Control vs. autonomy

I've always been intrigued by the idea of work autonomy and a related concept -- work from home. This is a topic that has gained popularity in recent years as the rise of the millennial generation (and their desire for space and freedom) behooves enterprises around the world to review the way they function and how they engage the millennial workforce in the office. It is therefore not unheard of for companies to allow employees to work from home, so long as employees can get their work done and stay productive. I believe that many a parent have benefited from the flexibility of being able to work from home on days when they need to. 

While I certainly don't qualify as part of the millennial generation, I do work for a company (a multi billion unicorn startup) that allegedly boasts innovative hiring and talent management practices. You might already have noticed the word in italic "allegedly". Yes it actually is not as forward thinking as it makes itself out to be. Case in point -- I applied for the option to be able to work from home one day a week and was turned down, by both the HR department and my director. I was not the least miffed about the outcome but what got my goat was how double standards seemed to be applied across the company and of how conservative and traditional this company is. I know of folks who were working from home and have witnessed how laissez-faire senior managers of the company are with the resource of the company whenever they travel. To turn down my application to work from home on a day of a week (when I could afford it) seems ludicrous in the face of how many others are constantly abusing the freedom that's bestowed on the employees. 

Let's come back to the topic of working from home. While there are arguments to be made against and for this practice, I'm a huge believer in results rather than office presence i.e. I am partial to having someone deliver strong results than in having someone clock the hours and not produce results for a few reasons:

1. Empowerment

Action speaks volume. How leaders behave sends clear signals to employees. By empowering someone with the ability to work from anywhere (including from home) on the condition that results are delivered, that manager shows that they truly believe in empowering employees to do what's best for themselves, which brings me to the next point on culture.

2. Culture 

Culture is the glue that keeps a company together and the fuel that turbocharges a company's performance. A company with a great culture is a safe environment where there is implicit trust within the team. Allowing an employee to work from home, amongst other things that a company does, sends this signal to the team -- that your manager trusts you and has your interests at heart. There's no better way to get an employee to dedicate their best efforts to you. 

3. Results-centric 

For all the talk about being results-centric, my company obviously did not quite make the mark. A truly results-focused company believes in doing what's best to help the team and the company hit that bullseye. It could be something as simple as allowing staff to work remotely, or bringing in additional help to enhance the capabilities of the team. Anything really, that can get the team safely and together across the finishing line at the end of the period. By tying performance to results, rather than to number of physical hours in the office, the manager is cultivating a bottomline-driven, results-focused team.  In a world as competitive and dynamic as ours, a performance-driven culture is the basic building block to achieving pole position and gaining an edge above the competition. If permitting my team to work from home has the salubrious effect of instilling that mindset of excellence, I'm more than happy to offer it, anytime. 

If I do have my own company one day, I'd be sure to remind myself of what I said above -- and walk the walk and talk the talk by enabling and empowering my staff to work from home, for at least once a week. Far beyond just the positive benefits listed above, I believe that time away from the office also allows for more creative and strategic thinking, which can only take the company even further. Really, what's there not to like? :) 

February 14 - The day I completely lost my love for my job (and rekindle my passion for life)

Of all days, it has to be that day - February 14th, Valentine's Day. It was a poignant day. What was meant to be a day of celebration of all things fuzzy and loving turned out to be a heartaching, heart-breaking moment for me. I knew that my relationship with this company had come to an end, right on Valentine's Day. 

If you have been following my blog posts, you probably would have realized that I'm a hapless citizen of this world. Try as I might, at a mature age of 37 (going on 38), I really don't have anything to my name. Have I started a company? No. Am I married? No. Do I have a happy family? No. Do I have savings? Not much. Am I saddled with debt? Yes, and 63,000 USD of it. While I am cognizant of the need to constantly be appreciative and thankful for what I have, such as a relatively healthy body, a job that pays average salary and some awesome colleagues, I really don't think I have anything that's noteworthy or something that I'd look back ten years later with a smile of pride. Pretty pathetic you might say -- and that is the story of my life. I actually am worried if I would have enough for when I am old and haggard. If you're like me, I certainly hope that my story makes you realize that you're not alone; that no matter what you did or tried, success just evades you and you only. Luck is rarely on my side (and yours too if you were nodding your head earlier). 

