Penny Wise in using credit cards

I have a few friends who are very penny wise. They know how to get the cheapest things, where to find best bargain available and with them around me, I definitely can save a lot of trouble and money in finding the greatest  deal in town.
There are so many ways to explore to further reduce your bills by paying them credit cards. But do you know that even your credit card bills also can get discount as well? They are very familiar in maximizing their credit cards points and even know how to minimize their credit card bills!!!
For example, when you know there's sales from certain credit cards, you'll purchased the item using the credit cards to get points + discount. This is normally you'll do. Some times, the discount will go higher if you purchase exceed certain amount of $. So, you can pull people around you who is buying from the same shop to enjoy that. This will help you to accumulate your credit card point higher and faster. By end of the month when you need to clear your credit card bills, some bank card eventually will give you rebate whenever you pay ANY bills using their card. This further reduce your credit card bills accordingly! End up, you are enjoying tons of discount, rebates!
Really an eye opening after learning that from them! Will I do that to save all the pennies? You do your maths and see how much you can save.

Read Aesop Fables again when you grow up

When we were kids, our parents and teachers used to read Aesop Fables to us. The very first one that I know of is The ants and the grasshopper. It was the first that I read. For those adults that forgotten the story, it goes like this:

THE ANTS were spending a fine winter's day drying grain collected in the summertime. A Grasshopper, perishing with famine, passed by and earnestly begged for a little food. The Ants inquired of him, "Why did you not treasure up food during the summer?" He replied, "I had not leisure enough. I passed the days in singing." They then said in derision: "If you were foolish enough to sing all the summer, you must dance supperless to bed in the winter."

Does the story sound familiar to you all? When we were young, we learn these Aesop's short stories. During back then, these stories are cartooned. I admit, when I was young I personally enjoyed watching the pictures or cartoons more than I knowing the moral behind each stories.

There are 100 over short stories being told by Aesop. Not only kids need to read them, I think youngsters and adults now a days also need to go through the stories again, learn and practice the moral conveying behind each stories. When you are grown up, the understanding of each stories will be different from a viewing point as when you are a kid. Go through them every night like your parents use to tell you bed time stories when you are young. I believe you'll enjoy and learn at the same time.

How you wake up every morning?

Normally how do you wake up every morning?
Do you need an alarm to wake you up daily or you can wake up by yourself without the aid of an alarm?
These are commonly found in working class people who is rushing for time and not to get to work late.
State 1. You woke up automatically every morning at the state of without being late without the aid of the alarm.
State 2. You woke up when the alarm rings.
State 3. You woke up because your alarm irritate the partner beside you and end up they woke you up.
State 4. Your alarm will keep ringing, snoozing and ring again and yet you still unable to wake up. (Worse if you are alone without partner sleeping near or beside you :P)

During the weekdays, statement 3 is how I did. I'm grateful because when I was in the University, I have room mates to wake me up. Now I'm employed and I have a wonderful wife to wake me up every morning. All of them have become my alarm and the alarm clock I set is use to wake them up. Hahaha. Without them, I think I'll end up in state 4!
However, since young until now, it was the other way round for me during every weekends. I woke up automatically every morning sharp at 8am without any aid. I don't know why. No matter what time or how late I go to bed on the Friday night, I'll end up waking myself up automatically at 8am. I become my friends and family alarm during weekends. I will end up in state 5 if I become their alarm and woke them up during weekend at 8am - Got beaten up!

The Power of Conformity

Recently my friend, Yeow Chuan shared a clips to me and I find this clip is really meaningful.





After watching the clips, I have different 2 point of views in my mind.
1. People will tend to follow the majority do.
2. If we all do things at align, the minority will follow.
From these 2 points, I came out with 2 different conclusion.
1. Be special among your friends/people around you is OK. Do what you like to do and do not need to follow the crowd.
2. In a group or company point of view, in order to achieve goals or targets, everyone must do things together to form unity. If all the people are fighting for improvement, you yourself will not want yourself to let out. As the subconscious in the mind of "do not want to be left out" will be triggered and the amazing result you'll find is all will be ending up fighting better in a group.

(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OC_JfCWYnTQ)

Questions are the Answers

Just got a book from my friend, Vivian. The book she lent to me is from Allan Pease and the title is Questions are the Answers. I would say the book is short but direct to the point. It is very useful in fact powerful when dealing with people, network marketing, insurance marketing. I summarize the content as below:

1. The five golden rules for success
Rule 1: See More people
Rule 2: See More people
Rule 3: See More people (Networking is the keyword)
Rule 4: Use the Law of Averages
Example for rule 4: 10:5:4:3:1 - Ratio use in life insurance. 10 prospect answer phone, 5 agree for appointment, 4 turn out, 3 complete the presentation and 1 would buy. Example of making $500 for a closing, you'll be making $50 for each person picking up phone call!
Rule 5: Improve your averages. After you got the ratio, try to improve them.

