CFC FFL Singapore – Sharing God’s Love to Us
First of all I am writing this topic to share the wonders of God’s love to me and to share His love to all of us. Ever since I came here to Singapore and started a commitment to my never ending personal development blog, the next best thing that came to my life was God’s community. CFC FFL Singapore (Couples For Christ – Foundation for Family and Life) is a community of God’s love and a commitment to my spiritual growth. I remember writing a Family Mission Statement based from one of our household gatherings which was a challenge for me and for other brothers and sisters in Christ as well. What really touched me was when my wife told me about my 7 year old son, Jed’s sharing about family mission statement in school. Her teacher really appreciated and thanked us for our son’s sharing. She wished that if only every family will practice the same kind of teachings, our country will be a better place to live in. Wow! that brought tears to my eyes.
It was never my plan to join any religious program or organization having attended different religious groups from the past. I attended my first seminar during the second half of 2008 when my friend invited me and told me that dinner was free. Without hesitation I attended the seminar with the food in my mind and did it again and again for the next series of seminars or talks. Yes I was indeed nourished by the food served to us. But it was from the talks and sharing of personal experiences that gave me the nourishment of my spirit.
It is truly a blessing to belong to a community of God’s servants considering that my family is not with me here in Singapore. When you’re alone working in a foreign country, any temptations are possible. CFC FFL community is a place where you can share your personal problems, inspirational stories, love, gratitude, fun and the smiles the can melt a heart. Indeed a family that you can count on whatever prayer requests you need, whether for a good health, a good career, or just a better relationship. Here, I was able to communicate my personal challenges in life, my experiences in personal development and also learned from others more challenging experiences. When I listened to other people’s experiences, I realized that my personal challenges are small compared to their life experiences. I heard about a wife leaving a successful business in the Philippines despite family and friends continuous discouragement of living a new life to be with her husband and family. Others shared their success and blessings from their career through continuous hard work, persistence and prayers. Truly with God nothing is impossible. It is through our abilities to believe, to desire and unwavering faith that we can achieve what we want in life.
I highly encouraged those who are away from their loved ones or for those who simply need peace at home with their family to seek us to share God’s love. I’m not limiting your choices to our group, there are also wonderful communities that will suit to your culture, religion, beliefs, or faith. What is important is you develop a personal and spiritual relationship with God and the people that you can connect with your life experiences. I assure and guarantee you that the time you spend with God and the relationship you develop with your community is truly worthy of your time.
To you, I offer you my short prayer of gratitude for visiting my site. I wish and pray for you all the good things that you deserved in life. To share the blessings that you deserved to our fellow.To learn from the bad things to become a better person. Please share God’s Love to Us, Amen!
PS
I’m sharing with you a presentation from the male group made during the CLS or Christian Life Seminar day itself so this was not really practiced well but the message was from the series of seminar talks.
Reminiscing Unleash the Power Within (UPW 2009) by Anthony Robbins
the firewalker
I’ve immersed myself recently most of the time listening to Tony Robbins audio books like Personal Power II, Get the Edge, Conquering Overwhelming Loss: Rediscovering a Compelling Future and Negotiating Conflict: Leadership in Times of Crisis. With this immersion, I wanted to share my live experience with Anthony Robbins last year.
I attended UPW at Singapore, Expo last September 4-7, 2009. On that night, I managed to conquer my fears by firewalking. Oh I still have the blister mark on my foot that I got during that event. I must say that it was the biggest event for that year for me and perhaps the other years as well. UPW did not change myself but rather taught me to become the person that I deserved to be. It taught me about who I am, what I love, what I hate, what excites me, and what drives me. The more I become the person that I wanted to be the easier for me to achieve what I want and to be fulfilled.
I’m just going to pick some principles from the 4 day event that I have applied from my journey.
The 3 Pillars of an Extraordinary Life
- Get laser-focused, make it clear and compelling. This first step is to clarify the results that I desire in life. What is your definition of an extraordinary quality of life? What do you need to take your life to the next level? Without a clear and compelling vision of what you want today, you won’t be able to find the target of lasting happiness. If you have the courage to face the truth of where you are, you will discover the path to where you want to be. In other words, you have to know your Why? What? Because clarity is power. Your Energy flows where your focus goes.
