11/30/2005 12:36:00 AM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

Learning.

 

Without learning, there is nothing.

 

We’ve wanted artificial intelligence but we haven’t really got the means for a full-blown intelligent learning form. I can tell you that I learnt how to speak effectively because of the way I was learning from other people. Some of them told me their strategies, but some of them I simply modeled because I was able to observe and put some thought into their strategies.

 

It takes simple observation and experimentation. If there is something that a person does that is interesting and powerful in a presentation, you want to apply it. You can get the same result as someone else. However, you are NOT someone else. You can do what Tony Robbins does but still not appear to be like him. You can do what Bill Clinton does, but you may be accused of mimicking and being a bad mimic at that.

 

You will eventually need to tweak what you have seen to suit your style. It’s part of the learning process. Modeling is never about copying, but copying and emulating do help up to a point. Beyond that, you have to put in more effort self-coaching and understanding your own internal speaking capabilities.

 

But learning does not just apply to speaking in public, right? Learning also applies to other things such as developing expertise. I’ve mentioned this is previous posts. But how does one specifically learn new things?

 

This is an interesting question, and I will leave it as part of my next post on ‘Meta Learning Skills’.

 

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113328220775851044|W|P|The Most Important Thing In Personal Success|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/29/2005 02:08:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

Now I know most of you are not aware. I actually have a background in e-learning and that was one of the things that actually enabled me to develop my website www.internetmarketingsingapore.com. If you guys haven’t seen it, it’s just an example of one of my websites. I do this to pass the time…

 

Now really. I think online education is crucial, and the advent of the blog has just made it more powerful. In my opinion, blogs should be used to educate, because different people learn from different teachers in different ways.

 

While I know it’s not possible for everyone to get to learn everything from a blog like this, I believe it can at least start somewhere.

 

I’ll be sharing more ideas about online learning in due time.

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113324448935730790|W|P|Online Education|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/27/2005 06:44:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

“You banana!”

“You porcupine!”

 

It’s been an interesting few days since I’ve been training the new group of kids during the SuperKids’ training program here at AKLTG. But I began to dwell upon the idea of name calling, because it was accentuated by the most recent batch, which seemed to turn name calling into an art.

 

First, I think name calling is a strategy for familiarization. As with most such approaches, they can be offensive. But why do you think nature allowed for such a strategy to exist and to even work?

 

I think such a strategy can work – after all the humor strategy of finding a “target” has always been a commonly used one in stand-up comedy gigs. I suppose when people start calling you names, it means they want to be comfortable with you.

 

Of course, some people use name calling to get a rise out of the other person. The truth is if you can get a good-humored response to name calling, you should be more willing to make friends. It signals “I’m ok with you not being ok with me”, and indication of high self-esteem.

 

So… go ahead and call each other names in good spirits. J Well… more than that, learn to accept name-calling as an invitation to be your friend.

 

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113308828435982778|W|P|The Psychology of Name Calling|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/27/2005 03:58:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

A lot of people have asked me how in the world I read so fast. They even ask me to demonstrate.

 

In reality, they forget that I have a over-flowing supply of books and a background in linguistics. Plus, I have models of learning that have been able to help me to master my own learning in the simplest possible way through accelerated learning.

 

However, it dawned on me that I ought to start writing up on this so that you might be able to catch a glimpse of what I can do to double, triple or quadruple the effectiveness of your knowledge building.

 

First, I’ll start off with the core beliefs.

 

Reading fast to me is about laying a foundation. There are certain foundations that have to be built in order to learn something complex. Take for instance, when I started off doing sales in an IT environment. I had to delve into a field called e-learning. In fact, I knew nothing about it except that it was a blend between computers and training.

 

But I realized that there were so many things about it that I had to pick up and learn from. I spent over $2000 reading over 30 books on e-learning and online content creation during that time. But I had a purpose – to increase my ability to sell. And there I found the inherent connection between sales and education – you are actually educating while you are selling.

 

Anyway, I ended up ploughing through those 30 books in just over a couple of weeks. It included things like videoconferencing equipment, networking (as in IT networks) and training and development. I can tell you my head felt heavy and my brain felt like it was “evolving”.

 

I ended up doing the same thing for sales – I picked a Saturday morning and headed to the library, took out ten different books on sales and jotted down some notes of it. Before long, I was already well on my way expert sales knowledge… within that 4 hours time slot.

