Updated: May 1
Education.
"I hereby sincerely apply for a job."
We go to school not to learn how to write a resume, but to study. And we study so that we can solve problems within the real world.
Consider this: Before going to school, identify a problem in the real world. Then go to school, study the problem and then think up of possible solutions. Draw up a plan of how to solve the problem.
After graduating, go back into the real world and actually solve that problem. In that process, you have now created value, and can get someone to pay you for doing that.
Instead, we live in an education system that entices people to collect certificates and degrees. And the best thing that you can say after getting a certificate or degree is: “I work well under pressure, I am a team player, I hereby sincerely apply for a job”.
From a purely academic standpoint, you are qualified to gain employment. Beyond that, nothing else shows that you can actually get stuff done.
This is how we end up with so many graduates and postgraduates today who are simply looking to just get a high monthly salary rather than solving real world problems.
"Back in the old days..."
"你的苦不值得被承认" [1]
Older people tend to conveniently project their experiences on younger people.
Those who say that "we had it much worse off back in the days" are not trying to comfort you on the struggles you are facing today, neither have they given you any practical advice on how to go about dealing with them.
Instead, what they are really doing is comparing who is worse off, and subtly hinting that what you are facing now is nothing compared to what they had gone through many years before.
The truth is: Everyone goes through their own personal struggles. There is no basis for saying who has had a tougher time.
Bringing up unhealthy comparisons to the past will only cause those who are currently struggling to feel more helpless.
Staying humble.
...is not just about NOT showing off.
Many people think that humility means keeping quiet and not bragging about how good you are. But being humble is not just about restraining yourself from showing off.
Being humble is about being consciously aware that you are never good enough, that you are never the best, and that there is always room for being better - only if you are are willing to let your pride down and take the criticisms of others.
The art of receiving feedback (especially negative ones) therefore becomes a very important element of being humble. When someone provides you with feedback, just listen and not rush in to justify yourself.
If your higher ups give you negative feedback, it simply means that your execution had been ineffective. If subordinates give feedback, this is merely observation on their part, albeit right or wrong.
Humility is about taking responsibility for the outcome, not about who’s looking good or bad. At the end of the day, the results are all that matters, not the process or delivery.
Justifying yourself (especially in any negative outcome) will only demonstrate your need to always be right, and nothing good ever comes out of proving that you are right all the time.
Treat everything professionally. Take nothing personally.
[1] As seen from: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DIgSPPoxQcS/?igsh=dHV2eHJnN2YzMzJj
Wednesday, April 30, 2025