There is a Chinese saying of life experiences reflect movie stories and movie stories reflect life experiences, (人生如戏，戏如人生), it is due to the meanings and principles (and of course Donnie Yen and Wing Chun) that I found in Ip Man 1 movie that if I were to decide between Ip Man 2 and Iron Man 2, I would choose the former but since the price of a movie ticket is not really out of the world, unlike housing, it will not be much of a dilemma to watch both in the movie theaters.

You need to listen to this music as you read this post in order to have the feel.

1. Being in a crisis forces creativity thinking and innovation out of you

Ip Man is a movie about Wing Chun superb techniques, the history and story of Wing Chun holds important implications for us all. Without the crisis in Shaolin Temple around 400 years ago, Reverend Ng Mui will not have escape and force to innovate and there will not be no Wing Chun, no Ip Man and no Bruce Lee. While it is unfortunate that the Shaolin Temple is destroyed by the Qing Government at that time, along with some profound Shaolin martial arts, the great blessing in disguises is that one of the world’s greatest martial arts is born as a result of it.

Think about it, without retrenchments, without job security, with iron rice bowl, will you have venture out and eventually business multi-millionaires.

2. There is a formula for success

One of the key reasons behind the success of Ip Man movies, other than good plot, theme music and fighting scenes, is the stirring up of nationalistic feelings among the Chinese. The first person to use this strategy to boost box office sales in the Chinese movie market is none other than Bruce Lee in his 1972 Fist of Fury. The whole story line is similar to the first movie in the sense that got the bad guys belong to some races that oppress the Chinese during the turbulence last 100 years of China history. The difference between the first and second movies’ bad guys is none other than the first is Japanese and the second is a British. Also got around the same number of fight scenes with a final showdown and family oriented scenes.

I know that got people with surname Yip, feel very proud of their surnames after watching Ip Man 2, when the profound blocks, punches, kicks and techniques enables a shorter and smaller sized Chinese to defeat a larger westerner, the Chinese whole world over felt that Kungfu belong to the world but Wong Feihong, Huo Yuanjia, Yip Man and Bruce Lee belong to the Chinese people.

为了生活我可以忍，但污辱中国武术就不行 – I can endure to earn a living but cannot stand insult to Chinese Kungfu

Hung Jan Nam(Sammo Hung’s Character in Ip Man 2)

Ironically, it is the British controlled Hong Kong that saves Wing Chun from extinction as due to a man (by the surname of Mao) and his cock ideas, Cultural Revolution, that almost destroys the rich heritage of Chinese Culture, including and especially Chinese martial arts like Wing Chun.

Be it movie or other fields of endeavor, there is a formula for success.

3. Philosophy or beliefs of a person leads to different outcomes

The distinctive differences in fighting style between Taekando and Wing Chun are evident. In Taekando, it is believed that legs are the strongest weapon of the human body and hence the using of legs more often. While Wing Chun is designed for a weaker person and supposedly shorter in height also, to overcome a stronger person and it doesn’t make sense to use legs often since, you are supposedly physically weaker than the other feller and his legs are most probably stronger and longer than you.

In addition, when you are shorter and kick higher than waist level, not only center of gravity is temporally raised higher, reducing stability, more vital parts are exposed to attacks. While the beliefs behind Wing Chun is that kicks above waist level reduces stability by raising the body centre of gravity and if the kicks, especially high kicks does not happen to strike, a Wing Chun expert can easily advance close to him and finish off with double quick bong san, tan sou, etc., or 来留去送 which is why Donnie Yen in the Ip Man 1 and 2 fight scenes only use kicks as a finishing move, after Jin ShanZhao, Japanese General or Mr Twister has been traumatized by machine gun punches.

As a result of differences in the thinking and philosophy between these two schools of martial arts, there is different in outcomes of the way practitioners of them react to the same fight scenarios.

The extreme opposite between Eastern and Western Philosophy leads to wide differences in the practice of medicine and martial arts. Western Philosophy is traced back to Aristotle reductionist thinking, that is reducing them to the interactions of their parts, or to simpler or more fundamental things while Eastern Philosophy is more of influenced by Taoism concept of wholeness, yin and yang, and that all living and non-living things interact and counteract one another.

