Phantom Victory

After having being in the United Sates for 17 years I suddenly realized I have not achieved anything. All of the superficial successes I have achieved bought no fruitful result in which me or my loved ones could benefit from. I saw someone driving a really nice Mercedes Benz S class and I thought to myself I want to have a car like that too, so a few years later I bought a Lexus LS 430. I graduated from Berkeley but with a 2.95 gpa.  I worked for General Electrics and did real estate for 3 years, but I was not able to make much money or save any money from it. Actually result is the opposite, I am almost one hundred thousand in credit card debt now. 

A few months ago I attended PSI basic and there is where I came to this realization. I knew that it was a result of me taking short cuts and doing the absoluteminimumal possible to reach the most easily reachable goals and that is exactly what I managed to do. In actual practice it looks like this, I was just after the the superficial appearance.  Let us say I wanted to get into a top ranking school. I worked hard enough to get accepted, but once in there I was not working as hard as I was before because my commitment and intention is only to get into a top ranked school and graduate. I was able to fulfill this commitment and intention, but that is it. nothing more. So the result I got is a diploma that sounded good but with a poor GPA. As such I did not get much out of it because my intention was just to do the absolute minimum and reach the absolute easiest goal in the shortest amount of time. In the process of achieving this goal I made a lot of short cuts. 

Today at my first class of Introduction Leadership Class I finally figured out why I kept taking short cuts. It is because I made short cut in my integrity.  My integrity is not 100% integrity. It is an integrity with the least effort and reachable in the shortest possible time. When I was asked to committed to 100% integrity i found myself resisting it because it looked like a lot of work down the road, but it suddenly dawned on me that if I committed to 100% integrity then I would be able to get true results, results that me and my loved ones could enjoy the benefit of my victories from. So, I have decided and i am committed to 100% integrity in every part of my life. Hence my life may actually start to work and that me and my loved ones could enjoy the finer things in life and most importantly at all others would be transformed too because I am committed to 100% integrity.

You may not know it, but you are a Star.

You may not know it, but you are a Star. 　　The North Star 　　Once upon a time all the stars in the sky shine the same brightness because they all wanted to look like each other. The North Star is a much brighter star amongst these stars. Although she is much brighter, she however shines like everybody else no brighter nor dimmer because she wanted her fellow stars to accept her. The way she had been shinning was not her true natural. One day she accidentally revealed her true brightness. A day in the sky is one year on earth and she could see that all the journeymen on earth are using her as a guiding light to find direction of north, so that they can find their ways. North star felt really happy and pleased that she is able to help so many people on earth finding their ways. Although she still wanted to look the same as other fellow stars, however she stopped from dimming herself to look the same as every other star because she saw that her brightness could help so many people on earth. She continued to shine her true brightness and helping those people on the road. From thereon, she started to be her true self, a bright North Star. 　　Everything on earth originates from one source. A piece of rock, a worm, a bird, water, a human, a human of any kind, all arises from the same source in the universe. We all came from one single creator. Although we may all are very unique, however we are one the same. In physical matter we may be in unique form, however our substances are one of the same. There is no difference between you and me. 　　Some have a hard time accepting one self because he/she thinks he/she is too unique from everybody else. Although this person maybe indeed very unique from everybody else however this person is no different from everybody else. Yes indeed, some may judge this person because this person being judged is very unique from the person that is judging but that is ok. Everyone has the right to his or her opinion. Some may be open-minded while others are not. We have no control of others except ourselves. We can open our heart to everybody, instead of judging and not accepting. After all nobody is the same anyway. Why judge someone just because that someone is unique from you? More important, we will also not judge ourselves, but rather accept ourselves for who we are. We welcome the people that love us. What we will not do is to let the people that do not welcome us for who we are to diminish our self worth and our right for happiness. 　　If we have the above mentality we would no longer have hatred for anyone. We would no longer hide anything about ourselves from anyone. If we are indeed very unique from everybody else we may choose to advertise it or we may choose to just let it be but we will not make an attempt to hide it nor will we live in the fear of worrying about anybody else discovering our uniqueness. After all we are all the same, despite how unique we maybe from one another. After all being unique is a good thing. If we are exactly the same as everybody else how mundane would that be and how pointless would that be? Our unique talents would also be diminished, if we had hiding it from others. Our talents that could have helped others would have been wasted, just like North Star’’s talent to shine brighter than every other star. 　　To become a star and a champion, one has to discover and because one is able to accept the true identity of oneself, no matter how unique this identity maybe from anybody else. The big hurdle in attempting this is dealing with the appearance of social norm and social conformity. Just like initially when North Star tried to hide her brightness because she mistakenly thought every star should shine the same brightness. In many cases people are brainwashed by the massive influence of social norm and social conformity. People are almost always very unique from one another, but because social norm is such a massive force that people sometimes mistaken it as their truth identity or the accepted way to be. People mistook the conventionally accepted norm as the character of oneself because that one person is bombarded with outside information daily. So to find oneself one needs to not look outward for the true identity of oneself so to avoid mistaking conventional norm as one self’’s true identity, but to look inward to discover and find the true self. It is at this very moment when one finds true identity of oneself a star is born. Just like when North Star mistakenly found out how she could really help others when she shines her true brightness. It is then she gathered enough courage to be her true self and show her true identity. After all a star is deemed to be different. After all if a star is so mundane and ordinary like everybody else how could it ever shine? So remember to find yourself, accept and embrace your uniqueness. Discover the star in you, be daring to show your true identity regardless of how unique it maybe and be the start that you are.

