10 Key Lessons I Have Learnt In Life

1. Learn to wake up early

2. Learn to develop good habits.

- Reading
-Walking and taking the stairs

3. Learn to plan

- Set S.M.A.R.T goals

4. Learn to find mentor in life

5. Learn to eliminate, delegate and automate

6. Learn to do one thing at a time

7. Learn to be contend, and not compare

8. Learn to invest in a good community

9. Learn to exercise self-control

10. Learn to seek to understand, then to be understood.

Lessons from Ikigai

NIE Year 4 Semester 1 has ended for me. Since I only have FYP to worry about, I decided that I would invest the bulk of my time at the library to read. Reading is so important in life as it broadens our perspectives and deepens our understanding of the world. It gives us a glimpse of other worldviews and how we should live our lives with meaning. One of my recent favourite discoveries is this amazing book - Ikigai. Through the authors' wisdom and profound writing, I have learnt 5 key lessons:

           1. Hara Hachi Bu     

• A Japanese phrase which means 'fill your belly to 80 percent.' To live a long life, we should learn to eat in moderation.

           2. Doing One Thing At A Time

• In the 21st century, we are swarmed by technology and screens. Their creators promised and designed them to be time-savers, but they turned out to be time-wasters, garnering our attention and reducing our ability to focus. We are obsessed with notifications and trivial information that distract us from the real work at hand. We need to return to the art of singular focus, and cease all forms of multitasking.

           3. Learning To Live In The Moment

• Our educational system and global economic climate have forged us into people who are constantly worrying about and preparing for the future. Very so often, we forget to enjoy the present moment. A Japanese proverb says, 'Walk slowly and you will go far.' This proverb is so simple but yet so profound. Seriously, what is the hurry?

           4. Find a Like-Minded Community of Friends

• To ensure a long life, we need to have a community of friends who share moments of joy (and even sorrows) and share the same interests as us. God made us to be social creatures - born to enjoy relationships. 

• One of my favorite communities in life is the 10K Brother fitness group. We meet every weekend to exercise and stay healthy. My desire is to gather and build a small family which strives to encourage each other to become stronger - physically and mentally. It is my prayer that the group would grow even stronger as we enter 2018, and that more young leaders would rise up to lead and serve.

Blessed New Year 2017

2016 has been a year of victories and celebrations. I have grown to learn to trust God for the growth of the BB Ministry and not lean on my own strength. I thank God for the following:

1) Over 20 BB Boys came to Christ and more than half are receiving regular follow up

2) Successful season of BB Blaze Training.

3) Europe Trip with my Friends.

4) 50-Days International Practicum Trip in New Zealand.

5) Ming Ji and Brendan are now in Amanda Tan's LCG,
where they can be rooted and grow spiritually.

6) Devin coming back to BB to serve.

God's Call

If God has called you to Afghanistan, the safest place to go on this planet will be Afghanistan.

Spiritual Friendships

"Time is the currency of relationships" (Richard Lamb).

Since the day I picked up the mantle of leadership in The Boys' Brigade, I was perpetually afraid to make new friends. My plate is already so full that I barely have any time left for myself or my family. Friendships demands time and commitment. Two words that I am fearful given the responsibilities I have in life to shepherd 33 Boys.

However, since coming to NIE, God brought a friend into my life. This friend never fails to cheer me up and allows me to be her big brother. This is Wendy and I thank God for her everyday (even though she eats a lot of my food).

Picnic On The Mount Before Mount Fuji

The Boys' Brigade 44th Singapore Company Enrollment Service 2015

Thank God for His many years of goodness and favour in our Company. May the LORD continue to help our Boys to grow in the knowledge of the faith and in character.

NIE Gymnastic Performance

A Mentor Is...

Navigator

Carpenter

Firefighter

Farmer

Coach

 

Not a

Plumber

Policeman

Grandfather

Ex Brotherhood

Youth Camp 2014

Jesus Christ Is The LORD Of My 2015

Praise the LORD of host for His presence and favour in 2014. God has used the two years of my service in the Singapore Armed Forces and 10 years in The Boys' Brigade to help me discover what I want to do for the rest of my life. I have come to one simple conclusion-I can inspire young men. Henceforth,

  

 'My life mission is to venture to the lost, communicate

the truth and nurture today's youths, tomorrow's leaders.'

 

Theme of 2015: God Is My All-Consuming Obsession

Lesson 1: What Is Mentoring?

Mentoring is:
1) A relational experience through which one person
empowers another by sharing their wisdom and resources.

Mentoring is not:
1) A program or production line to proliferate leaders
2) Restricted to people who likes structures or are highly disciplined

When a person chooses to mentor, he is selecting and limiting the volume of people he meets at one time so as to better multiply himself. The transaction goes from informational in nature to transformational. This can be observed through the life of Jesus Christ as He focused on His twelve disciples (not the crowd) and invited each of them to follow Him on a redemptive journey. Jesus invested vast amount of His time speaking truths into their lives and preparing them for the Great Commission. 

