Teddy Roosevelt said, Believe you can and you are half way there. Eight years ago my dream was to share gongs with the world. As the first dedicated gong studio in Asia I broke new ground and wrote the rule book. Twenty eight years of management consulting, a dose of horse sense, saying 'yes', continual learning and partnering with the like minded has led me 8 years later to receive recognition for our brand.
From the outset Makin Ma, Designer and Brand Guardian and I were 100% aligned on look and feel of all customer touch points including our attention to detail - think blankets :)
The naysayers often advised me to quit. But The greatest pleasure in life is doing what people said you could not do. Walter Bagehot. No one said it would be easy as every worthwhile accomplishment, big or little, has its stages of drudgery and triumph; a beginning, a struggle and a victory. M. Ghandi The key as Yogi Bhajan said is to keep up and you will be kept up. Success is about consistency. Greatness will come. Dwayne Johnson
Friday Red Doors was recognised by the HK Design Association as Best Brand for Sustainability in Alternative Health. Thank you to my children, students, clients, Hobbits, band, teachers, volunteers and friends for their fathomless support.
Remember to celebrate the milestones as you prepare for the road ahead. Nelson Mandela. We put on the Ritz last week, hosted Don the week before and now are sharing our success by sending a check to the Turkish Consul General for HK$35,000 representing our profits from the Concert for Humanity on March 12 to support relief efforts.
Where next? Special needs children, health carers, sacred sound performances, teaching overseas .... is a big blue ocean.
Helena Rubenstein says Hard work keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit. I say... Go well, be well, get gonged.
Bamboo lessons
Look deep into nature and you will understand everything better. Albert Einstein
Today I share observations and life lessons from bamboo.
Adopt the pace of nature, her secret is patience. Ralph Waldo Emerson
Beginning as a seed, bamboo take four years to establish a firm network of rhizomes from which it becomes the fastest growing plant on earth growing 90’ in six weeks in year five. All good things come to those who wait. anon
The bamboo that bends is stronger than the oak that resists. Japanese Proverb
The tensile strength of bamboo is greater than steel. One reason it is still used as scaffolding in the construction industry in HK. (watch this ) The human capacity for burden is like bamboo, far more flexible than you’d ever believe at first glance. Jodi Picoutt
Express your usefulness through simplicity…. Kensho Furuya
This versatile member of the grass family provides food, shelter, protection from the elements, clothing, cooking utensils, fuel, furniture, drinking vessels and more.
Life is simple but we insist on making in complicated. Confucius The greatest wealth is to be content with little. Plato
Whatever is flexible and flowing will grow, whatever is rigid and blocked will wither and die. Tao Te Ching Trimming bamboo will result in new leaves appearing at the cut as well as new canes sprouting from the earth. By letting go it exhibits continuous growth and renewal.
When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be. When I let go of what I have, I receive what I need. Lao Tzu
This week become more like the bamboo - patient, deeply rooted, flexible yet strong, see setbacks as opportunities for growth, be useful and find contentment in simplicity.
(inspired by TEDX Be Like Bamboo Tokyo 2011
Faith, trust and pixie dust.
Faith is like the little bird that can feel the light and sing when the dawn is still dark
The sheer joy and awe of a wild animal trusting you enough to feed from your hand requires patience, stillness of mind and body and an open heart.
Learning to trust is one of life's most difficult tasks. -Isaac Watts If you do not trust life to unfold, the mind takes over and it becomes a game of strategy, motivated by anxiety. - Mooji
Our bodies convey 65% of our message, thus actions speak louder than words. We trust movement. Life happens through events not words. Anon Begin with an open heart and you can learn to trust life, it will trust you back. - Dharma
Then have faith and trust yourself. You must also trust and believe in people or life becomes unbearable. Anton Chekhov Finally, Be willing to take the next step not knowing where it will lead you. If you do, it means you are ready for any new possibility. - Sadhguru.
This week I invite you to open our hands, our hearts, our minds to trust ourselves, each other and the universe.
Uncharted waters
Uncharted Waters
In the middle ages they believed the world was flat and if you sailed far enough in one direction you would fall off the edge. Columbus and other adventurers 'going boldly where no man has gone before' - Star Trek proved them wrong.
Humanity on mothership earth is in uncharted territory. Normally we refer to the lessons of the past. There are none. Earth is our ship. Survival our destination. We have no map and limited resources. Yet like a crew on a ship in peril we have each other. Our resourcefulness, our ability to adapt, to support each other with resilience, grace and even humour. It is not a question of 'me' but of 'we'. Albert Einstein said In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity and Lincoln said the best way to predict your future is to create it. Our future may not be clear, however this too shall pass. And we shall walk together into a brave new world. Our resolution will determine the survival of us all. Adlai Stevenson.