What I Do...

I just graduated like a few days ago. So, yeah... Congratulations to me!!!

Yeay! Finally a graduate!

My Graduation Party with the awesome ET Ideas !!!

During my convocation, a few of them asked me what was I doing (as in my career) and about my event invitations that I frequently sent out through Facebook.

So, this blog is about what I do. 

When I was 21 (which is 4 years back), I met this amazing group of entrepreneurs called ET Ideas (www.ET-Ideas.com) and the person that guided them all, Elango Thiyagu (www.elangothiyagu.com).

I was fascinated with the things they do. Doing a career or a job they love and also bringing awareness to people about following their heart.

Meetings and events with the ET Ideas team

ET Ideas associates getting guidance from Elango Thiyagu on business and personal growth

For a year, I followed the group for almost every activity they organize. From becoming a participant, I took the initiative to learn and became part of the organizing team.

Meanwhile, I tried writing a book only to feel frustrated because I couldn't get the idea flowing. I stopped, spoke to my mentor - Elango (www.elangothiyagu.com), and started writing another book which didn't really work out as well.

This went on for a year. I was upset looking at others progressing in their career when I didn't move much.

But I didn't realize I was learning about patience. If I did leave the group because nothing much was happening to me, then I wouldn't have the opportunity of discovering some of the best things in my life.

At the end of that year, my mentor suggested an idea to host a live discussion program called ET Youth (www.facebook.com/ETYouth). Its main concept is to get the younger generation to do what they love by following their heart.

It has been more than 3 years since I started hosting ET Youth (www.facebook.com/ETYouth). The number of guest keeps increasing. Some of the regulars who kept coming since the time we begin ET Youth became ET Ideas associates (www.ET-Ideas.com). Most of them are happy to follow their heart and are now on their journey to success.

Having fun hosting ET Youth with guest speaker

Wefie with the crazy audience of ET Youth !

To my dear friends, ET Youth is the event I frequently invite you guys for. After all, it is a FREE event that many have benefited from. And since I have changed and benefited from it, I invite you guys to break out of the system and follow your dreams too. Especially to do something you love to do and not be confined to what society tells you to do.

And so, ET Youth kick-started my career to many other things!

One of it is called the Corporate Video Brochure. My company, Clicking Pens  (www.ClickingPens.com) collaborates with a production company, Why Not Productions, to produce a marketing tool to promote client's products and services. From script writing, coming out with storyboards, camera angles, interviewing company CEO's to getting testimonials about their products and services is part of what I do to produce the Corporate Video Brochure.

Working on client's Corporate Video Brochure. Never knew it would be so much fun !

Recently, I am grateful to have more people in my team to help out in my projects which is also a learning curve for them.

So, what else do I do? Here's my latest project that my team and I are working on. ONLINE RADIO!!! It's as interesting as my excitement shows about it. I have not much knowledge about it but I also think, that's the best part. As long as your heart is into it, you wouldn't mind discovering things along the way.

Online radio interviews and advertisement making. A whole new experience and looking forward to more of it !

Oh yeah! My writing career is also progressing through this blog!

Well... I'm proud to say that every projects that I'm working on under my company, Clicking Pens (www.ClickingPens.com), is all related to what I've studied before (Mass Communication and Journalism). I'm not trying to brag here, but that's also the reason why I got a 3.98 CGPA in my degree. Plainly because if you study what you love and apply it in the real life, I'm pretty sure you would excel like me too.

So... here's to those curious about what I do. And I have to say, I'm enjoying every bit of it. 

P.S. I ensure that you too can do what you love to do as a career. You just need have the guts to take the step towards it!

www.ET-Ideas.com / Facebook: ET Ideas

www.ClickingPens.com / Facebook: Clicking Pens

www.facebook.com/ETYouth

Breaking Mind Blocks

Last Saturday was a very annoying and boring day. That's what I thought at first.

I helped out for the first day of a finance workshop organized by Globetrotter Consultancy Sdn Bhd (www.globetrotterconsultancy.com.my) on Understanding Investment.

I helped the Event Manager, Deelashiny from D'Chic Events (www.facebook.com/DChic-Events-252409214909996) and I was pretty distracted because I couldn't understand the flow of the workshop.

