Author: annemarie_kim

Redeem Time: Wisdom from Your Future Self

Time is our most valuable resource, yet it’s often the easiest to waste. We are constantly distracted by hundred and one “shiny” things. We keep ourselves busy with countless things that seem “important” but have no lasting purpose. We rush for “urgent” things only to procrastinate on what truly matters, like our health. We are fooled into believing “The Myth of Tomorrow” – that we always have tomorrow.

Let’s invite our Future Self to grant us the wisdom of redeeming our time:

  1. Redeem Time by Focusing on What Truly Matters
    How do you envision yourself in 1, 5 or 10 years’ time? How are you going to achieve that vision? How do you pursue the abundant life that God has prepared for you? Start planning for the fulfilment of that vision and work towards it intentionally.
    “Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.” (Psalm 90:12)
  2. Redeem Time through Bold Faith in God
    We waste so much time fretting and fearing the worst when pursuing our dreams. However, when God gives us His divine dream, He makes the impossible possible. He invites us to take the leap of faith in Him and dare to have impossible dreams, strengthening our faith through boldness and audacity.
    “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1)
  3. Redeem Time by Learning from Setbacks
    Our Future Self can remind us that our setbacks are not wasted time if we learn from our setbacks and grow in maturity and wisdom. Setbacks can also direct us to new opportunities and let go of what did not serve us any longer. God always turn our greatest setbacks into precious lessons that help us grow extraordinarily. God redeems us and restores us from our lowest depths to our greatest heights.
    “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” (Romans 8:28)

This is my invitation to you today: redeem your precious time through the wisdom of your Future Self – Focus on what truly matters, be bold in your faith and embrace setbacks as lessons for growth.

The Courage to Pause: Find Strength in Stillness

Courage is usually associated with doing big bold things. Today, I want to talk about the Courage to PAUSE – to stop where we are or what we are doing – and to reflect.

Why is it good to sometimes pause?

  1. Pause to Reflect on God’s Purpose
    In our bid to pursue our dream, we sometimes lose our way. It is always good to pause along the way, to realign with God’s purpose and to review our progress to see if we are still on the right path. It is easy to detour or get distracted or get sidetracked from God’s purpose. Hitting pause gives us a chance to review and realign our plans with God’s purpose. It is in the stillness that you can hear the soft whisper of God’s voice.
    “Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)
  2. The Strength to Wait in Faith
    Sometimes we become impatient with our progress and feel we can’t afford to wait, especially when we are waiting on God’s timing. Waiting on God is His way of strengthening our faith – as we trust Him in the waiting. Rest assured, He is working behind the scene to prepare us. Just like brewing soup takes time to extract its flavours, growing in maturity takes time and patience.
    “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)
  3. Rest as a Source of Courage
    God sometimes call us to rest, but we are reluctant to do so. We feel guilty when we rest, so we continue to push ourselves. However, rest is necessary to restore our strength and creativity. Rest gives us a way to step back so that we can see that we are moving in the right direction. Rest gives us a moment to review our journey and see the progress we have made. Rest gives us the courage to reflect and make bold decisions intentionally.
    “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

This is my invitation to you today: have the courage to pause and find the strength in your stillness.

The Power of Micro-Clarity: Small Choices, Big Impact

Do you feel overwhelmed in achieving your dream? Or feel stuck figuring out how to start, or how to proceed?

It is exciting to pursue a dream, but sometimes, it can get overwhelming. We sometimes can’t see the big picture yet, or visualize all the steps leading to our dream. So this idea of micro-clarity means that we can make small daily choices that is in alignment with our purpose in the pursuit of our dream. In other words, micro-clarity means: small choices, big impact.

  1. Micro-clarity brings Focus to Daily Life
    Start each day with clarity, intention and focus on what God wants us to do. It starts with daily choices and actions, big and small – that are in alignment with God’s purpose. The best way to start the day is prayer and devotion.

    “So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

  2. Micro-clarity creates Consistency in Obedience
    Most of the time, we don’t see the big picture from God. He usually shows one or two steps ahead, expecting us to obey Him as He reveals more steps along the way. He will be faithful to lead and guide us to bigger things.

