MindSET – January 2019

Hello friends,

First, let me wish everyone a very happy, healthy and prosperous new year!

2019 – a new year for any business brings with it peaks and troughs. Opportunities and risks. Profits and losses. In life, there too will be ups and downs. Twists and turns.

To be successful in business and in life, one must have the right MindSET. Having the right MindSET has helped me succeed, both in my business and in life. Focus. Discipline. Determination. Perseverance. Try and try again. Never give up. Don’t let your past define your future.

What drives me and keeps me going is my family, friends, colleagues and supporters.  Your continuing and unwavering support propels me to go further and aim higher. I would like to say thank you, sincerely.

I have three big goals in life that I’m working to realise. The first is shaping enterprise – building a sustainable enterprise that will enable individuals and communities live a better, more balanced life. Another is giving back to the community, making a difference and helping to build a more equitable and inclusive society. Lastly, I’ll like to help individuals, in some small way, live a more balanced and enriching life by sharing my life lessons, values and adventures about living and learning.

MindSET is my new e-newsletter for sharing and updating you on what I have been working on in the last year. It’s a way for us to catch up and stay in touch.

We live in interesting times and challenging ones too. The world’s economy is in flux. The tectonic plates of the world’s economy are shifting. New centres of political and economic power are emerging, with Asia on the rise.

Two economic giants, the United States and China are on a trade war path. A BREXIT deal remains elusive. The world’s markets have suffered a prolonged turbulence, and some analysts are predicting an imminent end to a nine-year long bull run.

The growing debt burden of many emerging market economies, accumulated in the past decade of cheap money, could face their day of reckoning sooner than expected. If not dealt in a timely way and thoughtfully, it could be a trigger of a new financial crisis. China’s economic growth is slowing and this will have an impact on the global economy. US interest rates look set to continue rising in 2019, raising borrowing costs and dampening corporate earnings.

The confluence of these economic shifts and uncertainties may spawn a new economic order, or chaos. For someone like me who is building and shaping a sustainable enterprise, it comes with plenty of risks, but also opportunities.

Roman Philosopher Seneca once said “luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” It isn’t just about being at the right place at the right time. It’s about being open, ready and prepared to take on new opportunities.

As long as we are prepared, open and ready, we could be the lucky ones to reap the rewards. Fortune favours the prepared mind. The world doesn’t owe us a living. We make our own luck.

I am a firm believer in the more you give, the more you’ll receive. I have been giving it back and paying it forward through the Kenn Foundation which I founded in 2017.

It celebrated its first anniversary in July and has had a very active and busy first year. I want to take this opportunity to share with you two very meaningful programmes which the foundation has participated in.

The first is the Singapore National Arts Council’s Artist-in-School Scheme. It brings practising artists to schools to help develop and tailor arts education programmes in visual, performing and literary arts for students.

The foundation’s focus is on bringing arts education to students with special needs, such as those with intellectual disability from the Fernvale Gardens School. For these students, it goes well beyond just arts education and appreciation. It’s a form of therapy and a source of comfort.

I am honoured and humbled to report that my contribution was recognised by the National Arts Council with a Distinguished Patron of The Arts award. I received the award from the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, Ms Grace Fu, in July.

Another equally meaningful programme that we’ve participated in is the Singapore Red Cross Food Aid. It provides “Meals with Love” for the disadvantaged and overlooked families in our community. As part of this programme, the Red Cross distributes food items and vouchers to ensure these families are properly nourished.

At the recent Red Cross Music for Humanity Charity Gala 2018, I had the privilege to present a S$100 000 cheque to President Halimah Yacob who accepted it on behalf of the Red Cross.

Both are deeply inspiring initiatives. I’m happy to be able to play a small part. They motivate me to want to do more. Join me and do your bit in giving back.

The Chinese says “活到老，学到老”. In plain English, it means one is never too old to learn. Life long learning is a key part of my philosophy of living a better and more balanced life, living life in equilibrium.

In October, I was in Bangkok to conduct a “Build Your Wealth” seminar. About 200 people attended the seminar. We talked about what wealth is; what individual net worth is; and how to go about earning, saving and investing to build wealth. The seminar was live streamed on Thailand’s Channel 8 Facebook.  Courses and seminars such as “Build Your Wealth” are one way I hope to share my experience, knowledge and insights and help people learn and live a more fulfilled and balanced life.

I was back in Bangkok in December to deliver a keynote speech on “Globalisation with a Heart” at the Influential Brands Asia CEO Summit, where I called for a bold, radical way of rethinking globalisation by companies in order to build a more equitable and inclusive society. You can read more about it at https://www.kenn.org/2018/12/12/globalisation-with-a-heart/

I have also launched my new book, the K-book in English and Thai.  It depicts my life adventures, lessons and values that I learnt, growing up, in a comic book that is entertaining and educational for both children, and hopefully adults.

If you’re interested, grab a copy at https://www.kenn.org/product/k-book/

Master Your Mind. Master Your Destiny.

Kenneth Kam