Reflections of a BizDrivenLife

A Technology Entrepreneur Shares his tips on how to win in Business… and in Life!

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Twitter Notes

May 22nd, 2008 by Administrator
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Loose notes from my Twitter.

- “Getting divorced just because you don’t love a man is almost as silly as getting married just because you do. “— Zsa Zsa Gabor

-“Before you can Desire it, you should Deserve it.”— Anonymous.

-if you still haven’t, watch Randy pausch last lecture in carnegie mellon - http://tinyurl.com/6khbpp

-chinese outsourcing market at $1.7 billion last year is growing 38% a year, according to Everest Group - http://tinyurl.com/6etq7m

-20 million US households have no internet, and 1/5 never used email- PC world - http://tinyurl.com/5kjp6t

- Only 10% of real estate/cell phone buyers and 7 % of music buyers credit Internet have a major impact on decision-http://tinyurl.com/5uoejc

- study shows listening to classical music 30 minutes a day lowers the blood pressure.

-When a thing is funny, search it carefully for a hidden truth…

- Every man is a fool for at least five minutes every day; wisdom consists in not exceeding the limit.

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quotable Quotes

May 20th, 2008 by Administrator
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Here are some of the Quotes I got and added to my collection from www.goodreads.com

its a must website for those who love to read and write.

-”The saddest aspect of life right now is that science gathers knowledge faster than society gathers wisdom. ” — Isaac Asimov

- By 3 ways we may learn wisdom: 1st, by reflection, w/c is noblest; 2nd, by imitation, w/c is easiest; 3rd by experience, w/c is bitterest.”

-”Knowing others is intelligence; knowing yourself is true wisdom. Mastering others is strength; mastering yourself is true power.-Lao Tzu

-The best index to a person’s character is how he treats people who can’t do him any good, and who can’t fight back.” Abigail Van Buren

-He who knows all the answers has not been asked all the questions.” — Confucius

-”Don’t speak unless you can improve on silence.”— Unknown

-”You don’t teach what you were taught, you teach what you learned. This is the evolution of wisdom”.”— Dan LaVine

-When someone begins to understand that he doesn’t understand, he’s beginning to understand.”— Unknown

-”Everybody gets so much information all day long that they lose their common sense.”— Gertrude Stein

-small differences in your performance can lead to large differences in your results.”— Brian Tracy

-”Every minute you spend in planning saves 10 minutes in execution; this givesyou a 1,000 percent Return on Energy!” — Brian Tracy

-”The greatest wisdom consists in knowing one’s own follies. “— Madeleine de Sourvé de Sablé

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Free E-book Downloaded 100 times in 2 days

April 17th, 2008 by Administrator
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We are quite elated that our free eNGy Business Cartoons e-book download reached 100 in less than 2 days! This is a new dimension on marketing that we need to constantly explore and understand better — offering something free and getting word of mouth.

Starting just right now, you can also opt to download the higher resolution full color version ( bigger file though at 10.9 megabytes).

We got a lot of feedbacks from the cover, and we are publishing it here on the blog as well. i think people were enthralled at the little poem ( is it qualified to be called one?) we composed for the back cover.

but I am serious in sending a message with the back cover - this shows various employees of the same company pushing in different directions — that mean the company is in paralysis and hardly moving because their efforts negate each other!  This a serious problem in many companies!

And of course, the Boss has other things in his minds other than growing the company and taking care of his employees.

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Posted in FrontPage, Gift of Story, on Business | 1 Comment »

The BottleNeck and the Rich

March 8th, 2008 by Administrator
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I heard a quote and a joke on an entrepreneurship seminar and thought it worthwhile to share here.

The bottleneck is always at the top of the bottle“.  This was purportedly a quote from Peter Drucker, and illustrates that it is the CEOs responsibility to prepare the talents and the skills of the company to do battle.  More often than not, the failure of the company to seize opportunities, or to grow may be due to the limitations of the CEO in not laying the proper groundwork for the company.

While acknowledging that the CEO has this responsibility though, it is important to note that we are all human, and nobody is God, and it is not right to put into the CEO God-like or perfect expectations in anticipating and planning for everything.

This joke is a dig on old wisdom….

An ancient Greek philosopher once was said to write, ” It is not the man who has little but the man who craves more who is poor.”

This saying underlies the need to be satisfied and content, and lays the groundwork for our next joke.

“Who is richer, the man with ten children, or the man with $10 million.”

” The man with 10 Children.”

