You have 2 choices...

Jerry is the manager of a restaurant. He is always in a good mood. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would always reply:

“If I were any better, I would be twins!”

Many of the waiters at his restaurant quit their jobs when he changed jobs, so they could follow him around from restaurant to restaurant

Why?

If an employee was having a bad day, Jerry was always there, telling him how to look on the positive side of the situation. Because Jerry was a natural motivator.

Seeing this style really made me curious, so one day I went up to Jerry and asked him:

“I don’t get it! No one can be a positive person all of the time. How do you do it?”

Jerry replied, “Each morning I wake up and say to myself, I have two choices today. I can choose to be in a good mood or I can choose to be in a bad mood.

I always choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be victim or I can choose to learn from it. I always choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out positive side of life. I always choose the positive side of life."

“But it’s not always that easy,” I protested.

“Yes it is,” Jerry said.

“Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk every situation is a choice.

You choose how you react to situations.

You choose how people will affect your mood.

You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood.

It’s your choice how you live your life.”

Several years later,

I heard that Jerry accidentally did something you are never supposed to do in the restaurant business. He left the back door of his restaurant open.

And then in the morning, he was robbed by three armed men.

While Jerry trying to open the safe box, his hand, shaking from nervousness, slipped off the combination. The robbers panicked and shot him.

Luckily, Jerry was found quickly and rushed to the hospital.

After 18 hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Jerry was released from the hospital with fragments of the bullets still in his body.…

I saw Jerry about six months after the accident.

When I asked him how he was, he replied, “If I were any better, I’d be twins. Want to see my scars?” I declined to see his wounds, but did ask him what had gone through his mind as the robbery took place.

“The first thing that went through my mind was that I should have locked the back door,” Jerry replied.

“Then, after they shot me, as I lay on the floor, I remembered that I had two choices: I could choose to live or could choose to die. I chose to live.”

Jerry continued, “The paramedics were great. They kept telling me I was going to be fine.

But when they wheeled me into the Emergency Room and I saw the expression on the faces of the doctors and nurses, I got really scared.

In their eyes, I read, "He’s a dead man.. I knew I needed to take action.”

“What did you do?” I asked.

“Well, there was a big nurse shouting questions at me,” said Jerry. “She asked if I was allergic to anything.” ‘Yes,’ to bullets, I replied.

Over their laughter, I told them: “I am choosing to live. Please operate on me as if I am alive, not dead.”

“Jerry lived thanks to the skill of his doctors, but also because of his amazing attitude.

I learned from him that every day you have the choice to either enjoy your life or to hate it.

The only thing that is truly yours -that no one can control or take from you –is your attitude, so if you can take care of that, everything else in life becomes much easier.

pic source: http://25.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_kro53vPMJR1qz5njko1_400.jpg

For your inspiration...

pic source: http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/Fear.jpg

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.

Eleanor Roosevelt

USED vs LOVED

While a man was polishing his new car, his 4 yr old son picked up a stone and scratched lines on the side of the car.

In anger, the man took the child's hand and hit it many times not realizing he was using a wrench.

At the hospital, the child lost all his fingers due to multiple fractures.

When the child saw his father.....with painful eyes he asked, 'Dad when will my fingers grow back?'

The man was so hurt and speechless; he went back to his car and kicked it a lot of times.

Devastated by his own actions.......sitting in front of that car he looked at the scratches;

the child had written 'LOVE YOU DAD'.

The next day that man committed suicide. . .

Anger and Love have no limits; choose the latter to have a beautiful, lovely life & remember this: Things are to be used and people are to be loved.

The problem in today's world is that people are used while things are loved.

Let's try always to keep this thought in mind:
Things are to be used, People are to be loved.

Watch your thoughts; they become words.

Watch your words; they become actions.

Watch your actions; they become habits.

Watch your habits; they become character;

Watch your character; it becomes your destiny.

