Wednesday, April 18, 2007

Before You Quit Your Job

books by Robert T. Kiyosaki
[I plan to have my friend Nizam read this book. Might as well take something...]

Before You Quit Your Job
Chapter 10 : The Summary

Knowing When To Quit
Entrepreneurship is not for everyone.
"Winner never quit and quitters never win"
In reality, a winner also knows when to quit.
Sometimes in life, it is best to cut your losses.
It is best to admit you have come to a dead end...
or you have been barking up the wrong tree.

A quitter, is someone who quits simply because things have gotten tough.
when things were tough, quitting was always lurking nearby, just a handshake away.

"You can always quit. Why start now?"

"As Much As I Want To Quit, I Won't Quit Today. I'll Quit Tomorrow."
and we know that TOMORROW NEVER CAME.

10 Tips Before You Quit Your Job

1. Check Your Attiude.
Attitude is almost everything.

2. Get As Much Experience As Possible on five levels of the B-I triangle.
Work to learn, not work to earn.

3. Always Remember That SALES = INCOME
All entrepreneurs need to be good in sales.
"Some people are born salespeople. The rest of us can learn to sell"

4. Be Optimistic As Well As Brutally Honest With Yourself.

5. How Are You At Spending Money?
Too many people struggle financially because they do not know how to spend their money.
Know how to spend money and have more money come back.

6. Start A Business To Practice On.
"Keep your full-time job and start a part-time business"

7. Be Willing To Ask For Help.
"Arrogance is the cause of ignorance"

8. Find A Mentor.
Read books about great entrepreneurs.
books can be your best mentors.

9. Join An Entrepreneur's Network.
Surround yourself with fellow entrepreneurs.

10.Be Faithful To The Process.
"Entrepreneurship is a process, not a job or profession"

MISSION ==>>> PROCESS ==>> GOAL

"If you are going to have a big goal you need a strong mission to push you through the process.
With A Strong Mission, Anything Is Attainable"

Sunday, April 15, 2007

We Are The Chosen Ones



Kimi ga negau koto nara subete genjitsu ni naru n' darou
Erabareshi mono naraba

Friday, April 13, 2007

OMG! Blasphemy!

because soon I will quote from a PASTOR or priest,
not only an evil western writer, but a priest!
[mr khuruj must be laughing at me in heaven, I guess]

Now I can make myself clear, make my mind clear,
and MY DECISION clear.

what is it about?
it is about.........

HAVING IT ALL.

OK, so I already finished RD's Guide To Investing, and finished summarizing Creating Wealth,
and looking for the next book to finish.
1. Beating The Street - Peter Lynch
2. Over The Top - Zig Ziglar

I choose to finish OTT as I already read first few pages before.
and in Chapter Two : Having It All

"There is a natural alliance between the creation of wealth and the cultivation of character. Economic success is built on moral foundations - on the rule of law, FAITH, discipline, contracts, savings, integrity, a work ethic. Sound families that elevate these beliefs are the source of much of our culture's strength and future."
-Jack Kemp

maybe I really have to fulfill my destiny as an Aries - to have it all.
I noticed that I am lacking in many of the above - law, faith, discipline etc, because I never think of economic success. I never like economy and politics before, that's why I know so little.

btw, I also started to read my favorite kitab, Tanbihul Ghafilin.
from Anas r.a. berkata: Nabi s.a.w. bersabda:
"Permudahkanlah dan jangan mempersukar, dan gembirakanlah dan jangan menggusarkan"

Creating Wealth : Chapter 4 cont.

Stage #2:
The Liftoff or the Struggling Stage

you don't launch spaceships with firecrackers!
you launch them with Titan booster rocket that are proven and tested.
==>>>REAL ESTATE.

be prepared to buy at least one single-family house per year...
for now, don't fear, just learn the concept.

you can always improve your chances of building a profitable long-term
real estate port-folio by becoming and expert at finding bargain properties
or negotiating bargain prices.

Instead of the usual instant gratification, these first years are years of sacrifice
in which the results don't seem to justify the effort.
These few years are also fraught with the temptation to find a quicker, easier, faster route.
For every solid booster-rocket investment there are ten thousand imitations being bandied out.
Now is not the time to change horses in midstream.
It Is The Time For Persistance.

Invest the 90%, Keep the 10% to buy Insurance.
You need to buy staying-power insurance.
and maintain a liquid emergency insurance fund.
you should plan to create a fund as soon as it is feasible.

summary for Stage #2:
1. Concentration of as much as 90% of your assets in real estate.
2. Minimum buying program of one property per year for ten years.
3. Maintaining a staying-power fund equal to at least three monthly payments
for every property you own.

