Folks, here’s Albert Foong of The Urban Monk, please welcome him here today.
1. Albert, one of my favorite questions when I want to learn about someone is by asking them to give me their 5-second introduction when I pose the question: ”What do you do for a living?”
Hah, I read your post on that, it’s a very good one. In the old days, I would say something boring like I design websites, or I run my own business and study at night. But now I just say I’m happily unemployed, or I scrub toilets, or I’m homeless. Their reactions are priceless, and also a good way to see if they’re worth making friends with!
2. Tell me in 3 to 5 sentences something we can’t read in your bio or at the “About” page at your blog, The Urban Monk.
Hmmmm..when I started out in Personal Development, it was first in sports psychology and peak performance. I was doing full contact martial arts and boxing, and wanted to overcome my fears along with wildly swinging performances. Then I got into the whole social side - public speaking, a bit of fashion, dating and leadership. But I still wasn’t happy, there were deeper issues underlying everything else. And so I got into psychology and spirituality.
3. How long have you been blogging at Urban Monk?
I started Urban Monk in February [2007], but at that time it was just a basic thing. I didn’t even know what a blog was, I just put it up as an experiment. I would consider May [2007] to be the start of the blog with the original “What is Your Ego” post.
4. How did you come up with the title for your blog?
I was brainstorming with a close friend of mine. I originally wanted Urban Monk to be a blog that covered all the urban stuff I had learnt - like peak performance, social skills, charisma, masculinity as well as the “monk” stuff. But somehow it became almost pure Monk.
5. Why did you start Urban Monk?
It was originally 80% to make money like the A-List bloggers and 20% to help others. But now, as I get more comments and feedback, something has changed. Sometimes I hear from people who say my blog got them out of depression, or anger - a few of them were even suicidal. Others had been victims of of child or sexual abuse, and my writings helped them to forgive and heal. It really stunned me and I realized what I was doing - so now the ratio has shifted to be more 20% money and 80% just for its own sake.
6. What is the best advice you’ve ever received? Given?
The best advice I’ve ever received, I don’t know. I’ve met so many great teachers and learnt so much from all of them. The first one was probably from a guy I met at an online personal development forum - it was tough love, no hand holding. He told me straight out I was a wimp and I had to man up and take control of my life, and stop blaming others. That probably got me off my whiny little ass and started changing my entire life around. Previously, I was the ugly frog waiting for some princess to come and kiss me and change my life for me.
Best advice I’ve ever given…probably the emotional mastery series. To stop running from our sorrows, fears, pains and anger and to turn around and face them square on. Scary, and a long process. But the best thing we can ever do for ourselves.
Well, Albert, thank you for coming here to Adversity University today! I’ve truly enjoyed having you here and look forward to completing the second half of our interview next week on Wednesday, December 12, 2007. (Update: Click here for Part II).
To the rest of the world, did you enjoy meeting Albert as well? If you aren’t yet an official member of the Adversity University community, there’s a little box right beneath this post, giving you two ways to sign up for free so that you don’t miss the next interview with Albert or my next article.
If you liked this post and you want to be notified of the next one, subscribe via Email or Full Text RSS Feed. I would love to have you as part of the community!
Welcome! I'm the founder and professor of Adversity University specializing in personal development for spiritual beings having a human experience. To see a speaking demo tape and other information, please click
In this blog gives us many important questions and informative answers. Thanks!
Chan:
I’m glad to have you come by and leave a comment with us. Thanks for letting me know you think this blog is making a difference with important questions and answers.
I hope you come back again!
Nice interview! I especially like the advice to turn around and face our fears, sorrows and anger head on.
Karen:
What’s interesting about things we hear and read in today’s times, is that there’s nothing new out there BUT what is new is how different people like Albert presents the material in a way that clicks for some people at the right time.
For instance, turning around and facing our fears, etc. is advice that’s been around for as long as man has inhibited the planet. But Albert says it in a way that makes people say, “Aha, I get it now!” That’s the beauty of having bloggers like him who is capable of articulating what we need to hear.