There was lots of questions running in my head as I did not understand currencies, the current state of the economy, technical terms in the finance line and etc.

It was getting to me and I was feeling annoyed with myself because I didn't understand a thing about the economy. I tried asking a question but the answer confused me even more. And because of that, I became shy to ask more questions. Especially when the rest of the Gen X's could comprehend every single thing the speaker, Elango Thiyagu (www.elangothiyagu.com) was saying.

My mind said, people are gonna mock your lame questions so better don't ask anything.

So throughout the day, to feel less frustrated that I did not understand the topic, I slept off during the workshop. To be exact, I took short naps during the workshop since there was not much to help out while the workshop was going on.

After the workshop, I had a chat with the speaker and I told him that I didn't understand the content of the workshop. He asked me, "Why didn't you ask if you did not understand?" I answered saying I didn't understand anything. I didn't even know what to ask. He said, "It couldn't be possible that you didn't understand anything. You just need to keep asking until you understand it."

I wasn't too sure why, but I was annoyed with the reply I got from him. 'Here I am telling you I do not understand anything, and you are telling me to ask until I understand it.' I didn't get the logic.

I became emo about that but after listening to my goals recording and doing SIEP multiple times, I snapped out of being emo.

Later that evening, when I met the speaker (also my mentor) for meeting, I had a chat once again about the earlier incident. He said, instead of saying don't know (which he said is a problem he found in the Gen Y's), it is more like I didn't wanna know about it. He said, "When you don't know something, you need to take the effort to find out." Especially if it's related to your goals.

This time, I could comprehend his words objectively. So I asked him a few questions about the economy. Asked him until I really understood his explanations and felt glad I asked.

I understood why the economy is not in a very good state which also motivates me to do my best so that it won't be an obstacle towards my goal.

Throughout this whole process, I also realized something about myself. The truth is, it's not that I didn't understand about the economy. It's actually a mind block which I created myself because I thought understanding the economy would be a hard thing to do.

And because I had that mind block, my mind repeatedly told me, I do not understand what the speaker is saying. At the same time, when I couldn't understand it and watching the Gen X's able to grasp this information, I started finding fault in them. Thoughts like this information is not necessary for me but necessary for the Gen X's who are more into money and properties, came across my mind.

I made this confession to Elango and also told myself, I need to take extra effort to break this mind block that I have. This time it's about the economy and finance. But it could also be about other things next time. If I don't take the effort to break these mind blocks, I would be enclosed to only my opinion and ideas even if someone else had an absolutely amazing idea that can help me grow.

So... I guess the first step to breaking mind blocks is acknowledging that you have one. 

Intimacy in Relationship

So I was thinking how intimacy and being truthful helps tremendously in a relationship.

Well, it definitely helps a lot but what does it mean by being truthful intimately in a relationship?

I'm a Gen-Y and being in this category, we are pretty well-known in changing partners quite often. I'm not saying I do that but that's majority of us, depending on the programming. But I came to understand the reason why we do this. It's because we are designed to experience things including relationships. And that's why we keep moving on from one relationship to the other, wanting to explore the true relationship that can lead to our growth.

But most of us get tied up in relationships we are not favorable with because of commitments. That's where the problem lies. Because when you stop looking for someone that can help you grow and vice versa, you lose a lot in life.

For most people, a relationship exist because the senses sees a cute guy or a hot women, the emotions goes like, 'OMG, I'm falling in love!', the intellect analyzes all the positive traits that person has and exaggerates those traits and finally the spirit goes, 'He's the One'.

So, how should a relationship be? What's it like to be in a relationship?

If you say fights, not really. Drama, nope. 

But more to conversations, I would say. But truthful conversation. Even about your most intimate things.

I talk about a lot of things with my partner. About our daily happenings to even our most intimate thoughts. Things we dislike, things we like while at the same time discovering new things about each other.

I've learned that if something bothers a person, we should express and rectify it before it grows into something nasty. And that's what we do. Even if we can't meet each other, there's always WhatsApp that comes to our rescue. We express it, do SIEP multiple times until we have cleared that issue out of our mind. 

We update each other on our progress when moving towards our goals. This in return, generates ideas for projects we work on.

So... you might be thinking. Where is the physical part? Well, physical relationship is nice. But there's way more better things than that.

