Orang Brengsek Guru Sejati

Orang Brengsek Guru Sejati
(Gde Prama)

Entah apa dan di mana menariknya, Bank Indonesia amat senang mengundang saya untuk menyampaikan presentasi dengan judul Dealing With Difficult People. Yang jelas, ada ratusan staf bank sentral ini yang demikian tertarik dan tekunnya mendengar ocehan saya. Motifnya, apa lagi kalau bukan dengan niat untuk sesegera mungkin jauh dan bebas dari manusia-manusia sulit seperti keras kepala, suka menghina, menang sendiri, tidak mau kerja sama dll.

Di awal presentasi, hampir semua orang bernafsu sekali untuk membuat manusia sulit jadi baik. Dalam satu hal jelas, mereka yang datang menemui saya menganggap dirinya bukan manusia sulit, dan orang lain di luar sana sebagian adalah manusia sulit.

Namun, begitu mereka saya minta berdiskusi di antara mereka sendiri untuk memecahkan persoalan kontroversial, tidak sedikit yang memamerkan perilaku-perilaku manusia sulit. Bila saya tunjukkan perilaku mereka - seperti keras kepala, menang sendiri, dll ? Dan kemudian saya tanya apakah itu termasuk perilaku manusia sulit, sebagian dari mereka hanya tersenyum kecut.

Bertolak dari sinilah, maka sering saya menganjurkan untuk membersihkan kaca mata terlebih dahulu, sebelum melihat orang lain.
Dalam banyak kasus, karena kita tidak sadar dengan kotornya kaca mata maka orangpun kelihatan kotor.
Dengan kata lain, sebelum menyebut orang lain sulit, yakinlah kalau bukan Anda sendiri yang sulit. Karena Anda amat keras kepala, maka orang berbeda pendapat sedikitpun jadi sulit.
Karena Anda amat mudah tersinggung, maka orang yang tersenyum sedikit saja sudah membuat Anda jadi kesal.

Nah, pembicaraan mengenai manusia sulit hanya boleh dibicarakan dalam keadaan kaca mata bersih dan bening. Setelah itu, saya ingin mengajak Anda masuk ke dalam sebuah pemahaman tentang manusia sulit. Dengan meyakini bahwa setiap orang yang kita temui dalam hidup adalah guru kehidupan, maka guru terbaik kita sebenarnya adalah manusia-manusia super sulit. Terutama karena beberapa alasan.

Pertama, manusia super sulit sedang mengajari kita dengan menunjukkan betapa menjengkelkannya mereka. Bayangkan, ketika orang-orang ramai menyatukan pendapat, ia mau menang sendiri.Tatkala orang belajar melihat dari segi positif, ia malah mencaci dan menghina orang lain. Semakin sering kita bertemu orang-orang seperti ini, sebenarnya kita sedang semakin diingatkan untuk tidak berperilaku sejelek dan sebrengsek itu.

Saya berterimakasih sekali ke puteri Ibu kost saya yang amat kasar dan suka menghina dulu. Sebab, dari sana saya pernah berjanji untuk tidak mengizinkan putera-puteri saya sekasar dia kelak.

Sekarang, bayangan tentang anak kecil yang kasar dan suka menghina, menjadi inspirasi yang amat membantu pendidikan anak-anak di rumah. Sebab, saya pernah merasakan sendiri betapa sakit hati dan tidak enaknya dihina anak kecil.

Kedua, manusia super sulit adalah sparring partner dalam membuat kita jadi orang sabar. Sebagaimana sering saya ceritakan, badan dan jiwa ini seperti karet. Pertama ditarik melawan,namun begitu sering ditarik maka ia akan longgar juga. Dengan demikian, semakin sering kita dibuat panas kepala, mengurut-urut dada, atau menarik nafas panjang oleh manusia super sulit, itu berarti kita sedang
menarik karet ini (baca : tubuh dan jiwa ini) menjadi lebih longgar (sabar).
Saya pernah mengajar sekumpulan anak-anak muda yang tidak saja amat pintar, namun juga amat rajin mengkritik. Setiap di depan kelas saya diuji,dimaki bahkan kadang dihujat. Awalnya memang membuat tubuh ini susah tidur. Tetapi lama kelamaan, tubuh ini jadi kebal.

Seorang anggota keluarga yang mengenal latar belakang masa kecil saya, pernah heran dengan cara saya menangani hujatan-hujatan orang lain. Dan gurunya ya itu tadi, manusia-manusia pintar tukang hujat di atas.

Ketiga, manusia super sulit sering mendidik kita jadi pemimpin jempolan. Semakin sering dan semakin banyak kita memimpin dan dipimpin manusia sulit, ia akan menjadi Universitas Kesulitan yang mengagumkan daya kontribusinya.

Saya tidak mengecilkan peran sekolah bisnis, tetapi pengalaman memimpin dan dipimpin oleh manusia sulit, sudah terbukti membuat banyak sekali orang menjadi pemimpin jempolan. Rekan saya menjadi jauh lebih asertif setelah dipimpin lama oleh purnawirawan jendral yang amat keras dan diktator.

