Hello Friday Friends, 朋友, Kawan, Dost & PengYiu,
Quick Quotable
Quotes are told in a few words that impact to our soul. Quotes are not meant to be read lightly. Quotes can change your life only when you choose to be deliberate when you read & think it deeply about them.
This week Quote is:
If you want to fly; give up everything that weighs you down ~~ Buddha
Question for Reflection
Given what I want to achieve, what alternative paths will take me to the destination?
One-Word Practice
Resolutions Don’t Work But One Word Practice Does:
This week, that word is:
‘Restarting’
Starting is hard. So is Restarting.
Today Sharing:
The day after I turned fourteen, I started work. Woke early to walk to work. My first full-time job was at a metalworking engineering backyard factory. I don’t remember how I got the job. It’s likely happened that I am bored of going to school since I was bombarded by information every day. As a Primary 6 dropout, and through observing people working in the backyard factory, I figured that I am a guy that is interested in a hands-on type of job. After using my contacts and a short interview, I got the job. The factory lead-man simply needed a young boy who was motivated to clock in and do repetitive, mind-numbing work for eight hours every day.
By the end of day one, I knew I wouldn’t care what my neighbour boys will be thinking of me, a useless boy doesn't want to study and breaks his mother heart. Those potty-mouthed comments fell deaf on my ears. Work was work, and I love to make money and my family needed the money too. By-the-way, I finally left the factory when I turned eighteen, as it is mandatory to complete the full-time National Service. That might be another story for another Friday Sharing of my army life. Every Singaporean have his own boy to man army story.
My dad’s greatest aspiration was for me to work in a big factory with huge overhead cranes above my head. A craftsman working in a huge manufacturing facility. He wanted his boy to make big things.
But I didn’t have the luxury of choosing what I wanted to do. After my National Services, I followed my dad’s dream. I joined a Japanese factory which designed and manufactured equipment for paint manufacturing companies. During my period in the Japanese company, we have a taboo subject not to discuss the Japanese war in Singapore. I was employed as a welder-cum-metal-fabricator and since it is a small factory, we are all multi-taskers. We have to fabricate metal sheet, assemble all the parts together and install the equipment in the paint manufacturer company. My work and commute took 12 hours a day, there and back, to a dirty job where I worked with my head, hands and heart—helping to weld, machine, and build custom equipment that will bring colour & joy to families who brought the final products to colour their HDB apartment beautifully.
I never had any idea of what I'm getting out of this, or the feeling that I am doing a meaningful work each day. What was worth more to me was the money at the end of the week, for more beers and cigarettes. In fact, I am more a less an orphan, a homeless, wild, young man. All the while, I never worried and wonder that I will need a degree to land me a steady, tie-wearing desk job. Or need to study the English language to be able to write my Friday Sharing with you.
I am quite the lucky one, picked by one of the Japanese Engineer to follow him, where I learned to read blueprints (Engineering Drawing) to understand how things are put together. He encouraged me to go for courses and during my time we had the VITB. Now, our generation is lucky to have the big & modern ITE. Those old machines from yesteryears, that I practiced during my time, in the old VITB, was shipped to Vietnam. I visited the Vietnam VITB during one of my business study trips. That is where I realized my journey started from this old machine, now shaping the Vietnam generation, and hopefully, one of them will be like me.
I completed my blueprint study in the VITB and moved on to finish my VITB level II. Coincidently, after finishing my VITB, the time for my Japanese Engineer to return back to Japan came. I also decided to leave and join FMC, an oil & gas equipment manufacturing corporation, an MNC from America.
I was lucky, the second time that I got a job, I got it without much of an interview and started the following day. I still remember I started on March 19, 1979, and my starting salary is just $450 a month. When I stepped into the factory for an interview, I got a real shock seeing the huge manufacturing facility. I saw the big overhead crane above my head, something my dad used to think and dream about. With the big machine I was told to operate on, I was bit taken back and just accept whatever the salary I was offered. After all, $450 is good enough for my daily beers and cigarettes as I am single and worry-free wild young man. My other skills came into play when the plant manager later discovered that I can weld and assemble. And again, I became a multitasker as when needed, and believe me or not, my salary doubled within 6 months. I was bad-mouthed for being a boot licker, but again, I let those comments slide. Work was work to me. Ever heard the story of a frog jumped out of the well? I liken myself to that frog, I jumped out of the well.
