Stuart’s Philosophies

I was in Indonesia for the weekend running a series training seminars for parents and it was amazing how the culture differs from Singapore. First of all, I realized that people tend to accept me more outside of the country than here. Talk about being welcomed with open arms! Speaking on stage to well over 700 people this weekend was quite a treat. :)At the same time, I was passing through town and saw some really interesting things. My first stop was to Plaza Senayan in Jakarta for lunch. While we didn’t really have much time to go shopping, here’s a quick peek at the place, which boasts more than what we have to offer.

And while many of us know that Jakarta is floating with extremely wealthy people, and the mall here proves it - with every manner of branded goods you can find, it also has its quirks.

Due to the economic situation, there are many people who have been put into employment to do one task only. For instance, there were 7 people hired to do 1 person’s job. Six of them watched while the other did the work. In this photograph above, it’s raining, and the couple of guys here have been hired to sweep the excess rainwater into the drain. Well, I don’t know about you, but that tells me a story of ‘futility’.

Why Singapore has such an efficient system is not a mystery - we have limited human resources. At the same time, while we are capable of handling over 5 people’s jobs at the same time, we experience far more stress than before. I know a lot of people who experience the acute anxiety and stress at work, and we need to look at ways to help increase the ease at which our level of productivity doesn’t jump back and bite us in the back.

Thankfully, the country is not without humor. :) I was driven past this wall of graffiti:

Emblazoned on the top of a  wall filled with graffiti are the words “Say No To Art”. After chuckling, I snapped a copy of this and decided that, perhaps, the creative elements in our country are lacking, even behind Indonesia.

Our environment affects us tremendously. Not just your mental environment, as I have always emphasized, but our physical environment. While everyone clamors for success, it is increasingly more and more difficult to get people to generate results. I’ve seen it with many of the people on the streets and the successful individuals I coach. Only those who are willing to make dramatic shifts will be able to create massive change in their lives. Taking action in an environment that does not support it tends to be as futile as sweeping rain into a drain on a rainy day. The irony of the artistic capabilities of our friends in Jakarta also poignantly echo our dilemma in Singapore - while everyone wants success, we probably  are just too busy for our own good.

Creativity and productivity: can there really be a good balance? There’s more to life than meets the eye, but we definitely have to be thankful that we are progressing!

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