Monthly Archives: April 2010

2
Apr
Be a Change-Maker !

Yesterday was another fruitful day.

 

After my meeting in the morning, as usual, every Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, I accompany my daughter, Alvernia, to go to school. I enrolled her in Growing Up Gifted (GUG) programme since last week. And I've made a commitment that despite my busy schedule, I'll do my best to always be there with her for that 2-hour lesson. So far, my daugther and I have really enjoyed our 'school' time together. :)

vern and me

 

In the late afternoon, I went to Tangs, Orchard,  to have the clothes fitting for the Finals of MyPaper Executive Look 2010 (Have you voted for me today? :) http://executivelook.mypaper.sg/vote/ ) I really love the clothes that they picked for me this time. Can't wait to wear it and show it to you guys during the Finals. 

 

In the evening, I was speaking for “Women Powertalk Event”
I was very touched to hear that many of them personally re-arranged their work schedules and appointments just to come down to see me in person and learned from my experiences. Thank you all Ladies! :)

 

One important thing that I shared last night to all of the women in the room was this: "If you want to change your life, you must first change your attitude towards life". At least that's what I did 10 years ago. At that time, I was at the lowest point in my life. I wasn't very happy with myself. And because I can’t change my family, I can’t change my education, my friends, who they are and who I am, I then changed my attitude towards life. How we see life is really up to each one of us. That's why despite of my difficulties, I chose to live with high-altitude attitudes filled with optimism, enthusiasm, and excitement. And no matter how bad my life is, I chose to stay positive and see life on the brighter side. And I did it! By just first changing my attitude towards life, I eventually changed my life !

me at women power talk

 

 

After my session, I was very happy to get a little surprise. Elim Chew (Founder of 77th Street) and Veronica Tan (Owner of Success Resources) dropped by. It was really a lovely surprise. Both of them are powerful women whom I respect and proud to call as friends.

 

 

with elim and veronica

 

 

Elim spontaneously shared her experiences too on how we can be a change-maker. Here are 3 important points that I can summarize:

1. Commitment: You must be committed to give 100% in whatever thing that you do

2. Habit: Whether is a good habit or bad habit, it is still a habit. Eliminate the bad ones and start to accumulate the good ones.

3. Attitude: With the right attitude and mindset, you can achieve anything!

 

 

What Elim shared has again re-affirmed the things that I just shared previously.

In conclusion, for a start, you don't actually really need a huge capital, many contacts, excellent skills, etc, to begin with. Just simply by having the right attitude, you are already on the right path. 

Thank you Mamiko for organizing such a wonderful event !
 

mamiko

 

After the talk, I ended my day by having a nice supper with my husband, and went for midnight prayer session at Novena Church.
It was really a beautiful and wonderful day for me.

1
Apr
My Role Model

Today, I want to introduce to you one very special person. You probably have heard of this woman, but maybe you didn’t know of her background. This woman was born without father. That is because at the age of 13 year, her mother was raped and she was the result of the rape. Now if you think of a woman like that would you think that she would have a bright future? Probably not.

So when she was born she was abandoned by her mother. She had no family and she was adopted. Unfortunately the person who adopted her were irresponsible and very cruel. She was sexually and physically abused over a period of 15 years. She was forced to take drugs and she was sent to a juvenile home for misbehavior.

She went in and out of rehabilitation for cocaine abuse. She was forced to steal. And the sad and ironic thing is this, at 13 year old herself, she was also raped. She got pregnant and she gave birth to a still born child. Now as I told you the story of this woman, would you feel sorry for her? A lot of us would. And let’s say today this woman is a complete wreck, totally depressed, on drugs, would you blame her? A lot of people won’t blame her, they will say it’s not her fault it is the environment.

But what if I tell you what happened to this woman today, she is one of the most successful respected and wealthiest women in the world today. She is Oprah Winfrey.

 


MY CORPORATE HERO

Have you ever heard of Oprah Winfrey? How many of you have watched her show Oprah Prime Time? Is it inspiring? And on the show she talks about things that inspire people. She talks about social issues; she interviews celebrities like Bill Clinton, Tom Cruise etc.

But that was not how she started. When she started her talk show ten years ago she was a nobody, and being a black woman there was a lot of racism. And when she first started her talk shows, do you know who she interviewed? She interviewed people who had been raped, people who went through emotional trauma, people who are divorced, people who have attempted suicide. And during her 1 hour talk show, she would inspire and counsel them. And people who have attended her talk show, they would say, “My life is better after talking to her and I will conquer the world”. When people saw her show on TV that’s how they became inspired and that’s how she also became as famous as Oprah. The woman can change lives.

That is the reason why when MyPaper asked me who is my corporate hero? my answer is Oprah Winfrey. She is my role model.  Just like her, I do came from less fortunate background too (although compare to her, I was considered more fortunate). I managed to overcome that, and now I want to inspire other people and encourage them to make the most of their lives.

And I'm really very happy and fortunate to have the opportunity to create an impact in people's lives (especially women) through my books and seminars.

 

Tonight (1st April 2010, 7-9.30pm), I'll be the guest speaker for "Women Powertalk Event"
(to know more visit www.womenpowertalk.com)

women powertalk

 

And this coming Saturday (3rd April 2010, 2-4pm), I will also be one of the panelist for this event

 PAYM POLICY FORUM ON "WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP ROLE IN THE NEW WORLD”

sharing platform with the Guest Of Honor: Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and Transport.

 

If you are interested you can come down and meet me in person in above mentioned events. 
(email to merry@merryriana.co.id)

* Oprah Winfrey biography was adapted from book "Master Your Mind, Design Your Destiny"