"So when you listen to a thought, you are aware not only of the thought but also of yourself as the witness of the thought. A new dimension of consciousness has come in. As you listen to the thought, you feel a conscious presence - your deeper self - behind or underneath the thought, … Continue reading Mind and Beyond Mind 1/9 | A Brief Introduction of The Power of Now (Eckhart Tolle 1999): You Are Not Your Mind
"Radical open-mindedness is motivated by the genuine worry that you might not be seeing your choices optimally. It is the ability to effectively explore different points of view and different possibilities without letting your ego or your blind spots get in your way. It requires you to replace your attachment to always being right with … Continue reading Mind and Beyond Mind [Intro/9] | A Rare Book Review of Ray Dalio’s Principles Illuminated in the Spiritual Context (in Reference to The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle)
"Economic advantages may be created by any person who surrounds himself with the advice, counsel, and personal cooperation of a group of men who are willing to lend him wholehearted aid, in a spirit of PERFECT HARMONY. This form of cooperative alliance has been the basis of nearly every great fortune. Your understanding of this … Continue reading Mind Series 7/7 | The Master Mind: The Power of Aligned Minds and Its Implication for Business and Leadership
"While we talked about an organization's culture in the last section, its people are even more important because they can change the culture for better or for worse. A culture and its people are symbiotic - the culture attracts certain kinds of people and the people in turn either reinforce or evolve the culture based … Continue reading Mind Series 6/7 | Values, Abilities and Skills: What Comes First in Deciding the Right People for Your Firm? [A Management Case]
"We were surprised, shocked really, to discover the type of leadership required for turning a good company into a great one. Compared to high-profile leaders with big personalities who make headlines and become celebrities, the good-to-great leaders seem to have come from Mars. Self-effacing, quiet, reserved, even shy - these leaders are a paradoxical blend … Continue reading Mind Series 5/7 | It’s Who!: People and Their Spirit! [A Management Case]
"When the English poet W. E. Henley wrote the prophetic lines, "I am the Master of my Fate, I am the Captain of my Soul," he should have informed us that the reason we are the Masters of our Fate, the Captains of our Souls, is because we have the power to control our thoughts. … Continue reading Mind Series 3/7 | I Am the Master of My Fate, the Captain of My Soul
"A scientist will tell you that energy is measured by speed and the size of the wave being created. The size of the wave is measured from low to high, and slow to fast. Anything else that we attribute to the conditions we see in our world is a judgment imposed upon those pulsating frequencies. … Continue reading Mind Series 1/7 | What’s Your Level of Energy? And of Your Thought?
"What rationale did people use to justify these rather extraordinary numbers? "New technology will change everything," the logic went. "The Internet is going to completely revolutionize all businesses," the gurus chanted. "It's the great Internet landgrab: Be sure first, be there fast, build market share - no matter how expensive - and you win," yelled … Continue reading Essay | We’re a Crawl, Walk, Run Company – the Internet Bubble and Its Lesson Contemplated in Good to Great (Jim Collins, 2001)
"From a child I was fond of reading, and all the little money that came into my hands was ever laid out in books. Pleased with the Pilgrim's Progress, my first collection was of John Bunyan's works in separate little volumes. I afterward sold them to enable me to buy R. Burton's Historical Collections; they … Continue reading Essay | The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin
"Thought allied fearlessly to purpose becomes creative force; those who know this are ready to become something higher and stronger than mere bundles of wavering thoughts and fluctuating sensations; those who do this - align their thoughts fearlessly with their purpose - become the conscious and intelligent wielders of their mental powers." - Chapter 4. … Continue reading Weaving Webs | Timeless Wisdom – Thoughts and Physical Manifestations
"Each of us is where we are by the law of our being. The thoughts which we have built into his character have brought us there, and in the arrangement of our life there is no element of chance, but all is the result of a law which cannot err. This is just as true … Continue reading Essay | On As a Man Thinketh – What is Your Most Cherished Book?
