Goodbye 2010, Good Luck 2011

"it was the best of time, it was the worst of time" a famous quote by Charles Dickens, a famous British novelist, best described the economy outlook of the past decade. Saying good buy to 2010, and the end of the first decade of 21 century, I say we have yet to overcome all the obstacle of greatest changes in the age of globalization.

Looking at the past 10 years, from the dot-com boom and burst, collapse of financial institutions, subprime mortgage crisis, energy price in surge to international fiat-monetary system disputes, we had and have survived so far. Yet, the real challenges has yet to come. We are approaching to the true age of changes, changes where will happen in the speed of light. Therefore, we are much to learn, adapt and act upon to build a brighter future for us and the coming generation.

As history is how we learned. People believe history does represent future in some sense. I tend to agree. history does has the tendency to repeat itself, since human tend to repeat the same mistake, even though it might be in different pattern. So, what should we learn form the past 10 years in order to strive for the coming years? What are those challenges?

There are many big event and changes happened during the past 10 year since millennium. Some i personally believe to have great impact and implication to what might come in near future. Here are some which i would like to share with you all:

1. G-20 had replaced G-8 as the major international group to regulate international economy matters. This imply that, developed country had no longer dominate the world economy. Developing countries now has played a greater role to sustain and ensure the stability of international economy affair. BRIC will play a bigger role in years to come to replaced NATO nations and Japan. The formation and coordination between developed countries and developing countries will ultimately dictate the outcome of our future economy.
2. Notrth Korea and south Korea issues will be another key event to come in 2011. From Cheonan Incident to artillery assault by North Korea at South Korea's island, the tension between 2 nation has become heighten. North Korea had since abandon her offer by United Nation on the 6 parties talk to abandon her nuclear weapon project in exchange to economy aids. China has since act upon from her passive stand against North Korea issue, to host a re-talk between North Korea and the 6 parties on February 2011. President Lee Myung Bak from South Korea had agreed on the proposal provided North are sincerely committed to resolve the problem by peace. The outcome of the event will greatly influence the peace of the world for the coming future.
3. Developing country should gradually evolve from nation that exported-support-oriented country to becoming a self-technology sustainable countries. As there most products from developing countries are imported by developed nations, the current balance accounts crisis face by developed countries will greatly impact the economy growth of developing countries. Any collapses in any developed countries now will create a domino affect to the developing countries.
4. Greater globalization will continue to come in our future. The revolution of communication and financial technology will making the international trade become more flat. As book written by Thomas Friedman, "The world is flat"; this ideology will become more prevalence in years to come. For people who still live in the industrial age idea, they will be found more difficult to live and survive in the new world to come.
5. Climate changes and environmental issues. As notice in media, our world is indeed sick. Innovation of green technology will be the next trend if human would like to enjoy the privilege to enjoy the greatest thing in life in world. Fossil energy are no longer encourage to be the primary energy source. Deforestation must be stopped. Pollution both air and water must be controlled. Government and enforcement authorities must play a bigger role in regulate industrial player in global scale, educate them on the idea of balancing between economy and environmental benefit. If we wish our next generation to see deep blue sea and green forest, we should abandon any toxic application that will harm our world. or else - 2012 might come.

Above are some of the events that we need to take precaution for the years to come. In the end it is still up to each and everyone of us to wake up and act together to build a better and greater future for everyone to live in.

Happy New Year 2011!

Businesses Marketing - Positioning

Positioning is not a new terminology in business world. yet, most people speak of it, but failed to act on it. Positioning is a essential term in marketing internally and external. In today fast changing and abundance world, market is fill with if not thousand but million of services and products. Everyday, there are new innovation being introduced to the market. Consumer are given a much more choices when come to spending. Unlike during 1960s, 70s and 80s, there are less product and services to meet the needs of consumer. Big ads on tv screen and other sale perks had become prevalence during that time. Positioning seem to not be so important during those ages. Eventhough the concept of positioning had been raised by many marketing gurus such as Rosser Reeves (1910-1984) during 1950s, on his theory about USP (Unique Selling Proposition); many businesses, small and big ignore it. Until recent years, people start to seeing the important of being different. Hard Sell is no long sufficient in order to beat the market. Consumer has become smarter when come to spending. Simply provide needs will no longer be able to keep your business vibrant, since your competitor probably can provide what you provide. Therefore, differentiation has become the key element in business as pointed by jack Trout, in his book "Differentiate or Die". The title itself had clearly sending the message to the public. Businesses now need to position your standpoint, your niche market, your philosophy, your identity, your perceive value in the consumer's mind in a different way apart from your competitor. By correctly positioning your business stand point, you are in the sense of making competition irrelevant.

