by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Dec 18, 2024 | Mindset, Programs
I enjoy making new connections during webinars.
Last week, I met June, a Singaporean who migrated to Australia, in a webinar breakout session.
Her new life in Perth has been nothing short of an adventure.
At age 56, she lived to tell the tales of her 2 ‘impossible’ from her bucket list – bungee jumping and skydiving!
As someone petrified of heights, her courage intrigued me.
Just as how her stories surprised me.
June recalled how she spent weeks preparing for the bungee jump – researching, preparing, and rehearsing her jump mentally.
As the date drew nearer, her thoughts of backing out got louder.
“I kept having visions the rope might snap … and what if I got myself killed in the process? I questioned, do I REALLY want to do this at 56?”.
On D-day, she froze on the platform.
It took her more than an hour to finally leap.
By contrast, she was glowing when detailing her skydiving experience.
“Wasn’t skydiving a lot scarier?” I questioned.
“No, I enjoyed it more! My instructor had done hundreds of jumps.
I felt safe with him”, she explained.
Here’s what struck me:
⏩ When she trusted the process, June turned doubts into thrills.
From doubting..
‘do I REALLY want this’ → savoring her experience
whether her ropes might snap → trusting her instructor
whether she would hurt herself → assurance of having a guide
I resonated with June’s stories.
I had my ‘standing on a bungee platform’ moments each time I changed roles in my career.
I felt the same when I transitioned from my corporate career into coaching – the “What ifs.”
What if I fail?
What if this is a mistake?
What if I have to return to corporate looking silly?
After several ‘career bungee jumps’, I began to recognize these doubts are just part of our human response.
They are not real.
If you’re going through a transition and feeling unsure,
instead of doubting yourself → 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗱𝗼𝘂𝗯𝘁𝘀.
Recognize them as protective instincts, not your limits.
Talk to someone who’s taken a similar leap and give yourself a chance for a new perspective.
Ready to cross out your bucket list?
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Dec 18, 2024 | Career, Programs
It has been said the first time is the most memorable.
But what if it can also be the most disruptive?
Years ago, my former CEO shared a simple yet profound principle:
“When we allow ‘just this once,’ we open the door to excuses.”
“A small compromise will lead to a habit that could sabotage your entire effort.
Never underestimate the Power of Once.”
That was his point – when we allow ourselves a single exception,
it could change the course and set a pattern.
Studies show it takes about 66 days to form a new habit.
But it only takes one exception to break that momentum and start a mental cycle of excuses.
And for most of us, that “just once” is all it takes for our plans to go off track.
That sets me thinking – what if we could turn this power of once into something positive?
Just like one small exception can lead us off track,
taking one intentional first step forward challenges our limiting mindset
and can lead us towards the career and lifestyle we want.
What about you?
→ Was there a moment where you allowed “just once” to sabotage your progress?
→ What first step can you take to get closer to your desired career or lifestyle?
→ What results would change if you made that ‘’just once’’ choice today?
“Once” may seem insignificant.
Yet it only takes “once” to start a change.
I hope this post can be the start of a positive “once” for you.
📌 How has the power of once played out for you so far?
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Dec 18, 2024 | Career, Programs
One of the best advices I received was when I started as a Call Centre agent.
Back then, my manager said,
“Don’t ask for opportunities. Instead, ask,
‘Am I ready when those opportunities arise?’
Because if you’re not, opportunities won’t matter. They’ll pass you by.”
His words hit me hard. They felt like a double punch.
Earlier that day, I found out the promotion that I’ve been waiting had passed me by.
How often do we focus on waiting for the “right opportunity” instead of preparing for it?
We tend to believe playing it safe by waiting is the best approach.
But is it?
Every time we choose to play it safe, we’re choosing to stay in comfort.
We stay put, waiting for the ‘right moment’, to be “more prepared”.
But what are the real costs of the waiting game?
– While we wait, competition increases.
– As we get older, fewer opportunities come our way.
– When we believe we’re not ready, others sense it too. We get overlooked.
– Over time, the career and life we desire drift further away – while we wait.
📌 So here’s something to consider:
What are you truly giving up by waiting for “YOUR” opportunity?
Remember, as you wait, time, competition and opportunities DON’T.
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Aug 3, 2024 | Leadership, Programs
I started my career as a Customer Service officer (CSO) in a call centre.
My job involved a single task. That was to retain (‘winback’) at least 7 subscribers per day who called to cancel their service subscription with MobileOne (M1).
That single task proved challenging. I struggled to deliver 5 winbacks on most days. This would become a consistent theme in my first year on the job.
As a rookie, I was embarrassed and guilty. I tried to add value by suggesting ways to improve our results in team meetings. Looking back, it was a strategy that kept my job in that first year.
One afternoon, my manager called me into her office.
I feared for the worst.
To my surprise, I got promoted to Team Leader that day. I felt relieved and confused at the same time. Later, I came to understand why.
I was fortunate that I had an ‘𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭’ supervisor. Sharon Chiam was in her early 20s, younger than me. She had risen through the ranks as a CSO the year before I joined her team.
As my supervisor, Sharon looked past my glaring underperformance. She saw my raw leadership. She looked beyond my role and recognised my unique strengths as an individual.