""Truly, thoughts are things," and powerful at that, when mixed with purpose, persistence and a burning desire for their translation into riches or other material objects." - Chapter 1. The Power of Thought, Think and Grow Rich I needed a little inspiration and a fresh breath these past few days, so I decided to pick … Continue reading Essay | Think and Grow Rich
"The key point is that not all sets of institutions, when you add up the sum of the parts, are equal. There are good and bad combinations. In some sets of institutions, people can flourish freely as individuals, as families, as communities. That is because the institutions effectively incentivize us to do good things-like, for … Continue reading THE GREAT DEGENERATION – How Institutions Decay and Economies Die
Dear awesome readers and leaders! Yes, it's a small joy, but I can't help but sharing with you. My article: "Give me problems, not answers" was featured on Paper.li as of September 30th. As my aim is nothing more than contributing to readers and like-minded souls, the simple fact that my humble writing can reach more audience … Continue reading My article is featured! Thank you! (again)
Haven't you seen this concept comprised of three overlapping circles somewhere? What do you think this concept implies? What do you learn and where do you think you can apply this model? There is an interesting yet fundamentally critical concept elaborated in Good to Great by Jim Collins. Called 'The Hedgehog Concept,' it is one … Continue reading Weaving Webs | Are You a Hedgehog or a Fox?
"In the investment world, you can only make money if you think different from everyone else. Bridgewater has prevented groupthink by inviting dissenting opinions from every employee in the company. When employees share independent viewpoints instead of conforming to the majority, there's a much higher chance that Bridgewater will make investment decisions no one else … Continue reading Weaving Webs | Give Me Problems, Not Answers
Dear readers, I just want to share my small joy that I had lately and feeling of gratitude with you. In April, right after I published series of articles for the book review on Blockchain Revolution, a few readers featured and recommended my articles either on their online magazines or through twitter feeds. If you are … Continue reading Thank you for featuring my articles.
Summary ->> Contemplation ->> Closing 2. SWOT ANALYSIS: WHERE DO WE SEE OPPORTUNITIES? So far, we have looked into important dynamics of the technology in various facets. Due to its newness of the technology and confusion rising from unprecedented novelty, we had much more to discuss than expected. I believe by now, readers may have … Continue reading BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION [8/9] – SWOT Analysis (Book Review)
Summary ->> Contemplation ->> Closing 3. PROMISE VERSUS AS-IS We are observing exponential technological progress made on top of exponential technology development today. For this reason, what the authors observed and saw as a promise may be different as of today. Out of many revolutionary promises the authors elaborated, my key interest and enthusiasm first of … Continue reading BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION [9/9] – Promise, As-Is, and Closing (Book Review)
Summary ->> Contemplation ->> Closing CONTEMPLATION: SEEKING EVOLUTION OVER REVOLUTION The challenges the technology is facing internally and externally seem no small matters and, in certain aspect, it appears limitations far outweigh the potentials. In my opinion, there are a few fundamental issues that need to be addressed and cleared as "prerequisite conditions" before moving … Continue reading BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION [4/9] – Private Money and Leadership (Book Review)
"Some scholars have argued that the invention of double-entry book-keeping enabled the rise of capitalism and the nation-state. This new digital ledger of economic transactions can be programmed to record virtually everything of value and importance to humankind: birth and death certificates, marriage licenses, deeds and titles of ownership, educational degrees, financial accounts, medical … Continue reading BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION [1/9] – Contents (Book Review)
Much of the noise and confusion can stem from unclear terminology. Here I define terms in general context. Bitcoin: the bitcoin network protocol. name of a cryptocurrency. "Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer version of electronic cash that allows payments to be sent directly from one party to another without going through a financial institution. The network … Continue reading BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION [Intro/9] – Terminology
(photo by @harvard_business_review, on Instagram) "A CEO has different tasks in different cycles. Some CEOs are founders and builders. Others have the luxury of managing momentum through a stable economy or a period when business models aren’t being disrupted. My task was different: remaking a historic and iconic company during an extremely volatile time. ... … Continue reading Essay | Jeffrey R. Immelt – The Strategist In Action
I have been filling up my journal with mantras and good quotes that can help me navigate the new year with new attitude with different themes. Yes, this is part of my new year rituals. : ) The first was "Either You Run The Day, Or The Day Runs You." My all time favorite mantra … Continue reading Essay | Easy Does It
A few separate conversations with people, who had concerns on our future, especially related with Artificial Intelligence and automation, motivated me to write this article. While some had philosophical questions such as 'Will AI dominate humanity? Then will we have a dismal future?,' others had rather practical concerns such as 'What should we do … Continue reading Weaving Webs | What Is The Future of Work in an Age of Automation, Artificial Intelligence and Robotics?
