Hong Kong Wong » Thoughts

Trust your mistakes, not your moves

HKW — Fri, 14 May 2010 18:42:08 +0000

In 1997, IBM created a set of mainframes they called ‘Deep Blue’.

This supercomputer was capable of analyzing over 200 million possible chess moves per second to select the optimal chess strategy.

Deep Blue defeated world chess grand master Garry Kasparov.

But was this any surprise? When you compare that to Kasparov’s brain (processing an average of five
moves a second), Deep Blue logically held a slight
advantage.

But here’s the problem: Deep Blue consumed so much energy that it was a fire hazard.

During the game, IBM had a team standby with fire extinguishers to ensure the darn thing didn’t blow up in flames.

Kasparov, on the other hand, barely broke a sweat.

Calculations vs Outcome

Gerald Tesauro was a computer programmer at IBM. While the press celebrated the amazing achievement that Deep Blue made against the world’s chess grandmaster, Mr. Tesauro saw a problem.

Deep Blue was calculating millions more moves than its human counterpart, and yet it barely won the game.

The human cortex, on the other hand, was way more efficient. It consumed less energy than a
light bulb even when deep in thought.

In Tesauro’s opinion, the quantitative ability of calculations was simply too rigid.

The machine itself simply looked at moves a user made and predicted the possible outcome based on millions of other moves other grandmasters have previously made.

To put simply, it was a complex mathematical problem.

Moves vs Mistakes

Human cognition is more complicated than mathematical problems.

Kasparov may not have had the computational abilities of Deep Blue, but neurons in his brain were trained and refined through years of experience to process not only the move but everything from patterns on the chessboard to strategic alternatives.

Tesauro took a different approach. He wrote a software, which he codenamed TD-Gammon (TD for temporal difference). The program started as a tabula rasa (or blank slate- a fancy useless term I learned. Actually, I take that back. It came in useful once with a consultant neuro-radiologist who was being a smart ass and would only scan a patient’s head if I knew the answer. Fortunately for the patient, my answer saved his life).

According to Jonah Lehrer, author of How We Decide, Tesauro’s program initially made dumb mistakes, as it was entirely random. It lost every single match, but not for long. The program was designed with no moves programmed, but to learn from its own mistakes. Every night, it would play itself and patiently learn what were the most effective moves.

After a few hundred thousand games, TD-Gammon defeated the best human players in the world. The program has revolutionized the use of AI today, from ‘clever’ elevators in skyscrapers that manage efficient usage to control towers in airports that can determine the best flight schedules based on previous learnings.

Conclusion

The human brain is complex. We learn from previous mistakes, often through our brain cells determining our next moves, habits, routines, and patterns based on previous mismatches in dopamine firing rates dependent on our expectations vs outcome.

Therefore I propose that instead of approach every problem we face with the question of ‘what is the best move?’, and playing through all kinds of scenarios, the better question would be ‘based on mistakes from past experience, what is the best course of action?’

Thinking entirely based on the permutations of possible scenarios, outcomes, moves and strategies is valuable. It’s the core of game theory. However, akin to the analogy of Deep Blue, we become ‘prisoners of our mind’ and get trapped in thought loops.

I propose that this can be applied to all areas of life. How to make a business decision. How to figure out something in one’s relationship. The ability to draw from past patterns provides a useful frame of reference to future success.

If there’s no frame of reference to past experience, perhaps one should get frames of references through friends, advisors, mentors and others that they trust.

Otherwise, the outcome will probably require a fire extinguisher.

Any thoughts after reading this? Please share them in the comments below.

Freedom vs (Delivering) Happiness

HKW — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 10:48:44 +0000

“Doing what you like is freedom. Liking what you do is happiness.” -Frank Tyger

I heard this quote today from Tony Hsieh of Zappos, while working my way through my advanced preview copy of Tony’s new book, Delivering Happiness.

Over the past couple of years, I think I’ve figured out the 1st part, and I am living it. I think it’s time to start moving towards cracking the 2nd part.

I have considered myself pretty happy. But perhaps I’m merely satisfied? Doing what you like simply takes some risk and hard work, and you can gain plenty of satisfaction. But to pursue happiness- one needs to go beyond the ’self’, and find something beyond fulfilling your own needs but to fulfill the needs of society on a great whole.

