Today I am Grateful...

Grateful Diary No.1 - 3 Oct 2013

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Inner-Reflection

<< Based on IKIM.fm's Wednesday segment with Prof. Dr. Muhaya >>

Recently I started to listen more to IKIM.fm, thanks to my mum. Though Dad complains that she made him listen to the same channel whole day so he misses his 80s music, haha. My favourite segment is on Wednesday mornings with Professor Dr. Muhaya.

Today's topic is : Reflecting upon Yourself

"Awak sibuk nak betulkan masyarakat. Awak dah betulkan diri awak? Solat dah penuh? Anak macam mana? Keluarga macam mana?"

To change & be happy starts from within.
Jihad starts from home.

Today's way of life is so engrossed with materials, glory and ranks to achieve self satisfaction. We believe that happiness comes from the outer environment (luaran ke dalaman) when in actual fact it should be the opposite (dalaman ke luaran).

"Kita sibuk nak mengendali topeng-topeng kita. Apa itu topeng? Pakaian, pangkat, gelaran, sanjungan, harta. Padahal Allah swt lihat & nampak apa disebalik topeng kita. So apakah tujuan hidup kita? Untuk menggembirakan Allah swt atau mencari penghargaan manusia?"

Some exercises suggested by Prof. to get to know yourself:-

1) Look into the mirror and look deeply into the pupils of your eyes
- If you can't stand to even look at yourself, stare deep into your soul than you hate yourself. You can't stand the sight of yourself and this is mainly because your soul knows ALL the SINS you have committed and is ashamed of itself.

2) Count your heart beat
Count your heartbeat within 15secs and x4. If it is 60 than you are happy and calm. But if your heart beat is more 70, than you are unsatisfied, unhappy.

3) Say you are Sorry & give love
Before sleeping,
fogive and say your sorry to whomever you've hurt today. Give love to yourself, family and the entire being. Be selfless.

4) Diari Kesyukuran, Diari Kesedaran & Diari Bukti
Diari Kesyukuran - to note down everything you are grateful for and that has happened to you today
Diari Kesedaran - to note down everything you feel guilty for and how you will change it tomorrow
Diari Bukti - Evidence of how you change yourself and as consequences something else change for the better.

"Setiap kali kita ubah diri kita, Dunia akan berubah."
" Everytime you change yourself. The World changes along with you"

In sha Allah we can change ourselves; one step at a time.
Amin.

Regards,
Lily Liyana

The Best of Friends

Good friends laugh, eat & drink, quarrel, share secrets and bittersweet memories together.

It is like a sisterhood that no matter what happens, where we go and who we become we can still catch up and rekindle the good old days. Like as if we only part ways yesterday.

I admit that I may have only a handful of people I call friends but I am grateful that the ones I have are irreplaceable. :')

The people who knows you best are the people whom you grew up with.

1-Nurul is like a sister from a different mother. She has been part of my life since day 1 of primary school 1993. Was there for me when I got married

2-Yas & FEYLAN (Fatim, Elly, Yas, Ain & Nur Liyana a.k.a Lynn Land) helped me survived boarding school for 5 years and had our share of ups & downs. Many, many memories...

3- Diana was my babe in Aussie ;) plenty of shopping memories..haha

4-Intan was my superior but we grew closer sharing life stories after sitting next to each other & sharing hotel rooms when we travel for 5 years.

5- Eedha & Maxim were people I met briefly during my career advancement. Somehow we connected, i know they have my back and likewise; we still keep tabs on each other. The silent rooters of my life.

These are the people that have touched my life and for that I am truly blessed.

Dear Muslim Brothers & Sisters,

This is a peaceful campaign I started, as a reminder to all of us. InsyaAllah, good deeds goes in circles. :)

You are welcome to copy, save & repost the picture to your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or whatever sosial media you're on.

Don't forget to add #buyHalalsupportMuslim or #bhsm

Together, we are strong.

Wassalam.
-Lily Liyana-

p.s.: Judge me for all I care. I stand firm for my religion. Full stop.

Inspiring Leader: Got guts?

I read this inspiring article on The Star today entitled, 'Putting A Dent in the Universe' by Roshan Thiran from Leadernomics.

The article defines inspiring leaders, their qualities that made them stand out from the crowd & their innate desire to change the world. And Steve Jobs was the muse of this write up. A great choice indeed.

Unlike most people, when Steve Jobs died...I am not one to get all kiasu, scrambling for any memorabilia, latest iPhone, books etc related to the deceased. Heck, even after learning about the death of the King of Pop, Micheal Jackson I went like "Ohhh...whoaa...ok" and life goes on. -__-' 

I know, I'm insensitive like that. 

But it's not cause I don't care that the World is losing a great icon but more of not wanting to be part of the fast-money-making-gimmick marketer pull off on consumers. Not a fan. It feels like they're taking advantage of the deceased AND ripping off the consumers.

So, when Steve Jobs moved on, I didn't grab a copy of his book. Really, I never did own one. (Anyone nice enough to lend me the book, no??) 

I admit, amongst the reason why I never bothered to own one is....

1) I was scared at how thick the book was & thinking if I ever had the time to finish it 

2) I was waiting for a much cheaper version at Payless Book shop, Amcorp Mall PJ. Haha. I know, cheapo smart right?!!

