Tag Archives: Vol.3

The Warrior’s way 武士之道

Jacob Galea

Author, Business Consultant, Inspirational Speaker, Super Coach

By Karina Foo

Many of us do not fight with our destinies, as que sera, sera, whatever will be will be. But this isn’t the case with Jacob Galea as he combated his obscure vision for his future as a factory worker and transformed it into one that has made him into an influential role model today.

The success coach, mentor and business man has trained thousands and spoke in front of audiences sharing his wisdom and guidance to help people and businesses all over the world to reach their unlimited potential and live with a true purpose. He also recently released a self-authored inspirational and self-empowerment book, “Birth of a Super You” to lead people into living a super life.

All that Jacob has achieved would be considered an incredible feat by many as he battled all odds of earning a minimum wage salary showing that we too can achieve whatever we desire.

“I have always believed that all of us have a purpose in life – mine was not to be a factory worker.  I truly believed there was a better version of myself within – and that persona was destined for greater things.”

“What’s important is what you feel on the inside, it doesn’t matter what your outside world and conditions are like as long as you have a very clear vision on where you are going. I never lived in the present moment, I lived in the visualisation in my mind of where I wanted to be, I knew the factory environment was only temporary because I had the inner strength, faith, belief, and determination to want more while I walked on this planet,” explained Jacob.

One of the underlying issues faced by many is the ever-changing fast paced, corporate rat race that’s separating us from our own humanity. This is also what spurred Jacob to create a movement where people should make quality time for themselves as he believes in health, happiness and wealth because one cannot exist without the other.

“We have less time to think in the workplace as it is all systems go and we lose the desire and time to do what we really want to do. Now is the time to do more for you, to meditate, to have fun, to be creative, to look after your health – this is a major issue. How can you be great in business and life if you are unhealthy in the mind and body, how can you make clear business decisions and lead companies into excellence if you are burnt out, stressed, and tired?” emphasised Jacob.

He appears to have a more philosophical stance on life and it may be from his many years as a Karate expert, exercising the profound discipline of martial arts into his daily life. “Karate and martial arts teaches discipline, self-control, the hunger to win, wisdom, calmness, loyalty, mind power, and how to use our mind, body, and soul in synergy. In today’s cut throat corporate battlefield where there is an acceleration of competition, we need to have the skills as a business person to survive and thrive,” said Jacob.

He terms this as the “warrior’s way” and this philosophy has been extended into his book with the belief that it will connect with potential readers when they see it at bookstores.

Jacob embraced authorship as he wanted to share and give readers the opportunity to have access to their inner warrior and super power that can transform ordinary lives to the extraordinary, just like his own personal journey.

“Super You” is not a flowery term that has been deliberately created to impress people. It essentially means that being average isn’t good enough as we have more potential than we give ourselves credit for.

“I want to encourage people to be the best versions of themselves. You are not meant to merely exist but to have a deep purpose in your life, and your mission is to realise it.”

He warns that although we all have the potential to live our best lives, we are our biggest enemy and always doubting ourselves. He believes that we have to be committed, learn new ways to achieve, have faith, and fight like a warrior to ensure nothing stands in your way.

Jacob Galea-2

在社会群体中,一些人不会为了改变命运奋力而战,更多的是遵循顺其自然或深信凡事皆有定律。但这些人中不包括 Jacob Galea,他拒绝模糊焦点,积极研究未来,从一名工厂工人摇身一变为影响社会的关键角色。

Jacob 作为成功的教练、导师,协助世界各地无数商业人士和企业开拓他们的无限潜能和领略生活真谛,并且在观众面前尽情分享他的智慧和指导。他最近还发布撰写励志和自我授权书籍:“超级的你终于诞生”,带领人们走进“超级生活”。

他取得的一切成果被视为难以置信的壮举,但他认为只有具有渴望和愿景,每个人都可以与低微收入的生活方式宣战,实现自己的目标。

“我一直相信,所有人都具备人生目的地,我并非只能是工人,相信值得拥有更好的自己,而且可以创造和承担更重大的事。”他认为,一个人最重要的是强大的内心感受,不管身在任何外在世界和条件,只要拥有一个非常清晰的前景概念,他/她将会抵达那里。

