9 Keys

Copyright © 2017 Shaun Zhang, http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.
com
9 Essential Keys to Skyrocket Your SUCCESS

By Shaun Zhang
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com
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Copyright © 2017 Shaun Zhang, http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com
Disclaimer
The author has strived to be as complete and accurate as possible in the creation of this
eBook. While all attempts have been made to verify information provided in this
publication, the author assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions, or contrary
interpretation of the subject matter herein. Any perceived slights of specific persons,
people, or organizations are unintentional.
This eBook is for informational purposes only. It is not intended for use as a source of legal,
business, financial or professional advice. All readers are advised to seek services of
competent professionals in legal, business, finance and relevant fields.
The author and publisher shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or
entity with respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or
indirectly by this eBook.
LEGAL NOTICE
It is my life vision to inspire as many lives as I possibly can. Hence, I’m granting
you the rights to give away this special eBook (worth US$37) to anyone you
choose to empower, as long as everything in this eBook remains unmodified.
Thank you!
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Acknowledgements
I would love to take this opportunity to show my sincere appreciation to the following
people:
- My Parents, who have shown me unconditional love and support all through my
entire life. You have been there every step of the way showering me with
determined and unwavering support in whatever I do. I am blessed and cannot
thank you enough.
- My Uncle Gan and Aunt, who have been my “foster parents” helping to take care of
me when I was growing up. You have been absolutely integral in shaping me into the
down-to-earth and respectful man that I am today, and I dedicate this to you.
- My Mentors Chris Duncan and Yee Shun Jian, whom I have learnt so unbelievably
much from. You have succeeded in instilling in me the power of positivity, and
helped break me free from the shackles of society’s expectations.
- My Family and Friends who have been there with me through thick and thin, and
for partaking in my journey of self-discovery in Life. You know who you are 
- And lastly, YOU! Yes, you have downloaded this book because you are committed to
achieving a Breakthrough in Life and achieving your very own Success. I have put
my heart and soul (and numerous sleepless nights!) into this book, so nothing would
make me happier than to see you take MASSIVE action to improve your life after
you’re done reading!
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CONTENTS PAGE
 Introduction…………………………………………………………………………………….............4
 Shaun’s Personal Life Journey……………………… ……………………….….…………..6
 How It All Started……………………………………………………………………….……....... 6
 My Formative Years……………………………………………………………………….…...… 7
 Growing up and Entering Society……………………………………………….…………10
 Success isn’t Skin Deep………………………………………………………………….……...11
 Stumbling and Tumbling through my Quarter-Life Crisis…………….............12
 My World Came CRASHING Down…………………………………………………...…...13
 Inspired to Create CHANGE………………………………………………………...............17
 The 9 Essential Keys to Skyrocket your SUCCESS

1. Know your “WHY”…………………………………………………………………………….….22
2. Fail to Plan, and Plan to Fail……………………………………………………….…….....26
3. Set Goals which don’t just stretch, but FREAKIN’ SCARE you……….……..…33
4. Ready, Fire, Aim…Fire, Bullseye! ............................................................................... 35
5. Work Smarter, not Harder…………………………………………………….……….…....38
6. MENTOR – (wo)MEN who TORment you…………………………………………...…42
7. Put that Body and Mind to Work……………………………………………………....…45
8. Give Gratitude……………………………………………………………………………………..51
9. It’s Never Too Late………………………………………………………………………………55
 Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………………….….……58
 Recommended Resources………..…………………...…………………………………..…59
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Introduction
Hi, my name is Shaun Zhang. I’m a speaker and the author of 9

Essential Keys to Skyrocket your SUCCESS.
First and foremost, I would like to say huge CONGRATULATIONS to

you for taking action to obtain this book. As the Law of Attraction
states,
“What you think, you create. What you feel, you attract. What you
imagine, you become.”
It’s fantastic that you have taken that first step towards transforming your life. However, I
have to warn you that this is but the beginning of a long and challenging journey. It is easy
to download a book and read through it in a couple of days. However, the challenge is to
apply the ideas that you have learnt to your life, and to do so consistently so as to effect
CHANGE.
I highly urge you to arm yourself with a pen and paper, so that you can highlight important
ideas, scribble down notes and set your personal action points as you move along the
contents.
In the pages to come, I will be sharing personal details of my life journey, as well as how
I overcame my limiting beliefs and charted my life forward. I have also included the 9
Essential Keys to skyrocket your Ultimate Success. These concepts may seem deceivingly
simple, but you’d be surprised at how even the best of us overlook them. I have also
included nuggets of my own personal experience to further help you internalize their value.
If you like what you read here, you are going to absolutely love the content that will come
your way in my FREE newsletter. If you haven’t already, do sign up for it at the following:
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com.
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So are you ready to change your life for the better? If you are, sit back and buckle up your
seat belt, as you are going to have an amazing ride.
I promise you, it will be worth it.
Towards your Continued Success,
Shaun Zhang
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Shaun’s Personal Life Journey
How It All Started…
I was born on a quiet night in 1986 into a warm and loving family. I am the younger of 2
children, and my sister is 3 years older than me. My parents are loving, middle-class
Singaporeans who embody the values of hard work, honesty and responsibility.
Check out that handsome little boy, yup no prizes for guessing who that is…
As my parents were both working on a full time basis, my sister and I were cared for during
the day by my maternal Uncle and Aunt. Uncle Gan, whom I have affectionately been
addressing since I was young, used to carry me around the neighbourhood on long leisurely
walks in the afternoon. He used to joke that even as a little kid, whenever I was given the
opportunity to sit in one of those stationary “kiddy rides”, which involved a payment of a
few coins to start the ride moving, I would tell him with an almost childlike innocence:
“Uncle, it is okay. I will just sit in here and pretend it is moving. There’s no need to insert any
coins. I don’t want you to waste money!”
This story would be told year after year during family meet ups, and would provide a
source of hearty laughter as we rejoiced and soaked ourselves in nostalgia.
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Blissful times growing up with my Uncle Gan, Aunt and my sister
As you can see, even as a young kid, I had the awesome values of thrift, sensibility and
practicality deeply entrenched in my little mind. This was due to the painstaking nurturing
by my loved ones since I was young, and I cannot be more grateful for it.
However, it is ironically such values of practicality that prevented me from propelling

