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Feeling is for Thinking. Thinking is for Action.

While I was reading Daniel Pink’s book, The Power of Regrets, this line struck me and got me thinking:

Feeling is for Thinking. Thinking is for Action.

As the year comes to an end, I can’t help feeling many emotions: joy, gratitude and blessed, as well as disappointment and regrets. What he said first – feeling is for thinking – made me reflect on my feelings and what they mean to me. Then he said – thinking is for action – inspires me to step into the new year with boldness and courage.

Feeling: What surfaced This Year Matters

Year-end feelings are not distractions to be skimmed over, they reveal true indicators of our past year. They point to what we have valued this year, and what we are grateful for this year. Where there are regrets for the year, it points to what has continued to stir in our hearts.

Search me, O God, and know my heart – Psalm 139:23

Thinking: Reflection turns Feeling into Wisdom

Feelings are fleeting and not always dependable, yet they are useful for reflection and insight. Sitting with our feelings makes us pause for self-reflection, which will lead us to better thinking, insight and wisdom.

Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom – Psalm 90:12

Action: Obedience is the bridge to the Next Chapter

The end of a year leads to the beginning of a new year, just like closing one door and opening a new door. A time to let go of the year that is ending, and embrace a new year – with the alignment of the heart for faithful obedience to God. To say “Yes!” to God. To make the decision that has been delayed long enough. To take action with renewed courage. To setup systems in place rather than rely on my willpower or discipline. To trust in God’s plan for me.

Do not merely listen to the word… Do what it says – James 1:22

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you: sit with your feelings, reflect on them to lead you to your thinking, then let your thinking lead you to your action. Because when reflection turns into obedience, regret turns into redemption – a new chapter and a new year begins.

From Regret to Redemption

I just finished Daniel Pink’s book, “The Power of Regret – How Looking Backward Moves Us Forward”. He identified four types of regrets – what it sounds like and the human needs it reveals:

Type of Regret What it sounds like The Human Needs it Reveals
Foundation If only I’d done the work Stability
Boldness If only I’d taken the risk Growth
Moral If only I’d done the right thing Goodness
Connection If only I’d reached out Love

A solid foundation. A little boldness. Basic morality. Meaningful connection. The negative emotion of regret reveals the positive path of living – Daniel Pink, The Power of Regret.

As much as we would like to live a life without regrets, we realize that it is impossible – from the small regret of eating the extra slice of cake to major regret of ruining a marriage or business.

However, regret is not failure. Often, God uses regret as a turning point:

  • Peter deeply regretted denying Jesus three times. In return, Jesus asked him three times, “Do you love me?”. Then Jesus built the foundation of His church with Peter.
  • Moses spent 40 years regretting a rash decision that caused him to flee to the desert. Yet God prepared him as a shepherd so that he could lead a nation out of Egypt.
  • Paul carried the weight of persecuting Christians, until God appeared and spoke to him, “Why are you persecuting me?”. This transformed him to become one of the most powerful apostle to spread the Good News to many pagan nations.

God has a long history of redeeming regrets. He used our past regrets to become wisdom and conviction to move us forward in a way that no other way could. God had used all my regrets for His purpose, and redeemed me in His love, grace and hope. Looking back, there was no other way God could have convicted me from my stubborn heart, except through the pain and sorrow of regret. What I had regretted – revealed to me what I truly valued.

For all of us still wallowing in the “If Only” Regrets, God is calling us to His redemption of grace and hope, to lead us to our salvation.

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today: to seek God’s redemption for your regrets.

When Small Neglects grow into Big Regrets

Following up from last week’s post, I am again sharing from Steven Bartlett’s book, The Diary of a CEO, with the following quote:

The smallest seeds of today’s negligence will bloom into tomorrow’s biggest regrets.