Anyways, back to my career situation, which is seriously in dire straits no matter how you look at it. I am getting about 5,000 USD a month -- and I got an MBA. I did a reflection post on why I should leave my job and as I reviewed that article, I was struck by how every single point still resonates deeply within me today. Truth be told, I actually bore some hope that things would change for the better after I put out that article -- alas, my wish did not come true. My manager is still the same -- defensive, weak, inarticulate, inept and dumb. These are qualities that can't be changed overnight and it was indeed wishful thinking on my part that things would even improve! 

So here I am, contemplating a job switch. Over the past few weeks, I saw a few jobs that I liked, but at the same time, I was not quite sure if I were up to it. It was at this point that I came across a video of Marissa Mayer (the current CEO of Yahoo!) who, in a Stanford Graduate Business school interview, exhorted the audience to always look for the smartest folks to work with and be in something that makes us feel a little comfortable (in business world parlance, step outside our comfort zone). This quickly made me cotton on to the fact that I should summon my courage and apply to jobs that are a few grades above my current payscale. Do I have the experience? Perhaps. Will the company want me? Perhaps. Will I be successful? Perhaps. And is there a chance that I might fail? Maybe! Life is really meant to be lived taking chances and a sum of our success net our failures. If I don't embrace the probability of failure, then I will never be able to bask in the probable success either. Such is life and its peculiarities. 

I never like to end my blog post on a negative tone, and I really like how I am able - through writing - sort out my thoughts and all of the ostensibly confusing mind meandering...the "what-if"s, "should-if"s and "could-if"s. That's just the dark side of the mind, or the defensive nature of self, to discourage us from jumping into the unknown or leaping into untested waters. As Liz Gilbert so aptly said in her book, Big Magic, we could let fear join us in our life's journey but we should never fear be the driver. How true. 

Extremely dejected that my career has not quite panned out the way it should and I don't see it changing the way I would like it to. Valentine's Day marks the end of my time with this unicorn startup - and the beginning of bigger, better things to come. Let there be light in our lives and let us promise ourselves to live a life larger than our fears and build dreams and not nightmares. 

Please leave me a note at the end of my blog post if you like what I wrote or have suggestions and comments. Thank you! 

Happy birthday...and my purpose in life

August 2nd, 1979. That's the day I was born! Unknowingly, it has been 37 years since, and today marks the start of my journey towards my 38th birthday. 

It was an eerily quiet day. My mom has completely forgotten that it's my birthday; my siblings couldn't be bothered; my friends didn't say a thing. My dad, despite being very advanced in age, surprisingly muttered a "Oh it's your birthday today, right?". Yea for sure it is. Well, thank you dad for being the one and only one to have remembered my birthday in this world :)  

Looking back at the past 37 years, I wouldn't dare say that I have left an indelible mark on this world and lived life as gloriously and bravely as I thought I would. For some reason, things didn't quite seem to go my way and life appeared pretty bleak at some point. 

I am currently working for one of the hottest "startups" in the world but I am unhappy. Fresh out of my MBA program not too long ago, I remember clearly during the interview that I said, "I don't care about the job title. All I want is a role where I can make an impact." Fast forward two years, I think I actually did have an impact in my role but it was, alas, disregarded -- and nothing can be a clearer indicator than the comments that I received during my performance appraisal last Friday. 

Going into the appraisal, I knew that the higher my expectations, the more disappointed I would be if reality turned out otherwise. True to my prediction, I was slammed with a "you met expectations" grading. An average grade? I was stunned but my manager did a great job of managing my expectations with a candid, word-by-word sharing of what others had said about me. For the first time in my life, I received comments such as, "arrogant", "off-putting" -- adjectives that I will never ever use on anyone but was surprised to have received them myself. I told my manager that I was both surprised and not surprised. The former because I didn't expect my actions to be construed as such and to be received such harsh comments that seemed like a personal attack on my character; the latter because I knew that my intensity at work - my go-getter character, forthrightness and goal-oriented self - was starkly different from the attitude of many of my colleagues. Perception is reality but was I really that much of a jerk? Wow, what a nasty revelation. 