    “In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” (Proverbs 3:6, NKJV)

  3. Micro-clarity builds momentum towards Bold Dreams
    It is in our consistent daily choices that builds our momentum towards the bold divine dream. Our obedience and faithfulness can leads us to something far greater than we can ever imagine, so be open and be prepared to God’s abundant blessings.

    “Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us.” (Ephesians 3:20, NIV)

Just imagine playing a game: you start with small tasks, which leads to the next level with more challenging tasks. You need to practice regularly to improve your game, and move up the next levels until you reach your game’s ultimate quest.

This is my invitation to you today: start each day focusing on God and what He wants you to do, obey Him faithfully every day and trust that He will bless you beyond your imagination.

Why Defying Limits Starts with Consistently Showing Up for Yourself

Why does it seem that some people can achieve their goals and others would give up too soon? How does some people overcome insurmountable obstacles and others would not even start anything? What is holding us back?

As children, we believe we can do anything. As we grow up, we are fed into the lies of “cannot” and “don’t” and “no”. We inherit our limiting beliefs from our families, friends and society.

I believe one of the ways of defying our limiting beliefs is by consistently showing up for ourself. This is one of my greatest challenge. I find that I have a tendency to go all out to help someone, but usually fall short when it comes to – me.

Hence, God is showing me its importance:

  1. Consistency Builds Strength – it is through consistently showing up for ourselves that we slowly build resilience and inner strength to overcome our limiting beliefs. It is like how we need regular exercise to build up strong muscles and improve fitness.

    ”Let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.” (Galatians 6:9)

  2. Consistency Overcomes Fear – we commit to daily actions to overcome our fear, hesitation and procrastination, by trusting that God goes before us to show us the path and He stays closely with us in our journey.

    “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9)

  3. Consistency Honours God’s Purpose – we honour God by showing up for His purpose for our life. When God called Gideon, he was reluctant as he felt unworthy and unqualified, being the weakest in his family and his family being the weakest tribe in Israel. God gave Gideon a new identity, as a “mighty warrior”. Then God sent him to show up with His strength to overcome their enemy.

    ”The Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?'”

This is my invitation to you today: trust God daily to help you to overcome your limiting beliefs and to show up consistently.

Starting a New Chapter with Courage

What are your dreams and hopes for 2025?

What new chapters are you starting in 2025?

What do you want to achieve by December 2025?

Starting a new chapter in life requires courage – courage to dream boldly, courage to defy limiting beliefs, and courage to act consistently, especially when the going gets tough.

Start a new chapter is liken to painting your first stroke on a blank canvas:

  1. Where to put the first few strokes? Always start with small steps – steps that you can start on today. Seek God’s wisdom to lead and guide you, as He will always establish your plans.

    Proverbs 16:3 Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and He will establish your plans.”

  2. What if I make a mistake? It’s okay to make mistake. In fact, the faster we make mistakes, the faster we learn and improve. Change your mindset of making mistakes to learning from mistakes and seeking continuous improvement. Learn to embrace imperfection and go with “good enough” to keep the momentum, instead of being stuck with perfect.

    Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

  3. What if it doesn’t turn out alright? It is most likely going to turn out quite different from when you start out, but that’s part of the adventure. You trust in the process, and sometimes the winding path will lead you somewhere unexpected. Nevertheless, know that God is able to do more than what you can ever imagine. When He puts a divine dream in your heart, He will certainly bless your journey.

    Ephesians 3:20 “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

This is my invitation to you today: take courage to pursue your divine dreams and trust in God to establish your ways, knowing that He is able to do exceedingly abundantly more than you can ever imagine.

Start 2025 Strong: Dream Boldly with Clarity

As we start an exciting year ahead, we are full of possibilities and new beginnings. It is also a time of pursuing bold dreams for the year, letting go of the things that used to hold us back in the past year(s).

The idea of dreaming boldly starts with clarity – being clear of what the bold dream that makes us excited, and why it matters to us so much. This clarity will fuel us to pursue our dream, and sets the direction of our new path. More importantly, this clarity identifies our “why” for pursuing our bold dream – which will sustain us when the going gets tough.

