Sentosa Girl
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There comes a time when your life is touched in a very significant way and you know that you know that things are never going to be the same again. For me such a moment occurred during the ‘Unleash Your Power Within’ (UPW) by Anthony Robbins in 2004 in Singapore.
Making the decision to attend the 4D3N seminar was a very big risk for me because the fees that I was paying was 2 times my monthly pay at that time. And to make it even riskier, I enrolled my wife to attend the seminar together with me. So, we were immediately RM6,000.00 in debt because I paid using my credit card. Together with the airfares and accommodation, it came up to about RM7,000.00 for the two of us.Was it worth it? What if I tell you that I found my life’s calling there. Watching Tony Robbins inspiring the audience really moved me to want to be like him. Up till that time I was working as a lecturer in a private college earning a meager pay. I had a goal in mind at that time which was to work in a university as a lecturer and eventually be promoted to a professor in business management.
But UPW 2004 showed me my dream and the only thing left for me to do was to find the courage to follow that dream. I don’t want to be an academician in a university at all. No, that’s not for me.
I’m going to be a professional speaker and not just that, I’m going to be a motivational and inspirational speaker.
Do you want to know what’s the first thought that entered my mind? “Who is going to pay to listen to you speak, Luke? What have you got to offer to the public? Are you going to teach them how to lecture?”
I’ve met many people who never go beyond wanting to be a professional speaker. Perhaps its the uncertainty of what lies ahead. Perhaps its the amount of sacrifice that is needed in order to pursue this dream full time.
I didn’t care. (Come on, after spending RM7,000 on the UPW seminar, I’d better get something out of it, right?) I made that decision there and then. I was going to become a professional speaker. Period.
Funny how life will make opportunities where you don’t expect it. A year after completing UPW, I joined an insurance company as an executive in agency management. At that time, I couldn’t really see any connection this new job had with my dream. But I needed a higher pay so I took up the job.
Within 1 week, I felt like quitting. It just wasn’t me, I thought. I didn’t fit in because it was a different jungle compared to the college. But I didn’t quit. Instead I told myself that I was going to achieve something significant before moving on. I made that decision when I was having lunch in KL during my induction training. My wife, who was then pregnant with our first child had to go to the hospital for check-ups on her own whilst I was away from home. No way was I going to let her go through that in vain.
In 4 years, I was promoted and upgraded 3 times. And in 2008, I was the sole recipient for my company’s Most Outstanding Employee award from East Malaysia.
And with that, good money, too. So, when the time came for me to venture out as a professional speaker, it was a really difficult decision to make. I wished I could tell you that I woke up one morning and decided to fire my boss. Far from that. Instead I woke up in the middle of the night thinking will I have enough money to pay for mortgage, my car, my family expenses, my study loan repayment, my family’s insurance policies, my son’s education, food on the table, etc. Not cool, right?
On my second attempt to throw in my resignation letter, I succeeded. (I chickened out at my first attempt). And with that I became unemployed. But like I said earlier how life will make opportunities where you don’t expect it? Well, it turned out that my experience in dealing with the agency force and communicating with different types of people from students to professionals proved to be of great interest to a large number of audience from various industries.
That was 2 years ago. Was it a bed of roses? Not really. But I’d say that what I’m doing now is worth it. Every single minute of it. And it all began with the courage to follow my dreams.
What is your dream? Find the courage to follow it because you will find your true meaning there.
Live your passion!
By: Luke Bong
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Start by doing what’s necessary then do what’s possible and suddenly you are doing the impossible.
(Source: Flickr / julianbialowas)
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would love to have this cake in mint favour.
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Likes this. Gave me some ideas.
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There is always someone who loves you more than you know
