About

Hi! I’m Celes, the founder of Personal Excellence, one of the top personal development blogs in the world.

Here at Personal Excellence, I write about how to live our best life as we tackle life’s challenges.

No matter who you are, you have the power to overcome life’s obstacles and realize your goals and dreams. My goal is to help you do that.

Since starting PE in 2008, it has grown into a trusted resource for personal development. Here are some quick facts:

PE readers come from over 200 countries — including United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Germany, Singapore, Malaysia, India, and Philippines. Wherever you’re from, welcome! :)
My readers and coachees range from as young as their 20s to 80 years old. They come from all walks of life, from students to working professionals to entrepreneurs, from singles to parents to divorcees.
Here, you’ll find a wide range of content on personal growth, including finding love, family, relationship building, improving productivity, pursuing your passion, goal setting, emotional mastery, and conscious living. There are currently over 600 articles, podcasts, manifestos, infographics, and ebooks, with new material posted monthly.
I’ve been interviewed over 80 times in the media including CNN, Business Insider, Bloomberg, Lifehacker, CBS, Today, The Sunday Age, Cosmopolitan, and Channel News Asia. My material is regularly referenced in school and teaching materials. (More in the Media section.)
In addition to my free content, I have a series of premium courses that you can find at the Courses section.

“Absolutely love your writing. Your articles resonate very powerfully with me and I look forward to reading and continuing my leadership and skill development using your advice and experiential wisdom. Thank you for helping this 35-year-old father of two become the best father, professional, leader, and all-round person he can be.” — Greg, USA
“Just wanted to say thank you for your words of wisdom on dealing with anger within families. You basically saved me from needing a lifetime of therapy and showed me a way to reflect and grow instead.” — A
“I just want to say that the simple methods you offer in Be a Better Me in 30 Days have been transformative for me, and I’m in my 50s. People are seeing more change faster than I can imagine.” — Carlene, USA
“Hi Celes, I submitted my PhD thesis about half an hour ago! I owe you a huge debt of gratitude. Your articles on efficiency and staying motivated, and your course on beating procrastination, were so helpful to me.” — Sarah, The UK
“I just like to say thank you for such an uplifting article. My brother passed away last week and I have been doing much soul searching since. Your article has given me hope to find something more meaningful in my life and I plan to begin working on finding my real purpose this evening.” — Bob

I don’t claim to know all the answers, but I’m continuously learning and happy to share what I’ve learned. I look forward to learning and growing with you through our life’s journey.

No matter what you’re going through right now, I want you to know that you’re not alone. No matter how difficult the challenge you’re facing, there is always a way out. And my hope is that I can help you in some way through my work at PE.

I know there’s a lot of content here, so it can be tricky to know where to start. Here are some articles you can find here:

Thank you for being here. Visit my articles section where you’ll find over 600 articles covering topics from emotional mastery to productivity, from career to relationships.

Join my email list to get my latest updates and articles. As a thank you, you’ll get free PDF ebooks of my most popular articles at PE.

I look forward to connecting with you. :)

About Me

Every blog has an About Me so I feel obligated to put one as well. Here are just some simple facts about me in case you’re interested.

Location. Currently in London, UK.
Birthplace. I was born in 1984 in Singapore. Raised by traditional Chinese parents and growing up in a low-income family, I understand the value of money and what it means to work your way up with nothing. My dad inculcated in me the importance of hard work, honesty, and frugality, and these values are part of my ethos in life.
Passion for People. Throughout my 20s and 30s, I traveled and lived in different places in Europe, the US, Asia, and South Africa, learning about different cultures, and meeting different people. I’m passionate about connecting with people and helping them in their path.
Family. I’m married to my soulmate and mother of one. ♥ For us, one is enough — if you have people bugging you to have kids (or more kids), this post may help.
My Purpose is “To raise the world’s consciousness; To help others achieve their highest potential and live their best life.” I created PE as a direct result of wanting to pursue my purpose.
My Values are Excellence, Love, Truth, and Authenticity.
Others. I eat a plant-based diet. I started being vegetarian in 2008 as a 30-day experiment and decided to stick with it after that; I subsequently became a vegan in 2019. My reasons for being vegan are better health, to reduce animal suffering, and environmental conservation.
Pre-PE. Before starting PE, I worked in brand management at a Fortune 50 company, working on billion-dollar brands. While my job was very prestigious and paid very well — I was traveling regularly, staying in five-star hotels, and meeting top industry executives — it wasn’t my real passion. Helping others grow is. So I quit in 2008 to start PE and built it into one of the top self-help sites, achieving over a million pageviews per month in less than three years.
Education. I graduated from National University of Singapore, Business School (one of the top business schools in Asia) with a degree in Business Administration (2006). I was on the Dean’s List in every academic year, graduated as the top student in Marketing, and was awarded the Ban Hin Leong Gold Medal, Chettair’s Temple Medal, and Daimler Chrysler Prize for being the most outstanding student in my cohort.

More about me:

I grew up being inundated with the message that life is about getting a good job, earning lots of money, and following a certain life script.

But there is more to life than just that. I believe in a world where all of us help one another, support each other in our goals, and live in love and harmony. By working to become a better person ourselves, we have the power to help others, raise the world’s consciousness, and unite the world as one.

Join my email list below. I’ll see you on the inside!