This is how we gain this clarity for your bold dream:

1. Reflect on your current situation – where in my life do I feel stuck, stagnant or misaligned? Are you restless for something more, or something better, or something new? What is holding you back? What can you do to overcome your limiting beliefs?

2. Visualise your Ideal Future – what do you want to achieve at the end of the year? Imagine it is December 2025 – what would bring you the most fulfilment, satisfaction and pride for your achievements? Imagine in great detail how this ideal future look like, feel like, even taste like!

3. Write down your Bold Dream – My Bold Dream for 2025 is… Next write down why it is important for you – the deep longing for it and what it truly means to you. And lastly, write down the steps you can take in pursuit of your bold dream. You don’t have to write down everything, as you will eventually figure out the steps as you go along. You just need to write down the first few steps to start.

My bold dream for 2025 is to be a speaker.

This dream matters to me as I want to share my key message:

Dream Boldly – Discover New Chapters – Defy Limits.

At the same time, I want to share my framework of Clarity – Courage – Consistency.

This is my invitation to you today: write down your bold dream and why it matters to you, and list the first few steps to achieve your dream.

How 2024 Shaped My Framework: Clarity, Courage and Consistency

As you look back on this year, what moments stood out the most—those that challenged you, grew you, or filled your heart with gratitude?

At the beginning of the year, I made a decision to post my blog every week. I wasn’t that confident I would make it through the year. Now, on week 52, I am proud to say that I have posted my blog every Monday (maybe a little past midnight on a few rare occasions) this whole year.

I am most grateful for this “win” in my life, as I can proudly pat myself on my back for keeping my word to post every Monday. It has challenged me, I have grown through my writing, and I am most grateful for the feedback I get from my friends for my posts.

In the process, it has shaped my 3C Framework:

  1. Clarity – knowing what I want and why
    I want to post my blog every Monday, as I want to share my insights and inspire others to pursue their dreams
  2. Courage – taking courage to do what I want
    I had announced I would post every week in my blog, even though I was very hesitant at first. Taking that first step was a leap of faith – faith that God would see me through and reveal to me what He wants me to write every week. There were weeks when I felt it was not “perfect” – I have to overcome my doubts and the fear of whether it is “good enough” to post. Just Do It!
  3. Consistency – show up and do the work
    It has become a habit to post every Monday. So I am always on the lookout for things to share, e.g. books or videos. There are times when something cropped up on a Monday, but I would make a decision to post, not wanting to miss a single Monday. Once I have made that decision, I will find ways to make it happen. Show up, whether you feel like it.

This is my invitation to you today: to get crystal clear on what you truly want, summon the courage to pursue it boldly, and stay consistent in your efforts to make it a reality.

Would You Get Rejected on Purpose?

Have you been rejected before? Do you fear rejection? Do you avoid rejection at all costs?

I recently watched an Instagram post by Maureen Evelyn, who created the rejecto app (I have not tried it yet). She decided to make it a challenging game to get rejected everyday. She even applied to Harvard to get rejected, but she was waitlisted instead! She purposely did crazy things to get rejected – to get herself out of her comfort zone and try new things, without letting her fear of rejection stop her.

Her mindset posed a reflective question to me:

What if rejection wasn’t something to fear, but something to seek?”

You could embrace rejection in practical ways:

  1. Set Rejection Goals – like what Maureen is doing with her app, set rejection goals to achieve every day or week, make it into a game and get over the fear and embarrassment! If possible, make it fun or funny!
  2. Celebrate Every “No” – celebrate overcoming your fear, and let it be a stepping stone towards your goals, and cheer yourself for taking the courage in the first place.
  3. Reflect and Learn – ask yourself what you can learn from the experience and how to improve next time, you can learn to turn every rejection into a lesson.

You can start with small rejections. Every rejection helps you to desensitise from the fear, embarrassment and judgment of rejection. Eventually, you will build the muscles of courage to take bold actions towards your goals and dreams.

I believe that this Power of Seeking Rejection can help you overcome your fears and build resilience. In fact, it can lead to unexpected opportunities, learning and growth. By overcoming my fear of rejection and impostor syndrome, I have published not one, but three books, in the past two years!