“我从来没有“活在当下”的感觉,我活在自己的意念中,就像我知道工厂环境只是暂时停留,因为我有潜在的力量与信念,而我在这个星球中行走,需要更多的信念和决心。”

可是,许多人面临的基本问题之一是不断变化的超快节奏,比如企业激烈的职场竞争,所谓的“老鼠竞赛”,使我们脱离本身的人格。这也促使 Jacob 创造一种运动,人们应该在拥有健康、幸福和财富的时刻,为自己创造质量时间,因为一个人不能没有任何依存的活着。

“在工作中,我们没有更充裕的时间去思考,因为一切都是系统化的,没时间和空间实践我们真正想做的事情。现在是时候为你做更多的事,去冥想、去玩和创造,尤其是照顾自己的健康–这是一个重大问题。没有健康的头脑和身体,无法游走于商业和生活领域;如果你的身体被毁灭、显得低沉而疲惫,更无法做出明确的业务决策和领导公司前往卓越之路。

Jacob 对生活拥有独特的哲学立场,这也是他多年来作为一名武术专家而行使的深沉纪律。武术融入他的日常生活。他说,空手道和武术教导自律、自我控制、渴望胜利、智慧,冷静与忠诚的精神力量,以及如何运用我们的思想、身体和灵魂作为协同作用。

“在现今残酷无情企业战场,白热化的商业竞争使我们需要有特出的技能作为企业生存和发展。”他把这个术语称为“武士之道”,这种理念一直延伸到他的书中,而这也让有缘分的读者书店看到这本书时感觉到心有灵犀。”

这本书的出版源于他想分享予读者一个真实的哲理:勇敢内心和超级力量,可以改变普通生活,成就不凡,犹如他的个人经历。

“超级的你”不是一个华丽、刻意塑造打动人们或留下深刻印象的口号,这实际上意味着,我们做的平均数还不够好,更多的潜力等待开发。

“我想鼓励人们成为自己的最佳版本。不仅是为了生存,你的生活还有更深层的目的,而你的使命就是去实现它。”

他提醒,尽管我们都有活出最好人生的可能性,但最大的敌人是自己,总是时刻怀疑自身。他认为我们必须坚定,学习新方式达到成就,拥有信念,像武士一样战斗,确保没有事情能难倒你。

MAKING things HAPPEN 臻尚思设计 实现不可能

Sharon Wong & Miguel Clavero
Co-Founders / Managing Directors of Luxury Design Consultancy

Malaysian born, Sharon Wong, said, “Starting Luxury Design Consultancy was a decision that turned my life around.” Equipped with a banking degree, she quitted the banking environment when she found out the job was boring and she felt that she was not professionally challenged.  She then joined IBM and dedicated her 15 years of career in the IT world. She left IBM when she had her daughter and started her career again with UNISYS for another 4 years until she relocated her whole family to Melbourne, Australia in January 2006 where they now call home.

Her last employment was with Hirsch Bedner associates, an international design company where she spent 4 years heading the admin and financial division.  It was a total different job scope and she quickly found a niche adapting and learning the world of interior design and language. She later became very involved in the business development side of the business and travelled frequently to China pitching for new business.

“I realize that in life, strength doesn’t come from what you can do.  It comes from overcoming the things you once thought you couldn’t.”

“It was through HBA that I met my now co-founder and business partner, Miguel Clavero.  In February 2015, we decided to branch out and thus the formation of luxury design consultancy. We realised that with Miguel’s experience in creativity and his knowledge of the luxury world, we would create something totally different, where we will give personal attention to the clients and create what the clients want instead of telling clients what is best for them. We would create for clients what they request and provide them with the sensation of luxury.”

Miguel says Sharon’s the number person, and he’s the creative person.

“However, we found that there is also a market in Australia where majority of the people could not differentiate between premium and high end luxury. That set our brains working and we came up with a project and event which will be the first in Australia, a luxury weekend in Melbourne.”