We can see the difference in medicine, in the treatment of poisonous bite by a snake. Western medicine may sought to develop an organic compound to neutralize the snake poison by analyzing molecular formula of the snake poison and then synthesis another organic compound to neutralize it. Traditional Chinese Medicine from one of the core Taoism philosophy, 五形三界，相冲相克，all the biological and non-biological objects interacts and counteracts one another in this realm, means that within the vicinity of where the snake lives lay the antidote for the snake’s poison, most probably in some of the plants.

In the movie Ip Man 2, the Mr Twister martial arts skills – western boxing is none other than some simple blocks and punches. A result of reductionist thinking? While that of Ip Man’s Wing Chun is more complicated when the whole martial arts system spring from considering the whole system and of course built on existing Shaolin martial arts at that time. Which is also why Bruce Lee decides to use the Taosim Yin Yang symbol for his Jee Kune Do as the philosophy and concepts draws heavily from Taosim philosophy.

The moral of the story at the end of the day is adopt different philosophies so that one can use each when problem solving because sometimes reductionist thinking in more effective in this circumstances and sometimes, expansionist thinking is more effective in another circumstances, like mixed martial arts, using skills and techniques from different styles for different fight scenarios. The practice of medicine today is also moving towards using western and traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of various diseases.

We can see this in two different thoughts when it comes to investing in equities, like some feel technical investing is better while others prefer fundamental analysis. Both can actually combine and use at the same time.

4. Using of mantra to simplify learning, remembering and application of whatever things you learn in life

Unlike martial arts from other countries like Japan and Korea, Chinese martial arts, including Wing Chun, usually contain mantras to summaries all the key philosophies, core concepts and principles in four letter Chinese words. The beauty of China girls Chinese language lies in four words can transmit deep and profound meanings that will take more than four English words to convey. We shall see some of these four words mantra from Wing Chun and their meanings, together with all the life lessons that can be reflected from it.

Think about it, be it creative thinking, critical thinking, programming, engineering problem solving, real world business problems, aren’t that we need to go through certain thoughts processes, methods of analysis, as a result, coming up with mantras for methods of solutions enables fast and effective recall of the mental processing strategies required.

5. 永春绝技，源起少林 – Wing Chun Superb techniques, originally originates from Shaolin

The first line of the mantra recognizes Wing Chun roots in Shaolin. As mentioned before, the acquisitions of appropriate knowledge of a field must come first before innovations in that field can occur. Reverend Ng Mui study Shaolin martial arts throughout all her life. As such, the knowledge and insights gained would be deep, profound and enlightening because she literally faces martial arts every day. It is by standing on the shoulder of giants that she can see further. In other words, it is by sitting on a large pile of knowledge that Ng Mui is able to derive and invent a much better fighting system than previous versions.

6. 拳打中线, 两点之间, 直线最短, 以弱胜强, 拳入三关,　任我行走 – Fist hit centerline, shortest distance between two points is a straight line, the weakness can overcome strong, once cut into centerline, can attack anyhow I want

When you are fighting with someone much larger in size and taller in height and with muscles here, there and everywhere, like Mr Twister, it is obvious that the only way to survive is by attacking the person vital points which lie along the centerline. If you are much large in size and height, and opponent does not know any martial arts, you anyhow beat can also win by common sense. However, this is not the case in real life situations as in not every time the other feller is of smaller size and shorter height than you. In addition, the shortest distance between two points is a straight line, when not only your legs are shorter but hands also; it makes sense to deliver punches using a straight punch along the straight line.

We can see this in the jobs and careers that we pursue, just like a physically weaker person need to hit along the centerline so that there is much higher probability of winning, if one is not that good in talking and sales, it is also wiser that he or she does not involve himself in things like network marketing and commission based financial adviser, and screw himself because the most crucial element require for success happens to be his greatest weakness. There are many ways to make millions, one do not necessarily have to be in network marketing or financial adviser that needs to requires excellent verbal communications skills for success.

In the movie Ip Man 2, in the final showdown between Yip Man and Mr Twister, the grandmaster eventually win by cutting into Mr Twister centerline and whacks aggressively using some techniques and forms from Hong Gar. As you can see, once one cut into centerline using Wing Chun techniques, Yip Man can use the more damaging Hong Gar forms to impact greater injuries.

This is like in investing in stock markets, when various benchmarks showed that stocks are seriously undervalued, it is time to start aggressively buying into.

7.连消带打, 以攻为守,　以守为攻 – Simultaneous attack and defend, attack is defend and defend is attack

To merge attack and defend together is a novel concept at that time and to this day, there are not many martial arts styles that stress and emphasize much or contain techniques of simultaneous attack and defend.

