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The Past Beneath Us:

It is said that before the colonialists arrived in Singapore, there was a prosperous 700-year-old settlement here. Is it just a legend? Now, a team of archaeologists are separating fact from fiction.

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Share this content The Past Beneath Us: It is said that before the colonialists arrived in Singapore, there was a prosperous 700-year-old settlement here. Is it just a legend? Now, a team of archaeologists are separating fact from fiction.

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Not long ago, I caved and read the classic of the personal development genre The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I admit, it's a really good book - it lives up to the hype. You can read the 7 habits for yourself here, but I want to focus on one in particular because it has helped me immensely in both my personal and professional life:

Seek first to understand, then to be understood.

To me, this habit is the most important of the 7, without question.

The essence of this habit is a temperament that favors curiosity, open-mindedness, empathy, and patience - all rolled into one. In order to really seek to understand, you cannot have already judged a person or situation. You need to develop a desire to understand - meaning a desire to see things from others' point of view, to see their reasons, and feel what they feel.

The great thing about this habit is that it not only makes you a better friend, co-worker, and partner to those around you, it provides tremendous benefits to you as well. Here are but a few that I have found, as I try to employ the strategy of seeking first to understand:

1. You learn better

Being a lifelong learner is important. If you're reading this, you have probably read a few of the thousand pieces on the internet that talk about just how important it is to be continuously learning. Well, there is little that you can do to more effectively cultivate the mindset of a lifelong learner than to seek to understand.

When you seek to understand, you admit that you don't currently understand. Which means you admit that you are not in possession of all the relevant information. Which means you're effectively ready to learn it.Boom! Life Learning!

2. You prevent yourself from saying things you'll regret

Few things can get you into more trouble than being too quick to talk. You can end up committing to things that you shouldn't, saying things you don't even mean, and generally killing your credibility. In many cases, we speak first and speak often because we're looking for people to understand us.

If we seek to understand others first, we're more likely to listen before we speak. When we do that, we can avoid saying things that on reflection we shouldn't have. We also tend to ask more questions, rather than making statements, which keeps us from over-committing and contradicting ourselves.

3. Your emotional intelligence skyrockets

Emotional intelligence is all the rage these days. Everyone from leaders to up-and-comers are being told just how important it is to be able to read people's emotions (as well as their own) and react to them appropriately. Doing that effectively will require a disposition to desire to understand how others feel. You will have to seek to understand the feelings of others, just as much as you seek to understand your own.

4. Your ability to influence improves dramatically

When you seek to understand others, and begin to act accordingly, two things will likely happen.

First, you'll gain a rapport with them. They will be more likely to talk to you about various things, and you will be more likely to be privy to information that can be helpful to you. When your'e trying to achieve ambitious goals, build a team, and get buy-in, rapport is everything.

Second, your words will tend to hold more weight with people. For those that you have made a point to understand better, when you tell them something, it will tend to carry more weight. After all, you've proven that you care about understanding their point of view, so it becomes easier for them to give you the benefit of the doubt.

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Not long ago, I caved and read the classic of the personal development genre The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. I admit, it's a really good book - it lives up to the hype. You can read the 7...

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Habit 4: Think Win-Win. Work effectively and efficiently with others to achieve optimal results. Win-Win sees life as a cooperative arena, not a competitive one. It is a frame of mind and heart that constantly seeks mutual benefit in all interactions.

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Article SummaryX

To be proactive, start by considering potential changes and issues that might be coming up in the future. Be sure to stay on top of less-urgent tasks like cleaning, grocery shopping, and housework, and prioritize the most important tasks on a day-to-day basis. As you're working on accomplishing tasks, try to focus on things within your control, and set realistic, time-bound goals for yourself. When you're trying to troubleshoot, focus your efforts on finding solutions rather than dwelling on problems, and do smaller, constructive tasks if you're overwhelmed.

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How to Be Proactive. Being proactive means thinking and acting ahead of anticipated events. Not only is it a great method for avoiding more work down the road, it can also be extremely important for averting problems. To be proactive,...

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7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens-Put First Things First

The third habit of the 7 Habits of Highly effective Teens is to Put First Things First.

It's been said that teens today aren't faced with the same kind of hard work as teens in generations past. The truth is, teens today are simply facing a different kind of hard. Teens (and adults) are multi-tasking more than any other generation and time has become a precious commodity. So much to do, not enough time to do it. That's why the third habit of effective teens is so incredibly important. It helps us learn to prioritize and manage our time so the things that matter the very most get done. Habit 2, begin with the end in mind, helps us figure out what the most important things are. Habit 3 helps us figure out how to make those things a priority in our lives. DOing is the hard part.

Sean Covey breaks down the way we spend our time into four different quadrants.

We each spend some time in all four of the quadrants but the real key to success is to spend as much time as possible in Quadrant 2, the Prioritizer. Quadrant 2 is made of things that are important but not urgent (because we don't let them become urgent by procrastinating). Making lists, goals, and planning ahead to prioritize our lives-making sure first things get done first-is how we accomplish the things we really want to accomplish. Establishing a powerful habit of planning ahead, and then DOing the work is critical to our ultimate success.

Weekly planning can make a huge difference in our lives. The first step is to identify the things we want to accomplish that week. The big things. The things that matter most that week. Blocking out time for those things is the next step. And then we schedule in everything else. If we intentionally carve out the time to do our most important things first, we make sure those get done and everything else falls in to the extra time.

Along with planning, we have to overcome fear and peer pressure. It takes a lot of courage to identify and stay true to our "first things". We must not let fear or other people make decisions for us. We are the captain of our lives (Habit 1-be proactive).

Habit 3 often seems to be the hardest one to stick to. Putting first things first takes focus and courage, but usually the hardest things are the ones that make the biggest differences in our lives. Take control of your life, identify the things that matter to you most (begin with the end in mind), and prioritize your life so those "first things" stay first.

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7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens-Put First Things First - Triumph Youth Services

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7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens-Put First Things First The third habit of the 7 Habits of Highly effective Teens is to Put First Things First. It's been said that teens today aren't faced with the same kind of hard work as teens in generations past.

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Beginning with the end in mind is a powerful source of motivation that can help you planning successfuly your projects.

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Writing great content is a choice. You can choose to put in the time and work required to create great content and build a prosperous brand. Or you can choose to take the easy path and write poor content - a path that ultimately will get you nowhere. It will only result in a waste of time, energy and resources.

The path for content marketers is clear. In order to boost SEO rankings, gain traffic and/or leads, you need to have great content on your blog or website.

If you write original content, search engines will help your site get more exposure. For instance, Google has made it plain that they do not like and will penalize sites with duplicate content. Put another way, Google wants to reward high quality sites that contain original content. So not only does great content make a better website, it also improves your site's rankings, which can have a very positive impact on your business.

Whatever your reason for having a content site, whether it's for business or a personal hobby, it's important to do it right. In this blog post, we'll break down some tips for developing great content.

First, let's look at what makes great content, and then we'll move on to sites that produce great content.