Here, I would like to thank Buddha that I seriously got a chance to work with a huge overhead crane over my head, fulfilling my dad dreams of becoming a skilled machinist cum welding, metal fabricator, and many hands-on skills that I picked up along the way. Truly, a multiskilling craftsman, but without and any certifications, diplomas or degree of sorts.
As the years pass, I am intrinsically motivated to do work harder that I care about and enjoy. I realized the work that gives me a sense of purpose (Making More Money) while helping others to fulfill their potential (Loving Safety).
In my quest for Quality Work; Quality Life, I spend the majority of my time chasing the kind of growth I wanted to fulfil after achieving my dad dream. I pushed on to fulfill my personal dream… be a Qualipreneur. A self-thought quality and safety professional.
Most people reading this might be thinking that I am lucky and fortunate enough to be working for reasons and able to bring home enough money to put food on the table. And not forgetting got a chance to traveling, I would said half the world.
Yes, you can say that I am lucky, Luck, to me, is to have two very important elements: planning ahead and waiting for an opportunity to strike. Luck is always waiting for you if you have prepared enough and once the opportunity arrived at your doorstep, they just caught you.
I aim to expand my reach and transform myself. As mentioned earlier, I never thought that I will need a degree to land me a steady, tie-wearing desk job. Now, I am lucky a 3rd time, I've completed my degree and promoted to a steady, tie-wearing desk job. I was promoted to the Regional TQM & HSE Manager. But I hardly don a tie. Maybe because I still have the bit of gangster style inside me or the street-fighter mentality. Only during my business trips and occasionally, when I need the tie to look professional.
Some people only want to make money at the expense of doing what they like, and often ignore the things that motivate them to do the great work, Quality Certainty and Love Safety which will ironically enable them to expand their reach, attract more and feel fulfilled. When we prioritize Make Money (Capitalism) and Love Safety (Humanism) everything falls into place.
Asking businessmen to put purpose (Love Safety) before profits (Make More Money) doesn't make sense in today's business strategy.
That’s the reason when one of my friends indirectly copy my tagline to state “Love Safety & Make Money” I told him that he is welcome to copy and share my tagline - 'Make Money & Love Safety,' but he can't tweak it the other way around because you can’t change reality. All businesses exist to make money period! Not to love you. But we can nudge businesses to Make Money (Capitalism) and Love Safety (Humanism) and everything falls into place.
Thank for reading
I write for myself & for my grandchildren but if the story helps you, share it around. As always, thank you & (F)Friday (S)See (Y)You…... here again.
谢谢; Thanks;
感恩 (Ganen) Grateful
With Gratitude
感恩Today, Joyful Tomorrow... fsy
It’s no secret that 感恩 leads to more gratitude.
Please join me in advocating:
Make Money & Love Safety
赚钱第一; 安全在我心! & 明天一定会更好！加油哦
Jana Wang, Cinta Keselamatan
Until We Meet Here Next Friday... Be FSY (F)Friendly (S)Strong & (Y)Youthful.
Click to continue reading… http://www.qualipreneur.com/category/friday-sharing/
Acknowledgements
My FSY’s sharing is unscientifically and some are contributed by wife & children, friends, acquaintances. I write and share things that matter to me. I understand that everyone has their own opinions, views, & thoughts. There are no right or wrong answers. Nothing is true or untrue, most facts and data can be twisted to your favour.
To the authors, contributors and original sources, my thanks and where appropriate my apologies if I forget to quote your names. If I took a page from your generous sharing and tweaked it into something else, something I hope will spread and the whole purpose is for sharing and sharing is caring.
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