For the rest of the day and over the weekend, I pondered over the comments I received and was trying to make sense of why it hurt so much. Receiving an average appraisal was surprisingly not the reason; rather, it was the rationale for why I received that rating that hurt me so bad. For one, I was evaluated to be subpar on my ability to "build relationships with folks in the office" and this metric carries a 50% weight. In layman's terms, I simply didn't know how to play politics and did a terrible job brown-nosing senior management. So what if I exceeded my target? So what if I were the only one on the team to have exceeded my target well within budget? So what if I had devised a program to structure my thinking and guide my execution? All these only and merely account for 50% of my overall assessment. What shocked me more was how my manager even said that they would also rate a worker's performance as average had they failed to meet targets but performed well in building relationships. How's that for building a business that's performance driven and target-focused? I was aghast, bemused and confused. Was this the deal I signed myself up for and the company in which I hoped to be able to make in impact in? What good was the impact if the recognition was missing? 

I certainly hope few people in this world come across such situations but I know it's happening on a daily basis. Performance reviews by humans are subjective by nature unless the company makes a conscious decision to abide strictly by the rules it has set for itself, that employees' performance will be judge solely on pre-agreed metrics and targets. For folks who may not be as well in building relationships with folks in the office, they don't necessarily have to be marked down. Rather, it simply means that they should take on a different career path; to ignore their hardwork and sterling achievement is just wrong. You never want to promote a person who is only good at politics but bad at delivering against targets. That's a sure road to failure. 

Dejected, I found myself in the library on a Friday night and I chanced upon a book by Clayton Christensen, "How will you measure your life?". It totally changed my perspective on life and brought so much joy to my heart. It was such an inspiring, enlightening and empowering read. In areas where I failed to have clarity before, I gained a new understanding; in areas where I was constantly searching for answers, I found a way to get my answers. More importantly, it helped me wrap my head around this question -- what's my purpose in life. 

Without going into the specifics, I would broadly list down for my own reference the wisdom of gold that was clearly elucidated in the book:

A) Before taking on a new role, be sure to answer these questions and not jump at it because it pays well. 

1. Is this work meaningful to me? 
2. Is this job going to give me a chance to develop? 
3. Am I going to learn new things? 
4. Will I have an opportunity for recognition and achievement? 
5. Am I going to be given responsibility? 

Credits to Clayton Christensen for putting out those questions. I knew that deep in my heart, my passion for this company has long been doused -- and my performance appraisal only serves to confirm that. Those questions will now serve to guide me through my next career switch. And if you were able to positively answer all of the above questions, you're well on your way to a happy, fulfilling career. 

B) Finding your purpose in life

The next big idea he shared centered around the the "purpose of life" and how we should go about searching for our purpose in life. He likened this to drawing and said that it is nothing but a simple 3-step process:

1. Distill the likeness of what we would like to be (the rough form of what you'd envision you to become)
• A man dedicated to helping others around me
• A kind, honest, forgiving and selfless being
2. Becoming committed
• It is one thing to have aspirational qualities written down but another to be deeply committed to those qualities that will serve our priorities and actions on a daily basis
• Never waver. "It’s easier to hold on to your principles 100 percent of the time than it is to hold on to 98% of the time; once you have justified doing it once, there’s nothing to stop you doing it again." 
3. Finding the right metric
• For him, it's simply the number of individuals he was able to help. 

Clayton took a very structured and rational approach to figuring out what his purpose in life was and once he got it all nailed down, he was very strategic and thoughtful in the way he approached his every day life. Perhaps I needed it but reading his book (which I completed in two days) lifted me out of my doldrums and depression. It's the medicine I was looking for and I was glad that I found it on my birthday. 

So, Happy Birthday to my 37 year old self. Plucking out my wisdom tooth on Sunday (July 31st) wasn't that bad (it gave me five days of rest) and if anything, it freed me from work and gave me one of the best birthdays I've ever had, even if the whole world has all but forgotten about me. Knowing how to really live a life that I want and one that will make me happy is the best gift ever! :) 

When is it time to leave your current job?

The past one week has been nothing short of frustrating, exasperating and demoralizing. It's got to do with the accursed four-letter word: W.O.R.K. 

I've been stuck in a rut for the longest time and taking on my current role wasn't exactly the way out of the rut; in fact, it might just get me more deeply entrenched. I've also felt that this is not the role or the people that I want to work in or with, and this feeling became really strong over the past one week. 

As you can probably tell, I'm at a decision crossroads -- should I stay or should I leave? Well, to help clarify my thoughts, I've decided to just write down the reasons for why I should leave, and for that matter, why this would matter to anyone else who is in a similar quandary. 

1. The markets you're responsible for. If the markets you handle are not top of the company's business plans, then it's probably a sign of your importance (or lack thereof). Staying on can only mean limited budget, limited opportunities and limited prospects. Why would you want to be the one to manage markets that the company doesn't quite value? 

