“Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, and Albert Einstein.” – H. Jackson Brown Jr.
Life is the most difficult exam during every transition. Many people fail because they try to follow others without a clear reflection on their own journey. With experience we realize that everyone has a different question paper to answer on his or her unique experiences.There’s no real competition really as we are all winners in the end within our spectrum. Life’s great when we ride with the flow and learn from each encounter.
Every Year goes by with a blink of an eye, every moment without much acknowledgement. We can’t preserve or conserve the time given to us except love through our lives. There are times when we hit an impasse, where we have to meander through the twists and turns. I have always felt that friends and family are like fragments in the sky, they are with you all the time but during the moments of dawn they shine their divinity on you with tremendous strength to endure what life has to offer.
Sir Edmund Hillary said, “I did not conquer Mt. Everest, I conquered myself”. When the great mountain stands before us beckoning us, we can more easily overcome moments of weakness. Therefore, the higher the goals, the greater is the ability we manifest in overcoming obstacles from within and without. Isn’t that an interesting thought?
We continuously strive for the many achievements and step into the next altitude in our transitions. Every passing moment is filled with a crisp fresh endurance like no other. Savoring is about learning to live presently, to fully enjoy the gift of each moment. It has been said that our lives here are temporary but memories everlasting.
Moving from one country to another is a part of life these days. Needless to say though, it is never easy, fear is ever-present, discomfort never goes away, and demons never sleep. But courage is the greatest of allies and disciplined action the greatest of skills. I recently read that the lack of success or achievement is never due to a lack of resources… the problem is always a lack of resourcefulness. We meet some amazing people and make many friends along the way. So the lesson is actually the title of Mitch Albom’s book that featured Henry Covington…a former drug dealer and convicted felon turned loving pastor. The name of the book: Have a Little Faith. Perhaps this is the best lesson of all in any transition.
Our individual paths make us who we are today, no matter how hard our journey may have been on the onset. Over time, each instance surpasses us with a reflection like shadows over the sand. When we endure a great loss in our lives, which at that very moment may feel like the foundation beneath our feet shatters – a fragment of our heart displaced. Nonetheless, we learn how life can be so fragile yet so profound.
Amidst all the voices, sometimes we forget that each one of us have within us a remarkable zest for life that can enlighten every heart we touch. We can build the courage and push the boundaries to strive beyond our capacity to excel even through the most enduring moments. Sheer moments of serenity where no paramount height of obstacle is ever visible. In the realm of chaos, let us not forget to ask ourselves: What is truly our seed of joy as a global nomad living life in the fast lane?
Alka Chandiramani is a multi-lingual HR practitioner with over 20+ years of HR and legal experience. She has been the Manager of the Career Resource Centre for Excellence (CRCE) in Singapore since 2003. The American Association of Singapore (AAS) is a non-profit organisation whose mission is to enhance the experience of job seekers of all nationalities and other community members by bringing them together through social events, activities, and career and job support. She also runs her own consultancy firm, Alvo Connexions Pte Ltd.