Joey Yap speaks of Feng Shui and Chinese Astrology as if he were talking on the topics of life and self-improvement. Instead of bringing up the usual suspects - lucky charms and figuirines - the Feng Shui master of Mastery Academy of Chinese Metaphysics discloses his strong conviction on more practical approaches.

So how is he different from the other practitioners in the field? As mentioned, he is distinguished for his riveting hands-on take in showing how the ancient teachings can be utilized for tangible real world benefits. "It annoys me to see people bastardising the practice I respect so much with superstition," he says with a slight frown.

Indeed, there wasn't a single piece of Feng Shui enhancer in sigh when we visited Yap at his office. He doesn't believe in, as he puts in, "magic items." Nor colours. "My job involves educating my clients the know-how of character building based on their Bazi charts so they are aware of what needs to be done to acquire real improvements in their lives instead of putting on a ring and hope for change." He enthuses.

His accomplishments so far include giving innumerable seminars not only locally but also overseas, authoring over 65 books and consulting for companies such as Microsoft, Bloomberg, Citibank and HSBC on the subject of Feng Shui and Chinese Metaphysics - just to list a few. According to Yap, there are four mélange of personal attributes to be taken into consideration in order to take charge of your own wealth and destiny. And when he says "four" he means all four.

FIRST: Character

Recognising your character strength and weakness is crucial. While the former assists in maximizing existing capacity. "This brings to light the talent you have that you should invest time in nurturing," says yap. "For example, I know I can't cook so I won't ever consider becoming the next Jamie Oliver." And the latter provides a better understanding of any shortcoming which urges improvement.

SECOND: Skill

Here's the thing that one needs to be aware - talent can be smothered. "Just because you're good at something, if you don't take the initiative in developing the skill you already have, you aren't going to go far or accomplish anything," he says.

"You need to love what you do. If you don't, you'll most probably end up giving up half way as passion [he emphasizes] is the tool to triumph in all fields"

THIRD: Positive mindset

Focus on the negatives and you are guaranteed a downhill progress. On the other hand, being optimistic and there is no boundary to what can be accomplished.

FOURTH: Strategy

Develop a set of strategy means and you won't fund yourself a series of tactless, messy decisions. Evaluate. Know what you want and lay down a well thought out plan.

During his teen years, Yap began showing indomitable interest and wasted no time in learning about the Chinese philosophy and practice. Upon graduating with a Commerce degree in Accounting, the go-getter went on to share the knowledge he mastered. In fact, passion and perseverance are what led him to his mammoth achievements.

"Since I had not worked in a corporate or business environment, a lot of what I leant was through trial-and-error, observing and getting advise from my friends and clients who are already successful in their respected field on - how to run a business, what are the things you need to do, who are the authorities to talk to for approvals and so on, when I started in this industry," says Yap. "Basically if you have the discipline to find a solution, a solution will come."

When asked about his secret to success, Yap replies: "You need to love what you do. If you don't, you'll most probably end up giving up half way as passion [he emphasizes] is the tool to triumph in all fields," he says, and adds, "In my line work, I have the opportunity to work with people from all walks of life, and all wealth levels from millionaires to multi-millionaires to billionaires and one thing that is common among them is they love what they do. If you enjoy what you're doing, it sort of becomes part of you."

And then, there is discipline, which is of equal significance. "A lot of people are smart and skillful, but lack of drive to go that extra mile as well as purpose and direction," says Yap. Reason? "Nowadays, people are already have a certain level of comfort, so when their parent are doing alright, they are and feel alright. They may not be exactly wealthy but they are alright. So there is no pain and when there's no pain, there's no drive and many of them like to keep that status quo. I think these are the main reasons why people today are not disciplined, not passionate enough."

To know more about Joey Yap's upcoming Wealth & Destiny seminar, visit www.masteryacademy.com/WD2011

BUSINESS TALK

A firm believer in understanding your clients in a business negotiation, Yap holds that knowing their likes and dislikes enable you to have a better gauge of how to sell your idea effectively. To do that is to have a meaningful discussion. "Some people need time to think, someone like to make their decision not thinking too much about it - they act on impulse, some people need lots of facts and figures in order to be convinced, some people just need to be controlled," says Yap. And it is only when you know them you can be certain that you are well o your way to closing that deal.

Click here to view the review in full.