As with actual fighting, look at the job scope or task in your everyday job and businesses, are there two tasks that can be done at the same time without sacrificing the quality of work.

6.招无虎鹤, 法无五行, 只谈线位, 力与角度, 蓄劲似蛇,　发劲似猫,　朝形似鸡 – Forms contain no Tiger and crane hand forms, no specific patterns, only about relative positions, strength of force and angle in the application of force, preparing to exert force like snake, applying force like cat, standing stance like chicken.

While history has it that Reverend Ng Mui invent Wing Chun after observing how a crane fight, Wing Chun does not contain any Crane hand forms, unlike Hong Gar which still retains the five animals hand forms from which the Hong Fist style is derived. Wing Chun deviates substantially from the martial arts of that time in that it do away with directly mimic the movements of animals and choose certain elements from animals fight for applications in human fights. One can see Crane in Bong sau, ding sau and snake in Huen sau, bill gee, etc, but the hand movements in Wing Chun do away with crane and snake hand forms, Tiger hand can be seem in Hong Gar used by Sammo Hung when he is fighting with both Yip Man and Mr Twister but Wing Chun has do away with unnecessary forms and movements that directly mimic animals movements.

There are many aspects or elements of an area that can be applied onto another area or field of studies. One should recognize whether if certain elements can totally do away and only apply those that are the most suitable.

9. Importance of mastering the basics, 永春小念头 – Little Idea

所为永春真妙法，必需先从小念头开始

Wing Chun Siu Nian Tou contains some of the most important blocks and punches which aspiring Yip Man and Bruce Lee must learn and master well in order to fight like them in real world actual fighting. At first sight, it seems that the patterns of Siu Nian Tou are nothing much impressive and one at first really wonders if they are of practical usage in actual fighting.

We can see that in investing and engineering, mastering the basics is also equally important for success. It is by understanding what are light transmittance and the unique properties of fiber optics., all the fundamental Physics concepts that the following NUS students can come up a device to capture Sunlight and only transmit the light minus the heat energy of sun.

Before you can be like Warren Buffet, one must first understand and grasp the concept of time value of money well, the basic terminologies used in financial statements and concepts like price-earnings ratio, dividends yield, etc.

10. 下三路手,　以脚消脚 – When kicks are below waistline, use legs to neutralize legs (or kicks)

One of the fundamental Wing Chun principles is when kicks toward you are below your waistline, you use legs to neutralize the leg attacks. This illustrates the importance of systematic problem solving. Fighting is like creative problem solving in the sense that both are dealing with a dynamic situation. So that when a certain problem situation is similar to another, one can always use the same techniques.

11. 禅宗绝学,　旨在修身 – main objective of Wing Chun is to cultivate oneself

While Wing Chun got deadly effects when truly mastered, one should aware of benevolent and compassion. The Chinese word for martial arts is actually made up of two words, one is stop and the other is war. The original intention of martial arts is to stop warring.

In the wet market fights, when Ip Man finally got a chance to display Wing Chun Butterfly knifes, we can see that he flipped over the knifes to the blunt side just before the hacking begins remembering that they most probably have a mother or wife at home, because he knows that the group of them will most probably not be his match.

One should always be aware of the original intentions and sacred duties of various professions (if you belong to them), graduates from Medicine faculty need to take a meaningful Hippocratic Oath, future lawyers also need to take a similar oath of upholding the justice while engineers need to remind of their duties in life – that of improving the life of humanity through science and technology.

Too often, however and unfortunately, people learn martial arts and develop more violent tendency, lawyers instead of upholding justice ended up only help rich people to win court cases regardless of actual circumstances, doctors knowingly prescribing Subutex even though it is an addictive drug.

12. 肉身成佛 古今几人 无为无我 无界无终 – since the beginning of ages, how many people ever become invincible in fighting, (exact words meaning are how many people ever become Buddha since the beginning of ages) there is no boundary to the ultimate level of martial arts, no boundary where learning stop

The final words of Wing Chun mantra mention another profound fact of life, that of lifelong learning, one should live until old and learn until old. Knowing all the Siu Nim Tao, Chum Kiu, Biu Tze and Muk Yan Jong does not make you a Yip Man and Bruce Lee, neither to attaining black belts a few dans in Karate or Taekando. As what academic professors say even though they already got Phd or doctoral degrees in their respective fields of study – the more I know, the more I don’t know. There is really no boundary to the degree of knowledge that one can acquire.