 

How did I do it? First of all, I believe that the purpose is an extremely important one. The obsession to digest every single piece of information and just get drawn inside of it has to be there. But the topic may not always resonate with you. For instance, if you asked me to learn about nuclear physics, unless there was a really good reason for me to do that, I wouldn’t be interested in it.

 

So it boils down to the inner reason for your reading – why are you doing it? I’m almost sure the idea of reading 30 books in three weeks will scare you silly, especially since I was only an Arts graduate with no background in IT.

 

But the truth is that I got it done.

 

I’ll post my thoughts more, but I know some of you may have questions… so I’ll leave you to post some questions to me at www.stuarttan.com/question.htm.

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113307829311794758|W|P|How I read so fast|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/26/2005 06:31:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

In the local context, ‘tarik’ is a Malay word that means ‘pull’. ‘Teh Tarik’ is a local drink that literally translated means ‘tea, pulled’, and if those of you who are not in Singapore have a taste, it’s really good! Anyhow, there was a woman I encountered who was in charge of the teh tarik stall, and she didn’t just make teh, she literally distorted time for me. It took her a record 20 minutes to forget our orders three times before the drink arrived at my table.

 

So I told her today, if I could pay her some time later…

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113300110441995428|W|P|Teh Tarik? Or Time Tarik?|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/26/2005 01:16:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

Hmm… I received an interesting email a couple of days back regarding Coaching as a career.

 

I do think that coaching can be an interesting career, but not everyone knows that coaching can be difficult. It is personality driven and trust driven. Even if you have both, you still need to learn how to market your services.

 

Marketing, in my opinion, is one of the most essential skills in business building. But a lot of marketing is basically common sense. That’s how I scored an ‘A’ in Marketing for my MBA. Many simple processes like thinking of who will buy, whether they have the money to spend, whether what you say will sit well with your buyers… all are commonsensical measures that require thinking.

 

What’s the problem? People rarely think effectively nowadays. I think their brains are stuck in between gear one and reverse, and complex thought makes some people think they are smart. In reality, complexity is nothing more than simplicity at the speed of light.

 

Just because you found someone smarter than you doesn’t mean that he has a higher IQ – he just computes variables faster than you. Hah – then those who can’t think fast enough take it personally and stop learning.

 

What a lousy solution!

 

As you think, start remembering that you are laying a brick. It doesn’t look like a building, but it can be.. after time. If you are poor at business building, don’t just stop at one failure. Look at the business you built and the competencies you have, and then learn to use it to fulfill all conditions of a successful business.

 

Earning an income is easy, but most people stop short of thinking, hoping that someone will do the thinking for them. In my terminology, this is called “brain outsourcing”. If you outsource your brain, you’ll be pretty much like a vegetable with nothing much left in your life than existence.

 

Earning your income = activating your brain, creativity and knowledge.

 

Then there’s this question – will I be creating something that can help people to boost their creativity and knowledge? You can bet on it. J

 

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113298219188944538|W|P|Earning an income|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/26/2005 01:09:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

I discovered an interesting thing about people today. The nature of the problems you solve will determine the income you make. After all, if you can take away the environmental problems that exist today, you will make a great fortune.

 

Unfortunately, not everyone realizes the absolute Catch-22 situation we are in. When solutions are created, they are mainly solutions for problems we create as human beings. It’s strange to note that we are profiting from problems that we as human beings created.

 

Anyway, this poses the real issue – are we creative enough to profit? I believe that in order to extend our creative self, we need a lot more structure and planning, because I don’t always believe that creativity is just some spark of genius. I just think that creativity is the same strokes executed in different ways, the same bricks laid out in different patterns, the same colors combined in different measure.

 

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113298175091335512|W|P|Problems and Solutions|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/24/2005 01:00:00 AM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

I discovered over the period of time I have been coaching people to achieve great business results, it has always been a question of hesitation. And if hesitation stops people from being more daring, then there won’t be much of a business to start with.

 

Anyhow – I decided I will add more input for those who want to learn more, and will start to post articles of interest at the same time to this blog. Some of them are meant to scare, tantalize or sensationalize. But always keep a level head. J I have found several interesting articles which I shall comment on along the way.

 

To be continued…

 

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113276520536479061|W|P|The Benefits of Coaching|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/16/2005 11:05:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

Wow! I realize I’m handling 12 websites, 3 new books, three major events and 14 coaching clients at the same time as 2 holiday camps. How did I get myself into this!

 

I realized that time squeezes to fit the activities you put inside. My current experience with time is… I’ll make time fit my priorities. It’s quite amazing. The running joke is that my laptop got implanted in my chest so I reply people online very quickly.