The Circle of Reality - Why Most People Can't be Rich

I had attend a seminar talk by a famous speaker Mdm. Tan yang Ho. I had learned something very interesting yet truthful. It is the circle of reality in our life.

In our everyday life, we are guided by a invisible force, called the circle of reality. We are guided by the circle regardless we notice or not its existence. So, what is the circle of reality is all about, and how it affect us in the path to build wealth?

Here I will tell you how I come about to understand the circle of reality. In our earliest life, when we were child, a toddler, a baby, we have a plain big circle of reality. Everything is possible in life, as often anything we ask for, we just need to cry, and walla, our wish often is fulfilled. Life is full of joy and disappointment seem to be so trivial, as we learn to walk, we wobble and fall again and again, we never give up and believe that we will definitely be able to walk and we did. Times goes by, and we are now a 9 years old primary standard one student. Remembering when teacher had given us an assignment to draw a elephant. Everyone is so excited and draw the elephant based on their imagination with their preferred colours. And imagine yourself drawn an pink elephant with wings on it. The teacher come over and take a look at the drawing, saying :" there are no such elephant, are you stupid?". From then on, the circle of reality become smaller.

When come to puberty age, being a teenager, believing falling in love is the best thing in life. And here goes a puppy love, but soon end up with breaking up. Now life seem to be ruins, disastrous like it was end of the world. Falling in love is worst nightmare in life. Such typical anecdote and episode again diluted the circle of reality in most people life.

Soon, we grown up, and started to have our first job, we believe by work hard we can be secured and successful in life. But soon after years and so, recession set in, despite seniority and hard work, the management decided to lay off those "obsolete" and "expensive" senior executive to be replaced by young and "cheaper" executive to reduce cost. Life again full of disappointment. The circle of reality now is almost disappear . The circle of reality turn form baby age of full of possibility into life that full of impossibility and disappointment. Ever since such pattern of life, we unconsciously shape our life into what I called cynicism. We would not believe in opportunities. We rather to believe opportunities to be something too good to be good than " no harm to try". Therefore, we lose many chances in life to change our life, to pursue and ensue wealth.

This is why, most of people today cannot be rich. Most of our life have greatly destroy the circle of reality that unconsciously shape our life pattern. When he circle of reality is gone, we lose faith, we do not believe. Therefore we failed. We failed because we fail to believe in ourself, to get whatever we desire and make it happen.

Determine and Desire

What it take to become rich? It take determination and desire. For most people, they want to be rich, but they never did because they do not want to pay the price. They do not want to pay the price not simply because of they cannot afford it, but it is because they do not have the strong desire to become rich. Being rich is something like an optional, or bonus to most people now days. As we are living in the abundance civilization and longest peace time human race had ever experienced in history, human tend to be complacent. Survival are no more a major crisis inmost countries across the globe. Most of us are born to be in the world that full of everything. Just find a secured job, with secured pay, you can afford the wonderful things in life that even a king could never be able to enjoy in ancient time. A big house, sport cars, and expensive vacation, is what most people, even the medium class can archive without necessary to be rich. So, why bother to live outside the comfort zone, to become rich. Why bother to risk everything they have now to become rich? Isn't security and comfort is more important? Well, as each of us are different, therefore, what is the priority in our life is different. For instance, some people panic to see a snake, and others exciting to see a snake. So, what make us different from the billionaire is the word - desire. Desire is the combination of hate and love. And as we all know, love and hate are the most powerful emotion humankind can possess. With the emotion of love to become rich, and hate not to become rich, desire create passion and determination. By then, miracle can happen since, it is often the product of determination. Determination can move mountain, determination can turn a steel bar into a fine needle. Determination can produce limitless energy to a person to archive what he about to archive, including to be rich.