We now know why Bruce Lee made a certain statement, given the profoundness of Chinese Kungfu.

I am here to tell you that China is the ancestral homeland of all martial arts.

International Kungfu Superstar Bruce Lee, during a speech given in Edison Technical School

13. Everyone got a God-given talent and a place where the heart is

Had Sammo Hung being born in a particular city state, he will most probably ended up as a doctor or lawyer if he is good is his academic studies or as a toilet cleaner/taxi driver if he does not fare too well. If the career option available to Sammo Hung is university or it’s the end, not only will there be no Ip Man, there will also not have the hugely successful vampire series of movies during the 1980s and early 1990s which create an iconic character of a vampire expert that up to this day, they still cannot find someone to replace Lam Ching Ying as the vampire and ghost expert.

There is a Chinese saying; 十年树木，百年树人- it takes ten years to grow a tree but 100 years to know the outcome of an educational system. It is a joke that barely less than half a century when a particular education system has yet to produce a single Nobel Prize winner, some people can self congratulates them for creating a good class education system when cracks or problems already started to surface.

Had you seem and realize that more wealth is created for humanity if the education system is more of helping to discover each child inborn talent and passion rather than one that overly stresses on academic achievements. Had Reverend Ng Mui not devoted herself to deep study of martial arts (a supposedly non-economical activity by today’s perspective), due to passion and gained a deep understanding of Shaolin martial arts due to talent none other than commonly defined notion of academic achievements, there will be no 永春绝技. The Japanese feller who compose this piece of music for Ip Man may well become retarded if he were forced to study some courses like Medicine, Lawyer and Accountancy that were supposedly brings better career prospects and earn more money.

I will write the word Kungfu into English Dictionary.

International Kungfu Superstar Bruce Lee, during a speech given in Edison Technical School

Bruce Lee almost graduated with a first class honors in Philosophy from  University of Washington when he decides to quite school and open martial arts school,

He said, if my life purpose is to let the whole world know what Chinese Kungfu is, what do I have to afraid to lose?

14. Morality and professions should not have differences in status

“今天的胜负，我不是想证明我们中国的武术，比西洋拳更加优胜。我只是想说，人的地位，虽然有高低之分，但是人格不该有贵贱之别。我很希望，从这一刻开始，我们大家可以学会懂得怎样去互相尊重”

Yip Man(Donnie Yen’s character in Ip Man 2)

In today materialistic society, people have the tendency to value fellow humans on the basis of his monthly income and net worth, or by his profession, or even by the way he look. But since morality should not have the distinction of high and low, so should job and profession. In some country, even engineers are deemed to be of lower status than doctors and lawyers by virtue of income and stability in income.

This is very similar in meanings, though not entirely similar to “one of the best well known sentences in the English Language”, from United States Declaration of Independence.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Ip Man should wear Iron Man suit and Iron Man should learn Wing Chun so that they will become invincible. The combination can be called Ipron Man 2 so that people will not have to become indecisive as to watch which movie.

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Another year has passed; do you lament at another forgettable year or feel satisfied at a life well live?

End of a year is a good time to review your investment performance and career progressions. For students, other than checking examinations results, read widely, doing self reflection and learning about managing own personal finances now is equally important.

No one knows what 2010 holds, maybe new world order? But there ways to make it less than ordinary and an unforgettable year. Of course, nothing is going to happen to those who do nothing. The only guarantee in life is that if you do nothing, you will get nothing.

1. Serendipity may happens

Every thing you learn and every one you talk to could lead you to the next stage of life journey.

A causal remark by a colleague may leads to going for some further studies and changes of career.

2. Everything is good with moderation, including cynic.

One of the reasons why most people do not become rich is excessive cynicism, fear, procrastinations, undesirable habits and simply lazy.

While I agree that critical thinking is essential in ensuring that you do not lose your hard earned money as when something sounds too good to be true, it most probably is.

3. Pursuing your interests and passion

It is definitely wise to have some hobbies that you are genuinely interested in. To give a good advice, there may lay some hidden talents of you which only you can discover. While it is better for a person to consider economic prospects when it comes to employment, turning hobbies into million dollars businesses will be easier if you are doing what you love.

4. Take calculated risks

Calculated risks does not restrict to investing also, it also includes starting some part time businesses.

How to find out what you do very well so that you can start related businesses based on that?

