own your uniqueness to thrive

"Take care of the soul that takes care of others." - Mary Davis

Well, it's been a while that I really took time off from my work. Travelling to new places is a great source of rejuvenation for me. I love to travel to different places, learn about their lifestyle, their uniqueness, their culture and bring that learning back to my work & life. For a hands on person like me, travelling has a soothing effect because it allows me to sense and experience the place in person. It allows me to nurture my creativity & absorb the goodness of that place in my own subtle ways. Thus, the recent short trip to Singapore was a wonderful experience for me. And as I sat down to blog after a few days of gap, I thought of sharing few insights from my visit. I have actually fallen in love with the place. For a person with high aesthetic sense, the beauty & artistic portrayal along with scientific application is indeed hard to resist. So, here it goes:

1. Focus on your uniqueness and not on limitations: This is one of the biggest insights that Singapore very well manifests. They do not have much natural resources, they majorly import. Size-wise it is a very small country. Not even as big as any one of our states. But, that limitation didn't stop them from thriving and creating abundance. They owned that uniqueness and allowed the limitation to downplay by focusing more on their strengths. 

2. Masterpieces are created by diligent planning & visionary strategy: The beauty, abundance & success of Singapore can be attributed to the proper planning & visionary strategy of their leaders. They had a vision, they planned and then executed it without fail. Malaysia received independence at the same time as Singapore did, but today Singapore is a developed country and Malaysia is a developing nation.

3. Leveraging technology for economic development: Singapore adopted technological advancement much earlier than any of it's counterparts. They used high-tech machines in their factories which led to lot of jobs being replaced by machines. But, they made sure that the units are made so big and large that they would need people to operate those machines. Thus, there's no unemployment scenario in Singapore. It was never people vs. technology but people enabled technology.

4. Art and Science can be blended together to experience abundance & fun: They know how to use scientific knowledge to create and add art to make it more joyous and fun. Learning can definitely be fun this way! Besides, the creation will display not only scientific expertise but also aesthetic expertise too. Look at their design structures anywhere. They used a small island, Sentosa to make a tourist hub with all the latest technologies and recreation facilities.

5. You can choose to grow old and call yourself weak or choose to challenge yourself & be fit no matter what: Almost all people that I had seen are super fit. You will see people running, jogging, cycling, walking anytime of the day. What struck me was the fact that the senior citizens were much fitter than you can even imagine. There's a service called Grab like Uber in Singapore. Most of the drivers are senior people and they are so active, energetic & lively. Even the room service personnel were active senior people of Singapore. Grey hairs didn't deter them from being fit, active & energetic!

6. Transcendent leadership: Transcendent leadership is to rise above or go beyond the limits & to triumph over negative or restrictive aspects. Do check out this Forbes link to understand more on transcendent leadership :www.forbes.com/sites/forbescoachescouncil/2017/05/11/six-keys-to-transcendent-leadership/#60513a6a7e2d. As I took an early morning flight back to India, I was driven back to the airport by the owner of one of the renowned cab companies in Singapore. I was surprised when he introduced himself to me. According to him, one of his fellow drivers wasn't available and hence he chose to drive because customer commitment & convenience is the key. And I feel I am lucky because that 20-25 minutes drive to the airport was full of learning, wisdom sharing from the owner himself. I was awestruck to witness such humility, care & leadership. Worth emulating! 

Last but not the least, check out this latest news on how they prepare the younger generation for a promising future: www.educationworld.in/singapore-abolishes-school-exam-rankings/. It emphasizes on the fact that learning is not a competition, but a self-discipline that needs to be mastered for life. 
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I can go on and on. From a small rejuvenating trip to a didactic experience, what more could I have asked for! Yes, this is the way I fill my cup to serve my clients and empower myself. The soul that takes care of others need to take care too. That's all for now till I hit another place and share my travel insights with you all. 

Love, Priyanka