- Get the Best Tools/Map/Strategy/Coaching for Results. Once you’ve defined your target, you need an effective and efficient game plan to hit it. In order to close the “gap” between where you are and where you want to be, you need a proven map, an effective mentor, and training to drive you to take action. You must know somebody who is in the game because success leaves clues. Remember ignorance is poverty and pain.
- Get into Action! Unlock and Unleash, Alignment and Integration = Power. Sometimes tools are not enough, we need to unlock what’s blocking us and unleash the power. Why is it sometimes we know what to do, we have great motives for change, and yet we fail to follow through? Why we do what we do and how to change it. By understanding our personal blueprint, how we create meaning and emotion and what causes us to think, feel, and behave the way we do, we can not only gain the answers to these questions, but learn how to create lasting change and fulfilment. We have to destroy limiting beliefs. We have to do massive action to achieve success, to contribute and to celebrate.
There are 2 skills to master for an extraordinary quality of life.
1. Science of Achievement or your ability to produce results; to take anything you envision and make it real.
2. Art of Fulfillment or your ability to feel happiness and joy in the process; to delight in the experience of life.
The secret to wealth and happiness is to become a team player. Happiness comes from progress. Progress shows in the form of growth and in the sense of contribution. Power moves to those who are truly committed to serve because life is more than you. Find a team of people that you love to work with.
Another area of philosophy that made impact to my life is through the 12 Master Principles of a Vital Life: The Power of Pure Energy. This topic was discussed entirely during the last whole day.
The first 8 are called The Gifts;
- The Power of Vital Breathing & Lymphasizing – to breathe deeply and to rebound vertically to cleanse your cells.
- The Power of Living Water and Live Foods –
- The Power of Essential Oils –
- The Power of Alkalinity – Go Green! – I already started to enjoy this process.
- The Power of Aerobic Energy –
- The Power of Maximum Nourishment –
- The Power of Structural Alignment and Maximum Strength –
- The Power of a Directed Mind and Heart –
The last 4 are called the Poisons;
- The Poison of Processed Fats
- The Poison of Animal Flesh
- The Poison of Dairy Products
- The Poison of Acid Addictions
To catch more and to experience Tony Robbins live this April 2010 in Bali, Indonesia check him in Date with Destiny 2010.
Date With Destiny Bali 2010 with Tony Robbins from canei on Vimeo.
Now I am the Voice.
I will lead, not follow.
I will believe, not doubt.
I will create, not destroy.
I am a Force for Good.
I am a Leader.
Defy the odds!
Set a new standard!
Step Up ! Step Up ! Step Up !
My Happy Birthday Wish for 2010
First of all, I would like to thank God for adding another exciting year into my life. I am very thankful for the person that I become and the person I will become. I am thankful for my family, my wife Helen and my son Justin Daniel for the unquestionable love they have shared with me. They are the reason for my pursuit of continuous personal development. If I work hard on my self-improvement I become a better husband and a father to them. Next, I would like to thank God for the friends that I have met physically and virtually. I learned a lot from other people’s inspiration in life spiritually, emotionally,financially, physically. I thank the mentors for giving me the business skills of inspiration and what I can become as a person.
My wish for my birthday is for God to continue to develop my character of a potential person that I will become. To continue the hunger for knowledge, wisdom and skills of the person that I want to be, that is to make a little difference to my neighbors, friends. To become a better husband to my wife, Helen and a better father to my son, Justin Daniel.
This year I wish (i preferred the terms – will make it happen) to put the learned skills in internet marketing into action. To continue to learn and improve the skills together with like minded individuals through mastermind groups. I want to start my own projects like BayanihanOnline (still under construction) that I just started with the intention of being a service and inspiration to the many.
Thank You 2009 and An Exciting 2010 Goals!
