I will be sharing how MDRT’s Whole Person concept helped me balance seven different areas of my life. It has also given me unexplainable energy and peace of mind and has improved my productivity with a great sense of fulfilment.

1. Healthy lifestyle

Maintaining a sound and balanced mind and body through lifestyle choices will result in quality-of-life improvements and a more productive business. As an MDRT member and a leader who manages my own team, I make sure that I set aside time for my own health and well-being. That is why every Friday night I drop everything and focus on playing sports, ensuring that I still take care of my body while running for my sales targets. And every Saturday is another sports day. I play either volleyball, badminton, tennis or soccer. In this way I can continue connecting and building new relationships with different people through team sports while exercising.

2. Strong, fulfilling relationships

Planning is an important key to achieving our goals, especially regarding family time. It’s important to plan things so that everyone knows what is expected of them. Planning for family time helps us minimize conflicts and allows us to work out differences with our spouses or children. We create a list of activities that our family can do together and then use that list to make sure that they are all utilized. It is a simple step that many people overlook, but it can help your family bond. When we spend time having a family dinner together, I believe that we set the stage for bonding. I always plan a relaxing meal and make it an opportunity for the family to get to know each other better. During bedtime I make time to watch TV shows or play some games for a short while, and then I’ll have a short conversation with my wife so we can allow ourselves to express our feelings and tell each other about our day. Action creates inspiration, and I truly support having family time.

3. Intellectual development

What I really like about this industry is the fact that learning never stops — from a simple enhancement in our company’s products to learning and adapting to the world’s ever-changing financial advice. This is the area that I really want to focus on in 2023. I am hoping to clear my CFP and my ChFC qualifications in the next two years. Not only will they widen my knowledge and skills in the areas of my expertise, but they will also add value to my clients so I can serve them better.

4. Career success and growth

This industry allowed me to decide and choose which path I wanted to take and how I wanted to go about it. In July of 2021, I decided to move up as a manager to groom and mentor new and aspiring MDRT members. I believe that being a leader is being a coach and mentor all in one. Bringing my new consultants to MDRT means that I have done something right in terms of coaching and mentoring. Being a leader allows me to grow more and learn new things to help my consultants better. It is also my way of giving back to the entire MDRT community for changing my life and the lives of the people around me for the better. Over the years I was also introduced to HNW individuals with different needs and concerns. These opportunities allowed me to grow and learn more skills and knowledge in estate and legacy planning. My MDRT qualification paved the way to being referred to those market segments and expanded my network and knowledge.

5. Financial security

I always make sure that I lead by example. This career has been extremely rewarding financially, and proper allocation of this blessing is very critical. When I go over the financial planning steps with my clients, I always share with them the 40-30-20-10 concept: 40 percent of their income goes into expenses, 30 percent is for short-term investments and commitments, 20 percent is for long term, and 10 percent is for risk management and insurance. This is a concept I have diligently practiced over the years, and I hope that it will make a difference to my clients’ future well-being and finances. Because of this discipline, and after multiple MDRT achievements, I have also managed to set up another business, a bubble tea business, which added an additional form of passive income for me. I am also encouraging my clients and guiding them to set up their business ideas that they have been planning. I try to empower them by sharing my own experiences and giving them advice on how to make it work with their system.

6. Spiritual and personal values

Sunday is my church day. I make it a point not to neglect my spiritual needs, and I connect to my faith and religion regularly. I am an active and regular servant who worship leads for the church. After every worship session, I always feel renewed. It helps me clear my mind from all the worries and fears that I’ve had over the past week. I believe that this aspect of the Whole Person concept tends to be neglected by some of us, so I make it a point to dedicate every Sunday to grow and nurture my spiritual health as it also translates to my personal values, which anchors me in my daily life as a financial professional and as an individual.

7. Commitment to community service

Giving back is one of my core values. I was once helpless, and many people around me extended help as much as they could. I told myself that if one day I were able to make it in life, I would give back to pay it forward. Singapore and its people welcomed me with open arms and provided countless blessings and never-ending opportunities that helped me become who I am today — one of the best financial services professionals in the Asia Pacific region and globally. This is why I give back to Singapore society, especially to the marginalized and underprivileged. I am a very active church servant and donor. We have been supporting various charities and foundations across Singapore to make them feel more loved and share some blessings in terms of food, clothing and finances.

Being in the financial services industry for close to eight years, I have witnessed individuals and families who suffered financially due to critical illnesses, mainly cancer patients, and I believe this segment of people needs a lot of financial assistance.

I have also encouraged other permanent residents and foreign talents living here to give back to the community as our way of saying thank you for all the opportunities that this nation has offered us.