(photo by @mjmauboussin, twitter) My favorite author, Professor Mauboussin's bookshelf at Columbia Business School. He is teaching Security Analysis course for straight 26 years! I should have known him and his books much much earlier! Will they offer me a chance to attend his class? 🙂 Note, Jim Rogers also taught an Investment course in … Continue reading Essay | Professor Mauboussin’s Book Shelf
When we start something, be it a small chore during the day or a project that requires strenuous efforts and time or a journey in life, let's always be clear on what we want and set clear intentions with the end result 'visualized' in mind. What I am learning these days is, the more I read … Continue reading Essay | What Are Your Intentions?
In my previous post, I have wrapped up my 2017 readings. Then what's my selection for 2018? This year's selection is humble, I would say. I found that I frequently add up any intriguing subjects during the year, so this time I decided to start small. And I still have amazing books unfinished that are waiting for … Continue reading Essay | My New Year Reading Goals
January is a month for closing and beginning for me. I am doing lots of purging and hatching jobs these days! For this reason, I feel obliged to wrap up my readings that I've completed last year. I intended to finish around twenty books when the year started but made around fifteen or so. 'Come … Continue reading Essay | The Best Business Books in 2017
"An excellent way to get acquainted with the two functions of your mind is to look upon your own mind as a garden. You are a gardener, and you are planting seeds(thoughts) in your subconscious mind all day long, based on your habitual thinking. As you sow in your subconscious mind, so shall you reap … Continue reading Essay | On The Power of Your Subconscious Mind
Do 'what we do' and 'how we do' on New Year's Day set the tone for the whole year? What's your thought? The more conscious I become on what I think, what I do and how I spend time in every passing year, it seems the more I tend to think and act consciously. After … Continue reading Essay | On New Year Rituals
"We are at the beginning of a revolution that is fundamentally changing the way we live, work, and relate to one another. In its scale, scope and complexity, what I consider to be the fourth industrial revolution is unlike anything humankind has experienced before. ... We are witnessing profound shifts across all industries, marked by … Continue reading THE FOURTH INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
CONTEMPLATION: A TIMELY BOOK FULL OF IDEAS MEANINGFUL FOR DISCOURSE AND ACTION A phoenix out of the ashes. Without the audacity of pessimism, we may repeat the same old pains. There's a serious urge on timing. No more delay. No more bail-outs. No more taxpayers' money. No more policy failure by central banks based on … Continue reading THE END OF ALCHEMY [3/3] – Money, Banking and the Future of the Global Economy
REFORMING BANKING: ENDING ALCHEMY THROUGH PFAS Central Banks as Lender of the Last Resort (LOLR) What has been the guiding principle of central banks in dealing with crises? The author explains central banks' roles defined throughout history, the birth of the concept of LOLR(Lender of the Last Resort) that became the ultimate name of central … Continue reading THE END OF ALCHEMY [2/3] – Money, Banking and the Future of the Global Economy
"Flooding the system with liquidity has been seen by many economists, officials and politicians as the answer to almost any financial crisis. But it is never easy to distinguish between a liquidity and a solvency problem. In only a matter of days, a shortage of liquidity can turn into a solvency question. Banks will always … Continue reading THE END OF ALCHEMY [1/3] – Money, Banking and the Future of the Global Economy
