Hey Ambassadors, just read on to get some value added to your life!

We humans have choices to make. We are the only part of this world that can choose what we do. But how do you know what the outcome of my choices would be.

Well, I have come to realize that these answers are hidden in the other part of our world that cannot make choices…they are hidden in the plants, our everyday lives, the oceans, the air, everything outside of inside of us. The same principles of nature that govern these non-living creatures can be equally applied to our everyday life.   (hmmm…that sounds really wierd right?)

One simple example, is the plants. Every plant needs nutrients to grow, without nutrients it cannot grow. Same applies to our bodies, without food we cannot grow… (duh..)

OK!, with that in mind, I would like to talk about one very important property of plants that really really apply to our lives as humans. Understanding this principle can help you understand yourself better and also give you the correct mindset to stand out amongst equals.

Every plant has a particular fruit it produces, and unfortunately, thats all it can produce. ‘Apple trees can only produce apples’, ‘Grape trees can only produce grapes’ and nothing more because all it has is grape seeds. (If you’ve seen an orange tree producing apple fruit please let me know I’d be eager to see it..Thanks)

Likewise ourselves, we can only produce what we have. In our world, what we have mainly refers to our knowledge and experience, which can only be seen in what we say and what we can do. You only know its and apple tree when you see the fruit. You can’t possibly teach Programming if you have never studied it, or make a sale if you have no idea about the product.

So hmm…what the point in all these..

First thing, if you really want to make it big or stand out amongst equals, you’ve got to make it a point to embrace every opportunity to learn something new or to get experience in any thing. The more you know the more you can produce.

Secondly, plants always produce what they have. A tree cannot decide whether or not it wants to produce fruits. So in everywhere you find yourself, its beneficial to make it a point to exercise any skill or experience you have. It ‘ll die if you just hide it.

“Natural resources are wasted by over using them,

But man’s resources are wasted by not using them at all”  (Zig Ziglar)

THINK AGAIN

As we all know, last Saturday 21st June 2008, was a reunion for the first cohort of the Moneytree-ers. It was a heart-warming reunion as almost everyone turned up. It’s been eons since we actually gathered together as one group and just enjoyed every minute we spend together.

We had this reunion mainly to play this game called Cashflow 101 invented by Mr Robert Kiyosaki. The game really taught me a lot. Being a “Doctor” in that game was an advantage because everytime I passed “Paycheck”, I’d receive about $3000++ while the others just receive a mere $1000-$2000. But despite having the highest income, I did  not manage to exit the ‘Rat Race’ due to majorly insufficient Passive Income.

Truth be told, this game actually opened up my eyes to what the real working life was all about. I guess the adults go through a fundamental kaleidoscope of life - wake up, go to work, come home, sleep - it’s the same thing time and again for about 40-50 years of their lives.

It’s scares me a lot to think that I’ll have to go through that. But what Cashflow 101 has taught me is that we should grab every opportunity that is given to us. Just grab an opportunity that’s smacked in front of our faces. One sad thing is that more often than not, people tend to be blinded by the fact that there aren’t any opportunities coming their way but in actual fact, it’s actually right in front of them, only that they’re completely oblivious to it. And these opportunities would just pass them by.

This is a good example of myself in the game of Cashflow 101. I started improving at the last few minutes of the game when I learned from my mistakes and also learned from my fellow friend’s successes. Overall, I think the game is a really good game for working adults. I benefited a lot from this game, being only a student. They should realise that they should not be oppressed in the ‘Rat Race’ for the rest of their working lives. I believe that everyone deserves all the riches in life. That is why, this game is a good opportunity for people especially adults to understand what financial freedom can do for them.

Other than enjoying the Cashflow 101 game, I enjoyed the company of my Moneytree friends (: We should organise more get-togethers. This could help strengthen the bond between us and would eventually lead to encouraging other people to join this bond we share.

Thank you Moneytree for actually opening up my eyes to the real world.

This is Tragic!

