. Dr. Deepak Chopra helps you discover the life-giving powers you possess.

5 Don'ts Hair Styles of Obama

The 44th USA President can change many things in the next four year but his hair isn't one of them. Sadly, none of these popular blackmen hair styles can make the cut in the White House, only the high-top hair style worked for him.

Something won't change, and yo! that's yo hair man!

Thursday, November 20, 2008

The Riches Advice

"Study well what the billionaire does. It may make you a millionaire."
by John Emmerling

In a recent Forbes poll of the 400 richest people in the world, none said they had become wealthy entirely by luck. Some said they considered luck to be a minor factor. Most, like Oprah Winfrey, consider luck an outsider’s way of describing someone who works hard and seizes opportunity. "Luck," Winfrey says, "is preparation meeting a moment of opportunity."

If you want to survive and prosper in the first decade of 21st century, emulate the habits of the world’s richest people. Educate yourself about money and learn to make money. Make conservative investments. And seize opportunities to start and or invest in entrepreneurial businesses.
by Michael Masterson

Feng Shui Lady “Master” Lillian Too made Millions Starting out at Age 45

Feng Shui is the Chinese art of controlling a person’s energy flows through the positioning of objects in a room to optimize health, wellbeing and luck.
In Asia, most Feng Shui masters consult of individuals and companies and charge either by the hour or by the project. Some of the best and most skillful masters charge up to $2,000 per hour in consultation fees. Even then, there is a limit to how much they can earn a month, given that there is a limit to the number of hours they can spend on consultation.
However, Lillian Too, one of the world’s most famous Feng Shui masters turn over millions of dollars a year by using the power of value x time x scalability). Her value comes from being one of the very few to translate this ancient Chinese art into English and bringing it to the west. She also created massive value by being one of the first to show how Feng Shui can be applied to not just homes or offices but to person’s wealth, career, health and relationships. Again, what has made her truly wealthy has been her ability to scale her value.
Instead of just giving one-on-one consultations, like most Feng Shui master do, Lillian delivers hundreds of seminars every year to thousands of people all over the world.

Once a year, she holds a mega event called Feng Shui Extravaganza where she tells people how to maximize their luck in the coming year. This new year Feng Shui Extravaganza 2009 is held in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia on the 1st February from 10am to 4pm (e-mail: kotakinabalu@worldoffengshui.com for booking seats). This seminar is packed with over 2,500 people each time. At an average price of $93 a ticket, she earns over $232,500 a day! See how she has magnified her value many times over?

In addition, Lillian has written over eighty books on Feng Shui, and these have been translated into over thirty languages, selling all over the world. Now, assuming a very conservative estimate of 10,000 copies sold per book, that’s 800,000 copies being sold a year. If she earns a conservative royalty of $2 a book, that’s $1.6 million a year, and this figure recurs every year as long as the books are selling. Her value, just for her books alone, is being multiplied many fold.
Two years ago, Lillian launched her Feng Shui Magazine called ‘Feng Shui World’, published every 2 months, consist of 6 magazines for a year subscription. The successful Feng Shui World magazine is Feng Shui Lifestyle Magazine, with many subscribers from around the world since launched.

And that’s not all. She teach Feng Shui too! She personally teach the Master Practitioners Course in Feng Shui & Master Class in Paht Chee every year, a 5-day full course. And Lillian graduates become successful feng shui consultants in their own home countries (the graduates from 27 countries last year 2007).

Lillian has built an entire chain of shop called ‘World of Feng Shui’ (www.wofs.com) in countries around the world. She has created an internet online shopping called ‘Feng Shui Megamall’ (www.lillian-too.com) that sells all kinds of amulets, crystals, designer’s accessories, books and ornaments for people who want to enhance their energy flows.

From the millions of dollars generated from her businesses Feng Shui empire that she created, Lillian enjoys multiple streams of passive income which makes her a ‘Multiple Millionaire’ now.

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Malaysian Dreamer

A friend of mine once told me if the world was made up of all things aviation, I would be a rockstar. Did I believe him? No. Was I flattered? You bet!

After studying accounting at the London School of Economics, I returned home to head the local operations of Time Warner Inc.’s music business where I eventually rose to head the company’s Southeast Asian operation. In 2001, I finally quit my job and made THE decision to go into the airline business. That same year along with some partners, I formed a partnership to set up Tune Air Sdn Bhd and bought AirAsia for a token sum of RM1.00. Subsequently AirAsia was remodelled into a low cost carrier and by January 2002, our vision to make air travel more affordable for Malaysians and all Asians took flight. I’ve also set up AirAsia X, a low-cost long-haul carrier currently flying from Malaysia to China and Australia. You also might have heard that through a company named Tune Ventures, I have interests in a budget hotel, a financial-services company and a mobile-phone service provider.
In 2008 I made my acting debut in a Malaysian made movie entitled Cuci. Then came an appearance in a music video for a song recorded in the spirit of national unity called Here in My Home. I had loads of fun doing both.

by Tony Fernandes.