She saw my potential which I did not. 💡
Sharon gave me 2 pieces of advice that afternoon. Her words stayed with me till this day.
🔅 My new responsibility: “𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 80% 𝘰𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦, 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘶𝘱 20%.”
🔅My new purpose: “… 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘣𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵. 𝘠𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘴 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘺𝘴 ‘𝘛𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘬 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢 𝘥𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦’.”
⌛ I took 5 seconds to understand my new responsibilities.
⌛ Another 10 years before I understood what would become my purpose.
Later, I was privileged to lead teams across Southeast Asia as I progressed in my career.
I experienced firsthand the powerful influence we hold as people managers. When I empowered my team to reach their potential and achieve beyond their current abilities.
I felt a sense of deep fulfilment that I could help unlock new perspectives and make positive changes in someone’s life.
These experiences shaped my mission at 𝗣𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀 today.
As a coach, I want to empower aspiring executives and emerging team leaders. I want to help them develop a growth mindset and self-confidence to become their best selves.
So, here I am. Looking to help others find their true potential.
In the same way, I am grateful for how Sharon helped me find mine.
𝗣𝗦: 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗧𝗥𝗨𝗘 𝗽𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹? 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 ⬇
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Aug 3, 2024 | Career, Programs
I have given up several times in life.
During my corporate career, I gave up on job promotion twice to pursue new roles outside of my domain.
I was motivated by the curiosity of stepping out of my comfort zone.
Back then, I didn’t anticipate each decision would set me back.
It would take another 3 years to get back to the same position I had given up on.
Looking back, I gave up 6 years of career progression to satisfy my curiosity.
Each time it was a leap of faith.
But the first time was special.
I walked away from my promotion only to step into the core of negative work dynamics in the new team.
The Vice President made known I was not welcomed on my first day.
My hiring manager resigned 8 months (it was just 2 of us in our team) after I joined, and the role I signed up for was removed.
I was assigned to another role and became an outcast.
I dreaded coming to the office.
I sat and had lunch alone for 9 months in a team that I didn’t belong.
Every day was a painful reminder of my decision to walk away from comfort.
What kept me going?
In my mind, I was clear about the reasons for giving up on my promotion. That was to gain experience in a different side of the business.
A necessary path towards my broader career goal.
But above all, I wouldn’t give up on myself.
As it turns out, trusting myself to make it through this difficult path was the right choice.
It eventually led to new opportunities which elevated my career trajectory exponentially.
So, what have l learned from giving up?
❇️ Sacrifices are what you made of it.
↳ Giving up on what serves you well hurts.
↳ But holding onto regrets (What ifs..) is more painful.
❇️ It’s the direction and not the steps that matter.
↳ At times, you have to detour or take 2 steps back to move forward.
↳ Look beyond the mountains and be guided by your North Star.
❇️ Trust yourself when your mind yells QUIT.
↳ Discomfort and doubts are what separate those who tried and those who achieved.
↳ No journey lasts forever, however dark and bumpy it may seem now.
I gave up again for the 3rd time last October to pivot into Coaching.
This time, it felt more than just a leap of faith.
6 years of detouring has made me the person who I can trust.
So, don’t feel embarrassed giving up on your past.
𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐮𝐩 𝐨𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐟. 👊
⏩ PS: What have you given up that made you proud? Share in comment.
by mohammadalamin584@gmail.com | Aug 3, 2024 | Career, Programs
Since I was a child, I have been fascinated with living overseas.
When the opportunity for an assignment in Indonesia came up in 2013, I grabbed it!
The excitement of my first overseas posting was soon met with a sense of reality.
Reality struck as I transitioned from a single contributor to a team manager.
When I found myself leading a team of 13 young talents in a completely different environment and culture overnight.
Expectations were high.
To succeed in my role, I knew I had to earn the trust and tap into the potential of my new team, fast.
In my first month, I had 1:1 coaching session with each member of my team. My intention was to understand their aspirations. So that I could support them towards achieving their goals.
In these sessions, I asked each member what they wanted for themselves, 2 years from now.
None of them was able to tell me what 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 wanted. 😐
They explained it was the first time their views were sought on what 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 wanted.
Up till then, they trusted the organization in deciding what was best for them.
We spent the next 6 months uncovering each member’s strengths and interests in work.
We continued our 1:1 monthly coaching session as a forum for a 2-way open communication.
By the end of our 4 years together, they became one of the best teams I ever had in my career.
Fast forward to last week, I found myself pondering over the same question. This time with clients and other coaches. ⏳
From our explorations, I realized in our personal and professional lives, ‘𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵’ was mostly decided by our parents and bosses (eg re-org).
They decided what was 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴 through their lenses with the best intentions.
We ended up running after or running away from what others wanted 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘶𝘴. 🏃♂️
Over time, we lost sight of what we 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 want.
How do we know what we 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 want for ourselves?
To help us understand what truly matters, we can start by asking ourselves:
▶ What is it that makes me want it?
▶ What sacrifices would I make for it?
▶ What would having it mean to me?
▶ What would not having it tell me about myself?
There is no right or wrong.
Your answers will reveal what you want from what you 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 want.
When you know what truly matters and why, you gain clarity over your options.
It becomes the lighthouse to help you navigate through the sea of choices, wants and distractions ahead of you.
⏩ PS: Do you know what you 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘭𝘺 want? Share in comment.