Keempat, disadari maupun tidak manusia sulit sedang memproduksi kita menjadi orang dewasa. Lihat saja, berhadapan dengan tukang hina tentu saja kita memaksa diri untuk tidak menghina balik. Bertemu dengan orang yang berhobi menjelekkan orang lain tentu membuat kita berefleksi, betapa tidak enaknya dihina orang lain.

Kelima, dengan sedikit rasa dendam yang positif, manusia super sulit sebenarnya sedang membuat kita jadi hebat. Dimasa kecil,saya termasuk orang yang dibesarkan oleh penghina-penghina saya. Sebab, hinaan mereka membuat saya lari kencang dalam belajar dan berusaha. Dan kemudian, kalau ada kesempatan saya bantu orang-orang yang menghina tadi. Dan betapa besar dan hebatnya diri ini
rasanya, kalau berhasil membantu orang yangtadinya menghina kita.

Terakhir dan yang paling penting, manusia super sulit sebenarnya menunjukkan jalan ke surga, serta mendoakan kita masuk surga. Pasalnya, kalau kita berhasil membalas hinaan dengan senyuman, batu dengan bunga, bau busuk dengan bau harum, bukankah kemungkinan masuk surga menjadi lebih tinggi ?.

Stop Comparing, Start Flowing !

Stop Comparing, Start Flowing !

Gede Prama memulai talkshow dengan bercerita tentang tokoh asal Timur Tengah, Nasruddin.
Suatu hari, Nasruddin mencari sesuatu di halaman rumahnya yang penuh dengan pasir. Ternyata dia mencari jarum. Tetangganya yang merasa kasihan, ikut membantunya mencari jarum tersebut. Tetapi selama sejam mereka mencari, jarum itu tak ketemu juga.

Tetangganya bertanya, "Jarumnya jatuh dimana?"
"Jarumnya jatuh di dalam," jawab Nasruddin.
"Kalau jarum bisa jatuh di dalam, kenapa mencarinya di luar?" tanya tetangganya. Dengan ekspresi tanpa dosa, Nasruddin menjawab, "Karena di dalam gelap, di luar terang."

Begitulah, kata Gede Prama, perjalanan kita mencari kebahagiaan dan keindahan. Sering kali kita mencarinya di luar dan tidak mendapat apa-apa. Sedangkan daerah tergelap dalam mencari kebahagiaan dan keindahan, sebenarnya adalah daerah-daerah di dalam diri. Justru letak 'sumur' kebahagiaan yang tak pernah kering, berada di dalam. Tak perlu juga mencarinya jauh-jauh, karena 'sumur' itu berada di dalam semua orang.

Sayangnya karena faktor peradaban, keserakahan dan faktor lainnya, banyak orang mencari sumur itu di luar. Ada orang yang mencari bentuk kebahagiaannya dalam kehalusan kulit, jabatan, baju mahal, mobil bagus atau rumah indah. Tetapi kenyataannya, setiap pencarian di luar tersebut akan berujung pada bukan apa-apa. Karena semua itu, tidak akan berlangsung lama. Kulit, misalnya, akan keriput karena termakan usia, mobil mewah akan berganti dengan model terbaru, jabatan juga akan hilang karena pensiun.

"Setiap perjalanan mencari kebahagiaan dan keindahan di luar, akan selalu berujung pada bukan apa-apa, leads you nowhere. Setiap kekecewaan hidup yang jauh dari keindahan dan kebahagiaan, berangkat dari mencarinya di luar," tegas Gede Prama. Untuk mencapai tingkatan kehidupan yang penuh keindahan dan kebahagiaan, seseorang harus melalui 5(lima) buah 'pintu' yang menuju ke tempat tersebut.

Pintu pertama adalah stop comparing, start flowing.
"Stop membandingkan dengan yang lain. Seorang ayah atau ibu belajar untuk tidak membandingkan anak dengan yang lain. Karena setiap pembandingan akan membuat anak-anak mencari kebahagiaan di luar," ujar Gede Prama.

Setiap penderitaan hidup manusia, setiap bentuk ketidakindahan, menurut Gede Prama, dimulai dari membandingkan. Gede Prama mencontohkan orang kaya berkulit hitam yang tidak dapat menerima
kenyataan bahwa dia berkulit hitam. Orang itu sering kali membandingkan dirinya dengan orang kulit putih.

"Uangnya banyak, mampu mengongkosi hobinya untuk operasi plastik. Sehingga orang yang hidup dari satu perbandingan ke perbandingan lain, maka hidupnya kurang lebih sama dengan seorang orang kaya itu. Leads you nowhere," kata Gede Prama dengan logatnya yang khas.

Karena itu, Gede Prama mengajak peserta ke sebuah titik, mengalir (flowing) menuju ke kehidupan yang paling indah di dunia, yaitu menjadi diri sendiri. Apa yang disebut flowing ini sesungguhnya
sederhana saja.

