Becoming More Visible Online

Taking a cue from some of the books I've been reading, I decided to spruce up my online profile. I haven't started work on my LinkedIn profile yet, but it'll be the next step.

In today's ever-connected world, if you cannot be found on the Internet, you have zero credibility. So, to ensure that I don't end up in that state, I'm going to be working on becoming more visible and accessible.

I'm intending to turn this into a more profession-oriented site (for myself, of course). So, there are going to be some changes.

If you haven't already, check out my Speaker and Trainer pages!

Let me know your thoughts.

Here's a sleepy cat I photographed while I was in Taiwan (many years ago).

Meeting Tom Abbott & Nicholas Ong

Last night, I was at the August APTS meeting, where I met a couple of new people and listened to Tom Abbott and Nicholas Ong.

Taken from APTS website: www.aptsg.com

Tom was an emphatic speaker and an expert in sales training. He shared his story and a few points from his signature training material with us. One of the things that struck me was his emphasis on developing expertise - something that I strongly advocate too.

In answering one of the audiences's questions, he mentioned that saying no to training in an area of our non-expertise allows us time and space to focus on our area of expertise. He acknowledges that, at the beginning of our training careers, we will want to take on practically any assignment, just as he did.

However, he reminds us that once we build up our skills and portfolio, we need to specialise so that we can stand out and focus on giving the best of ourselves.

A picture with Tom

Nicholas was a very different style of speaker. He was clearly more comfortable speaking in Mandarin, but, through his gallant effort, and the way he made his personal story so relatable, he received a standing ovation. 

His was a story of transformation, how he overcame a past mired in darkness and confusion to emerge as an entrepreneur and speaker. He told us about the hard work he put in to complete his books and his determination to make something of himself. He certainly has. And he isn't resting on his laurels.

Two very impressive speakers with so much experience to share. I'm glad I was there to take it in. I look forward to the next meeting.

A picture with Nicholas

A Little Encouragement

Just yesterday, I commented on a Facebook posting by one of my ex-students, who is on the path to obtaining a PhD.

I am really impressed with what she is doing so far. To top it all off, there was something that really encouraged me to keep doing what I'm doing: She commented that I had helped inspire her and instilled in her a love for the life sciences.

Wow.

That's the kind of comment that teachers live for.

The Third Quarter Of 2016

Where did all the time go?

It's really remarkable how quickly the days pass a second at a time and, before you know it, we're firmly in the third quarter of the year.

When I look back over the past 8 months, I'm thankful for the new people I've met, the new lessons I've learned, the new experiences I've gotten. I have been given new opportunities, shared new ideas, worked on new projects.

It was a hectic first half. It's now a steady pace in the second half. Though I'm glad that things have slowed down, it is tempting to slip into complacency, as I did a little while ago. It's time to overcome that inertia and get cracking.

Now that the National Day week is over, it's back to hustling.

Time waits for no one, and there is an ocean out there to discover!