Luxury Design Consultancy provide services of Architecture, Interior Design and Marketing “de Luxe”. The philosophy of giving these options to the clients is to give them the opportunity to unify the three pillars of some projects, working within the clients from the roots of the projects up to delivery beyond their expectations. With offices in Melbourne, Hong Kong, Singapore, Madrid, there will be another one soon in Dubai.

黄钲欣设立臻尚思设计顾问公司是一个改变人生的决定。出生于马来西亚的她曾经的目标是金融行业,但随即发现银行工作对她来说枯燥且缺乏挑战,她选择了退出,过后进入 IBM 公司,转战IT领域长达 15 年。2006 年,她全家移民澳大利亚墨尔本,一个让她有归宿感的地方。

由于最后的职业生涯是在世界著名酒店设计公司 Hirsch Bedner Associates (HBA) 的管理和金融部门工作了 4 年光景,与之前工作环境和职责不一样,她很快适应室内设计的语言和经验,由于后期参与业务拓展,经常出差至中国寻求新项目。

通过HBA,她认识了现在联合创始人与生意伙伴 Miguel。2015年他们决定辞职自立门户创办臻尚思设计公司,由于意识到 Miguel 的非凡创造力,还有他曾经与奢华世界接轨的经历。

“我们根据客户需求提供私人订制的设计,而不是通过自我认定来诱导客户,但同时能打造奢华感觉。”

黄钲欣的专长是数字,而 Miguel 的专长是创造,然后他们发现了澳大利亚这个市场,还有许多人分不清高级与高端奢华之间的区别。他们想出举办一个“启蒙”活动,这也是澳大利亚首次出现的类似活动: “墨尔本奢华周末”,这个长达3天的贸易展览会,除了拥有额外现场奢华体验,也是奢华品牌亮相的平台,展现最新设计与趋势。

臻尚思设计顾问给予建筑、室内设计和奢华营销服务与咨询。提供客户选项的理念是让他们有机会统一项目的三大过程:从开端、制作到完成,以超越客户期待的方式圆满达至计划项目。目前他们在墨尔本,香港, 新加坡与马德里皆有办事处,包括即将在迪拜设立。

“我意识到所谓的力量并不是你可以做什么,而是克服做不了的事情。”Luxury Design2

He was born in one of the most beautiful cities of the world, Granada, Spain. Under the influence of the excellence of the Alhambra palace, he has a wide international exposure living in the 5 continents. It gave him a wide angle of vision about the design world from different perspectives from various cultures and styles from the countries where he was developing his professional career.

Throughout his career, he has maintained the highest performance and professional standards within a diverse range of International High End Interior Design Projects. With 20 years experience in multidisciplinary projects, he has refined an inspiring work philosophy having educated his creative mind in architecture, interior design and graphic design. Armed with an appreciation for business and management, Miguel earned his stripes working with some top tier firms around the world before settling in Melbourne with his family.

He has designed and built several outstanding examples of interiors that reflect its unique vision, mixing art with science and technology to produce intriguing cultural experiences and architectural designs.

Form is the function of in-depth analysis based on client needs and expectations. Through internal dialogue with the team, he determines the essence of a project, which becomes the seed information critical to the project development. The core of work philosophy was conceived to meet the growing and changing needs of its clients.

From the list of high end clients we can highlight, Royal House of Qatar, Royal House of Saudi Arabia, Royal House of Bahrain, Mansions in Dubai, Julio Iglesias the famous singer, 5 Stars hotels around the world and Corporate or retail projects like Louis Vuitton.

A passionate cook and traveller, these interests became the key for developing his own chain of “Bhuda Bar” restaurants in the past in Spain. Now in partnership with Sharon Wong, they founded Luxury Design Consultancy which is developing the Melbourne Luxury Weekend, a 3 days trade show format with a lot of additional events. “Luxury Experiences” will be a platform for the Luxury Brands to showcase the latest trends and design and to give the public the opportunity to feel and participate in the carefully selected events in an outstanding atmosphere.

