1. Setting A Goal And Writting It Down (2).

I held mine for ten years. I achieved my goal one year later then what I expected. I graduated as a medical doctor in 1998.

When I was in Form Four, I absolutely did not have any intention to get my medical doctorate done in Australia. Therefore, I was doing the calculation based on local university system. I have worked out that in 1988, in Form Four, I have to spend two years in Form Six and five years of medical school in USM (University of Science, Malaysia) in order to be a doctor (I always had USM as my destination). I have even calculated that academic year ends middle of year (hence my medical course will end in June 1997). As it turned out to be, I did not go to Form Six. I went to a better pre-university program instead, USM Matriculation (where I always wanted to go). I did not do medicine locally. I went to a prestigious place instead, The Flinders University of South Australia. I graduated one year later because the course takes 6 years to complete in that university.

As you can see, goal setting inevitably have to include planning. That is why I emphasize to have a CLEARLY DEFINED GOAL. Which mean, putting your thought into the making of the goal. Do not just simply put a goal for the sake of it. Do not just simply put a goal because it is glamorous to have a grandiose goal. And yes, do not put somebody else goal as yours.

Yes you heard it right, and do not laugh. There are many people out there who is putting someone else goal as their. Have you ever heard of parents saying ‘you better be studying hard and become a lawyer, like so and so …’ what they are really saying is simply ‘my goal for you is to become a lawyer. Do it for me!’ Sometimes it is the uncle’s, the community’s or the kampong’s goal which become the goal of someone. If you are pursuing someone else goal, very likely that you will fail miserably, it was not your goal in the first place for heaven sake!

If you badly want to become an astronaut, then put it as your goal and start planning for it. Let it be your own strong desire. Do not set it as your goal because it is grand to be the first Malaysian to become an astronaut. You may think that the nation will be proud of it, if you could accomplish it. That is absolutely fine if you have a strong desire to be a pioneer. Although, I think it is imperative that you recognize the difference between having it as your own goal and having it as fulfilling the nation (someone else) goal. If your subconscious mind recognize it as foreign goal, you will fail. Your subconscious mind is your greatest ally. Do not lie to it. You cannot. It will know and you will definitely loose. SET YOUR OWN GOAL AND NOT SOMEBODY ELSE.

Just imagine if you sitting on a poker table and while playing you also know that if you win, somebody else will get the money. Will you play at your best? Somehow I do not think so!

A great author once wrote, there are only 3 steps to success:

1. Set your Goal.
2. Be prepared to pay the price to achieve the Goal.
3. PAY THE PRICE.


Every goal, dreams, desire has a price. Robert T Kiyosaki (author of best seller, Rich Dad, Poor Dad) says everything has a price. Even not setting a goal is attached to an even higher price – eternal misery. The price is not necessarily money. It could means working hard, separation from family, sacrificing leisure and comfort or risked your very own life.

Every successful people I have read about, they are always talking about setting and achieving goal. Why don’t you follow suit. Start setting your goal NOW! In fact, do not continue reading this book until you have set one goal for yourself. Write it down, sign it and date it. The rest of the book only makes sense after you have done so!

2. Dream The Impossible. Determine to win BIG!
(to be continued...)

1. Setting A Goal and Writing it Down (1).

Wise man says, if you do not have a target, you will always hit it right. If you don’t know where to go, you will always get there. The truth is, if you don’t have a clearly defined goal, anything you have achieved will be considered a success, even if it is a failure for your true capability. How would you know that you are going the right direction if you don’t know where you are going in the first place?

Sure you will always hit it, sure you will always get there, but was it there you supposed to hit? Was it there you were supposed to go? Was it there the money? Was it there you could have been or become? Was that the money you are looking at when you place your bet?

If you are looking back now, you will never know. If you are still in school today, then SET YOUR GOAL before it is too late. Only after you have set your GOAL, you would know where you are going. If you do not set a goal, you are a gambler who has no intention of winning. Are you just playing the cards for fun? I think it is your opponents who are having all the fun in the world.

I often have a conversation with ‘not so lucky’ adults who always reminisce back and say “when I was in school I always want to become a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer etc”. After talking a bit more with them, I could easily sense that they did not actually have such desire when they were in school. What they are really saying is “if I could start all over again, I will study to become a doctor, an engineer, a lawyer etc”. What is their goal NOW is what they think was their goal THEN.