This is my invitation to you today: challenge yourself to get rejected on a regular basis, build your muscles to combat rejection, and take action to pursue your boldest dreams!

Do What Scares and Excites You at the Same Time

Last weekend, I attended the ‘Get Paid To Speak” bootcamp by Eric Feng in Marina Bay Sands in Singapore. I was chosen to do the after lunch session to “energize” the participants on Day 2 so they don’t fall asleep after lunch. I was excited initially, then got really nervous, especially after I saw the great job done by the “energiser” on the Day 1!

I was hoping they would cancel this session on Day 2 due to the tight schedule. On Day 2 morning, Eric confirmed my 10 minute session at 2:30pm. Yikes!! It’s too late to back out now. There was only one thing to do: go onto the stage and do the show!

I decided that I will get excited about it and enjoy myself. Once that decision was made, I continued rehearsing, even while walking back from lunch! I imagined the thrill of walking onto the stage, engaging with the audience, and just having fun! And that’s what I did.

Guess what I found out? It wasn’t as scary as I thought. And guess what else? It was quite exciting and fun! One of the things I realise from my own experience is this: when it is exciting and scary at the same time – always go for it! It is a sign to overcome the fear, and feel the excitement.

As I mentioned last week, do not let your Lizard Brain scare the shit out of you when you are doing something new, unfamiliar and out of your comfort zone. The Lizard Brain is doing its job of protecting you in case you fumble and embarrass yourself in front of a big crowd. That’s its job – to protect you. However, mistakes are lessons we can learn from – so that we can grow, improve, and reach a new level.

This is my invitation to you today: if you encounter a dream that is scary and exciting at the same time, do not let your fear stop you from pursuing that bold dream. Create a new chapter for your life!

The Hazard of our Lizard Brain

Have you ever had a great idea, only to talk yourself out of it?
Have you ever wanted to start something new, only to abandon it?
Have you dreamt of going to new places, only to chuck it one side?

I attended the Mindworks Program by Frances Penafort today, and she talked about our brain. There are three parts to our brain: lizard brain, limbic brain and pre-frontal cortex. The lizard brain is the primitive brain that used to protect us from predators, but in the modern world, it is more to keep us in our safe and comfort zone. Therefore, when we have any new ideas that kicks us out of our comfort zone, then the lizard brain will quickly put in motion all the danger signs and warnings to keep us back in our comfort zone. Hence, it will cast doubts and cause anxiety, it will analyse and overthink the matter. Eventually, we talk ourselves out of it with excuses and return us to so-called reality. In other words – stop dreaming!

So we need to be aware of the hazards of our lizard brain. It has the important role of keeping us safe. However, implementing new ideas will definitely require us to get out of our comfort zone and do new things, meet new people and have new experiences. Most of the time, our default mode is to stay the same, comfortable and don’t rock the boat. However, for us to improve and grow, we need to get out of our comfort zone to explore new ideas, maybe fail a few times, learn from our mistakes, improve and level up. It requires a lot of hard work and going through frustration, sweat and tears. Hence, it is important to know the reason why we want to set new goals or achieve new dreams. It is the “WHY” that pushes us through the hardships and sufferings as we endure towards our goals and dreams.

This is my invitation to you today: be aware of the lizard brain, but don’t let it stop you from achieving your dreams and goals. As we approach a New Year of 2025, dare to pursue your boldest dream!

Advent Hope as an Anchor for Our Dreams

Do you feel like the year has passed too quickly, and you can’t believe it’s December already?
Are you stressing out that 11 months have passed and you feel like you’ve wasted so much time?!
Do you realize that you have only one month left to achieve the goals and dreams you have set for this year?

As we come to December month, many of us might feel the stress and pressure of having one month left to achieve our goals. I certainly do! The tendency is to shrink our goals. This was what Terri Saville Foy was tempted to do when she heard her daughter sharing how she has already achieved most of her goals in July! But God told her otherwise – Don’t shrink your dream, enlarge your faith.

