Year of Ox-ymoron

Hi my friends.

We just celebrated the Lunar New Year welcoming the Year of the Ox.

I will like to start the Year of the Ox, with a bunch of ideas that are, well, OX-ymoron.

We've all heard about the characteristics of the Ox that those born in the year of the Ox are known to be pragmatic and down-to-earth.

It is also known that Ox people (like someone who is close to my heart) are self-motivated and really hard working.

Also they rather independent though they sometimes place too much trust in others; just like others find it easy to trust them too. They also tend to establish strong bonds with their partners, families, and friends.

They can also be quite open-minded, but once they have decided about something, they rarely change their minds. This can sometimes be seen as being obstinate.

Taking the cue from some of these characteristics, let's see what we can learn from and also to chart our moo-ves (pun intended) onwards in today's environment.

Given the current economic situation, most are being fearful and uncertainties abound. Hence, it is even more important to be pragmatic in our approach. Having said that, we still need to trust in our hopes, dreams, and vision. Someone said to me that vision is a dream from God. Therefore, to me, believing in my vision is putting faith in that through God I will fulfill my dreams.

Also, we need to be independent as it has shown that while we can depend on others or institutions (or even government) we need to be independent in that we need to account to ourselves (and not blame others when banks go bust) and take responsibilities for our actions. To this end it is still critical that we establish strong bonds with our families and friends. Doesn't mean that being independent will see us being distanced from others.

More than that, while being independent we need to establish strong bonds with others so that we can create, add, and maximise value for (or with) them. That way they won't see us as a free-rider but more of someone they can count on. They can trust.

Finally, while remaining down-to-earth and not being boastful or become complacent with our achievements, we need to keep an open-mind, as you may have noticed that the world has shifted tremendously (will be blogging on how we must seriously re-examine our mindset and challenge certain assumptions we've held onto for so long) and hence keeping an open-mind will allow us to seize opportunities where others see gloom.

Of course it is good to re-examine those assumptions, we still need to learn from the Ox and embrace obstinacy in a different light. I believe we should stubbornly adhere to our visions and dreams and be obstinate and not give up no matter how bleak the situation seems. Remember the Lord works in mysterious ways.

Now, how's that for OX-ymoron?

(By the way, President Obama was born in the Year of the Ox. Is he, in any way, being oxymoron by selecting old-guards in his team of "Change-Agents"?)
Respectfully yours,
Melvyn Tan
(Sent from Blackberry Bold)