aldi's corner

Smart Work vs Hard Work

2009-09-28T12:28:00.004+07:00

We might think that our failure due to lack of hard works. We usually feel that we have worked extremely hard to reach goals yet we failled. The thing is we ignore the fact that we have not worked smart enough to find effective and efficient paths to success. Apparently we goes through the same paths with identical approaches (that usually proven ineffective). Unfortunately we persist that we have done our best to accomplish our missions while actually we hide under fake sweats rather than intelligence.

We are too lazy to learn new ways and paradgms. Often times we curse new techniques and more advance technologies, and mock them for unclear and non-logical reason. Simply put we despise changes and new things, and shall never trade our comforts "good old days" glories with something new and unfamilliar.

Well changes inevitably evolve either we want it or not. Changes in economic, social,technology etc demand flexible and dynamic adjustments. Such adjustments should be powerful enough to adapt to new and unpredictable circumstances. Those who can cope with changes shall survive.

It is time to shift our way of thinking to a new paradigm. Goals and objectives are reached with effective tools, one of which is creative approach. So find new ways creatively to solve our problems and obstacles, instead of continuing the same "good-old days" approaches. Since keep doing them is merely called "hard work" not "smart work".

Ever think of how you think?

2008-03-20T11:10:00.000+07:00

Sounds like a tricky question? Not really. An individual thinking mechanism, or should I say “a person’s way of thinking” surely follows a unique and typical pattern. This personal pattern is developed through life time from childhood till adult age. Your “white paper” are written as a result of your various interactions with environments, that are your family, teacher, friends, beliefs, groups, local culture and more. Believe it or not, this pattern is responsible for our success or failure in life! Many well-known persons have enjoyed the fruits of success, simply by owning a certain successful way of thinking. No wonder many researchers and scientists that studied the formula of successful person, finally end up with a simple conclussion : one’s way of thinking defines his or her success or failure. Let’s have a look at a simple exhibit. Optimist and pessimist are likewise the products of one’s pattern. An individual that has been raised and interact negatively with his or her environment at early age tends to be more pessimistic in life. More likely that he or she has been trapped to a negative way of thinking ,that ultimately become a “personal barrier” for his or her most potential achievements.

If we look even deeper to this concept of successful way of thinking, we shall find two beautiful keywords : positive and creative (thinking). The First word (positive) is a foundation to freedom as opposed to a narrow minded way of thinking. The second one (creative), definitely a major driving agent for one’s achievement. By utilizing this two important factors, surely you have the most probable chance to success.

A helping hand In times of trouble

2008-03-04T17:08:00.003+07:00

Anyone, regardless of age, race or gender, can experience these situations.

There are times and circumstances when you are not prepared to cope with life’s turbulences on your own. It’s when you feel like a fish out of water though you have already tried so many things.

If you think you can always face your obstacles on your own, think again. At times you need someone to support you. You need a helping hand or shoulder to cry on.

It goes without saying, it’s the time when you need to call in for help.

The aid may vary from merely sympathy, motivations to substantial materials. Simply put, as a social human being you need someone to rely on. There are times when people need you and there are times when you need them.

Letting your self in a chaos for long time would lead you into a serious mental state , i.e. depression. Depression is a medical condition that affects thousands of people every year

Although depression is not a weakness or a personality flaw, it influences your attitude toward yourself, others and life in general. Depression takes away your feelings of well-being. It changes the way you think and how you behave. It can leave you irritable, unable to concentrate, tired, sad or even make you gain or lose weight.

So get yourself an aid, help yourself by asking for help.

By letting other to help you, does not mean that you loose control of your life. Even a tough guy occasionally needs sidekick to accomplish his objectives. So do not feel embarrased for asking for help. It shall always be a good option.

What makes you stand out of the crowd?

2008-02-28T19:58:00.006+07:00

I do not try to talk the marketing way to describe this "secret" (without trying to imitate Rhonda Byrne's most talked best sellers "The Secrets"). It's a question a friend of mine once asked : what makes us stand out of the crowd?

The simple question came out after his frustation over his communication gaps at work and as a member of a social organization. "I am everywhere but nobody seem to listen or pay attention to me. They dont event know that I exist", He said in a session of serious chit chat with me. As a person who's accustomed to marketing terms, I spontaneously recalled the magic word : USP (Unique Selling Proposition). There shall be no argument on the fact that no matter where we are, we sell something. Thus, we should have a uniqueness that attracts our audience 's attention. Otherwise , we become commoner (or should I say "commodity").

Simply put, to draw people's attention, we should have what so called "character" by which your target audience shall be fascinated or charmed. In story telling, we are taught to create a character, an individual with fascinating stories or experiences. In real life, surely same thing applies. Those who have outstanding characters or charisma always become the focal or center of attention at gatherings, party, or meetings.

Finally I answer my friend's question with a question : what's your charm? what's your USP?

Are we destined for our failure or success?