两个建艾菲尔铁塔的人

我说： 新年希望！你会心想事成！

Maggie says: 谢谢！我想我不会心想事成！
我说：你会心想事成！
Maggie says:是吗？怎么我对自己这么灰心呢！？
我说：因为你一直告诉自己很灰心。你一直告诉自己不会心想事成。就这么简单。 你给自己编织的故事都是灰色的。 都是沮丧的
Maggie says: 哦，那从现在起，我要改变自己悲观的心理
我说：是的。你知道巴黎铁塔是怎么建成的吗？
Maggie says: 是的，很沮丧。 不知道？？？
我说：有一个人他想他可以建成巴黎铁塔。 然后他就写了下来。后来碰到很多困难，不过他还是相信它可以建成巴黎铁塔
Maggie says: 哦，明白了，信念，叫努力
我说：同时还有另外一个人也想到要建立巴黎铁塔。 但是他没有建成。
Maggie says: 然后呢？那是为什么呢
我说：因为他每天很沮丧。每天他告诉自己，“我没有钱，我不是建筑师，我不够聪明，我一辈子没有干成过一件事情，每天他碰到打击后就承认了那些打击是他要成功所无法攻克的障碍。是事实。他就丢掉了建立巴黎铁塔的梦想。那时候他才25岁。 他65岁的时候被埋葬了。 不过他是在25岁的时候死去的。 他的梦想和他的心在25岁就死了。 这世界上95%的人都这样。 所以95%的人都过着平庸的生活。 95%人都在虚度余生. 没有梦想，没有希望，每天就是敷衍上班，吃饭，然后找点儿小乐子提醒自己还活着。
Maggie says: 谢谢你，你这个故事很有意思。 也提醒了我
我说： 把生命中带来的转折点当作自己的成就。 比如说结婚， 生孩子。 其实是自己一生无所事事
Maggie says: 陈龙 。 你真棒。
我说：有启发吗？
Maggie says: 呵呵。 恩，你让我明白了，现在暂时清醒了！
我说：你之前都活在梦中
Maggie says: 但不知道明天睡醒后会怎样
我说：一个昏迷的梦
Maggie says: 呵呵，你好像很了解我
我说：你是在做一个被负面情绪俘虏的梦。 我不是了解你。我是了解人性

Your Mind is a Garden

Have you ever noticed on a single street there are many houses with front yards where some are very beautiful while others are rampaged by weeds? Why is it some front yards are so beautifully filled with flowers of all sorts of vibrant colors, while others is just a total mess? the difference is that the owner of the beautiful yard provides it with consistent and tender care, while the other ugly yards are neglected.