Big regrets rarely being with big decisions. It’s easy to overlook the tiny choices that shape our future. Skipping what matters today may not hurt now – but it grows roots that can choke tomorrow’s dreams. Every small act of negligence – a skipped prayer, an unspoken apology, a delayed dream – plants a seed. Over time, these seeds grow roots. They don’t stay small, they become the regrets that weight us down in the future.

The Danger of Small Neglect

Neglect rarely begins as rebellion – it starts with small compromises – skipping prayer, ignoring rest, sleeping late, extra cheat days, delaying forgiveness. Over time, these grow into habits that harden our hearts and blur our focus.

Song of Solomon 2:15 – Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards

The Power of Daily Faithfulness

God calls us to be diligent in the small and ordinary. Small acts of obedience – reading His Word, showing kindness, staying discipline – are what prepare us for greater things. The habits we form today, will lead us to our future self. Faithfulness is built in the small moment – the prayers whispered in tiredness, the kindness extended when no one returns it, the obedience that feels unseen.

Luke 16:10 – Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.

Redeeming what we’ve Neglected

Even when we’ve let things slip, God can redeem our wasted time and renew our strength when we turn back to HIm. Restoration begins with repentance and a fresh commitment to act today, not someday.

Joel 2:25 – I will restore to you the years that the locusts have eaten.

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today: do not allow our small neglects today to grow into big regrets in our future. If we have been neglecting something important – prayer, purpose, calling – it’s not too late. Start again today.

Because regrets begin small – but so do miracles!

Easy to Do, Easy Not To Do

I am currently reading Steven Bartlett’s book, The Diary of a CEO. I am in the chapter for Law 19, You Must Sweat the Small Stuff, and this one sentence jumped at me:

It’s an unfortunate reality of life that things that are easy to do are also very easy not to do.

This is so true! There are so many easy things that we can do – say a kind word, write an encouraging message, compliment someone, pray a few minutes, journaling, call someone – yet it is just as easy for us not to do it. I guess it is because it is easy to do – that it also becomes easy not to do.

Steve Bartlett believes in sweating the small stuffs. It’s because the small easy things that we do, or not do, have compounding effect. You won’t see it today or tomorrow – but it will eventually catch up with you, and you will see the compounding effects of all the easy actions you did, or did not do.

Small Steps Build Great Foundations

God values faithfulness in the small things. It’s often the unseen, easy-to-overlook daily actions that build the strongest spiritual and personal foundations. Even God sweats the small stuffs!

Luke 16:10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much.”

Neglect Has Consequences

The danger of “easy not to do” is that neglect doesn’t show its effects immediately, hence easily ignored. Skipping prayer once feels harmless. Putting off a healthy choice seems minor. But over time, these small “nos” accumulate into a missed harvest. Some of our health problems stem from years (or decades) of unhealthy habits or lifestyle choices.

Galatians 6:7 “A man reaps what he sows.”

Choose Faithful Consistency Over Occasional Intensity

Grand gestures are inspiring, but daily consistency transforms lives. It’s in the quiet, repeated choices that character and destiny are shaped. It is the consistent small gains that will bring great reward.

James 1:22 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today: reflect on the small easy to do actions that you’ve been “meaning to do” – go do it consistently, and see how your future can change for the better.

Trusting Life’s Traffic Lights

Recently, I read Matthew McConaughey’s book, “Greenlights”. Yes, the American actor who made the famous line, “Alright! Alright! Alright!”. He wrote this book based on his many years of journaling. The green lights were moments when his life seem to flow effortlessly. In contrast, he also had red lights and yellow lights – when there were delay, setbacks, and slowdowns in his life.

The question today is this: What if these green, yellow and red lights are God’s ways of directing our paths?

Red Lights – God’s Protection

We tend to see red lights in our lives as failure or rejection, but often it is God protecting us. We are so sure of our own ways, or we want things in our timing, that we don’t see the red light stopping us from crashing into a busy intersection in our lives. In hindsight, we can sometimes see God’s protection revealed from what we thought was a missed opportunity.