In other words, to desire freedom you have to be pretty selfish. To obtain happiness, you must be rather selfless. In short: happiness and satisfaction are 2 pretty different things.

But is it a catch-22? Or is it possible to get both? I’d love to know what you think in the comments below.

The Pale Blue Dot

HKW — Wed, 28 Apr 2010 04:00:02 +0000

Perspective is an amazing thing. The Pale Blue Dot illustrates this.

The Pale Blue Dot is a photograph of planet Earth taken in 1990 by Voyager 1. I saw it for the first time today. The image show planet earth against the vastness of space. The image was taken by request of Carl Sagan after Voyager 1 completed it’s primary mission and was leaving the Solar System. They turned the camera around to take a photo of Earth, across a great expanse of space and here’s what he said:

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives.

The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions, ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar”, every “supreme leader”, every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there.”

On a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.

My first 5-6 ft wave

HKW — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:34:59 +0000

One of my biggest achievements in the past week was conquering my first 5-6 ft
wave.

I have Greg Gordon, owner of CRSurf, to thank for recommending the itinerary to get ourselves out here before exploring the rest of Costa Rica.

If you are a surfer and want the best surf forecast and research site, make sure you visit Greg’s website.

Dominicalito is a beach break known for surfing, because of the high tide waves that make it a great place for actual wave surfing without breaks being as brutal as far out in Dominical.

But there are still rip tides and as rocks cover the bottom, you can technically wipe out on them. But hey, might as well get right to it right :)

We went out there with our new friend and surf coach, Bob Clark. Bob is an ex pro surfer, but a very old skool kind of guy. You probably won’t find him in Google as he likes to keep his anonymity, but he’s toured for 25 years, and was a national surf long board champion. His son is also a US national champion 3 times in the past and a national champ in Costa Rica. Bob’s a pretty hardcore instructor, but let’s just put it this way. Before Bob, I was hit and miss with pop ups in whitewater. After Bob, I rode my first 5-6 ft wave to shore. I think the results speak for itself.

We got pretty lucky with finding Bob, because he does not run a surf business. We actually met Bob entirely by chance.

But as soon as he started teaching us and giving us some tips, we knew we had to get lessons with him. What I found interesting is that a few of the local instructors smirk at the mention of Bob’s name. We don’t really know why, Ask any of the local surf instructors about Bob and they will have this smirk on their face…

But you can’t go wrong with a lesson with Bob. If you are ever in the area, just get in touch with me, and I’ll hook you up to his personal private number and you can arrange something privately with him.

Now to bigger waves…

March 30, 2010 — Leaving Dominical, Costa Rica

Leaving Dominical, Costa Rica

HKW — Tue, 30 Mar 2010 02:27:23 +0000

I can’t believe we are leaving Dominical tomorrow. I also can’t believe we’ve been here for 10 days.

It’s interesting how when you travel, it’s easy to set yourself into a comfort zone. While you know what you really need is to keep moving, it’s easy to just settle into what feels easier and more familiar. Owners at restaurants we eat in every day are now our friends. The doctor says eat an apple a day to keep the doc away. Screw that. We eat a pine-apple a day, and boy does it beat an apple.

But it’s time to go. I don’t like to move too quick when I travel, but I also don’t like to move too slow. I’m glad we spent the last 10 days here, but it’s time to move.

But speaking of pineapples. Oh. My. God. I’ve never had such delicious, sweet, succulent pineapples in my life. If you ever come to Costa Rica, eat a pineapple. Just one. Then try to stop. It will make your entire stay worth it. I am sure it depends where you get it from, but we’ve had it from 2-3 different locations now and it’s truly mouth watering savouring worth the $2-$3 you pay for one.

I thought I’d share our daily routine here. Every day, we have lunch at Soda Nanyoa. We love this place, not only for the food, but the value for money. Each meal costs us approximately $8 pp including your choice of a shake. It’s the best value for money place in town, and many locals frequent here. A couple of the ‘waiters’ always look angry that we try to avoid, but the food seriously makes up for it.

Once we fill up our tummies, we would cross the road to practice our spanish with Diego, while his older colleague Hugo picks a pineapple and mango for us to cut out back. We usually are sweating by this time in the Costa Rican sun, but the big smiles on their faces and the informal spanish lessons we get make this worth it. A few minutes later, Hugo would come out with the pineapples all perfectly cut up while speaking to us in very rapid spanish. We would try our best to pretend we know what he is talking about. We don’t.