Terri shared a few ways on how to enlarge her faith:

  • Visualise your future – be it your wealth or your health, let it be crystal clear and be specific in how your future looks like
  • Deliberately choose your input – faith comes from hearing, therefore listen to God’s Word on a daily basis; use your drive time to listen to godly messages
  • Declare a fast – God asks us to pray, give and fast, so that you can see many fold increase in your blessings – pray and ask God what you need to fast from, for example, certain food cravings that you usually can’t resist
  • Sow your memorable seed – do not delay in giving your best offering that God has prompted you to give, for it is in giving that we receive

As we start on this year’s Advent season, let us place our Hope in Jesus to achieve our goals and dreams. He has placed the goals and dreams in our hearts for His purpose. And as storms come our way, let Jesus be our anchor to keep us steady and strong. Let us hang on to Jesus when we feel like being tossed about in life’s messy storms.

This is my invitation to you today: as we prepare ourselves during this Advent season to celebrate the coming of Jesus on Christmas Day, let us anchor in the steadfast Hope of Jesus. Whether it has been an eventful year or not, know that God makes all things good for His purpose.

From Scrolling to Thriving: Break Free and Build a Life Worth Living

Just 5 more minutes!? Last one! I promise I will stop right after this!

If you know what I am referring to – then you can relate to the feeble excuses we give when we try to stop scrolling social media!

It’s a fact that social media has been designed for continuous streaming of content, enticing people with constant dopamine hits, with an algorithm tailored to our interests to keep us hooked. It is so easy to reach out to our phone out of boredom or for de-stressing, and our fear of missing out (FOMO) makes us want to scroll even more. When we watch a movie or read a book, there is an end to it, but with social media, it is practically endless!

My biggest problem is that I end up sleeping way past midnight as I slip into the rabbit hole of social media scrolling. My other problem is that I feel out of control of my time trapped in endless scrolling – from minutes to hours!

I stumbled upon this great insight from The Dr. John Delony Show on How Do I Stop Scrolling Social Media All Day: Build a Life Worth Living. Simple, right?!

All of us have a one-and-only precious life on earth. Do not let the non-stop social media scrolling and the endless noise of the world drown out our purpose and higher calling. Do not let the doom scrolling numb our sense of peace and justice.

What do we need to do?
Pursue our passion and live out our dreams.
Live an Intentional Life of impact and contribution to the world.
Stop wasting our precious time.

Imagine a transformed life if you just spend half of your scrolling time to pursue your boldest dream. You can still scroll through social media, but with intention. Set time limits and remove distracting notifications. Check social media for ideas to build your dream life, instead of mindlessly scrolling.

This is my invitation to you today: discern your calling and purpose, pursue your hopes and dreams, and live intentionally – so that you build a life that is worth living, not just scrolling through other people’s amazing life!

When your overthinking gets in the way of what you want

Do you tend to overthink?

Are you your worse critic?

Does your overthinking “speaks” so loud that it gets in your way?

When I saw the title of the podcast – “The Surprising Solution to Overthinking”, I didn’t think twice to listen to it! It was Andy Stanley’s interview with Jon Acuff on his book, “Soundtracks: The Surprising Solution to Overthinking”. He chose the title to depict how a soundtrack can change the entire emotional feel of a movie without changing the movie. Similarly, our thoughts can change how we feel without changing the circumstances we are facing.

Jon Acuff defines overthinking this way: when what you think gets in the way of what you want. When thoughts get in the way of what you desire, and it turns into bitterness and haunts you.

This overthinking habit tends to stop you taking action, leading to undesired results of not achieving your hopes and dreams. You can hear the same “soundtrack” when you encounter the same circumstance. For example, when you want to lose weight, your soundtrack constantly reminds you of how many times you’ve failed.

This is the Trojan Questions that Jon Acuff suggested in his book:

1. Is it true?

2. Is it helpful?

3. Is it kind?

These three simple questions help us to seek truth and clarity in our thoughts. Many times, our thoughts are assumptions of what other people think, or scripts that we have narrated from our childhood, e.g. I am bad with numbers or I am not bright. Next, we need to find out if these thoughts are helpful to what we want to achieve. Lastly, we have to be gentle to ourselves and not let our thoughts overwhelm us and keep us in an infinite loop of self-sabotage. I think the last question is the hardest to answer.