Leadership Moments 3/2011

Leadership is about ATTITUDE

Because…

The way we think (our attitude) will affect the way we behave. The way we behave as a leader will affect the results we get. It's all about attitude!

Sharing…

Attitude about Responsibility

Leaders with great attitude always take responsibility for who they are and what they a doing. As the saying goes, you can delegate work but you can never delegate responsibility!

I often share with my team members that as their boss, there are certain things only I can do. One of them is taking responsibility for the unit I am leading. However, I must qualify that taking responsibility as a leader doesn't mean that my team members will take their roles and work less responsibly. As a leader, you need to ensure that your team members are equipped with the skills and know what needs to be done. And finally, you must trust that your team members are doing their best.

Attitude about Learning

Great leaders have a very proactive attitude towards learning. They keep learning and growing everyday. They don't depend on others for their learning. They take responsibility. As leaders, we get new challenges everyday, our ability to learn and adapt quickly is one very important attitude in today's fast changing world.

I've worked with many 'CEOs' in my organisation over the past 15 years. Many of these 'CEOs' are often 'parachuted' in from another organisation. Many of them came from very different organisational cultures and work environment. One thing I noticed about all these 'CEOs', they all adapted very quickly, learnt very fast and started contributing to my organisation within a very short time. All of them did very well and all I can say is, they have a wonderful learning attitude!

Attitude about Challenge

As leaders, we get challenges almost everyday. How we overcome these challenges has got a lot to do with our attitude. When leaders encounter challenges they can either ask "Can I overcome this?" or "How can I overcome this?" Yes, the questions we ask ourselves becomes critical (The power of questions). Leaders always have a "Can do attitude" and they know that if someone needs to make things happen, it's them!

There was this saying my Aikido master shared with me several years back that I always kept close to my heart. The saying goes something like...

"If it is to be, it is up to me"

It is all about ATTITUDE!

"Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. The way you thing about a fact may defeat you before you ever do anything about it. You are overcome by the fact because you think you are." -  Norman Vincent Peale

So?

What are you responsible for as a leader?

What are you doing to make yourself better than you were yesterday? When was the last time you learn something new?

Are you asking the right questions when you encounter leadership or work challenges?

Please share with me your thinking or comments...

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Why Am I doing this?

Leadership is a journey for me. I was exposed to various leadership roles at a very young age when I joined the uniformed group during my secondary school days. Over the years, I’ve learnt quite a bit about leadership from reading, observations and experimentation.

As the saying goes, nothing beats doing it! My career in a uniformed organisation for the past 15 years provided me with ample opportunities to hone my leadership skills. I am very thankful that my organisation has a very strong culture of leadership. My organisation pays attention to developing people, they tolerate mistakes and they genuinely cares. Much of my learning and reflections on leadership are from the excellent leaders I have worked with over the years. These wonderful leaders shape the leader I am today.

Leadership is something that is learned. No one is born a leader. We are all capable of being a good leader. Of course, not everyone can be the top leader. However, everyone does have the capacity to lead in some way—but ACTION is required! While all of us are born with many different abilities, but if we do not harness and develop them, those abilities will never come to fruition. Leadership is one such ability.

I hope to share some of my learning and experiences on leadership in bite size in my blog. I hope “Leadership Moments” will help you in your journey towards becoming a great leader in your own right. Remember, knowing is not good enough, you have to take ACTION if you want your leadership potential and abilities to be developed.

All the best in your leadership journey.

Jim

Giant Steps

Once upon a time, in a land far away, there lived an enormous giant. He was at least ten feet tall, with a mop of red hair and a beard, and in his hand he carried a mighty axe.

Every year, on the same day, at the same time, the giant would walk down from the mountains which were his home, to stand outside the castle walls, terrorising the inhabitants.

'Come, send me your bravest man, and I will fight him,’ the giant would shout, towering over the wall and waving his axe menacingly. ‘Send me someone to fight, or I will knock down your castle walls and kill everyone with my axe.’