We would then head back to the fantastic Hotel Domilocos, run by couples Vivien and Michiel. The place is literally 100 meters from a quiet strip of beach away from the crowds. I will stay here again, and have Michiel to thank for making the place feel like a 2nd home. He gave us complimentary drinks on our first night, sorted out any issues swiftly and professionally, and even gave us a free alcohol flame lit ice cream (found out afterwards it was actually absinthe, to be specific) as our 2nd dessert finale one night. Absolutely stay here for at least one night if you are ever in Dominical. Mention me and Michiel or Vivien may sort you out with a better deal too.

Dominical is also in the middle of the rainforest. It’s also south west of San Jose, which means transport here makes you somewhat isolated from the other more ‘touristy’ parts of Costa Rica. So you have to make sure you arrange everything in advance. For example, Semana Santa (Easter) starts tomorrow, so everywhere in Costa Rica is going to be very busy. 4×4 rentals and most hotels will be booked up. Our whole trip to Santa Teresa is not only going to cost us $250, but will involve multiple shuttles and ferries over the course of the next 2 days. No limos involved.

But you know what? I’m looking forward to Santa Teresa already. It was actually the first place we wanted to go to, and the beach breaks there are supposed to be amazing. We’re staying with 2 professional surfers who are affiliated with Quicksilver, so hopefully will get some tips. There is also a private beach just off the backyard so should make my early wake up calls that much easier…

March 30, 2010 — My first 5-6 ft wave

“Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish!” Steve Jobs Commencement Speech

HKW — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 12:18:17 +0000

If you haven’t heard Steve Jobs and his commencement speech for Stanford University in 2005, you must.

Steve Jobs wrote and delivered the commencement speech “Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish” to the graduates of Stanford University on June 12, 2005.

When I first came across that speech, I was still working in hospitals as a doctor. But it really made me think about what I should be doing… my job was great, but frankly I felt like I was just doing a job, to climb the career ladder, to make a steady paycheck, just another guy in the cog of the machinery running the rat race. Then I realised, that if I only had another year to live, there was plenty else I would want to be doing.

Here’s the full video. I highly encourage you watch it if you have not:

Here is an excerpt:

“When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: “If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you’ll most certainly be right.” It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: “If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?” And whenever the answer has been “No” for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.Remembering that I’ll be dead soon is the most important tool I’ve ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything â€” all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure – these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart.No one wants to die. Even people who want to go to heaven don’t want to die to get there. And yet death is the destination we all share. No one has ever escaped it. And that is as it should be, because Death is very likely the single best invention of Life. It is Life’s change agent. It clears out the old to make way for the new. Right now the new is you, but someday not too long from now, you will gradually become the old and be cleared away. Sorry to be so dramatic, but it is quite true.

Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma, which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary.”

-Steve Jobs Stanford Commencement Speech 2005

2 years ago, my friend Gerard sent me some writings of Carlos Castenada. I quote:

“A man of knowledge chooses a path with a heart and follows it and then he looks and rejoices and laughs and then he sees and knows. All paths are the same: they lead nowhere. However, a path without a heart is never enjoyable. On the other hand, a path with heart is easy-it does not make a warrior work at liking it; it makes for a joyful journey; as long as a man follows it, he is one with it.”

I’ve since decided to live life on my own terms. It’s bee no easy ride, but I certainly am having a blast living my heart out.

April 8, 2009 — Warren Buffett’s 7 Secrets for Me (and YOU) to Living a Happy and Simple Life
August 27, 2008 — Inspirational Video: Amazing Advice For Life (Wear Sunscreen)
August 13, 2008 — The 5 Success Secrets of Michael Phelps (+ Bonus secret)

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A EuroTrip to Remember: An idea for this summer

HKW — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:22:49 +0000

Wow, it’s been a while since I’ve posted again.

It’s been a few crazy months. I will be catching up with the posts. I really should be writing on here daily… gah.

In the mean time…

The photo to the right is a shot of one of the 5 Cinque Terre towns in Italy.

It’s been my dream to visit there ever since I last went to Italy in 2008. So naturally, I can’t wait to get back to Europe this summer and make it happen finally!

As the dates draw closer, I have started to plan our basic itinerary.

We will be there for a good few months, and I’ll be with some of my best friends, so I am very, very excited. It won’t be the first time I have done Europe, but the itinerary will be extraordinarily memorable, because I will be doing it together with extraordinary company.

