Reading is Powerful

With so many distractions nowadays, it is no wonder reading is slowly becoming a lost art. But do you know that the average number of books read by a CEO is 60 books per year? Most people don’t even read a single one and I wonder why most of them are average.

For most people, it is not easy to get through even a single book. This is especially true given the fast-paced lifestyle we have today. Reading is a page-by-page process, just like success is a step-by-step process. See the correlation yet? When you start to read regularly, you are actually getting yourself used to the often slow and patient process of becoming successful.

Reading is also a very relaxing activity. People like to say, “I have no time to read.” I always avoid using phrases such as “I have no time” and “I am busy”. These phrases immediately put you in a state of deficiency. If you are someone who is found guilty of over-utilizing such phrases, I urge you to stop doing so. Instead, be clear about what you are busy with. Instead of saying “I have no time”, why not say something like “I am currently working on something that is extremely important and meaningful to me”. How does that feel? People nowadays are also very guilty of over-relying on their digital gadgets. I admit that I am one of them. Therefore, reading gives me a chance to look away from the electronic screens and that is something I really appreciate doing.

Those innocuous-looking books lying on your bookshelf are actually extremely powerful! In the olden days, whenever a new king or emperor was crowned, the first group of people being captured, tortured, and executed was the scholars who wrote intelligent books and poems. This is because although these writers give a kind of feeble impression on the outside, the things they contemplate on a daily basis can be highly influential and can become a threat to the leader’s position and direction.

Books such as, Think and Grow Rich, the Intelligent Investor, the Richest Man in Babylon, the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, the Millionaire Next Door, Rich Dad, Poor Dad, and How to Win Friends and Influence People, are some of the most acclaimed books. Have you read them yet? Why not? Do you think that reading them will make any difference to your current situation?

Personally, I believe that one of the biggest reasons why most of us aren’t reading is because, for many of us, reading is an activity that was forced upon us when we were younger. This caused many of us to have a negative connotation of reading. On top of that, we are being judged by what we read and how well we know what we read. No wonder most of us stop reading and learning altogether, the moment we graduated from school.

You may not realize that magical things happen when you start reading. When you choose to read, you are choosing to give up other activities that are more fun and enjoyable, like going shopping or watching a film on Netflix. You have made a commitment, and people who commit, succeed. You have chosen to invest and when you invest, return on investment can be expected.

A few days ago, I decided to give the Aim for the Moon Mindset away for free as my personal Thanksgiving gift to my readers. It was a pleasant surprise to see it reach #16 of the top 100 free Amazon Best Seller’s Motivational Business Management category. To those who have read it, I hope you like it. For those who haven’t, you can still download the Aim for the Moon Mindset for free (but for a very limited time left) by clicking here.

4 Things to Get on Black Friday

Today is Black Friday. It’s a day where everything goes on sale.

Here are 4 things you can consider getting.

Office chair

Due to the ongoing Covid situation, many of us are still spending a significant amount of time working at home. If we’re going to sit down for one-third of our time, it is definitely advisable to get an office chair that is most comfortable for our back. We wouldn’t want to incur long-term injuries to our bodies because of our poor posture.

Ebook reader

Okay, I got one for myself today. If you’re an avid reader like me, you should consider getting an ebook reader. Do you realize that with an ebook reader, you essentially do not need to buy another book ever? You can just borrow ebooks from your library instantly, without even stepping out of your home and without needing to spend a dime. It’s also soothing to our eyes, portable, and consumes very little energy. Consider that.

Running shoes

2022 is coming. Take advantage of the Black Friday sales to get yourself a pair of running shoes and get a head start to a fitter body in the coming year.

The Aim for the Moon Mindset

Because why not? And it’s currently free for a (very) limited period. So don’t miss out! click here.