“Why?”

“Because the man with 10 children doesn’t want any more!”

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The Fault, Dear Brutus, is in Ourselves

December 3rd, 2007 by Administrator
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I remember the Shakespeare quote, ” The fault dear Brutus, is not in the stars, but in ourselves.”

It is always easier to accept that we are victims of other people’s intentions or whimsies, or that it was preordained that we not succeed, but then again, it may be that a lot of things that happens to us is really based on our attitudes and responses earlier, and even when the thing has already happened, we can always choose how we respond to situations.

Here is a great anecdote on how a person was able to find out that she does not need to poison her mother in law when the poison was just in her mind which affected how other people responded to her.

————–
A long time ago in China, a girl named Li-Li got married and went
to live with her
husband and mother-in-law. In a very short time,
Li-Li found that she couldn’t get along with her mother-in-law at all.

Their personalities were very different, and Li-Li was angered by many

of her mother-in-law’s habits. In addition, she criticized Li-Li constantly.

Days passed, and weeks passed. Li-Li and her mother-in-law never stopped

arguing and fighting. But what made the situation even worse was that,

according to ancient Chinese tradition, Li-Li had to bow to her
mother-in-law and obey her every wish. All the anger and unhappiness

in the house was causing Li-Li’s poor husband great distress.

Finally, Li-Li could not stand her mother-in-law’s bad temper and
dictatorship any longer, and she decided to do something about it.

Li-Li went to see her father’s good friend, Mr. Huang, who sold herbs.

She told him the situation and asked if he would give her some poison.
So that she could solve the problem once and for all. Mr. Huang thought for

awhile, and finally said, “Li-Li, I will help you solve your problem,

but you must listen to me and obey what I tell you.

Li-Li said,

“Yes, Mr. Huang, I will do whatever you tell me to do”.

Mr. Huang went into the back room, and returned in a few minutes with

a package of herbs. He told Li-Li, “You can’t use a quick-acting
poison

to get rid of your mother-in-law, because that would cause people to

become suspicious. Therefore, I have given you a number of herbs
That will slowly build up poison in her body. Every other day prepare

some delicious meal and put a little of these herbs in her serving.

Now, in order to make sure that nobody suspects you when she dies,

you must be very careful to act very friendly towards her. Don’t argue

with her, obey her every wish, and treat her like a queen”.

Li-Li was so happy. She thanked Mr. Huang and hurried home to start her

plot of murdering her mother-in-law.

Weeks went by, and months went by,

and every other day, Li-Li served the specially treated food to her mother-in-law.

She remembered what Mr. Huang had said about avoiding suspicion,
so she controlled her temper, obeyed her mother-in-law, and treated her
like her own mother.

After six months had passed, the whole household had changed.

Li-Li had practiced controlling her temper so much that she found that

she almost never got mad or upset. She hadn’t had an argument with her

mother-in-law in six months because she now seemed much kinder and easier to

get along with. The mother-in-law’s attitude toward Li-Li changed, and she

began to love Li-Li like her own daughter. She kept telling friends and

relatives that Li-Li was the best daughter-in-law one could ever find.

Li-Li and her mother-in-law were now treating each other like a
real mother and daughter. Li-Li’s husband was very happy to see what

was happening.

One day, Li-Li came to see Mr. Huang and asked for his

help again. She said, “Dear Mr. Huang, please help me to keep the poison from

killing my mother-in-law! She’s changed into such a nice woman, and I

love her like my own mother. I do not want her to die because of the

poison I gave her”.

Mr. Huang smiled and nodded his head. “Li-Li, there’s nothing to
Worry about. I never gave you any poison. The herbs I gave you were

Vitamins to improve her health. The only poison was in your mind and your

attitude towards her, but that has been all washed away by the
love which you gave to her”.

HAVE YOU REALIZED that how you treat others is exactly how they
Will treat you?

There is a wise Chinese saying: “The person who loves

others will also be loved in return.

God might be trying to work in another person’s life through you. 

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Posted in FrontPage, Gift of Story, on China/Asia | 1 Comment »

A little Kindness

July 17th, 2007 by Administrator
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 A little boy, just around six, climb out on the roof of his school, three storeys above.  he was at the edge of the roof, threatening to jump.  A little crowd gathered.  They called the police, but the little police, crying, threatened to jump if the police came near him.  No amount of argument or logical persuasion was there.

