Do You Wake up on Time?

Just wondering how many of you are able to wake up on time every morning?

Some people wake up automatically. Some people are very discipline. Some people are force to do so. Some people are lazy. Some people off the alarm, and sleep back. Some people are having good imagination that they are waking up in their dream. Some just don't care about the alarm and continue sleeping. So which type of person are you?

For those belong to category 1 and 2, congratulations. You are my idol in this area. No doubt, I'm the type where I sleep back after turn off the alarm. It's simple, I would like to continue to sleep and I guess I don't have enough sleep. I also don't want to think about what is going to happen next in the new day.

I usually sleep around 11.30pm to 12am. And set the alarm to ring around 7.15am. That's about 7 to 7.5 hours sleep. But that only last me till 6pm then I'll drop on my table to take a short nap.

After I read a book named The Sell by Fedrik Eklund early this month. I realized the reason and I can actually overcome it. I have been consistently wake up on time over the past 3 weeks. What is his advice?

Nothing new. Get enough sleep. Human needs 7 to 8 hours sleep a day. Apart from that, we need a goal to wake up on time. For him, getting more deals and paychecks are the main motivation to get him up on time at 5.30am, and sleep at 10am. By following his advice, I started to sleep around 11 to 11.15am. I also think about what motivates me to go work, and how I can increase my income. Then here I go.

I'm not sure how long can it lasts, but at least it temporary resolves my overslept issue. Have a great new Monday ahead!

Do We need to Humble?

My dad is a person that like to talk a lot, talk like he is very good, excel and know everything. On the other hand, my mum is a very humble person. She always taught me to be humble even though we are good at certain thing. The only thing she likes to show off is about her children’s achievement. She is always proud about it. Just happened that my dad also likes to do so, including his grandson, a lot.

I have seen many people who like to extremely like to show off, extremely humble until tell lies to deny their achievements. Well, I’m those people who are extremely humble. I feel myself is just a normal person, nothing superior and living in a difficult situation. In fact, I also have nothing to show off on top of my mum’s lecturing. I wish to show off to my buddies and friends that I have a pretty girl friend, making good income, become celebrity or success in career. But somehow, I did not achieve neither. By growing older, I think these are just materialistic things to me now.

Until today, I really cannot think of 1 single thing I’m proud of. All the things I achieved are just mediocre and below par. So I want to show off, but I cannot. So I think myself is acting humble.

Anyway, a mentor used to advice, there is no point for a mediocre person to be humble. People do not feel the need to be humble, because you are not outstanding. 

Even you are trying to show off, people will aware you are nothing. However, just imagine if Warren Buffet said, I’m not really success in stock market investment, but just look for 2 meals. And imagine if I say that. What’s the difference?

What my mentor is trying to bring out is, you don't have to be purposely humble, but be yourself. Humility doesn't bring any effect to most of us, but to the successful person. When you achieve something, do remember where are you come from and there's always someone better than you do. That’s the right thing to do.

Best Time for Investment

Do you know what is the best time to invest?

I started to invest in stock market in the early of year 2009, when the market was just started to recover. In fact, I did not really meet any serious bear market yet by then, except the recently black August where the KLCI index has drop more than 15% and MYR currency has depreciated against USD more than 27%.

In these 7 years of investment experience, I learned that the best time to invest is the worst period. Sorry to tell you the same thing again from what other experts told you before.

Warren Buffet said, be fearful when others are greedy, be greedy when others are fearful. This is a golden rule in stock market, or any investment. But what did normally people do and practice? They follow the crowd. When others started to make money, we observe. When others made tonnes of money, we started to follow. When we make some money, we sleep into it. We are part of the greedy crowd and eventually we donated our hard earn money to the market.

No doubt I have been making growing profits from year 2009 till 2013. Nonetheless, I started to make loss last year, and this year. Partly due to did not spend much effort in analyzing the company fundamental, and partly I have invested some companies that are already in the end of the cycle, such as plantation, O&G and property developer.

Anyway, that's not the point and they were just part of my mistakes and failure experience. I also caught the right trend before, such as rubber gloves and technology companies that brought me handsome profits.

From the black August few months back, my total stock investment has made paper loss of 10%. Actually it is much more worse as few of them are dropped more than 30%. The loss is mitigated due to 50% of my portfolio are investing in REIT and high dividend companies. I tried to control my emotion but eventually I disposed most of the heavy losing companies. Then I swift part of the extra funds to go for those export manufacturers which earn in USD.

No doubt, within 2 months time, I made handsome profit of 20-40% from few companies. Unfortunately, I just swing part of the extra funds to invest. And also due to the heavy loss earlier, I'm still making minor loss for this year in overall.

By in conclusion, I realized it really can make handsome profit during difficult time, during the time when everyone is disappointed and away with the market. Like the expert shared, when you feel like you are afraid and worrying when you click at order butting, that's the right time to buy! Not the time when you feel excited. I totally agreed with this experience.

Since the market has recovered more or less for now and KLCI index has already shoot back up to 1,700 points, perhaps we will have to wait for the next round of serious correction or bear market.

Motivation

We usually have about 10 to 15 folks to gather and play badminton to kill our Sunday morning. Over the past few months, my performance is degrading, stamina dropping and I don't see myself has any improvement or breakthrough. I'm telling myself, perhaps it's time to either retiring from badminton, or change to other sport hobby.

As usual, we play at new court this morning due to our usual venue has been reserved for competition. I have to admit I've played so well in all my games this morning, the first time of the year. I have full control of the game, where I can easily move forward and backward without getting tired.

I have been thinking about it after went home. I think I found motivation and that's why I played so well. How the motivation comes? There's a bunch of young people including few pretty ladies waiting for their court to be cleared and they are watching how we play. I feel really motivated when they watching us. But why I'm motivated?

I think it's some sort of chemistry that makes me into my peak desire to play the games. It just cannot explained. But why some other times when there's crowd or ladies around, I couldn't performed?

Same goes to my career, where I have almost lost my motivation to move further. I'm stuck there, wake up late to work, and did not put much effort in building the business lately. I'm tiring, sick of building new network, and giving up to think how to resolve the problems.

Thank God that I realized one thing today after the badminton games. It's not about the crowd or ladies, but one important thing.

It's about teamwork and support. If your partner did not set properly for you, you cannot score. If your partner plays very badly, you'll be demotivated. Without the support from your favorite person, it's difficult to breakthrough because you'll feel lonely.

On top of these 2 keys, another most important key is persistence. If you never give up, you are not consider lose. If you never give up, may be your lucky moment will comes. If you never give up, you will be succeed one day. Sounds familiar? Yes, everyone agree with it, but how many can last?

I would suggest, persistence with improvement. Try to improve bit by bit day by day if not week by week, put extra effort, get a mentor to guide, work hard and then only be persistence. That's where never give up will change your luck one day.

:)