This is exactly how our mind works. some spent time daily to pray and repeat their dreams and goals in an attempt to fill their minds with positive and inspiring thoughts while others go though their day mindlessly. Our Mind is a strange thing. If we just let it be, all the thoughts going into it will be negative. If you dont believe it just reflect your past experience to see how your mind has been working.

Our behavior and actions are a direct reflection of our emotions. If we manage our emotion make sure what in our minds are postive and beautiful the actions that we take will be positive. Whereas if we are managed by our emotion our lives would be like a roller coaster because we act accourting to how we feel. We are reacting to our emotions instead of taking logical actions.

So, manage your emotion, instead of being managed by your emotion.

the Human Destiny

Past Events –> Value–> Rules–> Our Interpretation –> Emotion –> Thinking –> Decision –> Action –>needs met–> Doubts –> Refocus –> Persistence –> Dream Realized

1. Past Events: our personal experiences.
2. Value: every one of us operates under a set of values. Our value determines how we react to things.
3. Rules:  for each value we have rules. for example one may have value of love. and the rules for fulfilling the value of love maybe anytime one share love, experience love, receive love, give love, and remember the love within oneself.
4. Our Interpretation: What we make out of the experience? the story we make out of it.
5. Emotion: if in our value system we believe in pure love we would interpret events one way. on the other hand we would interpret love differently.
6. Thinking: With an emotional sentiment we then think about what we want to do.
7. Decision: then we make a decision.
8. Action: we act upon our decisions.
9. Doubts: we meet some obstacles and we may have some doubts.
10. Refocus: we think about the doubts and our reason for taking the action and we refocus and continue our original course of action.
11. Persistence: We kept going moving toward the same direction.
12. Dream Realized: until one day we have reached our dream.

Mastery Checklist by George Leonard

1. the Five Master Keys
   1. instruction
   2. Practice
   3. Surrender
   4. Intentionality
   5. The Edge
2. Dealing With Change and Homeostasis
   1. Be aware of the way homeostasis works.
   2. Be willing to negotiate with your resistance to change.
   3. Develop a support system.
   4. Follow a regular practice.
   5. Dedicate yourself to lifelong learning.
3. Getting Energy for Mastery
   1. Maintain physical fitness.
   2. Acknowledge the negative and accentuate the positive.
   3. Try telling the truth.
   4. Honor but don’t indulge your own dark side.
   5. Set your priorities.
   6. Make commitments Take action.
   7. Get on the path of mastery and stay on it.
4. Pitfalls Along the Path
   1. Conflicting way of life
   2. Obsessive goal orientation
   3. Poor instruction
   4. Lack of competitiveness
   5. Competitiveness
   6. Injuries
   7. Drugs
   8. Prizes and medals
   9. Vanity
   10. Dead seriousness
   11. Inconsistency
   12. Perfectionism

Five Guidelines for Change by George Leonard

1. Be aware of the way homeostasis works.
2. Be willing to negotiate with y our resistance to change.
3. Develop a support system.
4. Follow a regular practice.
5. Dedicate yourself to lifelong learning.

Your body is a loan

Your body is a loan.

today somebody wanted me to comment on his poem. this is what i wrote to him.

“hey buddy. thank for stopping by my page.
you know. we don’t own our body. We just have temporary custody of it. You, me, him and her, no exception. Our spirit is the only thing that is lasting. Just like your mother’s spirit is forever too. You have use of your body now, just for your life time. it is a loan from God. Don’t waste it. Use it fully, never idle, never give up, always walk toward a dream. Say to yourself, “Live Today Full Out!” Ask yourself, “what if I did not give my all and become who I could have been?!” your mother gave you this opportunity to come to this earth, to be among us. To thank her and to show her that you care why don’t you make good use of your body amd mind and the temporary time you have on earth? Yes. you will sufer, yes. you will be beat down by obstacles, but with every setbacks you gain something for your spirit. You become wiser and you evolve, and you grow. We all have the right answer inside of us. I know you do too!”