Like hugging each other, having late night conversations, whispering sweet things in each other's ears and not forgetting, lots and lots of laughter's!

Sometimes, the simplest things that the other person does can bring a smile to me.

But not if you are constantly focusing on finding fault with the other person.

This is just my sharing on how SIEP relationship can be an awesome relationship!

Spirit - You feel a connection and you are curios to know a person better

Intellect - Have conversations (proper conversation about anything and everything) for 3 to 6 months continuously

Emotions - After having proper conversations for more than 6 months, then you can decide whether you would want to be emotionally involved with that person or not. Sometimes, you might just want to remain friends without taking it to the next stage. 

Physical - Please get a medical check-up, people! You wouldn't wanna risk your health or affect your partner with any health complications like STDs or etc. Be concern about each other's health conditions before pursuing further into the relationship.

* A relationship is meant for your growth. Who you choose to be by your side, determines your growth in discovering yourself.

Facing Up To Yourself

I've heard my mentor say this before. "A lot of people are afraid to take responsibility of their own lives because that would mean you have a lot to work on yourself."

If it was me a few years back, I would have never understood what those words meant. Especially when I'm engrossed not only in my own dramas but also in the emotional dramas in my previous environment.

But now, I'm beginning to take responsibility of my own life.

Many of you may find that statement ridiculous. You may even think that, 'Of course I'm responsible of my life.' But those are merely just words unless you stop pointing fingers to the outside.

We have the tendency of saying 'That's because of me!', when something good happens. But when something bad happens, we blame someone else for it. But how does that explain the statement that I am responsible for my life?

If you are responsible for your life, you would take concern of your thoughts, words and actions because whatever that happened, is happening or going to happen in your life is caused by your very thoughts, words and actions. (Please refer to The Seven Basic Laws Of Nature book - www.AscendancePro.com)

Picture by AscendancePro

So coming back to taking responsibility of your life, if you do so, it would come to the next realization. Which is, you have a lot to work on yourself. Oh, boy! I mean A LOT!

Until I met my mentor, I wasn't really aware of lots of things. I mean I might have taken notice of some, but I guess, I just wasn't so keen on addressing it at that time. Simple things like procrastinating. I have to be honest here. I'm actually a very lazy person. I would prefer not to do any work, just sleep and watch Youtube the whole day.

But realizing it would mean, you are working towards your goals and you realize that nothing much is moving in your projects. I won't say I have figure the whole thing out on how I can stop procrastinating. No, I have not! But realizing it gets you to the next phase. Which is facing up to it. And taking actions.

Though I have not removed the procrastinating out of me totally, but things have changed a lot now actually. Like in a single day, I can't go without doing a little bit on a project I'm working on. It has now turned into a new habit that I have to at least do something about my goal before I go to bed at night.

I also found another way to overcome this. I purposely associate myself with this awesome group of people, ET Ideas (www.ET-Ideas.com) who are successful in their own distinct field because just by talking to them, I would be constantly reminded of my goals and the list of things I need to get done.

But that's just one example or one realization. There are many, really. Tons that came about when I took the effort to get to know more about myself through working on my goal. There were lots of times that I even hated myself for being a certain way. Hated myself for having certain characteristics. Unfortunately, that's just who I am, right? 

And as much as realizing this and facing up to it seems like an easy task, let me tell you this, IT ISN'T!

How do you manage your emotions? How do you stop yourself from going into the victim mode? How do you be truthful at your most embarrassed times?

These kinda things bother me or shall I say, it confuses me so much that I wanna try to figure it out. Figure out myself, actually. What ticks me. What jams me. What gets me going. 

But as much as these things seems much of a concern to me, a lot of people don't have the slightest bit concern about themselves. About who they really are. 

They seem to prefer being in that same environment that keeps sucking them into a whirlwind of dramas. Dramas about family problems that seems so important to them that they decide to stick to it. Instead of walking off and exploring more about themselves, they entertain these dramas for the mere fact to feel important.

To say they don't have a helping hand, not really. It feels more like they like being there. But I wonder, though.

How long would you want to be in that whirlwind of dramas when there is just so much to learn about yourself? Especially when time is very precious.

Picture by AscendancePro

Let's Snap Out Of It!

