Tag: motivation

The Parable of the Pump

January 21, 2012 Personal Branding disabled comments

Zig Ziglar Parable of the Pump
Zig Ziglar (courtesy of Decisive Minds)

Zig Ziglar (Hilary Hinton) may be 85 years of age, but he sure packed a lot of punch in his speeches.

A highly respected motivational speaker grounded in Christian values, Zig is known for his fiery workshops and power-packed programmes focused on motivation, success and salesmanship. He is also a champion sales trainer, having mastered the art of selling.

In a recent podcast I listened to, Zig spoke about the story of the pump.


The Last Lecture: Book Review

November 10, 2011 Book Reviews 1 comment

“We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand.” – Randy Pausch (RIP 25 July 2008)

I first blogged about Carnegie Mellon Professor Randy Pausch back in 28 July 2008, 3 days after his death from pancreatic cancer. So moved was I by the video of his last lecture (do watch it if you haven’t done so), that I bought the book.  Of course, this was way before the recent death of the more famous Steve Jobs of Apple.


Remembering to Recharge

May 13, 2011 Blog disabled comments

Sunset and Moonrise

How do you regain your balance in life?  What helps you to “top up” your inner resources after a particularly trying and hectic week?

Often, the simplest pleasures in life can bring forth the greatest sense of joy and well-being. 


The Three Key Drivers of Motivation

February 11, 2011 Personal Branding 1 comment

daniel pink photo

Photo by Kris Krug

If you don’t already know it, paying people more money – at least beyond a certain point – will not result in better performance. In fact, the old carrot-and-stick approach to management is broken.

That’s what bestselling author and careerist Daniel Pink claims. According to the motivational speaker and writer, higher financial incentives only work for traditionally mechanistic roles – manufacturing tasks, book-keeping, software programming and the like.


How to Keep the Flame Burning

November 21, 2010 Blog 1 comment

Creating Exhibitions @ Science Centre
Flames like this YOG one require lots of work to keep going (at Singapore Science Centre)

Perseverance and “stick-to-itiveness” are vital virtues in any personal, social or professional endeavour. Almost anybody who has accomplished anything substantial in any undertaking would share that age-old adage. Malcolm Gladwell’s “Outliers” spelled that well with the “10,000″ hour rule. You must have also heard of how Rome wasn’t built in a day.

However, gritting your teeth and slaving to the grind isn’t the easier thing in the world. There are multiple sources of distraction, both online and offline, that may conspire to rob you of your resilience. After all, we now have multiple MMORPGs, marvellous movies, mile-long malls, and of course lots of makan places to check out.