Check out his personal blog at http://www.tonyfernandesblog.com

Monday, November 17, 2008

Why I am not RICH yet?

Try answering this question.

Now, let’s see if your answer (reasons) is similar to those I’ve heard over the years when this question was posed to people. Most people tend to say these;

It is because..
1. ‘I have no money to make money’.
2. ‘I have no large capital to start a business’.
3. ‘I was born in a poor family’.
4. ‘I have no luck to be rich’.
5. ‘I don’t believe that everyone can be rich’.
6. ‘I need to support my family’ or too many children to take care’.
7. ‘I am too young or too old’.
8. ‘I’m not smart enough’ or ‘I am stupid’.
9. ‘I have no opportunities’.
10. ‘I’m not ready yet’ or ‘I’m physically not fit’.
11. ‘I think I can’t be rich in my lifetime’.
12. ‘I lack of knowledge and experiences’.
13. ‘I have no-one support’ or ‘my spouse not supporting me’.
14. ‘I’ve no time, too busy’.
15. ‘I have no idea and resources’ or ‘I am afraid of taking risk’.
16. ‘I will wait for the right time, now the economy is bad’.

Do any of the reasons shown here match the ones you have given? Your mentally ability to become rich depends very much on your thoughts (the right answers).

Every time I do this questionnaire with people, I have discovered that because the reasons people gives are very much reflection of whether that person have the Winner’s mindset or the Victim’s mindset. Therefore, in order to be rich, you must adopt the Winner’s mindset. Winners take 100% Responsibility for the result in Their Life. They take ownership over their wealth. They believe that they alone create their wealth through their strategies and actions. As result, they know that they have the power to change their wealth by changing their strategies and actions. It is only when you live by this habit you will have the power to exponentially multiply your income and your wealth creation.

Let me ask you this question, ‘Do you want to be rich?’, you may answer me, ‘of course I want!’.

Let me ask you the next question, ‘Are you 100% committed to be rich?’. You see, there is a very big difference between wanting to become a millionaire and being 100% committed to becoming a millionaire. Being committed and believing that when you are willing to do whatever it takes to get something, you will ALWAYS find a way. And if you cannot find a way, you will make a way.

Winner knows that doing so will be futile since they can’t change these external factors. Instead, they take full responsibility for the fact they will improve and try even harder to meet their goal. By taking responsibility for your results, you give yourself the power to change it!

The moment you acknowledge that you create your own fortune, you will find that you can make money at any age, with any background, with little or no money and in any kind of economy. It means that you have given yourself the power, the approval to start becoming Rich!

The Truth about Wealth

Why is it that 90% of the population find it so difficult to become rich? It is because all of us have been told the greatest lie of all, the lie that has been keeping us from becoming rich. Before you can ever become wealthy, you must first discover the truth about wealth.

Let me start off by asking you to do a simple exercise. I would like you to close your eyes and picture a millionaire in your mind. Picture the clothes the person is wearing, the car he drives, how he spends his money, how he spends his day and how he dines.

If you are like most people, you would have pictured a millionaire as someone who wears the latest, branded clothes, how drives the newest luxury car model, who spends lavishly, who dines in fine restaurants and spend on the priciest, choicest dishes and most superb wines.

You may have imagined someone who is relaxing in cushy leather armchair in his mansion or in a yacht. Why is this so? It’s because of the way we have been brainwashed by television and movies to think this is the way millionaire live and spend their money. It is precisely these beliefs and habits that actually keep us from becoming wealthy!

The truth is very few millionaires live this way. In fact, the only ones who do live this indolent, self-indulgent lifestyle are the minority of millionaires who either inherited all their wealth of who made their money through sports or entertainment. And all of them usually have one thing in common. They inevitably end up losing everything within ten years. Their wealth is only temporary. Look at Mike Tyson, Michael Jackson, Bobby Brown and a whole list of other celebrities who made hundreds of millions within their careers. They are either all broke or heavily in debt today.
In the New York Times Best-Selling book ‘The Millionaire Next Door’, Thomas J. Stanley interviewed 300 self-made American millionaires to find out how they think, how they earn their money and how they spend their wealth. What he discovered was shocking revelation that made his book an instant best-seller.