"When a system has low complexity and we can define interactions linearly, reductionism is very useful. Many engineered systems fit this bill. A skilled artisan can take apart your wristwatch, study the components, and have a complete understanding of how the system works. Such systems also lend themselves to centralized decision making. Many companies in … Continue reading MORE THAN YOU KNOW – Finding Financial Wisdom In Unconventional Places
"If you're so smart, then why aren't you rich?" This was a perfect example of being smart and not being rich. I had been so smart I went broke. I did not know what the markets were capable of. On Wall Street there is no truer adage, I learned, than the one attributed erroneously to … Continue reading STREET SMARTS – Adventures On The Road and In The Markets
"There will always be someone richer than you, more skilled than you, more famous than you. Who is rich? asks the Talmud. He who is happy with his lot. Maybe it's easier to be happy with what you have if you know that inside you is the urge for attention that Smith identifies. Smith is … Continue reading HOW ADAM SMITH CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE – An Unexpected Guide To Human Nature and Happiness
"How in the face of a burning, changing, and shifting world does one train an instinct for the essence of what is going on? At the turn of the last century, the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche suggested that humans needed a "Sixth Sense" to survive what then seemed like insane madness: the Industrial Revolution. He … Continue reading THE SEVENTH SENSE – Power, Fortune, And Survival In The Age of Networks
"A powerful new technology platform is developing out of the bowels of the Second Industrial Revolution, speeding the central contradiction of capitalist ideology to the end game. The coming together of the Communications Internet with a digitalized renewable Energy Internet and automated Transportation and Logistics Internet in a seamless twenty-first-century intelligent infrastructure-the Internet of … Continue reading THE ZERO MARGINAL COST SOCIETY – The Internet of Things, The Collaborative Commons and The Eclipse of Capitalism
"Confidence is knowing that you will succeed. If it doesn't happen today, it will happen tomorrow. If it does not come with this project, it will come with the next one. Confidence is knowing that you can acquire whatever skills and knowledge you do not yet possess. It is knowing that you are capable of … Continue reading MAKE YOURSELF UNFORGETTABLE – How To Become The Person Everyone Remembers And No One Can Resist
"What's been forgotten is that strategy is not a destination or a solution. It's not a problem to be solved and settled. It's a journey. It needs continuous, not intermittent, leadership. It needs a strategist. Good strategies are never frozen-signed, sealed, and delivered. No matter how carefully conceived, or how well implemented, any strategy put … Continue reading THE STRATEGIST – Let’s Get To The Core. What Does a Strategy Mean To You, Leaders?
"When we think about the future, we hope for a future of progress. That progress can take one of two forms. Horizontal or extensive progress means copying things that work-going from 1 to n. ... Vertical or intensive progress means doing new things-going to 0 to 1. Vertical progress is harder to imagine because it … Continue reading ZERO TO ONE – How Will You Progress From Zero To One? A Note For Building an Extraordinary
"We live in an unequal world. The differences among nations are similar to those between the two parts of Nogales, just on a larger scale. In rich countries, individuals are healthier, live longer, and are much better educated. They also have access to a range of amenities and options in life., from vacations to career … Continue reading WHY NATIONS FAIL – So Do You Know Why Some Nations Prosper and Some Fail?
What's a leader? To lead, what quality do you need? If you are a follower, what quality do you expect from a leader? Yes, I can hear your answers. We have certain qualities in mind that are somehow traditional and never changing. But do followers always have to 'have' a leader? Or do we always have to … Continue reading Essay | Have You Heard of a Leader Who Had No Title?