This is my invitation to you today – be aware of the soundtracks that are playing in the movie of your life. Let the soundtrack be a crescendo of courage and excitement as you reach for your hopes and dreams.

A Journey of HOPE – Sharing My New Book

Is your tendency to be HOPEful or doubtful?

Do you believe HOPE is wishful and based on fantasy?

Or is HOPE something you are confident of?

Hope is sometimes a double-edged sword. Hope gives us something to aspire to, to look forward to and to cling onto. But when we lose hope, it is a desperate situation that can lead to despair. When Hope is based on what we want, but we are not in control of the situation, then the feeling of hope can easily turn into feelings of anxiety and uncertainty. On the other hand, when Hope is based on a sovereign God, we can trust Him to make all things good, according to His plan.

This year, I decided to write my third book based on HOPE – Living in Humility, Obedience, Power and Endurance. It is a small book with four main chapters on Humility, Obedience, Power and Endurance – each chapter consist of a story from the Bible, a personal story, ending with practical applications – to bring Hope to a world which longs for something unshakable and unbreakable.

It has been a journey of reflecting on my Hope which relies on a sovereign God, a Hope that is based on WHO HE IS – a loving, compassionate and faithful God. I realise that a hope based on my effort and status will always fall short. A hope based on how I feel will always be wavering and unstable. A hope based on circumstances out of my control will result in anxiety and uncertainty. Through my many trials and tribulations, I found only one Hope beats them all – that is the confident divine Hope of a faithful God who never fails us.

I am thrilled to announce that I have published my HOPE book on Amazon Kindle today. Another thing you can shop for on this 11.11 day sale!!!

This is my invitation to you today – to place your Hope in a God who is ever loving, full of compassion and always faithful. He is always with us, and never abandon us in our time of need. He has great plan to grow us in strength and maturity, and for us to live a full and abundant life.

Do You Have 8 Minutes?

When you need help, do you ask for help?

Or would you keep quiet for fear of troubling your friend or family?

Or would you ask indirectly and hoping they would figure out it’s your cry for help?

This was what transpired during a video interview with Simon Sinek. He was talking to his friend and found out she had gone through a terrible time. He was unhappy that his good friend didn’t reach out to him when she was going through the challenging time. She said she did – she had asked him if he wanted to come over? But how could he tell that it was a cry for help!?

He found out through a study that it takes 8 minutes for someone who is struggling to help them get back on track. So he came out with this code for help – Do you have 8 minutes? It means, I need you.

In another video by Simon Sinek, he said: we don’t build trust by offering help, we build trust by asking for it. We avoid asking for help from our family and friends for fear of troubling them. Yet we don’t realize that we are denying them the opportunity to help you in your time of need. Just like how they were there for you, you want to be there for them as well. Friendships are two-way street. Friendships are give-and-take. Friendships require vulnerability and courage.

It is oftentimes difficult to ask for help. Sometimes, it is with good intention for not troubling others. Other times, we are embarrassed to let people know the situation we are in, especially if it is a shameful or awkward or complicated situation. However, when we don’t ask for help, we are trapped in a dire situation alone. When we feel we have no one to turn to and nowhere to go, we feel desperate, despair and hopeless, which might lead to undesirable consequences.

This is my invitation to you today – give a trusted friend or family an opportunity to help you when you need help. You don’t need to go through life alone. There is always someone who is willing to help you. Show all your trusted friends this post so that they will understand when you ask: Do you have 8 minutes?

5 Cs to Accelerate Your Life

What has changed or improved in the past year?

What do you want to do with the rest of your life?

What are the dreams that you want to pursue?

Recently, I watched Terri Saville-Foy’s video on her talk in a Christian conference on the 5 Keys to Acceleration – Clarity, Confession, Continual Growth, Constant Gratitude, and Consistent Giving. This is my take on it.