It was discovered that many people who had high paying jobs, drove the latest luxury cars and wore the latest designer clothes and who appeared to be have millions to spend, were usually broke with a low personal net worth. Most of these professionals and senior executives of multi-national companies were what he termed ‘Under Accumulators of Wealth (UAW)’.

In contrast, those who were actual millionaires (that is those with a net worth of over US$1 million) lived very frugally and well below their means. Eight-percent of them were born poor or from middle class families. They wore inexpensive suits and never secondhand cars, never bough the latest models of vehicles and they usually invested a minimum of 20% of their income in the stock market or private businesses. He termed these people ‘Prodigious Accumulators of Wealth (PAW)’.

I must admit that when I was much younger, I too had the same distorted beliefs about how real millionaires lived. When I was a kid, I used to admire and envy people who drove the luxury Porsche car, owning a cool high-tech handphone/gadget, wearing gold or diamond accessories, travelling to the beautiful countries, who lived in Penthouses and live lavish lifestyles without worry about spending limits.

Again, many people think that a person’s wealth is defined by how much he earns, by the clothes he wears, by the house he lives in and by the way he lives. And now, you know that this is not at all true.
A person’s wealth is actually defined by how long a period of time he/she can sustain their lifestyle if they stop working. The longer you can go on living your life without working another day, the richer you actually are. Your wealth is therefore defined by three things; (1) your monthly expenses, (2) your liquid assets and (3) your passive income.

Wealth is not determined by how much you earn, it is determined by how much you save, wisely invest for the growth. Even with just a middle class income, you can become a millionaire if you have enough financial intelligence, discipline and patience.

So now, how wealthy are you?

Saturday, November 15, 2008

A Blog Posted by Singapore's Youngest Millionaire

Posted by Mr. Adam Khoo.

Some of you may already know that I travel around the region pretty frequently, having to visit and conduct seminars at my offices in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand and Suzhou (China). I am in the airport almost every other week so I get to bump into many people who have attended my seminars or have read my books.Recently, someone came up to me on a plane to KL and looked rather shocked. He asked, 'How come a millionaire like you is travelling economy? My reply was, 'That's why I am a millionaire.' He still looked pretty confused.

This again confirms that reatest lie ever told about wealth (which I wrote about in my latest book 'Secrets of Self Made Millionaires'). Many people have been brainwashed to think that millionaires have to wear Gucci, Hugo Boss, Rolex, and sit on first class in air travel. This is why so many people never become rich because the moment that earn more money, they think that it is only natural that they spend more, putting them back to square one.

The truth is that most self-made millionaires are frugal and only spend on what is necessary and of value. That is why they are able to accumulate and multiply their wealth so much faster. Over the last 7 years, I have saved about 80% of my income while today I save only about 60% (because I have my wife, mother in law, 2 maids, 2 kids, etc. to support). Still, it is way above most people who save 10% of their income (if they are lucky). I refuse to buy a first class ticket or to buy a $300 shirt because I think that it is a complete waste of money. However, I happily pay $1,300 to send my 2-year old daughter to Julia Gabriel Speech and Drama without thinking twice.

When I joined the YEO (Young Entrepreneur's Organization) a few years back (YEO is an exclusive club open to those who are under 40 and make over $1m a year in their own business) I discovered that those who were self-made thought like me. Many of them with net worths well over $5m, travelled economy class and some even drove Toyota's and Nissans (not Audis, Mercs, BMWs).I noticed that it was only those who never had to work hard to build their own wealth (there were also a few ministers' and tycoons' sons in the club) who spent like there was no tomorrow.

Somehow, when you did not have to build everything from scratch, you do not really value money. This is precisely the reason why a family's wealth (no matter how much) rarely lasts past the third generation. Thank God my rich dad (oh no! I sound like Kiyosaki) foresaw this terrible possibility and refused to give me a cent to start my business.Then some people ask me, 'What is the point in making so much money if you don't enjoy it?'

The thing is that I don't really find happiness in buying branded clothes, jewellery or sitting first class. Even if buying something makes me happy it is only for a while, it does not last. Material happiness never lasts, it just give you a quick fix. After awhile you feel lousy again and have to buy the next thing which you think will make you happy. I always think that if you need material things to make you happy, then you live a pretty sad and unfulfilled life.Instead, what make ME happy is when I see my children laughing and playing and learning so fast. What makes me happy is when I see by companies and trainers reaching more and more people every year in so many morecountries.

What makes me really happy is when I read all the emails abouthow my books and seminars have touched and inspired someone's life. Whatmakes me really happy is reading all your wonderful posts about how thisBLOG is inspiring you.