Very simple, just go to everyone you know and ask each of them to mention to you one thing that you do very well.

5. Widen your career options

This is to further enhance employability in current and future career.

6. Pick up some new physical activities

Unless you happen to be constructions workers or toilet cleaners, most probably you have not moved much physically throughout the year.

Learning yoga for better health or Wing Chun for self defense can be considered. Learning things cost money, other than that, one can do volunteer work for gaining more life experience and spiritual fulfillment.

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“Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago.”

This verse is by the Sage of Omaha but is actually similar in words and meanings to an old Chinese saying.

Advances in science and engineering depend very much on concepts and knowledge generated by previous pioneers in the respective fields. Albert Einstein once learned Newtonian Mechanics before coming up with the ideas in General and Special theory of relativity that revolutionizes the whole of Physics.

When an inventor set out to invent a certain thing, he don’t start to go about the process of inventing without searching through the patent office to see whether similar thing has already been invented. Similarly, it is better to learn business and investing lessons from financial legends than to research and develop new principles yourself only to discover that the hard work has already been done by others before you.

Isaac Newton once said that it is only by standing on the shoulder of giant that I can see further. This precisely summarizes why before setting out to achieve a specific goal, it is best and wise to first learn how others have done earlier, even if their thinking and methods are not good enough.

If acquiring previous concepts and knowledge is standing on the shoulder of giant, then asking good questions after having the concepts and knowledge is the binocular that enables you to see even further.

Why is it that Albert Einstein can come up with ideas that revolutionizes Physics while most others don’t?

Because he ask, will the speed of an object with mass exceeds the speed of light, if kept on increasing the force exerted on it, since there seems to be no physical limitations based on the famous F=ma equation.

He also asks, among others similar questions, will I see myself in the mirror if I ride on a beam of light?

As you can see, standing on the shoulder of giant is not good enough to see further, you still need a binoculars to assist you to see further, and that binoculars is asking good questions.

In fact, there is an underlying reason why the mortar boards for bachelor and master degrees are square while that for doctoral degree is round. In the acquisition of knowledge and concepts in any field up to master level, one is learning and to accept what pioneers in that field have created previously. As such, one need to learn and accept whatever is being taught and solves problems using “correct” concepts during examinations, thus becoming square in thinking. For example, if someone uses Einstein’s equations to calculate force instead of Newton’s Second Law before in the years before Einstein came up with General and Special theory of relativity in college entrance examinations, he will most probably never make it to college even though it is more correct in physical reality.

Image Credits: carbonnyc

The interesting thing came after acquisitions of necessary knowledge in a field is complete, when one has to let go of previously accepted notions that lead to square in thinking to continue the mental evolution in that field. To do that, we have to realize that the world is round, that everything is connected to everything else. It’s those who explore completely unrelated areas of life and knowledge who best see that everything is related. Doctoral studies is creating new knowledge and advancing the field, to do that, one must let go what is learned previously, realizes that some things are still not perfect yet. There is a need to let go a bit if concepts regarding that field, become less square in thinking, hence the round shape in mortar board for doctoral degrees. Nobel Prize is not given to first class honors but to someone who come up with some innovations and “conferred the greatest benefit on mankind” at the same time.

It does not matter whether Albert Einstein got an IQ equal of a genius or equal of a retarded, if he cannot let go the commonly accepted notion and common sense notion that time is absolute, he can never come up with Special and General Theories of Relativity.

This post is quite long, before reading, pause and listen to the music below as you go along.

Bruce Lee first learned Wing Chun, but felt that traditional footwork of Wing Chun is not good enough, in which he later burrowed footsteps from Cha Cha dance and fencing to further improves on it. While the classic Wing Chun attack and defense is very useful, powerful and effective for fighting with opponents within 5 meters distance, it lacks techniques for longer range attacks which Bruce Lee later incorporates techniques from other martial arts styles in his Jeet Kune Do. His Jeet Kune Do launched a new discipline known as mixed martial arts.

Buffett do not stop at Benjamin Graham form of value investing, but went on to further the art of investing. Despite Coca-Cola shares are trading at 20 times earnings, he still decides to go ahead and purchase them as it is a fair price for a great company. Benjamin Graham is more of advocating buying stocks that trade at less than their net assets values, without regards to their qualitative analysis. One day, Warren Buffett wakes up and realizes that simply depends on book value is not good enough, then with influence from Charlie Munger, he makes a slight change in his investment philosophy, that is, “It’s far better to buy a wonderful company at a fair price than a fair company at a wonderful price.”

