Pareto Your Life

Have you ever wondered why you feel so tired and become so frustrated that you are not accomplishing your goals? Imagine getting things done while having the spare time you need to relax and pursue your passions. 

The Pareto principle is based on a well verified observation that in business, economics and life generally, about 80% of all results flow from a mere 20% of our efforts. 

The unspoken corollary of the 80/20 principle is that little of what you spend your time on actually enriches your life. But by concentrating instead on the few things that do matter, you can unlock the enormous potential of the critical 20% and multiply your happiness and fulfilment. When you learn how to systematically apply the 80/20 principle, you will finally have the power to transcend the pressure of modern life. To become more powerful and to enjoy more leisure, serenity and great relationships with friends and loved ones. 

The sunrise I would have missed!

                              

Warm and Happy Place

How many times have you had an amazing idea while taking a shower? Stanford University conducted a scientific research on this phenomenon of showering inspiration. They found that people tend to think more creatively when they are in a warm and happy place and when they are emotionally uninhibited. Being naked in a hot shower is as close as it gets for most of us!

My husband is one of them. Always exclaiming, "Babe, I have an epiphany!" loud enough to wake up the whole neighbourhood. Unfortunately for him, the realisation disappears as quickly as it dawns on him! To be precise, as soon as he turns off the faucet and steps out of the shower.  😜

My warm and happy place is when I run. When all I could hear is the sound of my shoes pounding the tarmac. When all I could feel is the gentle beating of my heart beat. When the beads of sweat trickle from my head down to my cheeks and my neck. When my thoughts dissipate into thin air with the evaporation of the droplets. This is when my mind will be engulfed with endless inspiration. And unlike my husband I try the best that I can to make a mental note of it! 

I ran 8km last night and another 12km first thing this morning. During a chat with one of my athletes he asked what I did since I last saw him yesterday. 

Me: I ran 20km within 12 hours. 

Him: Oh no!

I smiled because he has been my athlete long enough to know that the training to follow will be a "new" experience for both of us!

Where is your warm and happy place? 

 

Saturday Be Like

My focus in coaching took a turn on 1st February 2021 which requires for me to work on Sundays for the next one year! As a result over the last two weekends, I have been trying to maximise my Saturday by doing things I love and surround myself with people whom I enjoy their company. 

Yesterday was no different - started my day with a ride around the neighbourhood traversing the concrete jungle of Klang Valley. The hills were alive even in the wee hour of the morning! I resolved to tackle each and every single one with vigour since I have not been cycling as much due to the lockdown as well as time constraint!  

Section 16 Wall

Jalan Kelantan 

(can't run away from my beloved state even if I want to!)

Many many hills later, we headed to Canteen in BSC for my first cup of cappuccino. 

Ivy had been wanting me to host a talk on ClubHouse for a few days already but the logistics and timing was never right. After a quick conversation on Ikigai (Alfred had just finished reading a book and I had just delivered a speech about it), we figured between the two of us, we would have enough content to chat about it. That got Ivy excited and she quickly got the ball rolling. We hurried home in time for the session. Since it was the first time for all of us, we didn't know what to expect. I started the conversation to a very silent audience. Turned out they were totally engaged and some even stepped up to share their Ikigai experience. Tasha joined for the first part of it but had to leave half way for her lunch appointment. Not without leaving a little note to her mommy dearest. 

I know I will always have at least one ardent supporter in every new venture!   

The afternoon was even more exciting when Judy, Kaarthi and I met for coffee at Pokok. Toastmasters brought us together but now our lives are intertwined in more ways than we thought it would be. We chatted about everything under the sun - from Tommy Thomas to Marie Kondo to Stephen Covey for hours on end! While Judy is predictably full of entertaining life stories, I was hoping to uncover the  carefree side of Kaarthi as I was assured that it exists waiting to be unearthed! I guess we will just have to have more coffee before that reveals itself!  

Had to rush home for dinner and meet one of my athletes before calling it a day. I have not met Hao for nearly a year when we decided (according to him it was solely my decision!) that he needed to spread his wings by being exposed to training with other coaches. Apparently it is not working out for him as well as we hoped for. His mom thinks that he is sabotaging his relationship with other coaches so that he can return to the way things were. I have been coaching him for 7 years (since he was 12) and I thought a break from each other would be welcomed by him. After last night's reflection, I may need to find an extra 20 hours a week so as not to lose him as one of Malaysia's most promising athletes.  

Too exhausted to think of how, but totally fulfilled, I fell asleep with "New Amsterdam" playing in the background. Bon Soir! 