forward to chase my dreams later in life.
My Formative Years
In my years growing up, I used to be a very active student in school. I had the fortune to
study in Raffles Institution and to be highly involved with school and leadership activities. I
was Captain of the Badminton Team, Vice-Captain of the House Committee, and an active
member of Debates and Theatre Productions. It was an absolutely fulfilling period, and the
multitude of activities I was involved in played an immense role in shaping me into who I
am today.
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Captain Motivation!
As captain of the Badminton team, I will never forget the yearly camps that I had organized
to get my players together. I had come up with the slogan “Passion, Live it” for my team,
and that was precisely what I had demanded from all my teammates. To live and breathe
passion for the team’s success. That there was no I in TEAM, and that no individual was
bigger than the collective. Of course, in every organization there would be the few who
would be falling behind. I still remember how I was painstakingly trying to keep my
members committed to the team, to keep them motivated when the going got tough. It was
a thoroughly enriching journey where I learnt and honed my skills of encouragement,
motivation and inspiration.
The year I donned a dress (not in reality though)…
I was also actively involved in yearly theatre productions. There was an inter-house
competition where various houses would put up a drama production, and I was an active
participant.
Let me tell you a deep SECRET: There was a year when the drama production required a
girl to be featured in the story, and we left it to a game of “open numbers” to decide the fate
of the very lucky person to assume that role. And no prizes for guessing, Yours Truly was the
one picked to do it! The female character was a westernized girl who grew up in America,
and her very purpose in the play was to negatively influence the main character, a boy born
into a traditional Chinese family, and exposing him to the vice of the outside world.
As the saying goes,
“A picture speaks a thousand words”
So, I’ll let the picture do the talking….
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Yes….. That’s me……
P.S. I actually thought I looked FABULOUS when I was staring at myself in the mirror.
P.P.S. I DO NOT relish that experience of being clad in a tight fitting mini dress.
P.P.P.S. For the record, I am straight. 
Camp Instructor, Touching Lives!
When I was awaiting entry into university, I applied to work as an ad-hoc outdoor camp
instructor. I would embark on camps lasting 3 days and 2 nights, and would be leading
groups of 15-20 students on outdoor camping trips, where they would undergo various
outdoor activities such as kayaking, rock climbing and living under tents in the outdoors. It
was a life changing experience to see these adolescents overcome their innate fears, and to
impart life-long skills to shape the lives of these young and impressionable teenagers. The
defining moment of this was during the end of one of the camps, when I received a nicely
decorated thank you card which read:
“Thank you instructor for all your effort these few days. I will never forget what you taught
me, and will always remember you for life.”
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Tears, those of joy and pride, welled up in my eyes, as I gave that student a big warm hug.
This made all the sweat, the sleepless nights, the vocal strain and physical exhaustion, all
worth it.
Spreading Love, Changing Lives…
As you can see, I was very active in my formative years, and my exposures to such activities
made me realize that I really loved expressing my thoughts to large groups. Whether it was
through belting out character lines a drama play, or inspiring a group of students, it
invigorated me and gave me a sense of purpose and enlightenment.
Growing up and Entering Society
Fast forward 4 years, and I was done with my university degree. Armed with a Bachelor’s
degree in Accountancy from one of the top universities in Singapore, Nanyang
Technological University, I was ready to step into the working world, to create a better
future for myself!
Just like most accountancy graduates, I applied for a job as an auditor and got accepted into
KPMG, one of the 4 biggest accounting firms in the world. I couldn’t thank my lucky stars
enough as I remembered the feeling of striding through the doors of the company on the
first day of work, all ready to conquer the world!
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It was indeed a really awesome head start. Armed with a degree in Accountancy, and
working in one of the leading global accounting firms, it was a dream to many. I believe my
parents were beaming with pride, and I was also happy and eager to share my status with
people whom I met. This was social proof of success, wasn’t it?
Success isn’t Skin Deep
As much prestige as I had obtained at this job, I could not hide from myself the very fact
that the essence of this role was something which I could not identify with. Apart from the
fact that the role entailed long hours, the more I worked there the more I realized the
glaring problem: I did not feel very much at all for what I was doing.
I went to work daily, performed what was required of me and gave it my best shot, just like
how I had done my whole life. Days danced past, weeks waltzed by, and in a blink of an eye,
time had passed me by.
A stressed work worker | iStock.com
But very often, I was left lifeless as I toiled through the day. I felt like a machine along a
conveyor belt in a factory, playing my part to churn out deliverable after deliverable, and
working to help keep the organization running.
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There was something lacking, but I didn’t know how to find it, or how to go about finding it.
From time to time, memories of the good old days of speaking and acting in school would
trickle back in front of my eyes, but the innately practical me would think out loud:
“You’ve grown up now, it’s time to settle for a proper job and earn your keep! No time to
waste on these side interests anymore!”
Stumbling and Tumbling through my Quarter-Life Crisis
I believe many of you might identify with this phenomenon known as the Quarter-Life
Crisis. For the lucky few of you who have not, here’s what it entails:
“The quarter-life crisis is a period of life ranging from twenties to thirties in which a person
begins to feel doubtful about their own lives, brought on by the stress of becoming an adult.”
-https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quarter-life_crisis
In search of what I truly wanted to pursue as a career, I was deeply entrenched in this
phenomenon. I had changed a total of 4 jobs in the past 6 years of my working life.
After nearly 3 years as an external auditor in KPMG, I left to chart a path less trodden (for
an auditor at least) with a recruitment consultancy firm, where I got exposed to the hustle
and bustle of a sales floor. It was an eye opening experience, and I learnt many life lessons
in my 1.5 year tenure in the recruitment industry.
One of the life lessons I had learnt was determining the route that I wanted to head down
professionally.
I had decided to leverage on my past experience, and head down the field of risk
management and business controls auditing. I realized that whilst I didn’t take liking to the
financial aspect of auditing, the area of seeking out risk gaps in business processes and
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recommending solutions seemed to interest me more. I have since been in the sphere of
business control and internal auditing for the last 2.5 years and counting.
All seemed good and well. I had finally found a role which was suitable for me, and I was
able to leverage on my prior experience, so that my years of involvement in accountancy
wouldn’t go to waste.
I was, for the first time in quite a few years, pretty certain of my road ahead.
However, just as I thought my life would take a change for the better, I received a rude life
awakening call.
My World Came CRASHING Down
It had been years since I was being cared for in my younger days by my Uncle Gan and
Aunt. Since I began my secondary and tertiary education, I had stopped staying over at
their place, and instead went back home as I was already old enough to take care of myself.
Nonetheless, I have nothing but eternal gratefulness towards them for all their love and
care showered upon me all these years, and I would pay them visits from time to time.
Uncle Gan was a homely man who lived a simple life. His passport was rarely, if ever,
utilized. However, he loved collecting t-shirts from countries all over the world. It made
him feel as if he was overseas, even though he did not actually physically make it there.
Hence, I would often buy him shirts from the countries which I visited during my holidays
and travels, and that would totally make his day.
However, I got caught up in the hustle and bustle of work, and my regular visits started
dwindling in frequency. I had been to Macau in early 2016, and had bought him an
awesome blue-colored Macau T-shirt.
“He’s so totally going to love this!” I thought to myself.
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I was so eager to pass it to him, to bring joy to the man who had brought me up with
nothing more but his bare hands of love.
But, in the midst of my busy schedule, I was not able to find the time to pass it to him.
And I would live to regret this.
The date was 19th July 2016, and it was an ordinary a Tuesday morning as it could have
been. I was busy at work when suddenly, I received a text from my cousin, informing me
that my Uncle Gan had slipped and hit his head at home in the wee hours of the morning,
and had been rushed to hospital.
A deep sense of panic engulfed me, and I quickly enquired if I was able to visit. I was told
that he was in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), and it wasn’t convenient for visitors to be
there. I was to wait patiently for further updates.
And wait on I did…
Until I received a text at 240pm:
“Uncle cannot make it already. Do you want to see him for the last time?”
My world came CRASHING down.
I dropped everything that I was working on, booked a taxi and sped down to the hospital.
When I reached the hospital, I saw my relatives all gathered outside the ward. There was an
uncomfortable silence that perpetuated the air, and I mustered all the courage I could to
take those few steps through door into the ward room.
On the bed lay, motionless, my beloved Uncle Gan. Half his face had swelled up immensely,
and his eyes were bloodshot. I could barely recognize him from all that swelling. My heart
shattered into a million pieces, and as I stood there, I started to weep uncontrollably.
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Later, I would learn that he had sustained massive, uncontrolled internal bleeding due to
the impact of the fall to his head. My Uncle had passed away in the afternoon, minutes
before I arrived.
It was a shock to everyone in the family. No one saw this coming. He was still a healthy,
jovial man just days before. He had woken up early to prepare breakfast for my Aunt, and
life would presumably have gone on as usual.
The key world here is, PRESUMABLY.
What I have learnt from this is that, we do not know what will happen the very next minute
of our lives. We do not know if we would be here, living and breathing, tomorrow.
I am digging deep within the depths of my heart to share this experience with you, not to
gain any sympathy, nor to make anyone feel uncomfortable.
I am sharing this to share a lesson I have learnt, that hopefully everyone can benefit from,
without having to endure the pain that I did.
That time waits for no man.
That we should never ever take things for granted.
That we should always live in the PRESENT, and treat every encounter as if it were to be
the last.
Because, friends, you never know when that last meeting, that last conversation, that last
visit, would be your final one.
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Cherish your Loved Ones, every single day.
And as for the blue Macau shirt that I had bought for my Uncle: although I may not have
made it in time to hand it to him, I will keep wearing it on his behalf, in memory of his
undying love for me, and also as a constant reminder to always cherish my loved ones.
So, my fellow friends, do take a closer look at your loved ones, your spouses, your children,
and do your utmost to always cherish them, especially while they are still around.
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Inspired to Create CHANGE
The sudden passing of my uncle jolted me back into reality. I reassessed my life at that
point, and realized that although I was in a rather stable career, I wasn’t exactly living. It
made me think really hard about life, about my existence on this Earth, about what exactly
is my true purpose.
I was enlightened to the fact that our time on this world is finite; and that I should start
paying attention to ensure that I lived to the best of my abilities; that I led a life of purpose
and significance.
I started hitting the library more, borrowing and reading tons of self-improvement books. I
also found plenty of amazing content on the Internet! Reading these books just got me into
the right frame of mind, as I focused my time on absorbing content which were aligned
with my aims and goals. Instead of wasting time on mindless and miscellaneous activities, I
would take any time imaginable to read: whenever I was lazing at home; whenever I was
on the commute on the train; whenever I was waiting for a friend etc. Whenever there was
spare time, I would have my book or eBook ready to feed my mind with nuggets of
knowledge.
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In addition, I visited a local Toastmasters Club near where I live. For those of you who went
“huh?” at that term, Toastmasters International is a non-profit organization that operates
clubs worldwide for the purpose of helping members improve their public speaking and
leadership skills. It has over 300,000 members through its over 15,900 members clubs in
142 countries. For more information, you can check out http://www.toastmasters.org.
It’s been an awesome journey thus far, and I was able to get back into public speaking, and
have gotten back into the knack of sharing knowledge and giving back to the community.
Living my Passion - Emceeing and speaking at various events
Remember what I mentioned about the Law of Attraction?
“What you think, you create. What you feel, you attract. What you imagine, you become.”
What I focused on a daily basis continued to manifest in itself, and I began to see
opportunities presenting themselves right before my very eyes.
Today, I am proud to declare and share with you my personal goal, which is to be an
international speaker, travelling the world to speak to and touch millions of lives all around
the world.
It is a BIG goal indeed. It sounds scary. Almost unattainable.
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How will a random Singaporean guy be able to achieve such a lofty goal?
Well, you never try, you never know.
I have looked into myself deeply, and discovered my WHY.
In response, I’ve taken baby steps towards this calling of mine. I have spent countless hours
on and invested heavily in books, eBooks, podcasts, seminars – all in the aim of working
myself closer and closer towards my life purpose.
My mentors whom I have met at seminars - Yee Shun Jian (left) and Chris Duncan (Right)
I have also taken action to create my name card, and to build my professional profile.
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I have never been more certain of my calling, and I will work tirelessly towards this goal.
If you still have any doubt over this, let me share with you an analogy.
I’ve learnt that life is way too short to be spent living and building others’ dreams. We have
an average lifespan of about 80 years. We spend the first 20 years in school, and the last 15
in retirement. What happens in between, the huge time vacuum of 45 years, which makes
up the majority of our lives, is entirely up to you. If you still don’t get the picture, here’s a
simple illustration to show you the raw truth:
Yes, that is how big of a chunk of our lives we spend in our adulthood, when we are busy
working away. You could work and slog your way towards the weekend, towards
retirement, being enslaved doing things which you don’t feel much for and living the life
society has planned for you.
OR
You could take a deep look into your life, reassess where you are, find out what really
makes you TICK, and get about CREATING CHANGE.
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Moving on…
I am totally ecstatic to be able to share snippets of my life with you. This might come with a
loss of personal privacy, but I really do not mind it. I have found my WHY, which is to
impact and help millions of lives all around the world. And the sharing of my personal
testimony is just part and parcel of that journey.
Thank you very much for taking time to soak in my story, and CONGRATULATIONS for
coming this far in the book. I really hope that I have been able to inspire you to take action
in reviewing your life, and to make it so much better.
However, remember what I had mentioned at the start of this book? It’s easy to finish
reading this in a matter of hours, and think you have absorbed all the content in here.
But, the true essence of success lies in the ability of a person to take MASSIVE ACTION.
“Even if you are on the right track, you’ll get run over if you just sit there.”
- Will Rogers
What I am about to share with you are 9 of what I truly believe are Essential Keys to
spearheading your life towards Success. Along the way, I will also be sharing with you
valuable resources to help you get to where you want. If I were you, I’d hold on tight and
get swiftly through right till the end of this book.
So friends, let’s whip out your pen and paper, and let’s get started!
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#1: Know your “WHY”
There are approximately 7.5 billion people out there on this planet, and every one of them
is unique and different. We are all created differently, have varying characters,
personalities and skillsets. What makes someone successful is when he/she recognizes
his/her ultimate purpose, and embarks on an “All or Nothing” mission to further and
develop it.
“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”
Robert Bryne
However, that isn’t the case for most of us.
We have been conditioned since the day we were born to chase the “ideal life”. And just in
case you were mistaken, the “ideal life” has got nothing to do with you.
We have been taught to study really hard, get really good grades, enter a top university, and
get enrolled in a course which has a great “future” – which is in this case, to guarantee you a
stable and relatively high paying job. Hence, we have the revered upon professions such as
Medicine, Law, Accountancy, Banking & Finance etc.
This is known as the Paper Chase.
Conditioned to fare well in the paper chase since we were young, we have a society in
which everyone strives to climb up the corporate ladder, all with an aim to achieve stability
and affluence in life.
Now, I am not against the charting of an awesome future for oneself. In fact, in this day and
age, monetary wealth is such a fundamental catalyst to achieving our goals in life.
However, what we must realize is that whilst on the chase for wealth, we have become so
busy and preoccupied that we have forgotten:
- What we intrinsically really love