This is an intriguing phenomenon. The Son of Man came down from heaven and He could have beckoned a thousand to follow Him but He strategically chose only a handful to train. From a human perspective, it sounds rather inefficient. Couldn't Jesus have done more than just twelve? But scriptures remind us of how those twelve turned the world upside down and swept the gospel across continents after the empowerment of the Holy Spirit. Clearly, the Son of Man redefined effectiveness and knew what He was doing.

Dawson Trotman once said, 'More time with less people equals greater impact for everyone.'

A teacher delivers content that is academic, cognitive and cerebral. Though it engages the mind, the teaching is often passive and theoretical. Teaching is the most efficient in transferring information verbally in a classroom, but not the most effective for transformation.

On the other hand, a mentor relates to an individual(s), engages the heart and has a curriculum that revolves around on-the-job-training. The experience is pro-active and practical. Teaching may provide assessment and correction that are highly essential for growth but it fails to provide accountability, feedback and debrief.

In a Greek culture, which embraces the Classroom Model (teaching), it is common to ask the question, "What is the subject you are studying?" In the Hebrew culture, the question would be, "Who are you studying under?" The emphasis is on the mentor, not the material.

Acts 4:13 says: 'When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they note that these men had been with Jesus.' 

In this passage of the Bible, the teachers and elders of the law were dumbfounded by these two apostles. The most significant aspect is that they were with Jesus. The focus is on the 'who' and not the 'what.'

At the heart of mentoring, it is simply about a master
asking his disciple to go on a life journey with him.

Project Paul

Semester 1 of University in the National Institute of Education (NIE) has officially ended. It has been a fruitful journey. Each step of the way has sharpened my vision of becoming a teacher. I have spent a great deal of my life serving in different leadership roles. I have taken the role of a:

1) President
2) Chairman
3) Treasurer
4) Secretary
5) Orientation Leader
6) Captain
7) Committee Head
8) Ambassador
9) Army Officer (which is my proudest role in life)

But I have come to discover that my greatest passion in life is nurturing people. I believe today's youths are tomorrow's leaders. Success without a successor is a failure. I want to invest and bet my last breath on them.

I want to become a teacher in life. Like Jesus.

In the upcoming posts, I am going to address the topic of mentoring the next generation. I will crystallize and archive some of the key lessons that I have learnt in the past semester.

Mentoring is a powerful phenomenon and tool that many leaders in many churches and even corporate organizations are starting to embrace today. There is a leadership deficit in today's world and history tells us that there are only two most efficient ways to train a good leader-either through mentoring or adversity. How do we pass on our legacies to the next generation in an era of peace such as ours where leadership qualities like integrity are not valued?

In my quest to promote mentoring, I will be referencing from Dr. Tim Elmore's book, Life Giving Mentors, which is an incredible library of profound wisdom, rich with resources pertaining to mentoring. All credits of what I am about to share goes to God who enabled Dr. Tim Elmore to write such an excellent, modern piece of work.

Meet Up Session With My Former Recruits

Great catch-up session with Jia Yi, Hao Yi and Alvin today. It is really such an honour to serve them as their Platoon Commander for the short 3 months we shared together during BMT. These 3 have a humble heart and are destined to go far in life. I will be waiting for that day.

First Week Of University

School officially commenced on 12th of August (Tue). It is the day that all ORD personnel have been waiting for. As I embark on my journey to pursue the Bachelor of Science (Education), may the LORD grant me strength to scale greater heights and become a good teacher at the end of these 4 years. Been through several Physical Education & Sports Science modules. Basketball tutorial is tough for someone with butter fingers like me. I gave up ball games since Secondary 1, and confided myself in Swimming, Cycling and Running (Triathlon components). Now it is time to face and overcome my fear of ball games once and for all.  

Бог благословит

Blessed 21st Birthday For Vanessa Cheng

Ever since coming back from Central Asia, I have come to learn more about who I am as a person. One area I have to work on in life is to socialise and enjoy the presence of friends. It was indeed a great lunch catching up with this wonderful bunch.

Lunch Engagement With SSM

Thankful for the opportunity to hear the testimonies of MWO David Jedidiah today over lunch at Din Tai Fung on how he influences the next generation of leaders in the SAF. Two key lessons he taught us were these: We need to discover and know who is God (Creator) and who we are (Identity in Christ) in life.

Cross-Cultural Communication

'Do not bring us the gospel as a potted plant. Bring us the seed of the gospel and plant it in our soil.'

Operationally Ready Date (ORD) 2014

2nd Company Officer Council

88/12 Echo-Golf OCS Batch

Transitions are one of the toughest moments in life.

 I was a soldier yesterday. Today I am but a civilian. 

Out to change the world.

I Am My Brother's Keeper

The army road is coming to end in a matter of weeks. The world is excited for my graduation from National Service, but deep down, there is much reluctance and inertia in transiting back to the civilian world. Over two years ago, I remembered how I dreadfully stepped foot onto Pulau Tekong on day one of BMT. Five minutes after my family left, I told myself, "I want to ORD now." 

By the good grace of God, I have survived and conquered many fears like darkness and people's nasty comments which I hid. As a BB Primer, I always had to put on a strong front and lead my Boys. Army has blessed me with an opportunity to step down, follow and learn to be humble once again.

Three more weeks before I hand over Platoon 1 to 2LT Le Yong.