The Eagle Has Landed

Not wanting to rely on technology, I am very dependent on the accuracy of the caddie in reading my putting line, gauging the distance and sometimes advising me on the choice of clubs. 

Manik is one of the better caddies at Tropicana Golf Club. Having played as a national junior in Bangladesh, he had come to Malaysia armed with experience competing at a high level.  Not only is he competent, he also has the right attitude, and best of all, only speak when spoken to. My dream guy! 😜

I played my usual conservative game with the aim of scoring bogeys with occasional pars and that was how the game went. It was nothing exciting to the point that another caddie Andan commented on how boring and safe my game was! I told him point blank that I am too old to be playing an aggressive game and entertaining inconsistency in my game. Manik just nodded in agreement. 

 

On the last hole, I played even more conservatively, teeing off with a 5 wood leaving me with 125m to the green. I asked Manik for a 6 iron that put a shock on his face. He reluctantly handed me the club after I reassured him that it would be ok. 

I repeatedly told myself to trust my judgement, took a swing and as soon as the ball took flight, I knew it was going to be a great shot. The ball flew right towards the pin, dropped just a few meters short and rolled into the hole earning myself my first ever EAGLE!

On top of that, I played 88 that day. You don't get luckier than that! 

 

8.88

Went out for my 8km this morning, to complete my weekly 30km target when I saw Tey running on the opposite side of the road. Tey is a sports journalist with Sin Chew Jit Poh and over the last 10 years that I had known him, we have used each other well. I would give him the inside scoop for sports and he will use the press to promote an idea, event or an athlete that I am supporting! It helps that both of us love running and live within the same neighbourhood. So, as long as we keep on running, he won't be able to run away from me! 😃 (I digress)

Me: Happy New Year, Tey!

Tey: Thank you. 

Me: How far are you running today? 

Tey: 8.88  

I smiled at his response, remembering that amongst the Chinese, the number 8 is viewed as an auspicious number. Even the opening ceremony of the 2008 Beijing Olympics  was held on 8/8/08 at 8:08:08pm! 

Not wanting to lose out on my fair share of fortune and good luck, I decided to add on .88km to my original plan.  

Upon returning home, I googled to find out the significance of number 8. The facts below were unearthed within less than a minute on Google:

A) Malaysia's iconic building, Petronas Tower for example, has 88 floors. Taipei 101 although has 101 floors, features a series of 8 segments of 8 floors each and the list goes on!

B) The British Airways' route from London to Chengdu is BA88 and Cathay Pacific's from Vancouver to Hong Kong is CX888! Apparently these were not mere coincidence. Airlines like Etihad, Air Astana and KLM were found to share the same practice for their flights to China.  

C) Instead of using "9" for price point, it is common to see "8" being used in Asia to achieve the same psychological effect. 

 I was surprised to discover how significant number "8" is and how deeply entrenched it is even in our daily lives! So, I am glad I bumped into Tey this morning who inspired me to start the Ox year right. 

Gong Xi Fa Cai! 

Not Today

Woke up feeling really tired this morning. 

Regardless, I dragged myself out of bed for my morning ritual of saying a prayer and recite some Quranic verses. It helps to soothe the soul and serves as a daily reminder of how lucky I am to still be alive and healthy. The feeling of gratitude normally would make me spring into action. NOT TODAY! 

Tasha and Franco were still deep in their sleep, so the house was eeriely quiet. I turned the coffee machine on and within seconds the aroma of the freshly grounded beans permeated the air. Most days this would have perked me up. NOT TODAY! 

I had a list of things to do - from revising my Toastmasters speech to completing my Module 3 for the Mentorship Program. Mornings are always the best time for me when it comes to “creative” work. The deep sleep from the night before provide such clarity, ideas ooze out from pen to paper so fast that I had created a lot of shorthand to help me keep up with the flow. NOT TODAY! 

I had to choose a couple of photos from TKC for the Book Project (have they not printed it already?), and by now Tasha was awake and joined me in the search for the least ugly photo of me playing sports! Most times we are always able to agree on one thing. NOT TODAY! 

So I sent both photos to the editor. 

Managed to complete everything on the Things to Do list just before noon. Yes! Now I have the whole afternoon to errr....twiddle my thumbs. But decided, NOT TODAY!

So I set a conversation about Dennis Ignatius in motion. He recently wrote an article on the book by Tommy Thomas that has sparked controversy in the Malaysian political circle. We ordered the book, "Justice in Wilderness". It arrived 4 days ago and Franco who has the monopoly of the book is still reading the Preface. I reminded him that it took him 2 years to finish Sarawak Report and that maybe I should read this book before him so that I don't wither to dust waiting for my turn! 