Here’s what I have in mind right now.

1. June 2010 W1: Fly from NYC to London. Sort out some biz (will take a few days)
2. June 2010 W2: Fly to Portugal. Visit Lagos (and Lisbon again)
3. June 2010 W3: Head into Spain. Work through Rhonda, Sevilla, Granada, Cordoba. Up to Madrid, take day trips to Toledo and Segovia. Then to Salamanca and Santiago De Compostela. Take the northern route to San Sebastien via Leon, then Bilbao, and finally Barcelona.
4. July 2010 W2: From Barcelona, get the ferry to Italy, see the Almafi Coast and Sorrento in the south along with Napoli before hitting Roma, then go through Verona on way to Florence, with day trips to Assizi and Siena.
5. August W1 Finish Italy with a few days at Cinque Terre.

August Trip Break: Travel with my buddy Scott for a few weeks. Then go live in Berlin for at least 1 month. Get some work done. See Potsdam and Dresden. I am also very curious about Turkey …supposedly a fantastic country, brilliant history, great beaches, nice food… easy to travel!

6. Late August: Head south to Greece then Turkey. Or east to Croatia and the Balkans (Split, Zagreb, Trogir, Pula, Dubrovnik in Croatia and Sarayevo and Mostar in Bosnia). The latter is what I’m thinking, as the weather would be cooling down a bit for the islands.

I haven’t yet discussed this with my travel buddies, so I should probably share this with them first and see what they think :) We still have a good few months, but I will keep everyone posted on this as it develops further…

February 17, 2009 — Make Your Normal Life a Vacation
August 11, 2008 — Was Your Flight Cancelled or Delayed? How to Claim for Compensation
August 4, 2008 — Monocle’s World Top 25 Liveable Cities for Quality of Life

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Warren Buffett’s 7 Secrets for Me (and YOU) to Living a Happy and Simple Life

HKW — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 23:48:41 +0000

“Tell me who your heroes are and I’ll tell you how you’ll turn out to be.” – Warren Buffett

I like Warren Buffett. Let me tell you why.

I accidentally bought a copy of The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham when I was a student. It came as a £2 bonus in my shopping cart.

But I never read it. In fact I think I sold it off for £1.50 after it collected dust for a year, at a loss of 50p.

Clearly I knew nothing about investing!

Benjamin Graham for those of you who don’t know, was Warren Buffett’s mentor. They have very similar investment strategies based on value investing. Coincidentally I came across a presentation years after selling The Intelligent Investor that Buffett made to a bunch of MBA grads.

I became fascinated with Buffett’s investment strategies behind Coca Cola and Wrigley. More than anything else were the simplicity behind his strategies, and Warren’s philosophies and approach to life itself.

For the world’s richest man, Warren Buffet is a simple man. He never flies in a private jet — even though he owns the largest private jet company in the world. He also lives in a small three-bedroom house he bought 50 years ago, and keeps himself occupied by playing online bridge (mostly with Bill Gates).

As a side note, it may also interest you that Warren Buffett is Bill Gates mentor. Yep. The world’s richest man mentors the world’s second richest man!

One advice I recall most vividly from Warren Buffett was when he talks about never to do anything that you would not want on the frontpage of a newspaper.

That’s stuck with me. I’m sure we have all done things we’re not proud of in our lives. You only live and learn. But ever since I heard his advice, I’ve tried to live by this.

More than anything else, it is refreshing, and inspiring, to hear of a man with all the wealth in the world who still believes that happiness lies not with riches but within yourself. Bill Gates is trying to live up to that now, having quit Microsoft, to focus on the Gates foundation and give his wealth away. But the difference with Warren and Bill Gates is that Gates is still trying to win the Nobel Peace Prize! And I bet you it’ll happen eventually or else he’ll probably throw a tantrum and hit some blue screen death button. lol.

I want to share 7 of Warren Buffett’s secrets with you that I have been applying to my own life. Simply integrating some of the following wisdom I learned from Warrent Buffett into your own life could radically change your life. It has certainly changed mine in some ways.

Secret #1: Happiness comes from within.

“In my adult business life I have never had to make a choice of trading between professional and personal. I tap-dance to work, and when I get there it’s tremendous fun.” — Warren Buffett

If you do what you love and love what you do, you’ll naturally be productive.

