Meet new people = Explore the new world !!

Since I returned to Thailand I have been working as a wealth management advisor. This job involves providing advisory services to people on selecting a good financial plan for their lives. I chose this job so that I could learn about how to make a better return on investment as well as to share my skills with others on how better to manage their finances. In Thailand this kind of job is still new and not very popular because people do not see how having a financial plan can be important for them. I think I can gain new experience and skills in communication while trying to make people understand the importance of this issue.

This type of job is also totally new for me. To say in another word, this job is like a salesperson. There is no guarantee of a regular salary, no existing clients. So, not having marketing skills and not having a degree in the financial field, I began my first month working hard on studying to gain many certifications, while I learned how to sell plans by going out with other colleagues to observe them at work.

The hard part of this job is that I have to go out and find my own client base. How to do that? The first suggestion from my boss was to make a list of people I knew,at least 100 names, and then rate their potential to be my client. I made phone calls to many friends and the result was quite disappointing. Why? I tried to reflect on what I was doing to experience so much failure. The first time that I got rejected by a close friend, I wrote down everything that I could not answer him. Next day I brought that paper to clarify with my colleague. She just told me simply, “your story is nothing more than you talked with a person who was not interested. Why don’t you try to meet new people?”

I still keep continuing to contact other friends while I try to participate in some seminar where I might possibly find a new client. I find that I can easily talk with new people. Instead of focusing on the potential gain from new clients, I try to focus on the relationship with people. The first response from a new friend that I made at a seminar was an invitation to play golf. I have never thought about playing golf before but he encouraged me to try once.

My colleagues have also experienced the same. Some have been invited to special fashion shows, or to play archery or to participate in exclusive events at the embassies and more.

If I simply work as an employee, as in my previous work, I would not have tried to get to know many people. I might be happy to have a new friend but I would not have had much to offer them. Even with an old friend, I might not have talked much. When my best friend decided to let me help her with a financial plan, we have a lot more to talk now than previously. I look back to the time when I worked as an employee without investing in relationships and I see that I did not try to keep contact details of colleagues because I did not see the point earlier in keeping touch with people.

Now I find that I do not only go out and meet new people, I also like to connect people to others when I see how that can benefit each other. One of my clients from a seminar told me that he would like to expand his business in Myanmar. It was perfect timing as I had planned to go to Myanmar for the APLP event. I told him that I would see how the business environment was there and share details with him, upon my return. I made contact with new people in Myanmar and one of whom decided to visit Thailand. I saw a good opportunity of connecting my client with my new friend and have organized a lunch meeting between them. Similarly, my new Burmese friend introduced me to his friend in Thailand – a sustainability manager who has invited me to her monthly lunch seminar. I look forward to exploring how the new connection turns out.

Looking back from the time I started the program to the end of APLP, I can see that my attitude has changed tremendously. I have become a better public speaker. I am also more confident in myself and value my own opinion and belief. I get the good memory of establishing several long-lasting friendships with APLPers and people in Hawaii. Now I’m combining my character of excited to know new people and the experience of establishing good relationship from APLP and then I adapt them to use with my job and my life.

(Pictures from countryside of Myanmar)

Best wish to all and Thank you APLP,

Nam

"The lady"

I'm working on my final portfolio of APLP. My good memories in Hawaii still alive...

Leadership Reflection 2

“The Lady”

I went to see the movie “The Lady” on human right film festival week in Honolulu Museum of Art on November 8 with a group of APLP fellows. I found the movie was so interesting. This is my first time to sit still in the theatre from 7:15 to 10:30.This movie communicated the real-life of “The Lady” or Aung San Suu Kyi very well. I learned a lot from this movie and want to share some of them here.

The movie began with the scene that a father talked with his little girl, who later became Aung San Suu Kyi, and then he was killed cruelly by soldiers. This showed that Aung San Suu Kyi was born in the high position politician family and then she lost everything when she was very young. And it also showed how cruel politic was in Myanmar in that time. However, I noticed a contradiction when she when to visit her mother in the same beautiful house as the beginning scene and she also has servants. I felt that her family did not lose everything and the Myanmar military government may be not treating her family badly.

The scene in UK with her beloved husband and 2 boys showed how warm family she had. It also conveyed the message of her role as a simple house wife who had to take care of both her husband and children.

The scene which many protesters, who most of them are students, were brutally killed and tried to get into the hospital and even the doctor also was killed mercilessly in the period that she visited her mother reflected some change in her mind.