This happiness makes me feel really good for a longtime, much much more than what a Rolex would do for me.I think the point I want to put across is that happiness must come fromdoing your life's work (be in teaching, building homes, designing, trading,winning tournaments etc.) and the money that comes is only a by-product.If you hate what you are doing and rely on the money you earn to make youhappy by buying stuff, then I think that you are living a life ofmeaningless.

Who Is Adam Khoo?

If you haven’t heard of Adam Khoo, he’s one of the youngest self-made millionaires in Singapore at the age of 26. Even when he was doing his undergraduate studies at the NUS Business School, he ran his own motivational speaking business and was earning up to $2000 a day. Today at age 34, Adam owns and runs three businesses, with a combined annual turnover of $20 million. Quite impressive! har. I also found it coincidental that he’s also an alumni of VJC and NUS Business School.
Now I first picked up the idea of NLP after reading Adam Khoo’s “Master Your Mind, Design Your Destiny”. NLP refers to Neuro Linguistic Programming and it is “the technology of the mind that teaches you to use the language of the mind in order to program and reprogram your nervous system to consistently achieve a particular desirable result.”

Adam mentioned in his book that when we believe we can do something, we virtually tap into our brain’s resources. And we will summon all our internal resources to find a way to support that belief. But if we believe that something is impossible, we shut out the possibility altogether. Thus, it instilled in me the power of our beliefs and how our limiting beliefs can stifle our potential.
It is also vital that we live out of our comfort zone and take massive action everyday. Regardless of which area of our life you want to improve, we’ve got to lead each day with a clear purpose.
Nonetheless, as my driving force wasn’t strong enough back then, I soon lapsed back into my same unmotivated state. But his second book “Secrets of Self-Made Millionaires” helped pick me up once again. During April’06 at that point of time, I was working fulltime, giving art tuitions 3 times a week and doing some network marketing business. I was earning about $600 extra a month. However, his book made me realize the importance of passive income. In short, passive income refers to income that is not dependent on the number of hours you work. You can see it as earning money even while you’re sleeping.

Hence, I knew I wasn’t leveraging my time effectively. His book also opened my eyes to millionaire’s wealth habits and also detailed several wealth creation strategies. Determined to implement what was taught in his book, I went on a massive research and discovered that it is really possible to create lucrative streams of income online.


His book contains tons of information in the area of wealth building and also lay out step- by- step strategies on how to create wealth. If you’re really committed about achieving wealth for yourself, you simply have to check out what this multi-millionaire has to offer.

I would recommend you to get a copy and start building your wealth now.

NEW BOOK

Announcing new book called “Secrets of Building Multi-Million Dollar Businesses” book written by Adam Khoo. The author of the Best Selling book “Master Your Mind, Design Your Destiny and many other titled best selling books. Here is what Adam has to say…as Singapore officially enters a recession (Straits Times, Oct 10, 2008) and layoffs and pay cuts are expected to rise (see one of the many articles from Business Times about companies slashing jobs)… … it becomes even more crucial for you to learn the strategies of how to build a profitable business. Here is why:
1) In my opinion, it is extremely risky to be an employee nowadays if you have no other source of additional income. When downturns come (and they HAVE ARRIVED again), your company will have to cut costs by reducing pay and laying off its employees. As an employee, you do not own your job or your income. It can be taken away from you at any time.

To ensure your long term financial security, you have to learn the skills of how to become an entrepreneur just in case it becomes your turn to get the axe! (statistics show that when you have a 50% chance of being retrenched past the age of 45 because you become to expensive to keep. If your boss can find someone cheaper, younger and willing to work longer hours then you, they will not think twice to replace you).

2) It may sound crazy, but the best time to start a business is in a recession! In fact, I started Adam Khoo Learning Technologies group during the last major downturn in 2002. IN this book, I will show you how I turned an $8000 investment (not even my own money) into a $20 million a year business that operates in 6 countries.

During a downturn and a recession is when rental becomes really cheap, employees are much cheaper to hire and banks are much more willing to lend money at better interest rates! At the same time, as major competitors downsize and scale back on marketing, it will give YOU…the new business entrant the chance to grab market share! During bad times, consumers tend to be more discerning and tend to give newer businesses a chance as their costs are usually lower.

3) Finally, if you want to ensure than you are able to not only keep your job during the recession (which could last the next 2 years) but to even have a chance to climb up the corporate ladder (as a director, senior VP or CEO), then you have to learn the skills and the mindset of a boss! In bad times, companies will get rid of those who cannot create value and retain those who can. To achieve this, you have to learn the skills and strategies of how to help YOUR COMPANY achieve higher sales and profits.