1. Create Original Content

As mentioned, original content goes a long way with Google and your visitors. Copying other people's content will result in a punishment from Google, which can crush your bottom line.

Want proof?

Remember when you used to find ezine articles in top Google rankings? You don't see them anymore, and it's no accident. They were one of the hardest hit by Google's algorithm update, which aimed to prevent bad content from ranking highly.

Mahalo was a content farm that updated every day with new content, but it wasn't original content. Google punished them for it, and that resulted in Mahalo needing to pivot their business.

But let's take this a little further. Original also means originality. Your ideas should be original! Rehashing the same concepts or other posts over and over again is not original. If your content is played out, no one will link to it - and that defeats the purpose of writing content in the first place.

Here's the train of thought that most website owners have ( thinking that gets them in trouble):

"So it says here that we need to create a lot of content...OK...well how can we do this as easily and cheaply as possible?"

"Can we make a bot to scrape content and re-combine it into some form of gibberish that at least the search engines will read?"

"Can we outsource cheap, near slave labor priced, content writers to write filler content?"

"Can we collect articles from around the web and just get permission to re-post them?"
STOP THINKING THIS WAY!
Remember these two rules in life:

1. You get what you pay for.

2. If you don't have anything useful to say, then don't say it at all.

These two simple points will keep you on the path of making quality content that will yield returns for years to come. They can also help in other aspects of your life. 🙂

2. Always Focus On Creating Strong Headlines

A good headline sparks interest and invites readers in. Consider these great statistics from Copyblogger:

80% of people will read your headlines.

But only 20% of those people will read the rest of your content!

And that is why the headline is as important as the article or post itself.

Let's look at a few good headlines:

The sub headline in the panel below is spectacular. Even though the fear of being eaten rarely enters a civilized human's mind (unless the person was out in the wild), this author argues that it "define(s) who we are." You can't help but be a little curious.

Because no one wants to look dumb:

Nutritional differences aside, which would you rather snack on - french fries or cauliflower? If all things except taste are equal, most would say fries. But what if you could get the nutritional value of cauliflower with the taste of fries? Pretty enticing:

This title sounds good, is positive, says a lot in only a few words, and excites the reader's interest for what's in the message:

Take time with your headlines. If possible, make a few and select which one you like best. Don't skim over them. They are the first thing people read, and they are the basis those people use to decide if they want to read your article or not.

3. Make Your Content Actionable

What was the last blog post you wrote? Did it give readers advice on how they can apply the lessons right away?

Unbounce's Noob Guide To Online Marketing might be the greatest example of actionable content ever:

The best content gives the user a sense of how to apply the information. It doesn't degrade users by telling them what to do, but rather respects them and provides them with assurance that they know best how to use the material. When you write your blog post, give users tips on applying what you are offering them. Many times, just writing well about a topic will spark some ideas for readers.

Why do people read non-fiction? To learn and become better. Help your readers do the same.

4. Be Able to Provide Answers

What is the ultimate purpose of a search engine? Most people would be correct in saying "to deliver sets of answers." Google is great at this. Type a query into Google and you'll be presented with links, pictures, and videos.

When people use a search engine, what they ultimately want is an answer, and it's the search engine's job to deliver that answer.

It's the same when people are reading a blog post, viewing an infographic or watching a video - they want an answer so they can gain knowledge. An additional tip here is: people don't just want answers, they want answers fast. So make your content easy to scan so people can pick up the juicy, important bits quickly.

Read any title and subtitle of a non-fiction book or article. Ultimately, what it leaves the reader with is a question or a sense of curiosity. It is then the author's job to deliver answers and have supporting information.

5. Be Accurate in Your Reporting and Sourcing of Information

Think about this: you write an article for your company's blog, thousands of people read it, and some of what you wrote turns out to be inaccurate. Can you imagine what damage this can do to your company and your personal reputation? Keep in mind, your blog is a reflection of your company. If there are any issues with the blog, it impacts how people view your product.

It's important that any statistic you state can be verified. Many blog posts will link right to the statistic and the source.

Accuracy builds trust with readers. Remember James Frey, author of the popular book A Million Little Pieces? He had to go on the Oprah Winfrey show and admit that the book was made up of lies. He has written a few books since then, but he likely will be remembered as the guy who made up his memoir, instead of as the writer of his other published works. It has permanently damaged his career.

If you've ever seen the fantastic movie Shattered Glass or followed Stephen Glass 's fall from grace, you can see the devastating effect that inaccuracy can have on your career.

Here are some tips to think about when you're mulling over the issues of accuracy:

Consider who you are linking to. Are they a trusted and authoritative source? Linking to other quality websites will earn more trust from your readers.

Linking to more content can only help. The more you can back up and substantiate what you are writing about, the more trusted your content will become.

Help the search engines out. Linking to other sources and content will help the search engines figure out what your content is about, and how it should be categorized.

6. Create Engaging and Thought Provoking Content

An engaged audience hangs on to your every word and takes in all that you write or say. But the only way to get an engaged audience is to make engaging content. It all starts with you and what you write. Here are a few tips to help you write engaging content:

Leave readers with questions. This doesn't mean to have an incomplete post, but rather to include questions that make readers reflect on how they can implement the knowledge you provided.

Have an important and promising introduction. Ever wondered how quickly people make judgments about blog posts? Most people probably decide within the first few sentences if the post is worth reading. Tell users why they should care and what you'll be discussing in the blog post. Make them want to read it.

People love stories. You can use an anecdote in your introduction or have a story woven into your blog post. Stories can also help clarify a point. When possible, add a story to your blog post. It will make it more engaging and may also help the reader learn.

A final tip on this point: If you provide content that sparks a flurry of comments, the search engines will notice that your post is important and is being updated regularly. This is a great way to get the engines to come back to your site more frequently.

7. Communicate Better by Adding Images and Video

You already know that people learn differently. Some people learn better by seeing, while others learn better by hearing. What's important is that no one learns less by having visual aids. Whether you use pictures, videos, or diagrams, they can help illustrate your point. Open any modern textbook and you'll find pictures used to enhance the reading experience and to reinforce the author's lesson.

Whatever you're writing about, add pictures. No one wants to look at paragraphs of text, unless you're writing a book. However, only add images that help or add value. And please - for the love of your readership - stay away from unnecessary stock photography!

8. Write Short and Pointed Content

One of the best writing lessons I've learned is to eliminate fluff. It's challenging and takes work, but it makes for a significantly better composition.

There is nothing better than a brief, to-the-point blog post or article that is filled with information.

So don't focus on word count. A longer blog post does not mean a better blog post. And often, keeping a blog post short is more difficult and actually takes more time than just writing as much as you can.

For more information on word count, check out this HubSpot blog post.

9. Make Continual Updates to Your Website or Blog

Starting a blog or website is a commitment. While you can write a couple of posts and then abandon the work, you won't get many readers or new customers. Not just that, but search engines don't favor sites that aren't regularly updated.

If you have a blog or content site, you need to update it regularly with great content. Many of the best content sites are regularly updated.

