Tag: work

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My mission trip reflections

The mission team… arrived and ready to serve!

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

This month I have decided to share this one blog on my mission trip reflections. My second mission trip to West Kalimantan since the last trip in 2017. There is so much things to learn as we serve others. This trip has made deeper impression on me and please find my reflections as below:

What I have learnt?

It is important to be fit and healthy to travel, how can we serve others when we are not fit. That is why we need to take care of ourselves before taking care of others. We cannot give what we do not have, in this case, strength, stamina and ability to help others in anyway that we can.

What we have planned for may not turned out as how we want it to be. We have to expect the unexpected. We can plan and prepare so much and when the rubber meets the road… the situation may differ. Just be flexible, enjoy the journey, stay calm and learn as much as we can.

Everyone has their own struggles, and what we can do is to help as much as we can, avoid judging others and do not burden others with your own troubles and hurts.

Simple actions can impact people without you knowing it. Do what we can, with what we have, wherever we go…

Be prepared mentally for unforeseen circumstances and be flexible to change. “Blessed are those who are flexible as they will not be bent out of shape!”

“Some of our finest work comes through service to others.”
– Gordon B. Hinckley

One of the workshops I helped to conduct with my mentors…
The villagers may not have much and they are devoted to worship. Really love their faith and especially the children.

Self realisation:

I really need to be consistent in my fitness regime, it may not be easy to follow the schedule… just need to be creative and do what I can to be in shape!

All the answers are in the bible; in my opinion, a lot of people are searching via worldly things and relying on other people… when all that we are searching for, is in the holy book. I will need to be more diligent in reading the bible.

Pay attention to details and the rest will be in place accordingly. It may not be easy to ensure everything runs like a well-oiled machine and when we do, all things will fall in place. Better for everyone and especially myself.

Give the best that I can; with who I can be, what I can do and what I have. The key is to giving without expecting anything in return (no expectations) and we will be happier plus meaningful.

Be generous and have abundance mentality. The more we give, the more we get… it may sound illogical… at times in life, there is no logic, no need to think too much. Just do it… Now!

Devotions as a habit… as food is to our physical body, we need food to our soul and spirit. We are what we eat… and input to our brain.

Be patient with others; never underestimate anybody. Everyone has their own strengths, talents, ability, experience and they contribute in their own ways. Who are we to judge?

Experience helps to make us better and in the know. Should any similar events happen again, we are ready for them and know how to deal with them. Life is an adventure, get as much experience as we can. Make more mistakes, learn from others and we will be wiser.

“Being of service to others is what brings true happiness.”
– Marie Osmond

This is where we conduct our teambuilding for the hospital staffs. What a view!


One of the groups for the teambuilding session. We ROCK!

There were a lot of photos and videos taken for the trip. It is not possible for me to showcase everything in this blog. If anyone of you is interested to know about the mission trip, please contact me and we can have coffee with me sharing stories with you… some are really funny.

Looking forward to serve more and may God bless the people in West Kalimantan.

“Your habits, your future!”

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The TOP 5 lessons learnt from my past jobs

I have been thinking of what to write… something that can benefit people who are reading this article. There are a lot of things that can be written and suddenly I thought of this question…

“What can my past jobs (the work, projects, people) teach me to be a better version of me today?”

To some of you who has changed a lot of jobs, please do not feel bad, times have changed and we do our best to be in that job as long as we can to serve the best we can.

I strongly believe that the outcome is a win-win when we put our best effort in the job that we are doing. The company gets the results and we get to learn from the experience, preparing ourselves for something BIGGER that is coming our way.

“Success is no accident. It is hard work, perseverance, learning, studying, sacrifice and most of all, love of what you are doing or learning to do.” ~ Pele

Please take note that the sharing is for learning purposes, contact me should you want the long version of the story as I will be putting the learning in bullet points…

Keep going and one day, you will achieve what you want to achieve.

