Monday, February 20, 2006

Lessons in Life from the Youth

I have reached an age where one tends to look forward to retirement and play it safe in life. We each faces our own battles and some of us do have alot of scars to show for it. In my 21 years of working, I remember countless times that I have taken deadly risk either as part of my job or decisions to further my carreer. Over the years, we grew into a safe zone, we then build our complecancy and try to shield ourselves by taking lesser risk then before.

Lately, in working with some group of brilliant and aggressive people who averages 15 years my junior, I come to the realization that there are massive gaps between what I deem as risk when compared to what these guys risk appetite were. Where I would rationalize and plan, my colleague would shoot from the hip and with gung ho zest just attack the market. As one female colleague would put it, we have to have the "balls" to go out do it and believe in what we do.

Another pull me aside and remarked, "You know, by the time you finished planning,the market is no more there" , to which I pondered and concluded, "Yes, he could be right". Lessons learnt, Passion in executing your work may overide any form of careful planning(or U can't plan for everything).

Being elderly, words blurted out by these guys can be very direct and curt. They do not have any inhibition in what they say and do. I don't necessarily think that this negative but being brought up in an environment where word uttered and said are chosen to suit the environment and mostly padded, I sometimes find it tough to adapt to this new engagement model. However, I find that I need to learn and adapt to these new engagement model as new citizens brought up in this internet culture tend to be direct. Actually,to be fair to these colleagues of mine, they have on many occassion demonstrated the effort to appease me and I also should do my part to learn, listen and swallow what they have to say - as they could be right.

Thirdly, I have also discovered a weakness, which I feel may have been with me for ages, which is not to act when people are observing you ie MALU. This has on many occassion, prevented inaction on my part and not doing the right things for fear of MALU. A friend of mine, on a few occassions gave me stern reminders as to do the right things and not bothered by what people may say or judge. Though I found it difficult and bothered by this remark, I think there is sense in that advice to which I value very much and now try venture in more (don't care what U think) activities.

To these colleagues and friends of mine, I would like to thank you very much for the guidance and patience that U have given, you know who U are. It is a mindset change and we are never too old to learn ;-).

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2 comments:

The Editor said...

I agree with U Mr Spoonfork and that is why I do not succeed and that is why that you do. Hence my admiration and respect for U and some of the colleagues.

Alas, I remain in the cars that won't start ;)

Lin said...

The car metaphor is interesting! I think I am in the car dah start tapi tak bole tukar gear