When I read this article today, it helped me a lot in shedding some light on Steve. More like cheating cause I don't have to read his book. I found interesting facts too; like how Steve Jobs's biological father is Abdul Fattah Jandali, a Syrian. And though he dropped out of College he continues to attend lectures on topics that interests him only. Also, that he was like that dude in 'The Monk who sold his Ferrari' book. Went to India to "find himself".

******

So, How DO you put a dent in the Universe a.k.a how to you MOVE people & change the World forever?

Following these 6 key steps:

1) Take time to be with yourself, know yourself. Discover what you truly love to do, what drives you 

Hmmm.....I think I know myself a bit better since I started my own business. What drives me? Easy...shopping & making lotsa money...to do more shopping. That's why I am the Head Buyer (kepala pembeli..haha!) for my company. 

Step 1 - done!

2) Define your vision for a better tomorrow and redefine it till the vision excited you.

Oh-kay....my vision is so women do not have to burn their pocket in the name of fashion. So that all beautiful ladies out there can afford to buy gorgeous bags without having to starve or eat maggi mee. When they save money, they have more money to do things they love and this in turn makes them happy. Yeayy!!

Next!

3) Sell & excite the World with the message of your vision

I shall start this pronto! Targeting Shah Alam ladies first :)

4) Build a plan of execution to achieve this vision, including the mobilisation of people to ensure the vision becomes a reality

Work in progress. 

First step is to share my vision with my staff than draft a script so they will repeat it back to our customers. Script you say? Yes, I am a control freak!

5) Say NO to distractions and focus relentlessly on achieving the vision

NOOOOOO!!!!! *yelling to 'distractions'*

Bub-bye cafe & pet shop project. I shall put you on hold for a while.

6) Execute, execute, execute and keep executing flawlessly with high quality, overcoming obstacles that come your way

Haiii-yaaa!!! *kung fu style*

Credit to www.donahuelifecoaching.com

Those are the 6 key steps. However, do note that becoming a leader is no piece of cake. Challenges & obstacles will be hurled at you continuosly . Your only defense; is PERSEVERANCE :)

"I'm convinced that about half of what separates successful entrepreneurs fron the non-successful ones is PURE PRESEVARANCE" - Steve Jobs

To those who took the 'leap of faith' as I called it and working hard to establish their own company/business; I say...keep it up. One day you shall reap the fruits of your labour. It's only a matter of time, so hang in there! ;)

As the Japanese say it 'Gambate!', 'Caiyok!'

Salam. Peace & out!

Leap of Faith

Assalamualaikum & hello...

I'd like to start my post by saying CONGRATULATIONS to my good friend, a new Mum; for giving birth to a beautiful baby last night! 

Bittersweet memories flooded me as soon as I saw her baby's picture in Instagram. Woww...I'm almost 30 years old, a lot have changed with me & friends around me, my environment. And I thought of all the crazy shite things I've done in my past. All the mistakes & detours I took when I was young. And I said..."Alhamdulillah...I am where I want to be now".

Taking the plunge to full time entrepreneur in 2012 was a leap of faith indeed. I doubted myself. Questions run through me; the what ifs and what nots. My husband consoled me and with his deep believe & confidence in me, I resigned. 

Hence TIGER LILY Bags & Accessories was established. I started my baby steps into the business world and it was Ramadhan of 2012. And Alhamdulillah we did quite well. Rezeki bulan Ramadhan they say.

So okay, I must admit that I hid this fact for sometime from some family members but purely out of my respect to their concerns on the uncertainties of a business-life and I do not want them to worry about me. 

Ever since then, life was a roller-coaster. And I love roller-coasters. Everyday I am faced with challenges from the brutal ups & downs of the Retail world, problems from staff (the usual culprit I tell you!), planning & strategising my next step bla bla bla. Yet I am happy & content. 

Latest collection at #tigerlilybags

It is true that you do get a bit tired from all the thinking & working you'd have to do managing your business, but like the video I watched last night by Ustaz Azhar Idrus; If you are passionate about what you do, your excitement will overrule your tiredness. You don't think about being tired cause you are HAPPY and EXCITED doing it! Brilliant~!

*****

Malaysia recently went through our 13th General Elections and there was a small war happening at the usual places, cyberspace (i.e. facebook, twitter), mamak shop, at home...I too may have been a bit vocal on the eve of the balloting day. Can't helped it, I love my country & people too much. 

Post-election fever, I saw how divided we were. Especially here in Shah Alam. It saddens me how easily a bunch of politicians toy with our mind. Lest we forget, politicians will ALWAYS be politicians. Promises are just tickets to win your votes. 

Therefore, I plan to do my part and help my people to look at the bigger picture. Especially the younger generation, Gen Y. 

From now on, whenever I conduct interview session to employ new staff (and I only employ Malaysians) I'll be sure to ask what their ambitions are. Why? So I know whether they have a goal in life and if they do, my husband & I will help nurture them by sharing all the knowledge, experience & know hows we've gained over the years.

 InsyaAllah (God's willing) this will help guide them into becoming a successful person one day. It is the least I can do for my nation. 

****

Do drop by our Facebook page & Instagram yeah!

Instagram ID: liyanalalala

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Word!

3 years to 30

Like most girls out there, this is my millionth attempt to maintain a blog.

Hopefully this time its a charm.
Its now or never, cuz I am turning 30 in 3 years time and I wanna be able to look back & laugh at all the stories of my life.
Isn't  that the purpose of blogging? To record & express memories? 

So in the name of Allah the Almighty, I start this blog with....

Bismillahirahman nirrahim.