It is your Attitude and Mindset that will help you achieve your goals

By AAN team | 03 Jan 2020

The slate has been wiped clean and a brand new year awaits. Ms Shirley Lim-Yam, ChFC, CLU, a 21-year Million Dollar Round Table Qualifying and Life Member, with three times Court of the Table qualifications (2018-20), shares how having the right attitude and mindset will help you achieve your goals.

Ms Shirley Lim-Yam

Reflect

No matter how busy you are, make sure to find some time over the next week to reflect, think, give and plan.

Spend time with the ones you love and care about. Take some time to talk with your family, especially if you have spouse and kids, about goals and dreams for this new year.

I believe you will find the act of reflecting, thinking, dreaming and planning (with your family) to be one of the most important exercises you can do that will positively impact the next 12 months.

Setting goals involves a whole person concept.

So, let’s take a moment to gather up the past year of victories and defeats, growing as well as those times of stagnation. Let’s use it to wipe a clean slate and thoughtfully design the new year the way we truly desire it to be.

What is your “why” behind the goals you set?

When I was in Primary school, my dad would give me $3 a day. By the time I was in Primary 6, I had accumulated approximately $6,000.

That was 38 years ago.

We were poor then, but my dad worked hard to provide for our family.

When I had the opportunity to do this business, my only motivation was to provide my parents with the best in life.

Today, I bring them to many trips yearly, and I’m able to give them the best.

My life is centred on the people I care about, it’s hardly about myself. I do what I do every day because of my loved ones.

When you are so compelled by the “why”, along with a strong purpose in life, achieving your goals would become easier.

Make it your lifestyle

All of us have certain lifestyles and habits that can either make or break our business.

From the first day I started in this business, I have adopted the habit of discipline.

To stay disciplined, I wake up at 6am daily to do my routine exercise to stay healthy. I ensure that by 5pm, I would have already fulfilled two meetings. My first meeting usually starts at lunchtime and ends after another coffee meeting in the afternoon.

My daily routine has become my lifestyle.

What is your daily routine like? How committed will you be?

Focus on small steps and celebrate every small win

What is the usual time that you wake up? Try waking up an hour earlier and celebrate when you can do that consistently.

Do you have at least 7 to 10 appointments in a week? Improve by adding one more person to meet.

Have you started on physical exercise? Take the first step of action.

Each time you improve a little, give yourself a pat on the back and celebrate.

Have a balanced life. Learn to smell the roses even as you work hard.

I take up to eight holiday trips a year. You may ask why? I always consider travelling a way for me to rejuvenate and to recharge.

Apart from that, these trips are synonymous with learning. Visiting different countries and cities are ways we can enrich our minds through learning their history, culture and way of lives. Getting to know the world, and immersing ourselves with the stories and experience of people’s lives are essential in building humanity.

What is ok and what is not?

In the early days, I struggled with rejections.

Rejections were painful and difficult to cope, especially when it repeatedly happened despite my best intentions.

But I was determined to succeed in this business. I acknowledged that this was part and parcel of my work.

Gradually, I trained my mind to direct my energy to focus on positive thoughts. Most importantly, I seek God daily to gain strength and be spiritually uplifted.

It is ok to feel rejected. But it’s not ok if one delves in negativity for too long.

What are you willing to change today to make your tomorrow better?

Be on top of your game. Be in excellence.

I hold very high standards in the work that I do. I believe in living a purposeful and meaningful life, adding value and making a difference to people.

To me, building client relationships are far more important than anything else in this industry. My clients can count on me to take care of them and to serve them well.

I believe by taking care of people, you will naturally achieve the goals you set up to do.

Do you have a mentor?

It is said that having a mentor and coach can make a huge difference in one’s life.

If there is one person who has taught me about life, it is my agency leader Steven Yam. He is very grounded in life, with an attitude of gratitude.

Being an MDRT Life member himself, Steven taught me how to stay on top of the game. Everything that we do has to be done in excellence. Under his mentorship, I am constantly reminded to stay grateful and appreciate everything that we have.

Whenever I felt discouraged, I would reach out to Steven, and he would be there to enlighten me.

I look toward his guidance to teach me how to look at things from different perspectives.

Review your goals daily

In the evening, I take stock of what I have done for the day.

Have I achieved what I set up to do for the day?

If I haven’t, how can I improve and do better the next day?

It’s crucial to give honest feedback to oneself to do a reality check.

I can’t tell you how many appointments you need to have in order to achieve your goals. We need to take ownership and accountability of our goals and put them into actions.

One thing that is certain is when you have the discipline and adopt a positive attitude, you are on your way to winning.