So you students out there don’t be like them. SET YOUR OWN GOAL NOW!

WRITE DOWN YOUR GOAL AND PUT YOUR SIGNATURE ON IT.

In other words, make it black and white and certified yours truly. Oh don’t forget to put a date on it, so you can proudly trace back when was the time you start taking care of your life. After you write it down, put it somewhere where you can always see them. You can put them in YOUR wallet or purse, stick it on your mirror or write it on the front page of every book you own, on the ceiling of your bedroom or anywhere you can easily access them. Let other people see it as well. This way you can be accountable of your own goal. Make sure where ever you put it; it has to last until your goal is achieved.

I put mine in my wallet. The first time I wrote my goal was in 1988 while I was in Form Four in SMK Bingkor Keningau. I was in a science class. With my very little knowledge of English I wrote ‘With the God’s Power, will be a doctor in 1997’. Needless to mention, the grammar was out. That did not matter, it only tells me of how much I have improved since. I put mine in my wallet. I looked at it almost every day. Whenever I felt depressed, whenever I felt lazy or couldn’t take things any more, I just have to look at it. Nothing obvious happened after your look at it. Don’t expect a surge of power or a sudden disappearance of problems. In fact, not so much of your conscious mind that need to see it, but most importantly your subconscious mind. Because this part of your brain that will automatically work toward achieving your goal.

I held mine for ten years.... (to be continued)

Life Testimony - 05.

Of course, if anybody thinks that once you graduate, life would be a bed of roses, nothing can be further from the truth. You may end up even more frustrated than you are during your worst exams. Finding jobs is another chapter in life which is worth writing a book by itself. Even for medicine, the four months waiting for job placement was enough torture for me. Lucky for me, as a doctor my job is guaranteed. By the way, that is another skill a player needs to know. Would you put your money where the chance of winning is remote? Similarly, why bother doing a course if it guarantees no job. In Malaysia, at least for now, there are only two fields of study where you can be guaranteed of jobs. The Health Sciences (nurse, pharmacy, doctors etc) and the education field itself (teachers). Of course another way of betting is by applying for private company’s sponsorship that provides you with job. Please, this is the most logical skill to play the cards, put your money where the ‘job’ is!

My first year as a doctor (or House Officer) was absolute nightmare. It was the most hectic year of my life up to that point. Boy, I thought facing final year exams was bad. Apparently this is worst. However, undeniably this was also the year where my learning curve was the steepest. I think I have learnt more of the art of becoming a doctor in that one year alone compared to my whole six years of doing medicine. I learnt a lot even though I hardly sleep, no social life, zero fun and in essence no life. But I persevered.

In 2000 I was transferred to a small district in Sabah called Kota Belud. It is about one hour drive from the capital city. I became the boss of the health department in the whole district. Life was better. I continue to work hard and diligently.

By the time I was writing this book (2003), I was the Assistant Director of Sabah’s Public Health Department. Career was almost at the peak. And I was looking far beyond.

Looking back to what I have achieved, I am immensely proud of myself. Not so much of what I have attained, but from where I have begun. There is no way I could get here by chances alone and definitely not by miracles either. I have come here because I have something that my friends on the starting line did not have. That what I have I will share with you in this book. I hope the book will give you a new hope and a new way to look at your life as a student and as the best player in this casino of ours. Whatever stage of life you are now, it is never too early. At the same time, you can never be too late to benefit from this book. I humbly admit that I am not the only one who has the success story in life. There are many more out there. Some of them have accomplished more than what I have. What make me different is I am willing to write a book about my secret of success and share them with you.

The following are my ten essences of success.

Life Testimony - 04.

From there, study seems to be taxing and no more fun. Obviously different strategies needed to be adopted. Competition was high. Fun in studying took different meaning. In Form Four and Five, I was in science class, competing with better students from even wider region. Now we were talking not only competing among ourselves in our class, but also among other students in other school in the whole district.