Proverbs 16:9 In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps

Yellow Lights – God’s Preparation

Many a times, we feel frustrated when things are on hold, when we are stuck, or our plans are thwarted. We feel disappointed, even at God. In wisdom, we will later find out that it was a season of preparation, growth and testing of our patience and perseverance.

Isaiah 40:31 – But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

Green Lights – God’s Provision

Have you ever go through a green wave – a series of green lights driving through a stretch of street? Green lights in our lives feel good – when doors are open, prayers are answered, and we are moving forward. Green lights remind us that God is faithful in blessing us and that He is a God of Abundance.

Ecclesiastes 3:1 There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today: (1) be patient and trust God in the red lights, (2) prepare yourself and seek growth during the yellow lights, and (3) praise and thank God for the many green lights in your life. Let us always surrender to God’s timing for every red, yellow and green lights in our lives.

Unwinding Anxiety: Finding Peace Beyond the Craving Mind

We live in an anxious age—restless minds, racing thoughts, and hearts burdened with “what ifs.” Dr. Judson Brewer, in his work The Craving Mind and Unwinding Anxiety, explains that much of our anxiety isn’t random. It’s a habit loop, a craving cycle:

Trigger: We feel fear, uncertainty, or stress.

Behavior: We worry or seek quick relief (distraction, scrolling, overworking).

Result: Temporary comfort, but anxiety grows stronger.

Anxiety, then, becomes a habit. The good news? Habits can be unwound.

The Bible already spoke to this long before neuroscience confirmed it: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:6–7).

God doesn’t just command us not to be anxious—He gives us a replacement habit: prayer, gratitude, trust.

3 Ways to Unwind Anxiety, Biblically and Practically:

1. Notice the Loop

Anxiety often starts subtly. Jesus said, “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:34). Pause. Name what you’re feeling. Awareness is the first step in breaking the cycle.

2. Shift the Focus

Instead of fuelling the loop with worry, redirect it to God. Peter reminds us, “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7). Prayer is not about ignoring reality but handing it over to the One who holds it.

3. Practice Loving-Kindness & Gratitude

Dr. Brewer suggests a simple but powerful exercise: silently repeat phrases of loving-kindness—first toward yourself, then toward others:

“May I be well.”

“May I be free from suffering.”

“May I be at peace.”

“May others be well.”

This practice breaks anxiety’s self-focused grip and expands the heart outward. Scripture mirrors this: “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). Gratitude and love not only rewire the anxious mind, they align us with God’s heart.

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today: be intentional in noticing the habit loops in your life, then shift the focus to God, practicing loving-kindness and gratitude.

The Sacred Art of Savouring

Recently, I read Chris Bailey’s “How to Calm Your Mind”, and what struck me was the concept of savouring – our mind’s ability to attend to and appreciate positive experiences. He talked about chronic stress and burnout, and one of the ways of overcoming them is savouring our moments and being engaged – instead of always pursuing and achieving more. What’s the point of our achievements if we don’t savour what we have and what we have achieved?

Savouring isn’t just a productivity hack; it is deeply spiritual. The bible reminds us: “taste and see that the Lord is good” (Psalm 34:8). When we savour, we awaken to God’s presence in our everyday lives.

Savouring shifts our focus from busyness to Presence

Our current obsession with busyness has robbed us of joy. When we savour, we shift from rushing to noticing, observing, enjoying. Whether it’s the warmth of the sunlight, the aroma of a drink, the smile of a loved one, we become present – and in presence, we meet God, and His beautiful creation.

Savouring strengthens Gratitude

When we savour, we stretch moments instead of letting them slip away. Gratitude naturally follows because we savouring highlight’s God’s gifts, which we might easily miss or take for granted. Paul’s reminder to “give thanks in all circumstances” (1 Thessalonians 5:18) becomes easier when we savour the ordinary.