Kita akan menemukan yang terbaik dari diri kita, ketika kita mulai belajar menerimanya. Sehingga kepercayaan diri juga dapat muncul. Kepercayaan diri ini berkaitan dengan keyakinan-keyakinan yang kita bangun dari dalam. "Tidak ada kehidupan yang paling indah dengan menjadi diri sendiri. Itulah keindahan yang sebenar-benarnya!" kata Gede Prama.


Pintu kedua menuju keindahan dan kebahagiaan adalah Memberi.
Sebab utama kita berada di bumi ini, kata Gede Prama, adalah untuk memberi. "Kalau masih ragu dengan kegiatan memberi, artinya kita harus memberi lebih banyak," ujar Gede Prama.

"Saya melihat ada 3 tangga emas kehidupan; I intend good, I do good and I am good. Saya berniat baik, saya melakukan hal yang baik, kemudian saya menjadi orang baik. Yang baik-baik itu bisa kita
lakukan, bila kita konsentrasi pada hal memberi," lanjut Gede Prama lagi. Memberi tidak harus selalu dalam bentuk materi. Pemberian dapat berbentuk senyum, pelukan, perhatian. Dan setiap manusia yang sudah rajin memberi, dia akan memasuki wilayah beauty and happiness.

"Saya sering bertemu dengan orang-orang kaya. Ada yang suka memberi, ada yang pelit. Saya melihat orang yang tidak suka memberi muka orang itu keringnya minta ampun. Orang yang mukanya kering ini bertanya pada saya, apa rahasia kehidupan yang paling penting yang bisa saya bagi ke saya. Saya bilang sleep well, eat well," ungkap Gede Prama sambil tersenyum. Artinya memang, untuk ongkos untuk menjadi bahagia tidak mahal. Hanya saja orang sering kali memperumit hal yang sudah rumit. Kalau kita sederhanakan, sleep well, eat well akan jadi mudah jika diikuti dengan kegiatan memberi.


Pintu ketiga untuk menuju keindahan dan kebahagiaan adalah berawal dari semakin gelap hidup Anda, semakin terang cahaya Anda di dalam.

Perhatikanlah bintang di malam hari tampak bercahaya, jika langitnya gelap. Sedangkan, lilin di sebuah ruangan akan bercahaya bagus, jika ruangannya gelap. Artinya, semakin Anda berhadapan dengan masalah dan cobaan dalam hidup, semakin bercahaya Anda dari dalam.

"Jika Anda punya suami yang keras dan marah-marah, jangan lupa bersyukurlah. Karena suami yang keras dan marah-marah, membuat sinar dari dalam diri Anda bercahaya. Anda punya istri cerewetnya minta ampun. Bersyukurlah, karena orang cerewet adalah guru kehidupan terbaik. Paling tidak dari orang cerewet kita belajar tentang kesabaran. Jika Anda punya atasan diktatornya minta ampun. Bersyukurlah, karena Anda dapat belajar tentang kebijaksanaan," ujar Gede Prama membesarkan hati.

Orang yang pada akhirnya menemukan keindahan dan kebahagiaan, menurut Gede Prama, biasanya telah lulus dari universitas kesulitan. Semakin banyak kesulitan hidup yang kita hadapi, semakin diri kita bercahaya dari dalam. Mengutip perkataan Jamaluddin Rumi, semuanya dikirim sebagai pembimbing kehidupan dari sebuah tempat yang tidak terbayangkan.

"Tidak hanya orang cantik saja yang berguna, orang jelek juga berguna. Gunanya adalah karena orang jelek, orang cantik terlihat jadi tambah cantik," kata Gede Prama disambut tawa peserta. "Jadi
semuanya ada gunanya, untuk menghidupkan cahaya-cahaya beauty and happiness," tegasnya.

Pintu keempat adalah surga bukanlah sebuah tempat, melainkan adalah rangkaian sikap.
"Bila Anda melihat hidup penuh dengan kesusahan dan godaan, maka neraka tidak ketemu setelah mati. Neraka sudah ketemu sekarang," ujar Gede Prama. Sedangkan Anda akan bertemu surga, jika hasil dari rangkaian sikap Anda benar. Sikap ini dimulai dari berhenti mengkhawatirkan segala sesuatunya, dan coba yakinkan diri bahwa everything will be allright. Setiap kali kita melalukan ritual peribadatan, tetapi setiap kali pula kita merasa takut. Padahal ketakutan adalah sebentuk ketidakyakinan terhadap kebenaran.

"Kalau Anda melalukan ritual peribadatan tapi masih takut, mending jangan melalukan ritual peribadatan, karena toh Anda tidak yakin terhadap kebenaran," kata Gede Prama. "Segala sesuatunya menjadi
baik-baik saja jika Anda mencintai yang kecil," sambung Gede Prama.