According to our Science of Social Timing infographic - sites that post more frequently have a surprisingly stronger influx of visitors:

How often should your blog or site be updated? That's up to you. Everyone has different resources and priorities. You should make an effort to update at least twice a week. It is a content site you're building, after all.
A few final points about writing content:
Don't treat a blog post or any other sort of content site lightly. It's difficult, and good ones take time to research and write. Proper title, grammar, and organization are a must. When you reread your post, ask yourself:

Are there any words I can take out?

Have I given the readers the best information I possibly can?

Is it complete?

Now, let's look into some websites that provide great content.

The Oatmeal

The Oatmeal is a website featuring humorous comics. Humor is easily shared, and you'll find any comic on the website has thousands of tweets and Likes.

One of The Oatmeal's most popular posts is Ten Words You Need to Stop Misspelling. Why is it so popular? People can relate to it - have you ever gotten frustrated with people not spelling correctly? Beyond that, the piece is also funny, quick to read, original, and entertaining.
What makes it great:

The site is fast

It's insanely funny and original

There is tons of content to keep you rolling for hours

BuzzFeed

What three-month-old post on BuzzFeed has nearly 2,000,000 Likes, 53,000 tweets, and has been shared via email 21,000 times?

You guessed it, the 21 Pictures That Will Restore Your Faith in Humanity post.

So why have millions of people shared it and millions more viewed it? As the title suggests, it's a positive, makes-you-feel-good post. Also, people like viewing pictures, and each picture in this post helps to tell the story.
What makes it great:

Buzzfeed is updated frequently

It's a site that actually is for everyone

It's easy to read

Harvard Business Review Blog

The Harvard Business Review blogs are a must for anyone interested in leadership or any entrepreneurial topics. They feature some great writers and guest writers, including some CEOs and Harvard Business School professors.
What makes it great:

Updated every weekday with plenty of new articles

Great advice for anyone interested in entrepreneurship

A variety of articles

Original and actionable content

Wonkblog

One of my favorite blogs is the Wonkblog. It takes a look at current events and breaks down the facts. There are plenty of charts, and the blog is updated daily with a variety of important topics.
What makes it great:

Covers the data and facts within the day's news

Frequently uses charts to visualize the data

Discusses small, impactful stories that don't make the nightly news

Original content

Note: Ezra Klein, who ran the Wonkblog for the Washington Post, has since left and started his own site called Vox. Some of the staff writers have left Wonkblog to join Klein in his new endeavour. Vox is not a non-partisan outlet, it is center-left.

ScienceDaily

ScienceDaily is just what it sounds - they cover the science news and developments of the day. Areas covered are health, environment, technology, and more.
What makes it great:

Each article contains a short synopsis for those readers that just want the gist

Content can easily be understood by the general public

Quillette

Quillette brands itself as the "platform for free thought". Their primary focus is on culture, politics, science, technology, and news. The content is long form, so you won't be able to read each article in 5 minutes. It's rich and thought provoking, which is what all great content should strive for.
What makes it great:

Bold and thought-provoking content that frequently goes against the grain of mainstream publications, which helps their content stand out.

Updated frequently with new content so there is always something to check out. This also helps it maintain and grow its readership.

Conclusion

Writing great content is never easy, but it becomes much easier when you write something that you're passionate about.

The wonderful thing about content is that it's timeless. You can write something today, and three years from now it will still be out there being viewed and shared, which brings traffic back to your site.

If you would like more information on writing great content, check out Copyblogger's blog.

About the Author: Zach Bulygo is a blogger, you can follow him on Twitter @zachcb1.

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The Nine Ingredients That Make Great Content

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Writing great content is a choice. You can choose to put in the time and work required to create great content and build a prosperous brand. Or you can choose to take the easy path and write poor content - a path that ultimately will get you nowhere.

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Stop Yourself From Being A Slave to Your Emotions

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Stop Yourself From Being A Slave to Your Emotions

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Some people will have a rain cloud hanging over them, no matter what the weather is outside. Their negative attitude is toxic to your own moods, and you probably feel like there is little you can do about it.

But that couldn't be farther from the truth.

If you want to effectively deal with negative people and be a champion of positivity, then your best route is to take definite action through some of the steps below.

1. Limit the time you spend with them.

First, let's get this out of the way. You can be more positive than a cartoon sponge, but even your enthusiasm has a chance of being afflicted by the constant negativity of a friend.

In fact, negativity has been proven to damage your health physically, making you vulnerable to high levels of stress and even cardiac disease. There's no reason to get hurt because of someone else's bad mood.

Though this may be a little tricky depending on your situation, working to spend slightly less time around negative people will keep your own spirits from slipping as well.

2. Speak up for yourself.

Don't just absorb the comments that you are being bombarded with, especially if they are about you. It's wise to be quick to listen and slow to speak, but being too quiet can give the person the impression that you are accepting what's being said.

3. Don't pretend that their behavior is "OK."

This is an easy trap to fall into. Point out to the person that their constant negativity isn't a good thing. We don't want to do this because it's far easier to let someone sit in their woes, and we'd rather just stay out of it.

But if you want the best for this person, avoid giving the false impression that their negativity is normal.

4. Don't make their problems your problems.

Though I consider empathy a gift, it can be a dangerous thing. When we hear the complaints of a friend or family member, we typically start to take on their burdens with them.

Scroll down to continue reading article

This is a bad habit to get into, especially if this is a person who is almost exclusively negative. These types of people are prone to embellishing and altering a story in order to gain sympathy.

Why else would they be sharing this with you?

5. Change the subject.

When you suspect that a conversation is starting to take a turn for the negative, be a champion of positivity by changing the subject. Of course, you have to do this without ignoring what the other person said.

Acknowledge their comment, but move the conversation forward before the euphoric pleasure gained from complaining takes hold of either of you.

6. Talk about solutions, not problems.

Sometimes, changing the subject isn't an option if you want to deal with negative people, but that doesn't mean you can't still be positive.

I know that when someone begins dumping complaints on me, I have a hard time knowing exactly what to say. The key is to measure your responses as solution-based.

You can do this by asking questions like, "Well, how could this be resolved?" or, "How do you think they feel about it?"

Use discernment to find an appropriate response that will help your friend manage their perspectives.

7. Leave them behind.

Sadly, there are times when we have to move on without these friends, especially if you have exhausted your best efforts toward building a positive relationship.

If this person is a family member, you can still have a functioning relationship with them, of course, but you may still have to limit the influence they have over your wellbeing.

That being said, what are some steps you've taken to deal with negative people? Let us know in the comments.
You may also want to read: How to Stop the Negative Spin of Thoughts, Emotions and Actions.

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7 Ways To Stop Yourself From Being A Slave to Your Emotions

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Some people will have a rain cloud hanging over them, no matter what the weather is outside. Their negative attitude is toxic to your own moods, and you probably feel like there is little you can do about it. But that couldn't be farther from the truth.

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He goes from 105 for PSLE to become NUS Masters graduate

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He goes from 105 for PSLE to become NUS Masters graduate

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An uncle once called him stupid when he was put in the EM3 stream in primary school.

