A friend of mine, an entrepreneur in his mid-50s, told me that he is no longer “obsessed” and worried about his retirement which deterred him from taking on risk in the past. In his words: “What the head! I only live once and I must make the best out of it – Being carried out feet first or not!”
I applaud his attitude for not letting anything stop him from getting to where he wants to be as an entrepreneur. A word of caution that it does not apply to everyone as we all have different choices, circumstances and paths to go on.

A friend of mine told me that the first week in January is considered as the toughest work week of the entire year.
Well, I can attest to it. It does feel that way as I am battling with jetlag coming back from Canada last weekend (it actually took longer than I thought). However, with the weekend in sight, there is light at the end of the tunnel. In addition, there is retail therapy with post-Christmas sales still going strong in London. To top it off, a French friend told me that today is the Saint Raymond in France. That made my day :>

A friend of mine who is a regular gym-goer asked me for ways to avoid the rush of January gym goers.
My advice is:
a) The rush usually lasts no more than the first two weeks of January. Keep calm and carry on.
b) Continue your gym-going routine in terms of frequency
c) Shorten the gym session (to a minimum of 30 minutes) if the crowd is unbearable
d) Change your gym schedule to non-rush hours (the best is 45 minutes before the close)
e) Blend your gym going with other sports (or simply walking more) to maintain the same level of exercise

Have fun and keep it up :>

Happy New Year to ALL :>

January is often a “dramatic” month including all the jazz about new year resolution and detoxification (detox). For those who are into new year resolution (including me – what a surprise!), I would advise making realistic goals on what you can achieve in the month of January, in particular coming from December, a month mostly filled with festive activities.

Take small giant steps and avoid becoming over-zealous
risking “falling flat on one’s face” (not a pretty picture!).
One step at a time and walk/run with both feet before flying up high.

As the year 2015 draws close to an end and 2016 is waiting eagerly around the corner, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

May the new year bring you (and your family) joy, happiness, good health, kindness, peace and love in abundance.

“Business” will resume bright and early in 2016.

A friend said he went to a Christmas carol and it suddenly dawned on him that Christmas is about Jesus Christ. Yes, it is the celebration of Jesus’ birth.
Taking the Christmas spirit to a broader and more general level, let us fill the air with gratitude, joy, generosity, kindness and love :>

Christmas came earlier for my niece Vivian and her husband Jeremy (and the extended family) with the early arrival (2 days earlier) of their strikingly beautiful baby girl Chloe Anastasia. This is probably the best Christmas gift for such proud parents.

Congratulations to Vivian and Jeremy as a new star has been born in their family :>

Start your new year resolution now and not wait till next month, but manage your own expectation realistically.
Don’t over-shoot and end up giving up earlier as a result of failure.
On a related note, don’t stop doing what you have achieved so far this year, for example, going to the gym and such.
If you are busy with the festive activities, ease out your routine but don’t stop completely.
It is very difficult to pick it up again comes January. It would be a double whammy in that case.

December is a “convenient” time for year-end review and new year resolution. I know this is not everyone’s cup of tea, but perhaps it is a good time for taking stock and reflection. Take a moment to appreciate the good things that happened and let go those that are less desirable. 2016 is around the corner.

Control your emotional range
At this time of the year, people are more prone to emotional ups and downs. Life is a full of ups and downs which are inevitable. I suggest taking some personal time to reflect and be in touch with your emotional well-bring.