Success on purpose

We are always living – seems obvious but many people seem to go through most of their life on autopilot. Sure they have hopes and dreams, they have ideas and plans, yet few actually achieve them. With every second that passes we lose time given to us to accomplish and experience various things. Not many people around the world can afford to sit in front of a computer and read articles like this compelling them to live life on purpose. They have a clear purpose – survival. They are not dreaming of riches or retirement, they are hoping to survive another day. This is not a guilt trip, we are extremely blessed to be living in North America or some other developed nation where opportunities abound. But to whom much is given, much is expected. It is your duty to succeed, and despite the challenges you have faced, they are by no means an excuse. I grew up in a third world country, and have many relatives who would be thrilled to be offered the chance to live in North America. They do what they can to get by, feed their families, raise their kids – not unlike us over here… but they have very little to aspire in the way of opportunity. In North America, we can aspire to the heights of society, finance, status, fame, etc and with hard work and some help, we can achieve it in our lifetime as a select few have. Sure its slim, but the chance exists. I feel a responsibility to make the most of my life. Do you? What would a successful life look like to you? Try exploring your dreams beyond the typical riches and faming dream. John Maxwell says “Success is knowing your purpose, growing to reach your maximum potential and sowing seeds that benefit others.” My definition of success is actively closing the gap between whom you are now and who God purposed you to be. The big question is, “What is your purpose?” Here are some foundational principles on purpose, that apply to any created or invented things or being. 1. Everything is life has a purpose 2. Not every purpose is known 3. If you don’t know the purpose of a thing, you will abuse it. (E. g. a surgeon’s scalpel can be used to save or take a life.) 4. If you want to know the purpose of a thing, never ask the things. 5. The purpose of a thing is only found in the mind of the maker of that thing. Only the original manufacturer of a car can know the full purpose of the car and each of its components. Only they know the potential and can give correct directions of use. Everyone else is guessing. You won’t find a Ford Manual in a Toyota Car, neither could you get one to fix the other’s product. (Without voiding the warranty and performance guarantee!) Purpose while it may seem obvious is actually hard to pin down. Myles Munroe has put it best: Purpose is the original intent for the reason of the making of a thing. OR Purpose is what caused the maker to make something. OR Purpose is what was wanted, that made a maker make a thing. What a maker made was created to produce what he wanted. What he wanted was purpose, what he made was product. Product comes after purpose and product is created to produce purpose. I know its heavy – but its true. E. g. Man wanted an easy way to light fire (purpose), so he invented matches (product) The fact that you exist implies that there was a purpose behind your creation. No, it wasn’t an accident (no matter how you were conceived) and your success in life is determined, not by how much you make or spend, or what people may say. Success in this life is determined by whether you have fulfilled your purpose, and every second that goes by ought to be spent in the pursuit of that purpose. In fact succeeding is not so much about achieving, but being on the journey towards what we were born to do… Challenge yourself to live a life of purpose. Seek out that purpose – only your Maker can reveal that – don’t let people put you in a box! Always Live your Life on Purpose!

The secrets of a been there done that success junkie and what it has to do with you and your success