He was the only one from his family in it.

Then, Mr Zhang Zhirong had another blow.

In 2000, he had a score of 105 for his Primary School Leaving Examination (PSLE) and qualified only for the Normal Technical stream in secondary school.

Not wanting anyone to look down on him again, he worked hard and went to the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), where he graduated with a perfect GPA of 4.0.

He continued to study architecture at Singapore Polytechnic (SP) after serving his national service and graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in June with a Master of Architecture.

Mr Zhang's parents divorced when he was in kindergarten.

Now 28, Mr Zhang recalled how he struggled with English because no one spoke it at home. He has two siblings.

His poor English results meant he could not be promoted to Normal Academic.

He told The New Paper: "I told myself that I was going to study hard, so people won't look down on me again."

After his N levels, he entered the ITE.

He said that when he was first put in the EM3 stream, he believed that his education would stop after ITE.

He added: "I had no one to guide me or tell me that I had other options, that education doesn't stop there."

But when Mr Zhang, who developed an interest in design and architecture in secondary school, pursued a Nitec course in Building Drafting at ITE Bedok, he flourished, graduating with a 4.0 GPA.

After serving his NS, he studied architecture at SP.
WROTE LETTER
Mr Zhang hit a stumbling block after his poly studies as his lack of an O-level pass in English made it difficult for him to apply to university.

He had taken the English O-level exam twice during his NS and poly years, but did not manage to pass.

So with the help of his neighbour, he wrote to NUS and was surprised when he was called for an interview and test, and was accepted into their architecture programme.

"I still consider myself incredibly lucky to have got in," he said.

To finance his studies, he worked part-time as a waiter, then as a sales assistant during his ITE, poly and university years.

He also took a bank loan to pay for his master's.

And when Mr Zhang needed help with his dissertation, he contacted his former primary school teacher, Madam Jocelyn Lim, 60.

Madam Lim, who retired from teaching in 2006, told TNP: "I admire his determination. I think if I was in his place, I would have given up. But he always faces his challenges head on."

She gave Mr Zhang weekly English lessons. He offered to pay her, but she declined.

She said: "If I can do anything for my former pupils within my means, I definitely would."

Mr Zhang was quick to credit his teachers, friends and family for helping and supporting him throughout his journey.

He said: "Without their help, I wouldn't be where I am today."

Mr Zhang is another example of what Acting Minister for Education (Higher Education and Skills) Ong Ye Kung meant when he said at a SkillsFuture Study Awards ceremony last month that the education system is not designed with "dead ends".

Mr Ong said: "If we encounter a setback, which all of us will, we do not give up, and do not let one setback define us.

"Our system is not designed with dead ends - far from it - there are multiple alternative paths to take, and we have a lifetime to walk them."
I told myself that I was going to study hard, so people won't look down on me again. - Mr Zhang Zhirong

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He goes from 105 for PSLE to become NUS Masters graduate

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Singapore News - An uncle once called him stupid when he was put in the EM3 stream in primary school. He was the only one from his family in it. Then, Mr Zhang Zhirong had another... Read more at www.tnp.sg

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Although the polytechnic graduation season has ended, the deluge of success stories lauding individuals transcending their circumstances are probably still fresh in your mind.

After all, who doesn't like a flicker of hope?

Likewise, Mothership.sg has interviewed three high-performing polytechnic graduates, all hailing from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), all securing slots in local universities.

The mainstream media would tout them as exemplars of a successful meritocracy system, but let's change the ballgame a little.

Meet our first comeback kid, 21-year-old Goh Jia Hui from Singapore Polytechnic, every Public Relations (PR) personnel's wet dream. He previously graced the pages of The New Paper, and even made it onto Minister Lawrence Wong's Facebook page (bravo Singapore Polytechnic PR!).

When we first inquired about his life story, his immediate reply was, "don't leh, too overused already."

We soldiered on, and elicited more about his life and this is what we got:

1. He mingled with 'bad company' since primary school (in his words: they just didn't do legit things) and scored 101 points for his PSLE.

2. Continued his delinquency in secondary school, but was motivated to do well after being anointed appointed class monitor, crediting his secondary school teachers for his change. He also cited the National Cadet Corps as playing a part in directing him to the right path.

3. Entered ITE, attained a perfect 4.0 GPA, moved on to polytechnic and scored above 3.90.

4. Now, he plans to sign on, and has already applied for a Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) scholarship (paging any high-ranking SAF officials, are you reading Mothership?)

Next up is Lee Joon Lei, 21, who recently graduated from Republic Polytechnic's (RP) Mass Communication (previously known as Communication and Information Design).

Here's what we gleaned from his life story:

1. He retained once in secondary school.

2. He retook the GGE O-level privately while studying in Bishan ITE.

3. With his second set of O-level results, he studied in Republic Poly's Mass Communication course, where he graduated with a diploma with merit. He plans to pursue Political Science in the Singapore Management University.

Our last interviewee is Chang Lek Yang Joey, 24, an Electrical Engineering with Eco-design diploma holder from Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP).

Like Goh Jia Hui, the man above was also interviewed by The New Paper, (surprise, surprise) with the sub headline of "He Studies Hard Despite Fatigue" section.

1. Joey was streamed into EM2 before dropping to EM3, and eventually scored 101 points for his PSLE.

2. His big turning point came in ITE when his lecturer spotted his talent.

3. With a perfect GPA in ITE, he earned a place in the Electrical Engineering with Eco-design course in NYP, took up three Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs), and graduated with a GPA of 3.96. He is looking to study at Nanyang Technological University, hopefully with a Singapore Power scholarship in tow.

Rather than myopically focusing on their success stories, we listen to their take on a myriad of issues, bringing more nuances to what mainstream media would fete as success stories.

As Lee Joon Lei said: "It's not always a triumphant story of hard work."
1. View on the education system
Jia Hui: "I think education is very important now, but not in the future. I see education as a stepping-stone to enter the workforce, but I know later on it will depend on character, performance and how you work with others."

Joon Lei: "I think an education is important, but an education and a degree, or more specifically, certification, are two different things. The problem is, people conflate the two.

Education should be seen as improving understanding, not social standing. Don't you think that's kind of perverted right there? Honestly I've never entered polytechnic thinking I'd be a high scorer, let alone go to a local university."

Joey (flanked by two PR personnels): "The education system here offers a variety of choices as to where you want to go in your life. You don't just have one choice. My sister was also from Normal Technical (NT), took private O-level, went to RP, and is going to the Singapore Management University. My friends who are o-level leavers, some go to MDIS. Yeah, it's very versatile here."
2. On being in ITE and/or NT.
Jia Hui: "I think don't have to necessarily stream people into EM1, EM2, EM3 or NT. It makes people very demoralized.

In secondary 1, we were given a chance to go to Normal Academic, but only four from my class went, and it was the end of it; you get sad. No matter how well you study, you will still go to ITE, so you don't study hard."
Likewise, Joey felt demoralised when he was in EM3, NT or ITE.
"Some external parties would say your son ah EM3, your son ah NT." He added that gossipmongers would say s*** that make him believe that he's lousy.

