If I had listened to my own heart that time, perhaps I could have achieved even far greater things. The problem is that I feared that I might regret. There was this wish inside me not to get sucked into the corporate tooth and claw arena. Even as bystander, it wasn't fun witnessing casualties of political war - written off as "natural attrition" due to "change". How lame. But how wicked the human heart that deviced the invisible knife.

So, I had told myself to stay away - a couple of times. But, as people begin to throw in the towel and share with me why they wanted to leave, I could only cheer them on to find their own happiness, for their loved ones' sake. I had learnt a lot from them. In life, there is always something someone else - regardless of age, gender or nationality - can actually teach us how to become a even better person.

However, that being said, on the pretext of offering sound advices and/or constructive feedback, there are also those who badly need to be right (all the time) as well as those who possess all the right advices. In actualy fact, they do need attention by through giving advices - solicited or uninvited - they seem to have an innate fear of being "below the 'average' line" so much so that they would naturally climb over your head and/or your backs.

This is a character flaw and it will bear fruits in adulthood. If your child has learnt this, nib it in the bud. Otherwise, you will never know whether your kid will become a person with good moral character or one who is conniving and scheming.

If a child is gullible like Eve, it is one thing
If a child has grown to become jealous and muder his own brother out of spite, that's quite another. Handled too late, a human weakness can develop into wickedness.

But if a child has learn

The Goal

A corporate executive on holiday in a small Greek seacoast village was strolling by the docks and drinking in the local color. He complimented one fisherman on the quality of his catch.
“How long did it take you to get all those fish?” he wondered.
“Not very long,” answered the Greek. “An hour or two.”
“Then why didn’t you stay out longer to catch more?”
Shrugging, the Greek explained that his catch was sufficient to meet his needs and those of his family.
The executive asked, “But what do you do with the rest of your time?”
I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, and take a nap with my wife. In the evening, I go to the village to see my friends, dance a little, play the bouzouki, and sing songs. I have a full life.”
The executive said, “I have an MBA from Harvard. I can help you. You should start by fishing longer every day. You’ll catch extra fish that you can sell. With the revenue, you can buy a bigger boat. With the extra money the larger boat will bring you, you can buy a second boat and a third one, and so on, until you have an entire fleet of trawlers. Instead of selling your fish to a middleman, you can then negotiate directly with the processing plants and maybe even open your own plant. You can ship fish to markets all around the world. In time, you can then move to New York City to direct your huge enterprise.”
“How long would that take?” asked the Greek.
“Twenty, perhaps twenty-five years,” replied the executive.
“And after that?”
“When your business gets really big, you can sell stock and make millions!” exclaimed the executive with zeal.
“Millions? Really? And after that?”
“After that you’ll be able to retire, live in a small village near the coast, sleep late, play with your grandchildren, catch a few fish, take a nap with your wife, and spend your evenings singing, dancing, and playing the bouzouki with your friends.”

Focus on the Way, not the end.

(source: Zen in the Martial Arts by Joe Hyams)

A young boy traveled across Japan to the school of a famous martial artist. When he arrived at the dojo he was given an audience by the sensei.
“What do you wish from me?” the master asked.
“I wish to be your student and be the finest karateka in the land,” the boy replied. “How long must I study?”
“Ten years at least,” the master answered.
“Ten years is a long time,” said the boy. “What if I studied twice as hard as all your other students?”
“Twenty years,” replied the master.
“Twenty years! What if I practice day and night with all my effort?”
“Thirty years,” was the master’s reply.
“How is it that each time I say I will work harder, you tell me that it will take longer?” the boy asked.
“The answer is clear. When one eye is fixed upon your destination, there is only one eye left with which to find the Way.”

Know Your Worth

A woman approached Picasso in a restaurant, asked him to scribble something on a napkin, and said she would be happy to pay whatever he felt it was worth. Picasso complied and then said, “That will be $10,000.”
“But you did that in thirty seconds,” the astonished woman replied.
“No,” Picasso said. “It has taken me forty years to do that.”

Source: What They Don’t Teach You at Harvard Business School by Mark H. McCormack

Think out of the box

Got this from somewhere. It's meaningful, tho.

You are driving along in your car on a wild, stormy night, it’s raining heavily, when suddenly you pass by a bus stop, and you see three people waiting for a bus:

An old lady who looks as if she is about to die.
1. An old friend who once saved your life.
2. The perfect partner you have been dreaming about.
3. Which one would you choose to offer a ride to, knowing very well that there could only be one passenger in your car?

This is a dilemma that was once used as part of a job application.
You could pick up the old lady, because she is going to die, and thus youshould save her first;
* or you could take the old friend because he once saved your life, and thiswould be the perfect chance to ! pay him back. However, you may never be able to find your perfect mate again.

The candidate who was hired had no trouble coming up with his answer. Guess what was his answer? He simply answered:
“I would give the car keys to my Old friend and let him take the lady to the hospital. I would stay behind and wait for the bus with the partner of my dreams.”

Sometimes, we gain more if we are able to give up our stubborn thought limitations.

River drying up, P2

There was a river drying up.... and a new king has just taken over (through some ugly unscrupulous means, of course). There was an uproar among the subjects and everyone wondered who did this terrible thing - letting the river dry up. Straightaway, they found a fish at the bottom of the river... and straightaway, the king of the jungle pointed an accusing finger at the fish. "It must be you!!!" "What have you done to the river?!?!"

Look, just like us and everyone else in this jungle, they have to drink and eat also, right? There must have been too many of them now that they have destroyed our river. So, everyone blamed the fish for drying up the river. I don't know the poor fish died of fright or heartbreak.

After a few more days, the water did not return to the river and the surrounding soil around the river was starting to crack and dust filled the air. There were no more fishes to blame. The angry king started to look for the next likely creature.

"You!" He pointed his claw at the flamingoes. "It might have been you! I have seen you waddling in the pool among the fishes before it all happened!" The poor birds were thus banished from the river. This went on and on and soon, nobody dared to go near the river for fear of being blamed. Everyone was afraid of being in the sight of the lion and his royal subjects. The witch-hunt had begun and most others who had thought otherwise, were also ostracised so badly they found that they had better leave too. So, soon after the birds had left, the antelopes and the deers followed. And the beautiful gazelles, the chimps and mousedeers.

A few hundred kilometers up-river, there was a beautiful lake. In it, there were fishes, plants and colourful rocks. There was a dam which had been built by a family of beavers. This dam had trapped the water going down river.There used to be heavier rainfall and the water flew over the dam in good times. But over the last few years, there had been lesser and lesser rainfall. Soon, the little that trickled down the river were very quickly dried up.

Evolutionary Management

In management, just as in life, there is this natural part of evolutionary management. A friend, who had seen the past and who had given me a glimpse of the future, his secret is actually rather simple. "History remembers its footprints".

In other words, we have cycles in life and in management. When there is plenty, there will be lack. When there is want, there will be plenty. And so, we try to correct from the past, and in the process, we evolve. When we get back to a semblance of what we used to be, we call it "retro".

Evolution goes around in spirals. When it fails to get itself lifted, it keeps going around in circles. Until it dries itself up. The new beginning in my department happens in a new season, for a new generation. Those who try to hold on to the past may become part of the casualty of change. It has happened so often. Change is a definite thing. Just as we will age, and weaken in strength.

So, my friend, the new world belongs to you. Just know that more changes will come, and they will change the way we work. Many new people who experience the change for the first time, and will probably be changed in the process. There will also be natural attrition in the process. Affecting those who less adaptable. They will be seen as counter-productive.