So now I only have exactly 1 hour left before I am way past my timeline of writing one blog every working day. A sense of desperation kicks in. What should I write about? I am not going to meet my goal for today. I’d just write about anything that comes to mind then. “Better yet, I should not write at all” is what the next thought would be. It is indeed easier to give up but I just have to give it a try a bit more.

When needing to do something and I am at a loss at what to do, brainstorming is a first step to take. The problem with brainstorming, though, is that when the storm becomes stronger than the brain. The good thing is that mind can overcome matter. There is a goal I have to face and the challenge is for me to come up with something before my self-declared deadline. I have to make things work, somehow.

Per my planned writing sail plan, I am supposed to write about perspectives. Yes, this is quite like strategic planning’s balanced scorecard perspectives’ concept. Yet, just like the previous days of my blog-writing this week, I will try to do away with the technicalities. I’d just let all the words flow as they come to my mind. I won’t be curtailing anything I write tonight by some confining boxes. I’d even pretend there is no box which exists at all. So here goes my attempt for the night…

My writing for this week all evolved around my 5Ps. No, this is not about Mintzberg’s 5Ps of strategy. This isn’t about the 5Ps of marketing either. Reading through the posts on my LinkedIn homepage, I soon realised this is a bit synonymous to Hays’ personal branding concept. I would have changed my mind for the sake of originality but I just have to stick through. I’d call it my own 5Ps or my Life’s Purview. The previous, present and future facets of my life evolve around these 5Ps. People, places, passion, perspectives, and positivity are part of that purview.

I strive to separate my career from my private life. Yet, I believe that it would be more consistent to adopt these precepts into both realms. As I continue my attempts at writing, I will produce or refer to one or a combination of these 5 key points.

Now, what does each of these Ps pertain to? What do I intend to write about under each P? The following seeks to clarify the scope and delimitation of each P.  

People

Almost my entire career had been people-centric. I am a human resource (HR) professional by calling and by choice. I love being able to help people with my humble capacity. There is something beneath the calm and collected aura I’ve got. Such aura was to project the ideal “naval officer” persona that people expected me to have. Beneath the facade hides a warm, vulnerable and sensitive person. I seek to understand and respect others for their uniqueness. I strive for professional relationships in the workplace yet value friendships outside work. I’ve had my own ups and downs. Thus, I have empathy for others’ plights, whether at work or elsewhere. Also, in making decisions, I use my heart and tame it with reason. This is to come up with win-win solutions for everyone concerned. I believe that organisations should balance achieving results without sacrificing its people. “Happy employees mean happy customers and stakeholders,” as they say.

Places

My life had somewhat been a fulfilment of the aspirations of those close to me. The journey to making such a dream happen has taken me to a lot of experiences. Such included travels and visits to places of spectacle, insights, and discoveries. My naval career made me sail through rough seas. It made me reach new even far-flung destinations. I’ve basked in the sun, and also went fishing in sheltered ports. Migrating to Australia materialised my mother’s dream of having a better life overseas.  I found a new interest in capturing the myriad sights and amazing nooks of our dear South Australia. My ever-reliable smartphone recently became my best buddy.

Passion

I never believed in half-hearted efforts. There may be conversations on having over-qualified and underqualified employees. My solution is versatility in doing what is best, given situations and corresponding implications. I rarely make a promise, as I believe that I should always keep my word. If I would ever make a commitment to anything, I always strive to give 100%, if not 101% or more. To some people or those who do not know me well, I may seem to change my mind. Yet I just believe in flexibility. I know that I do not have the monopoly of knowledge. Nobody ever did. Thus, I am open to being enlightened, if need be. Yet, I strive towards effort consistency without losing track of the goal. Just like a mathematical equation, there are many solutions to arrive at an ideal answer. The important thing is to arrive at a solution leading to the desired result.

Perspectives

I love learning new ideas and insights from people I listen and correspond to. I learn from events and articles I read, and even from every experience that I encounter. I am curious to know how individuals think. I am interested in knowing how individual decisions affect the collective whole. I look at how a certain event causes a chain reaction in the bigger scheme of things. I explore how one could make a difference in one’s own simple way. I see to discover how life stands for endless possibilities. The nature of most jobs I had in my career meant that I should as I have chosen to remain apolitical. I believe in peace, amity, friendship, cordial relations, cooperation and respect amongst all people. This is regardless of differing backgrounds, circumstances, and preferences. I engage in discussions and negotiations if they are inevitable. I would always agree to disagree if need be. But such would be for a common, higher good. Life derives colour and significance from a curious blend of complexities. These include ironies, contradictions, fine lines, paradoxes and uncertainties. I accept these as a reality. Acceptance is a step towards coming up with more realistic solutions. Such leads to more viable plans and strategies for the future.

Positive results

With all that’s said, thought, and done, one thing is evident. Determining what is good or bad depends on individual perspectives. Everything should gear towards positive end results. Optimism is another derivative idea of what I believe in. It is not in the essence of encouraging complacency and mediocrity. It is in knowing that there is always a solution to every problem. There is a resolution to every issue. There is that best way to achieve results. There is hope in every situation, no matter how bleak the circumstance.

Wrapping things up

I know that this post may not meet the standards. However, I have proven one thing tonight. Things can be done, even if they seem impossible to do. In one minute, my time will be up. But, I now made it through. This is still an accomplishment. Yes, you’d be seeing the flaws which you really do not want to see in a written piece. This, though, is still a one-hour writing challenge that I managed to hurdle so far. Who knows, I may be able to write a better version of this post later? The next challenge is to make sense of what I have so far written in this post.

I’d like to know your thoughts once more. Have you had a similar experience of exerting everything just to accomplish a goal within the tightest deadline? What made you fail or succeed? 

(Note: This article also appear in the author’s LinkedIn profile.)

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