2008-02-17T11:07:00.012+07:00

A sister of mine once bursted into tears when reviewing her achievements in life, love and career. She had been struggling hard to mantain the fragile marriage with her unemployed husband. While according to her sibblings such marriage has never been worth to be kept. Frankly speaking most of her friends or family will say yes to a divorce. It's not merely about financial issues but the main problem is her husband's commitment. In my sister's own words : he had never tried hard enough to sustain the family's economy. Despised knowing his weakness, yet she persisted to keep the marriage and drown into deep disapoinment for years. That's not all, on her own she had to pay for daily life expenditures for the two boys and a husband. She had juggled hard to meet ends. One job after another and several small businesses that always ended up with failures. She felt depressed and was in the bottom of her life and asked a simple question to herself : am I destined for failure?

My sister's story has lead me to basic questions in life and philophy.
Do we, as intelligent species, have certain level of control over our destiny? Or should we left it to chance? Or by the way, what is destiny?

Later an old debat comes in my mind, a classic "existentialism philosophical debats" for centuries opposed to traditional philosophies, such as rationalism and empiricism,. As I quote from Wikipedia : Existentialism is a philosophical movement that posits that individuals create the meaning and essence of their lives, as opposed to deities or authorities creating it for them. It emerged as a movement in twentieth-century literature and philosophy, though it had forerunners in earlier centuries. Existentialism generally postulates that the absence of a transcendent force (such as God) means that the individual is entirely free, and, therefore, ultimately responsible. It is up to humans to create an ethos of personal responsibility outside any branded belief system. In existentialist views, personal articulation of being is the only way to rise above humanity's absurd condition of much suffering and inevitable death.

I believe neither we 100% have contol of our life nor 100% dependent upon external forces.
I picture destiny as multiple storylines that man can pick up along the way during his or her life. Any alternative of choice has it's own consequences. I think that's what destiny is all about. You pick a wrong storyline then you will end up with misserable ending or else.

Simply put, the classic rule of life has to be : beware of choices in life. Though we are allways free to choose any path, it wiil be the cause of action of subsequent failure or success.

If a pesimistic person would say "Life sucks and then you die", on the other hand you can say "It's a joyful life and I want to live with it and die afterward". Today's achievements seriously depend on what choices you made in life.

Understanding that you could fail as well as succed is a healthy base in preparing ourselves to cope with life's failure or success.

In life we shall not succed all the times. Some time we stumble and fall and that's normal. The most important thing shall be how to deal with failure or success. That way you will have a normal and healthy life. Thus, we need "self-help" like The Secrets or Chicken soup series. They offer "self-healing" to the suffers, but then again to continue with life you have to make another choices cautiously.

Surely we shall always have goals in life. It's where youwant to go and shall affect how you want to reach them. As once said :"To accomplish great things, we must dream as well as act"
Dream shoul be specifically described in realistic actions (choices). Any action we take simply like a small step on the ladder that will bring us to the top, to our dream achievement. But becareful. Do not fall into the same mistakes. Perhaps I shall quote Rhonda Byrne's tagline : This is the secret to life.

How special are you? : A critical question to ask before starting a business

2008-02-09T12:16:00.000+07:00

As a starter in small buiness, what should we do once we have a good business idea? Well, you should evaluate it prior to execution. Good idea is a good start but you might as well have to consider one critical question: what is your niche, your specialness?

DR. Lynda Falkenstein emphasized this concept in “Nichecraft”(1996): “..Eliminating the competition (without bloodshed), distinguishing your business from everyone else’s,and getting the right customers clamoring for your product or service in any economy are the most basic requirements for business success today. Whether you are running a small “Mom and Pop” operation or are CEO of a major corporation, the rule applies: you can no longer simply compete against anyone in a similar field. Not if you want to win, that is. The fact is , you win by being perceived as special, singular, unique, one of a kind. You must create a niche that you own, that nobody can steal or take from you, and that achieves your goals…….”

In this tight competition world, you have to be “special” in order to stand out of the crowd”. Once you chose to become average guy ,you surely become a commodity. Thus, your business should have a certain position in customer mind. Position that differentiate you profitably compare to others. As Regis McKenna once said in his “The Regis Touch:Million Dollar Advice from America’s Top Marketing Consultant”(1985): “ …Product Positioning must be the first step. The idea behind product positioning is simple. To gain a strong product position, a company must differentiate its produsts from all other products on the market. The goal is to give the product a unique position in the marketplace…..”

That way, you shall have a very strong fundamental for business success.

Business Idea : where to start

2008-02-06T00:52:00.000+07:00

Whats
It's never been easier for a newcomer to start even a small business venture. Major questions is what would I sell ? Would there be enough significant buyers to prolong my business? What product or service offerings should I think of?

Finding the Real Opportunities
Business ideas are all around you. They are lurking in your garage, in your basement, in your kitchen, and in your children’s room. You’ll find them in magazine ads, at your neighbor’s house, and at work. They are right there in the vegetables you brought in from the yard . . . in the stack of papers next to your laser printer . . . in the back of your truck . . . and at the back of your mind.