2. How to get to "Yes" - The four key technique
Key 1: Melt the ice - create rapport
Key 2: Find the hot button
- Extra income, Financial freedom, have own business, More spare time, Personal development, Helping others, Meeting new people, Retirement, Leave a legacy
- Ask five solid gold questions (In sequence)
i. What is your number one priority? (base on the hot buttons above)
ii. Why did you pick that one?
iii. Why is that important to you?
iv. What are the consequences of not having that opportunity?
v. Why would that worry you?
Key 3: Press hot button - showing the plan
Key 4: Get a commitment - ask them to join or buy

3. Six strategic skills for powerful presenting
Skill 1: Bridging - Not entering silence state by asking "meaning...? For example? So then...? Therefore...? Then you...? Which means...?" + lean forward, palm out, stretch the last letter of the bridge and lean back shut up.
Skill 2: The head nod technique - Nod your head + saying " Isn't it? Wouldn't you? Isn't that true? Fair enough?"
Skill 3: Minimal encourages - Saying "I see..., Uh-huh..., Really? or Tell me more..."
Skill 4: How to keep eye control - Best way is use a pen to point what you are talking and lift pen up when talking to maintain eye contact
Skill 5: Mirroring - When the person mirror you means rapport built
Skill 6: Pacing - Speak in a pace with the person and not faster than the person does

4. Six tremendous techniques for making positive impressions
Technique 1: Palm power - always palm up to show submissive and politeness
Technique 2: The handshake - hold straight and shake up and down to show equality
Technique 3: Left hand holding - hold your items with your left hand to keep your right hand free
Technique 4: Smile power
Technique 5: Territorial respect - Build a comfortable standing distance
Technique 6: Dress for success - Correct dress code

5. Learn to read body language
Many many things to learn over here... The author himself has come out a book for this topic call Body Language publish during 1976. Can go and check out.

How to win friends and Influence people

After I've read through so many titles, this is another strongly recommended book as published in the blog title is a must read, and I say must because it will definitely help anyone in any aspect when you are interacting with people. This book was written by Mr. Dale Carnegie over 70 years ago and until today, the content is still solid and practical. In fact, the best part of this book is they even summarize it in such a simple phrase for every chapter that I would like to take this opportunity to share with you all.

Part one - Fundamental techniques in handling people:
1. Don't criticize, condemn or complain.
2. Give honest and sincere appreciation.
3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.

Part two - Six ways to make people like you:
1. Become genuinely interested in other people.
2. Smile.
3. Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4. Be a good listener. Encourage other to talk about themselves.
5. Talk in term of the other person's interest.
6. Make the other person feel important - and do it sincerely.

Part three - Win people to your way of thinking;
1. The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.
2. Show respect to other person's opinions. Never say, "You're wrong."
3. If you are wrong, admit it quickly and emphatically.
4. Begin in a friendly way.
5. Get the other person saying "yes, yes" immediately
6. Let the other person do a great deal of the talking.
7. Let the other person feel that the idea is his or hers.
8. Try honestly to see things from the other person's point of view.
9. Be sympathetic with the other person's ideas and desires.
10. Appeal to the nobler motives.
11. Dramatize your ideas.
12. Thrown down a challenge

Part four - Be a leader:
1. Begin with praise and honest appreciation.
2. Call attention to people's mistakes indirectly.
3. Talk about your own mistake before criticizing the other person.
4. Ask questions instead of giving direct orders.
5. Let the other person save face.
6. Praise the slightest improvement and praise every improvement. Be "hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.
7. Give the other person a fine reputation to live up to.
8. Use encouragement. Make the fault seem easy to correct.
9. Make the other person happy about doing the thing you suggest.

Do go through the book by yourself and you'll learn much much more from there. This is another great book introduce by my friend, Yeow Chuan.

Answer of my last post - "Are employees ok to make mistake?"