Study was a battle, and casualties were many. This is like playing poker in ‘Maverick’ movie starred by Mel Gibson. Not only you have to beat those in your table, but you have to outplay the whole people on the ship. Not to mention the gun tooting bad cowboys and the corrupt law enforcers. Against all odd, I became the best student for the school again in SPM in 1989. My bet this time was different. I will elaborate on it in latter part of my book. Soon I was heading to a more challenging Casino!

In 1990, I was in Taiping Perak Malaysia in University Sains Malaysia (USM) Matriculations. Now I am playing against the best students from all over Malaysia. No kidding, I could never beat them. They were too clever, far better exposed and they know things much more than me. This was because all this while they were better resourced than me. I was from remote forrested kampong in Sabah, remember!

Obviously, if I want to stay sane, I got to stop competing. My strategies changed. No more beating the guy in front of me. I am now happy if I win bigger money than what I have got previously. It was not playing poker anymore, it just the big Casino with many types of gambling activities. Somehow, I think my life was just like playing a jackpot machine then. It is just me and the machine or in other words me and the system.

At that time, I just wanted to do my best and try to beat my own previous achievements. This method managed to get me through my 2 years of matriculations. In 1992, I was selected to advance my study in Australia in Medicine. In Australia, competing was out of the question, I could barely speak in English.

How do you play games with opponents who do not speak your language? Easy! Speak their language and speak it better.

Again, this time, I had only myself to beat and to compete with. In every achievement, I made a promise to do better the next time. Within 6 months in Medical School, I was comfortably speaking in English. In fact, I articulated better than any of my batch who previously spoke better English than me in Malaysia. I mingled with all the Australians and the English speaking Chinese Malaysian. I always reminded myself that it is their (not mine) disadvantage if they could not understand my English and it is my advantage that I could understand them (my listening skill was better). So I never feel discouraged, every time I speak, they will courteously correct me if my pronunciation or grammar is wrong. So, instead of being afraid of making mistake, I was actually eager to expose my speaking skills so I could be corrected whenever I made a mistake.

Other Malaysian friends of mine minimize their conversation with the Australians due to their apprehension. Consequently, they learn much slower than me. In fact, most of them speak too proper in English, it sounded memorized and text book-like. Here I was speaking in Australian slang and colloquial, they were still heavily accented in Malay English. I achieved that, because I simply talk more without being afraid of making mistakes. To this day I believe, the best way for anybody in Malaysia to learn English is to pack their bag and live for at least a year in English speaking nation. It is a simple logic, because in English speaking nation, you are surrounded by ‘teacher’ who will ‘teach’ you the skills in every moment of your life. Of course, provided you converse with them in the first place. I learn the language of the players, so I can win!

I persevered on. In 1998, as scheduled, I graduated as a medical doctor and also certified in a self-improvement course.

Life Testimony - 03.

In 1985, I started Form One. This was when the gambling begins. Meeting so many new faces from wider span of community, at first made me nervous and somehow inadequate. It was like a stranger strolled into a cowboy bar and tried to join a group of guests at the poker game. It was scary.

The secondary school was located about 5 miles from my kampong. Sometimes I have to walk to school but for most of the time there were pick-up trucks passing along the road and therefore I could hitch hike. At some stages in my Form 1, I stayed with relatives and friends. Staying with them was difficult, not only for me but also for the people I stayed with. There were many issues spoken and unspoken between me, them and my parents. It was definitely not conducive for learning. I was glad that toward Form Two my dad built a house (or rather a hut) on a piece of land belonged to him. The hut was located about 2 miles from the school. I stayed there until I was in Form Three. If my dad did not do that and if I continued staying with other people, I knew I would have failed miserably.

This is first and foremost rule you have to tackle in playing the game. You got to have a place you are comfortable with. Staying with some uncle or friends of your dad is like playing cards while sitting on a wobbly chair. You soon fall and all your cards will be scattered for everyone to see.

To this date, I oppose staying with other people. I always make a point to stay on my own whenever I am traveling. Even if I have a relative in town, I would still stay in a hotel or cheap boarding place. To this day, I have always oppose having student staying with me (even if they are our relatives), it will be difficult for me, but more so for them. I know. I have tasted it.