Remember the darkest hours of your life is just before dawn. If you just push a little harder you will see the sun rise. Envision how beautiful it will be when it does come. Also know that it is not the end when you do succeed because you have higher meanings and goals to go after. That is why we cannot be complacent after we have succeeded. We will continue to push ourselves outside of the comfort zone and keep going back to that darkest place, to the darkest hours of dawn because we want to see the sunrise after each night.

Mastery by Stewart Emery

Mastery in our careers (and in our lives!) requires that we constantly
produce results beyond and out of the ordinary. Mastery is a product
of consistently going beyond our limits. For most people, it starts with
technical excellence in a chosen field and a commitment to that
excellence. If you’re willing to commit yourself to excellence, to
surround yourself with things that represent this excellence, your life
will change.
It’s remarkable how much mediocrity we live with, surrounding
ourselves with daily reminders that average is somehow acceptable.
In fact, our world suffers from terminal normality. Take a moment to
assess all the things around you that promote your being “average.”
These are the things that prevent you from going beyond the limits
that you’ve arbitrarily set for yourself.
The first step to mastery is the removal of everything in your
environment that represents mediocrity, and one way to attain that
objective is to surround yourself with people who ask more of you
than you would ordinarily give of yourself. Didn’t your parents and
some of your best teachers and coaches do exactly that?
Another step on the path to mastery is the removal of resentment
toward the masters. Develop compassion for yourself so that you
can be in the presence of a master and grow from the experience.
Rather than comparing yourself to (and resenting) people who have
mastery, remain open and receptive. Let the experience be like the
planting of a seed within you that, with nourishment, will grow into
your own individual mastery.
You see, we’re all ordinary. But rather than condemning himself for
his “ordinariness,” a master will embrace that ordinariness as a
foundation for building the extraordinary. Rather than relying on his
ordinariness as an excuse for inactivity, he’ll use it instead as a
vehicle for correcting himself. It’s necessary to be able to correct
yourself without invalidating or condemning yourself to
use the
results of the correction process to improve upon other aspects of
your life. Correction is essential to power and mastery.

