Ying Yang: Managing Director @ Y2 Education | The Business Blast Podcast #518

Welcome to the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host, Tyler Wagner. This episode is brought to you by WagsMedia. WagsMedia provides you with everything you need to generate more customers and grow your brand. Head on over to wagsmedia.com, W-A-G-S-M-E-D-I-A dot com, to enter a contest where you can win a free, done-for-you custom website valued at $2,500 for a limited time only. Now let's jump into the episode. Alright everyone, welcome back to another episode of the Business Blast Podcast. I'm your host Tyler Wagner. Today I have Ying Yang with us. She's the managing director at Y Squared Education. So welcome to the show.

Hi, hi, Tyler. How are you?

I'm doing great. How are you? Awesome. So we'll dive into the first question. The first one I have for you is what is the best story from your life that has an underlying valuable message?

I think the best story was— I can't call it the best story, but it was You know, if you're looking deeply in life, there's always, there's pain with pleasure and pleasure with pain. One story really was a turning point in my life was I was working at a psychiatric unit and one of my best friends and also a clinical psychologist, she was diagnosed with depression and herself was a doctor, clinical psychologist. That got me to think, what's the limitation of psychology and human behavior? And that actually I wanna study beyond what the uni taught me about psychology. I wanna do the research around the Eastern philosophies and looking at what's the blockage challenges that are holding people back or the mystery of people's mind. I think that was one of valuable story for me to start a business or found this business, West Square Education, is looking at how to combine Western psychology with Eastern wisdom and philosophy, if that makes sense to you.

Yes. No, no, it does. And the next one I have for you is what is the most valuable piece of information we should know that's within your expertise or industry?

The most valuable piece of information, because my background was psychology, psychiatry, and combined with Eastern philosophy, and I used to work nearly 10 years in psychiatric unit or psychiatric mental health emergency center. And it's one thing if you work in any industry, you will see a pattern. In my industry, I also see a pattern It's when the patients, instead of they get rid of their negative emotions, I sometimes would be depression, anxiety, frustration, stress, they actually get rid of their husband or wife. Does that make sense? Or sometimes instead of they get rid of their negative emotions, they get rid of their money.

Spanish.

And so they, because people, they don't know how to work with their feelings and emotions and blockage, they actually trying to get rid of the things that, which is valuable around them. I believe that is one thing that is valuable information in my industry. It's when I looking at the people, instead of looking at what actually happened within the life, I'm seeing a pattern, which is not the things that are holding people back, it's the pattern they run into their life holding people back.

Yeah, no, I totally know what you mean. It's interesting because it seems like it's an internal issue and they're doing external things to try to resolve it. Is that kind of what you're saying?

Yeah, yeah. So in psychological, in psychological terms, we call it a fundamental attribution error, Which is if I'm running late, I get blamed by my character. Maybe I'm lazy or I'm not punctual. But if you're running late, you might think, oh, Ying, because of the traffic, because the alarm didn't go off. So you're actually trying to find excuses around you. But if you're blaming someone else, instead of you thinking their environment, you actually blaming their character.

Yeah, that's very interesting. Okay, I see.

So then people would understand actually, it's not their traits or character that bad. It's like the way we think. It's a pattern that ran into people's mind.

Yes, I think a lot of people— I'm excited for a lot of people to hear that. I never— I know exactly what you're saying. I just never explained it as well. That's very good. The next one I have for you is what's your best piece of overall business advice? Meaning like if you want to have success in business, like what would you tell somebody if you were to give them one tip on like what's the most important thing for success?

Can I give two?

Yeah, you can give two.

I feel like that's two really resonated with me. The first one is I do have people, have clients come to me every single day. Every single day I come clients to me, they they're procrastinating because they don't know what to do. They say, how to start a business, how to write a book, or how to build a website, how to do, like how, so they're stuck in the how. But I work with clients around the energy level. The one valuable advice I give to people is, you don't need to know how, you just need to know why. Because the how will come, the how is the logical mind, The why is actually guide your frontal cortex, your decision-making. It's all based on the why instead of how. So sometimes people stuck in the how. I do believe that you need to find out your why instead of the how.

Yes. Okay.

Yeah. And the second advice would be you can fail alone, but you have to— if you want to be successful, you have to be successful together because business is a team sport.

Yes, love it.

Yeah, yeah, I do believe that if you want to be successful, it's definitely a team sport. You can't— it's not like you play golf by yourself. Even play golf, you still have like people carry bags, coach, or the other people. So it's definitely like play soccer.

Yes, totally.

Yeah, because I run seminars, workshops, and I speak constantly, and people might think, oh wow, you are the star, but for me to standing there, it takes weeks and hours and preparation from the team behind it with marketing operation, administration, or graphic design. So many people actually involved just for me to do a talk.

Yeah, I think a lot of people sometimes don't realize, for some reason what came to mind, are you familiar with Tony Robbins?

Yeah.

