Business

Saturday October 13, 2012

Life is about the people you meet

In a Sense
By CHOONG EN HAN
enhan@thestar.com.my


I STRONGLY urge everyone out there to Google and spread word of the Holstee manifesto, which had resonated deeply with many people including yours truly. Numbers don't lie and a document that has been viewed more than 80 million times and translated into 12 languages must be worth taking note of.

Though the originators (Holstee, an indie eco-friendly clothing company) had risen from obscurity and now generates roughly 50% of its revenue from just a single product derived from its mission statement. We are not here today to talk about Holstee but the statement itself. Of which, phrases like “This is your life. Do what you love, and do it often” and “Live your dream, and wear your passion” sums up the manifesto.

We have all received unsolicited advice to live life to the fullest one time or another, but how do you live when you are stumped on how to live? But who am I to preach about living life to the fullest? To me, I am a firm believer that life is a constant teacher, for you to learn through fresh experiences and cherish the past.

That is how I took the big leap of faith and plonked the cash down for a new Vespa, and became a new member of the two-wheel terror gang as my colleagues call it. Thanks to my overly concerned parents, during my teens, I never got a motorbike licence. Now I'm enrolled in the driving academy to get my B2 licence and on my way to traverse KL's treacherous roads. While friends and family were surprised when I broke the news, frankly deep thoughts were constantly running at the back of my mind, and to an extent that I even dreamt of riding around town in my Vespa and giving it the full Italian decor. My intention to reactivate a classic plate number prompted me to deal with the Road Transport Department. The fact that the local civil service had been the butt of jokes when efficiency and competence is concerned had made me wary about any contact at all.

On the flipside, a call via the general line had directed me to the right officer, and without even knowing who is on the other end, he offered to check his database and even emailed me forms that can only be obtained from Putrajaya, and everything was done in such a jovial manner! Talk about service with a smile! While one man might not have the ability to revamp the civil service, this is the right direction we should be heading to. To Mohd Asri Budin, the officer from the vehicle licensing division, I salute you. And to this end, may this be guidance to you from Holstee. “Life is about the people you meet, and the things you create with them, so go out and start creating.”

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