刘根生语录 （转载）

哲理

财散人聚，财聚人散。

小胜凭智，大胜靠德。

只有诚心，才能换来诚信。大诚信其实就是“大智慧。

财富重在支配不在占有。

一个人快乐不是因为他拥有得多，而是因为计较得少。

吃亏是福，占便宜是祸。

有形的东西，越分越少；无形的东西，越分越多。

不想占便宜的人很难吃亏，不想吃亏的人很难占便宜。

钱这个东西，放在手里越多，越是坏东西；散出去越多，越是好东西。

成功是优点的发挥，失败是缺点的积累。

修身

看别人不顺眼，首先是自己修养不够。

一个人快乐不是因为他拥有得多，而是因为计较得少。

吃亏吃到再也吃不进的时候，就不会吃亏了。苦多了，甜就大了。

听不到奉承的人是一种幸运，听不到批评的人却是一种危险。

老老实实做事，本本分分做人。

每天进步一点，每天突破自我，就能走在前面。

人不要担心地位不尊贵，而要担心道德不高尚；不要耻于待遇不丰厚，而要耻于知识不渊博。

发生任何问题，先从自己身上找问题。因为改变自己容易，改变别人难。

磨练越大，福气越大。

好心态才有好状态。

帮助别人，但不伤害别人。

要想知道，打个颠倒；打了颠倒，啥都知道。

对自己所喜欢的人，要看到他的短处，对自己所厌恶的人，要看到他的长处。

你如果拿五分的力量跟别人较劲，别人会拿出十二分的力量跟你较劲。

警句

有干劲，你就洒下汗水；有知识，你就献出智慧；二者都不具备，请你让出岗位。

一个人智力有问题，是次品；一个人的灵魂有问题，就是危险品。经营人心就是经营事业。

让认识你的人受益，还不能算好；让不认识你的人也受益，那才是真好。

想赢个三回两回，三年五年，有点智商就行；想做个百年老店，想一辈子赢，没有德商绝对不行。

人人都是人才，就看放的是不是地方。

铁饭碗的真正含义不是在一个地方吃一辈子饭，而是一辈子到哪儿都有饭吃。

有德有才，破格重用；有德无才，培养使用；有才无德，限制录用；无德无才，坚决不用。

优点突出的人，往往缺点也突出。无缺点就无优点。

有问题就拿“差额工资”，没问题就拿全额工资，成绩卓著就拿超额工资，铸成大过就拿负数工资。

学得辛苦，做得舒服；学得舒服，做得辛苦。

人不能把金钱带入坟墓，但金钱却可以把人带入坟墓。

思路决定出路，布局决定结局，吨位决定座位，脑袋决定口袋，心胸决定功勋。

该花的钱不花，那叫缺位；不该花的钱乱花，那叫越位；把钱花在刀刃上，那才叫责任。

太阳光大，父母恩大，君子量大，小人气大。

成功从简单的重复开始。

80%的喜剧与钱没关系，80%的悲剧与钱有关系。

感悟

世界上还有很多事情，只要你把它做透了，做成专家，你就能够为自己创造成功的机会。

不要小看小地方，小地方的人不想则已，一想便是着眼全国的大事！

一个人一生只做一件事，肯定比三年做东、五年做西的人更容易成功。

这个世界不是有权人的世界，不是有钱人的世界，而是有心人的世界。

领导给员工送钱，这叫对员工的关怀；员工给领导送钱，那叫对领导的行贿。

自己不会练兵，永远别想打仗。

从最不满意的客户身上，学到的东西最多。

经营企业就是经营人心。

人不能重活企业可以重来。

毛泽东让大家为公家干，邓小平让大家为自己干。

市场部是买人心的，销售部是卖东西的。

品牌的98%是文化，经营的98%是人性，资源的98%是整合，矛盾的98%是误会。

做人的公司做不小，做事的公司做不大。不关心大家的小事，大家就不会关心企业的大事

作为父母的好儿子，妻子的好丈夫，孩子的好父亲，我想这只是做人的最低标准。当你不熟悉和跟你没有血缘关系的人，承认你或者是能熟悉你时，这才是社会价值。

从无到有是很快乐的，但最大的快乐是从有到无。很多人不能从有到无，是因为他没有拥有财富。死在巨富的行列里是一件可耻的事，人生最快乐的时候是你散钱的时候。

亿万富翁也有苦恼的时候.，街头乞丐也有快乐的时候。所以，拥有财富并不代表快乐。快乐的根本在心情，在不过分计较

我喜欢哲学。我评价事物，没有参照物的不作评价；我听取汇报，没听正反两方面的意见不作表态；我看人生，就是浮中有沉，沉中有浮。

The truth

* The folks who keep doing little things, expecting BIG results, especially when circumstances seem to indicate that tomorrow will pretty much be exactly the same as yesterday, no matter what they do today.These are the world’s movers and shakers -The Universe
• Everything worth doing is worth doing poorly since we seldom do it perfectly well on our first try. Wanting to be perfect on the first try is what stopping most people from accomplishing anything in their lives.
• Our quality of life is directly proportional to what we make non-negotiable. what if we stop tolerate mediocrity.
• I can either be right or rich, but not both. the need to be right is what keeps me from trying new things.
• Everything i want lies on the other side of fear and outside of our comfort zone.
• Everybody in the front of the line started in the beginning of the line and stayed in line.
• Mastery is small constant improvements made daily. success comes from mastery.