When I used to work in hospitals, I found most days a bit of a drag, and having to drag myself out of bed, drag myself to the hospital, and by the time I got home, I felt like dead man walking. But now, I wake up most mornings loving what I do. I can’t wait to get started with the day. There just doesn’t seem to be enough time! I wish days were longer, even though what I do technically could be considered more draining for some people. But I enjoy it.

So find what excites you. And no matter what, that should be your goal.

Secret #2: Find happiness in simple pleasures.

“I have simple pleasures. I play bridge online for 12 hours a week.” — Warren Buffett

There are certain things in my life that make me very happy, and most of them are pretty simple pleasures. e.g. I love strolling by the seafront. I like to sit in cafes to people watch. I love filming silly videos and editing photos. I used to eat at a mosque when I was a student that served one of the best dishes of my life for just £3. All of these things, in my opinion, are simple pleasures. They be done for close to nothing, in fact, except for the £3 meal, the rest can be done for free.

So perhaps happiness is closer to you beyond the $500k fancy car, the expensive clothes, or the big million dollar beach house. And if the world’s richest man says so, I’d listen.

Secret #3: Live a simple life.

“I just naturally want to do things that make sense. In my personal life too, I don’t care what other rich people are doing. I don’t want a 405 foot boat just because someone else has a 400 foot boat.” — Warren Buffett

I recently purchased a book called Affluenza by Oliver James. The idea of the book is that an epidemic of ‘Affluenza’ is spreading throughout the world. Keeping up with the Joneses is the worst epidemic among those who should never contemplate that notion in the first place. Less is more.

Oliver James spent 9 months travelling through different cities and cultures, including Sydney, Singapore, Moscow, Copenhagen, New York and Shanghai. In each place he interviewed several groups of people to discover why do so many more people want what they haven’t got and want to be someone they’re not, despite being richer and freer from traditional restraints. And, in so doing, James uncovers the answer to how to reconnect with what really matters and learn to value what you’ve already got. In other words, how to be successful and stay sane.

I never finished the book, because it does get dry and repetitive (only 3 stars on Amazon) but it explains and captures the Affluenza phenomena really well, and definitely changed my perspective alot in recent months about what would really make me happy.

Secret #4: Think Simply.

“I want to be able to explain my mistakes. This means I do only the things I completely understand.” — Warren Buffett

I have found that sometimes I do overcomplicate matters, and make things alot more complex than they really are. Sometimes the solutions are so simple and right in front of us, but we go about things in such a roundabout way. Keep your thoughts simple and it will keep your life simple.

If you apply this rule in your life, you can develop clarity and sanity in your thoughts. Life is about simple yet profound choices.

Secret #5: Invest Simply.

“The best way to own common stocks is through an index fund.” — Warren Buffett

I hate investing. I never considered myself a very good investor when it comes to stocks and shares. I am pretty good at investing in businesses and my own ventures, but when it comes to investing in stocks and shares, I often result in massive losses.

The truth is, I probably overcomplicated things. For example, about a year ago, I was recommended to a professional investment manager. I thought I’d give it a try, with very small amount per month. The following is a sample of the portfolio which I invested in: UK Growth Fund C, UK Equity Income Fund C, UK FTSE All Share Index Tracking Fund C, European Fund C, Smaller Companies Fund C… split into something like 20%, 15%, 15%, 25%, 25% or something retarded like that.

In all that time, when I lost over 50% of my investments, if I had just studied the market, Gold and Oil would have been easily spotted as winners. And those 2 simple investments alone, I would have made a nice bunch.

So I guess the lesson is: Often, the simplest route to investing will bring you the most riches, and the most happiness.

Secret #6: Have the right friends and mentors in life.

“I was lucky to have the right heroes. Tell me who your heroes are and I’ll tell you how you’ll turn out to be. The qualities of the one you admire are the traits that you, with a little practice, can make your own, and that, if practiced, will become habit-forming.” — Warren Buffett

One of my favorite sayings this year is ‘The top people you surround yourself with define who you are’. This has probably been the biggest lesson to me. It took a long time to drill into my head. My social circle have changed drastically in the past couple of years. I came to realise that having the right friends and mentors are as important as having purpose in your life. Having the wrong influences and mentors are as devasting as having a wrong purpose in your life. I owe alot of changes and transformations in both my mindset and
skillset in recent months to some people that I truly consider as my heroes.