On the subject of streaming, he views such practice to be too premature in primary school, but necessary in secondary school.

"If you put me in express ah, confirm very jialat. In fact, I 'll feel even more demoralised. Normal Technical was not as in-depth as the Normal Academic nor the Express stream, but I could not even handle it."
It wasn't always an endgame to everyone, like for Joon Lei's case.
Joon Lei: "I've never let my results hang over my head so being in ITE did not affect me.

I do think that streaming is very bad, especially since they are so young. How can you cast people into various educational caste since young? Can you imagine what it does to their psyche?"
At least the EM3 label is no more. 3. On Poly life
Jia Hui: "The learning curve was very steep, but I was very fortunate to have teachers who were willing to help, especially if they know that we are from ITE."

He also elaborated on the extensiveness of rote learning, citing that it was 70% theory.

He added that if he were to "go out and do the real life application", he would struggle.

"That's very sad."

"Even for practicals it's nothing as compared to ITE, you do one time and you forget everything already... In ITE you do more, so you actually remember."

Joon Lei: "This might sound pretentious, but they were the best years of my self-discovery. Wait, don't put this on record!

Honestly, I didn't feel like I was studying because I was interested in what I was reading. We were encouraged to peruse the Internet everyday, and not just being spoon-fed.

I don't think I would have done better if I spent hours cramming content into my head."

Joey had many CCAs to juggle, as he was involved in NYP's dragon boat, GEO Council and community service.

Despite his commitments, he made sure he went beyond practicing his tutorials by conducting research, trawling Youtube and Google, and even buying external sources.

On the subject of rote learning, Joey commented: "If you want to be in the engineering field, and you do that ah ... rote learning is not good. One day this problem comes up, and another day another problem will spring up. The methods can be the same, the numbers different, but you have to know how to swap the different steps of the method around."

"The important thing is not to memorise, but to understand."
4. The importance of a degree.
Jia Hui: "I will definitely go to university. I have to la.

Although they announced that having a degree doesn't matter, in reality it affects a lot."
We, too, wonder who is 'they', but journalistic ethics prevent us from feeding words into our interviewees' mouth.
Joon Lei also echoed his sentiment, saying:"You see, nowadays the government says you don't need a degree to get a good job, just learn some skills, but in truth companies still value a degree over a diploma."
Ah this man said the g-word right there.
Unlike his comrades who paint the society as ascribing much value to a piece of certificate, Joey thinks "degree is important if you want to specialise in something. For my field,you need a degree; the things we deal with is very, very in-depth. Polytechnic is a bit in-depth, but it's still not enough. You need to go deeper."

-

This article was inspired by many things. Every May, we would see the same few stories, with different permutations of people. Some years it would be "Medical School Takes In Troubled Teenagers", another year it could be "Perseverance Pulled me Through".

These individuals are inspiring, but the onslaught of such stories inadvertently advances one definition of succeeding: to 'make it', is to excel in academics. To 'make it', you have to abandon past 'delinquencies' (whatever that means) and enter an established institution. As if you can't be 'troubled' and succeed in other ways all at once.

All these interviewees may come from the same point of departure, but not one draws the same conclusion. Some were 'delinquents', some were slow-learners, some were just uncomfortable jumping through hoops to pass a test like in secondary school. Some remained sanguine amidst setbacks, some reserved scathing remarks towards the system, while some become pragmatic.

You simply can't typecast everyone into the same "ITE to local university" narrative.
If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.

If you like what you read, follow us on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest updates.

About Kintan Andanari

Kintan is proficient at (virtually) stalking anything and everything that moves. That aside, her interests include gore movies and cute babies.

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3 high-performing ITE-to-local-university students talk about why the streaming system in S'pore sucks

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Although the polytechnic graduation season has ended, the deluge of success stories lauding individuals transcending their circumstances are probably still fresh in your mind. After all, who doesn't like a flicker of hope? Likewise, Mothership.sg has interviewed three high-performing polytechnic graduates, all hailing from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE), all securing slots in local universities.

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From Good to Bad to Best
Like they say, behind every successful man is a woman. With his life plunging downhill, Loo Jian Han made a dramatic U-turn to become one of the top students in his Diploma in Electronics course and in the process, win the prestigious Tay Eng Soon gold medal awarded each year to the best student who was formerly from an ITE. Find out what happened...
Have you heard of the "good boy turned bad, then turned good again" fable? If not, then well, I am one living example, and this is my story. I was like any normal student in school, not terribly outstanding, but I did Ok. I guess things began to change for the worse when I was in Sec 2. One day, I met a girl in my estate, and we sat down in the basketball court to chat harmlessly. At that point, her boyfriend came along, and punched me in a fit of jealousy. I was just chatting harmlessly with her. I didn't do anything wrong, I felt. The hurt, anger and humiliation from that incident caused me to become rebellious. From that day, I kind of turned cynical about everything and eventually started playing truant, mixed with bad company and got involved in fights, sustaining numerous serious injuries in the process.

You might ask, what is there in the event that could actually turn me into a bad boy? I wanted to be strong to fight for my rights, I wanted to be the "boss" that will lead others, and I wanted to be the one to never be bullied by others. Lastly, I did not want to be inferior to others.

Totally losing interest in my studies after that incident, I gave up throughout my 'N' Level examinations. I even slept right through my 'N'-level Principles of Accounts exams at Yuying Sec School and got a zero for the paper. Thus, my 'N'-level exam results opened only one door to me - to study at ITE. Not that going to an ITE was bad, but I mean, my classmates were all talking about going to a Polytechnic. Well, ok, I thought, everyone is different, so let's just do it.

So I joined the ITE and there, my poor attitude to studies continued. I had no motivation to study, I just wanted to be done with education and head out to work. "What we study in school can't be used in real life", was what I used to tell myself last time.

One day during my second year at ITE, I took on a part-time sales job and there I met this girl, who eventually became my girlfriend. She was then about to start her Business diploma course in TP. I guess you could say that love changed my life. I felt that I was not up to being her equal. I was also challenged by the deep desire to be as competent as her, and to be able to provide for her in future. Yes, I must admit, sometimes, I did feel that I was inferior when I was with her; she's so much smarter and more competent than me, I thought. This woke me up to reality and I resolved to change for the better. I wanted to make sure that her parents can be proud of me and know that I am able to take care of their daughter in the future.

Having said that, my parents played a major role too. They sat me down and talked to me about my future. Ok, so you want to be able to provide for your girlfriend in future, right? You don't want to have to depend on her to bring home the bacon, do you? So why don't you do something for yourself? Their probing questions coincided with what I felt exactly.

From that day, I started studying hard. I wanted to make my parents and girlfriend proud of me and know that I am someone who will be willing to change for the better. I worked hard. True enough, I graduated with a cumulative grade point average (CGPA) of 3.92 in my Higher NITEC (Electronics Engineering) exams - good enough to be admitted directly into the second year of the Diploma in Electronics diploma course at TP. I was really pleased when I saw that my efforts had not been wasted. After completing my 2 years in National Service, I started my Diploma in Electronics course at TP.