  1. CLARITY – Be crystal clear on what God has called me to do or to be, and pursue my divine dreams courageously and with clear purpose
  2. CONFESSION – speak out loud my words, declare my vision and goals, and daily affirm God’s promises in spoken words
  3. CONTINUAL GROWTH – make it a continuous life-long journey of learning and growing till the day I die, and seek God’s wisdom
  4. CONSTANT GRATITUDE – give thanks to God for His countless blessings, and for the adversities that has pushed me closer to Him. And also, thank God in advance for His abundant blessings coming my way
  5. CONSISTENT GIVING – sow wherever and whenever there is a need. You will reap what you sow, and much more than you sow. Finance is one of the ways God tests our faith – He has been faithful and always shown His abundant blessings to me – without fail – even though there were many times when I still worry about it.

I would describe myself as a “thinker”, even an “over-thinker”. But I suspect that thinking so much has not given me that great a clarify – until I write it down. So I always write things down, to the extent that a friend called me as a “scriber”! Now, I am levelling up to – speaking out my words. Yes, I have started speaking out loud my prayers and Bible verses while driving alone in the car. In fact, I am reading out loud this blog post now!

This is my invitation to you today – seek clarity and write it down, confess your words to change your life, keep learning, always be grateful and give generously. Do not waste your precious time – accelerate your life and achieve the dream life that God has already planned for you.

The Success Habit of Keeping Your Promises

Do you say one thing but do another?

Do you find excuses not to do what you said you would?

Do you still keep on making the same promises and breaking them?

I was watching an Instagram reel and this guy was saying that this is THE ONE habit that you must keep if you want to succeed in your life – do what said you would do. So simple, yet so profound! It hit me hard as I have developed the bad habit of putting off the things I said I would do, and often breaking the promises I have made to myself.

I realize that it doesn’t matter what productivity hack I have discover, or new insights I have gained, or new skills/talents I have developed – if I don’t keep the promises I made to myself and to do the things I said I would do. For example, every night, I say I want to sleep early. Guess what – I always end up losing track of my time scrolling through social media, and sleeping way later than I should!

This is what I figure I must do:

  1. Write it Down – put pen to paper, or type it on your gadget – and more importantly, write down why it is important to do it
  2. Prepare an Action Plan – determine what are the tasks involved, how long it is estimated to take or deadlines, and sometimes, the people involved
  3. Get an Accountability Partner – to keep you accountable for your actions – for me, this works like magic!
  4. Celebrate all the small wins – each celebration triggers the brain to want to do more of it – it is a dopamine reward to keep up your momentum

I know that when I keep the promises I made to myself, my trustworthiness and self-esteem increases. I feel more confident to take up more challenges in the future, because I can trust myself to do the things I said I would do.

This is my invitation to you: start keeping small promises to yourself and celebrate each small win. Build on this habit and keep on levelling up.

Normalizing the Future You Want

Have you tried visualization?

Have you thought about your future?

Have you visualized a future that you want?

I just finished Rob Dial’s book, “Level Up – How to Get Focused, Stop Procrastinating and Upgrade Your Life”. His chapter on visualisation talked about normalising the future that you want. What the author did was to use all his five senses to visualize his dream house in Rome – checking Google Map for the street view, drinking the taste and smell of the Roman coffee, listening to the street sounds of Rome. Hence, he became so excited to take action towards his dream house in Rome! It has become his new neighbourhood, in fact, in faster time than he had expected!

The other aspect he mentioned was raising your standard. He gave an example of someone changing jobs – he would usually choose a higher-pay job. He has raised his standard of salary.

He said that we need to set the standard first because standards are what allow us to follow through on developing our habits. We live by our standards. It really got me thinking about the standards that I have set for myself. Do I have a high standard for my work and projects – or am I settling for average? Confession: for some aspects of my life, I have been settling for average. But this is not the future I want!

I realized that I need to raise the standard for myself and to normalise a future that I want. I need to curb my social media distractions, and focus on my side hustle projects. One of the things that Rob Dial mentioned is daily micro-actions – to have deliberate practice and to strive for consistent progress. It is the daily micro-actions that is compounded over the days and weeks, months and years!

Today, I invite you to seek a higher standard for yourself – to Level Up – and to visualise a future that you want and normalise it. I always believe that we are created to be more and better!