Yeah. So like him, right? Like Tony Rock, like he's the guy on the stage, but like there's so much stuff behind the scenes that like amplify his actual success, you know. So the next one I have for you is if you could give your younger self one piece of advice, what would that be?

Oh my God. I think I should have just played harder. Play harder. Like, I don't think I tried my best to play harder. I spent lots of time reading books. I think in life, you're gonna experience life, you know, it's you observing what's happening and experience what happened rather than just all in the head.

Yeah, and reading books is good too.

Yep.

And so I'm excited for your answer on this next one due to your degrees and your studies. So in your opinion, what is the key to happiness?

Well, wow, that's a big question, Tyler.

I know.

Depends on how you explain happiness, because happiness can be like a one-sided emotion. There is a difference, you can say, in people's, uh, two people's face. The happiness of lotto winner and the happiness of Olympic champion.

Hmm.

The lottery winner is one side of the manic emotions because that's like you got something without any efforts. You got something with nothing. And that's kind of happiness I call the manic happiness. It's not a fulfilled happiness. But if you're looking at the smile from Olympic champion, it's a different kind of— it's called fulfillment instead of happiness.

Ah, okay. See, you explain things very well. That makes sense.

This is what I do for a living. I give advice consulting, so I better do know my stuff.

That was awesome. Okay, so the Olympian and the lotto winner. Got it. Okay.

Can you see there is different kind of happiness? If you, if you and me hang out like in Miami, there is entertainment, there's food, there's alcohol, there's the world. It's never lack of happiness. But what is lacking is lacking of meaning.

Ah, yes, got it.

So the happiness is everywhere. But why are people still more depressed than 20, 30 years before? Even the children I used to work with, the psychiatric ward and psychiatric institute with children, it's like they have way more material stuff than any other child when I was 20 years ago, but they more depressed.

Yeah, very interesting.

It's nothing to do with happiness, it's to do with meaning. They acquired some material stuff without meaning, that's one side of happiness that won't last long.

Meaning, so meaning is the most important.

Yeah, so the world is not lack of happiness. People think we lack of happiness, no. It's like you can see the pleasure is everywhere, the entertainment is everywhere, it's way more creative than 20, 30 years ago, but people seems more depressed is because the lack of meaning, not lack of happiness.

Okay, got it. And what is the best book that you've read and what was the number one thing you learned from that?

Wow, that's a big question. Every question is amazing. Like the best book, I like this question I've been asked daily because I run seminars, workshops, and people always say, Ian, what book should I read? What book should I read? And everyone asks me that question. It's interesting, the book that changed my life might not change your life because we got different age, gender, culture, background. If you're trying to copy somebody's success, life is like an exam, you're trying to copy my answer, but we all have different questions.

Hmm, okay.

So the book that changed my life might do nothing to you, and the book that changed your life might not doing much to me. The one book I read that changed my life is Taoism. Which is a Chinese book explaining Eastern philosophy, which hasn't been translated into English.

Oh, I was just going to ask that. I was like, I want to get that.

Yeah, I might have to because people ask me. I post that on Facebook. You might see it, that big book. They don't have English version yet.

Okay. And you, yeah, maybe you'll push the needle for that.

Maybe I write a book around Taoism because that's where I use most of my advice to help my clients to overcome challenges and obstacles in life.

That would be great.

Yeah.

And what is your favorite quote and why?

Favorite quote. I think my favorite quote. Yeah, I got it. Which is you're aiming the star, but your foot is on the floor. How do you say that? You're aiming the star, but you always put your foot on the ground.

I think I know what you mean.

What do you mean? What I mean?

So you're aiming to start. So it's a quote, you're aiming to start, but you have to put your foot on the ground. So that's not— Yeah, yeah. And who do you know who said it?

No, no. Okay.

No, no, it's fine.

I said it.

Yeah, that's true, actually. Yeah, we do know.

So I'm always aiming to start, but at the same time, I'm very humble, very strategic, very hardworking. I have a vision, but also have daily goals that to achieve. I think both are important.

Yeah, well, it's also, it's like No matter going for all the successes, but then staying humble at the same time. Maybe does that align with it too?

Yeah, definitely. Even yesterday I had people that come to me says, "Oh, you like to be a boss." I says, "I never ever felt like I'm a boss in my entire life. I feel like I'm just doing something I love and with a group of people to do what I love and meaningful to me." I don't believe, being the boss at all.

Yes, I love it. Thank you. Thank you so much for coming on. Some very good insights in this episode. The last question I have for you is where's the best place for people to find and connect with you online?

I think that's how we connected on LinkedIn or Facebook, Facebook page, LinkedIn page, or website www.ysquare.com.au.

Okay, perfect. Thanks again for hopping on.

Thank you so much, Tyler. Thank you for creating this opportunity for me. The podcast you just heard was published with Anchor. Got something you want to say to the creator of this show? Send them a voice message using the Anchor app, free for iOS and Android.