2. Budget. Ah, yes. I have a decent budget of about 40K the past financial year; this year, my budget was dramatically slashed to a quarter of what I had last year. When I shared this with a colleague, her response was, "Wow, is this a way the company is telling you to go without firing you?". Wise observation indeed. Yes, if your budget has been cut while others are getting more, then it's crystal clear that what you do isn't quite important, if it's even important in the first place. 

3. Manager. I've read an article before that says, "Good people don't leave companies; they leave managers." Spot-on. My manager isn't supportive of me. He got promoted though he didn't have the leadership skills to effectively manage, lead and inspire a team. While he doesn't micro-manage (which would have made the job unbearable!), he was too ready to acquiesce to others while pushing his team to do more, and more, even to the extent of taking on some other people's work. If your manager is making life more difficult for you, then you'd do better to leave and hope that your next manager is truly the dream manager. No point hanging around hoping that your manager will change. Dream on -- it ain't happening. 

4. Prospects. So look at yourself in the mirror and ask yourself -- if you're let go today, would companies out there be looking to quickly bring you onboard? If you hesitated for a second, the answer probably is no. C'mon, if you're in high demand, you'd be poached. The fact that you need to think means that you prolly haven't had any recruiters reach out to you. You need to fix this pronto. 

5. Salary. Again, look at how much you're compensated for your time. Your time is by far the single most valuable asset you have (other than health and family). If the company devalues your worth by paying you a low salary, you probably should elsewhere where you can command a higher salary. Also, your compensation package is indicative of your market value and of the importance the company places on your role -- a poor package means you're really not that important to them; an attractive compensation scheme means you're an asset, a prized possession that they are willing to pay a fair amount of money for. Fix it if your salary is lower than what you should be getting. 

6. Liabilities. You may be dithering and wondering to yourself, "okay, this job ain't that bad but I'm not quite a fan of it". In this case, you might want to holistically review your financial status. Do you have any outstanding financial obligations e.g. a school debt or housing loan? Well if you're like me who has a mountain of debts to repay, then good luck staying put with a company that doesn't pay you well. Freedom is priceless and the longer you take to repay your debt, the more in interest you pay (the principle of interest compounding!) and the lesser you will have in future to invest and save. So don't linger on, thinking that all is fine. Fast forward your life by 60 years to retirement and you will wake up in shock knowing that you actually do need to get a better paying job. 

7. Your role. I took on a role for which I didn't think highly of for the reason that it's a role that is so fluffy, which an impact that's tough to accurately and effectively quantify. As the company grows and  when performance review time comes around, the question of how much you have done will inevitably surface. So think about your role. Are you in a role for which the company truly values and for which you can really build a strong, quantitative business case for? If you don't think it is, re-examine your role again in the context of the company. Can this company do without your role? If the answer is yes, then you're at risk of being just another face in the crowd, or worse, a dispensable that the company is going to jettison when bad times come around. 

Personally, I checked off the above list (and it's really depressing). But I just want to put it out there for someone else who might be in need of a decision framework to evaluate their options. 

Good luck and may tomorrow bring fresh hopes! 

Living in and coping with a dysfunctional family

January 3rd, 2015.

Didn't expect myself to put up another blog post so soon. 

Today, my mother went ballistic again. I did mention in my earlier blog posts that I live in a dysfunctional family and I'm not exaggerating. Oftentimes, people will say that you can choose how you react to certain situations and I'm somewhat comforted by the fact that I have a blog where I can freely let my thoughts flow. Better than nothing I guess. 

Growing up in an environment without love, I've always wondered how it's like to be in a family where everyone lives in peace and harmony. My mother has kinda been both the good and bad guy -- she is the one who holds the entire family together and she is also the one who, through her wild mood swings and insanity, broke the family up and strained all the relationships within this household. I have never really had a complete family -- and I crave for one. 

There were days I wish my parents were gone. I know this may sound terribly unfillial but when you live in an environment where the parents are constantly fighting (both verbally and physically) and you can't escape, you will find yourself wishing death upon 'em. You wanna set yourself free from the shackles of a highly negative environment, which is filled with screaming, shouting, fighting, cursing and tears. You don't want to be in a family where your mother is always praising your brothers and putting you down. You don't want to be discouraged by your mother telling you that you're ugly and good-for-nothing. 