In my latest book, you are going to learn the most effective strategies that CEOs and entrepreneurs use to build and manage highly profitable business in good times and in tough times. You will learn:
• Why 90% of Businesses Fail…and how the 10% Succeed
• The Mindset & Habits of Successful Entrepreneurs
• Develop the million-dollar idea that will blow away the competition
• A Step-by Step Guide on building a business system that works without you
• How to start a business with very little capital and turn in millions within 18 months
• Build a Powerful Brand & Establish Yourself As the Market Leader
• Powerful Marketing Strategies that Will Kill the Competition
• Build a championship team of employees and partners
• Master the Art of Cash Flow… How to Roll Millions with just a Few Thousand Dollars

Chapter 1: The Making of A Millionaire Entrepreneur
Chapter 2: The Success Factors of Millionaire Entrepreneurs
Chapter 3: The Million-Dollar Business Idea
Chapter 4: Building a Business that Works…Without You
Chapter 5: Multiplying Your Business Profits
Chapter 6: How to Generate Millions in Sales and Profits
Chapter 7: Building a Championship Team
Chapter 8: Mastering Your Money
Chapter 9: Growing Your Business Empire

To order your copy at a super discounted price of $30 (The retail price will be S$35.90 at all major bookstores), call +6596275192 during office hours (Singapore time: 9am- 6pm). Or you can e-mail to Mr.Henry for the book delivery arrangement locally.

Only 300 Books will be given super discount price. Only 2 books are allowed to be purchased by each person. And if you purchase using Air-delivery right to your front doorstep, we will include extra 2 supprise gifts just for you.

You can read the 1st chapter of this book online, by clicking: http://www.adam-khoo.com/makingofanentrepreneur.pdf


QUANTITY


Wednesday, November 12, 2008

9 Lessons in Life from the Next President

Learn about balance, love and leadership from a guy who's even busier than you are.
By: Peter Moore, Photographs by: Frank W. Ockenfels III

Name: Barack Obama
Occupation: Next president of the United States of America.

Okay, what have you got?"

Barack Obama is leaning across the table in O-Force One -- his campaign plane -- and fixing me with a gaze that says game on.

"Are you too skinny to be president?" I ask him.

It's August 4, the candidate's 47th birthday, but nobody's breaking out party hats. Maybe because we're high above Ohio, a battleground that will decide if this man will win the presidency -- or become election history's biggest-ever footnote.

I'd heard the charge from several quarters: A tall, slim guy's refusal to eat junk on the campaign trail might cut him off from the drive-thru electorate.

In fact, commentators and the press had been railing against Obama just a few days before: The average guy simply doesn't have 90 minutes to spend in the gym. But the senator won't take the bait: "Well, I wish I was getting a 90-minute workout," he says. "Most of my workouts have to come before my day starts. There's always a tradeoff between sleep and working out. Usually I get in about 45 minutes, 6 days a week. I'll lift one day and do cardio the next."

But what about the yammering that being fit is elitist?

"I don't think most people think it is. It's just the nature of the politics that [pundits] need something to talk about. A tried-and-true strategy in politics is to try and take a strength and turn it into a weakness."

If critics really want to take on some of Obama's strengths, there's quite a list to work through. Even if you now have "McCain-Palin" tattooed on your butt, you have to grant the man two things: He has accomplished a meteoric rise to the verge of vast power, and he's managing an innovative political organization that has energized millions of people and raised even more millions of dollars. And regardless of where you stand on his fitness to be president, he has the fitness part of it down pat.

Every life is, or should be, a campaign of sorts -- to clarify your thinking on the big questions, to recruit allies, to learn to take the right risks, and to balance your work and home life in a way that elevates both. Apologists for the overweight, take note: Fitness isn't elitism. It's a key to success. If you really want to succeed in your career and in your relationships, you need to carve out time to take care of your body as well.

And on those grounds you can learn a lot from Barack Obama, even if you don't flick the lever for him in a few weeks.

The senator's birthday "celebration" had gotten off to an awkward start earlier that morning. Obama showed up set to deliver a speech on energy policy in Lansing, Michigan, but when he hit the stage, the adoring crowd had something else in mind: All 2,000 people chimed in with "Happy Birthday to You."

But as his well-wishers reached the naming moment in the song -- the part where Marilyn Monroe, draped over a piano, had lustily crooned "Mr. President" to JFK -- they went strangely mute, not knowing what to call him. So for five beats, nothing came out of their mouths.

Happy birthday, Mr. Question Mark, and many happy returns.