A few days ago, I was out on a lesson spree with Elango (http://elangothiyagu.com / http://et-ideas.com) together with Valsala (http://observersdeck.blogspot.my / http://globetrotterconsultancy.com.my), and as we all know, the whole world is a teaching ground for him. 

I didn't feel so good that day and I didn't feel like myself too. I kept quiet, not realizing I was falling into the 'drama' trap of wanting someone to ask me if I was okay in order to continue being in the not-okay mood. 

There were points of time when I did realize I was creating a drama through my tone of voice, my gestures and facial expression. But it felt like I couldn't take control of myself and stop the drama. Instead, my mind told me 'It is okay to go on with the drama' and foolishly, I followed my mind.

I'm sure lots of you have gone through this 'drama' that I'm talking about. The weirdest things that we do using our body language, tone of voice, gestures and etc; with or without realizing that we are causing the drama but insist on staying in it, just to get some attention.

For example, when you are angry at someone, instead of telling the truth to the person, you give short answers to their questions, sometimes not even answering the question, slamming the door, raising your voice and other 'funny' gestures. All these because you want the other person to know you are angry with them and you need their attention to solve it. 

But these are what Elango call 'dramas' because something simple like saying "I am angry with you because... ", becomes a riddle to be guessed by the other party. (Check out AscendancePro.com to understand more of Elango's explanations.)

So, coming back to my story of not being okay, since I did realize that I was not being myself, I thought it is a good realization that could lead me into telling the truth. But then, my mind interrupted by saying I would spoil the conversations and the mood's of the rest of them if I told the truth.

Here's where I got it wrong! My mind doesn't want me to tell the truth so that it can grow in the dark and keep on building the feeling that, since nobody asked me if I was okay, it means nobody cared about me. Remember wanting attention? It all relates to that.

But as time passed by and as I saw what I was missing out on - the good conversations and mostly, the lessons, I decided to tell Elango that I was not okay.

I expected replies like, "Why are you not okay? What happened?" or etc, but instead he told me, "You can choose to switch if you want. Or you can remain in your not-okay mood". 

First I was blur. Then the realization hit me. DRAMAS! I'm creating dramas! And if he said I can switch to my original self and come out of the 'drama', then I can do so. 

It is weird how you actually have this magical ability to switch if you really really wanted to and if you take the effort to, that my mind shrugged and gave up on continuing the petty 'drama' which I don't even remember what caused it.

But as much as I decided to switch, I got a lot of help from my senses this time. 

It's a little bit contradicting from what Elango quoted from someone saying, "The senses are the five devils".

But here's why my senses helped me at that point of time. Because my sense of sight was watching Elango's respond to my 'drama' which is basically nothing apart from being himself, laughing and having fun. This in turn got my subconscious very confused because I was not getting the reaction that I'm supposed to get to continue with the 'drama'. When I told the truth and Elango gave me options to switch or remain in the drama, it confused me even more as that is not the typical reply that most people would have given.

His reply reduced my emotions as my intellect now had something to think about and when I got out of it, my spirit was happy because it can get back to the awesome conversations once again.

Well, as much as our senses has been trained wrongly which causes most of the problems that happens in our lives, but by being surrounded by people who respond instead of react (like what Elango did), gets absorbed into our subconscious mind. This in a long run, being in an environment which consist of people who respond, refines our subconscious programming to respond too!

That's not my explanation but my understanding of Elango's teaching after I snapped out of my 'drama'. Which also comes to the point that, if you are creating 'dramas' or are in the state of negative emotions, it is most of the time, difficult to learn the lesson as you are busy entertaining your ridiculous 'dramas'. 

Obstacles Isn't The Full-stop To Success

I had a video shoot last night for a project that I am currently working on when I remembered an incident that occurred few years back. Just to note here, I work behind the scenes when it comes to 'video shoots', where I work to materialize the crazy ideas which I have in my head.

Last night's video shoot

Coming back to the incident that occurred few years ago, it was during my Diploma days where I was struggling with this particular subject which was about videography. I'm not too sure if I wasn't interested in the subject but it was more to not knowing how to go about certain things related to videography and I found it very hard to get things right.

