Saturday, July 11, 2009

Ronnie Kagan Interview (Part 3 of 3) - My midnight interview with the International Business Guru

Me: You have gone through so much and evolved over the years. Do you think you have changed in terms of your personality, and how?


Ronnie: Absolutely. I have gone from an manipulative, insecure, fearful person, to someone who is presently conscious about what he has available and uses it to the benefit and advantage of the global community rather than to manipulate the global community.


What made you sit here waiting 2 hours to chat with me?


(This question made me think. Oh yes, I actually waited 2 hours for this interview. But somehow it just didn't feel like 2 hours.... )


Me: Because its part of my calling. What I want to do.


Ronnie: So you learn somethings from me, and you gain some phenomenal information, open up some doors that could change your life forever, and other people would sit down and say:


"you're crazy, you wait for some bloke you don't know in a hotel lounge bar, what's going on?"


but you know that you are doing what you feel is right to do. And that's what makes the difference between ordinary and extraordinary.


Extraordinary people are ordinary people who just do that little bit extra. And in the moments of doing that little bit extra, within themselves they seem insignificant, but when you add that little bit extra on top of that ordinary, you end up having an extraordinary life.


And then people sit down and say to you. Gee, you're lucky Karen... Wow you are sooo lucky! Well luck has nothing to do with it.


Me: Yes, we create our own luck. Many people are stuck in their jobs or looking to take a plunge. What advice would you give these people?


Ronnie: Yes. Go out on a limb. Stop living in a fearful mindset. People want more. People know that by doing what they are doing, they are not going to achieve more. People won't change and face a new future because of fear.


We all know the acronym for fear. False Evidence Appearing Real.


So fear holds them back from giving something a go. And they never shift from where they are to where they want to be.


Me: How do you manage your relationships?


Ronnie: Don't take someone's advice if you are not prepared to put it into practice.


Me: What's after this, Ronnie?


Ronnie: (Pauses) You just brought up something really powerful. My response to you is "There is nothing after this."


This is it.


And I think that you have just taught me a valuable lesson. Absolutely, you have contributed to me in a huge way. I appreciate that. That is really generous of you.


There is nothing after this.


That is really present for me right now. Everybody is living their lives for what's happening after this. And I think they need to be consciously aware that there is nothing after this.


I am not talking about whether there is an after life, or a god, or if there is heaven or hell.

Its not about what's after this. This is it.


Start living your life as if this is the final act.


Me: There is a book titled "Flow - The Psychology of Optimal Experience". People always have the notion that they are happiest when they are retired, relaxing on a beach or lounging away...But what this Hungarian professor found is that when people lose themselves in an activity, when time just seems to flow by in peak concentration vs. relaxation, that's when they are most happy and creative.
(PS: The author's name is Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi. But there was no way I could pronounce that. Nor would Ronnie ever comprehend... my pronounciation, i mean :))
That's when they are in the flow. So what are the moments when you discover yourself being in the flow?


Ronnie: Being with someone like you. Being present. Being Real.


Me: What are the activities where you lose yourself?

Ronnie: I live my life as a flow. My everyday is a flow. Because I don't do anything that I don't wanna do anymore.


You have stopped doing things you don't wanna do. Who are the people whom you have also dropped from your life, consciously?


Many. And I dropped them not because of right and wrong. Not because I'm good and they are bad, I dropped them because their mission, purpose, focus was no longer aligned with mine. So I dropped them only because we were both heading in opposite directions.


Me: So even if you liked the fella....


Ronnie: The only reason you like someone is because you have an aligned core value. So if you didn't have an aligned core value, you couldn't like them.


Now, there is a difference between dislike and like, in so much as I really like you. vs. I really dislike you. I am talking about....We like everybody. The bloke who takes my luggage, I like him.


Me: You are saying that being aligned emotionally requires a certain connection.


Ronnie: Absolutely.


Me: You are a D personality (D for DRIVE in the DISC profiling tool). Have you always been driven in your life?


Yes, that's pretty obvious. You are talking about the DISC concept right? Florence Littauer talks about Personality Plus.


We are what we are. Neither is right or wrong. We just need to learn how to operate with the other personalities in the world.


Me: So what kind of personalities do you connect strongly with?


Ronnie: All of them.


If you are going to succeed in life, you can't not like someone because they are this type or that type. Why is that any different from 'I don't like you because you are Asian and I am Caucasian? Why is that any different from 'You are from Africa, and I am not'. You are what you are, regardless of your skin colour or personality type.


There is good people in every type. There is bad people in every type. So don't pre-judge people. Give everybody the opportunity of an open heart. And when there is proof beyond a question of doubt they don't deserve it, then close it.


Me: Are you a guilty until proven innocent, or an innocent until proven guilty person?


Ronnie: That's obvious.


Me: Even if you have learnt that one of your biggest lessons is not to be guillable...


Ronnie: If you are a guilty until proven innocent person, boy-oh-boy, you are cynical and what a life you are gonna have!


Ronnie had this huge glow on his face. Its almost as he savoured his life's journey during the course of the interview, and it was truly a delight. We can tell if someone truly loves his life, and I think that makes someone incredibly attractive.


I re-discovered the law of attraction. Its definitely not a plunging neckline, or more make-up. Its not having the hottest male accessory - a Lamborghini (the Murcielago model especially, oh I digress), or a full-head of hair. Its not just learning influence techniques, body language or mirroring strategies.


"Its being comfortable in your own skin, and loving your life."


- Karen Leong

On the fundamental Law of Attraction



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