I'M THE CREATOR - Discipline

Before I get emotional on my first writing in many-many years, I'd like to first re-introduce myself to those who don't know me.

My name is Amin Fauzi. I'm 30 years old and currently running a million dollar company in Malaysia.

I'd like to share a little bit about my failures that leads to my success.

I've failed my PMR trails but get 7As in the actual PMR exams. I've failed my SPM trials but get 7A's in my actual SPM exams. I've failed my A-Levels but get to study abroad. I've failed my Bachelor's Degree Final Exam but managed to walk out of my college with a Bachelor's Degree. I've failed to get a job but currently running few companies with million dollar turnovers every year before the age 30.

How did I do it? How did I failed but become so successful?

That is me. Lining up to receive my Degree certificate.

And this is me taking my so-called Graduation Portrait

Why am I wearing Polo for the graduation portrait?

- Because I failed my final exam and not supposed to graduate. That's why.

Sadly its been 8 years since I graduated and I still don't have a proper graduation portrait. All I have is that! And I have to screenshot the photo to get it. They still have the watermark on it. Nak gelak ke nak sedih? I also don't know. lol.

My story of being here, running a million-dollar company before the age of 30 started back when I was in Form 3. I was not born in a millionaire family where I get things easily. I was not born in a politically-related family who has all the connection in the world to get their way on things. My father is a salesman and my mother works for DCA back then. We were the very definition of middle-class family in Malaysia who lives in a terrace house in Subang Jaya, Selangor. We don't have much money but Alhamdulillah we have enough. By "enough" means, we couldn't spend on designer's brand, have an expensive toys, nor travel overseas every year. Our parents works hard to make sure that there's food on the table, roof on our heads and clothes on our body. 

My perspective in life changed when I get to know this naive-guy named Azmir, later became my very best friend until today, and InshaAllah throughout my whole life. He didn't teach me anything except for all the good things in life ("ehem... our secret is safe") like praying 5 times a day ("uhuk"), be respectful to your parents ("uhuk uhuk"), and study hard in school ("uhuk uhuk uhuk.. man, this cough is real"). What inspire me about him is that he is one of the well-to-do guy in school, financially. Always have the good skateboard. Always have the latest Osiris shoes that we all cannot afford. He goes to school with his own driver but asked the driver to drop him far away from school so that we all don't see him with his own driver. He's always the down-to-earth guy that always been bullied in school. What interesting about him is that his family is quite well to do. Upper middle class I would say (even though I think his family belong to a high class family). I've always admire Azmir for his down-to-earth attitude. As I grew up, I'm starting to understand that one of the main factor for his attitude and well being is his parents. How they brought him up as a child. Parenting is the main factor of a person's attitude. I kept digging on how his parents brought him up. Of course, back then it was done unintentionally. I was just having the "curious" moment. Azmir and I had a lot of sleepovers while we were in high school. There, I saw some of the secret on how his parents taught him as a child. I saw 2 things that is obvious in his family. First is UNCONDITIONAL LOVE. Second is DISCIPLINE. Just like all parents, they have the unconditional love to their children. It's genetics. It's a feeling that God gives us for free as parents. LOVE is a necessity, not a need. You cannot discount love in life because love is what keeps us going. DISCIPLINE is something that not everyone have. Discipline is the one that separates the normal people from the great people. The middle class from the upper middle class. The rich from the poor. Discipline works. If someone is discipline in their life, they will achieve what they want to achieve. There's no two way about it. Azmir's father was a head of a multi million dollar company that he built years ago. Back then we always think that being a boss, it's ok to come in late. We can come in at 11am and no one will say a thing. However, it struck me to see during my sleepover at Azmir's house that his parents woke up at 5am. They call everyone in the family to have a subuh prayer together in the morning. After the subuh prayer, I saw his father, who is the big boss in a company that have over a thousand staff, goes to work at 6.30am in the morning. That is just amazing. It changes my mind. It changes my perception. It changes my thought of the attitude and discipline of being a successful boss. Successful people wakes up early and goes to work early in the morning. Even when you're already successful, you'll still wakes up early and goes to work early. That was my "aha" moment back then. I keep it until today. It is one of my routine now to wakes up early and goes to work early. Even though I'm the boss on my own. Discipline is my number 1. If I fell down or the business went down. It's discipline and hard work that will bring the business up again. I've gone through that now and I believe in it.

The moral of the story above is that success and discipline cannot be separated. You cannot be successful but no discipline. Success is not a mistake. It's not something that suddenly happen. It is something that we work on, very hard to achieve. Orang Melayu kata, macam genggam bara di tapak tangan. Susah tapi kita boleh.