Empowering Ourselves

Hui Fang Lim

Description

Are you tired of trying so hard and yet not getting the results you desire? Would you like to increase your effectiveness to achieve success in all areas of your life? Be it relationship or money matters, the method is the same. This book will provide you with insights into unlocking your potential so that you will be equipped with the necessary tools to live your best life. It is a handbook for living well.

Unknowingly, many of us have been conditioned to limit and hinder ourselves from achieving our goals. Here, we will focus on seven realities. Realising them can lead to paradigm shifts in the way you think and free you from your past conditioning. You will also be guided on cultivating positive emotions that will displace negative ones and growing a healthy mindset to reprogram yourself for success and achieve the life you aspire to live.

The practical steps will move you from powerlessness to authentic empowerment. In the process, you can realise your potential and be a master of your life. Take charge to transform yourself and discover the pleasures of living joyfully. After all, you only live once.

Sujets

• Personal Growth
• Healing
• Self-help
• Empowerment
• Transformation

Informations

• Publié par: Partridge Publishing Singapore
• Date de parution: 07 novembre 2022
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781543768695
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

EMPOWERING OURSELVES
Keys to Unlocking our Potential and Living our Best Lives
Lim Hui Fang


Copyright © 2022 by Lim Hui Fang.
 
ISBN:
Hardcover
978-1-5437-6870-1

Softcover
978-1-5437-6868-8

eBook
978-1-5437-6869-5
 
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
 
Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.
 
 
 
 
 
 
www.partridgepublishing.com/singapore
Contents
Chapter 1My Evolution
Chapter 2Reality 1—We Are Imperfect
Acceptance
Being Our Authentic Selves
Building Confidence
Forgiveness
Chapter 3Reality 2—Change Is the Law of the Universe
Let Go of Attachments
Be Adaptable
Develop Resilience
Do Not Try to Control Others
Chapter 4Reality 3—Positivity Displaces Negativity
Increase Pleasant Experiences
Gratitude
Love and Compassion
Chapter 5Reality 4—We Are What We Think
Harness the Power of Our Mind
Be Positive
Neuroplasticity—What Is It?
Overcoming Anxieties and Fears
Chapter 6Reality 5—Self-Knowledge Is the Key to Self-Mastery
Understanding Ourselves
Introspection
Transcending Anger
Chapter 7Reality 6—Life Is a Journey
‘Me’ Time—Silence Is Golden
Being Present
Keys to Good Relationships
Finding the Right Job
Enjoy Our Work
Pursue Hobbies
Write the Story of Your Life
Chapter 8Reality 7—Health Is Wealth
Fluids
What to Eat
How to Eat
Exercise
Having Enough Rest
Connecting with Nature
Chapter 9Optimising Our Lives—A Recap