They were on the dilemma, and everybody exhorted the boy to stay put, but it was a tense drama.  Later on, his teacher in kindergarten arrive.  " Pete! Come down!  I want to give you a kiss! "

The little boy saw his favorite teacher, climbed back and went down the stairs.  Teh teacher wrapped her arms around him, and kissed him.

Sometimes, a little kindness can mean a lot!  Isn’t there something in all of us yearning to feel important and loved? 

 

 

 

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A Chinese parable on the Need to Update your Skills

August 30th, 2006 by Administrator
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  This parable illustrates the constant need to upgrade our skills and to keep ‘updated’.

Maio Zhen was a scholar of the Song Dynasty ( 960 - 1279 AD) who had previously ranked fourth in the civil service exams. When there was a new court examination for new vacancies, he applied. The Prime Minister informed him, ” you have been an official for so many years. Before you take the exam, might as well spend some moments to review your literary skills, and some of the classics.”

Miao Zhen quite confidently replied, “Could an old midwife who’s been doing it for 30 years ever wrap a baby upside down?”

After the exam, he found out that he had indeed failed. When the prime minister met him, he smiled to Miao, and ask, “Miao, how could you have wrapped the baby upside down?”

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Modern Day Magicians

July 20th, 2006 by Administrator
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I am one of probably thousands of parents who are enjoying the latest Harry Potter book, The Half Blood Prince with their children.  We took turns reading, and discussing various aspects of the book.  The story continues to spin its magic.

wizard_hat_w.gif I particularly liked great quotes which came out of J.K. Rowling’s masterful pen.  First is the quote of Albus Dumbledore - ‘ naturally, I make mistakes, like the next man.  IN fact, being, forgive me - rather clever than most men, my mistakes tend to be corresponding huger.’  This is an insight.  The more intelligent and deep a person is, the less mistakes he will make, but some of his mistakes can actually also be more bizarre and stupid than dumb people can ever make.  To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, which is also one of my favorite quotes expressing the same thing, ‘ the most exquisite folly is made of wisdom spun too fine.”

The other gem was discussed by the teacher during apparition class.  This is what he announced.

‘Always remember the 3Ds when apparating.  These are  destination. determination. deliberation.
 
Step 1. Fix your mind firmly upon the desired destination.
 
Step 2.  Focus your determination to occupy the visualized space.  Let your yearning to enter it flood from your mind to every particle of your body.
 
Step 3.  Move with deliberation.
 
This is not only a formula for learning apparition, but apparently a formula for getting things done, and accomplishing success.
 
The last thing I want to share was a feeling I had ever since Book 1 or Book2.  How could these kids treat learning magic with such unseriousness.  Isn’t it obvious that at almost every turn, their very success and oftentimes, their very lives depend on their mastering the magic, and yet they treat it with such abandon?  How could anybody, when presented an opportunity to learn magic, fail to make full use of it?
 
Eventually, however, I started to think — it is not only them that had the opportunity to learn magic and did not make full use of it.  We all have the opportunity,even everyday to learn some skills or new technology that when properly applied is the difference between success and failure, or between happiness and despair.  We have in our hands, more power and more wisdom than the most powerful wizards to communicate, to learn, and to do modern day magic.  
 
We have it all within us, and it is all around us, everyday of the week.  Are we making full use of it?  Do we, with all the technology and computing power we have, stupidly wish for antique tricks and incantations?  Do we still fail to make it to become better and happier?
 
What do old wizards and witches have that we don’t?
 

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We are all Makers of the Flag

January 16th, 2006 by Administrator
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happy family
/* This is a speech delivered by Franklin Knight Lane in June 14, 1914. 90 years after, it is still relevant and hopefully continues to give us inspiration and meaning. It shows that while we have different roles and aspirations, we all contribute to the community we are living today. I am also enclosing this as a sample of past eloquence which we should all continue to read and be inspired. */

This morning, as I passed in on the Land Office, the Flag dropped me a most cordial Read the rest of this entry »

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The Greater Legacy

January 12th, 2006 by Administrator
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Last week, some of my colleagues in the company and I visited a children center and try to bring some christmas cheers as well as donations. This particular center takes care of children from 8 to 18 years of age. The center is called TSF Child Center, TSF standing for Terre Sans Frontiere, which is French for World Without Boundaries. It is almost wholly sponsored by the foundation in France, and thus the name.

This center currently is equipped to handle about 50 children, and is run by a retired volunteer from the French Armed Forces, whose name was Gerard Read the rest of this entry »

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