Savouring is a Spiritual Discipline

Far from being indulgent, savouring is a discipline. It’s choosing to slow down enough to see God’s hand at work in our daily lives. We notice and appreciate the small and meaningful things in our lives – the laughter at meal times, the friend who called or messaged or came over, the spouse who helped with chores. This practice trains our hearts to remain rooted in joy, even when life feels uncertain.

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you: savour all the big and small moments in your life, and savour the presence of God.

The Shift from Let Them to Let Me Be Empowered

Last week, I talked about Mel Robbin’s book, The Let Them Theory. This week, I want to continue on the shift to Let Me – to empower me to grow, to shine and to walk boldly in my divine dream. I know it can be challenging, as I sometimes struggle to get out of my comfort zone.

Let Me Show Up Imperfect but Willing

Most of the time, I would prefer to plan properly and get things ready before starting anything. Or maybe it is my excuse for procrastination. God is seeking our obedience, not our effort and skills. In fact, He wants us to obey Him and rely on Him to do His will. I read this quote: God does not call the equipped, He equips those He calls. Therefore, trust God to equip you – just show up and do whatever He asks you to do. He is a God of “Mission Impossible” – so be willing to do the impossible and give Him all the glory for HIS great works (yes, not my works).

Let Me trust and obey God.

Let Me show up and be empowered.

Let Me learn and grow.

“My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” — 2 Corinthians 12:9

Let Me Shine Unapologetically

Sometimes, it seems safer in the shadow, than to be in the spotlight. We become comfortable in the shadow, as it can be quite uncomfortable to be in the spotlight. Not only that, the shadow also keeps people around us comfortable.

Yet God has called us to shine – to reflect God’s glory in our lives. We are God’s masterpiece. We are called to live big, audacious and bold lives. He gives us divine dreams to pursue boldly, even outrageously. Yet, too often, we shrink to fit into our limited beliefs and the expectations of people around us. How are we giving glory to God when we continue to stay in the shadows?

Let Me Shine.

Let Me Be Unapologetic.

Let Me Level Up.

“For we are God’s masterpiece, created in Christ Jesus to do good works…” — Ephesians 2:10

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today: trust and obey God wholeheartedly – to pursue your boldest and wildest dreams, so that you can shine unapologetically and give glory to Him.

Let Them: The Freedom of Letting Go What You Can’t Control

Last week, I read Mel Robbin’s book, The Let Them Theory. I was quite blown away by the simplicity and impact of her theory. People all over the world are raving about it, even having tattoos of “Let Them”. She has made it so practical and easy to understand. For me, I became more aware of the stress and frustration of wanting to control – and learning to let go of it. For my faith, it meant letting go and letting God.

Let Them Be Who They Are – and Be Free from the need to fix them

Mel Robbins said that human beings have a hardwired need for control. With that, comes the need to repair, fix and change people. Her theory advocates to simply let people be who they are, thereby freeing you from the responsibility of changing their behaviour, and you can let go of the frustration of trying to change people, which is an impossible task.

Let Them disagree.

Let Them talk or say whatever they want.

Let Them go or do whatever they want.

What we gain is the emotional peace, self-respect and healthier relationships, where love is not based on control, but on freedom.

“If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.” (Romans 12:18)

Let Me be True to Who God Called Me to Be

The other side of the coin for the Let Them Theory is – Let Me. It is to remind myself – to give myself permission to grow, to be who I am, and to walk in God’s calling for my life

Let Me choose peace over people pleasing.

Let Me set boundaries without guilt.

Let Me make my decisions with courage.

What we gain here is boldness, self-compassion and alignment with God’s calling for our lives.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago” (Ephesians 2:10)

My Invitation

This is my invitation to you today: to embrace the Let Them theory of choosing peace over pressure, growth over control, and freedom over frustration. Then Let Me take back control of my life and be the best version of me.

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!

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.

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!