Malaysia votes soon. Regardless of the timing or the odd nature of it, we must be proud that our country has universal adult suffrage. We have a right to pick who governs us. And we must take this right very seriously.
It is your right to choose who you will vote for and not be influenced by me or anyone else. It is your inalienable right. Our interest should always be to add value to ourselves by being valuable to others. So when exercising your right to vote, remember to be of value to other citizens.
Malaysian was formed in 1963. And its founding purpose was the principle of "free through unification". This is what our founders aspired for. To bring together the peoples of Malaya, Singapore, Sarawak and Sabah for our freedom from the colonisers.
Since then, our nation has had its ups and downs. But we have continued to succeed as a nation only because generations of Malaysians have bought in to the idea of "being Malaysian".
We all connect with the concept of Malaysia, and this has kept us going for the last six decades, even as we face the occasional adversity. Our goal of being a unified nation with shared vision keeps us together.
This purposeful existence is also easily translated in our work-life.
Determine your professional purpose, and define the goals you need to achieve to get there. It is a crucial process because goals ensure that you are living your professional purpose and they make you accountable for them.
Do remember that as you work out your goals, you may find that your work-life is at odds with that purpose drive that you have established for yourself. Say, if your professional purpose is to have an empowering job but you work in an organisation that expects unquestioning foot-soldiers, you will certainly find it hard to work there happily.
When faced with this, some of you may disconnect from your professional purpose and resign yourself to thinking that you are bound by your circumstances. This belief will definitely stifle your personal growth.
I once read that the root word of ignorance is "ignore". If you succumb to this doctrine that there is nothing you can do to realign yourself to your professional purpose, understand that you are just choosing to ignore your passion.
In my experience, this leads to a range of emotional fears that will block you from progressing.
Therefore, if you find that your current situation is not conducive to the purpose-driven goals that you have, you will need to buckle down and work at managing your fears.
The world has so many examples of successful people who focused energy, effort and grit in the direction of pursuing their passion. Remember that just as you have created your current life, only you can re-create it, based on your professional purpose.
Alvin Toffler, the writer and futurist who was known for his discussions on modern technologies and the digital revolution, says the illiterates of the 21st century are not those who cannot read and write but rather those who cannot learn, unlearn and relearn. So, it becomes vital that you believe that you can relearn and make changes in your life.
Accept that there may be gaps between where you are and where you want to be. Perhaps you will need to upskill to acquire skillsets for what you want to pursue. Or perhaps you might not be able to leave your current job right away, and move to somewhere else more empowering.
But it is necessary for you to understand that this is not a permanent acceptance of your lot in life. Strive to make changes by taking small steps towards your end-point.
The Japanese philosophy of kaizen is arguably the best way of thinking for you. It simply means change for the better, and it is about focusing on continuous improvement of personal working practices and efficiency.
Make the transition from living your current work-life to a purpose-driven one by being mindful of the steps you need to take.
And do not make unreasoned choices. A smart young person once approached me to ask me to help her become a leadership coach. I found this quite admirable. But she wanted me to hire her immediately as a coach.
I explained to her that her request felt unreasonable to me because at her age, she had limited leadership experience. However, I also assured her that in time, if she aligned her work-life with this professional purpose, I had no doubt she would become an exceptional leadership coach.
I remind all my coachees and trainees that life is ultimately about living in alignment with your purpose, so that you become the best version of yourself.
Your work-life, like our nation, needs to be driven by purpose.
Shankar R. Santhiram is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of the national bestseller "So, You Want To Get Promoted?
