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YOU CAN IF YOU THINK YOU CAN
17
By Zafrul | January 17, 2009
Things were starting to unravel. Targets were unmet and for the most part the market was not ready for our products. We had envisioned something different, something big, but things were taking longer to materialise than we hoped. Money dried up and the economy exacerbated an already bad situation.
I spent sleepless nights worrying about where the company was going and how we were to get there. Sometimes we even found it difficult to meet payroll.The more I worried, the worse things got. Everything came to a head when the shareholders decided to delay our expansion plans given market conditions.
I couldn’t blame them. We were just not meeting the targets we had expected to. But I felt like I was running on a treadmill – all that energy and I seemed to be getting nowhere fast. Nerves were strained and tempers were running high, especially among the shareholders. We all said things we were later sorry for.
When I decided to resign, it was one of the lowest points of my life. I was so identified with the company (my face was on the advertisements and my blog was the main complaint centre for dissatisfied customers) that walking away was a huge wrench. I had so many dreams for Tune Money and now it seemed that those dreams would take a much longer time to materialise.
When I resigned, I went on a downward spiral. I felt like a failure because I hadn’t been able to do what I promised and the prevailing economic depression did not help. Everytime I picked up a newspaper or read my online feeds, it was only to ingest more bad news. Nothing seemed to be going right for anybody.
It took a few good friends to show me what I was doing to myself. It was a dangerous spiral and I needed to snap out of it. Nobody was going to come along with a magic solution. I would need to get myself out of this funk.
I started reading motivational books and filling my mind with life-affirming ideas. I also stepped up my triathlon training regime, pushing myself to the limit. The diet of positive thoughts and endorphins worked. Little by little I dragged myself out of this depression.
After all, I had always known that we get what we focus on. I just forgot temporarily as I let myself get caught up in the drama of the company and the supposedly bad times everyone is telling us we are facing now.
Motivational writer Lynn Grabhorn pointed out that you can’t solve a problem in the same frequency in which it was created. There was no use in looking back and regretting what could have been. The only healthy option was to move forward.
By mid-December I had some idea of what I wanted to do. I made a list of my strengths and weaknesses and wrote down some of the elements I wanted my new job to have. I received two very good offers that fit the bill. After much soul-searching I selected my present position and have been here since the beginning of this year. I spent my first week in Vietnam, looking at a venture, and I must say it feels good to be back in the swing of things.
I have met so many people who are eager to tell me that times are bad and that we cannot make money. Let me tell you a story about a supposedly even worse recession. I know a man who became a millionaire as the stock market crashed. While his friends were jumping off buildings and seeing their houses repossessed, he actually became wealthy, because he had set a goal to make his first million by the time he was 50. As a matter of interest, he was 50 in 1987. Which goes to show that you don’t need to believe in the prevailing gloom. You may just be the exception to the rule, as this man was.
I think we are basically responsible for what happens to us. Stop blaming the economy or your boss or your partners for your present predicament. Take responsibility for your own situation and come up with a plan to get out of it.
It is tempting to play the part of the victim, always claiming that what happens to you is somebody else’s fault, but remember: victims never make it beyond a certain point. They remain creatures rather than creators of their circumstances.
The year is still young and we should greet it with hope. Sit down and write out a list of goals and come up with a plan for their attainment. I am sure you know what you want. I know I do. Don’t let all those “wise” pundits tell you that you are being irrational and that you should put your dreams on hold until the economy recovers.
Forget past failures. They are merely lessons along the way. We can either treat them as temporary setbacks or as a permanent barrier to all we envision our lives to be. You can if you think you can.
Topics: The Star |
I am currently the Group Director of K & N Kenanga Holdings Berhad. Prior to this, I was the CEO of Tune Money. Before trying to be an entrepreneur, I was Head of Investment Banking in Citigroup Malaysia and before that, I was Group Managing Director of Avenue Capital Resources (now ECM Avenue).
January 17th, 2009 at 3:51 pm
TZ
Welcome back! This article really resonates with me…Thanks for this. Positive thinking and believing in yourself are powerful tools. I’ve experienced it first hand. Good to hear your year is off to a good start
Happy New Year!
January 17th, 2009 at 9:22 pm
Salam Zafrul, i have applied the TUNE card after being follower of your blog..that the only thing i can do to support you n your team in Tune.. it is sad to hear that you r no longer with Tune..
life is always like that..the harder u tried..the worse the problem hit u..
All the best to you n pls dont stop blogging as a person like you inspires a lot of people out there including me.
January 17th, 2009 at 11:06 pm
This is just temporary, there will be ups and downs in situations like this. Cheer-up!
January 18th, 2009 at 5:18 am
all the best and good luck.
January 18th, 2009 at 7:15 am
I like this article you wrote. Most of us can’t accept the realities of life for the failures and inability to strike beyond the self imposed glass ceiling and blame the sky, the next door’s lizard, mom’s extra pepper etc etc…me included.
So decided to send the link to all my friends to bump up their day..as you have done mine.