Again, despite new faces and new environment, I soon started enjoying school again. Somehow, without putting to much effort, I managed to secure the top position in my class. I believe this seemingly inherent ability to secure top position was due to my enthusiasm for the school activities. I was happy and having fun, so learning became easy. I cannot stress this point enough, if you are having difficult time (or having no fun) in your schools, you better forget all the overly promoted study techniques and skills. To all the parents out there, please provide the best learning environment for your kids FIRST and then start thinking about buying computer, sending to tuition and all the other craps. A poker player who is sitting on a spiky chair with thorns in his shoes and unbearable heat on his back has very little chance of winning.

Slowly however I became aware of the spirit of competition (or should I say the spirit of jealousy) which was shown by my colleagues whenever they were heaping praises on me. Before I realized it, I fell to a third place in the third term exam of Form One. It did not struck me as anything unusual until we got back to school in Form Two. A friend of mine, J, kept teasing me for losing my position in number one. Again, at first I was wondering what was the big deal with slipping from first to third place. It took me a while to realize that he was subtly implying that I have been defeated. It then dawned on me that he was actually indirectly giving me a mockery. Initially, I did not even care to find out who was in the number one position. After finding out that it was him (J) who defeated me, I realized now that I have a reason to study. I now have a goal to achieve. This probably was the first time I took my study very seriously! (By the way, J and I soon became a very close friend and we became study partner all the way to Form Five).

That is the second lesson I did learn in playing the game. When winning was so easy, you do not appreciate it. You do not even feel the loss when you are defeated, thinking that the winning number will come back to you again as it did in the past. Once you have realized that other players are aiming and working hard to win against you, you know that playing hard and smart is the only way to go. A goal and a plan must be in place to win the bet again. Winning a trophy is easy only when nobody else wants it.

I was surely fortunate to have been challenged by a determined player at that point of time. Soon in Form Three I was studying like I never studied before. Not for defeating anybody, but to do the best I could for my SRP (now PMR). In fact I did not care less about beating anybody any more. My utmost vengeance was to beat the best result ever achieved in that school. That was in 1987, the year I sat for SRP. I remembered it well because that was the year I broke the school record of SRP achievement. Not only I have beaten my arch rival, I have beaten every best student ever in that school before me! My vengeance was fulfilled beyond any measurable level.

I won my poker game that year. I won big time. I hit the jackpot. Do you want to know what my bet was? My bet was one whole year of my life in Form Three which I sacrificed to become essentially a hermit (bookworm). Yes I became the ‘no other extra curricula activities guy’. I meant business and studied like death is hanging on my neck. I had the goal and I want it. Surely, most people including my teacher did not like my bet. Toward the end of Form Three, the best student award was given to another student who was behind me in academics but did show some respectable achievements in sports. Somehow it was difficult to find one person who truly excels in both. He won the best student award for the school while poor me with no award broke the academic record. I had no regrets. That was my bet. That was the price I had to pay. I won what I wanted. That was the bottom line.

Life Testimony - 02.

My dad won big in his move. He gained two years for me. These two years was my big arsenal in life for beating the system until I graduate as a doctor. He gambled and he won. Throughout my school days, I have been always two steps ahead in my own poker game.

I did not fail, because I associate learning with fun. I remember vividly when I passed my Standard Three examinations, the school board wanted me to jump class to Standard Five along with at least another four students. My dad intervened and disagreed. The reason being I was already two years younger than everybody, jumping another class would make me three years younger. My dad thought that this situation would be a disadvantage to me. Again, he was gambling. This time, instead of putting the beat, he retracted and played wait and see. He was right. If that happened I cannot imagine myself being surrounded by the all the physically giants in my class. Not to mention the problems I would have in PE and competitive sports. I thank my dad again for his wise thinking at that time. He once again played like a master in the game.

From Standard Three to Six, my dad was transferred to a school nearer to our village (kampong). Needless to mention, I followed. The environment became even more fun, with friends from the same kampong. Sometimes I went to school in a car and at another time on a motorbike or just walked to school (depending on the economic status of my dad). The school was about three miles from my kampong. We had fun walking to school with platoon of friends. On the way back, we could always find something fun to do. Sometime we floated on a bamboo raft along the river (the school was located upstream from our kampong), doing white water rafting almost on daily basis. Sometimes we detoured to fruit farms and enjoy fresh harvest. But most of the time we just sang and laughed and yes sometimes having little wars of our own on the way home. Whatever they were, those memories are the sweetest I could remember up to my present age.

