The Night I “Sacked” My Boss

The Night I “Sacked” My Boss

In 1992, I was standing alone at the window of my office.

It was about 10 pm, almost the end of another long day at work.

As I looked out of the window, the view was dotted with many blinking lights.

They were shining from ships that were docked at the coastal waters of Singapore.
Those lights reminded me of how successful our nation has become as one of the busiest ports in the world.

That night, I also realised how busyness had crowded my life and was gradually squeezing the life out of me.

When the agent first found me the office, she sold me on the beautiful sea view.

Little did both of us know that the Government had embarked on a massive reclamation project.
The government did such a great job.

Shortly, the sea view became largely a reclaimed land view.

At the rate the reclamation was going, I told my friends all over the world that I would eventually be able to drive to their countries. I was kidding of course.

The landscape right in front of my window was changing rapidly.

It became what is known today as the Marina Bay – the latest addition to the Central Business District.

That evening, I felt the pace of change all around me.
Time was also somewhat running ahead of me.
It was like the train of life had left the station without me.

I was still standing on the platform with my luggage – not knowing where to go and what to do.

As I stood – all alone – thinking about the fast-changing landscape, my heart was very troubled.

Looking out of the window, what I saw was not just the darkness out there.
I saw darkness within me and how it was reflected in my future.
In that darkness, however, there was a glint of divine hope.

I had an epiphany – a light bulb, as they said, had just lighted up in my mind.

At that point, I was running the regional operation of a reputable multinational think tank.
I was well-paid, given lots of freedom, and managing many exciting projects.
Despite all that, I had become unhappy.
I realized my job was going nowhere and in fact, it was leading me to a dead end.

My career was never going to get what me what I wanted in my life – Purposeful Freedom.

Purposeful Freedom, to me, included financial freedom, time freedom, lifestyle freedom, and contribution freedom.

I would never have all the money that I needed to fulfill worthwhile dreams.

And neither would I have the time to turn dreams into a reality.

I would never be able to do the things I wanted to do and achieve whatever I wanted to achieve.

And enjoy everything I wanted to enjoy in life.

More importantly, I would never have contribution freedom.

I would never have the freedom to provide the best of life to my loved ones.

Pay back what I owed to society.
Put to right many of the wrongs in our world, and leave a positive legacy for future generations.
My job and company would always somehow stand in the way and prevent me from making my dreams come true.
It was hard to admit until that evening that my job and company have become like a prison – and that prison is more frightening than a conventional prison with bars and locked doors.
That evening, I decided to “sack” my boss.

And embark on an entrepreneurial and investment journey.

Long story short, I went through many ups and downs throughout the journey.

There were also times when I would hit the peak of passion, vitality and fulfillment.

I called this peak experience the entrepreneurial zone.

At those points, I could unleash my greatest potential and optimise my performance and pursuits.

To replicate the zone, I need to ensure that six forces are in alignment.

These forces have to also act in synergy with one another.

1. Purpose
I believe our Creator has designed every one of us for a special purpose.
Therefire, pursue and fulfil the highest possible calling and serve a worthy cause.
The question you need to ask yourself is: What is your calling in life?

2. Passion
I believe that anything worth doing is worth doing with passion and excellence.
Love what you do and do it to the best of your abilities.
Truth be told, you cannot do everything that you love to do.

However, you can still learn to love whatever you are doing.

This is important because in the process of fulfilling your calling, you will be called upon to do things that you might not love to do.

Still, you can and have to be passionate about doing every task and learn how to love every task.

Whatever you choose to do, do it as an act of gratefulness to our Creator.
Be thankful for the life that He has given to you.
Live every moment as the best moment and as if it is the last moment of your life.
Do not waste any moment and strive to enjoy every moment to the fullest.
The question you need to ask yourself is: How can you be passionate about your calling?
3. Performance
As you have only one life to live and life is not a dress rehearsal, live it to the best of your strengths and abilities.
Capitalise on the unique gifts, talents, and strengths that our Creator has given to you.

Leverage on these divinely-endowed values to excel and to live life to the fullest.

Only by using your strengths can you then achieve the best outcomes and results.

The question you need to ask yourself is: How can you achieve peak performance?
4. Priority
Living life to the fullest is about having priorities and fulfilling them.

Focus on important matters and not just urgent matters.

Learn to put first thing first – and major on the majors – to move forward to fulfill your highest calling.
The question you need to ask yourself is: What is the most important thing for you to do right now?
5. Perseverance

There must be a clear focus and wholehearted commitment to your calling.

It will help you galvanize your energy and resources to complete a given task effectively and efficiently.

The question you need to ask yourself is: How can you be singleminded about your calling?
6. Progress
To improve yourself, you should constantly solicit wise, honest and timely feedback.

Respond to the feedback by adjusting and adapting yourself so as to achieve the next level of growth.

Learn to bounce back from a failure and press on to achieve desired results.

The question you need to ask yourself is: How can you achieve ongoing improvements?
When you are able to able to develop equilibrium and synergy between and amongst these six mutually-reinforcing building blocks, you can achieve the sweet spot – the entrepreneurial and investment zone.

Optimize your productivity to achieve targeted outcomes, results and impacts and better positioned yourself to turn plans into a reality.

Here’s the formula again:
Entrepreneurial Zone = Purpose + Passion + Performance + Priority + Perseverance + Progress

Find your sweet spot now.

Go4It!

I hope this message will find a place in your heart.

By the way, I have also recorded other reflections.

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Life is FUNtastic!