Yesterday I met my friend Mike Langton – a veteran Ad Man who c0-founded a leading digital services consultancy.

We had a rather stimulating conversation during which Mike shared his experiences and views of how the face of advertising is changing.

We were on the topic of dealing with clients and how we managed their expectations. In a small country like Singapore, I was lucky to have found sufficient business to grow MediaFreaks from a two man team to a thirty man company today. But managing clients has always been a challenge. No matter how much my company has grown, clients always expect us to give them cheap, fast and good service.

Now here’s a nugget from the conversation we had that I would like to share in this post.

Mike told me how he deals with his clients when discussing costs. Basically he tells his client, “Cheap, fast and good. Pick two!”

I couldn’t help laughing! The concept itself is not original – but the idea of telling your client that is just hilarious.

If you come to think about it, it is really a very funny but ingenious way of telling the clients that they need to be realistic about what they want. If they want something to be cheap, then it has to be at the expense of either speed or quality. If they want something to be delivered fast, then it has to be at the expense of either price or quality. If they want something to be of high quality, then they will have to either pay more or be willing to wait longer.

To sum it up -

Good + Fast = Expensive

Good + Cheap = Slow

Fast + Cheap = Inferior

Indeed, everyone is guilty of wanting service to be cheap, fast and good. I mean, who hasn’t been a client or customer at some point and not been guilty of wanting cheap, fast and good service? Considering the fact that we all really know that these three attributes do not usually co-exist, I guess it is just human nature to try and cut the best possible deal.

So the next time you face a client who is trying really hard, tell him/her what Mike says, “Cheap, fast and good. Pick two!”.

It is impossible for anyone to sail through life without facing some form of challenge or hardship at some point. I tend to feel that this is God’s way of training and testing our resolve. Humans cannot become shining diamonds without being polished. And going through challenges is the polishing process.

Whether we face our challenges with bravery or skulk away from them will determine our success or failure.

Many times when we face what seems to be a hopeless situation, our first instinct is to give up. It is in fact precisely at this moment that we need to stay calm and find a solution to salvage the situation.

If we admit defeat then we would have lost for good. If we carry on fighting then we stand a chance.

Do not forget, in every good situation there are dangers lurking. And in every bad situation there are opportunities hidden for you to find. By being complacent you will fall into the danger traps. And by persevering and keeping calm, you will find the opportunities.

As a creative entrepreneur, I have been in a situation where my company was down to just two thousand dollars after a season of bad business and we had to fire all our employees. But within a month, the situation reversed and we became stronger than ever because we persevered and found the hidden opportunities.

In situations like this, you must stay calm and empower yourself with clarity, gratitude and wisdom.

Here are 5 tips to empower you in the worst situations:

1) Practice deep breathing – Try to make it a habit to practice deep breathing throughout the day. It will relax you and give you clarity in your thoughts so that you can make the right judgment even under the most stressful circumstances.

2) Stay happy with your choices – Life is about making choices. You either go left or you go right. You either do it right or you do it wrong. You can learn only through trial and error. Stay happy with your choices, whether they are right or wrong. Don’t blame yourself or others if you make the wrong choice. Be brave and accept the outcome of your decisions. Learn from your mistakes so you will know how to make the right choice the next time. And if you make the right choice, rejoice and share your experience with somebody else so that he can benefit from it.

3) Focus on the positive – Keep thinking positively and look out for the opportunities hidden deep within the shadows of the bad situations. They are difficult to spot but if you look and think hard enough, you will not only be able to find a solution but perhaps even a route to a better situation. If you keep thinking negative thoughts you will only sink lower and lower.

4) Feel grateful – Do you show gratitude for the things you enjoy in your life? Do you feel grateful for having good relationships, good health, good food, fresh air or even just plain old sunshine? During times of distress you need to focus on the good things in your life and feel sincere gratitude to keep a positive state of mind.

5) Develop your mental awareness – Observe your thoughts. Are they positive or negative? It is best if you think positive thoughts because you can act on them with positive results. If you are thinking negative thoughts, keep them in check and don’t indulge in them. If you can do this you can harness your mental awareness, something most people can’t do.

The above tips are meant to empower you with the clarity, gratitude and wisdom you will need to come out of the worst situations a better and wiser person.

When you deal with your own pains and pleasures you become the captain of your own destiny.

I have been through the ups and downs of life. I’ve faced success and failure in everything I do. But I never see failure as failure. I tend to see failure as a golden nugget of wisdom for me to gain success.

Success does not come easy, but I can tell you it is not only for a selected few. Everyone has the potential to be successful in all aspects of his or her life. By nurturing good habits and sticking to them it is possible to attain success. It is important that note that all successful people have a certain personality. They tend to think, speak and behave in a particular manner. There is a remarkable consistency in these similarities.

If you too want to be successful, here are 11 powerful tips for success you should apply to your life.

1.    What do you want to achieve in your life? Develop a clear vision of what you want to achieve, keep this in your mind and never lose sight of it.

2.    Believe firmly in your ability to achieve your goals. Believe that you will achieve your dreams without doubt. Believe that there is a higher power that is guiding you and helping you achieve your dreams.

3.    Avoid negative influences and expel them from your life. These include negative people, books, activities, vices, etc. Surround yourself with people or things that emit positive energy and boost your belief that you will succeed.

4.    Your future is your responsibility, not others’. Depend solely on yourself and never rely on anybody else to shape your future.

5.    Once you commit to doing something, never give up and stray away from your commitment. It is important that you always stay focused or your efforts will all be wasted.

6.    Always refresh and examine your affirmations. Recite them and keep your affirmations fresh by referring to them in present tense. Write down your affirmations so that you can examine them in words. This helps you stay focused on your goals and is also a great way to build up your self-confidence and strengthen your belief.

7.    Be specific about what you want to achieve and make these into goals. They should be clear, measurable, realistic and be given a duration.

8.    Formulate a plan of action. Don’t try to take giant strides. Instead, break down your plan into smaller tasks that you can perform effectively and realistically. With every small task accomplished you will be one step closer to your goal.

9.    Persist, persist and persist. Never give up on what you set out to accomplish until you have achieved your goal. Persistence will determine your success. Take every failure as a learning experience and forge ahead with stronger faith and greater wisdom.

10.    Be grateful to all the positive influences in your life. Be grateful for your family’s love and support and show your appreciation. You will be rewarded with more support and love, which will provide encouragement for you to reach your goals.

11.    Never be selfish. Try to give your time and wealth to the needy and to render your services to those who require them. Be kind and generous and success will beckon to you in ways you lease expect.

So there you are. The 11 power tips for success you can and should apply to your life. If you follow them with faith and persistence, you will be rewarded with your success.