A Personal Thanksgiving Message and a Gift From Me to You

Thanksgiving is a special day where we give thanks to the amazing things that come into our lives. I believe in most people’s minds, the first thing that they are thankful for will be their family. I am no different. The family is in our lives for a reason. They make our struggles a little more meaningful. We always work harder when we have others to work hard for and often, those others are our loved ones.

I am also thankful to have found my purpose. For many years, I do not know what my purpose is. I was well-fed, well-sheltered, but devoid of any purpose in life. Just like a zoo animal. We are all here for a major purpose but, sadly, most people will go to their graves without even knowing what their true purpose is.

Last but not least, I want to thank you. If you are reading this, I just want you to know that I’m extremely thankful because without you, my journey would be so lonely. So, if success is your kind of topic, let’s continue to talk about it and help spread more positivity to other people who need it.

To thank you and to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Aim for the Moon Mindset will be free from 26 November 2021 onwards, for a limited time only. So, quickly get your copy now. Happy Thanksgiving!

3 Ways to Boost Your Productivity

Productivity is super important to you on your path to success. When you are productive, you produce not just more in terms of quality, but also in quantity. When you are able to produce more, you are able to touch more people and that is what will bring you the success that you desire so strongly.

Here are 3 ways to help you boost your productivity.

Focus

If you wish to be productive, Focus is something that’s of paramount importance. In other words, you cannot be productive if you are not focused, 100 percent guaranteed.

If you are not focused, you will be distracted easily by your surroundings. If you are expected to complete ten tasks within a certain period of time, you may end up only completing just five. As the author of the Aim for the Moon Mindset, I say it is okay if you can’t accomplish all the goals you have set out to accomplish if they are too high or because you have truly done your best, but it is not okay if the problem is that you have a poor sense of focus.

Start by removing anything that can distract you. Remove your mobile phone (if your work doesn’t require it). Remove the junk food that is always looking like they are begging you to consume them. Or even (tactically) remove the people that are constantly interrupting you from your work.

Prioritize

Unless all your tasks are of equal importance, you must always prioritize them. List them down. When you list them down, which tasks are more important, which tasks should be done and get over with quickly, all these will become clear as crystals.

Successful people always prioritize. There’s no such thing as first-in-first-out or picking random tasks to be done. This way of operating will always impede our path to a higher level of productivity and success.

Habit

People who are highly productive (and highly successful) didn’t achieve that because of a one-time effort. They are able to achieve high productivity because they have already picked up the habit of achieving high productivity through constant repetition of production-inducing activities.

Nobody is born to achieve high productivity. You have to strive to achieve more, learn how to optimize your time, be willing to stop moaning and complaining about problems and spend the time on resolving them. That’s how you succeed. That’s how you can achieve a higher level of production.

What other methods do you use to boost your productivity?

Too High? or Too Low? How Should You Price Your Products?

This comment caught my attention today:

When I was younger, this was how I thought too. You see, most consumers tend to base their perception of the actual cost only on the material cost.

I’m sure you’ve heard this before – A pair of Nike shoes cost only $20 to manufacture. But is this really the case?

What about all the time, energy, and money spent on marketing, research, and design? What about all endless attempts of trying and failing, try and failing, that finally culminated in a product that’s good enough to be introduced into the market? How are we even going to put a price on all the early years, where thousands, or even millions, of dollars, were being invested, without even knowing if the venture would really turn out well?

Why I find this topic particularly important is not because I want to criticize anybody but I hope to encourage you to see past the things that most people would see.

If there’s a rule that says that we can only sell our products at a markup of, let’s say 50%, then the stuff that will be available will only be functional at best, but uninspiring. Our budget and needs will be satisfied, but not our dreams.

Perhaps you’re thinking about starting a business or perhaps you’re thinking about how you should price your products and you’re worried if you’ll be pricing them either too high or too low.

Of course, you need to at least have some basic understanding and knowledge of pricing strategies but ultimately, let the price come from your heart because when the things you do and the decisions you make come from your heart, your customers will feel it, and if your customers can feel it, they will appreciate it (and hopefully, buy it).