Pintu kelima menuju keindahan dan kebahagiaan yakni tahu diri kita dan kita tahu kehidupan.
Manusia-manusia yang tidak tahu diri adalah manusia yang tidak pernah ketemu keindahan dan kebahagiaan dalam hidupnya. "Sumur kehidupan yang tidak pernah kering berada di dalam. Sumur ini hanya kita temukan dan kita timba airnya kalau kita bisa mengetahui diri kita sendiri," kata Gede Prama. Seandainya diri sendiri telah ditemukan, maka artinya kita kemudian mengetahui kehidupan.

Gde Prama

Wisdom in Failure

How the unseen hand of failure works...   Failure is Natures plan through which he hurdle-jumps men of destiny and prepares them to do their work.   As you read through these following real life case studies, learn to understand and identify where and how the unseen hand works.     1. The Hilton Story   Conrad Nicholson Hilton was born in 1887 in San Antonio, Mexico Territory, the second of eight children. His father, an immigrant from Norway, hand built and lost several fortunes in speculative ventures. Their flagship business was a general store which enabled them to build a large home with several bedrooms. During the panic of 1907, money was scarce. At young ConradÕs suggestion, the Hilton family transformed their home into a modest inn. Each night, Conrad went to the train station to drum up business and for US$1, travellers were given a clean room, meals cooked by Mary Hilton (the mother) and good hospitality. Eventually Conrad purchased his own hotel and after barely surviving the Great Depression, Hilton went on a buying and selling binge, building the Hilton Hotel chain into one of the worldÕs most respected hospitality organizations.     2. The Kim Dae Jung Story D. J. Kim as he is known was born the second son of a farmer on the tiny island of Ha Eui, Korea. In his early years, Kim grew up without formal schooling except for his passion for books and philosophy. Only in 1937, when his parents moved to Mokpo on the mainland was he able to get a proper education. However, at the end of World War II, when schools were closed, Kim had to start his career in the shipping business. On one business trip to Seoul, Kim saw the suffering of the people caused by bad politics. It was the beginning of a political career that was to see him facing death 5 times, beaten, kidnapped, spent 6 years in prison and 10 years in exile. But the more he was persecuted, the more popular he became. During his years in jail, Kim would teach himself English, devouring the works of Mencius, Plato, Bertrand Russell and Abraham Lincoln. He would carry a pocket dictionary wherever he went and constantly looked up new words. At one point he was actually sentenced to death for treason. But somehow his life was spared when the United States came to the rescue. His sentence was commuted to life in prison and he was later put on a plane for the United States. It would seem like an irony or destiny that this 3 times failed presidency candidate would finally take over the helm of South Korea. When Kim stepped into the presidency, South Koreas economy was in deep trouble and was already under the IMF (International Monetary Fund). Yes, everything that he had undergone in his life was meant to prepare him for this moment Ð to lead his country out of the greatest economic crisis since the war.     3. The KFC Story Colonel Harland D. Sanders was born in 1890, on a farm near Henryville, Indiana. When he was six years old, his father died. His mother then had to work as a seamstress while he cared for his younger brother and sister. It was during that time that his mother taught the young boy the art of country cooking. Not long after his mother remarried, 12 year old Harland quit school, moved out of his family house and started the first of his many jobs that included farmhand, railroad conductor, fireman, insurance salesman, steamboat operator and much more. Eventually, Sanders opened a successful service station from which he fed travellers his specialty Ð fried chicken at a single table with six chairs. It seems as though adversity was a constant companion of Sanders. In 1939, his rapidly growing business was burned to the ground. Undaunted, Sanders built another restaurant and motel with a new twist. Anyone wishing to use the pay phone or ladies restroom had to actually walk through a replica of one of his motel rooms. This room-sized advertisement help keep his motel business thriving. By the time Sanders was earning a comfortable living, another disaster struck. A new highway bypass carried away most of his customers. Business soured quickly, and Sanders was forced to sell his business at an auction. The proceeds were just enough to cover his debts. Harland Sanders was already 66 years old and had nothing to show for nearly 55 years of labour. Rather than sit back and collect social security, he was determined to find another market niche. His most valuable asset was his secret recipe, which he called Kentucky Fried Chicken. By 1956, Sanders was able to convince about a dozen restaurants to make and sell his chicken and pay him a 4-US cent royalty on each piece they sold. Buoyed by his modest success, Sanders packed his 1946 pickup truck with a 50 pound band of seasoning and a pressure cooker and took to the road to sign up more Franchisees. By 1960, 400 restaurants in the United States and Canada were cooking Kentucky Fried Chicken. Within four years, the number of outlets approached 650 and annual sales reached US$37 million. Today there are nearly 10,000 Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants worldwide with more than 200,000 employees and annual sales in excess of US$8.2 billion.     