“Why would I think about missing a shot I haven’t taken?”

When Michael Jordan was drafted to the Chicago Bulls, I wasn't born yet. When he retired, I was only 8. Basketball isn't big in Malaysia and we don't get much exposure on basketball compared to football. My first exposure to Michael Jordan was the movie Space Jam. Eventually I learned that Michael Jordan is this huge basketball star.

I have very little knowledge in basketball. The only time I ever had to learn basketball was when I was working at Astro and had to write scripts to report on basketball matches. This script was for the presenter of the show I was producing. Writing a script for football? Easy. Tennis? Fine. Golf? Not that difficult. But basketball? that was tough especially when it had to involved stats. Because Americans love stats. So I had to learn a thing or two about basketball. But that's about it.

And then there's this new docu-series on Netflix about Chicago Bulls and Michael Jordan called The Last Dance. I love sports documentaries and I couldn't miss this one. I loved everything about it. It's so beautifully done. Episode 7 was my favourite. It gave me a whirlwind of emotions. Chicago Bulls' fans would probably be crying after watching it because that team was amazing and Michael Jordan is GOAT.

The show had plenty of incredible, inspiring quotes but one that really hit me was “Why would I think about missing a shot I haven’t taken?”

That mentality.

A lot of people live their lives trying to achieve that thinking, that mentality. Living in the present and not worrying about things they don't know yet and a lot of people failed. Myself included. Big time.

Take one day at a time. Sounds so simple but so difficult to do.

It was mentioned on the show that a lot of the downfall of great sportsmen were caused by this. They worry about not being good enough, they worry they couldn't perform in the next game, or couldn't score. What ifs never helped anyone.

Growing up people keep saying Michael Jordan is GOAT. Why? Now I know. His mentality is unmatched. There's no way anyone can be that great if their mentality is not as strong. He's a great basketball player but just that is not enough to make him who he is.

I realised not worrying about things you don't know or hasn't happened yet takes practice and discipline. You have to train yourself. I still struggle. But I try to start with reminding myself to only focus on what I can control. The truth is we have no control over many things that happen in life. We refuse to accept that and that's why we get anxious or stressed.

It's better to use our time and energy on things we have power over. You can influence but you can never control how others think, feel or act. It can be long and slow process but if you really put your mind into it you can achieve it.

Anyway if you haven't seen The Last Dance, watch it now.

The Lay-Offs

The first time I was laid off in 2013, I was upset but I was not worried about it because months before I found out I would lose my job, I've already had a new job offer, but that's not saying I would have resigned anyway. I would not have because I loved my job at that time. But at that time it was less worrying as I had a job secured before being laid off. Everything happens for a reason. I actually loved the next job.

The second time was very strange because I was in Malaysia at that time, the company in Singapore relocated me and after two months, the HQ decided to cease operations of the Singapore office. So in my mind, my hiring didn't make any sense and having just moved back to Singapore I was a little bit concerned. I immediately started applying for jobs and received and offer just a week after the lay off. I guess I got lucky.

The third time in 2018 was quite sad because I had hoped that this one was going to be okay and I wanted to stay there longer if I could. So after two years there the publisher decided to cease publication in the region. They called us for a meeting in a room and told us the bad news. I was more worried than before this time because I just had a baby and the thought of not being able to properly provide for my daughter stressed me out. Fortunately while still serving my notice, a new opportunity came with a much better offer and I just grabbed it.

The fourth time was unprecedented. Malaysia just went into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic and so did the rest of the world. When the two top figures of the company sent a Zoom meeting request to me alone, I knew something's not right. I tried to tell myself it was just going to be a normal catch-up call but after three lay-offs, I knew better. Only this time it was done via a video-conference call. I felt a lump in my throat. I started to feel really worried because I knew to secure a new job immediately would be impossible with all that's going on in the world. It was hard to stay positive. But I knew I can't dwell on it.

Two months after the lay-off I feel more positive now. Although I haven't secured a new job yet, I feel good to have reconnected with people, it feels great that I finally launched this website and most importantly this down time has allowed me to work on a few new interesting projects that I wouldn't have had the time to do before.

It's normal to look back and think about the 'what ifs', thinking that you wouldn't be in unfavourable positions later. I'm guilty of that. But all these have allowed me to grow so much as a person and as a professional. I'm grateful for that.

Building A Personal Website

Before I begin, I would like to clarify that I am not an expert at building a website. I taught myself and did what I can.

So I am just going to put down here the process of building this website. I hope it helps.

Buying a domain

Because my website is a personal website, my domain would be my name. Previously before I created this website, I used Wordpress for this domain. And because Bluehost has a 1-click Wordpress installation, I registered my domain there. You can use other websites to buy your domain too. Registering my domain with a security plan on Bluehost costs me around US$35/year. But this is where I made a mistake. I will tell more about this below.

Choosing a website builder

I was only familiar with Wordpress but I wanted to try other website builder so I read up comparisons and ratings of website builders on webstitetooltester and sitebuilderreport. I contemplated between Wix and Squarespace. Squarespace seemed appealing but I ended up with Wix as it gives me the freedom to design the website according to my liking. My mistake was that I quickly renewed my domain on Bluehost without checking the options on Wix. In the Wix plan that I chose, it offers 1 year free domain. It's a shame, I know. I could have saved money. Right now I could connect the domain on Bluehost to Wix and after a few months I would be able to completely transfer the domain here. Sounds complicated but it doesn't have to be. If you decided to build your website on Wix, just create your domain through Wix.

Purpose of website

As mentioned on my previous blog, the reason I created this website is to better showcase my work. It is like an online portfolio or resume, so people can get a better understanding on who I am and what I do. It is easier to design your website if you know the purpose of it.

Website's look and feel

I knew I wanted my website to have a bright and clean look. I just want to keep it simple but functional and friendly enough. I don't like clutter. So think about the colours you want for your website. Choose the look that represents yourself.

Building a website on Wix

Wix has an option that will do most of the work for you. Basically you just answer a few questions and it will automatically design the website for you or you can edit the website from scratch yourself - that's what I did.

Information on website

Decide what you want to display on your website. My main page is a brief description about me. I created pages for my resume, past works, photos, blog and also contact. It is up to you what you want to show but I think it's important to keep it short. Because people's attention span is a lot shorter now.

Social media links

Make sure you add your social media links. I added mine at the footer of the website. I excluded Facebook as I'm not always on there and it's only for close friends and family so it's not relevant to put it on here.

Mobile

80% views of my website when it first launched were via mobile. On Wix you can edit the desktop design as well as the mobile design. It is a bit tricky as the website you designed for desktop will be optimised for mobile and it won't look exactly as it does on desktop. So when I was editing the mobile design, I had to edit, save, publish and view the design on my phone to see if it looks good and if everything works. I actually spent a lot of time to get the mobile version right. After designing the mobile site on desktop, there's a preview option but for some reasons it does not look the same when you view it on your phone. That's why I had to edit on desktop and then view from my phone. The preview on desktop is just unreliable.

Building a website yourself is something you have to explore yourself and once you get the hang of it, it will be easier. It can take time especially when you don't really have experience. But I think if I can do it, there's no reason you can't. There are plenty of website builders that make your job easier now.

Anyway, if you have any questions or need help building your personal website, just drop me a message :)