WOW! 2009 will be my most memorable year! It was the year where I learned to develop my skills in internet marketing. My objective at that time was to learn how I can generate more leads to my network marketing business through pay per click. I learned more than what I expected and the thought of passive residual income while you sleep is such an inevitable and powerful tool. Internet marketing is such a lonely business if you do it by yourself so I highly recommend that you find a mentor just like when you enroll to get a college degree. I developed my skills in the field of search engine marketing – both in search engine optimization and Google adwords. It was my first time to buy a domain name for jeromecastaneda.com and learned to use this powerful blog resource of Wordpress. Actually, I managed to rank on the first page for some keywords about my blog. Woohoo! I was able to dominate almost all the sites on the first page for my name Jerome Castaneda and hope to totally dominate it next year 2010. Indeed, wordpress is the king!
I had the chance to attend Tony Robbins Unleashed the Power Within 4 day’s seminar at the Singapore Expo. In those 4 days I had the chance to shape my destiny in my thoughts and managed to do a firewalker on burning coals. It was also in this event that I truly take care about my health especially the food that I ate. I just developed the love for green stuffs, vegetables and fruits. Wow, it was truly an awesome time to remember.
It was the year where I regularly attended a Personal Excellence and Growth Meetup with great life coaches, Mr. Patrick Lim and Ms. Jessica See. I’ve met like minded people and exchanged life experiences and philosophies to grow and become the person that I want to be. There were 2 things that I learned if you want to succeed or grow in life, 1. the people you know or associate with and 2. the books that you’ve read.
2009 was the year I started to grow my spiritual relationship with the Lord God through CFC-FFL Singapore (Couples for Christ – Foundation for Family and Life) as a member for the Servants of the Lord (SOLD) group. Here I got the chance to meet God filled spirited people where there’s no inhibitions about telling your personal challenges in life. Here we prayed for each one’s personal success, family and health miracles. I highly suggest to any individual to join a spiritual or religious group especially if you’re working away from your family just like me.
Now, some people (especially with hardcore employee mindsets) may ask me why on earth should I spend much time learning stuffs that is outside of my job skills as a Mechanical Engineer. My answer is very simple my friend, I have Big Dreams. I am taking Jim Rohn’s advise to work hard on myself than what I do on my job. Personal development builds up my character and my attitude at work. I have the power of concentration and the focus to become a very productive engineer not only at work but with my relationship and communication with my colleagues.
As I looked forward about my 2010 goals, I am very excited about the potential person I can become. Year 2010 will be the start of my 10 year master plan. I’ll continue the commitment of my never ending personal development blog, to become the best father to my son and a loving husband to my wife. I’ll continue to read or listen to books or audiobooks, to meet like minded individuals in personal development and internet marketing fields. I’ll continue to work and apply my skills in internet marketing, to help local businesses generate more sales to their business. I’ll continue to take care of my health by having a regular exercise and watch out on the food that I take. Most of all, I’ll continue to praise and worship God for all the blessings and for the person I become.
Goodbye Jim Rohn – the legacy continues!
Everyone in the personal development community is in the mixed state of sorrow, surprised, shocked, or bewilderment. Our grandfather of personal development, Jim Rohn died last December 5,2009 of pulmonary fibrosis. My first encounter with him is through an audiobook CD that I bought, “Building Your Network Marketing Business” at a network marketing convention in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. From then on, his philosophies made a great impact in my life by listening to his audiobooks repeatedly and continuously. I want to share with you in one of my audio CDs disc 6 entitled, “Waking The Sleeping Spirit Within”.
The 7 Fundamentals for Wealth and Happiness
This based from his early journal taught to him by his mentor Earl Shoaff. One of the major things taught to him by his mentor is to keep a journal. Don’t miss anything that comes your way. Don’t trust your memory. Be serious and take notes all of the things that you hear. Keep it in a journal.
1. Personal Development – Nothing happens For You until it happens To You. Learn to Work Harder on Yourself than You Do on your job. Wow, this is such a great philosophy that I learned and am continuously applying. Wealth is not something that you go after, wealth is something You attract. Success is not something that you pursue; success is something You become. So, If We Want more, We must become More.
Jim Rohn great business philosopher
2. The Search for Knowledge – If you wish to be wealthy, if you wish to change your life you must go in pursuit of the ideas that can make a difference in your bank account and your personality. Search for among your experiences; search for among other people’s experiences but by all means continue the search. Be a searcher of ideas.