And isn't that about right? For all the media spotlight on Obama since his landmark speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention, we're still asking questions like Who is he? What does he believe? Where is he coming from? And what does he have to teach me?

Lesson 1: Learn from your father, even if he wasn't a good oneBarack Obama's life story, starting with his father's departure when he was 2 years old, is the equivalent of a doctoral program in abandonment, dislocation, and healing. And the last of these can come about only when you truly come to terms with the first two. As Obama's memoir, Dreams from My Father, makes abundantly clear, he was one twentysomething who took the time to understand exactly what it meant that his father left the family.

During our interview, I cite the complex relationship between Bush I and Bush II, and ask if his absent father would have an impact on an Obama presidency. "I would like to think that most of the issues related to my father have been resolved," he says, pointedly. "That's part of what writing Dreams from My Father was about: understanding him, his own personal tragedy. He wasn't a presence in my life, he was an idea that I had to wrestle with for a long time.

"Somebody once said that every man is either trying to live up to his dad's expectations or make up for his dad's mistakes. And I'm sure I was doing a little bit of both. But I feel that somewhere in my late 20s or early 30s I sort of figured out what his absence had meant. It is part of what I think has made me a pretty good dad. I don't think it would have too much of an impact on my decision-making as president. There's no doubt that it has contributed to my drive. I might not be here had it not been for that absent father prodding me early in life."

Lesson 2: Be there for your family, even if you're not aroundI wondered if his wife, Michelle, and their two children, Malia and Sasha, might join him on the day's trip, to participate in the blow-out-the-candles moment. But Obama had boarded the plane with Secret Service and campaign staffers, not family members. So he himself is something of an absentee father on his big day. I ask him about it.

"Yesterday was the birthday celebration," he tells me. "We get everything in, just not always on schedule when it's supposed to happen. Yesterday I sat on a lounge chair in a friend's backyard, watching my girls and Michelle dance. It was as nice a moment as I've had in a long time.

"I don't miss the important things. I haven't missed a dance recital. I haven't missed a parent-teacher conference. But there are some things I do miss, and those are some of the tradeoffs you make.

"But, look, there's no question there are sacrifices involved here. I'd like to say that quality time replaces quantity, but sometimes it doesn't. You know, a lot of the best moments of family life happen spontaneously. If you have less time to devote to them, there are fewer of those moments. What I've been able to do is create a zone of normalcy for my kids. Michelle's been wonderful about that. I have been able to transmit to them my absolute interest in them and my absolute love for them."

Lesson 3: Make the future your focusAnother loss in the Obama family: the way a child's life changes in the glare of campaign lights. The senator notes that his daughters were young -- 5 and 8 -- when he had to explain the upheaval that was about to shake their family. He may as well have been talking about his plans to file income taxes. The kids cut to the really important stuff: "Their main concern was, 'When are we going to get a dog?' They did ask about what they called 'secret people,' which were the Secret Service folks. 'Are we going to have to have these people with sunglasses and earpieces following us around all the time?' And I told them, well, not right away. They've adjusted wonderfully. And I've tried to make sure that they haven't had to participate too much in the political process.

"The pledge is" -- he can't help making campaign promises, even to his kids -- "they'll get their dog, win or lose."

Lesson 4: Turn early lessons into big successesSarah Palin might not be too impressed with Obama's days as a community organizer, but he built that modest beginning -- putting together coalitions of voters across Chicago -- into the current grass-roots organization that's unlike anything our electoral process has ever seen. It's a classic example of applying a lesson learned on a small scale to the biggest challenge of a lifetime.

Clearly, he knows how to manage groups. By the time your outfit has its own plane, it'd better have a solid pilot.

"I'm part of an organization," he says, "and one of the things I really try to push in the organization is to make sure that everybody is focused on the two or three things that are really going to be game changers. I ask them to design my schedule in a way that focuses not just on what's coming at us, but on being active instead of reactive. I think we've been pretty successful. I don't spend a lot of time returning phone calls or e-mails. If somebody needs something, most of the time there's somebody else who can handle it. Eliminating TV has been helpful." Wait, a confession: "I'm still a sucker for SportsCenter," he notes.

No distractions until SportsCenter comes on? No wonder he seems so calm all the time.

The goal of his organization, he says, is to clear time for job number 1: "The most difficult thing is to carve out time to think, which is probably the most important time for somebody who's trying to shift an organization, or in this case, the country, as opposed to doing the same things that have been done before. And I find that time slips away."