I wasn't very good with the video editing software's as well that as much as I found it somewhat interesting, I kept grumbling about the assignments I was given to at that time. There was one assignment that made me change my perception about videography.

We were told to come out with a movie trailer and it must be accompanied with the appropriate sound effects and music.

I was already struggling with the video editing software and on top of that, I was given an assignment I had no idea how I was going to do. 

I tried doing the assignment, after procrastinating a long time and realizing the deadline was getting closer. Somehow, I manage to complete that assignment.

Then comes the time to present it to my lecturer. I expected to show it to my lecturer privately as then nobody would know if there's anything wrong with my trailer. But my lecturer requested us to show the trailer's while my classmates was around. 

It was my turn and I hit the play button and the trailer started playing. It wasn't exactly what you would call excellent as I did it last minute but I thought it was 'okay'. Unfortunately, my lecturer did not have the same perception as me.

He criticized me in front of my classmates for not doing a good job with the trailer. It might be the fact that I was really really embarrassed of the whole situation that I told myself I would never again do anything that has got to do with video.

Well, things often take a different turn every now and then. Just two years back, I was offered to host a program called, ET Youth, where my job not only encompasses talking in front of the camera, but also other behind-the-scenes like working on video editing software's, discussing with the team about camera angles, video shooting equipments and many other things. 

ET Youth on-screen and behind-the-scenes

Then last year, it progressed into making Corporate Videos for companies to promote and market about their products and services; which got me involved in voice-overs, scripting, getting the cast to stick to the scripts while still not losing their true personality, tons of retakes of scenes and monitoring all of these with my awesome team. 

To me, it was odd that the very thing that I told myself I would never do turns out to be the very thing that gets me excited and wanting to do it again. 

Working on Corporate Videos

But I also realized that just because I get hit with some obstacles (like struggling with the video editing software's) or just because someone criticized me or just because I felt like the whole world was looking down on me which made me very embarrassed, that doesn't mean I can never do it.

This is a small lesson learned from my little little experiences and a lot from my mentor correcting my mind into believing my own capabilities. 

I still remember when I told my mentor that I don't want to go for my very first project of a video shoot, he sent me a text with a picture as below:

As much as I was so annoyed with the message, 'just doing it' made a lot of difference after that day. ;)

Follow your Heart. And enjoy it!

Recently I went on a one-day trip to Genting for a concert. 

I was very excited when Elango invited me for it. Since I didn't know much about the concert, I Googled it!

Turns out, it is a concert about this guy called Kenny G who played the saxophone.

Skeptical because I've never been to an instrumental concert, I decided to listen to his music. His songs was indeed impressive and very calming.

Kenny G, signing autographs, half an hour before his concert.

Elango got us pretty good seats near the stage. And at 9pm, the concert began.

Kenny G played his saxophone walking from the crowd to the stage as they cheered and clapped for him. He sounded truly amazing!

He waved his hand to every section of the audience while he played his instrument on the other hand. He was just like a kid. Smiling while playing. And at times moving his body to his music.

He only spoke after a few songs saying he was very happy to be here with all of us - in the Malay language. I thought that was very sweet of him.

He continued playing more songs and though I didn't really know his songs, I'm pretty sure anyone would fall in love with it, even if you are just listening to it for the first time.

His band was very good entertainers too, taking turns to showcase their talent as well as complementing Kenny G's songs.

Two hours passed just like that. All eyes were consistently on him. Glued to him actually. I went out of the concert hall feeling mesmerized.

Elango was saying about how impressive Kenny G is for getting the full-packed hall immersed in his music without the help of any other performers. I actually thought it wouldn't be possible but it was.

Well, here's something Elango often told the group of us at ET Ideas (http://ET-Ideas.com). That as long as our heart wants to do something (example, a career), we will always be having fun and will enjoy doing it.

Kenny G is 59 years old. Didn't look anything like his age but so much more younger. Played his instrument like its the best toy he has ever received. Like a kid, waltzing with his music, enjoying it.

It was a pleasure to watch his performance. A vibe that felt like follow your heart. Do what you love and enjoy doing it.

After writing this blog post, I got to know that Elango also wrote his experiences from Kenny G's concert and he related it back to his experiences about 'Doing What You Love...' And I thought that would get all of you to understand better about following your heart and enjoying the flow of it!