4. The Matsushita Story Matsushita was the youngest of eight children in a middle-class family. When his father gambled, and lost on commodities, nine year old Konosuke was sent out to be an apprentice in a bicycle shop. As a young adult in his early 20Õs, Matsushita was nervous and sickly. He was neither rich, highly educated, charismatic nor well connected. In his job with an electric utility, he rose to become an inspector which was considered a well regarded position. However, Konosuke decided to quit his job after his boss disagreed with his idea of creating a new kind of light socket. His willingness to take risk led him to decide to manufacture the product himself. Matsushita began his business in 1917 with savings of 100 yen with four assistants, including his wife, Mumemo. None of the five had the equilavent of a high school education. Not one of them knew how to manufacture an electrical socket. The Matsushita factory was established inside a two room rented house with a total available space for working and living equaled to 130 square feet. To overcome their lack of technological know-how, they worked long hours, seven days a week. To generate much needed cash, Matsushita and Mumemo have to pawn their clothes and personal items. They worked furiously to build their failing business. Finally his break came. Kawakita Electric, an electrical firm needed new less breakable bases for their electrical fans. They needed them immediately but did not have a source. Matsushita set aside his electrical plug project and made 1,000 insulator plates. The job was labour-intensive and after a while tedious. But Konosuke and Mumemo worked 18 hours a day, seven days a week and they were able to fulfill the order before the dead-line. The managers at Kawakita liked the product, liked the quality and liked the speedy delivery. As a result a second order was placed, this time for 2,000 insulator plates. From then on, his business grew and grew and he went on to build one of the largest electrical appliance firms in the world which he led for more than 50 years. Today his business has revenue up to US$42 billion annually and created hundreds of thousands of jobs.     5. The McDonald Story Ray Kroc was born in 1902 in Oak Park, a neighborhood on Chicagos West Side. He was never particularly attracted to studying. To make ends meet, his mother gave piano lessons at home and it was during that period that Ray learned to play the piano. He started his first business early in life with a few friends by renting a tiny office space to sell musical scores and harmonicas. They were forced to close after only a few months. Later in life, he took up a job as a haberdashery salesman. His career soon came to a dead end and he got a job as a pianist in an orchestra. After getting married, he quickly found another job with Lily Tulip selling paper cups. He then joined W.P. Morgan & Son selling real estate in Florida. He soon excelled in his job and was doing very well until the property market of Florida suddenly slumped! He therefore went back again to selling paper cups for Lily Tulip. It was during this time that Ray met Earl Prince, an engineer who was setting a chain of ice cream parlours. Ray was his paper cup supplier. When Prince asked Ray to be his partner, he sacrificed his lucrative sales job and jumped at the chance. Prince has just developed the ÒMulti-Mixer,Ó a gadget for making milkshakes. Ray became its exclusive marketing and sales agent throughout the country and Prince would manufacture them. Business did not take off very smoothly in the beginning. Furthermore, the first World War was making it hard to get the copper required for the manufacture of the Multi-Mixer. Ray was then forced to shelve this appliance and spent his time selling powdered malted milk instead. As soon as the war ended, Ray took up where he left off and the Multi-Mixer business was soon brisker than ever, especially because of the emergence of new food chains. Ray would attend all the conventions organized by restaurant owners and dairy associations in order to look for new markets. In 1948, his sales reached a record of 8,000 Multi-Mixers. It was during that time that he noticed two of his clients, the McDonald brothers who operated 8 Multi-Mixers, a rare feat at that time. On a business trip to Los Angeles, Ray Kroc finally saw the McDonalds restaurant for the first time in his life. He couldnt believe his eyes. The car park was jammed with cars and people were lining up at the counter. Ray joined the queue, which kept growing longer and longer. The next day, Ray met the McDonald brothers, offering to set a chain of restaurants similar to theirs all across the country. They would increase their profits and Ray would maximize his Multi-Mixer sales. Ray was primarily only interested in increasing his Multi-Mixer Sales! The McDonald brothers pushed back the offer to Ray instead, saying that it would be too troublesome as they were already having enough problems to keep their place going. Thats when Ray Kroc got the contract by the McDonalds giving him the right to build McDonald franchises throughout the United States. As soon as he got back to Chicago, Ray started looking for land to build the first McDonalds restaurant. A lot of his friends thought that he must be mad to get involved in selling cheap hamburgers. A year after the first McDonalds opened, three other franchise outlets sprouted in California and during the last 8 months of 1956, eight new restaurants were flourishing in different states across the country. The expansion of the McDonalds empire was phenomenal. In 1988, McDonalds owned 4,177 restaurants in the United States and 21 overseas. Since then, the success of his chain has continued. McDonalds annual sales by then already exceeded US$3 billion!   6. The Michelle Yeoh Story Yeoh Choo Kheng, better known as Michelle Yeoh was born in Ipoh, a small town in Malaysia. At a very young age she dreamed to be a ballerina. Unfortunately at the age of 16, her professional dancing career was shattered when she had a serious back injury. She would have given up her dream and become a lawyer instead. But against her doctors advice, this little lass continued to pursue her dreams. She believes that if she cannot dance there must be something else she can do. In 1983 at the age of 21, Michelle became the winner of the Miss Malaysia beauty pageant, Which won the attention of Jackie Chan and the Hong Kong movie industry.   In 1988, after her 5th movie, she married and temporarily retired from the screen. Her marriage was somehow laden with tears and loneliness. It ultimately ended in 1992. Once again, another of her lifes dreams was shattered. But Michelle was not the type to brood over spilled milk. Although she had been absent from the film industry for 4 years, she made a remarkable comeback co-starring with Jackie Chan in Police Story-3: Supercop, the top grossing film in Asia that year.   Michelle soon became the most popular and highest paid actress in Asia with a huge cult following all over the world. As the leading lady in the James Bond movie Ð Tomorrow Never Dies, Michelle fought her way into the hearts of Tinseltown moguls. She is currently the epitome of the lady of the next millenium, one with Beauty, Brain and Brawn.     