他出生在世界上最美丽的城市之一–西班牙格拉纳达。在阿尔罕布拉宫的影响下,他曾在世界上 5 洲居住过。正是这种经历赋予他来自不同文化与风格的设计角度,也为他的历练增砖添瓦。

纵观 Miguel 的职业生涯,在国际高端室内设计项目保持高水准和职业标准。20多年的项目建设过程中,他已习惯培养启发式的工作理念,不断完善建筑、室内和标识设计的创新思维。

由于对商务与管理高度的认知感,Miguel 在定居在墨尔本之前曾任职于世界一些顶级设计公司。

他的作品集就像是室内设计的向导册,清晰展示他的设计思路-包括独特衍生的美学和趋势,探索着完美设计的基础元素。

他曾以创意视野建设了杰出的作品,混合现代科技与优美艺术,是趣味的文化体验项目。

所有的合作完成是基于客户需求和深度分析功能。而通过与团队内部对话决定项目的本质,是达成项目的关键信息,他工作的核心理念是满足不断变化的客户需求。

从 Miguel 高端客户群的名单可见一斑:卡塔尔皇室、沙特阿拉伯皇室、巴林皇室、迪拜豪宅与著名歌手 Julio Iglesias,全世界5星级酒店和大集团或是零售业项目如路易威登。

一个富有激情的厨师和旅行家,也是他曾在西班牙发展本身连锁饭店 “Bhuda Bar” 的关键动力。而与黄钲欣携手成立臻尚思设计公司后,作为澳大利亚的高端奢华先锋“墨尔本奢华周末”活动的执行总监,他同样提供了一个别出心载的创造平台。

 

“With a portfolio that reads like a complete guide to interior design, it is clear that Miguel’s design approach stretches beyond aesthetic and trend, exploring the fundamental elements of good design. “Luxury Design1

 

Jet setting to the next level 晋级翱翔的喷射机

Athivat Krisnampok

General Manager, Southern Australia, Thai Airways International

by Karina Foo

He is fond of travel and even more fond of family ties so his career destination in the aviation industry is indeed a perfect fit. Athivat Krisnampok of Thai Airways always dreamed of the opportunity to travel while still being close to family.

The son and brother of a pilot, he started as a sales representative for Thai Airways International 22 years ago in Bangkok. From there, he worked his way up the career ladder, moving to Hong Kong, Tokyo, Nagoya, Bali and now to Melbourne at his current position as the general manager of Southern Australia.

One of the reasons he didn’t choose the same paths as his father and brother could possibly be that he’s a well rounded and grounded person, in more ways than one.

“My family said that one on the sky and one on the ground balances things out. Instead of flying a plane, I’m being flown on the plane and I love it,” said Athivat.

A THAI INSTITUTION

As a boy, he already set sights on being a part of this highly honoured Thai institution because of its prestigious image that strengthened its country’s patriotism.. “I still remember more than 30 years ago that Thai Airways International received an award for the best airlines in the world and it wasn’t just a proud milestone for the company but for the Thai people,” he recalled.

For the last four over years at his current role, he has been overseeing sales operations throughout the Southern Australian regions. While increasing revenue is purely driven on output, working on creating that output is fundamental to achieving the desired results.

“I’m also in charge of managing the day to day operations at our airport and ensuring that customers are satisfied with our service. I’m also there to motivate our team, establish and maintain high standards of safety, security in accordance to our company policies and procedures,” he explained.

He is particularly proud that the company continuously reviews and implements safety technologies to operate its flights safely and efficiently, meeting and exceeding required standards that are required by external authorities.

Thai Airways started operating in Sydney in 1971 starting and branched out to Melbourne in 1980 followed by Brisbane and Perth. It has grown exponentially in Australia and internationally, now flying to and from 75 destinations.

So aside from its exemplary image, Athivat says that the “secret” behind the airline’s growing international success is its people.

“Our employees have been with us for many years and some, even more than 30 years. Dedication is unparalleled in any business, especially in the dynamic aviation industry that has been and is still going through crisis, challenges and changes over the years. The strength, reliability and support of our People can not be underestimated and I’m proud to be part of it too. We’ve also built strong ties with the local communities we work with as well as key trade partners. All this is encompassed into our unique culture that makes Thai Airways different from the others airlines.”

