Double win! International speeches and table topics contest 2010!

It was double the fun winning in both contests! I enjoyed every minute of it – someone even said I was glowing! What made my wins wonderfully delicious was the high calibre and sheer number of my competitors! I was set for success with the huge and supportive audience that excited and inspired me to share my message!

A very big thank you to my wonderful friends and supporters – your presence and ardent support has been a great source of comfort and inspiration to me. Thank you!

I treasure the intangible more than the tangible. The tangible trophies merely represent the more precious intangible recognition, love and admiration. I quote from my last year’s win,

“Remember my message. Trophies will fade, but the message I share with you, I want it to be imprinted in your hearts and gain inspiration when you need it.”

Last but not least, a very big thank you to my superb mum who has stood by me all these moments; the Universe who is with me; and my beloved late Grandfather – this is for YOU! Thank you!

Jubilations! I'm receiving my recognition! International speeches contest 2010 - first runner-up!

First runner-up: International speeches contest 2010!

Euphoria! I'm receiving another recognition one after another! Table topics contest 2010 - second runner-up!

Second runner-up: Table topics contest 2010!

My beloved friends,

I will be taking part in the International Speeches and Table Topics Contest 2010!

Open your hearts and minds and enjoy yourselves at tonight’s contest with some of the best speakers in my club!

I invite you to come and support me!  Details as follows:

• Venue: New Millennium Advanced Toastmasters Club, Cairnhill Community Club, Level 2, Conference Room, 1 Anthony Road, Singapore
• Date: 8 March 2009
• Time: 7-10pm

I look forward to seeing you there!

With love,
Pei Shan

“A picture is worth a thousand words; a slide show is both.” –  Author Unknown

Enjoy the slide show and photos of NYP can do, so can YOU!

Click on the thumbnails below to get a closer view.

Shanshine’s reflections:

A big thank you to NYP for having me speak and share with you!  It was my utmost pleasure speaking to an intellectual and attentive audience.  The time flew by so fast, and I could see that they wanted me to continue despite the time allocated for me to speak was up.  That is one of the most accolades I could get.  Their rapt attention and brain cogs turning almost visibly when they were listening made my day!

To express my appreciation:

Thank you, Peggy, for inviting me to speak.  Thank you for your compliments on my excellent speaking and interest in this refreshing perspective on Psychology.  It appealed immensely to my mischievous side speaking to those who have lectured me before!

Thanks to Jackie as well for all the liaising and taking care of the back-end matters to make things run smoothly.  Thank you for your compliments on my being a “young, confident and promising” lady!

Thanks to my intellectual and attentive audience, who lent me their ears and hearts when I spoke.  I hope what I have shared will remain with you for your lifetime and help you in your journey through life.

Thanks also to those who expressed their thanks, appreciation and learnings with me after the talk.  Especially to Bernard, “You’re a good speaker.  You have good vocabulary.  I love how you weave your speech and how you speak off the cuff.”

It was not off the cuff.  It was so well practised that it appeared entirely natural!

A big thank you to my IMteam who oiled the cogs and toiled behind the scenes to make things seamless!  Especially to Mark, the master of analytics; Adilin, the weaver of magic with people; Dzu, the steady and stable foundation calming our nerves; and Jeremy, my photography magician.

Shine and be inspired with our Shanshine speaker, Shan, as she shares with you on…

• The 3 keys to overcoming failure
• The 3 secrets to cultivating a positive mindset

Details as follows:

Venue: Nanyang Polytecnic Staff Association, Nanyang Polytechnic, Lecture Theatre, 180 Ang Mo Kio Avenue, Singapore
Date: 4 November 2009
Time: 12.30pm

I’m so excited! Speaking to the awesome staff in NYP!!!  See you all tomorrow!

With love,
Shanshine

Shelly, thanks for sharing this superb commercial with me!  I want to pay this forward.

Now, THIS really made ME CRY.  This commercial has themes of resilience, tenacity and shining through all odds – excellent themes which are all aligned with my tagline, “Smile! Are you shining yet?”  Shining through all odds, no matter what happens!  A never-say-die attitude!  I can definitely identify with this girl – riding through the rollercoaster called Life.  I can remember the frustrations, the criticisms, the ridicules that serve not to break my spirit, but strengthen it.