Buy a wonderful company at a fair price = buying Coca-Cola at 15 to 20 times earnings

A fair company at a wonderful price = buying a company at less than their net assets values

However, he does kept the concepts of buying below intrinsic value and margin of safety, in a similar sense that Bruce Lee kept the classic Wing Chun moves within 5 meters of opponents when fighting. There is a need to continue progress in field that one pursue, but progress does not mean doing away with what the pioneers had done, neither does it remain stagnant and not improving. Nevertheless, the first thing is still learning previously created knowledge first, that is become square in thinking before learning to let go and become round in thinking.

“All kind of knowledge, eventually becomes self knowledge”

Bruce Lee

One way to interpret this profound statement is almost every piece of knowledge from everywhere applies to you or your specific specialized profession, work and business. It is just that you have not seen the connection yet.

Where you get things from other fields to become self knowledge and applying it to own domain of specialized fields – by reading and other means like communicating with others of course.

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Most people are interested in how to become rich but this is not the first question to ask yourself if you really want to become rich. As eventually, how to do certain things is most probably figured out by other earlier people already. You only just need to research to find out them. To echo the words of Anthony Robbins, a strong enough why can bear almost any how.

Hence, the most important issue is ask yourself why you want to berich.

I cannot answer the why question for each individual who reads this blog, I can only present the how that is needed.

What are the 3 keys towards a life of abundance?

Creativity and critical thinking

The most important key has been and always will be – generate multiple sources of income, preferable passive income for these sources.

Look at what interests and talents you have, each one of them is a potential money making machine.

Singapore celebrity stylist David Gan is a classic example of a poor man made good. One of his creative ways to market himself is to give local celebrities free hair cut and/or styling in returns for taking a photo with them to market himself.

Now he charges at least 3 figures for a haircut session that most probably lasts less than 30 minutes.

Another perfect example is that if you are hot and sexy, having a blog and plaster all the photos of yourself most likely attract high and regular traffic. Even better, go find work at places like Prison, then get fired for being hot and sexy, and then claim compensations.

These are examples of creativity thinking at work.

Critical thinking is needed in order to retain money that you has earned and to invest it wisely for greater returns instead of being scammed away.

Abundance and scarcity depends on the person

Don’t spend your life thinking and talking about , financial crisis, Michael Jackson dies and rising unemployment. There is nothing you can do to change them.

Instead think and talk about what potential businesses opportunities is there to create more wealth and how to go about doing it. What I can learn and do today so that if tomorrow I have $1 millions, I can invest it to grow to $10 millions in 10 years time.

Know the reality

Living large on same budget, save 5% for every 10% rise in income, invest them well sounds a bit of a cliché but that is what you need to do if just starting out and want to be rich.

Read books written by rich people to gain insights into how rich people think is something that can be done without spending a bomb and a leg.

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The definition of financial freedom is income from assets exceeds living expenses, which is income that comes regardless of whether you work or not. Living expenses not only includes basic necessities and also some basic luxuries like broadband Internet access, pay TV and others depending on one’s definition.

The key towards achieving financial freedom faster is simply to plant many seeds at the same time, but maybe not too many that one is unable to take care of all.

The type of seeds planted determines the types of fruits. No one plant a mango seed expecting that a durian will come out.

This is what we can learn from farmers; does it make sense for a farmer to plant just one seed, and then sit and stare at it for months to make sure it grows?

Similarly, depending on life stage and what you earns as well as what you have. The seeds of success need not be planted one at a time. For example, if one is still in colleges, not having much money to invest does not warrant not learning and thinking about it. Starting a business part time, be employed in part time work, learning about insurance planning, read books on personal finance and investing is all about planting required seeds at the same time.

Another case is when being employed full time, one does need to do other things to earn additional income like starting a part time business that is more in line with what you are interested in so that if things don’t work out, time is not really wasted. Of course, other aspects of business such as competition, unique selling position, demand and marketing etc, are equally important if it were to succeed.

Let us assume that you have just graduated from colleges not too long ago and unfortunately, compared to previous and most probably next batch of college graduates, your job prospects and starting income is most probably going to be less. Some, if not most may even still be jobless now, officially contributing to unemployment statistics a few months after commencement ceremonies. (Still a contribution though)

One does need to plant the first seed like continue looking for jobs, but at the same time, can concurrently plant other seeds like thinking of what businesses to start which need not cost a leg and a hand financially, reading and learning so as to increase financial intelligence. Or to the least extent, exercise regularly, quit smoking and excessive drinking of alcohol, this may directly reduce medical bills in future.

