Marry the right person

Watched Buffet and Gates meeting with Students. One single take away from Buffet:

"Marry the right person, it will make more difference in your life. It your aspiration for all sorts of things. Its very important"

I couldn't agree more.

Thanks to Loh Wei for putting up the video at his blog.

There's no Magic bullet

Was talking to a friend yesterday over lunch. He asked me what were the learning lessons that i took away from SMU.

1. There is no magic bullet: You can be well prepared. But life is really a black swan. Not everything goes your way
   
2. Since there is no magic bullet, should you giving trying all together? No, because not trying will definite eliminate your chances totally. Instead just take note of the following:

• Know who you are
  
• Know what you stand for
• Know where your hope lies, which is in eternity, and not in this world.
  

Joel

Trust - a complicated story in a 5 letter word

Its been about 3 weeks since my last entry. I apologise for dropping off the radar. Have been busy with job apps, interviews, birthday celebrations, SMU end of term projects.

This post will central around my interviews and my learning lessons from it. I applied for an advisory and a bank job separately. I heard the competition wouldn't be easy, so i prepared whatever i could for the day itself.

Both interviews finally arrived, the banking interview first and followed by the advisory interview, which was done in groups. Competition for the latter was fierce, with lots of participation during the case study. Nonetheless, taking the advice of my senior, i put in alot to participate and network with the senior partners. Having done my best, i left with the peace of mind. Unlike previous times, i claimed everything in His name and prayed that His will be done. I didn't feel over-confident, but i did feel assured by His Grace.

But end of the day, the tension really comes when things don't work out as planned, or rather hoped for. The call/email inviting me for the subsequent round never came by the appointed time, and my feelings went on a roller coaster ride. People told me to move on, and while i agreed with them, i couldn't help but to feel that it was so unfair. Amidst all this, i was wondering: "Lord what are you trying to tell me in all this ? What are you planning for my life?"

I looked up two church elders from mel's church and spoke to them. Thank God for them, both were full of wisdom. Even though they don't specialise in the same field as me, but they could relate to my situation and gave me lots of spiritual guidance. Some of the learnings lessons from Pastor T.

1. Put God at the forefront of your life
2. Find out as much info as you can
3. Make a decision not based on one opinion but pick and choose the information you think is relevant.

Learnings Lessons from Uncle F.

1. How so many Christians are struggling with life because they let themselves be consumed by the world's rules: Matthew 13 talks about the parable of the sower and how many Christians are like seeds who fall among the thorns, believers who hear the word but the worries of this life and deceitfulness of wealth choke them.
2. Whose power is it really?: (John 15:1-17) "I am the true vine ... Remain in me, and i will remain in you."At the end of the day, we are merely the branches and no matter what human effort we put in, if we don not remain in him, then we are on our own. Claiming His name while not truly remaining in Him is.... futile.
3. Believing that i remain in good hands and will not fall (Romans 8:28): The story used here is not unfamiliar to me, but its a good reminder. When you watch a movie, you feel anxious when the main character is going to be injured/killed. But if you knew the end of the movie and that the hero will survive, will you still feel the same way? In life, if we knew the outcome of our circumstances, will we still feel angry against God when things don't go our way? And we do know God's promise in Romans 8:28. It shouts loud and clear that God's ending for us is always a positive one. If only we had a crystal ball to pin point this postiveness! But we don't, and in the meanwhile, we need to trust and be clear (jobs and financial freedom aside) where our true hope lies.
4. Live according to God's rules: Too many Christians get so disillusioned after repeat failures that they let go of their convictions and morals, and follow the world's standards. Then what is the point of a 'living sacrifice?' (Rom 12:1-3) How true (and challenging) it is, not to conform to the ways of this world, but be transformed by the RENEWAL of your mind.
5. Trust God!: Seems like the first 4 points have been pointing to this. All this while i've always thought that the burden of being the main provider for Mel & my future is mine and mine alone. But Uncle F. told me:" God is your main provider! You are only the receiver for yourself and Mel. Thus, trust him and obey his Word, along with the faith that he will provide adequately for your needs". I cannot understate the 'obeying'part. And this includes the daily reading of His word, prayer, self control over sin, and living life as a Christian. Its kind of easy to just remember the hope part and treat the whole advice session like a motivation talk, but let's be honest here, that kind of mindset does NOT set you apart from Non-Christians. its only the walking with Him, keeping in step that makes the true difference.

So that's what i learnt, and i believe that God has purposely put me in this situation because he wanted to tell me this, that trusting is more than claiming His Name or giving credit to Him. Its about the full journey. Putting Him as the forefront, having a real relationship with him. The rest leave it to him. Extremely meaningful.

Don't get me wrong here, i still have to keep applying and preparing for other interviews ya.. Its just that the G Factor should not be limited to job hunting/achieving something, but rather it is the cornerstone even before i embark on any initiative.

Joel