Ban Seng rule (1)

Ban Seng rules: Dun want to get F, dun make mistake. Made the mistake, then lan lan accepting whatever coming in your face. Cry father cry mother behind the back only make you more loser. Got balls, say in front of everyone.

Management Lessons from a 500 rupee note

Prakash Iyer, Managing Director, Kimberly-Clark Lever and Executive Coach shares two important management lessons he learnt from a 500-rupee note. Read on.

It happened some years ago but I can recall the evening like it happened just last week. 
I was in an audience listening to a motivational guru. 
The speaker whipped out his wallet and pulled out a five hundred-rupee note. 
Holding it up, he asked, "Who wants this five hundred rupee note?" 
Lots of hands went up. Including mine. 
A slow chorus began to build as people began to shout "Me!" "Me!" 
I began to wonder who the lucky one would be who the speaker would choose.
And I also secretly wondered - and I am sure others did too - why he would simply give away five hundred rupees. 

Even as the shouts of "I want it" grew louder, I noticed a young woman running down the aisle. 
She ran up onto the stage, went up to the speaker, and grabbed the five hundred-rupee note from his hand.
"Well done, young lady," said the speaker into the microphone. 
"Most of us just wait for good things to happen. That's of no use. You've got to make things happen." 
The speaker's words have stayed with me ever since.

'Simply thinking about doing something is of no use' 

Our lives are like that.
We all see opportunities around us.
We all want the good things. 
But the problem is we don't take action. 
We all want the five hundred rupee notes on offer.
But we don't make the move. We look at it longingly  
Get up, and do something about it.
Don't worry about what other people might think.
Take action. 

Several years later, it was another day, another time. 
And another motivational guru. 
As I watched him pull out a five hundred rupee note and hold it up for all to see, I thought I knew what he was going to do next.
But he just asked a simple question. "How much is this worth?" 
"Five Hundred rupees!" the crowd yelled in unison. 
"Right," said the speaker.

 He then took the note and crumpled it into a ball and asked "How much is it worth now?" 
"Five Hundred rupees!" screamed the audience. 

He then threw the note on the ground, stamped all over it and picked up the note and asked one more time: "And how much is it worth now?" 
"Five Hundred rupees!" was the response. 
"I want you to remember this," said the speaker. 

"Just because someone crumples it, or stamps on it, the value of the note does not diminish. 
We should all be like the five hundred rupee note.

In our lives, there will be times when we feel crushed, stamped over, beaten.
 But never let your self-worth diminish. Just because someone chooses to crush you - that doesn't change your worth one bit! 

Don't allow your self-worth to diminish because someone says something nasty –
or does something dirty -- to you."

Designing a quality life in Singapore doesn’t need a lot of money

Companies are inherently designed to squeeze as much out of you they can get away with. It’s in the nature of corporate business, even the good, well-intentioned employers. There is no doubt that this can be daunting, because you might be saying, “Bloody hell, Fahren! Cars & houses are so expensive, government bring in all these foreigners. Now you are telling me to stop blaming the government & control my destiny?” And I understand, how that can be daunting.

One of the reasons why you might feel suffering is that we are surrounded by people who seem to be doing much better than you, you find it unfair, be it the high salaries of MPs, or the affluent foreigners. But my point is, the small things in life matter, if you care to fine tune your definition of quality living .

Controlling your destiny doesn’t mean dramatic financial breakthrough. With the smallest investment in the right places, you better appreciate the small delights in your life.

My brother Henry, & his wife Yvonne, take turns to pick up their son & daughter, Jonathan & Cheryl, at the school gates, & walk together with them home. Along the way, Henry will joke with them, sometimes buy something to eat or drink & they share it together. He hasn’t done anything spectacular like bringing them to Disneyland, or bought them Xbox, but the kids love him very much & make very touching cards during his birthday & Father’s Day, to say how much they love him.

I think a more thoughtful and balanced definition of life doesn’t require a lot of money to achieve. Henry has read this article, & being a lower middle income earner with two kids to raise, he says that he TOTALLY agrees with me. Rather than taking stock of your so-called “miserable existence” in Singapore, you need to be realistic. Designing a quality life doesn’t necessarily require spending lots of money.

I’m past 30, & my current salary is SGD1,600 per month & I don’t own a car either. But I don’t believe in angering yourself over all these external circumstances, I think constructing a quality life within your current means, & preserving your sanity is more important than anything else. I think you can go further & gain more mileage in life this way, than the wishful thinking that a change in government will make your life more tolerable.

What I mean by controlling your destiny, is to design your outlook in life, such that you celebrate what is good in life. There are lots of wonderful people (friends/family), places & experiences around us, if you care to take notice. And if you set your eyes only on those so-called “unfair” policies, then no wonder some of you are grumpy & miserable. Because it’s bad enough, not getting what you want (but don’t really need), but it’s even worse to keep moaning about external circumstances and find out at the end of it all, you are still unhappy/dissatisfied somehow.

In fact, we have plenty to be grateful for in terms of the advances in internet computing & social networking, etc. We now have the tools & gadgets that have brought us the conveniences that our forefathers could never have imagined. Perennially complaining against the government & foreigners may bring solace & comfort to you, but once you let this behavior become second nature, it starts to prevent you from ever truly enjoying your life.

FAHREN