But it was not always like this. For a while in my life, I was surrounded by the ‘wrong’ people and I didn’t even know it. In the process, I unfortunately was so emotionally invested and somewhat codependent on these relationships that I kept trying to grasp onto them. The truth was, actions speak for themselves. It’s a waste of my time to even delve into this any further. All I know is that if I don’t let go, history will just keep repeating itself. Loyalty to friends is a big deal to me, and in this case, I could not justify it anymore.

Secret #7: Making money isn’t the backbone of your guiding purpose; making money is the by-product of your guiding purpose.

“If you’re doing something you love, you’re more likely to put your all into it, and that generally equates to making money.” — Warren Buffett

I’m still really defining my ‘purpose’. I have a pretty good idea now, and the motivation surprisingly isn’t purely money. I must admit that at one point, it was strongly so. I truly believe in what I am about to do is going to change the world, and for the better. And that in itself drives me. I find myself almost talking about it on a daily basis now and I think people around me, especially my inner circle, can see how strongly it’s motivated me in the last year.

Also, when money is the main motivator, it makes it hard to find the courage, determination, and patience to push through. The truth is, making money is NEVER easy at the start. Its brutally difficult and requires will power, risk taking, courage and determination. And alot of patience.

Hence don’t focus on the money, but on enjoying the process. I love what I do now, and actually enjoy it. I get paid in return for my knowledge, skills and ideas. I hope it stays that way, and money never become the object and end all of your motivation.

If you like this post, please leave a comment, digg it, twitter it or stumbleupon it! :)

March 1, 2010 — “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish!” Steve Jobs Commencement Speech
August 13, 2008 — The 5 Success Secrets of Michael Phelps (+ Bonus secret)

“Worry about being better; bigger will take care of itself.”

HKW — Thu, 19 Feb 2009 19:26:21 +0000

“Worry about being better; bigger will take care of itself.”
Gary Comer (1929–2006)-American entrepreneur, founder of Lands’ End

Ever since my early teenage years, I’ve had a passion for starting businesses.

The first business I ever did was selling flashing mobile stickers when I was 18.

I didn’t make alot of money, but it taught me a few things, from word of mouth marketing to seeking ‘distributor channels’ (including the guy down at the pub).

Then, there was eBay. I got into it in the early days (now it sucks, in my opinion).

I borrowed £60 and turned it into a bit over £15k within 3 months, and within 6 months, I was an eBay powerseller.

I have also done ventures ranging from building websites to investing in 1st edition books and the entertainment biz.

All of which I made a profit with.

But I also had a problem.

I grew too fast, and I got cocky.

And as I grew, I wanted a fancier website, a cooler logo, a team of staff, partners, automation, etc.

The problem was, I stopped focusing on being ‘better’ as I started to focus on being bigger.

I am a pretty competitive guy, and I like to win. But as soon as I win, which is often the case when I do something that excites me, I start to lose interest.

I’m sure this is also related to why I find it hard to just do one thing. I have too many ideas, and I want to do them all.

The problem with this approach, and I’m fully aware of it, is that it’ll be hard for me to be truly successful. Instead, as my friend Todd says, it’s the easiest way to hit ‘mediocracy’.

I do find myself thinking: “If only I stuck with this, or that… not only would I be excellent at it now, but I’d probably also be a multi-millionaire.”

And if I look at my wealthy /successful friends, ranging from web entrepreneurs to multimillion business owners, their ability to stick to what they do is a big part of their success.

Last night here in Bocas Del Toro, I realised that I must re-strategize and re-think how I am approaching my business(es).

For one, I need to cut out the (es)xcess and start focusing on THE business, until I make it work.

Next, I have to focus on being better, instead of being bigger.

The easiest way to do that would be to do what truly excites me, something that I believe in, and where my energy lies (credit to my friend Fredrick).

How would I do that?

I can think of 3 main changes I must make (besides re-evaluating what truly excites me instead of focusing on the money):

(1) focus on that one thing, and one step at a time, and
(2) get through the dip, no matter what
(3) contribute, grow and giving value to be the best.

I have a better idea now of what truly excites me, and hopefully I’ll find some way to integrate this into my life.

And I hope you will too.

