Good fortune

I stumbled on one website this afternoon. Read up on one article that is very inspiring. I was instantly reminded of the book that I read a few years back. A book that explains about human destiny, not from a feng shui or Chinese fortune telling perspective, but rather on how destiny is charted by oneself through every single deed, i.e not bounded by external factors but entirely controlled by oneself.

Here's an excerpt of the article I mentioned. The source is Clear Harmony.

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In China's several thousand years of history, "Do good deeds to accumulate virtue" is a traditional code of conduct that has been valued until today.

In Shang Shu (also known as the Book of History), the author wrote: "Only virtue can move the heavens." In Han Shu (also called, History of the Early Han Dynasty): "Those who do good deeds secretly will be rewarded by heaven." Therefore, people taught their children not to do anything bad, but to do good deeds as much as they possible. Lesson One in how to be a human is to "plant a good seed, harvest a good fruit." In the Qing Dynasty, the children's book, Poems of Elementary School, stated, "Accumulating virtue leads to good fortune; dishonest conduct only makes your life more miserable."

Fortune, longevity, safety and all kinds of other good things are all based on virtue. This principle has been validated over and over by numerous people throughout history. Therefore, the ancient sages and ancestors not only taught their children to believe that "good deeds bring good rewards," they also repeatedly told their children how important it is to do good deeds and accumulate virtue.

Sacrifice

Looking at my previous post and my current post title, I seem to have the inclination to sound philosophical and to preach about life. Certainly not so, I always like to share what is presently in my heart (if I'm in the mood and have time to spare) by writing it out loud. Certainly not to be Aristotle-ish or Benjamin-Franklin-ised, even though I do relish some private moments of reading about philosophy.

Trap. I find it a trap. Booby trap.

Like a mouse being lured by the smell and taste of a piece of cheese on a booby trap. Maybe even a certain Tom waiting nearby!

For me, not knowing the sacrifice that we will make in the course of pursuing something is tantamount to letting oneself to fall into a booby trap slowly. And when the end is achieved, mixed feelings of accomplishment and emptiness may be felt if the foresight of the things that we sacrifice along the way is not realised beforehand.

Perfectionism

Something happened today that got me to be reminded of my perfectionism tendency.

I know everyone makes mistakes every now and then. But I used to beat myself up whenever I step on some sh*t (!), even though I know very well that "good judgement comes with experience, but experience usually comes with bad judgement".

That makes me feel a sense of relief.

If I were to trace it back, I presume that probably stems from my school days - days when I always aim to score well. Not scoring well will make me think like there is a scratch on a piece of great art. Not that I am thinking that striving to be good academically is not a worthy endeavour, it certainly is - because that shows we make effort to unleash our best potential.

And that is it - making that effort is already something to take pride in. Perfectionsim is just being attached to results.

My solution to handle this issue? Ask myself truthfully in the heart whether I have given my best shot, whether what I have done is right, whether it is full of love and does not hurt others (and myself). If so, everything else just does not matter!

Real Estate Negotiator Course

With two collleagues, we went for a Real Estate Negotiator Course today at the Malaysian Institute of Estate Agent located at 32 Square.

It was a two-day course, introducing participants to some of the fundamentals in real estate business and some laws related to its practice. Session related to law made me feel slightly sleepy, but thanks to the presenter's wit and eloquence (a lawyer who owns a firm), I was able to make myself concentrate. Somehow, I got the thinking that lawyers are generally first-class speakers and first-class thinkers. I find inspirations from the ways they speak and think - that it is not just important to have strategic thinking and some good ideas, equally importantly is to be able to verbalise them in a powerful manner; plus, getting critical with what we say and think.

Let's see how tomorrow's lecture goes.

Let's see how things go too.

I think I have found something that I enjoy doing.

"It's tangible, it's solid, it's beautiful., from my standpoint, and I just love real estate." Donald Trump's quote seems to strike a chord with me.

Hello MIM Toastmaster

I joined Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM) Toastmaster at 9.30 am today. Notwithstanding the fact that I slept less than 4 hours on that day; my job requires occasianal associations and a little bit of partying with fellow mortgage consultants from several banks. I brought myself to bed on 3am. Not that I'm especially proud of this "feat", I have always wanted to allow the body to rest on time.

But I'm especially proud of my determination to join Toastmaster club. Searching for MIM place took me quite some time. With just a rough sketching of the route to that place (thanks to Google map), I was able to make it there even though I was late.

There was quite an international flavour in the meeting. With club members hailing from several places from the world (eg. Liverpool, Zimbabwe) and some equipped with a reasonably sound management mind (I presume), this is a Toastmaster club unlike any others. Mrs President even had the courage to claim that t is THE Toastmaster club in KL; another club member told me it is one of the top Toastmaster clubs in Malaysia.

Whew.

Let's see how things unfold.

Writing revisited

I'm listening to Anata Ga Iru Kara (piano version), the theme song of Detective Conan at this wee hour while feeling a surge of strong emotion running though my veins. It was a very peaceful mood - the sort that is filled with much love.

Coupled with this emotion, I decided to make a "comeback" on my writing journey after making a halt for over a year. I previously blogged with the pure motivation of just enjoying it - basically just sharing some of my thoughts and some interesting moments in life. Sharing is always a big virtue!!!

With this new blog, I will continue to write about all things - lessons that I have learnt, people that I have stumbled, moments that define who I am, struggles, dreams, passions, basically all things that come to mind and of which I just want to blurt them out. I am reminded that such motivation, if not guarded well, can turn into narcissim. So hey..be sure that you write purely with much care and love for the sake of sharing with others so that all of us can learn and grow in this wonderful journey of life.

Just a way of reminding myself. You guys be my witness. :D