- What we are really capable of
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- What it is means to be truly happy in Life.
For the select few of you who have found your true purpose and are living it fully through
your work and your life, I cannot be happier for you!
For the majority of you who are not living your purpose through your work, there are two
ways to go about creating change:
1) To perform a career switch and embark on something which you really desire and
feel for.
2) To stay on in your current job, but actively seek out opportunities to live out your
purpose.
Allow me to share with you a couple of stories:
A wealthy but unhappy friend
I have a friend who has been very successful as a practising lawyer for close to 10 years. He
owns a nice apartment in central Singapore, drives a sports car, and has access to 2 country
club memberships. (Pretty legit, isn’t it!)
He may seem to be really successful to many, but I know he feels anything but.
He works long hours every day. He packs his lunches, and seldom gets to leave the office whilst
the sun is up. Weekends are never a guaranteed break, as he has to at times head back to the
office to deal with urgent matters.
He has confessed that whilst he possesses all these material possessions, he is not happy. He is
not pursuing anything which is remotely related to his interests, and is vexed at how
unfulfilling his life is.
I had an aim to help him improve his life and seek out his purpose. After various sessions of
introspection and self-discovery, he managed to identify that his real passion was in the field
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of sports. As a child, he was always the energetic, outgoing boy who could always be found out
on the soccer field or the basketball court.
After much consideration, he decided to take a break in his career, and took up a degree in
Sports Science. He has since moved on to become a sports psychologist, where he assists youth
in the development of their sporting endeavors. And he has never been happier.
Living life by Society’s expectations
Mary is happily married with 2 children. She works as an executive in a media company, and
enjoys pretty good work-life balance. She is able to fetch her kids to and from school, and
enjoys quality time with them at home. It seems all good and well for her: She is in a stable
job, happily married, and has 2 lovely children. This is the epitome of success by society’s
standards.
However, as awesome as her situation is, Mary is still not happy. As a child, she was always
interested in art. She had been an avid painter since she was young, but had to push aside her
interests as she entered the workforce upon graduation from university.
After several talks with a mentor, she realized that it was through art that she was able to
fully express herself. She subsequently enrolled in an art course to further her interests in the
field, and has since been producing and selling art pieces in her free time. She has thus been
able to living purposefully with a hobby that is true to her heart.
Therefore, no matter what degree of change you aim to create, I urge all of you to take an
urgent look within yourselves, and to discover what exactly makes you TICK. We have a
finite time on this earth, and what we really should be doing is living life out according to
OUR own terms, and not just to society’s expectations.
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To give you some help, do refer to what I call the Purpose Paradigm:
Passion
Purpose
Expertise Values
Purpose is a combination of the following three factors: Expertise, Values and Passion.
In an ideal world, our purpose is something which we are highly passionate about, have got
the relevant skills and expertise for, and is supported by our deepest personal values.
For me, it was not difficult at all to identify my purpose: I have a deep passion for public
speaking and communication, am fortunate enough to have the relevant expertise in this
field, and my values are to add value and improve the lives of others. Hence, no prizes for
guessing, my life purpose is to spread hope and love as a speaker.
If you are having trouble finding something which meets all 3 criteria, fret not. You should
try to find something which fits at least 2 out of the 3.
So before we proceed further, can I get you to please take some time off, get into a
quiet room, and THINK DEEPLY into what intrinsically excites you, and what you
would love to achieve in this lifetime.
Knowing your purpose will get you through the toughest of situations. It will ensure that no
matter how bleak the path ahead may be, you can always count on that flame of purpose to
guide you through the darkness.
“He who has a why, can endure any how”
Frederick Nietzsche
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#2: Fail to Plan, and Plan to Fail
Most of you might have heard the above phrase before.
This is the famous quote by Benjamin Franklin, who basically tells you straight in the face
that it doesn’t matter if you have got tons of wonderfully awesome ideas: if you don’t set a
systemized plan to achieving them, they will remain as airy-fairy images in your mind.
For me, this is truly the case.
I have been a regular at setting goals. As I scroll through my iPhone notes, I can see at least
3 pages of New Year Resolutions that I have set for myself in the last 5 years.
For example:
The thing is, these were wonderful goals and aims, which often re-appear on the new
resolutions list when the next year was approaching. I found myself being unable to fulfill
these aims that I had set for myself.
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How do I overcome this?
What I have learnt to do is to be more targeted and specific when you do your goal
planning. My resolutions list was quite comprehensive, but it was just a bunch of goals
screaming for my attention all at the same time.
In order to focus on the important ones that matter, what you have to do is to go through
your goals, and identify the top 5 most important ones that you absolutely have to achieve.
Once you are done with that, you have to segregate your planning into the following:
- Lifetime goals (30 years)