Keep up the good work in Kenanga
January 18th, 2009 at 1:03 pm
Nice one! Failures are part of life isnt it! On a regular basis i have people who keep telling me(directly or indirectly) that i am a lousy piece of poo when i fail but im always believe that we should not fear failure.
Malaysian way? Im not sure about that but from the little experience i have, noticed that were filled with hypocrites who talk about innovation and its ok to fail as long as its well calculated but when push comes to shove….its a different tune that they sing.
If failure is a variable that we put up the priority list,then how on earth are we suppose to innovate? I think Malaysians are a talented bunch but there are too many skeptics who don’t allow these talents to emerge!
I respect your work and i hope that you do extremely well in your new venture
Good luck!
January 18th, 2009 at 6:11 pm
i do believe in looking for solutions and not faults when things are not going our way…
January 19th, 2009 at 12:06 am
dun worry tz.
wut eva cmpny u r in,
i’ll always rspect n spport ur gud work.
gud luck!!!
January 19th, 2009 at 8:40 am
[…] YOU CAN IF YOU THINK YOU CAN […]
January 20th, 2009 at 1:09 am
Tengku Zafrul,
you are my idola and whatever condition you are, I always adore you since you are willing to share the up and down experience as an enterprenuer.
I hope that one day we can be friend and have a nice cup of coffee (not Starbuck for the time being hehe)..
January 20th, 2009 at 3:42 am
Inspirational. Very well written.
Good luck and all the best!
January 20th, 2009 at 3:45 am
I’m sure it was not easy to deal with..
but for you to come out with such an honest article,
and to snap out from the “wild-depressed territory”…
Good to know that you’re back!
Cheers, Aziz
January 20th, 2009 at 3:51 am
And oh by the way, may i add-up your blog to my blogroll please?
I do like to read your article.
You may or you may not know these, you do INSPIRE people with such sharp and excellent write-ups!
So, keep-on blogging!
January 20th, 2009 at 8:49 am
TZ,
Dont worry.
you are a hero in TUne..
go go..!
January 20th, 2009 at 5:31 pm
TZ,
Very nice article to read & inspire people outside to face their hurdle….well done TZ!
January 20th, 2009 at 7:57 pm
Dear Tz,
Best of luck to you.. thanks for such an inspiring articels..
January 21st, 2009 at 10:43 am
TZA
your article inspire me as always..
hope you can come to our program this coming April. My teammates here can’t wait to meet you..
Fye
January 21st, 2009 at 10:59 am
Great to know that you’ve overcome your first obstacle. Breed the talent and keep growing. As all have said, you have talent to write and motivate. Looking forward towards your next write up.
January 22nd, 2009 at 11:04 am
Dear TZ,
Yes You Can.
Thanks for your nice article.
January 22nd, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Dato’
Nice article, very direct & honest.
Failure is just another phase in the adventure called life. Without failure you wouldnt be able to enjoy the fruits of success!
Btw what happened to L4T? everyone’s been quiet lately..
All the best.
Adli
January 27th, 2009 at 11:11 am
Were r u attached to now ?
January 30th, 2009 at 12:07 pm
Hi Boss,
You never fail to motivate people around you. The article is an eye opener anyways. Thank you for your guidance and mentorship.
Anyways, i do have something going on for me in singapore. How can i get in touch with you? may i have your email address?
Rudy
January 31st, 2009 at 2:48 pm
hi Tengku Zafrul
‘begin with the end in mind’ does help when we focus on the solution.
it takes an open soul to focus & re-focus.
this is a very personal article of yours!
February 1st, 2009 at 1:14 am
amazing post, tengku zafrul. thank you for sharing.
February 1st, 2009 at 7:03 am
Bro, I suppose people with your calibre could weather the challenges head on and create a more exciting history that all of us would be proud us.
Looking forward to reading more great things that you would create in the future.
February 2nd, 2009 at 2:37 am
hei TZ, u hv been there b4 and u will be there again, real soon i’m sure….
February 4th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
“Our business in life is not to succeed, but to continue to fail in good spirits” (Robert Louis Stevenson).
Thanks for writing the article! It takes a big person to write about something so personal that I couldn’t help but be inspired! Carry on, carry on.
February 7th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
A good piece of inspirational and motivational article. All the best !!!
February 7th, 2009 at 4:53 pm
I know you don’t need this, but I still want to wish you “All the success in Kenanga”. We (on behalf of friends in Kenanga), do hope that you can bring (don’t have to be alot) but at least some changes to Kenanga.
I do agree with you that success, failures, ups and downs, these events do happen. How a person use the situation and turn it around into opportunities that whats count. If the person can do it, he or she is a champion in his life. People just cannot sit on their laurels in bad times, everyone just need to double the effort and scout for opportunities. Likewise, we also cannot be jumping for joy 24-7 and be in cloud 9 during good times too.
March 9th, 2009 at 10:15 am
Thank you for sharing your experience. I am inspired by your article.
Looking forward to hear your success story in future!
March 10th, 2009 at 3:07 am
I support you bro and I salute you!
March 12th, 2009 at 2:26 pm
thanks for the inspiring writing.
life is a series of ups and downs and it should be just perfect that way.
wl add u in my blogroll