This e-book is created with an impossible deadline of 24 hours. It is a challenge to show how great things can be accomplished if we set our hearts to it. A group of 12 graduates from the program, The Courage to Create, a transformational coaching program have been talking about writing an inspirational book for ages, and we talked and we talked and we talked. Our coach, Mr. Kelvin Lim, decided to put an end to our procrastination and announced a 24 hour challenge to do the book or we don’t do it at all. That was how the e-book got started.The e-book is titled, “Pick me up [from my shit hole]”. Based on our experience, (and certainly validated by yours), shit happens all the time; it’s like diarrhoea, unstoppable. Sometimes it happens so fast that you get stuck!

We struggle to breathe and we fight to survive. We want to get out of our problems. Sometimes, the battle is long, giving up seems to be an easy way out- then we lead ourselves to believe it is impossible to get past them.

Yet a group of people never gave up working on their lives. They dream and follow their dreams. And their courage, love, and discipline help them create their fulfilling lives.

From money, career, relationships, performance, these people have created results for themselves. This e-book is about the simple truth that they want to share with all on how it is possible to start creating the seemingly impossible and start living your dreams again!

 

Here is a sample chapter from the book (complete with commentary from our Master Coach himself)!

 

- Story One -

ALT + CLARITY + CHANGE

How long do you want to live for others before that begins to cost you your life? Take charge, and take your life back into your own hands!

Throughout my life, people around me have always complained about their lack of money. I always struggled with a different kind of problem – my lack of time.

I have always been an ambitious person; ironically, I was also very lost in my life. I spent my time doing meaningless things for different people, so much so I hardly have time to spend on myself. As I strived to keep that up, I soon forgot what I wanted for myself. I was drowning in my ‘busy-ness’, and started to forget what was important to me. Like my ambitions, for example. However I could not completely let go of them. I ended up so lost and torn that I started to tumble into a state of despair and confusion. My life turned chaotic and devoid of any meaning. I wanted so much to believe that there was something that I could do about this … I found myself asking numerous questions that remained unanswered.

The answer came to me when a kind acquaintance introduced me to coaching. Through the process, I got real with myself and had a hard look into why I kept myself so busy all the time for other people. The answers were hard to swallow – the truth always is. I had a fanatical need for approval and I somehow made that the meaning of my life. Sure enough, that was about as useful as I could be.

Knowing this gave me the chance to fix my life as it is. My mind was filled with all the possibilities of what my life can be about, and no doubts can prevent me from taking this chance. The passion that I used to have, came back with fervor and, coupled with my new found clarity, I learnt to focus it on the things that really mattered to me. I carried on pursuing the ambitions that I once neglected.

Within a short span of time, I started to make marked achievements in the area of public speaking and eventually emerged champion in several regional speech competitions, including the Toastmasters Humorous Contest (Division). I was short-listed and invited to be featured in ‘The Straits Times under the Top 25 Alternate Achievers in 2006’. Just a few months after, I authored and launched a book – The FAQ Book on Public Speaking. And I dare say I have only just begun!

Most importantly, these achievements are only secondary to what I now realize really matters to me – my relationship with my family. They say loving someone gives you courage - I started opening up to my parents. I told them how much I love them. I made efforts to be with them when possible and spend quality time with them. All these allowed me to achieve a level of intimacy with my parents I never thought possible.

I found myself falling in love with life itself and my days starting filling with joy and excitement. I was living my life for MYSELF! Yes, life started to feel glorious! My dreams and ambitions were being fulfilled and with every achievement, new dreams started to unfold for me. Life is never boring now, and it just gets better every step of the way.

Eric Feng, 26

Professional Star Speaker

Associate Certified Coach, ICF

Program Leader, AdvantEdge

The Master Coach says…

When one is young and talented, many opportunities tend to come to us and sometimes we fall into a frenzy of trying to fall upon all of these opportunities at the same time. And if you are talented, it is easy to attain gains in several areas and get caught in a trap of multiple successes. While this can be considered to be an enviable position, being torn between two promising roles can be painful because we could find it difficult to even consider letting go of any of them. When one chooses to go right back to one’s core, one would be able to find what really matters – the source of what made you successful and talented in the first place. And when we find the core it will be a relatively smooth journey to begin to establish oneself in the direction of one’s true talent.

Sometimes ambition is in fact a running away from a sense of failure or a fear of failure, and hence a person tries to cover up the emptiness inside by acquiring things on the outside. After all, does not the triumphant cry of a successful man ultimately result in “Look at how much money I have! Don’t you envy me? Am I not better than you? Look at the 10,000 people I’m talking to? Do you love me enough now?” and it all comes down to one thing – “I’m doing this to prove to myself and the world how good I am. Don’t you think somebody can now pick me up?”