There are times when I feel like writing something expressive – just something – and yet I just have absolutely no idea at all on what to write about. Sometimes, I just start typing, just let my fingers sail across the computer keyboard, and just vomit out whatever that is that comes to mind. Here I am stuck at home, thanks to Covid-19 for finally catching up with me. For 2 years plus, since the start of the pandemic, I have been able to weave through the intricate webs of Covid-19 infections – and after so many close contacts and close calls, if you would have it, I have finally fallen. Probably thanks to the 3 vaccination doses that I’ve received, the symptoms have been quite mild, to be honest. Having to deal with only sore throats, coughs, and flu, with a little bit of fatigue along the way, I’d say that I’m quite lucky, as compared to some other people I know. And thanks to the modern inter-connected world that we live in right now, we can do work anywhere around the world, as long as there is mobile service, or more specifically – internet connections.
The keyword here – the very essence that enabled us to do whatever it is that we are doing right now, to do work wherever we are, which most people, as recent as only 20 plus years ago won’t be able to – is CHANGE.
CHANGE – to many, this is a very, very scary word, but it is unavoidable, or to quote a certain huge-chinned, bald-headed, purple-coloured would-be saviour (read: conqueror) from Titan – “It’s inevitable!”
We all know change is necessary. We know that in order to progress into the future, change is quite essential for that to happen. Human civilizations have gone through so many phases of change throughout history – it is the only constant thing, although the speed differs depending on the time and age. There were the Industrial Revolutions, the Information Age, the Digital Age, and if we go further back into human history, there were the Renaissance Period, the Bronze Age; and if we go even further down to our cosmic past, there were the formation of our own planet, the Solar System, our Milky Way Galaxy, or The Big Bang even – CHANGE is constant.
Thanks to Covid-19, our world has changed quite drastically for the past 3 years or so. Inflations are at an all-time high; so many companies have folded –even some major ones, not just in Malaysia, but even global international companies; and amidst all of these, as if things couldn’t be worse enough, we even have wars waging in the Baltic region (could you believe it that this is happening in this modern times?).
Signs of the end of days? Maybe, but that’s a discussion for another day and time.
The thing is, we know CHANGE is important. In fact, CHANGE should not be something that we only preach about verbally or in written forms, but we must actually embrace it ourselves. There are some of those, who kept preaching others to embrace change, yet they themselves are resisting CHANGE. They wanted everyone else to change, but themselves.
Let me tell you a short story.
Not long ago, I was in a certain organization. The so-called “leader” preached to everyone constantly to embrace CHANGE, moving forward with the organization. He wanted people to do more for the organization, to pick up news skills, and keep ourselves up-to-date with technology, and apply them in our daily lives and tasks. Now, in all honesty, those were very good messages that he was preaching. In fact, there was nothing wrong with it to be honest, if he actually practice what he preaches. He wanted people to do more, give more, to improve, and yet the organization itself failed to embrace CHANGE. It kept on practicing archaic ways of management of the olden days. Instead of finding ways on how to motivate the staffs, they were finding ways and excuses on how to not give the staffs what they deserve. If that’s not archaic ways, I don’t know what is. Fast forward, it may seems that so many of the old-timers have continued to stick with the organization, for one reason or another, but as far as the youngsters go, so many have left, the main reason being that the youngsters do not see that there are any growth opportunity with the organization. So what’s left of the organization, is a line-up of soon-to-retire folks (or should have retired) – or youths that has blood-ties with the “leaders”.
Another good example is story of a major mobile phone company, who was at one point, a giant in the mobile phone industry from the end-of-the-90s, all the way towards the end of the Noughties. Just like how owning a certain mobile phone brand nowadays is a social statement, so was owning that phone, back then. However, its refusal to jump onto the technological bandwagon, and evolve with the rest of the world have proven to be the source of its own downfall. Nowadays, if you mentioned that brand to anybody on the streets, chances are those below 30 years of age would not know that the brand used to be a major mobile phone brand. Only those above 30 years of age, would probably recognize the name, and remember them fondly – due to nostalgia factors (yours truly is guilty here).
The fact is, if their leaders have had the vision and ability to embrace CHANGE, the brand would still be around, and I myself would probably be one of their loyal customers.
Personally, I admit, I’m not as successful as I wish I could have been. In fact, I would be the first to admit that I am still so far, far away from it. In fact I am still searching for a path – a path that would and could lead me to a desirable destination. I took a bold move this year, to try our new things, not knowing whether or not I will be successful at it. The path that I took is still full with uncertainties, and if I was to be perfectly honest, I have no idea if it will eventually works out. Right now, I’m just taking one step at a time, giving my all in attempting to change the trajectory of my life, God-knows if it’s for better or for worse – I could lose it all, or I could achieve something bigger, or something more meaningful in life.
Some of you would probably argue that, if I had known that the stakes are high, why for heaven’s sake did I decide to initiate CHANGE now, without a concrete plan or strategy. Or better still, why didn’t I do it earlier, when I was younger? Well, I’m not going to reveal everything here, but it suffice to say that if I could, I would. I may not have a concrete plan or strategy, but I do know that if I didn’t take that bold step, I would still be unhappy with not just my life, but in my career as well. I was dying a slow and painful death emotionally and mentally, that I’m unable to describe to you exactly how it felt, unless you were in my shoes. Imagine that you’ve given your blood, sweat, and tears for the organization, sacrificed your youth and life for them, for them to not only fail to recognize your efforts, to rub salt on wound, ridicule for whatever you have done!
How would you feel, and how would you react? Would you have stayed on, suck it up and keep going through life like a walking-dead, or would you try on something else, to see if it works out?
It took me a long time to finally make my decision and chose option number two. I’m not saying that I’m better off right now, but at least I know that at least, I have a fighting chance.
A fighting CHANCE is a CHANCE nonetheless. CHANCE and CHANGE – the only difference is ONE letter.
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