1950s was the period in the U.S. history marked by growth, prosperity and optimism after the long depression started in 1920s. People started to get over the trauma of the hard and difficult time after the depression, started to dream for the future and started to accumulate wealth. Alan Watts wrote this book at the … Continue reading Essay | On Alan Watts’ ‘The Wisdom of Insecurity – A Message for an Age of Anxiety’
"My point is that people who create great things aren't idle dreamers: They are totally grounded in reality. Being hyperrealistic will help you choose your dreams wisely and then achieve them. … People who achieve success and drive progress deeply understand the cause-effect relationships that govern reality and have principles for using them to get … Continue reading Mind and Beyond Mind 9/9 | Implications for Our Self Development
Truth "Upon the battlefield of the human soul two masters are ever contending for the crown of supremacy, for the kingship and dominion of the heart; the master of self, called also the Prince of this world, and the master of truth, called also the Father God." - The Two Masters: Self and Truth, THE … Continue reading Mind and Beyond Mind 8/9 | What Is Truth? What Is Real Power?
"When you live in complete acceptance of what is, that is the end of all drama in your life. Nobody can even have an argument with you, no matter how hard he or she tries. You cannot have an argument with a fully conscious person. An argument implies identification with your mind and a mental … Continue reading Mind and Beyond Mind 7/9 | Who Do We Become After All? – A Fully Conscious Person
"Enlightenment means rising above thought, not falling back to a level below thought, the level of an animal or a plant. In the enlightened state, you still use your thinking mind when needed, but in a much more focused and effective way than before. You use it mostly for practical purposes, but you are free … Continue reading Mind and Beyond Mind 6/9 | The Relationship Between Inner Stillness and Creativity
"Mind, in the way I use the word, is not just thought. It includes your emotions as well as all unconscious mental-emotional reactive patterns. Emotions arise at the place where mind and body meet. It is the body's reaction to your mind - or you might say, a reflection of your mind in the body. … Continue reading Mind and Beyond Mind 5/9 | On Emotion
"Fear seems to have many causes …but ultimately all fear is the ego's fear of death, of annihilation. … In this mind-identified state, fear of death affects every aspect of your life. For example, even such a seemingly trivial and "normal" thing as the compulsive need to be right in an argument and make the … Continue reading Mind and Beyond Mind 4/9 | On Fear
"Thinking and consciousness are not synonymous. Thinking is only a small aspect of consciousness. Thought cannot exist without consciousness, but consciousness does not need thought." - Enlightenment: Rising Above Thought, Chapter 1. You Are Not Your Mind, THE POWER OF NOW (Eckhart Tolle, 1999), p19 In the previous article (Mind and Beyond Mind [1] … Continue reading Mind and Beyond Mind 3/9 | Mind-Identified Egoic State of Consciousness versus Pure Consciousness
"Do you truly know what is positive and what is negative? Do you have the total picture? There have been many people for whom limitation, failure, loss, illness, or pain in whatever form turned out to be their greatest teacher. It taught them to let go of false self-images and superficial ego-dictated goals and desires. … Continue reading Mind and Beyond Mind 2/9 | On Higher Perspective
"In a study by the author with Dr. Alexander Graham Bell and Dr. Elmer R. Gates, it was concluded that every human brain is both a broadcasting and receiving station for the vibration of thought. Through the medium of the ether, in a fashion similar to that employed by the basic principle of radio … Continue reading Mind Series 2/7 | What Is the Quality of a Lucky Person?: Understanding Two Powerful Aspects of Thought
"What you are, so is your world. Everything in the universe is resolved into your own inward experience. It matters little what is without, for it is all a reflection of your own state of consciousness. It matters everything what you are within, for everything without will be mirrored and colored accordingly." - The World … Continue reading Mind Series [Prologue/7] | Wealth, Health and Success: Working on Our Inner World Is the Starting Point
