“A
successful life is one that is lived through understanding and pursuing one’s
own path, not chasing after the dreams of fulfilling the expectations of
others”
Dare to dream and even the sky is not the limit. Most big things begin with a dream and vision. From a vision comes obsession and when obsession translates itself into actions, reality rides! Chin-Ning Chu wrote, “Dare to succeed by cultivating the courage to fail and fight back if you have been wronged”. Boats are safe in the harbor but meant for the high seas. In the corporate world, zero-risks projects are not worth pursuing. Who dares, win! What is a dream and vision? It is actually a mental construct of the mind. The author, via her international bestseller, “Thick Face, Black-Heart” shows you how to unleash the warrior within you, and conquer all in your path and transform your negative qualities to your advantage and thus, claim your natural right to dazzling wealth!
Having conceptualized your dream, your next challenge is to realize it and make it happen. Otherwise it is just a mere daydream. The next step is to implement your ideas and thoughts via three ingredients, sheer political will, financial muscle and managerial/technical expertise. At the inception, this is where “strategic thinking” comes into play. In adopting such far-sighted thinking ability, one will have to formulate what is known as the master plan, blueprint and strategic road map in strategic policies for implementation. This is where a “helicopter” mindset will enable you to map out macro and major corporate objectives, goals and broad implementation procedures. At the inception stage of a business venture or project, there is no room for nitty-gritty and petty/trifle inconsequential issues. Rather, a comprehensive “feasibility study” and “risks-management” to gauge the technical and financial viability are the most crucial tasks to be undertaken for ultimate success or failure! Strategic thinking is like an aerial survey of a forest from the air and not unduly concerned with the woods and trees from an ant’s view. It enables you to soar majestically like an eagle.
In broad master brush strokes, the plan of action is conceptualized. Robert Fulmer wrote, “If you fail to plan, then you must plan to fail”. Strategic planning follows strategic thinking. It is the implementation procedures, which would require forming a project team to translate dreams and visions into a corporate strategy followed by drafting the business and project objectives and achieving them via various tasks and activities that would require engaging managerial, technical and financial experts!
So, at a personal level, to apply “strategic thinking”, for both corporate and personal success would require that you formulate a “mission statement” on your dreams, goals and objectives in life for a certain time frame. Steven Covey explained that you “begin with the end in mind”. How do you envisage yourself, 5, 10 or 15 years from now? What do you hope to achieve? When asked by a PATT (Person at the top), “Do you have a mission statement?” My reply was, “Yes, I had a 10 years MS and I have achieved them and now I am on the next 10 years mission!” He replied, “Congratulations, welcome to the top one per cent of successful people who has a mission statement!” Such a statement would entail “strategic thinking” and “strategic planning”.
In an earlier article (dated 22/2/03), various aspects of thinking were described except strategic thinking. In many ways, it is almost synonymous with “creative thinking”, “breakthrough thinking” and “parallel thinking”. It also “uncommon sense thinking.” Others may label it as “positive thinking” and “optimistic thinking.” Chin-Ning Chu writes that you can, transform your “negative thinking” into positive.
“The greatest ingredient of my success is that I am
an eternal optimist. I can be beaten but I will rebound with renewed hope. It
doesn’t matter how many setbacks and putdowns I go through in order to sustain
your enthusiasm and competitive edge, you need more than brute force. You need
that spiritual strength. People think that being positive means never feeling
low. It is not that. It means that you have the ability to bounce back
naturally, like a rubber ball. You don’t have to force it”
~Chin-Ning Chu’s
It is not how
hard you fall that matters but how high you rebound?
Andrew A.L.Tan is a project consultant, speaker and author with his own firm, Ace-Slimp. To find out more, catch Chin-Ning Chu and Dr. Stephen Lundin at a Live Seminar titled “RECIPE for SUCCESS CONVENTION 2005” to be held from 18th – 19th April 2005 at Merdeka Hall, PWTC, KL. For quick and early bookings, please contact Asia Pacific Diligence at Tel: 03-21626828 and Fax: 03-21627828/21637828 or e-mail: apd@po.jaring.my, website: www.asiapacifcevents.com. The author may be contacted at e-mail aspc@pd.jaring.my or mobile: 012-6838217.