This is my 4th article to be featured in the Straits Times and is personally one of my favourite since a lot of people constantly ask me if motivational talks really work at all.

Read the truth behind such talks and what value it can bring.

You can read download the article here.

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Just yesterday, I listened to Tony Blair share his personal thoughts about succeeding in life. He shares with a lot of humility and immediately connected to the hearts of the participants. Here are ten things he wanted us to know:

1. Have the humility to learn- as Prime minister, he did not carry a mobile phone. The next day after his ten’s years of being prime minister, he finally carried his first mobile phone. Learning to send a text message was challenging enough and he had to humble himself to learn from younger people on how to use technology. Have humility in what we do is important.

2. Start with an analysis of your current situation- everything in life is inter-connected, we need to understand that there is a bigger world outside the country we live in. The speed of change is very real and what are we doing right now in our current situation?

3. In a fast changing world, we can’t stand still. People have to adapt and constantly learn new things in the knowledge based economy.

4. New thinking and new ideas don’t come to closed minds- How open are our minds? Do we see opportunities instead of trouble?

5. Success = Reaching our potential through education. It is only through education that we truly fulfill our potential. Many people in the world have potential but are not able to fully realise it because they have not seen what they are capable of reaching. Education can help a person see this.

6. Change is the hardest thing- Every time you want to change something, everyone around you will tell you that it is a disaster. He shares about how he wanted to implement healthcare reforms and there was so much resistance he had to go through. This was not something that was popular with the people, but he felt that it was necessary for his country’s sustainability. It is very helpful to get stakeholders to support you and help you through.

7. Success is about creating great partnerships between individuals- Collaboration and partnerships are important in daily living. Purpose of collaboration: To fight for a better idea! The reason why Tony fights for freedom and against terrorism is because he believes in a greater idea that people should not be oppressed and should lively freely.

8. Partnerships and prejudice cannot co-exist.

9. Success is not about doing something, but believing in something. Values do matter alot. Successful people are single minded in their purpose, but not self-centred.

10. Have a sense of optimism in what you do- You will not succeed if you are afraid of failure. Always believe that what you do can lead to greater good.

So… what is one point above that is meaningful to you? Do leave your comments. I love to read your personal thoughts.

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Kenneth speaking to 120 of Becton Dickinson's Asia Pacific Staff

Do you personally think that motivational talks are important? Or is it some kind of high energy rubbish designed to make people feel good for one day and before it dissipates next day?

So… What do the experts got to say?

First of all, I’m a Certified Behaviourial Consultant and according to motivational theory, it is believed that we cannot ‘motivate’ another person. A person can only motivate himself/herself. Therefore, we cannot ‘change’ a person, but we can influence them. We can influence them to a set of thinking patterns and help them create more empowering belief systems that will make them be more resourceful in life. This leads to them becoming more successful.

People have asked me whether motivation really works and my magic answer to them is:

“It depends….”

It depends if this person is open to change.

It depends if this person is currently happy with the results that he/she is getting.

It depends whether this person at this stage of his/her life is hungry to learn.

I have given many talks to multi-national corporations and government agencies. In my experience, no two people are similar in their appetite for learning and growth. One person can be so fired up and talking about the philosophies that I have just shared, while the other person next to him just claps his hands and asks when is lunch break?

Kenneth sharing a personal story

But one thing I know, I can influence a crowd to relook at their lives, look at where they are and how much greater they can be. What I am doing is creating a desire for change and it will be up to them to decide how they want to change their lives. When people understand that they have the power to change and make a difference, they will not want to be the same again.

When you truly empower people, the results are phenomenal. I have a lot of people usually coming up to me at the end of the seminar saying that it has changed the way they think and the principles taught are really useful for the workplace.

CAUTION: Let me warn you… motivation is like eating. You need to feed yourself with a healthy dose of it every day. I mean… can you survive a week just by eating a day? Some people have this weird belief that motivation is a one day thing that will TOTALLY change your live. I see it as a process where we find out what motivates us and bathe in it every day to get the results that you want.

So… back to the question, does motivation really change you and make you successful? It depends whether you choose to let it and then take massive action to make things happen.

PS: If you need someone to get people to be pro-active and change mindsets, you can engage me to speak for your organisation.

Related Readings:

The One Decision That Changed My Life

How to Motivate Yourself for Greater Heights!

Importance of Surrounding Yourself With the Right People

How Do You Change Yourself?

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