Month: March 2011

Don’t Be Afraid to Fail

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I read that somewhere, Don’t Be Afraid to Fail … some famous person who achieved a lot said this … who, I can’t remember … I’ve always been afraid to fail … even though I have failed a number of times, some quite miserably too … you’d think it gets easier.  Oh well, redefining failure … maybe that’s what I need to do.  Or is it managing my expectations … I don’t know and I’m not really sure.  Yah, it’s one of those days.

The thing is I’ve learnt a lot from each and every one of my failures.  They make me who I am and hopefully *keeping my fingers crossed* my failures have made me stronger too.  Yet I don’t enjoy them as I see them coming.  Think it’s human nature.

So here’s to failure that it may pave the way for success 😉

Still Learning

/ carlenetan / 3 Comments

Minister Mentor has done a lot for Singapore, no one denies that.  While I’m grateful for most of it, I don’t agree with all of his opinions but if it’s anything I want to learn from this very wise man, it’s the grace and humility to be able to stand corrected.

I know lesser people who reckon they are owed something for the smaller sacrifices they’ve made.  I may not always agree with him but in my humble opinion, anyone who has the right to feel like they are owed something, it should be him.

So when you see a man of his stature being able to stand corrected, there is much to learn.

Life lesson on making mistakes – recognise you have made one, learn from it and don’t do it again.  At 36, I’ve had my fair share of mistakes and I’m still learning to recognise them, much less learn from them and proceed to not doing them again.

As I’m learning from MM, the perfect living example for me is actually my sister.  We all make mistakes and how we bounce back from them is what separates the wheat from the chaff.  My sister makes bouncing back look a lot easier than it really is.  She’s definitely whole lot of wheat 🙂

Check back in here in about 30 or 40 years, I hope I’d have it down by then.  Meanwhile, I’m still learning … …

The Abyss

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I loved the James Cameron movie but I’m not quite sure how I feel being in one … … Clearing work emails over the weekend and thinking about work all the time, feels like I’m running my own company … except I’m not … I wonder if the stars have plans for me to be an entrepreneur … the real question is do I want to be one?

Meanwhile, I’m putting down lessons I learn or want to learn … maybe I can develop a niche with a blog that helps you deal with working in the office … kinda a Dilbert with practical purposes 🙂

This week I’m going to try and not be distracted by email and phone calls.  So starting today I’m dedicating half an hour every Monday morning to think STRATEGY i.e. important versus urgent.  I was inspired by an article I read and here’s the tips from bnet.com:-

  1. Figure out what you’d like to think about. On your commute or during a quiet patch at night or on weekends, think through what are the big questions related to your career or organization. Choose one to start with.
  2. Gather any material you’ll need in advance. You do not want to search through your email to find a report… and then answer 10 other emails and follow a link to an interesting article your colleague sent and then, hey! Is it noon already?
  3. Seize the time. No one is going to say “Hey, here’s an hour where nothing else will happen!” You’re going to have to take the lead on this one. If you can leave your office during the day, go somewhere nearby and quiet. Do a work-from-home day or morning if that’s possible for you. If you have an office, shut the door. If you’re in a cube, reserve an empty conference room. Don’t bring your phone to be “available” if someone needs you. The point is to be unavailable.
  4. Start small. The hardest part about strategic thinking time is actually maintaining your focus. So you may need to take baby steps. For your first session, aim for 30 minutes truly focused on the question at hand. Set your watch. If your mind wanders, bring it back.
  5. Make it a habit. If you make it through 30 minutes, congratulate yourself. Then try again later in the week. If you manage to do three 30-minute sessions a week for several weeks in a row, aim bigger.

I’ll have an update on my progress :p