And every year, the gate in the castle would open slowly and fearfully, and one poor, valiant soul would walk out to face the foe and certain death.

‘Is this the best you can do?’ the giant would laugh mockingly. The poor wretch would stand, mesmerised by the enormity of the giant and the task in hand. Not one person had even managed to draw his sword, before the giant would crush them with his mighty fist, and chop them into tiny pieces with his axe.

But then one day, a young prince arrived in the town. ‘Why does everyone here look so frightened and sad?’ he asked a fellow traveller.

‘You haven’t seen the giant yet,’ replied the traveller.

‘What giant?’ asked the young prince, intrigued.

The traveller told him the tale.

‘Every year, on this very day, the giant arrives and challenges our to a duel. And every year, he slays them exactly where they stand. They don’t even move or draw their swords. It’s as though the giant hypnotises them.’

‘We’ll see about that.’ said the young prince.

When the giant arrived that day, he was waiting for him.

‘Come, send me your bravest man, and I will fight him,’ the giant shouted.

“I am here,’ said the young prince, throwing open the gate, and striding out towards him.

For a moment, they stood and faced each other. Although he was a long way away from him, the young prince was instantly struck by the sheer size and shocking appearance of his opponent.

But, summoning up all his courage, he started to walk towards the giant, brandishing his sword, and never taking his eyes off that dreadful face with the red hair and the red beard.

Suddenly, he realised that as he was walking, the giant- rather than appearing larger- actually began to shrink before his very eyes. He stopped and stared. The giant was only five feet tall.

He walked closer to him still then stopped and stared. Now the giant was only two feet tall. He continued walking until he was face to face with the giant, and each step he took, he saw the giant shrink. By now the giant was so small, that he looked up at the young prince. He was only twelve inches tall.

The young prince took his sword, and plunged it into the giant’s heart.

As the giant lay dying on the ground, the young prince bent down and whispered to him, ‘Who are you?’

With his dying breath, the giant replied, ‘My name is Fear.’

MORAL OF THE STORY:

When you take action- the fear disappears!

Pic Source: http://www.legendgames.co.uk/acatalog/D_D_Miniatures___War_of_the_Dragon_Queen.html

Story Source: Jenkins, Imaginal Training. Website: http://www.imaginal.nl/stories.html

Cosplay

I was shopping with my family at Suntec City on Sunday and chanced upon a cosplay gathering during the ANIME FESTIVAL ASIA XI 2011. Only armed with a point and shoot (P&S) camera, I decided to join in the fun. My wife and daughter were very nice to give me permission to “neglect” them while I go around a shooting spree with Xiao Mei Mei in costume. Thank you dear. 

There were many photographers around and it was really packed with many people in a confined space. It was very challenging to get a good shot especially when you only have a P&S camera with you. Certain areas in Suntec City where the cosplayers gathered were not very well illuminated. I had to use lots of natural lighting for my pictures. I like my subject to be in focused and background clean. As such, I decided to frame for more close-up shots with focus on attitude, mood and expressions of the cosplayers. When I got the chance and the background is not too messy, I went for a full body shot. It was fun.

Hope you will enjoy these pictures.

What is cosplay?

Cosplay is a hobby increasing in popularity over the years, which involves making and wearing costumes from various sources. The term "cosplay" was coined by combining the worlds "costume" and "play" by Nobuyuki Takahashi of the Japanese studio Studio Hard while attending the 1984 Los Angeles Science Fiction Worldcon.

In cosplay, people re-create the outfits of manga and anime characters. This has since grown into a worldwide hobby that encompasses all sorts of media, with people making costumes from video games, movies, TV shows, cartoons and books. Even figures such as Ronald McDonald have been cosplayed!

