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Your Monthly Inspirational Newsletter | August 2013
 

Dear Everyone,


Hi! And how are you all? July was generally a lazy month and hence had time to catch up on all the work that I had been postponing for some time now. There was however a very interesting trip to Singapore where I met a great bunch of participants, plus a short trip to Phnom Penh for a great holiday with classmates.

Recently I had dinner with a friend and the talk was about careers and life in general. This friend is young and successful with a great career in a multi-national organization. I asked him about the sacrifices he made and the things he had to do to accomplish all that he had achieved until now. Among many things, he mentioned that the people who surrounded him played a huge role in his success. Again and again during our conversation, he gave credit to his friends and how they had assisted directly and indirectly in guiding and ‘mentoring’ him. Very importantly he said, they gave him positive energy every time he met up with them individually or as a group. This immediately reminded me of the great quote by Jim Rohn (a leading management consultant from America) who said “You are the average of the five people you spend the most time with”.

I know this quote by heart as I heard it from Jim Rohn himself at a seminar some years ago. This quote is very significant to me and I constantly keep reminding myself to take positive action to be around people who are ‘energizers’ as opposed to ‘energy sappers’. How successful or unsuccessful we become will ultimately depend on these people as they play a huge role in determining how we think and ultimately how we act in life.

In his book, ‘Being Happy’ Andrew Matthews said something similar. It was so simple and yet so profound. He said “If you want to be happy mix with happy people and if you want to be sad, mix with sad people.” As simple as this statement may sound, it is however very, very insightful. As an example, if you are in a situation where you want to do your MBA part time and you happen to have ‘negative’ friends. What would their advice be to you? Obviously they will only look at it from a negative perspective and give you a hundred reasons why you should not do the MBA. Reasons like:

a. It is tough and there is a great chance for failure!

b. Everybody nowadays has an MBA and hence it will not help your marketability!

c. In today’s world it is not about your qualifications but whom you know!

And what will ultimately happen is that you do not do your MBA program as they have influenced you negatively. On the other hand, let’s assume that you have positive friends and in the same situation, this is what they would most likely say:

a. Go for it!!

b. It will definitely be a great plus point in your resume!

c. Don’t worry; we will be here to support you!

Hence, in life you will always have to take an inventory of those you allow to be close to you. This is one area of your life where you have to be selfish. Have friends who will add value to your life, friends who will make you better and friends who give you positive energy!!

So this is what I suggest you do today. Look at the five closest people in your circle of friends and ask yourself this question; who in this circle is assisting in making me a better person? If the answer is yes, keep them and if the answer is no, then spend lesser time with them. Please remember that at the end of the day, you might not be able to choose your family, but you can certainly dictate who your friends are! Choose wisely!!

Thank you so much for reading this newsletter and I do hope that you will have a super month in August.

ABOUT HEERA
HEERA is one of the leading Leadership and Management Trainers in Malaysia with more than a decade of hands-on experience in some of Malaysia's leading conglomerates.

HEERA excels in motivating, inspiring and coaching participants to achieving their full work potential, leading to excellence.

For more information about Heera and his training services, please visit www.heera.com.my

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Heera Singh
Principal Consultant
HEERA Training and Management Consultancy
HP 0126083708
www.heera.com.my