He looked up and said, "ok sayang!" 

No way! We have been married 23 years and this never happens! Whatever bad news he has to break, I hope he will save it for another day. 

Please, NOT TODAY! 

ABC

I was greeted by news of Isa Samad being found guilty of corruption on The Edge this morning and just 24 hours before, I attended an Anti Bribery and Corruption (ABC) course conducted by Time.com for all their contractors and suppliers. 

Having been involved and responsible for the contract awards in mega projects in so many countries around the world in my previous life, I must say that I do know a thing or two about bribery and corruption! In fact I was subjected to constant audits due to the position that I was in.  

The worst was when I was doing some PRO BONO work for World Bank and AusAid (Australian Aid) to rebuild the Solomon Islands after an earthquake and tsunami in 2004.  

The project, for a contract specialist such as myself, was considered a huge success for a few reasons: 

1. It was within the budgets provided by AusAid. 

2. It was awarded in the shortest time possible without compromising any of the processes that could raise the red flag. 

3. The design chosen took into account the local culture, traditional know-how skills and yet the supplier had managed to interlace the modern disaster resistance to ensure that the structure would withstand the next earthquake. 

4. The structure was built at the suppliers' premise to overcome the supply issue in Solomon Islands, flat packed and shipped to Honiara with all the necessary tools, bolts and nuts, IKEA style!  

BEFORE & AFTER:

It was a work of genius! 😀

Throughout this project, I was working from Sinclair Knight Merz office in Melbourne with my daughter Natasha, being installed at the nearby Intercontinental Hotel. While I was burning the midnight oil, the hotel butler was raking in cash by taking Tasha to watch Cirque du Soleil, visits to the Aquarium, Zoo, McDonalds and the list went on. 

On the last day, we had a meeting with World Bank and AusAid to finalise the payment to the Supplier when my colleague, Paul Mulgrew casually asked about my daughter. I jokingly told him  how she was making me bankrupt by ordering room service 3 times a day and using the butler service at her whims and fancies! 

The representatives from World Bank overheard the conversation and for months after that they never left me alone. It was almost like it was their ultimate goal to find dirt on me! 

Anyway, after a few weeks, all was resolved and I was given a clean bill of financial health and invited to undertake another project by them. Errr..."thanks but no thanks", was all I could muster after all the energy being drained in trying to defend myself against the bombardment regarding my financial status! So much for doing pro bono work, huh.      

The point is that this ABC policy is good but applied overzealously, it may put people (like me) off from doing the world a lot of good completely. So, the question I asked Time.com yesterday was, where do you draw the line? 

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Be Your ExtraOrdinary

20210201 

New month and a new beginning for me....

19 coaches from around the globe (out of which only 8 from Asia) have been selected for the World Triathlon Mentorship Program and I was one of them! 👊

The Program has been designed to develop a skilled cadre of mentors who will support newer coaches with real potential to be the sports' next generation of leaders. It is thus a BIG responsibility but one that I am looking forward to fulfil to elevate my contribution to this sport that I love!  

Along with a host of qualifications required, the participation to the program is limited to triathlon coaches who have produced Olympians and Youth Olympians! I was selected through the success of my athlete, Chong Xian Hao who qualified and competed at the Youth Olympics Buenos Aires in 2018. 

Buenos Aires 2018

I had a mixed feelings when I received the e-mail bearing this good news - I was intimidated to see some of the BIG names in the list but at the same time, super excited to be inducted in the major league!   

In line with the motto "Be Your ExtraOrdinary", World Triathlon has prepared a 7 week online course followed by 9 months of mentoring the selected mentee coaches in the hope that they will eventually be the next generation of coaches to produce an Olympian!   

My facilitator is none other than the South African, Norman Brook who is a former Olympics Coach and  CEO of the British Triathlon Federation. He has been active in all aspects of the sports - so much so that he was awarded an MBE (Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) for his contribution. 

For training purposes, I have been paired with a coach from Turkey, Huseyin Onur Aydemir, whom I have not met but I guess with us having to work hand in hand for the next 7 weeks, I will either be his best friend or worst enemy, we shall see. 😀

Given that we are on 3 different continents with Coach Norman in Africa, Coach Huseyin in Europe and I in Asia, our first challenge is to coordinate our online training session. We have agreed to meet at 7pm Malaysian time (1pm in South Africa and 2pm in Turkey!). 

8 more hours and then it is TIME TO PLAY WITH THE BIG BOYS! 😜

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And oh...don't forget the moral of the story is: 

Whatever Age You May Be, Always Be Your ExtraOrdinary!