Lesson 5: The government isn't your nursemaidThe organization theme comes up again when I raise a pet peeve of this magazine: That the U.S. government maintains at least seven offices devoted to women's health, but no office of men's health. This despite the fact that men die earlier than women do of heart disease, stroke, and cancer. I'm hoping to enlist him in the battle.
Nothing doing.

"I'm not sure we need an office," he says. "We need to have an awareness built in throughout various agencies charged with improving health. I'll give you a specific example. My grandfather died of prostate cancer. As men age, regular checkups are critical. But it's hard to get them to go in for that mildly unpleasant checkup. Increasing awareness of the difference it could make shouldn't just be the activity of the Department of Health and Human Services."

And then he launches into a story involving a friend of his. It's a theme he returns to again and again as we talk: a world peopled with friends who taught him lessons, reminded him of what was important, reproached him in a useful way.

"A good friend of mine who was the head of the Illinois department of public health designed this wonderful program targeting black men, where health information was provided through barbershops. The idea was that a lot of black men underutilize doctors and don't talk about health much. But they go to the barbershop, and that's where they kind of let loose. The department designed programs where clinics at different barbershops would provide various health screenings, talk about prevention. Those kinds of strategies have to be developed and targeted, perhaps, because a lot of the time we're more resistant to going to doctors. That kind of thinking should be embedded in a lot of the work we're doing."

Lesson 6: Quit smoking (as often as you need to)For all of Obama's physical credentials, he's carried around the ultimate health taboo -- smoking -- for most of his adult life. And he inhaled, all right. Then word came that he'd quit smoking.

"There wasn't some dramatic moment," he says. "Michelle had been putting pressure on me for a while. I was never really a heavy smoker. Probably at my peak I was smoking seven or eight a day. More typical was three. So it wasn't a huge challenge with huge withdrawal symptoms. There have been a couple of times during the campaign when I fell off the wagon and bummed one, and I had to kick it again. But I figure, seeing as I'm running for president, I need to cut myself a little slack."

He does have advice for people, like him, who are wrestling with the dependency. "Eliminate certain key connections -- that first cigarette in the morning, or after a meal, or with a drink. If you can eliminate those triggers, that should help."

Lesson 7: Show others the way to common groundWhen you're a Kenya-Kansas hybrid, you either drive yourself nuts trying to sort out your identity or you find common ground among opposites. By all accounts, that nose for synthesis is why Obama's classmates selected him to be president of the Harvard Law Review. Neither the liberals nor the conservatives had the votes to elect their chosen candidate. But in Obama, both groups saw a guy who would give their side a fair shake. And he did.

Years later, Robert Putnam, a social scientist and political theorist, hosted seminars at Harvard's Kennedy School on how to rebuild the country's broken sense of community. He recruited an obscure Illinois state senator named Barack Obama to participate, along with bank presidents, entrepreneurs, and such better-known figures as religious-right strategist Ralph Reed and former Clintonista George Stephanopoulos.

"Barack Obama was one of the youngest in the group," Putnam told me. "At the beginning of our sessions, he stood back a little bit, listening to the others. But often around noon, you'd hear him say, 'Well I hear Jane saying this, and Joe saying that, but both Jane and Joe would probably agree on this more fundamental point.' Now, these were big-ego people he was dealing with, but he made his mark. It's a skill the country needs now: An emphasis on synthesis, not divisiveness."

Lesson 8: If you want to avoid disappointing others, don't disappoint yourselfNo surprise here. It's something he's thought about a lot: "I always try to make sure that my expectations are higher than those of the people around me," he says. "A lot of people have a lot at stake in this election. The American people are having a tough time. And I never want people to feel as if I've overpromised to them. I try to explain in a real honest way how difficult some of the changes I'm talking about will be. But I never want the effect to be that I'm not working as hard as I can on their behalf . . . that I'm not continually trying to improve. I'm actually glad for the high expectations. One of the interesting things about a campaign like this is that it really does push you to the limit and then some. And it turns out that you have more in your reservoir than you expected."

And at the beginning of August, he has plenty more testing to go through.

"I do," he replies. "I've got 3 more months, and then it gets harder."

Lesson 9: Don't let 'em see you sweatOne of the sillier controversies in the campaign broke in the middle of a heat wave last summer: Did Barack Obama sweat? Ever?

An AP wire story went out, accompanied by head scratching from members of the press, about people being unable to recall a single instance of campaign-trail perspiration. One day, his dry demeanor was even cited as evidence that he was using the cover of a workout to interview veep candidates in a Chicago gym. Nobody seemed to consider that he sweats less because he's in such good shape. It's obvious he's an athlete from his physical grace alone.