3. Setting Goals – zero in on what you Want, Your Objectives! Earl Shoaff told him, if you don’t have a list of your goals, I can guess your bank account within a few hundred dollars. It meant that if you don’t have a list of your goals it can affect your bank account drastically. Jim Rohn divided it into two parts, 1.long range – your dreams for the future. Don’t give up on your dreams. Without dreams and the vision, we perish.
“Goals. There’s no telling what you can do when you get inspired by them. There’s no telling what you can do when you believe in them. And there’s no telling what will happen when you act upon them.”
If you go to work on your goals, your goals will go to work on you. If you go to work on your plan, your plan will go to work on you. Whatever good things we build end up building us”
4. An activity plan – having a game plan that is visual. Operate from document not from thought. Put your ideas on paper so that you can show to someone. It’s like building a house. You build a house based on a paper (blueprint) not on your head. Don’t start the day until you have it finish. Don’t start the month until you have it finish. And if you think long term, don’t start the year until you have it finish.
5. Association – you got to be careful with people you associate with. This can be both positive and negative. Never mistake the value and the effect of influence. Be careful about those people who are influencing you. There are 3 questions quiz that can help you in association. 1. Who am I around? Who do I spend a fair share of my time with? 2. What are they doing to me? Where have they got me going? What have they got me saying? What have they got me reading? What have they got me doing? How have they got me thinking? 3. Is that O.K.? Find people of substance and spend more time.
6. A plan for your resources – your best resource is your money. If you will be faithful over a few things they will make you ruler of many things, a bible phrase. Poor people spend their money and save what is left. Rich people save their money and spend what is left.
7. Lifestyle – don’t just learn how to earn but learn how to live. Lifestyle is culture and uniqueness. Read the books, enjoy the concerts, and study the fine. Sophisticated people know that a few treasure is better than a house full of junk. Sophisticated people know that just small things well-designed start the idea of culture and refinement in the person’s life.
Let others lead small lives, but not you. Let others argue over small things, but not you. Let others cry over small hurts, but not you. Let others leave their future in someone else’s hands, but not you.
Asia Internet Congress 2009 – Living up above expectation!
The 3rd Asia Internet Congress held at Suntec Convention Centre last October 30 to November 1, 2009 really lived up above my expectations. Even though it was my first time to see this event, it was packed with tons of internet marketing information and tips that a beginner can already apply at home. I asked a friend who already attended the previous AIC events and this is by far the biggest and successful.
I was actually part of the crew of the event being a student of Fabian Lim from his previous classes onInternet Marketing BootCamp. It was fun to be part of the team of the event since you get to meet up close and personal with the different speakers. I was actually assigned as part of the customer service during the first day and part of the sales team most of the time. As usual, I managed to take lots of notes from the speaker’s presentation. But most of the time I have go out of the room for a sales preparation meeting for the next speaker but I was assured from my co-crew who is not part of the sales team that she will give me a copy of her notes, wow thanks a lot Nicole.
I observed that most of the speakers shared about their bad experiences in life that triggered them to become a successful internet marketer. Their war stories are truly inspiring like Patric Chan who had never been to college or university and with a father as a taxi driver and his mother as a housewife but got big time in internet marketing. He is known for his Personal Improvement or just search that keyword in google and you’ll know more about him. Fabian Lim’s case was that he was sick and tired of waking up early to report for a job and so is Simon Leung, who quit his job at Google for 4 and a half years because he was sick of the J.O.B. (Just Over Broke for him) or from Kishore M. of Online Forex Trading which meant Just Obey Boss. That was actually the message of most of the speakers and they took massive actions and committed that they will never have a job again or to spend more time with their family. Kishore’s advice of doing your very best time after your office work is the best advice as I really can relate to that. Every time I walked out of the office after my work, I would just say, “Yes, this is the best time of my day as I can do the best things that I wanted to be in Life.” I can still remember Christopher Guerriero’s advise last June 2009 at Global Internet Seminar , “stop chasing money but instead pursue personal development”. For me the best part of being able to attend seminars is to be able to model these successful entrepreneurs and follow their steps that made them who they are at the present and what they can become at the future. The bigger the reason of WHY they became the person they want, the bigger you will become. At the end of the day, it’s a matter of giving away value to the marketplace and your sincerity to help others become successful in whatever they wanted to achieve in Life. It should be a win-win situation.