- Long-term goals (5 years)
- Mid-term goals (1 year)
- Short-term goals (1 month)
- Micro Short-term goals (1 week)
- Immediate goals (Tomorrow)
Do you see what the above does? It actually creates milestones for you to segregate your
goals into. You absolutely have to start from the top to the bottom, just like how I have
listed them. Of course, you can change the length of each period to suit your own
preference, but you definitely have to start by having an over-arching plan for your LIFE.
Once that is done, you will then slowly narrow it down to a pretty distant long term goal,
then to a not-too-distant mid-term goal, and squeeze it down to a short-term and then an
immediate goal.
What I want you to do NOW is to start thinking through and setting your goals. Stop
everything you are doing, fish out a pen and fill up the sheet on the next page. Don’t
proceed with this book till you are done with your goal setting.
Goal Setting may seem pretty easy, but it is anything but that. I hope that you take it very
seriously. Check this resource out if you need some more help. 
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MULTI-TIERED GOAL SETTING BLUEPRINT
MY LIFE GOALS: ____________________ (duration)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MY LONG-TERM GOALS: ____________________ (duration)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MY MID-TERM GOALS: ____________________ (duration)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
:
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MY SHORT-TERM GOALS: ____________________ (duration)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MY MICRO SHORT-TERM GOALS: ____________________ (duration)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
MY IMMEDIATE GOALS: ____________________ (duration)
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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Once you are done with filling up the sheet, you could transpose your goals into another
format (e.g. sketchbook, Microsoft PowerPoint, mind-map etc.), decorate them and make
them BRIGHT and CATCHY! Paste them on your wall or cupboard, keep small notes in
your wallet, or set them as your phone wallpaper.
Do whatever it takes to make them visible, and ensure you get reminded of them every
single day!
The Day Plan – the Personal Filter to your every Action
Congratulations on finishing your Goal Planning. With these goals firmly visible every day,
you would be unconsciously re-programming your mind to work towards achieving these
goals.
What I would like to share with you now is the power of the Day Plan.
Yes, I mean literally setting out a plan for the day ahead, and breaking down your day into
individual hours.
You see, most of us human beings face a myriad of distractions every single day. With the
advent of the smartphone, we basically live within that particular device. I am sure the very
last activity you do before you go to bed, is to surf on your smartphone. That might also be
the thing you do when you wake up first thing in the morning. Take a look at the people on
the train when you commute to work: they are all glued with their heads down, either
playing Candy Crush or browsing through mindless online content on their phones.
And that was just the smartphone alone.
I haven’t gotten started on the host of other distractions: the Television, your friends, lazing
on the couch staring into space etc.
There is a myriad of things which we do unconsciously every day which steal our time
away!
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And the best thing to do to keep these activities at bay, to ensure that we know exactly
what we are supposed to be doing, is to do up a Day Plan.
A Day Plan looks something what you see on the next page:
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MY DAY PLAN
Monday, 1st May 2017
7am-8am: _____________________________________________________________________________________
8am-9am: _____________________________________________________________________________________
9am-10am: ____________________________________________________________________________________
10am-11am: __________________________________________________________________________________
11am-12pm: __________________________________________________________________________________
12am-1pm: ____________________________________________________________________________________
1pm-2pm: _____________________________________________________________________________________
2pm-3pm: _____________________________________________________________________________________
3pm-4pm: _____________________________________________________________________________________
:
4pm-5pm: _____________________________________________________________________________________
5pm-6pm: _____________________________________________________________________________________
6pm-7pm: _____________________________________________________________________________________
7pm-8pm: _____________________________________________________________________________________
8pm-9pm: _____________________________________________________________________________________
9pm-10pm: ____________________________________________________________________________________
10pm-11pm: __________________________________________________________________________________
11pm-12am: __________________________________________________________________________________
12am-1am: ____________________________________________________________________________________
1am-2am: _____________________________________________________________________________________
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What you should do is to list down the aims and goals which you aim to achieve for the
whole week. (As previous mentioned, your Micro Short-Term Goal)
Once that is done, you should then start planning your day the night before you sleep. Make
sure you fill your list with tasks which are achievable, as well as pockets for rest and
recharging. Once you are able to list the things which you want to achieve for the following
day, your mind will then auto program itself to ensure it happens.
It is also very important to keep your list visible through the day. This helps you to be
efficient and productive in ensuring that you do not spend excessive amounts of time on
each task (which is so relevant for the procrastinator / perfectionist in me).
In conclusion, remember to set your goals – Life, Long-term, Mid-term, Short-term, Micro
Short-term, Immediate. These will help you zero in on your aims and keep them at the back
of your head.
Your Day Plan is what you should be looking at right before you sleep. Not Candy Crush, not
Facebook, not Instagram, not Snapchat. But your awesome tasks you wish to slay the next
day.
“A Goal without a Plan is just a Wish.”
- Antoine de Saint-Exupery
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#3: Set Goals which don’t just stretch, but FREAKIN’ SCARE you
In the last chapter, we have touched quite a fair bit on the setting of goals to ensure you are
moving towards what you really want to achieve.
What I would like to share with you now is not on the mechanics, but the MAGNITUDE of
your goals.
Fear of Failure
You see, most of us are innately afraid of failure. We are brought up to be pragmatic people,
to ensure that we get ourselves on the path of stability and safety.
We want to know that we are able to accomplish what we set out to do! We don’t want to fail!
In the process, what we end up doing is limiting the size of our goals, so that we don’t find
ourselves failing.
“Aim for the sky and you will reach the ceiling. Aim for the ceiling and you will stay on the
floor.”
Bill Shankly
The quote above just about sums it all up. The real failure is not in missing the sky, but
remaining in status quo, squarely on the floor.
The biggest failure is not missing your target, but not achieving your fullest potential.
Operating on the current beliefs and capacity
Another reason why most of us set mediocre goals is because we rationalize things out, and
in the process come to the conclusion that: “We are not able to”.
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How our mind functions is based on our personal experiences we have accumulated till
that point, as well as the influences that we have obtained from our surroundings. We are
often limited by how our network (the people we speak and listen to) functions and
behave.
Just to illustrate my point, I want to share with you a story of a friend who recently got into a
huge amount of debt. He ended up owing 6 figure sums to creditors, and his savings was
entirely wiped out. He was on the brink of depression, as he saw no way out of his
predicament – the monthly interest repayments were huge, and he could not see how a job or
any amount of investments could help him out of this. This was the limiting belief his network
of influence back then had placed on him.
Fortunately, he was introduced to a mentor who helped re-program and stretch his mental
capacity to aim for that larger goal of paying off his debts. After days and weeks of having
that goal close to his heart, he managed to think of alternative ways to increase his income,
and eventually take the path less trodden to earn $200,000 in less than a year.
Who would have thought one could be able to earn $200,000 a year? I’m sure many of us
skeptics would dismiss that as a fairytale.
However, when you push your mind way beyond its limits, it has its ways to open new
dimensions and opportunities you never thought existed.
Therefore, what I want you to do is to revisit those goals that you had set in the previous
chapter, and recalibrate them until they FREAKIN’ SCARE you, or make you go “ARE YOU
KIDDING ME”?
Because trust me, once you set your mind to something, you would be amazed at the
wonders it would bring about. And when you stretch your mind that way, it will return the
favour by stretching to lengths you never thought were possible.
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#4: Ready, Fire, Aim…Fire, Bullseye!
Alright friends, now that we have decided our life purpose and set our goals for the future,
the next thing that we absolutely have to embark on is to: TAKE ACTION.
Now, it might seem really cliché a topic for me to be touching on.
You might be thinking: “Duh! Of course we have to take action in life, that’s a no brainer! No
Shit Sherlock!”
Well friends, let me tell you this: Lack of action taking is actually one of the biggest
stumbling blocks one could have in the journey towards his/her goals.
We have discussed in the previous chapter about how human beings are usually afraid to
fail. We are innately practical people who dislike the notion of imperfection or failing at a
particular task. This is because since we were young, we were brought up in an education
system where failing and passing were as clear as black and white. I’m sure many of us here
have had that bitter feeling of disappointment when we failed our first ever exam. (if you
haven’t, good on you smartie!) We have been conditioned to avoid failure at all costs; that
failure was a huge sign of incompetence; that it was something our parents and teachers
would frown upon.
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This is why we have always been conditioned to stay in our comfort zones, to not wander
into the paths less trodden, to play it safe.
This also applies to how we approach our tasks at hand.
My challenges of writing of this book
I can’t think of a better way to illustrate this concept than to use my very own experience of
writing this book. I have got high standards towards the creation of this book, and I often
hesitate to proceed with my writing until I have fantastic ideas and content all crystal clear
and ready at the tips of my fingers. This is what I meant by the “Perfectionist” or “Cannot
Fail” attitude that I had mentioned earlier.
Make no mistake, I do believe in setting high standards and ensuring quality output in our
daily tasks.
However, what I realized was that this “Perfectionist” and “Cannot Fail” attitude was
preventing me from even starting! Each time I wanted to start on writing a chapter, I would
have many doubts on the quality of the output, and would push it back, with an excuse that
I would refine it better in my mind before proceeding. In the end, I did not manage to get
started on numerous occasions, and this caused me to waste so much precious time and
push back completing this book.
What I have learnt was to not care too much about the initial quality of my output. What
was most important was for me to get it done, quickly. Once I had completed it, I had
momentum on my side, and I was then able to review the content and improve it. It was
through my initial mistakes that I was able to know what was inadequate, and to make it so
much better the second and third time around.
“But, wouldn’t I be wasting the effort and time to create something which is imperfect the
first time? I’d rather just do it once, and do it perfect.” some of you might think.
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You are right, but how many of us are created perfect? How many of us are able to create
something which is free of mistakes and inadequacies the first time around? (please link me
up if you know someone like that!!). Instead, what you end up doing is second guessing your
every idea, and end up getting stuck in your own tracks, never ever beginning.
Therefore, as this quote perfectly sums it up:
“Imperfect Action is better than Perfect Inaction”
Harry Truman
Let’s stop being perfect at standing still, but be open to making baby steps in our progress.
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#5: Work Smarter, not Harder
This section is especially dedicated to the hard-working souls in all of us, to those who
work tirelessly at ensuring we make progress and move towards our goals.
Yes, that’s right, there’s a lesson to be learnt for everyone, even to the best of us who are
already disciplined and have a high work rate!
For these few of us who have got the discipline and drive to keep on going, who keep
ourselves occupied whilst working towards our goal – you might unknowingly be trapped
in the state of busyness.
The State of Busyness
Have you ever experienced an extraordinarily intense day, where you just about managed
to squeeze out every single available minute of the day to attend to a task or activity (save
the visiting of the restroom, during which you might even have been able to reply to a few
emails on your mobile phone)?
At the end of the day, you sink back into the comfort of your armchair, pretty satisfied with
what you have completed. However upon closer retrospection, you realize that you haven’t
actually accomplished too much that is actually important and integral to your goals; you
realize that you have just said yes to a dozen menial tasks that have come along the way,
and have chosen to tackle the smaller tasks first just because it seemed easier to get them
out of the way.
The above is a classic example of being caught in the state of busyness – when you think you
have managed to cover quite a fair bit through the day just because you seem caught up
and out of breath at the end of it. However, due to poor prioritization and lack of detailed
planning, tasks were completed in a rather haphazard fashion, and you were not able pay
enough attention to the ones which really matter. There was a gradual loss of
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intentionality in your actions, because you had become more and more reactively busy
as the day passed.
Guess the most valuable resource we have?
I mentioned at the start of my book that there are more than 7.5 billion people on this
planet, and we are all created with vastly different characters and personalities. However,
we all have something in common: We all have only 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Hence,
what we have to realize is:
The single most valuable resource that we have is Time.
And that our Time and Abilities are limited.
As mentioned, all of us only have got 24 hours a days. Even the great Warren Buffet
laments:
"I can buy anything in the world, but I can't buy more time"
- Warren Buffet
In order to fully maximize this limited resource that we have, we need to ensure we employ
the following 2 strategies to work smart:
1) Prioritize your tasks!
The most important thing to do when you manage your tasks on a daily basis is really to
prioritize the highly important things and ensure you get as much of that covered as
possible. I’d like to highlight to you the Pareto Principle, or also known as 80:20 rule, which
states that 80% of one’s output comes from 20% of the input. And this hold true for many
aspects of our lives.
For example: 80% of sales come from 20% of one’s clients; 80% of wealth is owned by 20%
of people; 80% of the buffet dinner is paid off by consuming 20% of the food like lobsters,
crabs, oysters etc. (okay, the last one was totally made up by me…)
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So you can see, it is absolutely vital that on a day to day basis, we focus on the top few most
important tasks, because it is these tasks which will make a tremendous impact going
forward.
2) Leverage on Resources
Time is not the only limitation that we face. We also are limited by our abilities and
skillsets. In any undertaking, there is a multitude of things that we need to take care of,
and these usually require numerous skillsets. Rather than take everything on ourselves, it
is very much wiser to engage specialists in fields that we are not so conversant in to tackle
those problems.
For example, I have a friend who had set up his own tuition business, and he was doing a
pretty good job at maintaining the tuition centre. However, when there was a need to scale
the business, he resorted to researching online to find out how to go about improving his
marketing efforts. You see, my friend is quite the control freak, and he believed that only
through his own scrutiny would things turn out well and within his expectations.
No prizes for guessing, he spent a whole lot of time researching and performing trial and
error, but did not see much progress after 6 months of self exploration. On the contrary, he
ended up feeling mentally and physically exhausted, and his concentration towards managing
his business took a dive.
- 40 -
The crux to the situation above is that my friend was bent on handling all the issues at hand
– even those which were obviously not his forte. He refused to pay for professional help
from someone who is a specialist in that field, but instead had to end up paying using his
precious TIME, which could have been much better used elsewhere.
So fellow friends, I hope you have realized the importance of your TIME. Imagine that your
hourly rate is $10,000 an hour. When that happens, you will naturally be very miserly at
the ways you spend your time. You will naturally seek ways to work smarter and faster,
instead of merely harder.
Once you understand and implement the above concept, you are well on your way to
success. 
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#6: MENTOR – (wo)MEN who TORment you
You might laugh at the above title, but I could not think of any other more engaging and
counter-intuitive than that to impress upon you the importance of a MENTOR.
Yes, a mentor is someone who guides you along your path towards a certain goal.
But more intrinsically, a mentor is someone who:
- Pushes you,
- Stretches you to your limits,
- Then stretches you PAST your limits,
- Keeps you accountable
In short, a mentor is someone who TORMENTS you (simply because all of us dislike change
and disruption, and he/she brings just that to our lives).
In the previous section, we have talked about making full use of our time, and to work not
harder but smarter. Having a mentor is indeed doing that:
The fastest way from point A to B is to engage someone who has been there and done that to
show us how that is done.
There are many people out there who think they are self-sufficient and that there is no
question the internet cannot answer. I am one of them. I have always been quick to jump
on the internet whenever I had a question which bugged me. Whether it was a technology,
health or business related question, Google was my best friend to help me shed light on
them.
Remember what I mentioned about the importance of Time in the previous chapter? It is
good to arm yourself with knowledge and do your own research. However, there is only so
much one can learn on your own.
If you have got a specific goal in mind to achieve (e.g. start a business, lose X% of weight in
X amount of time etc.), the fastest and most efficient way to achieving that is to engage a
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mentor who has been there and done that, or have helped others achieve that. A mentor is
not only able to show us the path towards our goal, but also is able to highlight the
potential pitfalls we should avoid whilst on it. A mentor knows the struggles and difficulties
to be anticipated, and such additional advice would serve as icing on the cake to skyrocket
your progress forward.
My Personal Testimony
As mentioned earlier, I am a very practical and logical person by nature. I am also relatively
self-reliant, preferring to seek out answers on my own before engaging professional help.
Since the passing of my uncle, I realized that I needed to take charge of my own life and
ensure I led a life which utilized my abilities in the most effective way possible. I had two
main goals, which were to
1) Be in an international position of influence