7. The Parker Story George Parker left his familys lowa farm to study telegraphy at a small school in Wisconsin. He excelled in his studies and within one year was given a job, teaching classes. To supplement his low salary, Parker became a distributor for a Cincinnati fountain pen company. Frustrated with the low quality of the pens, Parker designed and patented his own ink pen and launched the Parker Pen Company. Today, Parker Pen is a subsidiary of the Gillette Company, which through its Paper Mate, Parker and Waterman product lines, is the worlds leading supplier of writing instruments.     8. The Post-it Story Arthur Fry always keep losing his paperwork. He was so disorganized and couldnt even keep track of the notes which he wrote himself. One day he discovered that his company, 3M, had invented a glue which couldn't stick very well. In other words, a glue that fail! It could only hold a piece of paper to something but could easily be peeled off. That was what Fry needed to put all his notes in nice order. He later came up with an idea which he presented to his company. The product is called Post-it¨. For the idea, he got 1% of the sale for life. Annually 3M sells over US$100 million worth of Post-it. Fry receives US$1 million a year for it.     9. The Scarlet Letter Story When the customs house in Boston, Massachusetts changed administrators, Nathariel Hawthorne who worked there was retrenched. He went home that night dejected and almost desperate. He was worried how his family and, in particular, his wife would take the bad news. Instead of reproaching him when she was told about it, his wife put a pen and a bottle of ink on the table before him. She lit the fireplace and put her arms lovingly around his shoulders. And she said, Now you will be able to write your book. Hawthorne, reassured by his wifes words and actions, went on to write the worlds famous novel The Scarlet Letter.     10. The Tun Daim Story   Almost went bankrupt twice, once in a salt business and the other in a plastic venture. Born in 1938. Went to London to study Law. At the age of 21, he was called to the Bar. On returning to the then Malaya he practised law and later worked for the government. In late 1960s, he decided to embark on a business career. But he was to meet with failure after failure in his ventures. Only after several years his break came. Today he had been a former Finance Minister and presently the Economic Adviser to the Malaysian Government. Already in semi-retirement, little could he have expected that owing to the Asian economic crisis, he was reappointed as the Finance Minister of Malaysia again, making him the first person in Malaysia to become the Finance Minister twice!     11. The UPS Story James E. Casey, the founder of UPS (United Parcel Service) had to quit school at the age of 11 to help support the family because of his fathers failing health. The first job that he could find was delivering packages for a department store at a monthly salary of US$2.50. He also worked as a messenger for a telegraph company. At age 15, Casey and two fellow messengers started their own service which he later sold. From delivering by foot, bicycles and motorcycles, he later extended to truck. Today, United Parcel Service has over 340,000 employees worldwide with annual revenues of more than US$22 billion. (1993)     12. The Viagra Story In the early 1990's, researchers at Sandwich Laboratories of Pfizer Inc. in England were seeking a new drug for dilating coronary arteries for patients with restricted coronary artery blood flow. They were using an experimental compound (UK-92-480) which blocks the action of phosphodiesterase, an enzyme responsible for the constriction of arteries. It did not work for coronary constriction, So the researchers tried to recall the samples from the test subjects who were reluctant to return them. They were rather curious but later found out the reason why. They discovered that many of the test subjects reported an increase in the frequency and durability of their penile erections. It turns out that the drug blocks phosphodiesterase 5, which is found in the penile arteries, but does not block phosphodiesterace 3, found in the coronary arteries. They shifted their reseach to men with erectile dysfunction, and sildenafil (aka Viagra) was born. (Note: by blocking an enzyme responsible for constriction, the net result is arterial Dilation.)     13. The Wrigley Story William Wrigley Jr. grew up in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. His father was a soap Manufacturer and as a young boy he sold Wrigleys Scouring soap from a basket in the streets of the city. In 1891, at age 29, Wrigley moved to Chicago, Illinois with US$32 and the desire to establish his own business. He started doing what he knew best: selling Wrigleys scouring soap. As an incentive to the grocers, Wrigley handed out baking powder. Soon, the baking powder became more popular than the soap, so he switched to the baking powder business. By 1892, Wrigley started to offer two packages of chewing gum as a premium with each can of baking powder. Again the premium became more popular than the product that he was promoting, so Wrigley decided to go into the chewing gum business. Today Wrigley chewing gum is famous all over the world.     14. The 20 Dates Story Of all the failures in Hollywood, Myles Berkowitz could be the one who lead the pack. He was a multifaceted failure Ð failed actor, failed writer, failed movie director, failed lover and even a failed waiter. He finally decided to make use of his two biggest failures in his life Ð his love life and his movie career, by combining them and making it into a film entitled 20 Dates. Berkowitz shot more than 120 hours of footages of his actual dates, how he fumbled etc... and edited them into a 88 minute movie. Two of his unsuspecting victims were so upset when they found out that they sued him. Another date let her feelings be known by leaving him nursing a bandaged hand. At the end of the movie, after 20 dates, he miraculously had a girlfriend and they fell in love all on film. The movie landed a distribution deal with Fox Searchlight and Fox has signed him to make another movie. ... if I was going to go down I wanted to go down fighting... says Berkowitz.   Moral of Stories ..... NEVER EVER GIVE UP !! -Yoli-