You can check the 3 Day agendaof the event and also please take a look with successful internet entrepreneurs below.
My mentor Fabian Lim, the organizer of the Asia Internet Congress
Me and Simon Leung
Patric Chan and Myself
Jaz Lai and Me
Me and Jo Han Mok
Me and David Cavanagh
Me and George Clooney looked a like, Sean Roach
Asia Internet Congress Speakers 2009
Book Signing with author Pearlin Siow, Fabian Lim, Jaz Lai and Benjamin Wee
Fabian Lim and Simon Leung with me at the back...hehe!
Asia Internet Congress 2009 – an online business event not to be missed
It will be my first time to attend Asia Internet Congress this coming October 30-November 1, 2009 at Suntec Convention Centre and I am already excited to learn from the successful online entrepreneurs. Well, actually I managed to attend for the first time an internet marketing seminar at Global Internet Seminar last June 2009 at the Expo. You can check about my reviews about the event at GIS. Even though it was a pitch fest to market their programs, I still managed to learn new ideas there without swiping my credit card. There I was able to interact directly to internet marketing gurus like Ewen Chia, Stephen Pierce, Adam Ginsberg,Greg Cesar, Tom Hua, Patric Chan and the other top guns of the online business. Don’t be intimidated or feel bad if these people will sell you their programs either through soft or hard selling. Put yourself into their shoes or any business person, I’m sure you’ll need to sell yourself if you own a business. You need to promote your business so that it will spark an interest for people to buy. You will buy only if you see a value from your perspective. So this is actually a chance to network with other motivated people who are already successful in this business. Who knows we can create a joint venture business with each other or create a mastermind group to learn continuously since learning by yourself will be very much challenging.
Btw, this event will also be held at Wisma MCA, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia this 23-25th of October see more info at Asia Internet Congress in Malaysia. The event is hosted by Fabian Lim, a respectable top online entrepreneur.
PS
Before I forget, an ongoing early bird discount 40sgd or RM70 off the normal price is until October 15 only. Hope to see you and learn together at the event. Please visit to learn more at AIC2009SG or AIC2009MY
PS2
1. They are giving away 2 Complimentary Tickets for Wealth Summit Asia on 10 & 11 October 2009 Suntec Convention Centre (Hall 6)Singapore
2. Also a 3 Months Subscription To WorldInternetAcademy.com For FREE! - USD40 for 3 Months
PS3
Checkout the the complete Agenda.
Persuasive Communication – the Art of moving people through to action
It has been almost a month since the last meetup August 28 and just another 3 more days and it will be another meetup. A lot of things had been happening lately towards my goals. How I wish that I can outsource my thoughts of experiences to someone so that he/she can update my blog on a regular basis.
The meetup started with myself sharing the books that I’ve read that made some changes in my life. I have read tons of self help/personal development books ever since but I listen to audio books more oftenly from my iPod. I’ve shared 3 books, Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill, The Psychology of Achievement by Brian Tracy and How to Win Friends & Influence People by Dale Carnegie. The first 2 books taught me about belief in myself which I applied effectively in my job during my first few months of work as a CAD Engineer. The last book taught me about relationship as I develop how to communicate effectively. These 2 points that I shared about belief on oneself or your ability to communicate with yourself effectively. Relationship or your ability to communicate well with other people were key to changing my old bad habits.
The meetup topic was presented by Ms. Jessica See. Please visit persuasive communication about the definition of persuasion by Steven Scott. There were 3 principles of persuasion 1. honor and respect the person you are communicating with 2. understanding the other person’s frame of reference and 3. you’ve got to be an effective communicator first.
In order to understand the other person’s frame of reference there are factors to consider as the saying goes, ” We all respond to our map of reality, not reality itself “. First, there’s a man vs. woman frame of reference. Second, the different types of personality 1. Choleric -a person who enters a meeting with one goal, to make the meeting as productive as possible. This type of people are doers, drivers or controllers. 2. Sanguine – enters a meeting looking forward to socialize with those who are most fun to joke around and talk with. They are promoter, expressive type of people who loves to talk 3. Phlegmatic – enters the meeting hoping . They are generally contented with the status quo or neutral. 4. Melancholic – refers to a type of people who are analytical, research facts or details. Samples are engineers, accountants, scientist and other technical related fields of work. Check more at Four Temperaments. A good reference for this topic is Personality Plus: How to Understand Others by Understanding Yourself by Florence Littauer.