 

Anyhow…

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113215352489761123|W|P|Time Squeeze|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/15/2005 02:35:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

I did the unthinkable last week – I uploaded information online for a 7-day email mini course, then told some people about it… suddenly I have 20 people opting in from out of the blue. Why? Because I put up some insider secrets which could potentially help people earn money on the internet.

 

Of course, if you aren’t interested in making money, please DO NOT click on the link.

 

www.internetmarketingsingapore.com

 

I don’t want to have people passing off my high quality content as so-called ‘spam’, so unless you really want to, you can click and submit your name on the form. I don’t know how long I will have the mini-course for, but I do know there are superb bonuses INSIDE the package, including one $97 eBook to be given away for free, plus a $47 audio interview package you can download. Of course, I don’t do justice to the pricing, but this audio interview is packed with good stuff all round.

 

I spent a lot of time putting this up for my friends and loved ones because I know they deserve to succeed, and this is but one of the potential avenues for business success. So, before too many people clog up my web page, grab a copy at

 

www.internetmarketingsingapore.com  

 

 

|W|P|113203654592493867|W|P|NOTE: Only for Those Interested In Making Money|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/14/2005 08:58:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

It’s the ‘ol ‘healer, heal thyself’ problem, cropping up.

 

Someone asked me if I was perfect. I laughed. The egotistical answer is “Yes”. The real answer is “No”. More importantly, I don’t really think I want to be perfect.

 

Still, the irony of reality revolves around me. I teach excellence, yet, I know I’m not excellent always. I am a counselor, but I occasionally need counseling. I show people how to manage their states, but I don’t always manage by states well.

 

Inherent in all this is one word: imperfection.

 

So do I expect perfection from people? Unfortunately, sometimes, I do. It’s good and bad all at the same time. Do I think that some people expect too much from me? Unfortunately, sometimes I do. Would anyone suggest that it is a double standard in the life I live? Well… the honest truth is, I believe double standards happen in many people’s lives including mine at least some of the time. Do I like it or condone it? No. But when I realize it, it is often after the fact. Then, it is time to make amends or to pay attention on remedy.

 

To illustrate, Jim is a person who has a high level of “integrity”. Where did he learn it from? Because he was betrayed by a friend before, and feels horrible from that betrayal. He sits out his emotional anguish, and then vows never to let that happen again. Three years later, Jim (being a person of “integrity” who has vowed never to betray other people, and preaches it everywhere he goes) fails to realize he is doing this in ‘betrayal’. He didn’t attempt to mend the relationship. Do we classify that as ‘betrayal’ too? He keeps telling other people why they should have integrity, indirectly attacking his former friend. Do we classify that as ‘betrayal’?

 

As with life, there are no certain rules that govern what is right or wrong. We are a living paradox. Have you discovered that the more you promise something, the more likely you will end up breaking that promise? That the more strongly you believe in something, the more likely you will be accused of being a hypocrite? Well, I’m not saying that we have to stop doing things like that. But if we do, we need to consider the consequences of these beliefs, and accept some human frailty, and never be discouraged just because something happens outside of our desired character.

 

But being affected by negativity (no matter how silly we know it is) is a reality - we can still be affected and afflicted by it. Well, if you are human, of course.

 

Life is never always a bed of roses with a 24/7 rainbow over it. Looks nice, but so unreal.

 

In fact, I am thankful that my life is faced with sometimes painful dilemmas and when reconciliations are needed. It turns me psychologically stark naked, and forces me to stare at the “psychological cellulite” – the blemishes and the imperfections that I have. And through these, I learn about myself when I am alone to face them, cringing, myself. And I show people some of these to tell them that I ain’t perfect. And hey – even if you don’t have cellulite doesn’t make you perfect.

 

I guess I put myself in a spot sometimes. Being honest therefore, also means confronting that which I fear most – truth. It’s like being in a dark room, and getting used to being there. When a crack of light enters the room, it is blinding. It can be painful. And I know some people have been there before. But to cringe and to avoid the light is not the best thing to do, because the more you face the light, the easier it will be, and the darkness becomes less comforting to be in.

 

Every day is a blend of darkness and light. Every moment is time appearing and disappearing. Every moment is happiness and sadness in bittersweet tandem. And in unraveling the ironic moments of our lives, we either get skeptical and ugly, or we get enlightened and humble.

 

You can’t just ignore what the world throws at you. If the don’t like you, they don’t! If they are upset at you, they are! If they discriminate against you for your race, that’s life! But never should there be a time where you ignore them.