The second part of the interview comes next week.
Really enjoyed this interview Stephen. Any plans to make this (these) a regular feature? Personally, I think I’d benefit (if the subject of your interview is as interesting as Albert) from one a week.
Adios,
Michael
[...] For the past few weeks I’ve been exchanging notes with Stephen Hopson of Adversity University. I know I say this a lot of all the bloggers I mention, but it’s really true - there are so many wonderful people I’ve met in blogging. Stephen is no different - he’s a brilliant man and got a really big heart to go with it. He’s also recently interviewed me for his blog, which you can read here. [...]
Hello my good friend Michael:
Actually yes, I have been contemplating the idea of making the interviewing of certain people a series of some kind. I’ve gotten a lot of buzz around this and so it must be something the community wants to see more of.
So thank you for your suggestion!
GREAT QUESTIONS, Stephen!
You are a pro. I think you should make these interviews a regular feature on your blog as was suggested above.
It’s good to see carefully thought out questions that are out of the ordinary and get to the core of the person. That is a talent.
Looking forward to #2!
I’m very grateful and surprised to find all these kind words from your readers and yourself, Stephen. Thanks to you all!
Corinne:
Thanks for the sweet compliment. I learned from people like Phil Gerbyshak the blogger at Make it Great! who interviewed me.
I felt very much in my element during this interview process and it felt great, even natural.
I appreciate your continuing staunch support. It always helps to know I have people like you who care about what I’m doing. I also love how you engage yourself with your comments at Adversity University. It’s what keeps the AU community so vibrant.
Albert:
To be frank with you, I’m not at all surprised at the level of warm response you’ve been getting at Adversity University. It’s the “law of attraction” in operation here…I believe I’m drawing like minded people here.
It’s my pleasure to introduce you to the AU community and judging from their responses, they are happy to meet you too! I’m glad I took it upon myself to ask you for an interview.
Stephen, I am glad that I clicked on your name on Albert’s blog recently. I see that I have many more articles that you have written that I will be interested in reading. I didn’t realize that Albert started his site just a short time before I started mine in June.
Patricia:
I’m also glad you clicked my name on Albert’s blog recently. That’s great! It’s good to have you with us here at Adversity University and I hope you will continue to be inspired by past, present and future articles at this blog. My aim is to provide value to readers, subscribers and visitors like you.
Thanks so much for stopping by! (P.S. I didn’t realize Albert started blogging just this year - look at the number of subscribers he has in a short time!).
I love that Albert first started blogging for money and was honest about it.. Makes him a real person to me. Plus I just like you both anyway. Thanks for a great interview.
Michelle:
I also started blogging for money at the old blog location and I still intend on monetizing this site but not until at least more traffic come through here with a bigger community at AU. Then I’ll go from there.
Glad you liked the interview. There’s one more coming in the middle of the week, which I think you’ll like even more. It goes a bit deeper.
Hi Stephen,
I’ve been a fan of Albert’s since coming
on his blog in early June. How very nice
to see your interview and I look forward
to the next one this week.
Albert, I met Stephen from a guest blog he
did on Phil Gerbyshak’s site.
http://makeitgreat.typepad.com/
Then…. come to find out we live quite close
to one another. Stephen invited me that week
in October to a meeting of local bloggers.
But you know what guys, it’s bloggers like
you both that make this great big world, seem like
a neighborhood.
xo xo
Deb
Hey there Debra:
Welcome back to the university! Can you think of a title for the new interview series that I’m starting here? It’s a little contest that will be put up for a voting this week. Did you see that post? If not, go to the gratitude post for Week #6 and the details are there.
In any case, I’m starting to see how Albert and I have many similiar friends in the blogosphere. It wasn’t an accident that I suddenly had the inspiration to ask him for an interview. It felt natural.
Thanks for the compliments about bloggers like Albert and I. Well, my gosh, I hope you consider yourself among the category of bloggers that make this great big world seem like a neighborhood too! You practically live next door!
Guys, I’m really overwhelmed by your kind support of me here - both Stephen and the readers. Thank you once again.
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