0 Tip 243: Faith, Courage, Enthusiasm

"I will win! Because I have Faith, Courage and Enthusiasm!" That's the theme of the movie The Company Men starring Tommy Lee Jones and Ben Affleck, amidst corporate downsizing. The movie captures well the emotions of people affected by the volatile job market. It also explains why this volatility is happening - the need to grow the company rapidly to answer to shareholder's expectation of profits, the desire to own large buildings for reputation's sack and thereby render risk to change course should the business be not as buoyant.

It is sad that company drones work hard for the queen or kings of the corporation, yet risk losing their livelihood as there is lack of sense of loyalty to either parties. Is there then the need to not marry oneself to one's job? Is there a need to educate corporate owners to grow the company organically, instead of by leaps and bounds with disregard to the risk of downsizing? Has corporations in the wake of capitalism forget their core value and function which is to create goods and services for the community, by working with a good team of people that the corporation has chosen to nurture to build their potential for success? Or are companies in the business to create unnecessary ups and downs for the community and families.

Sadly, this is the reality of today's imperfect economic system. In the movie, GTX, a transport company begins to evaluate cutting all its unprofitable divisions, even its core business divisions when it started operations. The CEO salaried at $22 million even laid off his long time employee who together founded the business with him since they have differing views on downsizing. It's a cold message that friendship in the workplace nowadays mean nothing if it impedes profit.

Yet, in the final analysis, there is always a rainbow that awaits the patient. Rough times will come and go. Evil will always be judged. Help is always near to those who wait upon Him in faith, courage and enthusiasm. There is always something to learn from trials.














What matters more is not the forecast of profits or the attainment of success, but whether we have faith in goodness. Success will always come if we build our faith upon the right foundation. How awesome if we can have faith in the potential of people by motivating them to enjoy building a future together as a team. If it does not come, we still gain in learning to be content with the simple things in life such as the smiles of my lovely daughters. Or in the film, the valuable time in playing basketball with a lonely teenager son that yearns for his dad's company and mentoring. Everything happens for a reason and we can wait patiently for the revealing of God's Good Will.














In rough times, courage is the thin string that holds things together. Courage against giants, against ruthless and cold evil, against those who sneer and have lack of faith. Enthusiasm is the light humour that brings us through discouragement. There must be a new day with new blessings. Even if the tap runs dry of water, there is always a wealth of lessons to be learn each day. Light up our eyes so we can eagerly spot opportunities to grow, to love and to win.














I too have my fair share of ups and downs in all my workplaces. Yet, I echo the actor's call that there is nothing to lose if we chant "faith, courage, enthusiasm". We can only lose our job, but we will never lose our spirit. There is always good to those who seek after goodness, despite our failings and weaknesses.

Check out another blog I write: http://lifenewcreation.blogspot.sg/ to find about securing new opportunities for your future.















(Photos show Haruka with my mother in law during our search for a kindergarten where they had mochi making and eating, and family and relatives enjoying Indian lunch buffet at Riverwalk Tandoor, Singapore for SGD13 per person).

Detail: Tip 243: Faith, Courage, Enthusiasm

0 Tip 138: Never be embarassed by family

This blogpost is inspired by the movie,"Last Chance Harvey" watched on the plane to Singapore recently. Starring Dustin Hoffman (playing Harvey), the father of a soon to be wed daughter, the movie offers a rollercoaster ride of emotions felt by Harvey who realized he has nothing left and has lost everything: his marriage, his daughter, his esteem when he is on the verge of losing his supposedly permanent job. The climax to me, was when his daughter told him that another man will replace him as dad, to walk her on the aisle. What can be more shocking than that? That has its roots in a father who felt he embarassed his family all the years and begin distancing himself away, thereby creating a vicious cycle of more distance and lost of trust. Yet, that's a very common scene in any family. Unless we admit it and do something about it, we all can be blamed one time or another for feeling embarassed by our family members. In this competitive world with high standards where we can constantly compare families, we subconsiously demonstrate how we are irked by the many things our parents and family members do. Yet, these negative responses are the very seeds that can ruin our relationships and cause more rift and more embarassment upon ourselves. Rather, we need to consciously remind ourselves to affirm those we love since they are the ones we have the tendency to feel most irritated by. All is not lost- while our parents and family members are still alive, we can undo our previous negative responses and takes steps to reaffirm our parents' esteem and demonstrate we are not embarassed by them. Love heals. It starts by making bold steps to undo past negative actions.

I am glad to admit that there is nothing to hide, that I have been embarassed by my dad since young. This is the first step to make attempts to do something about it. Unless one is conscious of the need to be sensitive with one's actions, any subtle subconscious behavior over the years will continue unnoticed. I was embarassed by my dad's inability to manage his finances, thereby creating a poverty cycle surrounding my family, before both me and my brother started working. Further, as I grew up, I felt embarassed by his manner, his thinking, his speech, his relationship with others and myself as would how Harvey's daughter and wife felt about Harvey. Yet, I did nothing to support my dad but to further my distance, thereby further hurting his esteem. A dad's esteem is further damaged when even those close to him could not lend support, even as the rest of society treats him far worse in this competitive society. Few years ago, I began realizing that I am not in the position to judge my dad. All of us are made different, and face different circumstances in life. The fact that he has not given up in life through the many challenges he faced and contributed the little he did, means a big deal actually. Instead of feeling ashamed of his little contributions, I began to feel proud and spend more time talking to him. Everytime, my dad uttered a careless phrase, I see it in the light that we are all similarly vulnerable to shortcomings. I invested more time to give him opportunities to expose to different experiences so that, he may be a better person. I am even considering to move closer to home, so that my parents could spend more time with Haruka so they would feel more a part of me and my family. Yes, it is not easy to accept someone and even endorse that person that we are proud despite their shortcomings. But, if it will make their life meaningful and build his/her self esteem, it is a loving contribution we bring to our family who loves us and has no one but us. Furthermore, our example towards our parents will be seen by our children.

How do you think we can best deal with being embarassed by our family members?

(Photos show the romantic Paris in the evening, at the Arc de Triomphe and the Pantheon Court overlooking Eiffel Tower and the Pantheon itself).

Detail: Tip 138: Never be embarassed by family