Horrific Stats to Take Note

• Those under 30 made up 7% of all bankrupts
• Increased to 12% this year
• Due to consumerism
• Lack of financial and credit management
• Underestimate the amount of money needed for a certain lifestyle
• Overspending
• Banks giving many young working adults credit cards

Wanna be like them? Yes? No? Life in Singapore is harsh if you lack the financial capability. Even worse if you do not equip yourself with financial education. I wouldn’t wanna be like her in the future.

Adapted from :

News that Matter

Global warming is partly the product of man’s greed for wealth. Ever since the industrial era, factories boomed, and now with China even, in the market, churning out tons and tons of greenhouse gases into the air. Some say we are going to be free of ice this summer. People give excuses like ” I have only 100 years to live, why should I care? I should be dead by then. ” That’s why MediaCorp actually made the advertisement on global warming. We are actually harming the next generation, that apparently did not do anything to deserve this!

The rub is, if the vast majority of people increasingly agree that climate change is a global emergency, there’s far less consensus on how to fix it. Industry offers its plans, which too often would fix little. Environmentalists offer theirs, which too often amount to naive wish lists that could cripple America’s growth. But let’s assume that those interested parties and others will always be at the table and will always—sensibly—demand that their voices be heard and that their needs be addressed. What would an aggressive, ambitious, effective plan look like—one that would leave us both environmentally safe and economically sound?

Everyone have their concerns on global warming. But are they actually doing something or know what to do to prevent it from worsening? Some players offer their plans to conserve the Earth, but at the expense of hurting the economy. This may be due to the high cost of operations. For example, closing down of greenhouse gas-emitting factories, that will actually cause the economy to worsen. What we have to essentially do now, is to think of a way where we can protect the environment but not destroy our economy at the same time.

The most important part of a blueprint to contain climate change is to put a charge on carbon emissions. As long as the sky is free, renewable energy will never beat fossil fuels. But put a price on carbon, and suddenly the alternatives look a lot better. The most feasible way to do this is through a cap-and-trade system that sets ceilings for carbon output and lets companies that come in under the limit sell credits to those that don’t, allowing them to keep polluting—a little. The effect is that overall carbon levels fall, and there is even money to be made by being greener than the next guy. That drives investment and research dollars into renewable energy and efficiency. “Cap and trade changes everything,” says Krupp.

The only way to stop these factories (that just put money as no.1 on their priority list), is to charge them for harming the environment. For every carbon dioxide molecule you release, you pay a fine. Let’s face it, green fuels are just so expensive that people are not even thinking it as an alternative to conventional petrol and electricity ( yes electricity is polluting the environment. Do you know how electricity is formed? ) Monetary incentives will also be given to companies who are green. Isn’t that nice?

Conclusion

Let’s face this. We will never stop global warming unless the world decides to put monetary gains as second on their priority list. However, we people still can play our part. Being green ourselves is good enough. There are billions of people living in this world. If all of us could turn green and not harm the environment, believe me, we will soon live in a better world.

So what now you say? Singapore still has a lot of space for you to set up an initiative to support green. Whether it is to set up an organization that promotes green awareness or a business that turns people, houses, corporate buildings green, you’ll definitely have a chance to make it big.

Adapted from :

Ok, this world is just filled with busy people. Yes I know, because I’m a Singaporean myself. Whether we use busy as an excuse to get away from something or just say it because you are really busy, let’s put it this way, it’s quite a fast paced country we’re living in. With competition in school and even in the workplace, man, I’ll salute the next person who says they’re loving it here in Singapore. Not that I hate it, but man its tough being a kid!

News that Matter

So I came up with a plan to update you people on some of the news from around the world. Yep, be it from my very own eyes, from other blogs or even companies like TIME or Forbes, it’ll sure be good. It will basically tell you about things you should care about as business people and also investors. Yes, if you’re gonna ever be treated like investors, it’d better be now. This will be a separate page on its own.

It will be on a daily basis no worries. Guys, remember what Michael said? You have to have the good habit of reading. You’ll go nowhere without reading. Yes, you’ll say you don’t need to know this cos you wanna do your own business in Singapore. BUT will you succeed if you do not know the market you’re jumping in? Do you know the market value? Market growth? All these will come to life when you start reading alright?