Compelling Purpose To Drive Your Performance

1 March, 2010

Please come back with me through time to 1974. The scene: a grand ballroom in a 5-star hotel.

Crystal chandeliers were casting magical lights on elegant décor. Beautiful music was dancing all over the room.

People were dressed to the nines. VIPs who sat in the first few rows looked almost like royalty.

Waiters and waitresses were moving around the room, serving delicious cuisines to excite taste buds. There was an electrifying excitement in the air.

The Emcee came onto the stage and made an announcement that drew everyone’s attention.

 “Ladies and Gentlemen, welcome to the Mr and Miss Beauty contest.”

I know this scene well. I was one of the finalists.

I know you’ll be scrambling to look at my photograph. You will wonder, “How could this awful face ever get into a beauty contest?”

In 1974, I was forced to enter the contest. It was a form of ‘orientation’ by older students, otherwise known as ‘senior ladies and gentlemen.’

As a ‘freshie,’ I had to do what the seniors ‘advice’ me to do, or else I was supposed to suffer hell in the days ahead. I was literally dragged into the beauty contest.

They needed a ‘William Hung,’ a freak to provide additional fun and laughter.

I was the perfect choice.

However, the judges made a mistake. They must have allocated points for other qualities, beside good looks.

In the Beauty column, I believe I still owed the organizers a substantial amount of points. In the other columns, I salvaged myself or more like, I dug myself into a deeper hole.

To cut a long story short, I got into the finals and that’s when my troubles started. The organizers told me I needed to put on a nice jacket during the finals. I never owned a jacket until then, and probably never dreamed I would have one.

I came from a poor family. My parents had to struggle to even put me through school. After searching for a solution – and failing to find one – I approached my father.

“Papa, I really need a jacket for an important occasion. Can you get me one or I’ll be in big trouble?”

You can imagine the reply I received. That evening, my father gave me such a dressing down. It left me cursing poverty deep in my bones.

“You’re lucky to have food on the table,” he roared. “If there’s anything left, most of the money will go into your education and it is barely enough to cover your school fees and pocket money. Can’t you see how tired I am trying to keep all seven of you alive?”

The last week before the finals was one of the worst periods in my life. You should have seen me approaching almost everybody to beg or borrow a jacket.

At the eleventh hour, I remembered my secondary school’s head prefect had been given a jacket. Thankfully, I managed to contact him and borrow it.

My head prefect was a tall and lanky person. So, when I put on the jacket, I looked like a chimpanzee.

To make matters worse, the jacket was tailored as a student jacket and made out of a bright turquoise material. It was the strangest looking jacket for a formal occasion.

I must be the first person in the world to wear a turquoise student jacket in a beauty contest.

Please come back with me to the beauty contest. The Emcee made an announcement, “The next contestant, Mr Pa-a-a-trick Liew!”

I took to the catwalk amidst applause, whistles and catcalls. I was told that the stronger the response the more marks would be awarded for me. The worst the response, the lower the marks – very much like what they did at the American Idol.

I walked nervously to the centre of the stage, embarrassed and struggling to keep my balance. Suddenly, from the back of the room, a lady screamed,

 

“Eee! That is my former head prefect’s jacket!”

 

That moment will forever be etched in my mind. I can still visualize the spotlights and all the lights in the room focusing just on me.

The music became softer and softer until there was complete silence. Everybody seemed to move in slow motion until they froze and stared at me.

It was the most humiliating moment of my life.

After coming down from the stage, I ran all the way home with tears streaming down my cheeks.

“Why do I have to be poor?” I yelled into the darkness of the night. “Why can’t I have a better jacket? Why can’t I live a better life? Why? Why? Why?”

I swore I would never be poor and I would be somebody in life. At that young age, I thought if I were more successful, I could have more personal glory and material comforts in life.

This is a belief shared by many. They measure success by the amount of money in their bank accounts. They believe that position, profit, pleasure, power and prestige are the key traits of success.

Later on, I found a more compelling purpose to be successful.

I believe if I am more successful, I can give a better life to my loved ones. I can help the needy, weak and disadvantaged to live meaningful and fulfilling lives.

I can be a blessing to others. I can also do so much more for planet earth and in case you don’t know, our planet is currently sick and dying.

So, what will drive you to become more successful in real estate and to be rich and wealthy?

If you do not have a compelling reason to wake you up every morning and to motivate you to excel, may I suggest you do not sleep tonight until you can find your compelling purpose in life.