This year, I resolve to move out of this house, to find a place which I can call my own. Will I succeed? How am I going to do it despite my lack of financial resources? Will there be a miracle? I don't know but I'm going to do my darn best to move to a place where I can finally find some peace of mind and be able to truly focus on what matters to me most. 

I can and will do it. 2016 is the year of action. 

Are you in a similar situation? Share in the comments section below. Writing out your thoughts helps. Hugs! 

Setting up my system for success in 2016

Definitely getting older by the day. I can feel it. 

The past two years have been a roller coaster ride of sorts for me. I graduated with an MBA from a top U.S b-school and went on an insane hunt for a job. Humiliated, demoralized, defeated and almost died. I rose from the ashes to eventually land a decent job that doesn't pay as well as I thought it should. Well, better a job than nothing, right? Wrong but more on that later. 2014 was a challenging year on so many fronts -- personal, family and professional. At times, it seemed as though the world was collapsing just on me and me alone. I didn't know what to expect; I thought I would fall into depression. And to make things worse, I was broke and saddled with a huge debt (USD90,000) from my MBA education in the U.S. Tough like hell before 2015 came along...with a job in tow. I took that offer knowing that it wasn't particularly in line with what I was looking for but hey, it didn't turn out that bad. At the every least, it was a great startup that managed to get itself into mainstream media for all stories bad and good. I traveled the most ever with this job and managed to get some folks envious. Despite all of the job perks, I struggled with the pay, a dysfunctional family, a broken social life and a nagging worry about what's going to my future. 

Today's January 2nd, 2015 as I sat down to pen down my thoughts on what I see myself doing in the days to come. Over the holidays, I picked up Scott Adams's book on "How to Fail at Almost Everything and Still Win Big". Two big ideas stuck -- 1) Our job is not our job; our job really is to find a better job 2) One should always have a system instead of a goal because goal-oriented people exist in a state of nearly continuous failure that they hope will be temporary. I've never thought this way before. Simple but pretty revolutionary ideas. As I march on to the big 40, I want to put in a place a system that can hopefully make the years before hitting the 4-0 sweeter than those years before I turned 30. Here's my system:

1. Own my life and my time. By this I mean not giving a damn effing sh*t to what others think about what I do. I'm fully responsible for my own life and I can't let it go. The moment I do, others will take over and plan my day for me. Never  allow yourself to fall into this situation, ever. 

2. Don't be scared. I was born into a pretty poor and broken family. Everyone says that they are poor but really? Well, my dad brought me to the airport to ask for money from strangers when my family just couldn't afford the extra penny to be donated to my school; my brothers and I had to share a Filet-O-Fish burger from McDonald's because we couldn't afford to get one burger for each person; I was always wondering at the young age of 13 how I was going to pay for my school tuition. Was I really poor? You bet. I grew up introverted and scared of the world in general. But as I became older, I also realized that my fear holds me back and pushed me deeper into the dark recesses of poverty and destitution. I'd want fear to push me to achieve greater heights and down deeper and darker. I commit to myself to never be scared again. Break things. Speak up. Do it. 

3. Count my blessings. I may be dealt the life tree of lemons but I did manage to munch on some cherries that some lovely folks brought to me. Let' see -- I got a job (though I may not like it that much), the opportunity to travel (San Francisco, Chicago, Paris, Bali, Bangkok, Phuket, Berlin, Spain, London), meet with some really nice people and some spare change to buy my favorite sweets. 

4. Just say no. Mr Congeniality. Nay, this ain't even remotely close to a title like Mr. Universe. So why the heck do so many people want to be nice and agree to do things that simply suck the life outta of 'em? Saying yes to something you dislike or to someone you despise brings negative energy. Deep inside, you actually feel horrible for nodding to that request. Reclaim your dignity, say no and you will thank yourself for it. This year and the years forward, I'm going to be saying no a million times more often than yes. 

5. Travel and meet people. Hang around with like-minded people. If you want to be an entrepreneur, meet and mix around with entrepreneurs. Don't be a recluse. You're an introvert? So am I. But hey, if you're mixing with people who think like you, it's gonna be so much less intimidating to hang with folks who share a common passion. Want to transform your life? Want to change the world? Well, go meet with folks who have similar goals. You can be a sociable introvert -- and this is exactly what I wanna be. 