2) Achieve financial independence so I could embark on the things which matter in life.
In order to achieve my second goal, I began researching on ways to earn multiple sources of
income. This led me to researching on the topic of earning a passive income through
affiliate marketing. I had read countless articles online and visited countless forums on the
topic. Whilst my knowledge on the topic increased, I was still not confident of taking that
step into the dark. I did not know how exactly to do it, and do it right.
- 43 -
I was blessed to meet a friend called Yee Shun Jian at a seminar, and this friend would turn
out to be a mentor to drag me out of my comfort zone. He not only taught me step-by-step
technicalities of the trait, he also shared with me his success secrets and strategies. Most
importantly, what he did was to push me far beyond my comfort zone and helped me open
my eyes to opportunities I otherwise never thought existed.
In his very own words:
“Hate me now. Thank me later.”
All I can say is I can’t thank him enough for giving me the chance to hate him 
Therefore, friends, never ever underestimate the power of a good and capable mentor. If
you are currently pursuing something, anything, I urge you to look at the industry leaders
in that field, and to seek help from them. Pay them if you need to!
Because remember, you are either paying with your money, or paying with your time.
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#7: Put that BODY and MIND to Work
We all know that life is not a sprint, but a marathon. If we truly want to be successful in
whatever we do, we need to ensure that we are always in tip-top condition, every step of
the way.
“A Healthy Outside starts from the Inside”
Robert Urich
Put that BODY to Work
The best way to do so is really to get our bodies out there and have a good workout!
The benefits of having daily moderate physical activity are so apparent, but I still need to
re-emphasize them to you:
- Reduce Stress and Anxiety

