Friendship and love knows no boundaries

I found this video so heartwarming. It shows the love and friendship between two guys and a lion. Its amazing the animals remember and are able to reciprocate the love and friendship. Watch it. Enjoy it.






Bernard

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Copyright © Bernard Ong, 2006-2008.
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http://mrbolt.blogspot.com

Effective change, now more than ever

The economic turmoil happening in the U.S and other parts of the world is truly saddening. I read about bank writedowns, mounting job losses almost on a daily basis. I think of those who lost their jobs and what is to become of their livelihood, their families and their way of life? My heart goes out to them and their families.

Things change. Change is constant. There is no such thing as an "iron rice bowl", or a "guaranteed lifetime job". THere is a need to continually upgrade ourselves to stay relevant. In fact, we need to stay more than simply relevant. We need to be able to add so much value to the organization we work for. If we own our own business, we need to add that much more value to our business for the benefit of our customers.

Effective change is needed. This is where goals play an important role. Every individuals goals add up to meet a greater goal, be it the organization or family goals. If we continue drifting in life, the world will pass us by. The world waits for no one. Its survival of the fittest.

Every step we make towards our goals helps us prepare for the future. We need to train ourselves mentally, physically and spiritually to be resilient in good times and in troubled times.

Effective change doesn't guarantee job security. Effective change enhances resilience, tenacity, perseverance. All qualities necessary to push on when times are tough.

As Rocky said in the movie "Rocky":

"Its not about how hard you hit. Its about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward" (See my earlier post on the video clip)

If I recall correctly Michael Jackson's song "Man in the Mirror", the lyrics say "Make that change". It starts with the man in the mirror. The world doesn't change for you. You are all powerful. You have the power to change, no matter how small. You have the power to take action.

Set your goals. Visualize it.Take action now!

Bernard

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Achieved health goal

Today, I achieved one of my health goals. I set my goal to swim 20 laps of an Olympic sized pool...and I did it.

I had set this goal a few months ago. I had not been swimming regularly. However, I had been exercising through practicing Wing Chun Kung Fu. Today, I went on swimming with ease for 20 laps, and it feels great!

I feel really good about myself. It isn't simply the exercise nor endorphins. Its the satisfaction of achieving a goal I set for myself, the execution steps that I took each and every exercise session. The real satisfaction is looking back at the small steps I took to achieve this goal.

As I had written several times, its each small step that makes a whole lot of difference. No one can achieve any goal without taking the first small step. Having a goal without the first small step and hoping to achieve the goal is simply a dream. It takes effort and focus to achieve goals. Anything worth doing always requires effort.

This is not the be-all and end-all. My next goal is to swim 40 laps by 30 December 2008. Having a goal and achieving a goal is not an end point. The larger picture is to lead a healthy life. I use martial arts and swimming as my avenues to achieve this overall objective.

Its a journey and I'm enjoying every bit of it!

Bernard

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Protect your dreams - part 2

As a follow-on to my earlier post on Protect your dreams (Effectiveness, Wealth and Health: Protect your dreams).

I managed to get a clip from youtube of a scene from Pursuit of Happyness. Check this out.



This is so true. How many times have someone told you that you cannot, you can't, you shan't, you shall not, you never. When you were a child, how many times have you told yourself "I can", "I will", "I want to be", "I am capable of". We have let others point a finger at us to tell us why we can't. Check out this clip from Rocky. I find this inspirational.




I have set my goals and slowly working towards it. Yes there are difficulties. Yes there are sacrifices. Anything worth doing is worth sacrificing for. I am now taking this to another level. I have started to write a wish list. A piece of paper that will contain all my dreams. No constraints. No boundaries. No goal too big, No goal too small. And I'm committed to work and achieve each one of them

I will. I will achieve, and I believe you will too. All it takes is one small step. One small step at a time and we move closer to our goals.

Bernard


(All copyright and ownership of the videos belong to the original owners. Videos from youtube)
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Copyright © Bernard Ong, 2006-2008.
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http://www.bernard-ong.com
http://mrbolt.blogspot.com

Practice makes perfect!

We've all heard of "Practice makes perfect". Do we really believe it? To me, this was simply an overused phrase. I never paid much attention to it, until now. While goal setting is important, execution is equally important. Why do some of us achieve our goals, and many drop out half way through the race?

Its execution. Sustained execution requires tenacity and applied effort. Goal planning and execution takes practice. Yes, practice. We have to practice executing until it becomes a habit. We are all creatures of habit. When execution becomes a habit, we can accomplish many things in life. Take a look at this video clip of advanced Wing Chung practitioners doing ChiSao blindfolded.




Such advanced skill does not come from 1 day of practice or theory or reading a book. It takes years of study, assimilating concepts, putting theory into practice, getting knocked about, learning from unsuccessful experiences to be better. With each practice, sensitivity is built and the mind and body perform reflex responses like habit.

This is the same in achieving anything we want. We must form habits of success. We must form habits of executing, sustained execution. It does take effort. That is why the majority always sets goals at the beginning of the year without any sustained follow through. They wonder why they didn't achieve their goals.

What about me?

One of my goals is to sell 2 books on ebay. I've already sold 1.

Another of my goal is to write a book. I've already done the planning and begun writing. I've got about 30 A4 pages done already. I've spoken to a best selling author to understand the process of writing and publishing a book.

Another of my goal is to spend time with my family on a holiday. I'm going for a short holiday this week to do just that.

And I feel good as I execute step by little step, closer to my goals for this year.

Practice does make perfect. There is truth in that.

Bernard

Copyright for video belongs to the owner and author of the video. Video from YouTube.

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Copyright © Bernard Ong, 2006-2008.
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http://www.bernard-ong.com
http://mrbolt.blogspot.com