 

If people don’t like me, and tell me ‘I don’t like you’, it’s a stabbing. Accept this gift. Open it up. Really take good clear look. Beyond the blade, what do you see that can help you grow?

 

If someone tells me ‘I hate you’, I listen… not just to the words, but the message. A blinding light in a dark room. Ouch. Feel it. Learn. Let the truth illuminate your darkness and light your darkest hour.

 

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

|W|P|113197313732287043|W|P|Imperfection: Light Your Darkest Hour|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/11/2005 09:55:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

I was curious enough to do it, so I did. I bought myself a 10x10 pixel on www.milliondollarhomepage.com. Cost $100 and am located on 41,36. It reads IMS, but it’s mean to be for www.InternetMarketingSingapore.com. After all, how can you be on the internet without owning a piece of this historical site!

 

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113171735471621777|W|P|I succumbed to the MillionDollarHomePage.com offer|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/09/2005 09:29:00 AM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

What exactly constitutes truth and lie?

 

Some of you may know that it depends on the way you perceive something. For instance, you might believe someone is lying, but in reality that person is telling the truth. The perception lends a lot of weight to that.

 

But it’s a really fine line. I don’t have a problem with people who lie or tell half-truths. I understand there are perfectly good reasons why people lie. The main problem I face is if people don’t face up to the truth. Ok – some people may say that the truth is relative. But many things are clear – if you want to create success and change in your life, you have to put in effort; if you want to be rich, you have you do something about it; if you want to be honored as a friend, you will have to be helpful in contributing to those friend’s lives; if there is something you want, you will have to be prepared to give.

 

Wherever there is truth, there is a lie. Including this statement. The eternal paradox that drives us puts us at a level of discomfort. But when you come to a stage where you are able to be comfortable with discomfort, you’ll probably be at peace, then truth and lie cease to be.

 

Confused? Get comfortable with it.

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113149976620590769|W|P|Truth and Lie, Comfort about Discomfort|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/08/2005 08:26:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

What’s the one thing I hate next to fermented garlic? (ooh…)

 

People with sensational blogs. I can’t believe people are actually interviewing someone who insulted disabled people. Of course, I think there’s a lot more than meets the eye, and throws the idea in the face of the media – when things go wrong, it gets written up in the news.

 

Wanna be famous? You know what to do. Start insulting someone important or something.

 

I think that the media ought to change their stance by making famous those who really deserve it. Like for instance, are you aware the there are people who have literally climbed out from hell and back. Look at www.recoverystory.com, and the story of Woo Chiat Min. She’s a graduate of the Patterns of Excellence program and does no sensational blogging. All she does is live her life (as if waking up from a 21 day coma is not sensational enough) and makes good what she has with her present life and family.

 

Deserving people, blow your own horn! It’s time that we get rid of these people who bring blogging a bad name.

 

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113145281928396096|W|P|Sensational Blogging and Reward vs Punishment|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/09/2005 02:40:00 AM|W|P|Blogger 咸鱼:赏味期间:无限|W|P|agree absolutely, there'll always a social responsibility....tt blogger's challenging the boundary of bylaws.11/08/2005 08:21:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

In a discussion I had with a friend, he mentioned we have two sides – the side the public sees, and the dark side that only we ourselves see. In my opnion, this dark side is the side that you are afraid to let anyone know about, that you want to hold captive so as to remain socially viable.

 

To be socially viable, we are basically saying this – “I want to be accepted, and I am less of a person if I am not accepted”. Then again, there are two types of people who are like this – those who are willing to flout society’s rules because they don’t really care about what other people think, and those who are willing to flout the rules because they really don’t care about what other people think.

 

There’s a subtle difference. Those who don’t really care have an inkling of a desire to want to gain attention. They do care – it’s just that they decide to put up a strong front. Comparatively, there are people who really don’t care, and it doesn’t bother them either way.

 

With the concept of social viability, you have to often ask yourself this question: do I do what I do because I want to be accepted? So I am nice to or mean to people? Is that why I do what I do?

 

Well, the dark side is enticing. From a purpose point of view, the dark side is the side that engages you in instant gratification – some are vices like gambling and drug abuse. But this path is not the kind that you see in Star Wars. It is a path that is often chosen because there is no alternative. People choose what they choose because it is the best alternative for them at that time.

 

So are you in the dark side? As the saying goes, “If you find yourself in the shadow, turn and face the light.” There is no shadow without light, and by casting light, we cannot do without shadows.