Exercise increases concentrations of norepinephrine, a chemical released from the
sympathetic nervous system, which moderates the brain’s response to stress. This helps
to bring calm to people who are prone to stress and anxiety.
- Create Brain Matter
Did you know that as we age, our brain begins to degenerate gradually as well? This is
where exercise comes in handy! Regular physical activity can aid in the production of
new brain cells, a process known as neurogenesis.
- Boost Creativity
When we exercise, we experience increased heart rate and blood circulation. This might
be also why inspirations have been reported by people during a leisurely jog or a swim.
A research performed by Cognitive psychologist Professor Lorenza Colzato of Leiden
University in The Netherlands found that those who had regular exercise of 4 times a week
were reported to be able to think more creatively than those people with a more sedentary
lifestyle.
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- Improve physical health and higher energy levels

The last benefit is also the most widely known benefit of physical exercise – it helps us
in our quest to maintain a healthy body. Regular exercise builds up our immunity,
improves blood circulation, burns body fat and increases muscle mass. The outcome is a
fitter and healthier body, and one which has much higher energy levels!!
The reasons why we should keep our body fit and fighting are so endless, we totally need
another eBook for it. But for now, do remember that regular exercise is critical to creating a
healthier body. In our quest for success and excellence, we usually push ourselves so hard
that we neglect to provide our bodies the very basic care and maintenance they require.
Action Points
Now that I have (hopefully!) managed to get you all psyched up to get that body moving,
let’s talk about how you can easily incorporate some exercise into your life.
Make it a point to plan some physical exercises into your schedule at least three times a
week. As all of us have different physical capabilities and interests, I will not go so far as to
restrict you to a particular activity.
However, do remember that the activity that you partake in has to get you minimally
panting and perspiring. Unless you are in your 60s and beyond, leisurely walks in the
park are not adequate physical exercise. (For those of you who are thinking of planning a 4
hour retail therapy session at the boutique mall in town, I call your bluff!)
Some low impact physical activities would include:
- Brisk walking
- Swimming
- Jogging
- Cycling
- Sports played at low intensity (e.g. Tennis, Badminton etc.)
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For the more physically inclined of you, you can consider the following:
- Lifting weights at the gym

