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Monday, March 14, 2011

Our journeys, though similar, are never the same

Monday Starters - By Soo Ewe Jin



IN the workplace, we do place a premium on experience. People with a wide range of experience, compiled into many pages on their CVs, often get the edge at job interviews.

But what is this experience that we are talking about? Will the experience gained by a person who has held similar positions in various companies necessarily mean that he will be able to take on any challenge in the new company?

The reality is that even if the tools and the job specifications are the same, a totally different scenario will emerge because the people around us, and the circumstances that we have to operate in, often render obsolete all the impressive credentials we may have.

Which is why I would always place a higher premium on attitude and not aptitude when it comes to looking for people to fill positions.

In the bigger perspective of life, people generally believe that if you have been through a journey before, it will always be easier the second time around.

Truth is, no two journeys are ever the same. Nothing we have been through, or we have been prepared for, are ever enough when we begin our walk on a new journey.

It may be the same old familiar road. We may now be armed with more knowledge and understanding of what could potentially lie ahead.But is that sufficient to make us strut around with confidence?

I am about to embark on a journey which I have been through before. Right now, I do not see clear signs and directions, but I know I can always take that first step in faith.

In life, when faced with an unexpected detour, we often ask: “Why me?” Sometimes, it might be good to ask: “Why not me?”
For, although, we know not what the future holds, those of us with prior experience, who have been scarred from previous battles, can rest assured that we are now a bit more equipped for whatever life throws at us.

We cannot be arrogant about our ability, but if we walk humbly and know that God is in charge, the journey might not be too unpleasant after all.

Those of you who have followed this column may understand that I have tried to give a healthy dose of positive vibes to help you start the week, to inject a bit of heart into the corporate soul, to see the extraordinary in the ordinary, and to give you a chuckle now and then.

Hopefully, I will continue to do so in the weeks to come, even as I take a leave of absence from the workplace to deal with this personal journey.

Deputy executive editor Soo Ewe Jin understands that it is a universal trait to want predictability, but it is even better to learn to appreciate the unexpected.

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