Shaken, not stirred

Statement of Personal Goals and Achievement
By Barbara G. M. Er

A decade ago, as I was approaching my point of legal independence, I made a list of ten things that I must achieve by my 31st birthday on 28th August 2006. Reflecting upon that list, which contained mostly of material wealth, I find that it no longer applies.

It cannot be denied that the general measures of an individual’s success in their thirties are their profession, annual income, assets owned and spending power. I used to benchmark myself by these same criteria. However, I have grown to believe that for one to reach their true potential, it is life’s experiences that mark one as a human being who has made a difference in their existence on earth and who is a success.

I chose the last ten years as my benchmark in comparing where I am today, and where I would like to be ten years from now, for it was in the last decade that has shaped and moulded me to be who I am today. It is with this in mind that I shall seek to improve and better myself.

Living in a generation of “paper-chasers”, I used to look back with regret towards the qualifications that I had worked hard for, but where the scrolls lies in a folder, untouched and un-used. But over the last five years, I have begun to see, that while my academic background of accounting and economics are not directly applied in the career that I have built for myself, the knowledge gained during the course of study have always proven to be useful. Not only has it given me an edge in managing the financial aspects of my job responsibilities, it has also solidified my self-confidence; knowing that I am not a quitter; I am able to start a journey and complete it.

This confidence brings about a sense of maturity that money cannot buy. It has driven me to go the extra mile when I felt that all was lost and beyond recovery, be it in my professional or personal life. Having taken the choice of raising my two young children on my own, this maturity is crucial when days bring me down - for I am no longer responsible for my own self, but also for two young lives with eyes who look to me for direction and guidance.

I have been told that I have been identified as a potential leader in my organization. I would like to believe that I have been given an opportunity that not many other 31 year olds have been given – the opportunity to learn the ropes so that one day, in the not too distant future, I am ready and able to take over the helm. This programme is meant to bring about a growth in me so that I would be ready when the time arrives.

I had wondered about the correlation between successful individuals and the graduate degrees they hold. If it is so important, how then could there be success stories from those who graduated from the “school of life’s hard knocks”? Is an MBA programme really that much of a life-changing experience?

I had always wondered why this should be so when it is but another paper qualification. Yet, in the last one week as I prepare my application submission, I have come to realize that education is not about the qualification you gain at the end of the line, but the entire process of structured growth that changes one’s life as they progress. It is the synergy of combined experiences, resources and knowledge exchange that gives an educational qualification the value that it holds, upon which I will receive over the course of the next three years.

So as I sit down to complete the last outstanding portion of my application, I am excited by the prospect of being able to interact, learn and engage like-minded individuals throughout the world during the course of the programme. The eager anticipation of exchanging thoughts and ideas, while sharing my perspective on the corporate world today.

I consider myself a witty and intellectual person. I derive a tremendous amount of satisfaction when I know that my mind and thought process is being engaged in a level higher than norm. While these feelings may be viewed as temporary to some, it has and always will be the fuel that keeps me going.

As a person who has an inert need to constantly be of use to life, society and community, I hope that this journey would take me to a level where my perspective is further widen so that I can look beyond what I am already seeing, and be able to bring about beneficial changes in this industry which I have chosen to drop my anchor.

As I embark on this new chapter of life, I am filled with trepidation. Am I going to be able to manage my time well enough to successfully go through this journey of studying, working and parenting? Would my fire and inspiration to be a better contributor to my organization, bringing about a better future for myself, and consequently, my children, stay lit through out this time?

After a week’s worth of soul-searching, I stand firm and pronounce a resounding “YES” for I believe that it is time I did something which will ultimately result in boundless benefits to me, myself and I as a human being – as Barbara Er.

I once read somewhere that more powerful than the will to win, is the courage to begin. I hold within me the power to achieve anything and everything that I have dared to dream for myself, my family and my organisation. It is time that my dreams come true.

~ Ends ~

I'm not the same person who wrote it a year ago now am I? Has the last 365 days shaken me up so good that all my molecules are scattered to the opposite ends of the earth, never to find their way back home? Should I even begin to retrace my steps and start a journey to find this girl again? And what if I did and she can no longer be found?

Cos you know what - I think she's gone for good. And nothing ain't gonna get it back to good.