Stage #3:
The Powerful Pre-Orbit Stage

You are trying to create wealth, not preserve it.
Start small with your prime-the-pump fund.
Look seriously to having at least 10% of your assets in liquid-money form.
The best defense is good offense.

Extra cash distribution:
1. 80% real estate
2. 10% liquid paper assets
3. 10% precious metal

Stage #4:
Is so important, it is the entire chapter 5
The Automatic Pilot Principle.

well it seems we are getting deeper into real estate thingy, so I will end this book here.

Thursday, April 12, 2007

I Am Torn Between

ever since I started reading about wealth...there is resistance in me.
between what Nabi did and what Nabi allowed.

though Nabi allowed creating wealth, Nabi himself did not accumulate wealth, and even lived a life of scarcity.

though Nabi allowed creating wealth, Nabi always warned about 'chasing the world'

this is where I started to sin.
the bigger sin...
is indecision.
indecision..
indecision..
indecision..
indecision..
indecision..
indecision..
indecision..
indecision..indecision..
indecision..

Monday, April 9, 2007

Creating Wealth : Chapter 4

chapter 4:
Launching Yourself into Financial Self-Reliance

There are four specific stages in the wealth-building trajectory.

Stage #1:
The Pre-Launch Stage

the preparation stage.
"The will to prepare to win is more important than the will to win"
Preparing - Studying and Learning. reading Books, Going to Seminars.
not being afraid to corner experts and ask foolish questions.

The ones who stay to the end, listening and asking questions,
always soaking up the last drop of knowledge, making the extra effort.

get your house in order!
time to clean up your financial statement.
check your credit rating. don't be embarassed.
getting your family to agree for necessary sacrifices.
"No success can compensate for failure in the home"
it is much better to have your family with you than against you.

stage #1 is also a TIME TO REEVALUATE.
life goes on. Lick Your Wounds, Swallow Your Pride, and Change Directions.
will you have the courage to change??

stage #1 is also a TIME TO SET GOALS and WRITE THEM DOWN.
"one small good deed is better than a grand intention"

ALL OF THIS TAKES SACRIFICES.

Stage #2:
The Liftoff or the Struggling Stage









TBC IM BZ

Sunday, April 8, 2007

Watch Your Thoughts, They Become Destiny.

Watch your thoughts, they become words.
Watch your words,
they become actions.
Watch your actions,
they become habits.
Watch your habits,
they become character.
Watch your character,
they become destiny.

Source: Back of book cover of Pearls of Wisdom 3

Saturday, April 7, 2007

Creating Wealth : Chapter 3

*rich dad series is too hard to 'squeeze', so I decided to continue this for a while.

Chapter 3 :
A Fool and His Money Are Soon Parted

but why is that?
because a fool doesn' know how to manage money!

"give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.
teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime"

any approach that doesn't teach the principles of wealth is doomed to failure.

THE SEVEN WEALTH PRINCIPLE.

wealth principle + attitudes of a wealthy mindset = the foundation of your wealth pyramid.

Wealth Principle #1:
Don't Count Your Dollars Until They Have Passed Through
the Strainer of Taxes and Inflation.

Wealth Principle #2:
Make Maximum Use of Your Assets.
Sacrifice to Invest in Things Which Go Up in Value.

"appearance of wealth" - [fancy cars, fine clothes, stereos etc]
make people looks rich but in reality the become poorer each and every day.

Avoid, as much as possible, spending any money for consumer goods which go down in value.
Only borrow money to make money.

The wealth seeker choosed sacrifice and the poverty seeker chooses instant gratification.
The poverty seeker wants what he wants and he wants it now!
The welath seeker tries to make every dollar count.

Wealth Principle #3:
Don't Diversify.
Concentrate All of Your Eggs in the Right Basket.

Andrew Carnegie :
"put all of your eggs in one basket and then watch that absket"
There is a time to diversify and a time to concentrate.
if you are just starting, you CONCENTRATE.

Don't dissipate your energies in a dozen different directions.
become an expert, and when you fail, learn from your failures.

Invest Heavily In Your Strong Investment.
Make It The Workhorse Of Your Program.
Keep Only A Small Amount On Reserve.

Wealth Principle #4:
Wealth Seeker Are Always On The Offensive,
Not On The Defensive.

from a parable:
"Thou wicked and slothful servant[who got 1 talent but afraid to use it]....
Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents
[who originally has five talents and worked to make it ten]....And cast ye the Unprofitable Servant into outer darkness."

