Dreaming small dreams are unlikely to excite us enough to take the necessary actions. So we must DARE TO DREAM BIG DREAMS.

Dare to Dream

New Year Resolutions

I am looking forward to 2010, because I know the new year is going to be a brand new year with brand new beginnings for me. It will be a year of new directions for me, where ministry and career are concerned. It will also be a year in which I will be resuming my MDiv.

I am looking forward to becoming my own boss. Hopefully, I can be a boss of both a social enterprise as well as a publishing firm. It's my prayer that they will manifest God's glory and make a huge impact in the world for His glory.

Children have a special place in my heart. Thus, I am looking forward to serving in the children's ministry in my church in 2010. Some of these children have parents who are serving time in prison, while others are from low-income families. Hence, serving these children is especially meaningful to me.

I have a great love for learning. So naturally I look forward to resuming my MDiv, which is basically a theology degree, in 2010. I also have plans to take up a Post-Grad Diploma in TESOL as well as MBA. In addition, I also plan to learn guzhen, which is a Chinese musical instrument. I know it will take time to realise all my academic dreams. Nevertheless, with God's help, I believe that I should be able to complete them within several years.

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The Beauty of Singlish

Singlish is the Singaporean version of the English Language. Personally, I think it has a certain beauty to it. Its beauty lies in its friendly tone. By adding words such as 'lor' and 'leh' at the end of some sentences make conversations sound more friendly. Even if other Singaporeans do not agree, at least that's how I feel about Singlish. Thus, I am all for the use of Singlish as a conversational language.

Dare to Dream

I have finally completed the melody to a song I wrote sometime ago. Lately, I have been toying with the idea of getting people from different nationalities to sing my songs. I think this will be pretty interesting although I am not sure how feasible it will be and whether this makes good business sense. My rationale for wanting to get people of different nationalities involved is to help them earn some (additional) income though.

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A Quote

......an alternative "success" story - one where, with each next, the protagonist is closer to finding that spot where he's no longer held back by his heart, and he explodes with talent, and his character blossomed, and the gift he has to offer the world is apparent.

~~Author Po Bronson

I think this is a quote worth pondering over.

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A person's success is not dependent on how well-educated he is, but rather on how much he desires it.

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It's the decisions we make, not the conditions of our circumstances, that determine our destiny.

~~ Author Anthony Robbins

I would like to add that the decisions we make must not be half-hearted ones, because such decisions will not be able to withstand obstacles that are likely to come our way.

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Crying is a good form of catharsis. It has a purifying effect on one's soul.


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Our Untapped Potential

I believe all of us have some untapped potential. To tap into this hidden potential, I guess we may need to come out of our comfort zone. How willing are we to do so?

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Loving One Another

Christians ought to love one another. But sadly, there are Christians who are not loving their fellow brothers and sisters in the Lord but are fighting against one another. Is it any wonder then that Christians are not impacting the world as they should?

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If we want to be truly happy and to live a fulfilling life, we must be willing to pursue our own dreams instead of the dreams of someone else or the dreams that someone else has for us.

My dad used to instill in me, as a child, his dream for me to become a doctor. But the problem is I am just not wired the way that doctors are. Doctors generally function more using their left brains whereas I am more of a 'right-brain' person. Moreover, I should be pursuing my own dreams rather than some kind of unfulfilled dreams that my dad might have held dear in his heart as a young man. I am not trying to be disrespectful towards my dad by saying this. But rather I am trying to bring up the importance of following our own dreams.

It's meaningless for us to pursue a dream that is not the 'right fit' for ourselves, isn't it?

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True Success

I wonder how many of us will define our own successes through the lenses of people who are successful or anyone else? Have we ever wondered that someone else's success isn't necessarily the 'right fit' for ourselves?

To me, 'success' is a subjective term. A person's success is not necessarily another person's success. I may define 'success' by how much weath I have accumulated. However, someone else may define 'success' as having made this world a better place through his contributions. Yet another person may define it as having pursued a particular cause with dogged determination.

We must understand that we are all special in our own ways and we are gifted in different ways. As long as we have tapped into our full potential and have used our gifts/talents fully, we can be considered as successful.

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The Refining Process

Yesterday, I heard a speaker talk about the polishing process of a diamond. He told the audience something to the effect that a diamond will only become beautiful after it's being polished. Likewise, a person's character will 'look good' only after it's being refined.

The refining of one's character can be a painful process. However, this refining process is necessary in order that his life will become like a beautiful diamond that naturally draws people to him.

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The Power of Our Words

In the beginning, God simply spoke the word and the entire world came into being. And since we have been created in the likeness of God, our words likewise have creative power. Thus, our words have the power to build up and to tear down. Hence, it is extremely important for us to watch what we say to ourselves and to others, especially to children.

If we hope to see our dreams materialised, then we must be very careful with what we say to ourselves pertaining to these dreams that we hold dear in our hearts.

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If we could have anything that our hearts desire easily, would we actually take them for granted? Probably. Conversely, if we could have anything that we desire only if we are willing to make the necessary sacrifices and/or put in the necessary effort, we would most likely treasure them.

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What Should I Do With My Life?

Right now I am reading another book entitled "What Should I Do With My Life?" by Po Bronson. It's a compilation of stories of real people. One of the people whom Po interviewed for his book asked himself a question, "If I were to make an early exit from this world, what will I feel worst about not getting done?"

What will I feel worst about? I have yet to have a concrete answer. I can only say (It's not a direct answer to the question) I would love to live my life with zeal and to make significant contributions to the community in which I live and to the world at large, so that my life is not lived in vain.

Dare to Dream

I have finally completed the melody for a song that I wrote a few years ago, and I am working towards composing melodies or completing the melodies for other songs that I have written. Thank God!

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Music has always been a part of my life. It is my dream to compose songs -both Christian and secular pop songs - that will inspire hope and bring honour to God's name. Hopefully, I will be able to produce an album of Christian songs and another album of secular pop songs (both English and Chinese titles) sometime next year.

Dare to Dream

The realisation of our dreams can be likened to the birthing process. Just as a pregnant woman may have to make some sacrifices for the sake of her unborn baby, such as giving up her favourite foods/drinks, we may have to make some sacrifces to realise our dreams. Just as a pregnant woman may likely experience some kind of discomfort during her pregnancy, we will probably experience some kind of discomfort before our dreams can be realised. And just as a pregnant woman will experience great joy when her baby is finally born, we will experience exhilarating joy when we see the fulfillment of our dreams.

Dare to Dream

Life Calling

I believe that a person's life calling is closely linked to the dream(s) that he has and that he holds dear in his heart.

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Dreams must be fuelled by passion to be realised.

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Dreams

Your best dreams...will remain only (as) dreams if you don't wake up and execute them.

~~Senior Pastor Rony Tan (Lighthouse Evangelism)

How true, isn't it? If we want our dreams to become realities, we need to execute (or act on) them. We need to make plans. We need to set realistic goals. Of course I believe it's also equally important to believe in our dreams if we want to see them coming to pass.

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Opportunity

Very rarely does an opportunity come along that doesn't require some effort on your part before it is realised.

~~John Bird (Author of "Change Your Life")

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