The way a guy carries himself can tell you a lot about him. For instance, Ronald Reagan brought about morning in America by having a demeanor sunny enough to dispel the early-'80s gloom all by himself. As for Obama, he does move like a silky small forward, which is part of his appeal. I witnessed a showcase of his physical skills upon our arrival in Lansing, as he executed the perfect plane dismount while waving at the Secret Service guys.
And I've reviewed his action on the basketball court: a fluid, high-pressure three-pointer while visiting troops in Kuwait; a recent YouTube clip of him during a 3-on-3 game, demonstrating equal facility with the drive, the step-back jumper, and the dish. When he's in the thick of the action, everybody on the court is involved.

Robert Putnam wrote a book called Bowling Alone in which he built a case that Americans have become isolated and American society fractured. For me, the book title conjures an image of the weird, haunted, solitary Richard Nixon repairing to the White House bowling alley at midnight to chase his demons and roll a few lonely frames. But bowling, alone or otherwise, isn't Obama's game.

When I first met the candidate, I observed to him that the White House grounds are equipped for basketball, but it's only a half-court setup, too cramped for the full-court game he possesses, and in any case, unavailable in rough weather.

Obama was quick to propose substantive change in Washington.

"We're going to do a thorough evaluation," he said in mock officialspeak, "but it may need an upgrade. The bowling alley, I understand, offers us some potential for expansion."

Of course: an indoor basketball court. Instead of bowling alone, he's itching to play the team game.

Check out Obama in YouTube "Unbelievable McCain Vs. Obama Dance-Off" & "Barack Obama & Hillary Clinton - Umbrella Music Video" very funny!

Saturday, November 01, 2008

DEBUNKING THE MYTHS OF MONEY

The truth is that many of these beliefs and attitudes that some people hold onto with much conviction are nothing but inaccurate in generalizations and excuses that keep them from living a truly a happy and wealthy life.
In order to truly align the mind to wealth creation, we must debunk these negative myths and really look at the facts. Here are some top myths that I have heard and collected, debunking these myths with facts that I Believe it is True.

Myth: Having a lot of money will change you into a bad person
Fact: Money is personality magnifier. It brings out true person within you. If you are selfish and nasty person by nature, having money will make you even more nasty and selfish. However, if you are kind, generous and loving person deep down inside, money will magnify your goodness.

Myth: Money will not buy happiness
Fact: True. However, not having money will not make you happier as well. Isn’t it better to be unhappy with money than unhappy without it?

Myth: Money isn’t everything
Fact: This is the top excuse given by poor people who are in denial. The truth is that everything is money, everything needs money. Without money, you cannot maximize other important values such as family, career, health, spirituality and relationships.

Myth: Money will make you less spiritual
Fact: Again, if you are by nature a spiritual person, having money will allow you to touch more lives and help you do more of god’s work. In fact, the wealthiest people in the world are extremely spiritual. Not having to worry about money anymore allows many of the rich to focus on more important things in life. Many truly wealthy people believe they don’t own their money. They are just custodians of God’s wealth.

Myth: Rich people are materialistic. They worship money.
Fact: It is the people who lack of money who worship it. Who works all day, year after year in a job which they hate, just for the money? Who is wishing they had more money? Who is constantly worrying about money? Who are those who constantly sacrifice their health and family to make more money? It is those who are wealthy or those who have no money? I rest my case.
In fact, the rich rarely work because of money. They work because of passion and sense of personal mission. Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, George Lucas, Michael Jordan and Steve Jobs certainly don’t work for money…they don’t need to.

Myth: If I became wealthy, I will lose all of my friends.
Fact: Firstly, become Rich. And if you lose some of your friends, it only means that you have found out who your false friends are. When you become wealthy, you will make new friends, with a wealthy mindset!

Myth: There is not enough money for everyone to be rich.
Fact: When you become rich, you actually create more wealth for other people. Wealth multiplies into more wealth. You see, money is a measure of the exchange of value. When you make more money, it means you are creating more value and wealth in the world. Bill Gates is the richest man in the world because he has created the most value in people’s lives through the creation of Microsoft and Windows. Because of his invention, so many more millionaires have been created as a result. Think about it, if Microsoft Windows, Word and Excel did not exist, would you have been able to create as much wealth as you have today?

Myth: Having a lot of money will give me a lot of worries and problems.
Fact: The majority of the problems people faces in life (relationships, health & career) are the result of the LACK of vitamin ‘M’= Money.

Myth: Money is the ‘Root of all Evil’
Fact: The lack of money is the root of all evil. Why I say so, the number one cause of murder, cheating, stealing, robbing, lying is from poverty, is because the lack of money.