Thian Lung Jong has watched the pandemic show consumers

You noticed quickly those who have strong financial planning and standing and those who do not. Above all, this time has allowed many to reevaluate their life choices and realize that making changes is not hard if you understand the reason you are making these changes. 

What have you learned during this period?

First, I became more aware of my own health, taking all the necessary steps to make sure that my immune system is boosted and that I stay healthy. Second, I became more aware of my surroundings, becoming more courteous and more patient. Third, being financially secure has made a huge impact psychologically: While many are concerned about their health and money, I only have to worry about my health.

Have you made changes to your professional life?

For someone who travels six months out of the year, the pandemic has basically kept me grounded. This grounding is a nice change of pace, as it allows me to refocus on myself. I spent a lot of time doing things that my body and my mind want me to do. To be honest, this also includes doing a lot of nothing.

My first immediate focus is to keep myself and my family safe and healthy, not only physical health but also mental health. I am very careful to not force myself to do things that I don’t want to do. I feel that no matter what we do, we are being productive. Taking care of your mental health and creating your own positivity is being productive.

Furthermore, I started translating my recently published book from Mandarin to English. In terms of my business, a week after Malaysia went into MCO (movement control order), we went online with our meetings. But we do feel that there is a need to get everyone back into some form of routine. 

During the MCO, I did many sessions of free online presentations across the region for those who needed to boost their team morale. These presentations allowed me to be in tune with the current trend. For years, I have always focused on the importance of mindset. I see this as my responsibility to reach out to all advisors in any way that I could. 

Thian Lung Jong is a 12-year MDRT member from Kuching, Malaysia. Contact him at thian@jmh.my.