Summary ->> Contemplation ->> Closing ■ Frictions in the Real World Even if Bitcoin itself is difficult to hack, there does exist potential for security risks at various stages of the transaction process. 98 Bitcoins are held in wallets and traded through digital currency exchanges. There are various security risks inherent in each of these … Continue reading BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION [7/9] – Frictions (Book Review)
Summary ->> Contemplation ->> Closing ■ Miners Economics Becoming Miners (Nodes) Miners are a supportive and incentivized community that processes Bitcoin’s transactions and keep everything running smoothly 54 A node is a powerful computer that runs the Bitcoin software and helps to keep Bitcoin running by participating in the relay of information. Some nodes are … Continue reading BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION [6/9] – Miners and Incentive Economics (Book Review)
Summary ->> Contemplation ->> Closing (C) Technology Issues The technology space is getting matured but not yet ready for practical adoption due to its complexity and innate technological issues. "Bitcoin is created through an energy-intensive 'mining' process that uses high computing power to solve a complex mathematical equation, 'proving' that an 'anonymous miner' used the … Continue reading BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION [5/9] – Mining Economics (Book Review)
Summary ->> Contemplation ->> Closing IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES The world looks very different under the blockchain revolution. In some aspects, they sound too good to be true. If this new future is a great leap-up from our current reality, - especially in terms of economic inclusion of billions of unbanked and excluded population from prosperity, of … Continue reading BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION [3/9] – Challenges (Book Review)
Summary ->> Contemplation ->> Closing THE TRUST PROTOCOL The main virtues the authors derive from the blockchain technology are represented by two words: Trust and Truth. 'Trust' by which two or multiple parties who don't know each other transact the value(money) directly without relying on the existing 'trusted' third party. The technology's open and transparent … Continue reading BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION [2/9] – Ten Areas (Book Review)
1. https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/why-bitcoin-is-a-bubble-by-nouriel-roubini-2018-01 (Jan 26, 2018) 2. 3. https://bitcoin.org/bitcoin.pdf (Oct 2008) 4. https://hbr.org/2017/01/the-truth-about-blockchain (Jan 2017) 5. https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-01-17/bitcoin-isn-t-the-future-of-money (Jan 2018) 6. http://www.nber.org/papers/w19747 (April 2014) 7. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gold_standard#Abandonment_of_the_gold_standard 8. 9. https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/why-bitcoin-is-a-bubble-by-nouriel-roubini-2018-01 (Jan 26, 2018) 10. Mervyn King, The End of Alchemy, p61 (2016) 11. https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/bitcoin-long-term-price-collapse-by-kenneth-rogoff-2017-10 (Oct 2017) 12. 13. 14. https://vanguardblog.com/2018/02/06/bitcoin-digital-gold-or-fools-gold/?cmpgn=Ext:SM:RIG:ISG:020718:XX:POST:XX:TW:INV:XX:XX:XX:sf181534297&sf181534297=1 (Feb 2018) 15. 16. 17. https://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/bitcoin-cryptocurrencies-monetary-risk-by-andrew-sheng-and-xiao-geng-2017-08 … Continue reading BLOCKCHAIN REVOLUTION [Intro/9] – References
What's the definition of 'leadership?' The single reason why I chose this book - The Leader Who Had No Title by Robin Sharma - from my favorite bookstore in Singapore several years ago, was because of the phrase 'who had no title.' I loved this idea so much. The notion of a leader or leadership somehow seems … Continue reading Essay | A Leader as a Great Person
My next favorite author, Daron Acemoglu, an economist, is a professor at MIT since 1993. He ranked third in the list of "Favorite Living Economists Under Age 60" in a 2011 survey among American economists, behind Paul Krugman and Greg Mankiw. And I don't doubt this acclaim. He co-authored 'Why Nations Fail' with James A. … Continue reading Essay | Professor Acemoglu and Why Nations Fail
Leading by Reading 