I must say, during this time I have never put an effort to study too hard, other than doing the allocated homework (which we finished before walking home, so that we would not be carrying our book home), I definitely cannot remember studying for exams or anything of that short. Somehow though, I always ended up being among the best student in my class. Situation must have changed now, because in the same school that I went, kids in standard one or two are celebrated like champions if they become the best student. The pressure must be on them, or at least on their parents. How sweet were our times, no pressure! Probably that is why I remember very little of major indiscipline and abuses during our good old days. To put into perspective, this is the time when you do not have to worry about beating the school system. Primary school was supposed for fun. It should be an environment with the absence of gamble, pressure and stress. Time has changed; students in Primary School now are force to learn as if their death is just around the corner. Not mentioning the endless tuition class, music class and lots of other extra class. Something is really wrong with the society now!

Life Testimony - 01.

It was early morning in January 1979 in remote Primary School in Sekolah Rendah Kepayan Baru Keningau when I started my Standard One schooling. My dad was my class teacher in Primary One. I supposed he arranged it in such way so that I would not be crying too much on the first day in my school. My dad was always with me, even during the rest period, he stayed in the class room to accompany me. When my classmate joked that my father had gone home (when in fact he was in the toilet), I cried, to their amusement. Meanwhile I was amazed how everyone else was so comfortable despite the absence of their parents. Of course I did not know then that all of them were two years older than me. That’s right; I went to primary one at the age of five years old while everyone else started at seven. Kindergarten was nowhere in sight at that time. That two years difference makes them so mature as compared to me.


My dad’s reason for putting me in school at the early age (I found out much later) was that if I failed, I would have two extra years reserved for any classes that I have to repeat. (Repeating class and jumping class were common in those days). In other words, I started my schooling with the anticipation for failing and repeating. Not that it matters much to me at the age of five. Looking back now, I do thank my dad for that insight he has. I have benefited much from being in school at early age.


Did you readers notice how my dad gambled with the system? My age was the bet on the table. He put me in school two years younger than the required age. He put down the bet he expected to loose. He put two bets (two years) he could afford to loose. Do you see what I meant, my dad try to beat the system. In anticipating problems, he moved two steps ahead (or two years ahead, to be exact). I do not think my dad is a pro in actual poker game (I have never seen him playing), but in this case he definitely moved like a pro!


But I did not fail; I still remember that school time was fun. I can’t wait to go to school every morning. I remember reading was fun, because all of us would jump on the table, and sitting on the table (believe or not) and started to read from the black board. I must thank the teacher who created such a fun learning environment. Counting (mathematics) was fun and writing was fun, drawing was the most exhilarating, and wait, it was during the PE (Physical Education) session that we were ecstatic (like bunch of monkeys high on drugs) to say the least.

Introduction

Life in school is like being in a big gambling table. Nothing is for certain. Everything you do carries some risk, not unlike putting down a bet on a gambling table and hoping you will get paid. You may lose or you may win. The secret is to continually learn from all the wins and losses. This will ensure you, in time to become a great gambler in school and in life. You will become a gambler, but one who wins. You will win frequently and you will win big. Your loss will be minimized and less frequent.

Yes, life is a casino whether you like it or not. Tomorrow is not just another day at school. It is you holding your cards, with eyes sweeping and scanning your opponents. If you are skilled in your moves, you may be able to anticipate their folly and snap them when they are least aware. You put down your cards, knowing well that you have just one point above them. If they take your bait, they will put their cards down and soon find out how they are just marginally defeated. You win!

Of course in real life your card is your talents and time. Your brain is your brain. And your opponents are the school, other students, the teachers, the assignments and exams. In other word, your opponent is the whole EDUCATION SYSTEM itself.

In real life, the only person who matter is you. If you win the game, you live. If you loose the game, you die (or feel like dying). The EDUCATION SYSTEM is not for you to worry. You have to face it, the system can never be beaten. The only thing you got to do is taking advantage, so that you get paid for the bet you have put on the table.

This gambling is perfectly legal to all of us, regardless of races and religions.

See how I gamble in my school life and win!