The best defense is a good offense.

Wealth Principle #5:
Money Must Multiply at Wealth-Producing Rates of Return.

The answer is to use leverage. Leverage is debt.
Most had not acquired wealthy mindsets because of their fear of debt.
but wealthy thinkers learn how to control debt...
a little sacrifice, and a lot of leverage...

Leverage, the powerhouse of any investment plan, must be used carefully
and only in conjunction with the right investments.

Wealth Principle #6:
Choose Investments That Are Both Powerful and Stable.

Power and Stability.
Power - the ability of an investment to grow at high wealth-producing rates of growth.
Stability - the ability of an investment to grow steadily, surely, relentlessly upward in value
without broad fluctuations up of down in price.

The only way for an investment to achieve liquidity is to give up something of value.
Stability is more important than liquidity.
The key to becoming wealthy in a "when-to" investment is to learn when to buy and when to sell.
timing is of the essence.

BUT, I would rather be a "how-to" investment adviser.
not when to buy them but how to buy them...

HOW-TO inevestments are rarely liquid, are always management intensive, require a higher degree of expertise
....but they produce wealth.

Don't Wait To Buy Real Estate. Buy Real Estate And Wait.

Wealth Principle #7:
Control Is Essential.

Somehow, somewhere along the line, we transferred ultimate control of our money to someone else.

There will be tempting offers.
but remember Wealth Principle #3

You Concentrate Heavily Into Your Strong Suit.
and nothing else.

*****************
next chapter preview
*****************
Part Two
The Creating Wealth Strategy
Chapter 4
Launching Yourself into Financial Self-Reliance.

blogger notes : this will be a deeper discussion than just general numbered points.
and eventually leads to real estate strategy. anyway this is one of the best books I read.

May Find It Ironic...

that a mere salary man like me writing in this blog about being rich and all.
yeah, of course it may sound ironic. i have no qualification to serve...

and i comes to believe the quote :
"only the victorious has the right to be righteous"
that, if you are a fallen or a loser by general view,
you better shut up.
it is hard for me to swallow, but i know the reality.

but then i understand why...

my goal is not about being rich
i am going to be a teacher.

but the best teacher won't say:
"do as I say, not as I do"

rich dad and robert teach by example.
SO WILL I!

Friday, April 6, 2007

Nilai2 Murni Orang Kaya

Too often, we have listened to stories, or even told stories, or may have read stories, or watched stories,

of greedy rich people, dirty rich people, shitty rich people and all of the negative values.
but after I read all the books on being rich and wealthy, like Rich Dad series, Creating Wealth, Think and Grow Rich, Unlimited Power, Dale Carnegie series, I noticed that all truly rich people have more characteristics, more manner [and of course more money], more knowledge, better social skills, and better overall, than average people.

that's why I am interested in being rich.
it's not the material possession that attracted me, it is the values behind being rich that I seek.

because I am an Aries.
I long for perfection.

Kitab Ribuan Hikmat

oh yes, this will be the title of my upcoming book.
old title - Mari Bermain Dengan Nombor

Creating Wealth : Chapter 2

Creating Wealth : Chapter 2

Chapter 2 : Developing a Wealthy Mindset
Many people, because of their programming, assume that wealth is a result of luck, connections, or inheritance.
The last thing that people want to hear is the PLAIN SIMPLE FACT that
The Rich THINK Differently Than The Poor.

tanpa membuang masa, lets get through :

STEP #1 :
Set Realistic Goals and Write Them Down.
A goal that is not written is a wish. A daydream.

STEP#2 :
Visualize Your Goal.
The best time is just before drifting to sleep and just after waking up in the morning.
"Every day in every way I am getting better and better"

STEP#3 :
Affirm Yourself.
A constant flow of positive information about wealth and how to obtain it.
It takes a lot of self-esteem to go aganist the grain.
And if you expect to be successful, you have to dare to be different.

A SIXTY SECOND COMMERCIAL TO ME

DRAYGOURN, YOU'RE GREAT! YOU ARE A UNIQUE, NEW KIND OF PERSON THAT THE WORLD HAS NEVER
BEFORE SEEN AND WILL NEVER SEE THE LIKES OF AGAIN. YOU WERE BORN TO DO GOOD. YOU WERE
BORN TO SUCCEED. YOU WERE BORN TO BLESS OTHER'S LIVES. YOU WERE BORN TO BE GREAT
BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT WHAT IT TAKES TO BE GREAT.