Belajar dari Filosofi Semut

"Belajar dari alam binatang, membuat kita takjub akan Ciptaan Tuhan."   Ada seorang profesor dari Inggris melakukan penelitian tentang kebiasaan seekor semut. Hari pertama, dia meletakkan segenggam nasi yang jaraknya tak terlampau jauh dari sebuah sarang semut. Setelah menunggu tak lebih dari lima menit secara tidak diduga datang serombongan semut mendekati nasi tersebut. Dan kemudian mereka mengangkat sebutir nasi secara satu persatu sampai nasi itu habis. Melihat peristiwa tersebut Profesor tersebut berdecak kagum dan sambil menuliskan hasil pengamatannya tadi.   Hari kedua, profesor tersebut melakukan suatu percobaan yang cukup unik. Dia mencari sebuah sarang semut yang cukup besar. Setelah ditemukannya sarang semut tersebut, profesor tersebut langsung menghancurkan sarang semut tersebut. Karena merasa sarangnya diganggu. Maka semut pun berhamburan keluar dan naik ke atas sepatu dan celana profesor tersebut. Dan mulai melakukan pembalasan. Mereka menggingitnya dengan semangat. Tidak hanya satu tapi ratusan semutpun ikut membantu. Mereka tak peduli pada bahaya yang mengancam. Bisa jadi badan mereka hancur dan remuk oleh tangan dan sepatu sang profesor.   Lewat pengamatannya selama dua hari tersebut sang profesor menemukan banyak karakter positif dari semut. Dan hebatnya karakter semut yang seakan sudah menjadi filosofi hidup para semut, dapat dijadikan pedoman untuk bekerja. Memang filosofi itu sangat sederhana, namun jika kita dapat menerapkannya, kita akan menjadi pekerja handal yang luar biasa.   So, simak deh filosofi semut yang hebat berikut ini: ·         Semut selalu bekerjasama Coba kita perhatikan cara kerja semut, mulai dari mengangkat sebutir nasi sampai memakannya. Mereka selalu bekerja sama. Sebutir nasi yang cukup berat bagi semut, diangkat beramai-ramai ke tempat mereka. Begitu seterusnya hingga butiran nasi yang mereka angkut mencukupi kebutuhan makan mereka. Kemudian mereka akan menyantapnya pula bersama-sama. Kerjasama dan kekompakan para semut bisa Anda jadikan teladan. Misalnya, saat rekan kerja Anda kesulitan, apa salahnya kita membantu. Toh hasilnya bukan untuk kepentingan pribadi namun demi kepentingan kelompok atau bersama.   ·         Semut saling peduli Kebiasaan semut yang saling bersentuhan (mungkin dalam bangsa manusia, menegur atau bersalaman) jika bertemu, menandakan bahwa bangsa semut memiliki kepedulian dan keakraban yang tinggi. Mereka merasa bahwa tidak ada yang berbeda di antara mereka.Dalam dunia kerja, sentuhan yang berarti 'care' memberi arti tersendiri bagi karyawan. Bayangkan, apa jadinya jika di lingkungan kerja Anda, sudah tidak saling peduli? Sangat menyiksa bukan..?  So, sikap ini dapat ditumbuhkan untuk menjaga kekompakan dan menumbuhkan iklim kerja yang kondusif.   Semut tidak pernah menyerah.   Bila kita menghalang-halangi dan berusaha menghentikan langkah para semut, mereka selalu akan mencari jalan lain. Mereka akan memanjat ke atas, menerobos ke bawah atau mengelilinginya. Mereka terus mencari jalan keluar. Suatu filosofi yang bagus, bukan? Jangan sekali-kali menyerah untuk menemukan jalan menuju tujuan kita sendiri.   ·         Semut menganggap semua musim panas sebagai musim dingin. Ini adalah cara pandang yang penting. Kita tidak boleh menjadi begitu naif dengan menganggap musim panas akan berlangsung sepanjang waktu. Semut- semut mengumpulkan makanan musim dingin mereka di pertengahan musim panas. Karena sangat penting bagi kita untuk bersikap realitis. Di musim panas kita harus memikirkan tentang halilintar. Kita seharusnya memikirkan badai sewaktu kita menikmati pasir dan sinar matahari. Berpikirlah ke depan, seperti halnya 'sedia payung sebelum hujan'.   ·         Semut menganggap semua musim dingin sebagai musim panas. Ini juga penting. Selama musim dingin, semut mengingatkan dirinya sendiri, "Musim dingin takkan berlangsung selamanya. Segera kita akan melalui masa sulit ini." Maka ketika hari pertama musim semi tiba, semut-semut keluar dari sarangnya. Dan bila cuaca kembali dingin, mereka masuk lagi ke dalam liangnya. Lalu, ketika hari pertama musim panas tiba, mereka segera keluar dari sarangnya. Mereka tak dapat menunggu untuk keluar dari sarang mereka.   Dengan bahasa lain, filosofi semut dapat kita teladani di lingkungan kerja kita. Dengan menjaga kerjasama, kekompokkan, saling peduli, kerja keras,pantang menyerah, dan optimis memandang masa depan. Bagaimana? Tentu saja karena kita lebih hebat dari bangsa semut, kita bisa mencapai sukses yang luar biasa, jika kita berusaha! Sukses buat kita semua…!