The rest, as they say, is history. I continued to work hard at TP and graduated with a CGPA of 3.95, winning the prestigious Tay Eng Soon gold medal at the same time! (This medal is awarded to the best performing Engineering student who was formerly from an ITE.)

At times, I will look back fondly on the day that my love changed my life. Whenever I recollect, I remember that day when I first set eyes on my girlfriend in my part time job. All through the thick and thin, she never gave up on me; she motivated me by telling me that I could do even better than her in studies. She was there when I was down and out, and she is here when I am happy. I fell like a "new man", because I have changed and I am free from my painful past. Now, I look forward to beginning my Electrical Engineering degree course at NUS and - of course - to tying the knot with my girlfriend.

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From Good to Bad to Best | Temasek Polytechnic

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Like they say, behind every successful man is a woman. With his life plunging downhill, Loo Jian Han made a dramatic U-turn to become one of the top students in his Diploma in Electronics course and in the process, win the prestigious Tay Eng Soon gold medal awarded each year to the best student who was formerly from an ITE.

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Struggling to shake off his troubled past, this young man enrolled at the ITE - where he's determined to do everything to turn his life around, including working nights. On The Red Dot has his story.

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SINGAPORE: The four tattoos on his hand and ankles are a reminder of his chequered past as a gang member in his teenage years.

And when patients react to these symbols, especially the three stars on his left hand and the triangular emblem on his left wrist, nurse-in-training Muhammad Azerael Azhar, 23, is affected by it.

"Some don't have confidence in me," this young man, burly in size but soft in his ways, said regretfully. Having tried to conceal his tattoos behind skin-coloured plasters, he is now saving for laser treatments to remove them.
ROUGH START IN LIFE
What his patients do not know, however, is that those tattoos are in a way a testimony to the odds and personal demons he has had to overcome, to reach a path now that seems to give him a sense of purpose and worth.

Mr Azerael is a second-year nursing student at the Institute of Technical Education College East, where he is making the most of a second chance. The series On the Red Dot gained unprecedented access to the ITE classrooms, showing what life is like for students like him and their lecturers.

Mr Azerael has always been a bright enough student; in lower primary, he was frequently top of his class and used to be placed in grade bands one and two - until his parents divorced when he was in Primary Four.

The divorce hit him hard, and his grades started slipping to bands three and four. "My mum used to be the one who (helped) me with my subjects," he said.

"(After) the divorce, she had to work two jobs, and then she didn't have time for me, and it affected my studies."

Though he managed to get into the express stream in secondary school, the trauma of the divorce hung over his head, affecting his motivation to study.

"I was very defiant, I didn't pay attention in class, I didn't complete assignments," he recounted.

I'd sit at the back of the class, put on my earpiece, listen to my songs and do my own things. I got into a lot of trouble because of my grooming and attendance.

IN A GANG, FOR PROTECTION
Despite his nonchalant attitude, he was appointed a councillor. But that invited a host of problems, as he had to report misbehaving students to the teachers.

"Nobody likes that, so I didn't have many friends. I became a victim of bullying," he said, adding that he was also teased for being fat.

Feeling boxed in, he started mixing with bad company along with his older brother when he was in Secondary Two, joining a gang for protection.

As he was still young, he did not partake in most of the gang-related activities but hung out with them until late.

"They gave us entertainment, company and protection. It made me feel more confident. Some of us were being bullied at school, but we were now in a gang, and that boosted our confidence," he said.

To maintain that tough image, he got his tattoos when he was still 14, following in his older brother's footsteps again. After one of his friends was arrested and sent to the Boys' Home, however, the youngster left the gang.

"That was an eye-opener. Some of the gang members would hang out at night, make a lot of noise and disturb others. And that was when the police got called in, and some (members) were found glue-sniffing," said Mr Azerael.

The gang slowly broke up, but his involvement with them took its toll on his grades. Out of his seven O-level subjects in 2010, he was absent from three examinations and took only four.

In the end, he passed only three subjects, and so did not qualify for polytechnic. He did not consider enrolling at the ITE then.
AIMLESS IN JOHOR

I could get (into) almost all the courses in ITE. But at that point, I didn't want to ... because there was a stigma (surrounding) ITE from my family and friends saying that ITE 'Is The End'.

Angry and disappointed with his results, he could only think how he had wasted four years of his life.

Before he could decide what to do after his O levels, his mother dropped a bombshell: They would be relocating to Malaysia.

"I didn't believe that. I thought it was just a long-term plan - after maybe 20 years - for my mother to retire. It was so short and sudden that about a year later, we moved to Malaysia," he said.

His mother had remarried and wanted to relocate to Johor owing to its lower cost of living. And as Mr Azerael put it, "She didn't want to have anything to do with Singapore."

He asked her about the plans for his brother and him, and her answer was disappointing: "Oh, both of you can think of ways to help yourselves."

Cutting off ties with his friends here, he spent most of his time in Johor cooped up in his room, playing online games as his mother left him to his own devices.
SUFFERING FROM DEPRESSION
"I was so isolated. I didn't socialise much at that point of time; I didn't do anything. I felt really stressed and very sad," he said.

After a year, he returned to Singapore for his National Service (NS), only to be reminded of his secondary school days, when he was ostracised.

He stuck out like a sore thumb because of his obesity, his unwillingness to train and his inept social skills.

"I was still travelling from Johor to Singapore just for NS. I had to wake up early every morning, and I came home very late at night," he said.

I felt stressed. I was bullied because I didn't join many of the activities, and my friends teased me, saying I was fat.

He even went Awol (absent without leave) thrice and was sent to the detention barracks, for 30 days each time, for his offences. Depressed and feeling hopeless, he contemplated suicide once.

At home, no one helped him, he said, as his complaints about being bullied went largely ignored. Finally, his mother took him to the Institute of Mental Health, where he was referred to a counsellor after being diagnosed with depression.

"I got better and was able to cope with my emotions," said Mr Azerael. "I started to think about my plans for the future too."

With a year of NS left, he decided to make the best of it, ignore the bullying and focus on his vocation. As a medic, he had to attend to recruits who reported sick or were injured during training.
'WHY WASH PEOPLE'S BACKSIDES?'

What inspired me was when we were able to treat the injury, and they'd just smile and say thank you. That really warmed my heart.

For the first time in a long while, he felt good about himself.

After his NS, he thought of studying nursing at the ITE, but money was an issue. "My family wasn't that supportive. They said to me, 'Why waste time just to wash people's backsides?'" he said.

"I felt really demoralised - that's why I didn't apply to ITE then."

He found work in an ambulance service instead, to get insight into the healthcare industry from ferrying diabetic patients to and from National Kidney Foundation centres.

An encounter with a patient receiving dialysis who was a former drug addict was the turning point that strengthened his resolve to study nursing.

"He was really young, around my age, and he said to me that if (he) had a chance, (he'd) go back to school," said Mr Azerael.

"He also said to me, 'I'm going to go (die) soon, why not do it for me?' So that's when I thought maybe I should ... continue my education while I still can."