 

Focusing on purposeful things is probably one of the most significant events in anyone’s life. If you sat down one day and just thought about all the events in your life that have past, those that you spent a tremendous effort and energy doing were usually the things that were either deeply satisfying or deeply disappointing. But either case, you grew, and when you grow, you learn.

 

I’ve experienced a couple of cases where I think I was “on trial”. But whatever the case, I think I made it, and made it really well out of the shadow and into the light. But that’s for another post…

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113145251297532878|W|P|Finding Purpose Part 2|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/06/2005 11:19:00 AM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

I was chatting with a friend online till about 3.30am. He’s got a stable business, earning around $300k a year, and is not even 28 yet. With an intelligent mind, he’s involved with many of the lazy rich man’s vices like… lazing. But that’s really just the symptom of the problem. He says he isn’t motivated because he’s got no real purpose in life, looking only at short-term immediate gains.

 

I suppose many people face this issue, but have yet to look beyond the instant gratification element. So how do we elevate ourselves and extend ourselves to be more purpose driven?

 

I haven’t read the book “The Purpose Driven Life” yet. What I do know is that many people are presently not aware of this, in particular those who are fairly well to do.

 

Purpose changes. I think I have one central purpose that is to learn and share what I learn, because that is one of the things I do best. I’ve found that the concept of contribution is in the value set of people who are purpose driven and constantly looking for ways to help other people. It all points to the fact that we need to be connected with something greater than ourselves – a mission.

 

 

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113124716501526240|W|P|Finding Purpose Part 1|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/07/2005 07:04:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|Yeah,
Purpose Driven Life is addictive!11/09/2005 02:38:00 AM|W|P|Blogger dragonfly3|W|P|Purpose Driven life. Many people spent their entire life pursuing material gains and money becos that seem like what the world is preaching. What is the show "The apprentice" teaching and many other reality shows etc. But when suddenly, you make a lot of money without doing much, the materialistic purpose which is the sole purpose in life is gone and we become LOST depending on instant gratification! therefore we need to know what we want before we reach financial freedom stage.11/04/2005 12:37:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

Hooah…

 

Very Happy Hari Raya to those celebrating!

 

After 13 hours of pure, knock-out training yesterday, I am poofed!

 

Internet Marketing 102 was a success!

 

It was an interesting twist with lots of head turning business ideas in the room of 53 (actually, 60 people if you count my staff in the back), learning about the product launch sequence. We started with the basic foundations and overview, then led up to the final case studies

 

It was a really powerful learning experience for participants and myself… so I’ll do this again! This time, I might invite special guests to come over here to speak. Now wouldn’t that be great!

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113107907387192037|W|P|Experience of a lifetime!|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/01/2005 05:44:00 PM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

I think bloggers have a certain power nowadays to influence the direction people move. If you have a blog, you will probably also have to think about the purpose and consequence of the messages you send out.

 

Wendy’s approach to blogging is interesting because she has created so much offline press that with that alone, she can generate marketing buzz. Of course, now that sponsors have pulled out of her blog, it also means that bloggers are vulnerable to the low income as well. Heh – most of them don’t know much about marketing, do they.

 

Blogs serve an important function of today’s Netizens. They channel the collective thoughts and ideas in cyberspace and leave knowledge there for posterity. With the collection of these thoughts, much of it is idle chatter, pretty much like the sounds that you hear when you enter a crowded hawker center. Most of it is meaningless, until you zoom into a relevant voice – like if you were craving for lor mee, you’d zoom in on the grubby guy in the corner of the food center and engage in a transaction.

 

I’ve only been blogging a while, but I do know that thinking patterns can be captured online through writing. That’s what I’m interested in! Hopefully, this blog serves to reach out to those who need some clarity of thought on certain issues. Then, to explore those issues and take action on it. Perhaps that’s the kind of transaction that some people say is ‘meaningful’.

 

If you have a blog and want me to link to you, write me.

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113083828106110279|W|P|Blogging, Wendy Cheng and Lor Mee.|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com11/02/2005 04:32:00 PM|W|P|Anonymous Anonymous|W|P|link me!11/01/2005 01:42:00 AM|W|P|Stuart's Philosophies|W|P|

Here’s wishing all my Hindu friends a Happy Deepavali. And the rest of you, have a great holiday!

 

Visit www.stuarttan.com today!

 

 

 

 

|W|P|113078056948203525|W|P|Happy Deepavali|W|P|stuart@imasiahub.com