Before seeing this movie I was skeptical on how she became famous with many supporters and why Myanmar military government did not get rid of her. My first skeptical point was solved. She had many supporters because of her father’s reputation. However, my second skeptical have not quite solved. The movie conveys to think in many ways. First, she was protected by holy power because of one scene that she walked to the holding guns soldier. Second, she may have the English nationality and have the right to protect by English law because she married with an English man. Anyway, both of those causes still look unreasonable for me as the whole movie story conveyed how easy Myanmar soldier killed people.

From the movie, I think she became famous from 2 parts. The first part was the born-to-be leader. She was a daughter of general Aung San who was respected by most of Burmese which made her gained thousands of strong supporters. Another part was her high sprit. She insisted to do the right thing for her country whatever how hard it is. The way she sacrificed her own happy life for Myanmar country is respectful. Her life show me how a women had to be strong to be a leader and how hope can help a person to live even if he or she has to be in the worst situation.

Thank you, Mon Mon, Nang Seng, Megan, Rangi and Amir for creating wonderful time together.
                                                                                 
                                                                                                                                                   Nam

Presencing : Are we living for this moment ?

I'm still on my tight schedule and also try to complete my portfolio. While I review my reflection on presencing class, I think it may be useful for someone who did not join the extra class on Saturday to learn from what I have learnt. Let's go back to the past...on September 21-22, 2012 with me!

Leadership Reflection  

Theory U class last week makes me surprised on the movement of my mind and my body.

I come from a Buddhist country and have tried many kinds of meditation. Meditation is a part of Thai culture. I learned it from school when I was in grade 4 and continued practicing until I finished my high school. After that I also tried to join some group or organization to extend my meditation experience.

However, this is my first time to learn “Theory U”. On the first day of this class that was called ‘Presencing stage I’ I did not feel anything much. I have learnt the concept of meditation for long time. I understand what is meant by saying keeping your mind with your body. Why do I have to learn this Buddhist concept from the western people? I saw many friends in class did not seem to pay much attention on what the instructor said. I feel like we did not understand clearly on what the instructor wanted us to do. I tried to follow what the instructor was doing first but I ended up with my traditional way of sitting meditation.

The second class, Presencing stage II, began on the afternoon. I saw some friends try the ‘20 minutes dance’, the period that let people do anything they like but they have to know what they were doing before the class began, for napping. I found that this time I can be more focused on what the instructor taught, so I decided to join this class on Saturday which was optional.

Presencing stage III began on a nice Saturday morning. Only 14 people from the group of 31 people joined this class. I felt the atmosphere was totally different from the previous day. Less people made the room look bigger. I began the 20 minutes dance with the calm mood and finished with refreshed feeling.

On the morning, the instructor taught us to do ‘Sculpture’. I’ve never heard this word and was also not clear about what she wanted me to do. To say the truth most of the words that she taught on the class and the way she taught me to do was new. She told me that just let your body decide what to do. I tried to begin with the posture that I thought it was my expression on my problem, which is the sculpture I and then I was surprised when my body moved to the new posture without thinking, which is the sculpture II. My whole body straightened up and my hands moved up to the sky. I felt some spark in my mind! Why did my body change to the new posture like that? I opened my eyes suddenly. I felt the mind guide me to explore new things and then some solution will come from new people that I will meet in the future. I do not know whether that is true.

In the afternoon, the class began with case clinic which is doing ‘Sculpture’ with other people as a group moving on the same direction without any conversation. We formed the group of 5 people and then someone in the group has to tell his or her problem to groups’ member. I was that person, the case giver! I told a lot of problems that I had in my mind on that time and I knew it made both myself and my group confused on what I really want to do. The coach in the group  tried to narrow my problem down. He told me that the group can focus only one simple problem which was my communication with people in my learning lab. All members in my learning lab are nice but I always feel disconnected and could not understand clearly when we have to discuss together. I felt bored and distracted out of the conversation when I could not catch up the topic or idea that they talked. I found it was hard for me to understand those western people logic.

The coach who was also part of my learning lab told me politely to just close my eyes and let your body decide what to do and then we will follow you. I began to sit hugging my knees and then I placed my hand over my face to think what to do next. I felt someone ran around me and then she stopped in front of me. I opened my eyes and saw one of the group members sitting in the same posture as me. I was confused and did not know what to do and the coach who has to control the time told me “don’t worry just close your eyes”. I tried to close my eyes again. This time something happened when I felt someone sitting beside me. I wanted to touch her. My hand moved towards her and then she grasped my right hand. I felt like I still need one more hand to help me to stand up. My left hand moved to another side and someone grasped it firmly. I slowly stood up by holding both hands. I felt other people in the group walked towards me. I tried to grasp every hand and put them together. I tried to drag all hands towards my side by walking backwards. Surprisingly no one moved towards me. Someone draw her hand out whereas someone put his hands support my back. I changed my mind again. If I could not drag people to my way, why not try to be a part of them? I extended my both hands to the shoulders of people beside me. They responded generously… We all bent our heads towards each other in a tight little circle. I felt warm welcome energy as the part of this group circulating and surrounding. I opened my eyes and told everyone that I was fine to finish the scripture step and ready to go for the next step which was sharing feeling.