I love the beautiful track – Pachel’s Canon in D – which is one of my favourite pieces I love listening to and playing.  I remember striving for perfection in my music, which influenced my desire for doing the best in whatever I set out to do.

“Why am I different from others?”
“Why do you have to be like others?”

I love these couple of questions.  Be yourself.  Create your own rules for your own self.  What is the best for you, which Coaching does for you by unlocking what you need for yourself.  This elderly gentleman does that too – by asking excellent questions!  He did not tell her what to do, she thought about his questions, and decided upon her own course of actions.

Dare to be different.  Have the courage to be unique, because there is no one else like you.  Some are born to be different.  More importantly, they persist in their uniqueness – becoming more and more of who they truly are.  These are the ‘white-lighters’ who shine in our world today.

Having the beautiful hair is a bonus.  I think the courage and spirit of the girl portrayed in this commercial is extraordinary – and we can ALL CHOOSE to be EXTRAORDINARY in our own way.

Smile!  Are you shining yet?
Are you a ‘white-lighter’?
Are you choosing to be extraordinary TODAY, NOW?

This is a spin-off from the International Happiness Day!!!: The Shanshine way! - Get together with loved ones for a International Happiness Day celebration! (^.^) and Napoleon Hill’s Think and Grow Rich.

I prefer to bask in affirmations, rather than criticisms.  Criticisms tend to leave you with a sour aftertaste in your mind, body and soul.  On the other hand, affirmations inspire you to be the best of YOUR best.  It gives you a sense of fulfillment, pleasure, and willingness to go the extra mile.

Luxuries abound; very much so, the positive!

Get together with loved ones for a International Happiness Day celebration! (^.^)

It is quality rather than quantity that matters. – Seneca

I am a firm believer and practitioner in quality time, especially concerning the things and people that matter most to me.  I am going for quality time with a few of my favourite people today.  What about you?  Unleash your creativity, permit yourself to be Happy, Happier, Happiest!  Not just for today, but for many many many days to come!

For those following the VIA strengths alignment, this action is in line with Loving and Allowing Oneself to Be Loved.

A Happy you, a Happy life, a Happy work, a Happy family, all this can be yours only if you choose to.

A very Happy International Happiness Day to you!!!

Shanshine smiles and cari saluti!
Shan
Your International Happiness Day Ambassador (Singapore)

How did yesterday’s actions go for me?

I am very pleased that my once conscious incompetent actions have evolved into unconscious competent actions!

I was so thrilled and enlightened that I wrote Focus on the positive: It works! A real life story immediately after I had the revelation!  I still remember Napoleon Hill’s words in Think and Grow Rich, along the lines of we cannot afford the luxury of a single negative thought.  I would like to add,

We have the luxury of infinite positive thoughts! – Yip Pei Shan

Notice the optimistic thinking in action!  Did it take a lot of time and effort to do so?  No.  Initially, it took a lot of time and effort.  With continuous usage and a laser beam focus, it became a habit.  Once it becomes a habit, it’s ingrained into your system.  Need support with this?  Contact me.

My friend’s friend wanted to enquire about the printing charges for company tee shirts at this newly opened shop.  When we first went in, the person manning the shop did not know much.  A few minutes later, a Chinese salesman entered the shop and entertained our enquiries to no avail.  Now, this Chinese salesman spoke excellent English, so I complimented him.  He was so modest until he did not say ‘thank you’.  Instead, he started complimenting me in return.

Interestingly, after complimenting him, his entire demeanour and attitude towards us changed.  He started finding the necessary information with great enthusiasm!

I quote my friend’s words,

“I am really amazed at how you can decide on something good about the Chinese salesman just now, despite [his] not being knowledgable in many things. He changed totally after you praised him, [he was] more confident and help[ed] you a lot:) Wonderful!”

We even exchanged namecards, and I shared miscelleneous things to connect on a social and emotional level.  Likewise, he shared information on his company structure, and even gave me a packet of tissues that his company printed!  Furthermore, he kept in touch and even texted me on his occurrences in his shop after we left!

On a side note, the tissues came in very handy as I had run out of it.

Look at the flow of things.  It’s amazing!  The best part was, I was doing it at an unconscious competent level!  I was in a state of flow.  Entirely natural and flowing.  My dear friend highlighted that it was something that not everyone does, nor do things like this happen to everyone.  Would you do a double flip if I say these things happen to me most of the time?  They DO.  Almost ALL the time.  How does it happen?  By focusing on the positive.  See my earlier articles on this awesome phenomenon – Focus ONLY on the GOOD in everyone that you know; and Yes, lot! Yes, Lot! YES, LOT!!! The power of the Positive!