Dear Chronically Frustrated Entrepreneur, If you've been going from guru to guru learning how to be the 'next big thing'; If you've been downloading ebook after ebook trying to unravel the 'secret key to the Vault of Success'; If you've been attending seminar after seminar and reading tons of books till you encounter Brainfreeze trying to decipher what makes successful people successful ... ... You're not alone! I've been there before and I know how frustrating it feels to spend countless sleepness nights trying to learn the path to success from the truckloads of success gurus out there. I've attended countless seminars, read countless books on success and downloaded countless ebooks that are now collecting digital dust on my hard drive. I know how you're feeling right now. You see my friend, success isn't just about hard work. It's about working hard and working smart. At one point in time, I was also feeling really down in the dumps as it didn't seem as if I was getting anywhere nearer to the 'promised land' of the moolah. I was pretty much at my wit's end and was constantly pulling my hair out in chronic frustration. Then I found the missing link. I found that to become successful, you need to model a successful person. The age-old adage that 'Success breeds Success' is really true! 'Yah ... Big deal ... I already knew that' I can literally hear lots of you having that above thought going through your head even as you're reading this. Let me clarify what I mean. Many people, including myself in the past, thought that attending seminars and reading books on success is already modelling. But most people don't realise that you can't effectively model a successful person just by attending his seminars or reading his books! The only effective, time-tested and proven way to model a successful person is to follow him around as he conducts his day-to-day dealings and have constant, thorough access to his time, guidance and knowledge. Sounds simple enough right? But there's just one tiny little catch ... Most successful people charge the sky for their time, coaching and guidance. And even then, you may not get dedicated time and access to them! The high price of this coaching and guidance is often enough to make most people reconsider the investment in the guru's time. I guess I was a little luckier in this aspect. Due to my business dealings and my sincere desire to learn from the best, I was able to network with and be directly mentored by two businessmen who are already successful in their own right. One was a very enterprising young businessman who set up a company right from scratch in Sunny Singapore. In less than 5 years, this company grossed more than USD 60 million in sales and was able to expand to more than 10 countries across the Asia Pacific region. He plans to list his company on the Singapore Stock Exchange in 2007 and he even has his sights set on the New York Stock Exchange in 2010. He has been honoured in various countries for his contribution to the business climate and people of those countries. My second mentor comes from an entirely different background. Currently in his mid-40s, he was already comfortably retired due to his astute business acumen and capable corporate skills. He hails from the Banking industry and at the very young age of 29, he was already the CEO of an American Bank. In his corporate career till date, he has brought no less than 36 companies to a Public Listing on various Stock Exchanges across the world. Needless to say, he was already a multi-millionaire by the time he was in his late 30s. Being able to be directly mentored and guided by these two successful businessmen has opened my eyes to the tightly-guarded world of highly-successful businessmen. I was able to learn how they think, strategize and react to various business situations ... I was able to observe them as they went about closing business deals with ease. I was literally able to tap into their brilliant minds to learn the coveted topic of success. Even better, through my two mentors, I was able to meet and learn from other highly-successful millionaires. My conclusion? Nothing beats being able to learn in real-time and in the real world from highly-successful people. I finally understood the immense benefits Napolean Hill (author of the timeless success classic Think and Grow Rich) had when he interviewed 504 successful people. From all the knowledge I've been fortunate enough to gather and learn from my two mentors and their business partners, I've distilled everything into bite-sized chunks of information and knowledge. I've taken pains to put together all these knowledge into a simple, clear and concise format that everybody will be able to understand. Best of all, where possible, I also include action steps that one can take to propel him to the next level of success. 'But Terence? Why are you doing all these? Is there a catch to it? Is all these knowledge for free?' For thoses of you who may be wondering why I'm taking the effort to compile all these knowledge, my answer is simple. I was fortunate enough to be able to learn from highly-successful people. And all these knowledge was gained without me investing a single dollar. My mentors easily charge thousands of dollars per hour for their business consultation. I cannot but stress the value of all the information they have shared with me. I know of many out there who want to learn how to be more successful but may not have the financial means to attend seminars or invest in self-improvement books. I want to make what I term as Success Knowledge accessible to anyone and everyone who desires to make a difference in their lives. I want everyone to be able to use this knowledge to prosper and achieve their dreams. Call me idealistic but I believe the more people become successful, the better the world we live in will become. And yes, all these knowledge will be made available for F-R-E-E After reading what I will be posting in the coming days and weeks, some people will cry foul at why I'm making available such jealously-guarded, ground-breaking and money-making knowledge for free. Armed with such powerful knowledge, you'll start attracting wealth like a ten ton magnet! Don't ask me to put a price to this knowledge I'm about to share with you. There is no price to success ... And no, I don't intend to charge anything for this knowledge. I believe in making the world a better place and these articles are my contribution towards this cause. It is my sincerest wish that everyone who reads my articles take whatever knowledge I'm about to offer and go forth to prosper. Whether you are looking to succeed in the Corporate world, in your own business or in various other industries, it doesn't matter. This knowledge will give you an extra edge over the competition. If you find what I have to share beneficial and useful, all I ask is that you drop me an email or comment to let me know. I'd be most grateful. And if you know of a friend who can benefit from all these knowledge, do refer them to my articles and I'd be most honoured. So sit back, relax and enjoy the ride ... Success isn't just about the destination ... It's the journey as well. Carpe Diem ... Seize the day! Terence Tan terence@terencetan successjunction. blogspot