YOU'RE ENTHUSIASTIC.
YOU'RE OPTIMISTIC.
YOU'RE ORGANIZED.
YOU'RE A HARD WORKER.
YOU'RE HAPPY.
YOU'RE MASTER OF YOURSELF.
YOU'RE GOD'S BEST CREATION.
YOU'RE A LEADER.
YOU'RE A BIG THINKER.

AND BLESSED YOU ARE WITH ALL OF THESE TALENTS, THERE ISN'T A THING IN THE WORLD THAT
YOU CAN'T DO. WITH GOD AS YOUR PARTNER YOU WILL NEVER FAIL.

Write you own program and feed it into the computer of your mind.

STEP#4 :
Replace Luck Thinking With Probability Thinking.
Most of us give luck far too much credit.
Just pretend that LUCK DOESN'T EXIST.
Just think of it as a low or high Probability Of Success.
And you can always work on increasing your POS.

If you don't have the right skills you can learn them.
If you're trying hard enough you can try harder.

The better your attitude and the harder you work, The LUCKIER You Get.

STEP#5 :
Take Action.
If we fail to act we fail to succeed.

"I would rather see a crooked furrow than a field unplowed!"

*****************
next chapter preview
*****************
As architect of wealth, we need to lay a solid foundation.

Chapter 3 : A Fool and His Money Are Soon Parted.
THE SEVEN WEALTH PRINCIPLES.

Creating Wealth : Need a Pause

I called my KakLong and she asked me for few of my books. she said she already finished my Retire Rich Retire Young. I'm thinking which one should I let her read, and decided that I want to keep most of my favorites with me [E-myth, Creating Wealth etc], and give her Rich Dad Poor Dad and Cashflow Quadrant.

That mean I have to finish 'squeeze' all the contents of RDPD before letting it go.
and I have to start now since I have no time....not much left...
but I still want to try getting CW:Chapter2 done.

like Robert, I also an Aries. I started things, bu rarely finish it. Poor me...

I'm going back for good next year, to chase my dream career, a teacher.

Gob bless you, and me too. [kena doa orang lain dulu :p]

Thursday, April 5, 2007

Islam Kuat Muslim Kaya

tajuk macam familiar, but we will get to that later.

just a few from Rich Dad's Guide To Affliction. errr... Investing. something that suddenly crossed my Deadmind. [bukak wallet, keluarkan resit yang bernota di belakangnya. damn sejak bila aku buang habit bawak note book ni??]

1. On Insider
"If you can be an insider, why be an outsider?' - lebih kurang kata Rich Dad
-kalau boleh jadi orang dalam, kenapa jadi orang luar? - lebih kurang translationnya.

so I called Abang Man, seorang Orang Dunia yang kejar agama, to get a few advices and reminder and confirmation. antara ayat famousnya ialah,

"Kalau kemungkaran dalam hati orang yang selalu ke masjid masih ada, macam mana dengan kemungkaran dalam hati orang-orang di luar masjid??" - roughly what Abang Man said.
"Kalau amal orang di dalam masjid pun masih tak betul, bagaimana halnya dengan orang2 di luar masjid?" - my own understanding before confirming with Abang Man.

IMO, in this case, insider=kaki masjid, outsider=yang malas ke masjid ler, saper lagi.

kata Rich Dad, jadilah kaki masjid.

dan satu lagi, orang dunia yang kejar agama adalah lebih baik dari orang agama yang kejar dunia. - sumber dari Abang man jugak.

2. On Team
Rich Dad sangat pentingkan team play. Team play adalah permainan orang2 B-I quadrant. That's why they crushed solo players from E-S quadrant.

I just returned from Shin Anjo weekly meeting, and one of them said this to us:
Abu Bakar r.a. used to say
"Lebih baik aku melakukan 100 kesalahan di bawah mesyuarat, daripada melakukan satu kebaikan tanpa mesyuarat"

well, maybe no direct relation but still applied, at least for me.

3. On tak ingat daa...
ni la padahnya tak bawak note pad, semua yang terlintas di fikiran pun hilang begitu saja...

4. On Quadrant
there are 4 quadrant: E-S-B-I, kata Rich Dad

I called Abang Man about another Quadrant, that he called Tarekat. he told me that there are 3 tarekat.