Mr Azerael knew that without further education, he would not make progress in his job and that he would "be earning just enough" for himself.

Without his parents' knowledge, he applied for the National ITE Certificate course in nursing, and was accepted after an interview with the school.

When he shared the news with his parents, they were vexed at how he was going to finance his studies.

"I told them that I'd try ways to find money and sustain myself ... I didn't want to depend on anybody else," he said.
KICKED OUT OF HOME

ITE was my last chance at further education because I had no other options at that point.

He knew he had to be independent, as his mother "didn't even have time to talk to us".

As life at ITE College East began, he faced a series of challenges: Trying to fit in with younger classmates, commuting from home in Johor and struggling financially because his mother was retired and his stepfather was doing odd jobs.

As with about half of the ITE students, Mr Azerael received financial aid from the school, but it barely covered his fees, books and school supplies.

He found part-time work as a food delivery rider in Singapore, earning up to S$600 a month, which went towards his phone bills, transport, food and savings.

However, he often got home late, given the long commute to Johor, and this affected his concentration at school.

"If I was lucky, I could get about six hours of sleep, but if I was very busy with my school assignments, then I'd sleep only for about three to four hours," he said.

"That affected my studies - made me lose focus in class, made me very tired."

To make matters worse, he quarrelled with his parents, was beaten up by his stepfather and was kicked out of home.

Almost made homeless, Mr Azerael found a saviour in his aunt, Mdm Aliza Ali, who took him in. It was a squeeze in her five-room flat with nine of his relatives, but it was far better than sleeping on the streets.

He now sleeps on a sofa in the living room and has a drawer for his belongings and valuables.
WATCH: Azy's determination to make good on this second chance (5:23)DESPITE THE WORRIES, GOOD RESULTS

To save money and eat healthily, he wakes up early and prepares his meals for the day, usually chicken because "it's the easiest to cook, and it's quite cheap".

He even finds time to exercise thrice a week, going from 118 to 78 kilogrammes in weight - an outward demonstration of his more positive outlook, determination and better self-esteem.

Studying at home, however, was almost impossible with his young cousins, who slept late. Mr Azerael, who was usually home at about 10pm after work or motorbike classes, resorted to studying outside or getting up at 4am to study.

"Sometimes I just wished that I could focus totally on my studies and not have to worry about money," he said. "Most of the time, I was drained ... But I managed to be strong and make it through."

He credits his aunt with supporting him emotionally and encouraging him.

Said Mdm Aliza: "He's very jovial and very determined. He works hard and puts in a lot of effort, but I've told him not to work so hard because he doesn't have enough sleep and time to study. I didn't want all that to affect his studies."

For his efforts, and considering his O-level results and how he had given up on education five years ago, his performance in school was better than expected: 3.95 out of four for his grade-point average (GPA).
IMPORTANT OPPORTUNITY NOW
"Actually, I've got onto the Director's List a few times. It's the top 10 per cent of the cohort. I'm very pleased with it," he beamed.

He added that with his high GPA, he would be able to skip the basic nursing module in the polytechnic. "If I were to skip the six months, I'd have more time to work and earn some money," he said.

With his classroom studies completed, he has been on a 10-week attachment in an oncology ward at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, where he is learning to manage patients, monitor their recuperation and assist with procedures, admissions and transfers.

If he makes a good impression, the hospital may sponsor his polytechnic education, and he is aiming for that.

His mentor, nurse Rizza Sanchez, has said she was pleased with his performance, such as his ability to interact with patients and establish a rapport as well as his competence in some of the medical procedures.

For his first interim assessment, Mr Azerael scored a B. "The grading that he had was very good. Those are the qualities that Tan Tock Seng is looking for in future staff," said Ms Sanchez.

"If he's going to perform those good qualities that he's showing now, he'll probably get the sponsorship."

Mr Azerael is hoping, however, that his tattoos will not haunt his dream of becoming a hospital nurse. He said: "I want to make sure that my patients trust me, and they know that I'm not a bad person."
Watch more heartwarming stories of students and teachers on the series On The Red Dot - ITE: Making The Grade here.

But having battled against the odds - a troubled childhood, money problems and lack of family support - this young man's persistence in pursuit of his calling has already made him a role model at ITE College East.

And he is grateful for the opportunity. "ITE is a very good platform to start off with, to improve oneself. ITE has really opened doors for me," he said.

"My end goal is to come back to ITE to become a lecturer, to share my knowledge and experience with future nursing students."

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Once a gang member, now he's giving his all to become a nurse

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Struggling to shake off his troubled past, this young man enrolled at the ITE - where he's determined to do everything to turn his life around, including working nights. On The Red Dot has his story.

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TED Video

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Start with the end in mind: Isaiah Hankel at TEDxLafayetteCollege

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Palm reading, otherwise known as palmistry or chiromancy, is something that's practiced all over the world. It has its roots in Indian astrology and Roman fortune-telling.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chiromancy The objective is to evaluate...

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When it comes to success, it's easy to think that people blessed with brains will inevitably leave the rest of us in the dust. But new research from Stanford University will change your mind (and your attitude).

Psychologist Carol Dweck has spent her entire career studying attitude and performance, and her latest study shows that your attitude is a better predictor of your success than your IQ.

Dweck found that people's core attitudes fall into one of two categories: a fixed mindset or a growth mindset.

With a fixed mindset, you believe that you are who you are and you cannot change. This creates problems when you're challenged because anything that appears to be more than you can handle is bound to make you feel hopeless and overwhelmed.

People with a growth mindset believe that they can improve with effort. They outperform those with a fixed mindset, even when they have a lower IQ, because they embrace challenges, treating them as opportunities to learn something new.

Common sense would suggest that having ability, like being smart, inspires confidence. It does, but only while the going is easy. The deciding factor in life is how you handle setbacks and challenges. People with a growth mindset welcome setbacks with open arms.

According to Dweck, success in life is all about how you deal with failure. She describes the approach to failure of people with the growth mindset this way,

"Failure is information-we label it failure, but it's more like, 'This didn't work, and I'm a problem solver, so I'll try something else.'"

Regardless of which side of the chart you fall on, you can make changes and develop a growth mindset. What follows are some strategies that will fine-tune your mindset and help you make certain it's as growth oriented as possible.

Don't stay helpless

We all hit moments when we feel helpless. The test is how we react to that feeling.

We can either learn from it and move forward or let it drag us down.

Countless successful people would have never made it if they had succumbed to feelings of helplessness: Walt Disney was fired from the Kansas City Star because he "lacked imagination and had no good ideas"; Oprah Winfrey was fired from her job as a TV anchor in Baltimore for being "too emotionally invested in her stories"; Henry Ford had two failed car companies before succeeding with Ford; and Steven Spielberg was rejected by USC's School of Cinematic Arts multiple times.

Imagine what would have happened if any of these people had a fixed mindset. They would have succumbed to the rejection and given up hope.

People with a growth mindset don't feel helpless because they know that to be successful you need to be willing to fail hard and then bounce right back.