Well here goes…

 

 

1st Job: Part-time college lab assistant which later got promoted / changed to be an IT Trainer (by accident)

  • Lesson 1: Never underestimate yourself, you can do GREAT things!
  • Lesson 2: Have the courage to speak up.
  • Lesson 3: As a people manager, fight for your people.
  • Lesson 4: Never ever condemn other people’s religion.
  • Lesson 5: Work hard before working smart!

2nd Job: Computer Instructor with a USA Franchise Computer Learning company (in Kuala Lumpur)

  • Lesson 1: Tell them what you are going to teach them, teach them and tell them what you have taught them.
  • Lesson 2: Practice integrity at all times.
  • Lesson 3: Communication skills are very important, no matter who you are.
  • Lesson 4: Never exploit people who are working with / for you.
  • Lesson 5: When you start to get greedy, you start to fall!

3rd Job: IT Officer and HR Training Executive in a Japanese Steel company

  • Lesson 1: Always have a backup plan.
  • Lesson 2: Never rush into making important decision.
  • Lesson 3: Listen to people who are reporting to you, all ideas are good ideas.
  • Lesson 4: Never get comfortable, always be improving yourself.
  • Lesson 5: Understand the culture of the company.

4th Job: College IT Training Sales and Trainer

  • Lesson 1: Change is good; if it improves the situation.
  • Lesson 2: The more you do, the better you get (provided if you fine-tune).
  • Lesson 3: You need a team to work on bigger things.
  • Lesson 4: Never fear of taking risks (manage the risks).
  • Lesson 5: Motivate your people, never wait until they are leaving.

5th Job: IT Head of Department with a Taiwanese forwarding MNC

  • Lesson 1: Respect needs to be mutual and earned NOT forced!
  • Lesson 2: Creative thinking helps to solve a lot of challenges.
  • Lesson 3: Never play favouritism!
  • Lesson 4: Office politics can cause problems.
  • Lesson 5: There are a lot of ways to solve issues.

6th Job: Sales Executive with the same Taiwanese forwarding MNC

  • Lesson 1: “The sky is NOT the limit…”
  • Lesson 2: Building relationship works!
  • Lesson 3: Be consistent (and congruent).
  • Lesson 4: Sales is a good platform to learn how to run a business.
  • Lesson 5: Customers need to be treated right! (they may not be always right)

7th Job: Branch Manager with a Systems Integrator

  • Lesson 1: there are no forever friends nor enemies in business.
  • Lesson 2: People are willing to do anything to earn big bucks!
  • Lesson 3: Coaching helps to build people.
  • Lesson 4: Follow up! Follow up! Follow up!
  • Lesson 5: Transparency is one of the success factors in business.

8th Job: Sales and Operations working partner

  • Lesson 1: Whoever that drinks with you, may not be your friend.
  • Lesson 2: One of the business focus and branding can be on premium markets!
  • Lesson 3: You always have a choice and the choice made you.
  • Lesson 4: Be truthful and be your true self.
  • Lesson 5: It is never too late to turn over a new leaf, to be a better person.

9th Job: Team manager for a USA computer MNC

  • Lesson 1: Motivate your people; recognition and rewards.
  • Lesson 2: Find out the root cause and NOT fire fight!
  • Lesson 3: You need to give some time to see improvement.
  • Lesson 4: Complete and NOT compete!
  • Lesson 5: 1×1 coaching and constant communication with people, helps!

10th Job: Sales Trainer with the same USA computer MNC

  • Lesson 1: Make learning FUN!
  • Lesson 2: Never give empty promises.
  • Lesson 3: Give recognition when it is due.
  • Lesson 4: Listen to both sides of the story.
  • Lesson 5: Dare to take risks!

There were a lot more lessons learnt from the past experience… I am just sharing 5 learning points for each job experience. Enjoy reading and select those relevant to you to apply.

If you need any help, please do not hesitate to contact me.

And if anyone of the above learning triggers you to change… for the better… WHY NOT?

“There are no secrets to success. It is the result of preparation, hard work, and learning from failure.” ~ Colin Powell

“Change Your Habits, Change Your World!”