How to Negotiate A Gym Membership WITH Personal Trainer for Under £68 ($100) / Month

HKW — Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:50:50 +0000

With the recession taking its toll, it’s a good idea to save some money. But your health is still important, so ideally you don’t have to compromise fitness for budgeting.

If you want to go cheap, try running around the house. Naked. Also, my mom had a theory that gyms don’t work . She suggested that I consider sweeping the floor or cleaning the windows. I considered it for a while, but not seeing any results, I’ve decided to stick to the gym plan.

I am currently on day 2 of my 21 day ‘Wong Body Transformation Program’. And today I decided to share some details of how I got this gym membership, tailored diet plan, and even a personal trainer available 24/7 for the next 21 days to whip my body into action…. all for just $100 (£68).

For one, I’m in Panama. That means things in general are cheaper. But before you start shouting at me for comparing the impossible, know that the average tourist here pays around $75 a month for a gym membership alone.

So how did I get my training program for under $100 / month, which includes a gym membership, a tailored 6 daily vomit-inducing meal plan, the occasional complimentary protein shake, and the pleasure of a meathead PT shouting at me in Espanol for 2 hours a day?

(1) Going basic, and pushing your comfort zone
(2) Going OFFLINE
(3) Negotiating (and knowing what you want)

1. Going Basic and pushing your comfort zone

The gym I just joined is not somewhere you want to bring your wife or kids. Think Gold Gym with no air conditioning, mostly free weights, and with most guys 3-4x my size (and I’m average weight for my height).

I must admit when I first stepped in, I felt uncomfortable. But I also realised that the shape most of these guys were in was also closer to where I wanted to be.

There were no fancy widescreen TVs, wireless internet, nor Pringle machines in the hallways (as a friend of mine spotted back home. Surely is a crime).

I decided that I was there to work out, not to gawk at eye candy (having said that, the eye candy at Powerclub did make that decision a bit more difficult)

2. Going Offline

Looking around on major Panama forums, the 2 major gyms in Panama City are Sports Tek, the newest addition, and Powerclub (a chain, like David LLoyds and LA Fitness).

The average gym membership starts from around $50 a month, with a $40 mandatory joining fee.

As I’m only here for another 21 days, it works out as a pretty bad deal for jsut the gym alone. A personal trainer would cost $15-$25 per hour in addition to that, which still works out cheaper than back home, but still….

So I decided to go offline.

My theory: Businesses that advertise online usually have money. They have money because they make good profit. They make a good profit usually because they have a recurring program designed by marketers that maximize their upline.

So by looking online, you miss out on smaller ‘family run’ traditional businesses that may not have the resources to hire a tech savvy team.

I found this gym in the local yellow book, advertised simply as a 2 line regular ad in the phone directory. Never to look at big catchy colourful ads, because that is also an indication of their ad budget (which obviously they have to make back).

I am not interested in a place that’s owned by corporate people trying to grow the business to a gazillion chains.

3. Negotiating (and knowing what you want)

The initial price quoted to me was $30 a month for the gym itself and $15 per day for a trainer.

It’s alot cheaper than the major chains that want $20 / hr, plus no joining fee.

But at the rates given, it still worked out around $200 for the whole 21 days (give or take, as I don’t plan to be there every single day).

The question obviously is: how did I get it down to $100 for the whole 21 days?

By negotiating. And by knowing exactly what I want.

Firstly, I made sure I spoke to the boss (who subsequently decided to train me personally instead of his staff). I made it clear that my maximum budget was $120. I want to get the most I can for that money but I definitely want a trainer.

Second, I explained that I would only be in town for 21 days. That I plan to only work out 4 days a week, 1 hour a day, and in the mornings when it’s quiet. I also explained I had no need to call for personal advice, and will stick to whatever diet plan is given.

Finally, I had a conversation (in very broken spanish). I discovered that the trainer’s son was a graphics designer. It happened that I need someone to do some graphics for one of my websites. I didn’t promise anything but said I’ll have a look at his portfolio and see if I can get him some work.

In the end, he offered it to me for $100. Conditions? None! I still get to call him when I want, and go to the gym all day if I like (no thank you!).

Conclusion

This is by no means a comparison to what’s available in the US or UK. Just remember to look around and remember to look offline. Know what you want, and ask if you really need all the ‘extras’ for the goal you are trying to achieve. And if possible, for smaller gyms, speak to the individual (ideally the owner). And once you’ve joined a gym, don’t try to go – stick to your plan!

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