Be passionate

Empowered people pursue their passions relentlessly. There will always be someone who is more naturally talented than you are, but what you lack in talent you can make up for in passion.

Empowered people's passion is what drives their unrelenting pursuit of excellence. Warren Buffett recommends finding your truest passions using what he calls the 5/25 technique: Write down the 25 things you care about the most. Then cross out the bottom 20. The remaining five are your true passions. Everything else is merely a distraction.

Take action

It's not that people with a growth mindset are able to overcome their fears because they are braver than the rest of us; it's just that they know fear and anxiety are paralyzing emotions and that the best way to overcome this paralysis is to take action.

People with a growth mindset are empowered, and empowered people know there is no such thing as a truly perfect moment to move forward. So why wait for one? Taking action turns all your worry and concern about failure into positive, focused energy.

Then go the extra mile (or 2)

Empowered people give it their all, even on their worst days. They're always pushing themselves to go the extra mile.

One of Bruce Lee's pupils ran 3 miles every day with him. One day, they were about to hit the 3-mile mark when Bruce said, "Let's do two more." His pupil was tired and said, "I'll die if I run two more." Bruce's response? "Then do it."

His pupil became so angry that he finished the full 5 miles. Exhausted and furious, he confronted Bruce about his comment, and Bruce explained it this way: "Quit and you might as well be dead. If you always put limits on what you can do, physical or anything else, it'll spread over into the rest of your life. It'll spread into your work, into your morality, into your entire being. There are no limits. There are plateaus, but you must not stay there; you must go beyond them. If it kills you, it kills you. A man must constantly exceed his level."

If you aren't getting a little bit better each day, then you're most likely getting a little worse - and what kind of life is that?

Expect results

People with a growth mindset know they will fail from time to time, but they never let that keep them from expecting results. Expecting results keeps you motivated and feeds the cycle of empowerment. After all, if you don't think you're going to succeed, then why bother?

Be flexible

Everyone encounters unanticipated adversity. Empowered people with a growth-oriented mindset embrace adversity as a means for improvement, as opposed to something that holds them back. When an unexpected situation challenges empowered people, they flex until they get results.

Don't complain when things don't go your way

Complaining is an obvious sign of a fixed mindset. A growth mindset looks for opportunity in everything, so there's no room for complaints.

Bringing it all together

By keeping track of how you respond to the little things, you can work every day to keep yourself on the right side of the chart above.
Do you have a growth mindset? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below as I learn just as much from you as you do from me. ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Dr. Travis Bradberry is the award-winning co-author of the #1 bestselling book, Emotional Intelligence 2.0, and the cofounder of TalentSmart, the world's leading provider of emotional intelligence tests and training, serving more than 75% of Fortune 500 companies. His bestselling books have been translated into 25 languages and are available in more than 150 countries. Dr. Bradberry has written for, or been covered by, Newsweek, TIME, BusinessWeek, Fortune, Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and The Harvard Business Review.

More from Travis Bradberry:

Sixty Percent of Your Colleagues Are Lying to You

Are You Promotable?

Do You Have Grit?

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When it comes to success, it's easy to think that people blessed with brains will inevitably leave the rest of us in the dust. But new research from Stanford University will change your mind (and your attitude).

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SINGAPORE - Was Jonathan Chow Hua Guang attempting a stunt for a Snapchat video before falling to his death from a linkway between Orchard Central and Orchard Gateway?

A 15-second CCTV video of the incident circulated online shows Jonathan jumping over the railing last Friday (Feb 24), while a girl at the scene is seen holding up her right hand and then appearing to panic as she looks over the railing.

The girl - who only gave her name as Ruth - turned up at the wake on Monday (Feb 27) night and spoke about the circumstances leading to the incident, said Jonathan's friends.

Student Annetta Tian, 17, told The Straits Times that Ruth recounted how Jonathan had suggested that both of them should jump over the barrier at the linkway. They were then to take Snapchat videos of each other doing so.

"Ruth said both thought it was perfectly safe because the ledge next to the linkway looked like a concrete structure," said Ms Tian.

The scene at the fourth-storey linkway in Orchard Central on Feb 24, 2017. PHOTO: ST FILE

She said Ruth also refuted earlier eyewitness accounts, which described Jonathan as "vaulting"over the 1.2m railing of the fourth-storey linkway to retrieve a phone that had fallen on what appeared to be a ledge.

The ledge was actually a decorative plasterboard casing, which was not meant to bear loads. It collapsed when Jonathan landed on it. He fell to the ground, and later died in hospital.

Another friend, who wanted to be known only as Mr Haiqal, 20, said Jonathan and Ruth met through social media and had gone out several times before the incident.

Family and friends of Jonathan paid tribute to him at Monday's wake in Punggol Central.

"He was a friendly guy, sociable and approachable... he was about to be enlisted for national service and was looking forward to it, but now he won't be able to serve the nation," said his father Matthew Chow, who declined to reveal his age and occupation.

Mr Chow said news of the accident came as a great shock to the family of five, including Jonathan's older brother and younger sister.

Jonathan's friend Nur Adlina, 16, described him as "someone who lived life with no regrets". They got to know each other four years ago, when they attended neighbouring secondary schools here.

"I was being bullied and he was trying to help me out," she said about Jonathan, who left to study in Australia two years ago.

Mr Chow declined to say if the family had spoken to Ruth. But he added that while Jonathan had been skateboarding since around age 12, he was not an active participant of parkour - a sport involving climbing and jumping over obstacles - at least as far as the family was aware.

But Mr Chow asked if more could be done to prevent future similar incidents. On Monday, he visited the linkway at the mall with his older son, where they also spoke to Orchard Central staff.

"The (decorative structure) was wide enough to look like a passage way, and there was no warning sign to tell people that it should not be walked on. We don't want other families to go through what we went through," he added.

Far East Organization said last Saturday that it is reviewing with its building consultants if any other safety measures, in addition to the glass barrier, are required.

Meanwhile, its security officers will be patrolling the various link bridges at more frequent intervals, and the link bridge in question is currently closed to the public.

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Was a stunt gone wrong behind teen's death at Orchard Central?

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SINGAPORE - Was Jonathan Chow Hua Guang attempting a stunt for a Snapchat video before falling to his death from a linkway between Orchard Central and Orchard Gateway? A 15-second CCTV video of the incident circulated online shows Jonathan jumping over the railing last Friday (Feb 24), while a girl at the scene is seen holding up her right hand and then appearing to panic as she looks over the railing.

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Lifehack.org - You will realise how small your failures...

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You will realise how small your failures are when you start to look at the bigger picture

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Dos and Don'ts when using social networks

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Dos and Don'ts when using social networks

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hqezbib5qpQ

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTgeRjL8lrU

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Are You Living an Insta Lie? Social Media Vs. Reality

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The Hidden Good - What would you do, if you see a bully...

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What would you do, if you see a bully threatening someone in public? The Hidden Good decides to find out.

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Click on the link below to do your FREE PERSONALITY TEST

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Click on the link below to do your FREE PERSONALITY TEST

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https://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test