- Jogging (at a fast pace)
- High Intensity Interval Training (which usually encompasses repeated bouts of high
intensity exercises followed by less intense recovery periods)
- Sports played at high intensity (e.g. Soccer, Basketball, Badminton, Tennis etc.)
(By the way, I chanced upon this rarely known fact about how our hip flexors play a huge
part in our bodily health. Do check it out!)
“Take care of your Body – it’s the only place you have to Live”
Jim Rohn
Put that MIND to Work
Besides physical exercise, we also need to constantly stretch and exercise our mind. The
human brain is the epicenter of our very being, and it is the one which controls our every
thought and action. According to research, the human brain contains about 86 million
nerve cells which are connected by trillions of synapses.
I recently got introduced to a philosophy called The Law of Attraction, which states that
whatever thoughts (be it positive or negative) we choose to focus our minds on will bring
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about experiences in line with those thoughts. For those of you who are interested in this, I
highly advise you to go watch the movie called “The Secret”. 
Therefore, I have always been in awe at what our minds are capable of. I have also always
been a firm believer in feeding our minds quality information. As the popular saying goes:
“You are the average of the 5 people you hang out with”
Similarly, I would like to extend that thought to the following:
“You are the average of the 5 things you see, hear and read every day”
How do we go about training up our mind?
With the advent of the internet and the smartphone, a plethora of information is easily
available to us at our fingertips. I would like to share with you my personal tips to ensure
that we feed our minds with as much nutrition and goodness as possible.
Determine your Content on Social Media
With 1.94 billion active users at the start of 2017, Facebook is arguably the largest social
media platform that is utilized world-wide. Gone were the days when Facebook was merely
a tool for us to share personal updates on our lives with our friends. It has morphed into a
multi-billion dollar empire, where we can have access to a huge variety of news sources,
businesses and interest groups. Considering Facebook is easily the first and last thing we
browse through at the start and end of each day, we need to be mindful of what content
gets presented to us through Facebook.
What I would suggest you do is to follow and like Pages/Websites/Articles/Links which are
related to your life goals. If you are highly interested in investing, you might want to start
searching for well-known investors and following them. If you are big on personal
development, start looking for motivational influencers like Tony Robbins and follow their
pages.
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When you repeatedly expose yourself to a particular area of interest, Facebook would pick
that trend up and start broadcasting similar content onto your Newsfeed. This will ensure
you are fed with information you need, rather than random useless ones.
READ, period.
I am a huge fan of reading, and I do that by borrowing books at the local library. I often
feast my mind on personal development books which help feed my mind with content to
better myself on a daily basis.
It doesn’t matter how and where you get your sources of information from.
Aside from the library, you could also purchase books from the local bookstore. Research
shows that if you pay a price for something, you would usually try to maximize the value
that it offers. Purchasing of books can also be done online (e.g. Amazon, eBay), where your
reach is literally limitless as you get access to a global network of authors and their
products.
When you can’t Read, Listen.
This is something which I have started doing recently. What do you observe when you are
on your daily commute on the train to work? You usually see people glued to their phones,
either furiously tapping away on Candy Crush or reading up on the latest gossip news.
This highlighted to me the massive amount of time that people usually waste when they are
on the commute. What I have started to do recently is to download and listen to podcasts,
which are essentially audio books downloaded from the internet. Podcasts typically feature
an industry celebrity / personality speaking on a certain topic, or conducting interviews
with fellow personalities in the same industry.
What I have managed to learn from this is that listening to podcasts can take place literally
anytime, anywhere. Whether I am walking on the streets or driving through the highway,
times where my visual attention is taken away from me, I can still listen to podcasts to
internalize positive nuggets of wisdom. You totally HAVE TO try it - you will be amazed at
the amount of wasted time you are saving.
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As both Tony Robbins and Warren Buffet have mentioned:
Investing in yourself is the most important investment you’ll ever make in your life.
Let’s get that started, shall we?
“What Consumes your Mind, Controls your Life.”
Anonymous
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#8: Give Gratitude
It is a rather crazy and complicated world out there. We witness negative news (such as
violence, unrest, political strife and pollution) pretty much on a daily basis.
It is the same in this “dog-eat-dog” world that we personally live in – that term comes about
from this very society which rewards the strong and punishes the weak, in a game called
the Survival of the Fittest.
At this rate, it would be pretty easy to turn into a grouchy, skeptical old man in no time,
without needing to be old or male in the first place.
As we go about in our day to day ventures to strive towards our goals, we often get lost in
the midst of the action, and forget to pay attention to the things that really matter.
Yes, I am talking about showing Gratitude.
Gratitude is such an underrated value, especially in competitive times where we seek

instant results and tangible gratifications. In our constant pursuits for excellence and
success, we get so caught up that we fail to appreciate and be thankful for what we already
have.
- 51 -
Why we should show Gratitude
I would like to share with you an experiment that I had read about, which is as follows:
There was an experiment performed by scientists where 1 group of participants were

asked to jot down things they were thankful for on a weekly basis, whilst the other group
was asked to record negative thoughts such as hassles and inconveniences.
The group of participants who noted down gratitude journals ended up exercising more
regularly, showed fewer symptoms of physical ailments, and felt more optimistic about
their lives in general, as compared to their negatively focused counterparts.
As you can see, the very essence of Gratitude stems from the fact that positivity begets
positivity.
Showing Gratitude in our Daily Lives
I have personally practised my “Gratitude Givings” every morning, and it has done wonders
in kick-starting my day and improving my outlook in life.
What I do when I wake up first thing in the morning, is to find a quiet spot in the house,
stare out the window and spend 5 minutes to appreciate the people and things that I have
in life. I usually show gratitude for:
- Myself: for being blessed with the healthy and strong body that I have, as well as a
positive and persistent mindset, so that I can take on the various tasks that I face in
life.
- My Parents and Family: for showering me with their utmost care and concern
throughout my entire life.
- My Confidants: for being there to understand and listen to me, and to partake in my
journey of self-discovery in life.
- My Friends: for being there as vital support groups to lift me up, and for me to be
silly and goofy around with.
- 52 -
- My Surroundings: the peace and stability that I currently enjoy in the country that I
grew up in.
- Every one whom I meet daily: For handing me a valuable experience each time, and
enabling me to learn and grow as a person in the process.
I have realized that after employing this Gratitude Giving each morning, I start the day on a
much brighter and positive note.
I look forward to each and every encounter through the day with anticipation and
optimism.
When I interact with the people who truly matter to me, whom I had given thanks for, I am
elevated to a plane of positivity, and my interactions with them become so much richer.
Be Specific with your Gratitude Giving
Remember also to be specific with your gratitude giving. It would add a whole lot more
meaning to it if you could add in specific examples of how these people have helped you in
your daily life.
If a particular friend or family member had done something really awesome for you,
remember to give thanks for it.
Be Social about your Gratitude
This is about the best as you can get at giving thanks – if you could show appreciation
directly to the person whom had helped you in any way.
This would skyrocket your intended feelings of gratitude, and have them positively impact
those around you.
You could do this through various means: by telling the person directly, or sending a text
message, or writing a note, or posting a status shout-out online.
- 53 -
It is through this ultimate act of giving that your gratitude will permeate and brighten up
the lives of those around you.
I hope that through sharing my testimony above, I have been able to inspire and motivate
you to also do the same in the days to come. For more tips on awesome morning rituals, do
check this out! 
“Learn to be thankful for what you already have, while you pursue all that you want.”
- Jim Rohn
- 54 -
#9: It’s Never Too Late

I have reserved this for my final section, because I feel that this is one of the most
important ideas I would wish to share with you.
Remember the timeline that I had shown earlier on in this book?
All of us have got finite time on this earth.
I’m sure that I would have a good mix of readers who are peppered all throughout this
scale.
Where are you on this time-line?
i. If you are still near the beginning, then I couldn’t be happier for you. You have got a
whole life ahead of you - a whole life waiting to be lived out with purpose and in
abundance.
ii. If you are somewhere in the middle, you might feel the stress of life beating down on
you, so much so you may feel that change is too difficult a process to undertake. You
may have a family to take care of, and might have various other responsibilities to
fulfill.
iii. If you are somewhere towards the right of the time-line, you might think that it is too
late to start any change; that you have lived your entire life the way you have, and
don’t see a possibility to turn things around.
- 55 -
Well friends, if you belong to 2nd and 3rd group, I want to tell you that it is NOT too late.
Here are some reasons why:
- Harland Sanders, aka Colonel Sanders: The man behind Kentucky Fried Chicken.
He was 62 year old when he franchised KFC in 1952. He subsequently sold it for $2
million, which at that time was an astronomical sum. Prior to creating arguably one
of the best fast food recipes to date(at least in my opinion), Sanders held several odd
jobs including gas station operator and railroad worker.
- Julia Child: She was an American chef, author and television personality. Her first
cookbook was published when she was 39; she made her television debut in The
French Chef at the tender age of 51.
- Donald Fisher: He was the Founder of the American Apparel Brand, GAP. At 41
years of age and with no retail experience, he raised $63,000 and opened a shop
selling funky apparel, which would later grow into a brand name recognized all
around the world.
- Vera Wang: She is one of the world’s premier women designers. For the majority of
her adult life, she had been a magazine editor for 17 years. At the age of 40, she
resigned and pursued her passion of design by becoming an independent bridal
wear designer.
Personally, I have been working for the past 6 years now. As you have read earlier on in
this book, I have had my fair share of ups and downs in terms of discovering where my life
was headed. I always had this flame burning inside of me, at times meekly, and at other
times rather strongly. But I did not take any concrete action to ignite this flame, till recent
times.
- 56 -
I want you to know that the biggest trap to fall prey to is the one known as the Sunk Cost
Trap.
That just because you have been treading a certain path up till this very point, you have to
stick with it; if not, all your previous effort would go to waste.
I challenge you, my friends, to really dig deep and think for yourselves what really matters
to you in your life. Once you have done that, assess if what you have done up till this very
point supports that. If it doesn’t, then all this should not matter too much, should they?
Vera Wong did it when she was 40.
Julia Child when she was 39.
Donald Fisher when he was 41.
Colonel Sanders when he was 62.
Shaun Zhang, yours truly, embarking on his when he’s 30.
So remember, it’s not a matter of whether you can, but whether you will. No matter what
situation you’re in, or what stage of life you’re at, it’s Never Too Late!
- 57 -
Conclusion
Congratulations to coming to the end of my book! I’m super glad that you have finished
reading all the way to the end! (if you have skipped pages, you know what to do…)
It has always been a dream of mine to write a book; and with the right inspiration I have
managed to do just that. I have sat on this idea for the longest time, and finally managed to
take that gigantic step forward. I foresee this will be the first of many to come. 
Remember what I had mentioned at the start of this book – that life is not a sprint, but a
long and challenging journey?
Whilst I am happy that you have taken action to seek improvements, simply reading a book
or two is not enough. It’s about applying the concepts that you have learnt in your daily life,
and to constantly seek out more valuable knowledge to keep yourself going.
In the following page, you will find additional resources that will be able to help you out in
various aspects of your life. If you chance upon those that pique your interest, I highly
encourage you to get them in order to speed up your learning process.
If you enjoyed what you read here, do drop me a mail at shaun@ShaunZhangRuyuan.com.