The answer of my last post is answered within a few hours. All thanks to the big example from Mark Hurd, the ex-CEO of Hewlett-Packard (HP). From the day he took over as HP CEO, he has double the HP share price and that amount we are talking is in billions of dollars. Yet, just a small sexual harassment case he offended requires him to resign immediately.
As long as you are under employed, no matter what rank or position you hold in he company you are working at, you better don't make any mistake. The society is very realistic and cruel. So the moral of the lesson is:
1. Be your own boss. Your mistake is not questionable by your subordinates and you are the one that going to "eat" every mistake you have made.
2. I would rather make mistake when I'm on the very top of the management team. Low level worker will not get any compensation after making mistake; sometimes they have to pay for their own mistake. However, if you are a CEO, you'll get still get $12millions when you are fired! World is so unfair...

Are employees ok to make mistake?

No one is perfect in this world. Everyone made mistake before.
When we are small, whenever we made a mistake at home, our parents or guardian scolded us. After that, they still forgive us. We are still given a chance to correct.
When we are a little bigger, whenever we made a mistake in school, the teachers will lecture us and will still forgive us. We are still given a chance to improve.
When we are an adult, start working in a company, if we make a mistake no matter it is big or small, we are immediately get warning, screwing, and even firing. The worse is no matter how you have contributed to the company, even you help the company to earn/save millions of dollar, you will still be black marked, and will not be forgive or forgotten by the employer. In a company, employer take contributions and hard work of subordinate as a must but mistake is always not tolerable. Is this fair? The society is not encouraging people to make mistake but who don't make mistake? The only problem is they just don't give chance for you to correct and improve.
Worst case scenario after making mistake is you get panellize and jail term. Once you reach that phase, the world will not forgive you... Come on la, we are just human, try to give people a chance to show that they have changed to better! Else, those people will most likely end up behind the bar again.
 

Why can't we add -ve prefix in -ve words to become +ve meaning?

People are encourage to become +ve thinker, optimistic or sanguine. So how do you encourage them? One of the way is to speak in +ve manners or meaning to them. How to speak in +ve manners? Speak using +ve words. 

However in English words, there are more -ve words as constructing -ve words is much easier. You can easily turn a +ve meaning words to a -ve meaning words by adding prefixes such as "De-", "Dis-", "Un-", "Anti-" and etc. 

eg 1. Happy x Unhappy

eg 2. Motivate x Demotivate

eg 3. Satisfy x Dissatisfy

eg 4. Social x Antisocial

Do we have words by adding such prefixes make the -ve meaning words become +ve again? 

eg ? Sad x Unsad?; Irritate x Disirritate?; Frustrate x Defrustrate?; Rebellious x Antirebellious? and etc.

(I got all the words underline in red after adding the prefixes in front, because the auto spelling correction indicate there's no such words. LOL, really no such words at all.)

So from this day onwards, start speaking in +ve manners. It's not easy and challenging. Whenever you speak in +ve manners to people, people will feel good and in return, you'll feel good as well. Good thing doesn't come by easily but definitely worth for yourself to take up the challenge. This will surely make the world a better place if everyone is trained to speak in +ve manners. :D


PS. If anyone can find a -ve words and add prefixes to become +ve meaning, Please share in comment.

Don't speak De- Un- Dis- words that hurt

My best pal just passed over another great book he finished to me weeks ago. The author name is Dale Carnegie and the book title is . 
In one of the early chapter, he shared: "If there is any one secret of success, it lies in the ability to get the other person's point of view and see things from that person's angle as well as from your own."
Before I make any decision, I always compare from my point of views and other people stand point as well. Today I learn something even more powerful, instead of other people stand point, I positioned myself as that person and what will he think and what will he do? It's no longer and I and You thinking. It's an I + You + I am You thinking.
Peoples' hearts are fragile and sensitive. They are sensitive to the negative words. The negative words are like hammers that will shatter people fragile hearts. Example of negative words are normally found in the letter starts with "De-", "Un-", "Dis-" (maybe more), like De-motivate, De-moralize, Un-happy, Un-grateful, Dis-like, Dis-courage and etc. All these words will tend to get you further apart from people who you try to communicate with. Worse is irritate, and worst is outrage others by offending them.
So next, time DON'T speak these words to people. People just don't like to hear them. Paraphrase them to become a nicer way or manner before the words come out from the mouth. Do you know it's a challenge in doing that as well? You can turn happy to UN-happy and you can't find word such as UN-sad.

Testing to blog via new iPhone

I just got the new iPhone 4 two days ago. I've been long waiting to own an iPhone since long time ago. I would like to own it not because it is fancy or trendy. It's because of the mass applications available in the Apple store.
There's so many amazing applications available in this phone. Just finish configuring and downloading softwares that I need to this phone. Now I can blog, read books, check mails and chat with just one little device in my hand especially when I'm waiting!
I told myself I'm gonna make full use of this phone!