The headline of this blog really counts. It is so meaningful and powerful in the broder broader terms. The environment I would like to say here, not just the geo-physics. It includes people around you. They will influence your success or failure.
During my good time of great success in the investment business, many people around me envy on my success. I can buy many things that I wish. You can travel where you want to go, where you want to eat, what stuffs you want to buy…and so on. One of my ex-bank friend even told me, “If you want that thing, you sure will get it as per your wish”. He said that when I wish to buy a BMW at a QAF showroom. In fact a few weeks after my visit to the BMW showroom, I drove the new BMW.
During my successful business carrer, people around me support what ever I wish to do. They respect me, and they love to be by my side. Because I will buy them breakfast, lunch or a high tea. When I need help, people will easily response without hesitation. People listen to me, and it makes me feel appreciated. When I feel aprreciated by them, I appreciate them and sometime listen to their problem. When other people need help, I offer them help without hesitation.
But, now during my bad dried financial times, people will look down on you and will try at their best to avoid you. I can feel it and it started a few years ago. My cashflow was running low in less than $10,000. I have to support my family, and as the head of the family I need my own transport for my family. In 2005, I sold all my BMWs. A couple of months I have to drive someone else car. Then it’s time for me to buy a new cheap car that I think will not burden me.
I look around for the right car and seek financial application from various banks around Brunei. I finally got it from HSBC and guess what….I bought a Renault Megane sedan car. I thought I make the wise decision. But the next thing you knew when I drove that car, people start criticized me…heavily. People don’t like my decision buying the car, and everytime I attend a function people would say I bought an ugly, unreliable and worthless car. People bombarded with thousand of critics, with some people say out to me in front of the crow, I am buying a car that has no value when resale and I don’t think like a businessman.
I was instantly puzzled on why people criticized my decision of buying the car for my family, where in fact I don’t ask any money out of their pocket to buy it. Then when my business started to slowdown, some people even labeled me as ” don’t know how to talk the talk in business”. They referred me in such a way when I tried to apply a school bus tender where I failed the tender. For me I have tried my best competing with thousand of companies gambling for the tender, and I was not destined to have it.
When your business are down with not much cashflow coming in, and occasionally you failed to pay some of your obligation, people start to watch you. They watch you closely and when the time is hard enough they will try to put some big stone on you to make it more difficult, suffer and they will laugh at you. They will easily labeled you as loser!
For me it’s a test of life and it’s part of the business cycle. But 90% of us who works for either the public sector or the private sector who earned a monthly salary, they won’t understand the people like us the business people. Our income is not fixed every month. When we short of cash, they blamed on your management skill.
What I would like to conclude here, if your environment filled by negative people your success rate can become so slim. But when your environment filled with positive and supportive people, your chances of success after failure will be high. If you being surrounded by negative people, try to stand out and find the right environment. As a business people, don’t take too much advice from people who never taste the good and bad of running a full time business. Their advice will just kill your stamina, motivation and determination.
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