Planting more seeds of success concurrently is especially important if the seeds’ germination time and time required for harvesting is long. In other words, there is a large time lag between taking actions and getting results. This is especially so for learning about a seemingly complex field of finance and I guaranteed you that as long as your IQ is above normal level, you don’t need advices from the high priests of finance.

Image Credits: ricephotos

My advice is don’t let time pass you by.

There is a time lag between taking actions for a goal and receiving outcomes; whether the outcome is what you wanted is another matter though.

But one consideration to keep in mind,

How to avoid spreading yourself too thin?

There is no doubt that for the case of farmers, if they got more land than they could handle, most would be unable to plant seeds over every single inch of land, tilt every single inch and finally harvest every single inch.

This is similar for you, while one is advised to plant more than one seed at the same time, there is a need to avoid stretching too thin and ended up not achieving anything significant.

For instance, in the case of an undergraduate student with a little more than $10 000 in a bank account, with no other income other than some savings from part time work during the school vacations, it will be wise for him to learn more about market cycle investing using index fund rather than investing through direct stock ownerships, building up own portfolio of stocks consisted largely of blue chips. The former is more safe as one won’t lose everything while the latter is require even more capital for a diversified portfolio.

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Man will fly, but the craft will be the size of a matchbook and carry any insect for a passenger.

Simon Newcomb, a respected scientific authority December 1903

A man carrying airplane will eventually be built, but only if mathematicians and engineers work steadily for the next one to ten million years.

New York Times editor December 1903

Heavier than air flying machines are impossible.

Lord Kelvin, President, The Royal Society of London. June 1885

The original Wright Flyer manufactured by Wright Brothers in 1903 hangs from the ceiling of Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. It is suspended in the main atrium; inspiring a feeling of majesty and ingenuity to a nation that is founded on all men are created equal.

Image Credits: kenlund

It is my belief that flight is possible.

Wilbur Wright, a bicycle repairman and builder (generally known as lesser mortals) May 1900

100 years later, after the birth of aviation in human history, the proudness of the American people is essentially captured in the words of former U.S. President George W. Bush.

“The Wright brothers’ invention belongs to the world, but the Wright brothers belong to America.”

Former U.S. President George W. Bush in 2003

How many times the word impossible is being told to you by others and mostly by yourself?

Traveling to sun and wanting to have sex with every year Miss Universe winners may be impossible but to generate some income from a part time business, to direct excess income towards acquisitions of income producing assets and lifted oneself out of rat race is not.

The fact is that no one has the crystal balls; life is what you made of it.

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Honestly speaking, it will require many long hours of self study on financial concepts and investigations into various investment vehicles. This website alone will not provide every piece of knowledge you need; neither will any single book and magazine in personal finance and investing. Constant ongoing learning and relearning, knowing what is going on in every single thing you invest is something indispensable if one wants to exit from and never to enter rat race again.

Image Credit: csatch

Rich Dad Poor Dad lesson number 3 is “mind your own business”, this does not really mean starting your own business but it includes starting own businesses too. It does mean that to achieve financial freedom, to exit from rat race, managing own income and current wealth well is a must. In today’s time, you really cannot play it safe by putting money in fixed deposits and government bonds, and then slog for rest of your life. You have to play it smart.

All of us have a mind and the same time. It is up to each of us to do what we want with both.

This may sounds like an old cliché but the fact is that the only way to ever have a chance of leaving rat race is to live within your means, pay yourself first, and accumulate investment capitals, to invest and re-invest returns, reduce uncertainty through more knowledge and knowing what you are doing.

Short of winning the $10 millions lottery, to go from $0 to $1 millions, there is no doubt that one needs hard work in earning income and learning everything about managing own personal finance and deciding on best investments given what you know, perseverance in starting over when a wrong investment is made, discipline in really investing and not speculating, taking calculated risks and not anyhow sink in everything on a thing, timing of entering and exiting the markets, and some luck.

The following wise words are from a millionaire,

“If you don’t build up the means to invest, you will never generate any returns. The only way to build up the ability to invest is to spend within your means. Otherwise, salary is the only cashflow and that would mean running the rat race for a long time.”