some messages from the Keith Cunningham course

1. everything worth doing is worth doing poorly since we seldom do it perfectly well on our first try. Wanting to be perfect on the first try is what stopping most people from accomplishing anything in their lives.
2.  our quality of life is directly proportional to what we make non-negotiable. what if we stop tolerate mediocrity.
3.  I can either be right or rich, but not both. the need to be right is what keeps me from trying new things.
4. everything i want lies on the other side of fear and outside of our comfort zone.
5. everybody in the front of the line started in the beginning of the line and stayed in line.
6. mastery is small constant improvements made daily. success comes from mastery.

Life is a Chess Game

Life is a Chess Game

I have not played Chinese Checker since elementary school. Last night while hanging out with two 4 other friends I played it with a girl. She beat me really bad. I lost 4 times straight. I had not really been good with any kind of chess games, so I asked her how come she always find the way to jump so many steps in one play? She said you have to plan your game. And, while you are planning you cannot just look at your own game you have got to look at the opponent’s situation on the board as well and factor in the entire game to plan your strategy. This pointer helped me a lot and I got better with every game and finally beat her. Here is what I learned about what you have to do to win in life just like when you are playing the game of Chinese checker.

1. In life: Always ask, learn, and model after the expert. That way you will know the right way to do it.
In the chess game: If I had not asked her I would not have know I would have kept loosing.
2. In life: Before making any move always visualize every possible choice in mind first.
In the Chess game: Like a computer I just visually run through each of my pawns on the board and see which one could go the furthest given the situation at the time.

3. In Life: Whenever embarking on a goal you have to weight your situation as well as the market condition. and find out the endeavor  that you can garner the highest possibility of success.
In game: I recalculate every time before I make a move because the opponent’s pawns moves all the time and in many cases I have to rely on opponents to pick the pawn that can jump furthest.

4. In life: in the ancient Chinese saying, one famous quote says, ‘timing, location, and people.’ What it basically says is that you want to pick the easiest option that fits you best to maximize your chances of winning.
a. you have to look at the market condition (whether too early, too late, or just the right time);
b. you have to look at the location (where is it most advantageous to start the business, the east, the west, large cities or second tier cities, online or off line);
c. you also have to look at the people around you (which people to partner with or hire and which position to put them into).
In game: you have to consider the whole game to win.

5. In Life: before making a decision you have to pick the option that can benefit you in the long as well as short run.
in game: each move I make I try to set it up as best as possible so that it can prepare for my next pawn to move as far as they can.

6. In life: Life is like a game, if you stay idle, stay in your comfort zone, not making breakthrough and grow within yourself you don’t have a life. you just have an existence.
Life is like a game if you move blindly then you will loose every time and live a mere existence. You going about your life aimlessly without a goal, without planning, without meaning.
In life you only get what you want only if you kept trying, adjusting, modeling after successful people or make new creation and never give up.
In game: you will loose if you wait for too long. You will loose if you make a move blindly.

Make life a fun game. Don’t idle in fear. Don’t move blindly. Kept trying, learning, growing, creating, and succeeding. Never Give Up!

Fresh graduates should read this

Fresh graduates should read this.

most newly graduates feel like they know a lot, but 2 or 4 years later most of them will feel like they don’t know much. college does not teach one intelligence. college only teaches one the tools needed to accumulate intelligence.

after college or even in college one should accumulate three things: reputation, money, and know-how.

One build reputation by giving your all at everything you do.

One build know-how by doing and improving the same task for long enough until one masters it to a certain degree. although one will never totally master anything but at least to a certain level.

One accumulate money by putting aside at least 10%  or more of ones earnings before one pays anybody else and by investing. One invest by buy low and sell high. One only make money from buying not from selling.

reputation, money and know-how do not mean much, but life itself means something and for our life to mean something we have to do something meaningful within our life time. And anything meaning we want to accomplish needs reputation, money, and know-how.