Quick Advice on Business Ideas
" Don’t be tempted to start a retail store just because you find a cute, affordable space. Location means everything in retail and a good location usually costs a lot of money. In fact, a super location, good signage, and an attractive storefront may be all the marketing you need. "

The Lottery Mentality

2007-09-23T06:40:00.000+07:00

In one of his Business Wisdom Radio Programmes, Tanadi Santoso, an Indonesian well-known business consultant and motivator,uttered an interesting pointer on success. He suggested that in order to succed one should put more focus on good execution rather than merely positive thinking. To my opinion, positive thinking and well execution are both requisite capital for success. Surely We can not assume that good execution is more important than positive thinking, vice versa. Why? Because they complete each other. It won't be perfect if you have a bright idea but without successfuly realizing it. On the other hand, if you succed in doing one particular thing while have no ideas why you have felled into success, you wouldn't be happy for long. When you intend to do some thing good, it won't be complete until you actually do it. Anticipating future with positive thinking is surely a good foundation of success. Certainly we need more than just "happy thoughts". Lot of things should be considered : planning and preapration, execution and evaluation are mandatory. Now let us see an interesting phenomenon. What if some one succed but without previous preparations (or even thoughts about it)? Well, I call him a lucky person but there is no guarantee that it will last long. Why? Simply put, he does not have a complete picture of his success formula. That way He may not be able to replicate his success in the future. This lottery mentality could lead him into frustration. You may succed one time but faill the other time. When discussing the importance of niching, Lynda Falkenstein in her book Nichecraft said: The problem with falling into something good is that you could also just fall into something bad. Worst of all, when a niche happens by accident you can't replicate it, because you don't know the process that you went through in the first place. Success, as we know it, is not merely destination but also a journey through which you carry positive mental state, planning, execution and evaluation.

If only I have more time....

2007-09-15T09:40:00.000+07:00

These are the most common responses people give when asked about time : “I don’t have much time”, “It’s not easy for me to allocate time..”, or “ If only I have more time..”. In short, most people crave to have more time in order to do more things. Parents want to spend more time with their children. Employee negotiate deadlines. Companies hope that their customers will tolerate the length of time to process orders, manufacture and deliver products to customer premises. Everybody crave for more time. Unfortunately, time will not compromise. Time waits for nobody. Those who can not manage their time shall not reach their dreams easily. Denis Waitley in his book The Joy of working said : Time is an equal opportunity employer. Each human being has exactly the same number of hours and minutes everyday. Rich people can’t buy more hours. Scientist can’t invent new minutes. And you can’t save time to spend it on another day… Success depends upon using it wisely – by planning and setting priorities. Waitley suggest that we can not have more time since we can not manipulate it. But we can manage and allocate time through planning and priorities. It is the only way to utilize time.

Gainning Acceptance through good will or deception?

2007-09-14T10:28:00.001+07:00

In career, friendship, or social life, intentionally or not one should sell something to other. In any group we are required to provide contribution. If we want to be accepted we should sell something that the group needs. Otherwise we are no longer a member. Although most people reluctantly admit it selling is what people actually do. We sell our expertise in order to get pay checks. We sell ideas to friends or community in order to get accepted. In any field of expertise or social environment we choose, we sell. John Cantwell Kiley once said that successful salespersons are those who sell their products by expertly calling attention to the blossom instead of hiding the thorns through deception. As a matter of fact this applies in our social life as well. If you want to succeed in selling an idea to friends, first you have to understand the blossom of your idea. You have to know “what’s in it for them”. Then comes the harder part that is how to sell it. You can use an an honest approach or the opposite. When a person hides the thorns (weakness) of his or her idea through deception then we do not appreciate him or her as a good salesperson. Once such truth revealed this person has been put in a black-list and even sent away as an outcast. On the contrary, when a person sell honestly other will acknowledge it as a good reputation.
As Kiley put it, successful salespersons know how to make themselves blossom in the mind of a potential customer despite the thorns (any personal limitations). But he insisted that it should start from the creation of good will (keeping your word to a customer). Doing otherwise is an act of disrespect and contempt for the customer and quickly destroy your most precious asset in selling.

A post from a dummy

2007-09-08T15:08:00.000+07:00

A friend of mine once came to my place and asked me to help him developing a web page. To his opinion I was considered more "computer-literate" than he was. Unfortunately he was wrong. I was as dummy as he was when it came to "web stuffs". I did retreive my e-mails once in a while and browse a little bit. Anyway I was a commoner. Now I learn to have my own Blog after my friend handed me a book about Blogging. At first I had no idea what this blogging stuffs is all about untill i received some e-mails from other bloggers. They surprised me with the facts that there are alot of amazing, help-ful and sincere people out there. If it is not for them I would not keep writting my thoughts on Blogs. God Bless Them! Well, I hope I could learn more and reach as many contacts and friends.