I began to share my feeling first and then followed by other members. Everyone has his or her feeling differently. I learned a lot from this conversation. Below is something that I feel valuable to know and change the way I thought from now on.

-Everyone here is friends. Friends always stay besides and support. Don’t worry.

-Leadership is no need to be the first initiative…the second is the fire which make other follow.

-Everyone have the different point of view. Even if they do not follow you, it doesn’t mean they do not like you or do not want to support you.

-Do not judge what others think about you. Someone may want to help. He or she does not intend to make you feel bad.

-Everything here is learning process. No one can be a leader in a short time.

-If you have the problem on catching the topic, why don’t you try to begin the topic first? If you really could not understand when others saying, why don’t you ask them to slow down?

-Today you lead the group. Even though it is just a little group, you are the leader when everyone follows your initiative.

-Being part of the group is not that hard. Everyone can connect.

I remember Scott ask in the discussion group that do you think life is about creating memories or creating future? He said creating memories is having fun now. I did not answer him on that day. I do not think that I am a person who likes to have fun all the time or a person who plan everything for future all time. However, for me life means living the moment. How can we create the bright future without making this moment valuable first? Three days presencing class also helps me to create my future by changing my thought to connect with people and be more positive.

                   (Picture of Saturday 22 September 2012 ,after presencing class)

                                                                                                         Best wishes to all,

                                                                                                                        Nam

Choose and Decide....What make you happy?

Choose and Decide …What make you happy?

I’ve just joined the great seminar called “Landmark Forum” which I see my past more clearly on what I did and what I am going to. I like the concept of the seminar to make me keep the past in the past. I understand from the seminar that if I don’t keep the past in the past,how it will damage my future. However, a lesson that I want to share is about two words “Choose and Decide”

There is so many times in life that we have to choose, what if we know exactly that the way we choose is right? Whether you notice yourself or not, you always choose the choice that your inside intention push you to choose. Let’s get the easy example from my past path.

Choice ---->APLP -------->Choice (after APLP) -----> Self employed----

            ----->Huge money                                    -----> employee                    

Choice( after chose the job) --->cry on failure and back to salary base-----> go backward

                                            ---->smile to the fate and create new possiblities---> go forward

Choice----> Go Myanmar to see my beloved friends

           -----> enjoy the company free trip to the beach and full with extreme activities

Choice----> Stay with the old friends

    ----> Travel with the new one---Choice---> Complain on lack of infrastructure and hot temperature

                                                           ----> Look only positive way and find it as the new adventure

The seminar define the word 'Choose' as To select freely after consideration

and 'Decide' as To select based on consideration.

Therefore, when you choose, it's not about consideration on plus or minus. It's something that you put all your concern always and just choose it because you think it is the right way for you on that time.

It may sound unreasonable for someone who always under the reason to decide any choice.If you take a long time to worry before decide to do something, finally you do it anyway that mean you 'choose'

The only thing you can do after you chose is to be happy and be ready to face whatever it is and then go beyond all obstacles.

Someone gives me a good example on choosing in the marriage. If the two people chose each other that mean they don't need to complain about how bad their partner are because they chose to be together and accept each other from their inside intention.

However, if no matter how you try, you're still not comfortable that mean you chose the wrong choice. Before choosing again, it'd better to take time to reflect why did you choose this way and review all of your action toward this choice. Then if you see clearly that your reason or your intention is different from your action, it'd better to leave this way and create the new possibilities again.

Whenever you feel tried on what you do, ask yourself again did you choose this path?

             ( The picture took from the sky above Yangon airport. I name it as "chioces".)
                                                                                
                                                                                                                                      Best Wish to all,
                                                                                                                                                      Nam

Nam from Thailand in May

During the month of April, Alisha took us along on her travels and we saw New Orleans, Honolulu, Seoul and finally Yangon through her eyes as she spear-headed the recently concluded Myanmar Futures Exchange conference.

We move to Thailand this May and touch base with Chantima Thongphueak. Having worked for ExxonMobil as an analyst for more than five years, Chantima has an academic background in Japanese and marketing. She is currently the wealth management advisor at Wealth Creation International Co., ltd.