For the past eight years, we’ve traveled each month to visit our mentor, Dato Peter T.S. Ng.

It wasn’t always easy. Life got busy. Schedules were tight. Sometimes we were tired. But month after month, we showed up — for Bible studies, for deep conversations, for gardening and maintaining the fish pond in his home, for basketball games, for funerals, for the simple gift of presence.

Why?

Not just for what we could gain, but for who we wanted to become.

1. Clarity of Purpose Fuels Consistency

In leadership, you must know why you do what you do.

As Dr. Elias teaches, everything has two sides — darkness is merely the absence of light. Without clarity of purpose, you will falter when the path gets hard. Growth is not for the faint of heart.

John C. Maxwell writes in Leading in Adversity:

“Leadership demands change. Innovation requires change. Expansion requires change. Breakthrough requires change. Yet most people resist change.”

Why? They lack the inner fuel to embrace change. Without a deep why, consistency collapses under adversity.

Dato Peter, though able to live in great comfort, continues to take risks and pursue expansion. His fuel? A God-given mission in business — to build leaders who impact society.

That is the kind of why that keeps you going when others stop.

Image: Fauja Singh – The oldest marathon runner (Age 114)

2. Good is the Enemy of Best

In a recent conversation with Dato Peter, we explored what most hinders growth. His answer was clear: dwelling in the past.

Often, we think of this in terms of failures. But dwelling on past success can be even more dangerous.

“I already figured out a successful model,” some say.

“I know what works.”

That mindset breeds pride. Pride leads to stagnation. And stagnation leads to collapse — because the world never stops changing.

Good is the enemy of best.

The moment you settle for being “good enough,” you forfeit your opportunity to be excellent.

3. Leadership is Relationship First

How do you help leaders who cannot see they are stuck in the past?

Through accountability — delivered in love and truth.

But remember: people won’t care what you say until they know how much you care.

Accountability without relationship feels like criticism. Relationship without accountability breeds complacency. True leadership holds both in tension.

Building leaders often means having hard conversations. But those conversations bear fruit only in the context of trust and care.

The more you desire results, the more you must invest in relationships. Because leadership is not about pushing people — it is about walking with them.

4. By Faith, Through Grace

Many leaders pursue growth through learning — reading books, building networks, seeking mentors, as we have done with Dato Peter.

Mindsets, skillsets, and toolsets can be acquired. But talent is grace. Leadership is a calling as much as it is a craft.

Without grace — the gifts and opportunities beyond your own making — no amount of striving will suffice.

And as you grow, remember this: the higher you rise, the more humility matters.

In Stellar, we remind ourselves:

Leaders are not called to be the brightest stars, but to help others shine brighter.

Closing Reflection: Who Will You Show Up For?

Eight years of consistent travel taught us this: the journey is not about convenience or gain. It is about becoming someone who can multiply impact in others.

If you lose sight of why you do what you do, the path will wear you down. But if your why is rooted in faith, humility, and a vision greater than yourself, you will keep showing up.

So I leave you with this question:

Who will you show up for — this month, this year, this lifetime?

And when the journey gets hard, what deeper why will keep you going?

Because leadership is not measured by how bright you shine — but by how many lives shine brighter because of you.