OPT - Optimal Performance & Thinking

I became the 78th and last person at this point of writing to comment on my oldest child's and daughter's post. It included a reference to my journal post highlighting my first intention to start an important research seeking out how to achieve OPT or Optimal Performance & Thinking. The following photo comes from my journal post shared above.

Fei had started her studies in psychology in the US and had returned in the summer holidays of 2003 to temporarily join our team at the office. It was the time when I initiated a study of the training programs that corporations were receiving at that era of time to compare with what I had developed when I started my own IT and Management Consulting services in the 80s.

It wasn't because there wasn't enough training concepts or ideas already existing on performance or thinking and development process in the world. It was more about how to create sustainable results long after any training had been completed for participants of any business or corporation.

Fast-forward to the year 2021

Consistent dance on Zoom with others daily for 1 full year! (March 16, 2021 US date) This is quite an achievement in consistency!

Life's story:

Fei is our first child and daughter born in the 80s, with 5 children after her all born in Kuala Lumpur. At that time of my life when she was born, I felt I was sufficiently mature to be a father.  I had already traveled to over a dozen countries in the world on my own, finished my tertiary education to later serve a voluntary two year mission for our Church. I became a qualified accountant focused on being in the consultancy business & pioneer in the IT industry. The Church also had called me to serve as the KL branch president. Most importantly, I was married to a most talented woman who turned out to be an amazing partner to me as well as mother to all the children.

I have the most vivid memories of my oldest daughter as early as when she was one plus and walking. She taught me about consciousness even as a child. She wasn't able to talk yet but as a father talking to her in full sentences, I could see how she was looking at me as if she understood me! 

It was a time some months after my fatal crash head on with a truck on 8 March 1985 where I needed time to recuperate at home. Since this post happens to cover the subject of Optimal Performance, may I share this photo below to add to the description above of myself being a "sufficiently mature father" that I was also a "daredevil father" who could cheat death in a head on collision with a truck! 

I had more time to interact with my daughter at home. One day I tested her ability to understand me while outside in the porch of the home to point to me an object that was in the home. She walked slowly into the home and was able to point to the exact object! This was when the sufficiently mature and dare devil father, but slow in thinking, learned a simple lesson that just because a child can't talk yet doesn't mean they don't understand the language they have been listening from their parents!

A slow thinker maybe but during those slow days at the hospital, my mind was keeping busy about what's going to happen to the computer business I was running? In those slow days on the hospital bed, while the body was broken, my mind was thinking and designing the packaging of a new innovative product to launch. The above packaging and flyer was designed by me in the hospital bed to be eventually launched to produce impressive sales volume as a local product with lots of press coverage.

Fei would grow up to soon have a sister and when they were old enough to go to school, I volunteered to drive them in the early mornings instead of their Mom as I didn't mind going to my office early. Also I was enjoying the daily chats with them. From this experience of being the driver, I can share some stories today about Fei and her younger sister.

Story 1 

Elementary/Primary age

Every morning I would be the first out to the car to get it started and warmed up. It would be past 6.30am in the morning, maybe around a quarter to seven. Fei being the oldest and more conversant would usually be sitting beside me with her sister behind. This routine would carry on for a few years until one day it changed. Fei would sit behind and her sister who has grown up would want to be in the front seat. There was a little tussle in the beginning but was soon settled when I insisted that we had to get going to avoid heavier traffic if we were late.

On the next day there was another tussle in the morning and her sister got to get the front seat again with Fei obviously unhappy. I carried on my usual chats or ramblings oblivion to the little tussle. From memory I recall that the tussle in the mornings got a little more aggressive and I must have  reprimanded both of them. The next morning I started the car early as usual and this time I was surprised that both of them chose to sit behind by some agreement between the two of them who seemed happy about it.

So that morning, I was inspired to teach them some new principles though I knew that both felt contented and were happy that there were no more tussles. I knew that they must have discussed the problem at home to resolve the conflict and made the decision to have peace by both agreeing to sit in the back seat together. So I pointed out to them that their agreement was a 'lose lose' situation as neither got to sit beside me. I suggested to them to try the alternative of a 'win win' situation where they simply could agree to take turns each day to sit on the front seat! The problem was solved.

  

Story 2 

Middle School/Secondary age

One day, out of the blue, Fei now a young teenager brought up the topic that agitated me. She made a strong statement to say she wasn't Chinese. I felt it was ridiculous as she was born with both parents who are Chinese! I lost my cool as I've grown up to be a Mr Logical, born with goodly parents who were not only Chinese but were always rational in their thinking. My father especially was a man who worked hard as a Chinese would do. He was born in poverty but worked hard to study at the Penang Free school established by the British. He had earned himself a scholarship to further his education in England. He came home to my mother who had married him when both were about 16 years of age to eventually raise 7 Chinese children while working first for the British government and later the Malaysian after independence in 1957.

Luckily, Mr Logical, shaken by an illogical statement from Fei asked her how could she think she was not a Chinese to wait for her answer. She simply answered... for a start we belong to an American Church and most of our friends who came to visit us at home were Americans. Mom learned to cook American dishes served often at home with dessert like the American sheet cake, the children's favorite. We speak English at home, we watch American programs on television, videos and the American movies in the theatre. We sing and play American Church hymns on the piano and enjoy songs from American musicals like the Sound of Music, Les Miserables etc. Mom and Dad sealed your marriage in the Church Salt Lake City temple for time and eternity, we buy American toys from Toys "R" Us and the list went on!

I immediately cooled down and realized her consciousness was real growing up in our family! She really was an Optimal Performance & Thinking daughter who grew up so fast shared in this brief journal.

Story 3 

Single Adult age

Then Fei got to go to Brigham Young University in Hawaii to study psychology and a year later her sister went there too. Fei later chose to go East to China to work teaching children in Beijing while her sister went westwards to Utah. It was in China that Fei wrote online that she finally realized she was a Chinese! 

At Brigham Young University in Hawaii.

In Tiananmen Square Beijing

She started travelling the world on her own as far as Herrang Sweden for a swing dancing event where she got on the radio.

She also enjoyed swing dancing with a group on the Great Wall!

She soon got invited to be on television in Los Angeles where she is living today.

I love to make funny videos and this one was made in the year 2011 when both Fei and her sister got married one year after the other. I would replace words with the video below:

Back to the Kiddo days where more boys joined the Family:

Now while I was always kept busy with business, my family always came first not forgetting the callings I received from Church where I was soon called to be the District President for the country that required me to travel more. We would have our Monday fun family home evenings regularly that we all looked forward to:

Without the Mom of our family who passed away in 2012 of cancer, having Fei and her sister  has been a great blessing and joy to the family :

We received the best from Mom who Touched our Lives forever'