Entrepreneur, investor, best-selling author and Fullerton Markets CEO, Mario Singh, returns with yet more insightful material with his latest book, The Magical Rule of 3. He delves into the very principles and strategies that have seen him overcome trials and tribulations to live a more abundant, meaningful life in the personal, financial and business spheres, and he unpacks these concepts into digestible, applicable wisdoms that readers can similarly adopt to achieve their own successes.
Why is The Magical Rule of 3 especially relevant at this time, and how will Mario’s game-changing strategies and new thought patterns help anyone aspiring to do more, be more and have more thrive in a post-COVID world? In this interview, Mario reveals the power of these proven principles and practices in this age and beyond, the inspiration behind his latest work, and personal anecdotes of his journey to success.
Tell us, who is Mario Singh?
I’m an entrepreneur at heart. A true entrepreneur yearns to change the world, rejects the status quo, and makes a positive impact in society and in the lives of others. In many ways, an entrepreneur is like an artist, a backpacker and an author all rolled into one. As an artist, we are filled with passion to create. As a backpacker, we love to explore and discover. As an author, we know the end before we pick up the pen to write the story.
Besides my entrepreneurial journey, I have my own charity called Soulrich Foundation which is a qualified grantmaking philanthropic organisation under the tax deduction scheme in Singapore. In our first year, we supported our beneficiaries with monetary donations, stepped up our aid to migrant workers and delivered a few thousand meals to the needy. I live in Singapore with my wife Shalyn and my two kids, Chantelle and Elliot.
My personal motto is to:
- Dream the Impossible
- Do the Unthinkable and
- Enjoy the Incredible
What’s your journey like to get to where you are today?
I graduated with third-class honours from the National University of Singapore. When I couldn’t find a decent job, I tried my hand at many things. A turning point came when I met a mentor who took me under his wing and taught me so many life skills. Over the years, I’ve had to handle countless rejections, a near-empty bank account and dreams that were crushed over and over again. However, I’m a firm believer that the strongest metals are forged in the hottest fires. Slowly but surely, I got better at what I did by building myself. Today I run a multimillion-dollar company called Fullerton Markets which is the fastest-growing brokerage in Asia Pacific, together with over 100 committed colleagues in 9 countries.
Why did you write The Magical Rule of Three?
I have chosen to write on the topics of personal success, financial success, and entrepreneurial success for two reasons. Firstly, the rules of engagement for all three segments have changed. For us to thrive in this new decade of the 21st century, we need fresh and innovative ideas which will allow us to stay relevant. Secondly, it is the mastery of these three exact pillars which have allowed me to achieve so much in life. Some examples include:
- Losing 10kg in six months
- Appearing on international media CNBC and Bloomberg over 40 times
- Scaling a business from zero to eight figures in two years
- Writing three best-selling books endorsed by billion-dollar fund managers
- Building a lucrative personal brand
I would like to pass on these lessons to anyone who’s driven to be more, do more and have more in life.
Give us a short version as to why you decided to present your findings/experiences using the rule of three?
I call it The Magical Rule of 3 because people are more likely to remember the information conveyed. Having “three entities” combines both brevity and rhythm while simultaneously having the smallest amount of information to create a pattern. We see this all the time. Examples in stories include the “Three Little Pigs,” the “Three Musketeers” and “Romance of the Three Kingdoms.” In slogans, we have Nike’s “Just Do It”, McDonald’s’ “I’m Lovin’ It” and the Olympics’ “Faster, Higher, Stronger.”
Is this book targeted at a specific group of people? Who do you think will benefit most from reading this book?
The Magical Rule of 3 specifically caters to those who want to be more and have more in life. As the late American philosopher and psychologist William James said, “If you want to change your life, you have to do it immediately and you have to do it flamboyantly.”
Were there insights that you discovered or surprised you while writing this book? How did it affect you personally?
As I was writing the book, what struck me was that many of us are living below our potential. We all know innately that life is so much more than what we are currently experiencing. A couple of insights I gained were:
- You can’t change the past, but you can direct your future
- You are responsible for the results that you create
Most people link success to wealth. In this book, however, you’ve broken down success into health, wealth, and relationships. Would you say you’re not fully successful when one of the three elements is missing?
Here’s my definition of success: Success is the passionate, persistent, progressive pursuit of a productive purpose. So essentially, it’s a journey and not an exact destination. Having said that, it’s important to have definite goals so that you can purposefully plan out how to achieve them. After all, if we don’t know where we’re going, any road is going to take us there. Through my countless travels and interactions with people all around the world, I’ve come to realise that most (if not all of us) look for success in one or more of the categories of Health, Wealth and Relationships.
What would you say is your biggest regret and what have you done about it?
I don’t have any big regrets actually, because I fully believe in living in the present.
With the benefit of hindsight, knowing everything you know now and having lived the life you have, would you have done anything differently or would you have followed the same exact path?
The thing I would have probably done differently would be to follow my mentor’s advice sooner. Sometimes in life, the truth is not difficult to find. It’s difficult to accept. So I wasted a few years trying to figure things out on my own before actually applying the advice that my mentor gave me.
Tony Robbins once said that the one way to spend your money that will bring happiness is to give it away. You shared in your book that you established a personal charity called Soulrich Foundation with your wife. In your opinion, is this part of being successful an indicator that you’ve achieved success?
I view it differently. In chapter 2 of The Magical Rule of 3, I talk about the three levels of success. Level 1 is called the Science of Achievement where it’s all about you externally. It focuses on you getting and improving. Level 2 is called the Art of Fulfillment. If Level 1 is all about you externally achieving, Level 2 is all about you internally growing. This level is where you derive the intrinsic notions of value, meaning and purpose. Level 3 is called the Magic of Enlightenment. At this level, it’s not about you externally nor is it about you internally anymore. It’s all about others and it’s about giving back.
You shared in your book that you and your children spend time to recite positive affirmations. How would you link this activity to success?
Great question. It helps in two ways. Firstly, by reciting positive affirmations daily, it helps to reinforce powerful messages in their mind and puts them in a positive frame of mind to start their day. Secondly, affirmations help to activate the subconscious mind. Most of our internal narrative focuses on negativity and lack which is why we tend to attract such things into our life. When we reframe our internal dialogue positively, we activate our subconscious mind to attract more positive things into our life.
How do you motivate yourself to keep writing? Is there a secret formula or a ritual of sorts that you do?
Do what you love, and you’ll never work another day in your life. I’m sure we’ve heard this countless times; and it’s certainly true. I enjoy writing. Over the years, I’ve written three other books focused on the trading and investing world, entitled 17 Proven Currency Trading Strategies, Unlocking the World’s Largest Financial Secret and Secret Conversations with Trading Tycoons. I also currently write a weekly column for the Singapore Business Times.
If you are to give us one smart way to handle our finances, what would it be?
It would be to get ourselves educated. When it comes to money, many of us tend to absolve personal responsibility and “let other people tell us what to do.” When it comes to money, there really isn’t a one-size-fits-all formula. One sound principle will remain the same though: leverage the power of compound interest.
Lastly, what would you want people to gain from this book, any major takeaways?
The Magical Rule of 3 will give us the ultimate blueprint for massive success in our personal, financial and entrepreneurial lives forever. This is because it encompasses all the principles and strategies we will ever need to thrive in the 21st century; especially during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
How to get in touch with you, Mario?
You may check out my blog and YouTube channel where I share leadership, entrepreneurship, and financial topics. You can also reach out to me on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