You got to be an effective communicator first and the response you get is the meaning of your communication. Asking good questions are not enough. You must be prepared to listen to the answers of your question and drill down more based from those response.
Lastly, a recommended reference book is The Five Love Languages: How to Express Heartfelt Commitment to Your Mate by Dr. Gary Chapman.
PS
See you at the next meetup this September 25 for another interesting topic on Make a Powerful impact with your presentation!
PS2
Pls. checkout the previous meetup, Personal Branding, the PURPLE CAT way.
How to Deal with Homesickness and Challenges as an Expatriate
How to Deal with Homesickness and Challenges as an Expatriate (Overseas Filipino Worker or OFW, in our local term)?
- Living a Life away from home and family.
It has been more than 2 years since I worked here in Singapore as a Mechanical CAD Engineer for a Marine and Offshore Engineering/Consultancy firm. Working in a mixed diverse culture can be challenging especially when you’re 1,486 miles apart from the Philippines. It was really tough working in my first few months here as I have to deal with different personalities (egocentrics) being the only Filipino from an Indian dominated company.
In my first few months here in Singapore, I invested a lot of money from my long distance calls to the Philippines. After sometime, I managed to invest a laptop and a PC at home. With the current technology of internet, my family is just a computer away through Skype or Instant Messenger.
Being alone can really be tough so here are some of my effective tips to keep you active;
- Believe You Can Lah – You are the Best!
In my first few months, I received discouraging remarks from my senior colleagues about my poor drafting work. I was told that I was very slow and I must admit that I have challenges in 2D Drafting since I was hired there for my expertise in 3D modelling software (AutoCAD Inventor). My self-esteem was affected and lessened. These people can not even suggest how I can increase my speed and effectiveness when I asked them, so now I know where I stand. Here’s what I did, come closer so that you can hear me and so that you can apply this as well to your life if ever, I simply psyched myself up. Deep in my mind, I was shouting within myself that “I am the BEST and FASTEST “(repeatedly over and over again) while I was doing my 2D design detailing job. Well, it didn’t work right away but after sometime when I submitted my work for review, this guy told me, “You’re so fast huh”.
- Simply Connect
Days before my flight to Singapore, I simply get in touched with my friends, school mates so that they can help me in securing a place to stay. They are even generous to offer their place while am looking for my own place to stay. I managed to get a room for myself by joining some online forums. Google will always be there to help you connect.
- Join Groups, Meetups, Seminars, Sports Activities – Connect More
Even before I arrived here in Singapore, my friend already told me that he included me in their basketball line up for the coming basketball league. Joining sports activities will always be a good way to connect with different people as well as to keep you physically fit. Speaking of being physically fit, I managed to join a health fitness gym just in front of our office building.
My friend was the one who introduced me to join our University Alumni Organization (University of the Philippines Alumni Association of Singapore). This organization offered a lot of activities like seminars, sports, tambayans (a place for hanging out), and a lot of fun. I recommend you to check out your college/university alumni organization.
I would highly recommend that you join religious community in your area. Here you can share your personal challenges in life and you’re assured of trust and confidentiality. Most of all you’ll have a deeper relationship with God. In my case I joined, Couples for Christ – Foundation for Family and Life which I considered as a gasoline station for my soul and spirit.
Meetups and Seminars – one way of reinforcing your beliefs or if you want
To learn and grow is by attending seminars. This is how I develop myself which I will not find in my job.
- Read Books a lot – in my case listening to audiobooks
If there is one thing that I love about Singapore is the public library, my wealth of knowledge. Public Libraries are very accessible in every corner of Singapore. When I read their Vision and Mission, I was inspired that I can see the passion that it brings to Singapore; I’m sharing here their vision
“An inspiring beacon of lifelong learning, bringing knowledge alive, sparking imagination and creating possibility for a vibrant and creative Singapore. Spurring the heights of imagination from the depths of our resources. This is our vision, our NLB”
I would love to hear from your experiences living away from your family as an expatriate.