Bukan Belum Punya Uang, Tapi Belum Ada Ide

Bukan Belum Punya Uang, Tapi Belum Ada Ide

Resep Jitu Mewujudkan Ide

Ide merupakan kunci utama untuk berhasil. Coba perhatikan sekeliling anda. Ada pena, jam tangan, baju, celana, komputer, hp. Apakah semuanya langsung ada? Tentu saja tidak. Semuanya berasal dari satu ide kecil. Wright Bersaudara ketika sedang bermain layangan. Dalam pikirannya timbul ide seandainya manusia bisa terbang. Dan ternyata bisa terwujud. Sekarang yang menjadi pertanyaan bagaimana caranya ide kita bisa muncul setiap saat?

Thomas Alfa Edison salah satu penemu terbesar di abad 20. Sampai sekarang mempunyai hak paten lebih dari seribu produk lebih. Salah satu kunci keberhasilan Edison bisa membuat penemuan yang begitu banyak. Cukup unik dan mudah. Setiap kali mau menemukan ide untuk memecahkan masalahnya. Biasanya Edison duduk di atas kursi dengan batu yang tertekan diantara kedua lututnya. Dan di bawah diletakkan sebuah ember besar yang berisi air. Dalam keadaan tenang dan sangat relaks. Edison menanyakan kepada pikiran bawah sadarnya, masalah-masalah yang dihadapinya. Dan pada saat dia mendapatkan jawabannya. Maka secara cepat dia menuliskannya. Mengapa Edison meletakkan batu di antara kedua lututnya? Jawabannya supaya dia bisa terbangun. Begitu dia bangun maka ide tersebut langsung ditulis dan dilaksanakan. Dalam keadaan relaks pikiran sangat fokus dan begitu banyak ide yang dikeluarkan.

Robert Schuler dalam bukunya Tough Times Never Last, But Tough People Do! Dengan secara praktis dan sederhana mampu menguraikan mewujudkan sebuah ide.

Ada 4 siklus untuk mewujudkan ide:

1.Tahapan Sarang
Tahapan sarang merupakan saat ide timbul dalam pikiran seperti munculnya telur dan tersimpan dalam sarang burung. Beberapa orang hanya mengalami siklus pertama saja. Bagi banyak orang, keyakinan tidak pernah beranjak dari sarang. Telur yang tidak dierami akan membusuk dalam sarang. Ide hanya akan berlalu saja dalam pikiran tanpa diwujudkan.

2.Tahap Pengujian
Tidak ada yang tidak mengalami kesukaran untuk maju bersama setiap ide yang melintas dalam pikirannya. Ide harus diuji. Ide yang positif memunculkan pertanyaan seperti ”Apa ini sungguh-sungguh perlu?”. Bila ada kekurangan sempurnakan ide anda.

3.Tahap Penanaman
Yakinlah terhadap ide anda. Disini saatnya kita harus mendukung ide kita dengan kerja keras. Hadapilah semua. Pasti banyak yang menolak, mencaci maki, tidak masuk akal. Saat anda yakin. Semuanya pasti terwujud.

4.Tahap Hasil
Bila kita menanamnya secara benar. Maka ide itu akan menghasilkan kelimpahan bagi kita. Saatnya menuai telah tiba. Selamat mencoba menemukan ide dalam pikiran anda. Percaya dan yakinlah! Tidak ada kata gagal. Hanya belum terbiasa saja.

Pertanyaan:
Ide apa yang mau anda wujudkan dalam waktu dekat?