Dr George Thien (Class of 1979) shared an update on his motivation to write his first book, Just Do More, An Option to be Above Average. He takes up the story here:
Every time Princethorpe College is mentioned, three names come to my mind instinctively; Fr Clarkson, then headmaster in 1977, and my first ever room-mates in the first floor corridor whose names I remember as Jeffrey Nego and Noel Ruddy. Of course, there are many other memories and experiences from those teenage years that had and are still developing me as a citizen of the world. For example, the culture of encouragement to do more in order to excel; so that instead of doing a minimum of four O-level subjects, we were encouraged to do more, I did ten, and reaped the benefits when I applied to enter my first University, as well as when I applied for the jobs during my young adulthood.
As with the common expression, "Everyone has a book in her or him", I too have a book in me. My book came and went many times over the years for many reasons - "It has been written by someone else," "I don’t have the time to write," "Who would want to read my book?" "I will wait for a better book idea," "I need to be financially independent first.” As fate would have it, the Covid 19 lockdown situation in 2020 in Auckland, New Zealand provided a space in time for me to action this book in me and make it a reality.
There were two key motivational initiators that prompted me to start writing the book. First, after teaching for about 17 years at Auckland University of Technology (AUT), I have received many ‘surprise’ emails from ex-students thanking and complimenting me over the years, not only about how I delivered the subject content but also about how I had motivated them even through their work-life. Obviously, I felt and feel very encouraged in this teaching vocation, so the Covid 19 situation somehow moved me to extend my motivation philosophy to others who are not or have never been my students. Second, a specific incident that involved my youngest daughter and her motivation in relation to her badminton ambition was really what sparked me to "put pen on paper" or "click words on computer." There was an incident when I was making preparation to deliver a topic about theories and concepts of ‘Motivations’ when my daughter, Farah lost a semi-final match in a national badminton tournament. I knew she had an ambition to be a badminton champion, and I also knew that she did not quite believe that she could be a champion, and from what I could see, she had not put in much extra effort in her journey to become a champion; just average in her context. It was a God’s will moment for the two moments to happen that initiated me to start writing a motivation book to help people who wish to be Above Average and beyond, not just in badminton or sports, but also in their career advancement, business journeys, and other ambitions or goals (such as to be more healthy). Thank God, and Farah.
The rest, like they say, is History.
The targeted audience or readers for the book are those who are planning to achieve ambition or goal(s), as well as those who may need reminders about the critical factors that are involved in the journey towards the successful achievement of ambition or goal(s), so that their lives can be better, and consequently bettering the lives of those around them. The book is also very useful for those who have missed out on achieving their ambition or goals and would like to reflect on what to focus on in their next journey, or even the resumption of abandoned journeys.
George's book is available to buy on Amazon here.
Here is the extract about my bio from the book.
Dr George Thien (PhD, MBA, BSc (Hons))
Since joining academia more than fifteen years ago, Dr Thien, a Senior Lecturer has taught papers in various disciplines, such as the professional Masters paper, Managing Organisations and People, and coordinated the paper,Management of Small-Medium size enterprises (SMEs), and supervised students in undergraduate and post-graduate studies. In addition to his academic teaching at a university, Dr Thien’s area of research and publications (peer-reviewed academic journals) is related to Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and entrepreneurship. To supplement his academic pursuit, Dr Thien is actively involved in business mentorship for SMEs (in conjunction with the Auckland Chamber of Commerce) as a volunteer. Dr Thien is also a trustee for the Community Action Trust New Zealand (CATNZ), a non-governmental organisation (NGO) that organises national and regional cultural events. Dr Thien is a Past Leader/Chairperson of the Auckland South East Asian Community, an NGO that organises cultural events for the public in Auckland. He has evaluated/judged national and regional business competitions in New Zealand. Prior to joining academia, Dr Thien’s business experience includes the following: Branch Manager of a commercial bank, Manager of a Merchant bank, Lead Auditor of AOQC International, ISO9001 Consultant,
Business Consultant/Trainer, Business Franchisor/ Franchisee, Director and business owner. Dr Thien holds a BSc (Hons) degree and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from universities in the UK, and a PhD in CSR from a university in New Zealand. With the unique combination of academic qualifications, teaching, and practical business-related experience, Dr Thien has much to share and contribute to the community.