Personal Branding, the PURPLE CAT way
Last night was another great night that you shouldn’t missed every end of the month on a Friday. Why, it was the second “Personal Excellence and Growth Meetup” and the topic was Stand Out from the Crowd! Learn to Create a Personal Brand! I must say it’s getting better and bigger (more crowd and great food).
Personal Branding is something that is uniquely yours. It is something that helps people to remember You. What do you think if you hear the word, Trump? you’re right, skyscrapers, The Apprentice (You’re Fired!), and oops, his hair. What about Oprah? I believe everything she says will turn into gold, imagine her Book Club and other organizations. Her famous tag lines, ”You are responsible for your own life”, “Live Your Best Life”. Think about the famous brands in the market, say Nike is equivalent to “Just Do It” . What about when you hear “It keeps going, and going, and going…” yes, you’re right its our neighbor who kept on yelling non-stop at her husband for whatever reason. OK, it was Energizer Batteries.
There must be a purpose for those slogans or names. Personal branding can only happen if you have a Purpose. What do you really want for Your life? What don’t You want in you life? What have You settled for?
You need to define your USP or Unique Selling Proposition. What will make your customers buy from You (ideas) instead from others. In order for you to understand your USP, you need to know 1.) Your Strengths 2.) Your Skills 3.) Your Values 4.) Your Passions.
You need to Reinvent Yourself. It means that you must unlearn (things that will not help you grow), learn (that will help you grow) and relearn (making a habit of continuous growing). Ask yourself, what’s missing with this picture? Here’s a very nice quote from one of my favorite (invisible) guru Zig Ziglar, ” Go as Far as You can See and when You get There, You will always be able to See Farther.” Reinvention is about maximizing your Assets (strengths) and camouflaging your Liabilities (weaknesses). Be aware of how You are communicating with Yourself. Talk to yourself in front of the mirror and say “I’m the Best” as often as you want and feel what you’ve said.
Bringing Passion into the pursuit of Your dreams is critical if You are to dream Big and achieve those dreams. Please refer to my previous post for more information, Finding Your Passion! Furthermore, you can ask some questions;
- What do I love to Do? – look for elements in your Job that you feel good, it could be Your friends, relationships or anything.
- What do I enjoy Doing?
- What gives me an adrenaline rush?
- What do I feel proud of?
Here’s another great way to psyche up yourself, You need to Look Good and Feel Great. The greatest risk to a reputation is his/her failure to factor image into his/her success in business or career. Here’s a circle of Success Cycle, if you Feel Great then you will Look Good. If You Look Good then You will Project Well. If you Project Well then You will have a Positive Response and when you respond positively then you will Feel Great (back to the start, see the cycle).
There is never a second chance to your Signature Look. Here are some tips to work on your signature look;
- Capitalise on your Assets – these could be your physical, your pearly white smile, your eyes, your nose, your gorgeous body
- Dress to suit your Body Shape
- Go for your Colors – enhancing your instant switch (power on) to your Glowingness
- You need to understand your Dress Style
- Dress to suit your environment or audience – you can dress a level up from your environment without being overdressed.
For me, most of the times, my wife made good recommendations for the clothes that I wear and did get some good compliments from colleagues in the office. So better include your wife or girlfriend whenever you want to select the dress style you want and be sure to you are comfortable wearing it.
Excite Others by developing a WOW statement or signature will get others to say WOW. A signature wow is a personal style that you did with a special touch. To guide you ask yourself;
- What am I known for?
- What do I want to stand for?
- Am I making a difference?
The sacred trinity for a Brand’s Success is 1. Clarity 2. Consistency and 3. Authenticity
- Does the message that you want to send to your target audience or public at large have clarity?
- Are you consistent in the image you project to others?
- How authentic are you? Are you true to Yourself?
Lastly, Tell the World! Position and Promote Yourself. Be visible.
My take on this is, Just Be Yourself at Your own Very Best All the Time.
Be-YourSelf-Brand
PS
The next Meetup topic on August 28 will be on Persuasive Communication – The art of moving people through to action. Check more info at this site. See you there!
HINT: Don’t you know that the bold words above, is an abbreviation of PURPLE CAT. check it if you got it.