Perhaps forever until lie inside coffin if salary is the only cashflow.

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Commencement speech given by Harvard and Stanford is one of the most inspiring, of all the speeches; they usually invite people from various walks of life that are considered success in their own right instead of first class honors only. Usually the persons giving the speech did not have stellar academic achievements, did not get straight As all the way like Valedictorian, did not even complete college degrees but those that went on to achieve greatness. Sometimes you do learn more from them than from first class honors, or Valedictorian speeches.

This one by J.K. Rowling, billionaire author of Harry Potter series is one of reminding us of the need to give and change the world for the better. There is a lot of inspiration from her address; it’s like the case for Stephen Jobs in Stanford University in the year 2005.

Well, the speech is titled “The Fringe Benefits of Failure, and the Importance of Imagination.” The “fringe benefits” for her means billions. Without experiencing failure as described by her – “a mere seven years after my graduation day, I had failed on an epic scale. An exceptionally short-lived marriage had imploded, and I was jobless, a lone parent, and as poor as it is possible to be in modern Britain, without being homeless.”, she will never have begin writing Harry Potter story books.

J.K. Rowling Speaks at Harvard Commencement from Harvard Magazine on Vimeo.

I suggest that you read the whole commencement speech in its entirety, for every word, are words of wisdom, words of inspirations and words of compassion.

But I find this section of text particularly awakening for those living under authoritarian government, or democracy in name but authoritarian in reality.

“If you choose to use your status and influence to raise your voice on behalf of those who have no voice; if you choose to identify not only with the powerful, but with the powerless; if you retain the ability to imagine yourself into the lives of those who do not have your advantages, then it will not only be your proud families who celebrate your existence, but thousands and millions of people whose reality you have helped change. We do not need magic to change the world; we carry all the power we need inside ourselves already: we have the power to imagine better.”

Albert Einstein once says that imagination is better than knowledge. Knowledge can ensure that you can have a good job but it is imagination that enables Einstein to receive Nobel Prize and ideas that revolutionized the whole of Physics, it is imagination that will produce Harry Potter magic in record sales of books and movies.

The conclusion of her commencement speech is that, you don’t need magic to change the world for the better, you need empathy. To have empathy, one need imagination. As eventually, for those who receive, more shall be given.

And last but not least, imaginations make her a billionaire.

Failure is good because failure can make you a billionaire while stellar academic results can only grant you a good job at most.

She still looks good and sexy at her age.

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If intellectuals and rich don’t care, only concerned about every man for himself, then who will?

I leave it to humanity to decide whether following poem will be read from top to bottom or from bottom to top in the foreseeable future.

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I was amazed by the ingenuity of the world greatest inventor in achieving his goals that I have to tell readers of this blog here about this wonderful technique in improving and bettering your business and financial life by increasing your persistence by more than 10 times over.

It is mentioned in his personal written journals that for every single invention, he lists out all the consequences of inventing that particular physical object and/or processes so that the consequences of not achieving it is seriously etched in his mind.

For an idea of what Thomas Edison listing out of broad ramifications means and how it leads to superhuman persistence, please follow this link to the page in Google Books. Type “broad ramifications ” in the search in this book box at the top right hand corner. It is on page 185 of the book Mentored by a Millionaire. I cannot reproduce them here due to copyright issues.

Enumeration means making a detailed account of each thing. Broad means involving various aspects and ramifications simply means consequences.

Simply stated, Edison techniques in helping him to never give up is making a detailed account of each aspects that he will gain (or lost) and the resulting effects should he fail to achieve it.

The power of this utter simple technique is that Edison DO NOT invents the electric light bulb for the sake of selling 20 light bulbs. If he wants to sell something only, he may as well join some network marketing organizations.

The electric light bulb is just only a springboard for creating an electric power system. After which, he can invent many more and sell countless electro-mechanical devices that uses the electric power network that is being created.

This sort of creates a loss that is much greater than just giving up the dream itself.

Not coming out with a workable electric light bulb is not just losing a few dollars of sales but the whole billion dollars industry that can only be created if and only if the electric light is being invented. As you can read for yourself in the book mentioned above.

I have always wondered since young about how his superhuman persistence came about as eventually he is still a human. Perhaps this is the answer.

Don’t just absorb the ideas here and do nothing about it. Start doing what the world greatest inventor has done and acquire superhuman persistence to achieve your financial freedom dreams today.

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