1. tarekat orang kapir [kalau ikut mr khuruj, orang yang quote dari evil western book tu kapiaq. kita dah ada kitab agung, kenapa nak ikut orang lain? saya dah baca kitab al-ghazali dari umur 10 tahun lagi tau! -kata mr khuruj. yes, I hold a grudge against him.]:
-mereka ini percaya bahawa dengan kekayaan dan kekuatan akan memberi mereka kejayaan, dalam urusan dunia mahupun agama mereka, akan bertambah maju dan berkembang.
-kata Abang Man, ini tarekat orang kafir.

2.tarekat syariat.
-mereka ini ialah orang Islam yang semayang, poser, buat haji, keluar tabligh dsb, buat amal dsb, tapi dalam hati mereka ada yakin yang, kalaulah mereka ada kekayaan dan kekuatan harta mahupun negara, tentera, ekonomi dsb, agama akan bertambah maju.
-kata Abang Man, orang kapir tak akan pandang pun mereka ni. Tak ada bezanya dengan tarekat nombor satu tadi.

3.tarekat nabi s.a.w.
-tak perlu kekuatan senjata ataupun ekonomi untuk Islam maju. Nabi ditawarkan harta, pangkat raja, wanita dan sebagainya supaya nabi stop dakwah, tapi nabi kata, letak bulan dan matahari kat tangan aku pun aku takkan stop.
-kata Abang Man, orang kapir dan dunia akan datang menunduk diri pada orang yang ikut tarekat nabi dengan betul. macam para sahabat r.a. telah tunjukkan pada kita yang baca sejarah.

HISTORY REPEATS ITSELF <-- this is important point. ok, ingat balik dah.

3. On Sell

kata rich dad, " If you can't sell, you can't be a successful businessman or entrepreneur"
or, "If you can't sell, don't start a business"

yang aku nak apply di sini ialah
"if you can't do dakwah, you can't be a successful moslem"
or
"if you don't do dakwah, you better stop being a moslem" - maybe a bit hard, but I need to be hard ON ME/myself.

I find a very similarity between selling and dakwah. well, you decide.
after all, OPINION IS THE CHEAPEST COMODITY ON EARTH!"

5. On Leader
kata Rich Dad, "all leaders are speakers" or sth like that,
and "all great leaders are great speakers", or sth similar.

imo, bayan is one kind of public speaking which can improve our skill in speaking to a lot of people at once.

imo, the best business in this world is tabligh business.

and lastly,
on Rich Dad Poor Dad..
err no, on our title this time

Islam Kuat Muslim Kaya
Muslim Kuat Islam Kaya
Muslim Kaya Islam Kuat
Islam Kaya Muslim Kuat

which one is your choice?
this is real life, no right or wrong, at least if you are one of Rich Dad's follower...
for Poor Dad followers, there is always right or wrong, white and black. and solo all the time...
kata Rich Dad, bring your team when exploring grey area.... [refer no.2 On Team]

oh, history does repeat itself. did repeat itself, and will repeat itself.

I believe we started with Islam Kuat before Muslim Kaya, according to my understanding of history. and after Muslim Kaya, Islam Tumbang, is what happened in history, according to me.

despite all this, why I want to be Kaya?

because atm, I am just wasting God's strength in me. God's power in me. I have been mediocre all my life, living frugally, playing it safe, never challenge myself to the maximum, and severely lack in character.

I just want to be wealthy, in mind and in character. and using all God's given ability to the fullest. to be rich is really a petty reason. there is something bigger behind being rich, that is - rich in character, in knowledge, in relationship, in giving it back, in serving more and more and more...

Wednesday, April 4, 2007

Awaken The Warrior Within

Awaken The Warrior Within
and excerpt from Tony Robin's audio book, Awaken The Giant Within

- I am MORE than I am now.

> Concentration of Power <

you believe

You Want More!

Men is to LIVE, not to prepare TO live

Control every minute action.

DECISION – The Father Of ALL Action

DECIDE!

DECIDE!!

DECIDE!!!

DECIDE what MAN are you becoming…?

Stay COMMITTED with Decision.

Don’t make EXCUSES!

It’s Decision, not Condition, that Determine your life.

THIS IS WHAT I AM!!!!

I Will Not Be Denied!

Find a way, or MAKE ONE!

Decision = Cutting all other POSSIBILITIES!

~CLARITY~!

1. What to focus on each moment?

2. What thing MEAN to you?

3. What should I do now?

To TAKE CONTROL over MYSELF

Quality Decision

1. CLEARLY DECIDE

2. TAKE ACTION

3. What works? What don’t?

4. Change Strategy.

The Power Of Commited Decision..

JUST DECIDE!

Make decision OFTEN

Learn from your decision

Unleash your power NOW!