If you scan the Internet, you will realise that cosplay is very much a culture today. I can observe that more young people in Singapore are into cosplay. From my Internet research, I found out that different people treat cosplaying in different ways, depending on what they wish to get out of it. There are those who place large amounts of time, effort and funding into creating very elaborate and accurate recreations of their favourite costumes, and treat their hobby very seriously. There are also those who are happy to do things on more of a budget, or buy their costumes pre-made. There are some who like costuming just to pose for pictures, and a huge number who love the process of getting into character, and acting the character as well as costuming it. It is indeed a photographer’s dream to see the cosplayers acting out their character. I love their attitude and expressions when they do a good job! The cosplayers I met were really a joy to work with.

Origin and history of cosplay…

Japan is generally credited as the origin of cosplay, but there are no actual facts of when the cosplay culture started. For many years fan costuming was confined to science-fiction and fantasy conventions, mostly in North America. Then, Nobuyuki Takahashi coined the term "Cosplay" as a contraction of the English-language words "costume play". He was inspired by hall and masquerade costuming at the 1984 Los Angeles SF Worldcon, and his enthusiastic reports of it in Japanese SF magazines sparked the Japanese cosplay movement.

The idea took hold in the minds of the Japanese readers and they in turn adapted the idea by dressing as their favorite anime characters. In a matter of a few short years, fans began to dress up as characters at comic book and sci-fi events in Japan. Then in the mid-1990s, as anime, manga and all things related started to catch on in America, cosplay was reintroduced, this time on a much large scale. This has led to many North American (NA) cosplayers being totally unaware of their hobby's history, believing it was invented in Japan.

The fact of the matter is that the general approaches and attitudes towards costuming are very different in Japan and North America. North American costuming is still run primarily along the Worldcon model, in which people make their own costumes and compete at local fandom conventions. Original concepts and designs are welcomed and creativity is encouraged.

In Japan, for the most part, 'cosplay' is more about 'being' a pre-existing character, so the aim is to look as much like and act like the character as possible. To this end, there is not as much emphasis on making one's own costume, and there are not the same kinds of competitions as in NA. The aim is more to just have fun with your friends and have pictures taken. Cosplay is also more of a young women's hobby in Japan, whereas in NA costuming is practiced by people of all ages and walks of life.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosplay

http://kjtpproductions.media.officelive.com/Parents.aspx

http://yeinjee.com/2008/origin-of-the-word-cosplay/

http://www.costuming.org/history.html

Why do people cosplay?

I was trying to understand this “hobby” as I went around shooting the various interesting characters. Obviously, people do it for the fun and attention. But were there other reasons? Spoke to a few of them when I had the chance and these were some of the possible reasons (besides fun & attention),

They love the creativity process involved (Personal achievement)

To meet people & have their pictures taken by others (Social)

To show their love and support for the character (Passion)

Show off their handmade costume. It’s a hobby. (Passion)

To be someone else once in a while! (A way to escape?)

My experience with cosplayers on 13 Nov 2011

I had a great 30 mins of fun with these cosplayers. They were a wonderful bunch of subjects to work with as far as photography is concern. The cosplayers were very willing subjects. When you ask them for permission to take a picture, they will do their best to give you a good pose. For example, when I spotted 2 cosplayers making their way home after their ‘cosplaying’, I asked them for a shot. Immediately, they put down all their stuff, suited up and gave me their best pose. Fantastic! (See Below)

What will I do differently the next time?

Well, I will keep a lookout for the next cosplay gathering. Next round, I will be ready with my DSLR, prime lenses and flash. Care to join me?

Inspiration for your day...

That's just it--you can't drive it, you can't wear it, you can't live in it, 

you can't drink it, smoke it, snort it, you can't travel to it.

Happiness is the experience of the journey.

The experience of happiness is the result of how you look at things.

When I look at something I say, can do, no problem; 

that's not going to make me unhappy.

Happiness is a choice!

Denis Waitley

Inspiration for your day...

pic source: http://florinsuciu.blogspot.com/2011/04/i-want-something-new.htmlng/

“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: it goes on.”

Robert Frost (1874-1963)