A TOUCH OF THAI

While every airline boasts on-board Entertainment, beautiful interiors and designs, Athivat believes that the company has an extra edge which is the Thai culture that touches the hearts of its people and customers. “We employ Thai people and international staff who learn our culture. It’s something that I call ‘Touch of Thai’,” he said.

It’s not only this touch of his homeland that fuels his passion for work, but his parents and co-workers are the key sources of support.

“They’ve been there for me and without them, I wouldn’t be where I am today. I have faced challenges at work as it’s not always been smooth sailing but they’ve helped me find my feet time and time again. I’ve also found that being highly adaptable to situations can yield surprising results. I believe in learning and failing quick, picking myself up and moving on.

Perhaps we can all learn something from Athivat who believes in this theory by Charles Darwin “It’s not the strongest nor the most intelligent of the species that survives, but one that’s most adaptable to change.”

He also relates this to the constantly evolving needs of customers and to be one step ahead of competitors. “Changing and adapting is a challenge and such a challenge poses one of the many initial steps to achieve success. It can also be applied to all aspects of life,” said Athivat.

他喜欢旅行,更爱家庭关系,所以他服务于航空业确实是一个完美的契合。Athivat Krisnampok 对于泰国航空一直抱持的梦想:那是一场完美的家庭旅行。

作为飞行员家族的儿子和兄弟,22年前开始,Athivat Krisnampok 开始担任泰国国际航空公司曼谷的销售代表,活跃在航空业。从那里,他启动了晋升的阶梯:高升往香港、东京、名古屋,巴厘岛和目前的所在地墨尔本担任职务,现职为泰航澳大利亚南部区域的总经理。

他最终没选择像他的父亲和兄弟一样的轨迹:飞行在空中。而由于成熟、脚踏实地的性格,他反而从事航空业务地勤工作。“我家人说分别在天上和地下,是一种平衡,而且我热爱飞机,喜欢坐在里面的感觉。”

泰国机构

在男孩时期,他已经把崇敬的目光投向泰国机构,除了声望,当然还因爱国意识。“我还记得 30 多年前,泰国国际航空获得世界性的荣誉“最佳航空公司”,不仅是公司骄傲的里程碑,身为泰国人也与有荣焉。”他回忆说。

过去4年多,他负责担当销售业务,遍布全国澳大利亚南部地区。虽然收入的增加纯粹是依赖输出驱动的,但创造与输出的工作也是实现理想结果的基础。

“我也在机场管理日常程序操作,确保客户满意我们的服务,并且拥有激励我们往前走的团队,根据公司政策和程序安全系统,建立和制定高标准安全水平。”

他感到自豪的是,该公司不间断审查和实施安全技术,谨慎有效地操作飞行安全,满足或超过外部机构的要求标准。1971年,泰航首先在澳大利亚悉尼设立据点,墨尔本据点在 1980年成立,紧随其后的是布里斯班和珀斯。目前泰航已在澳大利亚和国际上成倍增长,共达75个航线目的地,除了长期塑造的模范形象,上述“秘密”的背后是航空公司不断增长的国际规格人力。

“我们的员工都是一起打拼很多年,有些甚至超过30年。这种奉献在任何企业都是无与伦比的,特别是在动态的航空业,经历无数危机、挑战和变化。我们的员工力量、可靠性和支持都是成功关键,我也很自豪成为其中一部分。而我们还与当地社区建立牢固联系,同时也与主要贸易伙伴合作。这一切都是围绕在我们独特的文化,是泰国航空公司区别于其他航空公司的地方。”

触摸泰国

Athivat认为公司有一个特点,即是以泰国文化触动客户与人的心。“我们雇用泰籍与国际工作人员,他们学习我们的文化,这是我所说的“触摸泰国”,不仅仅是透过燃烧工作热情触摸故土,他父母和同事的支持更是主要能量。

而他分享和相信生物学家-查尔斯达尔文的理论:人类不是最强的,也不是最聪明的生存物种,而是最能适应变化的。鉴于不断变化的客户需求和竞争对手抢先一步。因此,变化和适应这种挑战是许多取得成功的初始步骤,可以被应用到生活的各个方面。