Wisdom in fragments

Some of the most valuable lessons are not from seeing how they've dealt with success, but how they've dealt with failure and come back stronger and more determined to succeed.

Founder and Chairman of ONE Championship, premier Asian MMA organization

I learned a long time ago that life is not a race against other people. Life is a competition with yourself. One of the greatest achievements in life is to outperform yourself and live your greatest life possible. Greatness lives in all of us, but we must all find what it is that ignites our souls.

Founder and Chairman of ONE Championship, premier Asian MMA organization

In order to build a truly powerful brand, you can't just sell a product. You need a brand that is authentic and resonates deeply with your fans. The reason we've been able to amass so many followers around the world in such a short period of time is that they aren't just consuming a product; they're finding meaning in it.

Founder and Chairman of ONE Championship, premier Asian MMA organization

I owned a US$500 million hedge fund when I decided to retire from Wall Street. On paper, I was on top of the world. Inside, though, something was missing. All of the money and material things in the world could never fill that void. It was painful to admit, but I had climbed up to the top of the wrong mountain.

Founder and Chairman of ONE Championship, premier Asian MMA organization

Self-awareness, to me, is about discerning the elements of life we can control from those we should release. This recognition doesn't hinder growth or improvement but provides a necessary clarity that aids in managing stress.

Interestingly, the same hormonal cascade occurs when we feel excitement. Essentially, whether we're excited or stressed, our physiological response is similar. The key differentiator is our perception of these sensations. Reframing stress as our body's way of gearing up to tackle challenges can be a potent tool.

When individuals express a desire for a stress-free life, I often remind them of two things: First, the only beings without stress are no longer living. Second, when you plot stress against performance, you observe an inverse U-shaped curve. At zero stress, performance is at its lowest.

The brain's adaptability is astounding. The brain is continuously rewiring; it's different now than it was just 30 seconds ago. That is fascinating and offers great promise. We can tap into and influence these deeply ingrained behaviours and thought patterns.

The stress response is designed for '3 minutes of screaming terror across the Savannah.' If you're not experiencing such an intense moment, it's likely that your stress response isn't calibrated right. At its core, stress is a primal reaction meant for life-threatening situations where our options are to freeze, flee, or fight.

Many people assume that they understand what stress truly is. Yet, I believe our collective definition might be somewhat misguided. Hans Selye, often regarded as the pioneer in stress research, characterized it as the body's non-specific response to any demand. Rather than categorizing stress as either good or bad, we should understand it as the body's reaction to any non-specific challenge.

I do not approach challenges with the sole aim of targeting the largest customers in established markets to replace current players. Instead, I focus on the overlooked, marginalized customers who often find the products of big players unaffordable. By catering to them, that is how we initially found our foothold.

Founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, cloud computing company

I have always believed in the principle that what comes easily can leave just as easily. Instead of merely 'buying' talent, which could later be 'bought' by another company, it is more impactful to create opportunities for potential talent. We need to see talent in more humanistic terms.

Founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, cloud computing company

True goodwill is cultivated over time through building customer relationships, fostering employee bonds, and nurturing ties with the community. But trying to pin a numerical value on goodwill, expecting it to annually increase or decrease on a balance sheet, is where the essence gets lost.

Founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, cloud computing company

It is almost like a karmic cycle. When you invest in training individuals, they often become more devoted to your organization. When they witness the company making similar investments in various locations, it adds to their motivation. Once you invest in these individuals, they tend to stick around longer, which benefits the company.

Founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, cloud computing company

When you choose not to raise funds... think of it in terms of stages or ladders. These years give you knowledge capital, valuable relationships both within and outside the company, and other vital assets. From there, think of bootstrapping like a multi-stage booster rocket, where each stage propels and prepares you for the next, and the momentum continues building.

Founder and CEO of Zoho Corporation, cloud computing company

Those defending the inevitability of death vastly outnumber the proponents of indefinite life. This almost trance-like acceptance of the status quo is genuinely surprising to me.

Biohacker & Blueprint Project Founder focused on extreme longevity optimization