6. Career. I may be working for the best employer in the U.S., but hey, who's to say that I will be employed tomorrow when I wake up? And what about that USD90,000 loan? At the current rate, I'd be debt-free only when I hit 5-0. Holy cow! And if I am fired tomorrow? You get the point and this is why I love Scott Adams's idea that we should always be on the lookout for our next job. Your job is not your career unless you're madly in love with it that it reciprocates with money and even more future opportunities. So, make it your business to always be looking for a career that fires you up so much that you will never ever want to do anything else. It's only possible if you never stop looking. 

7. Fitness. The MBA program combined with the late-night binging and lack of exercise meant an accumulation of fats and a bulging tummy. I can't sit down these days without some loose fat hanging over my belt and that's just annoying and ugly. I may never be able to attain the chiseled abs and well defined bodies of models but I think if I aim high enough, I believe I can get there. I literally spent the last 14 days in beast mode and thoroughly enjoyed busting those fats at the gym and outside. Cardio never felt this good baby! I hit close to 100km -- and you know what, I am going to crosse the 10KM mark this evening. Being fit and leans helps me move faster and build confidence. What's there not to like? The motivation is there and I will never want to stop moving. 

8. Home. I have been sleeping on a floor mattress since the day I was born. I get a bed to myself only when I'm out traveling or overseas for work etc. How ironic this is. And you know what? I sleep in the living room. Absolutely no privacy. I feel like I could do so much more if I had a space to myself and this year, I wanna work my ass off to get the sh*t out of this  house. I want a space to call my own and do my own thing. Without a decent living space, it's just draining to have to deal with all the inconveniences that come with a shared room. Considering my low salary and high debt, this seems to be moonshot but that's also the reason for why I want to put this out here -- we hold each other accountable for our achievements. 

Writing this blog post today makes me feel a ton better and thanks for reading. Turning a year older and moving into 2016 ain't all that bad afterall. Perhaps you're in a similar quandary yourself and if so, do drop me a note -- let me know what's bothering you and how you plan to deal with it. 

Let's make each day count. Make your own opportunity and destiny. Own it. 

Happy birthday, Mr. Start-Up

Today's my birthday.

I've never been in the mood to celebrate my birthday. My family doesn't care much about birthdays and I can't remember the last time we ever got to together to celebrate the birthday of anyone. Part of the reason was because we just weren't able to afford a birthday party, cake or anything fanciful when I was little. After I started work, things got slightly better but by then, we had already gotten used to the idea of not celebrating birthdays in the typical fashion -- the most that we would do to mark the birthday of anyone was to get some fried chicken. That was already a big step forward from what we used to have when I was little.

Today's slightly different. Nope, I still didn't celebrate my birthday but I actually did something different to mark this occasion. To begin with, my mood was somber -- I've got a negative prognosis on my future career. It wasn't exactly the kind of news one would want to receive on this day, but you know what, I can actually live with it. In fact, it got me thinking -- the more the world wants me to fail, the more I want to succeed; the more the world thinks that I can't make it, the more I want to win -- and to win big. 

With that thought, I decided to go for a 15-round run (3.75 miles) around the stadium track. Ever since I got home, my fitness level has plunged -- I got lazy and started to use age an excuse to cut back on the intensity and frequency of my exercise routine. The path ahead is long and uncertain; it is therefore even more important that I preserve my health for a long and arduous journey ahead. I don't want to surrender to life. I went to get my MBA because I didn't want to be who I was in the past. I wanted to be me; I aspired to become someone who can change the world. To achieve my dreams, good health is therefore paramount. And there is no better way to mark my birthday than to make a promise to myself that I will stay healthy and fit. A 15-round run - though not a personal best nor some record-breaking feat - was still an achievement.

I am currently enrolled in a technology entrepreneurship course at Stanford. This is my second attempt at taking this course and while I am up to my neck with full-time job applications, I decided that this is a great opportunity for me to meet kindred spirits and get my name out there...to show the world what I can do and to accomplish what I believe I can do. So I am immensely pleased that I thought of an idea that I could work on. It's all about the shared economy, which is a phrase coined to describe the new, connected world that we live in; one where people will pool resources together to benefit themselves, their community and even the world we all live in. I am not sure how to execute the idea yet (it involves some hardcore computer coding and I have little coding knowledge) but I am incredibly excited that I hatched the idea today -- on this day that is coincidentally my birthday.

Happy birthday, my new venture. May you grow up healthy, popular, strong and powerful.