Success in life and how to achieve it was the message given to the Pattaya City Expats Club at their Sunday, January 1 meeting; a good message to start off the New Year. Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg introduced guest speaker Adrian Shepherd, who is an author, speaker, educator, and entrepreneur.
Adrian was born in England in 1974, but at the age of 8, he moved with his parents to Asia where he attended international schools in Manila and Bangkok. He then went to Los Angeles, California where he studied at Pitzer College earning his BA degree in Psychology in 1997.
PCEC’s speaker for January 1st was author, speaker, educator, and entrepreneur Adrian Shepherd.
He has authored a book giving advice on how to achieve success in life. He currently teaches at his own school in Osaka, Japan, where he lives with his wife and son but returns to Thailand often as his mother lives in Pattaya.
Adrian provided some of his background. He said his years in England were typical until his father lost his job in the garment industry and decided to move to the Philippines when he, Adrian, was 8 years old.
This, he said, was when his life really began. After attending an international school in the Philippines for 6 years, his parents relocated to Bangkok. He continued his education there, attending another international school.
After graduating, he went to the USA for his college degree because his plans were to remain in the USA to live. However, these plans changed because he realized he wasn’t like the other students and felt he really didn’t fit in.
Board member Richard Smith advises members of the activities of the voluntary Cross Culture English Language classes.
Contributing to this change in plans was that he spent some time in Japan as part of a study abroad program. He liked Japan so much that he went there after he graduated where he obtained a job teaching. After about 2 years, he decided to form his own school. He met his wife there, they have one child, and he continues to live and teach in Osaka. But, Adrian says he considers Thailand to be his second home and often visits.
It was during one of these visits in December 2004, that he and his wife were enjoying some holiday time at Khao Lak on the Andaman Sea coast. This was a changing point in his life because they were there on the morning of December 26 when the tsunami struck. Adrian described the harrowing events of that day but said what they experienced could not really be put in words. Fortunately, even though their bungalow was destroyed with them inside, they managed to break out and escape to higher ground.
A PCEC member from N Ireland describes how the fireworks in the sois on New Year’s Eve made him ‘nostalgic’ for his years growing up in Belfast.
Having survived, Adrian said he felt that he was meant to do something with his life. He explained how this led to his spending much of his time in gaining knowledge through reading and listening to CDs. He said that this led him to the discovery that the beginning of change is through education. It was his passion for learning about how to succeed in life that led him to write his own book, “iSucceed: Secrets for the average joe and jane” to help others.
At this point, Adrian said that he would pass on a few of the principles he learned. One thing he found out was that the secrets of success in business and life are easier than you think. Success is not measured by being a millionaire, but more about living the life you choose for yourself. Adrian then explained five keys to success: philosophy, attitude, activity, results, and lifestyle. Philosophy is your decision making process; it guides everything you do. Attitude relates to how you are perceived and remembered by others. Activity is what you then do to achieve what you want and it is the most difficult part. Results are what you achieve; if it is not what you want, go back to the first three steps. Lifestyle is what you want to achieve. It does not mean being rich. You measure your success by living the life you want to live.
Adrian has written a book ‘iSucceed: Secrets for the average joe and jane’ based on his experiences and research, and kindly donated proceeds from book sales to the Mercy Centre. The Mercy Centre is one of a number of charities in the Pattaya area doing so much to help the poor and underprivileged. You can learn more about the Mercy Centre at its website, mercypattaya.com.
Adrian concluded by pointing out that time is limited. You have only 24 hours in each day and at some point there will be no more days. You should learn to work within it. You should not be saying you didn’t have time to achieve what you want. Rather, it is how you choose to use your time that will see you reach your goal.
After Adrian answered several questions, Richard Silverberg called on Roy Albiston to conduct the always interesting and informative Open Forum.
The Pattaya City Expats Club meets every Sunday at the Amari’s Tavern by the Sea Restaurant.