I’d love to hear from you on how you benefited from this book. 
And if you haven’t already, do sign up for my free personal improvement newsletter to
receive regular inspirational tips and tricks at: http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com.
Have fun exploring, and I look forward to connecting with you soon!
Towards your Continued Success,
Shaun Zhang
- 58 -
Recommended Resources
In the following pages, you will find resources which focus on various areas which you may
find useful. It is my personal belief that we should always continuously upgrade and
improve ourselves, be it in the area of personal mastery, relationships, finance, health or
any other important aspects of our lives. It is my kind intention to share with you
interesting and useful resources whenever I come across them. 
As Warren Buffet and Tony Robbins so aptly said:
“Investing in yourself is the most important investment you’ll ever make in your life.”
Have fun exploring!
Resources for SELF IMPROVEMENT and PERSONAL MASTERY
Manifestation Miracle – Watch this video to learn about the program which can help you
manifest success in every aspect of your life.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/ebkresManifest
Mind Secrets – Explore the power of the subconscious mind that will help unlock your true
inner potential.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResMinds
Tesla Code Secrets – Learn the life secrets developed by Nikola Tesla, one of the greatest
inventors who ever lived.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResTesla
The Amazing You – Here’s a free presentation on how the world’s richest and most
connected people are “rewiring” their minds for automatic success.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResAmazingYou
- 59 -
Panic Away – A very useful technique to cure Anxiety and Panic Attacks with simple, step-
by-step instructions.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResPanicAway
Morning Ritual Mastery – How you start the day will determine how it eventually turns
out. Here are some effective tips to get your day off to a flying start.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResMornRitualMastery
Super Productivity Secrets –If you are a victim of procrastination, then this is totally for
you. Check out these proven strategies on how to beat that Procrastinator in you
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBResProdSecrets
Goal Setting Formula – How to create effective and targeted goals to help you accomplish
what you want in life.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResGoalSettingFormula
Find Your Focus – This resource will teach you how to stay FOCUSED in the face of the
myriad of distractions we face in life.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResFindYourFocus
Resources for LOVE and RELATIONSHIPS
Text the Romance Back –Find out how to rekindle the romance and connection with your
partner through simple texting methods.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResTextRom
Mend the Marriage – Practical and well-meaning advice on how to maintain a healthy and
happy marriage.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResMendTheMarriage
- 60 -
For the Men only:

Text That Girl – For the men out there who are facing difficulties in engaging the attention
of their potential love interests.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResTextThatGirl
For the Ladies only:

Secrets Men Don’t Want Women to Know – Here’s a sneak peek at the things that men
wish women didn’t know.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/ebkresSecretSurvey
What Men Secretly Want – Understanding the psychology behind what your man actually
wants.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResWhatMenSecrWant
Resources for HEALTH and WELLNESS (Health is Wealth!)
Pure Natural Healing – Lesser known methods to maintaining a healthy body through
pure, natural means.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/BkResPureNatHeal
Beauty Food Bible – Watch this video presentation on the secrets to retaining the youthful
and beautiful you!
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResBeautyFoodBible
Diabetes Loophole – Practical advice on the preventing and treating of diabetes.

http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResDiabetes
Flat Abs – Proven tips to burn stomach fat and develop those washboard abs.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResFlatAbsForLife
Heart Burn No More – Are you suffering from heartburn and acid reflux? Watch this video
to find out how to put a stop to it.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResHeartBurn
- 61 -
Unlock Your Hip Flexors – Secrets of utilizing the lesser known hip flexor muscle to
improve your physical health.
http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.com/eBkResUnlockHipFlexor
- 62 -

9 Keys

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Copyright © 2017 Shaun Zhang, http://ShaunZhangRuyuan.

9 Essential Keys to Skyrocket Your SUCCESS

 Shaun’s Personal Life Journey……………………… ……………………….….…………..6

 How It All Started……………………………………………………………………….……....... 6

 Growing up and Entering Society……………………………………………….…………10

 Success isn’t Skin Deep………………………………………………………………….……...11

 Stumbling and Tumbling through my Quarter-Life Crisis…………….............12

 My World Came CRASHING Down…………………………………………………...…...13

 Inspired to Create CHANGE………………………………………………………...............17

 The 9 Essential Keys to Skyrocket your SUCCESS

2. Fail to Plan, and Plan to Fail……………………………………………………….…….....26

4. Ready, Fire, Aim…Fire, Bullseye! ............................................................................... 35

5. Work Smarter, not Harder…………………………………………………….……….…....38

6. MENTOR – (wo)MEN who TORment you…………………………………………...…42

7. Put that Body and Mind to Work……………………………………………………....…45

9. It’s Never Too Late………………………………………………………………………………55

Hi, my name is Shaun Zhang. I’m a speaker and the author of 9

First and foremost, I would like to say huge CONGRATULATIONS to

I promise you, it will be worth it.

Towards your Continued Success,

Shaun’s Personal Life Journey

How It All Started…

Blissful times growing up with my Uncle Gan, Aunt and my sister

However, it is ironically such values of practicality that prevented me from propelling

The year I donned a dress (not in reality though)…

As the saying goes,

“A picture speaks a thousand words”

So, I’ll let the picture do the talking….

Yes….. That’s me……

P.P.P.S. For the record, I am straight. 

Camp Instructor, Touching Lives!

Spreading Love, Changing Lives…

Growing up and Entering Society

Success isn’t Skin Deep

A stressed work worker | iStock.com

Stumbling and Tumbling through my Quarter-Life Crisis

My World Came CRASHING Down

“He’s so totally going to love this!” I thought to myself.

And I would live to regret this.

And wait on I did…

Until I received a text at 240pm:

My world came CRASHING down.

The key world here is, PRESUMABLY.

That time waits for no man.

That we should never ever take things for granted.

Cherish your Loved Ones, every single day.

Inspired to Create CHANGE

Living my Passion - Emceeing and speaking at various events

Remember what I mentioned about the Law of Attraction?

It is a BIG goal indeed. It sounds scary. Almost unattainable.

Well, you never try, you never know.

I have looked into myself deeply, and discovered my WHY.

#1: Know your “WHY”

“The purpose of life is a life of purpose.”

However, that isn’t the case for most of us.

This is known as the Paper Chase.

- What we intrinsically really love

- What it is means to be truly happy in Life.

Allow me to share with you a couple of stories:

A wealthy but unhappy friend

Living life by Society’s expectations

“He who has a why, can endure any how”

#2: Fail to Plan, and Plan to Fail