Start Having Action Now, Start Having Infinite New 3nergy!!!

“Being YOU is the best gift you can give to yourself.” – Yip Pei Shan

I was reading an article about being yourself and want to share with you how important it is to be yourself. Being YOU. It is very human to display different sides of ourselves to different people. The sum of these different facets comprise who you are.

We may reminisce about our past, and look forward to our future, however, we are only conscious of our present. Be brave, be bold, be yourself, because being YOU, NOW is the best gift for yourself.

On the theme of resilience and tenacity, this came to mind.

Life is like bumper cars. You take a few knocks along the way, smile; life still goes on. – Yip Pei Shan

Resilience (n.d.) is defined as an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change.  To quantify and qualify, the adversity quotient (AQ) is the science of human resilience.

Change is the only constant. - Heraclitus

This is one of my favourite quotes from this famous Greek Philosopher known for his change universal theory. Change and resilience are closely interwined.  Everyone experiences change on an intimate basis.  Change may be good, bad, or neutral.  It is a state of difference, not of constance.

Life is full of constant changes. We experience changes in life stages (transitioning from womb to tomb), social, emotional, mental, physical, and lifestyles.

There is one interesting experience I still remember to this day. I had been accepted into the study of my choice, Interactive Media Design, after vigorous screenings and interviews. Just by being in the prestigious and exclusive design course at that time would gain the respect and admiration of my peers in other faculties. Of course, we did not have a lot of time to bask in our glorified status in school. We had 10-20 projects to complete each week, comprising painting, drawing, photography, typography, social communication skills, copywriting, animation, electronic media, videography, etc. We would be in and out of school looking for locations to film, shoot, paint or draw in various mediums. Inspirational blocks came often, and we were always frustrated when that came. Somehow, I still found time to pursue my love of music and helping friends in other design courses.

We had the liberty to be cool, as long as we completed our projects well and on time. Presentations were a dime a dozen. I enjoyed photography, with funny memories of being cloistered in a tiny dark room with lots of other friends, and one of them letting out gas from the rear. In the midst of developing our photos, I had cut my thumb without even realising it as we were rushing to get our projects done. Only when my friend discovered in the well-lit area, did we realise it was bleeding profusely. All our photos had blood on them. It was indeed blood, sweat and tears.

Everything was going well. I was busy and happy. However, after we had chosen our specialisations, my grades started going downhill.  I had chosen the wrong specialisation.  Friendships soured from a clash of personalities and the intense constant pressure. The time for presenting our major projects arrived. Our presentations were a nice term for harsh criticism, where you either excelled or failed. Needless to say, I failed all.

I was kicked out of my course, with all my dreams of being a great designer dashed. It was a depressing time in my life, taking me a whole twelve months to get my act together again. I enrolled in another course of my choice, determined to excel in all aspects.

What happened in my second attempt at study? I found the best friends in my life, keeping them close to me up to now. Academically, I was in the top 5% in my large cohort; the cream of the crop. I gained exceptional life skills which I still keep to this day – a great focus, an iron will and discipline, a courage to weather all adversities, excellent time management and prioritising, emotional management, leadership skills, and dealing with people from all walks of life. My beloved class mentor said that I needed to contribute to my school in other ways, not just academically. I took on volunteer roles, leadership positions, and various other activities. Being a class leader, leader of several project and presentation groups, all added to the rubrics of study life. I even had a scholarship to study and do my practical in an Ivy League university, along with 2 others out of a cohort of 600 students.

Resilience is part of my character make-up. To bounce back from change, is something that we need to take in our stride. The pleasure of living is in the process, not the result. One more thing that is vital for living is tenacity. Tenacity is to hold fast. Hold fast to the pillars in your life, such as your morals, values, principles, and loved ones.

I almost lost hold of my pillars in my life when I was kicked out of my course. Do not let this happen to you. When you feel down, always look up! The sun will always rise. When there is life, there is hope. Let’s enjoy our life rollercoaster to the fullest!

References

Resilience. (n.d.). Merriam-Webster’s Medical Dictionary. Retrieved June 02, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.classic.reference.com/browse/resilience