| As many of us are feeling the repercussions of | | | | saying this). Think about it, if not for pain, |
| one of the worst recessions in recent history, I | | | | suffering and evil, will people turn to God for |
| would like to share with you my philosophy on the | | | | salvation? It is during hard times like these that |
| EQUATION OF LIFE. If you studied Math, | | | | people pray and go to places of worship more. |
| Chemistry, Economics, Accounts or any one of | | | | If you watched the matrix, the 'architect' |
| these mathematical topics before, you would | | | | mentions that the equation has to balance for the |
| understand that equations have to balance. | | | | matrix to exist. In order for Neo (the Hero) to |
| For every good, there must be a bad. For every | | | | exist, there must be his opposite (i.e. Agent Smith |
| positive, there must first be a negative. For light | | | | who was the super bad guy). |
| to exist, there must first be darkness. For every | | | | This applies to every aspect of life. If George |
| market boom, there must first be a crash. For | | | | Bush did not screw up the US economy and |
| you to experience happiness, you must first | | | | damage the US's reputation so badly, Barack |
| experience sadness. For you to experience pride | | | | Obama would not have become the first African |
| and inspiration, you must first have experienced | | | | American President today. If Al Gore would have |
| disappointment and adversity. The greater the | | | | won, he would probably have done an OK job and |
| initial failure and disappointment, the sweeter will | | | | the US would have voted in another white guy. |
| be the pride of success. | | | | At the same time, if Al Gore had become the US |
| I remember watching the show 'The Pursuit of | | | | President 8 years ago, he would not have made |
| Happyness' where it was based on the true story | | | | such a positive impact on global warming issues, |
| of Chris Gardner who went through a very | | | | won an academy award for his documentary and |
| difficult period of his life. His wife left him, he was | | | | won the Nobel Peace Prize. Again, 'failure' led to |
| broke, evicted from his home, slept in public | | | | the the birth of success. |
| toilets and in homeless shelter, jailed for unpaid | | | | If I did not get kicked out of Primary school |
| parking tickets and went through a series of | | | | (Primary 3) and get rejected from 6 secondary |
| unfortunate incidents. However, he persevered | | | | schools after my PSLE exams, I would never |
| where ordinary men would have given up. Finally, | | | | have been sent by my parents to learn about |
| when he got selected to become a stockbroker | | | | NLP. If I did not learn about NLP at the age of 13, |
| in one of the most prestigious companies on Wall | | | | I would not have been able to inspire thousands |
| Street after competing against 20 other | | | | of students through my first book 'I Am Gifted, |
| candidates, he broke down and shed tears of | | | | So Are You!' and achieve all the success that I |
| intense pride and happiness. The fighting spirit that | | | | have today. I would just have been another |
| the tough situations built within him was what | | | | average Singaporean stuck in an average job. |
| gave him the drive to build a multi-million dollar | | | | So, how does this apply to your life? Well, instead |
| stock broking firm himself. If he did not first go | | | | of fearing and feeling lousy because of the bad |
| through those heartbreaking setbacks, he would | | | | stuff that happens in your life, get optimistic and |
| not have become a millionaire. | | | | know that there lies a great opportunity that |
| For there to be God, there must be the devil (I | | | | always goes along with it. |
| know some religious people will want to kill me for | | | | |