If life was a masquerade, experiences would be masked as both curses and gifts. However, a rare few have the power to transform the former into the latter. Eugene Seah is one such individual whose story can be described as a series of sour experiences, which he turned into blessings through determination and an ‘abundance mindset’.
From losing his job in 2013, Eugene was named as one of the Top 5 Life Coaches in Singapore in 2020. Achieving this feat took a lot of work, especially on himself! Eugene’s abundance mindset, matched with equal attention to mastery has proven to be the antidote to the ‘Corporate Virus’ as he calls it.
Throughout his life, Eugene has had a voice within him, trying to tell him what his true-life purpose was – to help others fulfil their destinies. However, given the redundant movie script at a young age, he was conditioned to believe that good grades equaled a good job, which then subsequently equaled a good life.
Carrying this metaphor of a rat race in his subconscious, he worked at a bank till 2013, not daring to leave his job to follow his passion. Reasonably so, he was petrified of failure, especially being the sole breadwinner of his house.
The Zero Moment of Truth
However, life works in mysterious ways. In 2013, Eugene was let go from his job all of a sudden. With an unusual calm and overpowering relief, the voice in his head became crystal clear. “I thought to myself, I really have no choice but to start my own business now!” said Eugene with gleaming eyes.
Following this, Eugene started his coaching business, with a wild heart and big dream to back his vision. He trained himself into various fields such as personal branding, vocation, networking, and worked hard to bring about a massive mindset shift within himself. According to him, there are 3 key elements that derived his success: mindset, mastery, and money management.
Cashing in on The 3 M’s to Success
Eugene has learned this secret formula to success through careful integration, experimentation, and countless tweaks to the recipe.
- Mindset:
Like countless others, Eugene held onto the metaphor of a rat race in his mind, where he had to compete and constantly feel burned out in order to “win” in life. Upon internalizing principles of NLP (Neurolinguistic Programming), he saw a giant shift in his mindset, his perception of life, and subsequently, his holistic approach towards life, business, and people.
“Our mindset is essentially our beliefs. What do we believe about our own potential?” is an important question Eugene asked and answered before the shift could take place. He took on an ‘abundance mindset’ which turned out to be a major key towards unleashing his true potential.
- Mastery:
Usually any successful person has mastered two types of skill sets: technical and people skills. For Eugene, mastering his people skills enabled him to unlock newer, bigger, and better opportunities in his career.
Based on his experience with hundreds of people, he shares “We spend years in school mainly to acquire technical skills, but many people lack people skills (ironically). This creates a lot of challenges in our careers and businesses.”
- Money:
Like many other influential leaders, Eugene Seah believes that money can be vice when mishandled, but at the same time it can set you free when well-managed. “Many people in Asia struggle with money management. They give themselves the excuse that they weren’t taught financial skills in school or at home,” he emphasizes. Eugene believes that money management can be your ticket to living life to the fullest, and attaining all your dreams much sooner, rather than later.
At Trainium Academy, Eugene and his team strive to help businesses, professionals, as well as younger minds breed a culture of systematic growth through careful integration of the 3 M’s to Success.
The COVID Challenge
In 2020, COVID-19 struck Trainium Academy with equal brute force as it did to the rest of the world. Eugene and his team took this trying situation and yet again, turned it into an opportunity!
Talking about how he deals with challenges and turns them into opportunities, Eugene shares “Since 2014, I see myself as flowing like a river. I will constantly flow over every obstacle I face, until I flow into the ocean. When I fall over a cliff, instead of giving up, I will transform into a majestic waterfall.”
Eugene also shared that this shift in metaphor empowered him to “flow” through the business challenge posed by the pandemic and launched online coaching programmes on a subscription basis.
“Although funds from corporate clients dried up, the revenue from individuals continued to flow, and in fact increased.” This year, with corporate projects regaining their momentum, online coaching programmes for individuals are also up and running, thereby enabling The Trainium Academy to emerge from the challenge with a second source of income.
Achievements, Roadblocks, and Lessons
From being “dead broke” and applying for financial assistance in 2014 to 2016, Eugene managed to earn way more than he did at his job, in less than a year. He claims this to be one of his biggest achievements as it enabled him to provide for his family while pursuing something he’s passionate about.
“It is my life mission to spread abundance in the community and in the world.” Beyond money, one of the biggest achievements for Eugene and for Trainium Academy has been the hundreds of lives they have touched in just above 3 years. “I am proud of the hundreds of lives who told me about how their mindset shifted because of our programmes. What is more fulfilling than impacting lives?”
When asked about his biggest roadblocks, Eugene yet again highlights the importance of constant learning and personal growth. “My own bad habits have been the biggest roadblocks.” After losing his job, he took the time to reset his beliefs about himself and his life, thus enabling him to get rid of his low self esteem.
Eugene believes that the journey to growth and excellence is ongoing for him. He has surrounded himself with a close-knit group of friends who have, on many occasions, made him aware when some of his old habits of competitiveness and rat race seep in. Surrounding himself with integrous individuals has given him better insights about his self-growth journey, and made him more mindful of his approach.
Words of Wisdom
Throughout his life, Eugene Seah has seen how metaphors can impact one’s approach towards life and business. He advises emerging leaders to choose the right metaphors for their business and their life as a whole. Instead of choosing metaphors that are competition-based, Eugene urges people to adopt metaphors that bring joy and abundance to them. “This simple shift will change our business approach and our destiny.”
As a leader, Eugene believes that it is of utmost importance to adopt an “abundance mindset” and let go of our conditioned mindset of scarcity. Eugene wants to inspire emerging leaders to “stop viewing others as tools or competitors.” He truly believes that everyone is deserving of respect and help. He encourages leaders to believe that everyone is a “potential collaborator, a fellow droplet in the river of life, and a fellow partner in the forest of abundance.”
Eugene’s long-term vision is to see all his friends and clients grow into their own “trees of abundance.”
He concludes by sharing, “Just before I pass on, I would love to see an expansive forest of fruit trees, so that no one would ever lack anything ever again.”