This book is dedicated to:
my husband Yang Sun, for his love and patience,
my children Yi Dah and Wei Ting, for being my teachers and best friends,
and my parents, Jit Ming and Swee Hea, for their love and support.
Acknowledgements
I am deeply grateful to many people who have helped turn my vision of this book into reality.
In particular, I would like to acknowledge the following people:
- freelance editor Klyth S-H Tan, for your editing work and professional inputs.
- my husband, Low Yang Sun, for your patience in helping to proofread and providing insightful feedback.
- my son, Low Yi Dah, who spent many hours assisting to edit the subsequent revisions. Your valuable suggestions are instrumental in the outcome of this book.
- my daughter, Low Wei Ting, for your thoughts and inputs on the presentation format.
- Yvonne Lim, for your useful feedback on the final draft of the book.
- Sabrina Yee, for your brilliant book cover design.
- my nephew, Christopher Lim, for suggesting and showing me how to use Canva app for the illustrations.
- the participants of the Happy and Healthy Interest Group at Sennett Estate, Singapore, for your participation in the weekly classes, which further fuelled my passion to write this book.
- finally, the reader, for taking time to read this book and discover how you can empower yourself to transform your life. I am grateful for your support and hope this book will equip you with the tools to lead your best life.
Chapter 1
My Evolution
Life is like a garden. Each piece of land has the potential to become incredibly beautiful, and it is up to each of us to decide what type of garden we would like to have. No matter what condition our land is in now, if we continually work on it by removing weeds, planting healthy seeds, and nurturing the plants, we can develop it into a flourishing garden.
Similarly, we are the stewards of our lives. Regardless of the current state, we can transform ourselves by releasing negative emotions, cultivating a healthy mindset, and putting in effort to create the right conditions. In fact, we all have the power and ability to transform our lives and, in the process, reach our potential, and live our dreams.
Growing up
I was born to a middle-class family where both my parents were civil servants. My dad was a civil engineer, and my mum, a chemistry teacher in a secondary school. Dad was brilliant and often topped his cohort. He was on scholarship for most of his education. Mum was extremely strict about our academic performance. She believed that only if we did well in school could we be successful in life.
Unlike most people, I went through four preschools and three primary schools. Perhaps this forced me to learn and adapt in new environments and make new friends easily. In primary school, I was transferred after the first year because we moved house and the old school was too far away from our new place. After attending the new neighbourhood school for three years, a neighbour convinced my mum that she should switch me to Singapore Chinese Girls School (SCGS), where her daughter was attending.
When I first attended SCGS, I did not understand most of what was being taught because the pace of teaching was much faster than at my previous school. I remember a classmate laughing at me when I spoke ‘broken’ English. Somehow, the students here seemed very smart and possessed vastly more general knowledge than I did. Although I did manage to catch up after a few months, I could not get the kind of results I had hoped for. I resigned to the fact that I was just not as smart, and my confidence took a beating.
As my results were not as good in the new school, life at home became tough going. To try and bring me up the learning curve, my mum made a timetable for me, and for a long period of time, almost all my waking hours other than meal and shower times had to be spent studying. I remember this got so bad that I hated holidays and even wished that the Singapore government would enlist girls into the army, as this would at least grant me some freedom.
No matter how hard I tried, I was never able to reach the standard she wanted from me. To make things worse, two of my cousins who are my age were academically very strong, and both were straight-A students. ‘Losing face’ was a quite common fear amongst Asian parents in my time. I had the uneasy feeling that my results caused her to ‘lose face’ among our relatives. However, my two younger brothers were as strong academically as our cousins, and it pleased her that their hobby was reading. It did not help that mine was going outdoors and spending time with friends.
Fortunately, I managed to make it to junior college. It was here that I met my first love. He was a scholar and a student leader. I remember thinking to myself that I was so fortunate that someone so smart and capable would like someone like myself. I was head over heels in love with him. However, I was insecure and oversensitive to whatever he said. I would be over the moon one moment and down another time, depending on what he said to me. My parents found out about our relationship. My mother disapproved of me having a boyfriend and wanted me to focus on my studies. To her, I should only get into a relationship after graduating from university. I had to struggle between love and my mum’s wishes, and she made it very difficult for me to go out with him.
Life in Canada
Having an overseas education had always been my dream, and although I would give it up for love, I finally decided to go with his encouragement that I should pursue my dreams and his promise to wait for me. With my newfound freedom, I joined the committee of the Malaysian Singaporean Students Association (MSSA) at the University of Western Ontario, something that my mother would not have approved of, as she viewed extracurriculars as a waste of time and a distraction from my studies.
I met many nice people and made many friends in MSSA. There, I met a nice and fun-loving Malaysian guy who was really good at cooking; he taught me how to prepare many delicious Asian dishes, among other things. We remain the best of friends till today. I never learnt how to cook back home, as Mum thought that spending time in the kitchen would again take time away from my studies. I enjoyed organising events for students, bringing people together to enjoy themselves and helping them to adapt to the new environment. My active participation earned me the position of social director and subsequently, I was made vice-president of the association.
I felt much happier in Canada, as I was doing things I enjoyed besides studying. Somehow, my results improved, even though I was busy organising activities for other students. There, I discovered my strengths, weaknesses and interests. After I graduated, I went on to do my Masters in Business Administration at the Schulich School of Business at York University in Toronto.
After graduation
When I returned home after my graduation, there was a recession in Singapore. After a few short stints at various organisations, I finally got my ‘ideal’ job at an American bank, one that I felt would take advantage of my strengths and interests. I was very enthusiastic at work, and I remember a colleague telling me that I was like a spring chicken, where